The Crucible: Act I Vocab Flashcards
Predilection
pre-existing preference
shovelboard
game in which a coin or other disk is driven with the hand along a highly polished board, floor, or table marked with transverse lines
New Jerusalem
in the Bible, the holy city of heaven
ingratiating
charming or flattering
junta
assembly or council
Lucifer
the Devil
dissembling
disguising one’s real nature or motives
Goody
title used for a married woman; short for Goodwife
abyss
deep crack in the Earth
calumny
false accusation, slander
Quakers
members of the Society of Friends, a Christian religious sect that was founded in the mid-17th century and has no formal creed, rites, or priesthood. Unlike the Quakers, the Puritans had a rigid code of conduct and were expected to heed the words of their ministers.
Martin Luther
German theologian who led the Protestant Reformation
Lutheran
member of the Protestant denomination founded by Martin Luther
Erasmus Desiderius
(1466-1536) Dutch humanist, scholar, and theologian
abrogation
abolishment
congerie
heap; pile
inculcation
teaching by repetition and urging
Propitiation
action designed to soothe or satisfy a person, a cause, etc.
klatches
informal gatherings
fetishes
objects believed to have magical powers
Dionysiac
characteristic of Dionysus, Greek god of wine and revelry; thus, wild, frenzied, sensuous
Victorian
characteristic of the time when Victoria was queen of England (1837-1901), an era associated with respectability, prudery, and hypocrisy
incubi
spirits or demons thought to lie on sleeping women
succubi
female demons thought to lie on sleeping men
licentious
lacking moral restraint
