The Serpent King: Chapters 1–10

by Jeff Zentner
In this award-winning novel by Jeff Zentner, three Southern teenagers struggle with their faith, their families, and their futures.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–20, Chapters 21–31, Chapters 32–42, Chapters 43–53
15 words 123 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. penitentiary
    a correctional institution for those convicted of crimes
    It had thoroughly scandalized Forrestville, Tennessee, when Pastor Early of the Church of Christ’s Disciples with Signs of Belief went to the state penitentiary—and not for the reasons anyone expected.
  2. melancholy
    a feeling of thoughtful sadness
    He had his normal faraway affect and distinct air of melancholy.
  3. dilapidated
    in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
    Houses as cramped and dilapidated as his didn’t seem to exist even in the parts of Nashville with cramped and dilapidated houses, at least along the path they took.
  4. pastoral
    idyllically rustic
    Riverbend Prison was in a deceptively beautiful, pastoral part of Nashville. Rolling hills and a lush carpet of trees surrounded blocky beige buildings with slit windows.
  5. serpentine
    resembling a snake in form
    Every time Dill saw him, he appeared harder. More cunning. More feral and serpentine.
  6. salvation
    the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil
    Will you be a soldier for Christ and spread the good news of salvation and its signs to your peers?
  7. congregation
    group that habitually attends a particular place of worship
    “The Spirit will move in them the way it moved in our congregation when you sang and played. And when I get out, our congregation will have grown tenfold.”
  8. manifestation
    a clear appearance
    My path to Christ was the manifestation of faith signs. We lose our path to Christ; we lose our path to salvation.
  9. sentient
    endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness
    Talking to his father made Dill feel like he was talking to a sentient brick wall that somehow knew about Jesus.
  10. virulence
    extreme harmfulness
    Dill released a long exhale as he left the building, as though he’d held his breath for the entire time he was inside to keep from inhaling whatever virulence the men imprisoned there harbored.
  11. euphoric
    characterized by a feeling of well-being or elation
    It was like waking up from a euphoric dream.
  12. forsake
    leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
    Arcade Fire? Refers to the fires of hell that those who forsake Christ in favor of video games will experience.
  13. inveterate
    habitual
    His name was the problem. Her readers were inveterate Googlers. The last thing she needed was for them to see a picture of Dill, get curious, find out his name (They had ways. Oh how they had ways.), and Google it. Because guess what came up on a search for “Dillard Early.” Very bad for the Dollywould brand.
  14. resignation
    acceptance of an unpleasant but inevitable situation
    Dill surveyed the parking lot with glum resignation, watching his fellow students file in.
  15. dullard
    a person who is not very bright or interesting
    “I don’t get why they haven’t figured out “Dullard” as a nickname. It’s funnier and more creative. But it also requires a larger vocabulary.”
Created on Fri Jul 07 16:52:48 EDT 2017 (updated Wed Aug 06 12:25:25 EDT 2025)

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