Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 7

Vocabulary

Rien

Nothing; not anything at all

n'

Contraction of 'ne'; negation particle before vowel

a

Has; third-person singular of 'avoir'

été

Been; past participle of 'être'

négligé

Neglected; left without attention or care

pour

For; in order to; intended for a purpose

paralyser

To paralyze; to render incapable of movement or function

leur

Their; possessive pronoun referring to multiple owners

intellect

Intellect; the faculty of reasoning and understanding

obscurcir

To obscure; to darken or make unclear

esprit

Mind; spirit; wit; intellectual or mental faculty

avilir

To degrade; to lower the dignity or worth of someone

nature

Nature; the intrinsic character or essence of something

morale

Moral; relating to ethics or principles of right conduct

effacer

To erase; to wipe out or remove completely

toutes

All; every; feminine plural form of 'tout'

les

The; definite article for plural nouns

traces

Traces; marks or signs left behind by something

de

Of; from; preposition indicating origin or belonging

appartenance

Belonging; the state of being part of a group

à

To; at; in; general-purpose preposition of direction

l'

The; elided definite article before a vowel sound

humanité

Humanity; the human race; the quality of being human

et

And; conjunction linking words or clauses together

pourtant

Yet; nevertheless; despite what was just stated

avec

With; in the company of or by means of

quelle

What; which; feminine interrogative or exclamative adjective

force

Strength; force; power or intensity of action

admirable

Admirable; worthy of great respect and approval

ils

They; third-person masculine plural subject pronoun

ont

Have; third-person plural present of 'avoir'

supporté

Endured; borne or tolerated a heavy burden

le

The; masculine singular definite article

poids

Weight; burden; the heaviness of something carried

écrasant

Crushing; overwhelming; extremely heavy or burdensome

d'

Of; elided form of 'de' before a vowel

un

A; an; masculine indefinite article meaning one

esclavage

Slavery; the condition of being enslaved or in bondage

des

Some; of the; plural indefinite or partitive article

plus

Most; more; used to form superlatives or comparatives

effroyables

Dreadful; horrifying; causing extreme fear or disgust

sous

Under; beneath; below in position or subjection

lequel

Which; relative or interrogative pronoun replacing a noun

gémi

Groaned; moaned; past participle of 'gémir'

pendant

During; for; throughout a period of time

siècles

Centuries; periods of one hundred years each

Pour

To; in order to; expressing purpose or intent

illustrer

To illustrate; to clarify or demonstrate with an example

effet

Effect; result or consequence of an action or cause

sur

On; upon; over; preposition of position or topic

homme

Man; a human male or person in general

blanc

White; of the color white; used to describe race

montrer

To show; to demonstrate or reveal something clearly

qu'

That; elided conjunction introducing a subordinate clause

il

He; it; third-person masculine singular subject pronoun

ne

Not; negation particle used with a second negative word

possède

Possesses; owns; has as a quality or attribute

dans

In; inside; within a place, time, or condition

une

A; an; feminine indefinite article meaning one

telle

Such; of this kind; so great in degree

condition

Condition; state or circumstances in which one exists

aucune

No; none; not any; feminine negative determiner

capacité

Capacity; ability or power to do something

endurance

Endurance; ability to sustain hardship or prolonged effort

supérieure

Superior; greater or higher than another in quality

celle

That one; demonstrative pronoun referring to a feminine noun

son

His; her; its; possessive adjective for singular nouns

frère

Brother; a male sibling or fellow member

noir

Black; dark in color; used to describe race

éminent

Eminent; highly respected and prominent in a field

défenseur

Defender; advocate; one who champions a cause

émancipation

Emancipation; liberation from legal, social, or political restraint

universelle

Universal; applying to all people or cases everywhere

puissant

Powerful; mighty; having great strength or influence

champion

Champion; a person who fights for or defends a cause

abattue

Struck down; defeated; knocked down or demoralized

mais

But; however; conjunction expressing contrast or opposition

non

No; not; negation word used for refusal or denial

vaincue

Conquered; defeated; overcome by force or opposition

rapporte

Reports; recounts; tells or brings back information

anecdote

Anecdote; a short amusing or interesting story

suivante

Following; next; the one that comes after

discours

Speech; discourse; a formal address given to an audience

prononça

Delivered; pronounced; gave a speech formally

la

The; feminine singular definite article

Conciliation

Conciliation; the act of reconciling or making peace

devant

Before; in front of; in the presence of

Loyal

Loyal; faithful and devoted to a cause or leader

National

National; relating to a nation or its people

Repeal

Repeal; the revocation or annulment of a law

Association

Association; an organized group sharing a common purpose

mars

March; the third month of the year

Peu

Little; few; not much or not many

importe

Matters; is important; from the verb 'importer'

dit

Said; stated; past tense of 'dire'

M.

Mr.; abbreviation for 'Monsieur', a title of address

quel

What; which; masculine interrogative or exclamative adjective

terme

Term; word; expression used to name something specific

spécieux

Specious; seemingly valid but actually wrong or misleading

elle

She; it; third-person feminine singular subject pronoun

peut

Can; is able to; third-person singular of 'pouvoir'

se

Itself; oneself; reflexive pronoun for third person

déguiser

To disguise; to conceal one's true nature or identity

est

Is; third-person singular present of 'être'

toujours

Always; still; at all times or on all occasions

hideux

Hideous; extremely ugly or repulsive in appearance

Il

It; he; third-person masculine singular subject pronoun

tendance

Tendency; a natural inclination toward a particular behavior

naturelle

Natural; existing in or caused by nature, not artificial

inévitable

Inevitable; certain to happen; impossible to avoid

abrutir

To brutalize; to make someone dull or stupid

nobles

Noble; dignified; of high moral or intellectual quality

facultés

Faculties; mental powers or capabilities of the mind

Un

A; one; masculine indefinite article or number one

marin

Sailor; a person who works aboard a ship

américain

American; relating to or from the United States

qui

Who; which; relative or interrogative pronoun

avait

Had; third-person singular imperfect of 'avoir'

échoué

Shipwrecked; stranded; having run aground or failed

côtes

Coasts; shores; the land along the edge of a sea

où

Where; in which; relative adverb of place

fut

Was; third-person singular simple past of 'être'

maintenu

Kept; maintained; held in a particular state or place

en

In; as; by; preposition or pronoun with varied uses

trois

Three; the number 3

ans

Years; units of time equal to twelve months

trouva

Found; discovered; third-person singular past of 'trouver'

expiration

Expiration; the end or conclusion of a set period

cette

This; that; feminine singular demonstrative adjective

période

Period; a length of time with a defined duration

abêti

Stupefied; made dull or stupid through deprivation

hébété

Dazed; stupefied; in a state of mental numbness

perdu

Lost; no longer having or able to find something

toute

All; every; entire; feminine singular form of 'tout'

faculté

Faculty; a mental or physical ability or power

raisonnement

Reasoning; the process of logical thought and deduction

ayant

Having; present participle of 'avoir' used in compound tenses

oublié

Forgotten; no longer remembered or retained in memory

sa

His; her; its; feminine singular possessive adjective

langue

Language; tongue; a system of communication of a people

maternelle

Mother; maternal; relating to one's mother or native origin

pouvait

Could; was able to; imperfect tense of 'pouvoir'

émettre

To emit; to produce or send out sounds or signals

charabia

Gibberish; unintelligible or incomprehensible language or speech

sauvage

Wild; savage; uncivilized or existing in a natural state

mêlant

Mixing; blending; combining different elements together

arabe

Arabic; relating to the Arabic language or Arab people

anglais

English; relating to the English language or England

que

That; which; what; conjunction or relative pronoun

personne

Nobody; person; no one when used with negation

comprendre

To understand; to grasp the meaning of something

lui-

Him; self; used in reflexive or emphatic constructions

même

Same; even; himself; used for emphasis or similarity

du

Of the; contracted article combining 'de' and 'le'

mal

Difficulty; badly; poorly; trouble performing an action

prononcer

To pronounce; to articulate words or sounds aloud

Voilà

There it is; that is; used to point something out

tout

All; everything; entirely; the whole of something

ce

This; that; it; demonstrative pronoun or adjective

faut

Must; need to; impersonal form of 'falloir'

dire

To say; to tell; to express in words

influence

Influence; the power to affect or shape something

humanisante

Humanizing; tending to make more humane or civilized

Institution

Institution; an established organization or social structure

Domestique

Domestic; relating to the home or household affairs