As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow: Chapters 11–17

by Zoulfa Katouh
When war breaks out in Syria, eighteen-year-old pharmacy student Salama Kassab finds herself in a hospital tending to the wounded and struggling with visions of a life that might have been.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–10, Chapters 11–17, Chapters 18–29, Chapter 30–Epilogue
40 words 14 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. promptly
    with little or no delay
    Nour was part of the custodial staff for three years before she was promptly promoted to a nurse when the first martyrs were wheeled into the hospital.
  2. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    It was from Nour that I first learned how to stitch wounds, fashion makeshift bandages, and drain fluid out of patients’ lungs.
  3. ululate
    emit long loud cries
    She ululates and I laugh. The joy sounds strange against my ears, but I welcome it.
  4. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    He listens intently to every word I say as I explain the different departments and how we divide the patients based on the severity of their cases.
  5. livid
    furiously angry
    His tone is quiet but livid. “No one deserves this. Here babies are starving, while in cities like Damascus people are throwing away their leftover lunch because they’re full.”
  6. artery
    a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body
    The bullet must have missed her artery by millimeters.
  7. bluff
    deceive someone about your strength or intentions
    I’m bluffing. I know that, but he doesn’t. I need to risk her life a heartbeat longer more to save Layla’s and her baby’s.
  8. engrossed
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    My eyes fly to Am and then to the people all around, but no one gives us a second look, each engrossed in their own world.
  9. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    He purses his lips, mulling it over.
  10. spur
    incite or stimulate
    My trembling doesn’t stop, and the tears, spurred by my mountain-sized guilt, blur my vision.
  11. collateral
    a security pledged for the repayment of a loan
    I used a little girl’s life as collateral.
  12. sully
    place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
    “You have to leave. If word of this gets out, what do you think Dr. Ziad would do? Your reputation will be sullied.”
  13. sheen
    the visual property of something that shines
    His eyes have taken on a dreamlike sheen, and I’m entranced by the peace his words have painted on his expression.
  14. vicinity
    a surrounding or nearby region
    I thought I made sure to check if he was in my vicinity, but then again, I was running on adrenaline and nerves and could have easily not seen him.
  15. unparalleled
    radically distinctive and without equal
    The terror I felt that day when I heard there was a military sniper in our neighborhood was unparalleled.
  16. beseech
    ask for or request earnestly
    All I could hear was Hamza's plea replaying in my brain like a broken cassette. His voice beseeching me to save his wife.
  17. ravaged
    having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence
    Standing in the middle of this ravaged, torn city, he is beautiful and real.
  18. stoutly
    in a resolute manner
    “I still don’t like it,” she says stoutly.
  19. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    The scars on my hands begin to tingle and I rub them. This is all just in my mind. I know it. The guilt is manifesting into a phantom pain.
  20. stifle
    smother or suppress
    I stifle a whimper at the sight of my brother, who’s smiling bashfully as he walks up to Layla.
  21. tabbouleh
    a salad made with bulgur, parsley, and tomatoes
    The tables outside and inside the restaurants were crowded with families enjoying an early dinner of every Syrian dish imaginable. Kibbeh barbecued on coal, lamb chops skewered to perfection, tabbouleh, wara’a enab, freshly squeezed oranges picked from the countryside.
  22. fester
    generate pus
    The stench of festering lesions and rusted blood reeks but I don’t gag.
  23. lesion
    an injury to living tissue
    The stench of festering lesions and rusted blood reeks but I don’t gag.
  24. cynicism
    a pessimistic feeling of distrust
    Layla can preach about a rosy world, but Khawf and his cynicism are the reality.
  25. miasma
    an unwholesome atmosphere
    I look around and all I see is red and gray, figures slumped over one another and the miasma of despair clinging to the air.
  26. tonic
    a medicine that strengthens and invigorates
    Peonies. Fragrant flowers. A tonic from the petals can be used as a muscle relaxant.
  27. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    Oh, it would be so easy to fall in love, I think wistfully.
  28. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    I try desperately to gather at anything scientific to explain the act of falling in love. How long does it stay in the body incubating before I begin to show symptoms? Is it chronic or fleeting?
  29. synapse
    the junction between two neurons
    He studies my features, and my synapses fire neurotransmitter after neurotransmitter.
  30. capillary
    a minute blood vessel connecting arterioles with venules
    I run to the bathroom, my sock-clad feet thumping on the carpeted floor, before I reach the sink and heave. My hands clutch the edges tightly, the blood disappearing from the capillaries as I vomit bile.
  31. tendon
    a band of tissue connecting a muscle to its bony attachment
    Torn, bloodied muscle curls over the fractured humerus, the tendons pink and stretched like an elastic band.
  32. laceration
    a torn ragged wound
    I hold up his arm carefully and when I look at Dr. Ziad, who’s operating on the laceration on the soldier’s thigh, he shakes his head.
  33. residue
    matter that remains after something has been removed
    Cool air washes me from head to toe and I take in a deep breath, begging it to launder away the residue of bile and blood from my mouth.
  34. cleave
    separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument
    My hands coil tightly into the fabric of my lab coat, frustration about to cleave my heart into two.
  35. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    My stomach churns with the buildup of gastric acid and I scuttle to the medicine stockroom.
  36. disgruntled
    in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
    Am makes a disgruntled sound, and before Kenan can say anything, he says, “We’ll provide you with the life jackets, but that’s it. Carry little. Everything but your lives can be replaced.”
  37. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    My bookshelf was stacked with homemade concoctions I’d whipped up from all the herbs and flowers I’d gathered, neatly arranged beside one another alphabetically. Jam jars filled with sprigs of tea tree, buds of witch hazel, dried rose petals.
  38. feign
    give a false appearance of
    “It's supposed to make your skin smoother and erase your dark circles.”
    Layla huffed, feigning offense. “Are you saying I don't take care of my skin?”
  39. apocalyptic
    of or relating to a catastrophe
    The clouds have parted, allowing the sun’s last tangerine rays to peek through the holes in the hollowed buildings of my apocalyptic city.
  40. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Slowly, I come up beside him and gingerly near the edge but don’t swing my legs over.
Created on Wed Jan 03 17:22:38 EST 2024 (updated Thu Jan 04 11:52:31 EST 2024)

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