Aru Shah and the End of Time: Chapters 8–15

by Roshani Chokshi
When 12-year-old Aru Shah lights a cursed lamp in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, she releases an ancient demon. Now she must find a way to stop the demon and rescue her friends and family.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–23, Chapters 24–33, Chapters 34–44
40 words 155 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. misgiving
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    She still had some misgivings about the whole wisdom thing.
  2. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    Mini hefted her backpack and scuttled closer to Aru.
  3. impassive
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
    Aru peered up at the statues and their cold, impassive faces. Don’t they care?
  4. indifferent
    showing no care or concern in attitude or action
    His face was still made of stone. But his expression had changed from indifferent to...amused.
  5. compact
    a small cosmetics case with a mirror
    Mini rummaged in her backpack and pulled out a small purple compact.
  6. enigmatic
    not clear to the understanding
    “Lord Indra and the Dharma Raja are...enigmatic,” he said.
  7. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    “There is a way to open up the Door of Death without dying. You’ll need three keys. But they are hidden, and need to be found. The first key is a sprig of youth. The second key is a bite of adulthood. And the third key is a sip of old age.”
  8. daunting
    discouraging through fear
    “The daughter of Lord Indra and the daughter of the Dharma Raja? Daunting indeed. Before you leave the Court of the Sky, there is something I’d like to tell you.”
  9. faction
    a dissenting clique
    Last year, everyone in homeroom took the Divergent quiz on Buzzfeed, and she got “Dauntless” as her faction, which apparently meant she was brave and courageous.
  10. prominent
    having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
    “I clashed with a planet, and threw off a scheduled eclipse. Your father, Indra, was so mad that he used his famous lightning bolt to strike me down from the sky. It hit me in the side of the face, which is how I earned the name Hanuman, or ‘prominent jaw.’”
  11. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    “Ow!”
    “Good! You felt pain. Relish it, girl child. That’s how you know you’re not dead,” said Boo.
  12. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    “...And you”—he glowered at Aru—“careful with that sharp tongue.”
  13. acrid
    strong and sharp, as a taste or smell
    A sharp, acrid scent, like overheated rubber or charred leaves. She wrinkled her nose and covered her face with her sleeve. “It smells like something was burned,” said Aru.
  14. mortified
    made to feel uncomfortable because of shame or wounded pride
    Aru had been mortified.
    But now she didn’t feel mortified.
  15. croon
    sing softly
    “Pretty names,” crooned Madame Bee.
  16. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    “Nooooo!” the asura screamed. “That’s not me! That’s not me!” She writhed on the floor.
  17. lilting
    characterized by a buoyant rhythm
    “There you are,” she said in her soft, lilting voice.
  18. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    Mini eyed the tissue warily. “Is that used?”
  19. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    “Excuse you, but we are thinking warriors,” said Aru, smoothing her mangled pajamas with as much dignity as she could muster.
  20. bauble
    cheap showy jewelry or ornament
    “He cannot see the keys, and Brahmasura never knew what the sprig really was. She probably just thought it was a magical bauble that kept her beautiful.”
  21. curt
    brief and to the point
    “So were you,” said Boo curtly.
  22. acquisition
    something gained
    For those days Aru would be walked to school, fed a non-bland dinner, and even spoken to about something other than her mother’s newest museum acquisition.
  23. mantra
    a sacred utterance or poetic hymn in Vedism
    He’s gathered all kinds of mantras, sacred words that will help you.
  24. apogee
    a final climactic stage
    “I would offer you some turmeric tea, but you disturbed me at my apogee. I am trying to write a book, you know. Something about fifty pages or so. But I can’t think of how to start the tale….Perhaps with people on a forest trail?”
  25. convey
    make known; pass on, of information
    “You must convey it in rhyme, or I won’t give you my time,” said Valmiki mildly.
  26. knack
    a special way of doing something
    To be honest, she was more impressed than envious when it came to Mini’s knack for rhyming.
  27. yore
    time long past
    We have all the legends and poems of yore, but it’s time we offered readers some more.
  28. strife
    bitter conflict; heated or violent dissension
    Promise to give me one day of your life, and I will grant you the gift of less strife.
  29. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
    “Don’t give your life rights away for free! The day has to be mundane, Valmiki. And day is a mortal’s twenty-four hours. Comply, or else you’ll face the gods’ powers.”
  30. gild
    decorate with, or as if with, gold leaf or liquid gold
    Here, autumn gilded the world.
  31. metaphysics
    the philosophical study of being and knowing
    “Whatever their version of the Otherworld happens to be. But let’s not get into the question of metaphysics. Many things can coexist. Several gods can live in one universe. It’s like fingers on a hand. They’re all different, but still part of a hand."
  32. tripe
    lining of the stomach of a cow (used as food)
    The three of them stopped at the wide aisle of frozen foods and started taking inventory: black bean soup, lunch rolls, pizzas, bagels, pizza bagels, tripe, codfish, catfish, I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-fish fish.
  33. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
    “So this is where every Otherworldly person does their shopping?” asked Mini.
    “And weapons perusing, apparently,” said Aru.
  34. bristle
    rise up as in fear
    When someone came near them, tiny spikes of metal rolled up and down the grocery cart like bristling fur. They seemed a bit feral.
  35. feral
    wild and menacing
    When someone came near them, tiny spikes of metal rolled up and down the grocery cart like bristling fur. They seemed a bit feral.
  36. befuddled
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    “The mortals are befuddled...”
  37. lapel
    a fold of fabric below the collar of a coat or jacket
    Then he pressed a small button on the lapel of his jacket and muttered, “Copy that. No sign of the godly mounts.”
  38. cloven
    (used of hooves) split, divided
    “Dude, these are my feet. It’s not like I’m hiding cloven hooves.”
  39. ambrosia
    the food and drink of the gods
    “What ambrosia is this?” He smacked his beak. “Gimme more.”
  40. amethyst
    of a moderate purple color
    Amethyst steps spiraled down into the dark.
Created on Tue Jun 18 14:27:17 EDT 2019 (updated Tue Jul 02 14:36:26 EDT 2019)

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