The Bean Trees Chapters 1-8 Study Guide Vocab

Vocab only.

Presume

(v) to take for granted, assume, or suppose

Ornery

(adj) ugly and unpleasant in temper; stubborn

Indelible

(adj) cannot be eliminated, forgotten, or changed

Repulse

(v) to reject with coldness or discourtesy

Transient

(adj) lasting only a short time; existing briefly

Conniption

(n) a fit of hysterical excitement or anger

Ascendant

(n) a position of dominance or controlling influence

Reticent

(adj) disposed to be silent or not speak freely; reserved

Meager

(adj) deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness

Dilapidated

(adj) reduced to or fallen into partial ruin or decay, as from age, wear, or neglect

Reverence

(n) a feeling or attitude of profound respect

Aptitude

(n) ease in learning or understating; intelligence

Pandemonium

(n) wild uproar or unrestrained disorder

Perturbed

(verb) anxious or unsettled; upset

Prudish

(adj) excessively proper or modest in speech, conduct, or dress

Compulsion

(n) an inner drive that causes a person to perform actions

Gumption

(n) initiative; agressiveness

Deprivation

(n) the state of being deprived or lacking the necessities of life

Incarnate

(n) given a bodily, especially a human form

Dormant

(adj) lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive, as in sleep

Pungent

(adj) sharply affecting the organs of taste or smell

Noncommittal

(adj) not committing oneself to a particular view

Befuddled

(v) to confuse

Cantankerous

(adj) disagreeable or quarrelsome

Mendering

(v) winding or rambling