Part One: The Hearth and the Salamander
stolid: calm and showing little emotion
minstrel man: an entertainer who performs
songs, dances, and snappy
patter with others, who are
similarly made up
phoenix: a mythological bird that
destroys itself in a fire and is
born again from the ashes; a symbol of immortality
subconscious: concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware, but
which influences one’s actions
refracted: deflected a ray of light that entered water, air, or glass at an angle
marionette: a puppet worked by strings
mausoleum: building used to house a tomb or tombs
stratum: a layer of rock
melancholy: sadness, depression of the spirits; gloom
conjure: to call to the mind (as if by magic)
proboscis: an elongated sucking organ of an insect; a nose
olfactory: relating to the sense of smell
multi-faceted: of an eye: having a number of lens-like visual units
ballistics: the study of the flight characteristics of projectiles
trajectory: the path of an object moving under the action of given forces
shin: to climb quickly up or down by gripping with one’s arms and legs
proclivities: habitual tendencies to do something usually discreditable; inclinations
or predispositions
odious: extremely unpleasant; repulsive
condemnation: severe reproof; strong censure
heresy: belief or opinion profoundly at odds with what is generally accepted
ravenous: extremely hungry
stagnant: of water or air: motionless and often having an unpleasant smell
centrifuge: a machine with a rapidly rotating container used chiefly to separate
liquids from solids
cacophony: a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds
feigning: pretending to be affected by a feeling, injury, or state of mind
sauterne: a delicate, sweet white wine
nomadic: leading the life of a wanderer
dictum: a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source
exploitation: the utilization of another person for selfish purposes
quibble: to argue about a trivial matter
noncombustible: incapable of igniting or burning
bestial: savagely cruel and wicked
torrent: a strong and fast-moving stream of water or other liquid