Grendel Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from the novel Grendel by John Gardner
(Words 1-10)

Sycophant [sik-uh-fuh nt]
A person who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people; a kiss-up, a flatter, a toady, a yes man. (Noun) Sycophantic (adjective)
Greek

Fuliginous [fyoo-lij-uh-nuh s]
Colored as if by soot; dark; black (Adjective)
Latin

Hex [heks]
1. An evil spell; a curse (Noun).
2. To curse (Verb)
German

Leer [leer]
1. desirous, sly, or knowing look (Noun).
2. To glance sidelong esp. sexually or maliciously (Verb)
Anglo Saxon/Old English

Moor [moo r]
A broad area of open land, often high but poorly drained, with patches of heath and peat bogs. (Noun)
To secure (a ship, boat, dirigible, etc.) (Verb)
A Muslim of the mixed Berber and Arab people inhabiting NW Africa (Noun)
Old English

Solipsist
A person who believes that the self is the only reality. (Noun)
Solipsism[sol-ip-siz-uh m] is the belief that the self is the only reality. (Noun)
Solipsistic[sol-ip-sis-tik] (Adjective)
Latin

Ominous [om-uh-nuh s]
Menacing; threatening (Adjective)
Latin

Undulant [uhn-juh-luh nt]
wave-like (Adjective)
Undulate means to move like a wave. (Verb)
Latin

Debauch [di-bawch]
To corrupt morally. (Verb)
Debauchery is moral corruption. (Noun)
French/German

Omniscient [om-nish-uh nt]
all knowing; complete knowledge and awareness (adjective)
Omniscience means infinite knowledge. (Noun)
Latin

Vocabulary Words from the novel Grendel by John Gardner
(Words 11-20)

Hoary [hawr-ee, hohr-ee]
Gray or white with or as if with age. (Adjective)
Old English/Anglo-Saxon

Dirge [durj]
A funeral hymn or lament. (Noun)
Latin

Dogmatism [dawg-muh-tiz-uh m]
Arrogant, stubborn assertion of opinion or belief. (Noun)
Dogma is an established, fixed, unchanging, predetermined set of beliefs.
Dogmatic (Adjective)
Greek

Petulant [pech-uh-luh nt]
1. Insolent or rude in behavior or speech. (Adjective)
2. Unreasonably irritable, annoyed, or ill-tempered; peevish; cranky. (Adjective)
Petulance is unreasonable irritability and peevishness. (Noun)
Latin

Intimation
A hint; an obscure or indirect suggestion or notice; a remote or ambiguous reference; as, he had given only intimations of his design. (Noun)
Intimate [in-tuh-meyt] means to hint, imply, suggest. (Verb)
Latin

Nihilism [nahy-uh-liz-uh m]
A belief that rejects all values, morals, purposes for living, etc. as baseless and arbitrary (Noun)
A nihilist is someone who rejects all values, morals, purposes, etc.(Noun)
Nihilistic (Adjective)
Latin

Paradox [par-uh-doks]
A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true. (Noun)
Paradoxical (Adjective)
Greek

Inchoate [in-koh-it, -eyt]
1. In an initial or early stage; incipient (Adjective).
2. not fully formed, incomplete (Adjective)
Latin

Ossify [os-uh-fahy]
1. To change into bone; become bony. (Verb);
2. To become rigid. (Verb)
Latin

Omnipotent [om-nip-uh-tuh nt]
Having unlimited power (Adjective)
Omnipotence is unlimited or universal power (Noun)
Latin