Vocabulary Three Skeleton Key Vocabulary 1 derisive their

Vocabulary

Three Skeleton Key Vocabulary #1

derisive “…their comrades greeted them with shrill cries, with what sounded like a derisive note. ” • Adjective (p. o. s. ) • Form of deride • Characterized by mocking. in a meanspirited teasing manner (def. )

treacherous “Now, ships were a rare sight in our waters, for our light was a warning of treacherous reefs barely hidden under the surface and running out to sea. ” • Adjective (p. o. s. ) • Form of treachor – Cheater, trickster • Unstable or insecure or deceptive (def)

hordes “If you so much as harm one, his sharp cry will bring hordes of his fellows to swarm over you. ” • Noun (p. o. s. ) • Plural form of horde • moving swarms or packs (def)

suffice “At times, when the cargo does not suffice, the rats attack the crew, …” • Verb (p. o. s. ) • To be enough, sufficient, or adequate (def)

edible “ Below us, in the tower, we could hear the screams of the rats as they devoured everything edible that they found. ” • adjective, noun (p. o. s. ) • fit to be eaten, something that is fit to be eaten (def)

receding “…and an army of rats covering the rocks left bare by the receding tide. ” • Adjective (p. o. s. ) • Form of recede • Departing or leaving (def)

extinguished “Our light extinguished, we returned to the gallery with our glasses and inspected her. ” • Verb, past tense (p. o. s. ) • Form of extinguish • Having put or quenched (def)

Three Skeleton Key Vocabulary #2

wide berth “Consequently we were always given a wide berth, especially by sailing vessels, which cannot maneuver as readily as steamers. ” • Noun (p. o. s. ) • Sufficient space (or clearing) between two objects (def. )

maneuver “Consequently we were always given a wide berth, especially by sailing vessels, which cannot maneuver as readily as steamers. ” • Verb (p. o. s. ) • To steer, guide, or pilot (a vehicle, vessel, etc. ), esp. with skill (def. )

maws “…our only distraction was watching the rats whose holds were insecure fall a hundred and twenty feet into the maws of the sharks—” • Noun, plural (p. o. s. ) • The jaws or mouth of a voracious (really, really hungry) animal (def. )

diminution “—but they were so many that we could not see any diminution in their numbers. ” • Noun (p. o. s. ) • Form of diminish • The process of making less (def. )

Emanating “the light was emanating through the ship” • Verb (p. o. s) • Form of emanate • Flowing forth as in light or gas (def. )

Incessently “ They moved incessantly, never still. ” • Adverb (p. o. s) • form of incessant • continuing without end, not stopping (def. )

derelict “If I say that no one’s aboard, I mean she’s a derelict. ” • Noun (p. o. s. ) • a vessel abandoned at sea (def. )