“Hatchet” Vocabulary from Chapters 5-8
Word
What it really means:
Used in the book:
highly offensive;
arousing aversion or
disgust
“His mouth was dry
and tasted foul and
sticky.”
wither
wither, as with a loss of
moisture
rage
be violent; as of fires
and storms
“…If he did not drink
some water soon he
felt that he would
wither up and die.”
“…and his mouth and
throat raged with the
thirst…”
foul
What I think it means:
a serious accident
“…in the movies they
didn’t have plane
wrecks…”
clouded as with
sediment
“…and the water
looked a little murky…”
bend one’s back
forward from the waist
on down
“He stooped and put
his mouth to the lake
and drank and drank…”
trigger
put in motion or move
to act
“…his brain triggered
and he began
thinking.”
relative
estimated; not absolute
or complete
“…he sat in the shade
of the tree in relative
comfort.”
extensive
broad in scope or
content
“…they mounted
extensive searches…”
wreck
murky
stoop
positive
displaying affirmation or “…always talking about
acceptance or certainty being positive, thinking
positive…”
Word
What I think it means:
What it really means:
Used in the book:
motivated
provided with a motive
or given incentive for
action
“All Perpich would say
is that I have to get
motivated.”
digital
displaying numbers
rather than scale
positions
“He had a digital watch
still on his wrist…”
asset
a useful or valuable
quality
“You are your most
valuable asset.”
tone
a steady sound without
overtones
“In normal tones at
first, then louder…”
mental
of or relating to the
mind
“A mental picture of
hamburger,…”
nudge
push into action by
pestering or annoying
gently
gear
equipment consisting of
articles needed for a
particular activity
“Why did that keep
coming into his
thinking that way,
nudging and pushing?”
“…like a gun and a
knife and fishing
gear…”
diminish
decrease in size, extent,
or range
“…he didn’t want to
diminish and chance he
might have…”
pulverize
make into a powder by
breaking up
glacial
relating to or coming
from a glacier
“Some of the rock that
had been scooped out
had also been
pulverized…”
“…had also been
pulverized by the
glacial action…”
Word
What I think it means:
What it really means:
Used in the book:
a grouping of a number
of similar things
“…drooping with
clusters of bright red
berries.”
be shiny, as if wet
“…glistening red in the
sunlight…”
become faint or more
distant
“…held his abdomen
until the hunger
cramps receded.”
lacking sensation
“…they seemed to
make his lips a bit
numb.”
not carefully or expertly
made
“…looked at it, studied
the crude work.”
and nothing more
“…some of those that
had been merely red
yesterday…”
overeat; make a pig of
oneself
“…he had some sense
and he did not gorge or
cram more down.”
a small stream
“…there were rivulets
running down to the
lake.”
musty
covered with or
smelling of mold
“The smell was one of
rot, some musty rot…”
strain
to exert much effort or
energy
“…breathing through
his mouth, straining to
see, to hear.”
cluster
glisten
recede
numb
crude
merely
gorge
rivulet
Word
What I think it means:
What it really means:
Used in the book:
the property of
something that is great
in magnitude
“…could see a low dark
form, a bulk in the
darkness…”
apparent
clearly revealed to the
mind or senses
“When it was apparent
that the shadow wasn’t
coming back…”
gingerly
with extreme care or
delicacy
“His fingers gingerly
touched a group of
needles…”
segment
one of several parts or
pieces that fit together
“In the initial segment
of the dream…”
brilliant
full of light; shining
intensely
“…it flashed a brilliant
gold in the light like
fire.”
bulk