Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 14

Vocabulary

Qu'

Contraction of 'que' meaning 'that' or 'what'.

on

Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one,' 'we,' or 'they'.

n'

Contraction of 'ne,' part of French negation structure.

oublie

Third person singular of 'oublier,' meaning 'forgets.'

jamais

Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever.'

qu'

Contraction of 'que,' meaning 'that' or 'than.'

aucun

Adjective or pronoun meaning 'no' or 'none.'

propriétaire

Noun meaning 'owner' or 'proprietor.'

d'

Contraction of 'de,' meaning 'of' or 'from.'

esclaves

Plural noun meaning 'slaves.'

ni

Conjunction meaning 'nor,' used in negative constructions.

contremaître

Noun meaning 'overseer' or 'foreman.'

ne

Negative particle used with 'pas,' 'jamais,' etc.

peut

Third person singular of 'pouvoir,' meaning 'can.'

être

Infinitive verb meaning 'to be.'

condamné

Past participle meaning 'condemned' or 'convicted.'

pour

Preposition meaning 'for' or 'because of.'

quelque

Adjective meaning 'some' or 'any.'

violence

Noun meaning 'violence' or 'brutal force.'

que

Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that,' 'which,' or 'than.'

ce

Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'it.'

soit

Subjunctive of 'être,' meaning 'be' or 'may be.'

perpétrée

Past participle of 'perpétrer,' meaning 'perpetrated' or 'committed.'

sur

Preposition meaning 'on' or 'upon.'

personne

Noun meaning 'person'; also used in negation as 'nobody.'

esclave

Noun meaning 'slave.'

aussi

Adverb meaning 'also,' 'too,' or 'as.'

diabolique

Adjective meaning 'diabolical,' 'devilish,' or 'wicked.'

elle

Personal pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it' (feminine).

puisse

Subjunctive of 'pouvoir,' meaning 'may be able to.'

témoignage

Noun meaning 'testimony' or 'witness account.'

témoins

Plural noun meaning 'witnesses.'

couleur

Noun meaning 'color'; here referring to people of color.

ils

Personal pronoun meaning 'they' (masculine or mixed group).

soient

Subjunctive plural of 'être,' meaning 'be' or 'may be.'

ou

Conjunction meaning 'or.'

libres

Adjective meaning 'free' or 'at liberty.'

Par

Preposition meaning 'by,' 'through,' or 'per.'

code

Noun meaning 'code,' referring to a set of laws.

esclavage

Noun meaning 'slavery.'

sont

Third person plural of 'être,' meaning 'are.'

jugés

Past participle of 'juger,' meaning 'judged' or 'deemed.'

incompétents

Adjective meaning 'incompetent' or 'unqualified.'

témoigner

Infinitive verb meaning 'to testify' or 'to bear witness.'

contre

Preposition meaning 'against.'

homme

Noun meaning 'man' or 'human being.'

blanc

Adjective meaning 'white,' referring to race or color.

s'

Reflexive pronoun contraction meaning 'oneself' or 'themselves.'

faisaient

Imperfect plural of 'faire,' meaning 'were doing' or 'made.'

effectivement

Adverb meaning 'indeed,' 'actually,' or 'in effect.'

partie

Noun meaning 'part' or 'portion'; also 'game.'

création

Noun meaning 'creation' or 'the created world.'

animale

Adjective meaning 'animal' or 'relating to animals.'

Ainsi

Adverb meaning 'thus,' 'so,' or 'in this way.'

existe

Third person singular of 'exister,' meaning 'exists.'

en

Preposition or pronoun meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'of it.'

réalité

Noun meaning 'reality' or 'actuality.'

aucune

Feminine form of 'aucun,' meaning 'no' or 'none.'

protection

Noun meaning 'protection' or 'safeguard.'

légale

Adjective meaning 'legal' or 'lawful' (feminine).

quelle

Interrogative adjective meaning 'what' or 'which' (feminine).

apparence

Noun meaning 'appearance' or 'outward look.'

population

Noun meaning 'population' or 'group of people.'

toute

Feminine adjective meaning 'all,' 'every,' or 'any.'

sorte

Noun meaning 'sort,' 'kind,' or 'type.'

cruauté

Noun meaning 'cruelty' or 'brutality.'

leur

Pronoun or adjective meaning 'their' or 'to them.'

infligée

Past participle of 'infliger,' meaning 'inflicted' or 'imposed.'

impunité

Noun meaning 'impunity,' freedom from punishment.

esprit

Noun meaning 'mind,' 'spirit,' or 'intellect.'

humain

Adjective meaning 'human' or 'humane.'

concevoir

Infinitive meaning 'to conceive,' 'to imagine,' or 'to design.'

état

Noun meaning 'state,' 'condition,' or 'status.'

société

Noun meaning 'society' or 'community.'

plus

Adverb meaning 'more' or 'no longer' in negation.

horrible

Adjective meaning 'horrible,' 'dreadful,' or 'horrifying.'

effet

Noun meaning 'effect' or 'result'; 'en effet' means 'indeed.'

profession

Noun meaning 'profession,' 'occupation,' or 'declaration.'

foi

Noun meaning 'faith' or 'belief.'

religieuse

Adjective meaning 'religious' or 'devout' (feminine).

conduite

Noun meaning 'conduct,' 'behavior,' or 'management.'

maîtres

Plural noun meaning 'masters' or 'owners.'

Sud

Noun meaning 'South,' referring to a geographic direction or region.

décrit

Past participle of 'décrire,' meaning 'described.'

avec

Preposition meaning 'with.'

vivacité

Noun meaning 'liveliness,' 'vividness,' or 'sharpness.'

dans

Preposition meaning 'in,' 'inside,' or 'within.'

Récit

Noun meaning 'narrative,' 'account,' or 'story.'

qui

Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which.'

suit

Third person singular of 'suivre,' meaning 'follows.'

avère

Third person singular of 's'avérer,' meaning 'proves to be.'

tout

Adjective or adverb meaning 'all,' 'every,' or 'quite.'

sauf

Preposition meaning 'except' or 'save for.'

salutaire

Adjective meaning 'salutary,' 'beneficial,' or 'wholesome.'

nature

Noun meaning 'nature,' 'character,' or 'natural world.'

même

Adjective or adverb meaning 'same,' 'even,' or 'itself.'

choses

Plural noun meaning 'things' or 'matters.'

doit

Third person singular of 'devoir,' meaning 'must' or 'owes.'

haut

Adjective or noun meaning 'high,' 'tall,' or 'top.'

degré

Noun meaning 'degree,' 'level,' or 'extent.'

pernicieux

Adjective meaning 'pernicious,' 'harmful,' or 'destructive.'

_M

Abbreviation for 'Monsieur,' meaning 'Mr.' or 'Mister.'

point

Noun or adverb meaning 'point' or used in negation as 'not at all.'

soutenu

Past participle of 'soutenir,' meaning 'supported' or 'sustained.'

par

Preposition meaning 'by,' 'through,' or 'per.'

nuée

Noun meaning 'swarm,' 'host,' or 'multitude.'

dont

Relative pronoun meaning 'whose,' 'of which,' or 'from which.'

véracité

Noun meaning 'veracity,' 'truthfulness,' or 'accuracy.'

irréprochable

Adjective meaning 'irreproachable,' 'beyond reproach,' or 'impeccable.'

christianisme

Noun meaning 'Christianity,' the Christian religion.

imposture

Noun meaning 'imposture,' 'deception,' or 'fraud.'

manifeste

Adjective meaning 'manifest,' 'obvious,' or 'clear.'

C'

Contraction of 'ce,' meaning 'it' or 'this' before 'est.'

criminel

Noun or adjective meaning 'criminal' or 'guilty person.'

rang

Noun meaning 'rank,' 'row,' or 'class.'

voleur

Noun meaning 'thief' or 'robber.'

hommes

Plural noun meaning 'men' or 'human beings.'

Peu

Adverb meaning 'little,' 'few,' or 'not much.'

importe

Third person singular of 'importer,' meaning 'matters'; 'peu importe' means 'no matter.'

vous

Personal pronoun meaning 'you' (formal or plural).

mettez

Second person plural of 'mettre,' meaning 'put' or 'place.'

autre

Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'another.'

plateau

Noun meaning 'tray,' 'plateau,' or 'scale pan.'

balance

Noun meaning 'scale,' 'balance,' or 'weighing instrument.'

Lecteur

Noun meaning 'reader,' addressing the audience directly.

êtes

Second person plural of 'être,' meaning 'you are.'

côté

Noun meaning 'side' or 'direction.'

voleurs

Plural noun meaning 'thieves' or 'robbers.'

sympathie

Noun meaning 'sympathy' or 'fellow feeling.'

dessein

Noun meaning 'design,' 'intention,' or 'purpose.'

leurs

Possessive adjective meaning 'their.'

victimes

Plural noun meaning 'victims.'

opprimées

Past participle of 'opprimer,' meaning 'oppressed.'

Si

Conjunction meaning 'if' or adverb meaning 'yes' (contradicting negation).

premiers

Adjective meaning 'first' or 'former' (masculine plural).

alors

Adverb meaning 'then,' 'so,' or 'at that time.'

ennemi

Noun meaning 'enemy' or 'foe.'

Dieu

Noun meaning 'God.'