1. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World Vocabulary

2. hostile p. 1 (adjective) Not offering a pleasant environment Not offering a pleasant environment “The most hostile place on earth is the Antarctic…”

3. treacherous p. 4 (adjective) marked by hidden dangers or hazards marked by hidden dangers or hazards “…making the Southern Ocean the most treacherous sea anywhere.”

4. perilous p. 4 (adjective) full of or involving danger full of or involving danger “These perilous seas kept the continent locked away until 1774…”

5. improvisation p. 9 (noun) the act of making something out of what is conveniently on hand the act of making something out of what is conveniently on hand “Like many explorers of his day, Shackleton was a great believer in improvisation: he would figure things out as the need arose.”

6. convergence p. 12 (noun) moving towards union moving towards union “The convergence, also called the polar front, is where frigid…water from the south mixes with warmer water from the north…”

7. obstinate p. 19 (adjective) stubborn or unmoving stubborn or unmoving “ What we were encountering was fairly dense pack of a very obstinate nature.”

8. impractical p. 22 (adjective) Unwise Unwise “On the uneven surface of the ice, the machine turned out to be awkward and impractical, and plans to use it were abandoned.”

9. incessant p. 22 (adjective) continuing or following without interruption continuing or following without interruption “It is now seven weeks since we first entered the pack ice…it has been almost an incessant battle.”

10. predicament p. 24 (noun) a difficult situation a difficult situation “…so they could not send news of their predicament, and even under the best conditions the radio was barely capable of picking up the monthly signal…”

11. brandish p. 33 (verb) to exhibit in a showy manner to exhibit in a showy manner “He brandishes the clippers aloft, they descend and a yell of protest arises…”

12. relentless p. 42 (adjective) constant, never quitting constant, never quitting “As the wind increased, it gained a grip on the broken ice and began driving it relentlessly against the ship.

13. upheaval p. 44 (verb) to move upward with great force to move upward with great force “Endurance was pinned on all sides by this immense upheaval.

14. ingenious p. 57 (adjective) marked by originality, resourcefulness, and cleverness marked by originality, resourcefulness, and cleverness “The men were soaking wet all the time and had to become ingenious in finding ways to keep their possessions dry.”

15. indispensable p. 73 (adjective) Absolutely necessary Absolutely necessary “This makes accurate clocks indispensable on ocean voyages, but it wasn’t until the eighteenth century that accurate clocks became a reality.”

16. rations p. 75 (noun) a food allowance a food allowance “Minutes earlier, the crew had been on short rations eaten cold.”

17. resiliency p. 99 (noun) an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change “We saw and felt that the James Caird had lost her resiliency…”

18. plummeting p. 114 (verb) to fall sharply and suddenly to fall sharply and suddenly “Worsley stepped off into the air, plummeting downward with the rope whipping through his hands.”

19. desolate p. 117 (adjective) without hope; unoccupied without hope; unoccupied “But the Boss had no idea what he would find when he returned to the desolate spot where he had left his men.”