Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind: List 3

by Misa Sugiura
This first book of the series introduces a twelve-year-old Californian who dreads the seventh-grade social scene, until the discovery that she is the daughter of a Shintō goddess who needs her help to fight demons on the Japanese Island of Mysteries.

This list covers "You Go, Humans!"–"...Skyscrapers?"

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 12 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. faction
    a clique that seeks power usually through intrigue
    Almost a thousand years ago, during one of the many wars between different factions of the imperial family, the Taira faction fought the Minamoto faction in a bloody sea battle.
  2. bashful
    self-consciously timid
    Niko looked so bashful that I was almost surprised the white fur on his muzzle didn’t turn pink.
  3. calibrate
    make fine adjustments for optimal measuring
    The battery is now permanently charged, and I have calibrated the clock so that no matter where you go, you’ll know how much time you have left before Kami-Con begins.
  4. dire
    fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
    Keep the phone in your pocket so you can consult it even when the need is not dire.
  5. ideal
    conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection
    I wished he’d given me something more practical—an actual plan would have been ideal, or a map of the Taira palace marked with a big X where Kusanagi was.
  6. undulate
    move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
    My eyes were squinched closed now, too, and when I finally unsquinched one, we were at the bottom of a ginormous funnel of water; the dragons were above us, at the rim, undulating and shimmering like ribbons of bejeweled silk, the pink sky glowing softly above them—and then the water closed over us and I got one last breath in before we were sucked down into the Sea of Heaven.
  7. reintegrate
    incorporate, combine, or unify again
    Before I could think of any more questions, there was a whoosh, and the world went dark as we disintegrated, reintegrated, and shot through the other end of the portal.
  8. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    An octopus scuttled into view and then just as quickly whooshed away; a glimmering school of mackerel darted to and fro, and a sea turtle glided lazily over us like a blimp before it melted back into the darkness.
  9. parabola
    a symmetrical, approximately U-shaped curve
    Every once in a while, I’d hear a crackle that made me think of claws against rocks, or I’d catch a glimpse of something gray and menacing at the fuzzy edges of the little parabola of light that the phone cast in front of us.
  10. stoutly
    in a resolute manner
    “We have to trust the phone,” Danny said stoutly.
  11. inspiration
    a sudden intuition as part of solving a problem
    I found myself playing with the spool in my pocket and praying for inspiration, since it was clear that Danny was going to be no help at all.
  12. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    Just tell them we’re allies. Be really subtle about it and try to get them to talk about Kusanagi and maybe give us some information about where they’re keeping it.
  13. yahoo
    a person who is not intelligent or interested in culture
    “There is no need to keep shouting your lungs out, you yodeling yahoo.”
  14. elaborate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    In every room, golden sliding doors were painted with elaborate battle scenes: a battle in front of a temple along a riverbank with a torn-up bridge; another battle against a dark sky, with Raijin the thunder god banging his drum above the clashing soldiers while one general hid inside a hollow tree; an army on horseback charging down an impossibly steep hill.
  15. threshold
    the entrance for passing through a room or building
    “Speaking of possessed and obsessed, I think I’ve figured out what those noises are,” Niko said in a low voice as we crossed the threshold into yet another cavernous, empty room dimly lit by bioluminescent plankton.
  16. cavernous
    being or suggesting a large dark enclosed space
    “Speaking of possessed and obsessed, I think I’ve figured out what those noises are,” Niko said in a low voice as we crossed the threshold into yet another cavernous, empty room dimly lit by bioluminescent plankton.
  17. spindly
    long, thin, and often weak or fragile
    The joints of their spindly, spidery legs moved nightmarishly up and down as they scuttled forward, and the sound of their crabby feet tapping and scraping softly on the woven straw mats made my scalp prickle.
  18. hallowed
    worthy of religious veneration
    “Who dares trespass in the hallowed palace of the most august emperor Antoku, the head of the Taira clan?”
  19. embroider
    decorate with needlework
    Lady Tokiko was now followed by five younger women in long, heavy, brightly colored robes embroidered with kelp, coral, and exotic fish.
  20. gall
    the trait of being rude and impertinent
    Who are you, and what gives you the gall to think you can traipse into these sacred halls as if you own them?
  21. traipse
    walk or tramp about
    Who are you, and what gives you the gall to think you can traipse into these sacred halls as if you own them?
  22. impertinence
    the trait of being rude and inclined to take liberties
    “Your Most August Imperial Highness,” Niko began, “we humbly beg your most merciful grace for our inexcusable impertinence as we—”
  23. evidently
    in a manner that is obvious or unmistakable
    “Yes, yes. Get to the point,” she said impatiently, evidently not the least bit concerned that she was being addressed by a fox.
  24. usurper
    one who wrongfully seizes and holds the place of another
    “I knew it! More usurpers of the throne!”
  25. appeal
    request earnestly; ask for aid or protection
    Danny had ruined our plan, so I might as well be honest and appeal to Lady Tokiko’s mercy.
  26. resentment
    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
    And they’d clearly poisoned him with their own bitterness and resentment.
  27. crafty
    marked by skill in deception
    “That crafty crustacean,” wailed Niko. “Now we’re dead for sure.”
  28. cumbersome
    difficult to handle or use, especially because of size or weight
    “I don’t know why you thought it would be a good idea to wear this thing.”
    “Oh, right, because it was the outfits that got us in trouble,” I muttered as I worked off my own. (It was cumbersome, though I definitely wasn’t going to admit it.)
  29. incessant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    “We really are doomed,” Niko groaned. “And since that is the case, will you two please stop your incessant squabbling so that I can pass away in peace?”
  30. shaft
    a column of light
    At that moment, the trapdoor opened above us, and a shaft of watery blue light slid around the silhouette of the guard.
  31. sentiment
    tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion
    “If you want to eat her, you’ll have to go through me,” he said fiercely, and even though the crab could easily have crunched him down in a few seconds, I appreciated the sentiment.
  32. prod
    urge on; cause to act
    “C’mon, Danny, what happened to your sense of adventure?” I prodded.
  33. hypocritical
    professing feelings or virtues one does not have
    “I will lead with you,” Niko offered, which made me feel both guilty about not offering and worried that Danny would think I was a hypocritical coward.
  34. bustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    We were standing at the edge of a broad, flat area bustling with sea creatures.
  35. divination
    a prediction uttered under inspiration from a god
    “Do not be so quick to dismiss Amabie’s divinations, my scurrilous skeptic. Just because you don’t understand her doesn’t mean her words don’t have value.”
  36. scurrilous
    expressing offensive, insulting, or scandalous criticism
    “Do not be so quick to dismiss Amabie’s divinations, my scurrilous skeptic. Just because you don’t understand her doesn’t mean her words don’t have value.”
  37. bearing
    the direction or path along which something moves or lies
    I looked around to get my bearings. Beyond the sand was a walking path and a low line of trees, and beyond the trees, far off to the left, were...skyscrapers?
  38. bluster
    act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner
    “He likes Chicago. That is to say, he’s like Chicago. That is to say, it has a bit of an inferiority complex, and it brags and blusters to make up for it.”
  39. revile
    spread negative information about
    “They just don’t like being around you. Humans die. The three celestial kami revile death. That is to say, they cannot stand the smell, and humans reek of it. No offense, of course.”
  40. genuinely
    in accordance with truth or fact or reality
    “What are you talking about? Everyone wants to be friends with us.” Danny now seemed genuinely confused.
Created on Sat May 18 10:16:11 EDT 2024 (updated Sat May 18 13:24:17 EDT 2024)

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