Shadow of the Dragon

Prologue – Chapter 3

Vocabulary

Prologue:

1.  sandalwood – the hard, yellowish, fine-grained wood of a type of evergreen tree, used for making carved boxes and fans; also yields a fragrant oil used in perfumes and soaps

Chapter 1:

2.  immigration – the process of entering a country or region in which one was not born in order to make a permanent home there

3.  zodiac – an imaginary belt in the heavens that are divided into 12 parts called signs named after constellations; used in astrology

4.  prey – any animal hunted or killed by another for food

5.  nauseating – producing a sick feeling in the stomach where one wants to vomit

6.  communist – a member of a party that believes in a social or economic system where all property and goods belong to the government and the products of labor are shared by all

7.  impasse – a position or situation from which it is impossible to advance or go on; deadlock

8.  Bida – Vietnamese word for billiards

9.  chiseled – describing something that looks as though it was cut or shaped by a metal tool

10. swaggering – walking or acting in a bold, rude, or arrogant manner

Chapter 2:

11. marinated – soaked food in a mixture, usually containing vinegar or wine, oil, and various spices, used for cooking

12. siblings – brothers or sisters

13. corrupted – influenced by bribery

14. gnarled – having many rough, twisted knots, as a tree trunk or branches

15. cuttlefish – a saltwater animal related to the octopus

16. squalid – looking gloomy, wretched, or poverty-stricken

17. bayou – a marshy, sluggish inlet of a river, lake, or gulf, esp. in the Southern U.S.

Chapter 3:

18. pelted – attacked or stroke repeatedly; beat against continuously

19. taut – tightly drawn or stretched; not slack or loose

20. hoa mai – New Year’s flower of Vietnam that grows on a tree

21. monsoon – a seasonal wind in Southern Asia characterized by heavy rains

22. jasmine – a fragrant bell-shaped flower growing in yellow, white or pink clusters

23. enthralled – held spellbound; captivated; charmed