The Alchemist: Vocabulary

disinter

unbury, reveal

impetus

encouragement, goad

crook

the curved stick used by a shepherd

infidels

unfaithful ones or nonbelievers

levanter

a wind that comes from the eastern end of the Mediterranean, near Turkey, which is sometimes called the Levant

Moorish

relating to the Moors, the Arab/Berber Muslim people who arrived from Northern Africa and conquered Spain in the 8th century

sacristy

a room in a church used to store sacred vessels for communion

scabbard

the metal case used to hold a sword

seminary

school, especially one in which students study to become priests

alchemy

a medieval philosophy and science with the goal of changing common metals into gold, finding a universal cure for illness, and discovering methods of halting the aging process to prolong life

Bedouins

nomadic Arab peoples who lived in bands in the Arabian Peninsula's desert

capricious

given to whimsical decisions, unpredictable

divination

the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means

prognostications

predictions, statements telling of the future

scimitar

very sharp knives with curved blades

Coptic

Egyptian form of Christianity

scarab

a beetle used in Egyptian art as a symbol of the after-life or of God; among Egyptians, scarabs are seen as lucky charms or omens

simun

a wind-borne sand storm

sirocco

a wind that blows from the oceans over the land, bearing moisture

conquistador

Spanish soldiers, so named because they conquered their enemies