Vocabulary for Cry, The Beloved Country

Alyssa Watson
1. Mute-(adjective)-Refraining from speech or temporarily
speechless; not expressed in speech; characterized by an
absence of sound; quiet
A. Book Sentence-(page 40)-Then she sat down at his
table, and put her head on it, and was silent, with the
patient suffering of black women, with the suffering of
oxen, with the suffering of any that are mute.
B. My Sentence-The doctor told the mother that her poor
little daughter would be mute for life.

1. Gravely-(adjective)-giving cause for alarm; serious

A. Book Sentence-(page 56)-It suited the white man to
break the tribe, he continued gravely.
B. My Sentence-The woman spoke gravely as she retold
the robbery.

1. Articulately-(adjective)-(of a person or a person’s words) having

or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently
A. Book Sentence-(page 61)-Inarticulately he strokes her
face, his heart filled with pity.
B. My Sentence-The professor spoke very articulately at
the graduation ceremony.

1. Reconciled-(transitive verb)-restore friendly relations between;

cause to coexist in harmony; make or show to be compatible;
make (one account) consistent with another, esp. by allowing for
transactions begun but not yet completed
A. Book Sentence-(page 61)-And thus reconciled, they sat
hand in hand.
B. My Sentence-The two girls finally made peace and thus
reconciled.

1. Stipend-(noun)-a fixed regular sum paid as a salary or

allowance
A. Book Sentence-(page 64)-To save ten pounds from a
stipend of eight pounds a month takes much patience
and time, especially for a parson, who must dress in
good black clothes.
B. My Sentence-The businesswoman won a bonus and will
receive a stipend of £ 3000.

1. Irresolute-(adjective)-showing or feeling hesitancy; uncertain

 A. Book Sentence-(page 79)-So getting no peace, she rose
irresolute, and went to a room behind, and after some
time she returned with the Bible.
B. My Sentence-She was irresolute about whether to go to
the movies or not.

1. Corrugated-(adjective)-(of a material, surface, or structure)

shaped into alternate ridges and grooves
A. Book Sentence-(page 88)-There is corrugated iron at
the Reformatory, they use it to cover the bricks.
B. My Sentence-The factor down the street just received a
shipment of corrugated iron.

1. Travail-(noun)-painful or laborious effort

• Travail-(intransitive verb)- engage in painful or laborious
effort
A. Book Sentence-(page 90)-God save this piece of Africa
that is my own, delivered in travail from my body, fed
from my breast, loved by my heart, because that is the
nature of women.
B. My Sentence-Giving birth is a very travail effort.

1. Obscure-(adjective)-not discovered or known about; uncertain;

not clearly expressed or easily understood; not important or well
known; hard to make out or define; vague
A. Book Sentence-(page 93)-He had bought the child some
cheap wooden blocks, and with these the little one
played endlessly and intently, with a purpose obscure
to the adult mind, but completely absorbing.
B. My Sentence-The climax of the book is obscure to me
now.

1. Desolate-(adjective)-deserted of people and in a state of bleak

and dismissal emptiness; feeling of showing misery,
unhappiness, or loneliness.
• Desolate-(transitive verb)-make a place bleakly and
depressingly empty or bare
A. Book Sentence-(page 93)-And then in one fraction of
time the hills with the deep melodious names stood out
waste and desolate beneath the pitiless sun, the
streams ceased to run, the cattle moved thin and
listless over the red and rootless earth.
B. My Sentence-As I watched him walk away I suddenly felt
desolate and cold.
1. Muse-(intransitive verb)-be absorbed in thought; (with direct
speech) say to oneself in a thoughtful manor
A. Book Sentence-(page 93)-His voice would falter and die
away, and he would fall silent and muse.
B. My Sentence-Julia was musing on and on about her
new boyfriend when we were at the party.

1. Dubious-(adjective)-1. hesitating or doubting. 2. not to be relied

upon; suspect
A. Book Sentence-(page 107)-And so long as we vacillate,
so long will we pay dearly for the dubious pleasure of
not having to make up our minds.

1. Tenaciously-(adjective)-not readily letting go of, giving up, or

separated from an object that one holds, a position, or a
principle; not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in
existence or in a course or action

2. Ruefully-(adjective)-expressing sorrow or regret, esp. when in a

slightly humorous way

3. Apprehension-(noun)-1. anxiety or fear that something bad or

unpleasant will happen. 2. understanding; grasp. 3. the action of
arresting someone

A. Book Sentence-(page 120)

1. Prodigal-(adjective)-spending money or resources freely and

recklessly; wastefully extravagant. 2. having or giving something
on a lavish scale (ch. 9-14 end)

2. Reproachfully-(adjective)-expressing disapproval or
disappointment

3. Congenial-(adjective)-(of a person) pleasant because of a

personality, qualities, or interests that are similar to one’s own;
(of a thing) pleasant or agreeable because suited one’s taste or
inclination

4. Innumerable-(adjective)- too many to be counted (often used

hyperbolically)

5. Quaintness-(noun)
 • Quaint-(adjective)-attractively unusual or old-fashioned

1. Repression-(noun)

• Repress-(transitive verb)-subdue (someone or something)

by force; restrain or prevent (the expression of a feeling);
suppress (a thought, feeling, or desire) in oneself so that it
becomes or remains unconscious; inhibit the natural
development or self expression of (someone or something)

1. Reverie-(noun)-a state of being pleasantly lost in one’s

thoughts; a daydream (ch 18-22 mid)

2. Expedient-(adjective)-convenient and practical, although

possibly improper or immoral; suitable or appropriate
• Expedient-(noun)-a means of attaining

1. Prestige-(noun)-widespread respect and admiration felt for

someone or something on the basis of a perception of their
achievements or quality
• Prestige-(adjective)-denoting something that arouses
such respect or admiration

1. Scrupulous-(adjective)-(of a person or process) diligent,

thorough and extremely attentive to details; very concerned to
avoid doing wrong

2. Renounce-(transitive verb)-formally declare one’s abandonment

of (a claim, right, or possession); refuse to recognize or abide by
any longer; declare that one will no longer engage or support;
reject and stop using or consuming (ch 23-29)
• Renounce-(intransitive verb)-LAW refuse or resign a right
or position esp. one as an heir or trustee

1. Profoundly-(adverb)

• Profound-(adjective)-1. (of a state, quality, or emotion)

very great or intense; (of a disease or disability) very
severe; deep seated; 2. (of a person or statement) having
or showing great knowledge or insight; (of a subject or
thought) demanding deep study or thought; 3. ARCHAIC at
from or extending to a great depth; very deep

1. Humility-(noun)-a modest or low view of one’s own importance;

humbleness
2. Transmuted-(transitive verb)-change in form, substance or
nature; subject (base metals) to alchemical transmutation