THE CANTERBURY TALES

PROLOGUE
Active Vocabulary
1) Pierce - to go into or through something, making a hole in it using a sharp point
2) Engender – to cause something to come into existence
3) Grove – a group of trees planted close together
4) Fowl - a bird of a type that is used to produce meat or eggs
5) Hallowed – very respected and praised because of great importance or great age
6) Shire – a county, now used in combination in the names of many British counties
7) Martyr – a person who suffers very much or is killed because
of their religious or political beliefs, and is often admired because of it
8) Sundry - several different; various
9) Inn - a pub where you can stay for the night, usually in the countryside
10) Pledge - to make a serious or formal promise to give or do something
11) Array – a large group of things or people, especially one that
is attractive or causes admiration or has been positioned in a particular way
12) Apparel = clothes
13) Distinguished – respected and admired man
14) Chivalry – the system of behaviour followed by knights in the medieval period of history,
that put a high value on honour, kindness, and courage
15) Courtesy – polite behaviour, or a polite action or remark
16) Heathen /ˈhiː.ðən/ - (of people or their way of life, activities, and ideas) having no religion,
or belonging to a religion that is not Christianity, Judaism, or Islam
17) Assault = attack
18) Embark – to go onto a ship
19) Boorish = rude
20) Smudge – a mark with no particular shape that is caused, usually by accident,
by rubbing something such as ink or a dirty finger across a surface
21) Agility – able to move your body quickly and easily:
22) Meadow – /ˈmed.əʊ/ a field with grass and often wild flowers in it
23) Gown - a long, loose piece of clothing worn over other clothes for a particular purpose
24) Joust – to compete, especially for power or control
25) Lowly = humble
26) up and down – everywhere in
a particular area, especially an area that stretches from north to south
27) saucy – rude and showing no respect, or referring to sex, especially in a humorous way
28) brace – something that is used to support or connect things, or to make something stronger
29) ward = guard
30) spear – /spɪər/ a weapon consisting of a pole with a sharp, usually metal, point at one end,
that is either thrown or held in the hand
31) dangle (from) – to hang loosely, or to hold something so that it hangs loosely
32) baldrick - a wide (ornamented) belt worn over the right shoulder to support a sword or bugle
by the left hip
33) oath - a promise, especially that you will tell the truth in a law court
34) dainty – small, delicate, and often moving in a careful way
35) morsel - a very small piece of food
36) zest – enthusiasm, eagerness, energy, and interest
37) counterfeit – ˈkaʊn.tə.fɪt/ made to look like the original of something, usually
for dishonest or illegal purposes
38) solicitous – showing care and helpful attention to someone:
39) cloak - a loose outer piece of clothing without sleeves, that fastens at the neck, and
is worn instead of a coat
40) trinket – a small decorative object, or a piece of jewellery that is cheap or of low quality
41) brooch - /brəʊtʃ/a small piece of jewellery with a pin at the back to fasten to a shirt or jacket,
usually worn by women
42) chapel - /ˈtʃæp.əl/ a room that is part of a larger building and is used for Christian worship
43) pier – long structure sticking out from the land over the sea,
where people can walk or large boats can be tied, sometimes
with restaurants and places of entertainment on it
44) cloister – a covered stone passage around the four sides of a courtyard (=
a square or rectangular space) especially in a religious building such as
a church or monastery
45) toil – hard work, especially work that makes you feel physically tired
46) prelate – /ˈprel.ət/ an official of high rank in the Christian religion, such as a bishop or
an abbot
47) torment - to cause a person or animal to suffer or worry
48) wanton – extreme and showing no care at all
49) mellow – smooth and soft, or not too sharp, bright, new, or rough
50) glib – speaking or spoken in a confident way, but without careful thought or honesty
51) penitent – showing that you are sorry for something you have done because you feel it
was wrong
52) absolution – the act of forgiving someone, especially in the Christian religion, for
something bad that they have done or thought
53) repent – to be very sorry for something bad you have done in the past and wish that you had
not done it
54) verity – the quality of being true
55) tippet – a small piece of fur or cloth worn over the shoulders
56) sturdy - physically strong and solid or thick
57) hurdy-gurdy - a musical instrument that
is played by turning a handle, causing a small wheel to be rubbed against a set of strings
58) barmaid – a woman who serves drinks in a bar
59) eminent - famous, respected, or important
60) wretched = miserable
61) victual = affluent
62) romp - to play in a rough, excited, and noisy way
63) threadbare – thin or damaged because they have been used a lot
64) wantonness – bad behaviour that is intentional or shows no care about bad things that
might result
65) estimable – /ˈes.tɪ.mə.bəl/ of a person or their behaviour , considered to be very good
or deserving praise
66) secular – not having any connection with religion
67) hollow – having a hole or empty space inside
68) psaltery - an ancient musical instrument consisting of a flat sounding box with
numerous strings which are plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum
69) Wary – /ˈweə.ri/ not completely trusting or certain about something or someone
70) Reverence – a feeling of respect or admiration for someone or something
71) Lofty – If you have a lofty way of behaving or talking, etc., you act as if you think you
are better than other people
72) Robe – a long, loose piece of clothing worn especially on very formal occasions
73) Conveyancer – a person whose job is
to manage the legal process of moving land or property from one owner to another
74) Deed – a legal document that is an official record of an agreement or official proof that
someone owns land or a building
75) Statute - a law that has been formally approved and written down
76) Learn something by rote – to learn something in order to be able to repeat it
from memory, rather than in order to understand it
77) Benign – /bɪˈnaɪn/ pleasant and kind
78) Felicity = happiness
79) Bounty – money paid as a reward
80) Ale - any of various types of beer, usually one that is dark and bitter
81) Dainties = treats
82) Partridge – a bird with a round body and a short tail that is sometimes hunted for food or
for sport, or the meat of this bird
83) Coop – a cage (= a small space surrounded by bars, wire,
etc.) where small animals are kept, especially chickens
84) Pike – a large fish that lives in lakes and rivers and eats other fish
85) Audit – an official examination of the accounts of a business
86) Entry – a separate piece of information that is recorded in a book, computer
87) landed gentry – members of the land-owning classes who are not members of the peerage
88) Weaver – a person whose job is weaving cloth and other materials
89) Trim - tidy and well ordered
90) Gear = equipment
91) Burgess – an inhabitant of a town or borough
92) Dais – a raised surface at one end of a meeting room that someone can stand on
when speaking to a group
93) Revenue = income
94) Seethe – (of water) to move around very strongly or suddenly or to boil
95) Broil – to cook something under a very hot surface in a cooker
96) hail from = come from
97) snore – to breathe in a very noisy way while you are sleeping
98) Prudent – careful and avoiding risks
99) Tempest – a violent storm
100) Creek – a narrow area of water that flows into the land from the sea, a lake, etc.
101) Malady – disease
102) Guile – clever but sometimes dishonest behaviour that you use to deceive someone
103) well-versed = aware of
104) pestilence – /ˈpes.tɪ.ləns/ any
very serious infectious disease that spreads quickly and kills large numbers of people
105) parish – in some Christian denominations, an area cared for by
one priest with its own church, or (in England) the smallest unit of local government
106) wrath - extreme anger
107) hue – colour
108) kerchief – a square piece of cloth worn around the neck or on the head
109) conceal = hide
110) remedy - a successful way of curing an illness or dealing with a problem or difficulty
111) preach – to give a religious speech
112) extort – to get something by force or threats, or with difficulty
113) stave = stick
114) encumber – /ɪnˈkʌm.bər/ to weigh someone or something down, or to make
it difficult for someone to do something
115) mire – an area of deep, wet, sticky earth
116) mercenary – a soldier who fights for any country or group that pays them
117) contempt – a strong feeling of disliking and having no respect for someone or
something
118) rebuke – /rɪˈbjuːk/ to speak angrily to someone because you disapprove of what they
have said or done
119) lore – traditional knowledge and stories about a subject
120) dung – solid waste from animals, especially cattle and horses
121) Plowman – a man whose job is to direct a plough by leading a horse or
other animal that is pulling it
122) Mare – an adult female horse
123) Repine – to feel sad or complain about something, especially a bad situation
124) Manure – solid waste from animals, especially horses, that is spread on
the land in order to make plants grow well
125) Chap – a young boy
126) Sow – an adult female pig
127) Wart – a small, hard lump (= a raised area) that grows on the skin, often on
the face and hands
128) Wrangler – (likes making arguments)
129) Buffoon – /bəˈfuːn/a person who does silly things, usually to make
other people laugh
130) Gauge – /ɡeɪdʒ/ to calculate an amount, especially by using a measuring device
131) Marvel – a thing or person that is very surprising or causes a lot of admiration
132) Outpace = overtake
133) Frugal – /ˈfruː.ɡəl/ careful when using money or food, or (of
a meal) cheap or small in amount
134) in arrear = be in debt
135) bailiff – an official who takes away someone's possessions when they owe money
136) serf – a member of a low social class in medieval times who worked on the land and
had to obey the person who owned that land
137) cavalcade – a line of people, vehicles, horses,
etc. following a particular route as part of a ceremony
138) quicksilver – mercury
139) ointment – a thick substance, usually containing medicine, that is put on the skin
140) brimstone – the chemical sulphur
141) purge = clean up
142) hazy = not clear
143) varlet – a man or boy acting as an attendant or servant;
a dishonest or unprincipled man
144) concubine /ˈkɒŋ.kjə.baɪn/ a woman who, in some societies, lives with a man she is
not married to, and has a lower social rank than his wife or wives
145) rascal – a person, especially a child or a man, who does things that
you disapprove of, but who you still like
146) excommunication - the act of refusing to to allow someone to be involved in
the Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church, and to take part in
the ceremony of Communion
147) diocese /ˈdaɪ.ə.sɪs/ an area controlled by a bishop
148) flax – a plant with blue flowers grown for its stems or seeds, or the thread made from
this plant
149) pillow-case – a cloth cover for a pillow that can easily be removed and washed
150) Prevarication – the fact of avoiding telling the truth or saying exactly what you think
151) Scurrility – the quality of expressing unfair or false criticism that
is likely to damage someone's reputation
152) Girth – the distance around the outside of a thick or fat object, like a tree or a body
153) Spry = active, energetic
154) Disdain – the feeling of not liking someone or something and thinking that they do
not deserve your interest or respect