Shabanu: Chapters 9–13

by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Growing up in a nomadic community in Pakistan, Shabanu must make difficult choices between her own desires and her obligations to her family.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–8, Chapters 9–13, Chapters 14–18, Chapters 19–23
35 words 14 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. insinuate
    suggest in an indirect or covert way; give to understand
    I’m so pleased she has shed her pretensions and her black chadr that I hardly mind her insinuating she’s been looking after my job.
  2. croon
    sing softly
    Phulan drops a load of camel blankets in the middle of the courtyard and runs to put her arms around me. “Shh, shh, shh, Shabanu,” she croons, as Mama had sung when I was a baby.
  3. amorous
    inclined toward or displaying love
    I count the babies, twenty-two in all. Most of the females have given birth. In view of Tipu’s amorous activities, probably half will drop calves again next year.
  4. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    Grandfather snores beside Phulan’s trunk, and the boys sprawl, Sher Dil between them, on the mats.
  5. spiteful
    showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt
    It’s been two years since Phulan has been to the fair. She always says she doesn’t want to go, that it’s for little girls. I thought she was being spiteful, that deep down she really wanted to go.
  6. tyrannical
    marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior
    She tells me Auntie has grown more tyrannical by the day. Even the prospect of Uncle’s visit next month—and his gifts of perfume and new dresses—fails to improve her spirits.
  7. apprehensive
    in fear or dread of possible evil or harm
    Phulan’s eyes widen and she pulls her chadr across her nose. “Don’t be such a goose,” I tell her. Auntie also looks apprehensive as we walk back toward the toba.
  8. dainty
    affectedly refined
    Phulan has stood the whole time behind Mama, her hand clasped daintily over her mouth.
  9. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    Over the next week we watch our water dwindle.
  10. livery
    a uniform, especially worn by servants and chauffeurs
    The animals are dressed in wedding livery, their harnesses festooned with silver medallions and bright silk tassels, with shells, bells, and mirrors sewn along the edges of the saddle blankets.
  11. festoon
    decorate or adorn
    The animals are dressed in wedding livery, their harnesses festooned with silver medallions and bright silk tassels, with shells, bells, and mirrors sewn along the edges of the saddle blankets.
  12. medallion
    a round piece of metal given as an award or commemoration
    The animals are dressed in wedding livery, their harnesses festooned with silver medallions and bright silk tassels, with shells, bells, and mirrors sewn along the edges of the saddle blankets.
  13. regal
    belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
    Phulan looks regal with the red chadr over her shiny black hair.
  14. fez
    a felt cap for a man
    “What did you wear, Grandfather?” I ask.
    “We wore starched khaki tunics and billowing trousers, a fez, and a silver sword.”
  15. askew
    turned or twisted to one side
    We ride in silence for a time, and Grandfather nods off. “Allah-o-Akbar!” he shouts, sitting straight so suddenly it knocks his turban askew.
  16. artillery
    large but transportable armament
    “It was that battle! We pursued the infantry. The artillery was behind the dunes in the high desert. They fixed their cannons on us and a full-load shot hit Kalu in the chest.”
  17. furlong
    a unit of length equal to 220 yards
    “Kalu charged another furlong before he fell.” Grandfather has walked with a stick and a limp ever since.
  18. troupe
    an organization of performers and associated personnel
    Mama and Auntie have cousins among this festive troupe, but it will be difficult to find them. There are too many camels to count, all decorated with mirrors and bells.
  19. camaraderie
    the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability
    We pass the night in a magical glitter of sand and moonlight, bells and mirrors, singing and clapping and the camaraderie of women.
  20. dervish
    a Muslim monk of an order noted for fast ceremonial dancing
    Women whirl like dervishes, ankle bracelets jangling, their skirts flying out like disks of color.
  21. supplicant
    someone who prays to God
    In the second before someone shoves me aside to make room for another supplicant, I pray she and Hamir will be happy, and that life will not be too difficult for her.
  22. yoke
    stable gear that joins two draft animals at the neck
    The crowd cheers as one of the bare-chested men, with shoulders broad as an ox yoke and a round, hard belly, pushes through the circle and lifts his arms above his bald head.
  23. ecstasy
    a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
    It’s over in less than a minute, and Dadi, the favorite, has won. The crowd is nearly mad with ecstasy, calling for blood.
  24. lute
    a stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body
    Fatima brings her lute, and we listen to their rich, dark voices intertwine with the delicate sounds of the strings.
  25. conceive
    become pregnant
    The story is of Raja Sher Shah, the Rajput prince of Bikaner, who hears Bokhari’s prophecy that a child conceived by one of his wives, a Muslim, will grow up to be a Muslim saint.
  26. trill
    the articulation of a consonant with a flutter of the tongue
    Sharma’s voice rises and falls in trills and cadences as the story unfolds, and a crowd of women gathers outside the circle of our fire.
  27. cadence
    the rhythmic rise and fall of the voice
    Sharma’s voice rises and falls in trills and cadences as the story unfolds, and a crowd of women gathers outside the circle of our fire.
  28. lilting
    characterized by a buoyant rhythm
    Here Sharma pauses to catch her breath, and Fatima’s tiny fingers pluck out the lilting music on her lute, the crowd saying “Va, va, va,” softly expressing their pleasure.
  29. torpid
    slow and apathetic
    By the time we reach the toba, Grandfather has fallen back into his torpid state, like a beetle in winter.
  30. kerosene
    a flammable hydrocarbon oil used as fuel
    Dadi uses the candle to light the kerosene storm lantern and pulls the bed away from the door.
  31. obscenity
    an offensive act
    The sand is powdery underfoot, its fresh whiteness an obscenity to me, covering up the devastation it has wrought.
  32. fitful
    intermittently stopping and starting
    I run, apprehensive and groggy with fitful sleep, to the courtyard gate.
  33. ample
    fairly large
    Grandfather’s fingers are twined tightly in the long, curly hair on Xhush Dil’s ample hump.
  34. articulate
    express or state clearly
    I bend my ear closer to his mouth. At first I hear only the faint hiss of softly articulated air.
  35. vigil
    a purposeful surveillance to guard or observe
    Mama nods and turns back to take up her vigil over Grandfather while Phulan and Auntie bustle through the houses and courtyard, stacking quilts and pots, wrapping utensils in bundles, and hauling out the camel saddles.
Created on Tue Aug 03 20:53:48 EDT 2021 (updated Thu Aug 19 09:41:50 EDT 2021)

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