The Scarlet Letter — Page 1

Vocabulary

LA

Feminine definite article meaning 'the' in French.

LETTRE

A written message or letter sent to someone.

ÉCARLATE

Bright red color; scarlet hue.

PAR

Preposition meaning 'by' or 'through'.

Illustré

Decorated or accompanied by illustrations or images.

Illustration

A picture or drawing that accompanies a text.

ET

Conjunction meaning 'and' connecting words or phrases.

COMPAGNIE

A company or business organization; often abbreviated 'Cie'.

ANCIENNEMENT

Formerly; previously known by another name.

DROITS

Rights or legal entitlements held by a person.

D'

Contracted preposition 'de' before a vowel meaning 'of'.

AUTEUR

The writer or creator of a literary work.

Tous

All or every; referring to the entirety of something.

droits

Rights or legal claims belonging to an individual.

réservés

Reserved; retained exclusively for the owner's use.

octobre

The tenth month of the year; October.

PRÉFACE

An introductory section written before a book's main text.

DE

Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from' in French.

DEUXIÈME

Second; the ordinal number following the first.

ÉDITION

A version or printing of a published book.

À

Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.

la

Feminine definite article meaning 'the'.

grande

Great or large; describing significant size or degree.

surprise

An unexpected event causing astonishment or shock.

de

Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'.

l'

Contracted definite article used before a vowel sound.

auteur

The writer or creator of a literary work.

et

Conjunction meaning 'and' linking words or clauses.

s'

Reflexive pronoun 'se' contracted before a vowel.

il

Third-person masculine singular pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.

peut

Third-person singular of 'pouvoir'; meaning 'can' or 'may'.

le

Masculine definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'it'.

dire

To say or to tell something to someone.

sans

Preposition meaning 'without' in French.

offenser

To offend or insult someone's feelings or dignity.

davantage

More; to a greater extent or degree.

à

Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.

son

Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.

grand

Great or large; significant in size or degree.

amusement

Entertainment or the state of finding something funny.

constate

Observes or notes a fact; third-person singular of 'constater'.

que

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

esquisse

A sketch or brief outline of a subject.

vie

Life; one's existence or way of living.

officielle

Official; relating to an authoritative or governmental role.

servant

Serving; acting as a function or purpose for something.

d'

Contracted preposition 'de' before a vowel meaning 'of'.

introduction

An opening section presenting the main subject or text.

a

Third-person singular of 'avoir'; meaning 'has'.

suscité

Aroused or provoked a reaction or response in others.

une

Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.

agitation

Excitement, disturbance, or public unrest about something.

précédent

Without precedent; never having happened before now.

dans

Preposition meaning 'in' or 'inside' a place.

respectable

Worthy of respect; regarded with esteem by others.

communauté

A community or group of people sharing common interests.

qui

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

entoure

Surrounds or encircles a place or person closely.

immédiatement

Immediately; without delay or hesitation right away.

Elle

Third-person feminine singular pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it'.

n'

Contracted negation particle 'ne' used before a vowel.

aurait

Conditional of 'avoir'; meaning 'would have'.

guère

Hardly or scarcely; used in negative constructions.

pu

Past participle of 'pouvoir'; meaning 'been able to'.

être

To be; the infinitive form of the verb 'be'.

plus

More; used in comparisons or to indicate greater degree.

violente

Violent or intense; marked by great force or fury.

en

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

vérité

Truth; a fact or reality that is genuine.

avait

Imperfect of 'avoir'; meaning 'had' in the past.

incendié

Set on fire; destroyed by burning flames intentionally.

Maison

A house or building used as a home.

des

Plural indefinite article or contraction of 'de les'.

Douanes

Customs office; government agency controlling imports and exports.

éteint

Extinguished or put out, as a fire or light.

sa

Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its' (feminine).

dernière

Last or final; the most recent occurrence of something.

braise

Ember; a glowing piece of burning coal or wood.

fumante

Smoking; emitting smoke from heat or burning material.

sang

Blood; the red fluid circulating in the body.

un

Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.

certain

A certain; referring to a particular unspecified person or thing.

personnage

A character or notable person in a story or society.

vénérable

Venerable; deserving respect due to age or dignity.

envers

Towards; indicating a relationship or attitude directed at someone.

est

Third-person singular of 'être'; meaning 'is'.

censé

Supposed or expected to do or be something.

nourrir

To nourish or harbor a feeling, belief, or sentiment.

malveillance

Malice or ill will directed toward another person.

particulière

Particular or specific; relating to one specific case.

Comme

As or like; used for comparison or as conjunction.

désapprobation

Disapproval; an expression of negative judgment or criticism.

du

Contraction of 'de le' meaning 'of the' (masculine).

public

The general public; the community or society at large.

pèserait

Would weigh; conditional of 'peser', to weigh heavily.

très

Very; used to intensify an adjective or adverb.

lourdement

Heavily; with great weight or burden on something.

sur

Preposition meaning 'on', 'upon', or 'over'.

lui

Third-person pronoun meaning 'him', 'her', or 'to him/her'.

conscience

Conscience; inner moral sense of right and wrong.

mériter

To deserve or merit something based on one's actions.

se

Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself', 'himself', or 'herself'.

permet

Allows or permits; third-person singular of 'permettre'.

qu'

Contracted conjunction 'que' before a vowel meaning 'that'.

relu

Reread; past participle of 'relire', to read again.

attentivement

Attentively; with careful focus and close attention.

les

Plural definite article meaning 'the' for both genders.

pages

Pages; the numbered leaves of a book or document.

avec

Preposition meaning 'with', indicating accompaniment or means.

intention

Purpose or plan to carry out a specific action.

modifier

To modify or change something to improve or correct it.

ou

Conjunction meaning 'or', offering an alternative choice.

supprimer

To delete or remove something from a text or document.

tout

All or everything; referring to the whole of something.

ce

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

pourrait

Could; conditional form of 'pouvoir', expressing possibility.

jugé

Judged or deemed; considered to be a certain way.

déplacé

Inappropriate or out of place in context or behavior.

faire

To do or make; a very common French infinitive verb.

mieux

Better; comparative adverb indicating superior quality or manner.

pour

Preposition meaning 'for', 'in order to', or 'to'.

réparer

To repair or make amends for something done wrong.

atrocités

Atrocities; extremely cruel or shocking acts or behaviors.

dont

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

été

Past participle of 'être'; meaning 'been'.

déclaré

Declared or stated officially; pronounced to be something.

coupable

Guilty; responsible for a fault, crime, or wrongdoing.

Mais

Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing a contrasting idea.

semble

Seems or appears; third-person singular of 'sembler'.

seuls

Only or alone; the sole ones without others present.

traits

Traits or features; characteristic qualities of a person or text.

remarquables

Remarkable; worthy of attention or notably outstanding.

cette

Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' or 'that' (feminine).

sont

Third-person plural of 'être'; meaning 'are'.

franchise

Frankness or candor; speaking openly and honestly.

véritable

Genuine or true; real and not false or pretended.

bonne

Good; feminine form of 'bon', indicating positive quality.

humeur

Mood or humor; one's emotional state or disposition.

ainsi

Thus or so; used to indicate a result or manner.

exactitude

Accuracy or precision; the quality of being exactly correct.

générale

General; relating to the whole rather than specifics.

laquelle

Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'whom' (feminine form).

transmis

Transmitted or conveyed; past participle of 'transmettre'.

ses

Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its' (plural).

impressions

Impressions; personal feelings or opinions about something experienced.

sincères

Sincere; genuine and honest in feelings or expression.

personnages

Characters or persons depicted in a narrative or story.

y

Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or referring to a place.

décrits

Described; depicted in words in a text or account.

Quant

As for; used to introduce a new topic or point.

inimitié

Enmity or hostility; deep-seated ill feeling toward someone.

sentiment

A feeling or emotion experienced about someone or something.

malveillant

Malevolent; having or showing ill will toward others.

quelque

Some or any; referring to an unspecified amount or kind.

nature

Nature or kind; the essential character of something.

soit

Subjunctive of 'être'; meaning 'be' or 'whether'.

personnel

Personal; relating to a specific individual rather than general.

politique

Political; relating to government, policy, or political affairs.

rejette

Rejects; refuses to accept or denies completely.

totalement

Totally or completely; in an absolute and entire manner.

tels

Such; used to refer to things of a certain kind.

mobiles

Motives or reasons behind someone's actions or decisions.