SKIP TO CONTENT

City of the Plague God: Chapters 1–7

Thirteen-year-old Sikander Aziz must join forces with the legendary hero Gilgamesh to stop an ancient god from destroying New York City.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–24, Chapters 25–33, Chapters 34–41
40 words 553 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Full list of words from this list:

  1. unyielding
    resistant to physical force or pressure
    I tugged at the unyielding roll-down security shutter.
  2. honcho
    a manager or person who is in charge
    "So, who's in town? Spielberg? The head honcho from Disney?"
  3. vain
    having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
    He was more vain than a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills and blew most of his salary on top-of-the-line bodywash and Versace aftershave.
  4. saute
    fry briefly over high heat
    I liked smelling of sautéed onions.
  5. ziggurat
    a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound
    There he was, grinning in front of the Ziggurat of Ur, sitting on a camel at the ruins of Nineveh, and dusty from his motorcycle trip to the brick mounds at Lagash, remnants of when the country had been known by its ancient name: Mesopotamia.
  6. hardy
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
    The deadly chilies my dad put in it were part of the reason our deli was so popular. Everyone, at some point, tried the Baghdad—"pure shock and awe to your taste buds," Baba always said. Only the hardiest came back for more.
  7. putrid
    in an advanced state of decomposition and having a foul odor
    The alley behind our deli stank. Worse than usual, I mean. A putrid, hot stench lay as thick as syrup.
  8. pince-nez
    spectacles clipped to the nose by a spring
    A pair of cracked pince-nez balanced on the end of his twitching nose.
  9. wreak
    cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
    "This will not bode well for you. We shall wreak revenge, we two."
  10. parlance
    a manner of speaking natural to a language's native speakers
    "We are the Great Misfortunes of Mankind, the Asakku," said Idiptu. "Or, in common parlance—"
    "Demons," I replied.
  11. coalesce
    fuse or cause to come together
    Over ten feet tall, even hunched over, he shuffled through the mass of insects. Instead of dispersing, they coalesced into him, clustering in the folds of his ragged cloak, disappearing into his mouth, and flying around his head like a screaming halo.
  12. doff
    remove
    Idiptu doffed his bowler hat.
  13. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
    "Who's...What's out there?" asked Daoud, his face ashen.
  14. sinew
    a band of tissue connecting a muscle to its bony attachment
    Gaping holes in his cheeks exposed the sinews of his jaw, and his nose was a pair of rotten holes.
  15. scimitar
    a curved saber used in Eastern countries
    She stood in the doorway, dressed in midnight black with her face hidden by a ski mask, carrying a gleaming scimitar.
  16. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    The ninja paused, her foot poised in the air.
  17. ingratiating
    calculated to please or gain favor
    "T'would be unwise after that performance," he said ingratiatingly to the ninja.
  18. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    There are few things fouler than watching huge white maggots writhe inside jars of apricot syrup.
  19. brooding
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    She wore kohl around her dark eyes—the only makeup she bothered with—amplifying their brooding intensity.
  20. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    It was subtle, but Belet rose to the balls of her feet. Guess she was getting ready to run.
  21. lithe
    moving and bending with ease
    The woman stretched up, tall and lithe.
  22. agog
    highly excited
    She removed her sunglasses, and her smile hit me like a thunderbolt, electrifying every atom. The taxi driver stared, too, agog.
  23. beatific
    resembling or befitting an angel or saint
    She smiled, and I think the word for it is beatific.
  24. smattering
    a small number or amount
    There was a sudden smattering of applause from across the street.
  25. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    She took my hand, and her whole demeanor transformed as she gazed into my eyes.
  26. damages
    a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury
    I could get identities for the police, learn who to go after for damages, and maybe even find out what their relative had been looking for.
  27. decisive
    characterized by resoluteness and firmness
    She pushed the front seat up so she could climb into the rear and then, firmly and decisively, pulled the seat back into place.
  28. tawny
    having the color of tanned leather
    A tawny cat sat upon a couch, gazing at me.
  29. idle
    not in action or at work
    A framed charcoal sketch by Toulouse-Lautrec showed her sitting at a café, fingers idle on a cup.
  30. doppelganger
    a person who is almost identical to another
    Beside that hung a somber, dark painting of her in black silk...yet Ishtar, or her historical doppelgänger, smiled amusedly at me, as if remembering a joke only she understood.
  31. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    Medieval chain mail hung next to ornate layered samurai outfits and richly inlaid steel-plate suits.
  32. comprise
    include or contain
    An avalanche comprised of a hundred thousand memories, experiences, sights, smells, sounds, and feelings swept over me.
  33. impregnable
    incapable of being attacked or tampered with
    Men, smooth-limbed, muscular, tanned, and beautiful in their youth, offer their lives at the altar of love. For one
 another, for their kings, their people, and, most of all, for the Spartan queen, Helen, who watches from the battlements of the impregnable city.
  34. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    The sound pierces the dull drone of the aircraft engines, and then there's an ominous pause before the thunder of another explosion.
  35. unabated
    continuing at full strength or intensity
    The bombings began at dawn and have continued unabated.
  36. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    Then she sees him, picking over the mangled bodies of those who didn't get to safety in time.
  37. jaundiced
    affected by yellowing of the skin
    Patches of jaundiced skin dangle from his face, and the rest is covered with weeping sores.
  38. rheumy
    watery and red, as of the eyes
    His rheumy eyes narrow.
  39. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
    "I was left to feed on their hatred. Fortunately, they hate for the most inconsequential reasons, as you must have noticed. If someone looks different, speaks with an accent, prays at one house rather than another...anything, really."
  40. fuselage
    the central body of an airplane holding crew and passengers
    Steel screams against steel as she slices a wing with her blade, and the plane goes into a spin. Ishtar sprints along its fuselage and launches herself at the second bomber.
Created on Mon May 09 10:46:42 EDT 2022 (updated Tue May 17 14:58:56 EDT 2022)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.