Study Help
Full Glossary for Death Comes for the Archbishop
Angelus the bell rung to announce the time for prayer.
anomalous deviating from the general rule or usual method; abnormal.
antediluvian of the time before the Biblical Flood.
antiphon a hymn, psalm, and so on, chanted or sung in responsive, alternating parts.
breviary a book containing the Psalms, readings, prayers, and so on of the Divine Office, a form of prayer offered daily by priests.
cacique in Spanish America, an Indian chief or a local political boss.
calabozo a prison, jail.
canvassing to go through places or among people asking for (money, votes, opinions, orders, and so on.
cisterns a large receptacle for storing water; especially, a tank, usually underground, in which rainwater is collected for use.
cloister a place of religious seclusion; monastery or convent.
compote a dish of fruits stewed in a syrup.
concubinage a state of cohabitation with a woman without benefit of marriage.
devotions one or more prayers or other religious practices.
diadems a crown, or an ornamental headband worn as a crown.
distrait distraught.
jalousie a window, shade, or door formed of overlapping, horizontal slats, or louvers, of wood, metal, or glass, that can be adjusted to regulate the air or light coming between them.
kiva in a Pueblo Indian dwelling, a large room used for religious and other purposes.
loggia an arcaded or roofed gallery built into or projecting from the side of a building, especially one overlooking an open court.
Midi Romanesque designating or of a style of European architecture of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, based on the Roman and characterized by the use of the round arch and vault, thick, massive walls, interior bays, and so on.
Moors members of a Muslim people of mixed Arab and Berber descent living in northwestern Africa who invaded and occupied Spain in the eight century a.d.
nave that part of the church that is between the side aisles and extends from the chancel to the principal entrance, forming the main part of the building.
Novena the recitation of prayers and the practicing of devotions.
noxious datura a poisonous and rank-smelling species of nightshade.
profligates immoral and shameless; dissolute individuals.
pyx the container in which the consecrated wafer of the Eucharist (communion) is kept.
sacristy a room in a church, usually adjoining the sanctuary, where the sacred vessels, vestments, and so on are kept; vestry.
sacristy a room in a church, usually adjoining the sanctuary, where the sacred vessels, vestments, and so on are kept; vestry.
schismatic a person who splits or divides an organized group or society, especially a church, as the result of difference of opinion, of doctrine, and so on.
Septuagesima the third Sunday before Lent.
singletrees wooden bars swung at the center from a hitch on a plow, wagon, and so on, and hooked at either end to the traces of a horse's harness.
worried to cause to feel troubled or uneasy; make anxious; distress.