Romeo & Juliet Unit Vocabulary

Abate: To become less intense Abate: To become less intense. “Gas prices have been high for several years, people are surprised to see them abate. “

Ambiguous: open to more than one interpretation, having a double meaning. “The picture is ambiguous. At one angle it looks like a young woman, at another it looks like an old woman.”

Braggart: A person who boasts about achievements or possessions. “Braggarts don’t like to keep accomplishments to themselves.”

Carrion: The decaying flesh of a dead animal. “Carrion on the side of the road is caused by the natural habitats of animals being crowded by construction.”

Conduit: a channel for conveying water or other fluid. “In New York in the 1940’s, children often gathered around an open fire hydrant to cool off in the summertime.”

Doff: to take off or raise one’s hat as a gesture of respect; to remove a piece of clothing “I doff my hat to the passing lady to be polite.”

Distraught: deeply upset and sad “Spongebob started to whimper and soon, he was completely distraught.”

Forfeit: to lose or give up, sometimes as a punishment for a crime. “If a person is convicted of a felony, they forfeit the right to vote.”

Gossamer: The fine, filmy substance of spider webs, also referring to anything light or airy. “The butterfly flitted by on what seemed to be gossamer wings.”

Inexorable: impossible to stop or prevent “Natural disasters are inexorable, so we do our best to avoid them and be prepared.”

Knave: A tricky or dishonest man. “Even though wrestling is fake, not all wrestlers are knaves.”

Jocund: cheerful and lighthearted “Of all of Will Ferrell’s characters, Buddy the Elf may be the most jocund.”

Mutiny: an open rebellion against authority, especially by soldiers or sailors. “Mutiny on the Bounty is a book about sailors who plan to overthrow their captain.”

Pensive: engaged in deep or serious thought “Students looked pensive while taking their Expository Writing DPM.”

Predicament: A difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation “This woman’s predicament will probably end with her falling in the lake.”

Rote: to learn something by simple repetition “Instead of thinking about what each problem means, my math teacher said I should just learn my times tables by rote.”

Solace: comfort or consolation in a time of sadness “When my dog ran away, friends tried to give me solace by bringing me a new puppy.”

Trudge: to walk slowly with heavy steps, usually from exhaustion “The runner stayed strong for most of the marathon, but trudged the last grueling half mile.

Unwieldy: Difficult to carry because of size, shape, or weight “The little squirrel struggled with the giant acorn because of its unwieldy size, but he managed to carry it back to his nest.”

Visage: A person’s face or facial features “The Mona Lisa is very famous for the visage of its subject.”