Fahrenheit 451 Vocabulary List

Part I—The Hearth and the Salamander

Word

Definition

Page #

Abyss

a very deep gap or hole, a chasm

ballistics

the study of flight of bullets or other hurled objects

cacophony

harsh, jarring sound; noise

45

cartographer

a mapmaker

centrifuge

a machine that separates particles in a liquid by rapidly whirling the liquid around a central axis

45

conjure

to summon, or call up, as if by magic

cower

to cringe in fear

distilled

purified or concentrated, as if by the processes of distillation

feigning

pretending

luminescent

glowing

mausoleum

a large stately tomb or the building that housed it

nomadic

traveling seasonally with no fixed home; wandering

noncombustible

not capable of igniting and burning; unexciting

olfactory

relating to the sense of smell

pagan

not Christian, Moslem, or Jewish; pre-Christian; heathen

phoenix

a mythical bird of great beauty , to burn itself on a funeral pyre to rise from its ashes and live; often an emblem of immortality or of reborn idealism or hope.

6

pratfall

a comical fall on the behind; a humiliating mishap or error

proboscis

a long snout or nose

rationalize

to offer a self-serving but incorrect reason

ravenous

greedy; extremely hungry

45

salamander

a mythical being, esp. a lizard or other reptile, thought to be able to live in fire.

stratum

layer

tactile

related to the sense of touch

tallow

hard animal fat used for candles

tamped

 packed won

titillation

 excitement, stimulation, often superficial

trajectory

the path of a bullet or another object hurled through space.

Part II—The Sieve and the Sand

Word

Definition

Page #

aesthetic

relating to beauty and taste; artistic

avalanche

a massive slide; a large mass falling down

convolution

a coiled shape or part

desolation

the result of deviating event; ruin

falter

to be unsteady; to stumble

guild

an association of people in the same trade

illumine

to light up

limned

outlined in clear detail; painted or drawn

liquefaction

the act of turning to liquid

litterateur

someone devoted to the study of literature

metropolis

a major city

oblivion

the state of being forgotten

pedant

someone who overemphasizes or shows off his or her learning; someone who focuses unduly on minutiae

plummet

to fall straight down; to plunge

quarry

hunted animals or others

ricocheted

bounced from one or more surfaces

scapegoat

someone forced to take the blame of others

scythe

a bladed tool with a long bent handle, used for cutting or mowing

smoldering

burning with little smoke and no flame

Part III—Burning Bright

Word

Definition

Page #

beatific

blessedly happy

cadence

rhythmic; expressive

certitude

certainty, confidence

chaos

complete confusion

complementing

going well together

dentifrice

toothpaste or tooth powder

discourse

lengthy discussion in speech or writing

exhalation

an emission of air or vapor

filigree

delicate, ornamental work made from twisted wire of gold or silver

insidious

spreading harm slowly and secretly; treacherous

intuitively

through the senses rather than rational thought

invigorate

to give energy to; to animate

linguist

a language specialist

manifest

to show plainly; to reveal

moor

an area of poorly drained open land

morgue

a place where dead bodies are kept until final arrangements are made

oracle

a prophet; a wise person

patronage

support; attendance

perfunctorily

in a routine manner

phosphorescent

glowing

profusion

plentiful amount

quaver

to speak in a trembling voice

rebut

to refute; to offer opposing evidence

skepticism

a doubting or questioning attitude

strew

to spread; to scatter

suffuse

to spread through or over

teem

to be full of things; to swarm

trifle

a small amount; a little bit

verbiage

excess words; wordiness

welter

a confused mass; a jumble