"When Breath Becomes Air" Vocabulary

apostasy

rejection of religious beliefs, political party, or cause

vertigo

a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall

stave

one of the slats of wood forming sides of a barrel or bucket

cacophony

loud confusing disagreeable sounds

convoluted

highly complex or intricate

amalgam

a combination or blend of diverse things

austere

of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor

pantheon

a temple to all the gods of antiquity

nascent

being born or beginning

harbinger

something indicating the approach of something or someone

carrion

the dead and rotting body of an animal; unfit for human food

callous

emotionally hardened

foray

an initial attempt

monastic

relating to life in an isolated religious community

rudimentary

being in the earliest stages of development

amiable

diffusing warmth and friendliness

idyll

a charming, peaceful, or idealized episode or situation

pyre

wood heaped for burning a dead body as a funeral rite

apse

a projecting semicircular section of a building

duly

in an appropriate or proper manner

chasten

censure severely

disconsolate

sad beyond comforting; incapable of being soothed

tutelage

attention and management implying responsibility for safety

averse

strongly oppsed

propriety

correct behavior

sacrosanct

treated as if holy and kept free from violation or criticism

engender

call forth

bathos

a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one

farcical

broadly or extravagantly humorous

polarity

a relation between two opposite attributes or tendencies

unconscionable

greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation

macabre

shockingly repellent; inspiring horror

procure

get by special effort

gall

the trait of being rude and impertinent

discomfit

cause to lose one’s composure

pedagogical

relating to the study of teaching

livid

furiously angry

cavalier

showing a lack of concern or seriousness

seminal

influential and providing a basis for later development

barrage

the heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area

jargon

technical terminology characteristic of a particular subject

apex

the highest point of something

protuberant

curving, jutting, or bulging outward

concomitant

following or accompanying as a consequence

judicious

marked by the exercise of common sense in practical matters

ebullient

joyously unrestrained

imminent

close in time; about to occur

wan

pale, as of person’s complexion

entropy

a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome

cessation

a stopping

abut

lie adjacent to another or share a boundary

complacency

the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself

euphoric

characterized by a feeling of well-being or elation

promenade

a leisurely walk, usually in some public place

egregious

conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible

inured

made tough by habitual exposure

concurrent

occurring or operating at the same time

inexorable

impossible to prevent, resist, or stop

truculent

defiantly aggressive

pastoral

devoted to raising sheep or cattle

esoteric

understandable only by an enlightened inner circle

volition

the act of making a choice

apocryphal

being of questionable authenticity

despondency

feeling downcast and disheartened and hopeless

spate

a sudden forceful flow

ineluctable

impossible to avoid or evade

self-effacing

reluctant to draw attention to yourself

connive

from intrigues (for) in an underhand manner

paragon

a perfect embodiment of a concept

arbitrarily

in a random or indiscriminate manner

inviolable

incapable of being transgressed or dishonored

affable

diffusing warmth and friendliness

prosody

the study of poetic meter and the art of versification

indignant

angered at something unjust or wrong

exhortation

an earnest attempt at persuasion

garner

assemble or get together

recrimination

mutual accusations

passivity

the trait of remaining inactive; a lack of initiative

onerous

burdensome or difficult to endure

asymptote

a straight line that is the limiting value of a curve