The House of the Scorpion: Chapters 15–22

by Nancy Farmer
This award-winning dystopian novel tells the story of Matt Alacrán, clone and captive of a powerful feudal lord. Follow Matt as he tries to escape the sinister forces at work in the country of Opium.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–14, Chapters 15–22, Chapters 23–30, Chapters 31–38
15 words 1008 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. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    The oily leaves broke against his skin and released a pungent smell.
  2. pall
    a dark covering or cloud, as of smoke
    The smoke and pall of incense made Matt break into a coughing fit.
  3. dote
    shower with love; show excessive affection for
    “El Patrón dotes on him.”
  4. wraith
    a ghostly figure, especially one seen shortly before death
    María looked like a wraith in her black dress. Her face was ashen.
  5. decamp
    leave suddenly
    The Mendozas left immediately after María, pale and miserable, emerged from El Patrón’s apartment. El Patrón decamped not long afterward with his bodyguards.
  6. malevolence
    the quality of threatening evil
    Well, to be honest, because most people hated him. It was no big thing. But her malevolence was in a class by itself.
  7. foolhardy
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    He was afraid, but Tam Lin had taught him it was foolhardy to show weakness. Act like you’re in control, the bodyguard had said, and nine times out of ten, you'll get away with it.
  8. reproachful
    expressing disapproval, blame, or disappointment
    He saw Furball sitting at the foot of his bed, looking reproachful.
  9. daft
    foolish or mentally irregular
    Look, you did a daft thing, nosing around the eejit pens, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad mistake. They do say guardian angels guide the steps of idiots.
  10. astride
    with one leg on each side
    The sun would burn it off later, but now it formed a milky sea that reached halfway up Matt’s legs as he sat astride the horse.
  11. reverie
    absentminded dreaming while awake
    He fell into another reverie, his eyes seeing things no one else could.
  12. rendition
    a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role
    Matt crashed into a rendition of the “Turkish March” by Mozart, playing loud enough to make a servant drop a tray in the hallway outside.
  13. fanfare
    a gaudy outward display
    Everyone applauded as the bride was led up the stairs to the salon by Senator Mendoza. But Matt had no eyes for them. The only person he cared about stepped out of the hovercraft without any fanfare at all.
  14. penance
    voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for something
    “Oh! But I’ve done all the talking and haven’t let you say a word!” María cried at last. “That’s one of the things I do penance for all the time. Except that no one at the convent listens to me like you do.”
  15. festoon
    decorate or adorn
    He saw the fantastic gardens of the Big House, the statues of babies with wings, the orange trees festooned with lights.
Created on Wed Jun 28 08:30:30 EDT 2017 (updated Mon Aug 04 10:22:05 EDT 2025)

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.