Vocabulary from Night by Elie Wiesel

Flashcards for vocabulary words used in Elie Wiesel's Night, including definitions.

Encumbered

Burdened or weighed down, often emotionally or physically.

Mysticism

A spiritual belief system that seeks direct communion with God or ultimate reality, often through prayer or deep contemplation.

Lorries

Large trucks used for transporting goods or people.

Billeted

Assigned lodging, often for soldiers or displaced persons.

Bade

Past tense of 'bid,' meaning ordered, commanded, or said farewell.

Ghetto

A segregated, enclosed section of a city where Jews were forced to live under Nazi rule.

Treatise

A written work that systematically discusses a subject, often scholarly.

Anecdotes

Short, personal stories or accounts of past experiences.

Premonition

A feeling or warning that something bad will happen.

Avid

Having an intense enthusiasm or eagerness for something.

Edict

An official order or proclamation issued by an authority.

Phylacteries

Small leather boxes containing Hebrew scriptures, worn by Jewish men during prayer.

Truncheons

Short, thick clubs used by police or soldiers as weapons.

Pillage

To rob or plunder, especially during war or conflict.

Hermetically

Completely sealed or airtight.

Abyss

A deep, dark, and seemingly endless void; metaphorically, extreme despair.

Pestilential

Deadly, disease-ridden, or highly unpleasant.

Blandishments

Flattering or coaxing words meant to persuade someone.

Congealing

Thickening or solidifying, often used for liquids turning into a gel-like state.

Compulsory

Required or mandatory.

Reverie

A state of being lost in thought or daydreaming.

Placard

A sign or notice, often displayed publicly.

Leprous

Relating to leprosy, but often used metaphorically to mean decayed or infected.

Convalescent

Recovering from illness or injury.

Lavatories

Bathrooms or toilets.

Clout

A hard hit or influence and power over others.

Lucidity

Clear understanding or mental clarity.

Antechamber

A small room leading to a larger one, often used as a waiting area.

Condemned

Sentenced to punishment or suffering.

Convulsively

In a jerky, uncontrollable manner, as in a seizure or spasm.

Infernal

Relating to hell, extremely terrible or torturous.

Incite

To stir up or provoke action, often violent or rebellious.

Sages

Wise people, often elders or scholars.

Notorious

Famous for something bad or negative.

Paternal

Relating to a father or fatherly figure.

Conscientious

Hardworking, responsible, and careful in doing what is right.

Cynical

Distrustful or skeptical of human motives.

Evoking

Bringing forth a memory, feeling, or image.

Reprieve

A temporary relief from something painful or unpleasant.

Alleged

Said to be true, but without proof.

Thrash

To beat violently.

Interlude

A break or pause between events.

Livid

Extremely angry or bruised in color.

Decomposition

The process of decaying or breaking down.

Functionaries

Officials or bureaucrats carrying out duties.

Prostrated

Lying flat in exhaustion or submission.

Implored

Begged desperately.

Lamentation

Expressions of deep sorrow or mourning.

Interminable

Seemingly endless.

Crucible

A severe test or trial that forces transformation.

Derision

Mockery or scorn.

Mountebanks

Fraudulent people, tricksters, or charlatans.

Automatons

People acting like machines, without emotion or independent thought.

Petrified

Frozen in fear or unable to move.

Bereaved

Having lost a loved one; grieving.

Privations

Hardships or lack of basic necessities.

Apathy

Lack of emotion or caring.

Embarkation

The process of boarding a vehicle, often for a journey.

Inert

Lifeless or unable to move.

Deriving

Obtaining something from a source.

Tether

A rope or chain used to restrict movement; metaphorically, a limit or restraint.

Contagion

The spread of disease or harmful influence.

Hillock

A small hill.

Plaintive

Sounding sad or mournful.

Beseeching

Begging earnestly.

Riveted

Completely focused or captivated.

Spasmodically

In irregular bursts, as in spasms or fits.