Spoon River Anthology — Page 9

Vocabulary

giudice

A person who presides over a court of law

Come

How; as; like; used for comparisons or questions

accade

It happens; it occurs; third person singular present

ditemi

Tell me; imperative plural form of 'dire'

Che

That; what; which; a conjunction or pronoun

che

That; which; who; a relative pronoun or conjunction

fui

I was; first person singular past tense of 'essere'

più

More; most; used to form comparatives and superlatives

erudito

Learned; highly knowledgeable; a scholarly person

avvocati

Lawyers; attorneys; plural of 'avvocato'

conoscevo

I knew; I was acquainted with; imperfect tense

Quasi

Almost; nearly; approximately

memoria

Memory; the ability to remember information

pronunciai

I pronounced; I delivered; first person past tense

grande

Great; large; big; important

discorso

A speech; a discourse; a formal address

tribunale

A court of law; a tribunal

abbia

Has; present subjunctive of 'avere'

mai

Ever; never; used in negative or emphatic sentences

udito

Heard; past participle of 'udire'; also means 'hearing'

scrissi

I wrote; first person singular simple past of 'scrivere'

guadagnò

He/she earned; won; gained; third person past tense

lodi

Praises; commendations; plural of 'lode'

giaccia

Lies; rests; present subjunctive of 'giacere'

qui

Here; in this place

senza

Without; lacking something

segno

A sign; a mark; a symbol

dimenticato

Forgotten; past participle of 'dimenticare'

Mentre

While; whereas; during the time that

ubriacone

A drunkard; a habitual heavy drinker

paese

A town; village; country; one's homeland

blocco

A block; a solid piece of material

marmo

Marble; a hard stone used in sculpture and building

sormontato

Surmounted; topped; placed on top of something

urna

An urn; a decorative vase, often funerary

cui

Which; whom; whose; a relative pronoun

Natura

Nature; the natural world and its phenomena

vena

A vein; a mood; a streak; a disposition

ironia

Irony; a contrast between appearance and reality

seminato

Sown; planted; scattered; past participle of 'seminare'

erbaccia

A weed; an unwanted plant growing in a garden

fiore

A flower; a blossom

vostra

Your; second person plural possessive adjective

attenzione

Attention; careful notice; focus on something

presidente

President; the head of an organization or state

banca

A bank; a financial institution

direttore

Director; manager; head of an organization

reverendo

Reverend; a title for a Christian religious minister

pastore

A pastor; shepherd; a religious leader of a church

chiesa

A church; a Christian place of worship

principale

Main; principal; most important

volte

Times; occasions; plural of 'volta'

sindaco

Mayor; the elected head of a municipality

infine

Finally; in the end; at last

tutti

All; everyone; every one of a group

voi

You; second person plural subject pronoun

membri

Members; people belonging to a group or organization

Club

A club; an association of people sharing interests

Purezza

Purity; the state of being pure or untainted

Sociale

Social; relating to society or social interaction

ultime

Last; final; most recent; feminine plural form

parole

Words; the plural of 'parola'

piedi

Feet; the plural of 'piede'

resto

Rest; remainder; the remaining part of something

eroico

Heroic; showing great bravery or courage

guardia

Guard; protection; a soldier or protective force

Monte

Mountain; mount; a large natural elevation of land

campo

A field; a battlefield; an open area of land

battaglia

Battle; a fight between armed forces

Quando

When; at the time that; a temporal conjunction

inglese

English; relating to England or the English language

li

Them; third person plural masculine object pronoun

chiamò

Called; summoned; third person singular simple past

Arrendetevi

Surrender; give yourselves up; imperative plural form

valorosi

Valiant; brave; courageous; plural masculine adjective

francesi

French people; plural of 'francese'

Là

There; in that place; indicating a distant location

calare

To descend; to fall; to lower; infinitive form

giorno

Day; a 24-hour period; daytime

irrimediabilmente

Irreparably; in a way that cannot be fixed

perduta

Lost; ruined; past participle of 'perdere', feminine form

orde

Hordes; large unruly crowds; plural of 'orda'

uomini

Men; plural of 'uomo'

erano

They were; third person plural imperfect of 'essere'

esercito

Army; an organized military force

Defluivano

They flowed away; they streamed off; imperfect tense

come

Like; as; how; used for comparisons

brandelli

Shreds; tatters; torn fragments; plural of 'brandello'

laceri

Tattered; torn; ragged; plural masculine adjective

nuvole

Clouds; plural of 'nuvola'

temporalesche

Stormy; relating to thunderstorms; feminine plural adjective

tempesta

Storm; a violent weather disturbance

Ebbene

Well then; so; used to introduce a conclusion

ciò

That; this; it; a demonstrative pronoun

disse

He/she said; third person singular simple past of 'dire'

Prima

Before; first; earlier; an adverb of time

fuoco

Fire; flames; heat; also used for gunfire

spianasse

Would level; would flatten; imperfect subjunctive of 'spianare'

cima

Top; summit; peak of a mountain or hill

collina

Hill; a raised landform smaller than a mountain

Contro

Against; opposing; in opposition to something

luce

Light; brightness; illumination

tramontava

Was setting; was going down; imperfect of 'tramontare'

dico

I say; I tell; first person singular present of 'dire'

te

You; second person singular object pronoun (stressed)

mondo

World; the earth; all of humanity

vi

You; there; second person plural pronoun or adverb

ordino

I order; I command; first person singular present of 'ordinare'

inciderlo

To engrave it; infinitive with clitic object pronoun

pietra

Stone; rock; a hard natural mineral material