Class XI NCERT Snapshots Book Chapter Wise difficult word meanings
Here, the difficult words and their meanings of all the Chapters of CBSE Class 11 English Snapshots Book have been compiled for the convenience of the students. This is an exhaustive list of the difficult words and meanings of all the Chapters from the Snapshots book for CBSE NCERT Class 11 English. The difficult words’ meanings have been explained in an easy language so that every student can understand easily.
- Chapter 1 The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse
- Chapter 2 The Address
- Chapter 3 Ranga’s Marriage
- Chapter 4 Albert Einstein at School
- Chapter 5 Mother’s Day
- Chapter 6 The Ghat of the Only World
- Chapter 7 Birth
- Chapter 8 The Tale of Melon City
- Hornbill Book Word Meaning
- Hornbill Book Poem Word Meaning
- Hornbill Book Lesson Explanation
- Snapshots Book Lesson Explanation
Chapter 1 The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse
- Alfalfa – a flowering plant
- Armenian – official language of Armenia branch
- Capricious – inconsistent change of mood
- City Dweller – a person who lives in a city
- Comical – funny
- Consequently – as a result
- Dawned – appeared
- Daybreak – dawn
- Descendant – a system that develops from an earlier simple version
- Enormous – huge
- Fury – anger
- Garoghlanian – an Armenian tribe
- Irrigation ditches – manmade channel used to deliver water to homes, industries and other uses
- Leap out – jump out from a place
- Longings – an aching desire
- Magnificence – extremely beautiful
- Orchards – a piece of land of the plantation of fruits
- Parlour – a sitting space in a house
- Pious – religious
- Reared – raised
- San Joaquin Valley – one of the long interior valleys of California
- Snorted – breathed out
- Streak – race
- Surrey – a country in South-East England
- Trot – proceed with something
- Vagrant – a person without a settled home or work
- Vazire – a name
- Vineyard – plantation of grapevines used in winemaking
Chapter 2 The Address
- Acquaintance – stranger or social contact
- Beckoned – signaled
- Chink – narrow opening
- Crick – cramp or spasm in muscles
- Cumbersome – unmanageable
- Enamel – an opaque or semi-transparent substance that is a type of glass
- Endured – suffered
- Fleetingly – for a short time
- Hanukkah – The Feast of Lights, a Hebrew festival in December
- Jamb – side post of a window, fireplace or doorway
- Jingling – ringing
- Liberation – Liberty or Freeing
- Lugging – carry a heavy object with great effort
- Midst – middle
- Muggy – humid
- Musty – stale
- Pewter plate – plate made of a gray alloy of tin
- Pityingly – feeling sorrow
- Reprovingly – critically
- Vain – hopeless
Chapter 3 Ranga’s Marriage
- Annayya- (in Kannada) a respectful term for an elder
- Bharatvarsha- India
- Brahmarandhra- (in Kannada) the soft part in a child’s head where skull bones join later. Here, used as an idiomatic expression to convey the extreme potency of sourness. In Sanskrit, “Brahmarandhra” means the hole of Brahman. It is the dwelling house of the human soul. Behold- see or observe (someone or something, especially of remarkable or impressive nature)
- Cartographer- a person who draws or produces maps
- Considerate- thoughtful, concerned
- Cowries- a marine mollusc which has a glossy, brightly patterned domed shell with a long, narrow opening
- Flea-pestered dog- A flea- pestered dog does not stick to one place but keeps roaming everywhere.Flea-pestered means being infested by fleas and ticks which can cause uncontrollable itching in animals
- Girija- female (here)
- Harikatha- Story of Lord
- Janewara- (in Kannada) the sacred thread worn by Brahmins
- Kalyana- beautiful, lovely, auspicious in Sanskrit
- Karigadabu- a South Indian fried sweet filled with coconut and sugar
- Like a flock of sheep- a group of people behaving in the same way or following what others are doing
- Madhavacharya- an exponent of Vedantic philosophy from South India
- Marvellous- causing great wonder; extraordinary
- Palmyra- palm tree
- Paraphernalia- trappings associated with a particular institution or activity that are regarded as superfluous
- Rambling- (of writing or speech) lengthy and confused or inconsequential
- Rare breed- a person or thing with characteristics that are uncommon among their kind; a rarity
- Sahib- a polite title or form of address for a man
- Shrivelled- shrunken and wrinkled; especially as a result of loss of moisture
- Threshold- a strip of wood or stone forming the bottom of a doorway and crossed in entering a house or a room
- Troupe- a group of dancers, actors or other entertainers who tour to different venues
- Tutored- taught
- Vijaya- Victory
- Vivaha- Marriage
Chapter 4 Albert Einstein at School
- Biographer- a person who writes an account of someone else
- Expelled- officially make someone leave a school or any other organisation
- Expulsion- the action of forcing someone to leave an organisation
- Howling- making a howling sound
- Lodgings- temporary accommodation or a room rented out to someone, usually in the same residence as the owner
- Mincing words- to speak vaguely or indirectly
- Miserable- unhappy
- Rebellion- the action or process of resisting authority, control or convention
- Squalor- the state of being extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty and neglect
- Stalked out- to leave (some place) in a haughty, stiff or threatening manner
- Wailing- crying with pain or anger
Chapter 5 Mother’s Day
- Aghast- filled with horror or shock
- Astounded- shock or greatly surprise
- At sixes and sevens- in a state of total confusion and disarray
- Barmy- mad; crazy
- Beckons- making a gesture with the hand, arm or head to encourage or instruct someone to approach or follow
- Bewildered- perplexed and confused; very puzzled
- Briskly- in an active, quick or energetic way
- Chuckling- laugh quietly or inwardly
- Clot- a foolish or clumsy person
- Complacently- showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements
- Concussion- a violent shock as from a heavy blow
- Contempt- the feeling that a person or a thing is worthless or beneath consideration
- Cracking- fast
- Dubiously- with hesitation or doubt
- Eating out of your hand- be submissive
- Far-fetched- unlikely and unconvincing; implausible
- Fathead- a stupid person
- Flustered- agitated or confused
- Fluttering- trembling
- Glowering- have an angry look on one’s face
- Glumly- moody or unsociable attitude
- Grimly- bitter, hard manner
- Guffaw- a loud and hearty laugh
- Hastily- with excessive speed or urgency; speedily
- Incisive- intelligently analytical and clear thinking
- Indignantly- in a manner indicating anger or annoyance at something perceived as unfair
- Laconic- using very few words
- Nasty- very bad or unpleasant
- Piecan- referring a foolish person
- Pompous- affectedly grand, solemn, or self-important
- Resent- feel bitterness or indignation at a circumstance, action or person
- Rummy- a card game
- Settee- long upholstered seat for more than one person, typically with a back and arms
- Sinister- giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen
- Snooker- a game played with cues on a billiard table in which the players use a cue ball (white) to pocket the other balls (fifteen red and six coloured) in a set order
- Solemn- formal and dignified; characterized by deep sincerity
- Staggered- astonish or deeply shock
- Stout- a kind of strong, dark beer brewed with roasted malt or barley
- Sulkily- a disagreeable mood
- Thoughtless- (of a person or their behaviour) not showing consideration for the needs of other people
- Tiddly- slightly drunk
- Ushering- showing or guide someone somewhere
Chapter 6 The Ghat of the Only World
- Abiding- a memory lasting a long time; enduring
- Accoutrements- other things that were needed for the activity
- Anguished- experiencing or expressing severe mental or physical pain or suffering
- Assiduous- taking great care that everything is done as well as it can be
- At odds- in conflict or at variance
- Brimming- be full of a particular quality, feeling, etc
- Buckled- bend and give way under pressure or strain
- Calcutta- Kolkata
- Cavernous- vast; huge; large; spacious
- Conceive- form a plan or idea in the mind
- Conviviality- the quality of being friendly and lively
- Dour- unfriendly
- Ecumenical- involving or uniting members of different religions
- Envoy- a messenger or representative, especially one on a diplomatic mission
- Exactitude- the quality of being very accurate and careful
- Fanaticism- the quality of being fanatical; extremism
- Feigned – simulated or pretended; insincere
- Feudal system- Under this system, a peasant or worker received a piece of land in return for serving a lord or king
- Fixture- set firmly in place
- Foyer- an entrance hall or other open area in a building used by the public
- Frosty- freezing; very cold
- Gregariousness- fond of the company of others; sociable
- Groggier- dazed, weak or unsteady, especially from illness, intoxication, sleep or a blow
- Heeng- asafoetida; a staple ingredient used in Indian cooking
- Impede- delay or prevent something by obstructing it; hinder
- Imperative- giving an authoritative command
- Inextricably- in a way that is impossible to separate
- Innocuous- not harmful or offensive
- Jocularity- said or done as a joke
- Lorca- Garcia Lorca is Spain’s most deeply appreciated and highly revered poet and dramatist
- Lucid- understandable
- Malignant- uncontrollable; dangerousBereavement- loss; deprivation; grief; sorrow
- Metrical- relating to or composed in poetic metre
- Minaret- a slender tower, typically part of a mosque, with a balcony from which a muezzin calls Muslims to prayer
- Mos-lem- Muslim
- Mundane- lacking interest or excitement; dull
- Mundane- lacking interest or excitement; dull
- Nationalist- a person who strongly identifies with their own nation and vigorously supports its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.
- Poignance- the quality of evoking a keen sense of sadness
- Preambles- a preliminary or preparatory statement; an introduction
- Prefigured- be an early indication or version of (something)
- Prefigured- be an early indication or version of something
- Prowess- skill or expertise in a particular activity or field
- Quizzical- indicating mild or amused puzzlement
- Rapture- a feeling of intense pleasure or joy; ecstasy; bliss
- Repartee- conversation or speech characterised by quick witty, comments or replies
- Sorcerer- a person who claims or is believed to have magical powers; wizard
- Subdued- quiet and rather reflective or depressed
- Sutures- a stitch or row of stitches holding together the edges of a wound or surgical incision
- Swoon- be overcome with admiration, adoration or other strong emotion
- To speak in a bardic register- A poetic style
- Transmute- change in form, nature or substance
- Transmute- change in form, nature or substance
- Trivial- of little value or importance
- Unmitigated- absolute; unqualified
- Voyage- a long journey involving travel by sea or in space
- Wildean- relating to or characteristic of Oscar Wilde or his works, especially in being witty and epigrammatic
Chapter 7 Birth
- Asphyxia- a condition arising when the body is deprived of oxygen, causing unconsciousness or death; suffocation
- Awful – very
- Bach- used as a term of endearment, often after a personal name
- Blind- a screen for a window, especially one on a roller or made of slats
- Broodingly- preoccupied with depressing, morbid, or painful memories or thoughts
- Burly- (a person) large and strong; heavily built
- Cinder- a small piece of partly burnt coal or wood that has stopped giving off flames but still has combustible matter in it
- Consternation- a feeling of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexcited
- Convulsive- violent; uncontrollable
- Dismal- causing a mood of gloom or depression
- Draggled- dirty or wet, typically from being trailed through mud or water
- Driller- someone who works at the drilling controls on the rig floor
- Ebbing- (of an emotion or quality) gradually decrease
- Ether- used as an anaesthetic
- Ewer- a large jug with a wide mouth, formerly used for carrying water
- Faltered- lose strength or momentum
- Flaccid- lifeless
- Frantic- conducted in a hurried, excited, and disorganized way
- Fret- be constantly or visibly anxious; worry
- Giddy- weak
- Haggard- looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering
- Haste- excessive speed or urgency of movement or action; hurry
- Hastily- with excessive speed or urgency; hurriedly
- Heave- produce a sigh
- Hypodermic- relating to the region immediately beneath the skin
- Idyllic- like an idyll; extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque
- Iridescent- showing luminous colours that seem to change when seen from different angles
- Lethargy- lack of energy and enthusiasm
- Lolled- hang loosely
- Midwife- a person, typically a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth
- Morbidly- (with reference to a disturbing or unpleasant interest or activity) in an abnormal and unhealthy manner
- Muddled- not arranged in order; untidy
- Overwrought- in a state of anxiety; tired
- Pallid- (of a person’s face) pale, typically because of poor health
- Pallida – suffocation or unconscious condition caused by lack of oxygen and excess of carbon dioxide in the blood, accompanied by paleness of the skin, weak pulse, and loss of reflexes
- Pigmy- little (here)
- Plunging- falling steeply
- Probing- inquiring closely
- Queer- strange; odd
- Resentful- feeling or expressing bitterness or indignation at having been treated unfairly
- Resuscitate- revive someone from the unconsciousness
- Rustle- make a soft, muffled crackling sound
- Scullery- a small kitchen or room at the back of a house used for washing dishes and other dirty household work
- Shrewish- (of a woman) bad-tempered or aggressively assertive
- Slashed- slit
- Smiled faintly- smiling with less energy or a smile that lacks spirit
- Snatch- manage to take (here)
- Sodden- saturated with liquid, especially water; soaked through
- Sopping- saturated with liquid; wet through
- Sordidly- meanly selfish, self-seeking
- Stark- complete
- Stout- (of a person) rather fat or heavy build
- Stumbling- tripping or losing balance while walking; moving with difficulty
- Surgery- a place where a doctor, dentist or other medical practitioner treats or advises patients
- Tallow- the hard fat of animals melted and used to make soap, candles etc.
- Unavailing- achieving little
- Unsparingly- generous
- Whimpered- say something in a low, feeble voice that expresses fear, pain, or unhappiness
- Wince- make a slight involuntary grimace or shrinking movement of the body out of pain or distress
- Ye- an old written form of the word ‘the’
Chapter 8 The Tale of Melon City
- Against the Crown- questioning the power, integrity and honesty of the state
- Amendments- a minor change or addition designed to improve something
- Arch- a curved symmetrical structure spanning an opening and typically supporting the weight of a bridge, roof, or wall above it.
- Architect- a person who designs buildings and in many cases also supervises their construction
- Counsel- advice, especially that given formally
- Customary- according to the customs or usual practices associated with a particular society, place, or set of circumstances
- Decree- an official order that has the force of law
- Edify- instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually
- Frown- a facial expression indicating disapproval, displeasure, or concentration, characterized by a furrowing of one’s brows.
- Gallows- a structure, typically of two uprights and a crosspiece, for the hanging of criminals
- Halt- bring or come to an abrupt stop
- Heralds- an official employed to oversee state ceremonial, precedence, and the use of armorial bearings, and (historically) to make proclamations, carry official messages, and oversee tournaments
- Just- based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair
- Laissez faire- the policy of leaving things to take their own course, without interfering
- Masons- a person skilled in cutting, dressing, and laying stone in buildings
- Mused- say to oneself in a thoughtful manner
- Noose- a loop with a running knot, tightening as the rope or wire is pulled and used to trap animals or hang people
- Ordain- order (something) officially
- Placid- calm
- Pondered- think about (something) carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion
- Proclaim- announce officially or publicly
- Proclaimed- announce officially or publicly.
- Quavering- (of a person’s voice) shake or tremble in speaking, typically through nervousness or emotion
- Quivering- trembling or shaking with a slight rapid motion
- Rejoice- feel or show great joy or delight
- Reverently- with deep and solemn respect
- Saw red- became angry
- Scaffold- a raised wooden platform used formerly for the public execution of criminals.
- Span- Celebrating or commemorating a victory
- Spectators- onlookers
- Summon- order someone to be present
- Thoroughfare- a main road in a town
- Triumphally- Celebrating or commemorating a victory
- Unruly- disorderly and disruptive and not amenable to discipline or control
