Glossary
Poe was very well educated, and was fluent in not only English, but also French and Latin.
You may not have heard of or quite understand some of the words used in "The Sleeper" and "The Haunted Palace", so here you'll find an alphabetical list of some unusual terms, with an explanation of their meaning.
Assail v. make a concerted or violent attack on
Befitting adj. appropriate to the occasion [befit v. be appropriate for; suit]
Dally v. act or move slowly
Discordant adj. (of sounds) harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony ["strike a discordant note" appear strange and out of place]
Dominion n. the territory of a sovereign or government
Fitfully adv. Not regularly or continuously; intermittently
Flit v. move swiftly and lightly
Lattice n. a structure consisting of strips of wood or metal crossed and fastened together with square or diamond-shaped spaces left between, used as a screen or fence or as a support for climbing plants
Lethe (Greek Mythology) a river in Hades whose water when drunk made the souls of the dead forget their life on earth
Moulder v. slowly decay or disintegrate, especially because of neglect
Opiate adj. relating to, resembling or containing opium [opium n. a reddish-brown heavily-scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used illicitly as a narcotic and occasionally in medicine as an analgesic]
Pallid adj. (of a person's face) pale, typically because of poor health
Pallor n. an unhealthy pale appearance
Pinion v. cut off the pinion of (a wing or bird) to prevent flight
Ramparts n. a defensive wall of a castle or walled city, having a broad top with a walkway and typically a stone parapet
Sepulchre n. a small room or monument, cut in rock or built of stone, in which a dead person is laid or buried
Seraph n. an angelic, regarded in traditional Christian angelology as belonging to the highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy, associated with light, ardour and purity
Sheeted adj. (especially of a dead body) covered with or enveloped in a sheet of cloth
Solemn adj. formal and dignified
Tenanted adj. occupy (property) as a tenant
Throng n. a large, densely packed crowd of people or animals
Tress n. a long lock of a woman's hair
Wanton adj. (especially of a woman) sexually immodest or promiscuous
You may not have heard of or quite understand some of the words used in "The Sleeper" and "The Haunted Palace", so here you'll find an alphabetical list of some unusual terms, with an explanation of their meaning.
Assail v. make a concerted or violent attack on
Befitting adj. appropriate to the occasion [befit v. be appropriate for; suit]
Dally v. act or move slowly
Discordant adj. (of sounds) harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony ["strike a discordant note" appear strange and out of place]
Dominion n. the territory of a sovereign or government
Fitfully adv. Not regularly or continuously; intermittently
Flit v. move swiftly and lightly
Lattice n. a structure consisting of strips of wood or metal crossed and fastened together with square or diamond-shaped spaces left between, used as a screen or fence or as a support for climbing plants
Lethe (Greek Mythology) a river in Hades whose water when drunk made the souls of the dead forget their life on earth
Moulder v. slowly decay or disintegrate, especially because of neglect
Opiate adj. relating to, resembling or containing opium [opium n. a reddish-brown heavily-scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used illicitly as a narcotic and occasionally in medicine as an analgesic]
Pallid adj. (of a person's face) pale, typically because of poor health
Pallor n. an unhealthy pale appearance
Pinion v. cut off the pinion of (a wing or bird) to prevent flight
Ramparts n. a defensive wall of a castle or walled city, having a broad top with a walkway and typically a stone parapet
Sepulchre n. a small room or monument, cut in rock or built of stone, in which a dead person is laid or buried
Seraph n. an angelic, regarded in traditional Christian angelology as belonging to the highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy, associated with light, ardour and purity
Sheeted adj. (especially of a dead body) covered with or enveloped in a sheet of cloth
Solemn adj. formal and dignified
Tenanted adj. occupy (property) as a tenant
Throng n. a large, densely packed crowd of people or animals
Tress n. a long lock of a woman's hair
Wanton adj. (especially of a woman) sexually immodest or promiscuous