Rump: Chapters 1–6

by Liesl Shurtliff
What's in a name? Young "Rump" embarks on an heroic quest — full of magic and perils — to discover his full name, its meaning, and ultimately his destiny in life.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–17, Chapters 18–22, Chapter 23–Epilogue
15 words 131 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. midwife
    a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies
    The midwife, Gertrude, says I’m small because I had only the milk of a weak goat instead of a strong mother, but I know that really it’s because of my name.
  2. menacing
    threatening evil or danger
    I groaned as Frederick and his brother Bruno approached with menacing grins on their faces. Frederick and Bruno were the miller’s sons. They were close to my age, but so big, twice my size and ugly as trolls.
  3. sluice
    conduit that carries a rapid flow of water
    I scooped more mud from the sluice and swirled it around in my pan. No gold. Only mud, mud, mud.
  4. destiny
    the circumstances or condition to which someone is fated
    “You mustn’t worry about it too much, dear.”
    That’s what she always said if I asked about my name or my destiny.
  5. stifle
    smother or suppress
    “It’s not funny, Gran,” I said, though I was stifling my own laughter.
  6. hearth
    a built-in space in a wall where a fire can be built
    After I placed the wood by the hearth, I asked Gran about the wheel.
  7. swindler
    a person who steals by means of deception or fraud
    “You dirty cheat! Rotten swindler!”
  8. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    The next woman took her meager rations without a word, and the rest of the villagers did too.
  9. transform
    change in outward structure or looks
    I studied how her foot pushed on the treadle and how her hands rhythmically fed the wool. The wool thinned and tightened and transformed into yarn, as if by magic.
  10. tic
    a usually unconscious habit or quirk of speech or behavior
    Opal stared at me and then flicked out her tongue and wound it around her mouth, like a frog catching flies. Not so beautiful. She did it again, a kind of nervous tic.
  11. addled
    confused and vague; used especially of thinking
    Some people might think a half name would make a person addled in the brain or even dangerous.
  12. peddler
    someone who travels about selling wares
    “Kessler the peddler!” I shouted.
    The man turned toward me, flipped his hat off his head, and bowed.
  13. flit
    move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
    I rose from my bed and moved toward the spinning wheel. The pixies squeaked and flitted back and forth between me and the wheel.
  14. bobbin
    a spool around which thread or other material can be wound
    I sat at the wheel. A few pixies fluttered around my hands and the straw and the bobbin.
  15. scrounge
    collect or look around for
    I scrounged for more straw on the ground, all the little bits I could pick up. I fed them through the wheel. More gold!
Created on Sat Nov 29 14:01:49 EST 2025 (updated Wed Jan 07 11:06:53 EST 2026)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.