scarlet letter 10-18 vocab

demerits

punishments for wrongdoing

inextricable

impossible to disentangle or separate

inimical

harmful; hostile; tending to obstruct or harm

portent

a sign or warning that something major is about to happen

somnambulism

sleepwalking

zenith

highest point; the time at which something is at its most successful

asperity

harshness of tone or manner

austerity

sternness or severity of manner or attitude

despotic

tyrranical

effluence

something that flows out from something else

enigma

a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand

gibe

an insulting or mocking remark; a taunt

innate

inborn; natural

petulant

showing sudden impatience

proffered

held out to someone for accpetance

requital

reward for kindness

colloquy

a conversation (formal)

consecration

the action of making or declaring something sacred

denizen

inhabitant or occupant of a particular place

loquacity

talkativeness

vestige

a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists