pg 3

abominable: causing moral revulsion, very bad or unpleasant 

stench: a strong and very unpleasant smell

tannery: a place where animal hides are tanned, the workshop of a tanner

rancid: smelling or tasting unpleasant as a result of being old and stale.

pg 4

fiendish: extremely cruel or unpleasant, devilish 

charnel: short for charnel house, associated with death

insurrection: a violent uprising against an authority or a  government

pg 5

tumult: a loud, confused noise, especially one caused by a large mass of people

umbilical: relating to or affecting the navel or umbilical cord

daffodil: a bulbous plant that typically bears bright yellow flowers with a long trumpet-shaped center (corona)

pg 6

decapitate: cut off the head of (a person or animal), attempt to undermine (a group or organization) by removing its leaders 

pg 7

eleemosynary: relating to or dependent on charity, charitable

Chapter 2

pg 7

cloister: a covered walk in a convent, monastery, college, or cathedral, typically with a wall on one side and a colonnade open to a quadrangle on the other.

pg 9

alms: money or food given to poor people.

parish: a small administrative district typically having its own church and a priest or pastor.

pg 11

obstinate: stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so.

pg 12 

inanity: a nonsensical remark or action

One day, Grenouille says the word “wood” for the first time, he closed his eyes and simply smelled the wood for a half hour and got lost in the smell. The experience was confusing and intense, and he muttered "wood" over and over again for the next few days. He has a hard time finding the right words to describe what he smells, this makes him doubt if language makes sense at all.

By age 6, Grenouille has memorized all kinds of different smells and would often disappear for days to smell the meadows and vineyards. 

Madame Gaillard starts to believe Grenouille has supernatural powers because of all the qualities he poses such as being able to smell through walls, predict the weather, detect if there are worms in vegetables. She decidess its time for Grenouille to go, however, Saint-Merri stops the payments when he reached age 8 anyway.

Madame Gaillard lets Grenouille work for the tanner Grimal who is always in need of cheap labor to do the most dangerous parts of the job. She knows that Grenouille will likely not survive but does not seem to care.

The narrator then explains how Madame Gaillard tragically died and lost her entire fortune she had made by selling her business.

At the age of 12, Grimal allows Grenouille to have time for himself every week to explore the city. Grenouille uses this opportunity to find new scents around the city of Paris

furtive: attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive

pg 24

resin: a sticky flammable organic substance, insoluble in water, exuded by some trees and other plants (notably fir and pine)

gorge: a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through it/ eat a large amount greedily; fill oneself with food

pg 25

fuddle: confuse or stupefy someone, especially with alcohol

olfactory: relating to the sense of smell

amalgam: a mixture or blend

CHAPTER 6

pg 31

infraction: a violation or infringement of a law, agreement, or set of rules.

contumacy: stubborn refusal to obey or comply with authority, especially a court order or summons.

pyre: a heap of combustible material, especially one for burning a corpse as part of a funeral ceremony

pg 32

carcass: the dead body of an animal.

carbuncle: a severe abscess or multiple boil in the skin, typically infected with staphylococcus bacteria.

pg 37
veal: the flesh of a calf, used as food

Chapter 8
pg 37
petard: a small bomb made of a metal or wooden box filled with powered, used to blast down a door or to make a hole in a wall.
pg 38
premonition: a strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant
pg 39
myrrh: a fragrant gum resin obtained from certain trees and used, especially in the Near East, in perfumes, medicines, and incense
pg 41
apricot: a juice, soft fruit, resembling a small peach, of an orange-yellow color
insipid: lacking flavor
rancid: smelling or tasting unpleasant as a result of being old and stale.
Chapter 9
epaulet: an ornamental shoulder piece on an item of clothing, typically on the coat or jacket of a military uniform
sumptuous: splendid and expensive looking

Chime: a bell or a metal bar or tube, typically one of a set tuned to produce a melodious series of ringing sounds when struck.

demijohn: a bulbous, narrow-necked bottle holding from 3 to 10 gallons of liquid, typically enclosed in a wicker cover.
 
 pg 89

shambles: a state of total disorder/a butcher's slaughterhouse 

incipient: in an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop.

senile: having or showing the weaknesses or diseases of old age, especially a loss of mental faculties.

pg 91

ferret: look around in a place or container in search of something.

prickly: ready to take offense.

Chapter 18

pg 93

pulverize: reduce to fine particles.

pg 96

ethereal: extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.

alembic: a distilling apparatus, now obsolete, consisting of a rounded, necked flask and a cap with a long beak for condensing and conveying the products to a receiver.

pg 97

mistral: a strong, cold northwesterly wind that blows through the Rhône valley and southern France into the Mediterranean, mainly in winter.

ruddy: having a healthy red color.

Chapter 19

pg 98

cull: select from a large quantity; obtain from a variety of sources.

pg 99

yew: a coniferous tree that has red berrylike fruits, and most parts of which are highly poisonous. Yews are linked with folklore and superstition and can live to a great age; the timber is used in cabinetmaking and (formerly) to make longbows.

sprig: a small stem bearing leaves or flowers, taken from a bush or plant.

thyme: a low-growing aromatic plant of the mint family. The small leaves are used as a culinary herb, and the plant yields a medicinal oil.

pg 100

fecund: able to produce a lot of crops, fruit, babies, young animals

Chapter 20

pg 100

pustule: a small blister or pimple on the skin containing pus.

ulcerous: having or constituting an ulcer.

pg 101

unassailable: unable to be attacked, questioned, or defeated.

pg 102

festering: become worse or more intense, especially through long-term neglect or indifference.

prognosis: the likely course of a disease or ailment.

pg 103

posterity: all future generations of people.

pg 104

croon: hum or sing in a soft, low voice, especially in a sentimental manner.

pg 105

pus: a thick yellowish or greenish opaque liquid produced in infected tissue, consisting of dead white blood cells and bacteria with tissue debris and serum.

Baldini instructs Grenouille in all the arts of being a perfumer, from soap making to sewing gloves. Grenouille really only enjoys instruction in producing tinctures and extracts. Baldini's workshop isn't appropriate for doing any of this on a large scale, if only because it’s hard to come by large enough quantities of one plant in Paris, but when materials did become available, Baldini would pull out his alembic to distill the material.

The process of distillation relies on speed, and fascinates Grenouille. The alembic needed to be attended all night, and Grenouille and Baldini would sit up, with Baldini drinking wine and telling stories. Grenouille doesn't listen to them; he’s too engrossed in the process. He imagines himself as an alembic, his stored scents simmering away, that would one day make the world bearable for him. He soon abandons this fantasy and begins thinking about how to use his knowledge to achieve his goals.

Chapter 19

Once Baldini deems Grenouille experienced enough, he allows him free use of the alembic. Grenouille spends his nights attempting to distill a variety of items. He's successful with plant matter, but fails with things like glass, porcelain, and water from the Seine. The narrator notes that Grenouille is unaware that for substances without essential oils, distilling is impossible. After months of failing to produce scents present in his memory, Grenouille falls deathly ill

Chapter 20

Grenouille develops a high fever that after a few days develops into pustules and boils. Baldini is understandably worried, as he's considering opening a small factory where popular scents could be mixed and sent all over Europe. While technically an illegal venture, Baldini has the possibility of a royal patent thanks to one of his clients, which would allow him to skip pesky restrictions. Baldini is also entertaining the idea of having Grenouille create individual perfumes for a select few clients.

In light of these dreams, Baldini decides to do whatever it takes to save Grenouille. Grenouille is moved to a clean bed on the top floor and fed chicken broth and wine. Baldini sends for Dr. Procope, a very expensive physician. With a brief look, the doctor diagnoses Grenouille with syphilitic smallpox, complicated by festering measles, for which there is no treatment. Interestingly, Grenouille's body doesn't exhibit the characteristic stench of the disease, but he's still likely to die within 48 hours.

Baldini is distraught at this turn of events. He considers making a pilgrimage to Notre-Dame to light a candle, but decides instead to attempt to take Grenouille's "perfumatory confession" and get one last formula out of his dying apprentice. Baldini whispers to Grenouille that this final perfume will have Grenouille's name engraved on the bottle and be given to the king, but Grenouille doesn't stir.

Baldini sits all night with Grenouille. At dawn he gives up, but suddenly Grenouille speaks and asks if there are other ways of extracting scent besides distillation. Baldini, thinking this is surely the end, tells Grenouille that there are three other methods, and all are superior to distillation. He says that these processes are carried out primarily in Grasse, in the south of France. Baldini gets up to leave and thinks he should call a priest, but Grenouille's body has actually begun healing. In a week, he's fully recovered.

cranny: a small, narrow space or opening

rucksack: bag with shoulder straps that allow it to be carried on someone's back, typically made of a strong, waterproof material and widely used by hikers; a backpack.

sol: a fluid suspension of a colloidal solid in a liquid.

severance: the action of ending a connection or relationship.

sanctimonious: making a show of being morally superior to other people.

chapter 22

plunder: steal goods from (a place or person), typically using force and in a time of war or civil disorder.

providence: the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power.

uncanny: strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way.

resinous: Any of numerous clear to translucent yellow or brown, solid or semisolid, viscous substances of plant origin, such as copal, rosin, and amber, used principally in lacquers, varnishes, inks, adhesives, plastics, and pharmaceuticals.

palpable: (of a feeling or atmosphere) so intense as to seem almost tangible.

chapter 23

deliverance: the action of being rescued or set free.

coax: gently and persistently persuade (someone) to do something.

proviso: a condition attached to an agreement.

effluvium: a smelly gas, vapor, or an exhalation

rarefied: (of air, especially that at high altitudes) of lower pressure than usual; thin, distant from the lives and concerns of ordinary people.

chapter 24

rustle: make a soft, muffled crackling sound like that caused by the movement of dry leaves or paper.

scythe: a tool used for cutting crops such as grass or wheat, with a long curved blade at the end of a long pole attached to which are one or two short handles.

abhorrent: inspiring disgust and loathing; repugnant.

euphoria: a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness.

clench: (with reference to the fingers or hand) close into a tight ball, especially when feeling extreme anger.

chapter 25

quench: satisfy (one's thirst) by drinking.

gourmet: a connoisseur of good food; a person with a discerning palate.

incorporeal: not composed of matter; having no material existence.

crypt: an underground room or vault beneath a church, used as a chapel or burial place.

penance: voluntary self-punishment inflicted as an outward expression of repentance for having done wrong.

chapter 26

debauchery: excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.

husk: the dry outer covering of some fruits or seeds.

aperitif: an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite.

deluge: inundate with a great quantity of something.

sublime: of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe.

voluptuous: relating to or characterized by luxury or sensual pleasure.

chapter 27

cellar: a room below ground level in a house, typically one used for storing wine or coal.

cask: a large container like a barrel, made of wood, metal or plastic and used for storing liquids, typically alcoholic drinks.

luscious: (of food or wine) having a pleasingly rich, sweet taste.

petard: a small bomb made of a metal or wooden box filled with powder, used to blast down a door or to make a hole in a wall.

guzzling: eat or drink (something) greedily.

chapter 28

carcass: the dead body of an animal.

chapter 29

wisp: a small thin or twisted bunch, piece, or amount of something.

moor: a tract of open uncultivated upland; a heath.

shudder: (of a person) tremble convulsively, typically as a result of fear or revulsion.

anemone: a plant of the buttercup family, typically bearing brightly colored flowers. Anemones are widely distributed in the wild, and several kinds are popular garden plants.

chapter 30

scraggly: (of a person or animal) thin and bony.

navel: a rounded knotty depression in the center of a person's belly caused by the detachment of the umbilical cord after birth; the umbilicus.

talon: a claw, especially one belonging to a bird of prey.

gape: be or become wide open.

marquis: (in some European countries) a nobleman ranking above a count and below a duke.

chapter 31

ebb: (of an emotion or quality) gradually lessen or reduce.

recuperation: recovery from illness or exertion.

pernicious: having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.

enervation: a feeling of being drained of energy or vitality; fatigue.

hemorrhoid: a swollen vein or group of veins in the region of the anus.

bilge: the area on the outer surface of a ship's hull where the bottom curves to meet the vertical sides.

chapter 32

tavern: an establishment for the sale of beer and other drinks to be consumed on the premises, sometimes also serving food.

jowl: the lower part of a person's or animal's cheek, especially when it is fleshy or drooping.

pelt: attack (someone) by repeatedly hurling things at them.

lechery: excessive or offensive sexual desire; lustfulness.

incense: a gum, spice, or other substance that is burned for the sweet smell it produces.

chapter 33

swooning: faint from extreme emotion.

anoint: smear or rub with oil, typically as part of a religious ceremony.

timorous: showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence.

revulsion: a sense of disgust and loathing.

proselyte: a person who has converted from one opinion, religion, or party to another.

chapter 34

fluid: (of a substance) able to flow easily.

disciple: a personal follower of Jesus during his life, especially one of the twelve Apostles.

senescence: the condition or process of deterioration with age.

strapping: (especially of a young person) big and strong.

exultation: a feeling of triumphant elation or jubilation; rejoicing.

After a while, Grenouille's plan to go directly Grasse "unraveled in freedom, so to speak, as did all his other plans and intentions. Grenouille no longer wanted to go somewhere, but only to go away, away from human beings" (117). Grenouille now only wants to get to a place where people and human habitation can no longer be smelled. He finally gets to a volcanic peak in the Massif Centrale of the Auvergne called Plomb du Cantal, at which he finds the midpoint of isolation, the point at which all human beings are equally and maximally distant from him. At the end of Chapter 24, Grenouille is standing on the top of the six-thousand-foot peak, screaming and leaping for joy that he is finally alone, in a place where he is completely free of human odor for the first time.

He decides to stay in what he considers this "blessed region" (121) for some time. He finds a very small trickle of water, just enough to keep him alive. He manages to eat small salamanders and snakes, whole and raw. He finds a deep natural tunnel into the mountain, at the back of which there is a crevice where he can lay on his horse blanket in total darkness and isolation. He is so happy to find this place that he weeps with joy.

He spends his days in what can only be described as olfactory meditation. He begins with a review of the people and scenes of his youth, the smells of Madame Gaillard, Father Terrier, Jeanne Bussie, the Cimetière des Innocents, and finally the "homicidal odor of his mother" and the stench of Grimal the tanner. As he "wallowed in disgust and loathing ... his hair stood on end at the delicious horror" (124).

Rid of these horrid odors, and reveling in an imaginary world of justified anger and disgust, he then imagines himself as Grenouille the Great. He has a creation fantasy in which he is god and ruler, and his inner world completely takes over his life. He spends all his days in fantasy, and he only leaves the cave for his barest human needs. His pleasures are entirely the review and imagination of odors that he has collected in his lifetime, stored in the imaginary purple castle of his heart. He drinks of the odors with the delectation of a gourmet, and finds complete peace and happiness.

Incredibly, Grenouille lives in this cave for seven long years. He nearly freezes to death at some point, but the weather warms and he is saved. The snow lies so deep once that he cannot get down to the lichen on which he feeds. A raven falls dead at the mouth of his cave, and he eats it. Other than these events, nothing outside of Grenouille's mind occurs to him for this long time. But in Chapter 29, Grenouille has a horrible dream that he has had a personal body odor which he could not smell. This shakes him to the core and makes him leave the mountain so that he will not have this horrifying dream again. Grenouille performs several tests to see if he can smell himself, on his clothes or skin or in the cave where he has lain for seven years. He now knows for certain that he has no smell and that his existence makes no mark on the olfactory world. This shakes him so completely that he puts on what is left of his rags of clothes, and leaves the Plomb du Cantal.

Down in the town of Pierrefort, he frightens everyone with his extremely wild and unkempt appearance. He is taken in by the marquis de La Taillade-Espinasse, an extremely eccentric, scientifically inclined nobleman. The Marquis has a theory of fluidum vitale and fluidum letale, based on the premise that the earth emits a lethal gas which all creatures try to get away from by growing. Grenouille, in his wild state, fits exactly what a man contaminated by fluidum letale supposedly looks like. (Grenouille told the townspeople that he had been captured by robbers and held captive in a cave for seven years.) The Marquis brings him to a Freemason lodge in Montpellier to exhibit him to other scientific men as a case for him to cure by ventilation with fluidum vitale.

The Marquis brings Grenouille home and puts him in a "ventilation chamber" at the top of his house. He is fed only on earth-removed food (duck broth, bread from mountain wheat, and the like) and kept there for five days. Then he is washed and groomed, and a new set of clothing and shoes are made for him. The Marquis makes him learn to act like a gentleman, but before he is presented again as a cured case Grenouille fakes a fainting spell, pretending to be enervated by the smell of a perfume made from violet roots.

Grenouille is sent to the best perfumer in the city, which is exactly what he wants. At the perfumer's workshop, Grenouille creates a perfume which smells like a human being--not like a cologne, but like a basic human odor--out of excrement and rotting food covered with fresh, oily scents. He also makes a rather simple, innocent-smelling scent which smells just like the first scent, but is for a person with a discernible human odor.

Grenouille tries out this scent on the unknowing populace, and he discovers that he smells like other people for the first time in his life. Since he smells like other people, he can move among them and, eventually, he thinks, create the smell that will make all people in the world love him. He is presented by the Marquis as a total success to an assemblage of scientific men, so the Marquis's theories become accepted. Grenouille stays on in Montpellier for a few weeks, where he is celebrated by society. He gives the formula for the perfume to the Marquis, who pays him fifty louis d'or.

One morning in March, Grenouille slips out of town, not wearing his now-customary "human" perfume, and he is not noticed by anyone. The Marquis is annoyed, but goes on to even further flights of fancy in pursuit of his fluidum vitale theory. He walks up a mountain, followed part of the way by his disciples, in a snowstorm. He casts his clothes from him, believing he will descend in few weeks from the mountain as a young man. His body is never found.

pg 166

disheveled: (of a person's hair, clothes, or appearance) untidy; disordered.

indolence: inclination to laziness

enrapture: give intense pleasure or joy to.

pg 167

gush: (of a liquid) flow out in a rapid and plentiful stream, often suddenly.

mire: a stretch of swampy or boggy ground.

pg 171

ogle: stare at in a lecherous manner.

Chapter 36

pg 173

niggardly: not generous; stingy.

pg 174

jonquil: A widely cultivated narcissus with clusters of small fragrant yellow flowers and cylindrical leaves, native to southern Europe and north-eastern Africa.

pg 175

macerate: (especially with reference to food) soften or become softened by soaking in a liquid.

congeal: solidify or coagulate, especially by cooling.

mutiny: refuse to obey the orders of a person in authority.

assay: determine the content or quality of (a metal or ore).

Chapter 37

pg 178

metamorphosis: (in an insect or amphibian) the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages.

pg 180

verisimilitude: the appearance of being true or real.

enfleurage: the extraction of essential oils and perfumes from flowers using odorless animal or vegetable fats.

pg 181

doltish: (of a person) stupid; idiotic.

drudgery: hard menial or dull work.

Chapter 38

pg 185

virtuoso: a person highly skilled in music or another artistic pursuit.

trifle: treat (someone or something) without seriousness or respect.

obstinate: stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so. 

pg 186

adulterate: render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance, typically an inferior one.

miasma: an unpleasant fog that smells bad:

Chapter 39

pg 191

acrid: having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell.

pg 192

prosaic: having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty.

renunciation: the formal rejection of something, typically a belief, claim, or course of action.

evanescent: soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing.

pg 193

diadem: a jeweled crown or headband worn as a symbol of sovereignty.

In this town Grenouille finds the scent of another red-headed girl, very like the one he killed in Paris on the rue des Marais. But this girl, he discerns only by smelling her outside her garden wall, is still a child, and already has an extraordinarily beautiful scent, which will mature in one or two short years into something utterly ravishing. Grenouille reflects on how people will think that her charm and fascination is in how she looks; Grenouille knows that the way she entrances everyone has very little to do with her looks and everything to do with her wonderful aroma.

Grenouille finds, on the rue de la Louve in Grasse, a small perfumer's workshop. The shop is run by the widow of a maître perfumer, helped only by a journeyman named Druot. Madame Arnulfi engages Grenouille on a very poor salary, but Grenouille is glad to have the work. Druot is Madame Arnulfi's lover, and he is only too happy to have someone do the hard work for him. Grenouille is put immediately to work making a pomade of jonquils with Druot. Grenouille learns not only how to make this, but also the processes of lavage and maceration, and the making of essence absolue--the most concentrated form of scent.

Grenouille shows himself to be such a good worker, and so quick to learn the intricacies of perfume-making, that Druot begins to leave more decisions to him. Grenouille learns the very finest way of collecting the most delicate scents--those of jasmine and tuberose—called cold enfleurage. Grenouille now knows that this method is best for the finest scents, and he begins to wonder about capturing the scent of the red-haired girl.

Grenouille slowly teaches himself to collect scents from objects other than flowers by the method of cold enfleurage. He starts with inanimate objects, such as doorknobs and stones, and then moves onto small animals. But he learns that animals do not give up their scents without a fight, and it is best to kill them first before extracting their odors. He experiments with capturing human odors by hanging oily cloths in a tavern and a church, but he finds that this is ineffectual for collecting pure human odors. Finally, he pays a deaf-mute beggar woman to wear the oily cloths next to her skin, which suggests to him the best method and the correct ratio of fats to collect the scent from a human being.

Madame Arnulfi marries Druot, but life at the workshop continues much as before. Grenouille visits the red-haired girl's street again, where he smells her improved scent through the garden wall. While he is closer to his goal, Grenouille starts to panic about the fact that, after he has killed the girl and collected her smell, the essence of her smell will eventually run out and can never be replaced. He becomes almost suicidal, but then a thought occurs to him. He will have to supplement this girl's scent with the scent of other human beings.

Grenouille starts killing girls in their first adolescence. The body of a fifteen-year-old-girl is found, naked and shorn of her hair, in a farmer's field. Grenouille took her clothes and hair in order to engage in cold enfleurage, after he had killed her by a blow to the back of her head. This is followed by two more murders of teenage girls, and the people of the region are thrown into a justifiable panic. As the murders continue, various groups are blamed and the authorities try various methods, including an anathema and excommunication. The murders abruptly stop as the count becomes twenty-four dead young women, and the people are relieved.

In Chapter 41, the father of the red-haired girl, Monsieur Richis is attempting to marry his daughter into the nobility. He has dynastic plans and, since he is a widower, he plans to marry again after his daughter's marriage so that he can have at least two sons to carry on his business and enter the law. He is less worried now that the anathema on the murderer seems to have worked, but he still guards his daughter, Laure Richis, carefully.

pg 194

languid: (of a person, manner, or gesture) displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed.

pg 195

lecherous: having or showing excessive or offensive sexual desire.

pg 196

bludgeon: beat (someone) repeatedly with a bludgeon or other heavy object.

pg 197

impalpable: unable to be felt by touch.

revile: criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.

Chapter 41

pg 200

auburn: (chiefly of a person's hair) of a reddish-brown color.

scruple: a feeling of doubt or hesitation with regard to the morality or propriety of a course of action.

pg 201

loath: reluctant; unwilling.

chaste: abstaining from extramarital, or from all, sexual intercourse.

despicable: deserving hatred and contempt.

Chapter 42

pg 202

anathema: something or someone that one vehemently dislikes.

pg 203

sublime: of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe.

pg 204

adjuncts: a thing added to something else as a supplementary rather than an essential part.

pg 205

doggedness: persistent determination

despondency: a state of low spirits caused by loss of hope or courage.

Chapter 43

pg 206

bridle: show one's resentment or anger, especially by throwing up the head and drawing in the chin.

saddle: burden (someone) with an onerous responsibility or task.

doff: to remove your hat, usually to show respect

pg 207

placate: make (someone) less angry or hostile.

arduous: involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.

Chapter 44

pg 210

perceptive: having or showing sensitive insight.

rectify: put (something) right; correct. 

pg 211

unsullied: not spoiled or made impure.

pg 213

feign: pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury).

exude: discharge (moisture or a smell) slowly and steadily.

pg 214

circumspection: the quality of being wary and unwilling to take risks; prudence.

pg 215

contour: an outline, especially one representing or bounding the shape or form of something.

pg 216

thud: a dull, heavy sound, such as that made by an object falling to the ground.

pg 217

strudel: a dessert of thin pastry rolled up around a fruit filling and baked.

Chapter 46

pg 220

cranny: a small, narrow space or opening.

scullery: a small kitchen or room at the back of a house used for washing dishes and other dirty household work.

pg 221

hubbub: a chaotic din caused by a crowd of people.

Chapter 47

pg 222

virulent: (of a disease or poison) extremely severe or harmful in its effects.

pg 223

occult: supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.

penitential: relating to or expressing penitence or penance.

pg 224

environ: surround; enclose.

pg 225

culprit: a person who is responsible for a crime or other misdeed.

Chapter 48

pg 226

ruse: an action intended to deceive someone; a trick.

provost: a senior administrative officer in certain colleges and universities.

pg 227

agape: (of the mouth) wide open, especially with surprise or wonder.

abominable: causing moral revulsion.

pg 231

pious: devoutly religious.

pg 226

ruse: an action intended to deceive someone; a trick.

pg 227

provost: a senior administrative officer in certain colleges and universities.

pg 228

magistrate: a civil officer or lay judge who administers the law, especially one who conducts a court that deals with minor offenses and holds preliminary hearings for more serious ones.

culprit: a person who is responsible for a crime or other misdeed.

pg 231

obscene: (of the portrayal or description of sexual matters) offensive or disgusting by accepted standards of morality and decency.

Ch 49

pg 233

jubilation: a feeling of great happiness and triumph.

pg 236

infatuation: an intense but short-lived passion or admiration for someone or something.

homicidal: capable of or tending toward murder; murderous.

pg 237

clatter: a continuous rattling sound as of hard objects falling or striking each other.

pg 242

inundate: overwhelm (someone) with things or people to be dealt with.

Ch 50

pg 243

reliquary: a container for holy relics.

fatuous: silly and pointless.

profundity: deep insight; great depth of knowledge or thought.

recant: say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, especially one considered heretical.

pg 245

dissipation: the squandering of money, energy, or resources.

Ch 51

pg 251

anoint: smear or rub with oil, typically as part of a religious ceremony.

pg 253

ooze: (of a fluid) slowly trickle or seep out of something; flow in a very gradual way.

pg 254

plumage: a bird's feathers collectively.

voluptuous: (of a woman) curvaceous and sexually attractive.

rapture: a feeling of intense pleasure or joy.