East of Eden: Part Three

by John Steinbeck
Inspired by the biblical story of Cain and Abel, this novel tells the interlinked stories of the Trask and Hamilton families.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four

Here are links to our lists for other works by John Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men, The Pearl, Cannery Row, The Grapes of Wrath, Travels with Charley
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. perpetuate
    cause to continue or prevail
    He was a dark-faced man; his skin, perhaps from sun, was a black red, as though some Norse or perhaps Vandal blood was perpetuated in him.
  2. inoculate
    introduce an idea or attitude into the mind of
    He took him into business and tried to inoculate him with the joys of buying and selling, of outwitting other men, of judging them for a bluff, of living by maneuver.
  3. conjecture
    the formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence
    What I set down about him will be the result of memory plus what I know to be true plus conjecture built on the combination.
  4. quaver
    give off unsteady sounds
    Samuel said that Tom was quavering over greatness, trying to decide whether he could take the cold responsibility.
  5. grovel
    show submission or fear
    But Tom got into a book, crawled and groveled between the covers, tunneled like a mole among the thoughts, and came up with the book all over his face and hands.
  6. decay
    an inferior state resulting from deterioration
    Poetry was a symptom of weakness, of degeneracy and decay.
  7. ostracize
    expel from a community or group
    To write it was to be suspected and ostracized. Poetry was a secret vice, and properly so.
  8. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    She would find something to do in Heaven. There must be something to take up one’s time—some clouds to darn, some weary wings to rub with liniment.
  9. tinge
    color lightly
    The two men stopped in the road and looked out at the valley, green tinged from the early rains.
  10. fallow
    left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season
    Samuel said softly, “I wonder you do not feel a shame at leaving that land fallow.”
  11. contentious
    showing an inclination to disagree
    “Contentious,” said Samuel. “Liza says I am contentious, but now I’m caught in a web of my children—and I think I like it.”
  12. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
    He felt a garrulousness coming on him and he was frightened at the impulse. His voice did not sound like his voice, and his words amazed him.
  13. dilapidated
    in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
    In the half-darkness he could see the sagging dilapidated porch and the shaky steps.
  14. gangly
    tall, thin, and awkward
    “He’s a big gangly man, a little bit drunk. He says his name is Adam Trask.”
  15. detached
    showing lack of emotional involvement
    She tried to force her will on him, and she saw that he was detached and free.
  16. coquettish
    like a flirtatious woman
    She was very pretty and she made coquettish little jokes.
  17. magnanimous
    noble and generous in spirit
    “You can carry him,” he said magnanimously.
  18. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
    Cal was an enigma to him. He could not follow the reasoning of his brother, and he was always surprised at the tangents it took.
  19. inexorable
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    It was their first experience with the inexorable logic of women, which is overwhelming even, or perhaps especially, when it is wrong.
  20. restive
    impatient especially under restriction or delay
    Lee held the restive horse while Mrs. Bacon was helped up into the rig.
  21. erudite
    having or showing profound knowledge
    Lee said quietly, “So young to be so erudite.”
  22. truculence
    stubborn and defiant aggressiveness
    The truculence went out of the boy and a magnanimity took its place.
  23. consternation
    sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
    He noticed a look of consternation on Adam’s face.
  24. litany
    a prayer consisting of a series of invocations by the priest with responses from the congregation
    A kind of weariness settled on Adam as they went over the litany for the fourth time.
  25. ingress
    the act of entering
    Once having decided to open the letter, he took out his pocketknife, opened the big blade, and inspected the envelope for a point of ingress, found none, held the letter up to the sun to make sure not to cut the message, tapped the letter to one end of the envelope, and cut off the other end.
  26. ascertain
    learn or discover with confidence
    It was only when your letter to your brother was turned over to us by the local postmaster that we were able to ascertain your whereabouts.
  27. stipulate
    make an express demand or provision in an agreement
    The will also stipulates that if you are deceased, all property goes to your wife.
  28. cantankerous
    stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
    I’m getting old and cantankerous. I am growing impatient.
  29. myriad
    a large indefinite number
    Very gently he eased himself in on his side and turned slowly and laced his fingers behind his head and stared at the myriads of tiny colored dots that make up darkness.
  30. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
    It was an immaculate and friendly house, grand enough but not pretentious, and it sat inside its white fence, surrounded by its clipped lawn
  31. condolence
    an expression of sympathy with another's grief
    “I was passing by, and I wanted to offer my condolences.”
  32. carping
    persistent petty and unjustified criticism
    The Morrison children, coming home from school, would find no aches, no carping, no headache.
  33. unassailable
    impossible to attack
    In time the Mrs. Morrisons found unassailable reasons for not going to the little house by the bakery.
  34. coy
    affectedly shy especially in a playful or provocative way
    Tom helped Dessie into the seat and pretended to peek coyly at her ankle.
  35. raucous
    unpleasantly loud and harsh
    From outside came a whistle as wild and raucous as a reed and pitched high and strange.
  36. acumen
    shrewdness shown by keen insight
    The idea of traipsing around Europe, unless, of course, you were retired and had your capital out in good securities, would be to Will a craziness that would make the pig plan a marvel of business acumen.
  37. prim
    exaggeratedly proper
    Tom came riding back to the ranch a week after Dessie’s funeral, riding high and prim, his shoulders straight and chin in, like a guardsman on parade.
  38. lucent
    softly bright or radiant
    Tom’s hand felt the chill of the glass and saw the pearly liquid with the dissolving crystals still turning over and lucent bubbles rising, and he repeated aloud in the empty, empty room, “This will do the job. Just wait till morning. You’ll feel fine then.”
  39. overestimate
    assign too high a value to
    You overestimated me. You were wrong.
  40. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    I wish I could justify the love and the pride you squandered on me.
Created on Sat Aug 27 20:30:56 EDT 2016 (updated Mon Sep 24 15:29:57 EDT 2018)

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