Owl Creek Bridge Vocab

Ardently

Very enthusiastically or passionately

Chafed

To be or become annoyed or lose patients, often because of rules or limits

Deference

Respectful submission or yielding to someone else’s opinion or judgement

Dictum

An authoritative statement or general truth; in the story, often used in a legal or military context

Gesticulate

To make gestures, especially when speaking, to express something

Imperious

Commanding and arrogant; acting like a person who expects to be obeyed

Malign

To speak evil to someone, or (as used in the story) something harmful or evil in nature

Perilous

Full of danger or risk

Preternaturally

In a way that is beyond what is normal or natural; unnaturally

Ramification

A consequence or outcome, often one that complicates a situation