Vocabulary Unit 12 Aesthetic adj Pertaining to beauty

Vocabulary Unit 12

Aesthetic (adj. ) • Pertaining to beauty; sensitive or responsive to beauty (artistic) • There are many beautiful works of art that depict scenes from Beowulf. • These artistic works can be described as AESTHETIC. • Synonyms: artistic, creative, gorgeous • Antonyms: displeasing, ugly

aesthetic • Aesthetic qualities of this painting – The queen’s dress and lavish jewelry – The colors of the costumes and the background – Details including columns in background, food on table, etc…

Defunct (adj. ) • No longer in existence or functioning, dead • You would think that after all of these years, the original manuscripts of Beowulf would have been destroyed. It was in a fire in 1731, but most of it was saved. It is now preserved electronically. • The Beowulf manuscript cannot be described as being DEFUNCT. • Synonyms: departed, expired • Antonyms: existing, functioning, operative

defunct

Discomfit (v. ) • To frustrate, thwart, or defeat; to confuse, perplex, or embarrass • “…the terrible screams of the Almighty’s enemy sang in the darkness, the horrible shrieks of pain and defeat, the tears torn out of Grendel’s taut throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms of him who of all the men on earth was the strongest. ” • Grendel was DISCOMFITTED by Beowulf. • Synonyms: abash, annoy, baffle • Antonyms: surrender, yield

discomfit

Espouse (v. ) • To take up and support; to become attached to, adopt, to marry • The historical background tells us that at the time Beowulf was composed, the people were beginning to convert from their pagan religions to Christianity. • By “doing” this, they were ESPOUSING Christianity. • Synonyms: approve, advocate, accept • Antonyms: forsake, reject

espouse

Fetish (n. ) • An object believed to have magical powers; an object of unreasoning devotion or reverence • Some people carry around a “lucky” rabbit’s foot. Some athletes have “good luck” objects that they wear to every game such as a certain pair of socks. In Beowulf, the sword forged by giants was “magical. ” • These items are FETISHES. • Synonyms: cult object, talisman, idol • Antonyms: religious objects

Gregarious (adj. ) • living together in a herd or group; sociable, seeking the company of others • From “the Wrath of Grendel: ” “So Hrothgar’s men lived happily in his hall/Till the monster stirred…” • Hrothgar’s men enjoy living together in a group so they can socialize; an adjective to describe them is GREGARIOUS. • Synonyms: outgoing, companionable, sociable • Antonyms: introverted, unfriendly

Gregarious

Hapless (adj. ) • Marked by the absence of good luck • The dragon managed to deliver a death wound to Beowulf when no other monster could; this did not make him lucky, though. The dragon died anyway. • In this case, both the dragon and Beowulf are HAPLESS victims of violence. • Synonyms: luckless, loser, • Antonyms: fortunate, well-off

Impeccable (adj. ) • Faultless, beyond criticism or blame • In the most recent Beowulf movie, Angelina Jolie played the roll of Grendel’s mother in a plot twist that is NOT in the book. Many people consider Jolie’s face and body to be absolutely perfect. • Angelina Jolie’s looks are IMPECCABLE in some people’s opinions. • Synonyms: perfect, unblemished • Antonyms: flawed, imperfect

Importune (v. ) • To trouble with demands; to beg for insistently. • In the Beowulf movie, the Queen begs the men in her life (first King Hrothgar and then Beowulf) not to cheat on her with other women or female monsters. • The Queen IMPORTUNES these men to be faithful to her. • Synonyms: to plead, to beg • Antonyms: to command, to order

Interpolate (v. ) • To insert between other parts of things; to present as an addition or correction • Beowulf kills Grendel and gets ready to return to Geatland, but then he finds out that he needs to kill Grendel’s mother in addition to Grendel himself. • The killing of Grendel’s mother is INTERPOLATED between killing Grendel and returning to Geatland. • Synonyms: insert, interject • Antonyms: erase, remove

Irreparable (adj. ) • Incapable of being repaired or rectified • The wounds inflicted on Beowulf by the dragon do not heal; instead, they result in his death. • Beowulf’s wounds are IRREPARABLE. • Synonyms: broken, ruined • Antonyms: repairable, fixable

Laconic (adj. ) • Concise, using few words • Most of the characters in Beowulf take turns delivering long speeches, so they are all really more talkative than LACONIC. This must have been written before the strong, silent heroes become more popular. • In fact, one of the problems in the MOVIE version of the epic is that the male characters spend too much time listening to Grendel’s mother speak, and they fall under her spell. • Synonyms: brief, concise • Antonyms: verbose, wordy

Languish (v. ) • To become weak, feeble, or dull; to droop; to be depressed or dispirited; to suffer neglect • We are used to seeing Beowulf in all of his youth and battle-ready glory, so it is difficult to imagine him as a 75 year old king who is LANGUISHING from his death wounds. • Synonyms: brood, yearn • Antonyms: improve, strengthen

Mendacious (adj. ) • Given to lying or deception; untrue • King Hrothgar is a bit MENDACIOUS. He neglects to inform Beowulf that there is a second monster—Grendel’s mother. • Synonyms: deceitful, fraudulent • Antonyms: truthful, honest

Nadir (n. ) • The lowest point • Grendel killing so many men in the hall of Herot is definitely the NADIR of King Hrothgar’s career. • Synonyms: bottom • Antonyms: pinnacle, zenith

Omnipresent (adj. ) • Present in all places at all times • The Anglo-Saxon religion was “fatalistic. ” The character of Beowulf believes in an OMNIPRESENT God who controls his fate; it is either Beowulf’s time to die or it isn’t. • Synonyms: infinite, universal • Antonyms: limited, finite

Perfunctory (adj. ) • Done in a superficial or halfhearted manner; without interest or enthusiasm • There is nothing PERFUNCTORY or halfhearted about Beowulf in the next picture. He is fully ready and willing to do battle. • Synonyms: apathetic, careless • Antonyms: careful, precise

Plaintive (adj. ) • Expressive of sorrow or woe, melancholy • In the movie, Grendel’s mother’s mourning over the death of her son is very PLAINTIVE. The audience almost feels sorry for her until they realize that she is already working on her next evil plot. • Synonyms: crabby, grumpy • Antonyms: cheerful, happy

Requite (v. ) • To make suitable repayment, as for a kindness, service, or favor; to make retaliation, as for an injury or wrong; to reciprocate • Grendel’s mother (in the movie) decided to requite her son’s death by giving birth to another son, which is really pretty twisted. • Synonyms: reciprocate, retaliate • Antonyms: dissatisfy, refuse

Tantamount (adj. ) • Equivalent, having the same meaning, value, or effect • Destroying old copies of the Beowulf manuscript would be TANTAMOUNT to a felony. • Synonyms: identical, duplicate • Antonyms: different, opposite