Transcript The Odyssey by Homer Vocabulary

The Odyssey
by Homer
Vocabulary
Invocation (7)
• Invocation: (noun)
• the act or process of
petitioning for help or
support; specifically often
capitalized a: prayer of
entreaty (as at the
beginning of a service of
worship) b: a calling upon
for authority or justification
• “The invocation to the
Muse”
Navel (9)
• Navel: (noun)
• the central point : middle
• “He’s on an island, surrounded by the sea,
the one that forms the ocean’s navel
stone.” (Ogygia).
Relent (10)
• Relent: (verb)
• a: to become less severe, harsh, or strict
usually from reasons of humanity b : to
cease resistance : give in c: let up,
slacken: d: soften, mollify
• synonyms see yield
• “Poseidon’s anger will relent. He can’t
fight the immortal gods all by himself, not
with all of us opposing him.”
Gorge (13)
• Gorge: (noun)
• : to eat greedily or to repletion; also : to partake
of something in large amounts
• 1 a : to stuff to capacity : glut b : to fill
completely or to the point of distension
• 2 : to consume greedily
• “These men here, they spend all their time like
this, with songs and music—it’s so easy for
them, because they gorge themselves on what
belongs to someone else and with IMPUNITY.”
Impunity (13)
• Impunity: (noun)
• Freedom from punishment or harm.
• “These men here, they spend all their time
like this, with songs and music—it’s so
easy for them, because they gorge
themselves on what belongs to someone
else and with IMPUNITY.”
Insolent (21)
• Insolent: (adjective)
• insultingly contemptuous in speech or
conduct : overbearing
• “You suitors of my mother, who all have such insolent
arrogance, let us for now enjoy our banquet, but no more
shouting . . .”
Braggart (22)
• Braggart: (noun)
• a loud arrogant boaster
• “Telemachus, the gods themselves, it
seems, are teaching you to be a braggart
and give rash speeches.”
Rash (22)
• Rash: (adj)
• marked by or proceeding from undue
haste or lack of deliberation or caution
• “Telemachus, the gods themselves, it
seems, are teaching you to be a braggart
and give rash speeches.”
Soothsayers (23)
• Soothsayers: (noun)
• : a person who predicts the future by
magical, intuitive, or more rational means :
prognosticator
• “I no longer trust in messages, no matter
what the source. Nor do I care for any
prophecy my mother picks up from those
soothsayers she summons to these halls.”
Auspicious (26)
• Auspicious: (adj)
• affording a favorable auspice
• Auspice: Latin auspicium, from auspic-, auspex
diviner by birds, from avis bird + specere to look, look at
• a prophetic sign; especially : a favorable sign
• “Odysseus’ dear son rejoiced at such
auspicious words.”
Sceptre (28)
• Scepter: (noun)
• staff or baton borne by a
sovereign as an emblem of
authority
• “Telemachus spoke. Then is his
anger he threw the sceptre on
the ground and burst out crying”
(28)
Retribution (30)
• Retribution: (noun)
• 1 : recompense, reward
• 2 : the dispensing or receiving of reward or
punishment especially in the hereafter
3 : something given or exacted in
recompense; especially : punishment
• “But I will call upon the immortal gods to
ask if somehow Zeus will give me
retribution.”
Scourge (31)
• Scourge: (noun)
• 1 whip; especially : one used to inflict pain or
punishment
2 : an instrument of punishment or criticism
3 : a cause of wide or great affliction
• “I think that even now he’s near by, planning a
disastrous fate for all the suitors. And he’ll be a
scourge to many others here in sunny Ithaca.”
Fruition (32)
• Fruition: (noun)
• 1: the state of bearing fruit 2: realization
• I don’t think Achaea’s sons will end their unwelcome
wooing, for there’s no one we’re afraid of yet—not
Telemachus, for all his wordiness—nor do we care about
a prophecy which you, old man, may spout. It won’t
come to fruition, and people will despise you all the
more.
Sea-girt (36)
• Sea girt: (adj)
• Surrounded by/enclosed by the sea.
• “I’ll go through the town and quickly round
up a group of comrades, all volunteers. In
sea-girt Ithaca, I’ll choose from the many
ships, new and old, the best one for you. .”
Libations (41)
• Libations: (noun)
• an act of pouring a liquid as a sacrifice (as
to a deity
• “When they had lashed the rigging on that
fast black ship, they set out bowls brimful
of wine and poured libations to the eternal
ageless gods. . . ” (41).
Aegis (43)
• Aegis: (noun)
• a shield or breastplate emblematic of
majesty that was associated with
Zeus and Athena
• “He made a toast to Pallas Athena,
daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus, . . . (43).
Recompense (44)
• Recompense: (noun)
• an equivalent or a return for something
done, suffered, or given : compensation
• “And to begin with, give Nestor and his
sons a glorious name, and then grant all
other men of Pylos a pleasing recompense
in answer to these lovely offerings” (44).
Crag (43)
• Crag: (noun)
• a steep rugged rock or cliff
• “But when he re-launched his hollow ships
upon the wine-dark sea and quickly
reached the steep crag of Malea. . . (53).
propitiate
• verb
• to gain or regain the favor or goodwill
of : appease
• “My dear children, you must act on
my desires, and quickly, so I can
propitiate Athena, before the other
gods” (58).
Portico (61)
• noun
• a colonnade or covered
ambulatory especially in
classical architecture and
often at the entrance of a
building
• “. . . They hitched their horses,
climbed in the splendid chariot,
and set off from the echoing
portico and gate” (61).
Electrum (65)
• Noun
• a natural pale yellow alloy
of gold and silver
• “. . . Throughout the echoing
hall, there’s so much sparkling
bronze and gold, electrum,
silver, ivory. . . ” (65).
Pre-eminent (69)
• adjective
• : having paramount rank, dignity, or
importance : outstanding, supreme
• Eminent: standing out
• “You were pre-eminent among all men” (69).
Vestibule (74)
• Noun
• a passage, hall, or room between the outer
door and the interior of a building : lobby
• “A herald led the guests away. And so they
slept there in the palace vestibule. . “ (74).
Ambrosia (79)
• Noun
• 1 a : the food of the Greek and Roman
gods
• b : the ointment or perfume of the gods
• “. . . She got ambrosia, sweet-smelling oil
of the immortal gods. . . “ (79).
Sedge (86)
• Noun
• any of a family of usually tufted marsh
plants
• “. . . With sedge, broad-eared white barley,
wheat, and rye. . . “ (86).
• Adjective: sedgy!!
Intemperately (93)
• Adverb
• NOT keeping or held within limits
• given to excessive use of intoxicating
liquors
• “Noble lords, you must not speak out so
intemperately” (93).
Cormorant (99)
• Noun
• any of various dark-colored web-footed
water birds that have a long neck,
hooked bill, and distensible throat pouch
• “Across the waves he raced, just like a
comorant. . .” (99)
Fallow (101)
• adjective
•
usu. cultivated land that is allowed
to lie idle during the growing season
obsolete : plowed land
• : of a light yellowish-brown color
• “Demeter was overcome with passion
and had sex with Iasion in a thriceploughed fallow field. . . (101)
Augers (106)
• Noun
• any of various tools or devices having a
helical shaft or member that are used for
boring holes (as in wood, soil, or ice) or
moving loose material (as snow)
• “The fair Calypso then brought him
augers, so he bored each timber. . . (106)
Assuage (160)
• verb
• ease
• “something to assuage their anger. . (160)
Laurel (170)
• Noun
• an evergreen shrub or tree
• “. . .we saw a high cave, overhung with
laurel” (170).
Reconnoiter (192)
• verb
• : to make a reconnaissance of (a preliminary
survey to gain information; especially : an
exploratory military survey of enemy territory)
• “. . .let my comrades eat, then send them out to
reconnoiter” (192).
Stalwart (217)
• adjective
• strong
• “They became two stalwart followers of
mighty Zeus” (217).
Gaoler (218)
• Noun
• One who guards prisons
• “But she descended down to Hades’ home,
the mighty gaoler.” (218)
Asphodel (229)
• Noun
• any of various Old World herbs of the lily
family
• “Achilles moved off with massive strides
through meadows filled with asphodel. . “
(229)
Adjudicates (250)
• Verb
• to settle judicially
• “One who adjudicates the many quarrels
young men have, who then seek judgment
. . .” (250)
Spar (251)
• Noun
• a stout rounded usually wood or metal
piece (as a mast, boom, gaff, or yard) used
to support rigging
• “I fell into the sea beyond those lenghty
spars.” (251)
Diadem (266)
• Noun
• crown
• “. . .when we loosed the bright diadem of
Troy” (266)
Sties (269)
• Noun
• pigpens
• “. . .he’d packed twelve sties together.”
(269).
prerogatives (310)
• Noun
• an exclusive or special right,
power, or privilege
“He’s the best man by far and
really keen to marry my
mother and then possess the
royal prerogatives of
Odysseus” (310).
Suppliant (314)
• Noun
• One who asks
humbly and
earnestly of
• “’I give him to
you. Do as you
wish. He’s a
suppliant,’ he
says” (314).
Forager
• Noun
• One who ravages or raids
“This present business, you should know, is
forager Athena’s work. . .” (320).
Impiety (328)
• Noun
• the state of
being
irreverent
“It’s impiety to
plan evil
things for one
another”
(328).
Impunity (347)
• Noun
• exemption or freedom from punishment,
harm, or loss
• Odysseus was soon going to retrace his
steps back to the doorway and sound out
the Achaeans with impunity, but he
stopped. . . .” (347).
Gluttonous (356)
• Adj:
• marked by excessive eating and drinking
• “Then a vagrant from the community
arrived, who used to bag trough all the
town if Ithaca, a man celebrated for his
gluttonous stomach, with an incessant
appetite for food and drink.”
Incessant (356)
• adjective
• continuing or following without interruption :
unceasing; continual
“Then a vagrant from the community arrived, who
used to bag trough all the town if Ithaca, a man
celebrated for his gluttonous stomach, with an
incessant appetite for food and drink.”
Voracious (370)
• Adjective
• having a huge appetite : ravenous
• “You’d prefer to beg throughout the land,
collecting food for your voracious gut”
(370).
Besotted (378)
• Verb
• 1 : infatuate
2 : to make dull or stupid; especially : to muddle
with drunkenness
• — be·sot·ted·ly adverb
“I swim in tears because my mind is now besotted,
loaded down with wine” (378).
Gibe (406)
• Used as noun, usually verb. . .
• : to deride or tease with taunting words; to
scoff
• “You suitors, make sure your hearts do not
encourage you to gibes and blows, so that
no arguments or fights will happen here”
(406).
Prodigious (407)
• Adjective
• 1 a obsolete : being an omen : portentous b :
resembling or befitting a prodigy : strange,
unusual
2 : exciting amazement or wonder
3 : extraordinary in bulk, quantity, or degree :
enormous
• “Relying on his prodigious wealth, he courted
the wife of Odysseus, who’d been away so long. .
“ (407).
•Noun
Papyrus (427)
1 : a tall perennial sedge (Cyperus papyrus) of the
Nile valley
2 : the pith of the papyrus plant especially when
made into strips and pressed into a material to
write on
3 a : a writing on papyrus b : a written scroll made
of papyrus
A cable from a curved ship was lying there,
under the portico, made of papyrus fibres”
(427).
Gadfly (441)
•Noun
1 : any of various flies that bite or
annoy livestock
2 : a person who stimulates or
annoys especially by persistent
criticism
The suitors’ minds panicked, and they fled through the hall, like a
herd of cattle when a stinging gadfly goads them to stampede in
spring season, when the long days come” (441)