Wuthering Heights

1. misanthropist (noun):

someone who dislikes other people or the company of other people

“A perfect misanthropist’s heaven—and Mr. Heathcliff and I are such a suitable pair to divide the desolation between us.” (Chapter 1, Page 13)

2. heath (noun):

open land that commonly supports wild vegetation such as heather and coarse grasses

“I had half a mind to spend it by my study fire, instead of wading through heath and mud to Wuthering Heights.” (Chapter 2, Page 17)

3. countenance (noun):

face; expression on someone’s face

“They could not every day sit so grim and taciturn, and it was impossible, however ill-tempered they might be, that the universal scowl they wore was their every day countenance.” (Chapter 2, Page 20)

4. palaver (noun):

useless and lengthy talk

“Frances [. . .] seated herself on her husband’s knee, and there they were, like two babies, kissing and talking nonsense by the hour—foolish palaver that we should be ashamed of.” (Chapter 3, Page 27)

5. lachrymose (adjective):

sad; causing tears

“I suppose Catherine fulfilled her project, for the next sentence took up another subject; she waxed lachrymose.” (Chapter 3, Page 27)

6. bairns (plural noun):

children

“Mrs. Earnshaw was ready to fling it out of doors: she did fly up—asking how he could fashion to bring that gipsy brat into the house, when they had their own bairns to feed and fend for?” (Chapter 4, Page 39)

7. reprobate (noun):

an unprincipled or sinful person

“He encouraged him to regard Hindley as a reprobate; and, night after night, he regularly grumbled out a long string of tales against Heathcliff and Catherine [. . .]” (Chapter 5, Page 42)

8. peevish (adjective):

irritable; easily annoyed by unimportant matters

“Her affection tired very soon, however, and when she grew peevish, Hindley became tyrannical.” (Chapter 6, Page 46)

9. beard (verb):

to boldly confront someone or something

“To beard a magistrate in his strong-hold, and on the Sabbath, too!” (Chapter 6, Page 49)

10. cant lass (adjective and noun):

an energetic girl

“[T]hen I remembered how old Earnshaw used to come in when all was tidied, and call me a cant lass and slip a shilling into my hand, as a Christmas box [. . .]” (Chapter 7, Page 52-53)

11. garret (noun):

a living space , usually cramped and dismal, in an attic

“They met, and the master, irritated at seeing him clean and cheerful, [. . .] shoved him back with a sudden thrust, and angrily bade Joseph, ‘keep the fellow out of the room—send him into the garret till dinner is over.’” (Chapter 7, Page 55)

12. consumption (noun):

a condition , usually tuberculosis, that causes the body to waste away

“But the doctor says missis must go; he says she’s been in a consumption these many months.” (Chapter 8, Page 59)

13. dilatory (adjective):

slow to act or to complete an action; someone who causes delays

“Oh, these bleak winds, and bitter, northern skies, and impassable roads, and dilatory country surgeons!” (Chapter 10, Page 80)

14. furze and whinstone (noun and noun):

wild, prickly bush and dark-colored rock

“Tell her what Heathcliff is—an unreclaimed creature, without refinement, without cultivation; an arid wilderness of furze and whinstone.” (Chapter 10, Page 89)

15. propitiate (verb):

to regain someone’s good will, especially by doing something pleasing

“Fit to cry, I took an orange from my pocket, and offered it to propitiate him.” (Chapter 11, Page 95)

16. leveret (noun):

a hare that is less than one year old

“Your type is not a lamb, it’s a sucking leveret.” (Chapter 11, Page 100)

17. injunctions (plural noun):

an official order or command, usually to stop doing something

“Both the expressions flitting over her face, and the changes of her moods [. . .] brought to my recollection her former illness, and the doctor’s injunctions that she should not be crossed.” (Chapter 12, Page 105)

18. adjuration (noun):

heart-felt pleading or urging

“He made no reply to this adjuration […]” (Chapter 13, Page 121)

19. dree (adjective):

sad or tedious

“My story is dree as we say, and will serve to wile away another morning.” (Chapter 14, Page 130)

20. convalescence (noun):

the period of time during which someone recovers from an illness

“Then, the paleness of her face [. . .] refuted more tangible proofs of convalescence and stamped her as one doomed to decay.” (Chapter 15, Page 131)

21. kirkyard (noun):

a churchyard

“It was dug on a green slope, in a corner of the kirkyard, where the wall is so low that heath and bilberry plants have climbed over it from the moor; and peat mould almost buries it.” (Chapter 16, Page 140)

22. stanchions (plural noun):

a vertical beam or frame that provides support

“The stanchions stood too close to suffer his shoulders to follow, and I smiled, exulting in my fancied security.” (Chapter 17, Page 146)

23. preter-human (adjective):

superhuman

“He exerted preter-human self-denial in abstaining from finishing him completely; but getting out of breath, he finally desisted, and dragged the apparently inanimate body onto the settle.” (Chapter 17, Page 147)

24. carrion (noun):

dead and decaying flesh

“I sent for Kenneth, and he came; but not till the beast had changed into carrion: he was both dead and cold and stark; and so you’ll allow, it was useless making more stir about him!” (Chapter 17, Page 154)

25. comminations (plural noun):

threats of punishment, particularly divine punishment

“Joseph [. . .] confined his feelings regarding him to muttered innuendoes and private comminations.” (Chapter 18, Page 162)

26. near (adjective):

miserly or stingy

“The villagers affirmed Mr. Heathcliff was near, and a cruel hard landlord to his tenants […]” (Chapter 18, Page 162)

27. sanguine (adjective):

optimistic, positive

“Catherine ran wild with joy at the idea of welcoming her father back, and indulged most sanguine anticipations of the innumerable excellencies of her ‘real’ cousin.” (Chapter 19, Page 163)

28. fain (adverb):

happily, with pleasure

“Cathy would fain have taken one glance; but her father told her to come on, and they walked together up the park, while I hastened before to prepare the servants.” (Chapter 19, Page 164)

29. obviate (verb):

to avoid; to remove

“To obviate the danger of this threat being fulfilled, Mr. Linton commissioned me to take the boy home early, on Catherine’s pony [. . .]” (Chapter 20, Page 166)

30. puling (adjective):

whimpering or weakly

“Thou art thy mother’s child, entirely! Where is my share in thee, puling chicken?” (Chapter 20, Page 169)

31. salubrious (adjective):

healthy

“His features were pretty yet, and his eye and complexion brighter than I remembered them, though with merely temporary lustre borrowed from the salubrious air and genial sun.” (Chapter 21, Page 175)

32. Elysium (noun):

paradise; state of ideal happiness

“Joseph seemed sitting in a sort of elysium alone, beside a roaring fire [. . .]” (Chapter 23, Page 190)

33. wisht (imperative verb):

hush, or be quiet

“I sobbed and wept so that my eyes were almost blind; and the ruffian you have such sympathy with stood opposite, presuming every now and then to bid me ‘wisht’ [. . .]” (Chapter 24, Page 203)

34. epistles (plural noun):

letters

“Linton complied; and had he been unrestrained, would probably have spoiled all by filling his epistles with complaints and lamentations [. . .]” (Chapter 25, Page 207)

35. avaricious (adjective):

greedy; very concerned with gaining wealth

“I could not picture a father treating a dying child as tyrannically and wickedly as I afterwards learnt Heathcliff had treated him to compel this apparent eagerness; his efforts redoubling the more imminently his avaricious and unfeeling plans were threatened with defeat by death.” (Chapter 25, Page 207)

36. pettishness (noun):

irritability; a state of being fretful or impatient

“The pettishness that might be caressed into fondness, had yielded to a listless apathy; there was less of the peevish temper of a child which frets and teases on purpose to be soothed, and more of the self-absorbed moroseness of a confirmed invalid [. . .]” (Chapter 26, Page 208)

37. pertinacious (adjective):

persistent; stubbornly keeping an opinion or idea

“‘I’ll tell him that you say so, Linton. I couldn’t affirm that you are,’ observed my young lady, wondering at his pertinacious assertion of what was evidently an untruth.” (Chapter 26, Page 209)

38. vivisection (noun):

surgery or cutting open of a living organism

“Had I been born where laws are less strict, and tastes less dainty, I should treat myself to a slow vivisection of those two, as an evening’s amusement.” (Chapter 27, Page 215)

39. importunately (adverb):

in a pleading manner

“[T]he knock was repeated, not loud, and still importunately.” (Chapter 28, Page 225)

40. thrang (adjective):

busy or occupied

“He said Mrs. Linton was ‘thrang,’ and the master was not in.” (Chapter 30, Page 231)

41. fortnight (noun):

a period of two weeks

“Cathy stayed upstairs a fortnight, according to Zillah, who visited her twice a day [. . .]” (Chapter 30, Page 233)

42. wake for you (verb phrase):

guard or watch

“‘But I offered more than once, and asked,’ he said, kindling up at her pertness, ‘I asked Mr. Heathcliff to let me wake for you—’” (Chapter 30, Page 235)

43. soliloquy (noun):

the act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud

“Catherine [. . .] murmured in soliloquy—‘I should like to be riding Minny down there! I should like to be climbing up there—Oh! I’m tired—I’m stalled, Hareton!” (Chapter 31, Page 237)

44. Chevy Chase (proper noun):

an old English ballad about a battle

“I wish you would repeat Chevy Chase, as you did yesterday; it was extremely funny!” (Chapter 31, Page 238)