Vocabulary for Ella Enchanted and The Castle in the Attic

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bestow - to present as a gift or an honor, grant, bequeath, donate, impart, give

bestow - Page 3 - She meant to bestow a gift.

chivalry - the qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women, courtliness, good manners, graciousness

chivalry - Chapter 2 - Page 9 - You have the kind of gentle soul that accepts the rules of chivalry.

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tarry - to delay or be late in going, coming, or doing, dally, delay, drag, dwell, goof around, hang around,  lag, linger, lose time, monkey around, pause,  procrastinate, put off, stall, stay, stick around, stop over, wait

tarry - Page 28 - "Best not tarry, little mistress," Bertha said.

edict - A formal pronouncement or command, announcement, law, decree, statute, order, declaration, ruling

edict - Chapter 4 - Page 36 - Just days before my father died, he issued various edicts through Alastor.

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menagerie - a collection of live wild animals on exhibition

menagerie - Page 49 - On our way out of the menagerie, Char said, "Tonight I shall triple the guard around the ogres. And soon I shall catch a centaur and give it to you."

leer - a sly or knowing look, smirk, sneer, turn your nose up, scorn, scuff, deride

leer - Chapter 6 - Page 51 - The head of Janus was clearly carved in the medal, and the leer of his faced looked evil under the magnifying glass.

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succumb - to submit to an overpowering force or yield to an overwhelming desire; give up or give in, surrender

succumb - Page 66 - If I didn't succumb to starvation, I would be here for a long time, with hateful mistresses and with Hattie ordering me about.

stalwart - having or marked by imposing physical strength, vigorous, determined, unfaltering, steadfast

stalwartly - Chapter 7 - Page 69 -  It didn't take him long to find her, marching stalwartly forward across what was now the great gray expanse of one flagstone, suitcase in hand.

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ravenous - extremely hungry, famished, starving

ravenous - I was surprised I could eat, but I was ravenous.

  kindling - Easily ignited material, such as dry sticks of wood, used to start a fire.

kindling - Chapter 9 - Page 87 - "Imagine how you would feel, my boy, if you were sitting to a nice meal of  roasted mouse legs and your entire castle were lifted up and banged about like a mere piece of  kindling. I doubt you would take it too kindly."

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  toil - to labor continuously; work strenuously, work hard, plug away

toil - Page 113 - "Is Char a 'toiling prince'?"

Page 119 - "Toiling knights are also diplomats," I said.

  aberration - disorder or abnormal alteration in one's mental state, abnormality, oddness, peculiarity, irregularity

aberration - Chapter 11 -  Page 112 - Suddenly, above the animal noises, he could distinguish the gurgling of a stream off to his left. He peered in the direction of the noise, and in the murky darkness he saw the glint of silver water as it fell over stones. Surely this isn't an aberration, he thought.

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irrefutable - impossible to refute or disprove; incontrovertible, unquestionable, convincing, certain, convincing, undeniable

irrefutable - Page 137 - "Your logic is irrefutable, although its foundation isn't sound" Father smiled.

furl - to be or become rolled up, wrap up, curl up, curl, wind up, fold up

furled - Chapter 13 -  Page 135 - Out rolled his tongue, an immense carpet of red that furled into the sky and back into the black hole of his mouth.

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  obstinate - Difficult to manage, control, or subdue, determined, stubborn, fixed, pigheaded, inflexible, adamant

obstinate - Page 166 - "Are you certain you want her, if she's so obstinate?"

  tyranny - a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator, dictatorship, domination,  totalitarianism

tyranny - Chapter 16 - Page 160 - "My lord," he said with a formal bow. "We thank you for our freedom from the wizard's tyranny. We are at your command."

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  absurdity - Ridiculously inappropriate or unreasonable, irrationality, silliness, ludicrousness, meaninglessness

absurdity - When Hattie told me that this earl or that duke loved her, I laughed over the absurdity of it to him.

 predicament - A situation, especially an unpleasant, troublesome, or trying one, from which extrication is difficult, dilemma, tight spot

predicament - Page 15 - But of course, at that time, we had no choice if any of us were ever to get out of our predicament.

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 interrogate - To examine by questioning formally or officially, interview, cross-examine, quiz, grill

interrogate - Page 217 - She proceeded to pump me about my family and circumstances, pressing me until I said, "I hadn't thought it was the custom here to interrogate visitors."

intricate - Having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate, complex, involved, complicated

intricate - Page 20 - Under the slanting eaves, behind two trunks, he discovered a large intricate web in the bottom half of one of the windows.