A Storm of Swords: Chapters 55–68

by George R.R. Martin
The battle for control of the kingdom of Westeros continues in the third volume of George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 12, Chapters 13–26, Chapters 27–40, Chapters 41–54, Chapters 55–68, Chapter 69–Epilogue

Here are links to our lists for other volumes in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Dance with Dragons
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. grotto
    a small cave, usually with attractive features
    But he remembered the grotto best of all, the look of her naked in the torchlight, the taste of her mouth when it opened under his.
  2. rampart
    an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes
    The crude rampart enclosed the two things most worth defending; the gate to the north, and the foot of the great wooden switchback stair that clawed and climbed its way up the face of the Wall like a drunken thunderbolt, supported by wooden beams as big as tree trunks driven deep into the ice.
    Compare with "merlon" in the list for Chapters 41-54. Both are defensive structures, but as the example sentences suggest, a rampart can either be elevated or built in the ground, while a merlon is usually found on the top of a castle wall and can also be decorative.
  3. spry
    moving quickly and lightly
    Noye had decreed that every man still spry enough to hold a spear or swing an axe would help defend the barricade, else they could damn well go home and take their chances with the Thenns.
  4. ample
    fairly large
    We have an ample supply up here, but ample doesn't mean inexhaustible.
  5. vulnerable
    capable of being wounded or hurt
    "A man is never so vulnerable in battle as when he flees," Lord Eddard had told Jon once.
  6. countermand
    cancel officially
    Leading her van, Daario had given orders for the children to be taken down before Dany had to see them, but she had countermanded him as soon as she was told.
  7. trebuchet
    a heavy war engine for hurling projectiles such as stones
    Without wood, we have no trebuchets to smash the walls, no ladders to go over them, no siege towers, no turtles, and no rams.
    In Old French, "trebucher" means "to overthrow" and can be broken down into "tre" which means "trans, across" and "buc" which means "trunk of the body"--this connects to both the appearance and function of the machine. Similarly, a turtle looks and moves like its namesake, but its huge wooden counterpart can be used to protect soldiers as they cross an open field.
  8. concur
    be in agreement
    Her other bloodriders concurred. "Blood of my blood," said Rakharo, "when cowards hide and burn the food and fodder, great khals must seek for braver foes. This is known."
  9. scorch
    burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color
    We need to put this scorched earth well behind us.
    Compare with "char" and "singe" in the list for Chapters 41-54. Although the verbs are nearly synonymous, in the three example sentences, the description showing the most destruction is "scorched earth"--although the scorching of the earth could partially be due to the hot sun, most of the burning was deliberately done by the Meerenese in order to starve and slow the invading armies of soldiers and freedmen led by Dany.
  10. caul
    the inner membrane of embryos in higher vertebrates
    But when he took the cloak that the White Bull had draped about my shoulders, and sent men to kill me that selfsame day, it was as though he'd ripped a caul off my eyes.
  11. profusion
    the property of being extremely abundant
    Thereafter dishes and diversions succeeded one another in a staggering profusion, buoyed along upon a flood of wine and ale.
  12. amiss
    in an imperfect or faulty way
    "Sansa, is aught amiss?" He spoke without thinking, and instantly felt the fool. All her kin are slaughtered and she’s wed to me, and I wonder what’s amiss.
  13. mollify
    cause to be more favorably inclined
    His words made Tyrion feel absurdly grateful, and helped to mollify him as Galyeon sang endless verses about the valor of the boy king and his mother, the golden queen.
  14. elicit
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    Their shields were bigger than they were, and they wrestled manfully with their lances as they clomped along, swaying this way and that and eliciting gusts of mirth.
  15. spate
    a sudden forceful flow
    Joff took another drink, or tried to, but all the wine came spewing back out when another spate of coughing doubled him over.
  16. tawdry
    cheap and shoddy
    The Knight of Flowers shone so fine and pure in his white scales and silk that Jaime felt a tattered and tawdry thing by contrast.
  17. remiss
    failing in what duty requires
    "Ser, you've been remiss in teaching our new brothers their duties."
    Compare with "amiss" in this list. Both words connect to imperfection. However, a person can be remiss in his duties and nothing would be amiss. Here, Jaime is scolding Meryn Trant for being remiss in his duty to teach the newer Kingsguard members how to keep the king alive. But later, Trant is also scolded by Jaime for being too eager in his duty to obey the king; he should've been remiss in chastising Sansa Stark at Joffrey's command.
  18. regicide
    the act of killing a king
    Seventy-seven courses and a regicide, never a wedding like it.
  19. misbegotten
    poorly thought out
    And if you think for one misbegotten moment that I would wed Joffrey's widow..."
    Although Jaime has produced three misbegotten children with his married sister Cersei, when he uses the adjective here, he is referring to his father's idea of marrying him to Margaery, which to him, is "poorly conceived or thought out."
  20. leal
    faithful and true
    We thank you for the pure white fire of his goodness, for the red sword of justice in his hand, for the love he bears his leal people.
  21. impale
    pierce with a sharp stake or point
    You could climb over, as the raiders did near Greyguard, but only if you were strong and fit and sure-handed, and even then you might end up like Jarl, impaled on a tree.
  22. maul
    a heavy long-handled hammer used to drive stakes or wedges
    Mammoths centered the wildling line, he saw, a hundred or more with giants on their backs clutching mauls and huge stone axes.
  23. stave
    one of the slats of wood forming sides of a barrel or bucket
    A hundred feet below it struck the Wall and burst, filling the air with shattered staves and burning oil.
  24. palisade
    a strong fence made of stakes driven into the ground
    The villagers were building a wooden palisade around their homes, and when they saw the breadth of the Hound's shoulders they offered them food and shelter and even coin for work.
    Compare with "impale" in this list: the Latin noun "palus" which means "stake" can be seen in both words and their definitions.
  25. lofty
    of imposing height; especially standing out above others
    Bronn had a lofty notion of what his skin was worth.
  26. exalted
    of high moral or intellectual value
    How could the Kingslayer belong in such exalted company?
  27. mingy
    characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
    Summed up like that, his life seemed a rather scant and mingy thing.
    As suggested by the structure of the example sentence, "mingy" and "scant" are nearly synonymous adjectives describing smallness. But "scant" seems to apply to the small amount of deeds Jaime had done that are worth recording in the White Book, while "mingy" seems to apply to the small-minded nature of his deeds.
  28. trencher
    a wooden board or platter on which food is served or carved
    When your Sworn Brothers are training in the yard with sword and shield, you may train with spoon and trencher.
  29. dicker
    negotiate the terms of an exchange
    When I came to Highgarden to dicker for Margaery's hand, she let her lord son bluster while she asked pointed questions about Joffrey's nature.
  30. bawdy
    humorously vulgar
    When it was time for the bedding, her knights carried her up to the tower, stripping her as they went and shouting bawdy jests.
Created on Sat Jan 11 22:09:58 EST 2014 (updated Mon Oct 01 17:02:56 EDT 2018)

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