Samuel Beckett - Malone Dies

abatement

decrease, reduction

abreast

Side-by-side

abreast of

to remain current; up to date

affable

(adj.) courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to

aghast

(adj.) filled with amazement, disgust, fear, or terror

alacrity

brisk and cheerful readiness

alight

(v.) to get down from, step down from; to come down from the air, land

ample

(adj.) more than enough, large, spacious

aphonia

the loss of the ability of the larynx to produce normal speech sounds

ardour

enthusiasm or passion

ashen

ash-colored; deadly pale

asperity

roughness or harshness; severity

astir

moving or stirring, especially with much activity or excitement

astute

(adj.) shrewd, crafty, showing practical wisdom

atrophy

(n.) the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; (v.) to waste away

augur

a prophet or seer; to predict, foreshadow

avowal

an open admission or statement

azure

The blue color of a cloudless sky

bawl

to cry loudly

beguile

To deceive; to charm; to enchant

belabour

to work on excessively; to beat soundly; thump; beat someone; to attack verbally with harsh criticism

bestride

v. To get or sit upon astride, as a horse.

blanch

(v.) to remove the color from; to make or turn pale

breech

buttocks

brittle

easily broken, fragile

charnel house

a building or vault in which corpses or bones are piled

cinder

A piece of charred substance that can burn further but without flame; ashes

circumscribe

to draw a circle around; to restrict

clamber

to climb with difficulty

clamorous

making a loud and confused noise

clout

great influence (especially political or social); hard blow with fist

clump

cluster or close group (of bushes, trees); sound of heavy treading

coddle

to pamper, indulge

conation

the mental faculty of purpose, desire, or will to perform an action; volition.

conflux

a flowing together; confluence

consortium

a group of companies or institutions

consummate

(adj.) complete or perfect in the highest degree; (v.) to bring to a state of completion or perfection

contort

to twist, wrench, or bend severely out of shape

convalescence

the gradual recovery of health and strength after illness

creek

a small stream

de rigueur

strictly required by etiquette, usage, or fashion

deluge

a flood; an overwhelming rush

demure

quiet and modest; reserved

deplore

(v.) to feel or express regret or disapproval

dexterity

skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands

dilate

(v.) to make or become larger or wider; to speak or write at great length on a subject

dilation

widening, stretching, expanding; a lengthy spoken or written discussion on a topic

diligent

hard-working and careful

dire

warning of or having dreadful or terrible consequences - calamitous; urgent, desperate

dismal

causing gloom or misery

dispel

To scatter about, break up

distend

to swell; to expand; to inflate or bloat

dodder

tremble or totter, typically because of old age

exorbitant

(adj.) unreasonably high; excessive

expansive

communicative, and prone to talking in a sociable manner

expatiate

(v.) to expand on, write or talk at length or in detail

fatuous

(adj.) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way

fitful

Not steady; irregular

flay

to whip; to remove skin

flounder

to thrash about in a clumsy or ineffective way

floury

resembling flour in fine powdery texture or dominant floury taste

fondle

handle or touch something or somebody in a loving way; touch, stroke, caress

forebear

forefather; ancestor; progenitor

forestall

to prevent by taking action in advance; delay

gall

shameless boldness; nerve

gammon

a smoked or cured ham; to deceive

gangrene

death of tissue associated with loss of blood supply

glabrous

Smooth and bald.

glade

an open space in a forest

gouge

Scooping or digging tool, like a chisel, or a hole made with such a tool (noun); cut or scoop out; force out a person's eye with one's thumb; swindle, extort money from (verb)

gout

Swollen, red, acutely painful great toe joint

gulf

a deep inlet of the sea almost surrounded by land, with a narrow mouth.

gurgle

flow or run with a bubbling sound

haberdasher

a dealer in men's clothing

haberdashery

men's clothing store

harpoon

A spearlike weapon used to hunt large fish

hearse

a vehicle for carrying a coffin to a church or a cemetery

hem

surround tightly so that movement is impossible; Ex. hem in; N.

hoary

very old; whitish or gray from age

hovel

an unpleasant, cramped, and dilapidated place to live

huddle

a closely packed group

ill-favored

Ill-looking; deformed; repulsive; ugly - usually used of a face

illimitable

(adj.) characterized by an unlimited, unending nature

immoderate

excessive; extreme

impassive

(adj.) showing no feeling or emotion; inanimate; motionless

imperious

(adj.) overbearing, arrogant; seeking to dominate

impetous

acting suddenly without thought, on impulse

impunity

exemption from punishment

in extremis

at the point of death

inauspicious

(adj.) unfavorable, unlucky, suggesting bad luck for the future

incandescence

light from heat

incandescent

giving off heat or light

incommode

to inconvenience (someone)

indelible

not able to be erased or removed; memorable

indignantly

with anger caused by something felt to be unjust

indignation

anger as a result of something unjust

infirm

not physically or mentally strong, especially through age or illness

inflammatory

causing excitement or anger; leading to unrest, violence, or disorder

inflow

The cash flowing into a business, its receipts; The act or process of flowing in or into

irresolute

(adj.) unable to make up one's mind, hesitating, indecisive