Unit 2: Vocabulary from Readings

This list covers “Saying Farewell to a Faithful Pal," "Dogs Make Us Human," "My Story," and "Hampshire School for Wayward Wizards."
15 words 83 learners

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Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gusto
    vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
    He crashed joyously through life with a gusto most often associated with natural disasters.
  2. bound
    move forward by leaping
    Marley spotted a cute poodle and off he bounded, table in tow.
  3. optimism
    a general disposition to expect the best in all things
    And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity.
  4. devotion
    feelings of ardent love
    I thought back over his 13 years—the destroyed furniture and goofy antics; the sloppy kisses and utter devotion.
  5. literally
    without exaggeration
    The aborigines have a saying: “Dogs make us human.” Now we know that’s
    probably literally true.
  6. evolve
    undergo development
    People wouldn’t have become who we are today if we hadn’t co- evolved with dogs.
  7. practically
    almost; nearly
    That’s probably okay for a dog who’s been bred to be a companion animal, but a lot of the bigger breeds and practically all of the mix breeds were built for work.
  8. amplify
    increase in size, volume or significance
    Plus there were only a few conversations I like to have, so that amplified the effect.
  9. psychological
    mental or emotional as opposed to physical in nature
    Half of the horses in that barn had serious psychological problems.
  10. savant
    a learned person
    I was never mean to the horses at the school (the other kids were sometimes), but I wasn’t any horse-whispering autistic savant, either.
  11. dorm
    a building containing living quarters for students
    I brought it up to my dorm every day and kept it with me.
  12. wayward
    resistant to guidance or discipline
    Hampshire School for Wayward Wizards
  13. digestive
    relating to the process of breaking down food for energy
    Circus, a big, gentle horse, died of colic, a digestive disease brought on by eating oat straw.
  14. mount
    go up, advance, or increase
    Temple could tell when a horse was starting to get nervous: a fearful horse swishes his tail, and the swishing becomes more rapid with mounting fear.
  15. welfare
    a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous
    The welfare of nine horses depended largely on her care.
Created on Tue Jan 05 12:46:29 EST 2021 (updated Thu Jan 07 09:17:49 EST 2021)

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