Vocabulary Boosters

Use these 20 vocabulary words from Esperanza Rising for your weekly list, daily word study, or spelling exercises.

1. arbor (ar-bur)
noun
A small shelter made of or surrounded by trees, shrubs, vines, or other plants

2. capricious (kuh-prish-uhss)
adjective
Unpredictable or tending to change direction without any obvious reason

3. careening (kuh-reen-ing)
verb
Swaying from side to side

4. crochet (croh-shay)
verb
A kind of needlework made with a hooked needle and thread or yarn

5. fiesta (fee-ess-tuh)
noun
A holiday, religious festival, or party, especially in Spain and Latin America

6. immigration (im-uh grash-uhn)
noun
The act of moving to another country to live there permanently

7. makeshift (make-shift)
adjective
Something made in a not sturdy way from whatever materials are available

8. mesmerized (mez-mer-ized)
verb
To spellbind or fascinate in a hypnotic way

9. migrant (mye-gruhnt)
noun
Someone who moves around doing seasonal work such as picking crops

10. mussed (muhs-ed)
verb
Untidy or wrinkled as in clothing or hair

11. panorama (pan-uh-ram-uh)
noun
A wide or complete view of an area

12. phoenix (fee-nix)
noun
A bird of ancient Egyptian legend that after being consumed by fire is reborn fresh and new from the ashes; often used as a symbol of renewal after destruction

13. plaited (playt-ed or plat-ed)
adjective
A length of hair that has been divided in to three sections and braided

14. premonition (pree-muh-nish-uhn or prem-uh-nish-uhn)
noun
A feeling that something is going to happen, especially something bad or harmful

15. remnants (rem-nuhnts)
noun
Pieces or parts of something that are left over

16. stagnant (stag-nayt)
verb
Something that is suffering from not being active or moving forward such as polluted water or a person stuck in a situation

17. strikers (st-rike-ers)
noun
People who refuse to do work because of an argument or disagreement with their employer over wages or working conditions

18. unrelenting (un-ri-lent-ing)
adjective
Not letting up or weakening in determination

19. untethered (un-teth-ur-ed)
adjective
Let loose and wild; not confined or restricted

20. vineyard (vin-yurd)
noun
An area of land where grapes are grown