The Girl Who Drank the Moon: Chapters 32-48

by Kelly Barnhill
In this Newbery Award-winning novel, baby Luna is abandoned by her village and raised by the witch Xan. As Luna tries to manage her growing magical powers, she learns about her true origins and joins forces with others to fight the corrupt Council of Elders.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-3, Chapters 4-11, Chapters 12-18, Chapters 19-31, Chapters 32-48
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. arabesque
    position in which the dancer has one leg raised behind
    This swallow stumbled from tree to tree. No arabesques. No gathering speed.
  2. impervious
    not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
    “That would be safer. Luna can’t fly, you know. And she is not impervious to flames like Simply Enormous Dragons. That is well-known.”
  3. bluster
    vain and empty boasting
    For all his bluster in front of the Council, he had never so much as wrung the neck of a chicken for a nice dinner.
  4. veritable
    being truly so called; real or genuine
    An entire city transformed into a veritable well of sorrow.
  5. hatchling
    a young bird or animal that has just emerged from an egg
    There was a nest of starlings overhead, the hatchlings not two days old.
  6. canny
    showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
    Everything in the house was clever and beautified. Industrious, creative, and canny.
  7. insolent
    marked by casual disrespect
    Locked in the Tower was far preferable to insolent questioning at family dinners, that much was certain.
  8. impassive
    deliberately unexpressive
    They had been trained, of course, to not make eye contact with the citizenry, and to instead gaze past them impassively.
  9. uncouth
    lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
    "YOUR OWN NEPHEW.” She spat on the ground—an uncouth gesture that seemed strangely lovely when she did it.
  10. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    He drew himself up and gave a haughty expression to no one at all.
  11. fen
    low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation
    “I do not know, my friend,” he said finally. “The Poet tells us, ‘Each mortal beast must find its Ground—be it forest or fen or field or fire.’ Perhaps you will know all that you wish to know when you find your Ground.”
  12. wanderlust
    very strong or irresistible impulse to travel
    She had forgotten how much she loved them once upon a time. Back when she had curiosity and wanderlust and the inclination to go to the other side of the world and back in a single afternoon.
  13. indolent
    disinclined to work or exertion
    Before the delicious and abundant sorrows of the Protectorate had fed her soul until it was indolent and sated and gloriously fat.
  14. imbue
    spread or diffuse through
    Now, just thinking about her boots imbued her with a youthful spark.
  15. jaunty
    having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air
    Fyrian cried before whizzing away, whistling a jaunty tune as he flew.
  16. copious
    large in number or quantity
    In her birdish state, she detected no fewer than nine different spices and a hint of dried apples and crushed zirin petals. And love, too. Copious amounts of love.
  17. feisty
    showing spirit and courage
    “My, you are a feisty thing. If Ethyne is not able to fix your wing, rest assured that we will make you a comfortable home and life for the rest of your days. Ethyne...”
  18. inkling
    a slight suggestion or vague understanding
    “Knowledge is a terrible power indeed.” It was the unofficial motto of the Sisterhood. No one knew more than the Sisters. No one had more access to knowledge. And yet here they were. Without an inkling.
  19. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Now the Grand Elder sat in his favorite chair and glowered at his compatriots.
  20. rabble
    the common people or lower classes
    “This rabble-rouser is part of your family. And there she is. Out there. Rousing the rabble.”
  21. enormity
    vastness of size or extent
    “Size is a spectrum. Like a rainbow. On the spectrum of enormity, you were on, well, the low end. And that is completely, well...” He paused again. Sucked his lips. “Sometimes the truth, er, bends. Like light.” He was floundering and he knew it.
  22. flounder
    have difficulties; behave awkwardly
    “Size is a spectrum. Like a rainbow. On the spectrum of enormity, you were on, well, the low end. And that is completely, well...” He paused again. Sucked his lips. “Sometimes the truth, er, bends. Like light.” He was floundering and he knew it.
  23. incredulity
    doubt about the truth of something
    “She’s turning into a dragon?” he said, his voice a mixture of incredulity and hope.
  24. derision
    the act of treating with contempt
    Indeed, Xan thought, with more derision than was likely fair.
  25. rove
    move about aimlessly or without any destination
    “How far you are from home! How confused you must be! It is so lucky that I found you here, before some wild animal or roving ruffian did. This is a dangerous wood. The most dangerous in the world.”
  26. extremity
    an external body part that projects from the body
    She felt herself surging, and that surge erupting wildly from her extremities.
  27. chrysalis
    pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon
    Her grandmother had taught Luna, when she was a little girl with scabby knees and matted hair, how a caterpillar lives, growing big and fat and sweet-tempered, until it forms a chrysalis.
  28. profusely
    in very large amounts or quantities; extremely
    And he heaved himself over to a low shrub and vomited profusely.
  29. lope
    run easily
    She could feel the ripple of speed and the flash of color as she loped through the forest.
  30. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    He seemed harmless enough now that he didn’t have that knife. Still, Luna eyed him warily.
  31. dejected
    affected or marked by low spirits
    The rock fell to the ground with a dejected thud and rolled away, as though chastened.
  32. desiccate
    lose water or moisture
    Now she seemed to desiccate by the moment.
  33. prehensile
    adapted for grasping especially by wrapping around an object
    He could wield five swords at once—four hands and the prehensile tip of his tail—and was so formidable and agile and huge that his adversaries would often drop their weapons and call a truce.
  34. infernal
    extremely evil or cruel
    “I knew another curious girl. So long ago. So many infernal questions. I wasn’t sad when the volcano swallowed her up.”
  35. traipse
    walk or tramp about
    “You’re wrong. You couldn’t see through the fog of sorrow you created. Just as I had difficulty looking in, you couldn’t see out. All these years I’ve been traipsing right up to your door, and you had no idea. Isn’t that funny?”
  36. myriad
    a large indefinite number
    Her face cycled through a myriad of expressions, one after another after another.
  37. embolden
    give encouragement to
    It emboldened the power surging inside her, directing the swells of magic.
  38. languish
    lose vigor, health, or flesh, as through grief
    The Council of Elders languished in prison, and new council members were elected by popular vote.
  39. implicitly
    without doubting or questioning
    People in the Protectorate didn’t love her implicitly as people in the Free Cities did.
  40. hale
    exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health
    This is why the people of the Protectorate are healthy and hale and shining.
Created on Tue Feb 27 19:46:34 EST 2018 (updated Fri Mar 09 12:33:36 EST 2018)

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