Part Two: The Sieve and the Sand Vocabulary Part 1

Part Two: The Sieve and the Sand 1. agony - great pain or anguish 2. beatific – blissful; heavenly 3. cadenced – dropped in pitch or tone of voice 4. chaff – seed coverings; strips of metal; something unimportant 5. consoling – providing comfort in a time of need 6. contemptible - deserving to be treated with hatred 7. cowardice – lack of courage 8. discourse – serious speech or piece of writing 9. dispersing – scattering; disappearing 10. diverted – changed something’s route or path

Part Two: The Sieve and the Sand 11. dune – a hill of sand 12. dwindled – reduced in number or amount 13. enameled – given a glassy covering or protective coating 14. ferrets – domesticated furry animals kept as pets 15. filigree – delicate decorative design made from silver, gold, or other metal 16. gibbering – talking or making sounds unintelligibly 17. gnat – a small biting fly 18. honed – improved something to a state of completion or excellence 19. hysterical – in a state of uncontrollable laughter or grief 20. incense – a substance that gives off a pleasant smell when burned

Part Two: The Sieve and the Sand 21. insidious – slowly and subtly harmful and destructive 22. intuitively – knowing something instinctively 23. invigorated – filled with energy or vitality 24. latrine – a toilet, especially a communal one at a military base 25. mediocre – average; adequate, but not very good 26. moor – a large, uncultivated stretch of land 27. parried – blocked or dodged the effect of a weapon or violent attack 28. perfunctorily – done as a matter of duty or custom, without feeling or interest 29. phosphorescent – continuing to emit light; glowing 30. probing – conducting a thorough search; investigating

Part Two: The Sieve and the Sand 31. profusion – an abundance; a large amount 32. rebut – to deny the truth of something by presenting arguments against it 33. strewn – thrown about carelessly 34. suffused – spread over or through something with light or color 35. teem – to be full of; overflowing