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Full Glossary for The Aeneid
abeam at right angles to a ship's length or keel.
acanthus any of a genus of thistlelike plants with lobed, often spiny leaves and long spikes of white or colored flowers, found in the Mediterranean region.
adjutant an assistant.
aegis a shield borne by Zeus and, later, by his daughter Athena and occasionally by Apollo.
affrighted [Archaic] frightened; terrified.
appease to pacify or quiet, esp. by giving in to the demands of.
auguries divinations from omens.
augury divination from omens.
auspices omens, such as may be revealed in the flight of birds.
auspicious of good omen; boding well for the future; favorable; propitious.
availed was of use, help, worth, or advantage (to), as in accomplishing an end.
baleful harmful or threatening harm or evil; ominous; deadly.
bastion any fortified place; strong defense or bulwark.
bedew to make wet with or as if with drops of dew.
bemused muddled, stupefied, or preoccupied.
benefactions acts of doing good or helping others.
bestriding [Archaic] striding over or across.
bier a platform or portable framework on which a coffin or corpse is placed.
bilge the rounded, lower exterior part of a ship's hull.
biremes galleys of ancient times, having two rows of oars on each side, one under the other.
biremes galleys of ancient times, having two rows of oars on each side, one under the other.
blandishment a flattering or ingratiating act or remark, etc., meant to persuade.
blandishments flattering or ingratiating acts or remarks meant to persuade.
blazon showy display.
boon [Archaic] kind, generous, pleasant, etc.
brutish of or like a brute; savage, gross, stupid, sensual, irrational, etc.
buffeted beaten back as by repeated blows; thrust about.
bullocks young bulls.
caldron a violently agitated condition like the boiling contents of a large kettle.
caparisoned covered with ornamental trappings.
careering moving at full speed; rushing wildly.
carnage bloody and extensive slaughter, esp. in battle; massacre; bloodshed.
carrion the decaying flesh of a dead body, esp. when regarded as food for scavenging animals.
castigate to punish or rebuke severely, esp. by harsh public criticism.
chaplets wreaths or garlands for the head.
circumscribe to trace a line around; encircle; encompass.
clambered climbed with effort or clumsily, esp. by using the hands as well as the feet.
colloquies conversations; esp., formal discussions.
combers large waves that roll over or break on a beach, reef, etc.
conflagration a big, destructive fire.
conflagrations big, destructive fires.
contentious always ready to argue; quarrelsome.
copse a thicket of small trees or shrubs; coppice.
coracle a short, roundish boat made as of animal skins or canvas waterproofed and stretched over a wicker or wooden frame.
cortege a ceremonial funeral procession.
cowled wearing or having a cowl; hooded.
cozening cheating or deceiving.
cudgel a short, thick stick or club.
cuirass a piece of closefitting armor for protecting the breast and back, orig. made of leather.
cuirass a piece of closefitting armor for protecting the breast and back, orig. made of leather.
curvets in equestrian exhibitions, a movement in which a horse rears, then leaps forward, raising the hind legs just before the forelegs come down.
dallying wasting time; loitering.
debarked unloaded or departed from a ship.
derelict neglectful of duty; remiss; negligent.
derided laughed at in contempt or scorn; made fun of; ridiculed.
despoiled deprived of something of value by or as by force; robbed; plundered.
diadem an ornamental cloth headband worn as a crown.
dispensation the ordering of events under divine authority.
disport to indulge in amusement; play; frolic.
dominion rule or power to rule; sovereign authority; sovereignty.
embowered enclosed or sheltered in or as in a bower.
emulating trying, often by imitating or copying, to equal or surpass.
enchased engraved or carved with designs, etc.
entreaties earnest requests; supplications; prayers.
erebus the underworld.
expiate to make amends or reparation for (wrongdoing or guilt); atone for.
feigned [Now rare] fictitious; imagined.
festal of or like a joyous celebration; festive.
filial of, suitable to, or due from a son or daughter.
firebrands pieces of burning wood.
fluke a pointed part of an anchor, designed to catch in the ground.
founder to fill with water, as during a storm, and sink: said of a ship or boat.
gall rude boldness; impudence; audacity.
gittern an early instrument of the guitar family, having an oval body and wire strings.
grotto a cavelike summerhouse or shrine.
guile slyness and cunning in dealing with others; craftiness.
gullets throats or necks.
gyves fetters; shackles.
halyard a rope or tackle for raising or lowering a flag, sail, etc.
harried raided, esp. repeatedly, and ravaged or robbed; pillaged; plundered.
hawsers large ropes used for towing or mooring a ship.
heady impetuous; rash; willful.
hoar having white or gray hair because of age.
hummock a low, rounded hill; knoll; hillock.
ilex holly.
immedicable that cannot be healed; incurable.
immured shut up within or as within walls; imprisoned, confined, or secluded.
impend [Now rare] to hang or be suspended (over).
impiously not piously; specif., in a manner lacking reverence, respect, or dutifulness.
incendiary willfully stirring up strife, riot, rebellion, etc.
infernal a) of the ancient mythological world of the dead b) of hell.
inscribing writing, marking, or engraving (words, symbols, etc.) on some surface.
integuments natural outer coverings of the body or of a plant, including skin, shell, hide, husk, or rind.
interment the act of interring; burial.
interposed introduced (a remark, opinion, etc.) into a conversation, debate, etc.; put in as an interruption.
interred put into a grave or tomb; buried.
inviolable not to be violated; not to be profaned or injured; sacred.
inviolate not violated; kept sacred or unbroken.
jape to jest or to play tricks.
kine cows; cattle.
lament to feel deep sorrow or express it as by weeping or wailing; mourn; grieve.
lave to wash or bathe.
legates governors of a Roman province, or their deputies.
legates governors of Roman provinces, or their deputies.
lustral of, used in, or connected with ceremonial purification.
malefactors evildoers or criminals.
marauders raiders who rove in search of plunder.
maw the throat, gullet, jaws, or oral cavity of a voracious animal.
mollifies makes less intense, severe, or violent.
muster to assemble or summon (troops, etc.), as for inspection, roll call, or service.
myrrh a fragrant, bitter-tasting gum resin exuded from any of several plants of Arabia and East Africa, used in making incense, perfume, etc.
northing Naut. the distance due north covered by a vessel traveling on any northerly course.
oracular of or like an oracle; wise, prophetic, mysterious, etc.
overture an introductory proposal or offer; indication of willingness to negotiate.
palpable clear to the mind; obvious; evident; plain.
parapets walls or banks used to screen troops from frontal enemy fire, sometimes placed along the top of a rampart.
pestilence anything, as a doctrine, regarded as harmful or dangerous.
pillory any exposure to public scorn, etc.
poltroons thorough cowards.
poops on sailing ships, a poop is a raised deck at the stern, sometimes forming the roof of a cabin.
portended an omen or warning of; foreshadowed; presaged.
portent something that portends an event about to occur, esp. an unfortunate event; omen.
posterity all of a person's descendants.
pre-empted seized before anyone else can, excluding others; appropriated beforehand.
presage a sign or warning of a future event; omen; portent.
profaned desecrated, debased, or defiled.
profaned treated with irreverence or contempt; desecrated.
prophecy prediction of the future under the influence of divine guidance; act or practice of a prophet.
propitious that favors or furthers; advantageous.
pume to foam or froth.
quail to draw back in fear; lose heart or courage; cower.
quailed drew back in fear; lost heart or courage; cowered.
quandaries perplexing situations or positions; dilemmas.
railed spoken bitterly or reproachfully; complained violently.
rampart an embankment of earth, usually surmounted by a parapet, encircling a castle, fort, etc., for defense against attack.
rankled to cause or cause to have long-lasting anger, rancor, resentment, etc.
redoubt a breastwork outside or within a fortification.
reparation a making of amends; making up for a wrong or injury.
repose to rest or lie at rest.
requisite required, as by circumstances; necessary for some purpose; indispensable.
retinue a body of assistants, followers, or servants attending a person of rank or importance; train of attendants or retainers.
rills little brooks; rivulets.
roil to work hard and continuously; labor.
rondure a circle or sphere; roundness.
rout an overwhelming defeat.
rowans the European mountain ash, a tree with pinnately compound leaves, white flowers, and red berries.
sanctum sacred place.
scabrous indecent, shocking, improper, scandalous, etc.
scion a shoot or bud of a plant, esp. one for planting or grafting.
scourges means of inflicting severe punishment, suffering, or vengeance.
scruple a feeling of hesitancy, doubt, or uneasiness arising from difficulty in deciding what is right, proper, ethical, etc.; qualm or misgiving about something one thinks is wrong.
scud very low, dark, patchy clouds moving swiftly, generally characteristic of bad weather.
shindy a noisy disturbance; commotion; row.
shingle large, coarse, waterworn gravel, as found on a beach.
shrouding a cloth sometimes used to wrap a corpse for burial; winding sheet.
sistrum a metal rattle or noisemaker consisting of a handle and a frame fitted with loosely held rods, jingled by the ancient Egyptians in the worship of Isis.
slothful indolent; lazy.
snood a baglike net worn at the back of a woman's head to hold the hair.
spectral of, having the nature of, or like a specter; phantom; ghostly.
spelt a primitive species of wheat with grains that do not thresh free of the chaff.
stratagems any tricks or schemes for achieving some purpose.
striplings grown boys; youths passing into manhood.
subjugate to bring under control or subjection; conquer.
subjugating bringing under control or subjection; conquering.
subverted overthrown or destroyed.
sundered broken apart; separated; split.
suppliant asking humbly; supplicating; entreating.
supplication a humble request, prayer, petition, etc.
surfeited indulged or supplied to satiety or excess.
tableau a striking, dramatic scene or picture.
temerity foolish or rash boldness; foolhardiness; recklessness.
terebinth a small European tree of the cashew family, whose cut bark yields a turpentine.
thong a narrow strip of leather, etc., used as a lace, strap, etc.
thwarts rowers's seats extending across a boat.
trident a three-pronged spear borne as a scepter by the sea god Poseidon, or Neptune.
twinge to cause to have a sudden, brief, darting pain or pang.
vexed troubled, esp. in a petty or nagging way; disturbed, annoyed, irritated, etc.
visage the face, with reference to the form and proportions of the features or to the expression; countenance.
viscera the internal organs of the body, esp. of the thorax and abdomen, as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, intestines, etc.; specif., in popular usage, the intestines.
vying that vies; that competes.
welter to tumble and toss about, as the sea.
weltered tumbled and tossed about, as the sea.
whelming overpowering or crushing; overwhelming.
whorls things with a coiled or spiral appearance.
wraith a ghost.
wrought formed; fashioned.
yardarms Naut. the two halves of a yard supporting a square sail, signal lights, etc.