The Necklace By Guy de Maupassant Vocabulary DOWRY

“The Necklace” By Guy de Maupassant Vocabulary

DOWRY � The money, goods, or estate that a wife brings to her husband at the time of their marriage. � In exchange for marrying his oldest daughter, the farmer paid a dowry of $1000.

CLERK �A person employed in an office to keep records, file, type, or perform other general office tasks � The clerk refused to accept my paperwork because it did not have the proper signatures.

POISE �A dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession � Even though she had made a grave mistake, her natural poise allowed her to remain calm.

NIBBLE � To bite off small bits � To eat or chew in small bites � The child nibbled at the chicken on his plate but refused to eat his vegetables.

OUTBURST �A suddent and violent release or outpouring � A sudden spell of activity, energy, etc. � His outburst during the president’s speech caused him to be removed from the conference room.

STUNNED � To deprive of consciousness or strength by or as if by a blow, fall, etc. � To astonish; astound; amaze � We were stunned that such a small girl was able to lift such a heavy sofa!

PAUPER �A person without any means of support, especially a poor person who depends on aid from public welfare funds or charity � A very poor person � The movie star went from being rich and famous to pratically becoming a pauper after the failure of her most recent films.

SUPERB � Admirably fine or excellent; extremely good � Sumptuous; rich; grand � The bed at our hotel was very comfortable and the food in the restaurant was superb!

DOZE (DOZING) � To sleep lightly or fitfully � To fall into a light sleep unintentionally � Michael drank three cups of coffee to keep himself from dozing off during the meeting.

SHABBY (SHABBINESS) � Worn down by wear, use, etc. � Showing signs of wear or neglect � My car was brand new when I bought it in 1990, but today it looks quite shabby.

WEARILY (WEARY) � Physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc. � The weary travelers decided to stop and rest under a tree, having walked almost the entire day.

INHERIT (INHERITED) � To take or receive property, a right, a title, or something similar by succession or through a will � When my grandmother died, I inherited all of her jewelry.

DESPAIR � Loss of hope; hopelessness � To lose, give up, or be without hope � Our despair turned to joy when it was reported that everyone had survived the accident!

NEEDY � In a condition of not having enough or being in poverty; extremely poor � We did a collection of food and clothing to support the needy in our community.

LOAN (LOANED) �A grant of the temporary use of something � Something given for a certain period of time on the condition of being returned � My mother loaned me $100 to buy school supplies, but I have to pay her back when I get my next paycheck.