Princess Academy: Chapters 4–8

by Shannon Hale
This first book of the series introduces fourteen-year-old Miri Larendaughter, who must train in the royal ways of Danland, so that the prince can choose one of the girls in her mountain village to be his bride.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–8, Chapters 9–14, Chapters 15–20, Chapters 21–25
40 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. nettle
    plant having stinging hairs that cause skin irritation
    There was a village saying that Miri thought of more than any other: "The unfair thing stings like nettles on bare skin."
  2. buoyant
    characterized by liveliness and lightheartedness
    Expectation crossed Esa's face, and Bena and Liana whispered and giggled. Miri's own insides felt buoyant and sick at once.
  3. condone
    excuse, overlook, or make allowances for
    "It's not my fault," said Miri, afraid admitting that she was sorry would condone Olana's actions. "Her rules are unfair."
  4. levity
    a manner lacking seriousness
    So the girls passed that day unsupervised in the classroom. Miri sat alone, aware that even as the noise of levity grew, she was not invited to take part.
  5. usher
    accompany or escort
    "To the classroom, then," said Olana, ushering them away from their bedchamber window.
  6. ogle
    stare or look at, especially with amorous intentions
    But Frid's face did not reveal any concern for the garment's size. She ogled the silvery thing with eyes even wider than usual.
  7. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Miri glowered. Even if Olana's promises were true, Miri would not want to marry a lowlander, a person who despised her and the mountain.
  8. parchment
    skin of a sheep or goat prepared for writing on
    One day Olana threw out a parchment, and Miri snatched it from the garbage pile, kept it under her pallet, and practiced reading it by firelight to the sound of snores.
  9. blunder
    an embarrassing mistake
    Throwing herself into learning helped Miri ignore the painful chill of solitude around her. As they fell two, three, and then four weeks into winter, Miri felt utterly frozen in her blunder.
  10. amends
    something done or paid to make up for a wrong
    She thought about trying again to make amends, but the silence of the other girls meant they had not forgotten how Miri had cost them the last possible visit home before snow fell.
  11. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    She yearned to forget that she had cost them a journey home and go out smiling and laughing, or even just to run through the snow alone and relish the cold air stinging her cheeks.
  12. tang
    a pungent and distinctive odor
    The book smelled dusty and old but also carried a sweet tang, a hint of something inviting.
  13. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
    She opened to the first page and started to read, pronouncing the words in a reverent whisper.
  14. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    She pressed the hidden book to her side and sauntered out of the classroom.
  15. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
    Stories were inside those tedious letters they had been learning all along, stories like the ones she heard at spring holiday or that Peder's grandfather told before a fire on a cold night.
  16. tome
    a large and scholarly book
    The book was History of Danland, the dark brown tome Miri had tried and failed to read before.
  17. industry
    the action of making of goods and services for sale
    Along the coast, fishing became one of their most important industries, as it is today.
  18. modest
    humble in spirit or manner
    Miri swallowed and tried to look modest, but it was too late. Katar was usually the best in the class, and surely she thought Miri's smile meant that she was gloating.
  19. unrepentant
    not feeling or expressing remorse
    Liana smiled uncomfortably, Bena glared at the ground, but Katar stared at Miri, her expression unrepentant. Miri returned that stare as though it were a challenge.
  20. taut
    subjected to great tension; stretched tight
    Whiskers taut, front teeth bared
    Shaking breath, round eyes scared
  21. unnerve
    disturb the composure of
    It might be just a mouse, but not knowing made the thing strange and unnerving.
  22. plumb
    exactly vertical
    Plumb line is swinging, spring hawk is winging, Eskel is singing.
  23. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    "Yes, all right, that's enough," said Olana, prying Miri's arms from around her.
  24. plait
    make by braiding or interlacing
    She was plaiting miri stems to keep from appearing too interested.
  25. resonate
    produce a deep, clear sound
    She made up songs as she often did, not only singing aloud, but focusing on the sound of her song, trying to make her thoughts resonate and flow in a different way, and focusing on the tiny tremors her knuckles sent through the linder stone.
  26. reel
    be dizzy, disoriented, or bewildered
    "Sure," Miri said casually, though inside she was reeling. The girl had thanked her just for talking.
  27. endeavor
    a purposeful or industrious undertaking
    "Perhaps it's due to the winter and the separation from your families, or perhaps you're simply not taking this endeavor seriously. I thought it was time for a reminder of why you're here."
  28. threadbare
    thin and tattered with age
    Pa and Marda could live in that beautiful house and never dress in cloth too threadbare to keep off the sun or half starve in the winter.
  29. splay
    widen or spread apart
    She splayed her hand on a floorstone and tapped a rhythm with her fingertips.
  30. magpie
    long-tailed black-and-white crow that utters a raucous call
    Everyone groaned and complained, and Miri knew she should be miserable, too, but instead she felt wrapped up and hidden, a bright secret in a magpie's nest.
  31. poise
    a state of being balanced in a stable equilibrium
    During their lessons on Poise, the girls took off their boots and balanced them on their heads. They walked in circles. They learned how to walk quickly (on toes, toes kept behind the hem of the skirt, fluid, arms slightly bent) and slowly (toe to heel, toe to heel, hands resting on skirt).
  32. interlocutor
    a person who takes part in a conversation
    Olana paired the girls and designated their rank. Miri was pleased to be matched up with Britta, even though Olana assigned Miri to be her lesser.
    "You must know your rank and that of your interlocutor," said Olana.
  33. defer
    yield to another's wish or opinion
    The person of lower rank always defers to the other. This is just for practice, of course, as there are few in the kingdom who would be considered of lower rank than any one of you.
  34. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    Miri frowned at Katar and her smug little grin.
  35. affront
    treat, mention, or speak to rudely
    "You're not dull in the head after all," said Miri. "Why do you pretend to be?"
    Britta gaped, looking both affronted and embarrassed.
  36. diplomatic
    relating to negotiation between nations
    The next morning, Olana introduced the rules for diplomatic negotiations, starting with State the problem and ending with Invite mutual acceptance, then rushed through the long list of general principles of Diplomacy.
  37. blather
    talk foolishly
    She thought Commerce was just a fancy word for how they traded linder for other goods, but Olana blathered about supply and demand, markets, merchants, and commodities.
  38. obscure
    not clearly understood or expressed
    Even Olana's obscure lecture had been easier to understand.
  39. commodity
    any good that can be bought and sold
    Olana had said that Commerce was the trading of one thing of value for another thing of value. The only thing of value on the mountain was linder, so Miri thumbed through the book, scanning for any mention of it. She found a passage in a chapter titled "Danlander Commodities."
  40. contemplate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    "It seems you haven't had time to contemplate the value of paying attention. You just lost your outdoor privileges for the rest of the week, and since that doesn't seem punishment enough, you are forbidden to touch the books for that period."
Created on Wed Aug 21 11:04:36 EDT 2024 (updated Thu Aug 22 11:33:32 EDT 2024)

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