Fahrenheit 451 Vocabulary

Part I Part III Part II

Phoenix Noun A mythological bird of great beauty fabled to burn itself on a funeral pyre, and to rise from its ashes in the freshness of youth and live through another cycle of years.

Salamander A mythical creature believed to live in or withstand fire Noun A mythical creature believed to live in or withstand fire

Marionette Noun A puppet that is worked by strings

Pulverized Verb Broken into fine pieces

Stratum Noun The outermost layer of the epidermis consisting of dead cells that slough off

Contrasedative Noun A drug that has an exciting, stimulating, anxiety, or stressful effect on a person

Pratfall Noun A comic or humiliating fall onto the rear end

Proboscis Noun The long snout of an animal; a nose, especially prominent one; a tubular organ

Morphine Noun A narcotic, the primary active chemical in opium

Procaine Noun A white crystalline powder administered near nerves as a local anesthetic in dentistry and medicine

Vocabulary Part 2

sieve Object used for straining

arsonists firesetters

treason Betrayal of country

subaudible Barely heard

phosphorescent Radiant with light

bewildered confused

discourse Lengthy verbal or written expression

skepticism Doubtful nature; questioning

folly A foolish action

tyranny Leadership with total power

Vocabulary Part 3

gobbledegook Wordy, meaningless talk

rigidity Stiffness, firmly fixed

yielded Produced by cultivation

pyre Bonfire used to cremate bodies

incessantly continuously

sanity Legal term for mental fitness

aesthetic Describing a sense of beauty

penance An act of remorse; suffering for sins; attrition

obscure Mysterious; nameless

kneading Massaging; pressing