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Abode (v.) to dwell; to reside Though his sight had long since faded, his hearing was still acute, and the slightest sound penetrated to the glimmering intelligence which yet abode behind the withered forehead, but which no longer

"The Law of Life" vocabulary

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Pictorial glossary of vocabulary from Jack London's short story "The Law of Life"

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Page 1: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Abode

(v.) to dwell; to reside

Though his sight had long since faded, his hearing was still acute, and the slightest

sound penetrated to the glimmering intelligence which yet abode behind the withered forehead, but which no longer

Page 2: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Abstraction

(n.) the act of considering something as a general quality or characteristic, apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances

“This was the deepest abstraction old Koskoosh's barbaric mind was capable of.”

Page 3: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Acute

(adj.) Having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

“Though his sight had long since faded, his hearing was still acute…”

Page 4: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Anathematize(verb) to curse or declare to be evil or anathema or

threaten with divine punishment

“Ah! That was Sit-cum-to-ha, shrilly anathematizing the dogs…”

Page 5: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Assailant

(noun) Someone who attacks“Twice had he been dragged down, as the snow attested, and twice had he shaken his assailants clear…”

Page 6: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Blear (adj.) Tried to the point of exhaustion

“Her limbs dragged and shuffled, her eyes dimmed and bleared….”

Page 7: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Caribou(n.) arctic deer with large antlers in both sexes;

called ‘reindeer’ in Eurasia and ‘caribou’ in North America

In the summer salmon run had failed, and the tribe looked forward to winter and the coming of

caribou

Page 8: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Croon

(v.) to sing“A child whimpered, and a woman soothed it with soft, crooning gutturals.”

Page 9: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Exemplify

(verb) be characteristic of, clarify by giving an example of

“He saw it exemplified in all life.”

Page 10: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Faggot( noun ) –a bundle of sticks and branches

bound together.

“His hand shot into the fire and dragged out a burning faggot.”

Page 11: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Fertile

(adj.) Capable of reproducing

“…times when they let the game go unkilled, and the women were fertile…”

Page 12: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Flank

(Noun) The side of an animal or person between the ribs and hip

“the old bull moose -- the torn flanks and bloody sides, the riddled mane, and the great branching

horns, down low.”

Page 13: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Forlorn(adj) desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in

feeling, condition, or appearance.

“Sit-cum-to-ha was his daughter's daughter, but she was too busy to waste a thought upon her broken

grandfather, sitting alone there in the snow, forlorn and helpless.”

Page 14: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Fretful (adj.) Nervous and unable to relax.

“Little Koo-tee, the old man thought, a fretful child, and not overstrong.”

Page 15: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Guttural(adj.) Relating to or articulated in the throat

“A child whimpered, and a woman soothed it with soft, crooning gutturals.”

Page 16: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Harried

(v.) troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances.

“while their brothers harried the kill…”

Page 17: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Haunch

(noun) the hindquarter of a human or animal, around the hip

“Now one wormed his chest forward, dragging his haunches after…”

Page 18: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Hereditary

(adj.) inherited from ancestors

“Overcome for the nonce by his hereditary fear of man…”

Page 19: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Inexorable

(adj.) Impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason.

“He saw the inexorable circle close in till it became a dark point in the

midst of the stamped snow.”

Page 20: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Linger

(verb) Remain present although waning or gradually dying

“The long trail waited while the day refused to linger”

Page 21: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Loll(v.) to hang loosely or laxly; be lazy

or idle“He saw the flashing forms of gray, the gleaming eyes, the lolling tongues…”

Page 22: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Madden

(verb) cause to go crazy; cause to lose one’s mind

“One wolf had been caught in the wild lunge of the maddened victim and trampled to death.”

Page 23: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Mangy

(adj.) Having many worn or threadbare spots in the nap

“His hand returned to the shelter of his mangy furs…”

Page 24: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Nonce

(Noun) The present occasion.

“Overcome for the nonce by his hereditary fear of man, the brute retreated, raising a prolonged

call to his brothers…”

Page 25: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Palsied

(adj.) Affected with palsy or uncontrollable tremor

“the thought made the old man panicky for the moment, and he stretched forth a palsied hand

which wandered tremblingly…”

Page 26: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Perpetuate

(verb) cause to continue or prevail

“To perpetuate was the task of life, its law was death”

Page 27: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Replenish

(Verb) Fill something that had been previously empty

“It was the seventh year, and the rabbits had not replenished….”

Page 28: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Shaman (noun) one acting as a medium between the visible

and spirit worlds; practices sorcery for the healing or divination

“The shaman would see signs and wonder in this when they told him.”

Page 29: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Slaver(Verb) Let saliva drivel from the mouth

“gleaming eyes, the lolling tongues, the slavered fangs”

Page 30: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Slovenly

(adj.) negligent of neatness especially in dress and person; habitually dirty and unkempt

“… the clean stride of the great beast had grown short and slovenly.”

Page 31: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Soothe

(Verb) To give moral or emotional strength to

“a child whimpered, and a women soothed it, with soft, crooning gutturals”

Page 32: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Splay(adj.) turned outward in an ungainly manner

In the midst were the deep impressions of the splay hoofed game, and all about, everywhere,

were the lighter footmarks of the wolves

Page 33: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Stalwart

Adj. strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust

“The chief was his son, stalwart and strong.”

Page 34: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Thong

(Noun) A leather strip that forms part of a whip

“Oh, the men lashing the sleds and drawing tight the thongs….”

Page 35: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Tragedy (n.) an event resulting in great loss and misfortune.

Hot were they on the heels of the chase, reading the grim tragedy, fresh-written, at every step.

Page 36: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Tundra (noun) A vast treeless plain in the Arctic regions where the subsoil is permanently

frozen.

“ … soon, perhaps, and they would burn a hole through the frozen tundra and… “

Page 37: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Unversed

(adj.) Not having extensive practice

“Eager-footed, they took the trail, and even he, Koskoosh, slow of sight and an unversed tracker, could have followed it blind….”

Page 38: "The Law of Life" vocabulary

Void

(noun) an empty area or space

“The familiar, long-drawn howl broke the void, and it was close at

hand.”