Wednesday, September 16, 2009

"Cask of Amontillado" Vocabulary

Amontillado [uh MON te YAH doh] Dry, amber wine. The word Amontillado is derived from Montilla, the name of a Spanish town. The suffix ado means in the style of. Thus, Amontillado is a wine in the style of the kind made in Montilla, Spain.

Carnival: Festival just before Lent. It is called Mardi Gras in some western countries. The word carnival is derived from the Latin words carne (meat) and vale (farewell). Thus, it literally means “farewell to meat.” During Lent, Roman Catholics do not eat meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays thereafter, until Easter.

Catacombs: Underground burial places.

Circumbscribing: Encircling, surrounding; tracing a line around.

Fetter Shackle, chain, bond.

Flambeau Torch; plural, flambeaux.

Hearken Listen carefully.

Immolate - Kill a person as a sacrifice.

Imposture: Deception, fraud.

Impunity Freedom from punishment; exempt from punishment.

Médoc: Red wine from the Bordeaux region of France.

Motley: Apparel of many colors; jester’s costume.

Nemo me impune lacessit [NAY moh MAY im POO nay lah CHESS it]: Latin for No one injures me with impunity. This sentence appeared on coins of James I of England.

Nitre: Potassium nitrate.

Palazzo: Palace; splendid home.

Pipe: Cask holding 126 gallons.

Puncheon: Cask holding 84 gallons.

Rapier [RAY pe er]: Two-edged sword.

Roquelaure [rok uh LAHR]: Knee-length, often fur-trimmed cloak

Sconce: Bracket on a wall for holding a candle or a torch.

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