Chapter 6 Vocabulary Words

• faltering- v. to hesitate or waver in action, purpose, intent, etc.; give way
• Sentence- The prisoners marched through the icy wind without faltering.
  
• automatons- n. a mechanical figure or contrivance constructed to act as if by its own motive power; robot
• Sentence- As the prisoners were walking, they looked like automatons.
  
• midst- n. the position of anything surrounded by other things or parts, or occurring in the middle of a period of time, course of action, etc
• Sentence- I was in the midst of the crowd.
  
• famished- adj. extremely hungry:
• Sentence- Elie was famished from the long walk.
  
• parched- v. to make extremely, excessively, or completely dry, as heat, sun, and wind do.
• Sentence- The prisoners throat were all parched, because they were dehydrated.
  
• indeterminate- adj. not determinate; not precisely fixed in extent; indefinite; uncertain
• Sentence- A light of indeterminate light showed on the horizon.
  
• illusion- n. something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality
• Sentence- Elie had an illusion of a soft comfy bed.
  
• condemned- v. to express an unfavorable or adverse judgment on; indicate strong disapproval of; censure.
• Sentence- The Jews were condemned of what was happening.
  
• withered- v. to shrivel; fade; decay
• Sentence- The grapes had withered on the vine.
  
• petrified- v. to convert into stone or a stony substance.
• Sentence- Eliezer's fathers eyes were petrified from hunger.
  
• distress- n. great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble
• Sentence- I was distressed because of my incomplete assignments.
  
• privation- n. lack of the usual comforts or necessaries of life
• Sentence- His life of privation began to affect his health.
  
• staggering- adj. tending to stagger or overwhelm
• Sentence- A staggering amount of money required in the initial investment.
  
• encumbrance- n. something that encumbers; something burdensome, useless, or superfluous; burden; hindrance
• Sentence- Poverty was a lifelong encumbrance.
  
• semblance- n. outward aspect or appearance
• Sentence- The Jews had a semblance of a corpse during the Holocaust.
  
• jostled- v. to bump, push, shove, brush against, or elbow roughly or rudely.
• Sentence- The crowd jostled during the protest.
  
• bereaved- adj. (of a person) greatly saddened at being deprived by death of a loved one.
• Sentence- My mother was bereaved by my grandmother's death.
  
• rabbi- n. a title of respect for a Jewish scholar or teacher
• Sentence- All Jews showed respect to a rabbi.