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Full Glossary
almanack [Archaic spelling] an almanac, a yearly calendar.
amiable good natured and pleasant.
antipathy strong or deep-rooted dislike.
appellation the act of calling by a name.
approbation official approval, sanction, or commendation.
ardent warm or intense in feeling; passionate.
askance with a sideways glance.
asseverated spoken earnestly.
assiduity careful attention.
assiduously with constant and careful attention.
austere somber.
automatons persons or animals acting in an automatic or mechanical way.
avaricious greedy for riches.
averred declared to be true; stated positively.
baca tobacco.
bairnies grat children wept.
bairns children.
bathos descent from the lofty to the commonplace; here, Heathcliff remarks on how he has lessened Hareton's place in society.
beard to face or oppose courageously or brazenly.
beguiling passing (time) pleasantly.
benevolent showing goodwill.
bilberries any of several North American species of blueberries.
Black Art witchcraft.
blasphemer one who speaks irreverently or profanely of or to God.
blind man's bluff a game in which a blindfolded player has to catch and identify another player.
box his ears slap him on the head.
brach [Archaic] a female hound.
cant lass bold girl.
cap and mantle hat and cloak.
caper a gay, playful jump or leap.
carrion dead flesh.
casement a window with side hinges that open outward.
catechised taught, especially in the principles of religion, by the method of questions and answers.
causeway a raised way over wet ground.
changeling a child switched with another in infancy.
Chevy Chase an old English ballad dealing with the Battle of Otterburn.
chit an immature or childish girl.
churl rude, ill-bred person.
cockatrice deadly serpent in myth or the Bible.
comminations threats or denunciations.
compunction a sharp feeling of uneasiness brought on by a sense of guilt.
consternation great fear or shock that makes one feel helpless or bewildered.
consumption a wasting away of the body, most likely tuberculosis.
contrite repentant.
copestone here, a finishing touch.
copious very plentiful.
coquette a girl or woman who merely from vanity tries to get men's attention and admiration.
countenance outward appearance.
cudgel a short club.
cuffed slapped.
curate [Archaic] a clergyman.
decorum polite behavior.
degradation the state of being lower in rank, status, or condition.
delf-case a cabinet for tableware named for popular glazed earthenware, usually blue and white, originating in the city of Delft.
despot anyone in charge who acts like a tyrant.
diabolical very wicked or cruel.
dilapidation decay.
dilatory inclined to delay; slow or late in doing things.
discomfiture uneasiness.
diurnal occurring each day; daily.
dree to endure or suffer; here, it is used to characterize sadness.
dunnut be 'feard don't be afraid.
dusky somewhat dark in color.
egress an exit.
ejaculation words spoken suddenly with emotion.
elf-bolts flint arrowheads.
elysium any place or condition of ideal bliss or complete happiness.
emissaries persons or agents, especially a secret agents, sent on a specific mission.
enigmatical perplexing or baffling.
epistle a letter, especially a long, formal instructive letter.
equanimity evenness of mind or temper.
excommunicated excluded from church membership.
fagots bundles of sticks and twigs.
farthing former small British coin equal to one fourth of a penny.
fastidiousness the state of being refined in a too dainty or oversensitive way, so as to be easily disgusted.
fender a low screen in front of a fireplace to keep hot coals in.
flags paving stones.
flaying whipping.
flighted frightened.
flogging a beating with a strap, stick, or whip, especially as punishment.
fortnight a period of two weeks.
frame go.
frame off be gone.
furze a prickly evergreen shrub.
gaiters leg coverings that reach to the mid-calf.
galloway one of a small but strong breed of horses peculiar to Galloway, Scotland.
garret unfinished part of a house just under the roof.
glens narrow, secluded valleys.
Go to the deuce go to the devil.
goaded driven by a strong impulse.
griffins animals with the head and wings of an eagle and the hind legs and tail of a lion.
grotesque artwork that distorts the usual human or animal form.
gruel thin, easily digested porridge made by cooking meal in water or milk.
guffaw loud laughter.
gypsy a member of a traditionally nomadic, or wandering, ethnic group.
heath a tract of open wasteland, especially in the British Isles, covered with heather and low shrubs; moor
hillock a small hill.
hisseln himself.
hob shelf in the side of a fireplace where an item can be kept warm.
hostler a person who takes care of horses at an inn or stable.
imperious overbearing, arrogant, or domineering.
impertinence lack of proper respect or manners.
impudence boldness.
indigenae native to a particular area.
infernal hellish; inhuman.
insolent disrespectful.
interloper an intruder.
interment burial.
inveterate settled in a habit, practice, or prejudice; habitual.
King Lear the title character in Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear; here, mentioned by Lockwood to show his education, distancing himself from the lower class.
lachrymose mournful.
laconic brief or terse in speech or expression.
levers bars used for prying.
levity lack of seriousness.
ling heather.
magnamity the ability to rise above pettiness or meanness.
magpie a person who collects odds and ends.
malevolence spitefulness; ill will.
marred spoiled.
mattocks tools for loosening soil; a mattock is like a pickax but has a flat, adz-shaped blade.
mawkish nauseating.
Michaelmas the feast of the archangel Michael, September 29.
Milo a famous Greek athlete who, caught by the tree he was trying to split, was eaten up by wild beasts; here, Catherine suggests that anyone who attempts to split Heathcliff and herself will end up destroyed.
mire deep mud.
misanthropist a person who hates or distrusts other people.
miscreants those having vicious behavior.
monomania an excessive interest in or enthusiasm for some one thing.
mools earth of a grave.
moors open rolling land that cannot be used for farming due to poor drainage.
morose ill-tempered, gloomy, or sullen.
moroseness sullen mood.
morrow the next day.
mucky dirty.
N.B. [Latin nota bene] mark well; used to call attention to an item.
nab an abrupt termination of a range of uplands.
near frugal.
near stingy.
negus a hot beverage made from wine, hot water, and lemon juice, sweetened and spiced.
niver never.
obdurate stubborn.
odious arousing or deserving hatred or loathing.
offald ways used to characterize Catherine's and Heathcliff's behavior as disreputable.
palaver idle talk between two people.
paltry practically worthless.
paroxysm a sudden outburst.
peevish hard to please.
perdition [Archaic] complete and irreparable loss; ruin.
perseverance continued effort in spite of discouragement.
perspicacity keen judgement or understanding.
pertinacious persistent.
pertinaciously stubbornly.
perverse obstinately disobedient or difficult.
phlegm indifference.
physiognomy facial features.
pinafores sleeveless dresses or garments worn over dresses.
preter-human beyond that which is human; especially, superhuman.
prognosticate to foretell or predict.
propensity a natural inclination or tendency.
propitiate to win or regain the goodwill of.
puling whimpering or whining.
qualm faintness or nausea.
recapitulation a brief repetition, as in an outline; a summary.
recriminate to answer an accuser by accusing that person in return; reply with a countercharge.
reprobate rejected as worthless.
ruffian a brutal, violent, lawless person; hoodlum.
rush of a lass a girl who is slender and delicate, like a rush.
sackless feeble.
sagacity keen or wise perception.
salubrious promoting health or welfare; wholesome.
sanguine optimistic; hopeful.
saturnine sluggish or morose.
sceptre a rod or staff, highly ornamented, held by rulers on ceremonial occasions as a symbol of sovereignty.
scuttle a kind of a bucket, usually with a wide lip, used for pouring.
settle a long wooden bench with a back, armrests, and sometimes a chest beneath the seat.
shilling a former monetary unit of the United Kingdom, equal to 1/20 of a pound.
sideboard dining-room furniture for holding linen, silver, and china.
signet a mark left by a ring whose upper surface contains a signet, or seal, once used as a signature for marking documents.
sizer's place a student receiving a scholarship allowance at Trinity College, Dublin, or at Cambridge University.
slaver saliva drooling from the mouth.
Slough of Despond deep despair or dejection; from the "Slough of Despond" in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.
soliloquize to talk aloud to oneself.
soliloquy an act or instance of talking aloud to oneself.
sotto voce under one's breath, so as not to be overheard
sovereign a British gold coin valued at twenty shillings or one pound sterling, no longer minted for circulation.
spectres ghosts.
stagnate to be motionless.
stanchion an upright bar, beam, or post used as a support.
stolidity the state of showing little or no emotion.
strike my colours here, surrender or give in.
strong-hold a place having strong defenses; here, Mr. Linton is referring to his home, Thrushcross Grange.
suffused overspread so as to fill with a glow.
summut something.
superfluous not needed; unnecessary.
supplication a humble request, prayer, or petition.
taciturn silent.
thible a smooth stick for stirring broth or porridge.
thrang busy.
Titan any person or thing of great size or power.
trepidation fearful uncertainty.
trifles things of little value or importance.
tumult confusion.
tureen a large, deep serving dish with a lid.
usurper a person who wrongfully takes a possession or position.
vagabond an irresponsible wanderer.
vanquished defeated.
vapid uninteresting or lifeless.
victuals articles of food, especially when prepared for use.
vindictive seeking revenge.
vindictiveness the state of being revengeful in spirit, and inclined to seek vengeance.
vis-à-vis face to face.
vivisection medical research consisting of surgical operations or other experiments performed on living animals to study the structure and function of living organs and parts.
vociferate to utter or shout loudly or vehemently.
vouchsafed was gracious enough, or condescended, to give or grant.
weather-cock here, a person who changes easily.
whelp a youth or child; a term usually showing contempt.
wicket a small door or gate.
wisht hush.
wuthering exposed to the open air; here, used to describe the architecture of the farmhouse that endures assaults of nature (wind, snow, and rain).