UNBROKEN Vocabulary Chapters 1 5 insurgency n Rebellion

UNBROKEN Vocabulary Chapters 1 -5

insurgency (n) Rebellion within a group, as by members against leaders Chapter 1: “The One – Boy Insurgency”

zeppelin (n) A rigid airship or dirigible p. 5 “It was the German airship Graf Zeppelin. ”

transfixed (v) Made or held motionless with amazement, awe, terror, etc. p. 6 “Under the airship, his feet bare in the grass, he was transfixed. ”

impaled (v) Fixed upon, or pierced through with, anything pointed p. 7 “Leaping around one day, he impaled his leg on a bedpost…”

raucous (adj) rowdy, disorderly p. 9 “During a raucous childhood, Louis made more than just

gallant (adj) Brave, noble-minded, exceptionally polite and attentive to women p. 9 “He had a gallant habit of carrying pins in his pants cuffs, in

mortified (v) Humiliated or shamed, as by injury to one’s pride or self-respect p. 10 “His earlobes leaned off his head like holstered pistols, and above them waved the riotous hair that mortified him. ”

eugenics (n) The study of methods of improving genetic qualities by selective breeding (especially as applied to human mating) p. 12 “In the 1930 s, a fake science known as eugenics was gaining a mass following. ”

precipitously (adv) Extremely or impassably steep p. 26 “His weight fell precipitously. ”

jettisoning (v) Throwing off something as an obstacle or burden; discarding p. 31 “Basketball players did passing drills on deck, but the wind kept jettisoning the balls into the Atlantic. ”

UNBROKEN Vocabulary Chapters 6 -11

UNBROKEN Vocabulary Chapters 6 -11 buoyant incendiaries garish writhing droves contingency careened relegated gyrating prowess

buoyant (adj) characterized by liveliness and lightheartedness p. 51 “She had a curvy figure, a buoyant disposition, a quick mind, and a family cat named Chopper. ”

prowess (n) A superior skill learned by study and practice and observation p. 57 “The squadron’s prowess was soon well known. ”

incendiaries (n) Shells, bombs, or grenades containing napalm, thermite or some other substance that burns with intense heat p. 65 “‘When are you going to turn loose those incendiaries? ’”

garish (adj) excessively bright; glaring. p. 65 “The islands, sealed in blackness a moment before, were a blaze of garish light. ”

droves (n) Large crowds of human beings, especially in motion p. 69 “Dying in Droves”

contingency (n) A chance, accident or possibility conditional on something uncertain p. 77 “He also tried to prepare for every contingency, even taking an elderly Hawaiian’s seminar on fending off sharks. ”

careened (v) leaned, swayed, or tipped to one side while in motion p. 85 “The plane caught hard and careened left, toward two

relegated (v) Assigned to a lower position; reduced in rank p. 93 “It was relegated to errands, and mechanics pried parts off of it for other planes. ”

gyrating (v) Moving in a crude spiral, whirling p. 98 “But with the plane gyrating down nose first and the escape passage narrow, perhaps Mitchell couldn’t get out. ”

writhing (v) Twisting the body about, or squirming, as in pain, violent effort, etc. p. 100 “Far below, Louis was writhing in the wires. ”

UNBROKEN Vocabulary Chapters 18 -33

emaciated (adj) Abnormally thin p. 143 “Battered, emaciated, and sick, Louie was brought to interrogation for the final time. ”

brutish (adj) Brutal, cruel, uncivilized p. 150 “…Japanese soldiers and civilians usually carried caustic prejudices about their enemies, seeing them as brutish beasts or fearsome devils. ”

caustic (adj) severely critical or sarcastic p. 150 “…Japanese soldiers and civilians usually carried caustic prejudices about their enemies, seeing them as brutish beasts or fearsome devils. ”

sadist (noun) a person who enjoys being cruel p. 154 “He was the medical officer, a sadist who tortured and beat captives for pleasure. ”

flagrant (adj) notorious; scandalous p. 156 “The most flagrant thief was the cook who packed the food on his bicycle and pedaled off to

degradation (noun) humiliation, disgrace, dishonor p. 168 “Living in vile degradation and suffering, sure they were doomed, Louie, Harris, and Tinker listened to the nearby planes and wondered if there could be a

incongruities (noun) inconsistencies, things that do not seem to go together p. 171 “The only incongruities on this striking corporal were his hands – brutish things that one man would liken to paws. ”