The Odyssey– Vocabulary (Robert Fagles Translation)
Book One
Plundered (v): to take goods by force
Seething (v): to get angry to the point of becoming violent
Harangued (n): a long, public speech/tirade
Exulted (v): to rejoice; to show joy
Decree (n): a law or an order
Supple (adj.): something that is easily bent; flexible
Suitor (n): a man who courts/woos a woman
Thwart (v): to obstruct; to frustrate
Uncanny (adj.): something mysterious and eerie
Gorging (v): swallowing greedily
Reproach (v): to blame; to find fault with someone
Revile (v): to speak abusively
Chafing (v): to make sore, to irritate by rubbing;
Wary (adj.): watchful; being on guard against danger
Poised (adj.): someone who is composed and self-assured
Insolent (adj.): someone who is rude and/or disrespectful
Shrewdly (adverb): someone who is clever/sharp in practical affairs
Books 2 and 3
Lavish (adj.): abundant;], generous
19. Reparations (noun): compensation, amends
20. Guile (noun): cunning, sly behavior
21. Ultimatum (noun): final demand
22. Pernicious (adj.): dangerous, harmful
23. Nonchalantly (adverb): casually, calmly
24. Libations (noun): liquid offering
25. Flotilla (noun): a fleet of ships
Book 4
Burnished (adj.): polished, gilded
27. Gallant (adj.): brave, chivalrous
28. Ambrosia (noun): food/ nectar of the gods
29. Slaked (v): satisfy (thirst, revenge)
30. Muzzle (v): impose silence or restraint
Books 5 and 6
convoy: (noun) group of ships, vehicles, etc. traveling together or under escort
pungent: (adj.) having a sharp or strong taste or smell/sarcastic or biting, as in remark
foiled: (verb) frustrated, baffled, defeated
chided (verb) scolded, rebuked
flayed (verb) stripped the skin off, especially by beating
quarry (noun) object of pursuit
blithe (adj) blissful, happy /or careless, casual
beguiled (verb) charmed, amused/distracted, deluded
trundled (verb) rolled or moved heavily or noisily
scour (verb) to cleanse, brighten, scrub, wash,/hasten over, searching thoroughly in pursuit
suppliants (noun, pl) applicants, petitioners, suitors
ravenous (adj) very hungry, voracious
brackish (adj) slightly salty
Books 7 and 8
Ramparts (noun): battlements, fortifications, fortified walls
Provisions (noun): supplies, necessities, food/water rations
Furrow (noun): a groove, channel, crease on someone’s face or in the ground
Prowess (noun): ability, skill, expertise
Vied (past tense of verb to vie): competed, struggled, fought for
Book 9
Mutinous (adjective): rebellious, insubordinate, revolutionary
Unscathed (adjective): unharmed, intact, safe
Ruddy (adjective): reddish, rosy, flushed, healthy-looking
Gouge (verb): to scratch or chisel something or to extort or extract something
Mete (verb): to distribute or dole out
Book 10
Doting (adjective): fond, loving, devoted or foolish
En masse: all together, as a group (in one mass)
Potent (adjective): strong, powerful, forceful
Cower (verb): to cringe, recoil, tremble in fear
Rebuke (verb/noun): to reprimand or scold (verb); a reproach or reprimand (noun)
Pyre (noun): a pile of wood typically used to burn a body as part of a funeral rite
Book 11
Stealth – noun – the action of stealing or of entering or leaving a place undetected
Sinews – noun – tendons taken out of an animal’s body and used for binding
August – adjective – inspiring, majestic, revered
Gird – noun – a strap or band of any kind; - verb – to encircle with a belt or a girdle
Vagabonds – noun – people who wander without home or occupation; vagrants, rogues, loafers
Ignominious – adjective – shameful or disgraceful,
Blanching – verbal noun – the action of making something white; verb – to bleach
Books 12 and 13
Regalia – noun – rights belonging to a ruler, royal powers or privileges
Scourge – noun – a cause of a calamity or of a disaster; - verb – to whip severely, to flog
Abyss – noun – the cavity of the lower world; the infernal pit; a bottomless gulf or void
Shun – verb – to abhor, detest, loathe; to flee from; to avoid
Concocted – verb – to have contrived, made up, or fabricated
Vex – verb – to trouble, afflict, harass
Ignoble – adjective – of low birth or humble station; mean, dishonorable, base
Squalid – adjective – repulsive, loathsome, filthy
Book 14
Cowed (v): to destroy the resolve or courage of ; also : to bring to a state or an action by intimidation —used with into <like too many
Asian armies, adept at cowing a population into feeding them — Edward Lansdale>
Brusquely (adj.): markedly short and abrupt; blunt in manner or speech often to the point of ungracious harshness
Codger (n): an often mildly eccentric and usually elderly fellow <old codger>
Gallant (n): a young man of fashion
Foundered (v): to become disabled; especially : to go lame; to come to grief : fail
Yarn (n): a continuous often plied strand composed of either natural or man-made fibers or filaments and used in weaving and knitting
to form cloth
Paltry (adj.): inferior, trashy, mean, despicable
Books 15 and 16
Irreproachable (adj.): blameless
Pensive (adj.): musingly or dreamily thoughtful
Pondered (v.): to think about : reflect on
Magnanimous (adj.): showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind
Dumbfounded (adj.): to confound briefly and usually with astonishment
Shirk (v.): to go stealthily, secretly; to avoid the performance of an obligation
Book 17
Berth (n.): sufficient distance for maneuvering a ship; an amount of distance maintained for safety
Treacherous (adj.): someone likely to betray
Qualm (n): a sudden attack of illness, faintness
Vagrant (n.): wanders idly from place to place without lawful or visible means of support
Books 18 and 19
Coax (v.): to encourage
Unguent (n.): an anointment put on wounds
Raucous (adj.): rowdy or disorderly
Contrive (v.): to plan, to invent, to plot
Deft (adj.): to be very skilled at
Evanescent (adj.): vanishing, fading away, fleeting
Books 20 and 21
Portents (n.): an indication of something (usually bad) about to happen
Wily (adj.): crafty, cunning
Banter (n.): an exchange of lighthearted remarks; witty exchange
Toils (n.): a difficult, laborious task
Sardonic (adj.): a mocking, sneering, cynical remark/comment
Snide (adj.): derogatory, nasty manner
Charlatan (n.): someone who pretends to have more knowledge/experience than they actually have; a quack
Succulent (adj.): juicy
Wield (v.): to use (a weapon/instrument) effectively
Mawkish (adj.): someone who is sickly sentimental; very emotional
Limber (adj.): someone/something that is very flexible
Gnarled (adj.): something (often a tree) that is bent/twisted; having a rugged appearance; as a person someone who is grumpy
Pique (v.): to arouse an emotion or to provoke a reaction
Books 22 and 23
Tottered (v.): to shake, tremble; to walk in a rocking motion
Infernal (adj.): something hellish or fiendish
Rummage (v.): to search thoroughly
Callous (adj.): being insensitive, cruel and/or unsympathetic
Broached (v.): to mention, to suggest something for the first time
Book 24
Wraiths (n.): an apparition of a living person (supposed to be dead)
Waned (v.): to decrease in strength or in intensity
Sloth (n.): indolence or laziness
Distraught (adj.): being deeply agitated, upset
Affront (n.): an offense to one’s dignity, pride, an act of disrespect; (v.): to offend by a public display of disrespect