The City of EmberVocabulary List 1

Endeavor• A conscientious  effort toward an end; an

earnest attempt; try; effort

• Page 2 - Nothing about this endeavor is certain. There may be no one left in the city by then or no safe place for them to come back to."

Plummet• To fall straight down; plunge; nose-dive; crash

down; tumble

• Page 20 - He pulled himself upward, pushed again-he was higher now than Lina had been-but suddenly his hands slid and he came plummeting down.

Hoist• To raise or haul up with or as if with the help of

a mechanical apparatus; heave; lift

• Page 23 - Lina laughed, hoisted her up, and danced with her around the shop.

Methodically• Characterized by ordered and systematic

habits or behavior; logically; carefully; precisely; meticulously

• page 58 - Every day a team of people methodically sorted through the trash heaps in search of anything that might be at all useful.

Flank• The right or left side of a military formation

• Page 86 - The door of the Gathering Hall opened, and the mayor came out, flanked by two guards.

Vague• Indistinctly felt, perceived, understood, or

recalled; hazy; unclear; fuzzy

• Page 112 - She vaguely recalled the incident of the light pole.

Strewn• To spread here and there; scatter

• Page 122 - On the wall, clothes hung from hooks, and more clothes were strewn untidily on the floor.

Lurk• To move furtively; sneak; lie in wait; hang

about; creep around

• Page 132 - She had frightening dreams in which something dangerous was lurking in the darkness.

Egress• A path or opening for going out; an exit; door;

outlet

Convoluted• Having numerous overlapping coils or folds;

complex; elaborate; intricate

• Page 181 - He ran a finger over their convoluted surface.

Vicious• Spiteful; malicious; nasty; cruel; mean; spiteful

• Page 200 - "Spreading vicious rumors," was the answer.

Kiosk• A small structure, often open on one or more sides, used

as a newsstand or booth. • A cylindrical structure on which advertisements are posted.

• Pages 31-32 – The Gathering Hall occupied one entire side of Harken Square, which was the city’s central plaza. The square was paved with stone. It had a few benches bolted to the ground here and there, as well as a couple of kiosks for notices.

The City of EmberVocab List 2

Refugees• One who flees in search of refuge, as in times

of war, political oppression, or religious persecution; person in exile

Catastrophe• A sudden violent change in the earth's surface;

a cataclysm; calamity; devastation; ruin; disaster

• Page 261 -What kind of place can this be, safe from earthly catastrophes?

Inhabited• to occupy as a place of settled residence or

habitat; to live somewhere

• Example: The people inhabited the city for 200 years.

Weary • Exhausted

• Example: Julie was weary from her long journey through the desert.

Solemnly • Somber, seriously, gloomy, or awe-inspiring in manner

• Example: John solemnly walked through the memorial in New York where the victims of 9/11 were honored.

Lumbered • To move around in a clumsy way

• Example: The heavy, clumsy elephant lumbered through the African savanna.

Labyrinth • a place constructed of or full of intricate

passageways and blind alleys

• Example: The castle hallways were like a maze, or labyrinth, with twists and turns that made it easy to get lost.

Raucous • Disagreeably harsh; disorderly in a loud way

• Example: The raucous middle school students stomped and yelled through the hallways.

Reverberating • To continue as if in a series of echoes

• Example: When Jill yelled at the top of her lungs, she heard her voice reverberating down the hallway.

Enmeshed • To catch or entangle in

• Example: Travis struggled, but his foot, enmeshed in the net, prevented him from escaping.