"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 14–18

In this epic poem, clever Odysseus attempts to find his way home after the end of the Trojan War. Learn these words from the translation by Robert Fitzgerald.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Books 1–7, Books 8–13, Books 14–18, Books 19–24
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. mourn
    express grief after the death of a loved one
    As though I had not trouble enough already, given me by the gods, my master gone, true king that he was. I hang on here, still mourning for him, raising pigs of his to feed foreigners
  2. sojourn
    a temporary stay
    Seven years, then, my sojourn lasted there, and I amassed a fortune, going about among the openhanded Egyptians.
  3. inveigle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    The cold is making a corpse of me. Some god inveigled me to come without a cloak.
  4. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    Listen, lads, I had an ominous dream, the point being how far forward from our ships and lines we’ve come.
  5. benevolent
    showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding
    Homage to Nestor, the benevolent king; in my time he was fatherly to me, when the flower of Akhaia warred on Troy.
  6. fury
    a feeling of intense anger
    The beaked eagle flew from the wild mountain of his fathers to take for prey the tame house bird. Just so, Odysseus, back from his hard trials and wandering, will soon come down in fury on his house.
  7. imperious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    If you delay, he will not let you go, but he’ll descend on you in person and imperious; no turning back with empty hands for him, believe me, once his blood is up.
  8. sequester
    requisition forcibly, as of enemy property
    And Neleus for a year’s term sequestered Melampous’ fields and flocks, while he lay bound hand and foot in the keep of Phylakos.
  9. enlighten
    make understand
    I pray you by the wine you spend, and by your god, your own life, and your company; enlighten me, and let the truth be known.
  10. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
    By grace of Hermes the Wayfinder, patron of mortal tasks, the god who honors toil, no man can do a chore better than I can.
  11. minion
    a servile or fawning dependent
    Slaves they have, but not like you. No—theirs are boys in fresh cloaks and tunics with pomade ever on their sleek heads, and pretty faces. These are their minions, while their tables gleam and groan under big roasts, with loaves and wine.
  12. respite
    a relief from harm or discomfort
    Respite from pain you give me—and from homelessness.
  13. vagabond
    a wanderer with no established residence or means of support
    In life there’s nothing worse than knocking about the world, no bitterness we vagabonds are spared when the curst belly rages!
  14. renowned
    widely known and esteemed
    Now one day some of those renowned seafaring men, sea-dogs, Phoinikians, came ashore with bags of gauds for trading.
  15. berth
    secure in or as if in a dock
    “Pull for the town,” he said, “and berth our ship, while I go inland across country.
  16. courier
    a person who carries a message
    The words were barely spoken, when a hawk, Apollo’s courier, flew up on the right, clutching a dove and plucking her
  17. candor
    the quality of being honest and straightforward
    Telemakhos with his clear candor said: “I am with you, Uncle. See now, I have come because I wanted to see you first, to hear from you if Mother stayed at home—or is she married off to someone and Odysseus’ bed left empty for some gloomy spider’s weaving?”
  18. quandary
    state of uncertainty in a choice between unfavorable options
    Besides, mother is in a quandary, whether to stay with me as mistress of our household, honoring her lord’s bed, and opinion in the town, or take the best Akhaian who comes her way—the one who offers most.
  19. rancor
    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
    There is no rancor in the town against me, no fault of brothers, whom a man should feel behind him when a fight is in the making
  20. incredulity
    doubt about the truth of something
    Only Telemakhos, uncomprehending, wild with incredulity, cried out: “You cannot be my father Odysseus!
  21. squelch
    suppress or crush completely
    We were prepared to cut him off and catch him, squelch him for good and all.
  22. righteous
    morally justified
    I say, act now, before he brings the whole body of Akhaians to assembly—and he would leave no word unsaid, in righteous anger speaking out before them all of how we plotted murder, and then missed him.
  23. patrimony
    an inheritance coming by right of birth
    but if, my friends, you want that boy to live and have his patrimony, then we should eat no more of his good mutton, come to this place no more.
  24. ravage
    cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
    It is Odysseus’ house you now consume, his wife you court, his son you kill, or try to kill. And me you ravage now, and grieve.
  25. surmise
    infer from incomplete evidence
    As I climbed above the town to where the sky is cut by Hermes’ ridge, I saw a ship bound in for our own bay with many oarsmen in it, laden down with sea provisioning and two-edged spears, and I surmised those were the men.
  26. forsake
    leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
    Mother must see me there, with her own eyes, or she will weep and feel forsaken still, and will not set her mind at rest.
  27. portent
    a sign of something about to happen
    He has it in him to bring a black hour on the suitors. Yesterday, still at the ship, I saw this in a portent.
  28. mendicant
    a pauper who lives by begging
    At no long interval, Odysseus came through his own doorway as a mendicant, humped like a bundle of rags over his stick.
  29. goad
    stab or urge on as if with a pointed stick
    With his unpleasantness, he will forever make strife where he can—and goad the others on.
  30. qualm
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    And spare your qualms as to my mother’s loss, or anyone’s—not that in truth you have such care at heart: your heart is all in feeding, not in giving.
  31. alms
    money or goods contributed to the poor
    I, too, you know, had fortune once, lived well, stood well with men, and gave alms, often, to poor wanderers like this one that you see—aye, to all sorts, no matter in what dire want.
  32. rummage
    search haphazardly
    You sit here, fat on others’ meat, and cannot bring yourself to rummage out a crust of bread for me!
  33. famished
    extremely hungry
    A poor show, that—hitting this famished tramp—bad business, if he happened to be a god.
  34. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    But these men spend their days around our house killing our beeves, our fat goats and our sheep, carousing, drinking up our good dark wine; sparing nothing, squandering everything.
  35. farce
    a comedy characterized by broad satire
    What a farce heaven has brought this house!
  36. wily
    marked by skill in deception
    But now that wily man, Odysseus, muttered: “An old man, an old hulk, has no business fighting a young man, but my belly nags me; nothing will do but I must take a beating.
  37. waif
    a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned
    You can give up your habit of command over poor waifs and beggarmen—you swab.
  38. indignity
    an affront to one's self-esteem
    Here, in our house, a guest, can any man suffer indignity, come by such injury? What can this be for you but public shame?
  39. distinguished
    standing above others in character or attainment
    “Suitors of our distinguished queen,” he said, “hear what my heart would have me say.
  40. loam
    a rich soil consisting of sand, clay and organic materials
    Or we could try our hands behind a plow, driving the best of oxen—fat, well-fed, well-matched for age and pulling power, and say four strips apiece of loam the share could break: you’d see then if I cleft you a straight furrow.
Created on Mon Sep 15 20:01:38 EDT 2014 (updated Wed Aug 14 10:28:31 EDT 2019)

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