Sincerely Sicily: Chapters 21–31

by Tamika Burgess
What starts as a sixth-grade assignment for Californian Sicily Jordan turns into a research journal and magazine article about her Black Panamanian roots.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–20, Chapters 21–31
30 words 20 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

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!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. manifestation
    expression without words
    Everything I read said the dances are
"the most unique and colorful manifestation of folklore in the province of Colón, Panamá."
  2. province
    the territory in an administrative district of a nation
    Everything I read said the dances are
"the most unique and colorful manifestation of folklore in the province of Colón, Panamá."
  3. fringe
    decorate with an ornamental border
    The men wear fringed shirts and pants made out of colored material, and they also don't wear
shoes.
  4. impression
    an imitative portrayal of a person
    Hours later, my head still tingles as Reyna and I crack up
laughing at Evelyn, who is doing impressions of people.
  5. mahogany
    a shade of brown with a tinge of red
    Last
year, she watched an old seventies movie with her grandma
called Mahogany. After learning that the word is used to
describe Black people, Evelyn told everyone they needed to
use mahogany when describing her.
  6. pendant
    an adornment that hangs from a piece of jewelry
    “How come you never wear this?” she asks, holding up
my necklace with a Panamá map pendant on it.
  7. stride
    the distance covered by a step
    I take long strides up the driveway to the garage, where
my cousins and all the “young people,” as the adults call us,
are hanging out texting, playing cards, talking, and listening
to music.
  8. gush
    praise enthusiastically
    A few other cousins come by and gush over my braids.
  9. chic
    elegant and stylish
    Tía always says, “Black is chic and
makes you look skinny.”
  10. refined
    free from what is tawdry or unbecoming
    Tía has been a fashionista way before the word ever
existed. Ma says that’s part of the reason why we call her
“Fina,” because she’s always so refined and elegant.
  11. frill
    a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim
    There are also a few trays of olives and cheese on frill-tipped toothpicks.
  12. glamorous
    having an air of allure, romance and excitement
    I love it when Tía asks to hear about my “fancy”
stuff. It makes me feel like I’m some important person who
lives a glamorous life.
  13. dedicated
    devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose
    There is no
way she’s never heard of this celebration. If the whole country
is learning to accept braids and has a day dedicated to them,
how can she still feel the way she does?
  14. petty
    preoccupied with unimportant matters in a spiteful way
    Anger boils inside me
and mixes with all the feelings I still have about Abuela, my
ruined pollera, the stress of my submission, and petty Erin
Masterson.
  15. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    In the mirror, I see Abuela wincing and rubbing her fingers. Her small eyes are tightly shut, and
her teeth are pressed together like the pain is suddenly too
much.
  16. confirm
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
    A palm grips my shoulder. As I turn my
head, I see the white wristband, which confirms what I
already knew. It’s Michael.
  17. smirk
    a smile expressing smugness or scorn instead of pleasure
    I search his
face for any hints that he might be mad at me. The only thing
I notice is a smirk that says, You’re lying.
  18. groundbreaking
    the formal beginning of a new construction project
    Erin Masterson’s dad and my school principal are holding
shovels and digging in the dirt. The caption says, “Chisholm’s



    Groundbreaking Ceremony.”
  19. comeback
    a quick reply to a question or remark
    I wish I could call Reyna for help. She always knows
what to say in the moment, while I never have a comeback
until hours later.
  20. stench
    a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant
    But I stopped checking a few days ago to avoid the awful
dirty-clothes smell oozing from the basket. I’ve been trying
to wash my clothes in small piles to get rid of the stench.
  21. ancestry
    inherited properties shared with others of your bloodline
    “Afro-Latinx,” I say. “That’s what we are, right?”
    “By definition, yes. We are from Latin America, and we
have African ancestry.”
  22. acknowledge
    express recognition of the presence or existence of
    “Another important thing you should write down
is that Afro at the beginning of those words shows that we acknowledge our African roots. We are Black first, before
anything else.”
  23. ramble
    continue talking or writing in a purposeless manner
    I stop rambling and take in some air.
  24. range
    be different within limits
    The list has over twenty songs that range from hip-hop, R & B, reggae, salsa, merengue, and Afrobeats.
  25. ebony
    a very dark black
    Ebony’s her name and also a perfect
way of describing her beautiful Black skin.
  26. hype
    blatant or sensational promotion
    In the early eighties, Renato performed as a hype
man in dance halls in an area of Panamá City called
Río Abajo.
  27. innovate
    bring something new to an environment
    He
and other Panamanian reggae en Español artists not
only translated the music into Spanish but also innovated the sound by creating dancehall riddims and
fusions of their own.
  28. fusion
    the act of melding or melting together
    He
and other Panamanian reggae en Español artists not
only translated the music into Spanish but also innovated the sound by creating dancehall riddims and fusions of their own.
  29. ultimate
    furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme
    Writing is important. Writing those words we don't
know how to say out loud provides the ultimate satisfaction.
  30. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    I go straight to Enrique’s room and open his
door just in time to hear Kendrick Lamar telling me to “be humble, sit down.”
Created on Fri Jun 21 11:35:34 EDT 2024 (updated Fri Jun 21 18:05:24 EDT 2024)

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.