Vocabulary for *The Boy on the Wooden Box* PDF

**Vocabulary for *The Boy on the Wooden Box*** 1. **Elated** is a verb that means extremely happy and excited. Elation is the noun form. 2. **Escapade** is a noun that means an act or incident involving excitement, daring, or adventure. 3. **Fortuitous** is an adjective that means luck...

**Vocabulary for *The Boy on the Wooden Box*** 1. **Elated** is a verb that means extremely happy and excited. Elation is the noun form. 2. **Escapade** is a noun that means an act or incident involving excitement, daring, or adventure. 3. **Fortuitous** is an adjective that means lucky, something good that happens by chance rather than planning. For instance, it was fortuitous that Leon's father met Oskar Schindler. Fortuitously is the adverb form. 4. **Initiated** is a verb with several meanings. The way it was used in the book means to start or cause something: Leon's father initiated the relationship with the woman who was to become his wife. 5. **Waft** is a verb that means float or move lightly, as in, "The feathers wafted through the air," or, "The smell of the soup wafted into the room." 6. **Innate** is an adjective that means inborn, present in someone since birth, as in an innate ability or talent that one doesn't have to learn. Innately is the adverb. 7. **Prosper** is a verb that means to thrive, do well, especially financially, as in, "Because of his hard work, his business prospered." 8. **Formal** is an adjective that means official, polite, fancy, as in, "They received a formal invitation to the formal dance." Formally is an adverb and formality is a noun. 9. **Attire** is a noun that means clothing, especially fancy clothing. The word can also be used as a verb, as in, "The queen attired herself in only the finest gowns." 10. **Elegant** means fancy, refined, as in, "The princess had elegant manners to go along with her elegant dress." Elegantly is an adverb, and elegance is a noun. 11. **Enthralled** is an adjective that means fascinated. Enthrall is a verb. 12. **Rambunctious** is an adjective that means wild, unruly, as in, "The rambunctious students created a disturbance." Rambunctiously is an adverb. 13. An **altercation** is a noun that means a noisy, heated dispute or argument. 14. **Reprimand** is a verb that means to scold or criticize formally, as in, "The officer reprimanded the soldier for falling asleep on duty." The word may also be used as a noun: "The written reprimand that went in the soldier's permanent file." 15. **Glamorous** is an adjective that means excitingly attractive, as in, "The glamorous actress had many admirers." Glamorously is an adverb, and glamor is a noun. 16. **Feisty** is an adjective that means spirited, aggressive. Feistily is an adverb, and feistiness is a noun. 17. **Headstrong** is an adjective that means self-willed, stubborn, as in, "He is very headstrong and always wants to get his own way." 18. **Excursion** is a noun that means a short trip or journey, as in, "Our family made an excursion to King's Dominion last week." 19. **Resonate** is a verb that means to have a particular meaning or importance, as in, "The coach's words really resonated with me." 20. **Congregation** is a noun that means a group of people, usually the members of a particular church, as in, "The members of the congregation gathered in the park with their minister." Congregate in the verb form. 21. **Chaotic** is an adjective that means completely confused, wild, disorderly, as in, "The hallways were chaotic, with everyone pushing and yelling." Chaos is the noun form, and chaotically is the adverb. 22. **Assailant** is a noun that means someone who attacks someone else, as in, "The police were searching for the assailant who attacked Alex." Assail is a verb. 23. **Animosity** is a noun that means deep dislike, hatred, as in, "The Germans had a great animosity towards the Jews." 24. **Gentile** is a noun that refers to non-Jewish people, as in, "Young Leon had many gentile friends in Krakow before the war." 25. **Proximity** is a noun that means closeness of space or time, as in, "They lived in close proximity to their neighbors." Proximate is an adjective. 26. **Idyllic** is an adjective that means pleasing in natural simplicity, as in, "The idyllic location in the park filled us with pleasure." 27. **Respite** is a noun that means a period of rest or relief, as in, "The teacher got a brief respite between classes." 28. **Agrarian** is an adjective that means rural, having to do with farmers or their way of life, as in, "The former residents of the big city couldn't get used to agrarian life." 29. **Unsophisticated** is an adjective that means not worldly, simple, as in, "The unsophisticated young man was taken advantage of by the con-man." Sophisticated means the opposite. Sophistication is the noun form. 30. **Industrious** is an adjective that means hard-working, active, productive, as in, "The industrious workers never quit until the job was done." Industriously is the adverb. 31. **Yiddish** is a noun. It was a language spoken throughout Eastern Europe by Jewish people before the Holocaust. The language is primarily a mixture of German and Hebrew. 32. **Synagogue** is a noun. It is a Jewish place of worship, similar to a church for Christians or a mosque for Muslims. 33. **Patriarchal** is an adjective that means a system or society that is run by and for men. Patriarchy is the noun form. Matriarchy would be the opposite -- a society run by or for women. 34. **Ominous** is an adjective that means suggesting something bad, as in, "The ominous-looking clouds made me think a storm was coming." Ominously is the adverb form. 35. **Lament** is a verb that means either to mourn, especially mourn aloud or wail, or else to deeply regret as in, "The mother lamented her dead children at their funeral," or "The woman lamented her decision to marry her no-good husband." Lamentation is the noun. 36. **Cherish** is a verb that means to have affection for, love, nurture, as in, "The grandmother cherished her grandchildren." 37. **Pedestrian** is a noun or adjective. As a noun, it means someone who is walking, as in, "Pedestrians have the right-of-way in that intersection." As an adjective, pedestrian means commonplace, unimaginative, as in, "Their pedestrian ideas didn't inspire anyone to follow them." 38. **Majestic** is an adjective that means impressive, stately, fit for royalty, as in, "The king lived in a majestic castle." Majestically is the adverb form, and majesty is a noun. 39. **Lavish** is an adjective that means marked by abundance or excess, as in, "The lavish feast was more than any family could actually eat," or, "The lavish praise was undeserved; the project wasn't really that great." Lavishly is an adverb, and lavishness is a noun. 40. **Cosmopolitan** is an adjective that means worldly, sophisticated, as in, "The residents of Paris are very cosmopolitan." 41. **Diminutive** is an adjective that means very small or short, tiny. It can also refer to a nickname like Jim for James, or a baby form, like duckling for duck; used that way, the word is a noun. 42. **Pogrom** is a noun that refers to an organized massacre of helpless people; specifically, it usually refers to an attack on Jews. 43. **Nonchalance** is a noun that means indifference, lack of concern, as in, "His nonchalance was amazing, considering that someone was pointing a gun at him." Nonchalant is an adjective, and nonchalantly is an adverb. 44. **Spontaneous** is an adjective that means done without prior planning, as in, "They made a spontaneous decision to quit their jobs and join the circus, without any planning or worries about the future." Spontaneously is an adverb, and spontaneity is a noun. 45. **Perilous** is an adjective that means very dangerous, as in, "The perilous journey was full or risks and dangers." Peril is the noun form, and perilously is an adverb. 46. **Caricature** is a noun that means a drawing of someone or something that is deliberately exaggerated and distorted. The Nazis posted caricatures of Jewish people all over the cities they controlled in an effort to make Jews seem less than human. 47. **Evade** is a verb that means to slip away, escape, avoid capture, as in, "We evaded the guards and escaped from the prison camp." Evasion is the noun form. 48. **Pillage** is a verb that means to loot or plunder ruthlessly, as in, "The invading army pillaged the towns they took over, stealing or destroying whatever they wanted." 49. **Villainy** is a noun that means depravity, evil. Another noun form of the word is villain -- a person who commits villainy. Villainous is the adjective form, and villainously is the adverb. 50. **Disdain** is a noun that means contempt, thinking that something is of little value, as in, "The old hippie felt disdain for Taylor Swift." The word can also be used as a verb, as in, "He disdained Taylor Swift."