COLLECTED WORKS OF

POE, VOLUME I

Webster’s Thesaurus Edition for PSAT®, SAT®, GRE®, LSAT®,

GMAT®, and AP® English Test Preparation

Edgar Allan Poe

PSAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT is a registered
trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE, AP and
Advanced Placement are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither
sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management
Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT is a
registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this
product. All rights reserved.
 Collected Works of Poe,
Volume I
Webster’s Thesaurus Edition for PSAT®, SAT®, GRE®, LSAT®,
GMAT®, and AP® English Test Preparation

Edgar Allan Poe

PSAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT® is a registered
trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE®, AP® and
Advanced Placement® are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither
sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT® is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management
Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT® is a
registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses
this product. All rights reserved.
ii

ICON CLASSICS

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Collected Works of Poe, Volume I: Webster’s Thesaurus Edition for PSAT®, SAT®, GRE®, LSAT®,
GMAT®, and AP® English Test Preparation

This edition published by ICON Classics in 2005

Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright ©2005 by ICON Group International, Inc.

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PSAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the
National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book;
SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses
this book; GRE®, AP® and Advanced Placement® are registered trademarks of the
Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT® is a
registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither
affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT® is a registered trademark of the Law
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reserved.

ISBN 0-497-01032-1
 iii

Contents
PREFACE FROM THE EDITOR .......................................................................................... 1
AN APPRECIATION............................................................................................................ 3
LIFE OF EDGAR ALLAN POE BY JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL .......................................... 13
DEATH OF EDGAR A. POE BY N. P. WILLIS .................................................................... 23
THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF ONE HANS PFAAL ............................................ 33
THE GOLD BUG ............................................................................................................. 79
FOUR BEASTS IN ONE THE HOMO-CAMELEOPARD.................................................... 119
THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE ......................................................................... 129
THE MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET A SEQUEL TO “THE MURDERS IN THE RUE
MORGUE.”.................................................................................................................... 165
THE BALLOON-HOAX ................................................................................................... 215
MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE ............................................................................................. 229
THE OVAL PORTRAIT ................................................................................................... 243
GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................... 247
 Edgar Allan Poe 1

PREFACE FROM THE EDITOR

Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on
standardized tests, Webster’s paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently
assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this
edition of Collected Works of Poe, Volume I was edited for students who are actively building their
vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT®, SAT®, AP® (Advanced Placement®), GRE®,
LSAT®, GMAT® or similar examinations.1

Webster’s edition of this classic is organized to expose the reader to a maximum number of
synonyms and antonyms for difficult and often ambiguous English words that are encountered in
other works of literature, conversation, or academic examinations. Extremely rare or idiosyncratic
words and expressions are given lower priority in the notes compared to words which are “difficult,
and often encountered” in examinations. Rather than supply a single synonym, many are provided
for a variety of meanings, allowing readers to better grasp the ambiguity of the English language,
and avoid using the notes as a pure crutch. Having the reader decipher a word’s meaning within
context serves to improve vocabulary retention and understanding. Each page covers words not
already highlighted on previous pages. If a difficult word is not noted on a page, chances are that it
has been highlighted on a previous page. A more complete thesaurus is supplied at the end of the
book; Synonyms and antonyms are extracted from Webster’s Online Dictionary.

Definitions of remaining terms as well as translations can be found at www.websters-online-

dictionary.org. Please send suggestions to websters@icongroupbooks.com

The Editor
Webster’s Online Dictionary
www.websters-online-dictionary.org

1 PSAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT® is a registered
trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE®, AP® and
Advanced Placement® are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither
sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT® is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management
Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT® is a
registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses
this product. All rights reserved.
 Edgar Allan Poe 3

AN APPRECIATION

Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful

Disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden
bore—
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of “never--never more!”%

This stanza from “The Raven” was recommended by James Russell Lowell as
an inscription upon the Baltimore monument which marks the resting place of
Edgar Allan Poe, the most interesting and original figure in American letters.
And, to signify that peculiar musical quality of Poe’s genius which inthralls
every reader, Mr. Lowell suggested this additional verse, from the “Haunted
Palace”:

And all with pearl and ruby glowing

Was the fair palace door,
Through which came flowing, flowing, flowing,
And sparkling ever more,
A troop of Echoes, whose sweet duty
Was but to sing, In voices of surpassing beauty,

Thesaurus
lowell: (n) Percival Lowell, Robert ruddy, scarlet, diamond, pearl, prodigious, fine, outstanding,
Lowell, Robert Traill spence Lowell precious stone, bijou; (n) carbuncle, extraordinary; (v) surpass; (adv)
Jr, Amy Lowell. deep red. surpassingly; (prep) above.
melancholy: (adj, v) dreary; (adj, n) signify: (n, v) intend, mark; (adj, n, v) troop: (n) group, corps, gang, crowd,
gloom, melancholic; (adj) depressed, import; (v) imply, indicate, denote, band, brigade, crew, herd, swarm,
dejected, dismal, gloomy, doleful; (n, point, stand for, express, intimate, horde; (n, v) flock.
v) low spirits; (n) gloominess, matter. unmerciful: (adj) pitiless, remorseless,
depression. ANTONYMS: (n) stanza: (n) couplet, quatrain, strophe, merciless, unpitying, cruel,
happiness, cheerfulness, hopefulness, stave, line, octave, antistrophe, sestet, inclement, brutal, relentless,
optimism; (adj) happy, bright, cheery, poetry, envoy, canto. inhuman, cutthroat, ferocious.
satisfied. surpassing: (adj) excellent, superior, ANTONYMS: (adj) merciful,
ruby: (adj, n) red, crimson; (adj) jewel, transcendent, exceptional, generous, kind.
4 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

The wit and wisdom of their king.%

Born in poverty at Boston, January 19 1809, dying under painful

circumstances at Baltimore, October 7, 1849, his whole literary career of scarcely
fifteen years a pitiful struggle for mere subsistence, his memory malignantly
misrepresented by his earliest biographer, Griswold, how completely has truth
at last routed falsehood and how magnificently has Poe come into his own, For
“The Raven,” first published in 1845, and, within a few months, read, recited and
parodied wherever the English language was spoken, the half-starved poet
received $10! Less than a year later his brother poet, N. P. Willis, issued this
touching appeal to the admirers of genius on behalf of the neglected author, his
dying wife and her devoted mother, then living under very straitened
circumstances in a little cottage at Fordham, N. Y.:

Here is one of the finest scholars, one of the most original men of genius,
and one of the most industrious of the literary profession of our country,
whose temporary suspension of labor, from bodily illness, drops him
immediately to a level with the common objects of public charity. There
is no intermediate stopping-place, no respectful shelter, where, with the
delicacy due to genius and culture, be might secure aid, till, with
returning health, he would resume his labors, and his unmortified sense
of independence.

And this was the tribute paid by the American public to the master who had
given to it such tales of conjuring charm, of witchery and mystery as “The Fall of
the House of Usher” and “Ligea”; such fascinating hoaxes as “The Unparalleled
Adventure of Hans Pfaall,” “MSS. Found in a Bottle”, “A Descent Into a
Maelstrom” and “The Balloon Hoax”; such tales of conscience as “William
Wilson,” “The Black Cat” and “The Tell-tale Heart,” wherein the retributions of
remorse are portrayed with an awful fidelity; such tales of natural beauty as
“The Island of the Fay” and “The Domain of Arnheim”; such marvellous studies

conjuring: (n) magic, hocus-pocus,
incantation, sorcery, witchcraft,
sleight of hand, adjuration, figgum,
conjury, evocation; (adj) magical.
drops: (n) tear.
falsehood: (n) fable, fabrication,
deception, untruth, lie, fib, fiction,
invention, dishonesty; (adj, n) deceit, disingenuous, depraved, deformed.
falsity. ANTONYMS: (n) fact,
honesty, reality.
malignantly: (adv) maliciously,
spitefully, evilly, malevolently,
Thesaurus
hatefully, perniciously, nastily,
malefically, viciously, pestilentially,
noisomely. ANTONYM: (adv)
benevolently.
misrepresented: (adj) distorted,
twisted, malformed, perverted,
tainted, artful, kinky, immoral,
routed: (adj) conquered, overwhelmed,
overcome, overpowered,
overthrown, vanquished, in retreat,
flooded, destined, running scared,
crushed.
straitened: (n) necessitous, pinched,
distressed, put to it; (adj) narrow,
poor, destitute, selfish, narrow views,
exact, near.
wherein: (adv) in what, in which,
where.
witchery: (adj, n) fascination,
enchantment; (n) sorcery, glamour,
spell, magic, black magic,
necromancy, enticement, allurement,
temptation.
 Edgar Allan Poe 5

in ratiocination as the “Gold bug,” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The
Purloined Letter” and “The Mystery of Marie Roget,” the latter, a recital of fact,
demonstrating the author’s wonderful capability of correctly analyzing the
mysteries of the human mind; such tales of illusion and banter as “The
Premature Burial” and “The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether”; such bits
of extravaganza as “The Devil in the Belfry” and “The Angel of the Odd”; such
tales of adventure as “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym”; such papers of
keen criticism and review as won for Poe the enthusiastic admiration of Charles
Dickens, although they made him many enemies among the over-puffed minor
American writers so mercilessly exposed by him; such poems of beauty and
melody as “The Bells,” “The Haunted Palace,” “Tamerlane,” “The City in the
Sea” and “The Raven.” What delight for the jaded senses of the reader is this
enchanted domain of wonder-pieces! What an atmosphere of beauty, music,
color! What resources of imagination, construction, analysis and absolute art!
One might almost sympathize with Sarah Helen Whitman, who, confessing to a
half faith in the old superstition of the significance of anagrams, found, in the
transposed letters of Edgar Poe’s name, the words “a God-peer.” His mind, she
says, was indeed a “Haunted Palace,” echoing to the footfalls of angels and
demons.%
“No man,” Poe himself wrote, “has recorded, no man has dared to record, the
wonders of his inner life.”
In these twentieth century days -of lavish recognition-artistic, popular and
material-of genius, what rewards might not a Poe claim!
Edgar’s father, a son of General David Poe, the American revolutionary
patriot and friend of Lafayette, had married Mrs. Hopkins, an English actress,
and, the match meeting with parental disapproval, had himself taken to the stage
as a profession. Notwithstanding Mrs. Poe’s beauty and talent the young couple
had a sorry struggle for existence. When Edgar, at the age of two years, was
orphaned, the family was in the utmost destitution. Apparently the future poet
was to be cast upon the world homeless and friendless. But fate decreed that a
few glimmers of sunshine were to illumine his life, for the little fellow was

analyzing: (n) study.
confessing: (v) confess.
destitution: (n, v) want, deficiency; (n)
deprivation, indigence, penury,
poverty, need, pauperism, lack,
hardship, famine. ANTONYMS: (n)
affluence, luxury, prosperity.
friendless: (adj) alone, lonely,
abandoned, solitary, helpless,
lonesome, forsaken, unfriended,
deserted, introverted, unwanted.
ANTONYM: (adj) sociable.
Thesaurus
illumine: (v) illuminate, enlighten,
light, shine, light up, brighten,
clarify, irradiate, elucidate, to
illuminate; (adj, v) illume.
jaded: (adj) tired, fatigued, worn,
weary, wearied, fed up, satiate,
worn-out, bored, satiated, sick.
ANTONYMS: (adj) fresh, innocent,
brilliant.
orphaned: (adj) unparented,
parentless.
ratiocination: (n) reasoning,
conclusion, deduction,
argumentation, logic, end, abstract
thought, close, closing, decision,
determination.
sympathize: (v) pity, understand,
condole, compassionate, feel,
sympathise, identify with, empathize,
have compassion, feel sorry for, feel
for. ANTONYMS: (v) disapprove,
disregard.
transposed: (adj) inverse, reversed,
hyperbatic, inverted, backward.
6 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

adopted by John Allan, a wealthy merchant of Richmond, Va. A brother and

sister, the remaining children, were cared for by others.%
In his new home Edgar found all the luxury and advantages money could
provide. He was petted, spoiled and shown off to strangers. In Mrs. Allan he
found all the affection a childless wife could bestow. Mr. Allan took much pride
in the captivating, precocious lad. At the age of five the boy recited, with fine
effect, passages of English poetry to the visitors at the Allan house.
From his eighth to his thirteenth year he attended the Manor House school, at
Stoke-Newington, a suburb of London. It was the Rev. Dr. Bransby, head of the
school, whom Poe so quaintly portrayed in “William Wilson.” Returning to
Richmond in 1820 Edgar was sent to the school of Professor Joseph H. Clarke. He
proved an apt pupil. Years afterward Professor Clarke thus wrote:

While the other boys wrote mere mechanical verses, Poe wrote genuine
poetry; the boy was a born poet. As a scholar he was ambitious to excel.
He was remarkable for self-respect, without haughtiness. He had a
sensitive and tender heart and would do anything for a friend. His
nature was entirely free from selfishness.

At the age of seventeen Poe entered the University of Virginia at

Charlottesville. He left that institution after one session. Official records prove
that he was not expelled. On the contrary, he gained a creditable record as a
student, although it is admitted that he contracted debts and had “an
ungovernable passion for card-playing.” These debts may have led to his quarrel
with Mr. Allan which eventually compelled him to make his own way in the
world.
Early in 1827 Poe made his first literary venture. He induced Calvin Thomas,
a poor and youthful printer, to publish a small volume of his verses under the
title “Tamerlane and Other Poems.” In 1829 we find Poe in Baltimore with
another manuscript volume of verses, which was soon published. Its title was

Thesaurus
afterward: (adv, conj) then, after that; charming, engaging; (adj) attractive, petted: (adj) cherished, domesticated,
(adv) thereafter, afterwards, later, absorbing, alluring, bewitching, indulged, admired, cade.
subsequently, later on, next, soon; delightful, engrossing, lovely, quaintly: (adv) unusually, oddly,
(adj) following; (n) future. enthralling. ANTONYMS: (adj) curiously, weirdly, singularly,
ANTONYMS: (adv) now, previously, repellent, boring, unpleasant, peculiarly, queerly, strangely,
before. unappealing, forgettable, annoying. outlandishly, charmingly, pleasingly.
bestow: (v) give, confer, grant, impart, haughtiness: (n) pride, disdain, strangers: (n) stranger.
contribute, donate, apply, award; condescension, conceit, snobbishness, ungovernable: (adj) unruly,
(adj, v) accord, allow, present. lordliness, imperiousness, hauteur, uncontrollable, irrepressible,
ANTONYMS: (v) deprive, refuse, contempt, superiority, arrogant. intractable, licentious, violent, wild,
withhold, retrieve, withdraw. ANTONYMS: (n) humility, indocile, uncontrolled, turbulent; (adj,
captivating: (adj, v) enchanting, humbleness. v) headstrong.
 Edgar Allan Poe 7

“Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Other Poems.” Neither of these ventures seems to
have attracted much attention.%
Soon after Mrs. Allan’s death, which occurred in 1829, Poe, through the aid
of Mr. Allan, secured admission to the United States Military Academy at West
Point. Any glamour which may have attached to cadet life in Poe’s eyes was
speedily lost, for discipline at West Point was never so severe nor were the
accommodations ever so poor. Poe’s bent was more and more toward literature.
Life at the academy daily became increasingly distasteful. Soon he began to
purposely neglect his studies and to disregard his duties, his aim being to secure
his dismissal from the United States service. In this he succeeded. On March 7,
1831, Poe found himself free. Mr. Allan’s second marriage had thrown the lad on
his own resources. His literary career was to begin.
Poe’s first genuine victory was won in 1833, when .he was the successful
competitor for a prize of $100 offered by a Baltimore periodical for the best prose
story. “A MSS. Found in a Bottle” was the winning tale. Poe had submitted six
stories in a volume. “Our only difficulty,” says Mr. Latrobe, one of the judges,
“was in selecting from the rich contents of the volume.”
During the fifteen years of his literary life Poe was connected with various
newspapers and magazines in Richmond, Philadelphia and New York. He was
faithful, punctual, industrious, thorough. N. P. Willis, who for some time
employed Poe as critic and sub-editor on the “Evening Mirror,” wrote thus:

With the highest admiration for Poe’s genius, and a willingness to let it
alone for more than ordinary irregularity, we were led by common
report to expect a very capricious attention to his duties, and
occasionally a scene of violence and difficulty. Time went on, however,
and he was invariably punctual and industrious. We saw but one
presentiment of the man-a quiet, patient, industrious and most
gentlemanly person.

accommodations: (n) house, housing,
lodging, habitat.
allan: (n) Allen.
gentlemanly: (adj) courteous, polite,
chivalrous, refined, gallant, suave,
mannerly, genteel, gentle, well-bred;
(n) gentleman. ANTONYMS: (adj)
rude, unbecoming.
irregularity: (n) abnormality, anomaly,
eccentricity, inequality, deviation,
aberration, constipation, exception,
unevenness, variation; (adj, n)
Thesaurus
deformity. ANTONYMS: (n) suspicion; (v) augury; (n, v) omen.
symmetry, normality, regularity, punctual: (adj) accurate, exact,
dependability, equality, frequency, punctilious, prompt, timely, definite,
evenness, consistency, predictability, rigorous, precise, nice, mathematical;
smoothness. (adj, v) regular. ANTONYMS: (adj)
periodical: (n) journal, magazine, early, unpunctual, slow.
newspaper, review, organ, purposely: (adj, adv) designedly,
publication, book; (adj) intermittent, advisedly, knowingly; (adv)
cyclic, recurrent, annual. intentionally, on purpose, by design,
presentiment: (n) premonition, hunch, consciously, by choice, calculatedly,
apprehension, feeling, foreboding, explicitly; (adj) wittingly.
anticipation, intuition, boding, ANTONYM: (adv) unintentionally.
8 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

Poe’s first genuine victory was won in 1833, when he was the successful
competitor for a prize of $100 offered by a Baltimore periodical for the best prose
story. “A MSS. Found in a Bottle” was the winning tale. Poe had submitted six
stories in a volume. “Our only difficulty,” says Mr. Latrobe, one of the judges,
“was in selecting from the rich contents of the volume.”
During the fifteen years of his literary life Poe was connected with various
newspapers and magazines in Richmond, Philadelphia and New York. He was
faithful, punctual, industrious, thorough. N. P. Willis, who for some time
employed Poe as critic and sub-editor on the “Evening Mirror,” wrote thus:

With the highest admiration for Poe’s genius, and a willingness to let it
alone for more than ordinary irregularity, we were led by common
report to expect a very capricious attention to his duties, and
occasionally a scene of violence and difficulty. Time went on, however,
and he was invariably punctual and industrious. We saw but one
presentiment of the man-a quiet, patient, industrious and most
gentlemanly person;
We heard, from one who knew him well (what should be stated in all
mention of his lamentable irregularities), that with a single glass of wine
his whole nature was reversed, the demon became uppermost, and,
though none of the usual signs of intoxication were visible, his will was
palpably insane. In this reversed character, we repeat, it was never our
chance to meet him.%

On September 22, 1835, Poe married his cousin, Virginia Clemm, in

Baltimore. She had barely turned thirteen years, Poe himself was but twenty-six.
He then was a resident of Richmond and a regular contributor to the “Southern
Literary Messenger.” It was not until a year later that the bride and her widowed
mother followed him thither.
Poe’s devotion to his child-wife was one of the most beautiful features of his
life. Many of his famous poetic productions were inspired by her beauty and

capricious: (adj) fanciful, whimsical,
irregular, freakish, arbitrary, fickle,
changeable, impulsive, volatile,
variable, unpredictable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) dependable,
predictable, stable, steady, steadfast,
placid, logical, fixed, consistent,
serious.
industrious: (adj) diligent, assiduous,
indefatigable, busy, energetic,
hardworking, laborious, tireless,
earnest, keen, enterprising.
Thesaurus
ANTONYMS: (adj) indolent, idle,
destructive, weary, careless.
intoxication: (n) inebriation, inebriety,
poisoning, tipsiness, fascination,
grogginess, ecstasy, daze, excitement,
euphoria, wine.
judges: (n) judge, adjudicators, jury.
lamentable: (adj) grievous, pitiful,
distressing, sad, dismal, sorrowful,
piteous, unfortunate, lugubrious; (adj,
v) pitiable, mournful. ANTONYMS:
(adj) laudable, fortunate.
palpably: (adv) patently, noticeably,
clearly, manifestly, obviously,
plainly, transparently, unmistakably,
evidently, tangibly, markedly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) imperceptibly,
insignificantly.
thirteen: (n) long dozen, large integer.
thither: (adv) hither, whither, on that
point, in that respect, at that place, in
that location; (adj) further, ulterior,
remoter, succeeding, more distant.
widowed: (adj) widow, alone, vidual.
 Edgar Allan Poe 9

charm. Consumption had marked her for its victim, and the constant efforts of
husband and mother were to secure for her all the comfort and happiness their
slender means permitted. Virginia died January 30, 1847, when but twenty-five
years of age. A friend of the family pictures the death-bed scene-mother and
husband trying to impart warmth to her by chafing her hands and her feet,
while her pet cat was suffered to nestle upon her bosom for the sake of added
warmth.%
These verses from “Annabel Lee,” written by Poe in 1849, the last year of his
life, tell of his sorrow at the loss of his child-wife:

I was a child and she was a child,

In a kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven

Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago;
In this kingdom by the sea.
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her high-born kinsmen came

And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

Poe was connected at various times and in various capacities with the
“Southern Literary Messenger” in Richmond, Va.; “Graham’s Magazine” and the
“Gentleman’s Magazine” in Philadelphia.; the “Evening Mirror,” the “Broadway
journal,” and “Godey’s Lady’s Book” in New York. Everywhere Poe’s life was

bosom: (n) heart, interior, boob,
thorax, chest, bust, tit; (n, v) embrace;
(v) cherish, hug; (adj) intimate.
ANTONYMS: (n) outside, exteriority.
chafing: (n) abrasion, soreness,
tenderness, rubbing, resistance,
roughness; (v) irritate, to chafe; (adj)
impatient.
chilling: (adj) icy, bloodcurdling,
wintry, macabre, ghastly, cold, scary,
apathetic; (n) cooling, freezing,
refrigeration. ANTONYM: (adj)
Thesaurus
reassuring.
impart: (v) give, convey, disclose,
communicate, announce, grant,
reveal, hand, bestow, divulge, confer.
ANTONYMS: (v) withhold,
withdraw.
kinsmen: (n) kin, kindred, family,
kinsfolk, people, affinity.
nestle: (n, v) cuddle; (v) huddle,
nuzzle, nest, draw close, ensconce;
(adj) inhabit, live, abide, dwell, house.
sepulchre: (n) mausoleum, burial,
monument, repository, crypt,
sepulture, burial chamber, tomb, bier;
(v) inter, bury.
slender: (adj, v) lean, meager; (adj)
little, thin, fine, lithe, slight, delicate,
lissom, flimsy, faint. ANTONYMS:
(adj) stocky, fat, wide, considerable,
short, substantial, good, adequate,
stout, thick.
winged: (adj) swift, rapid, speedy,
quick, flying, alate, sublime, lofty,
alated, aligerous, composed.
10 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

one of unremitting toil. No tales and poems were ever produced at a greater cost
of brain and spirit.%
Poe’s initial salary with the “Southern Literary Messenger,” to which he
contributed the first drafts of a number of his best-known tales, was $10 a week!
Two years later his salary was but $600 a year. Even in 1844, when his literary
reputation was established securely, he wrote to a friend expressing his pleasure
because a magazine to which he was to contribute had agreed to pay him $20
monthly for two pages of criticism.
Those were discouraging times in American literature, but Poe never lost
faith. He was finally to triumph wherever pre-eminent talents win admirers. His
genius has had no better description than in this stanza from William Winter’s
poem, read at the dedication exercises of the Actors’ Monument to Poe, May 4,
1885, in New York:

He was the voice of beauty and of woe,

Passion and mystery and the dread unknown;
Pure as the mountains of perpetual snow,
Cold as the icy winds that round them moan,
Dark as the eaves wherein earth’s thunders groan,
Wild as the tempests of the upper sky,
Sweet as the faint, far-off celestial tone of angel whispers, fluttering from
on high,
And tender as love’s tear when youth and beauty die.

In the two and a half score years that have elapsed since Poe’s death he has
come fully into his own. For a while Griswold’s malignant misrepresentations
colored the public estimate of Poe as man and as writer. But, thanks to J. H.
Ingram, W. F. Gill, Eugene Didier, Sarah Helen Whitman and others these
scandals have been dispelled and Poe is seen as he actually was-not as a man
without failings, it is true, but as the finest and most original genius in American
letters. As the years go on his fame increases. His works have been translated

Thesaurus
celestial: (adj) ethereal, divine, discouraging: (adj) discouragingly, plod; (n) effort, exertion.
supernal, angelic, holy, sacred, chill, disappointing, disheartening, ANTONYMS: (n) pastime,
astronomical, unworldly, bad, bleak, gloomy, sad, entertainment, fun, relaxation; (v)
superlunary, from on high; (n) demoralizing, daunting, dispiriting. laze, neglect.
heaven. ANTONYMS: (adj) ANTONYMS: (adj) encouraging, unremitting: (adj) ceaseless, perpetual,
mundane, secular, terrestrial, mortal. uplifting, inspiring, heartening, incessant, unceasing, continual,
colored: (adj) chromatic, black, tinged, comfortable, hopeful. unending, continuous,
tinted, colorful, dyed, coloured, far-off: (adj) distant, far, faraway, uninterrupted, persistent, eternal;
partial, dark, bleached, biased. outlying, extreme, inaccessible, last, (adj, v) unrelenting. ANTONYMS:
ANTONYMS: (adj) truthful, white, long, obscure, unknown, wide. (adj) sporadic, temporary,
uncolored, unbiased, pale, objective, toil: (n, v) labor, work, drudge, sweat, inconsistent, finite, broken, acute,
honest, genuine, real. drudgery, grind, labour, travail; (v) undemanding, gentle.
 Edgar Allan Poe 11

into many foreign languages. His is a household name in France and England-in
fact, the latter nation has often uttered the reproach that Poe’s own country has
been slow to appreciate him. But that reproach, if it ever was warranted,
certainly is untrue.%
W. H. R.

Thesaurus
appreciate: (adj, v) understand, realize; unfamiliar, public. (n) condemnation. ANTONYMS: (n,
(v) esteem, treasure, prize, fathom, latter: (adj) later, last, terminal, recent, v) praise; (v) commend, approve; (n)
appraise, comprehend, admire, posterior, final, following, the latter, compliment, commendation,
acknowledge, apprize. ANTONYMS: past, other, eventual. ANTONYMS: approval.
(v) scorn, disregard, ignore, neglect, (adj) prior, earlier. uttered: (adj) expressed, express,
disparage, underrate, underestimate, nation: (n) state, country, kingdom, verbalised, verbalized, vocal, explicit,
dislike, overlook, assume, people, community, commonwealth, oral; (v) spoke, quoth, said.
undervalue. land, a people, body politic, warranted: (adj) legitimate, secured,
household: (adj, n) house, home; (adj) nationality, tribe. bonded, legal, locked, mistaken,
domestic; (adj, v) ordinary, common; reproach: (n, v) blame, rebuke, charge, necessary; (v) privileged, sanctioned,
(n) folk, stock, clan, menage; (v) abuse, disgrace, reprimand, allowed; (n) securer.
everyday, usual. ANTONYMS: (adj) invective; (v) accuse, chide, condemn;
 Edgar Allan Poe 13

LIFE OF EDGAR ALLAN POE

BY JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

The situation of American literature is anomalous. It has no centre, or, if it

have, it is like that of the sphere of Hermes. It is, divided into many systems,
each revolving round its several suns, and often presenting to the rest only the
faint glimmer of a milk-and-water way. Our capital city, unlike London or Paris,
is not a great central heart from which life and vigor radiate to the extremities,
but resembles more an isolated umbilicus stuck down as near a’s may be to the
centre of the land, and seeming rather to tell a legend of former usefulness than
to serve any present need. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, each has its literature
almost more distinct than those of the different dialects of Germany; and the
Young Queen of the West has also one of her own, of which some articulate
rumor barely has reached us dwellers by the Atlantic.%
Perhaps there is no task more difficult than the just criticism of contemporary
literature. It is even more grateful to give praise where it is needed than where it
is deserved, and friendship so often seduces the iron stylus of justice into a
vague flourish, that she writes what seems rather like an epitaph than a criticism.
Yet if praise be given as an alms, we could not drop so poisonous a one into any
man’s hat. The critic’s ink may suffer equally from too large an infusion of
nutgalls or of sugar. But it is easier to be generous than to be just, and we might

Thesaurus
alms: (n) handout, charity, emanate, flash. ANTONYM: (v) expressive style, elan, dash, flair,
benefaction, gift, donation, absorb. device.
contribution, offering, bounty; (n, v) revolving: (adj) turning, rotating, umbilicus: (n) navel, bellybutton,
sportula, largess; (v) relieve. vertiginous, rotary, gyratory, omphalos, omphalus, point, pith,
epitaph: (n) memorial, lettering, wheeling, rotative, rotatory, marrow, backbone, navel point.
inscription, commemoration, rotational; (n) revolution; (v) revolve. vigor: (n, v) energy; (adj, n) intensity;
epitaphic, legend. rumor: (n) hearsay, talk, news; (n, v) (n) spirit, vitality, force, life, strength,
milk-and-water: (adj) insipid, weak, gossip, fame, buzz, bruit, noise, power, might, vim, stamina.
bland, innocuous. rumour; (v) repute, reputation. ANTONYMS: (n) weakness, apathy,
presenting: (adj) featuring. ANTONYM: (n) truth. frailty, laziness, enervation,
radiate: (v) gleam, beam, glow, glitter, stylus: (v) phonograph needle; (n) inactivity, indifference, illness,
shine, diverge, glisten, emit, shed, manner, panache, mode, fashion, lifelessness, sluggishness, tardiness.
14 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

readily put faith in that fabulous direction to the hiding place of truth, did we
judge from the amount of water which we usually find mixed with it.%
Remarkable experiences are usually confined to the inner life of imaginative
men, but Mr. Poe’s biography displays a vicissitude and peculiarity of interest
such as is rarely met with. The offspring of a romantic marriage, and left an
orphan at an early age, he was adopted by Mr. Allan, a wealthy Virginian, whose
barren marriage-bed seemed the warranty of a large estate to the young poet.
Having received a classical education in England, he returned home and
entered the University of Virginia, where, after an extravagant course, followed
by reformation at the last extremity, he was graduated with the highest honors of
his class. Then came a boyish attempt to join the fortunes of the insurgent
Greeks, which ended at St. Petersburg, where he got into difficulties through
want of a passport, from which he was rescued by the American consul and sent
home. He now entered the military academy at West Point, from which he
obtained a dismissal on hearing of the birth of a son to his adopted father, by a
second marriage, an event which cut off his expectations as an heir. The death of
Mr. Allan, in whose will his name was not mentioned, soon after relieved him of
all doubt in this regard, and he committed himself at once to authorship for a
support. Previously to this, however, he had published (in 1827) a small volume
of poems, which soon ran through three editions, and excited high expectations
of its author’s future distinction in the minds of many competent judges.
That no certain augury can be drawn from a poet’s earliest lispings there are
instances enough to prove. Shakespeare’s first poems, though brimful of vigor
and youth and picturesqueness, give but a very faint promise of the directness,
condensation and overflowing moral of his maturer works. Perhaps, however,
Shakespeare is hardly a case in point, his “Venus and Adonis” having been
published, we believe, in his twenty-sixth year. Milton’s Latin verses show
tenderness, a fine eye for nature, and a delicate appreciation of classic models,
but give no hint of the author of a new style in poetry. Pope’s youthful pieces
have all the sing-song, wholly unrelieved by the glittering malignity and
eloquent irreligion of his later productions. Collins’ callow namby-pamby died

augury: (n) omen, sign, portent,
warning, prognostic, indication,
hunch, signal, foreboding, forecast,
forerunner.
brimful: (adj) teeming, brimfull, full,
packed, replete, topful, abundant, full
to the brim, brimful of, crowded,
overfilled.
honors: (n) formality.
insurgent: (adj, n) radical, incendiary;
(adj) lawless, rebellious, mutinous,
seditious, insubordinate; (n)
Thesaurus
anarchist, insurrectionist,
revolutionary, mutineer.
ANTONYMS: (n) loyalist; (adj) loyal,
content, conventional.
irreligion: (n) irreligiousness, atheism,
impiousness, indevotion,
godlessness.
malignity: (n) malevolence,
malignance, venom, animosity,
enmity, hatred, evil, rancor, spite,
malignancy, hate. ANTONYM: (n)
benignity.
maturer: (adj) overripe, ripe, ripened.
mentioned: (adj) spoken.
namby-pamby: (adj) gooey, mushy,
wishy-washy, insipid, gushy, weak,
innocuous; (n) weakling, mama's
boy.
rescued: (adj) saved, protected.
vicissitude: (adj) fluctuation; (n)
variation, mutation, innovation,
reverse, turn, revolution, novelty,
transition, alteration, alternation.
ANTONYM: (n) stagnation.
 Edgar Allan Poe 15

and %gave no sign of the vigorous and original genius which he afterward
displayed. We have never thought that the world lost more in the “marvellous
boy,” Chatterton, than a very ingenious imitator of obscure and antiquated
dulness. Where he becomes original (as it is called), the interest of ingenuity
ceases and he becomes stupid. Kirke White’s promises were indorsed by the
respectable name of Mr. Southey, but surely with no authority from Apollo. They
have the merit of a traditional piety, which to our mind, if uttered at all, had been
less objectionable in the retired closet of a diary, and in the sober raiment of
prose. They do not clutch hold of the memory with the drowning pertinacity of
Watts; neither have they the interest of his occasional simple, lucky beauty.
Burns having fortunately been rescued by his humble station from the
contaminating society of the “Best models,” wrote well and naturally from the
first. Had he been unfortunate enough to have had an educated taste, we should
have had a series of poems from which, as from his letters, we could sift here and
there a kernel from the mass of chaff. Coleridge’s youthful efforts give no
promise whatever of that poetical genius which produced at once the wildest,
tenderest, most original and most purely imaginative poems of modem times.
Byron’s “Hours of Idleness” would never find a reader except from an intrepid
and indefatigable curiosity. In Wordsworth’s first preludings there is but a dim
foreboding of the creator of an era. From Southey’s early poems, a safer augury
might have been drawn. They show the patient investigator, the close student of
history, and the unwearied explorer of the beauties of predecessors, but they
give no assurances of a man who should add aught to stock of household words,
or to the rarer and more sacred delights of the fireside or the arbor. The earliest
specimens of Shelley’s poetic mind already, also, give tokens of that ethereal
sublimation in which the spirit seems to soar above the regions of words, but
leaves its body, the verse, to be entombed, without hope of resurrection, in a
mass of them. Cowley is generally instanced as a wonder of precocity. But his
early insipidities show only a capacity for rhyming and for the metrical
arrangement of certain conventional combinations of words, a capacity wholly
dependent on a delicate physical organization, and an unhappy memory. An
early poem is only remarkable when it displays an effort of reason, and the rudest

Thesaurus
dulness: (n) dullness, matt, dreariness, purpose, endurance, firmness, clothing, array, habit; (v) clothe.
dimness, bluntness, flatness, constancy. sublimation: (n) exaltation,
boringness, vapidity, jejunity, mat, poetical: (adj) imaginative, rhetorical, transmutation, transformation,
tedium. ANTONYMS: (n) brightness, poematic, figurative, inventive. purification, elevation, paragon,
asperity. precocity: (n) forwardness, alteration, change, condensation,
imitator: (n) mimic, follower, intelligence, earliness, modification, shift.
impersonator, copycat, ape, prematureness, ardor, boldness, unwearied: (adj) indefatigable,
emulator, mimicker, copier, aper, cheerful readiness, confidence, untiring, tireless, untired,
copyist, somebody. eagerness; (adj) prematurity, indomitable, unflagging, industrious,
pertinacity: (n) persistence, premature. tolerant, persistent, persevering,
persistency, doggedness, obstinacy, raiment: (n, v) dress, garb, apparel, laborious. ANTONYM: (adj)
tenacity, contumacy, pertinacy, garment, clothes; (n) costume, attire, impatient.
16 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

verses in which we can trace some conception of the ends of poetry, are worth all
the miracles of smooth juvenile versification. A school-boy, one would say,
might acquire the regular see-saw of Pope merely by an association with the
motion of the play-ground tilt.%
Mr. Poe’s early productions show that he could see through the verse to the
spirit beneath, and that he already had a feeling that all the life and grace of the
one must depend on and be modulated by the will of the other. We call them the
most remarkable boyish poems that we have ever read. We know of none that
can compare with them for maturity of purpose, and a nice understanding of the
effects of language and metre. Such pieces are only valuable when they display
what we can only express by the contradictory phrase of innate experience. We
copy one of the shorter poems, written when the author was only fourteen. There
is a little dimness in the filling up, but the grace and symmetry of the outline are
such as few poets ever attain. There is a smack of ambrosia about it.

TO HELEN

Helen, thy beauty is to me

Like those Nicean barks of yore,
That gently, o’er a perfumed sea,
The weary, way-worn wanderer bore
To his own native shore.

On desperate seas long wont to roam,

Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face,
Thy Naiad airs have brought me home
To the glory that was Greece
And the grandeur that was Rome.

Lo! in yon brilliant window-niche

How statue-like I see thee stand!

Thesaurus
airs: (n, v) pretension; (n) affectation, dusk, dark, cloudiness, duskiness, versification: (n) verse, prosody,
pride, pose, pretensions, attitude; gloominess. ANTONYMS: (n) light, rhyme, rime, writing, stave, stanza,
(adj, n) arrogance; (v) precisianism, brightness, intelligence, clearness, poetic rhythm, songcraft, penning,
euphuism, purism, pedantry. strength, clarity. rhythmic pattern.
ANTONYMS: (n) humility, hyacinth: (n) zircon, amethyst, cape wanderer: (n) vagabond, roamer,
personality, realness, truthfulness, hyacinth, carbuncle, common tramp, nomad, drifter, traveler,
honesty. hyacinth, hyacine. wayfarer, stranger, hobo, traveller;
ambrosia: (n) nectar, composition, perfumed: (adj) fragrant, odoriferous, (n, v) rambler.
weed, treat, sweet, kickshaw, goody, odorous, scented, sweet, honeyed, yore: (n) past, history, past times,
dainty, dessert, delicacy, bitterweed. mellifluous, angelic, angelical, fresh, yesteryear, old times, auld langsyne,
dimness: (n) darkness, gloom, gratifying. ANTONYM: (adj) time out of mind, time immemorial,
shadow, haze, faintness, obscurity, odorless. the good old days, past tense.
 Edgar Allan Poe 17

The agate lamp within thy hand,

Ah! Psyche, from the regions which
Are Holy Land!

It is the tendency of the young poet that impresses us. Here is no “withering
scorn,” no heart “blighted” ere it has safely got into its teens, none of the
drawing-room sansculottism which Byron had brought into vogue. All is limpid
and serene, with a pleasant dash of the Greek Helicon in it. The melody of the
whole, too, is remarkable. It is not of that kind which can be demonstrated
arithmetically upon the tips of the fingers. It is of that finer sort which the inner
ear alone can estimate. It seems simple, like a Greek column, because of its
perfection. In a poem named “Ligeia,” under which title he intended to
personify the music of nature, our boy-poet gives us the following exquisite
picture:%
Ligeia! Ligeia!
My beautiful one,
Whose harshest idea
Will to melody run,
Say, is it thy will,
On the breezes to toss,
Or, capriciously still,
Like the lone albatross,
Incumbent on night,
As she on the air,
To keep watch with delight
On the harmony there?

John Neal, himself a man of genius, and whose lyre has been too long
capriciously silent, appreciated the high merit of these and similar passages, and
drew a proud horoscope for their author.

Thesaurus
agate: (n) calcedony, heliotrope, capriciously: (adv) fitfully, limpid: (adj) transparent, bright,
carnelian, gagate, achate, chalcedony. whimsically, erratically, inconstantly, diaphanous, crystal clear, crystalline,
albatross: (n) burden, weight, load, impulsively, moodily, waywardly, perspicuous, pellucid, lucid, liquid,
deterrent, handicap, impediment, volatilely, fancifully, arbitrarily, hyaline, glassy. ANTONYM: (adj)
stress, dead weight, white elephant, untrustworthily. ANTONYM: (adv) opaque.
tribulation, trial. logically. lyre: (n) lira, archlute, lute.
arithmetically: (adv) algebraically, drew: (n) move, John Drew. personify: (v) incarnate, embody,
algebraicly. horoscope: (n) astrology, prediction, typify, represent, exemplify,
author: (n) writer, producer, founder, figure, distinguished appearance, personalize, materialize,
creator, inventor, parent, originator, birth, conspicuous representation, impersonate, body, symbolize, be.
architect, maker; (v) compose, create. destiny, diagram, digit, fate, regions: (n) area, region, parts.
ANTONYM: (n) reader. forecasting.
18 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

Mr. Poe had that indescribable something which men have agreed to call
genius. No man could ever tell us precisely what it is, and yet there is none who
is not inevitably aware of its presence and its power. Let talent writhe and
contort itself as it may, it has no such magnetism. Larger of bone and sinew it
may be, but the wings are wanting. Talent sticks fast to earth, and its most
perfect works have still one- foot of clay. Genius claims kindred with the very
workings of Nature herself, so that a sunset shall seem like a quotation from
Dante, and if Shakespeare be read in the very presence of the sea itself, his verses
shall but seem nobler for the sublime criticism of ocean. Talent may make friends
for itself, but only genius can give to its creations the divine power of winning
love and veneration. Enthusiasm cannot cling to what itself is unenthusiastic,
nor will he ever have disciples who has not himself impulsive zeal enough to be
a disciple. Great wits are allied to madness only inasmuch as they are possessed
and carried away by their demon, While talent keeps him, as Paracelsus did,
securely prisoned in the pommel of his sword. To the eye of genius, the veil of
the spiritual world is ever rent asunder that it may perceive the ministers of
good and evil who throng continually around it. No man of mere talent ever
flung his inkstand at the devil.%
When we say that Mr. Poe had genius, we do not mean to say that he has
produced evidence of the highest. But to say that he possesses it at all is to say
that he needs only zeal, industry, and a reverence for the trust reposed in him, to
achieve the proudest triumphs and the greenest laurels. If we may believe the
Longinuses; and Aristotles of our newspapers, we have quite too many geniuses
of the loftiest order to render a place among them at all desirable, whether for its
hardness of attainment or its seclusion. The highest peak of our Parnassus is,
according to these gentlemen, by far the most thickly settled portion of the
country, a circumstance which must make it an uncomfortable residence for
individuals of a poetical temperament, if love of solitude be, as immemorial
tradition asserts, a necessary part of their idiosyncrasy.
Mr. Poe has two of the prime qualities of genius, a faculty of vigorous yet
minute analysis, and a wonderful fecundity of imagination. The first of these

asunder: (adj, v) separate; (adv) aside,
in two; (adj, adv) in Twain; (adj) loose,
distant, adrift, aloof; (v) discrete, far
between, free. ANTONYM: (adv)
together.
contort: (v) twist, bend, deform, warp,
wring, wrench, falsify, curl, mangle,
make faces, deface. ANTONYMS: (v)
straighten, unbend, untwist, smile.
idiosyncrasy: (n) mannerism,
eccentricity, foible, peculiarity,
oddity, feature, attribute, personality,
Thesaurus
quirk, diathesis; (adj, n) individuality. strength, beef; (adj, n) muscle, nerve.
inasmuch: (adv) gradually, pro tanto, unenthusiastic: (adj) halfhearted,
so, since, as, that, because, inasmuch reluctant, unwilling, tepid, negative,
as, seeing that, for. cool, indifferent, uninterested,
inkstand: (n) inkhorn. apathetic, cold, cynical.
loftiest: (adj) uppermost, top, ANTONYMS: (adj) enthusiastic,
sovereign. keen, inclined, constructive,
pommel: (v) beat, pummel, defeat, wholehearted, warm, positive,
biff, club, drub, bang, batter, maul; optimistic, helpful.
(n) saddlebow; (adj) bullet. writhe: (adj, v) distort, wrest; (v)
sinew: (n) brawn, potency, power, contort, wriggle, squirm, wrench,
force, might, vigour, energy, worm, coil, wiggle, thrash, warp.
 Edgar Allan Poe 19

faculties is as needful to the artist in words, as a knowledge of anatomy is to the

artist in colors or in stone. This enables him to conceive truly, to maintain a
proper relation of parts, and to draw a correct outline, while the second groups,
fills up and colors. Both of these Mr. Poe has displayed with singular
distinctness in his prose works, the last predominating in his earlier tales, and
the first in his later ones. In judging of the merit of an author, and assigning him
his niche among our household gods, we have a right to regard him from our
own point of view, and to measure him by our own standard. But, in estimating
the amount of power displayed in his works, we must be governed by his own
design, and placing them by the side of his own ideal, find how much is wanting.
We differ from Mr. Poe in his opinions of the objects of art. He esteems that
object to be the creation of Beauty, and perhaps it is only in the definition of that
word that we disagree with him. But in what we shall say of his writings, we
shall take his own standard as our guide. The temple of the god of song is
equally. accessible from every side, and there is room enough in it for all who
bring offerings, or seek in oracle.%
In his tales, Mr. Poe has chosen to exhibit his power chiefly in that dim region
which stretches from the very utmost limits of the probable into the weird
confines of superstition and unreality. He combines in a very remarkable
manner two faculties which are seldom found united; a power of influencing the
mind of the reader by the impalpable shadows of mystery, and a minuteness of
detail which does not leave a pin or a button unnoticed. Both are, in truth, the
natural results of the predominating quality of his mind, to which we have
before alluded, analysis. It is this which distinguishes the artist. His mind at once
reaches forward to the effect to be produced. Having resolved to bring about
certain emotions in the reader, he makes all subordinate parts tend strictly to the
common centre. Even his mystery is mathematical to his own mind. To him X is
a known quantity all along. In any picture that he paints he understands the
chemical properties of all his colors. However vague some of his figures may
seem, however formless the shadows, to him the outline is as clear and distinct
as that of a geometrical diagram. For this reason Mr. Poe has no sympathy with
Mysticism. The Mystic dwells in the mystery, is enveloped with it; it colors all his

colors: (n) flag, colours, paints, banner,
color, colour, ensign, pigment, tint,
dye, paint.
distinctness: (n) clearness, sharpness,
definition, otherness, perspicuity,
discreteness, articulate sound,
separation, uncloudedness,
dissimilarity; (adj) conspicuousness.
ANTONYM: (n) indistinctness.
formless: (adj) shapeless, unformed,
indistinct, unstructured, unbodied,
nebulous, vague, indistinguishable,
Thesaurus
soft, fuzzy, rude. ANTONYMS: (adj) petiteness, tininess, weeness.
organized, clear, distinct. needful: (adj) necessary, essential,
geometrical: (adj) nonrepresentational, indispensable, required, needed,
mathematical. mandatory, exigent, needy; (adj, v)
impalpable: (adj) imperceptible, requisite; (n) necessity, almighty
shadowy, invisible, efflorescent, dollar.
gritty, insubstantial, incorporeal, unreality: (n) irreality, cloud,
inscrutable, ethereal, falseness, imagination, immateriality,
inapprehensible, elusive. pointlessness, uselessness, futility,
ANTONYMS: (adj) tangible, definite. emptiness, nonexistence, hollowness.
minuteness: (n) diminutiveness, ANTONYMS: (n) reality, value,
smallness, attention to detail, existence.
20 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

thoughts; it affects his optic nerve especially, and the commonest things get a
rainbow edging from it. Mr. Poe, on the other hand, is a spectator ab extra. He
analyzes, he dissects, he watches

with an eye serene,

The very pulse of the machine,

for such it practically is to him, with wheels and cogs and piston-rods, all
working to produce a certain end.%
This analyzing tendency of his mind balances the poetical, and by giving him
the patience to be minute, enables him to throw a wonderful reality into his most
unreal fancies. A monomania he paints with great power. He loves to dissect
one of these cancers of the mind, and to trace all the subtle ramifications of its
roots. In raising images of horror, also, he has strange success, conveying to us
sometimes by a dusky hint some terrible doubt which is the secret of all horror.
He leaves to imagination the task of finishing the picture, a task to which only
she is competent.

For much imaginary work was there;

Conceit deceitful, so compact, so kind,
That for Achilles’ image stood his spear
Grasped in an armed hand; himself behind
Was left unseen, save to the eye of mind.

Besides the merit of conception, Mr. Poe’s writings have also that of form.
His style is highly finished, graceful and truly classical. It would be hard to
find a living author who had displayed such varied powers. As an example of his
style we would refer to one of his tales, “The House of Usher,” in the first
volume of his “Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque.” It has a singular charm
for us, and we think that no one could read it without being strongly moved by
its serene and sombre beauty. Had its author written nothing else, it would alone
Thesaurus
cogs: (n) teeth, moving parts, carve, dismember, cut, decompose, fancies: (n) stock.
workings, works, mechanism, device, analyse, cut up, separate, parse, monomania: (adj, n) madness,
cost of goods sold. resolve. ANTONYMS: (v) mend, fanaticism, frenzy, derangement,
deceitful: (adj) false, fraudulent, synthesize, join. aberration, alienation, insanity,
insincere, crooked, dishonest, untrue, dusky: (adj) dark, cloudy, gloomy, lunacy; (adj) infatuation; (n) passion,
sly, artful, untrustworthy, unreliable, black, swarthy, dull, murky, obscure, craze.
treacherous. ANTONYMS: (adj) dingy, sooty, somber. ANTONYMS: optic: (adj) visual, optical, opthalmic;
straightforward, genuine, (adj) light, bright, sunny, radiant, (n) eye, peeper, oculus, receptor,
trustworthy, truthful, loyal, open, clear. optics, center, centre, compound eye.
principled, straight, upright, faithful, edging: (n) border, edge, brim, brink, spear: (n) harpoon, lance, pike, fizgig,
dependable. lace, trimming, boundary, galloon, prick, gig, javelin, shaft, halberd; (v)
dissect: (n, v) anatomize, scrutinize; (v) hem, list, frame. stab, spike.
 Edgar Allan Poe 21

have been enough to stamp him as a man of genius, and the master of a classic
style. In this tale occurs, perhaps, the most beautiful of his poems.%
The great masters of imagination have seldom resorted to the vague and the
unreal as sources of effect. They have not used dread and horror alone, but only
in combination with other qualities, as means of subjugating the fancies of their
readers. The loftiest muse has ever a household and fireside charm about her.
Mr. Poe’s secret lies mainly in the skill with which he has employed the strange
fascination of mystery and terror. In this his success is so great and striking as to
deserve the name of art, not artifice. We cannot call his materials the noblest or
purest, but we must concede to him the highest merit of construction.
As a critic, Mr. Poe was aesthetically deficient. Unerring in his analysis of
dictions, metres and plots, he seemed wanting in the faculty of perceiving the
profounder ethics of art. His criticisms are, however, distinguished for scientific
precision and coherence of logic. They have the exactness, and at the same time,
the coldness of mathematical demonstrations. Yet they stand in strikingly
refreshing contrast with the vague generalisms and sharp personalities of the
day. If deficient in warmth, they are also without the heat of partisanship. They
are especially valuable as illustrating the great truth, too generally overlooked,
that analytic power is a subordinate quality of the critic.
On the whole, it may be considered certain that Mr. Poe has attained an
individual eminence in our literature which he will keep. He has given proof of
power and originality. He has done that which could only be done once with
success or safety, and the imitation or repetition of which would produce
weariness.

aesthetically: (adv) sentiently,
perceptively, pleasingly.
artifice: (n, v) art; (n) ruse, deception,
contrivance, artfulness, dodge,
science, trickery, wile, proficiency,
maneuver. ANTONYMS: (n)
truthfulness, sincerity, honesty,
naivete, inability, artlessness,
incapacity, straightforwardness.
exactness: (n) correctness, accuracy,
exactitude, truth, rigor, trueness,
accurateness, fidelity, punctuality,
Thesaurus
veracity, strictness. ANTONYMS: (n)
inexactness, fuzziness, inaccuracy,
negligence, inexactitude,
incorrectness.
fireside: (n) fireplace, home, family,
habitation, dwelling, abode, domicile,
country, dwelling house, fire, habitat.
masters: (n) Edgar lee Masters.
partisanship: (n) partiality, bias,
prejudice, clannishness,
anthropocentrism,
anthropocentricity, esprit de corps,
clanship, ethnocentrism, localism;
(adj, n) party spirit. ANTONYM: (n)
disloyalty.
perceiving: (n) feeling, sensing,
hearing, looking at, recognition,
thought, vision, lipreading; (adj)
conscious, percipient, reasonable.
unerring: (adj) sure, certain, inerrant,
inerrable, accurate, exact, faithful,
perfect, unblemished, constant, right.
ANTONYMS: (adj) erring, imperfect,
mistaken, inaccurate, faulty.
 Edgar Allan Poe 23

DEATH OF EDGAR A. POE

BY N. P. WILLIS

The ancient fable of two antagonistic spirits imprisoned in one body, equally
powerful and having the complete mastery by turns-of one man, that is to say,
inhabited by both a devil and an angel seems to have been realized, if all we hear
is true, in the character of the extraordinary man whose name we have written
above. Our own impression of the nature of Edgar A. Poe, differs in some
important degree, however, from that which has been generally conveyed in the
notices of his death. Let us, before telling what we personally know of him, copy
a graphic and highly finished portraiture, from the pen of Dr. Rufus W.
Griswold, which appeared in a recent number of the “Tribune:”%
“Edgar Allen Poe is dead. He died in Baltimore on Sunday, October 7th. This
announcement will startle many, but few will be grieved by it. The poet was
known, personally or by reputation, in all this country; he had readers in
England and in several of the states of Continental Europe; but he had few or no
friends; and the regrets for his death will be suggested principally by the
consideration that in him literary art has lost one of its most brilliant but erratic
stars.
“His conversation was at times almost supramortal in its eloquence. His
voice was modulated with astonishing skill, and his large and variably

Thesaurus
antagonistic: (adj) counter, opposite, ANTONYM: (n) inarticulateness. portraiture: (n) depiction, description,
opposed, conflicting, averse, warlike, fable: (n) legend, fiction, tale, story, delineation, picture, characterization,
inimical, unfriendly, repugnant, fabrication, fairy tale, lie, myth, likeness, portrayal, imagery,
contrary; (adj, v) adverse. anecdote; (adj, n) apologue, parable. representation; (v) genre, high art.
ANTONYMS: (adj) synergistic, ANTONYMS: (n) fact, history. regrets: (n) regret, declination, RSVP
conciliating, peaceable, peaceful, grieved: (adj) sore, sad, sorry, regrets only, acknowledgement,
compatible, agreeable, sympathetic. sorrowful, upset, woeful, pained, acknowledgment, celestial latitude,
conveyed: (v) borne, sent. affected, brokenhearted. excuse, Dec.
eloquence: (n) style, fluency, oratory, mastery: (n) dominance, dominion, startle: (n, v) start, jump; (v) frighten,
rhetoric, articulateness, expression, command, domination, ascendancy, scare, astonish, shock, astound,
volubility, persuasiveness, articulacy, ascendency, control, authority, amaze, shake, threaten, electrify.
facundity, way with words. mastership, supremacy, ascendance. ANTONYM: (v) soothe.
24 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

expressive eyes looked repose or shot fiery tumult into theirs who listened, while
his own face glowed, or was changeless in pallor, as his imagination quickened
his blood or drew it back frozen to his heart. His imagery was from the worlds
which no mortals can see but with the vision of genius. Suddenly starting from a
proposition, exactly and sharply defined, in terms of utmost simplicity and
clearness, he rejected the forms of customary logic, and by a crystalline process
of accretion, built up his ocular demonstrations in forms of gloomiest and
ghastliest grandeur, or in those of the most airy and delicious beauty, so
minutely and distinctly, yet so rapidly, that the attention which was yielded to
him was chained till it stood among his wonderful creations, till he himself
dissolved the spell, and brought his hearers back to common and base existence,
by vulgar fancies or exhibitions of the ignoblest passion.%
“He was at all times a dreamer-dwelling in ideal realms-in heaven or hell-
peopled with the creatures and the accidents of his brain. He walked-the streets,
in madness or melancholy, with lips moving in indistinct curses, or with eyes
upturned in passionate prayer (never for himself, for he felt, or professed to feel,
that he was already damned, but) for their happiness who at the moment were
objects of his idolatry; or with his glances introverted to a heart gnawed with
anguish, and with a face shrouded in gloom, he would brave the wildest storms,
and all night, with drenched garments and arms beating the winds and rains,
would speak as if the spirits that at such times only could be evoked by him from
the Aidenn, close by whose portals his disturbed soul sought to forget the ills to
which his constitution subjected him---close by the Aidenn where were those he
loved-the Aidenn which he might never see, but in fitful glimpses, as its gates
opened to receive the less fiery and more happy natures whose destiny to sin did
not involve the doom of death.
“He seemed, except when some fitful pursuit subjugated his will and
engrossed his faculties, always to bear the memory of some controlling sorrow.
The remarkable poem of ‘The Raven’ was probably much more nearly than has
been supposed, even by those who were very intimate with him, a reflection and
an echo of his own history. He was that bird’s

changeless: (adj) fixed, steady,
immutable, abiding, invariable,
stable, invariant, steadfast,
unvarying, unalterable,
unchangeable.
clearness: (n) clarity, brightness,
distinctness, perspicuity, lucidity,
explicitness, sharpness, simplicity,
purity, limpidity, intelligibility.
ANTONYMS: (n) ambiguity, opacity,
dirtiness, vagueness, unclearness,
obscureness, indistinctness, clutter,
Thesaurus
haziness, mustiness. sociable, extrovert.
curses: (n) abuse. mortals: (n) people.
gnawed: (v) gnow, eroded. ocular: (adj, v) visual; (adj) optical,
idolatry: (adj, n) devotion; (n) worship, ophthalmic, visible, optic, sensory,
veneration, idol worship, iconolatry, opthalmic, oculary; (n) lens system,
bibliolatry; (adj) infatuation, fervor, lens.
flame, enthusiasm, enchantment. subjugated: (adj) beaten,
introverted: (adj) withdrawn, remote, downtrodden, overpowered,
solitary, shy, introspective, aloof, overcome, browbeaten, captive; (v)
unsociable, repressed, reserved, subdued, broken, broken friendship,
reticent, retiring. ANTONYMS: (adj) apart, blighted. ANTONYM: (adj)
uninhibited, communicative, liberated.
 Edgar Allan Poe 25

Unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster

Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of “Never-never more.”%
“Every genuine author in a greater or less degree leaves in his works,
whatever their design, traces of his personal character: elements of his immortal
being, in which the individual survives the person. While we read the pages of
the ‘Fall of the House of Usher,’ or of ‘Mesmeric Revelations,’ we see in the
solemn and stately gloom which invests one, and in the subtle metaphysical
analysis of both, indications of the idiosyncrasies of what was most remarkable
and peculiar in the author’s intellectual nature. But we see here only the better
phases of his nature, only the symbols of his juster action, for his harsh
experience had deprived him of all faith in man or woman. He had made up his
mind upon the numberless complexities of the social world, and the whole
system with him was an imposture. This conviction gave a direction to his
shrewd and naturally unamiable character. Still, though he regarded society as
composed altogether of villains, the sharpness of his intellect was not of that kind
which enabled him to cope with villany, while it continually caused him by
overshots to fail of the success of honesty. He was in many respects like Francis
Vivian in Bulwer’s novel of ‘The Caxtons.’ Passion, in him, comprehended -
many of the worst emotions which militate against human happiness. You could
not contradict him, but you raised quick choler; you could not speak of wealth,
but his cheek paled with gnawing envy. The astonishing natural advantages of
this poor boy--his beauty, his readiness, the daring spirit that breathed around
him like a fiery atmosphere--had raised his constitutional self-confidence into an
arrogance that turned his very claims to admiration into prejudices against him.
Irascible, envious--bad enough, but not the worst, for these salient angles were
all varnished over with a cold, repellant cynicism, his passions vented
themselves in sneers. There seemed to him no moral susceptibility; and, what
was more remarkable in a proud nature, little or nothing of the true point of
honor. He had, to a morbid excess, that, desire to rise which is vulgarly called

choler: (n) anger, bile, resentment,
rage, madness, dander, spleen,
petulance, indignation, irritability,
ire.
comprehended: (adj) understood,
apprehended.
imposture: (n) fraud, deceit,
deception, counterfeit, cheating,
trickery, trick, cheat, hoax, guile,
dissimulation.
irascible: (adj) angry, choleric,
irritable, crabby, hot, excitable, testy,
Thesaurus
touchy, passionate, hotheaded, hasty. loathsome, offensive, disgusting,
ANTONYMS: (adj) easygoing, loathly, disgustful, distasteful, highly
patient. offensive, putrid, funky.
militate: (v) tell, contend, work, fight, unamiable: (adj) uncharitable,
weigh, count, act upon. unfeeling, vinegary, sour,
numberless: (adj) countless, disobliging, resembling vinegar,
innumerable, multitudinous, infinite, morose.
incalculable, endless, uncounted, vulgarly: (adv) crudely, commonly,
unnumbered, innumerous, legion, plebeianly, grossly, smuttily,
untold. ANTONYM: (adj) few. uncouthly, boorishly, cheaply,
regarded: (adj) reputed. rudely, vilely, tastelessly.
repellant: (adj) rebarbative, foul, ANTONYM: (adv) decently.
26 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

ambition, but no wish for the esteem or the love of his species; only the hard
wish to succeed-not shine, not serve -succeed, that he might have the right to
despise a world which galled his self-conceit.%
“We have suggested the influence of his aims and vicissitudes upon his
literature. It was more conspicuous in his later than in his earlier writings. Nearly
all that he wrote in the last two or three years-including much of his best poetry-
was in some sense biographical; in draperies of his imagination, those who had
taken the trouble to trace his steps, could perceive, but slightly concealed, the
figure of himself.”
Apropos of the disparaging portion of the above well-written sketch, let us
truthfully say:
Some four or five years since, when editing a daily paper in this city, Mr. Poe
was employed by us, for several months, as critic and sub-editor. This was our
first personal acquaintance with him. He resided with his wife and mother at
Fordham, a few miles out of town, but was at his desk in the office, from nine in
the morning till the evening paper went to press. With the highest admiration for
his genius, and a willingness to let it atone for more than ordinary irregularity,
we were led by common report to expect a very capricious attention to his duties,
and occasionally a scene of violence and difficulty. Time went on, however, and
he was invariably punctual and industrious. With his pale, beautiful, and
intellectual face, as a reminder of what genius was in him, it was impossible, of
course, not to treat him always with deferential courtesy, and, to our occasional
request that he would not probe too deep in a criticism, or that he would erase a
passage colored too highly with his resentments against society and mankind, he
readily and courteously assented-far more yielding than most men, we thought,
on points so excusably sensitive. With a prospect of taking the lead in another
periodical, he, at last, voluntarily gave up his employment with us, and, through
all this considerable period, we had seen but one presentment of the man-a
quiet, patient, industrious, and most gentlemanly person, commanding the
utmost respect and good feeling by his unvarying deportment and ability.

Thesaurus
atone: (v) satisfy, pay, propitiate, libelous, sarcastic; (adj, v) presentment: (n) performance,
indemnify, compensate, make up, reproachful; (v) objurgatory. exhibition, demonstration,
recoup, apologize, abye, aby, repent. ANTONYMS: (adj) complimentary, representation, portrayal, indictment,
ANTONYM: (v) forfeit. hopeful, favorable, constructive. notification, statement, depiction,
biographical: (adj) biographic. excusably: (adv) justly, reasonably, true bill, description.
deportment: (n, v) bearing, demeanor, forgivably, justifiably, rightly, unvarying: (adj) unchanging,
conduct, carriage; (n) manner, understandably, with good reason, invariable, constant, steady, uniform,
attitude, demeanour, behaviour, with reason. ANTONYMS: (adv) invariant, changeless, consistent,
comportment, dealing, air. inexcusably, wrongly. unvaried, unchanged, equal.
disparaging: (adj) pejorative, galled: (adj) chafed, uncomfortable, ANTONYMS: (adj) irregular,
contemptuous, derogative, abusive, chilly, bleak, bare, bald, angry, multiform, varied, dynamic, erratic,
condemnatory, critical, defamatory, painful. unequal.
 Edgar Allan Poe 27

Residing as he did in the country, we never met Mr. Poe in hours of leisure;
but he frequently called on us afterward at our place of business, and we met
him often in the street-invariably the same sad mannered, winning and refined
gentleman , such as we had always known him. It was by rumor only, up to the
day of his death, that we knew of any other development of manner or character.
We heard, from one who knew him well (what should be stated in all mention of
his lamentable irregularities), that, with a single glass of wine, his whole nature
was reversed, the demon became uppermost, and, though none of the usual
signs of intoxication were visible, his will was palpably insane. Possessing his
reasoning faculties in excited activity, at such times, and seeking his
acquaintances with his wonted look and memory, he easily seemed personating
only another phase of his natural character, and was accused, accordingly, of
insulting arrogance and bad-heartedness. In this reversed character, we repeat, it
was never our chance to see him. We know it from hearsay, and we mention it in
connection with this sad infirmity of physical constitution; which puts it upon
very nearly the ground of a temporary and almost irresponsible insanity.%
The arrogance, vanity, and depravity of heart, of which Mr. Poe was
generally accused, seem to us referable altogether to this reversed phase of his
character. Under that degree of intoxication which only acted upon him by
demonizing his sense of truth and right, he doubtless said and did much that
was wholly irreconcilable with his better nature; but, when himself, and as we
knew him only, his modesty and unaffected humility, as to his own deservings,
were a constant charm to his character. His letters, of which the constant
application for autographs has taken from us, we are sorry to confess, the greater
portion, exhibited this quality very strongly. In one of the carelessly written
notes of which we chance still to retain possession, for instance, he speaks of
“The Raven”--that extraordinary poem which electrified the world of
imaginative readers, and has become the type of a school of poetry of its own-
and, in evident earnest, attributes its success to the few words of commendation
with which we had prefaced it in this paper. -It will throw light on his sane
character to give a literal copy of the note:

acquaintances: (n) associates.
commendation: (n, v) acclaim,
applause, praise; (n) approval,
citation, approbation, tribute, credit,
plaudit, acclamation, admiration.
ANTONYMS: (n) disapproval,
criticism, censure, demotion.
depravity: (n) corruption, evil,
degeneracy, depravation,
debauchery, degeneration,
degradation, wickedness, vice,
turpitude; (adj) demoralization.
Thesaurus
ANTONYMS: (n) honor, justice, stiff, ponderous, pretentious,
morality, nobility, purity, restraint, conscious, ceremonial, contrived,
uprightness, virtue, righteousness, accustomed, theatrical, thewed.
decency, goodness. ANTONYMS: (adj) unpretentious,
faculties: (n) mother wit. genuine.
infirmity: (adj, n) frailty, foible, referable: (adj) ascribable, referrible,
imbecility; (n) feebleness, impotence, attributable, accusable, culpable,
disability, decrepitude, illness, chargeable.
sickness, disease, weakness. wonted: (adj, n) habitual, ordinary,
ANTONYMS: (n) health, wellness, usual, familiar; (adj) everyday,
strength. general, conventional, routine; (n)
mannered: (adj) affected, unnatural, accustomed, common, regular.
28 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“FORDHAM, April 20, 1849

“My DEAR WILLIS—
“The poem which I inclose, and which I am so vain as to hope you
will like, in some respects, has been just published in a paper for which
sheer necessity compels me to write, now and then. It pays well as times
go-but unquestionably it ought to pay ten prices; for whatever I send it I
feel I am consigning to the tomb of the Capulets. The verses
accompanying this, may I beg you to take out of the tomb, and bring
them to light in the ‘Home journal?’ If you can oblige me so far as to
copy them, I do not think it will be necessary to say ‘From the –-, that
would be too bad; and, perhaps, ‘From a late ---- paper,’ would do.%
“I have not forgotten how a ‘good word in season’ from you made
‘The Raven,’ and made ‘Ulalume’ (which by-the-way, people have done
me the honor of attributing to you), therefore, I would ask you (if I
dared) to say something of these lines if they please you.
“Truly yours ever,
“EDGAR A. POE”

In double proof of his earnest disposition to do the best for himself, and of
the trustful and grateful nature which has been denied him, we give another of
the only three of his notes which we chance to retain :

“FORDHAM, January 22, 1848.

“My DEAR MR. WILLIS—
“I am about to make an effort at re-establishing myself in the literary
world, and feel that I may depend upon your aid.
“My general aim is to start a Magazine, to be called ‘The Stylus,’ but
it would be useless to me, even when established, if not entirely out of
the control of a publisher. I mean, therefore, to get up a journal which
shall be my own at all points. With this end in view, I must get a list of at

Thesaurus
attributing: (n) reference. embrace; (adv, n) compass; (v) entomb, mausoleum; (n, v) bury; (v)
consigning: (n) delegation. circumscribe, embower, bound, gird. inter.
honor: (n, v) respect, reputation, glory, oblige: (v) coerce, force, drive, trustful: (adj) confiding, unsuspicious,
fame, reward; (n) award, accolade, constrain, make, bind, accommodate, credulous, gullible, trusty,
reverence; (v) celebrate; (adj, n, v) obligate, necessitate, enforce, impel. trustworthy, unsuspecting; (n) trust,
worship, grace. ANTONYMS: (n, v) ANTONYMS: (v) displease, request, private conversation, bold, belief.
dishonor, disgrace; (n) shame, hinder. unquestionably: (adv) certainly,
humiliation, wickedness, contempt, respects: (adj) abord, welcome; (n) definitely, indubitably, decidedly,
insult; (v) break, ignore, disrespect, compliments, greeting, compliment, indisputably, positively, surely, of
discredit. baisemains, devoir, duty. course, assuredly, no doubt; (adj)
inclose: (adv, v) environ, beset; (adv, n, tomb: (n) sepulchre, sepulcher, crypt, doubtless. ANTONYMS: (adv)
v) encompass; (n, v) encircle, close, pit, sepulture, vault, monument, doubtfully, possibly, arguably.
 Edgar Allan Poe 29

least five hundred subscribers to begin with; nearly two hundred I have
already. I propose, however, to go South and West, among my personal
and literary friends--old college and West Point acquaintances -and see
what I can do. In order to get the means of taking the first step, I propose
to lecture at the Society Library, on Thursday, the 3d of February, and,
that there may be no cause of squabbling, my subject shall not be
literary at all. I have chosen a broad text: ‘The Universe.’
“Having thus given you the facts of the case, I leave all the rest to the
suggestions of your own tact and generosity. Gratefully, most gratefully,
”Your friend always,
“EDGAR A. POE’’

Brief and chance-taken as these letters are, we think they sufficiently prove
the existence of the very qualities denied to Mr. Poe-humility, willingness to
persevere, belief in another’s friendship, and capability of cordial and grateful
friendship! Such he assuredly was when sane. Such only he has invariably
seemed to us, in all we have happened personally to know of him, through a
friendship of five or six years. And so much easier is it to believe what we have
seen and known, than what we hear of only, that we remember him but with
admiration and respect; these descriptions of him, when morally insane, seeming
to us like portraits, painted in sickness, of a man we have only known in health.%
But there is another, more touching, and far more forcible evidence that there
was goodness in Edgar A. Poe. To reveal it we are obliged to venture upon the
lifting of the veil which sacredly covers grief and refinement in poverty; but we
think it may be excused, if so we can brighten the memory of the poet, even were
there not a more needed and immediate service which it may render to the
nearest link broken by his death.
Our first knowledge of Mr. Poe’s removal to this city was by a call which we
received from a lady who introduced herself to us as the mother of his wife. She
was in search of employment for him, and she excused her errand by mentioning
that he was ill, that her daughter was a confirmed invalid, and that their

Thesaurus
assuredly: (adv) certainly, confidently, assignment, embassy, duty, charge, ANTONYMS: (v) surrender, stop,
positively, securely, indeed, messenger, communication, work. quit.
definitely, undoubtedly, admittedly, excused: (adj) privileged, immune. render: (v) interpret, explain, give,
safely, insuredly, decidedly. forcible: (adj) forceful, active, offer, furnish, pay, construe, return,
cordial: (adj) genial, warm, affable, energetic, powerful, strong, violent, provide, impart, translate.
amiable, friendly, genuine, ardent, coercive, vigorous, effective, sacredly: (adv) divinely, saintly,
unaffected, gracious, honest; (n) convincing; (prep) conclusive. solemnly, hallowedly, piously,
liqueur. ANTONYMS: (adj) ANTONYMS: (adj) weak, gentle, sanctifiedly, inviolately, spiritually,
unfriendly, stern, cold, cool, peaceful. blessedly, dedicatedly, holily.
disagreeable, aloof, reserved, distant, persevere: (v) persist, continue, squabbling: (n) contention, argument,
rude, uncordial, unpleasant. endure, abide, go on, hang on, hold bickering, altercation, internal strife,
errand: (n) chore, mission, job, task, on, follow, keep, remain, pursue. backbiting.
30 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

circumstances %were such as compelled her taking it upon herself. The

countenance of this lady, made beautiful and saintly with an evidently complete
giving up of her life to privation and sorrowful tenderness, her gentle and
mournful voice urging its plea, her long-forgotten but habitually and
unconsciously refined manners, and her appealing and yet appreciative mention
of the claims and abilities of her son, disclosed at once the presence of one of
those angels upon earth that women in adversity can be. It was a hard fate that
she was watching over. Mr. Poe wrote with fastidious difficulty, and in a style
too much above the popular level to be well paid. He was always in pecuniary
difficulty, and, with his sick wife, frequently in want of the merest necessaries of
life. Winter after winter, for years, the most touching sight to us, in this whole
city, has been that tireless minister to genius, thinly and insufficiently clad, going
from office to office with a poem, or an article on some literary subject, to sell,
sometimes simply pleading in a broken voice that he was ill, and begging for
him, mentioning nothing but that “he was ill,” whatever might be the reason for
his writing nothing, and never, amid all her tears and recitals of distress,
suffering one syllable to escape her lips that could convey a doubt of him, or a
complaint, or a lessening of pride in his genius and good intentions. Her
daughter died a year and a half since, but she did not desert him. She continued
his ministering angel--living with him, caring for him, guarding him against
exposure, and when he was carried away by temptation, amid grief and the
loneliness of feelings unreplied to, and awoke from his self abandonment
prostrated in destitution and suffering, begging for him still. If woman’s
devotion, born with a first love, and fed with human passion, hallow its object,
as it is allowed to do, what does not a devotion like this-pure, disinterested and
holy as the watch of an invisible spirit-say for him who inspired it?
We have a letter before us, written by this lady, Mrs. Clemm, on the morning
in which she heard of the death of this object of her untiring care. It is merely a
request that we would call upon her, but we will copy a few of its words--sacred
as its privacy is--to warrant the truth of the picture we have drawn above, and
add force to the appeal we wish to make for her:

Thesaurus
hallow: (v) bless, sanctify, dedicate, crumenal. unholy, wicked, secular.
venerate, celebrate keep, do honor to, privation: (n) hardship, need, sorrowful: (adj) melancholy, doleful,
honor, commemorate, celebrate, deprivation, necessity, poverty, sad, rueful, lugubrious, gloomy,
enshrine, devote. ANTONYM: (v) deficiency, misery, impoverishment, dreary, grievous, piteous, unhappy,
desecrate. destitution, dearth; (n, v) loss. mournful. ANTONYMS: (adj)
ministering: (adj) assisting, helpful, ANTONYM: (n) affluence. cheerful, content, joyful, successful.
latreutical, ministrative, ministrant. prostrated: (adj) brokenhearted, untiring: (adj) indefatigable,
necessaries: (n) necessary, necessaries exhausted, tired, enervated. unflagging, persistent, assiduous,
of life, necessity, must. saintly: (adj, adv) godly; (adj) saintlike, industrious, persevering,
pecuniary: (adj) financial, fiscal, sacred, pious, angelic, sainted, indomitable, diligent, hardworking,
commercial, economic, nummulary, religious, devout, beatific, righteous, patient, unfaltering. ANTONYMS:
sumptuary, numismatical, pecunial, divine. ANTONYMS: (adj) sinful, (adj) irresolute, failing, weary.
 Edgar Allan Poe 31

“I have this morning heard of the death of my darling Eddie... Can you give
me any circumstances or particulars?... Oh! do not desert your poor friend in his
bitter affliction!... Ask -Mr. -- to come, as I must deliver a message to him from
my poor Eddie... I need not ask you to notice his death and to speak well of him.
I know you will. But say what an affectionate son he was to me, his poor
desolate mother…”
To hedge round a grave with respect, what choice is there, between the
relinquished wealth and honors of the world, and the story of such a woman’s
unrewarded devotion! Risking what we do, in delicacy, by making it public, we
feel--other reasons aside--that it betters the world to make known that there are
such ministrations to its erring and gifted. What we have said will speak to some
hearts. There are those who will be glad to know how the lamp, whose light of
poetry has beamed on their far-away recognition, was watched over with care
and pain, that they may send to her, who is more darkened than they by its
extinction, some token of their sympathy. She is destitute and alone. If any, far or
near, will send to us what may aid and cheer her through the remainder of her
life, we will joyfully place it in her bands.%

darkened: (adj) darkens, obscured,
old, obfuscate, murky, cloudy,
opaque, overcast.
desolate: (adj, v) desert, forlorn; (adj)
bare, barren, alone, bleak, deserted,
cheerless, disconsolate; (v) devastate,
destroy. ANTONYMS: (adj) cheerful,
inhabited, happy, sheltered, mobbed,
overcrowded, ecstatic, hopeful; (v)
create, construct, build.
destitute: (adj) impoverished, needy,
bankrupt, broke, poor, helpless,
Thesaurus
impecunious, penniless, necessitous;
(adj, v) forlorn, devoid. ANTONYMS:
(adj) wealthy, privileged, prosperous,
solvent.
erring: (adj) devious, sinful, fallible,
wrong, amiss, at fault, guilty,
perverse, reprehensible; (n)
transgression.
heard: (n) hearing.
hearts: (n) Black Maria, spades.
joyfully: (adv) joyously, merrily, gaily,
gleefully, buoyantly, cheerily,
jubilantly, pleasantly, mirthfully;
(adv, v) happily; (adj, adv) cheerfully.
ANTONYMS: (adv) joylessly,
miserably, despondently.
reasons: (n) proof.
relinquished: (adj) forsaken, deserted,
derelict, unoccupied, given,
surrendered.
risking: (n) daily double, gaming,
perfecta, place bet, exacta.
unrewarded: (adj) unacknowledged,
unpaid, unsuccessful, unthanked.
 Edgar Allan Poe 33

THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF ONE

HANS PFAAL

By late accounts from Rotterdam, that city seems to be in a high state of

philosophical excitement. Indeed, phenomena have there occurred of a nature so
completely unexpected -- so entirely novel -- so utterly at variance with
preconceived opinions -- as to leave no doubt on my mind that long ere this all
Europe is in an uproar, all physics in a ferment, all reason and astronomy
together by the ears.%
It appears that on the -- -- day of -- -- (I am not positive about the date), a vast
crowd of people, for purposes not specifically mentioned, were assembled in the
great square of the Exchange in the well-conditioned city of Rotterdam. The day
was warm -- unusually so for the season -- there was hardly a breath of air
stirring; and the multitude were in no bad humor at being now and then
besprinkled with friendly showers of momentary duration, that fell from large
white masses of cloud which chequered in a fitful manner the blue vault of the
firmament. Nevertheless, about noon, a slight but remarkable agitation became
apparent in the assembly: the clattering of ten thousand tongues succeeded; and,
in an instant afterward, ten thousand faces were upturned toward the heavens,
ten thousand pipes descended simultaneously from the corners of ten thousand
mouths, and a shout, which could be compared to nothing but the roaring of

astronomy: (n) astrology, astrometry,
physics, astrodynamics,
astrophysical, astrophysics.
chequered: (adj) checkered.
clattering: (n) crash; (adj) clattery.
ferment: (n) agitation, excitement,
barm, tumult, unrest, disturbance;
(adj, v) stew, pother; (v) effervesce,
turn, brew. ANTONYMS: (v) quiet,
defuse, soothe.
firmament: (n) sphere, welkin, heaven,
heavens, celestial sphere, expanse,
Thesaurus
arena, field, vault of heaven, domain, displease.
area. preconceived: (v) prepense,
fitful: (adj) erratic, fickle, changeable, aforethought.
spasmodic, uncertain, intermittent, uproar: (adj, n, v) hubbub, disturbance,
irregular, variable, sporadic, tumult; (n) din, noise, turmoil,
desultory, flickering. ANTONYMS: commotion, disorder, confusion; (adj,
(adj) regular, unbroken. n) row; (n, v) brawl. ANTONYMS: (n)
humor: (n, v) caprice, freak, humour; calm, peace, serenity, order.
(n) temper, mood, disposition, wit; upturned: (adj) retrousse, overturned,
(v) indulge, gratify; (adj, n) spirit, upside-down, broken, disordered,
frame of mind. ANTONYMS: (n) disquieted, distressed, disturbed,
seriousness, gravity, solemnity; (v) confused, topsy-turvy, shapely.
34 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

Niagara, resounded long, loudly, and furiously, through all the environs of
Rotterdam.%
The origin of this hubbub soon became sufficiently evident. From behind the
huge bulk of one of those sharply-defined masses of cloud already mentioned,
was seen slowly to emerge into an open area of blue space, a queer,
heterogeneous, but apparently solid substance, so oddly shaped, so whimsically
put together, as not to be in any manner comprehended, and never to be
sufficiently admired, by the host of sturdy burghers who stood open-mouthed
below. What could it be? In the name of all the vrows and devils in Rotterdam,
what could it possibly portend? No one knew, no one could imagine; no one --
not even the burgomaster Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk -- had the slightest
clew by which to unravel the mystery; so, as nothing more reasonable could be
done, every one to a man replaced his pipe carefully in the corner of his mouth,
and cocking up his right eye towards the phenomenon, puffed, paused, waddled
about, and grunted significantly -- then waddled back, grunted, paused, and
finally -- puffed again.
In the meantime, however, lower and still lower toward the goodly city, came
the object of so much curiosity, and the cause of so much smoke. In a very few
minutes it arrived near enough to be accurately discerned. It appeared to be --
yes! it was undoubtedly a species of balloon; but surely no such balloon had ever
been seen in Rotterdam before. For who, let me ask, ever heard of a balloon
manufactured entirely of dirty newspapers? No man in Holland certainly; yet
here, under the very noses of the people, or rather at some distance above their
noses was the identical thing in question, and composed, I have it on the best
authority, of the precise material which no one had ever before known to be used
for a similar purpose. It was an egregious insult to the good sense of the
burghers of Rotterdam. As to the shape of the phenomenon, it was even still
more reprehensible. Being little or nothing better than a huge foolscap turned
upside down. And this similitude was regarded as by no means lessened when,
upon nearer inspection, there was perceived a large tassel depending from its
apex, and, around the upper rim or base of the cone, a circle of little instruments,

burgomaster: (n) burghmaster,
burghermaster, portreeve, constable,
seneschal, warden, Corregidor,
mayor, alderman.
clew: (n) cue, clod, glob, knob,
footmark, footprint, vestige; (v) point
out; (adj) pellet, globule, Pelote.
egregious: (adj) rank, glaring, flagrant,
crying, infamous, outrageous,
peculiar, absurd, eccentric; (v)
extravagant; (adj, v) preposterous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) petty, slight,
Thesaurus
trivial, measly, little, minor.
foolscap: (v) table, vellum, tablet,
marble, papyrus, parchment, pillar,
slate, paper; (n) cap.
open-mouthed: (adj) spellbound.
portend: (v) foretell, indicate, augur,
betoken, forecast, foreshadow, bode,
presage, herald, predict, foreshow.
similitude: (n) resemblance, similarity,
comparison, image, picture, simile,
alikeness, equivalence, kinship,
analogy; (adj, n) semblance.
ANTONYMS: (n) difference,
unlikeness.
tassel: (n) posy, nosegay, bouquet,
chaplet, garland, flower, fringe, tuft,
adornment, sword knot; (v) Tas.
upside: (n) crest, crown, poll, top side,
upper side, pate, round top, acme,
summit, superlative, teetotum.
whimsically: (adv) capriciously,
humorously, freakishly, erratically,
moodily, facetiously, wittily,
skittishly, quaintly, kinkily, queerly.
 Edgar Allan Poe 35

resembling sheep-bells, which kept up a continual tinkling to the tune of Betty

Martin. But still worse. Suspended by blue ribbons to the end of this fantastic
machine, there hung, by way of car, an enormous drab beaver bat, with a brim
superlatively broad, and a hemispherical crown with a black band and a silver
buckle. It is, however, somewhat remarkable that many citizens of Rotterdam
swore to having seen the same hat repeatedly before; and indeed the whole
assembly seemed to regard it with eyes of familiarity; while the vrow Grettel
Pfaall, upon sight of it, uttered an exclamation of joyful surprise, and declared it
to be the identical hat of her good man himself. Now this was a circumstance the
more to be observed, as Pfaall, with three companions, had actually disappeared
from Rotterdam about five years before, in a very sudden and unaccountable
manner, and up to the date of this narrative all attempts had failed of obtaining
any intelligence concerning them whatsoever. To be sure, some bones which
were thought to be human, mixed up with a quantity of odd-looking rubbish,
had been lately discovered in a retired situation to the east of Rotterdam, and
some people went so far as to imagine that in this spot a foul murder had been
committed, and that the sufferers were in all probability Hans Pfaall and his
associates. But to return.%
The balloon (for such no doubt it was) had now descended to within a
hundred feet of the earth, allowing the crowd below a sufficiently distinct view
of the person of its occupant. This was in truth a very droll little somebody. He
could not have been more than two feet in height; but this altitude, little as it
was, would have been sufficient to destroy his equilibrium, and tilt him over the
edge of his tiny car, but for the intervention of a circular rim reaching as high as
the breast, and rigged on to the cords of the balloon. The body of the little man
was more than proportionately broad, giving to his entire figure a rotundity
highly absurd. His feet, of course, could not be seen at all, although a horny
substance of suspicious nature was occasionally protruded through a rent in the
bottom of the car, or to speak more properly, in the top of the hat. His hands
were enormously large. His hair was extremely gray, and collected in a cue
behind. His nose was prodigiously long, crooked, and inflammatory; his eyes
full, brilliant, and acute; his chin and cheeks, although wrinkled with age, were

droll: (adj) comical, humorous, funny,
laughable, burlesque, ludicrous,
ridiculous; (adj, n) comic, witty; (n)
buffoon, clown. ANTONYMS: (adj)
dramatic, dull, grave, tragic, solemn.
hemispherical: (adj) crescent.
horny: (adj) corneous, hornlike, hard,
hot, excited, ruttish, randy, lecherous,
lascivious, aroused, cornuted.
prodigiously: (adv) astonishingly,
enormously, immensely, vastly,
marvelously, exceptionally,
Thesaurus
colossally, largely, wonderfully,
hugely, tremendously.
protruded: (adj) extant, outstanding.
rigged: (adj) prepared, premeditated.
rotundity: (n) corpulence, rondure,
globularness, globosity, roundness,
circularity, obesity, embonpoint,
plumpness, fullness, corpulency.
superlatively: (adv) perfectly,
preeminently, excellently,
matchlessly, extremely,
outstandingly, splendidly,
magnificently, consummately,
brilliantly, absolutely.
tinkling: (adj) clinking, tinkly,
tintinnabulary, reverberant; (n) ting.
unaccountable: (adj)
incomprehensible, inexplicable,
strange, unintelligible, unexplainable,
mysterious, impenetrable,
undiscoverable, undecipherable,
unknowable, unnatural.
ANTONYMS: (adj) accountable,
explainable, responsible, explicable.
36 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

broad, puffy, and double; but of ears of any kind or character there was not a
semblance to be discovered upon any portion of his head. This odd little
gentleman was dressed in a loose surtout of sky-blue satin, with tight breeches to
match, fastened with silver buckles at the knees. His vest was of some bright
yellow material; a white taffety cap was set jauntily on one side of his head; and,
to complete his equipment, a blood-red silk handkerchief enveloped his throat,
and fell down, in a dainty manner, upon his bosom, in a fantastic bow-knot of
super-eminent dimensions.%
Having descended, as I said before, to about one hundred feet from the
surface of the earth, the little old gentleman was suddenly seized with a fit of
trepidation, and appeared disinclined to make any nearer approach to terra
firma. Throwing out, therefore, a quantity of sand from a canvas bag, which, he
lifted with great difficulty, he became stationary in an instant. He then
proceeded, in a hurried and agitated manner, to extract from a side-pocket in his
surtout a large morocco pocket-book. This he poised suspiciously in his hand,
then eyed it with an air of extreme surprise, and was evidently astonished at its
weight. He at length opened it, and drawing there from a huge letter sealed with
red sealing-wax and tied carefully with red tape, let it fall precisely at the feet of
the burgomaster, Superbus Von Underduk. His Excellency stooped to take it up.
But the aeronaut, still greatly discomposed, and having apparently no farther
business to detain him in Rotterdam, began at this moment to make busy
preparations for departure; and it being necessary to discharge a portion of
ballast to enable him to reascend, the half dozen bags which he threw out, one
after another, without taking the trouble to empty their contents, tumbled, every
one of them, most unfortunately upon the back of the burgomaster, and rolled
him over and over no less than one-and-twenty times, in the face of every man in
Rotterdam. It is not to be supposed, however, that the great Underduk suffered
this impertinence on the part of the little old man to pass off with impunity. It is
said, on the contrary, that during each and every one of his one-and twenty
circumvolutions he emitted no less than one-and-twenty distinct and furious
whiffs from his pipe, to which he held fast the whole time with all his might, and
to which he intends holding fast until the day of his death.

Thesaurus
aeronaut: (n) airman, balloonist, pilot, bent, keen, disposed. bloated, inflated, bombastic, tumid,
aerial navigator, aerostation, Icarus, impertinence: (n) audacity, gall, puffed, distended, orotund, puff; (v)
flyer, ballooner, aviatrix, flier, impudence, insolence, disrespect, obese.
aviatress. effrontery, brass, boldness, surtout: (n) spencer.
discomposed: (adj) disturbed, impertinency, sauciness, freshness.
perturbed, doubtful, excited, ANTONYMS: (n) politeness,
distraught, uncomfortable, fearful. seriousness, reticence.
disinclined: (adj) reluctant, loath, jauntily: (adv) cheerfully, airily,
averse, indisposed, loth, backward, brightly, sprucely, smartly, merrily,
not content, opposed, dubious, dashingly, nattily, buoyantly,
afraid, not in the vein. ANTONYMS: breezily, lightly.
(adj) tending, willing, leaning, eager, puffy: (adj) pompous, swollen,
 Edgar Allan Poe 37

In the meantime the balloon arose like a lark, and, soaring far away above the
city, at length drifted quietly behind a cloud similar to that from which it had so
oddly emerged, and was thus lost forever to the wondering eyes of the good
citizens of Rotterdam. All attention was now directed to the letter, the descent of
which, and the consequences attending thereupon, had proved so fatally
subversive of both person and personal dignity to his Excellency, the illustrious
Burgomaster Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk. That functionary, however,
had not failed, during his circumgyratory movements, to bestow a thought upon
the important subject of securing the packet in question, which was seen, upon
inspection, to have fallen into the most proper hands, being actually addressed to
himself and Professor Rub-a-dub, in their official capacities of President and
Vice-President of the Rotterdam College of Astronomy. It was accordingly
opened by those dignitaries upon the spot, and found to contain the following
extraordinary, and indeed very serious, communications.%
To their Excellencies Von Underduk and Rub-a-dub, President and Vice-
President of the States’ College of Astronomers, in the city of Rotterdam.
“Your Excellencies may perhaps be able to remember an humble artizan, by
name Hans Pfaall, and by occupation a mender of bellows, who, with three
others, disappeared from Rotterdam, about five years ago, in a manner which
must have been considered by all parties at once sudden, and extremely
unaccountable. If, however, it so please your Excellencies, I, the writer of this
communication, am the identical Hans Pfaall himself. It is well known to most of
my fellow citizens, that for the period of forty years I continued to occupy the
little square brick building, at the head of the alley called Sauerkraut, in which I
resided at the time of my disappearance. My ancestors have also resided therein
time out of mind -- they, as well as myself, steadily following the respectable and
indeed lucrative profession of mending of bellows. For, to speak the truth, until
of late years, that the heads of all the people have been set agog with politics, no
better business than my own could an honest citizen of Rotterdam either desire
or deserve. Credit was good, employment was never wanting, and on all hands
there was no lack of either money or good-will. But, as I was saying, we soon

agog: (adj) impatient, eager, excited,
raring, thirsty, keen, enthusiastic,
ablaze, astir, bewildered, ardent.
bellows: (n) blower, lung, bellowing,
blowpipe, organ; (v) air blower, air
pump, fan, punkah, ventilator.
fatally: (adv) lethally, fatefully,
perniciously, disastrously,
destructively, terminally, deadly,
pestilently, killingly, calamitously;
(adj, adv) dangerously.
functionary: (n) officer, official, clerk,
Thesaurus
employee, agent, Mandarin, gambol; (v) rollick.
incumbent, appointee, bailiff, beadle, mender: (n) repairer, repairman,
bureaucrat. serviceman, tinker, maintenance
illustrious: (adj, n) glorious, man, chub mackerel.
celebrated, excellent, grand; (adj) mending: (n) fix, repair, fixing,
famous, bright, eminent, famed, maintenance, restoration, reparation,
distinguished, brilliant, well-known. improvement, darning, mend,
ANTONYMS: (adj) unknown, amendment, correction.
obscure, ordinary, undistinguished, thereupon: (adv) hereupon, next, then,
lowly. immediately, therefore, therewith, in
lark: (n) joke, fun, trick, prank, antic, the sequel, close upon, upon which,
caper, game; (n, v) romp, frolic, whereupon, accordingly.
38 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

began to feel the effects of liberty and long speeches, and radicalism, and all that
sort of thing. People who were formerly, the very best customers in the world,
had now not a moment of time to think of us at all. They had, so they said, as
much as they could do to read about the revolutions, and keep up with the
march of intellect and the spirit of the age. If a fire wanted fanning, it could
readily be fanned with a newspaper, and as the government grew weaker, I have
no doubt that leather and iron acquired durability in proportion, for, in a very
short time, there was not a pair of bellows in all Rotterdam that ever stood in
need of a stitch or required the assistance of a hammer. This was a state of things
not to be endured. I soon grew as poor as a rat, and, having a wife and children
to provide for, my burdens at length became intolerable, and I spent hour after
hour in reflecting upon the most convenient method of putting an end to my life.
Duns, in the meantime, left me little leisure for contemplation. My house was
literally besieged from morning till night, so that I began to rave, and foam, and
fret like a caged tiger against the bars of his enclosure. There were three fellows
in particular who worried me beyond endurance, keeping watch continually
about my door, and threatening me with the law. Upon these three I internally
vowed the bitterest revenge, if ever I should be so happy as to get them within
my clutches; and I believe nothing in the world but the pleasure of this
anticipation prevented me from putting my plan of suicide into immediate
execution, by blowing my brains out with a blunderbuss. I thought it best,
however, to dissemble my wrath, and to treat them with promises and fair
words, until, by some good turn of fate, an opportunity of vengeance should be
afforded me.%
“One day, having given my creditors the slip, and feeling more than usually
dejected, I continued for a long time to wander about the most obscure streets
without object whatever, until at length I chanced to stumble against the corner
of a bookseller’s stall. Seeing a chair close at hand, for the use of customers, I
threw myself doggedly into it, and, hardly knowing why, opened the pages of
the first volume which came within my reach. It proved to be a small pamphlet
treatise on Speculative Astronomy, written either by Professor Encke of Berlin or
by a Frenchman of somewhat similar name. I had some little tincture of

blunderbuss: (n) caliver, carbine,
firelock, fowling piece, fusil, musket, miserable, melancholy. ANTONYMS:
musketry, bungler, rifle, oaf.
caged: (adj) jailed, imprisoned,
incarcerated, confined, enslaved, in
prison, behind bars, restrained,
trapped, locked up.
clutches: (n) clasp, grip, grasp, hold,
clench, seizing, custody, talons; (v)
vice, tongs, pliers.
dejected: (adj) sad, depressed, low,
downhearted, gloomy, down,
Thesaurus
unhappy, spiritless, sorrowful,
(adj) elated, happy, euphoric, joyous,
encouraged, positive, enthusiastic,
hopeful.
dissemble: (v) feign, assume, conceal,
disguise, camouflage, dissimulate,
act, hide, sham, pretend, mask.
ANTONYMS: (v) show, demonstrate,
expose, reveal.
doggedly: (adv) stubbornly, firmly,
tenaciously, persistently, resolutely,
pertinaciously, perseveringly,
obdurately, steadfastly, untiringly,
steadily. ANTONYM: (adv)
hesitantly.
fanning: (n) ventilation.
tincture: (n, v) dye, tint, taste; (n)
shade, color, hue, tinct; (adj, n, v)
smack, dash; (adj) spice; (v)
impregnate.
treatise: (n) tract, thesis, essay,
discourse, paper, article, monograph,
piece, pamphlet, review, book.
 Edgar Allan Poe 39

information %on matters of this nature, and soon became more and more
absorbed in the contents of the book, reading it actually through twice before I
awoke to a recollection of what was passing around me. By this time it began to
grow dark, and I directed my steps toward home. But the treatise had made an
indelible impression on my mind, and, as I sauntered along the dusky streets, I
revolved carefully over in my memory the wild and sometimes unintelligible
reasonings of the writer. There are some particular passages which affected my
imagination in a powerful and extraordinary manner. The longer I meditated
upon these the more intense grew the interest which had been excited within me.
The limited nature of my education in general, and more especially my
ignorance on subjects connected with natural philosophy, so far from rendering
me diffident of my own ability to comprehend what I had read, or inducing me
to mistrust the many vague notions which had arisen in consequence, merely
served as a farther stimulus to imagination; and I was vain enough, or perhaps
reasonable enough, to doubt whether those crude ideas which, arising in ill-
regulated minds, have all the appearance, may not often in effect possess all the
force, the reality, and other inherent properties, of instinct or intuition; whether,
to proceed a step farther, profundity itself might not, in matters of a purely
speculative nature, be detected as a legitimate source of falsity and error. In
other words, I believed, and still do believe, that truth, is frequently of its own
essence, superficial, and that, in many cases, the depth lies more in the abysses
where we seek her, than in the actual situations wherein she may be found.
Nature herself seemed to afford me corroboration of these ideas. In the
contemplation of the heavenly bodies it struck me forcibly that I could not
distinguish a star with nearly as much precision, when I gazed on it with earnest,
direct and undeviating attention, as when I suffered my eye only to glance in its
vicinity alone. I was not, of course, at that time aware that this apparent paradox
was occasioned by the center of the visual area being less susceptible of feeble
impressions of light than the exterior portions of the retina. This knowledge, and
some of another kind, came afterwards in the course of an eventful five years,
during which I have dropped the prejudices of my former humble situation in
life, and forgotten the bellows-mender in far different occupations. But at the

Thesaurus
corroboration: (n) evidence, falsity: (n) deceit, fabrication, lie, profoundness, abstruseness,
certification, testimony, proof, falsification, falseness, deception, penetration, wisdom, obscurity,
support, ratification, verification, fable, disloyalty, dishonesty, astuteness, abstrusity, erudition; (adj)
approval, authentication, confirm, unreality, fiction. ANTONYMS: (n) profound, extensive. ANTONYMS:
corroborate. validity, verity. (n) superficiality, banality, flippancy,
diffident: (adj) coy, modest, reserved, indelible: (adj) ineffaceable, height, mildness, simplicity.
shy, timid, tentative, unassuming, memorable, fixed, ineradicable, revolved: (adj) disgusted.
retiring, hesitant, backward, self- lasting, irrevocable, ingrained; (adj, v) undeviating: (adj) straight,
conscious. ANTONYMS: (adj) indestructible; (n) impressive, deep; unswerving, invariable, direct,
outgoing, confident, brash, assertive, (v) incorruptible. ANTONYMS: (adj) consistent, stable, unchanged,
unrepentant, brave, arrogant, erasable, fleeting. unvarying; (adj, n) fixed, steady, firm.
approachable. profundity: (n) deepness, ANTONYM: (adj) temporary.
40 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

epoch of which I speak, the analogy which a casual observation of a star offered
to the conclusions I had already drawn, struck me with the force of positive
conformation, and I then finally made up my mind to the course which I
afterwards pursued.%
“It was late when I reached home, and I went immediately to bed. My mind,
however, was too much occupied to sleep, and I lay the whole night buried in
meditation. Arising early in the morning, and contriving again to escape the
vigilance of my creditors, I repaired eagerly to the bookseller’s stall, and laid out
what little ready money I possessed, in the purchase of some volumes of
Mechanics and Practical Astronomy. Having arrived at home safely with these, I
devoted every spare moment to their perusal, and soon made such proficiency in
studies of this nature as I thought sufficient for the execution of my plan. In the
intervals of this period, I made every endeavor to conciliate the three creditors
who had given me so much annoyance. In this I finally succeeded -- partly by
selling enough of my household furniture to satisfy a moiety of their claim, and
partly by a promise of paying the balance upon completion of a little project
which I told them I had in view, and for assistance in which I solicited their
services. By these means -- for they were ignorant men -- I found little difficulty
in gaining them over to my purpose.
“Matters being thus arranged, I contrived, by the aid of my wife and with the
greatest secrecy and caution, to dispose of what property I had remaining, and to
borrow, in small sums, under various pretences, and without paying any
attention to my future means of repayment, no inconsiderable quantity of ready
money. With the means thus accruing I proceeded to procure at intervals,
cambric muslin, very fine, in pieces of twelve yards each; twine; a lot of the
varnish of caoutchouc; a large and deep basket of wicker-work, made to order;
and several other articles necessary in the construction and equipment of a
balloon of extraordinary dimensions. This I directed my wife to make up as soon
as possible, and gave her all requisite information as to the particular method of
proceeding. In the meantime I worked up the twine into a net-work of sufficient
dimensions; rigged it with a hoop and the necessary cords; bought a quadrant, a

accruing: (adj) incoming.
cambric: (n) calico, cambric-muslin,
cashmere, fabric, textile, material,
cloth, linen.
caoutchouc: (n) rubber, gum elastic,
whalebone, natural rubber, arctic,
latex, baleen, Indian rubber, ebonite,
vulcanite.
conciliate: (v) appease, reconcile,
assuage, propitiate, placate, mollify,
pacify, calm, accommodate, mediate,
allay. ANTONYM: (v) enrage.
Thesaurus
contriving: (adj) designing, deep, parcel, section, piece, bit, division,
calculating, shifty. cut, class.
endeavor: (n, v) struggle, try, strain; perusal: (n) examination, scrutiny,
(n) effort, trial, essay, shot, enterprise, study, survey, inspection, poring
work; (v) strive, aim. ANTONYMS: over, studying, literary scholarship,
(n, v) neglect. perusing, lection, look.
inconsiderable: (adj) inconsequential, solicited: (adj) requested.
immaterial, small, petty, slight, twine: (n, v) coil; (n) string, rope, cord;
negligible, trivial, fractional, minute, (v) lace, entwine, enlace, meander,
imperceptible, slender. ANTONYM: weave, intertwine, twist.
(adj) major. ANTONYMS: (v) untwine,
moiety: (n) mediety, portion, part, straighten, unwind.
 Edgar Allan Poe 41

compass, a spy-glass, a common barometer with some important modifications,

and two astronomical instruments not so generally known. I then took
opportunities of conveying by night, to a retired situation east of Rotterdam, five
iron-bound casks, to contain about fifty gallons each, and one of a larger size; six
tinned ware tubes, three inches in diameter, properly shaped, and ten feet in
length; a quantity of a particular metallic substance, or semi-metal, which I shall
not name, and a dozen demijohns of a very common acid. The gas to be formed
from these latter materials is a gas never yet generated by any other person than
myself -- or at least never applied to any similar purpose. The secret I would
make no difficulty in disclosing, but that it of right belongs to a citizen of Nantz,
in France, by whom it was conditionally communicated to myself. The same
individual submitted to me, without being at all aware of my intentions, a
method of constructing balloons from the membrane of a certain animal, through
which substance any escape of gas was nearly an impossibility. I found it,
however, altogether too expensive, and was not sure, upon the whole, whether
cambric muslin with a coating of gum caoutchouc, was not equally as good. I
mention this circumstance, because I think it probable that hereafter the
individual in question may attempt a balloon ascension with the novel gas and
material I have spoken of, and I do not wish to deprive him of the honor of a
very singular invention.%
“On the spot which I intended each of the smaller casks to occupy
respectively during the inflation of the balloon, I privately dug a hole two feet
deep; the holes forming in this manner a circle twenty-five feet in diameter. In
the centre of this circle, being the station designed for the large cask, I also dug a
hole three feet in depth. In each of the five smaller holes, I deposited a canister
containing fifty pounds, and in the larger one a keg holding one hundred and
fifty pounds, of cannon powder. These -- the keg and canisters -- I connected in a
proper manner with covered trains; and having let into one of the canisters the
end of about four feet of slow match, I covered up the hole, and placed the cask
over it, leaving the other end of the match protruding about an inch, and barely
visible beyond the cask. I then filled up the remaining holes, and placed the
barrels over them in their destined situation.

ascension: (n) rise, ascending, climb,
climbing, rising, lift, raising,
upheaval, Ascension Day, elevation,
mount. ANTONYMS: (n) descending,
fall.
barometer: (n) baroscope, aeroscope,
barograph, aneroid barometer,
standard, aerometer, gauge, norm,
trial balloon, weather station; (v)
glass.
canister: (n) container, tin, case shot,
case, cannister, box, bin, drum, jar,
Thesaurus
cartridge, canister shot.
cask: (n) bucket, butt, tun, tub, drum,
vat, hogshead, keg, coffin,
containerful, vessel.
conditionally: (adv) provisorily,
qualifiedly, contingently,
dependently, supposing, guardedly,
hypothetically, temporarily; (n) if, in
case, provided.
disclosing: (n) confession,
communication.
hereafter: (adv) thereafter, from now
on, hence, henceforth, hereinafter,
afterwards; (n) afterlife, futurity, time
to come, great beyond, future life.
holes: (n) cavity, holes tow.
muslin: (v) linen, cloth; (n)
mousseline, organdy, cambric, crash,
fabric, nainsook, organdie.
protruding: (adj) obtrusive, projecting,
jutting, protrusive, salient, projected,
bulging, protuberant, noticeable,
sticking out, proposed.
tinned: (adj) canned.
42 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“Besides the articles above enumerated, I conveyed to the depot, and there
secreted, one of M. Grimm’s improvements upon the apparatus for condensation
of the atmospheric air. I found this machine, however, to require considerable
alteration before it could be adapted to the purposes to which I intended making
it applicable. But, with severe labor and unremitting perseverance, I at length
met with entire success in all my preparations. My balloon was soon completed.
It would contain more than forty thousand cubic feet of gas; would take me up
easily, I calculated, with all my implements, and, if I managed rightly, with one
hundred and seventy-five pounds of ballast into the bargain. It had received
three coats of varnish, and I found the cambric muslin to answer all the purposes
of silk itself, quite as strong and a good deal less expensive.%
“Everything being now ready, I exacted from my wife an oath of secrecy in
relation to all my actions from the day of my first visit to the bookseller’s stall;
and promising, on my part, to return as soon as circumstances would permit, I
gave her what little money I had left, and bade her farewell. Indeed I had no fear
on her account. She was what people call a notable woman, and could manage
matters in the world without my assistance. I believe, to tell the truth, she always
looked upon me as an idle boy, a mere make-weight, good for nothing but
building castles in the air, and was rather glad to get rid of me. It was a dark
night when I bade her good-bye, and taking with me, as aides-de-camp, the three
creditors who had given me so much trouble, we carried the balloon, with the car
and accoutrements, by a roundabout way, to the station where the other articles
were deposited. We there found them all unmolested, and I proceeded
immediately to business.
“It was the first of April. The night, as I said before, was dark; there was not a
star to be seen; and a drizzling rain, falling at intervals, rendered us very
uncomfortable. But my chief anxiety was concerning the balloon, which, in spite
of the varnish with which it was defended, began to grow rather heavy with the
moisture; the powder also was liable to damage. I therefore kept my three duns
working with great diligence, pounding down ice around the central cask, and
stirring the acid in the others. They did not cease, however, importuning me with

accoutrements: (n) accouterments,
trappings, paraphernalia, equipment,
gear, dress, clothes, apparel, attire.
bade: (v) bid, command, bad.
ballast: (n) weight, ballasting,
counterbalance, substance, freight;
(adj) aplomb, unperturbed; (v)
stabilize, load, poise, stabilise.
drizzling: (adj) drizzle, sprinkle,
pouring, disgusting, drizzly, nasty,
disagreeable, rainy, showery, raining,
descending.
Thesaurus
enumerated: (adj) detailed. perseverance: (n) endurance, tenacity,
good-bye: (n) bye, farewell, goodbye, resolution, constancy, fortitude,
goodby, vale, adios, cheerio. assiduity, industry, doggedness,
implements: (n) equipment, firmness, persistence, determination.
apparatus, gear, tackle, rigging, ANTONYMS: (n) vacillation,
outfit, hardware, trappings. cowardice, indecision, indifference.
labor: (n, v) toil, endeavor, drudgery, secreted: (adj) hidden, unseen, out of
travail, struggle, confinement, sight.
childbirth, delivery, grind; (n) effort, unmolested: (adj) undisturbed,
exertion. ANTONYMS: (n, v) rest; (v) untroubled, unthreatened, peaceable,
relax, ignore; (n) management, tranquil, still, smooth, safe, quiet; (v)
leisure, death, relaxation. unafflicted, unplagued.
 Edgar Allan Poe 43

questions as to what I intended to do with all this apparatus, and expressed

much dissatisfaction at the terrible labor I made them undergo. They could not
perceive, so they said, what good was likely to result from their getting wet to
the skin, merely to take a part in such horrible incantations. I began to get
uneasy, and worked away with all my might, for I verily believe the idiots
supposed that I had entered into a compact with the devil, and that, in short,
what I was now doing was nothing better than it should be. I was, therefore, in
great fear of their leaving me altogether. I contrived, however, to pacify them by
promises of payment of all scores in full, as soon as I could bring the present
business to a termination. To these speeches they gave, of course, their own
interpretation; fancying, no doubt, that at all events I should come into
possession of vast quantities of ready money; and provided I paid them all I
owed, and a trifle more, in consideration of their services, I dare say they cared
very little what became of either my soul or my carcass.%
“In about four hours and a half I found the balloon sufficiently inflated. I
attached the car, therefore, and put all my implements in it -- not forgetting the
condensing apparatus, a copious supply of water, and a large quantity of
provisions, such as pemmican, in which much nutriment is contained in
comparatively little bulk. I also secured in the car a pair of pigeons and a cat. It
was now nearly daybreak, and I thought it high time to take my departure.
Dropping a lighted cigar on the ground, as if by accident, I took the opportunity,
in stooping to pick it up, of igniting privately the piece of slow match, whose
end, as I said before, protruded a very little beyond the lower rim of one of the
smaller casks. This manoeuvre was totally unperceived on the part of the three
duns; and, jumping into the car, I immediately cut the single cord which held me
to the earth, and was pleased to find that I shot upward, carrying with all ease
one hundred and seventy-five pounds of leaden ballast, and able to have carried
up as many more.
“Scarcely, however, had I attained the height of fifty yards, when, roaring
and rumbling up after me in the most horrible and tumultuous manner, came so
dense a hurricane of fire, and smoke, and sulphur, and legs and arms, and

condensing: (n) inspissation,
compression, abridgement,
abridgment, capsule, compressing,
condensate, thickening, contraction.
daybreak: (adj, n) break of day; (n)
sunrise, prime, morning, light,
dawning, cockcrow, dayspring,
aurora, sunup, daylight.
ANTONYMS: (n) sunset, sundown,
darkness, eventide, nightfall.
fancying: (n) daydream, fantasy.
lighted: (adj) illuminated, lit, light,
Thesaurus
ablaze, bright, ignited, burn, burning,
ignite, kindled, lighten.
nutriment: (n, v) nourishment; (n)
food, fare, diet, nutrient, nutrition,
alimentation, feed, nurture, meat,
meal.
pacify: (adj, n, v) calm, allay, compose,
appease; (adj, v) mollify, lull, soothe;
(n, v) ease; (v) conciliate, placate,
moderate. ANTONYMS: (v) annoy,
enrage, excite, infuriate, aggravate,
displease, inflame, provoke.
pemmican: (n) meat, dried meat.
stooping: (adj) hunched, crooked,
asymmetrical, not erect, not straight,
corrupt; (n) patronage.
unperceived: (v) unheeded, unthought
of, unregarded; (adj) unremarked,
unnoted, unobserved, unmarked,
unknown, stealthy, sly, secret.
verily: (adj, adv) really; (adv) indeed, in
reality, genuinely, quitely, actually,
selfly, truely, identically, exactly;
(adv, int) in truth.
44 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

gravel, and burning wood, and blazing metal, that my very heart sunk within
me, and I fell down in the bottom of the car, trembling with unmitigated terror.
Indeed, I now perceived that I had entirely overdone the business, and that the
main consequences of the shock were yet to be experienced. Accordingly, in less
than a second, I felt all the blood in my body rushing to my temples, and
immediately thereupon, a concussion, which I shall never forget, burst abruptly
through the night and seemed to rip the very firmament asunder. When I
afterward had time for reflection, I did not fail to attribute the extreme violence
of the explosion, as regarded myself, to its proper cause -- my situation directly
above it, and in the line of its greatest power. But at the time, I thought only of
preserving my life. The balloon at first collapsed, then furiously expanded, then
whirled round and round with horrible velocity, and finally, reeling and
staggering like a drunken man, hurled me with great force over the rim of the
car, and left me dangling, at a terrific height, with my head downward, and my
face outwards, by a piece of slender cord about three feet in length, which hung
accidentally through a crevice near the bottom of the wicker-work, and in which,
as I fell, my left foot became most providentially entangled. It is impossible --
utterly impossible -- to form any adequate idea of the horror of my situation. I
gasped convulsively for breath -- a shudder resembling a fit of the ague agitated
every nerve and muscle of my frame -- I felt my eyes starting from their sockets -
- a horrible nausea overwhelmed me -- and at length I fainted away.%
“How long I remained in this state it is impossible to say. It must, however,
have been no inconsiderable time, for when I partially recovered the sense of
existence, I found the day breaking, the balloon at a prodigious height over a
wilderness of ocean, and not a trace of land to be discovered far and wide within
the limits of the vast horizon. My sensations, however, upon thus recovering,
were by no means so rife with agony as might have been anticipated. Indeed,
there was much of incipient madness in the calm survey which I began to take of
my situation. I drew up to my eyes each of my hands, one after the other, and
wondered what occurrence could have given rise to the swelling of the veins,
and the horrible blackness of the fingernails. I afterward carefully examined my
head, shaking it repeatedly, and feeling it with minute attention, until I

Thesaurus
ague: (n) acute, symptom, sickness, hole, fracture. luckily, fortuitously, auspiciously,
malady, illness, malaria, paludism, entangled: (adj) complicated, intricate, opportunely, propitiously, timely,
swamp fever, chills and fever; (adj) embroiled, complex, foul, confused, divinely, prudently. ANTONYM:
appendicitis, angina pectoris. matted, tangled, inextricable, knotty; (adv) unfortunately.
concussion: (n) shock, collision, blow, (v) entangle. sensations: (n) feelings, vibrations,
impact, shake, shudder, bump, jolt, overdone: (adj) exaggerated, ambiance.
percussion, crash, vibrate. overstated, overcooked, excessive, unmitigated: (adj) absolute, total,
convulsively: (adv) spasmodically, immoderate, extravagant, fulsome, thorough, consummate, sheer,
paroxysmally, spasticly, with overdo, undue, overwrought, unqualified, unconditional, regular,
convulsions. profuse. ANTONYMS: (adj) perfect, entire, outright.
crevice: (n) cleft, break, chink, cranny, restrained, tender. ANTONYMS: (adj) mixed, imperfect,
chap, fissure, interstice, rift, gap, providentially: (adv) fortunately, partial, rather.
 Edgar Allan Poe 45

succeeded in satisfying myself that it was not, as I had more than half suspected,
larger than my balloon. Then, in a knowing manner, I felt in both my breeches
pockets, and, missing therefrom a set of tablets and a toothpick case, endeavored
to account for their disappearance, and not being able to do so, felt inexpressibly
chagrined. It now occurred to me that I suffered great uneasiness in the joint of
my left ankle, and a dim consciousness of my situation began to glimmer
through my mind. But, strange to say! I was neither astonished nor horror-
stricken. If I felt any emotion at all, it was a kind of chuckling satisfaction at the
cleverness I was about to display in extricating myself from this dilemma; and I
never, for a moment, looked upon my ultimate safety as a question susceptible of
doubt. For a few minutes I remained wrapped in the profoundest meditation. I
have a distinct recollection of frequently compressing my lips, putting my
forefinger to the side of my nose, and making use of other gesticulations and
grimaces common to men who, at ease in their arm-chairs, meditate upon
matters of intricacy or importance. Having, as I thought, sufficiently collected
my ideas, I now, with great caution and deliberation, put my hands behind my
back, and unfastened the large iron buckle which belonged to the waistband of
my inexpressibles. This buckle had three teeth, which, being somewhat rusty,
turned with great difficulty on their axis. I brought them, however, after some
trouble, at right angles to the body of the buckle, and was glad to find them
remain firm in that position. Holding the instrument thus obtained within my
teeth, I now proceeded to untie the knot of my cravat. I had to rest several times
before I could accomplish this manoeuvre, but it was at length accomplished. To
one end of the cravat I then made fast the buckle, and the other end I tied, for
greater security, tightly around my wrist. Drawing now my body upwards, with
a prodigious exertion of muscular force, I succeeded, at the very first trial, in
throwing the buckle over the car, and entangling it, as I had anticipated, in the
circular rim of the wicker-work.%
“My body was now inclined towards the side of the car, at an angle of about
forty-five degrees; but it must not be understood that I was therefore only forty-
five degrees below the perpendicular. So far from it, I still lay nearly level with
the plane of the horizon; for the change of situation which I had acquired, had

chagrined: (adj) ashamed, mortified,
hurt, annoyed, vexed, afflicted,
displeased, discomposed, sorry; (v)
horrified, cut up.
chuckling: (n) laughter.
compressing: (n) pressure,
compression, squeezing,
condensation, applying pressure;
(adj) pinching. ANTONYM: (n)
decompression.
cravat: (n) neckerchief, neckcloth,
stock, ascot, collar, handkerchief,
Thesaurus
scarf, neckwear, necktie, ruff.
entangling: (v) entangle; (adj) snary,
intricable.
inexpressibles: (n) small clothes,
overalls, smalls, pantaloons.
inexpressibly: (adv) unspeakably,
indescribably, beyond words.
intricacy: (n) complexity, difficulty,
entanglement, elaboration,
elaborateness, complicacy, maze,
confusion, perplexity, involution,
subtlety. ANTONYM: (n) order.
meditate: (n, v) muse; (v) contemplate,
consider, cogitate, reflect, speculate,
wonder, ruminate, ponder, think,
bethink.
proceeded: (v) proceed, yode.
toothpick: (n) strip, pick, picktooth.
untie: (v) disentangle, unfasten, free,
loosen, release, loose, disengage,
untangle, open, unlace, unbind.
ANTONYMS: (v) fasten, bind,
tighten, tie, entangle, enslave, close,
fetter.
46 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

forced the bottom of the car considerably outwards from my position, which was
accordingly one of the most imminent and deadly peril. It should be
remembered, however, that when I fell in the first instance, from the car, if I had
fallen with my face turned toward the balloon, instead of turned outwardly from
it, as it actually was; or if, in the second place, the cord by which I was
suspended had chanced to hang over the upper edge, instead of through a
crevice near the bottom of the car, -- I say it may be readily conceived that, in
either of these supposed cases, I should have been unable to accomplish even as
much as I had now accomplished, and the wonderful adventures of Hans Pfaall
would have been utterly lost to posterity, I had therefore every reason to be
grateful; although, in point of fact, I was still too stupid to be anything at all, and
hung for, perhaps, a quarter of an hour in that extraordinary manner, without
making the slightest farther exertion whatsoever, and in a singularly tranquil
state of idiotic enjoyment. But this feeling did not fail to die rapidly away, and
thereunto succeeded horror, and dismay, and a chilling sense of utter
helplessness and ruin. In fact, the blood so long accumulating in the vessels of
my head and throat, and which had hitherto buoyed up my spirits with madness
and delirium, had now begun to retire within their proper channels, and the
distinctness which was thus added to my perception of the danger, merely
served to deprive me of the self-possession and courage to encounter it. But this
weakness was, luckily for me, of no very long duration. In good time came to my
rescue the spirit of despair, and, with frantic cries and struggles, I jerked my way
bodily upwards, till at length, clutching with a vise-like grip the long-desired
rim, I writhed my person over it, and fell headlong and shuddering within the
car.%
“It was not until some time afterward that I recovered myself sufficiently to
attend to the ordinary cares of the balloon. I then, however, examined it with
attention, and found it, to my great relief, uninjured. My implements were all
safe, and, fortunately, I had lost neither ballast nor provisions. Indeed, I had so
well secured them in their places, that such an accident was entirely out of the
question. Looking at my watch, I found it six o’clock. I was still rapidly
ascending, and my barometer gave a present altitude of three and three-quarter

Thesaurus
delirium: (n) craze, insanity, mania, mindless, silly, unwise, daft. sweat, tremor; (adj) rough, shaky,
disturbance, fever, ecstasy, ANTONYMS: (adj) wise, genius, jumpy, quaking, shivery, bumpy.
derangement; (adj, n) fury; (adj) furor, clever. ANTONYM: (adj) smooth.
rage, distraction. ANTONYMS: (n) outwards: (adj) out, over, with out; thereunto: (adv) thereto.
indifference, dejection. (adv) beyond, out of doors. uninjured: (adj) whole, unhurt, intact,
exertion: (n) application, exercise, ANTONYM: (adv) inward. unharmed, unblemished, sound,
endeavor, attempt, struggle, trouble, self-possession: (n) composure, poise, entire; (adj, n) unscathed; (adj, v)
diligence, strain, labor, pull, essay. imperturbability, serenity, aplomb, unbroken; (n, v) unmarred; (n)
ANTONYMS: (n) idleness, inactivity, coolness, balance, restraint, self- untainted. ANTONYMS: (adj) hurt,
inertia, relaxation, laziness, ease. control, morale, presence. injured.
idiotic: (adj) absurd, foolish, fatuous, shuddering: (adj, n) quivering, writhed: (adj) crooked, writhen,
imbecile, crazy, stupid, ridiculous, shaking; (adv) shudderingly; (n) cold distorted, twisted.
 Edgar Allan Poe 47

miles. Immediately beneath me in the ocean, lay a small black object, slightly
oblong in shape, seemingly about the size, and in every way bearing a great
resemblance to one of those childish toys called a domino. Bringing my telescope
to bear upon it, I plainly discerned it to be a British ninety four-gun ship, close-
hauled, and pitching heavily in the sea with her head to the W.S.W. Besides this
ship, I saw nothing but the ocean and the sky, and the sun, which had long
arisen.%
“It is now high time that I should explain to your Excellencies the object of
my perilous voyage. Your Excellencies will bear in mind that distressed
circumstances in Rotterdam had at length driven me to the resolution of
committing suicide. It was not, however, that to life itself I had any, positive
disgust, but that I was harassed beyond endurance by the adventitious miseries
attending my situation. In this state of mind, wishing to live, yet wearied with
life, the treatise at the stall of the bookseller opened a resource to my
imagination. I then finally made up my mind. I determined to depart, yet live --
to leave the world, yet continue to exist -- in short, to drop enigmas, I resolved,
let what would ensue, to force a passage, if I could, to the moon. Now, lest I
should be supposed more of a madman than I actually am, I will detail, as well
as I am able, the considerations which led me to believe that an achievement of
this nature, although without doubt difficult, and incontestably full of danger,
was not absolutely, to a bold spirit, beyond the confines of the possible.
“The moon’s actual distance from the earth was the first thing to be attended
to. Now, the mean or average interval between the centres of the two planets is
59.9643 of the earth’s equatorial radii, or only about 237,000 miles. I say the mean
or average interval. But it must be borne in mind that the form of the moon’s
orbit being an ellipse of eccentricity amounting to no less than 0.05484 of the
major semi-axis of the ellipse itself, and the earth’s centre being situated in its
focus, if I could, in any manner, contrive to meet the moon, as it were, in its
perigee, the above mentioned distance would be materially diminished. But, to
say nothing at present of this possibility, it was very certain that, at all events,
from the 237,000 miles I would have to deduct the radius of the earth, say 4,000,

Thesaurus
adventitious: (adj) accidental, half mask, vizor, visor, masquerade evidently, for sure, certainly, clearly,
secondary, random, haphazard, dress, masquerade. of course, unquestionably, definitely,
casual, aleatory, incident, ellipse: (n) oval, elliptical, ovule, indubitably. ANTONYMS: (adv)
promiscuous, incidental, fortuitous, elliptic, conic section, circle, curve, questionably, arguably.
foreign. conic, orbit. oblong: (adj) oval, elliptical,
contrive: (v) plan, invent, design, ensue: (v) come, arise, happen, result, rectangular, rounded; (v)
concoct, devise, cast, concert, succeed, occur, transpire, turn out, longitudinal; (n) block, quadrangle.
excogitate, frame, formulate; (n, v) befall, come after, stem. perigee: (n) orbit, periapsis, epigee.
manage. ANTONYMS: (v) demolish, ANTONYMS: (v) forerun, preface, radii: (n) radiuses.
destroy, ruin, waste, wreck, fail. antecede, dwindle, recede. wearied: (adj) jaded, tired, spent,
domino: (n) mask, disguise, eye mask, incontestably: (adv) irrefutably, fatigued, weary, prostrate, limp,
block, Antoine domino, fats domino, incontrovertibly, without doubt, haggard, shattered, worn, fatigate.
48 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

and the radius of the moon, say 1080, in all 5,080, leaving an actual interval to be
traversed, under average circumstances, of 231,920 miles. Now this, I reflected,
was no very extraordinary distance. Travelling on land has been repeatedly
accomplished at the rate of thirty miles per hour, and indeed a much greater
speed may be anticipated. But even at this velocity, it would take me no more
than 322 days to reach the surface of the moon. There were, however, many
particulars inducing me to believe that my average rate of travelling might
possibly very much exceed that of thirty miles per hour, and, as these
considerations did not fail to make a deep impression upon my mind, I will
mention them more fully hereafter.%
“The next point to be regarded was a matter of far greater importance. From
indications afforded by the barometer, we find that, in ascensions from the
surface of the earth we have, at the height of 1,000 feet, left below us about one-
thirtieth of the entire mass of atmospheric air, that at 10,600 we have ascended
through nearly one-third; and that at 18,000, which is not far from the elevation
of Cotopaxi, we have surmounted one-half the material, or, at all events, one-half
the ponderable, body of air incumbent upon our globe. It is also calculated that
at an altitude not exceeding the hundredth part of the earth’s diameter -- that is,
not exceeding eighty miles -- the rarefaction would be so excessive that animal
life could in no manner be sustained, and, moreover, that the most delicate
means we possess of ascertaining the presence of the atmosphere would be
inadequate to assure us of its existence. But I did not fail to perceive that these
latter calculations are founded altogether on our experimental knowledge of the
properties of air, and the mechanical laws regulating its dilation and
compression, in what may be called, comparatively speaking, the immediate
vicinity of the earth itself; and, at the same time, it is taken for granted that
animal life is and must be essentially incapable of modification at any given
unattainable distance from the surface. Now, all such reasoning and from such
data must, of course, be simply analogical. The greatest height ever reached by
man was that of 25,000 feet, attained in the aeronautic expedition of Messieurs
Gay-Lussac and Biot. This is a moderate altitude, even when compared with the

aeronautic: (adj) aeronautical,
aerostatical.
analogical: (v) analogous; (adj) similar,
figurative, normal; (adv) alike.
ascensions: (n) ascending.
attained: (adj) attains, attaint, reached,
complete, earned, fulfilled.
dilation: (n) dilatation, expansion,
swelling, spread, swell, growth,
development, aggrandizement,
rarefaction, bulge, enlargement.
eighty: (n) four score.
Thesaurus
hundredth: (n) centesm, common
fraction, one percent, secular.
inducing: (v) induce, remind, call to
mind, suggest, bring to mind; (n)
incentive, causing, causation,
thought; (adj) cogent, persuasive.
ponderable: (adj) cogitable, physical,
substantial, palpable, sensible,
thinkable; (v) detectable, measurable, possible, unassailable, unavailable,
noticeable, perceptible, ponderous.
rarefaction: (n) growth, dilation,
development, aggrandizement,
pullulation, thinning, subtilization,
attenuation, swell, concentration,
dilatation.
surmounted: (adj) beaten.
unattainable: (adj) impossible,
inaccessible, impracticable,
impractical, unapproachable,
unobtainable, out of print, not
unbeatable. ANTONYMS: (adj)
vulnerable, accessible, possible,
attainable, feasible.
 Edgar Allan Poe 49

eighty miles in question; and I could not help thinking that the subject admitted
room for doubt and great latitude for speculation.%
“But, in point of fact, an ascension being made to any given altitude, the
ponderable quantity of air surmounted in any farther ascension is by no means
in proportion to the additional height ascended (as may be plainly seen from
what has been stated before), but in a ratio constantly decreasing. It is therefore
evident that, ascend as high as we may, we cannot, literally speaking, arrive at a
limit beyond which no atmosphere is to be found. It must exist, I argued;
although it may exist in a state of infinite rarefaction.
“On the other hand, I was aware that arguments have not been wanting to
prove the existence of a real and definite limit to the atmosphere, beyond which
there is absolutely no air whatsoever. But a circumstance which has been left out
of view by those who contend for such a limit seemed to me, although no
positive refutation of their creed, still a point worthy very serious investigation.
On comparing the intervals between the successive arrivals of Encke’s comet at
its perihelion, after giving credit, in the most exact manner, for all the
disturbances due to the attractions of the planets, it appears that the periods are
gradually diminishing; that is to say, the major axis of the comet’s ellipse is
growing shorter, in a slow but perfectly regular decrease. Now, this is precisely
what ought to be the case, if we suppose a resistance experienced from the comet
from an extremely rare ethereal medium pervading the regions of its orbit. For it
is evident that such a medium must, in retarding the comet’s velocity, increase
its centripetal, by weakening its centrifugal force. In other words, the sun’s
attraction would be constantly attaining greater power, and the comet would be
drawn nearer at every revolution. Indeed, there is no other way of accounting for
the variation in question. But again. The real diameter of the same comet’s
nebulosity is observed to contract rapidly as it approaches the sun, and dilate
with equal rapidity in its departure towards its aphelion. Was I not justifiable in
supposing with M. Valz, that this apparent condensation of volume has its origin
in the compression of the same ethereal medium I have spoken of before, and
which is only denser in proportion to its solar vicinity? The lenticular-shaped

attaining: (v) attain, achieve; (n)
attainment.
centrifugal: (n) reel; (adj) motor,
motorial; (v) radiant, divergent.
ANTONYMS: (adj) centripetal,
centralizing, consolidating.
centripetal: (adj) sensory, unifying,
receptive, centralizing, acropetal.
comet: (n) Ariel, iris, Dendrocometes,
celestial body.
dilate: (adj, v) enlarge, expatiate; (v)
distend, amplify, heave, inflate,
Thesaurus
broaden, develop, extend, increase,
magnify. ANTONYMS: (v) contract,
constrict, shrink, lessen, reduce.
ethereal: (adj) airy, celestial,
unworldly, delicate, intangible,
aeriform, spiritual, aery, vaporous,
incorporeal, diaphanous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) earthly, heavy,
indelicate, worldly, tangible, thick,
robust, concrete.
nebulosity: (n) mistiness, nebula,
nebulousness, cloud.
pervading: (adj) penetrating, general,
profound, permeating, permeant,
overmastering, lowly, deeply felt,
intellectually deep, deep, almighty.
refutation: (n) confutation, denial,
rebuttal, refutal, contradiction,
negation, answer, refusal, defense,
falsification, defence. ANTONYM:
(n) agreement.
retarding: (n) delay, let, hindrance,
impediment, obstacle; (adj)
ritardando.
50 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

phenomenon, also called the zodiacal light, was a matter worthy of attention.
This radiance, so apparent in the tropics, and which cannot be mistaken for any
meteoric lustre, extends from the horizon obliquely upward, and follows
generally the direction of the sun’s equator. It appeared to me evidently in the
nature of a rare atmosphere extending from the sun outward, beyond the orbit of
Venus at least, and I believed indefinitely farther. Indeed, this medium I could
not suppose confined to the path of the comet’s ellipse, or to the immediate
neighborhood of the sun. It was easy, on the contrary, to imagine it pervading
the entire regions of our planetary system, condensed into what we call
atmosphere at the planets themselves, and perhaps at some of them modified by
considerations, so to speak, purely geological.%
Having adopted this view of the subject, I had little further hesitation.
Granting that on my passage I should meet with atmosphere essentially the same
as at the surface of the earth, I conceived that, by means of the very ingenious
apparatus of M. Grimm, I should readily be enabled to condense it in sufficient
quantity for the purposes of respiration. This would remove the chief obstacle in
a journey to the moon. I had indeed spent some money and great labor in
adapting the apparatus to the object intended, and confidently looked forward to
its successful application, if I could manage to complete the voyage within any
reasonable period. This brings me back to the rate at which it might be possible
to travel.
“It is true that balloons, in the first stage of their ascensions from the earth,
are known to rise with a velocity comparatively moderate. Now, the power of
elevation lies altogether in the superior lightness of the gas in the balloon
compared with the atmospheric air; and, at first sight, it does not appear
probable that, as the balloon acquires altitude, and consequently arrives
successively in atmospheric strata of densities rapidly diminishing -- I say, it
does not appear at all reasonable that, in this its progress upwards, the original
velocity should be accelerated. On the other hand, I was not aware that, in any
recorded ascension, a diminution was apparent in the absolute rate of ascent;
although such should have been the case, if on account of nothing else, on

condense: (v) compact, abbreviate,
compress, concentrate, congeal, cut,
contract, set, shorten, abstract,
centralize. ANTONYMS: (v)
lengthen, dilute, amplify, enlarge,
extend, increase, soften, elaborate.
grimm: (n) Wilhelm Karl Grimm.
lustre: (n) brilliance, gloss, brilliancy,
grandeur, splendour, effulgence,
splendor, shininess, shine, sheen,
brightness.
meteoric: (adj) meteorological, brief,
Thesaurus
flashing, momentary, swift, transient, ANTONYM: (adv) straight.
sudden; (v) blazing, in a blaze, radiance: (n) gleam, glory, brilliance,
ablaze, phosphorescent. ANTONYM: luster, lustre, beam, brightness,
(adj) slow. effulgence, sparkle, light; (adj, n)
neighborhood: (n) vicinity, district, brilliancy. ANTONYMS: (n)
area, community, locality, place, darkness, gloominess.
quarter, environs, section; (adj) respiration: (n) breathing, breath,
neighboring, local. breathe, aspiration, respire,
obliquely: (adj, adv) athwart, inspiration, wind, breathing place,
transversely, askew; (adv) aslant, periodic breathing, panting,
indirectly, slopingly, slantingly, exercising.
sideways, sidelong, skewly, askance. tropics: (n) climatic zone, Torrid Zone.
 Edgar Allan Poe 51

account of the escape of gas through balloons ill-constructed, and varnished with
no better material than the ordinary varnish. It seemed, therefore, that the effect
of such escape was only sufficient to counterbalance the effect of some
accelerating power. I now considered that, provided in my passage I found the
medium I had imagined, and provided that it should prove to be actually and
essentially what we denominate atmospheric air, it could make comparatively
little difference at what extreme state of rarefaction I should discover it -- that is
to say, in regard to my power of ascending -- for the gas in the balloon would not
only be itself subject to rarefaction partially similar (in proportion to the
occurrence of which, I could suffer an escape of so much as would be requisite to
prevent explosion), but, being what it was, would, at all events, continue
specifically lighter than any compound whatever of mere nitrogen and oxygen.
In the meantime, the force of gravitation would be constantly diminishing, in
proportion to the squares of the distances, and thus, with a velocity prodigiously
accelerating, I should at length arrive in those distant regions where the force of
the earth’s attraction would be superseded by that of the moon. In accordance
with these ideas, I did not think it worth while to encumber myself with more
provisions than would be sufficient for a period of forty days.%
“There was still, however, another difficulty, which occasioned me some little
disquietude. It has been observed, that, in balloon ascensions to any
considerable height, besides the pain attending respiration, great uneasiness is
experienced about the head and body, often accompanied with bleeding at the
nose, and other symptoms of an alarming kind, and growing more and more
inconvenient in proportion to the altitude attained. This was a reflection of a
nature somewhat startling. Was it not probable that these symptoms would
increase indefinitely, or at least until terminated by death itself? I finally thought
not. Their origin was to be looked for in the progressive removal of the
customary atmospheric pressure upon the surface of the body, and consequent
distention of the superficial blood-vessels -- not in any positive disorganization
of the animal system, as in the case of difficulty in breathing, where the
atmospheric density is chemically insufficient for the due renovation of blood in
a ventricle of the heart. Unless for default of this renovation, I could see no

Thesaurus
accordance: (n) harmony, agreement, disruption, mess. ANTONYM: (n) constrain, hinder, bound, cumber.
conformity, unison, concordance, efficiency. ANTONYMS: (v) free, alleviate,
coincidence, accordancy, admission, disquietude: (n) anxiety, agitation, assist, aid, facilitate, ease, help,
fitness, consensus, concent. uneasiness, concern, alarm, lighten, relieve.
denominate: (v) designate, entitle, apprehension, commotion, fear, gravitation: (n) gravity, attraction,
nominate, style, christen, denote, unrest, turmoil; (adj, n) inquietude. pull, graveness, habit, gravitational
title, dub; (n, v) name, appoint; (n) distention: (n) dilatation, dilation, attraction, gravitational force,
term. swelling, inflation, bulge, extension, attractive force.
disorganization: (n) disorder, expansion, enlargement, conceit, ventricle: (n) maw, chamber, venter,
disarrangement, confusion, disarray, stress, rise. stomach, paunch, heart ventricle,
muddle, clutter, anarchy, encumber: (v) saddle, clog, hamper, heart, gizzard, crop, cavum, bodily
disorganisation, disorderliness, charge, lumber, tax, embarrass, cavity.
52 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

reason, therefore, why life could not be sustained even in a vacuum; for the
expansion and compression of chest, commonly called breathing, is action purely
muscular, and the cause, not the effect, of respiration. In a word, I conceived that,
as the body should become habituated to the want of atmospheric pressure, the
sensations of pain would gradually diminish -- and to endure them while they
continued, I relied with confidence upon the iron hardihood of my constitution.%
“Thus, may it please your Excellencies, I have detailed some, though by no
means all, the considerations which led me to form the project of a lunar voyage.
I shall now proceed to lay before you the result of an attempt so apparently
audacious in conception, and, at all events, so utterly unparalleled in the annals
of mankind.
“Having attained the altitude before mentioned, that is to say three miles and
three-quarters, I threw out from the car a quantity of feathers, and found that I
still ascended with sufficient rapidity; there was, therefore, no necessity for
discharging any ballast. I was glad of this, for I wished to retain with me as
much weight as I could carry, for reasons which will be explained in the sequel. I
as yet suffered no bodily inconvenience, breathing with great freedom, and
feeling no pain whatever in the head. The cat was lying very demurely upon my
coat, which I had taken off, and eyeing the pigeons with an air of nonchalance.
These latter being tied by the leg, to prevent their escape, were busily employed
in picking up some grains of rice scattered for them in the bottom of the car.
“At twenty minutes past six o’clock, the barometer showed an elevation of
26,400 feet, or five miles to a fraction. The prospect seemed unbounded. Indeed,
it is very easily calculated by means of spherical geometry, what a great extent of
the earth’s area I beheld. The convex surface of any segment of a sphere is, to the
entire surface of the sphere itself, as the versed sine of the segment to the
diameter of the sphere. Now, in my case, the versed sine -- that is to say, the
thickness of the segment beneath me -- was about equal to my elevation, or the
elevation of the point of sight above the surface. “As five miles, then, to eight
thousand,” would express the proportion of the earth’s area seen by me. In other
words, I beheld as much as a sixteen-hundredth part of the whole surface of the

beheld: (adj) visual.
demurely: (adv) soberly, primly,
virtuously, staidly, reservedly,
solemnly, sedately, bashfully,
seriously, gravely, properly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) improperly,
brazenly, brashly, boldly.
discharging: (n) unloading, discharge,
fulfillment, acquittal; (v) unload.
habituated: (v) given to, addicted to,
attuned to; (adj, v) used to; (adj)
addicted, wont, trained, inured, used,
Thesaurus
inveterate, hardened. ANTONYM: indifferent. ANTONYMS: (n) anxiety,
(adj) untrained. interest.
hardihood: (v) audacity; (n) courage, unbounded: (adj) immeasurable,
daring, boldness, temerity, limitless, endless, infinite, immense,
fearlessness, fortitude, brass; (adj, n) measureless, unlimited, vast,
face, guts; (n, v) assurance. illimitable, unmeasured, absolute.
ANTONYMS: (n) frailty, timidity. versed: (adj) skillful, skilled,
nonchalance: (n) indifference, apathy, knowledgeable, proficient, expert,
composure, disregard, adept, conversant, old, learned,
impassiveness, equanimity, adroit, practised. ANTONYMS: (adj)
negligence, casualness; (adj, n) green, immature, inexperienced,
unconcern; (adj) insouciance, unversed.
 Edgar Allan Poe 53

globe. The sea appeared unruffled as a mirror, although, by means of the spy-
glass, I could perceive it to be in a state of violent agitation. The ship was no
longer visible, having drifted away, apparently to the eastward. I now began to
experience, at intervals, severe pain in the head, especially about the ears -- still,
however, breathing with tolerable freedom. The cat and pigeons seemed to suffer
no inconvenience whatsoever.%
“At twenty minutes before seven, the balloon entered a long series of dense
cloud, which put me to great trouble, by damaging my condensing apparatus
and wetting me to the skin. This was, to be sure, a singular recontre, for I had not
believed it possible that a cloud of this nature could be sustained at so great an
elevation. I thought it best, however, to throw out two five-pound pieces of
ballast, reserving still a weight of one hundred and sixty-five pounds. Upon so
doing, I soon rose above the difficulty, and perceived immediately, that I had
obtained a great increase in my rate of ascent. In a few seconds after my leaving
the cloud, a flash of vivid lightning shot from one end of it to the other, and
caused it to kindle up, throughout its vast extent, like a mass of ignited and
glowing charcoal. This, it must be remembered, was in the broad light of day. No
fancy may picture the sublimity which might have been exhibited by a similar
phenomenon taking place amid the darkness of the night. Hell itself might have
been found a fitting image. Even as it was, my hair stood on end, while I gazed
afar down within the yawning abysses, letting imagination descend, as it were,
and stalk about in the strange vaulted halls, and ruddy gulfs, and red ghastly
chasms of the hideous and unfathomable fire. I had indeed made a narrow
escape. Had the balloon remained a very short while longer within the cloud --
that is to say -- had not the inconvenience of getting wet, determined me to
discharge the ballast, inevitable ruin would have been the consequence. Such
perils, although little considered, are perhaps the greatest which must be
encountered in balloons. I had by this time, however, attained too great an
elevation to be any longer uneasy on this head.
“I was now rising rapidly, and by seven o’clock the barometer indicated an
altitude of no less than nine miles and a half. I began to find great difficulty in

Thesaurus
eastward: (adj) eastbound, eastern; majesty, loftiness, splendor; (n) understandable, legible, clear.
(adv) eastwards. magnificence, dignity, greatness, unruffled: (adj) still, tranquil,
ignited: (adj) kindled, enkindled, sublimeness; (adj) solemnity, composed, quiet, serene, cool,
flaming, ablaze, fiery; (adj, v) heroism. peaceful, placid, collected, sedate;
burning; (v) having life, flowing, unfathomable: (adj) incomprehensible, (adj, v) undisturbed. ANTONYMS:
active, being alive, laving. inexplicable, inscrutable, (adj) agitated, bothered, disturbed,
kindle: (adj, v) inflame; (v) fire, excite, unintelligible, impenetrable, abysmal, excitable, excited, fiery, frivolous,
arouse, burn, flame, awaken, incite, deep, immeasurable, unaccountable, perturbed, scatterbrained, anxious.
enkindle, stir; (n, v) light. obscure, enigmatic. ANTONYMS: wetting: (n) moistening, damping,
ANTONYMS: (v) enkindle, dampen, (adj) fathomable, shallow, explicable, watering, splash, leak, passing water,
calm, extinguish, quench, stifle. explainable, comprehensible, ducking, making water, immersion,
sublimity: (adj, n) nobility, elevation, believable, straightforward, dousing, leakage.
54 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

drawing %my breath. My head, too, was excessively painful; and, having felt for
some time a moisture about my cheeks, I at length discovered it to be blood,
which was oozing quite fast from the drums of my ears. My eyes, also, gave me
great uneasiness. Upon passing the hand over them they seemed to have
protruded from their sockets in no inconsiderable degree; and all objects in the
car, and even the balloon itself, appeared distorted to my vision. These
symptoms were more than I had expected, and occasioned me some alarm. At
this juncture, very imprudently, and without consideration, I threw out from the
car three five-pound pieces of ballast. The accelerated rate of ascent thus
obtained, carried me too rapidly, and without sufficient gradation, into a highly
rarefied stratum of the atmosphere, and the result had nearly proved fatal to my
expedition and to myself. I was suddenly seized with a spasm which lasted for
more than five minutes, and even when this, in a measure, ceased, I could catch
my breath only at long intervals, and in a gasping manner -- bleeding all the
while copiously at the nose and ears, and even slightly at the eyes. The pigeons
appeared distressed in the extreme, and struggled to escape; while the cat
mewed piteously, and, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, staggered to
and fro in the car as if under the influence of poison. I now too late discovered
the great rashness of which I had been guilty in discharging the ballast, and my
agitation was excessive. I anticipated nothing less than death, and death in a few
minutes. The physical suffering I underwent contributed also to render me
nearly incapable of making any exertion for the preservation of my life. I had,
indeed, little power of reflection left, and the violence of the pain in my head
seemed to be greatly on the increase. Thus I found that my senses would shortly
give way altogether, and I had already clutched one of the valve ropes with the
view of attempting a descent, when the recollection of the trick I had played the
three creditors, and the possible consequences to myself, should I return,
operated to deter me for the moment. I lay down in the bottom of the car, and
endeavored to collect my faculties. In this I so far succeeded as to determine
upon the experiment of losing blood. Having no lancet, however, I was
constrained to perform the operation in the best manner I was able, and finally
succeeded in opening a vein in my right arm, with the blade of my penknife.

Thesaurus
copiously: (adv) profusely, lavishly, thoughtlessly, foolishly, hastily, grievously, sorrowfully, dolefully.
richly, plentifully, plenteously, unthinkingly, inconsiderately. rarefied: (adj) thin, exalted, lofty,
generously, exuberantly, liberally, ANTONYMS: (adv) cautiously, rarified, tenuous, idealistic, noble,
affluently, prolifically, bountifully. carefully, discreetly, judiciously, majestic, refined, spiritual, thinner.
ANTONYMS: (adv) meagerly, thinly, sensibly, wisely. rashness: (n) temerity, precipitation,
scantily. penknife: (adj, n) blade; (n) recklessness, hastiness, imprudence,
gradation: (n) degree, scale, ablaut, switchblade, pocketknife, clasp knife, heedlessness, folly, precipitancy,
progression, graduation, tier, step, pocket knife, carving knife, stiletto; indiscretion, carelessness,
level, shade, form, extent. (adj) cutlery, edge tool, whittle, razor. adventurism. ANTONYMS: (n)
imprudently: (adv) injudiciously, piteously: (adj, adv) sadly; (adv) caution, consideration, deliberation,
unwisely, indiscreetly, carelessly, pitifully, wretchedly, ruefully, patience, discretion, carefulness,
recklessly, incautiously, woefully, poorly, plaintively, sorrily, forethought.
 Edgar Allan Poe 55

The blood had hardly commenced flowing when I experienced a sensible relief,
and by the time I had lost about half a moderate basin full, most of the worst
symptoms had abandoned me entirely. I nevertheless did not think it expedient
to attempt getting on my feet immediately; but, having tied up my arm as well as
I could, I lay still for about a quarter of an hour. At the end of this time I arose,
and found myself freer from absolute pain of any kind than I had been during
the last hour and a quarter of my ascension. The difficulty of breathing, however,
was diminished in a very slight degree, and I found that it would soon be
positively necessary to make use of my condenser. In the meantime, looking
toward the cat, who was again snugly stowed away upon my coat, I discovered
to my infinite surprise, that she had taken the opportunity of my indisposition
to bring into light a litter of three little kittens. This was an addition to the
number of passengers on my part altogether unexpected; but I was pleased at the
occurrence. It would afford me a chance of bringing to a kind of test the truth of a
surmise, which, more than anything else, had influenced me in attempting this
ascension. I had imagined that the habitual endurance of the atmospheric
pressure at the surface of the earth was the cause, or nearly so, of the pain
attending animal existence at a distance above the surface. Should the kittens be
found to suffer uneasiness in an equal degree with their mother, I must consider
my theory in fault, but a failure to do so I should look upon as a strong
confirmation of my idea.%
“By eight o’clock I had actually attained an elevation of seventeen miles
above the surface of the earth. Thus it seemed to me evident that my rate of
ascent was not only on the increase, but that the progression would have been
apparent in a slight degree even had I not discharged the ballast which I did. The
pains in my head and ears returned, at intervals, with violence, and I still
continued to bleed occasionally at the nose; but, upon the whole, I suffered much
less than might have been expected. I breathed, however, at every moment, with
more and more difficulty, and each inhalation was attended with a troublesome
spasmodic action of the chest. I now unpacked the condensing apparatus, and
got it ready for immediate use.

Thesaurus
bleed: (v) run, ooze, phlebotomize, illness, disorder, disease; (adj, n) spasmodic: (adj) spastic, convulsive,
leak, percolate, shed blood, trickle, infirmity. ANTONYM: (n) intermittent, erratic, broken,
hemorrhage, fleece; (n) ache, smart. inclination. irregular, sporadic, desultory,
condenser: (n) lens, setup, distributor inhalation: (n) drag, absorption, gasp, sudden, discontinuous; (v)
ignition capacitor, capacitance, inhalant, inspiration, immission, inconsonant. ANTONYM: (adj)
trimmer, optical condenser, electrical ingestion, ingurgitation, breathing in, continuous.
condenser, coil, capacity, bypass inhale, inhaling. surmise: (n, v) guess; (v) suppose,
condenser, bypass capacitor. kittens: (n) dust, fuzz. suspect, presume, imagine, divine,
freer: (adj) unconfined. snugly: (adv) cozily, cosily, doubt; (n) hypothesis, supposition,
indisposition: (adj, n, v) ailment; (n) comfortably, closely, tightly, speculation, assumption.
disinclination, dislike, distaste, pleasantly, compactly, neatly, ANTONYMS: (n) knowledge,
aversion, reluctance, hesitation; (n, v) conveniently, homely, trimly. measurement.
56 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“The view of the earth, at this period of my ascension, was beautiful indeed.
To the westward, the northward, and the southward, as far as I could see, lay a
boundless sheet of apparently unruffled ocean, which every moment gained a
deeper and a deeper tint of blue and began already to assume a slight
appearance of convexity. At a vast distance to the eastward, although perfectly
discernible, extended the islands of Great Britain, the entire Atlantic coasts of
France and Spain, with a small portion of the northern part of the continent of
Africa. Of individual edifices not a trace could be discovered, and the proudest
cities of mankind had utterly faded away from the face of the earth. From the
rock of Gibraltar, now dwindled into a dim speck, the dark Mediterranean sea,
dotted with shining islands as the heaven is dotted with stars, spread itself out to
the eastward as far as my vision extended, until its entire mass of waters seemed
at length to tumble headlong over the abyss of the horizon, and I found myself
listening on tiptoe for the echoes of the mighty cataract. Overhead, the sky was of
a jetty black, and the stars were brilliantly visible.%
“The pigeons about this time seeming to undergo much suffering, I
determined upon giving them their liberty. I first untied one of them, a beautiful
gray-mottled pigeon, and placed him upon the rim of the wicker-work. He
appeared extremely uneasy, looking anxiously around him, fluttering his wings,
and making a loud cooing noise, but could not be persuaded to trust himself
from off the car. I took him up at last, and threw him to about half a dozen yards
from the balloon. He made, however, no attempt to descend as I had expected,
but struggled with great vehemence to get back, uttering at the same time very
shrill and piercing cries. He at length succeeded in regaining his former station
on the rim, but had hardly done so when his head dropped upon his breast, and
be fell dead within the car. The other one did not prove so unfortunate. To
prevent his following the example of his companion, and accomplishing a
return, I threw him downward with all my force, and was pleased to find him
continue his descent, with great velocity, making use of his wings with ease, and
in a perfectly natural manner. In a very short time he was out of sight, and I have
no doubt he reached home in safety. Puss, who seemed in a great measure
recovered from her illness, now made a hearty meal of the dead bird and then

accomplishing: (n) doing; (adj)
effectual.
boundless: (adj) limitless, endless,
unlimited, infinite, bottomless,
incalculable, immense,
immeasurable, interminable,
unbounded, vast. ANTONYMS: (adj)
limited, restricted, confined, finite,
incomplete, negligible, small.
cataract: (n) waterfall, torrent, falls,
deluge, cataclysm, amaurosis,
blindness, angel, flood, prestriction;
Thesaurus
(v) pour.
convexity: (n) bulge, camber, knob,
projection, convexness, convex shape,
solid, form, shape, protuberance,
gibbosity.
pigeons: (n) order Columbiformes,
Columbiformes.
puss: (n) cat, kitten, lass, pussy,
pussycat, cunt, chit, countenance,
feline, cuckoo, incision.
tint: (n, v) color, tinge, hue, stain, dye,
tinct; (n) shade, tincture, tone, cast;
(v) paint. ANTONYMS: (n) white,
pallor; (v) whiten, pale.
untied: (adj) unfastened, unchained,
unshackled, unlaced, unbound,
unfettered, free, unsewed, open,
unconnected, rambling.
ANTONYMS: (adj) tied, laced.
vehemence: (n) force, violence, fury,
passion, eagerness, strength,
impetuosity, enthusiasm, fierceness,
heat, fervor. ANTONYMS: (n)
indifference, meekness, serenity.
 Edgar Allan Poe 57

went to sleep with much apparent satisfaction. Her kittens were quite lively, and
so far evinced not the slightest sign of any uneasiness whatever.%
“At a quarter-past eight, being no longer able to draw breath without the
most intolerable pain, I proceeded forthwith to adjust around the car the
apparatus belonging to the condenser. This apparatus will require some little
explanation, and your Excellencies will please to bear in mind that my object, in
the first place, was to surround myself and cat entirely with a barricade against
the highly rarefied atmosphere in which I was existing, with the intention of
introducing within this barricade, by means of my condenser, a quantity of this
same atmosphere sufficiently condensed for the purposes of respiration. With
this object in view I had prepared a very strong perfectly air-tight, but flexible
gum-elastic bag. In this bag, which was of sufficient dimensions, the entire car
was in a manner placed. That is to say, it (the bag) was drawn over the whole
bottom of the car, up its sides, and so on, along the outside of the ropes, to the
upper rim or hoop where the net-work is attached. Having pulled the bag up in
this way, and formed a complete enclosure on all sides, and at bottom, it was
now necessary to fasten up its top or mouth, by passing its material over the
hoop of the net-work -- in other words, between the net-work and the hoop. But
if the net-work were separated from the hoop to admit this passage, what was to
sustain the car in the meantime? Now the net-work was not permanently
fastened to the hoop, but attached by a series of running loops or nooses. I
therefore undid only a few of these loops at one time, leaving the car suspended
by the remainder. Having thus inserted a portion of the cloth forming the upper
part of the bag, I refastened the loops -- not to the hoop, for that would have been
impossible, since the cloth now intervened -- but to a series of large buttons,
affixed to the cloth itself, about three feet below the mouth of the bag, the
intervals between the buttons having been made to correspond to the intervals
between the loops. This done, a few more of the loops were unfastened from the
rim, a farther portion of the cloth introduced, and the disengaged loops then
connected with their proper buttons. In this way it was possible to insert the
whole upper part of the bag between the net-work and the hoop. It is evident
that the hoop would now drop down within the car, while the whole weight of

affixed: (adj) additional.
barricade: (n, v) barrier, blockade,
barricado; (v) block, obstruct, hinder,
dam; (n) obstruction, fence, rampart,
hurdle. ANTONYMS: (n) opening; (v)
open, expose, assist.
disengaged: (adj) vacant, unemployed,
disentangled, free, freed,
untrammelled, devoid, unreserved,
detached, liberated, loosened.
fasten: (adj, v) attach, fix, affix; (v)
connect, bind, tie, tack, pin, stick,
Thesaurus
clasp, anchor. ANTONYMS: (v) uneasiness: (n) disquiet, discomfort,
detach, undo, unlock, loosen, release, inquietude, anxiety, unease, malaise,
open, disconnect, untie, separate, disquietude, apprehension, unrest,
unscrew. impatience; (n, v) agitation.
forthwith: (adv) directly, immediately, ANTONYMS: (n) peace, calm,
at once, now, instantly, straight, confidence.
presently, straightaway, unfastened: (adj) open, movable,
incontinently; (adj, adv) quickly; (adj) loose, unbuttoned, overt, opened,
immediate. opened out, slack, undecided,
hoop: (n) circle, band, ring, loop, undetermined, assailable.
annulus, round, sphere, wheel, ANTONYMS: (adj) buttoned, fixed,
circlet, halo; (v) encircle. shut, tied.
58 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

the car itself, with all its contents, would be held up merely by the strength of the
buttons. This, at first sight, would seem an inadequate dependence; but it was by
no means so, for the buttons were not only very strong in themselves, but so
close together that a very slight portion of the whole weight was supported by
any one of them. Indeed, had the car and contents been three times heavier than
they were, I should not have been at all uneasy. I now raised up the hoop again
within the covering of gum-elastic, and propped it at nearly its former height by
means of three light poles prepared for the occasion. This was done, of course, to
keep the bag distended at the top, and to preserve the lower part of the net-work
in its proper situation. All that now remained was to fasten up the mouth of the
enclosure; and this was readily accomplished by gathering the folds of the
material together, and twisting them up very tightly on the inside by means of a
kind of stationary tourniquet.%
“In the sides of the covering thus adjusted round the car, had been inserted
three circular panes of thick but clear glass, through which I could see without
difficulty around me in every horizontal direction. In that portion of the cloth
forming the bottom, was likewise, a fourth window, of the same kind, and
corresponding with a small aperture in the floor of the car itself. This enabled me
to see perpendicularly down, but having found it impossible to place any similar
contrivance overhead, on account of the peculiar manner of closing up the
opening there, and the consequent wrinkles in the cloth, I could expect to see no
objects situated directly in my zenith. This, of course, was a matter of little
consequence; for had I even been able to place a window at top, the balloon itself
would have prevented my making any use of it.
“About a foot below one of the side windows was a circular opening, eight
inches in diameter, and fitted with a brass rim adapted in its inner edge to the
windings of a screw. In this rim was screwed the large tube of the condenser, the
body of the machine being, of course, within the chamber of gum-elastic.
Through this tube a quantity of the rare atmosphere circumjacent being drawn
by means of a vacuum created in the body of the machine, was thence
discharged, in a state of condensation, to mingle with the thin air already in the

aperture: (n) breach, slit, puncture,
opening, gap, cleft, perforation,
loophole, mouth, hiatus, outlet.
ANTONYM: (n) closure.
buttons: (n) bellboy, peyote.
circumjacent: (adj) circumfluent.
contrivance: (n) device, appliance,
gadget, artifice, plot, dodge, resource,
plan, contraption, machine,
apparatus.
distended: (adj) inflated, bloated,
turgid, puffed, bombastic, distent,
Thesaurus
expanded, enlarged; (adj, v) puffy; (v)
blowzy, bigswoln.
folds: (n) laps.
mingle: (v) compound, combine,
merge, amalgamate, intermix, mix,
commingle, associate, confuse, join,
intermingle. ANTONYM: (v) part.
panes: (n) Fauni.
perpendicularly: (adv) uprightly,
erectly, straightly, upright,
orthogonally, sheerly, precipitously,
normally, plumb; (adv, v) sheer; (adj,
adv) directly.
propped: (adj) fulcrate.
thence: (adv) therefore, thus,
therefrom, thereof, consequently,
then, so, thereafter, thenceforth,
since, on account of.
wrinkles: (n) crow's feet.
zenith: (n) apex, peak, top, height,
acme, pinnacle, summit, climax,
vertex, culmination, prime.
ANTONYMS: (n) base, bottom,
trough.
 Edgar Allan Poe 59

chamber. This operation being repeated several times, at length filled the
chamber with atmosphere proper for all the purposes of respiration. But in so
confined a space it would, in a short time, necessarily become foul, and unfit for
use from frequent contact with the lungs. It was then ejected by a small valve at
the bottom of the car -- the dense air readily sinking into the thinner atmosphere
below. To avoid the inconvenience of making a total vacuum at any moment
within the chamber, this purification was never accomplished all at once, but in
a gradual manner -- the valve being opened only for a few seconds, then closed
again, until one or two strokes from the pump of the condenser had supplied the
place of the atmosphere ejected. For the sake of experiment I had put the cat and
kittens in a small basket, and suspended it outside the car to a button at the
bottom, close by the valve, through which I could feed them at any moment
when necessary. I did this at some little risk, and before closing the mouth of the
chamber, by reaching under the car with one of the poles before mentioned to
which a hook had been attached.%
“By the time I had fully completed these arrangements and filled the chamber
as explained, it wanted only ten minutes of nine o’clock. During the whole
period of my being thus employed, I endured the most terrible distress from
difficulty of respiration, and bitterly did I repent the negligence or rather fool-
hardiness, of which I had been guilty, of putting off to the last moment a matter
of so much importance. But having at length accomplished it, I soon began to
reap the benefit of my invention. Once again I breathed with perfect freedom and
ease -- and indeed why should I not? I was also agreeably surprised to find
myself, in a great measure, relieved from the violent pains which had hitherto
tormented me. A slight headache, accompanied with a sensation of fulness or
distention about the wrists, the ankles, and the throat, was nearly all of which I
had now to complain. Thus it seemed evident that a greater part of the
uneasiness attending the removal of atmospheric pressure had actually worn off,
as I had expected, and that much of the pain endured for the last two hours
should have been attributed altogether to the effects of a deficient respiration.

Thesaurus
agreeably: (adv) enjoyably, pleasantly, ample, flawless, enough, excessive, reap: (v) harvest, gain, glean, gather,
sympathetically, pleasingly, suitably, complete, present, sound, strong, obtain, cut, receive, earn, acquire;
well, melodically, accordingly, confident. (adj, v) mow; (adj) clip. ANTONYMS:
affably, genially; (adv, v) happily. ejected: (adj) evicted, dispossessed. (v) lose, scatter.
ANTONYMS: (adv) disagreeably, fulness: (n) fullness, entirety, repent: (v) deplore, bewail, rue,
incongruously, uncooperatively, completeness, totality. mourn, lament, atone, sorry, bemoan,
unhelpfully, badly, stubbornly, purification: (n) defecation, purge, feel remorse, grieve, be sorry.
harshly. refinement, catharsis, purgation, tormented: (adj) worried, tortured,
deficient: (adj) wanting, inadequate, purging, refining, cleaning, cleansing, hagridden, troubled, beleaguered,
scanty, imperfect, short, scarce, less, cleanup, rectification. ANTONYMS: beset, besieged, cruciate, cruciform,
lacking, low, meager, insufficient. (n) debasement, dirtying, distraught, distressed. ANTONYM:
ANTONYMS: (adj) sufficient, perfect, contamination. (adj) calm.
60 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“At twenty minutes before nine o’clock -- that is to say, a short time prior to
my closing up the mouth of the chamber, the mercury attained its limit, or ran
down, in the barometer, which, as I mentioned before, was one of an extended
construction. It then indicated an altitude on my part of 132,000 feet, or five-and-
twenty miles, and I consequently surveyed at that time an extent of the earth’s
area amounting to no less than the three hundred-and-twentieth part of its entire
superficies. At nine o’clock I had again lost sight of land to the eastward, but not
before I became aware that the balloon was drifting rapidly to the N. N. W. The
convexity of the ocean beneath me was very evident indeed, although my view
was often interrupted by the masses of cloud which floated to and fro. I observed
now that even the lightest vapors never rose to more than ten miles above the
level of the sea.%
“At half past nine I tried the experiment of throwing out a handful of feathers
through the valve. They did not float as I had expected; but dropped down
perpendicularly, like a bullet, en masse, and with the greatest velocity -- being
out of sight in a very few seconds. I did not at first know what to make of this
extraordinary phenomenon; not being able to believe that my rate of ascent had,
of a sudden, met with so prodigious an acceleration. But it soon occurred to me
that the atmosphere was now far too rare to sustain even the feathers; that they
actually fell, as they appeared to do, with great rapidity; and that I had been
surprised by the united velocities of their descent and my own elevation.
“By ten o’clock I found that I had very little to occupy my immediate
attention. Affairs went swimmingly, and I believed the balloon to be going
upward witb a speed increasing momently although I had no longer any means
of ascertaining the progression of the increase. I suffered no pain or uneasiness
of any kind, and enjoyed better spirits than I had at any period since my
departure from Rotterdam, busying myself now in examining the state of my
various apparatus, and now in regenerating the atmosphere within the chamber.
This latter point I determined to attend to at regular intervals of forty minutes,
more on account of the preservation of my health, than from so frequent a
renovation being absolutely necessary. In the meanwhile I could not help

indicated: (adj) numbered.
momently: (adv) momentarily, in a
moment, presently.
prodigious: (adj) gigantic, enormous,
huge, phenomenal, portentous,
stupendous, exceptional, colossal,
immense, gargantuan; (adj, v)
monstrous. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unexceptional, normal, average, tiny,
weak.
rapidity: (n) expedition, quickness,
promptness, dispatch, celerity, haste,
Thesaurus
velocity, pace, fleetness, compass, externality, length,
promptitude, speed. ANTONYM: (n) superfice, proportion.
tardiness. swimmingly: (adj, adv) readily; (adj) in
regenerating: (adj) regeneratory. triumph, well flying colors; (adv)
renovation: (n) restoration, renewal, easily, successfully, prosperously,
recovery, reconstruction, waterily, favorably, fortunately,
refurbishment, improvement, happily, natantly. ANTONYM: (adv)
alteration, innovation, conversion, lousy.
repair, reform. vapors: (n) megrims, mist, blues, blue
suffered: (adj) permitted, permissive. devils, fog, depression,
superficies: (n) surface, exterior, hypochondriasis, pessimism, spleen,
appearance, exteriority, top, size, brume, horrors.
 Edgar Allan Poe 61

making anticipations. Fancy revelled in the wild and dreamy regions of the
moon. Imagination, feeling herself for once unshackled, roamed at will among
the ever-changing wonders of a shadowy and unstable land. Now there were
boary and time-honored forests, and craggy precipices, and waterfalls tumbling
with a loud noise into abysses without a bottom. Then I came suddenly into still
noonday solitudes, where no wind of heaven ever intruded, and where vast
meadows of poppies, and slender, lily-looking flowers spread themselves out a
weary distance, all silent and motionless forever. Then again I journeyed far
down away into another country where it was all one dim and vague lake, with a
boundary line of clouds. And out of this melancholy water arose a forest of tall
eastern trees, like a wilderness of dreams. And I have in mind that the shadows
of the trees which fell upon the lake remained not on the surface where they fell,
but sunk slowly and steadily down, and commingled with the waves, while from
the trunks of the trees other shadows were continually coming out, and taking
the place of their brothers thus entombed. “This then,” I said thoughtfully, “is the
very reason why the waters of this lake grow blacker with age, and more
melancholy as the hours run on.” But fancies such as these were not the sole
possessors of my brain. Horrors of a nature most stern and most appalling would
too frequently obtrude themselves upon my mind, and shake the innermost
depths of my soul with the bare supposition of their possibility. Yet I would not
suffer my thoughts for any length of time to dwell upon these latter speculations,
rightly judging the real and palpable dangers of the voyage sufficient for my
undivided attention.%
“At five o’clock, p.m., being engaged in regenerating the atmosphere within
the chamber, I took that opportunity of observing the cat and kittens through the
valve. The cat herself appeared to suffer again very much, and I had no
hesitation in attributing her uneasiness chiefly to a difficulty in breathing; but my
experiment with the kittens had resulted very strangely. I had expected, of
course, to see them betray a sense of pain, although in a less degree than their
mother, and this would have been sufficient to confirm my opinion concerning
the habitual endurance of atmospheric pressure. But I was not prepared to find
them, upon close examination, evidently enjoying a high degree of health,

atmospheric: (adj) airy, atmospherical,
retiring, atmospherics, light.
craggy: (adj) cragged, rugged, rocky,
cliffy, jagged, hilly, harsh, uneven,
broken, precipitous, abrupt.
ANTONYMS: (adj) even, flat, level.
innermost: (adj) inward, intimate,
inner, interior, close, internal, middle,
center, hint, hearty; (adj, n) inside.
ANTONYMS: (adj) external,
outermost, outer.
noonday: (n) noontide, noon, high
Thesaurus
noon, hour, twelve noon, afternoon; glorious, old, accepted, immemorial,
(v) tide; (adj) meridional. regular, proverbial.
obtrude: (v) impose, force, encroach, undivided: (adj) complete, whole,
inflict, protrude, stick out, infringe, unbroken, total, single, integral,
meddle, visit, barge, push. continuous, united, full, exclusive,
supposition: (n, v) conjecture; (n) solid. ANTONYMS: (adj) partial,
assumption, hypothesis, separate, broken, imperfect,
presumption, premise, speculation, individual.
surmise, guess, supposal, thought, unshackled: (adj) unenthralled,
imagination. ANTONYMS: (n) fact, unfettered, ungoverned, unenslaved,
knowledge, proof, reality, practice. loose, exempt, untied, unbound,
time-honored: (adj) traditional, classic, unreined, unmuzzled, unlaced.
62 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

breathing with the greatest ease and perfect regularity, and evincing not the
slightest sign of any uneasiness whatever. I could only account for all this by
extending my theory, and supposing that the highly rarefied atmosphere around
might perhaps not be, as I had taken for granted, chemically insufficient for the
purposes of life, and that a person born in such a medium might, possibly, be
unaware of any inconvenience attending its inhalation, while, upon removal to
the denser strata near the earth, he might endure tortures of a similar nature to
those I had so lately experienced. It has since been to me a matter of deep regret
that an awkward accident, at this time, occasioned me the loss of my little family
of cats, and deprived me of the insight into this matter which a continued
experiment might have afforded. In passing my hand through the valve, with a
cup of water for the old puss, the sleeves of my shirt became entangled in the
loop which sustained the basket, and thus, in a moment, loosened it from the
bottom. Had the whole actually vanished into air, it could not have shot from my
sight in a more abrupt and instantaneous manner. Positively, there could not
have intervened the tenth part of a second between the disengagement of the
basket and its absolute and total disappearance with all that it contained. My
good wishes followed it to the earth, but of course, I had no hope that either cat
or kittens would ever live to tell the tale of their misfortune.%
“At six o’clock, I perceived a great portion of the earth’s visible area to the
eastward involved in thick shadow, which continued to advance with great
rapidity, until, at five minutes before seven, the whole surface in view was
enveloped in the darkness of night. It was not, however, until long after this time
that the rays of the setting sun ceased to illumine the balloon; and this
circumstance, although of course fully anticipated, did not fail to give me an
infinite deal of pleasure. It was evident that, in the morning, I should behold the
rising luminary many hours at least before the citizens of Rotterdam, in spite of
their situation so much farther to the eastward, and thus, day after day, in
proportion to the height ascended, would I enjoy the light of the sun for a longer
and a longer period. I now determined to keep a journal of my passage,
reckoning the days from one to twenty-four hours continuously, without taking
into consideration the intervals of darkness.

behold: (v) see, view, contemplate,
regard, perceive, observe, look,
consider, discern, descry, watch.
ANTONYMS: (v) Miss, disregard,
ignore, overlook.
chemically: (adv) with chemicals.
disengagement: (n) disconnection,
separation, withdrawal,
disentanglement, disjunction,
liberation, extrication, disassociation,
freedom, retreat, enlargement.
ANTONYM: (n) connection.
Thesaurus
enveloped: (adj) convoluted, enclosed, computation, bill, score, computing,
cover, bounded, Byzantine, clothed, liquidation, clearance; (n, v) count,
involved, misty, swallowed, enumeration, account, estimation.
vestured, emotionally involved. slightest: (adj) minimal, first, smallest
loosened: (adj) disentangled, loose, amount.
freed, disengaged, extricated, spite: (n) malice, grudge, hatred,
unsnarled. malevolence, rancour, venom, rancor,
luminary: (n) celebrity, star, leading maliciousness, ill will, animosity; (n,
light, personality, guiding light, VIP, v) pique. ANTONYMS: (v) please; (n)
authority, worthy, shining light, benevolence, goodwill, love,
Magnus Apollo, shiner. affection, harmony.
reckoning: (n) calculation, strata: (n) bed, layer, stratums, tier.
 Edgar Allan Poe 63

“At %ten o’clock, feeling sleepy, I determined to lie down for the rest of the
night; but here a difficulty presented itself, which, obvious as it may appear, had
escaped my attention up to the very moment of which I am now speaking. If I
went to sleep as I proposed, how could the atmosphere in the chamber be
regenerated in the interim? To breathe it for more than an hour, at the farthest,
would be a matter of impossibility, or, if even this term could be extended to an
hour and a quarter, the most ruinous consequences might ensue. The
consideration of this dilemma gave me no little disquietude; and it will hardly be
believed, that, after the dangers I had undergone, I should look upon this
business in so serious a light, as to give up all hope of accomplishing my ultimate
design, and finally make up my mind to the necessity of a descent. But this
hesitation was only momentary. I reflected that man is the veriest slave of
custom, and that many points in the routine of his existence are deemed
essentially important, which are only so at all by his having rendered them
habitual. It was very certain that I could not do without sleep; but I might easily
bring myself to feel no inconvenience from being awakened at intervals of an
hour during the whole period of my repose. It would require but five minutes at
most to regenerate the atmosphere in the fullest manner, and the only real
difficulty was to contrive a method of arousing myself at the proper moment for
so doing. But this was a question which, I am willing to confess, occasioned me
no little trouble in its solution. To be sure, I had heard of the student who, to
prevent his falling asleep over his books, held in one hand a ball of copper, the
din of whose descent into a basin of the same metal on the floor beside his chair,
served effectually to startle him up, if, at any moment, he should be overcome
with drowsiness. My own case, however, was very different indeed, and left me
no room for any similar idea; for I did not wish to keep awake, but to be aroused
from slumber at regular intervals of time. I at length hit upon the following
expedient, which, simple as it may seem, was hailed by me, at the moment of
discovery, as an invention fully equal to that of the telescope, the steam-engine,
or the art of printing itself.
“It is necessary to premise, that the balloon, at the elevation now attained,
continued its course upward with an even and undeviating ascent, and the car

arousing: (adj, n) stirring; (adj)
moving, stimulating, affecting,
animating, hopeful, pitiful, poignant; ineffectually.
(n) awakening, start, beginning.
drowsiness: (n) sleepiness, lethargy,
dullness, doziness, laziness,
somnolency, inertia, drowse,
lassitude, languor, sluggishness.
ANTONYM: (n) alertness.
effectually: (adv) efficaciously,
effectively, validly, adequately,
potently, tellingly, strongly,
Thesaurus
decisively; (adj) nicely, fully, head
and shoulders. ANTONYM: (adv)
farthest: (adj) ultimate, extreme,
farthermost, utmost, uttermost, last,
furthermost, endmost, greatest, most
distant; (adj, adv) remotest.
ANTONYMS: (adv) closest, nearest.
regenerated: (adj) elected, justified,
unearthly, renewed, sanctified,
converted, consecrated, inspired,
new.
ruinous: (adj) harmful, baleful,
disastrous, calamitous, injurious,
deleterious, dilapidated, blasting,
baneful, pernicious; (adj, n)
subversive. ANTONYMS: (adj)
beneficial, fortunate, harmless.
slumber: (n, v) rest, doze, snooze, nap,
drowse, repose, catnap; (v) be asleep,
kip, take a nap; (n) siesta.
veriest: (adj) of mark, pointed,
remarkable.
went: (v) walked, proceeded.
64 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

consequently followed with a steadiness so perfect that it would have been

impossible to detect in it the slightest vacillation whatever. This circumstance
favored me greatly in the project I now determined to adopt. My supply of water
had been put on board in kegs containing five gallons each, and ranged very
securely around the interior of the car. I unfastened one of these, and taking two
ropes tied them tightly across the rim of the wicker-work from one side to the
other; placing them about a foot apart and parallel so as to form a kind of shelf,
upon which I placed the keg, and steadied it in a horizontal position. About eight
inches immediately below these ropes, and four feet from the bottom of the car I
fastened another shelf -- but made of thin plank, being the only similar piece of
wood I had. Upon this latter shelf, and exactly beneath one of the rims of the keg,
a small earthen pitcher was deposited. I now bored a hole in the end of the keg
over the pitcher, and fitted in a plug of soft wood, cut in a tapering or conical
shape. This plug I pushed in or pulled out, as might happen, until, after a few
experiments, it arrived at that exact degree of tightness, at which the water,
oozing from the hole, and falling into the pitcher below, would fill the latter to
the brim in the period of sixty minutes. This, of course, was a matter briefly and
easily ascertained, by noticing the proportion of the pitcher filled in any given
time. Having arranged all this, the rest of the plan is obvious. My bed was so
contrived upon the floor of the car, as to bring my head, in lying down,
immediately below the mouth of the pitcher. It was evident, that, at the
expiration of an hour, the pitcher, getting full, would be forced to run over, and
to run over at the mouth, which was somewhat lower than the rim. It was also
evident, that the water thus falling from a height of more than four feet, could
not do otherwise than fall upon my face, and that the sure consequences would
be, to waken me up instantaneously, even from the soundest slumber in the
world.%
“It was fully eleven by the time I had completed these arrangements, and I
immediately betook myself to bed, with full confidence in the efficiency of my
invention. Nor in this matter was I disappointed. Punctually every sixty minutes
was I aroused by my trusty chronometer, when, having emptied the pitcher into
the bung-hole of the keg, and performed the duties of the condenser, I retired

Thesaurus
chronometer: (n) timepiece, (adj) disliked, unpopular, Standard. unsteadiness, instability,
chronograph, Jacquet's recording noticing: (n) observation, look; (adj) unreliability.
chronometer, watch, stopwatch, conscious. vacillation: (n) indecision,
timekeeper, timer, chronoscope, punctually: (adv) precisely, exactly, irresolution, hesitancy, fluctuation,
alarm clock, grandfather clock, travel duly, accurately, correctly, on time, doubt, indecisiveness, instability,
clock. regularly, timely, punctiliously, indetermination, oscillation,
earthen: (adj) clay, ceramic, strictly, sharp. uncertainty, vibration. ANTONYMS:
earthenware. steadiness: (adj, n) stability, firmness, (n) decisiveness, insistence,
favored: (adj) advantaged, preferred, steadfastness; (n) regularity, resolution, determination.
lucky, advantageous, pet, favorite, equilibrium, consistency, resolution, waken: (v) stir, awaken, wake, wake
blessed, privileged, favorable; (adj, n) permanence, persistence, sureness; up, arouse, awake, excite, call, kindle,
happy, prosperous. ANTONYMS: (adj) stableness. ANTONYMS: (n) evoke, provoke.
 Edgar Allan Poe 65

again to bed. These regular interruptions to my slumber caused me even less

discomfort than I had anticipated; and when I finally arose for the day, it was
seven o’clock, and the sun had attained many degrees above the line of my
horizon.%
“April 3d. I found the balloon at an immense height indeed, and the earth’s
apparent convexity increased in a material degree. Below me in the ocean lay a
cluster of black specks, which undoubtedly were islands. Far away to the
northward I perceived a thin, white, and exceedingly brilliant line, or streak, on
the edge of the horizon, and I had no hesitation in supposing it to be the
southern disk of the ices of the Polar Sea. My curiosity was greatly excited, for I
had hopes of passing on much farther to the north, and might possibly, at some
period, find myself placed directly above the Pole itself. I now lamented that my
great elevation would, in this case, prevent my taking as accurate a survey as I
could wish. Much, however, might be ascertained. Nothing else of an
extraordinary nature occurred during the day. My apparatus all continued in
good order, and the balloon still ascended without any perceptible vacillation.
The cold was intense, and obliged me to wrap up closely in an overcoat. When
darkness came over the earth, I betook myself to bed, although it was for many
hours afterward broad daylight all around my immediate situation. The water-
clock was punctual in its duty, and I slept until next morning soundly, with the
exception of the periodical interruption.
“April 4th. Arose in good health and spirits, and was astonished at the
singular change which had taken place in the appearance of the sea. It had lost,
in a great measure, the deep tint of blue it had hitherto worn, being now of a
grayish-white, and of a lustre dazzling to the eye. The islands were no longer
visible; whether they had passed down the horizon to the southeast, or whether
my increasing elevation had left them out of sight, it is impossible to say. I was
inclined, however, to the latter opinion. The rim of ice to the northward was
growing more and more apparent. Cold by no means so intense. Nothing of
importance occurred, and I passed the day in reading, having taken care to
supply myself with books.

Thesaurus
ascertained: (adj) discovered, northward: (adj, adv) north; (adj) ANTONYMS: (adj) intangible,
determined; (v) absolute, recognized, northbound; (adv) northerly, unclear, inaudible, inconspicuous,
received, noted, notorious, decisive, northwards, in the north, to the obscure, undetectable, invisible.
unmistakable, unequivocal, positive. north. soundly: (adv) sound, fully, solidly,
dazzling: (adj) brilliant, blinding, overcoat: (n) greatcoat, coat, cloak, thoroughly, deeply, substantially,
splendid, glaring, vivid, stunning, robe, topcoat, surcoat, coating, validly, strongly, stably, fastly, safely.
dazzlingly, striking, sparkling, overcoating, capote, chesterfield, ANTONYMS: (adv) harmfully,
fulgent, resplendent. ANTONYMS: gown. halfheartedly, fitfully,
(adj) dim, ugly, uninspired, perceptible: (adj) conspicuous, unconvincingly.
unremarkable, unexceptional, appreciable, evident, discernible, streak: (n, v) ray, dash, mark, flash;
gradual, abysmal, humdrum, dark. obvious, visible, palpable, apparent, (adj, n) stripe; (n) band, beam, run,
lamented: (adj) mourned, bewailed. detectable, manifest, observable. bar, groove, gleam.
66 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“April 5th. Beheld the singular phenomenon of the sun rising while nearly
the whole visible surface of the earth continued to be involved in darkness. In
time, however, the light spread itself over all, and I again saw the line of ice to
the northward. It was now very distinct, and appeared of a much darker hue
than the waters of the ocean. I was evidently approaching it, and with great
rapidity. Fancied I could again distinguish a strip of land to the eastward, and
one also to the westward, but could not be certain. Weather moderate. Nothing
of any consequence happened during the day. Went early to bed.%
“April 6th. Was surprised at finding the rim of ice at a very moderate
distance, and an immense field of the same material stretching away off to the
horizon in the north. It was evident that if the balloon held its present course, it
would soon arrive above the Frozen Ocean, and I had now little doubt of
ultimately seeing the Pole. During the whole of the day I continued to near the
ice. Toward night the limits of my horizon very suddenly and materially
increased, owing undoubtedly to the earth’s form being that of an oblate
spheroid, and my arriving above the flattened regions in the vicinity of the
Arctic circle. When darkness at length overtook me, I went to bed in great
anxiety, fearing to pass over the object of so much curiosity when I should have
no opportunity of observing it.
“April 7th. Arose early, and, to my great joy, at length beheld what there
could be no hesitation in supposing the northern Pole itself. It was there, beyond
a doubt, and immediately beneath my feet; but, alas! I had now ascended to so
vast a distance, that nothing could with accuracy be discerned. Indeed, to judge
from the progression of the numbers indicating my various altitudes,
respectively, at different periods, between six A.M. on the second of April, and
twenty minutes before nine A.M. of the same day (at which time the barometer
ran down), it might be fairly inferred that the balloon had now, at four o’clock in
the morning of April the seventh, reached a height of not less, certainly, than
7,254 miles above the surface of the sea. This elevation may appear immense, but
the estimate upon which it is calculated gave a result in all probability far inferior
to the truth. At all events I undoubtedly beheld the whole of the earth’s major

flattened: (adj) planate, packed down,
trodden, unconscious, depressed,
compressed.
inferred: (adj) subtle, tacit, assumed,
incidental, latent, unsaid, unspoken,
understood, contingent, implied,
derivative. ANTONYM: (adj) explicit.
materially: (adv) physically,
substantially, corporeally,
significantly, really, essentially,
corporally, vitally, solidly,
momentously, fundamentally.
Thesaurus
oblate: (adj) oblate tubular.
overtook: (v) overtake.
owing: (adj) due, unpaid, unsettled,
outstanding, overdue, owed, payable,
undischarged, indebted, fulfilling
obligation, lawful. ANTONYM: (adj)
settled.
singular: (adj, n) extraordinary; (adj)
odd, individual, particular, peculiar,
phenomenal, rare, queer, single,
quaint, exceptional. ANTONYMS:
(adj) ordinary, normal, together,
usual, customary.
spheroid: (adj) globular, round,
circular; (n) round shape, sphere; (v)
ball.
supposing: (adv) admitting,
conditionally, in case; (n)
supposition, conjecture, thought,
theory, assumption; (conj) although,
what if; (v) suppose.
westward: (adv) west, westwards; (adj,
adv) westerly; (adj) westbound,
western; (v) to the west.
 Edgar Allan Poe 67

diameter; the entire northern hemisphere lay beneath me like a chart

orthographically projected: and the great circle of the equator itself formed the
boundary line of my horizon. Your Excellencies may, however, readily imagine
that the confined regions hitherto unexplored within the limits of the Arctic
circle, although situated directly beneath me, and therefore seen without any
appearance of being foreshortened, were still, in themselves, comparatively too
diminutive, and at too great a distance from the point of sight, to admit of any
very accurate examination. Nevertheless, what could be seen was of a nature
singular and exciting. Northwardly from that huge rim before mentioned, and
which, with slight qualification, may be called the limit of human discovery in
these regions, one unbroken, or nearly unbroken, sheet of ice continues to
extend. In the first few degrees of this its progress, its surface is very sensibly
flattened, farther on depressed into a plane, and finally, becoming not a little
concave, it terminates, at the Pole itself, in a circular centre, sharply defined,
whose apparent diameter subtended at the balloon an angle of about sixty-five
seconds, and whose dusky hue, varying in intensity, was, at all times, darker
than any other spot upon the visible hemisphere, and occasionally deepened into
the most absolute and impenetrable blackness. Farther than this, little could be
ascertained. By twelve o’clock the circular centre had materially decreased in
circumference, and by seven P.M. I lost sight of it entirely; the balloon passing
over the western limb of the ice, and floating away rapidly in the direction of the
equator.%
“April 8th. Found a sensible diminution in the earth’s apparent diameter,
besides a material alteration in its general color and appearance. The whole
visible area partook in different degrees of a tint of pale yellow, and in some
portions had acquired a brilliancy even painful to the eye. My view downward
was also considerably impeded by the dense atmosphere in the vicinity of the
surface being loaded with clouds, between whose masses I could only now and
then obtain a glimpse of the earth itself. This difficulty of direct vision had
troubled me more or less for the last forty-eight hours; but my present enormous
elevation brought closer together, as it were, the floating bodies of vapor, and the
inconvenience became, of course, more and more palpable in proportion to my

Thesaurus
brilliancy: (n, v) brightness; (n) tone. ANTONYMS: (v) discolor, pale, gigantic, large, giant, tall.
brilliance, lustre, luster, splendor, show, whiten, untwist, denote, impeded: (adj) blocked, disabled,
glitter, glory, radiance, splendour; depict, represent, blanch, blench. hampered, crippled, slow.
(adj, n) gorgeousness; (v) gloss. concave: (n) indentation, depression, unexplored: (adj) unexplained,
circumference: (n) circuit, border, concavity; (adj) cavernous, biconcave, unapprehended, unascertained,
perimeter, boundary, periphery, cupped, dipped, arched, indented; undiscovered, unheard of; (v)
outline, brim, compass, circle, edge, (adj, n) crescent; (v) stove in. unexamined, uninvented,
rim. ANTONYMS: (n) middle, inside, ANTONYM: (adj) curved. unsearched, unstudied, unweighed,
interior, center. diminutive: (adj) minute, Lilliputian, unsifted.
color: (n, v) flush, blush, tint, tinge, small, petite, tiny, bantam, baby, vapor: (n) fog, cloud, steam, haze,
paint, stain; (adj, n, v) colour; (v) exiguous, short, miniature, midget. evaporation, vapour, fume; (adj, n)
redden; (n) guise, complexion; (adj, n) ANTONYMS: (adj) big, huge, gas, air; (adj, v) bluster; (v) boast.
68 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

ascent. Nevertheless, I could easily perceive that the balloon now hovered above
the range of great lakes in the continent of North America, and was holding a
course, due south, which would bring me to the tropics. This circumstance did
not fail to give me the most heartful satisfaction, and I hailed it as a happy omen
of ultimate success. Indeed, the direction I had hitherto taken, had filled me with
uneasiness; for it was evident that, had I continued it much longer, there would
have been no possibility of my arriving at the moon at all, whose orbit is inclined
to the ecliptic at only the small angle of 5 degrees 8’ 48”.%
“April 9th. To-day the earth’s diameter was greatly diminished, and the color
of the surface assumed hourly a deeper tint of yellow. The balloon kept steadily
on her course to the southward, and arrived, at nine P.M., over the northern edge
of the Mexican Gulf.
“April 10th. I was suddenly aroused from slumber, about five o’clock this
morning, by a loud, crackling, and terrific sound, for which I could in no manner
account. It was of very brief duration, but, while it lasted resembled nothing in
the world of which I had any previous experience. It is needless to say that I
became excessively alarmed, having, in the first instance, attributed the noise to
the bursting of the balloon. I examined all my apparatus, however, with great
attention, and could discover nothing out of order. Spent a great part of the day
in meditating upon an occurrence so extraordinary, but could find no means
whatever of accounting for it. Went to bed dissatisfied, and in a state of great
anxiety and agitation.
“April 11th. Found a startling diminution in the apparent diameter of the
earth, and a considerable increase, now observable for the first time, in that of the
moon itself, which wanted only a few days of being full. It now required long
and excessive labor to condense within the chamber sufficient atmospheric air
for the sustenance of life.
“April 12th. A singular alteration took place in regard to the direction of the
balloon, and although fully anticipated, afforded me the most unequivocal
delight. Having reached, in its former course, about the twentieth parallel of
southern latitude, it turned off suddenly, at an acute angle, to the eastward, and

crackling: (adj, n) crisp; (adj) snapping,
crepitant, cheerful, brittle, noisy; (n)
crepitation, decrepitation,
crackleware, crackle China,
bohemian crackle.
diminution: (n, v) decrease, decline;
(n) deduction, reduction, abatement,
cut, contraction, rebate, decrement,
curtailment, declension.
ANTONYMS: (n) growth, expansion,
restoration, enlargement.
ecliptic: (n) orbit, equator, circle.
Thesaurus
hourly: (adv) always, by the hour,
daily, often, constantly, continually,
frequently; (adj) horary, continual,
ephemeral; (n) an hour.
latitude: (n) freedom, scope, breadth,
room, expanse, range, compass,
climate, clime, space, reach.
ANTONYM: (n) constraint.
meditating: (n) conception.
omen: (n, v) harbinger, bode, herald,
augury; (n) indication, portent,
forerunner, foreboding, sign, mark,
auspice.
orbit: (n, v) circle, turn; (n) cycle, field,
orb, area, domain, compass, expanse,
course; (v) revolve.
southward: (adv) southwards,
southernly; (adj) southbound,
southern.
sustenance: (n) living, food,
maintenance, subsistence, fare,
sustentation, provisions,
nourishment, nutriment, aliment,
livelihood. ANTONYM: (n) extras.
 Edgar Allan Poe 69

thus proceeded throughout the day, keeping nearly, if not altogether, in the exact
plane of the lunar elipse. What was worthy of remark, a very perceptible
vacillation in the car was a consequence of this change of route -- a vacillation
which prevailed, in a more or less degree, for a period of many hours.%
“April 13th. Was again very much alarmed by a repetition of the loud,
crackling noise which terrified me on the tenth. Thought long upon the subject,
but was unable to form any satisfactory conclusion. Great decrease in the earth’s
apparent diameter, which now subtended from the balloon an angle of very little
more than twenty-five degrees. The moon could not be seen at all, being nearly
in my zenith. I still continued in the plane of the elipse, but made little progress
to the eastward.
“April 14th. Extremely rapid decrease in the diameter of the earth. To-day I
became strongly impressed with the idea, that the balloon was now actually
running up the line of apsides to the point of perigee- in other words, holding the
direct course which would bring it immediately to the moon in that part of its
orbit the nearest to the earth. The moon itself was directly overhead, and
consequently hidden from my view. Great and long-continued labor necessary
for the condensation of the atmosphere.
“April 15th. Not even the outlines of continents and seas could now be traced
upon the earth with anything approaching distinctness. About twelve o’clock I
became aware, for the third time, of that appalling sound which had so
astonished me before. It now, however, continued for some moments, and
gathered intensity as it continued. At length, while, stupefied and terror-
stricken, I stood in expectation of I knew not what hideous destruction, the car
vibrated with excessive violence, and a gigantic and flaming mass of some
material which I could not distinguish, came with a voice of a thousand
thunders, roaring and booming by the balloon. When my fears and
astonishment had in some degree subsided, I had little difficulty in supposing it
to be some mighty volcanic fragment ejected from that world to which I was so
rapidly approaching, and, in all probability, one of that singular class of

booming: (adj) thriving, roaring,
flourishing, successful, loud,
blooming, prospering, palmy,
resonant, wealthy, deep.
ANTONYMS: (adj) failing, quiet,
poor, weak, shrill, thin.
condensation: (n) abridgement,
liquefaction, synopsis, compression,
capsule, contraction, abridgment,
abstract, abbreviation, concentration, outlines: (n) elements, conspectus,
epitome. ANTONYMS: (n) dryness,
expansion.
Thesaurus
flaming: (adj, n) burning, ardent,
glowing, passionate; (adj) blazing,
ablaze, aflame, hot; (n) enthusiastic,
flame, fire. ANTONYMS: (adj)
extinguished, placid, gentle, quiet.
lunar: (adj) quartilunar, sublunar,
superlunar, astronomical,
astrophysical, astral, lunary,
planetary, cosmological.
prospectus, syllabus, alphabet,
grammar, contents, rudiments,
synopsis, textbook, ABC.
roaring: (n) bellowing, roar, bellow,
thunder; (adj) booming, prosperous,
thriving, flourishing, deafening,
noisy, boisterous.
stupefied: (adj) stunned, amazed,
astonished, bewildered, astounded,
dumbfounded, stupid, confused,
flabbergasted, dumfounded, groggy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) precise,
unimpressed.
terror-stricken: (adj) afraid, scared.
70 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

substances occasionally picked up on the earth, and termed meteoric stones for
want of a better appellation.
“April 16th. To-day, looking upward as well as I could, through each of the
side windows alternately, I beheld, to my great delight, a very small portion of
the moon’s disk protruding, as it were, on all sides beyond the huge
circumference of the balloon. My agitation was extreme; for I had now little
doubt of soon reaching the end of my perilous voyage. Indeed, the labor now
required by the condenser had increased to a most oppressive degree, and
allowed me scarcely any respite from exertion. Sleep was a matter nearly out of
the question. I became quite ill, and my frame trembled with exhaustion. It was
impossible that human nature could endure this state of intense suffering much
longer. During the now brief interval of darkness a meteoric stone again passed
in my vicinity, and the frequency of these phenomena began to occasion me
much apprehension.%
“April 17th. This morning proved an epoch in my voyage. It will be
remembered that, on the thirteenth, the earth subtended an angular breadth of
twenty-five degrees. On the fourteenth this had greatly diminished; on the
fifteenth a still more remarkable decrease was observable; and, on retiring on the
night of the sixteenth, I had noticed an angle of no more than about seven
degrees and fifteen minutes. What, therefore, must have been my amazement, on
awakening from a brief and disturbed slumber, on the morning of this day, the
seventeenth, at finding the surface beneath me so suddenly and wonderfully
augmented in volume, as to subtend no less than thirty-nine degrees in apparent
angular diameter! I was thunderstruck! No words can give any adequate idea of
the extreme, the absolute horror and astonishment, with which I was seized
possessed, and altogether overwhelmed. My knees tottered beneath me -- my
teeth chattered -- my hair started up on end. “The balloon, then, had actually
burst!” These were the first tumultuous ideas that hurried through my mind:
“The balloon had positively burst! -- I was falling -- falling with the most
impetuous, the most unparalleled velocity! To judge by the immense distance
already so quickly passed over, it could not be more than ten minutes, at the

Thesaurus
appellation: (n) designation, foolhardy, dashing, fierce; (adj, v) tempestuous; (adj) disorderly,
denomination, title, name, nickname, impulsive. ANTONYMS: (adj) riotous, turbulent, noisy, furious,
epithet, moniker, term, appellative, considered, careful, slow, sensible, loud, troubled, disturbed; (adj, v)
cognomen, degree. patient. tumultuary. ANTONYMS: (adj)
augmented: (adj) amplified, enlarged, subtend: (v) be, specify, demarcate, peaceful, calm.
greater than before, inflated, plus, delineate, delimitate, define, bridge. unparalleled: (adj) unequaled, unique,
more. thunderstruck: (adj) astonished, unmatched, incomparable, matchless,
epoch: (n) era, date, period, day, flabbergasted, dumbfounded, unprecedented, peerless,
season, time, term, cycle, crisis, date amazed, stupefied, stunned, unexampled, inimitable, unequalled,
of reference, times. speechless, dumfounded, aghast, alone. ANTONYMS: (adj) ordinary,
impetuous: (adj) boisterous, hasty, dazed; (v) awestruck. inferior, surpassable, abysmal,
fiery, headlong, heady, hot, brash, tumultuous: (adj, n) boisterous, unremarkable, usual.
 Edgar Allan Poe 71

farthest, before I should meet the surface of the earth, and be hurled into
annihilation!” But at length reflection came to my relief. I paused; I considered;
and I began to doubt. The matter was impossible. I could not in any reason have
so rapidly come down. Besides, although I was evidently approaching the
surface below me, it was with a speed by no means commensurate with the
velocity I had at first so horribly conceived. This consideration served to calm the
perturbation of my mind, and I finally succeeded in regarding the phenomenon
in its proper point of view. In fact, amazement must have fairly deprived me of
my senses, when I could not see the vast difference, in appearance, between the
surface below me, and the surface of my mother earth. The latter was indeed
over my head, and completely hidden by the balloon, while the moon -- the
moon itself in all its glory -- lay beneath me, and at my feet.%
“The stupor and surprise produced in my mind by this extraordinary change
in the posture of affairs was perhaps, after all, that part of the adventure least
susceptible of explanation. For the bouleversement in itself was not only natural
and inevitable, but had been long actually anticipated as a circumstance to be
expected whenever I should arrive at that exact point of my voyage where the
attraction of the planet should be superseded by the attraction of the satellite --
or, more precisely, where the gravitation of the balloon toward the earth should
be less powerful than its gravitation toward the moon. To be sure I arose from a
sound slumber, with all my senses in confusion, to the contemplation of a very
startling phenomenon, and one which, although expected, was not expected at
the moment. The revolution itself must, of course, have taken place in an easy
and gradual manner, and it is by no means clear that, had I even been awake at
the time of the occurrence, I should have been made aware of it by any internal
evidence of an inversion -- that is to say, by any inconvenience or
disarrangement, either about my person or about my apparatus.
“It is almost needless to say that, upon coming to a due sense of my situation,
and emerging from the terror which had absorbed every faculty of my soul, my
attention was, in the first place, wholly directed to the contemplation of the
general physical appearance of the moon. It lay beneath me like a chart -- and

Thesaurus
bouleversement: (n) shipwreck, disorder, disturbance, stupor: (n) lethargy, stupefaction,
cataclysm, break up, wreck, wrack, disorganization, tangle, coma, shock, insensibility,
desolation, revolution. derangement, pandemonium. unconsciousness, trance,
commensurate: (adj) equal, sufficient, inversion: (n) reversal, turnover, sluggishness, torpor, haze,
commensurable, proportionate, transposition, everting, eversion, grogginess. ANTONYMS: (n)
equivalent, comparable, coextensive, anastrophe, retroversion, subversion, alertness, awareness, wakefulness.
tangible, valid, level, competent. movement, negation, reversion. superseded: (adj) outmoded, archaic,
ANTONYMS: (adj) inappropriate, perturbation: (n) commotion, extinct, obsolete, out of date,
inconsistent, incommensurate, agitation, fuss, emotion, excitement, outdated.
divergent, inadequate. confusion, dislocation, discomposure, voyage: (n, v) travel, cruise, tour; (n)
disarrangement: (n) muddle, clutter, interruption; (adj, n, v) trepidation; trip, passage, expedition, flight,
anarchy, confusion, disarray, (adj, n) flutter. crossing, quest; (v) sail, navigate.
72 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

although I judged it to be still at no inconsiderable distance, the indentures of its

surface were defined to my vision with a most striking and altogether
unaccountable distinctness. The entire absence of ocean or sea, and indeed of any
lake or river, or body of water whatsoever, struck me, at first glance, as the most
extraordinary feature in its geological condition. Yet, strange to say, I beheld vast
level regions of a character decidedly alluvial, although by far the greater
portion of the hemisphere in sight was covered with innumerable volcanic
mountains, conical in shape, and having more the appearance of artificial than of
natural protuberance. The highest among them does not exceed three and three-
quarter miles in perpendicular elevation; but a map of the volcanic districts of
the Campi Phlegraei would afford to your Excellencies a better idea of their
general surface than any unworthy description I might think proper to attempt.
The greater part of them were in a state of evident eruption, and gave me
fearfully to understand their fury and their power, by the repeated thunders of
the miscalled meteoric stones, which now rushed upward by the balloon with a
frequency more and more appalling.%
“April 18th. To-day I found an enormous increase in the moon’s apparent
bulk -- and the evidently accelerated velocity of my descent began to fill me with
alarm. It will be remembered, that, in the earliest stage of my speculations upon
the possibility of a passage to the moon, the existence, in its vicinity, of an
atmosphere, dense in proportion to the bulk of the planet, had entered largely
into my calculations; this too in spite of many theories to the contrary, and, it
may be added, in spite of a general disbelief in the existence of any lunar
atmosphere at all. But, in addition to what I have already urged in regard to
Encke’s comet and the zodiacal light, I had been strengthened in my opinion by
certain observations of Mr. Schroeter, of Lilienthal. He observed the moon when
two days and a half old, in the evening soon after sunset, before the dark part
was visible, and continued to watch it until it became visible. The two cusps
appeared tapering in a very sharp faint prolongation, each exhibiting its farthest
extremity faintly illuminated by the solar rays, before any part of the dark
hemisphere was visible. Soon afterward, the whole dark limb became
illuminated. This prolongation of the cusps beyond the semicircle, I thought,

Thesaurus
alluvial: (n) alluvium; (adj) earthly, gentle. tapering: (adj) narrow, narrowing,
champaign. prolongation: (n, v) protraction; (n) pointed, angustation, coarctation,
extremity: (n) end, member, continuance, extension, elongation, conical, dwindling, constricting,
boundary, bound, close, appendage, production, lengthening, constrictive, decreasing; (n)
limit, limb, ending, fringe, perpetuation, length, maintenance, crowning.
conclusion. ANTONYMS: (n) trunk, lengthiness, duration. unworthy: (adj) undeserving, base,
average, minimum, head, leniency. protuberance: (n) prominence, bulge, disgraceful, ignoble, low,
perpendicular: (adj) upright, vertical, swelling, bump, hump, lump, nub, contemptible, despicable, ugly,
steep, plumb, straight, right, sheer, node, knob, protrusion, jut. unmerited, unseemly, shameful.
orthogonal, normal, precipitous, true. semicircle: (n) arch, semi-circles, half ANTONYMS: (adj) deserving,
ANTONYMS: (adj) horizontal, circle, half-circle, plane figure, arc, valuable, honorable, estimable,
parallel, inclined, oblique, prone, curve. reputable.
 Edgar Allan Poe 73

must have arisen from the refraction of the sun’s rays by the moon’s atmosphere.
I computed, also, the height of the atmosphere (which could refract light enough
into its dark hemisphere to produce a twilight more luminous than the light
reflected from the earth when the moon is about 32 degrees from the new) to be
1,356 Paris feet; in this view, I supposed the greatest height capable of refracting
the solar ray, to be 5,376 feet. My ideas on this topic had also received
confirmation by a passage in the eighty-second volume of the Philosophical
Transactions, in which it is stated that at an occultation of Jupiter’s satellites, the
third disappeared after having been about 1” or 2” of time indistinct, and the
fourth became indiscernible near the limb.%
“Cassini frequently observed Saturn, Jupiter, and the fixed stars, when
approaching the moon to occultation, to have their circular figure changed into
an oval one; and, in other occultations, he found no alteration of figure at all.
Hence it might be supposed, that at some times and not at others, there is a dense
matter encompassing the moon wherein the rays of the stars are refracted.
“Upon the resistance or, more properly, upon the support of an atmosphere,
existing in the state of density imagined, I had, of course, entirely depended for
the safety of my ultimate descent. Should I then, after all, prove to have been
mistaken, I had in consequence nothing better to expect, as a finale to my
adventure, than being dashed into atoms against the rugged surface of the
satellite. And, indeed, I had now every reason to be terrified. My distance from
the moon was comparatively trifling, while the labor required by the condenser
was diminished not at all, and I could discover no indication whatever of a
decreasing rarity in the air.
“April 19th. This morning, to my great joy, about nine o’clock, the surface of
the moon being frightfully near, and my apprehensions excited to the utmost,
the pump of my condenser at length gave evident tokens of an alteration in the
atmosphere. By ten, I had reason to believe its density considerably increased. By
eleven, very little labor was necessary at the apparatus; and at twelve o’clock,
with some hesitation, I ventured to unscrew the tourniquet, when, finding no
inconvenience from having done so, I finally threw open the gum-elastic

frightfully: (adv) awfully, ghastly,
dreadfully, fearfully, hideously,
terribly, gruesomely, terrifically,
atrociously, horrendously, awful.
indiscernible: (adj) unseen, invisible,
insensible, undiscernible,
unnoticeable, indistinguishable,
impalpable, inappreciable, faint,
undetectable, impenetrable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) discernible,
visible, clear, obvious.
indistinct: (adj) indefinite, inarticulate, refracting: (v) refract; (adj) refractive.
Thesaurus
faint, dull, fuzzy, indeterminate,
hazy, neutral; (adj, n) confused,
cloudy, dark. ANTONYMS: (adj)
clear, slight, separate, certain, precise,
audible, strong, definite.
occultation: (n) disappearance,
evanescence, mystification,
concealment.
refract: (v) break, subject, refracting,
unsay, determine, find out, find,
ascertain.
refraction: (n) deflexion, deflection,
deviation, aberration, diversion; (v)
obliquation, virtual image, spectrum,
warp; (adj) reflection, refractive.
tourniquet: (n) tompion, stuffing,
stopping, padding, dossil,
compression bandage, wadding,
bandage.
unscrew: (n, v) open; (n) break open,
uncap, unstop; (v) rotate, screw, turn,
unfasten, unlock. ANTONYMS: (v)
attach, screw; (n) seal.
74 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

chamber, and unrigged it from around the car. As might have been expected,
spasms and violent headache were the immediate consequences of an
experiment so precipitate and full of danger. But these and other difficulties
attending %respiration, as they were by no means so great as to put me in peril of
my life, I determined to endure as I best could, in consideration of my leaving
them behind me momently in my approach to the denser strata near the moon.
This approach, however, was still impetuous in the extreme; and it soon became
alarmingly certain that, although I had probably not been deceived in the
expectation of an atmosphere dense in proportion to the mass of the satellite, still
I had been wrong in supposing this density, even at the surface, at all adequate
to the support of the great weight contained in the car of my balloon. Yet this
should have been the case, and in an equal degree as at the surface of the earth,
the actual gravity of bodies at either planet supposed in the ratio of the
atmospheric condensation. That it was not the case, however, my precipitous
downfall gave testimony enough; why it was not so, can only be explained by a
reference to those possible geological disturbances to which I have formerly
alluded. At all events I was now close upon the planet, and coming down with
the most terrible impetuosity. I lost not a moment, accordingly, in throwing
overboard first my ballast, then my water-kegs, then my condensing apparatus
and gum-elastic chamber, and finally every article within the car. But it was all to
no purpose. I still fell with horrible rapidity, and was now not more than half a
mile from the surface. As a last resource, therefore, having got rid of my coat,
hat, and boots, I cut loose from the balloon the car itself, which was of no
inconsiderable weight, and thus, clinging with both hands to the net-work, I had
barely time to observe that the whole country, as far as the eye could reach, was
thickly interspersed with diminutive habitations, ere I tumbled headlong into
the very heart of a fantastical-looking city, and into the middle of a vast crowd of
ugly little people, who none of them uttered a single syllable, or gave themselves
the least trouble to render me assistance, but stood, like a parcel of idiots,
grinning in a ludicrous manner, and eyeing me and my balloon askant, with
their arms set a-kimbo. I turned from them in contempt, and, gazing upward at
the earth so lately left, and left perhaps for ever, beheld it like a huge, dull,

alarmingly: (adv) dreadfully,
disturbingly, terrifyingly,
distressingly, appallingly, fearfully,
frightfully, awfully, dangerously,
scarily, shockingly.
askant: (adj) squint, sidelong, askew,
asquint, cockeyed, indirect, squinty;
(adv) suspiciously, obliquely.
deceived: (adj) mistaken, misguided.
gazing: (adj) fixed.
headlong: (adj, adv) headfirst; (adv)
directly, hastily, precipitately; (adj)
Thesaurus
rash, hurried, desperate, precipitous,
impetuous, sudden, precipitate.
ANTONYMS: (adj) cautiously,
considered; (adv) carefully.
impetuosity: (n) eagerness, haste, heat,
violence, vehemence, impulsiveness,
impetuousness, excitability, temerity,
precipitation, fervency.
ANTONYMS: (n) deliberation,
patience, consideration, carefulness.
overboard: (adj) exorbitant, rabid.
precipitate: (adj, n) hasty; (adj, n, v)
deposit; (adj) impetuous, headlong,
sudden, immediate, instant,
precipitant; (n, v) accelerate, expedite;
(v) hurry. ANTONYMS: (adj)
overdue, cautious, protracted; (v)
retard.
precipitous: (adj) abrupt, sharp,
precipitate, perpendicular, sheer,
headlong, hasty, sudden, precipitant;
(adj, v) steep, high. ANTONYM: (adj)
flat.
tumbled: (adj) disordered.
 Edgar Allan Poe 75

copper shield, about two degrees in diameter, fixed immovably in the heavens
overhead, and tipped on one of its edges with a crescent border of the most
brilliant gold. No traces of land or water could be discovered, and the whole was
clouded with variable spots, and belted with tropical and equatorial zones.%
“Thus, may it please your Excellencies, after a series of great anxieties,
unheard of dangers, and unparalleled escapes, I had, at length, on the nineteenth
day of my departure from Rotterdam, arrived in safety at the conclusion of a
voyage undoubtedly the most extraordinary, and the most momentous, ever
accomplished, undertaken, or conceived by any denizen of earth. But my
adventures yet remain to be related. And indeed your Excellencies may well
imagine that, after a residence of five years upon a planet not only deeply
interesting in its own peculiar character, but rendered doubly so by its intimate
connection, in capacity of satellite, with the world inhabited by man, I may have
intelligence for the private ear of the States’ College of Astronomers of far more
importance than the details, however wonderful, of the mere voyage which so
happily concluded. This is, in fact, the case. I have much -- very much which it
would give me the greatest pleasure to communicate. I have much to say of the
climate of the planet; of its wonderful alternations of heat and cold, of
unmitigated and burning sunshine for one fortnight, and more than polar
frigidity for the next; of a constant transfer of moisture, by distillation like that
in vacuo, from the point beneath the sun to the point the farthest from it; of a
variable zone of running water, of the people themselves; of their manners,
customs, and political institutions; of their peculiar physical construction; of their
ugliness; of their want of ears, those useless appendages in an atmosphere so
peculiarly modified; of their consequent ignorance of the use and properties of
speech; of their substitute for speech in a singular method of inter-
communication; of the incomprehensible connection between each particular
individual in the moon with some particular individual on the earth -- a
connection analogous with, and depending upon, that of the orbs of the planet
and the satellites, and by means of which the lives and destinies of the
inhabitants of the one are interwoven with the lives and destinies of the
inhabitants of the other; and above all, if it so please your Excellencies -- above

conceived: (adj) formed.
denizen: (n) occupant, inhabitant,
citizen, inmate, dweller, liver,
occupier, borderer, cottager, native,
indweller. ANTONYMS: (n)
immigrant, foreigner, alien.
distillation: (n) distillment, brew,
purification, refinement, extract,
sublimination, oozing, liquid,
exhalation, quintessence, essence.
equatorial: (adj) Mediterranean.
frigidity: (n) cold, coldness, coolness,
Thesaurus
chill, iciness, indifference, frostiness,
chilliness, distance, frigidness, sang
Froid.
immovably: (adj) firmly,
extravagantly; (adv) unyieldingly,
stubbornly, unwaveringly,
unmovably, unbendingly,
unalterably, obstinately, obdurately,
inflexibly.
interwoven: (adj) interlinking,
interlacing, interlocking, complex,
interwove, twine, contextural,
entangled, inseparable, knotted,
related.
ugliness: (n) eyesore, offensiveness,
hideousness, garishness, gaudiness,
grotesqueness, grotesquery,
repulsiveness, homeliness,
unsightliness; (adj, n) unpleasantness.
ANTONYMS: (n) beauty,
attractiveness, pleasantness.
unheard: (adj) aspirated, atonic, deaf,
indistinct, involving surds, nonvocal,
radical, sharp, silent, surd, irrational.
76 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

all, of those dark and hideous mysteries which lie in the outer regions of the
moon -- regions which, owing to the almost miraculous accordance of the
satellite’s rotation on its own axis with its sidereal revolution about the earth,
have never yet been turned, and, by God’s mercy, never shall be turned, to the
scrutiny of the telescopes of man. All this, and more- much more -- would I most
willingly detail. But, to be brief, I must have my reward. I am pining for a return
to my family and to my home, and as the price of any farther communication on
my part -- in consideration of the light which I have it in my power to throw
upon many very important branches of physical and metaphysical science -- I
must solicit, through the influence of your honorable body, a pardon for the
crime of which I have been guilty in the death of the creditors upon my
departure from Rotterdam. This, then, is the object of the present paper. Its
bearer, an inhabitant of the moon, whom I have prevailed upon, and properly
instructed, to be my messenger to the earth, will await your Excellencies’
pleasure, and return to me with the pardon in question, if it can, in any manner,
be obtained.%
“I have the honor to be, etc., your Excellencies’ very humble servant,
“HANS PFAALL.”

Upon finishing the perusal of this very extraordinary document, Professor

Rub-a-dub, it is said, dropped his pipe upon the ground in the extremity of his
surprise, and Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk having taken off his spectacles,
wiped them, and deposited them in his pocket, so far forgot both himself and his
dignity, as to turn round three times upon his heel in the quintessence of
astonishment and admiration. There was no doubt about the matter -- the pardon
should be obtained. So at least swore, with a round oath, Professor Rub-a-dub,
and so finally thought the illustrious Von Underduk, as he took the arm of his
brother in science, and without saying a word, began to make the best of his way
home to deliberate upon the measures to be adopted. Having reached the door,
however, of the burgomaster’s dwelling, the professor ventured to suggest that
as the messenger had thought proper to disappear -- no doubt frightened to

bearer: (n) holder, carrier, messenger,
porter, courier, envoy, traveller,
griever, hamal, lamenter, mourner.
heel: (n) blackguard, dog, counter,
cad, villain, scoundrel, shoe, sole,
bounder, tree rest; (v) lean.
honorable: (adj) good, estimable,
exalted, respectable, fair, decent,
reputable, ethical, honor; (adj, v)
great, noble. ANTONYMS: (adj)
shameful, disgraceful, corrupt,
degenerate, immoral, humiliating,
Thesaurus
dishonest, unethical, decadent, bad,
deceitful.
inhabitant: (n) denizen, resident,
occupant, citizen, tenant, occupier,
population, native, liver, indweller;
(v) habitant. ANTONYM: (n)
stranger.
miraculous: (adj) marvelous,
astonishing, marvellous, wonderful,
astounding, remarkable, magical,
incredible, wonder, stupendous,
phenomenal. ANTONYMS: (adj)
normal, mundane, unremarkable.
pining: (adj, n) longing; (adj)
languishing, languid, marcid,
amorously pensive, dull, eager; (n)
pinning, hankering, craving, desire.
quintessence: (n) heart, epitome,
marrow, gist, core, model, paragon,
archetype, nub, substance, soul.
sidereal: (adj) astral, starry, sideral.
solicit: (v) crave, request, petition, ask,
pray, importune, require, apply,
implore, demand; (adj, v) court.
 Edgar Allan Poe 77

death by the savage appearance of the burghers of Rotterdam -- the pardon

would be of little use, as no one but a man of the moon would undertake a
voyage to so vast a distance. To the truth of this observation the burgomaster
assented, and the matter was therefore at an end. Not so, however, rumors and
speculations. The letter, having been published, gave rise to a variety of gossip
and opinion. Some of the over-wise even made themselves ridiculous by
decrying the whole business; as nothing better than a hoax. But hoax, with these
sort of people, is, I believe, a general term for all matters above their
comprehension. For my part, I cannot conceive upon what data they have
founded such an accusation. Let us see what they say:
Imprimus. That certain wags in Rotterdam have certain especial antipathies
to certain burgomasters and astronomers.%
Don’t understand at all.
Secondly. That an odd little dwarf and bottle conjurer, both of whose ears,
for some misdemeanor, have been cut off close to his head, has been missing for
several days from the neighboring city of Bruges.
Well -- what of that?
Thirdly. That the newspapers which were stuck all over the little balloon
were newspapers of Holland, and therefore could not have been made in the
moon. They were dirty papers -- very dirty -- and Gluck, the printer, would take
his Bible oath to their having been printed in Rotterdam.
He was mistaken -- undoubtedly -- mistaken.
Fourthly, That Hans Pfaall himself, the drunken villain, and the three very
idle gentlemen styled his creditors, were all seen, no longer than two or three
days ago, in a tippling house in the suburbs, having just returned, with money in
their pockets, from a trip beyond the sea.
Don’t believe it -- don’t believe a word of it.
Lastly. That it is an opinion very generally received, or which ought to be
generally received, that the College of Astronomers in the city of Rotterdam, as
well as other colleges in all other parts of the world, -- not to mention colleges

conjurer: (n) performer, illusionist,
conjuror, wizard, juggler,
prestidigitator, sorcerer, conjure man,
necromancer, enchanter, pythonist.
especial: (adj) extraordinary, special,
specific, chief, individual, distinct,
distinctive, characteristic,
appropriate, peculiar, express.
ANTONYMS: (adj) general, normal,
common, unexceptional, usual.
fourthly: (adv) quaternarily.
hoax: (adj, n) fake; (v) dupe, defraud,
Thesaurus
gull, kid, bamboozle; (n) fraud,
deceit; (n, v) humbug, swindle, trick.
ANTONYM: (adj) real.
lastly: (adv) eventually, ultimately,
latterly, in conclusion, last, at last,
terminally, latestly, utmostly,
definitively, concludingly.
ANTONYM: (adv) initially.
misdemeanor: (n) crime, misbehavior,
transgression, misdeed, fault,
delinquency, misconduct, sin,
infringement, wrong, felony.
neighboring: (adj, adv) adjacent, near;
(adj) adjoining, nearby, contiguous,
neighbor, abutting, next, neighborly,
nigh, next to. ANTONYMS: (adj)
distant, remote, far, national.
styled: (v) titled, named, benempt.
tippling: (n) potting.
villain: (n) rascal, scoundrel, rogue,
knave, miscreant, criminal, bandit,
crook, reprobate, varlet, rapscallion.
ANTONYMS: (n) heroine, hero.
wags: (adv) as the world goes.
78 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

and astronomers in general, -- are, to say the least of the matter, not a whit
better, nor greater, nor wiser than they ought to be. %

general: (adj, v) common, frequent;
(adj) comprehensive, national,
universal, ecumenical, current,
commonplace, public; (n) chief,
commander. ANTONYMS: (adj, n)
particular; (adj) narrow, individual,
restricted, specialist, detailed,
personal, localized, local, precise,
limited.
greater: (adj) larger, more, major,
higher, superior, most, great, bigger,
Thesaurus
increased, considerable, not article, subject; (n, v) case; (adj, n)
inconsiderable. ANTONYMS: (adj) import.
inferior, smaller, small, lower. ought: (n, v) need; (v) had better,
least: (n) minimum; (adj) smallest, should, have, possessed, owned,
minimal, littlest, lowest, insignificant, owed, behoove; (n) aught, zero, duty.
minutest, negligible; (adj, n) smallest whit: (n) iota, atom, shred, scintilla,
amount; (adv) at least, fully. smidgen, tittle, jot, bit, particle,
ANTONYMS: (adj) maximum, smidgin; (adj) dab.
greatest; (adj, adv) most.
matter: (n) business, substance, issue,
material, affair, concern, incident,
 Edgar Allan Poe 79

THE GOLD BUG

What ho! what ho! this fellow is dancing mad!

He hath been bitten by the Tarantula.%
--All in the Wrong.

Many years ago, I contracted an intimacy with a Mr. William Legrand. He

was of an ancient Huguenot family, and had once been wealthy; but a series of
misfortunes had reduced him to want. To avoid the mortification consequent
upon his disasters, he left New Orleans, the city of his forefathers, and took up
his residence at Sullivan’s Island, near Charleston, South Carolina. This Island is
a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand, and is about three
miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile. It is separated
from the main land by a scarcely perceptible creek, oozing its way through a
wilderness of reeds and slime, a favorite resort of the marsh hen. The vegetation,
as might be supposed, is scant, or at least dwarfish. No trees of any magnitude
are to be seen. Near the western extremity, where Fort Moultrie stands, and
where are some miserable frame buildings, tenanted, during summer, by the
fugitives from Charleston dust and fever, may be found, indeed, the bristly
palmetto; but the whole island, with the exception of this western point, and a
line of hard, white beach on the seacoast, is covered with a dense undergrowth
of the sweet myrtle, so much prized by the horticulturists of England. The shrub

Thesaurus
bitten: (adj) stung, rabid, annoyed; (v) pick, preference. ANTONYMS: (n) myrtle: (n) Vinca minor.
smitten. indifference, superior, underdog; oozing: (n) ooze, leakage, exudation,
bristly: (adj) barbed, thorny, rough, (adj) unwanted, despised, disliked, seepage, sweating, extravasation,
spiny, stiff, hairy, setaceous, briery, hated, unusual. distillation, flow, leak, discharge;
bristled, barbellate, briary. forefathers: (n) patriarchs, forefather, (adj) seeping.
ANTONYM: (adj) soft. ancestor, colony, lineage, family. palmetto: (n) fan palm, cabbage
dwarfish: (adj) stunted, dwarfed, misfortunes: (n) misfortune. palmetto, cabbage palm.
short, scrubby, little, tiny, puny, mortification: (n) chagrin, seacoast: (n) coast, seaside, shore,
midget, miniature, small, petty. embarrassment, shame, gangrene, seashore, litoral, landfall, seabank,
favorite: (adj, n) darling, favourite, disappointment, disgrace, corruption, seabeach, littoral zone, sands.
dear, number one; (adj) favored, necrosis, degradation; (adj, n) tenanted: (adj) occupied, engaged,
beloved, popular; (n) pet, choice, vexation; (adj) grievance. having tenants, resided in.
80 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

here often attains the height of fifteen or twenty feet, and forms an almost
impenetrable coppice, burthening the air with its fragrance.%
In the inmost recesses of this coppice, not far from the eastern or more
remote end of the island, Legrand had built himself a small hut, which he
occupied when I first, by mere accident, made his acquaintance. This soon
ripened into friendship - for there was much in the recluse to excite interest and
esteem. I found him well educated, with unusual powers of mind, but infected
with misanthropy, and subject to perverse moods of alternate enthusiasm and
melancholy. He had with him many books, but rarely employed them. His chief
amusements were gunning and fishing, or sauntering along the beach and
through the myrtles, in quest of shells or entomological specimens; - his
collection of the latter might have been envied by a Swammerdamm. In these
excursions he was usually accompanied by an old negro, called Jupiter, who had
been manumitted before the reverses of the family, but who could be induced,
neither by threats nor by promises, to abandon what he considered his right of
attendance upon the footsteps of his young “Massa Will.” It is not improbable
that the relatives of Legrand, conceiving him to be somewhat unsettled in
intellect, had contrived to instil this obstinacy into Jupiter, with a view to the
supervision and guardianship of the wanderer.
The winters in the latitude of Sullivan’s Island are seldom very severe, and in
the fall of the year it is a rare event indeed when a fire is considered necessary.
About the middle of October, 18-, there occurred, however, a day of remarkable
chilliness. Just before sunset I scrambled my way through the evergreens to the
hut of my friend, whom I had not visited for several weeks - my residence being,
at that time, in Charleston, a distance of nine miles from the Island, while the
facilities of passage and re-passage were very far behind those of the present
day. Upon reaching the hut I rapped, as was my custom, and getting no reply,
sought for the key where I knew it was secreted, unlocked the door and went in.
A fine fire was blazing upon the hearth. It was a novelty, and by no means an
ungrateful one. I threw off an overcoat, took an arm-chair by the crackling logs,
and awaited patiently the arrival of my hosts.

chilliness: (n) coldness, cold, frigidity,
chill, low temperature, cool,
wintriness, frostiness, algor, iciness,
algidity. ANTONYMS: (n) warmth,
friendliness.
conceiving: (n) fantasy, daydream;
(adj) imaginant, original.
coppice: (n) copse, brush, brake,
underwood, thicket, wood, spinney,
underbrush, undergrowth, grove,
canebrake.
entomological: (adj) entomical.
Thesaurus
guardianship: (n) custody, care, contumacy, mulishness, impenitence,
charge, keeping, safekeeping, resolve, resoluteness, impenitency,
tutelage, conservation, protection, pertinacity. ANTONYMS: (n)
wardship; (adj, n) ward; (adj) guard. cooperation, compliance.
inmost: (adj) innermost, inward, deep, recluse: (n) hermit, anchoret, solitary,
intimate, private, inner, interior, ascetic, eremite, loner, troglodyte;
internal, personal, secret, intrinsic. (adj) reclusive, secluded, cloistered,
ANTONYM: (adj) outermost. withdrawn. ANTONYM: (n) native.
misanthropy: (n) hatred, hate, ripened: (adj) mature, matured,
incivism. elderly, aged, maturer, old, mellow,
obstinacy: (n) stubbornness, firmness, grown, full-grown, cured, adult.
bullheadedness, determination, ANTONYM: (adj) young.
 Edgar Allan Poe 81

Soon after dark they arrived, and gave me a most cordial welcome. Jupiter,
grinning from ear to ear, bustled about to prepare some marsh-hens for supper.
Legrand was in one of his fits - how else shall I term them? - of enthusiasm. He
had found an unknown bivalve, forming a new genus, and, more than this, he
had hunted down and secured, with Jupiter’s assistance, a scarabæus which he
believed to be totally new, but in respect to which he wished to have my opinion
on the morrow.%
“And why not to-night?” I asked, rubbing my hands over the blaze, and
wishing the whole tribe of scarabæi at the devil.
“Ah, if I had only known you were here!” said Legrand, “but it’s so long
since I saw you; and how could I foresee that you would pay me a visit this very
night of all others? As I was coming home I met Lieutenant G--, from the fort,
and, very foolishly, I lent him the bug; so it will be impossible for you to see it
until the morning. Stay here to-night, and I will send Jup down for it at sunrise.
It is the loveliest thing in creation!”
“What? - sunrise?”
“Nonsense! no! - the bug. It is of a brilliant gold color - about the size of a
large hickory-nut - with two jet black spots near one extremity of the back, and
another, somewhat longer, at the other. The antennæ are - “
“Dey aint no tin in him, Massa Will, I keep a tellin on you,” here interrupted
Jupiter; “de bug is a goole bug, solid, ebery bit of him, inside and all, sep him
wing - neber feel half so hebby a bug in my life.”
“Well, suppose it is, Jup,” replied Legrand, somewhat more earnestly, it
seemed to me, than the case demanded, “is that any reason for your letting the
birds burn? The color” - here he turned to me - “is really almost enough to
warrant Jupiter’s idea. You never saw a more brilliant metallic lustre than the
scales emit - but of this you cannot judge till tomorrow. In the mean time I can
give you some idea of the shape.” Saying this, he seated himself at a small table,
on which were a pen and ink, but no paper. He looked for some in a drawer, but
found none.

bivalve: (n) mussel, mollusc, mollusk,
shellfish; (adj) bivalved, bivalvular;
(v) bicipital, bicephalous, bilabiate,
bidental; (adj, n) pelecypod.
earnestly: (adj, adv) seriously; (adv)
eagerly, intently, zealously, solemnly,
ardently, fervently, heartily, gravely,
warmly, passionately. ANTONYMS:
(adv) indifferently, insincerely,
unconcernedly, jokingly.
emit: (adj, v) discharge; (v) shoot,
belch, reek, give off, evolve, eject,
Thesaurus
shed, radiate, emanate; (n, v) give.
ANTONYMS: (v) absorb, contain,
repress, retain, suppress, block,
trickle, withhold.
foolishly: (adv) idiotically,
ridiculously, stupidly, indiscreetly,
silly, insanely, injudiciously,
preposterously, absurdly, senselessly;
(adj, adv) madly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
sensibly, solemnly, shrewdly,
prudently, responsibly, judiciously,
carefully, rationally.
foresee: (v) expect, forecast, anticipate,
envisage, previse, foreknow,
prophesy, provide, foresaw, predict,
see.
jupiter: (n) Jove, blazon, deity, father,
Zeus, solar system, thunderer.
scarabus: (n) scarab, dung beetle.
sunrise: (n) dawn, sunup, daybreak,
daylight, aurora, first light,
dayspring, twilight, dawning, break
of day, crack of dawn. ANTONYMS:
(n) sunset, sundown, nightfall.
82 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“Never mind,” said he at length, “this will answer;” and he drew from his
waistcoat pocket a scrap of what I took to be very dirty foolscap, and made upon
it a rough drawing with the pen. While he did this, I retained my seat by the fire,
for I was still chilly. When the design was complete, he handed it to me without
rising. As I received it, a loud growl was heard, succeeded by a scratching at the
door. Jupiter opened it, and a large Newfoundland, belonging to Legrand,
rushed in, leaped upon my shoulders, and loaded me with caresses; for I had
shown him much attention during previous visits. When his gambols were over,
I looked at the paper, and, to speak the truth, found myself not a little puzzled at
what my friend had depicted.%
“Well!” I said, after contemplating it for some minutes, “this is a strange
scarabæus, I must confess: new to me: never saw anything like it before - unless
it was a skull, or a death’s-head - which it more nearly resembles than anything
else that has come under my observation.”
“A death’s-head!” echoed Legrand -”Oh - yes - well, it has something of that
appearance upon paper, no doubt. The two upper black spots look like eyes, eh?
and the longer one at the bottom like a mouth - and then the shape of the whole
is oval.”
“Perhaps so,” said I; “but, Legrand, I fear you are no artist. I must wait until I
see the beetle itself, if I am to form any idea of its personal appearance.”
“Well, I don’t know,” said he, a little nettled, “I draw tolerably - should do it
at least - have had good masters, and flatter myself that I am not quite a
blockhead.”
“But, my dear fellow, you are joking then,” said I, “this is a very passable
skull - indeed, I may say that it is a very excellent skull, according to the vulgar
notions about such specimens of physiology - and your scarabæus must be the
queerest scarabæus in the world if it resembles it. Why, we may get up a very
thrilling bit of superstition upon this hint. I presume you will call the bug
scarabæus caput hominis, or something of that kind - there are many similar
titles in the Natural Histories. But where are the antennæ you spoke of?”

according: (adj) pursuant, consonant,
equal, agreeable, harmonious,
conformable, consistent,
corresponding, respondent; (adv)
correspondingly, accordingly.
caput: (n) chapter, protuberance,
protrusion, prominence, jut,
gibbousness, extrusion, syndicate,
consistory, hump, excrescence.
gambols: (n) behave, play, frolic,
employment, disport, act, action,
amusement.
Thesaurus
longer: (adj) longest, better, lengest;
(adv) farther; (n) yearner, thirster.
nettled: (adj) annoyed, harried, stung,
steamed, roiled, riled, pissed, peeved,
miffed, loaded, huffy. ANTONYM:
(adj) unconcerned.
passable: (adj) adequate, indifferent,
fair, mediocre, satisfactory,
acceptable, middling, decent,
respectable, fair to middling,
moderate. ANTONYMS: (adj)
inadequate, unsatisfactory,
unacceptable, atrocious, excellent,
exceptional, disagreeable, appalling,
intolerable, poor.
tolerably: (adv) well enough, passably,
acceptably, reasonably, enough,
moderately, to a tolerable degree,
pretty, to an adequate degree; (adj,
adv) somewhat; (adj) pretty well.
ANTONYMS: (adv) unbearably,
intolerably, unacceptably,
unreasonably, insufficiently,
inadequately.
 Edgar Allan Poe 83

“The antennæ!” said Legrand, who seemed to be getting unaccountably

warm upon the subject; “I am sure you must see the antennæ. I made them as
distinct as they are in the original insect, and I presume that is sufficient.”
“Well, well,” I said, “perhaps you have - still I don’t see them;” and I handed
him the paper without additional remark, not wishing to ruffle his temper; but I
was much surprised at the turn affairs had taken; his ill humor puzzled me - and,
as for the drawing of the beetle, there were positively no antennæ visible, and the
whole did bear a very close resemblance to the ordinary cuts of a death’s-head.%
He received the paper very peevishly, and was about to crumple it,
apparently to throw it in the fire, when a casual glance at the design seemed
suddenly to rivet his attention. In an instant his face grew violently red - in
another as excessively pale. For some minutes he continued to scrutinize the
drawing minutely where he sat. At length he arose, took a candle from the table,
and proceeded to seat himself upon a sea-chest in the farthest corner of the room.
Here again he made an anxious examination of the paper; turning it in all
directions. He said nothing, however, and his conduct greatly astonished me; yet
I thought it prudent not to exacerbate the growing moodiness of his temper by
any comment. Presently he took from his coat pocket a wallet, placed the paper
carefully in it, and deposited both in a writing-desk, which he locked. He now
grew more composed in his demeanor; but his original air of enthusiasm had
quite disappeared. Yet he seemed not so much sulky as abstracted. As the
evening wore away he became more and more absorbed in reverie, from which
no sallies of mine could arouse him. It had been my intention to pass the night at
the hut, as I had frequently done before, but, seeing my host in this mood, I
deemed it proper to take leave. He did not press me to remain, but, as I departed,
he shook my hand with even more than his usual cordiality.
It was about a month after this (and during the interval I had seen nothing of
Legrand) when I received a visit, at Charleston, from his man, Jupiter. I had
never seen the good old negro look so dispirited, and I feared that some serious
disaster had befallen my friend.
“Well, Jup,” said I, “what is the matter now? - how is your master?”

arose: (v) happen, occur.
cordiality: (adj, n) friendliness,
geniality, sympathy, sociability; (n)
hospitality, sincerity, affability,
amity, kindness, amiability; (v)
heartiness. ANTONYMS: (n)
frostiness, disapproval,
disapprobation, disagreement,
difference, misunderstanding,
hostility, rudeness.
crumple: (n, v) crinkle, pucker; (v)
crease, rumple, collapse, fold, buckle, enthused, heartened, happy,
Thesaurus
cave in, scrunch; (adj, v) crisp, ruffle. enthusiastic, positive.
ANTONYMS: (v) flatten, press, iron. moodiness: (n) temperament,
demeanor: (n, v) bearing, conduct; (n) depression, capriciousness,
carriage, air, deportment, attitude, grumpiness, petulance, sullenness,
manner, behaviour, guise, mien, port. humorousness, ill humor, ill humour,
dispirited: (adj) depressed, jocularity, unhappiness. ANTONYM:
disconsolate, downcast, discouraged, (n) cheeriness.
blue, crestfallen, dismal, down, peevishly: (adv) querulously, tetchily,
downhearted, disheartened, fractiously, sullenly, sulkily, testily,
melancholy. ANTONYMS: (adj) moodily, touchily, crossly, surly,
cheerful, optimistic, euphoric, morosely. ANTONYMS: (adv)
cheerfully, pleasantly, calmly.
84 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“Why, to speak de troof, massa, him not so berry well as mought be.”%
“Not well! I am truly sorry to hear it. What does he complain of?”
“Dar! dat’s it! - him neber plain of notin - but him berry sick for all dat.”
“Very sick, Jupiter! - why didn’t you say so at once? Is he confined to bed?”
“No, dat he aint! - he aint find nowhar - dat’s just whar de shoe pinch - my
mind is got to be berry hebby bout poor Massa Will.”
“Jupiter, I should like to understand what it is you are talking about. You say
your master is sick. Hasn’t he told you what ails him?”
“Why, massa, taint worf while for to git mad about de matter - Massa Will
say noffin at all aint de matter wid him - but den what make him go about
looking dis here way, wid he head down and he soldiers up, and as white as a
gose? And den he keep a syphon all de time - “
“Keeps a what, Jupiter?”
“Keeps a syphon wid de figgurs on de slate - de queerest figgurs I ebber did
see. Ise gittin to be skeered, I tell you. Hab for to keep mighty tight eye pon him
noovers. Todder day he gib me slip fore de sun up and was gone de whole ob de
blessed day. I had a big stick ready cut for to gib him deuced good beating when
he did come - but Ise sich a fool dat I hadn’t de heart arter all - he look so berry
poorly.”
“Eh? - what? - ah yes! - upon the whole I think you had better not be too
severe with the poor fellow - don’t flog him, Jupiter - he can’t very well stand it -
but can you form no idea of what has occasioned this illness, or rather this
change of conduct? Has anything unpleasant happened since I saw you?”
“No, massa, dey aint bin noffin unpleasant since den - ‘twas fore den I’m
feared - ‘twas de berry day you was dare.”
“How? what do you mean?”
“Why, massa, I mean de bug - dare now.”
“The what?”

Thesaurus
berry: (n) fruit, kernel, berries, cane, strap, wallop. parchment, foolscap, chide, lambaste,
cranberry, currant, dewberry, fore: (adv) ahead, before; (adj, adv) intend.
hackberry, wintergreen, forward; (n) bow, head, forefront, syphon: (v) siphon off; (n) tubing.
whortleberry, teaberry, mulberry. stem; (adj, n) front; (adj) anterior, taint: (n, v) blemish, disgrace, corrupt,
bout: (n, v) round; (n) attack, spell, foremost, frontal. ANTONYMS: (adv) spot, blot; (adj, v) defile, sully,
turn, competition, fight, battle, aft, behind, rear; (adj) back. pollute, contaminate; (n) pollution,
fighting, effort, game, fit. pinch: (n, v) nip, arrest, twinge, contamination. ANTONYMS: (v)
deuced: (adj) cursed, infernal, damn, squeeze; (n) emergency, crisis, enhance, right, respect, disinfect,
damned, darned, blessed, goddamn, exigency; (v) compress, lift, wring, clean; (n) perfection, cleanliness; (adv)
goddam, demonic, unholy, satanic. constrict. cheerfully.
flog: (v) lash, whip, chastise, lick, slate: (n) list, platform, plank; (v)
trounce, flagellate, birch, castigate, condemn, paper, papyrus,
 Edgar Allan Poe 85

“De bug, - I’m berry sartain dat Massa Will bin bit somewhere bout de head
by dat goole-bug.”%
“And what cause have you, Jupiter, for such a supposition?”
“Claws enuff, massa, and mouth too. I nebber did see sick a deuced bug - he
kick and he bite ebery ting what cum near him. Massa Will cotch him fuss, but
had for to let him go gin mighty quick, I tell you - den was de time he must ha
got de bite. I did n’t like de look oh de bug mouff, myself, no how, so I would n’t
take hold ob him wid my finger, but I cotch him wid a piece ob paper dat I
found. I rap him up in de paper and stuff piece ob it in he mouff - dat was de
way.”
“And you think, then, that your master was really bitten by the beetle, and
that the bite made him sick?”
“I do n’t tink noffin about it - I nose it. What make him dream bout de goole
so much, if taint cause he bit by de goole-bug? Ise heerd bout dem goole-bugs
fore dis.”
“But how do you know he dreams about gold?”
“How I know? why cause he talk about it in he sleep - dat’s how I nose.”
“Well, Jup, perhaps you are right; but to what fortunate circumstance am I to
attribute the honor of a visit from you to-day?”
“What de matter, massa?”
“Did you bring any message from Mr. Legrand “
“No, massa, I bring dis here pissel;” and here Jupiter handed me a note which
ran thus:

MY DEAR --
Why have I not seen you for so long a time? I hope you have not been
so foolish as to take offence at any little brusquerie of mine; but no, that is
improbable. Since I saw you I have had great cause for anxiety. I have

attribute: (adj, n) quality, property; (n,
v) assign; (n) feature, emblem,
characteristic, peculiarity, mark; (v)
credit, impute, accredit.
beetle: (v) project, jut, bulge; (adj)
beetling, impend, bestride, mount,
ride, protrusive; (n) mallet; (adj, v)
hang over.
bite: (n, v) nip, cut, taste, hurt, pain; (v)
pinch, chew, erode, gnaw, eat; (n)
morsel. ANTONYMS: (n) lot, whole,
mildness.
Thesaurus
brusquerie: (adj) misbehavior,
brutality, conduct unbecoming a
gentleman.
circumstance: (n) affair, incident,
matter, event, occasion, chance,
accident, opportunity, adventure,
casualty, fact.
fuss: (n, v) flurry, bicker, fidget,
hubbub; (adj, n) stir; (n) flap,
commotion, ado, bother, disturbance; ANTONYMS: (adj) puny, tiny, weak,
(v) fret. ANTONYM: (n) peace.
improbable: (adj) implausible,
impossible, incredible, unbelievable,
fishy, questionable, inconceivable,
impractical, unthinkable, absurd; (adj,
n) marvelous. ANTONYMS: (adj)
probable, certain, plausible, truthful,
ordinary, on, practical.
mighty: (adj) immense, huge, grand,
intense, high, big, forcible, strong,
large, great; (adj, adv) powerful.
insignificant.
tink: (v) clink, check, tinkle, sound, go.
86 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

something to tell you, yet scarcely know how to tell it, or whether I
should tell it at all.%
I have not been quite well for some days past, and poor old Jup
annoys me, almost beyond endurance, by his well-meant attentions
Would you believe it? - he had prepared a huge stick, the other day, with
which to chastise me for giving him the slip, and spending the day, solus,
among the hills on the main land. I verily believe that my ill looks alone
saved me a flogging.
I have made no addition to my cabinet since we met.
If you can, in any way, make it convenient, come over with Jupiter.
Do come. I wish to see you to-night, upon business of importance. I
assure you that it is of the highest importance. -- Ever yours,
WILLIAM LEGRAND
There was something in the tone of this note which gave me great uneasiness.
Its whole style differed materially from that of Legrand. What could he be
dreaming of? What new crotchet possessed his excitable brain? What “business
of the highest importance” could he possibly have to transact? Jupiter’s account
of him boded no good. I dreaded lest the continued pressure of misfortune had,
at length, fairly unsettled the reason of my friend. Without a moment’s
hesitation, therefore, I prepared to accompany the negro.
Upon reaching the wharf, I noticed a scythe and three spades, all apparently
new, lying in the bottom of the boat in which we were to embark.
“What is the meaning of all this, Jup?” I inquired.
“Him syfe, massa, and spade.”
“Very true; but what are they doing here?”
“Him de syfe and de spade what Massa Will sis pon my buying for him in de
town, and de debbils own lot of money I had to gib for em.”
“But what, in the name of all that is mysterious, is your ‘Massa Will’ going to
do with scythes and spades?”

Thesaurus
chastise: (v) castigate, chasten, correct, quick. ANTONYMS: (adj) manage, conduct, deal, bargain,
reprimand, punish, criticize, beat, unexcitable, calm, unflappable, negotiate, enact, sell, bank.
scold, chew out, flog; (n, v) scourge. easygoing, easy, tranquil, reliable, ANTONYM: (v) deny.
ANTONYMS: (v) comfort, bless, mild. unsettled: (adj) changeable,
commend, promote, reward, flogging: (n) beating, flagellation, undecided, doubtful, uneasy,
encourage. whipping, lash, drubbing, trouncing, outstanding, variable, unpaid,
crotchet: (n, v) caprice; (n) quirk, kink, tanning, hiding, lashing, whip, unresolved; (adj, v) unfixed,
crank, hook, fad, whim, quirkiness, whacking. indefinite, undetermined.
queerness, quarter note, oddity. scythe: (n) crotch, crutch, crane, ANTONYMS: (adj) confident,
excitable: (adj) nervous, irritable, elbow, ankle, fluke, groin, knee, definite, decided, well, sure, happy,
combustible, hasty, edgy, fiery, zigzag; (n, v) sithe; (v) reap. constant, conclusive, certain, calmed,
sensitive, volatile, passionate, warm, transact: (v) perform, execute, do, calm.
 Edgar Allan Poe 87

“Dat’s more dan I know, and debbil take me if I don’t blieve ‘tis more dan he
know, too. But it’s all cum ob do bug.”
Finding that no satisfaction was to be obtained of Jupiter, whose whole
intellect seemed to be absorbed by “de bug,” I now stepped into the boat and
made sail. With a fair and strong breeze we soon ran into the little cove to the
northward of Fort Moultrie, and a walk of some two miles brought us to the hut.
It was about three in the afternoon when we arrived. Legrand had been awaiting
us in eager expectation. He grasped my hand with a nervous empressement
which alarmed me and strengthened the suspicions already entertained. His
countenance was pale even to ghastliness, and his deep-set eyes glared with
unnatural lustre. After some inquiries respecting his health, I asked him, not
knowing what better to say, if he had yet obtained the scarabæus from
Lieutenant G --.%
“Oh, yes,” he replied, coloring violently, “I got it from him the next morning.
Nothing should tempt me to part with that scarabæus. Do you know that Jupiter
is quite right about it?”
“In what way?” I asked, with a sad foreboding at heart.
“In supposing it to be a bug of real gold.” He said this with an air of
profound seriousness, and I felt inexpressibly shocked.
“This bug is to make my fortune,” he continued, with a triumphant smile, “to
reinstate me in my family possessions. Is it any wonder, then, that I prize it?
Since Fortune has thought fit to bestow it upon me, I have only to use it properly
and I shall arrive at the gold of which it is the index. Jupiter; bring me that
scarabæus!”
“What! de bug, massa? I’d rudder not go fer trubble dat bug - you mus git
him for your own self.” Hereupon Legrand arose, with a grave and stately air,
and brought me the beetle from a glass case in which it was enclosed. It was a
beautiful scarabæus, and, at that time, unknown to naturalists - of course a great
prize in a scientific point of view. There were two round, black spots near one
extremity of the back, and a long one near the other. The scales were exceedingly
hard and glossy, with all the appearance of burnished gold. The weight of the
Thesaurus
burnished: (adj) polished, bright, intentness. ghastness, frightfulness. ANTONYM:
shiny, lustrous, shimmering, sparkly, entertained: (adj) diverted, pleased. (n) pleasantness.
glittery, shining; (adj, v) sunny; (v) foreboding: (n) apprehension, boding, reinstate: (v) restore, rehabilitate,
meridian, orient. presentiment, fear, anxiety, reestablish, return, replace,
coloring: (n) color, paint, coloration, premonition, misgiving, anticipation, reconstruct, bring back, redeem,
tint, colouring, dye, complexion, sign; (adj) ominous, sinister. recover, heal, mend. ANTONYM: (v)
pigment, colour, dyeing, colouration. ANTONYMS: (adj) favorable; (n) withdraw.
cove: (n) bay, cave, harbor, bight, inlet, calmness, bravery, equanimity. respecting: (prep) about, regarding,
recess, creek, glen, man, fellow, guy. ghastliness: (n) gruesomeness, apropos, as regards, pertaining to;
deep-set: (adj) hollow. luridness, horror, dreadfulness, (adj) relative, not absolute,
empressement: (adj, n) eagerness, zeal; terribleness, horribleness, pertaining, referring, loving.
(n) overanxiety, earnestness; (adj) repulsiveness, misery, grimness, stepped: (v) advanced, gone, stopen.
88 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

insect was very remarkable, and, taking all things into consideration, I could
hardly blame Jupiter for his opinion respecting it; but what to make of Legrand’s
concordance with that opinion, I could not, for the life of me, tell.%
“I sent for you,” said he, in a grandiloquent tone, when I had completed my
examination of the beetle, “I sent for you, that I might have your counsel and
assistance in furthering the views of Fate and of the bug” -
“My dear Legrand,” I cried, interrupting him, “you are certainly unwell, and
had better use some little precautions. You shall go to bed, and I will remain with
you a few days, until you get over this. You are feverish and” -
“Feel my pulse,” said he.
I felt it, and, to say the truth, found not the slightest indication of fever.
“But you may be ill and yet have no fever. Allow me this once to prescribe
for you. In the first place, go to bed. In the next” -
“You are mistaken,” he interposed, “I am as well as I can expect to be under
the excitement which I suffer. If you really wish me well, you will relieve this
excitement.”
“And how is this to be done?”
“Very easily. Jupiter and myself are going upon an expedition into the hills,
upon the main land, and, in this expedition we shall need the aid of some person
in whom we can confide. You are the only one we can trust. Whether we succeed
or fail, the excitement which you now perceive in me will be equally allayed.”
“I am anxious to oblige you in any way,” I replied; “but do you mean to say
that this infernal beetle has any connection with your expedition into the hills?”
“It has.”
“Then, Legrand, I can become a party to no such absurd proceeding.”
“I am sorry - very sorry - for we shall have to try it by ourselves.”
“Try it by yourselves! The man is surely mad! - but stay! - how long do you
propose to be absent?”

concordance: (n) accord, concord,
accordance, approval, concert,
harmony, congruence, comity,
concurrence, index, unison.
confide: (v) commit, trust, entrust,
intrust, consign, rely, charge,
unbosom, whisper, lean, hope.
ANTONYMS: (v) suppress, keep,
conceal, retain.
feverish: (adj) febrile, feverous, fiery,
frenzied, fevered, excited, sick,
fanatical; (adj, v) hot, flushed; (adj, n)
Thesaurus
hysterical. ANTONYMS: (adj) calm,
afebrile, collected, composed,
mellow.
grandiloquent: (adj) pompous,
overblown, magniloquent,
pretentious, high-flown, tall,
portentous, exaggerated, stilted,
inflated, verbose. ANTONYM: (adj)
unpretentious.
infernal: (adj) devilish, fiendish,
diabolical, demonic, damned, cursed, decree, dictate, fix, command, assign,
blasted, unholy, wicked; (adj, v)
diabolic, satanic.
interposed: (adj) interjacent,
intercedent, intervenient,
parenthetical, intermediate colors,
mediate.
interrupting: (adj) cross, interchanged,
interpelling, meddlesome, adverse,
defensive, contrary, interpellant,
interruptive.
prescribe: (n, v) ordain; (v) enjoin,
determine, set, stipulate, designate.
 Edgar Allan Poe 89

“Probably all night. We shall start immediately, and be back, at all events, by
sunrise.”%
“And will you promise me, upon your honor, that when this freak of yours is
over, and the bug business (good God!) settled to your satisfaction, you will then
return home and follow my advice implicitly, as that of your physician?”
“Yes; I promise; and now let us be off, for we have no time to lose.”
With a heavy heart I accompanied my friend. We started about four o’clock -
Legrand, Jupiter, the dog, and myself. Jupiter had with him the scythe and
spades - the whole of which he insisted upon carrying - more through fear, it
seemed to me, of trusting either of the implements within reach of his master,
than from any excess of industry or complaisance. His demeanor was dogged in
the extreme, and “dat deuced bug” were the sole words which escaped his lips
during the journey. For my own part, I had charge of a couple of dark lanterns,
while Legrand contented himself with the scarabæus, which he carried attached
to the end of a bit of whip-cord; twirling it to and fro, with the air of a conjuror,
as he went. When I observed this last, plain evidence of my friend’s aberration of
mind, I could scarcely refrain from tears. I thought it best, however, to humor his
fancy, at least for the present, or until I could adopt some more energetic
measures with a chance of success. In the mean time I endeavored, but all in
vain, to sound him in regard to the object of the expedition. Having succeeded in
inducing me to accompany him, he seemed unwilling to hold conversation upon
any topic of minor importance, and to all my questions vouchsafed no other
reply than “we shall see!”
We crossed the creek at the head of the island by means of a skiff; and,
ascending the high grounds on the shore of the main land, proceeded in a
northwesterly direction, through a tract of country excessively wild and
desolate, where no trace of a human footstep was to be seen. Legrand led the
way with decision; pausing only for an instant, here and there, to consult what
appeared to be certain landmarks of his own contrivance upon a former
occasion.

Thesaurus
aberration: (n) insanity, aberrancy, civility; (n) courtesy, deference, Idaho, north.
frenzy, deviation, mistake, aberrance, respect, compliancy, agreeableness, skiff: (n) gig, cockleshell, punt, funny,
oddity, distortion; (n, v) diversion; submission, amenity, politeness; (adj) boat, wherry, small boat, lerret, coble,
(adj, n) mania, derangement. gallantry. cog, dingy.
ANTONYMS: (n) regularity, average, conjuror: (n) magician, seer, trusting: (adj) credulous,
conformity, mean, sameness, norm, illusionist, prestidigitator, conjure unsuspecting, naive, confident,
normality. man, jockey, performer, wizard, confiding, simple, innocent, gullible,
ascending: (adj) uphill, rising, witch, trickster, necromancer. reliant, give, easy to fool.
assurgent, climbing, ascendent; (n) footstep: (n) pace, footfall, track, ANTONYMS: (adj) distrustful,
ascension, ascent, rise, advance, footmark, vestige, tread, trail, stride, suspicious, doubtful, hesitant,
movement; (v) go up. degree; (n, v) step, action. protective, shrewd, disingenuous,
complaisance: (adj, n) affability, northwesterly: (adj) northwestern, smart, jaded.
90 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

In this manner we journeyed for about two hours, and the sun was just
setting when we entered a region infinitely more dreary than any yet seen. It was
a species of table land, near the summit of an almost inaccessible hill, densely
wooded from base to pinnacle, and interspersed with huge crags that appeared
to lie loosely upon the soil, and in many cases were prevented from precipitating
themselves into the valleys below, merely by the support of the trees against
which they reclined. Deep ravines, in various directions, gave an air of still
sterner solemnity to the scene.%
The natural platform to which we had clambered was thickly overgrown
with brambles, through which we soon discovered that it would have been
impossible to force our way but for the scythe; and Jupiter, by direction of his
master, proceeded to clear for us a path to the foot of an enormously tall tulip-
tree, which stood, with some eight or ten oaks, upon the level, and far surpassed
them all, and all other trees which I had then ever seen, in the beauty of its
foliage and form, in the wide spread of its branches, and in the general majesty
of its appearance. When we reached this tree, Legrand turned to Jupiter, and
asked him if he thought he could climb it. The old man seemed a little staggered
by the question, and for some moments made no reply. At length he approached
the huge trunk, walked slowly around it, and examined it with minute attention.
When he had completed his scrutiny, he merely said,
“Yes, massa, Jup climb any tree he ebber see in he life.”
“Then up with you as soon as possible, for it will soon be too dark to see
what we are about.”
“How far mus go up, massa?” inquired Jupiter.
“Get up the main trunk first, and then I will tell you which way to go - and
here - stop! take this beetle with you.”
“De bug, Massa Will! - de goole bug!” cried the negro, drawing back in
dismay - “what for mus tote de bug way up de tree? - d-n if I do!”
“If you are afraid, Jup, a great big negro like you, to take hold of a harmless
little dead beetle, why you can carry it up by this string - but, if you do not take it

Thesaurus
branches: (n) branch, brushwood. exotic. ANTONYMS: (n) nadir, base, bottom,
densely: (adv) solidly, heavily, slowly, negro: (n) black, darky, blackamoor, trough.
obtusely, compactly, firmly, dully, nigger, Negroid, black person, precipitating: (adj) down.
dumbly, closely, tightly, stupidly. darkie, coon, moke, lightlessness; solemnity: (n) seriousness, sobriety,
ANTONYMS: (adv) loosely, sparsely, (adj) dark. earnestness, formality, ceremony,
brightly. overgrown: (adj) excessive, exorbitant, impressiveness, austerity, sedateness,
dreary: (adj) depressing, drab, dull, inordinate, extravagant, monstrous, display, pomp, grandeur.
cheerless, drear, miserable, gloomy, covered, exaggerated, dropsical, lush; ANTONYMS: (n) humor, levity,
dark, dismal, stuffy, disconsolate. (v) turgid, tumid. cheerfulness, understatement.
ANTONYMS: (adj) interesting, pinnacle: (n) apex, top, height, crest, tote: (v) carry, total, transport, tug,
cheerful, sunny, brilliant, lively, light, zenith, crown, summit, acme, haul, bear, convey, transfer; (n)
exciting, clear, cheery, pleasant, heyday, climax, culmination. carryall, bag, holdall.
 Edgar Allan Poe 91

up with you in some way, I shall be under the necessity of breaking your head
with this shovel.”
“What de matter now, massa?” said Jup, evidently shamed into compliance;
“always want for to raise fuss wid old nigger. Was only funnin any how. Me
feered de bug! what I keer for de bug?” Here he took cautiously hold of the
extreme end of the string, and, maintaining the insect as far from his person as
circumstances would permit, prepared to ascend the tree.%
In youth, the tulip-tree, or Liriodendron Tulipferum, the most magnificent of
American foresters, has a trunk peculiarly smooth, and often rises to a great
height without lateral branches; but, in its riper age, the bark becomes gnarled
and uneven, while many short limbs make their appearance on the stem. Thus
the difficulty of ascension, in the present case, lay more in semblance than in
reality. Embracing the huge cylinder, as closely as possible, with his arms and
knees, seizing with his hands some projections, and resting his naked toes upon
others, Jupiter, after one or two narrow escapes from falling, at length wriggled
himself into the first great fork, and seemed to consider the whole business as
virtually accomplished. The risk of the achievement was, in fact, now over,
although the climber was some sixty or seventy feet from the ground.
“Which way mus go now, Massa Will?” he asked.
“Keep up the largest branch - the one on this side,” said Legrand. The negro
obeyed him promptly, and apparently with but little trouble; ascending higher
and higher, until no glimpse of his squat figure could be obtained through the
dense foliage which enveloped it. Presently his voice was heard in a sort of
halloo.
“How much fudder is got for go?”
“How high up are you?” asked Legrand.
“Ebber so fur,” replied the negro; “can see de sky fru de top ob de tree.”
“Never mind the sky, but attend to what I say. Look down the trunk and
count the limbs below you on this side. How many limbs have you passed?”
“One, two, tree, four, fibe - I done pass fibe big limb, massa, pon dis side.”

ascend: (n, v) mount; (v) arise, scale,
uprise, climb, go up, come up,
increase, elevate; (n) ascending,
ascent. ANTONYMS: (v) descend,
drop, decline, fall, lower, set, sink.
embracing: (n) embrace, hugging,
kissing, taking on, implementation,
espousal, clutches; (adj) twining,
osculant, grasping, close.
gnarled: (adj) knotty, knotted, gnarly,
asperous, crisp, deformed, crabbed,
roughhewn, wrinkled, unsmooth,
Thesaurus
unpolished. ANTONYMS: (adj) capture, infection; (adj) catching,
smooth, unknotted, straight. galling, controlling.
halloo: (n, v) whoop; (v) squall, yell, semblance: (adj, n) color; (n)
shout, call to, incite, roar; (int) hollo, resemblance, appearance, look,
hello; (n) loo, vociferation. aspect, air, image, similarity,
knees: (n) knee. pretense, guise, pretext. ANTONYM:
nigger: (adj) blackamoor, Negro, man (n) difference.
of color; (n) darky, spade, darkie, seventy: (n) large integer.
boy, jigaboo, black person, Ethiop, shamed: (adj) dishonored, ashamed,
nigra. hangdog, guilty, discredited,
seizing: (v) seize; (n) seizure, clutches, abashed, sheepish, embarrassed,
prehension, taking, apprehension, shamefaced, bullied, cowed.
92 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“Then go one limb higher.”

In a few minutes the voice was heard again, announcing that the seventh
limb was attained.%
“Now, Jup,” cried Legrand, evidently much excited, “I want you to work
your way out upon that limb as far as you can. If you see anything strange, let
me know.” By this time what little doubt I might have entertained of my poor
friend’s insanity, was put finally at rest. I had no alternative but to conclude him
stricken with lunacy, and I became seriously anxious about getting him home.
While I was pondering upon what was best to be done, Jupiter’s voice was again
heard.
“Mos feerd for to ventur pon dis limb berry far - tis dead limb putty much all
de way.”
“Did you say it was a dead limb, Jupiter?” cried Legrand in a quavering
voice.
“Yes, massa, him dead as de door-nail - done up for sartain - done departed
dis here life.”
“What in the name heaven shall I do?” asked Legrand, seemingly in the
greatest distress. “Do!” said I, glad of an opportunity to interpose a word, “why
come home and go to bed. Come now! - that’s a fine fellow. It’s getting late, and,
besides, you remember your promise.”
“Jupiter,” cried he, without heeding me in the least, “do you hear me?”
“Yes, Massa Will, hear you ebber so plain.”
“Try the wood well, then, with your knife, and see if you think it very
rotten.”
“Him rotten, massa, sure nuff,” replied the negro in a few moments, “but not
so berry rotten as mought be. Mought ventur out leetle way pon de limb by
myself, dat’s true.”
“By yourself! - what do you mean?”

departed: (adj) dead, bygone, late,
former, bypast, defunct, past, left;
(adj, v) gone, extinct; (n) decedent.
ANTONYMS: (adj) remaining, alive.
insanity: (adj, n) craziness,
derangement, frenzy, aberration; (n)
delirium, dementia, mania, folly,
lunacy, idiocy; (adj) madness.
ANTONYMS: (n) sanity, sense.
interpose: (v) interject, insert,
interpolate, intercede, intervene,
meddle, intrude, tamper, step in, butt thoughtful, reflective; (n)
Thesaurus
in; (adj, v) intermeddle.
limb: (n) arm, branch, member, bough,
extremity, offshoot, part, leg, wing,
appendage, edge.
lunacy: (adj, n) frenzy, craziness,
madness, derangement, aberration;
(n) folly, foolishness, mania,
delirium, dementia; (adj) distraction.
ANTONYM: (n) sanity.
pondering: (adj) pensive, musing,
meditative, contemplative,
consideration, deliberation,
cogitation, reflection, lucubration.
putty: (n) cement, paste, glue, lute,
mastic, filler, solder, gum, stucco, tin
oxide; (v) apply.
quavering: (adj) trembling, tremulous,
unsteady, shaky, shivering, shaking,
decrepit, doddery, doddering.
stricken: (adj) smitten, struck, beaten,
laid low, affected, hurt, low,
impaired, dotty; (v) heavy laden,
victimized.
 Edgar Allan Poe 93

“Why I mean de bug. ‘Tis berry hebby bug. Spose I drop him down fuss, and
den de limb won’t break wid just de weight ob one nigger.”
“You infernal scoundrel!” cried Legrand, apparently much relieved, “what
do you mean by telling me such nonsense as that? As sure as you drop that
beetle I’ll break your neck. Look here, Jupiter, do you hear me?”%
“Yes, massa, needn’t hollo at poor nigger dat style.”
“Well! now listen! - if you will venture out on the limb as far as you think
safe, and not let go the beetle, I’ll make you a present of a silver dollar as soon as
you get down.”
“I’m gwine, Massa Will - deed I is,” replied the negro very promptly - “mos
out to the eend now.”
“Out to the end!” here fairly screamed Legrand, “do you say you are out to
the end of that limb?”
“Soon be to de eend, massa, - o-o-o-o-oh! Lor-gol-a-marcy! what is dis here
pon de tree?”
“Well!” cried Legrand, highly delighted, “what is it?”
“Why taint noffin but a skull - somebody bin lef him head up de tree, and de
crows done gobble ebery bit ob de meat off.”
“A skull, you say! - very well! - how is it fastened to the limb? - what holds it
on?”
“Sure nuff, massa; mus look. Why dis berry curous sarcumstance, pon my
word - dare’s a great big nail in de skull, what fastens ob it on to de tree.”
“Well now, Jupiter, do exactly as I tell you - do you hear?”
“Yes, massa.”
“Pay attention, then! - find the left eye of the skull.”
“Hum! hoo! dat’s good! why dare aint no eye lef at all.”
“Curse your stupidity! do you know your right hand from your left?”

Thesaurus
deed: (n) accomplishment, act, feat, shout, yell, call; (n) roar, holloa, brainpan, cranium, head, upper
behavior, action, exploit, covenant, bellowing, roaring; (int, n) holla. story, shell, noggin, skeleton,
doing, document, title, fact. nail: (n, v) arrest, capture; (v) catch, skullcap.
ANTONYM: (n) failure. collar, apprehend, hook, strike, hit, stupidity: (n) foolishness, nonsense,
fastened: (adj) tied, fast, buttoned, fasten, nab; (adj, n) pin. ANTONYMS: obtuseness, dullness, fatuity,
closed, tight, secure, pinned, binding, (v) unfasten, detach. absurdity, stolidity, slowness,
empight, steady, firm. ANTONYMS: promptly: (adv) instantly, readily, denseness, idiocy, imbecility.
(adj) unfastened, unbuttoned. quickly, directly, rapidly, swiftly, ANTONYMS: (n) sense, logic,
gobble: (v) devour, gulp, consume, speedily, forthwith, punctually, now, cleverness, shrewdness, wisdom,
engorge, stuff, guzzle, gorge, at once. ANTONYMS: (adv) slowly, ability.
swallow, eat, cram; (n) cry. late, eventually.
hollo: (n, v) holler; (v) cry, scream, skull: (n) noddle, sconce, pericranium,
94 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“Yes, I nose dat - nose all bout dat - tis my lef hand what I chops de wood
wid.”
“To be sure! you are left-handed; and your left. eye is on the same side as
your left hand. Now, I suppose, you can find the left eye of the skull, or the place
where the left eye has been. Have you found it?”
Here was a long pause. At length the negro asked,
“Is de lef eye of de skull pon de same side as de lef hand of de skull, too? -
cause de skull aint got not a bit ob a hand at all - nebber mind! I got de lef eye
now - here de lef eye! what mus do wid it?”
“Let the beetle drop through it, as far as the string will reach - but he careful
and not let go your hold of the string.”
“All dat done, Massa Will; mighty easy ting for to put de bug fru de hole -
look out for him dare below!”
During this colloquy no portion of Jupiter’s person could be seen; but the
beetle, which he had suffered to descend, was now visible at the end of the
string, and glistened, like a globe of burnished gold, in the last rays of the setting
sun, some of which still faintly illumined the eminence upon which we stood.
The scarabæus hung quite clear of any branches, and, if allowed to fall, would
have fallen at our feet. Legrand immediately took the scythe, and cleared with it
a circular space, three or four yards in diameter, just beneath the insect, and,
having accomplished this, ordered Jupiter to let go the string and come down
from the tree.%
Driving a peg, with great nicety, into the ground, at the precise spot where
the beetle fell, my friend now produced from his pocket a tape measure.
Fastening one end of this at that point of the trunk, of the tree which was nearest
the peg, he unrolled it till it reached the peg, and thence farther unrolled it, in the
direction already established by the two points of the tree and the peg, for the
distance of fifty feet - Jupiter clearing away the brambles with the scythe. At the
spot thus attained a second peg was driven, and about this, as a centre, a rude
circle, about four feet in diameter, described. Taking now a spade himself, and

Thesaurus
chops: (n, v) jaws; (n) orifice, chaps, mount. fatigued, puzzled, decorated.
jaw, fauces, propylon, portico, porch, eminence: (n) distinction, elevation, left-handed: (adj) gauche, insincere,
door, portal; (v) gob. altitude, celebrity, superiority, rank, southpaw, uncouth, illicit,
colloquy: (n) talk, conference, excellence, fame, glory, prominence, hypocritical, double-dealing,
conversation, dialog, chat, dialogue, status. ANTONYMS: (n) disingenuous.
collocution, verbal intercourse, insignificance, cavity, depression, nicety: (n) detail, exactness,
meeting, parley, interview. unimportance, dip, commonness, fastidiousness, nuance, refinement,
descend: (v) settle, condescend, down, inferiority. exactitude, justness, precision,
drop, deign, subside, go down, fastening: (n) clasp, clip, buckle, correctness, daintiness, elegance.
dismount, derive, get off, come attachment, lock, catch, link, spade: (v) grub, delve, scoop, excavate;
down. ANTONYMS: (v) ascend, bonding; (n, v) bond; (v) tie, bind. (n) nigger, coon, nigra, jigaboo, boy,
climb, float, scale, increase, level, hung: (n) hanging; (v) Heng; (adj) black person, spit.
 Edgar Allan Poe 95

giving one to Jupiter and one to me, Legrand begged us to set about digging as
quickly as possible.
To speak the truth, I had no especial relish for such amusement at any time,
and, at that particular moment, would most willingly have declined it; for the
night was coming on, and I felt much fatigued with the exercise already taken;
but I saw no mode of escape, and was fearful of disturbing my poor friend’s
equanimity by a refusal. Could I have depended, indeed, upon Jupiter’s aid, I
would have had no hesitation in attempting to get the lunatic home by force; but
I was too well assured of the old negro’s disposition, to hope that he would assist
me, under any circumstances, in a personal contest with his master. I made no
doubt that the latter had been infected with some of the innumerable Southern
superstitions about money buried, and that his phantasy had received
confirmation by the finding of the scarabæus, or, perhaps, by Jupiter’s obstinacy
in maintaining it to be “a bug of real gold.” A mind disposed to lunacy would
readily be led away by such suggestions - especially if chiming in with favorite
preconceived ideas - and then I called to mind the poor fellow’s speech about the
beetle’s being “the index of his fortune.” Upon the whole, I was sadly vexed and
puzzled, but, at length, I concluded to make a virtue of necessity - to dig with a
good will, and thus the sooner to convince the visionary, by ocular
demonstration, of the fallacy of the opinions he entertained.%
The lanterns having been lit, we all fell to work with a zeal worthy a more
rational cause; and, as the glare fell upon our persons and implements, I could
not help thinking how picturesque a group we composed, and how strange and
suspicious our labors must have appeared to any interloper who, by chance,
might have stumbled upon our whereabouts.
We dug very steadily for two hours. Little was said; and our chief
embarrassment lay in the yelpings of the dog, who took exceeding interest in our
proceedings. He, at length, became so obstreperous that we grew fearful of his
giving the alarm to some stragglers in the vicinity; - or, rather, this was the
apprehension of Legrand; - for myself, I should have rejoiced at any interruption
which might have enabled me to get the wanderer home. The noise was, at

chiming: (v) mocking.
equanimity: (n) aplomb, poise,
calmness, calm, temper, peace,
imperturbability, temperament,
serenity, tranquility; (adj, n) stoicism. gatecrasher, go between, unknown.
ANTONYMS: (n) panic, anger,
excitableness, fear, hysteria,
nervousness, agitation, anxiety.
fatigued: (adj) tired, weary, beat,
worn, tired out, jaded, spent, worn
out, done in, fagged, run-down.
ANTONYMS: (adj) refreshed, alert,
Thesaurus
lively, energized, energetic. blatant, clamorous, defiant,
interloper: (adj, n) stranger, alien; (n) disobedient, disorderly, unruly,
encroacher, trespasser, invader, vociferous, tumultuous, turbulent.
boarder, bodkin, foreigner, phantasy: (n, v) fancy; (n) daydream,
illusion, fantasy, fiction, reverie,
ANTONYM: (n) native. imagination, fairyland, phantasm,
lunatic: (n) madman, maniac, fantasia, delusion.
bedlamite; (adj) insane, foolish, vexed: (adj) troubled, irritated, angry,
moonstruck, mad, mental, deranged, pestered, peeved, harassed, sore,
idiotic; (adj, n) madcap. ANTONYM: harried, uneasy, cross, offended.
(adj) sensible. ANTONYMS: (adj) calm,
obstreperous: (adj) noisy, boisterous, uncomplicated.
96 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

length, very effectually silenced by Jupiter, who, getting out of the hole with a
dogged air of deliberation, tied the brute’s mouth up with one of his suspenders,
and then returned, with a grave chuckle, to his task.%
When the time mentioned had expired, we had reached a depth of five feet,
and yet no signs of any treasure became manifest. A general pause ensued, and I
began to hope that the farce was at an end. Legrand, however, although
evidently much disconcerted, wiped his brow thoughtfully and recommenced.
We had excavated the entire circle of four feet diameter, and now we slightly
enlarged the limit, and went to the farther depth of two feet. Still nothing
appeared. The gold-seeker, whom I sincerely pitied, at length clambered from
the pit, with the bitterest disappointment imprinted upon every feature, and
proceeded, slowly and reluctantly, to put on his coat, which he had thrown off at
the beginning of his labor. In the mean time I made no remark. Jupiter, at a signal
from his master, began to gather up his tools. This done, and the dog having
been unmuzzled, we turned in profound silence towards home.
We had taken, perhaps, a dozen steps in this direction, when, with a loud
oath, Legrand strode up to Jupiter, and seized him by the collar. The astonished
negro opened his eyes and mouth to the fullest extent, let fall the spades, and fell
upon his knees.
“You scoundrel,” said Legrand, hissing out the syllables from between his
clenched teeth - “you infernal black villain! - speak, I tell you! - answer me this
instant, without prevarication! - which - which is your left eye?”
“Oh, my golly, Massa Will! aint dis here my lef eye for sartain?” roared the
terrified Jupiter, placing his hand upon his right organ of vision, and holding it
there with a desperate pertinacity, as if in immediate dread of his master’s
attempt at a gouge.
“I thought so! - I knew it! hurrah!” vociferated Legrand, letting the negro go,
and executing a series of curvets and caracols, much to the astonishment of his
valet, who, arising from his knees, looked, mutely, from his master to myself,
and then from myself to his master.

disconcerted: (adj) confused,
confounded, bewildered, blank,
embarrassed, disturbed, troubled,
worried, ashamed, discombobulated,
bemused. ANTONYMS: (adj)
composed, soothed, unabashed,
relaxed.
executing: (n) performing, execution,
decapitation, capital punishment,
electrocution, death penalty,
crucifixion, implementation, corporal
punishment; (v) perform, execute.
Thesaurus
gouge: (v) swindle, deceive, beguile,
fleece, dig, scoop, extort, defraud,
cut; (n, v) groove, dent.
imprinted: (adj) printed, marked,
embossed.
mutely: (adv) dumbly, wordlessly,
stilly, speechlessly, taciturnly,
unspokenly, quietly, noiselessly,
dully, soundlessly, dummily.
ANTONYM: (adv) noisily.
prevarication: (n) equivocation,
deception, lying, lie, fabrication, fib,
fraud, fencing, quibble, falsity; (n, v)
shuffling. ANTONYM: (n) correction.
suspenders: (n) brace, pair, bitstock,
harness, couple.
unmuzzled: (adj) unchained,
unenslaved, unenthralled, unfettered,
ungoverned, unbridled, unreined,
unshackled, unsubject.
valet: (n) man, attendant, lackey,
butler, flunkey, manservant, waiter,
gentleman, livery servant, servant,
retainer.
 Edgar Allan Poe 97

“Come! we must go back,” said the latter, “the game’s not up yet;” and he
again led the way to the tulip-tree.
“Jupiter,” said he, when we reached its foot, “come here! was the skull nailed
to the limb with the face outwards, or with the face to the limb?”
“De face was out, massa, so dat de crows could get at de eyes good, widout
any trouble.”
“Well, then, was it this eye or that through which you dropped the beetle?” -
here Legrand touched each of Jupiter’s eyes.%
“Twas dis eye, massa - de lef eye - jis as you tell me,” and here it was his right
eye that the negro indicated.
“That will do - must try it again.”
Here my friend, about whose madness I now saw, or fancied that I saw,
certain indications of method, removed the peg which marked the spot where
the beetle fell, to a spot about three inches to the westward of its former position.
Taking, now, the tape measure from the nearest point of the trunk to the peg, as
before, and continuing the extension in a straight line to the distance of fifty feet,
a spot was indicated, removed, by several yards, from the point at which we had
been digging.
Around the new position a circle, somewhat larger than in the former
instance, was now described, and we again set to work with the spades. I was
dreadfully weary, but, scarcely understanding what had occasioned the change
in my thoughts, I felt no longer any great aversion from the labor imposed. I had
become most unaccountably interested - nay, even excited. Perhaps there was
something, amid all the extravagant demeanor of Legrand - some air of
forethought, or of deliberation, which impressed me. I dug eagerly, and now
and then caught myself actually looking, with something that very much
resembled expectation, for the fancied treasure, the vision of which had
demented my unfortunate companion. At a period when such vagaries of
thought most fully possessed me, and when we had been at work perhaps an
hour and a half, we were again interrupted by the violent howlings of the dog.

Thesaurus
aversion: (n) antipathy, distaste, calm. circumspection, consideration,
abhorrence, disinclination, dislike, dreadfully: (adj, adv) frightfully, discretion. ANTONYMS: (n)
grudge, aversation, nausea, enmity, shockingly; (adv) fearfully, hindsight, unpreparedness, neglect,
revulsion; (n, v) disgust. appallingly, hideously, horrendously, impulsiveness, carelessness.
ANTONYMS: (n) attraction, love, horribly, atrociously, ghastly, nailed: (adj) fixed, tight, stationary,
inclination, predilection, desire, tremendously, horridly. stable, secure, decided, firm,
fondness, goodwill. ANTONYMS: (adv) pleasantly, immobile.
demented: (adj) daft, brainsick, wonderfully, happily, hardly, unaccountably: (adv) mysteriously,
delirious, frenetic, mad, deranged, superbly, well. especially, curiously, bizarrely.
insane, psychotic, distracted, lunatic, forethought: (n) caution, care, forecast, vagaries: (n) whims, disposition,
unbalanced. ANTONYMS: (adj) sane, anticipation, deliberation, facetiousness, freaks, humor, ill
balanced, stable, reasonable, rational, premeditation, precaution, counsel, humor, mood, temper, caprices.
98 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

His uneasiness, in the first instance, had been, evidently, but the result of
playfulness or caprice, but he now assumed a bitter and serious tone. Upon
Jupiter’s again attempting to muzzle him, he made furious resistance, and,
leaping into the hole, tore up the mould frantically with his claws. In a few
seconds he had uncovered a mass of human bones, forming two complete
skeletons, intermingled with several buttons of metal, and what appeared to be
the dust of decayed woollen. One or two strokes of a spade upturned the blade
of a large Spanish knife, and, as we dug farther, three or four loose pieces of gold
and silver coin came to light.%
At sight of these the joy of Jupiter could scarcely be restrained, but the
countenance of his master wore an air of extreme disappointment He urged us,
however, to continue our exertions, and the words were hardly uttered when I
stumbled and fell forward, having caught the toe of my boot in a large ring of
iron that lay half buried in the loose earth.
We now worked in earnest, and never did I pass ten minutes of more intense
excitement. During this interval we had fairly unearthed an oblong chest of
wood, which, from its perfect preservation and wonderful hardness, had plainly
been subjected to some mineralizing process - perhaps that of the Bi-chloride of
Mercury. This box was three feet and a half long, three feet broad, and two and a
half feet deep. It was firmly secured by bands of wrought iron, riveted, and
forming a kind of open trelliswork over the whole. On each side of the chest,
near the top, were three rings of iron - six in all - by means of which a firm hold
could be obtained by six persons. Our utmost united endeavors served only to
disturb the coffer very slightly in its bed. We at once saw the impossibility of
removing so great a weight. Luckily, the sole fastenings of the lid consisted of
two sliding bolts. These we drew back - trembling and panting with anxiety. In
an instant, a treasure of incalculable value lay gleaming before us. As the rays of
the lanterns fell within the pit, there flashed upwards a glow and a glare, from a
confused heap of gold and of jewels, that absolutely dazzled our eyes.
I shall not pretend to describe the feelings with which I gazed. Amazement
was, of course, predominant. Legrand appeared exhausted with excitement, and

Thesaurus
caprice: (n) fancy, fantasy, humor, undertakings, accomplishments, incorporated, assorted, consolidated,
quirk, freak, notion, impulse, fit, happenings. incorporate, amalgamate, fused.
capriccio, fad, vagary. ANTONYMS: incalculable: (adj) countless, playfulness: (n) mischief,
(n) plan, strategy, blueprint, reality. innumerable, numberless, boundless, impertinence, gaiety, archness,
coffer: (n) box, chest, case, caisson, inestimable, immense, infinite, friskiness, pertness, merriment,
casket, trunk, safe, strongbox, myriad, numerous, invaluable, humor, impishness; (n, v) play, sport.
treasury, crate, coffers. unpredictable. ANTONYMS: (adj) ANTONYM: (n) seriousness.
dazzled: (adj) confused, dazzle, calculable, negligible, limited, riveted: (adj) immovable, immobile,
bewildered, blind, blinder, worthless, tiny, slight, finite, few, irremovable, rooted, wrapped up,
fascinated, unsighted. definite, small, minor. intent; (v) wrapped in, engrossed in,
endeavors: (n) activities, deeds, intermingled: (adj) amalgamated, rapt, absorbed, transfixed.
events, Comings and Goings, integrated, coalesced, blended, ANTONYM: (adj) detached.
 Edgar Allan Poe 99

spoke very few words. Jupiter’s countenance wore, for some minutes, as deadly
a pallor as it is possible, in nature of things, for any negro’s visage to assume. He
seemed stupified - thunderstricken. Presently he fell upon his knees in the pit,
and, burying his naked arms up to the elbows in gold, let them there remain, as if
enjoying the luxury of a bath. At length, with a deep sigh, he exclaimed, as if in a
soliloquy,
“And dis all cum ob de goole-bug! de putty goole bug! de poor little goole-
bug, what I boosed in dat sabage kind ob style! Aint you shamed ob yourself,
nigger? - answer me dat!”
It became necessary, at last, that I should arouse both master and valet to the
expediency of removing the treasure. It was growing late, and it behooved us to
make exertion, that we might get every thing housed before daylight. It was
difficult to say what should be done, and much time was spent in deliberation -
so confused were the ideas of all. We, finally, lightened the box by removing two
thirds of its contents, when we were enabled, with some trouble, to raise it from
the hole. The articles taken out were deposited among the brambles, and the dog
left to guard them, with strict orders from Jupiter neither, upon any pretence, to
stir from the spot, nor to open his mouth until our return. We then hurriedly
made for home with the chest; reaching the hut in safety, but after excessive toil,
at one o’clock in the morning. Worn out as we were, it was not in human nature
to do more immediately. We rested until two, and had supper; starting for the
hills immediately afterwards, armed with three stout sacks, which, by good luck,
were upon the premises. A little before four we arrived at the pit, divided the
remainder of the booty, as equally as might be, among us, and, leaving the holes
unfilled, again set out for the hut, at which, for the second time, we deposited
our golden burthens, just as the first faint streaks of the dawn gleamed from over
the tree-tops in the East.%
We were now thoroughly broken down; but the intense excitement of the
time denied us repose. After an unquiet slumber of some three or four hours’
duration, we arose, as if by preconcert, to make examination of our treasure.

expediency: (n) utility, convenience,
advantage, fitness, advisability,
pertinence, expedient, benefit,
effectiveness, value, pertinency.
ANTONYMS: (n) impracticality,
inconvenience, inexpedience,
unsuitability, uselessness.
pallor: (n) pallidness, wanness,
complexion, achromasia, lividity,
lividness, luridness, pale, skin color,
whiteness, sallowness. ANTONYMS:
(n) rosiness, coloration, bloom.
Thesaurus
preconcert: (v) preestablish; (n)
preconcertion.
repose: (n, v) recline, peace, lie, calm;
(n) composure, ease, quiet, leisure,
recreation, relaxation; (v) lay.
ANTONYMS: (n, v) work; (n)
activity, panic, agitation.
soliloquy: (n) language, oral
communication, apostrophe.
streaks: (n) stripes, cords.
unfilled: (adj) empty, vacant, void,
vacuous, hollow, blank, not blown
up, unpopulated, untenanted,
unlived in, accessible. ANTONYMS:
(adj) occupied, solid, full.
unquiet: (adj) restless, anxious,
nervous, turbulent, unsettled,
disturbed, fussy, tumultuous; (v)
movable, saltatory, shifting.
ANTONYM: (adj) quiet.
visage: (n) face, look, mug,
physiognomy, expression, kisser,
appearance, aspect, brow, smiler,
forehead.
100 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

The chest had been full to the brim, and we spent the whole day, and the
greater part of the next night, in a scrutiny of its contents. There had been
nothing like order or arrangement. Every thing had been heaped in
promiscuously. Having assorted all with care, we found ourselves possessed of
even vaster wealth than we had at first supposed. In coin there was rather more
than %four hundred and fifty thousand dollars - estimating the value of the
pieces, as accurately as we could, by the tables of the period. There was not a
particle of silver. All was gold of antique date and of great variety - French,
Spanish, and German money, with a few English guineas, and some counters, of
which we had never seen specimens before. There were several very large and
heavy coins, so worn that we could make nothing of their inscriptions. There was
no American money. The value of the jewels we found more difficulty in
estimating. There were diamonds - some of them exceedingly large and fine - a
hundred and ten in all, and not one of them small; eighteen rubies of remarkable
brilliancy; - three hundred and ten emeralds, all very beautiful; and twenty-one
sapphires, with an opal. These stones had all been broken from their settings and
thrown loose in the chest. The settings themselves, which we picked out from
among the other gold, appeared to have been beaten up with hammers, as if to
prevent identification. Besides all this, there was a vast quantity of solid gold
ornaments; - nearly two hundred massive finger and earrings; - rich chains -
thirty of these, if I remember; - eighty-three very large and heavy crucifixes; - five
gold censers of great value; - a prodigious golden punch bowl, ornamented with
richly chased vine-leaves and Bacchanalian figures; with two sword-handles
exquisitely embossed, and many other smaller articles which I cannot recollect.
The weight of these valuables exceeded three hundred and fifty pounds
avoirdupois; and in this estimate I have not included one hundred and ninety-
seven superb gold watches; three of the number being worth each five hundred
dollars, if one. Many of them were very old, and as time keepers valueless; the
works having suffered, more or less, from corrosion - but all were richly
jewelled and in cases of great worth. We estimated the entire contents of the
chest, that night, at a million and a half of dollars; and upon the subsequent
disposal of the trinkets and jewels (a few being retained for our own use), it was

Thesaurus
avoirdupois: (n) obesity, weight, bejeweled, beady, beaded, miscellaneously, randomly,
fatness, abdominousness, bespangled, spangly, sequined, wantonly, mixedly, loosely,
adiposeness, avoirdupois weight, buttony, decorated, buttonlike. undiscriminatingly, confusedly,
adiposity, heaviness, oleaginousness; opal: (n) nacre, girasol, cheetah, sluttishly, every which way,
(adj) obese; (adv) portly. garnet, lapis lazuli, leopard, peridot, arbitrarily.
embossed: (adj) raised, brocaded, black opal, mineral, menilite, trinkets: (n) finery, jewels.
stamped, decorated, prominent, harlequin opal. valuables: (n) swag, plunder.
bossy; (n) relief. ornamented: (adj) embellished, valueless: (adj) useless, futile,
heaped: (adj) dense, cumulative, beautified, fancy, flowery, ornate, insignificant, meaningless, null,
concentrated, collective, coacervate, adorned, bedecked, decked, unvalued, trifling, of no value,
thick. festooned, feathered, florid. rubbish, priceless, refuse.
jewelled: (adj) gemmed, bejewelled, promiscuously: (adv) licentiously, ANTONYM: (adj) valuable.
 Edgar Allan Poe 101

found that we had greatly undervalued the treasure. When, at length, we had
concluded our examination, and the intense excitement of the time had, in some
measure, subsided, Legrand, who saw that I was dying with impatience for a
solution of this most extraordinary riddle, entered into a full detail of all the
circumstances connected with it.
“You remember;” said he, “the night when I handed you the rough sketch I
had made of the scarabæus. You recollect also, that I became quite vexed at you
for insisting that my drawing resembled a death’s-head. When you first made
this assertion I thought you were jesting; but afterwards I called to mind the
peculiar spots on the back of the insect, and admitted to myself that your remark
had some little foundation in fact. Still, the sneer at my graphic powers irritated
me - for I am considered a good artist - and, therefore, when you handed me the
scrap of parchment, I was about to crumple it up and throw it angrily into the
fire.”
“The scrap of paper, you mean,” said I.%
“No; it had much of the appearance of paper, and at first I supposed it to be
such, but when I came to draw upon it, I discovered it, at once, to be a piece of
very thin parchment. It was quite dirty, you remember. Well, as I was in the very
act of crumpling it up, my glance fell upon the sketch at which you had been
looking, and you may imagine my astonishment when I perceived, in fact, the
figure of a death’s-head just where, it seemed to me, I had made the drawing of
the beetle. For a moment I was too much amazed to think with accuracy. I knew
that my design was very different in detail from this - although there was a
certain similarity in general outline. Presently I took a candle, and seating myself
at the other end of the room, proceeded to scrutinize the parchment more
closely. Upon turning it over, I saw my own sketch upon the reverse, just as I
had made it. My first idea, now, was mere surprise at the really remarkable
similarity of outline - at the singular coincidence involved in the fact, that
unknown to me, there should have been a skull upon the other side of the
parchment, immediately beneath my figure of the scarabæus, and that this skull,
not only in outline, but in size, should so closely resemble my drawing. I say the

Thesaurus
jesting: (adj) jocular, jocose, facetious, (v) foolscap, tablet, table, slate, pillar. sieve; (v) puncture, strain, filter, sift.
humorous, playful; (n) banter, recollect: (v) recall, remember, ANTONYM: (n) explanation.
humor, comedy, pleasantry, fun, recognize, call to mind, remind, scrutinize: (v) inspect, examine,
joke. ANTONYM: (n) tragedy. mind, think, call up, reminisce, review, consider, audit, investigate,
knew: (adj) known; (v) recognize, wist. refresh, retrieve. ANTONYM: (v) explore, search, analyze, check; (adj,
once: (adv, n) formerly; (adv) before, forget. v) scan. ANTONYM: (v) ignore.
ever, previously, one time, at one resemble: (v) seem, imitate, compare, seating: (n) room, circle, parterre,
time, already, erst; (adj, adv) correspond, to resemble, agree, look, parquet, orchestra, service, way, base,
erstwhile; (adj) former; (n) whilom. simulate; (adj) look like; (n) footing, housing, stand.
ANTONYM: (adv) future. resemblance; (adv) alike. sneer: (n, v) deride, jeer, scorn, flout,
parchment: (n) vellum, sheepskin, riddle: (n) mystery, conundrum, ridicule, scoff, mock, leer, grimace,
lambskin, diploma, testament, will; puzzle, problem, poser; (n, v) screen, gird; (n) smirk.
102 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

singularity of this coincidence absolutely stupified me for a time. This is the

usual effect of such coincidences. The mind struggles to establish a connexion - a
sequence of cause and effect - and, being unable to do so, suffers a species of
temporary paralysis. But, when I recovered from this stupor, there dawned upon
me gradually a conviction which startled me even far more than the coincidence.
I began distinctly, positively, to remember that there had been no drawing upon
the parchment when I made my sketch of the scarabæus. I became perfectly
certain of this; for I recollected turning up first one side and then the other, in
search of the cleanest spot. Had the skull been then there, of course I could not
have failed to notice it. Here was indeed a mystery which I felt it impossible to
explain; but, even at that early moment, there seemed to glimmer, faintly, within
the most remote and secret chambers of my intellect, a glow-worm-like
conception of that truth which last night’s adventure brought to so magnificent a
demonstration. I arose at once, and putting the parchment securely away,
dismissed all farther reflection until I should be alone.%
“When you had gone, and when Jupiter was fast asleep, I betook myself to a
more methodical investigation of the affair. In the first place I considered the
manner in which the parchment had come into my possession. The spot where
we discovered the scarabaeus was on the coast of the main land, about a mile
eastward of the island, and but a short distance above high water mark. Upon
my taking hold of it, it gave me a sharp bite, which caused me to let it drop.
Jupiter, with his accustomed caution, before seizing the insect, which had flown
towards him, looked about him for a leaf, or something of that nature, by which
to take hold of it. It was at this moment that his eyes, and mine also, fell upon the
scrap of parchment, which I then supposed to be paper. It was lying half buried
in the sand, a corner sticking up. Near the spot where we found it, I observed the
remnants of the hull of what appeared to have been a ship’s long boat. The
wreck seemed to have been there for a very great while; for the resemblance to
boat timbers could scarcely be traced.
“Well, Jupiter picked up the parchment, wrapped the beetle in it, and gave it
to me. Soon afterwards we turned to go home, and on the way met Lieutenant G-

accustomed: (adj, n) habitual; (adj)
familiar, normal, wonted, usual,
natural, everyday, ordinary,
habituated, common, traditional.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unusual, green,
unseasoned, unconventional,
untrained, abnormal,
uncharacteristic, exceptional.
appeared: (n) appearing.
connexion: (n) conjunction, connector, (adj) careless, illogical, chaotic,
connective, connection, association,
bond, concatenation, join, linkage,
Thesaurus
link, junction.
glimmer: (adj, n, v) flicker, twinkle; (n, paralysis: (n) anaesthesia, numbness,
v) gleam, shimmer, flash, sparkle,
beam, glow, shine; (v) blink; (n)
gleaming.
methodical: (adj) methodic, formal,
systematic, regular, organized,
businesslike, neat, precise, exact,
correct, meticulous. ANTONYMS:
aimless, thoughtless, haphazard,
unprofessional, disorderly,
unscientific, inconsistent.
apoplexy, akinesia, alalia,
paralyzation, disability; (adj)
consumption, decline, syncope,
sideration.
singularity: (n) oddity, peculiarity,
individuality, eccentricity,
idiosyncrasy, oddness, abnormality,
uniqueness, irregularity, identity,
particularity.
traced: (adj) graphic.
 Edgar Allan Poe 103

. I showed him the insect, and he begged me to let him take it to the fort. Upon
my consenting, he thrust it forthwith into his waistcoat pocket, without the
parchment in which it had been wrapped, and which I had continued to hold in
my hand during his inspection. Perhaps he dreaded my changing my mind, and
thought it best to make sure of the prize at once - you know how enthusiastic he
is on all subjects connected with Natural History. At the same time, without
being conscious of it, I must have deposited the parchment in my own pocket.%
“You remember that when I went to the table, for the purpose of making a
sketch of the beetle, I found no paper where it was usually kept. I looked in the
drawer, and found none there. I searched my pockets, hoping to find an old
letter, when my hand fell upon the parchment. I thus detail the precise mode in
which it came into my possession; for the circumstances impressed me with
peculiar force.
“No doubt you will think me fanciful - but I had already established a kind
of connexion. I had put together two links of a great chain. There was a boat
lying upon a sea-coast, and not far from the boat was a parchment - not a paper -
with a skull depicted upon it. You will, of course, ask ‘where is the connexion?’ I
reply that the skull, or death’s-head, is the well-known emblem of the pirate.
The flag of the death’s head is hoisted in all engagements.
“I have said that the scrap was parchment, and not paper. Parchment is
durable - almost imperishable. Matters of little moment are rarely consigned to
parchment; since, for the mere ordinary purposes of drawing or writing, it is not
nearly so well adapted as paper. This reflection suggested some meaning - some
relevancy - in the death’s-head. I did not fail to observe, also, the form of the
parchment. Although one of its corners had been, by some accident, destroyed, it
could be seen that the original form was oblong. It was just such a slip, indeed, as
might have been chosen for a memorandum - for a record of something to be
long remembered and carefully preserved.”
“But,” I interposed, “you say that the skull was not upon the parchment
when you made the drawing of the beetle. How then do you trace any connexion
between the boat and the skull - since this latter, according to your own

Thesaurus
consenting: (adj) agreeable, yielding, fanciful: (adj) mythical, fantastic, pirate: (n) buccaneer, corsair, bandit,
submissive, consentant, compliant, capricious, unreal, arbitrary, pillager, freebooter, sea robber,
affirmative, accepting; (v) complying, romantic, ideal, chimerical, notional, robber, sea rover; (n, v) plagiarist; (v)
chosen. visionary; (adj, v) fancy. hijack, infringe.
consigned: (adj) destined, aboard. ANTONYMS: (adj) prosaic, real, relevancy: (n) relevance, pertinency,
dreaded: (adj) awful, terrible, realistic, plausible, normal. pertinence, materiality, applicability,
cowardly, causing horror, dire, imperishable: (adj) immortal, eternal, fitness, point, cogency, appositeness,
direful, desperate, dreadful, fearful, abiding, deathless, enduring, moment, consequence.
fearsome; (v) drad. permanent, perpetual, perennial, waistcoat: (n) CHUDDER, barbe,
emblem: (n) flag, type, device, incorruptible; (adj, v) undying, garment, jerkin, jubbah, oilskins,
allegory, character, crest, sign, badge, indestructible. ANTONYMS: (adj) pilot jacket, pajamas, cardigan,
figure, ensign, symbol. temporary, fragile. singlet, talma jacket.
104 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

admission, %must have been designed (God only knows how or by whom) at
some period subsequent to your sketching the scarabæus?”
“Ah, hereupon turns the whole mystery; although the secret, at this point, I
had comparatively little difficulty in solving. My steps were sure, and could
afford but a single result. I reasoned, for example, thus: When I drew the
scarabæus, there was no skull apparent upon the parchment. When I had
completed the drawing I gave it to you, and observed you narrowly until you
returned it. You, therefore, did not design the skull, and no one else was present
to do it. Then it was not done by human agency. And nevertheless it was done.
“At this stage of my reflections I endeavored to remember, and did remember,
with entire distinctness, every incident which occurred about the period in
question. The weather was chilly (oh rare and happy accident!), and a fire was
blazing upon the hearth. I was heated with exercise and sat near the table. You,
however, had drawn a chair close to the chimney. Just as I placed the parchment
in your hand, and as you were in the act of in. inspecting it, Wolf, the
Newfoundland, entered, and leaped upon your shoulders. With your left hand
you caressed him and kept him off, while your right, holding the parchment, was
permitted to fall listlessly between your knees, and in close proximity to the fire.
At one moment I thought the blaze had caught it, and was about to caution you,
but, before I could speak, you had withdrawn it, and were engaged in its
examination. When I considered all these particulars, I doubted not for a
moment that heat had been the agent in bringing to light, upon the parchment,
the skull which I saw designed upon it. You are well aware that chemical
preparations exist, and have existed time out of mind, by means of which it is
possible to write upon either paper or vellum, so that the characters shall become
visible only when subjected to the action of fire. Zaffre, digested in aqua regia,
and diluted with four times its weight of water, is sometimes employed; a green
tint results. The regulus of cobalt, dissolved in spirit of nitre, gives a red. These
colors disappear at longer or shorter intervals after the material written upon
cools, but again become apparent upon the re-application of heat.

aqua: (n) liquid, aquamarine, agua,
blueness, pani, blue, water, aquas,
greenish blue, turquoise, peacock
blue.
cobalt: (n) Co, kobalt, atomic number,
carbon dioxide, carbonic acid gas,
Centennial State; (adj) cyanogen,
azure, smalt, ultramarine.
digested: (adj) mature, digestible.
diluted: (adj) thin, watery, weak,
insipid, tasteless, bland, sparse, rare,
cut, washy, tame. ANTONYMS: (adj)
Thesaurus
straight, concentrated, undiluted,
thickened, strengthened, enriched,
thick.
doubted: (adj) distrusted, suspected.
hearth: (n) fire, oven, fireside, stove,
chimney, focus, furnace, dwelling,
kiln, home, abode.
hereupon: (adv) immediately,
whereupon, thereupon.
inspecting: (n) inspection; (v) inspect;
(adj) curious, inspective.
listlessly: (adv) sluggishly, spiritlessly, sheepskin, forel.
indifferently, languidly, slowly,
weakly, indolently, supinely, lazily,
inanimately, slackly. ANTONYMS:
(adv) brightly, nimbly.
nitre: (n) niter, potassium nitrate,
saltpetre, saltpeter, nitrate.
sketching: (n) art, cartographic
sketching.
vellum: (v) parchment, paper,
foolscap; (n) skin, lambskin, lambskin
parchment, papyrus, pillar, tablet,
 Edgar Allan Poe 105

“I now scrutinized the death’s-head with care. Its outer edges - the edges of
the drawing nearest the edge of the vellum - were far more distinct than the
others. It was clear that the action of the caloric had been imperfect or unequal. I
immediately kindled a fire, and subjected every portion of the parchment to a
glowing heat. At first, the only effect was the strengthening of the faint lines in
the skull; but, upon persevering in the experiment, there became visible, at the
corner of the slip, diagonally opposite to the spot in which the death’s-head was
delineated, the figure of what I at first supposed to be a goat. A closer scrutiny,
however, satisfied me that it was intended for a kid.”%
“Ha! ha!” said I, “to be sure I have no right to laugh at you - a million and a
half of money is too serious a matter for mirth - but you are not about to
establish a third link in your chain - you will not find any especial connexion
between your pirates and a goat - pirates, you know, have nothing to do with
goats; they appertain to the farming interest.”
“But I have just said that the figure was not that of a goat.”
“Well, a kid then - pretty much the same thing.”
“Pretty much, but not altogether,” said Legrand. “You may have heard of one
Captain Kidd. I at once looked upon the figure of the animal as a kind of
punning or hieroglyphical signature. I say signature; because its position upon
the vellum suggested this idea. The death’s-head at the corner diagonally
opposite, had, in the same manner, the air of a stamp, or seal. But I was sorely
put out by the absence of all else - of the body to my imagined instrument - of the
text for my context.”
“I presume you expected to find a letter between the stamp and the
signature.”
“Something of that kind. The fact is, I felt irresistibly impressed with a
presentiment of some vast good fortune impending. I can scarcely say why.
Perhaps, after all, it was rather a desire than an actual belief; - but do you know
that Jupiter’s silly words, about the bug being of solid gold, had a remarkable
effect upon my fancy? And then the series of accidents and coincidences - these
were so very extraordinary. Do you observe how mere an accident it was that
Thesaurus
appertain: (v) belong, relate, apply, edges: (n) boundaries. hilarity, cheerfulness, festivity,
dwell, lie, consist, regard, touch, hieroglyphical: (v) runic, cuneiform, gladness, exhilaration. ANTONYMS:
refer, concern. uncial. (n) gloom, sadness, misery.
caloric: (adj) thermal; (n) heat, irresistibly: (adv) charmingly, persevering: (adj) diligent, firm,
thermogen. necessarily, overwhelmingly, determined, constant, resolute,
delineated: (adj) portrayed, lineal, charismatically, fiercely, temptingly, dogged, persistent, tenacious,
graphic, represented. overpoweringly, appealingly, steadfast, industrious, insistent.
diagonally: (adv) obliquely, slantingly, beguilingly. ANTONYM: (adj) irresolute.
crossways, transversely, slopingly, kindled: (adj) enkindled, lighted, lit, punning: (adj) macaronic, facetious;
aslantly, biasly, slantedly, slantways, burning. (n) paronomasia, wordplay, fun,
cornerwise, bias. ANTONYM: (adv) mirth: (adj, n) merriment, jollity; (n) alliteration, annomination.
square. amusement, happiness, delight, joy,
106 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

these events should have occurred upon the sole day of all the year in which it
has been, or may be, sufficiently cool for fire, and that without the fire, or
without the intervention of the dog at the precise moment in which he appeared,
I should never have become aware of the death’s-head, and so never the
possessor of the treasure?”
“But proceed - I am all impatience.”
“Well; you have heard, of course, the many stories current - the thousand
vague rumors afloat about money buried, somewhere upon the Atlantic coast,
by Kidd and his associates. These rumors must have had some foundation in
fact. And that the rumors have existed so long and so continuous, could have
resulted, it appeared to me, only from the circumstance of the buried treasure
still remaining entombed. Had Kidd concealed his plunder for a time, and
afterwards reclaimed it, the rumors would scarcely have reached us in their
present unvarying form. You will observe that the stories told are all about
money-seekers, not about money-finders. Had the pirate recovered his money,
there the affair would have dropped. It seemed to me that some accident - say
the loss of a memorandum indicating its locality - had deprived him of the
means of recovering it, and that this accident had become known to his
followers, who otherwise might never have heard that treasure had been
concealed at all, and who, busying themselves in vain, because unguided
attempts, to regain it, had given first birth, and then universal currency, to the
reports which are now so common. Have you ever heard of any important
treasure being unearthed along the coast?”%
“Never.”
“But that Kidd’s accumulations were immense, is well known. I took it for
granted, therefore, that the earth still held them; and you will scarcely be
surprised when I tell you that I felt a hope, nearly amounting to certainty, that
the parchment so strangely found, involved a lost record of the place of deposit.”
“But how did you proceed?”
“I held the vellum again to the fire, after increasing the heat; but nothing
appeared. I now thought it possible that the coating of dirt might have
Thesaurus
afloat: (adj) buoyant, floating, current, depredation. aimlessly drifting, directionless,
in circulation, directionless, possessor: (n) owner, holder, planless, rudderless, unled,
undirected, rudderless; (adv) adrift, proprietor, householder, occupant, unprompted. ANTONYM: (adj)
aboard; (v) afoot; (n) on foot. landowner, landholder, proprietary, guided.
coating: (n) skin, painting, facing, somebody, someone, soul. vain: (adj) proud, arrogant, conceited,
covering, finish, application, reclaimed: (adj) cultivated, tame, fruitless, idle, empty, abortive,
sheathing, envelope, mantle, domestic, rescued, disciplined, ineffectual, unproductive,
overcoat, cover. ANTONYM: (n) domesticated. narcissistic; (adj, v) useless.
middle. regain: (v) retrieve, recoup, recuperate, ANTONYMS: (adj) shy, successful,
plunder: (n, v) pillage, spoil; (v) reclaim, recapture, redeem, get, possible, persuasive, selfless, fruitful,
despoil, harry, devastate, maraud, discover, feel, recall, get back. humble, useful, responsible,
destroy, strip, ransack; (n) booty, unguided: (adj) aimless, misguided, worthwhile, effective.
 Edgar Allan Poe 107

something%to do with the failure; so I carefully rinsed the parchment by pouring

warm water over it, and, having done this, I placed it in a tin pan, with the skull
downwards, and put the pan upon a furnace of lighted charcoal. In a few
minutes, the pan having become thoroughly heated, I removed the slip, and, to
my inexpressible joy, found it spotted, in several places, with what appeared to
be figures arranged in lines. Again I placed it in the pan, and suffered it to
remain another minute. Upon taking it off, the whole was just as you see it now.”
Here Legrand, having re-heated the parchment, submitted it to my inspection.
The following characters were rudely traced, in a red tint, between the death’s-
head and the goat:

53‡‡†305))6*;4826)4‡)4‡;806*;48‡8¶60))85;1-(;:*8†
83(88)5*‡;46(;88*96*?;8)*‡(;485);5*†2:*‡(;4956*2(5*- 4)
8¶8*;4069285);)6†8)4;1(‡9;48081;8:8‡1;48†85;4)
485†528806*81(‡9;48; (88;4(‡?34;48)4‡;161;:188;‡?;

“But,” said I, returning him the slip, “I am as much in the dark as ever. Were
all the jewels of Golconda awaiting me upon my solution of this enigma, I am
quite sure that I should be unable to earn them.”
“And yet,” said Legrand, “the solution is by no means so difficult as you
might be lead to imagine from the first hasty inspection of the characters. These
characters, as any one might readily guess, form a cipher - that is to say, they
convey a meaning; but then, from what is known of Kidd, I could not suppose
him capable of constructing any of the more abstruse cryptographs. I made up
my mind, at once, that this was of a simple species - such, however, as would
appear, to the crude intellect of the sailor, absolutely insoluble without the key.”
“And you really solved it?”
“Readily; I have solved others of an abstruseness ten thousand times greater.
Circumstances, and a certain bias of mind, have led me to take interest in such
riddles, and it may well be doubted whether human ingenuity can construct an
enigma of the kind which human ingenuity may not, by proper application,

abstruse: (adj) esoteric, obscure,
abstract, difficult, deep, cryptic,
mysterious, occult, complex, dark,
intricate. ANTONYMS: (adj) simple,
direct, clear, lucid, plain, obvious,
mainstream, concrete,
comprehensible, easy, accessible.
abstruseness: (n) profoundness,
obscurity, profundity, abstrusity,
wisdom, incomprehensibility,
mystery, depth, deepness,
obscureness. ANTONYM: (n)
Thesaurus
simplicity. clearness, explanation.
cipher: (n) zero, nothing, number, nil, inexpressible: (adj, v) indescribable;
nobody, null; (n, v) figure, cypher, (adj) ineffable, unspeakable,
code; (v) calculate; (adj, n) nonentity. unutterable, indefinable,
ANTONYMS: (n) infinity; (v) encode, incommunicable, nameless, untold,
decode, code, scramble. beyond description, unexpressible,
constructing: (adj) building, edificant; undefinable. ANTONYM: (adj)
(n) synthesis. definite.
enigma: (adj, n) mystery, riddle; (n) places: (n) chairs, seating, spaces.
puzzle, secret, perplexity, poser, sailor: (n) seaman, seafarer, tar,
question, problem, closed book, nut bluejacket, gob, boatman, navigator,
to crack, logogriph. ANTONYMS: (n) navy man, lascar, Panama, leghorn.
108 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

resolve. In fact, having once established connected and legible characters, I

scarcely gave a thought to the mere difficulty of developing their import.
“In the present case - indeed in all cases of secret writing - the first question
regards the language of the cipher; for the principles of solution, so far,
especially, as the more simple ciphers are concerned, depend upon, and are
varied by, the genius of the particular idiom. In general, there is no alternative
but experiment (directed by probabilities) of every tongue known to him who
attempts the solution, until the true one be attained. But, with the cipher now
before us, all difficulty was removed by the signature. The pun upon the word
‘Kidd’ is appreciable in no other language than the English. But for this
consideration I should have begun my attempts with the Spanish and French, as
the tongues in which a secret of this kind would most naturally have been
written by a pirate of the Spanish main. As it was, I assumed the cryptograph to
be English.%
“You observe there are no divisions between the words. Had there been
divisions, the task would have been comparatively easy. In such case I should
have commenced with a collation and analysis of the shorter words, and, had a
word of a single letter occurred, as is most likely, (a or I, for example,) I should
have considered the solution as assured. But, there being no division, my first
step was to ascertain the predominant letters, as well as the least frequent.
Counting all, I constructed a table, thus:

Of the character 8 there are 33.

; “ 26.
4 “ 19.
‡) “ 16.
* “ 13.
5 “ 12.
6 “ 11.
†1 “ 8.

appreciable: (adj, adv, v) perceptible,
noticeable; (adj) considerable,
respectable, conspicuous, palpable,
discernible, apparent, manifest; (adj,
adv) observable; (v) measurable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) insignificant,
inconsiderable, negligible, unnoticed.
ascertain: (v) determine, find out,
learn, discover, check, tell, control,
find, ensure, detect; (adj, v) establish.
ANTONYM: (v) disprove.
collation: (n) snack, nosh, refreshment,
Thesaurus
checking, bite, meal, banquet,
verification; (v) refection, junket,
picnic.
commenced: (v) began, Gan; (adj)
initiate, present.
cryptograph: (n) code, cryptogram,
cipher, cypher, writing, device,
cryptographer, cryptography, secret
code, coding, secret writing.
idiom: (n) expression, language,
vernacular, phrase, jargon, speech,
parlance, tongue, accent, set phrase,
saying.
legible: (adj) readable, distinct, fair,
plain, clean, definite, explicit,
understandable, direct, cloudless,
light. ANTONYM: (adj) unreadable.
predominant: (adj) paramount, chief,
overriding, prevailing, main,
supreme, ruling, sovereign, principal;
(adj, v) prevalent, regnant.
ANTONYMS: (adj) minor, subsidiary,
peripheral, sparse.
shorter: (adj) smaller, inferior.
 Edgar Allan Poe 109

0 “ 6.
2 “ 5.
:3 “ 4.
? “ 3.
¶ “ 2.
--. “ 1.

“Now, in English, the letter which most frequently occurs is e. Afterwards,

succession runs thus: a o i d h n r s t u y c f g l m w b k p q x z. E predominates so
remarkably that an individual sentence of any length is rarely seen, in which it is
not the prevailing character.%
“Here, then, we leave, in the very beginning, the groundwork for something
more than a mere guess. The general use which may be made of the table is
obvious - but, in this particular cipher, we shall only very partially require its aid.
As our predominant character is 8, we will commence by assuming it as the e of
the natural alphabet. To verify the supposition, let us observe if the 8 be seen
often in couples - for e is doubled with great frequency in English - in such
words, for example, as ‘meet,’ ‘.fleet,’ ‘speed,’ ‘seen,’ been,’ ‘agree,’ &c. In the
present instance we see it doubled no less than five times, although the
cryptograph is brief.
“Let us assume 8, then, as e. Now, of all words in the language, ‘the’ is most
usual; let us see, therefore, whether there are not repetitions of any three
characters, in the same order of collocation, the last of them being 8. If we
discover repetitions of such letters, so arranged, they will most probably
represent the word ‘the.’ Upon inspection, we find no less than seven such
arrangements, the characters being;48. We may, therefore, assume that;
represents t, 4 represents h, and 8 represents e - the last being now well
confirmed. Thus a great step has been taken.
“But, having established a single word, we are enabled to establish a vastly
important point; that is to say, several commencements and terminations of other

Thesaurus
alphabet: (n) rudiments, rudiment, ANTONYMS: (v) finish, stop, represents: (v) represent.
elements, grammar, ABC, terminate, complete, remain, vastly: (adv) greatly, hugely,
fundamentals, basics, first rudiment, relinquish. enormously, infinitely, extremely,
first principle, outlines, abecedary. doubled: (adj) twofold, multiple, exceedingly, massively, very,
collocation: (n) disposal, doubles, folded, repeated, dual, tremendously, highly, colossally.
configuration, collection, collocate, bivalent, reduplicate. verify: (v) corroborate, ascertain,
pair up, put into pairs, junction, groundwork: (n) bottom, basis, base, confirm, check, prove, support,
classification, arrangement, foundation, bed, ground, footing, certify, validate, sustain; (n, v)
disposition, apposition. bedrock, fundament, background, establish, authenticate. ANTONYMS:
commence: (v) begin, start, open, substructure. (v) invalidate, discredit, refute,
initiate, embark, institute, introduce, repetitions: (n) iteration, reiteration, undermine.
launch, arise, inaugurate, enter. iterance. whether: (pron) where.
110 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

words. Let us refer, for example, to the last instance but one, in which the
combination;48 occurs - not far from the end of the cipher. We know that the;
immediately ensuing is the commencement of a word, and, of the six characters
succeeding this ‘the,’ we are cognizant of no less than five. Let us set these
characters down, thus, by the letters we know them to represent, leaving a space
for the unknown –
t eeth.%

“Here we are enabled, at once, to discard the ‘th,’ as forming no portion of

the word commencing with the first t; since, by experiment of the entire alphabet
for a letter adapted to the vacancy, we perceive that no word can be formed of
which this th can be a part. We are thus narrowed into

t ee,

and, going through the alphabet, if necessary, as before, we arrive at the word
‘tree,’ as the sole possible reading. We thus gain another letter, r, represented by
(, with the words ‘the tree’ in juxtaposition.
“Looking beyond these words, for a short distance, we again see the
combination;48, and employ it by way of termination to what immediately
precedes. We have thus this arrangement:

the tree;4(‡?34 the,

or, substituting the natural letters, where known, it reads thus:

the tree thr‡?3h the.

“Now, if, in place of the unknown characters, we leave blank spaces, or

substitute dots, we read thus:

cognizant: (adj) mindful, conscious,
sensible, knowing, knowledgeable,
familiar, cognisant, perceptive,
witting, conversant, acquainted.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unwitting,
ignorant, incognizant, oblivious,
uninformed.
commencement: (n) opening, start,
origin, birth, kickoff, inauguration,
inception, onset, outset, origination,
source. ANTONYMS: (n) middle,
termination, finishing, finish, ending, ensuing: (adj) following, consequent,
Thesaurus
conclusion, culmination. succeeding, later, subsequent, next,
commencing: (adj) initial, incipient; (v) successive, resulting, consequential,
commence; (adv) startingly; (prep) ensue, posterior. ANTONYMS: (adj)
starting, from; (n) start, initiation, antecedent, earlier, prior,
commencement, origination, preliminary.
inauguration. juxtaposition: (n) apposition,
discard: (n, v) scrap, dump; (v) chuck, proximity, contact, contiguity,
dismiss, throw away, cast off, abuttal, location, locating, placement,
displace, fling, get rid of, cast aside, position, positioning, comparison.
ditch. ANTONYMS: (v) retain, hold, spaces: (n) seats, seating.
cherish, accept, cover, support.
 Edgar Allan Poe 111

the tree thr...h the,

when the word ‘through’ makes itself evident at once. But this discovery gives us
three new letters, o, u and g, represented by ‡ ? and 3.
“Looking now, narrowly, through the cipher for combinations of known
characters, we find, not very far from the beginning, this arrangement,

83(88, or egree,
which, plainly, is the conclusion of the word ‘degree,’ and gives us another
letter, d, represented by †.%
“Four letters beyond the word ‘degree,’ we perceive the combination

;46(;88.

“Translating the known characters, and representing the unknown by dots,

as before, we read thus:

th rtee.

an arrangement immediately suggestive of the word ‘thirteen,’ and again

furnishing us with two new characters, i and n, represented by 6 and *.
“Referring, now, to the beginning of the cryptograph, we find the
combination,

53‡‡†.

“Translating, as before, we obtain

Thesaurus
combinations: (n) incorporation, discover, see, grasp, find, know, referring: (adj) relative, relevant,
conjunction. observe, sense, appreciate; (adj, v) pertaining, not absolute; (v) refer; (n)
furnishing: (n) provision, fixture, discern. ANTONYMS: (v) Miss, delegation.
fitting, installation, equipment, observe, ignore. representing: (adj) representative,
trimming, device, interior decoration, plainly: (adv) evidently, manifestly, represented, representant; (n)
contents; (v) provide, furnish. clearly, distinctly, openly, obviously, representation, imitation; (v) mock,
narrowly: (adv) closely, barely, hardly, patently, overtly, definitely; (adj, adv) pseudo, simulating; (prep) in place of,
strictly, slenderly, tightly, smally, frankly, honestly. ANTONYMS: (adv) in lieu of, instead of.
contractly, slimly, precisely, nearly. imperceptibly, vaguely, obscurely, suggestive: (adj, v) expressive; (adj)
ANTONYMS: (adv) broadly, figuratively, unclearly, politely, obscene, spicy, allusive, graphic,
inaccurately. incoherently, implicitly, finely, smutty, significative, narrative,
perceive: (v) comprehend, apprehend, ambiguously, covertly. meaningful, epic, implicative.
112 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

.good,

which assures us that the first letter is A, and that the first two words are ‘A
good’.
“It is now time that we arrange our key, as far as discovered, in a tabular
form, to avoid confusion. It will stand thus:.%

5 represents a
† “ d
8 “ e
3 “ g
4 “ h
6 “ i
* “ n
‡ “ o
( “ r
; “ t

“We have, therefore, no less than ten of the most important letters
represented, and it will be unnecessary to proceed with the details of the
solution. I have said enough to convince you that ciphers of this nature are
readily soluble, and to give you some insight into the rationale of their
development. But be assured that the specimen before us appertains to the very
simplest species of cryptograph. It now only remains to give you the full
translation of the characters upon the parchment, as unriddled. Here it is:.

A good glass in the bishop’s hostel in the devil’s seat forty-one degrees and
thirteen minutes northeast and by north main branch seventh limb east side

Thesaurus
convince: (v) persuade, convert, sway, apprehension, acquaintance, ascription.
reassure, prevail on, induce, entice, knowledge, idea, foresight. simplest: (adj) rudimentary.
argue, convict, win over; (adj, v) ANTONYMS: (n) hindsight, soluble: (adj) dissoluble, resoluble,
satisfy. ANTONYMS: (v) discourage, foolishness, ignorance, clumsiness. resolvable, solvable, relaxed, not
repel. northeast: (adj) northeasterly, New adhering, merry, solute, loose, liberal,
hostel: (n, v) lodge; (n) dormitory, York; (n) NE, geographic region, free. ANTONYM: (adj) insoluble.
small hotel, khan, youth hostel, hotel, neon, Nebraska, geographical area, specimen: (n) exemplar, instance,
hostelry, caravansary, tavern, geographic area, cornhusker state, example, copy, pattern, person,
housing, hospice. compass point, geographical region. representative, individual, model,
insight: (n) vision, acumen, rationale: (n) reason, motive, grounds, illustration, type.
understanding, perception, justification, basis, theory, tabular: (adj) flat, systematic, discoid.
penetration, brainwave, attribution, cause, dialectics, etiology,
 Edgar Allan Poe 113

shoot from the left eye of the death’s-head a bee line from the tree through the
shot fifty feet out.

“But,” said I, “the enigma seems still in as bad a condition as ever. How is it
possible to extort a meaning from all this jargon about ‘devil’s seats,’ ‘death’s
heads,’ and ‘bishop’s hotels?’ “
“I confess,” replied Legrand, “that the matter still wears a serious aspect,
when regarded with a casual glance. My first endeavor was to divide the
sentence into the natural division intended by the cryptographist.”%
“You mean, to punctuate it?”
“Something of that kind.”
“But how was it possible to effect this?”
“I reflected that it had been a point with the writer to run his words together
without division, so as to increase the difficulty of solution. Now, a not over-
acute man, in pursuing such an object would be nearly certain to overdo the
matter. When, in the course of his composition, he arrived at a break in his
subject which would naturally require a pause, or a point, he would be
exceedingly apt to run his characters, at this place, more than usually close
together. If you will observe the MS., in the present instance, you will easily
detect five such cases of unusual crowding. Acting upon this hint, I made the
division thus: ‘A good glass in the Bishop’s hostel in the Devil’s seat - forty-one
degrees and thirteen minutes - northeast and by north - main branch seventh
limb east side - shoot from the left eye of the death’s-head - a bee-line from the
tree through the shot fifty feet out.’ “
“Even this division,” said I, “leaves me still in the dark.”
“It left me also in the dark,” replied Legrand, “for a few days; during which I
made diligent inquiry, in the neighborhood of Sullivan’s Island, for any building
which went by the name of the ‘Bishop’s Hotel;’ for, of course, I dropped the
obsolete word ‘hostel.’ Gaining no information on the subject, I was on the point
of extending my sphere of search, and proceeding in a more systematic manner,

crowding: (n) plough crowding,
bunch, jostlement, overcrowding.
diligent: (adj) busy, active, assiduous,
painstaking, careful, earnest,
studious, attentive, laborious,
industrious, zealous. ANTONYMS:
(adj) careless, negligent, dilatory, idle,
inactive, languid, slack, sluggish,
lethargic, weary, indolent.
exceedingly: (adj, adv) very, highly;
(adv) too, exceptionally, overly,
surpassingly, extraordinarily, greatly,
Thesaurus
awfully, terrifically, eminently.
ANTONYMS: (adv) slightly, hardly,
insufficiently, somewhat.
extending: (adj) expanding.
extort: (v) exact, soak, compel, take,
wring, force, extract, pry; (adj) bleed,
fleece, overcharge.
obsolete: (adj) dead, archaic, ancient,
antique, outdated, extinct, old-
fashioned, disused, outmoded, dated,
old. ANTONYMS: (adj) current,
contemporary, modern, trendy, new.
overdo: (v) magnify, overact,
overcharge, overdraw, overplay,
embroider, overburden, fatigue,
overtax, overwhelm; (adj) overshoot
the mark. ANTONYMS: (v)
understate, minimize, fast.
punctuate: (v) emphasize, interrupt,
emphasise, accent, accentuate,
disrupt, stress, mark, stop; (n, v)
point; (n) punctuation.
pursuing: (n) pursuit, search, hunt;
(adj) coming, engaged.
114 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

when, one morning, it entered into my head, quite suddenly, that this ‘Bishop’s
Hostel’ might have some reference to an old family, of the name of Bessop,
which, time out of mind, had held possession of an ancient manor-house, about
four miles to the northward of the Island. I accordingly went over to the
plantation, and re-instituted my inquiries among the older negroes of the place.
At length one of the most aged of the women said that she had heard of such a
place as Bessop’s Castle, and thought that she could guide me to it, but that it
was not a castle nor a tavern, but a high rock.%
“I offered to pay her well for her trouble, and, after some demur, she
consented to accompany me to the spot. We found it without much difficulty,
when, dismissing her, I proceeded to examine the place. The ‘castle’ consisted of
an irregular assemblage of cliffs and rocks - one of the latter being quite
remarkable for its height as well as for its insulated and artificial appearance I
clambered to its apex, and then felt much at a loss as to what should be next
done.
“While I was busied in reflection, my eyes fell upon a narrow ledge in the
eastern face of the rock, perhaps a yard below the summit upon which I stood.
This ledge projected about eighteen inches, and was not more than a foot wide,
while a niche in the cliff just above it, gave it a rude resemblance to one of the
hollow-backed chairs used by our ancestors. I made no doubt that here was the
‘devil’s seat’ alluded to in the MS., and now I seemed to grasp the full secret of
the riddle.
“The ‘good glass,’ I knew, could have reference to nothing but a telescope; for
the word ‘glass’ is rarely employed in any other sense by seamen. Now here, I at
once saw, was a telescope to be used, and a definite point of view, admitting no
variation, from which to use it. Nor did I hesitate to believe that the phrases,
“forty-one degrees and thirteen minutes,’ and ‘northeast and by north,’ were
intended as directions for the levelling of the glass. Greatly excited by these
discoveries, I hurried home, procured a telescope, and returned to the rock.
“I let myself down to the ledge, and found that it was impossible to retain a
seat upon it except in one particular position. This fact confirmed my

apex: (n) top, peak, vertex, crown,
acme, apices, extremity, height,
summit, pinnacle, point.
ANTONYMS: (n) base, nadir, trough,
bottom, abyss, depth.
assemblage: (n) meeting, collection,
congregation, set, multitude, crew,
confluence, gathering, gang,
convention, convocation.
ANTONYMS: (v) dispersal,
scattering.
demur: (adj, v) hesitate, boggle, stickle;
Thesaurus
(n, v) protest, scruple; (v) dissent,
refuse, deprecate, doubt, object; (n)
challenge. ANTONYMS: (v) accept,
concur, acquiesce, approve.
dismissing: (v) dismiss; (n) acquittal,
denial, dimission.
insulated: (adj) cloistered.
ledge: (n) projection, bulge, jetty,
board, shelf, rack, bench, hummock,
protrusion, rim; (adj) escarpment.
ANTONYM: (n) depression.
levelling: (n) equalization, grading,
flow, equalisation, evening.
niche: (n) alcove, hole, bay, recess,
nook, compartment, recession,
opening, place, ecological niche,
fireplace.
plantation: (n) orchard, farm, garden,
shrubbery, hacienda, planting,
settlement, colony, parterre, grove,
planter.
tavern: (n) hotel, saloon, bar, inn, pub,
public house, pothouse, taphouse,
cabaret, khan, hostelry.
 Edgar Allan Poe 115

preconceived idea. I proceeded to use the glass. Of course, the ‘forty-one degrees
and thirteen minutes’ could allude to nothing but elevation above the visible
horizon, since the horizontal direction was clearly indicated by the words,
‘northeast and by north.’ This latter direction I at once established by means of a
pocket-compass; then, pointing the glass as nearly at an angle of forty-one
degrees of elevation as I could do it by guess, I moved it cautiously up or down,
until my attention was arrested by a circular rift or opening in the foliage of a
large tree that overtopped its fellows in the distance. In the centre of this rift I
perceived a white spot, but could not, at first, distinguish what it was. Adjusting
the focus of the telescope, I again looked, and now made it out to be a human
skull.%
“Upon this discovery I was so sanguine as to consider the enigma solved; for
the phrase ‘main branch, seventh limb, east side,’ could refer only to the position
of the skull upon the tree, while ‘shoot from the left eye of the death’s head’
admitted, also, of but one interpretation, in regard to a search for buried treasure.
I perceived that the design was to drop a bullet from the left eye of the skull, and
that a bee-line, or, in other words, a straight line, drawn from the nearest point of
the trunk through ‘the shot,’ (or the spot where the bullet fell,) and thence
extended to a distance of fifty feet, would indicate a definite point - and beneath
this point I thought it at least possible that a deposit of value lay concealed.”
“All this,” I said, “is exceedingly clear, and, although ingenious, still simple
and explicit. When you left the Bishop’s Hotel, what then?”
“Why, having carefully taken the bearings of the tree, I turned homewards.
The instant that I left ‘the devil’s seat,’ however, the circular rift vanished; nor
could I get a glimpse of it afterwards, turn as I would. What seems to me the
chief ingenuity in this whole business, is the fact (for repeated experiment has
convinced me it is a fact) that the circular opening in question is visible from no
other attainable point of view than that afforded by the narrow ledge upon the
face of the rock.
“In this expedition to the ‘Bishop’s Hotel’ I had been attended by Jupiter,
who had, no doubt, observed, for some weeks past, the abstraction of my

Thesaurus
adjusting: (v) adjust; (n) adjusting position. imagination, acumen, resource,
operation. elevation: (n) height, highness, originality, skill, wit, inventiveness.
allude: (v) advert, refer, hint, glance, exaltation, ascent, climb, hill, ANTONYM: (n) ineptness.
intimate, suggest, touch, bring up, aggrandizement, raise, El, Alt, rift: (n, v) breach, fissure, split; (n) gap,
mean, notice, pertain. stature. ANTONYMS: (n) break, chasm, crack, crevice, cleft,
attainable: (adj) possible, obtainable, degradation, descent, levelness, misunderstanding, rupture.
gettable, available, feasible, depression, downgrading, demotion, ANTONYM: (n) unity.
approachable, accessible, viable, drop, depth. sanguine: (adj) hopeful, optimistic,
doable, realistic, open. ANTONYMS: homewards: (adv) toward home, bloody, rubicund, confident, crimson,
(adj) unattainable, unachievable, home, to your house. cheerful, buoyant, sanguineous; (adj,
impossible. ingenuity: (adj, n) ability; (n) n) red, florid. ANTONYMS: (adj)
bearings: (n) bearing, direction, crest, adroitness, ingeniousness, cunning, pessimistic, gloomy, doubtful.
116 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

demeanor, and took especial care not to leave me alone. But, on the next day,
getting up very early, I contrived to give him the slip, and went into the hills in
search of the tree. After much toil I found it. When I came home at night my valet
proposed to give me a flogging. With the rest of the adventure I believe you are
as well acquainted as myself.”
“I suppose,” said I, “you missed the spot, in the first attempt at digging,
through Jupiter’s stupidity in letting the bug fall through the right instead of
through the left eye of the skull.”%
“Precisely. This mistake made a difference of about two inches and a half in
the ‘shot’ - that is to say, in the position of the peg nearest the tree; and had the
treasure been beneath the ‘shot,’ the error would have been of little moment; but
‘the shot,’ together with the nearest point of the tree, were merely two points for
the establishment of a line of direction; of course the error, however trivial in the
beginning, increased as we proceeded with the line, and by the time we had gone
fifty feet, threw us quite off the scent. But for my deep-seated impressions that
treasure was here somewhere actually buried, we might have had all our labor in
vain.”
“But your grandiloquence, and your conduct in swinging the beetle - how
excessively odd! I was sure you were mad. And why did you insist upon letting
fall the bug, instead of a bullet, from the skull?”
“Why, to be frank, I felt somewhat annoyed by your evident suspicions
touching my sanity, and so resolved to punish you quietly, in my own way, by a
little bit of sober mystification. For this reason I swung the beetle, and for this
reason I let it fall it from the tree. An observation of yours about its great weight
suggested the latter idea.”
“Yes, I perceive; and now there is only one point which puzzles me. What are
we to make of the skeletons found in the hole?”
“That is a question I am no more able to answer than yourself. There seems,
however, only one plausible way of accounting for them - and yet it is dreadful
to believe in such atrocity as my suggestion would imply. It is clear that Kidd - if
Kidd indeed secreted this treasure, which I doubt not - it is clear that he must
Thesaurus
acquainted: (adj) knowledgeable, false, forced, labored, spurious, impressions: (n) impersonation,
informed, aware, cognizant, feigned, unreal, strained, built, imitation.
conversant, hand and glove, intimate, artificially formal. ANTONYM: (adj) mystification: (n) bafflement,
thick; (adv) abreast; (v) inform, sincere. confusion, befuddlement,
acquaint. deep-seated: (adj) ingrained, bemusement, puzzlement, deception,
atrocity: (adj, n) outrage, flagrancy; (n) profound, confirmed, deep-rooted, deceit, fraud, imposture, riddle,
brutality, abomination, barbarity, deep, gut, constitutional, intrinsic, obfuscation.
barbarism, violence, atrociousness, built-in, inborn, chronic. sanity: (n) reason, saneness, mind,
inhumaneness, crime, horror. grandiloquence: (n) magniloquence, health, reasonableness, rationality,
ANTONYMS: (n) kindness, fustian, rant, claptrap, boast, rhetoric, soundness, mental health, lucidity,
humanity. flourish, multiloquence, style, common sense, prudence.
contrived: (adj) affected, unnatural, turgidity, pomposity. ANTONYMS: (n) insanity, madness.
 Edgar Allan Poe 117

have had assistance in the labor. But this labor concluded, he may have thought
it expedient to remove all participants in his secret. Perhaps a couple of blows
with a mattock were sufficient, while his coadjutors were busy in the pit;
perhaps it required a dozen - who shall tell?” %

Thesaurus
concluded: (adj, adv) finished, done, inconvenient, foolish. concealed, furtive, occult, obscure;
completed, ended; (adj) over, closed, mattock: (adj) ax, hatchet, pecker, (adj, n) privacy, secrecy.
terminated, accomplished, all over, pickaxe, pick, hoe, grub ax, gill, adze. ANTONYMS: (adj, n) known, public;
consummate, set. remove: (v) oust, pull, expel, eject, (adj) open, overt, apparent,
dozen: (adj, n) XII; (n) dozens, boxcars. deduct, discharge, strip, get rid of, unrestricted, external, visible,
expedient: (adj) fit, advisable, delete; (adj, v) clear; (n, v) take. outermost, transparent, blatant.
becoming, desirable, adequate, apt, ANTONYMS: (v) place, install, add, shall: (n) must, necessity; (v) require,
convenient, suitable; (n) contrivance, wedge, take, bring, attach, construct, bequeath, leave.
resource, artifice. ANTONYMS: (adj) wrap, restore, provide.
inappropriate, inexpedient, secret: (adj, v) mysterious, hidden,
impractical, futile, detrimental, covert, secluded, confidential; (adj)
 Edgar Allan Poe 119

FOUR BEASTS IN ONE

THE HOMO-CAMELEOPARD

Chacun a ses vertus.%

--Crebillon’s Xerxes.

Antiochus Epiphanes is very generally looked upon as the Gog of the

prophet Ezekiel. This honor is, however, more properly attributable to
Cambyses, the son of Cyrus. And, indeed, the character of the Syrian monarch
does by no means stand in need of any adventitious embellishment. His
accession to the throne, or rather his usurpation of the sovereignty, a hundred
and seventy-one years before the coming of Christ; his attempt to plunder the
temple of Diana at Ephesus; his implacable hostility to the Jews; his pollution of
the Holy of Holies; and his miserable death at Taba, after a tumultuous reign of
eleven years, are circumstances of a prominent kind, and therefore more
generally noticed by the historians of his time than the impious, dastardly, cruel,
silly, and whimsical achievements which make up the sum total of his private
life and reputation.
Let us suppose, gentle reader, that it is now the year of the world three
thousand eight hundred and thirty, and let us, for a few minutes, imagine
Thesaurus
attributable: (adj) predicable, ANTONYM: (n) understatement. usurpation: (n) encroachment,
referable, owing, imputable, impious: (adj) godless, ungodly, appropriation, seizure, accroachment,
derivable, accusable, affirmable. disrespectful, profane, unholy, sinful, gaining control, coup d'etat,
dastardly: (adj) dastard, craven, base, unhallowed, wicked, iniquitous, presumption; (adj, n) violation; (adj)
fearful, low, shameful, ignoble, irreligious, irreverent. ANTONYMS: overpowering, overwhelming; (v)
sneaky, timorous; (n) coward; (adv) (adj) reverent, devout, restrained, deposition.
recreantly. ANTONYM: (adj) honest. good. whimsical: (adj, n) fanciful, eccentric;
embellishment: (n) decoration, implacable: (adj) cruel, remorseless, (adj) capricious, freakish, humorous,
adornment, ornament, flourish, irreconcilable, pitiless, merciless, changeable, fickle, erratic, wayward,
ornamentation, enhancement, grim, unappeasable, deadly, mortal, odd, arbitrary. ANTONYMS: (adj)
enrichment, beautification, relentless, unforgiving. ANTONYMS: reasonable, behaving, normal,
embroidery, garnish, hyperbole. (adj) placable, unrelenting. serious, predictable.
120 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

ourselves at that most grotesque habitation of man, the remarkable city of

Antioch. To be sure there were, in Syria and other countries, sixteen cities of that
appellation, besides the one to which I more particularly allude. But ours is that
which went by the name of Antiochia Epidaphne, from its vicinity to the little
village of Daphne, where stood a temple to that divinity. It was built (although
about this matter there is some dispute) by Seleucus Nicanor, the first king of the
country after Alexander the Great, in memory of his father Antiochus, and
became immediately the residence of the Syrian monarchy. In the flourishing
times of the Roman Empire, it was the ordinary station of the prefect of the
eastern provinces; and many of the emperors of the queen city (among whom
may be mentioned, especially, Verus and Valens) spent here the greater part of
their time. But I perceive we have arrived at the city itself. Let us ascend this
battlement, and throw our eyes upon the town and neighboring country.%
“What broad and rapid river is that which forces its way, with innumerable
falls, through the mountainous wilderness, and finally through the wilderness of
buildings?”
That is the Orontes, and it is the only water in sight, with the exception of the
Mediterranean, which stretches, like a broad mirror, about twelve miles off to
the southward. Every one has seen the Mediterranean; but let me tell you, there
are few who have had a peep at Antioch. By few, I mean, few who, like you and
me, have had, at the same time, the advantages of a modern education. Therefore
cease to regard that sea, and give your whole attention to the mass of houses that
lie beneath us. You will remember that it is now the year of the world three
thousand eight hundred and thirty. Were it later -- for example, were it the year
of our Lord eighteen hundred and forty-five, we should be deprived of this
extraordinary spectacle. In the nineteenth century Antioch is -- that is to say,
Antioch will be -- in a lamentable state of decay. It will have been, by that time,
totally destroyed, at three different periods, by three successive earthquakes.
Indeed, to say the truth, what little of its former self may then remain, will be
found in so desolate and ruinous a state that the patriarch shall have removed

battlement: (n) fortification, parapet,
machicolation, embattlement,
rampart, earthwork, embrasure,
crenelation; (v) scarp,
circumvallation, vallum.
divinity: (n) God, theology,
divineness, immortal, godship,
godhead, spirit, demiurge,
apologetics, demigod; (adj, n) the
Deity. ANTONYM: (n) devil.
habitation: (adj, n) abode; (n) domicile,
residence, house, home, habitat,
Thesaurus
lodging, place, occupancy,
inhabitation, inhabitancy.
ANTONYM: (n) vacancy.
mountainous: (adj) colossal,
gargantuan, huge, hilly, giant, alpine,
enormous, large, rugged, gigantic,
cragged. ANTONYMS: (adj) flat, tiny.
patriarch: (n) forefather, paterfamilias,
father, head, chief, old man,
antediluvian, head of household,
elder, founder, senior. ANTONYM:
(n) matriarch.
peep: (n, v) glance, peek, look, gaze,
glint, squeal; (n) glimpse, cheep; (v)
chirp, peer, pry. ANTONYMS: (v)
stare, gaze; (n) examination.
periods: (n) period.
prefect: (n) chief, proconsul, provost,
syndic, governor, warden, archon,
administrator, lieutenant; (v) disclose,
further.
provinces: (n) distance.
sixteen: (n) large integer.
stretches: (adj) stretched.
 Edgar Allan Poe 121

his residence to Damascus. This is well. I see you profit by my advice, and are
making the most of your time in inspecting the premises -- in

--satisfying your eyes

With the memorials and the things of fame
That most renown this city.--

I beg pardon; I had forgotten that Shakespeare will not flourish for seventeen
hundred and fifty years to come. But does not the appearance of Epidaphne
justify me in calling it grotesque?
“It is well fortified; and in this respect is as much indebted to nature as to
art.”
Very true.%
“There are a prodigious number of stately palaces.”
There are.
“And the numerous temples, sumptuous and magnificent, may bear
comparison with the most lauded of antiquity.”
All this I must acknowledge. Still there is an infinity of mud huts, and
abominable hovels. We cannot help perceiving abundance of filth in every
kennel, and, were it not for the over-powering fumes of idolatrous incense, I
have no doubt we should find a most intolerable stench. Did you ever behold
streets so insufferably narrow, or houses so miraculously tall? What gloom their
shadows cast upon the ground! It is well the swinging lamps in those endless
colonnades are kept burning throughout the day; we should otherwise have the
darkness of Egypt in the time of her desolation.
“It is certainly a strange place! What is the meaning of yonder singular
building? See! it towers above all others, and lies to the eastward of what I take
to be the royal palace.”
That is the new Temple of the Sun, who is adored in Syria under the title of
Elah Gabalah. Hereafter a very notorious Roman Emperor will institute this
Thesaurus
abominable: (adj, v) odious, foul; (adj) irritate, infuriate, aggravate, rile, renown: (n, v) fame; (n) glory,
abhorrent, detestable, dreadful, cense, inflame; (n) fragrance, aroma. distinction, eminence, notoriety,
awful, execrable, terrible, loathsome, ANTONYMS: (v) please, pacify. kudos, name, popularity, prestige,
cursed, wicked. ANTONYMS: (adj) insufferably: (adv) hatefully, prominence, honor. ANTONYMS: (n)
nice, lovable, admirable, alluring, hopelessly, agonizingly, infamy, commonness; (adj)
appealing, commendable, laudable, disagreeably, dreadfully, unfeasibly, anonymity.
delightful, desirable, enjoyable, trip, ridiculously, intolerably, temples: (n) brow.
likable. impossibly, horrendously. towers: (n) edifice.
idolatrous: (adj) loving, profane, kennel: (n) doghouse, ditch, gully, yonder: (adv) beyond, further, farther,
heathen, heretical, idolatrical, idolish, fosse, dike, drain, culvert, sewer, abroad, thither, further away, at that
idolous, pagan. gutter, hutch, trough. place; (adj) distant, yond, furious,
incense: (v) enrage, anger, provoke, memorials: (n) memoir. fierce.
122 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

worship in Rome, and thence derive a cognomen, Heliogabalus. I dare say you
would like to take a peep at the divinity of the temple. You need not look up at
the heavens; his Sunship is not there -- at least not the Sunship adored by the
Syrians. That deity will be found in the interior of yonder building. He is
worshipped under the figure of a large stone pillar terminating at the summit in
a cone or pyramid, whereby is denoted Fire.%
“Hark -- behold! -- who can those ridiculous beings be, half naked, with their
faces painted, shouting and gesticulating to the rabble?”
Some few are mountebanks. Others more particularly belong to the race of
philosophers. The greatest portion, however -- those especially who belabor the
populace with clubs -- are the principal courtiers of the palace, executing as in
duty bound, some laudable comicality of the king’s.
“But what have we here? Heavens! the town is swarming with wild beasts!
How terrible a spectacle! -- how dangerous a peculiarity!”
Terrible, if you please; but not in the least degree dangerous. Each animal if
you will take the pains to observe, is following, very quietly, in the wake of its
master. Some few, to be sure, are led with a rope about the neck, but these are
chiefly the lesser or timid species. The lion, the tiger, and the leopard are entirely
without restraint. They have been trained without difficulty to their present
profession, and attend upon their respective owners in the capacity of valets-de-
chambre. It is true, there are occasions when Nature asserts her violated
dominions; -- but then the devouring of a man-at-arms, or the throttling of a
consecrated bull, is a circumstance of too little moment to be more than hinted at
in Epidaphne.
“But what extraordinary tumult do I hear? Surely this is a loud noise even for
Antioch! It argues some commotion of unusual interest.”
Yes -- undoubtedly. The king has ordered some novel spectacle -- some
gladiatorial exhibition at the hippodrome -- or perhaps the massacre of the
Scythian prisoners -- or the conflagration of his new palace -- or the tearing down
of a handsome temple -- or, indeed, a bonfire of a few Jews. The uproar increases.
Shouts of laughter ascend the skies. The air becomes dissonant with wind
Thesaurus
beasts: (n) stock. esurient, edacious, avid, greedy, (adj) disputatious, combative,
belabor: (v) thrash, beat, pound, voraginous, ravenous; (n) fire. warlike, quarrelsome, militant,
trounce, beat soundly, belabour, dissonant: (adj) disharmonious, gladiatory.
criticize, criticise, beat up; (n) buffet; inharmonious, inharmonic, hippodrome: (n) circus, arena, Flavian
(n, v) pelt. inconsistent, harsh, irreconcilable, amphitheater, amphitheater,
cognomen: (v) agnomen; (n) family cacophonous, absonant, conflicting, gymnasium, race course, playground,
name, appellation, name, raucous; (n) disagreeing. palestra, lists, racecourse, stadium.
denomination, title, surname, ANTONYMS: (adj) harmonious, man-at-arms: (n) soldier, warrior,
soubriquet, sobriquet, designation, musical, complementary, compatible, fighter.
nickname. agreeing, melodious, consonant. throttling: (n) strangulation, choking,
comicality: (n) oddity, comedy. gesticulating: (adj) communicative. suffocation, constriction,
devouring: (adv) devouringly; (adj) gladiatorial: (v) polemic, pugilistic; asphyxiation.
 Edgar Allan Poe 123

instruments, and horrible with clamor of a million throats. Let us descend, for
the love of fun, and see what is going on! This way -- be careful! Here we are in
the principal street, which is called the street of Timarchus. The sea of people is
coming this way, and we shall find a difficulty in stemming the tide. They are
pouring through the alley of Heraclides, which leads directly from the palace; --
therefore the king is most probably among the rioters. Yes; -- I hear the shouts of
the herald proclaiming his approach in the pompous phraseology of the East. We
shall have a glimpse of his person as he passes by the temple of Ashimah. Let us
ensconce ourselves in the vestibule of the sanctuary; he will be here anon. In the
meantime let us survey this image. What is it? Oh! it is the god Ashimah in
proper person. You perceive, however, that he is neither a lamb, nor a goat, nor a
satyr, neither has he much resemblance to the Pan of the Arcadians. Yet all these
appearances have been given -- I beg pardon -- will be given -- by the learned of
future ages, to the Ashimah of the Syrians. Put on your spectacles, and tell me
what it is. What is it?
“Bless me! it is an ape!”%
True -- a baboon; but by no means the less a deity. His name is a derivation of
the Greek Simia -- what great fools are antiquarians! But see! -- see! -- yonder
scampers a ragged little urchin. Where is he going? What is he bawling about?
What does he say? Oh! he says the king is coming in triumph; that he is dressed
in state; that he has just finished putting to death, with his own hand, a thousand
chained Israelitish prisoners! For this exploit the ragamuffin is lauding him to
the skies. Hark! here comes a troop of a similar description. They have made a
Latin hymn upon the valor of the king, and are singing it as they go:

Mille, mille, mille,

Mille, mille, mille,
Decollavimus, unus homo!
Mille, mille, mille, mille, decollavimus!
Mille, mille, mille,
Vivat qui mille mille occidit!

anon: (adv) directly, immediately,
early, readily, soon, instantly, again,
forthwith, promptly, shortly, rath.
bawling: (adj, n) weeping, sniveling;
(n) cry, wailing; (adj) vociferous,
weepy, blatant, sobbing, clamorous,
tearful, howling.
clamor: (n, v) outcry, cry, clamour,
hullabaloo, roar, shout; (n) noise,
racket, uproar, exclamation, hubbub.
ANTONYMS: (n) silence, serenity,
tranquility; (v) whisper, mutter.
Thesaurus
ensconce: (v) establish, position, place,
conceal, hide, set, cache, muffle,
smother, root; (adj) house.
ANTONYMS: (v) unveil, disclose,
divulge, reveal, show, uncover.
hark: (v) harken, hear, hearken, heed,
listen in; (n) look here, look you, look.
homo: (n) gay, fellow, lesbian,
homosexual, human being, human,
man, ad hominem, guy, one,
somebody.
ragamuffin: (n) tatterdemalion, waif,
vagabond, raff, guttersnipe, rag,
tatter, tramp, caitiff, urchin, sans
culotte.
satyr: (adj) faun, sylvan, forestlike,
specter; (n) goat, forest God,
fornicator, gallant, intrigant,
whoremonger, adulterer.
stemming: (n) dragging.
valor: (n) bravery, courage, heroism,
valiancy, daring, spirit, pluck,
audacity, boldness; (adj, n) gallantry,
prowess.
124 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

Tantum vini habet nemo

Quantum sanguinis effudit!
Which may be thus paraphrased:
A thousand, a thousand, a thousand,
A thousand, a thousand, a thousand,
We, with one warrior, have slain!
A thousand, a thousand, a thousand, a thousand.%
Sing a thousand over again!
Soho! -- let us sing
Long life to our king,
Who knocked over a thousand so fine!
Soho! -- let us roar,
He has given us more
Red gallons of gore
Than all Syria can furnish of wine!

“Do you hear that flourish of trumpets?”

Yes: the king is coming! See! the people are aghast with admiration, and lift
up their eyes to the heavens in reverence. He comes; -- he is coming; -- there he
is!
“Who? -- where? -- the king? -- do not behold him -- cannot say that I
perceive him.”
Then you must be blind.
“Very possible. Still I see nothing but a tumultuous mob of idiots and
madmen, who are busy in prostrating themselves before a gigantic cameleopard,
and endeavoring to obtain a kiss of the animal’s hoofs. See! the beast has very
justly kicked one of the rabble over -- and another -- and another -- and another.
Indeed, I cannot help admiring the animal for the excellent use he is making of
his feet.”
Rabble, indeed! -- why these are the noble and free citizens of Epidaphne!
Beasts, did you say? -- take care that you are not overheard. Do you not perceive
Thesaurus
aghast: (adj) dismayed, appalled, gore: (v) butt, stab, spike, spear, push, canaille, people, rout, ragtag, horde,
horrified, frightened, scared, stick, impale, pierce; (n) bloodshed, gang, riffraff.
terrified, confounded, astonished; (n) gusset, carnage. reverence: (n, v) respect, regard, fear,
agape; (v) all agog, breathless. justly: (adv) accurately, fairly, worship, honor, esteem, adore; (n)
ANTONYMS: (adj) undisturbed, correctly, honestly, lawfully, deference, adoration, admiration,
unperturbed, unsurprised. properly, exactly, uprightly, awe. ANTONYMS: (n) despise,
endeavoring: (n) effort; (adj) aspiring. legitimately, impartially, purely. disrespect, irreverence, disdain,
furnish: (v) afford, provide, ANTONYMS: (adv) wrongly, disparagement, contempt; (v)
contribute, render, offer, unfairly, unjustifiably, unjustly, dishonor.
accommodate, supply, outfit, yield, unlawfully, sinfully, falsely, slain: (v) slay; (adj) overthrown, mat,
decorate; (n, v) give. ANTONYM: (v) immorally. fallen, dejected, cast down.
divest. rabble: (n) crowd, masses, trash, herd,
 Edgar Allan Poe 125

that the animal has the visage of a man? Why, my dear sir, that cameleopard is
no other than Antiochus Epiphanes, Antiochus the Illustrious, King of Syria, and
the most potent of all the autocrats of the East! It is true, that he is entitled, at
times, Antiochus Epimanes -- Antiochus the madman -- but that is because all
people have not the capacity to appreciate his merits. It is also certain that he is at
present ensconced in the hide of a beast, and is doing his best to play the part of
a cameleopard; but this is done for the better sustaining his dignity as king.
Besides, the monarch is of gigantic stature, and the dress is therefore neither
unbecoming nor over large. We may, however, presume he would not have
adopted it but for some occasion of especial state. Such, you will allow, is the
massacre of a thousand Jews. With how superior a dignity the monarch
perambulates on all fours! His tail, you perceive, is held aloft by his two principal
concubines, Elline and Argelais; and his whole appearance would be infinitely
prepossessing, were it not for the protuberance of his eyes, which will certainly
start out of his head, and the queer color of his face, which has become
nondescript from the quantity of wine he has swallowed. Let us follow him to
the hippodrome, whither he is proceeding, and listen to the song of triumph
which he is commencing:%

Who is king but Epiphanes?

Say -- do you know?
Who is king but Epiphanes?
Bravo! -- bravo!
There is none but Epiphanes,
No -- there is none:
So tear down the temples,
And put out the sun!

Well and strenuously sung! The populace are hailing him ‘Prince of Poets,’ as
well as ‘Glory of the East,’ ‘Delight of the Universe,’ and ‘Most Remarkable of
Cameleopards.’ They have encored his effusion, and do you hear? -- he is

bravo: (v) murderer, slayer, Cain,
matador, sabreur; (n) thug,
liquidator; (adj) bully, hotspur, enfant
perdu, scapegrace.
effusion: (n) effluence, eruption,
outpour, efflux, outburst, exudation,
extrusion, exhalation, emanation,
emission, flow.
ensconced: (v) imbedded, situate,
posited.
madman: (n) bedlamite, maniac, crazy,
loony, nut, madcap, looney, loco,
Thesaurus
sufferer, raver, nutcase.
nondescript: (adj) indescribable, dull,
ordinary, vague, indefinite,
indefinable, unremarkable; (n) soul,
someone, somebody, person.
ANTONYMS: (adj) extraordinary,
distinctive, exciting, special.
prepossessing: (adj) engaging,
winning, handsome, appealing,
lovely, captivating, charming, nice,
graceful, winsome; (v) inviting.
strenuously: (adv) energetically,
zealously, arduously, severely,
forcefully, earnestly, laboriously,
busily, toilsomely, forwardly, hardly.
unbecoming: (adj) indecorous,
unseemly, inappropriate, indecent,
indelicate, untoward, unworthy,
unsuitable, shameful, unbefitting,
incongruous. ANTONYMS: (adj)
dignified, becoming, fitting, proper,
seemly, correct, decent, suitable.
whither: (adv) hither, thither,
whereunto, whereto, for.
126 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

singing it over again. When he arrives at the hippodrome, he will be crowned

with the poetic wreath, in anticipation of his victory at the approaching
Olympics.%
“But, good Jupiter! what is the matter in the crowd behind us?”
Behind us, did you say? -- oh! ah! -- I perceive. My friend, it is well that you
spoke in time. Let us get into a place of safety as soon as possible. Here! -- let us
conceal ourselves in the arch of this aqueduct, and I will inform you presently of
the origin of the commotion. It has turned out as I have been anticipating. The
singular appearance of the cameleopard and the head of a man, has, it seems,
given offence to the notions of propriety entertained, in general, by the wild
animals domesticated in the city. A mutiny has been the result; and, as is usual
upon such occasions, all human efforts will be of no avail in quelling the mob.
Several of the Syrians have already been devoured; but the general voice of the
four-footed patriots seems to be for eating up the cameleopard. ‘The Prince of
Poets,’ therefore, is upon his hinder legs, running for his life. His courtiers have
left him in the lurch, and his concubines have followed so excellent an example.
‘Delight of the Universe,’ thou art in a sad predicament! ‘Glory of the East,’ thou
art in danger of mastication! Therefore never regard so piteously thy tail; it will
undoubtedly be draggled in the mud, and for this there is no help. Look not
behind thee, then, at its unavoidable degradation; but take courage, ply thy legs
with vigor, and scud for the hippodrome! Remember that thou art Antiochus
Epiphanes. Antiochus the Illustrious! -- also ‘Prince of Poets,’ ‘Glory of the East,’
‘Delight of the Universe,’ and ‘Most Remarkable of Cameleopards!’ Heavens!
what a power of speed thou art displaying! What a capacity for leg-bail thou art
developing! Run, Prince! -- Bravo, Epiphanes! Well done, Cameleopard! --
Glorious Antiochus! -- He runs! -- he leaps! -- he flies! Like an arrow from a
catapult he approaches the hippodrome! He leaps! -- he shrieks! -- he is there!
This is well; for hadst thou, ‘Glory of the East,’ been half a second longer in
reaching the gates of the Amphitheatre, there is not a bear’s cub in Epidaphne
that would not have had a nibble at thy carcase. Let us be off -- let us take our
departure! -- for we shall find our delicate modern ears unable to endure the vast

anticipating: (v) anticipate; (adj)
pregnant, anticipant, hopeful, ready,
oracular.
aqueduct: (n) conduit, channel, canal,
duct, pantile, pipe, flume, culvert,
gully, trough, gutter.
carcase: (n) body, skeleton, dead body.
catapult: (n, v) sling; (n) launcher,
slingshot, balister, bow, ordnance,
plaything; (v) shoot, fling, launch,
propel.
devoured: (adj) eaten up.
Thesaurus
domesticated: (adj) tame, vernacular, crunch, champ. ANTONYMS: (v)
subdued, gentle, tamed, naturalized, gobble, overeat, gulp, gorge.
submissive, depressed, crushed, quelling: (n) crushing, suppression,
cade, broken. ANTONYM: (adj) wild. stifling, quell, forceful prevention,
draggled: (adj) unclean, dirty, inhibition, curtailment, appeasement,
dilapidated. bar, prevention.
mastication: (n) chewing, chew, scud: (v) race, scoot, rush, rack, dash,
manducation, chaw, cud, gumming, run, navigate, flash, flit; (n) scudding,
change of state; (v) deglutition, shower.
epulation, gulp, rumination. wreath: (n) crown, coronal, garland,
nibble: (n, v) bite, nip, taste; (v) eat, chaplet, lei, circle, posy, fascia,
munch, chew, browse, pick, gnaw, cincture, girdle, laurels.
 Edgar Allan Poe 127

uproar which is about to commence in celebration of the king’s escape! Listen! it

has already commenced. See! -- the whole town is topsy-turvy.%
“Surely this is the most populous city of the East! What a wilderness of
people! what a jumble of all ranks and ages! what a multiplicity of sects and
nations! what a variety of costumes! what a Babel of languages! what a
screaming of beasts! what a tinkling of instruments! what a parcel of
philosophers!”
Come let us be off.
“Stay a moment! I see a vast hubbub in the hippodrome; what is the meaning
of it, I beseech you?”
That? -- oh, nothing! The noble and free citizens of Epidaphne being, as they
declare, well satisfied of the faith, valor, wisdom, and divinity of their king, and
having, moreover, been eye-witnesses of his late superhuman agility, do think it
no more than their duty to invest his brows (in addition to the poetic crown)
with the wreath of victory in the footrace -- a wreath which it is evident he must
obtain at the celebration of the next Olympiad, and which, therefore, they now
give him in advance.

agility: (n) quickness, lightness,
alacrity, adroitness, promptitude,
mobility, legerdemain, liveliness,
rapidity, speed, activity.
ANTONYMS: (n) slowness,
oafishness, inflexibility, heaviness,
awkwardness.
beseech: (v) beg, crave, implore, ask,
request, adjure, pray, sue, appeal,
solicit, plead. ANTONYMS: (v) give,
offer, grant, reject.
brows: (n) brow.
Thesaurus
footrace: (n) run, discharge, marathon.
hubbub: (n) commotion, uproar,
disorder, din, noise, bustle, tumult,
bedlam, brouhaha; (n, v) racket,
brawl. ANTONYM: (n) calm.
multiplicity: (n) diversity, abundance,
plurality, much, multeity,
manifoldness, lot, profusion, number,
multitude, array. ANTONYMS: (n)
uniformity, likeness.
parcel: (n) bale, pack, bundle, package,
packet, section, division, batch; (n, v)
portion; (v) distribute, apportion.
populous: (adj) multitudinous,
crowded, densely populated,
multiple, thick, inhabited, numerous,
manifold, multiplied; (adj, v) teeming;
(v) closely packed. ANTONYM: (adj)
uninhabited.
superhuman: (adj) supernatural,
heavenly, preterhuman, superman,
epic, daring, godlike, gallant, brave,
celestial, incredible. ANTONYM:
(adj) normal.
 Edgar Allan Poe 129

THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE

What song the Syrens sang, or what name Achilles assumed when he hid
himself among women, although puzzling questions, are not beyond all
conjecture.%
--Sir Thomas Browne.

The mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in themselves, but

little susceptible of analysis. We appreciate them only in their effects. We know
of them, among other things, that they are always to their possessor, when
inordinately possessed, a source of the liveliest enjoyment. As the strong man
exults in his physical ability, delighting in such exercises as call his muscles into
action, so glories the analyst in that moral activity which disentangles. He derives
pleasure from even the most trivial occupations bringing his talent into play. He
is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, of hieroglyphics; exhibiting in his solutions
of each a degree of acumen which appears to the ordinary apprehension
præternatural. His results, brought about by the very soul and essence of
method, have, in truth, the whole air of intuition.
The faculty of re-solution is possibly much invigorated by mathematical
study, and especially by that highest branch of it which, unjustly, and merely on
account of its retrograde operations, has been called, as if par excellence, analysis.

acumen: (n) perception, insight,
understanding, intellect, wisdom,
acuteness, astuteness, discrimination, preposterously.
cleverness, discernment, judgment.
ANTONYMS: (n) stupidity, naivete,
ineptness, inability, ignorance,
denseness, dullness, foolishness.
delighting: (adj) satisfactory,
attractive.
inordinately: (adv) excessively,
exorbitantly, extraordinarily,
outrageously, extravagantly,
Thesaurus
exceedingly, overly, too; (adj, adv) comprehensible, enlightening.
immoderately, monstrously, retrograde: (adj) regressive, backward,
retral, deteriorating; (v) retreat, fall
invigorated: (adj) brisk, reinvigorated, back, retire, regress, decline, lapse,
impudent, impertinent, energizing, revert. ANTONYMS: (v) progress;
energising, clean, bracing, refreshed. (adj) direct.
puzzling: (adj) enigmatic, confusing, unjustly: (adv) wrongly, wrongfully,
incomprehensible, mysterious, wickedly, iniquitously, inequitably,
cryptic, obscure, knotty, enigmatical, undeservedly, illegally, foully,
complicated, ambiguous, abstruse. injuriously, unrighteously,
ANTONYMS: (adj) simple, unjustifiedly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
straightforward, explicable, rightly, reasonably.
130 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

Yet to calculate is not in itself to analyse. A chess-player, for example, does the
one without effort at the other. It follows that the game of chess, in its effects
upon mental character, is greatly misunderstood. I am not now writing a treatise,
but simply prefacing a somewhat peculiar narrative by observations very much
at random; I will, therefore, take occasion to assert that the higher powers of the
reflective intellect are more decidedly and more usefully tasked by the
unostentatious game of draughts than by a the elaborate frivolity of chess. In
this latter, where the pieces have different and bizarre motions, with various and
variable values, what is only complex is mistaken (a not unusual error) for what
is profound. The attention is here called powerfully into play. If it flag for an
instant, an oversight is committed resulting in injury or defeat. The possible
moves being not only manifold but involute, the chances of such oversights are
multiplied; and in nine cases out of ten it is the more concentrative rather than
the more acute player who conquers. In draughts, on the contrary, where the
moves are unique and have but little variation, the probabilities of inadvertence
are diminished, and the mere attention being left comparatively unemployed,
what advantages are obtained by either party are obtained by superior acumen.
To be less abstract - Let us suppose a game of draughts where the pieces are
reduced to four kings, and where, of course, no oversight is to be expected. It is
obvious that here the victory can be decided (the players being at all equal) only
by some recherché movement, the result of some strong exertion of the intellect.
Deprived of ordinary resources, the analyst throws himself into the spirit of his
opponent, identifies himself therewith, and not unfrequently sees thus, at a
glance, the sole methods (sometime indeed absurdly simple ones) by which he
may seduce into error or hurry into miscalculation.%
Whist has long been noted for its influence upon what is termed the
calculating power; and men of the highest order of intellect have been known to
take an apparently unaccountable delight in it, while eschewing chess as
frivolous. Beyond doubt there is nothing of a similar nature so greatly tasking the
faculty of analysis. The best chess-player in Christendom may be little more than
the best player of chess; but proficiency in whist implies capacity for success in
all those more important undertakings where mind struggles with mind. When I

eschewing: (n) renunciation.
frivolity: (n) flippancy, giddiness,
flightiness, frivolousness, silliness,
triviality, frippery, prank; (adj, n)
trifling, inconsistency; (adj) folly.
ANTONYMS: (n) solemnity,
substance, importance, reliability,
responsibility.
inadvertence: (n) disregard,
inadvertency, oversight, inattention,
omission, neglect, mistake,
superintendence, supervision, error;
Thesaurus
(adj) nonobservance. ANTONYM: (n) besides, wherewith.
mindfulness. unfrequently: (adv) not much, not
involute: (adj) complex, tortuous, often, unoften, rarely.
involved, knotty, involuted, coiled, unostentatious: (adj) unassuming,
furled, rolled. unpretentious, unobtrusive, humble,
manifold: (adj) diverse, different, restrained, understated, simple,
many, various, multiplex, multiplied, homely, lowly, unpretending; (adj, n)
frequent; (v) duplicate, copy, plain.
multiply; (n) diversity. whist: (adj) quiet, noiseless; (n) long
pieces: (n) debris, trash. whist, short whist, whisk, tut, tush,
therewith: (adv) herewith, moreover, dummy whist, cards, card game; (v)
therewithal, forthwith, with that, shut up.
 Edgar Allan Poe 131

say %proficiency, I mean that perfection in the game which includes a

comprehension of all the sources whence legitimate advantage may be derived.
These are not only manifold but multiform, and lie frequently among recesses of
thought altogether inaccessible to the ordinary understanding. To observe
attentively is to remember distinctly; and, so far, the concentrative chess-player
will do very well at whist; while the rules of Hoyle (themselves based upon the
mere mechanism of the game) are sufficiently and generally comprehensible.
Thus to have a retentive memory, and to proceed by “the book,” are points
commonly regarded as the sum total of good playing. But it is in matters beyond
the limits of mere rule that the skill of the analyst is evinced. He makes, in
silence, a host of observations and inferences. So, perhaps, do his companions;
and the difference in the extent of the information obtained, lies not so much in
the validity of the inference as in the quality of the observation. The necessary
knowledge is that of what to observe. Our player confines himself not at all; nor,
because the game is the object, does he reject deductions from things external to
the game. He examines the countenance of his partner, comparing it carefully
with that of each of his opponents. He considers the mode of assorting the cards
in each hand; often counting trump by trump, and honor by honor, through the
glances bestowed by their holders upon each. He notes every variation of face as
the play progresses, gathering a fund of thought from the differences in the
expression of certainty, of surprise, of triumph, or of chagrin. From the manner
of gathering up a trick he judges whether the person taking it can make another
in the suit. He recognises what is played through feint, by the air with which it is
thrown upon the table. A casual or inadvertent word; the accidental dropping or
turning of a card, with the accompanying anxiety or carelessness in regard to its
concealment; the counting of the tricks, with the order of their arrangement;
embarrassment, hesitation, eagerness or trepidation - all afford, to his apparently
intuitive perception, indications of the true state of affairs. The first two or three
rounds having been played, he is in full possession of the contents of each hand,
and thenceforward puts down his cards with as absolute a precision of purpose
as if the rest of the party had turned outward the faces of their own.

Thesaurus
assorting: (v) assort. ANTONYMS: (n) discovery, multiform: (adj) different,
attentively: (adv) carefully, mindfully, disclosure, exposure, expression, multifarious, polymorphous,
watchfully, observantly, heedfully, openness, uncovering, revelation. multigenerous, manifold,
vigilantly, cautiously, considerately, feint: (n) wile, pretence, simulation, miscellaneous, multiple,
diligently, alertly, obligingly. affectation, sham, guise, ruse, deceit, polymorphic, multiplex,
ANTONYMS: (adv) unhelpfully, bluff, cheat, pretense. polyschematist, multifold.
neglectfully, abruptly, carelessly, inadvertent: (adj) careless, heedless, recesses: (n) penetralia, bowels, inside.
hastily, casually. casual, inattentive, unintentional, retentive: (adj) strong, retaining,
concealment: (n) suppression, unmindful, neglectful, chance, absorbent, adhesive, glutinous,
confidentiality, concealing, secrecy, unintended, imprudent, closefisted, cohesive; (v) fast, closely
screen, disguise, hiding, privacy, inconsiderate. ANTONYM: (adj) adhering, deep, dissipated.
camouflage, blind, covering. deliberate. thenceforward: (adv) thereafter.
132 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

The analytical power should not be confounded with ample ingenuity; for
while the analyst is necessarily ingenious, the ingenious man is often remarkably
incapable of analysis. The constructive or combining power, by which ingenuity
is usually manifested, and to which the phrenologists (I believe erroneously)
have assigned a separate organ, supposing it a primitive faculty, has been so
frequently seen in those whose intellect bordered otherwise upon idiocy, as to
have attracted general observation among writers on morals. Between ingenuity
and the analytic ability there exists a difference far greater, indeed, than that
between the fancy and the imagination, but of a character very strictly analogous.
It will be found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly
imaginative never otherwise than analytic.%
The narrative which follows will appear to the reader somewhat in the light
of a commentary upon the propositions just advanced.
Residing in Paris during the spring and part of the summer of 18--, I there
became acquainted with a Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin. This young gentleman
was of an excellent - indeed of an illustrious family, but, by a variety of
untoward events, had been reduced to such poverty that the energy of his
character succumbed beneath it, and he ceased to bestir himself in the world, or
to care for the retrieval of his fortunes. By courtesy of his creditors, there still
remained in his possession a small remnant of his patrimony; and, upon the
income arising from this, he managed, by means of a rigorous economy, to
procure the necessaries of life, without troubling himself about its superfluities.
Books, indeed, were his sole luxuries, and in Paris these are easily obtained.
Our first meeting was at an obscure library in the Rue Montmartre, where the
accident of our both being in search of the same very rare and very remarkable
volume, brought us into closer communion. We saw each other again and again.
I was deeply interested in the little family history which he detailed to me with
all that candor which a Frenchman indulges whenever mere self is his theme. I
was astonished, too, at the vast extent of his reading; and, above all, I felt my
soul enkindled within me by the wild fervor, and the vivid freshness of his
imagination. Seeking in Paris the objects I then sought, I felt that the society of

Thesaurus
bestir: (v) activate, agitate, stir, erroneously: (adv) mistakenly, falsely, coolness, dejection, doubt.
actuate, turn on, arouse, provoke, incorrectly, faultily, inaccurately, idiocy: (n) folly, absurdity, amentia,
move, excite, wake, awaken. fallaciously, wrong, inexactly, fatuity, idiot, foolishness, lunacy,
candor: (adj, n) honesty, sincerity, untruely, misguidedly, amiss. silliness, madness, idiotism,
truth, abandon, fidelity, uprightness; ANTONYMS: (adv) accurately, stupidity. ANTONYMS: (n) sense,
(n) frankness, integrity, fairness, rightly. logic, wisdom.
candidness, outspokenness. fervor: (adj, n) devotion, passion; (n) residing: (adj) residentiary, situated,
ANTONYMS: (n) unfairness, enthusiasm, zeal, eagerness, permanently fixed, placed,
indirectness, deception, doublespeak, fervency, energy, warmth, residential, located.
delicacy, conformity, caution, tact. earnestness, fervidness, ardour. superfluities: (n) added extras,
enkindled: (adj) ignited, lighted, ANTONYMS: (n) indifference, additions, embellishments, trappings,
kindled, burning; (prep) inflamed. apathy, impassiveness, aloofness, accompaniments.
 Edgar Allan Poe 133

such a man would be to me a treasure beyond price; and this feeling I frankly
confided to him. It was at length arranged that we should live together during
my stay in the city; and as my worldly circumstances were somewhat less
embarrassed than his own, I was permitted to be at the expense of renting, and
furnishing in a style which suited the rather fantastic gloom of our common
temper, a time-eaten and grotesque mansion, long deserted through
superstitions into which we did not inquire, and tottering to its fall in a retired
and desolate portion of the Faubourg St. Germain.%
Had the routine of our life at this place been known to the world, we should
have been regarded as madmen - although, perhaps, as madmen of a harmless
nature. Our seclusion was perfect. We admitted no visitors. Indeed the locality
of our retirement had been carefully kept a secret from my own former
associates; and it had been many years since Dupin had ceased to know or be
known in Paris. We existed within ourselves alone.
It was a freak of fancy in my friend (for what else shall I call it?) to be
enamored of the Night for her own sake; and into this bizarrerie, as into all his
others, I quietly fell; giving myself up to his wild whims with a perfect abandon.
The sable divinity would not herself dwell with us always; but we could
counterfeit her presence. At the first dawn of the morning we closed all the
messy shutters of our old building; lighting a couple of tapers which, strongly
perfumed, threw out only the ghastliest and feeblest of rays. By the aid of these
we then busied our souls in dreams - reading, writing, or conversing, until
warned by the clock of the advent of the true Darkness. Then we sallied forth
into the streets arm in arm, continuing the topics of the day, or roaming far and
wide until a late hour, seeking, amid the wild lights and shadows of the
populous city, that infinity of mental excitement which quiet observation can
afford.
At such times I could not help remarking and admiring (although from his
rich ideality I had been prepared to expect it) a peculiar analytic ability in Dupin.
He seemed, too, to take an eager delight in its exercise - if not exactly in its
display - and did not hesitate to confess the pleasure thus derived. He boasted to

bizarrerie: (adj) rarity, monstrosity,
monster, eccentricity, teratism.
ceased: (adj) finished.
counterfeit: (adj, n, v) sham; (n, v)
copy, duplicate; (adj, v) mock, falsify;
(adj) false, artificial, assumed; (adj, n)
imitation; (v) forge, ape.
ANTONYMS: (adj) genuine, real,
authentic, true, actual; (n) original.
enamored: (adj) loving, smitten, crazy,
taken with, dotty, amorous, besotted,
captivated, hooked, mad,
Thesaurus
enamoured. ANTONYMS: (adj)
sickened, repelled.
feeblest: (adj) least.
ideality: (n) vision, idealism.
roaming: (adj) wandering, roving,
errant, itinerant, Peripatetic,
traveling, vagabond, astray; (n)
ramble, journey, ubiquity.
sable: (adj) black, dark, dusky, sombre,
murky, mournful; (n) ebony, fur,
blackness, marten, pitch black.
seclusion: (n) retreat, segregation,
retirement, isolation, secrecy,
concealment, insulation, separation,
hermitage; (adj, n) solitude,
loneliness. ANTONYMS: (n)
company, closeness, inclusion.
tottering: (adj) unsteady, ramshackle,
easily shaken, tottery, sick, rocky,
broken, trembling, cracked; (v)
drooping; (n) convulsion.
whims: (n) vagaries, freaks, humor, ill
humor, mood, facetiousness,
caprices, disposition, temper.
134 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

me, with a low chuckling laugh, that most men, in respect to himself, wore
windows in their bosoms, and was wont to follow up such assertions by direct
and very startling proofs of his intimate knowledge of my own. His manner at
these moments was frigid and abstract; his eyes were vacant in expression; while
his voice, usually a rich tenor, rose into a treble which would have sounded
petulantly but for the deliberateness and entire distinctness of the enunciation.
Observing him in these moods, I often dwelt meditatively upon the old
philosophy of the Bi-Part Soul, and amused myself with the fancy of a double
Dupin - the creative and the resolvent.%
Let it not be supposed, from what I have just said, that I am detailing any
mystery, or penning any romance. What I have described in the Frenchman, was
merely the result of an excited, or perhaps of a diseased intelligence. But of the
character of his remarks at the periods in question an example will best convey
the idea.
We were strolling one night down a long dirty street in the vicinity of the
Palais Royal. Being both, apparently, occupied with thought, neither of us had
spoken a syllable for fifteen minutes at least. All at once Dupin broke forth with
these words:
“He is a very little fellow, that’s true, and would do better for the Théâtre des
Variétés.”
“There can be no doubt of that,” I replied unwittingly, and not at first
observing (so much had I been absorbed in reflection) the extraordinary manner
in which the speaker had chimed in with my meditations. In an instant
afterward I recollected myself, and my astonishment was profound.
“Dupin,” said I, gravely, “this is beyond my comprehension. I do not hesitate
to say that I am amazed, and can scarcely credit my senses. How was it possible
you should know I was thinking of ----- ?” Here I paused, to ascertain beyond a
doubt whether he really knew of whom I thought.
-- “of Chantilly,” said he, “why do you pause? You were remarking to
yourself that his diminutive figure unfitted him for tragedy.”

deliberateness: (n) intentionality,
pace, rate, thoughtfulness,
circumspection, prudence, careful
consideration, clumsiness,
dilatoriness, calculation,
backwardness.
enunciation: (n) delivery, elocution,
articulation, pronunciation, speech,
declaration, annunciation, accent,
assertion, inflection, expression.
frigid: (adj, n) cold, chilly, dull,
distant; (adj) chill, freezing, icy, cool,
Thesaurus
arctic, frosty, bleak. ANTONYMS: lexicography, committal to writing,
(adj) friendly, hot, burning, torrid. composing, musical composition,
meditations: (n) contemplation, redaction, versification.
consideration, cogitation. petulantly: (adv) testily, impatiently,
meditatively: (adv) thoughtfully, sulkily, querulously, pettishly,
reflectively, wistfully, musingly, irritably, snappishly, morosely,
contemplatively, ponderingly, tetchily, crossly, sullenly.
ruminatively, broodingly, thinkingly, ANTONYMS: (adv) calmly, lightly.
broodily, musefully. ANTONYMS: unfitted: (adj) wrong, bare,
(adv) unthinkingly, rashly. unequipped, unable, repugnant,
penning: (n) writing, composition, insufficient, incompetent, empty,
authorship, fabrication, drafting, unqualified, without any furniture.
 Edgar Allan Poe 135

This was precisely what had formed the subject of my reflections. Chantilly
was a quondam cobbler of the Rue St. Denis, who, becoming stage-mad, had
attempted the rôle of Xerxes, in Crébillon’s tragedy so called, and been
notoriously Pasquinaded for his pains.%
“Tell me, for Heaven’s sake,” I exclaimed, “the method - if method there is -
by which you have been enabled to fathom my soul in this matter.” In fact I was
even more startled than I would have been willing to express.
“It was the fruiterer,” replied my friend, “who brought you to the conclusion
that the mender of soles was not of sufficient height for Xerxes et id genus omne.”
“The fruiterer! - you astonish me - I know no fruiterer whomsoever.”
“The man who ran up against you as we entered the street - it may have been
fifteen minutes ago.”
I now remembered that, in fact, a fruiterer, carrying upon his head a large
basket of apples, had nearly thrown me down, by accident, as we passed from
the Rue C ---- into the thoroughfare where we stood; but what this had to do
with Chantilly I could not possibly understand.
There was not a particle of charlâtanerie about Dupin. “I will explain,” he said,
“and that you may comprehend all clearly, we will first retrace the course of
your meditations, from the moment in which I spoke to you until that of the
rencontre with the fruiterer in question. The larger links of the chain run thus -
Chantilly, Orion, Dr. Nichols, Epicurus, Stereotomy, the street stones, the
fruiterer.”
There are few persons who have not, at some period of their lives, amused
themselves in retracing the steps by which particular conclusions of their own
minds have been attained. The occupation is often full of interest and he who
attempts it for the first time is astonished by the apparently illimitable distance
and incoherence between the starting-point and the goal. What, then, must have
been my amazement when I heard the Frenchman speak what he had just
spoken, and when I could not help acknowledging that he had spoken the truth.
He continued:

Thesaurus
astonish: (adj, v) astound; (adj, n, v) boundless, limitless, unlimited, previous, old, past, bygone,
surprise; (adj) astonishing, surprised; immense, eternal, measureless, prevenient; (adv) once, sometime; (n)
(v) flabbergast, daze, confound, interminable, unmeasurable, whilom.
dazzle, stun, alarm, nonplus. unmeasured. rencontre: (n) collision, brush,
ANTONYMS: (v) expect, bore. incoherence: (n) incoherency, renconter, appulse, syzygy,
cobbler: (n) bootmaker, shoemaker, disconnectedness, disjointedness, rencounter, coincidence, fight, affair,
cordwainer, hosier, highball, hatter, nonsensicality, nonsense, contest, coexistence.
maker, shaper, pie, vamper; (v) meaninglessness, incoherentness, retrace: (v) recollect, recall, trace,
tinker. inconsistency; (adj) frenzy, etymologize, recognize, construct,
fruiterer: (n) seller, vender, trafficker, wandering, incoherent. ANTONYM: call up, bethink oneself, speculate; (n,
vendor, costermonger. (n) coherence. v) reconsider; (n) flyback.
illimitable: (adj) endless, infinite, quondam: (adj) former, late, pristine, soles: (n) family Soleidae.
136 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“We had been talking of horses, if I remember aright, just before leaving the
Rue C ---- . This was the last subject we discussed. As we crossed into this street,
a fruiterer, with a large basket upon his head, brushing quickly past us, thrust
you upon a pile of paving stones collected at a spot where the causeway is
undergoing repair. You stepped upon one of the loose fragments, slipped,
slightly strained your ankle, appeared vexed or sulky, muttered a few words,
turned to look at the pile, and then proceeded in silence. I was not particularly
attentive to what you did; but observation has become with me, of late, a species
of necessity.%
“You kept your eyes upon the ground - glancing, with a petulant expression,
at the holes and ruts in the pavement, (so that I saw you were still thinking of the
stones,) until we reached the little alley called Lamartine, which has been paved,
by way of experiment, with the overlapping and riveted blocks. Here your
countenance brightened up, and, perceiving your lips move, I could not doubt
that you murmured the word ‘stereotomy,’ a term very affectedly applied to this
species of pavement. I knew that you could not say to yourself ‘stereotomy’
without being brought to think of atomies, and thus of the theories of Epicurus;
and since, when we discussed this subject not very long ago, I mentioned to you
how singularly, yet with how little notice, the vague guesses of that noble Greek
had met with confirmation in the late nebular cosmogony, I felt that you could
not avoid casting your eyes upward to the great nebula in Orion, and I certainly
expected that you would do so. You did look up; and I was now assured that I
had correctly followed your steps. But in that bitter tirade upon Chantilly, which
appeared in yesterday’s ‘Musée,’ the satirist, making some disgraceful allusions
to the cobbler s change of name upon assuming the buskin, quoted a Latin line
about which we have often conversed. I mean the line

Perdidit antiquum litera sonum.

I had told you that this was in reference to Orion, formerly written Urion;
and, from certain pungencies connected with this explanation, I was aware that

affectedly: (adv) pretentiously,
pompously, insincerely, stiltedly,
unnaturally, theatrically, feignedly,
snobbishly, contrivedly, pedantically,
pedanticly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
modestly, naturally.
aright: (adv) correctly, right, well, true,
not Amis, satisfactorily, favorably,
justly, exactly, rightly, properly.
buskin: (n) boot, combat boot, sock,
cothurnus, desert boot, dramaturgy,
Melpomene and Thalia, gums, half
Thesaurus
boot, histrionic art, chukka boot. fretful, pettish, touchy, choleric.
cosmogony: (n) astrophysics, ANTONYMS: (adj) easygoing,
cosmogeny, cosmography. amiable, calm, affable, cheerful.
nebula: (n) Omega nebula, fog, satirist: (n) lampooner, defamer,
nebulosity, spot, bubbling, backbiter, traducer, joker, libeler,
cloudiness, film, diffuse nebula, nipper, pickpocket, ridiculer, sir
gaseous nebula, mistiness, nubecula. Benjamin backbite, swift.
nebular: (adj) cloudlike, cloudy, misty, tirade: (n) diatribe, invective, sermon,
hazy. speech, recitation, Philippic, oration,
paved: (adj) cobbled. delivery, broadside, lecture, say.
petulant: (adj) irritable, peevish, cross, ANTONYMS: (n) calm, harmony,
testy, irascible, cranky, fractious, praise.
 Edgar Allan Poe 137

you could not have forgotten it. It was clear, therefore, that you would not fail to
combine the two ideas of Orion and Chantilly. That you did combine them I saw
by the character of the smile which passed over your lips. You thought of the
poor cobbler’s immolation. So far, you had been stooping in your gait; but now I
saw you draw yourself up to your full height. I was then sure that you reflected
upon the diminutive figure of Chantilly. At this point I interrupted your
meditations to remark that as, in fact, be was a very little fellow - that Chantilly -
he would do better at the Théâtre des Variétés.”
Not long after this, we were looking over an evening edition of the “Gazette
des Tribunaux,” when the following paragraphs arrested our attention.%
“EXTRAORDINARY MURDERS. - This morning, about three o’clock, the
inhabitants of the Quartier St. Roch were aroused from sleep by a succession of
terrific shrieks, issuing, apparently, from the fourth story of a house in the Rue
Morgue, known to be in the sole occupancy of one Madame L’Espanaye, and her
daughter Mademoiselle Camille L’Espanaye. After some delay, occasioned by a
fruitless attempt to procure admission in the usual manner, the gateway was
broken in with a crowbar, and eight or ten of the neighbors entered
accompanied by two gendarmes. By this time the cries had ceased; but, as the
party rushed up the first flight of stairs, two or more rough voices in angry
contention were distinguished and seemed to proceed from the upper part of the
house. As the second landing was reached, these sounds, also, had ceased and
everything remained perfectly quiet. The party spread themselves and hurried
from room to room. Upon arriving at a large back chamber in the fourth story,
(the door of which, being found locked, with the key inside, was forced open,) a
spectacle presented itself which struck every one present not less with horror
than with astonishment.
“The apartment was in the wildest disorder - the furniture broken and
thrown about in all directions. There was only one bedstead; and from this the
bed had been removed, and thrown into the middle of the floor. On a chair lay a
razor, besmeared with blood. On the hearth were two or three long and thick
tresses of grey human hair, also dabbled in blood, and seeming to have been

Thesaurus
bedstead: (n) bed, berth, cot, useless, empty, futile, ineffective, offering, sacrifice, favor, free gift,
bedframe, furniture, shakedown, idle, pointless, sterile, bootless, boon, benefaction, grant.
pallet, stretcher, tester, stead, hatch. unproductive. ANTONYMS: (adj) neighbors: (n) neighbourhood.
besmeared: (adj) beplastered, covered, fertile, useful, effective, satisfying, occupancy: (n) occupation,
grubby. fruitful, worthwhile, profitable, inhabitancy, employment, abidance,
crowbar: (n) jemmy, pry, jimmies, pry successful, productive, hopeful, tenancy, residence, possession,
bar, ringer, wrecking bar; (v) brag. meaningful. ownership, tenure, residency, hold.
dabbled: (adj) bespattered, gait: (n, v) pace, step, tread, footstep, ANTONYM: (n) vacancy.
besplashed, covered, covered rate, stride, action; (n) walk, carriage, procure: (v) get, obtain, buy, earn, win,
patchily, spattered, splashed, movement, velocity. gain, have, purchase, induce, derive,
splattered, splashy; (v) soggy. immolation: (n) holocaust, human find. ANTONYM: (v) give.
fruitless: (adj, v) abortive; (adj) barren, sacrifices, suttee; (v) oblation, tresses: (n) locks, mop, head of hair.
138 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

pulled out by the roots. Upon the floor were found four Napoleons, an ear-ring
of topaz, three large silver spoons, three smaller of métal d’Alger, and two bags,
containing nearly four thousand francs in gold. The drawers of a bureau, which
stood in one corner were open, and had been, apparently, rifled, although many
articles still remained in them. A small iron safe was discovered under the bed
(not under the bedstead). It was open, with the key still in the door. It had no
contents beyond a few old letters, and other papers of little consequence.%
“Of Madame L’Espanaye no traces were here seen; but an unusual quantity
of soot being observed in the fire-place, a search was made in the chimney, and
(horrible to relate!) the; corpse of the daughter, head downward, was dragged
therefrom; it having been thus forced up the narrow aperture for a considerable
distance. The body was quite warm. Upon examining it, many excoriations were
perceived, no doubt occasioned by the violence with which it had been thrust up
and disengaged. Upon the face were many severe scratches, and, upon the
throat, dark bruises, and deep indentations of finger nails, as if the deceased had
been throttled to death.
“After a thorough investigation of every portion of the house, without farther
discovery, the party made its way into a small paved yard in the rear of the
building, where lay the corpse of the old lady, with her throat so entirely cut that,
upon an attempt to raise her, the head fell off. The body, as well as the head, was
fearfully mutilated - the former so much so as scarcely to retain any semblance
of humanity.
“To this horrible mystery there is not as yet, we believe, the slightest clew.”
The next day’s paper had these additional particulars.
“The Tragedy in the Rue Morgue. Many individuals have been examined in
relation to this most extraordinary and frightful affair. [The word ‘affaire’ has
not yet, in France, that levity of import which it conveys with us,] “but nothing
whatever has transpired to throw light upon it. We give below all the material
testimony elicited.
“Pauline Dubourg, laundress, deposes that she has known both the deceased
for three years, having washed for them during that period. The old lady and her
Thesaurus
elicited: (adj) evoked, elicit. terrible, dread, frightening, grim. seriousness.
fearfully: (adv) timidly, timorously, ANTONYMS: (adj) wonderful, mutilated: (adj) maimed, disabled,
awfully, apprehensively, calming, soothing, pleasant, lovely, truncated, crippled, lacerated,
horrendously, hideously, anxiously, fair. shapeless, mutilous, mutilate,
appallingly, terribly; (adj, adv) laundress: (n) washwoman, lopped, lacerate, imperfect.
shockingly, dreadfully. ANTONYMS: laundrywoman, laundryman, soot: (n) smut, lampblack, carbon
(adv) bravely, calmly, confidently, washer, bedmaker; (v) washerman. black, grime, carbon, crock, dirt; (adj)
wonderfully, rationally, levity: (n) flightiness, frivolity, ink, ebony, coal pitch, jet.
unconcernedly. flippancy, buoyancy, lightness, therefrom: (adv) therefore, thereof,
frightful: (adj, v) fearful; (adj) giddiness, inconstancy, frivolousness, hence; (adj) redundance, strictly,
formidable, awful, fearsome, humorousness, jocosity; (n, v) exact, expected, likeness, deportment,
appalling, gruesome, horrible, fickleness. ANTONYMS: (n) gravity, coincidence, accurate.
 Edgar Allan Poe 139

daughter seemed on good terms - very affectionate towards each other. They
were excellent pay. Could not speak in regard to their mode or means of living.
Believed that Madame L. told fortunes for a living. Was reputed to have money
put by. Never met any persons in the house when she called for the clothes or
took them home. Was sure that they had no servant in employ. There appeared
to be no furniture in any part of the building except in the fourth story.%
“Pierre Moreau, tobacconist, deposes that he has been in the habit of selling
small quantities of tobacco and snuff to Madame L’Espanaye for nearly four
years. Was born in the neighborhood, and has always resided there. The
deceased and her daughter had occupied the house in which the corpses were
found, for more than six years. It was formerly occupied by a jeweller, who
under-let the upper rooms to various persons. The house was the property of
Madame L. She became dissatisfied with the abuse of the premises by her tenant,
and moved into them herself, refusing to let any portion. The old lady was
childish. Witness had seen the daughter some five or six times during the six
years. The two lived an exceedingly retired life - were reputed to have money.
Had heard it said among the neighbors that Madame L. told fortunes - did not
believe it. Had never seen any person enter the door except the old lady and her
daughter, a porter once or twice, and a physician some eight or ten times.
“Many other persons, neighbors, gave evidence to the same effect. No one
was spoken of as frequenting the house. It was not known whether there were
any living connexions of Madame L. and her daughter. The shutters of the front
windows were seldom opened. Those in the rear were always closed, with the
exception of the large back room, fourth story. The house was a good house - not
very old.
“Isidore Muset, gendarme, deposes that he was called to the house about three
o’clock in the morning, and found some twenty or thirty persons at the gateway,
endeavoring to gain admittance. Forced it open, at length, with a bayonet - not
with a crowbar. Had but little difficulty in getting it open, on account of its being
a double or folding gate, and bolted neither at bottom not top. The shrieks were
continued until the gate was forced - and then suddenly ceased. They seemed to

admittance: (n) access, accession,
introduction, door, matriculation,
inlet, permit, entrance, entree, entry,
input.
bayonet: (n, v) spear; (n) sword,
cutlass, Creese, stiletto, cimeter,
broadsword, brand, dagger; (v) butt,
eviscerate.
bolted: (adj) barred, Bolten, secured,
firm, barricaded, blockaded, bolted
attachment, fast, fastened, latched,
tight.
Thesaurus
folding: (n) foldaway, plication,
foldable, bend, crease, bending,
flexure, pleating, collapsable,
collapsible, doubling.
gendarme: (n) mace bearer, huissier,
kavass, lictor, policeman, officer,
bedel, beefeater, National Guard,
posse comitatus, reserves.
jeweller: (n) goldsmith, silversmith,
jewelry maker.
physician: (n) doctor, medico, doc,
medic, quack, surgeon, leech,
houseman, MD, allergist, intern.
quantities: (n) quantity.
reputed: (adj) supposed, renowned,
famous, conjectural, assumed, famed,
eminent, prominent, alleged, well-
known, distinguished. ANTONYM:
(adj) known.
snuff: (v) smell, kill, douse, slay, scent,
snuffle, bump off, smother, snort;
(adj) tobacco, nicotine.
tobacconist: (n) store, shop,
tobacconist shop.
140 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

be screams of some person (or persons) in great agony - were loud and drawn
out, not short and quick. Witness led the way up stairs. Upon reaching the first
landing, heard two voices in loud and angry contention - the one a gruff voice,
the other much shriller - a very strange voice. Could distinguish some words of
the former, which was that of a Frenchman. Was positive that it was not a
woman’s voice. Could distinguish the words ‘sacré’ and ‘diable.’ The shrill voice
was that of a foreigner. Could not be sure whether it was the voice of a man or of
a woman. Could not make out what was said, but believed the language to be
Spanish. The state of the room and of the bodies was described by this witness as
we described them yesterday.%
“Henri Duval, a neighbor, and by trade a silver-smith, deposes that he was
one of the party who first entered the house. Corroborates the testimony of
Musèt in general. As soon as they forced an entrance, they reclosed the door, to
keep out the crowd, which collected very fast, notwithstanding the lateness of
the hour. The shrill voice, this witness thinks, was that of an Italian. Was certain
it was not French. Could not be sure that it was a man’s voice. It might have been
a woman’s. Was not acquainted with the Italian language. Could not distinguish
the words, but was convinced by the intonation that the speaker was an Italian.
Knew Madame L. and her daughter. Had conversed with both frequently. Was
sure that the shrill voice was not that of either of the deceased.
“Odenheimer, restaurateur. This witness volunteered his testimony. Not
speaking French, was examined through an interpreter. Is a native of
Amsterdam. Was passing the house at the time of the shrieks. They lasted for
several minutes - probably ten. They were long and loud - very awful and
distressing. Was one of those who entered the building. Corroborated the
previous evidence in every respect but one. Was sure that the shrill voice was
that of a man - of a Frenchman. Could not distinguish the words uttered. They
were loud and quick - unequal - spoken apparently in fear as well as in anger.
The voice was harsh - not so much shrill as harsh. Could not call it a shrill voice.
The gruff voice said repeatedly ‘sacré,’ ‘diable,’ and once ‘mon Dieu.’

corroborated: (adj) corroborate,
substantiated, verified.
foreigner: (adj, n) stranger; (n)
outlander, outsider, unknown,
barbarian, gringo, newcomer,
immigrant, deportee, traveler; (adj)
foreign. ANTONYMS: (n) inhabitant,
domestic, citizen.
gruff: (adj) bluff, abrupt, curt, crusty,
brusque, brutal, husky; (adj, v) coarse,
rough, hoarse, harsh. ANTONYMS:
(adj) courteous, friendly, high,
Thesaurus
velvety, smooth, mellow, gentle,
civil, polite.
lateness: (n) slowness, delay,
sluggishness, timing, dilatoriness,
late, slothfulness, earliness, late
maturity, tarriance, posteriority.
ANTONYMS: (n) promptness,
punctuality, earliness.
neighbor: (v) abut, adjoin, populate,
touch; (n) acquaintance,
neighborhood, national; (adj)
neighborly, neighbouring,
neighboring, adjacent. ANTONYM:
(n) foreigner.
restaurateur: (v) quartermaster,
purveyor, manciple, batman, feeder,
commissary, caterer, grocer; (n)
restauranter, traiteur, owner.
shrill: (adj) piercing, penetrating,
strident, keen, shrewd; (v) shriek,
screech, scream, yell; (adj, v) high,
sharp. ANTONYMS: (adj) low, quiet,
resonant.
voices: (n) chorus.
 Edgar Allan Poe 141

“Jules Mignaud, banker, of the firm of Mignaud et Fils, Rue Deloraine. Is the
elder Mignaud. Madame L’Espanaye had some property. Had opened an
account with his banking house in the spring of the year - (eight years
previously). Made frequent deposits in small sums. Had checked for nothing
until the third day before her death, when she took out in person the sum of 4000
francs. This sum was paid in gold, and a clerk went home with the money.%
“Adolphe Le Bon, clerk to Mignaud et Fils, deposes that on the day in question,
about noon, he accompanied Madame L’Espanaye to her residence with the 4000
francs, put up in two bags. Upon the door being opened, Mademoiselle L.
appeared and took from his hands one of the bags, while the old lady relieved
him of the other. He then bowed and departed. Did not see any person in the
street at the time. It is a bye-street - very lonely.
“William Bird, tailor deposes that he was one of the party who entered the
house. Is an Englishman. Has lived in Paris two years. Was one of the first to
ascend the stairs. Heard the voices in contention. The gruff voice was that of a
Frenchman. Could make out several words, but cannot now remember all. Heard
distinctly ‘sacré’ and ‘mon Dieu.’ There was a sound at the moment as if of several
persons struggling - a scraping and scuffling sound. The shrill voice was very
loud - louder than the gruff one. Is sure that it was not the voice of an
Englishman. Appeared to be that of a German. Might have been a woman’s
voice. Does not understand German.
“Four of the above-named witnesses, being recalled, deposed that the door of
the chamber in which was found the body of Mademoiselle L. was locked on the
inside when the party reached it. Every thing was perfectly silent - no groans or
noises of any kind. Upon forcing the door no person was seen. The windows,
both of the back and front room, were down and firmly fastened from within. A
door between the two rooms was closed, but not locked. The door leading from
the front room into the passage was locked, with the key on the inside. A small
room in the front of the house, on the fourth story, at the head of the passage was
open, the door being ajar. This room was crowded with old beds, boxes, and so
forth. These were carefully removed and searched. There was not an inch of any

Thesaurus
ajar: (v) dissentient, unclosed, plucked. noon: (n) high noon, noonday,
unstopped, wide open, out of tune; contention: (n) competition, battle, noontide, afternoon, hour,
(adj) open, gaping, partly open, not conflict, argumentation, argument, dinnertime, crest, twelve noon; (adj)
closed. discord, assertion, controversy, meridian, meridional; (adj, n)
banker: (n) cashier, teller, cambist, allegation, arguing, difference. culmination.
investor, moneyman, bank employee, ANTONYMS: (n) affection, kindness, scraping: (n) scrape, scratching,
capitalist, ditcher, goldsmith, usurer, friendship, friendliness, agreement, scratch, rub, sizing, rament, incision,
moneyer. accord, cooperation, denial. mark, prick; (v) rubbing; (adj) grating.
bowed: (adj) arched, curved, inclined, madame: (n) ma'am, dame, lady, Mrs, tailor: (v) sew, fashion, shape,
crooked, arciform, arching, arced, woman, mistress, adult female, accommodate, design, cut, adjust, fit;
bandy, arcuate, twisted, bended. Grande dame, gentlewoman, brothel (n) snip, dressmaker, sartor.
ANTONYMS: (adj) straight, concave, keeper, bawd. witnesses: (n) audience.
142 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

portion of the house which was not carefully searched. Sweeps were sent up and
down the chimneys. The house was a four story one, with garrets (mansardes.) A
trap-door on the roof was nailed down very securely - did not appear to have
been opened for years. The time elapsing between the hearing of the voices in
contention and the breaking open of the room door, was variously stated by the
witnesses. Some made it as short as three minutes - some as long as five. The
door was opened with difficulty.%
“Alfonzo Garcio, undertaker, deposes that he resides in the Rue Morgue. Is a
native of Spain. Was one of the party who entered the house. Did not proceed up
stairs. Is nervous, and was apprehensive of the consequences of agitation. Heard
the voices in contention. The gruff voice was that of a Frenchman. Could not
distinguish what was said. The shrill voice was that of an Englishman - is sure of
this. Does not understand the English language, but judges by the intonation.
“Alberto Montani, confectioner, deposes that he was among the first to ascend
the stairs. Heard the voices in question. The gruff voice was that of a Frenchman.
Distinguished several words. The speaker appeared to be expostulating. Could
not make out the words of the shrill voice. Spoke quick and unevenly. Thinks it
the voice of a Russian. Corroborates the general testimony. Is an Italian. Never
conversed with a native of Russia.
“Several witnesses, recalled, here testified that the chimneys of all the rooms
on the fourth story were too narrow to admit the passage of a human being. By
‘sweeps’ were meant cylindrical sweeping brushes, such as are employed by
those who clean chimneys. These brushes were passed up and down every flue
in the house. There is no back passage by which any one could have descended
while the party proceeded up stairs. The body of Mademoiselle L’Espanaye was
so firmly wedged in the chimney that it could not be got down until four or five
of the party united their strength.
“Paul Dumas, physician, deposes that he was called to view the bodies about
day-break. They were both then lying on the sacking of the bedstead in the
chamber where Mademoiselle L. was found. The corpse of the young lady was
much bruised and excoriated. The fact that it had been thrust up the chimney

bruised: (adj) wounded, hurt, raw,
sore, livid, tender, sensitive, rotten,
surbet, sore to the touch, painful.
chimneys: (n) chimney.
confectioner: (n) maker, shaper,
confectionary, waferer, confectionery
maker.
cylindrical: (adj) cylinder, round,
tubular, rounded, tubelike, vasiform,
cylindroid, bulging, complete,
circular.
descended: (v) extraught.
Thesaurus
elapsing: (n) expiration, course.
flue: (adj) down, cobweb, dust; (n)
fluff, flue pipe, shaft, smokestack,
tunnel, uptake, vent, chimneystack.
sacking: (n) dismissal, burlap, sack,
firing, discharge, release, sackcloth,
gunny, dismission, removal,
inactivation.
sweeps: (n) sweep period.
undertaker: (n) funeral director,
mortuary, embalmer, entrepreneur,
contractor, skilled worker, funeral
undertaker, mute, trained worker.
unevenly: (adv) unequally, roughly,
raggedly, erratically, jaggedly,
unsteadily, harshly, bumpily,
disproportionately, patchily,
crookedly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
smoothly, consistently,
systematically, firmly, straight,
regularly.
wedged: (adj) impacted, cuneiform,
jammed, fast, compacter, stuck,
compact. ANTONYM: (adj) free.
 Edgar Allan Poe 143

would sufficiently account for these appearances. The throat was greatly chafed.
There were several deep scratches just below the chin, together with a series of
livid spots which were evidently the impression of fingers. The face was
fearfully discolored, and the eye-balls protruded. The tongue had been partially
bitten through. A large bruise was discovered upon the pit of the stomach,
produced, apparently, by the pressure of a knee. In the opinion of M. Dumas,
Mademoiselle L’Espanaye had been throttled to death by some person or
persons unknown. The corpse of the mother was horribly mutilated. All the
bones of the right leg and arm were more or less shattered. The left tibia much
splintered, as well as all the ribs of the left side. Whole body dreadfully bruised
and discolored. It was not possible to say how the injuries had been inflicted. A
heavy club of wood, or a broad bar of iron - a chair - any large, heavy, and
obtuse weapon would have produced such results, if wielded by the hands of a
very powerful man. No woman could have inflicted the blows with any weapon.
The head of the deceased, when seen by witness, was entirely separated from the
body, and was also greatly shattered. The throat had evidently been cut with
some very sharp instrument - probably with a razor.%
“Alexandre Etienne, surgeon, was called with M. Dumas to view the bodies.
Corroborated the testimony, and the opinions of M. Dumas.
“Nothing farther of importance was elicited, although several other persons
were examined. A murder so mysterious, and so perplexing in all its particulars,
was never before committed in Paris - if indeed a murder has been committed at
all. The police are entirely at fault - an unusual occurrence in affairs of this
nature. There is not, however, the shadow of a clew apparent.”
The evening edition of the paper stated that the greatest excitement still
continued in the Quartier St. Roch - that the premises in question had been
carefully re-searched, and fresh examinations of witnesses instituted, but all to
no purpose. A postscript, however, mentioned that Adolphe Le Bon had been
arrested and imprisoned - although nothing appeared to criminate him, beyond
the facts already detailed.

Thesaurus
appearances: (n) show, semblance, (adj) clean, plain, unblemished. embarrassing, intricate, complex,
outlook, indicia. livid: (adj) furious, irate, ashen, mad, baffling, complicated, bewildering,
chafed: (adj) uncomfortable, sore, blue, gray, ghastly, leaden, colorless, knotty, troublesome; (adj, n) difficult.
painful, galled, angry; (v) fretted, angry, enraged. ANTONYMS: (adj) ANTONYMS: (adj) simple,
agitated. flushed, happy, pleased. enlightening, soothing,
criminate: (v) charge, arraign, censure, obtuse: (adj) dim, stupid, dense, blunt, understandable, explicable.
impeach, incriminate, blame, heavy, slow, insensitive, doltish, ribs: (n) dinner, chest, bosom.
reproach, reprimand, indict, crime, thick, dumb, simple. ANTONYMS: splintered: (adj) shattered, broken,
criminator. (adj) bright, clever, perceptive, pixilated, split, soaked, blind drunk,
discolored: (adj) wan, blond, flecked, sensitive, intelligent, astute, acute, soused, blotto, sozzled, cracked,
flawed, faded, dirty, rusty, dingy, shrewd. plastered.
dark, freckled, crusty. ANTONYMS: perplexing: (adj) enigmatic, puzzling, tibia: (n) shin, shin bone, leg bone.
144 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

Dupin seemed singularly interested in the progress of this affair -- at least so

I judged from his manner, for he made no comments. It was only after the
announcement that Le Bon had been imprisoned, that he asked me my opinion
respecting the murders.%
I could merely agree with all Paris in considering them an insoluble mystery.
I saw no means by which it would be possible to trace the murderer.
“We must not judge of the means,” said Dupin, “by this shell of an
examination. The Parisian police, so much extolled for acumen, are cunning, but
no more. There is no method in their proceedings, beyond the method of the
moment. They make a vast parade of measures; but, not unfrequently, these are
so ill adapted to the objects proposed, as to put us in mind of Monsieur
Jourdain’s calling for his robe-de-chambre - pour mieux entendre la musique. The
results attained by them are not unfrequently surprising, but, for the most part,
are brought about by simple diligence and activity. When these qualities are
unavailing, their schemes fail. Vidocq, for example, was a good guesser and a
persevering man. But, without educated thought, he erred continually by the
very intensity of his investigations. He impaired his vision by holding the object
too close. He might see, perhaps, one or two points with unusual clearness, but
in so doing he, necessarily, lost sight of the matter as a whole. Thus there is such
a thing as being too profound. Truth is not always in a well. In fact, as regards
the more important knowledge, I do believe that she is invariably superficial. The
depth lies in the valleys where we seek her, and not upon the mountain-tops
where she is found. The modes and sources of this kind of error are well typified
in the contemplation of the heavenly bodies. To look at a star by glances - to view
it in a side-long way, by turning toward it the exterior portions of the retina
(more susceptible of feeble impressions of light than the interior), is to behold the
star distinctly - is to have the best appreciation of its lustre - a lustre which grows
dim just in proportion as we turn our vision fully upon it. A greater number of
rays actually fall upon the eye in the latter case, but, in the former, there is the
more refined capacity for comprehension. By undue profundity we perplex and

cunning: (adj) crafty, canny, adroit,
wily, sly, shrewd, tricky, artful; (n)
craftiness, craft, cleverness.
ANTONYMS: (adj) simple, honest,
stupid, unimaginative, gullible,
ingenuous, straightforward, candid,
sincere; (n) frankness,
straightforwardness.
extolled: (adj) decorated, dignified,
exalted, elevated, adorned,
emblazoned, inscribed.
guesser: (n) conjecture.
Thesaurus
insoluble: (adj) inextricable,
insolvable, irresoluble, unsolvable,
indiscerptible, inaccessible,
indissolvable, indivisible,
inexplicable, hopeless, firm.
judged: (n) judging; (adj) guilty,
deliberate, legal, lawful.
perplex: (adj, v) confuse, puzzle; (v)
amaze, mystify, astonish, nonplus,
complicate, confound, disconcert,
bother, get. ANTONYMS: (v)
simplify, clarify, enlighten, placate,
explain.
retina: (n) cornea, iris, pupil,
membrane.
singularly: (adv) peculiarly, uniquely,
unusually, curiously, rarely,
uncommonly, oddly, solely,
exceptionally, individually; (adj, adv)
remarkably.
unavailing: (adj) fruitless, bootless,
useless, ineffectual, inefficacious,
otiose, inutile, ineffective, idle, vain,
pointless.
 Edgar Allan Poe 145

enfeeble thought; and it is possible to make even Venus herself vanish from the
firmanent by a scrutiny too sustained, too concentrated, or too direct.%
“As for these murders, let us enter into some examinations for ourselves,
before we make up an opinion respecting them. An inquiry will afford us
amusement,” [I thought this an odd term, so applied, but said nothing] “and,
besides, Le Bon once rendered me a service for which I am not ungrateful. We
will go and see the premises with our own eyes. I know G----, the Prefect of
Police, and shall have no difficulty in obtaining the necessary permission.”
The permission was obtained, and we proceeded at once to the Rue Morgue.
This is one of those miserable thoroughfares which intervene between the Rue
Richelieu and the Rue St. Roch. It was late in the afternoon when we reached it;
as this quarter is at a great distance from that in which we resided. The house
was readily found; for there were still many persons gazing up at the closed
shutters, with an objectless curiosity, from the opposite side of the way. It was
an ordinary Parisian house, with a gateway, on one side of which was a glazed
watch-box, with a sliding panel in the window, indicating a loge de concierge.
Before going in we walked up the street, turned down an alley, and then, again
turning, passed in the rear of the building - Dupin, meanwhile examining the
whole neighborhood, as well as the house, with a minuteness of attention for
which I could see no possible object.
Retracing our steps, we came again to the front of the dwelling, rang, and,
having shown our credentials, were admitted by the agents in charge. We went
up stairs - into the chamber where the body of Mademoiselle L’Espanaye had
been found, and where both the deceased still lay. The disorders of the room
had, as usual, been suffered to exist. I saw nothing beyond what had been stated
in the “Gazette des Tribunaux.” Dupin scrutinized every thing - not excepting
the bodies of the victims. We then went into the other rooms, and into the yard; a
gendarme accompanying us throughout. The examination occupied us until dark,
when we took our departure. On our way home my companion stepped in for a
moment at the office of one of the daily papers.

Thesaurus
alley: (n) track, road, passage, lane, excepting: (conj, prep) but, bar; (n, prep) infinite.
alleyway, aisle, path, runway, except for, exclusive of; (prep) aside ungrateful: (adj) unmindful,
pathway, street, back street. from, besides, apart from, barring, unthankful, unappreciative,
concierge: (n) gatekeeper, door- excluding, with the exception of; (v) unnatural, ingrate, unpleasant,
keeper, doorman, doorkeeper, saving. ANTONYM: (prep) including. distasteful, displeasing, unkind,
custodian, janitor, porter, warder, loge: (n) box seat, corner, disagreeable, not kind. ANTONYMS:
Guarda Costa, warden, game keeper. compartment, boxful, balcony, (adj) grateful, thankful, appreciative.
enfeeble: (adj, v) weaken; (v) enervate, boxwood. vanish: (n, v) disappear; (adj, v) fade;
attenuate, unnerve, waste, impair, objectless: (adj) purposeless, endless, (v) disperse, pass, go, die, dissipate,
devitalize, emaciate, cripple, break, endless bliss, endless clamor, endless evaporate, depart, flee, melt away.
diminish. ANTONYMS: (v) praise, endless time, excessive, ANTONYMS: (v) come, arrive, wax,
strengthen, harden, galvanize. fruitless, interminable, random, stay.
146 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

I have said that the whims of my friend were manifold, and that Je les
ménagais: - for this phrase there is no English equivalent. It was his humor, now,
to decline all conversation on the subject of the murder, until about noon the next
day. He then asked me, suddenly, if I had observed any thing peculiar at the
scene of the atrocity.%
There was something in his manner of emphasizing the word “peculiar,”
which caused me to shudder, without knowing why.
“No, nothing peculiar,” I said; “nothing more, at least, than we both saw
stated in the paper.”
“The ‘Gazette,’ “ he replied, “has not entered, I fear, into the unusual horror
of the thing. But dismiss the idle opinions of this print. It appears to me that this
mystery is considered insoluble, for the very reason which should cause it to be
regarded as easy of solution - I mean for the outré character of its features. The
police are confounded by the seeming absence of motive - not for the murder
itself - but for the atrocity of the murder. They are puzzled, too, by the seeming
impossibility of reconciling the voices heard in contention, with the facts that no
one was discovered up stairs but the assassinated Mademoiselle L’Espanaye, and
that there were no means of egress without the notice of the party ascending. The
wild disorder of the room; the corpse thrust, with the head downward, up the
chimney; the frightful mutilation of the body of the old lady; these
considerations, with those just mentioned, and others which I need not mention,
have sufficed to paralyze the powers, by putting completely at fault the boasted
acumen, of the government agents. They have fallen into the gross but common
error of confounding the unusual with the abstruse. But it is by these deviations
from the plane of the ordinary, that reason feels its way, if at all, in its search for
the true. In investigations such as we are now pursuing, it should not be so much
asked ‘what has occurred,’ as ‘what has occurred that has never occurred before.’
In fact, the facility with which I shall arrive, or have arrived, at the solution of
this mystery, is in the direct ratio of its apparent insolubility in the eyes of the
police.”
I stared at the speaker in mute astonishment.

confounded: (adj) bemused, accursed,
execrable, baffled, cursed, befuddled,
confused, puzzled, aghast, perplexed;
(adj, v) abashed.
confounding: (adj) baffling, puzzling,
contradictory, devious, difficult,
marvelous, misleading, astounding;
(v) confound; (n) misunderstanding,
confusion.
egress: (n) exit, egression, outlet, door,
emergence, departure, emersion,
emission, way out, dissilience; (v)
Thesaurus
emerge. ANTONYMS: (n) entry,
ingress.
emphasizing: (n) accenting,
accentuation, accent, emphasise,
stressing, emphasize, action.
insolubility: (n) insolubleness,
irresolubleness; (v) indiscerptibility,
indivisibility. ANTONYM: (n)
solubility.
mutilation: (n) damage,
dismemberment, wound,
disfigurement, gash, blow, buffet,
bruise, distortion, impairment,
mayhem. ANTONYM: (n)
enhancement.
paralyze: (v) palsy, cripple, paralyse,
disable, deaden, petrify; (n, v) numb,
stun; (adj, n) obtund, blunt; (adj)
anaesthetize.
reconciling: (adj) accommodative,
peacemaking, gentle, mild,
conciliatory, peaceful, cooperative,
quiet; (n) integration, merging,
reconciliation.
 Edgar Allan Poe 147

“I am now awaiting,” continued he, looking toward the door of our

apartment - “I am now awaiting a person who, although perhaps not the
perpetrator of these butcheries, must have been in some measure implicated in
their perpetration. Of the worst portion of the crimes committed, it is probable
that he is innocent. I hope that I am right in this supposition; for upon it I build
my expectation of reading the entire riddle. I look for the man here - in this room
- every moment. It is true that he may not arrive; but the probability is that he
will. Should he come, it will be necessary to detain him. Here are pistols; and we
both know how to use them when occasion demands their use.”
I took the pistols, scarcely knowing what I did, or believing what I heard,
while Dupin went on, very much as if in a soliloquy. I have already spoken of his
abstract manner at such times. His discourse was addressed to myself; but his
voice, although by no means loud, had that intonation which is commonly
employed in speaking to some one at a great distance. His eyes, vacant in
expression, regarded only the wall.%
“That the voices heard in contention,” he said, “by the party upon the stairs,
were not the voices of the women themselves, was fully proved by the evidence.
This relieves us of all doubt upon the question whether the old lady could have
first destroyed the daughter and afterward have committed suicide. I speak of
this point chiefly for the sake of method; for the strength of Madame L’Espanaye
would have been utterly unequal to the task of thrusting her daughter’s corpse
up the chimney as it was found; and the nature of the wounds upon her own
person entirely preclude the idea of self-destruction. Murder, then, has been
committed by some third party; and the voices of this third party were those
heard in contention. Let me now advert - not to the whole testimony respecting
these voices - but to what was peculiar in that testimony. Did you observe any
thing peculiar about it?”
I remarked that, while all the witnesses agreed in supposing the gruff voice to
be that of a Frenchman, there was much disagreement in regard to the shrill, or,
as one individual termed it, the harsh voice.

Thesaurus
advert: (n) advertisement, implicated: (adj) involved, involve, consignment.
announcement, ad, advertising, associated, caught up, occupied, perpetrator: (n) offender, doer,
poster, advertizing; (v) notice, allude, mixed up, interested, allied to, criminal, performer, actor, agent,
mention, pay attention, attend. culpably involved, affiliated. delinquent, malefactor, crook,
chimney: (n) fireplace, smokestack, intonation: (n) inflection, tone, wrongdoer, hoodlum.
shaft, flue, hearth, vent, lamp expression, cadence, timbre, preclude: (v) forbid, obviate, avert,
chimney, chimneys, nostril, throat, chanting, drone, prosody, vocalizing, hinder, forestall, bar, debar, foreclose,
weasand. singing, sound. prevent, anticipate, obstruct.
detain: (v) arrest, confine, catch, perpetration: (n) committal, crime, ANTONYM: (v) encourage.
capture, apprehend, stay, keep, jail, commitment, doing, military thrusting: (n) thrust, push, jab, poke,
imprison, incarcerate, retard. commission, charge, commissioning, jabbing, stab, driving force, scoke,
ANTONYMS: (v) free, liberate, rush. committee, delegacy, delegation, sack, punch, Phytolacca Americana.
148 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“That was the evidence itself,” said Dupin, “but it was not the peculiarity of
the evidence. You have observed nothing distinctive. Yet there was something to
be observed. The witnesses, as you remark, agreed about the gruff voice; they
were here unanimous. But in regard to the shrill voice, the peculiarity is - not that
they disagreed - but that, while an Italian, an Englishman, a Spaniard, a
Hollander, and a Frenchman attempted to describe it, each one spoke of it as that
of a foreigner. Each is sure that it was not the voice of one of his own countrymen.
Each likens it - not to the voice of an individual of any nation with whose
language he is conversant - but the converse. The Frenchman supposes it the
voice of a Spaniard, and ‘might have distinguished some words had he been
acquainted with the Spanish.’ The Dutchman maintains it to have been that of a
Frenchman; but we find it stated that ‘not understanding French this witness was
examined through an interpreter.’ The Englishman thinks it the voice of a German,
and ‘does not understand German.’ The Spaniard ‘is sure’ that it was that of an
Englishman, but ‘judges by the intonation’ altogether, ‘as he has no knowledge of
the English.’ The Italian believes it the voice of a Russian, but ‘has never conversed
with a native of Russia.’ A second Frenchman differs, moreover, with the first, and
is positive that the voice was that of an Italian; but, not being cognizant of that
tongue, is, like the Spaniard, ‘convinced by the intonation.’ Now, how strangely
unusual must that voice have really been, about which such testimony as this
could have been elicited! - in whose tones, even, denizens of the five great
divisions of Europe could recognise nothing familiar! You will say that it might
have been the voice of an Asiatic - of an African. Neither Asiatics nor Africans
abound in Paris; but, without denying the inference, I will now merely call your
attention to three points. The voice is termed by one witness ‘harsh rather than
shrill.’ It is represented by two others to have been ‘quick and unequal.’ No words
- no sounds resembling words - were by any witness mentioned as
distinguishable.%
“I know not,” continued Dupin, “what impression I may have made, so far,
upon your own understanding; but I do not hesitate to say that legitimate
deductions even from this portion of the testimony - the portion respecting the
gruff and shrill voices - are in themselves sufficient to engender a suspicion

Thesaurus
abound: (v) swarm, teem, flow, (v) confer, confabulate, speak; (n) bring. ANTONYMS: (v) stop,
overflow, burst; (n) exuberate, conversation, colloquy, contrast; (adj, destroy, halt, finish.
shower down, stream, rain, n) opposite; (adj) counter. peculiarity: (n) idiosyncrasy,
abundance; (adj) abundant. ANTONYMS: (adj, n) equal; (adj) distinction, particularity, oddness,
ANTONYM: (v) disperse. similar, complementary; (n) eccentricity, distinctiveness,
conversant: (adj) proficient, knowing, similarity. abnormality, characteristic, attribute,
informed, familiar, versed, learned, denying: (v) deny; (adv) denyingly; difference, individuality.
cognizant, conscious, erudite, (adj) opposed, recusative, unselfish, ANTONYM: (n) similarity.
experienced, skilled. ANTONYMS: abnegative. supposes: (adj) ridiculous, regulation,
(adj) unfamiliar, oblivious, engender: (v) cause, breed, generate, project, preposterous, plainly,
inexperienced. bring about, make, bring forth, suggestion, notions, irrational,
converse: (n, v) chat, discourse, argue; create, produce, procreate, father, absurd, fatuity, foolish.
 Edgar Allan Poe 149

which should give direction to all farther progress in the investigation of the
mystery. I said ‘legitimate deductions;’ but my meaning is not thus fully
expressed. I designed to imply that the deductions are the sole proper ones, and
that the suspicion arises inevitably from them as the single result. What the
suspicion is, however, I will not say just yet. I merely wish you to bear in mind
that, with myself, it was sufficiently forcible to give a definite form - a certain
tendency - to my inquiries in the chamber.%
“Let us now transport ourselves, in fancy, to this chamber. What shall we first
seek here? The means of egress employed by the murderers. It is not too much to
say that neither of us believe in præternatural events. Madame and
Mademoiselle L’Espanaye were not destroyed by spirits. The doers of the deed
were material, and escaped materially. Then how? Fortunately, there is but one
mode of reasoning upon the point, and that mode must lead us to a definite
decision. - Let us examine, each by each, the possible means of egress. It is clear
that the assassins were in the room where Mademoiselle L’Espanaye was found,
or at least in the room adjoining, when the party ascended the stairs. It is then
only from these two apartments that we have to seek issues. The police have laid
bare the floors, the ceilings, and the masonry of the walls, in every direction. No
secret issues could have escaped their vigilance. But, not trusting to their eyes, I
examined with my own. There were, then, no secret issues. Both doors leading
from the rooms into the passage were securely locked, with the keys inside. Let
us turn to the chimneys. These, although of ordinary width for some eight or ten
feet above the hearths, will not admit, throughout their extent, the body of a
large cat. The impossibility of egress, by means already stated, being thus
absolute, we are reduced to the windows. Through those of the front room no
one could have escaped without notice from the crowd in the street. The
murderers must have passed, then, through those of the back room. Now,
brought to this conclusion in so unequivocal a manner as we are, it is not our
part, as reasoners, to reject it on account of apparent impossibilities. It is only left
for us to prove that these apparent ‘impossibilities’ are, in reality, not such.

adjoining: (adj) contiguous, neighbor,
near, abutting, touching,
conterminous, neighboring,
immediate, next, vicinal; (adj, v) close.
ANTONYMS: (adj) separate, divided,
detached, apart, far.
floors: (adj) floored.
impossibility: (n) impossibleness,
option, nonexistence, absurdity,
inability, impracticability, alternative,
choice, contradiction, contradiction in
terms, doubtfulness. ANTONYMS:
Thesaurus
(n) possibility, probability. unambiguous, categorical, plain,
issues: (n) edition. definitive, unmistakable; (adj, n)
masonry: (n) brickwork, stonework, certain. ANTONYMS: (adj) equivocal,
construction, bricklaying, structure, indefinite, obscured, vague,
trade, dry masonry, craft, freemasons ambiguous, implicit, uncertain.
collectively. vigilance: (n) caution, alertness,
securely: (adv) surely, safely, closely, prudence, attention, watchfulness,
solidly, steadily, assuredly, strongly, surveillance, jealousy, vigil, watch,
tightly, fixly, setly, stably. circumspection; (adj) vigilant.
ANTONYM: (adv) insecurely. ANTONYMS: (n) carelessness,
unequivocal: (adj, v) clear, positive, indiscretion, negligence,
definite; (adj) decided, explicit, inattentiveness, recklessness.
150 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“There are two windows in the chamber. One of them is unobstructed by

furniture, and is wholly visible. The lower portion of the other is hidden from
view by the head of the unwieldy bedstead which is thrust close up against it.
The former was found securely fastened from within. It resisted the utmost force
of those who endeavored to raise it. A large gimlet-hole had been pierced in its
frame to the left, and a very stout nail was found fitted therein, nearly to the
head. Upon examining the other window, a similar nail was seen similarly fitted
in it; and a vigorous attempt to raise this sash, failed also. The police were now
entirely satisfied that egress had not been in these directions. And, therefore, it
was thought a matter of supererogation to withdraw the nails and open the
windows.%
“My own examination was somewhat more particular, and was so for the
reason I have just given - because here it was, I knew, that all apparent
impossibilities must be proved to be not such in reality.
“I proceeded to think thus - à posteriori. The murderers did escape from one of
these windows. This being so, they could not have refastened the sashes from the
inside, as they were found fastened; - the consideration which put a stop,
through its obviousness, to the scrutiny of the police in this quarter. Yet the
sashes were fastened. They must, then, have the power of fastening themselves.
There was no escape from this conclusion. I stepped to the unobstructed
casement, withdrew the nail with some difficulty and attempted to raise the
sash. It resisted all my efforts, as I had anticipated. A concealed spring must, I
now know, exist; and this corroboration of my idea convinced me that my
premises at least, were correct, however mysterious still appeared the
circumstances attending the nails. A careful search soon brought to light the
hidden spring. I pressed it, and, satisfied with the discovery, forbore to upraise
the sash.
“I now replaced the nail and regarded it attentively. A person passing out
through this window might have reclosed it, and the spring would have caught -
but the nail could not have been replaced. The conclusion was plain, and again
narrowed in the field of my investigations. The assassins must have escaped

casement: (n) embrasure, casement
cloth.
examining: (v) examine, investigate;
(adj) investigative, curious,
disquisitive, exploratory, inquiring.
obviousness: (n) blatancy, apparency,
noticeability, noticeableness, clarity,
conspicuousness, unavoidability,
unoriginality, triteness, simplicity,
predomination. ANTONYM: (n)
originality.
pierced: (adj) punctured, perforate,
Thesaurus
penetrated, cut, cleft.
sash: (n) girdle, cincture, band,
cummerbund, baldric, framing,
waistband, framework, frame, fillet,
fascia.
supererogation: (n) sweat, excess,
elbow grease, effort, exertion.
therein: (adv) in this, in there.
unobstructed: (adj) open,
unconstrained, clear, unhindered,
unchecked, unimpeded, manifest,
uncaught, unconfined, unloaded,
free. ANTONYMS: (adj) obstructed,
unclear, restricted.
unwieldy: (adj) clumsy, cumbersome,
unmanageable, heavy, bulky,
ponderous, gawky, massive,
ungainly, lumbering; (v) cumbrous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) convenient,
manageable, wieldy, compact, handy,
dainty, light.
upraise: (v) raise, elevate, lift, uplift,
rear, upheave, erect, resurrect, hoist,
boost, heighten.
 Edgar Allan Poe 151

through the other window. Supposing, then, the springs upon each sash to be the
same, as was probable, there must be found a difference between the nails, or at
least between the modes of their fixture. Getting upon the sacking of the
bedstead, I looked over the head-board minutely at the second casement.
Passing my hand down behind the board, I readily discovered and pressed the
spring, which was, as I had supposed, identical in character with its neighbor. I
now looked at the nail. It was as stout as the other, and apparently fitted in the
same manner - driven in nearly up to the head.%
“You will say that I was puzzled; but, if you think so, you must have
misunderstood the nature of the inductions. To use a sporting phrase, I had not
been once ‘at fault.’ The scent had never for an instant been lost. There was no
flaw in any link of the chain. I had traced the secret to its ultimate result, - and
that result was the nail. It had, I say, in every respect, the appearance of its fellow
in the other window; but this fact was an absolute nullity (conclusive us it might
seem to be) when compared with the consideration that here, at this point,
terminated the clew. ‘There must be something wrong,’ I said, ‘about the nail.’ I
touched it; and the head, with about a quarter of an inch of the shank, came off
in my fingers. The rest of the shank was in the gimlet-hole where it had been
broken off. The fracture was an old one (for its edges were incrusted with rust),
and had apparently been accomplished by the blow of a hammer, which had
partially imbedded, in the top of the bottom sash, the head portion of the nail. I
now carefully replaced this head portion in the indentation whence I had taken
it, and the resemblance to a perfect nail was complete - the fissure was invisible.
Pressing the spring, I gently raised the sash for a few inches; the head went up
with it, remaining firm in its bed. I closed the window, and the semblance of the
whole nail was again perfect.
“The riddle, so far, was now unriddled. The assassin had escaped through
the window which looked upon the bed. Dropping of its own accord upon his
exit (or perhaps purposely closed), it had become fastened by the spring; and it
was the retention of this spring which had been mistaken by the police for that of
the nail, - farther inquiry being thus considered unnecessary.

came: (v) arrive, come.
fissure: (n) crevice, chasm, cranny,
break, cleft, breach, rift, chap, chink,
cleavage, aperture. ANTONYMS: (n)
repair, mend.
flaw: (n, v) crevice, blemish, crack;
(adj, n) fault, blot, blunder; (n) chink,
demerit, cranny, break, chap.
ANTONYMS: (n) strength,
perfection.
imbedded: (v) embosomed, rooted,
mewed up, in the bosom of, posited,
Thesaurus
situate; (adj) encysted. confused.
incrusted: (adj) crusted. nullity: (n) nil, naught, cipher,
indentation: (n) pit, depression, nothingness, nobody, void,
hollow, impression, indent, dip, invalidity, nonexistence, nihility,
notch, impress, concavity; (n, v) nick; zero, negation.
(adj) concave. ANTONYMS: (n) shank: (n) haft, hilt, cannon, shaft,
lump, bump. stem, leg, pole, helm, heft, serif, scale.
minutely: (adv) precisely, in detail, whence: (adv) wherefrom, hence,
closely, tinily, smally, insignificantly, because, for, why, wherefore, how,
infinitesimally, diminutively, nicely, then, then thence so, how comes it,
exactly, microscopically. how happens it.
misunderstood: (adj) mistreated,
152 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“The next question is that of the mode of descent. Upon this point I had been
satisfied in my walk with you around the building. About five feet and a half
from the casement in question there runs a lightning-rod. From this rod it would
have been impossible for any one to reach the window itself, to say nothing of
entering it. I observed, however, that the shutters of the fourth story were of the
peculiar kind called by Parisian carpenters ferrades - a kind rarely employed at
the present day, but frequently seen upon very old mansions at Lyons and
Bourdeaux. They are in the form of an ordinary door, (a single, not a folding
door) except that the lower half is latticed or worked in open trellis - thus
affording an excellent hold for the hands. In the present instance these shutters
are fully three feet and a half broad. When we saw them from the rear of the
house, they were both about half open - that is to say, they stood off at right
angles from the wall. It is probable that the police, as well as myself, examined
the back of the tenement; but, if so, in looking at these ferrades in the line of their
breadth (as they must have done), they did not perceive this great breadth itself,
or, at all events, failed to take it into due consideration. In fact, having once
satisfied themselves that no egress could have been made in this quarter, they
would naturally bestow here a very cursory examination. It was clear to me,
however, that the shutter belonging to the window at the head of the bed, would,
if swung fully back to the wall, reach to within two feet of the lightning-rod. It
was also evident that, by exertion of a very unusual degree of activity and
courage, an entrance into the window, from the rod, might have been thus
effected. - By reaching to the distance of two feet and a half (we now suppose the
shutter open to its whole extent) a robber might have taken a firm grasp upon
the trellis-work. Letting go, then, his hold upon the rod, placing his feet securely
against the wall, and springing boldly from it, he might have swung the shutter
so as to close it, and, if we imagine the window open at the time, might even
have swung himself into the room.%
“I wish you to bear especially in mind that I have spoken of a very unusual
degree of activity as requisite to success in so hazardous and so difficult a feat. It
is my design to show you, first, that the thing might possibly have been
accomplished: - but, secondly and chiefly, I wish to impress upon your

Thesaurus
cursory: (adj) careless, passing, prerequisite; (adj) required, bounding, furious, conspicuous,
fleeting, perfunctory, ephemeral, mandatory, needful, compulsory, prominent, ascending, projecting
superficial, slapdash, facile, obligatory. ANTONYMS: (adj) outwardly; (n) growth, suspension,
evanescent, sketchy, shallow. voluntary, optional, dispensable; (n) emanation.
ANTONYMS: (adj) complete, inessential, luxury. tenement: (n) dwelling, apartment,
comprehensive, meticulous, long. robber: (n) highwayman, bandit, flat, apartment building, habitation,
latticed: (adj) interlaced, fretted, mugger, outlaw, plunderer, pillager, abode, stateroom, tablinum,
lattice, reticulate, reticulated, burglar, pirate, crook, filcher, spoiler. residence, toft, domicile.
latticelike, tabernacular, having frets, shutter: (n, v) close, shade; (n) curtain, trellis: (n) lattice, grille, espalier,
common, reticular. shut, blind, window, skylight, treillage, train, grate, net, network,
requisite: (n) need, necessity, deadlight, lid, louver, jalousie. grill; (v) plait, wattle.
requirement, must; (adj, n) necessary, springing: (v) jumping, climbing, worked: (adj) elaborated, beaten.
 Edgar Allan Poe 153

understanding the very extraordinary - the almost præternatural character of that

agility which could have accomplished it.%
“You will say, no doubt, using the language of the law, that ‘to make out my
case,’ I should rather undervalue, than insist upon a full estimation of the
activity required in this matter. This may be the practice in law, but it is not the
usage of reason. My ultimate object is only the truth. My immediate purpose is to
lead you to place in juxta-position, that very unusual activity of which I have just
spoken with that very peculiar shrill (or harsh) and unequal voice, about whose
nationality no two persons could be found to agree, and in whose utterance no
syllabification could be detected.”
At these words a vague and half-formed conception of the meaning of Dupin
flitted over my mind. I seemed to be upon the verge of comprehension without
power to comprehend - men, at times, find themselves upon the brink of
remembrance without being able, in the end, to remember. My friend went on
with his discourse.
“You will see,” he said, “that I have shifted the question from the mode of
egress to that of ingress. It was my design to convey the idea that both were
effected in the same manner, at the same point. Let us now revert to the interior
of the room. Let us survey the appearances here. The drawers of the bureau, it is
said, had been rifled, although many articles of apparel still remained within
them. The conclusion here is absurd. It is a mere guess - a very silly one - and no
more. How are we to know that the articles found in the drawers were not all
these drawers had originally contained? Madame L’Espanaye and her daughter
lived an exceedingly retired life - saw no company - seldom went out - had little
use for numerous changes of habiliment. Those found were at least of as good
quality as any likely to be possessed by these ladies. If a thief had taken any, why
did he not take the best - why did he not take all? In a word, why did he
abandon four thousand francs in gold to encumber himself with a bundle of
linen? The gold was abandoned. Nearly the whole sum mentioned by Monsieur
Mignaud, the banker, was discovered, in bags, upon the floor. I wish you,
therefore, to discard from your thoughts the blundering idea of motive,

apparel: (n, v) garb, attire, garment,
array, vesture; (n) clothing, finery,
costume, clothes; (v) adorn, clothe.
blundering: (adj) clumsy, tactless,
inept, maladroit, ungainly,
unthinking, ridiculous, obtuse,
oblivious, lumbering, insensitive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) graceful,
sensitive, dexterous.
habiliment: (n) garment, habit,
clothing, vesture, dress, vestment,
raiment, garb, gear, clothes,
Thesaurus
abiliment.
ingress: (n) access, entrance, entry,
entree, admission, entering,
admittance, incoming, door, arrival,
gateway. ANTONYM: (n) exit.
linen: (n) fabric, flax, lingerie, doily,
doyley, doyly, cambric, underwear,
underclothes, hemp; (v) muslin.
remembrance: (n, v) recollection,
mind; (n) commemoration, memorial,
recall, relic, monument, keepsake,
reminiscence, recognition; (adj, n)
memento.
revert: (v) lapse, relapse, go back,
recur, reverse, regress, reflect,
recover, resume, get back, come back.
ANTONYMS: (v) improve, progress.
syllabification: (n) division.
undervalue: (v) underestimate,
underrate, devalue, belittle, lessen,
disparage, misjudge, decry, despise,
devaluate, diminish. ANTONYMS:
(v) overrate, appreciate, overestimate,
overvalue, recognize.
154 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

engendered in the brains of the police by that portion of the evidence which
speaks of money delivered at the door of the house. Coincidences ten times as
remarkable as this (the delivery of the money, and murder committed within
three days upon the party receiving it), happen to all of us every hour of our
lives, without attracting even momentary notice. Coincidences, in general, are
great stumbling-blocks in the way of that class of thinkers who have been
educated to know nothing of the theory of probabilities - that theory to which the
most glorious objects of human research are indebted for the most glorious of
illustration. In the present instance, had the gold been gone, the fact of its
delivery three days before would have formed something more than a
coincidence. It would have been corroborative of this idea of motive. But, under
the real circumstances of the case, if we are to suppose gold the motive of this
outrage, we must also imagine the perpetrator so vacillating an idiot as to have
abandoned his gold and his motive together.%
“Keeping now steadily in mind the points to which I have drawn your
attention - that peculiar voice, that unusual agility, and that startling absence of
motive in a murder so singularly atrocious as this - let us glance at the butchery
itself. Here is a woman strangled to death by manual strength, and thrust up a
chimney, head downward. Ordinary assassins employ no such modes of murder
as this. Least of all, do they thus dispose of the murdered. In the manner of
thrusting the corpse up the chimney, you will admit that there was something
excessively outré - something altogether irreconcilable with our common notions
of human action, even when we suppose the actors the most depraved of men.
Think, too, how great must have been that strength which could have thrust the
body up such an aperture so forcibly that the united vigor of several persons was
found barely sufficient to drag it down!
“Turn, now, to other indications of the employment of a vigor most
marvellous. On the hearth were thick tresses - very thick tresses - of grey human
hair. These had been torn out by the roots. You are aware of the great force
necessary in tearing thus from the head even twenty or thirty hairs together. You
saw the locks in question as well as myself. Their roots (a hideous sight!) were

butchery: (n, v) carnage; (n) bloodbath,
bloodshed, massacre, abattoir,
butchering, battue, slaughterhouse,
shambles, killing, murder.
corroborative: (adj) corroboratory,
collateral, confirmative, confirming,
affirmative, corroborant,
substantiating, verifying, verificatory,
validatory, substantiative.
depraved: (adj) bad, immoral, base,
abandoned, debauched, vicious,
wicked, degenerate, evil, perverse,
Thesaurus
perverted. ANTONYMS: (adj) good,
virtuous, just, chaste, noble, pure,
righteous, upright, ethical, innocent.
hairs: (n) hair.
irreconcilable: (adj, n) inconsistent,
incongruous, discordant, contrary,
dissonant; (adj, v) incompatible,
hostile, repugnant; (adj) implacable,
unreconcilable; (v) antagonistic.
ANTONYMS: (adj) reconcilable,
recoverable, compatible.
momentary: (adj) brief, fugitive,
transient, short, instantaneous,
ephemeral, passing, momentaneous,
temporary, impermanent, temporal.
ANTONYMS: (adj) lasting, lengthy,
long.
vacillating: (adj) indecisive,
changeable, undecided, wavering,
giddy, vacillant, hesitating, hesitant;
(adj, v) infirm, debilitated, enfeebled.
ANTONYMS: (adj) stable, strong,
consistent, decisive, determined,
resolute.
 Edgar Allan Poe 155

clotted with fragments of the flesh of the scalp - sure token of the prodigious
power which had been exerted in uprooting perhaps half a million of hairs at a
time. The throat of the old lady was not merely cut, but the head absolutely
severed from the body: the instrument was a mere razor. I wish you also to look
at the brutal ferocity of these deeds. Of the bruises upon the body of Madame
L’Espanaye I do not speak. Monsieur Dumas, and his worthy coadjutor
Monsieur Etienne, have pronounced that they were inflicted by some obtuse
instrument; and so far these gentlemen are very correct. The obtuse instrument
was clearly the stone pavement in the yard, upon which the victim had fallen
from the window which looked in upon the bed. This idea, however simple it
may now seem, escaped the police for the same reason that the breadth of the
shutters escaped them - because, by the affair of the nails, their perceptions had
been hermetically sealed against the possibility of the windows having ever been
opened at all.%
“If now, in addition to all these things, you have properly reflected upon the
odd disorder of the chamber, we have gone so far as to combine the ideas of an
agility astounding, a strength superhuman, a ferocity brutal, a butchery without
motive, a grotesquerie in horror absolutely alien from humanity, and a voice
foreign in tone to the ears of men of many nations, and devoid of all distinct or
intelligible syllabification. What result, then, has ensued? What impression have
I made upon your fancy?”
I felt a creeping of the flesh as Dupin asked me the question. “A madman,” I
said, “has done this deed - some raving maniac, escaped from a neighboring
Maison de Santé.”
“In some respects,” he replied, “your idea is not irrelevant. But the voices of
madmen, even in their wildest paroxysms, are never found to tally with that
peculiar voice heard upon the stairs. Madmen are of some nation, and their
language, however incoherent in its words, has always the coherence of
syllabification. Besides, the hair of a madman is not such as I now hold in my
hand. I disentangled this little tuft from the rigidly clutched fingers of Madame
L’Espanaye. Tell me what you can make of it.”

astounding: (adj) amazing,
miraculous, wonderful, incredible,
tremendous, spectacular, sensational,
breathtaking, awesome, staggering,
prodigious. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unremarkable, comforting,
predictable, boring, insignificant.
clotted: (n) clammy, ropy, mastic,
glutenous, gelatin; (adj) thick,
clogged, grumous, bloody, choked,
fleamy.
clutched: (adj) tense, worried, anxious,
Thesaurus
neurotic. disconnected, delirious, rambling,
coadjutor: (adj, n) accomplice, ally, confused, disordered, incompatible,
associate, comrade; (n) abettor, wandering, muddled, inconsistent,
accessory, colleague, coadjutrix, aide, contradictory. ANTONYMS: (adj)
helper, sidekick. clear, articulate, eloquent, intelligible,
disentangled: (adj) freed, free, lucid, sound, concise, consistent.
extricated, freer, loosened, unsnarled. tuft: (n) wisp, crest, cluster, truss,
grotesquerie: (n) grotesquery. knot, fagot, tassel, strand, thicket,
hermetically: (adv) chemically, tightly, curl; (adj, n) feather.
impenetrably, sealedly, uprooting: (n) cutting out, ablation,
imperviously. deracination, extraction,
incoherent: (adj) disjointed, displacement, excision.
156 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“Dupin!” I said, completely unnerved; “this hair is most unusual - this is no

human hair.”
“I have not asserted that it is,” said he; “but, before we decide this point, I
wish you to glance at the little sketch I have here traced upon this paper. It is a
fac-simile drawing of what has been described in one portion of the testimony as
‘dark bruises, and deep indentations of finger nails,’ upon the throat of
Mademoiselle L’Espanaye, and in another, (by Messrs. Dumas and Etienne,) as a
‘series of livid spots, evidently the impression of fingers.’
“You will perceive,” continued my friend, spreading out the paper upon the
table before us, “that this drawing gives the idea of a firm and fixed hold. There
is no slipping apparent. Each finger has retained - possibly until the death of the
victim - the fearful grasp by which it originally imbedded itself. Attempt, now, to
place all your fingers, at the same time, in the respective impressions as you see
them.”
I made the attempt in vain.%
“We are possibly not giving this matter a fair trial,” he said. “The paper is
spread out upon a plane surface; but the human throat is cylindrical. Here is a
billet of wood, the circumference of which is about that of the throat. Wrap the
drawing around it, and try the experiment again.”
I did so; but the difficulty was even more obvious than before. “This,” I said,
“is the mark of no human hand.”
“Read now,” replied Dupin, “this passage from Cuvier.”
It was a minute anatomical and generally descriptive account of the large
fulvous Ourang-Outang of the East Indian Islands. The gigantic stature, the
prodigious strength and activity, the wild ferocity, and the imitative
propensities of these mammalia are sufficiently well known to all. I understood
the full horrors of the murder at once.
“The description of the digits,” said I, as I made an end of reading, “is in
exact accordance with this drawing. I see that no animal but an Ourang-Outang,
of the species here mentioned, could have impressed the indentations as you

Thesaurus
anatomical: (n) locution, expression, gigantic: (adj) colossal, enormous, sham. ANTONYMS: (adj) genuine,
saying, anatomical reference; (adj) large, huge, giant, stupendous, real, nonimitative.
organic, analytic, corporal, corporeal. monstrous, vast, big, immense, mammalia: (n) Class Mammalia.
billet: (n) position, note, berth, job, massive. ANTONYMS: (adj) small, slipping: (n) skidding, slippage; (adj)
bar, post, ticket, quarters; (v) quarter, tiny, little, insignificant, short, slithering, gliding, down, labent.
accommodate, lodge. miniature. stature: (n) height, altitude, standing,
ferocity: (n) violence, cruelty, horrors: (adj) pessimism, vapors, tallness, prestige, figure, growth,
ferociousness, fury, rage, truculence, spleen, megrims; (n) delirium status, quality, rank, greatness.
atrocity, fierceness, wildness, tremens. unnerved: (v) relaxed; (adj) enervated,
vehemence, anger. ANTONYMS: (n) imitative: (adj) mock, counterfeit, afraid, alarmed, anxious, fearful,
meekness, friendliness, serenity. derivative, fake, false, fictitious, hysterical, scared, tense, terrified,
fulvous: (adj) tawny. bogus, bastard, onomatopoeic, base, timid. ANTONYM: (adj) confident.
 Edgar Allan Poe 157

have traced them. This tuft of tawny hair, too, is identical in character with that
of the beast of Cuvier. But I cannot possibly comprehend the particulars of this
frightful mystery. Besides, there were two voices heard in contention, and one of
them was unquestionably the voice of a Frenchman.”%
“True; and you will remember an expression attributed almost unanimously,
by the evidence, to this voice, - the expression, ‘mon Dieu!’ This, under the
circumstances, has been justly characterized by one of the witnesses (Montani,
the confectioner,) as an expression of remonstrance or expostulation. Upon these
two words, therefore, I have mainly built my hopes of a full solution of the
riddle. A Frenchman was cognizant of the murder. It is possible - indeed it is far
more than probable - that he was innocent of all participation in the bloody
transactions which took place. The Ourang-Outang may have escaped from him.
He may have traced it to the chamber; but, under the agitating circumstances
which ensued, he could never have re-captured it. It is still at large. I will not
pursue these guesses - for I have no right to call them more - since the shades of
reflection upon which they are based are scarcely of sufficient depth to be
appreciable by my own intellect, and since I could not pretend to make them
intelligible to the understanding of another. We will call them guesses then, and
speak of them as such. If the Frenchman in question is indeed, as I suppose,
innocent of this atrocity, this advertisement which I left last night, upon our
return home, at the office of ‘Le Monde,’ (a paper devoted to the shipping
interest, and much sought by sailors,) will bring him to our residence.”
He handed me a paper, and I read thus:

CAUGHT - In the Bois de Boulogne, early in the morning of the - inst., (the
morning of the murder), a very large, tawny Ourang-Outang of the Bornese
species. The owner, (who is ascertained to be a sailor, belonging to a Maltese
vessel,) may have the animal again, upon identifying it satisfactorily, and
paying a few charges arising from its capture and keeping. Call at No. ---- , Rue
----, Faubourg St. Germain - au troisiême.

agitating: (adj) stirring, provoking,
poignant, vexatious, sensational,
provocative, afflictive, terrific.
arising: (n) emanation.
characterized: (adj) affected, formed,
molded, cast.
comprehend: (v) grasp, catch, see,
comprise, appreciate, feel, sense,
apperceive, read; (adj, v) understand; genius, brainpower. ANTONYM: (n) tawny: (n) tan, buff; (adj, n) brown,
(n, v) embrace. ANTONYMS: (v)
mistake, misapprehend, exclude,
misunderstand, misconceive.
Thesaurus
expostulation: (n) dissuasion,
deprecation, objection, admonition,
reprehension, dehortation,
increpation, reprobation, rebuke,
reproach, reproof.
intellect: (n) mind, intelligence,
understanding, reason, brains, head,
intellectual, apprehension, psyche,
stupidity.
intelligible: (adj) clear,
understandable, articulate, luminous, black.
apprehensible, graspable, simple,
lucid, definite, distinct, perspicuous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) difficult, illegible.
remonstrance: (n) protest,
expostulation, objection, dissuasion,
censure, remonstration,
reprehension, admonition,
monstrance, mediation, dehortation.
auburn; (adj) luteous, golden, sallow,
russet, chestnut, creamy, moderately
158 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“How was it possible,” I asked, “that you should know the man to be a sailor,
and belonging to a Maltese vessel?”%
“I do not know it,” said Dupin. “I am not sure of it. Here, however, is a small
piece of ribbon, which from its form, and from its greasy appearance, has
evidently been used in tying the hair in one of those long queues of which sailors
are so fond. Moreover, this knot is one which few besides sailors can tie, and is
peculiar to the Maltese. I picked the ribbon up at the foot of the lightning-rod. It
could not have belonged to either of the deceased. Now if, after all, I am wrong
in my induction from this ribbon, that the Frenchman was a sailor belonging to a
Maltese vessel, still I can have done no harm in saying what I did in the
advertisement. If I am in error, he will merely suppose that I have been misled
by some circumstance into which he will not take the trouble to inquire. But if I
am right, a great point is gained. Cognizant although innocent of the murder, the
Frenchman will naturally hesitate about replying to the advertisement - about
demanding the Ourang-Outang. He will reason thus: - ‘I am innocent; I am poor;
my Ourang-Outang is of great value - to one in my circumstances a fortune of
itself - why should I lose it through idle apprehensions of danger? Here it is,
within my grasp. It was found in the Bois de Boulogne - at a vast distance from
the scene of that butchery. How can it ever be suspected that a brute beast
should have done the deed? The police are at fault - they have failed to procure
the slightest clew. Should they even trace the animal, it would be impossible to
prove me cognizant of the murder, or to implicate me in guilt on account of that
cognizance. Above all, I am known. The advertiser designates me as the possessor
of the beast. I am not sure to what limit his knowledge may extend. Should I
avoid claiming a property of so great value, which it is known that I possess, I
will render the animal at least, liable to suspicion. It is not my policy to attract
attention either to myself or to the beast. I will answer the advertisement, get the
Ourang-Outang, and keep it close until this matter has blown over.’ “
At this moment we heard a step upon the stairs.
“Be ready,” said Dupin, “with your pistols, but neither use them nor show
them until at a signal from myself.”

advertiser: (n) booster, adman,
publicist, publicizer, sponsor,
promoter, advocate, forerunner,
plugger, tout, touter.
brute: (adj) brutal, harsh, gruff,
brutish; (adj, n) animal, savage; (n)
barbarian, fiend, creature, monster;
(adv) beastly. ANTONYMS: (adj)
weak, refined, mild, gentle; (n)
gentleman.
claiming: (adj) pressing.
cognizance: (n, v) cognition,
Thesaurus
acquaintance; (n) sense,
consciousness, ken, notice,
jurisdiction, note, observation,
recognition; (v) knowledge.
greasy: (adj) fatty, dirty, oily, tallowy,
slick, sebaceous, unclean, unctuous,
slippery, adipose, oleaginous.
ANTONYM: (adj) lean.
implicate: (v) embroil, involve, entail,
tangle, include, accuse, compromise,
involvement, enmesh, concern,
complicate.
inquire: (v) demand, ask, explore,
enquire, inspect, research, consult,
pry, request, wonder; (n, v) question.
ANTONYM: (v) answer.
misled: (adj) fooled, undirected, false,
bewildered, confused, erroneous,
mistaken, misleading, misdirected,
led astray, incorrect.
replying: (adj) respondent, responsive.
tying: (n) ligation, bundling,
attachment, knotting, lacing; (adj)
binding; (v) restrict.
 Edgar Allan Poe 159

The front door of the house had been left open, and the visiter had entered,
without ringing, and advanced several steps upon the staircase. Now, however,
he seemed to hesitate. Presently we heard him descending. Dupin was moving
quickly to the door, when we again heard him coming up. He did not turn back a
second time, but stepped up with decision, and rapped at the door of our
chamber.%
“Come in,” said Dupin, in a cheerful and hearty tone.
A man entered. He was a sailor, evidently, - a tall, stout, and muscular-
looking person, with a certain dare-devil expression of countenance, not
altogether unprepossessing. His face, greatly sunburnt, was more than half
hidden by whisker and mustachio. He had with him a huge oaken cudgel, but
appeared to be otherwise unarmed. He bowed awkwardly, and bade us “good
evening,” in French accents, which, although somewhat Neufchatelish, were still
sufficiently indicative of a Parisian origin.
“Sit down, my friend,” said Dupin. “I suppose you have called about the
Ourang-Outang. Upon my word, I almost envy you the possession of him; a
remarkably fine, and no doubt a very valuable animal. How old do you suppose
him to be?”
The sailor drew a long breath, with the air of a man relieved of some
intolerable burden, and then replied, in an assured tone:
“I have no way of telling - but he can’t be more than four or five years old.
Have you got him here?”
“Oh no, we had no conveniences for keeping him here. He is at a livery
stable in the Rue Dubourg, just by. You can get him in the morning. Of course
you are prepared to identify the property?”
“To be sure I am, sir.”
“I shall be sorry to part with him,” said Dupin.
“I don’t mean that you should be at all this trouble for nothing, sir,” said the
man. “Couldn’t expect it. Am very willing to pay a reward for the finding of the
animal - that is to say, any thing in reason.”

breath: (n) wind, air, inspiration, puff,
soul, aspiration, respite, airflow; (v)
breathe, respire; (adj, n) whisper.
conveniences: (n) creature comforts,
comforts, convenience, living,
support, livelihood, keep, sustenance,
facility, facilities, device.
cudgel: (n) bludgeon, truncheon, stick,
staff, switch, mace, baton; (v) beat,
bat, hit, drub.
hearty: (adj) heartfelt, healthy, genial,
sturdy, cheering, fervent,
Thesaurus
wholehearted, lusty, enthusiastic, fiery, sallow, adust.
convivial; (adj, n) well. ANTONYMS: unarmed: (adj) naked, unprotected,
(adj) unhealthy, frail, old, weak, open, simple, destitute, bare; (v)
sluggish, unwholesome, meager. weaponless, harmless, unfortified,
livery: (adj) liverish, bilious; (n) vincible, untenable.
clothing, accouterment, uniform, unprepossessing: (adj) ugly,
complexion, legal transfer, color, hue, uninviting, hideous, unpleasant,
dye, bailment. unpresentable, unsightly.
mustachio: (n) moustache, whisker: (adj, n) hair; (adj) beard, shag,
moustachio. brush, mane; (n) moustache, sensory
oaken: (adj) woody. hair, vibrissa, bristle, mustache; (v)
sunburnt: (adj) brown, burnt, gloomy, bewhisker.
160 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“Well,” replied my friend, “that is all very fair, to be sure. Let me think! -
what should I have? Oh! I will tell you. My reward shall be this. You shall give
me all the information in your power about these murders in the Rue Morgue.”
Dupin said the last words in a very low tone, and very quietly. Just as quietly,
too, he walked toward the door, locked it and put the key in his pocket. He then
drew a pistol from his bosom and placed it, without the least flurry, upon the
table.%
The sailor’s face flushed up as if he were struggling with suffocation. He
started to his feet and grasped his cudgel, but the next moment he fell back into
his seat, trembling violently, and with the countenance of death itself. He spoke
not a word. I pitied him from the bottom of my heart.
“My friend,” said Dupin, in a kind tone, “you are alarming yourself
unnecessarily - you are indeed. We mean you no harm whatever. I pledge you
the honor of a gentleman, and of a Frenchman, that we intend you no injury. I
perfectly well know that you are innocent of the atrocities in the Rue Morgue. It
will not do, however, to deny that you are in some measure implicated in them.
From what I have already said, you must know that I have had means of
information about this matter - means of which you could never have dreamed.
Now the thing stands thus. You have done nothing which you could have
avoided - nothing, certainly, which renders you culpable. You were not even
guilty of robbery, when you might have robbed with impunity. You have
nothing to conceal. You have no reason for concealment. On the other hand, you
are bound by every principle of honor to confess all you know. An innocent man
is now imprisoned, charged with that crime of which you can point out the
perpetrator.”
The sailor had recovered his presence of mind, in a great measure, while
Dupin uttered these words; but his original boldness of bearing was all gone.
“So help me God,” said he, after a brief pause, “I will tell you all I know
about this affair; - but I do not expect you to believe one half I say - I would be a
fool indeed if I did. Still, I am innocent, and I will make a clean breast if I die for
it.”

alarming: (adj) scary, alarm, awful,
formidable, shocking, appalling,
awesome, dire, horrid, horrible,
dreadful. ANTONYMS: (adj)
soothing, lovely, normal.
atrocities: (n) murder, killing,
slaughter, violence, carnage.
avoided: (adj) unpopular.
boldness: (n) prowess, face, daring,
valor, nerve, assurance, heroism,
audaciousness, spirit, cheek, valour.
ANTONYMS: (n) cowardice, shyness,
Thesaurus
timidity, meekness, reticence.
countenance: (n) aspect, expression,
brow, complexion; (n, v) face,
sanction, support, favor; (v) allow,
tolerate, uphold. ANTONYMS: (v)
reject, oppose, discourage,
disapprove, prohibit.
culpable: (adj) guilty, blameworthy,
censurable, reprehensible, blameable, suffocation: (n) asphyxiation,
blameful, condemnable, liable,
criminal, to blame, responsible.
ANTONYMS: (adj) innocent,
inculpable, blameless.
flurry: (n) commotion, stir, bother,
squall, breeze, ado; (adj, n) bustle,
fuss, hurry; (n, v) fluster; (v)
disconcert. ANTONYM: (n) quiet.
impunity: (n) impune, come off,
freedom, immunity, permission,
forgiveness. ANTONYM: (n) liability.
asphyxia, choking, killing, garrote,
strangling, putting to death, apnoea,
kill.
 Edgar Allan Poe 161

What he stated was, in substance, this. He had lately made a voyage to the
Indian Archipelago. A party, of which he formed one, landed at Borneo, and
passed into the interior on an excursion of pleasure. Himself and a companion
had captured the Ourang- Outang. This companion dying, the animal fell into his
own exclusive possession. After great trouble, occasioned by the intractable
ferocity of his captive during the home voyage, he at length succeeded in
lodging it safely at his own residence in Paris, where, not to attract toward
himself the unpleasant curiosity of his neighbors, he kept it carefully secluded,
until such time as it should recover from a wound in the foot, received from a
splinter on board ship. His ultimate design was to sell it.%
Returning home from some sailors’ frolic the night, or rather in the morning
of the murder, he found the beast occupying his own bed-room, into which it
had broken from a closet adjoining, where it had been, as was thought, securely
confined. Razor in hand, and fully lathered, it was sitting before a looking-glass,
attempting the operation of shaving, in which it had no doubt previously
watched its master through the key-hole of the closet. Terrified at the sight of so
dangerous a weapon in the possession of an animal so ferocious, and so well able
to use it, the man, for some moments, was at a loss what to do. He had been
accustomed, however, to quiet the creature, even in its fiercest moods, by the use
of a whip, and to this he now resorted. Upon sight of it, the Ourang-Outang
sprang at once through the door of the chamber, down the stairs, and thence,
through a window, unfortunately open, into the street.
The Frenchman followed in despair; the ape, razor still in hand, occasionally
stopping to look back and gesticulate at its pursuer, until the latter had nearly
come up with it. It then again made off. In this manner the chase continued for a
long time. The streets were profoundly quiet, as it was nearly three o’clock in the
morning. In passing down an alley in the rear of the Rue Morgue, the fugitive’s
attention was arrested by a light gleaming from the open window of Madame
L’Espanaye’s chamber, in the fourth story of her house. Rushing to the building,
it perceived the lightning rod, clambered up with inconceivable agility, grasped
the shutter, which was thrown fully back against the wall, and, by its means,

captive: (n) convict, prisoner of war,
slave, detainee, jailbird, gaolbird;
(adj) confined, imprisoned, rapt,
jailed, amoroso. ANTONYMS: (adj)
free, uninterested, unconfined,
liberated, emancipated, disillusioned;
(n) guard, captor.
closet: (n) cupboard, cubicle, cell,
latrine, bathroom, wardrobe, water
closet; (adj) clandestine, confidential,
secret, private. ANTONYM: (adj)
open.
Thesaurus
frolic: (n, v) sport, romp, gambol, reclusive, privy, cloistered, isolated,
disport; (v) cavort, lark; (adj, v) frisk; lonely, retired, sequestered, solitary;
(n) caper, joy, merriment, prank. (adj, v) hidden. ANTONYMS: (adj)
gesticulate: (v) wave, motion, beckon, nearby, near, exposed, busy,
sign, signal, applaud, acclaim, bless, accessible.
make signs, blessing, blest. shaving: (adj, n) paring, sliver, shiver;
lathered: (adj) frothy. (n, v) shave; (n) cut, splinter, rasher,
pursuer: (n) follower, plaintiff, grazing, slice; (adj) clipping, driblet.
petitioner, persecutor, hunter, splinter: (adj, v) break, shiver, crack;
disciple, accuser, prosecutor, (adj, n, v) split; (n, v) chip, fragment,
attendant, beau, driver. fracture; (adj, n) shred; (n) shaving,
secluded: (adj) remote, secret, part; (v) smash.
162 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

swung itself directly upon the headboard of the bed. The whole feat did not
occupy a minute. The shutter was kicked open again by the Ourang-Outang as it
entered the room.%
The sailor, in the meantime, was both rejoiced and perplexed. He had strong
hopes of now recapturing the brute, as it could scarcely escape from the trap into
which it had ventured, except by the rod, where it might be intercepted as it
came down. On the other hand, there was much cause for anxiety as to what it
might do in the house. This latter reflection urged the man still to follow the
fugitive. A lightning rod is ascended without difficulty, especially by a sailor;
but, when he had arrived as high as the window, which lay far to his left, his
career was stopped; the most that he could accomplish was to reach over so as to
obtain a glimpse of the interior of the room. At this glimpse he nearly fell from
his hold through excess of horror. Now it was that those hideous shrieks arose
upon the night, which had startled from slumber the inmates of the Rue Morgue.
Madame L’Espanaye and her daughter, habited in their night clothes, had
apparently been occupied in arranging some papers in the iron chest already
mentioned, which had been wheeled into the middle of the room. It was open,
and its contents lay beside it on the floor. The victims must have been sitting
with their backs toward the window; and, from the time elapsing between the
ingress of the beast and the screams, it seems probable that it was not
immediately perceived. The flapping-to of the shutter would naturally have been
attributed to the wind.
As the sailor looked in, the gigantic animal had seized Madame L’Espanaye
by the hair, (which was loose, as she had been combing it,) and was flourishing
the razor about her face, in imitation of the motions of a barber. The daughter lay
prostrate and motionless; she had swooned. The screams and struggles of the old
lady (during which the hair was torn from her head) had the effect of changing
the probably pacific purposes of the Ourang-Outang into those of wrath. With
one determined sweep of its muscular arm it nearly severed her head from her
body. The sight of blood inflamed its anger into phrenzy. Gnashing its teeth, and
flashing fire from its eyes, it flew upon the body of the girl, and imbedded its

accomplish: (v) perform, reach, do,
compass, perfect, attain, make, fulfill,
realize, execute, carry out.
ANTONYMS: (v) abandon, neglect,
choke, blow, lose.
combing: (n) hairdressing, search,
combing waste, cockscomb.
flourishing: (adj) thriving, palmy,
healthy, successful, luxuriant,
booming, verdant, lush, auspicious,
favorable, rich. ANTONYMS: (adj)
arid, declining, fading, poor,
Thesaurus
unhealthy.
fugitive: (adj) ephemeral, fleeting,
momentary, elusive, caducous; (n)
escapee, absconder, deserter,
emigrant, criminal; (v) fugacious.
habited: (adj) clothed, dressed, garbed.
headboard: (n) head, panel, head end,
head of bed.
inflamed: (adj) impassioned, excited,
angry, hot, flaming, ablaze, irritated,
passionate, painful, burning; (n) red.
perplexed: (adj) confused, puzzled,
baffled, confounded, doubtful,
distracted, disconcerted; (adj, v)
intricate, complicated, lost, involved.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unperplexed,
assured, clear, knowing.
prostrate: (adj, v) prone, exhaust, level,
fatigue; (v) fell, overwhelm,
overcome, floor, overthrow; (adj)
deject, knock down. ANTONYM:
(adj) upright.
wheeled: (adj) on wheels. ANTONYM:
(adj) wheelless.
 Edgar Allan Poe 163

fearful talons in her throat, retaining its grasp until she expired. Its wandering
and wild glances fell at this moment upon the head of the bed, over which the
face of its master, rigid with horror, was just discernible. The fury of the beast,
who no doubt bore still in mind the dreaded whip, was instantly converted into
fear. Conscious of having deserved punishment, it seemed desirous of
concealing its bloody deeds, and skipped about the chamber in an agony of
nervous agitation; throwing down and breaking the furniture as it moved, and
dragging the bed from the bedstead. In conclusion, it seized first the corpse of the
daughter, and thrust it up the chimney, as it was found; then that of the old lady,
which it immediately hurled through the window headlong.%
As the ape approached the casement with its mutilated burden, the sailor
shrank aghast to the rod, and, rather gliding than clambering down it, hurried at
once home - dreading the consequences of the butchery, and gladly abandoning,
in his terror, all solicitude about the fate of the Ourang-Outang. The words
heard by the party upon the staircase were the Frenchman’s exclamations of
horror and affright, commingled with the fiendish jabberings of the brute.
I have scarcely anything to add. The Ourang-Outang must have escaped from
the chamber, by the rod, just before the break of the door. It must have closed the
window as it passed through it. It was subsequently caught by the owner
himself, who obtained for it a very large sum at the Jardin des Plantes. Le Don was
instantly released, upon our narration of the circumstances (with some
comments from Dupin) at the bureau of the Prefect of Police. This functionary,
however well disposed to my friend, could not altogether conceal his chagrin at
the turn which affairs had taken, and was fain to indulge in a sarcasm or two,
about the propriety of every person minding his own business.
“Let him talk,” said Dupin,, who had not thought it necessary to reply. “Let
him discourse; it will ease his conscience, I am satisfied with having defeated
him in his own castle. Nevertheless, that he failed in the solution of this mystery,
is by no means that matter for wonder which he supposes it; for, in truth, our
friend the Prefect is somewhat too cunning to be profound. In his wisdom is no
stamen. It is all head and no body, like the pictures of the Goddess Laverna, -- or,

affright: (v) frighten, scare, horrify,
startle, terrorize, terrify, intimidate;
(n) dread, alarm, fear; (n, v) fright.
chagrin: (n) mortification, vexation,
annoyance, shame, disappointment,
letdown, humiliation; (n, v) disquiet,
gangrene; (v) disappoint, mortify.
ANTONYMS: (v) please, delight; (n)
pride, satisfaction.
desirous: (adj) wistful, avid,
ambitious, greedy, longing, eager,
hungry, covetous, envious, agog; (adj,
Thesaurus
v) willing. ANTONYMS: (adj)
undesirous, reluctant, undesiring,
unconcerned.
dreading: (adj) anxious.
fain: (adj) willing, prepared, ready,
favorable, heart and soul, prone; (adv)
gladly, lief, readily, willingly; (v)
optative.
fiendish: (adj, v) infernal, diabolic,
satanic, hellish; (adj) demonic,
diabolical, cruel, atrocious, inhuman,
wicked, brutal.
minding: (adj) intent.
narration: (n) description, recital,
narrative, explanation, history, tale,
report, relation, story, recitation,
rehearsal.
solicitude: (n) care, consideration,
anxiety, thought, apprehension,
regard, attention, fear, disquietude,
heed, fret. ANTONYMS: (n)
negligence, serenity, thoughtlessness.
stamen: (n) thrum, reproductive
structure, backbone, stamina.
164 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

at best, all head and shoulders, like a codfish. But he is a good creature after all. I
like him especially for one master stroke of cant, by which he has attained his
reputation for ingenuity. I mean the way he has ‘de nier ce qui est, et d’expliquer ce
qui n’est pas’.“%

Thesaurus
cant: (n) jargon, lingo, slang, exceptionally, extraordinarily, character; (n, v) honor, esteem,
vernacular, argot; (n, v) bank, tilt, unusually. ANTONYMS: (adv) report; (adj, n) renown. ANTONYMS:
bias, incline; (adj, n) bevel; (v) list. unexceptionally, customarily, (n) infamy, dishonor, obscurity.
codfish: (n) burbot, gadoid, Atlantic usually, commonly, frequently, stroke: (adj, n) blow; (n, v) touch,
cod, codling, cusk, eelpout, ling, generally. caress, mark, buffet, lick, pat; (n) beat,
scrod. master: (n) captain, instructor, lord; (v) hit, knock, bang.
creature: (n) being, brute, animal, tool, control, conquer, command,
individual, person, body, entity, dominate, defeat; (adj, n) original,
human, puppet, somebody. head, ace. ANTONYMS: (n)
especially: (adv) particularly, chiefly, underling, servant, novice, amateur.
expressly, peculiarly, specifically, reputation: (n) name, prestige,
above all, exceedingly, principally, distinction, face, celebrity, credit,
 Edgar Allan Poe 165

THE MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET

A SEQUEL TO “THE MURDERS IN THE RUE

MORGUE.”

Es giebt eine Reihe idealischer Begebenheiten, die der Wirklichkeit

parallel lauft. Selten fallen sie zusammen. Menschen und zufalle
modifieiren gewohulich die idealische Begebenheit, so dass sie
unvollkommen erscheint, und ihre Folgen gleichfalls unvollkommen
sind. So bei der Reformation; statt des Protestantismus kam das
Lutherthum hervor.%
There are ideal series of events which run parallel with the real ones.
They rarely coincide. Men and circumstances generally modify the ideal
train of events, so that it seems imperfect, and its consequences are
equally imperfect. Thus with the Reformation; instead of Protestantism
came Lutheranism.
-- Novalis. Moral Ansichten.

There are few persons, even among the calmest thinkers, who have not
occasionally been startled into a vague yet thrilling half-credence in the
supernatural, by coincidences of so seemingly marvellous a character that, as
Thesaurus
coincide: (v) agree, concur, accede, boundless, capable, flawless. supernatural: (adj) mystical,
correspond, conform, consort, accept, modify: (v) qualify, adapt, change, preternatural, weird, superhuman,
square, consent; (adj, v) meet; (n) limit, assuage, moderate, vary, eerie, uncanny, unnatural,
coincidence. ANTONYMS: (v) convert, amend, restrict, adjust. mysterious, ghostly, divine; (n)
diverge, disagree, contradict, clash, ANTONYMS: (v) leave, worsen, occult. ANTONYM: (adj) normal.
deviate, conflict. standardize, maintain. thrilling: (adj, n) electric; (adj) exciting,
imperfect: (adj) faulty, deficient, persons: (n) folk, public, society, sensational, exhilarating, electrifying,
defective, unfinished, incomplete, world. emotional, rousing, gripping,
poor, flawed, partial, inadequate, startled: (adj) dumbfounded, stimulating; (adj, v) impressive; (n, v)
broken, fallible. ANTONYMS: (adj) dismayed, distressed, aghast, swelling. ANTONYMS: (adj) boring,
perfect, whole, unblemished, frightened, astonished, amazed, depressing, discouraging, upsetting,
adequate, complete, sound, terrified, afraid, shocked, astounded. uninspiring.
166 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

mere coincidences, the intellect has been unable to receive them. Such
sentiments - for the half-credences of which I speak have never the full force of
thought - such sentiments are seldom thoroughly stifled unless by reference to
the doctrine of chance, or, as it is technically termed, the Calculus of
Probabilities. Now this Calculus is, in its essence, purely mathematical; and thus
we have the anomaly of the most rigidly exact in science applied to the shadow
and spirituality of the most intangible in speculation.%
The extraordinary details which I am now called upon to make public, will be
found to form, as regards sequence of time, the primary branch of a series of
scarcely intelligible coincidences, whose secondary or concluding branch will be
recognized by all readers in the late murder of Mary Cecila Rogers, at New York.
When, in an article entitled “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” I endeavored,
about a year ago, to depict some very remarkable features in the mental
character of my friend, the Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin, it did not occur to me
that I should ever resume the subject. This depicting of character constituted my
design; and this design was thoroughly fulfilled in the wild train of
circumstances brought to instance Dupin’s idiosyncrasy. I might have adduced
other examples, but I should have proven no more. Late events, however, in their
surprising development, have startled me into some farther details, which will
carry with them the air of extorted confession. Hearing what I have lately heard,
it would be indeed strange should I remain silent in regard to what I both heard
and saw so long ago.
Upon the winding up of the tragedy involved in the deaths of Madame
L’Espanaye and her daughter, the Chevalier dismissed the affair at once from his
attention, and relapsed into his old habits of moody reverie. Prone, at all times,
to abstraction, I readily fell in with his humor; and, continuing to occupy our
chambers in the Faubourg Saint Germain, we gave the Future to the winds, and
slumbered tranquilly in the Present, weaving the dull world around us into
dreams.
But these dreams were not altogether uninterrupted. It may readily be
supposed that the part played by my friend, in the drama at the Rue Morgue,

Thesaurus
depict: (v) describe, draw, sketch, brown study, revery, trance, undisturbedly, untroubledly,
illustrate, demonstrate, portray, abstraction, castle in Spain, castle in restfully, placidly, coolly,
paint, express, explain, depicture, the air; (adj) preoccupation, unperturbedly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
limn. ANTONYMS: (v) distort, distraction. ANTONYM: (n) reality. anxiously, noisily.
confuse. sentiments: (n) breast. uninterrupted: (adj) ceaseless,
intangible: (adj) immaterial, spirituality: (n) inwardness, continuous, continual, unbroken,
incorporeal, ethereal, indefinite, incorporeity, church property, incessant, perpetual, constant,
spiritual, elusive, imperceptible, otherworldliness, benefice, religion, unceasing, endless; (adj, adv) straight,
insubstantial, airy, indefinable; (n) spiritualty, beneficiary, devoutness, nonstop. ANTONYMS: (adj)
intangible asset. ANTONYMS: (adj) belongings, religious studies. intermittent, temporary, broken,
concrete, palpable, touchable, actual. tranquilly: (adv) serenely, calmly, alternate, noisy, sporadic; (adv)
reverie: (n) dream, fantasy, air castle, peacefully, quietly, stilly, indirectly.
 Edgar Allan Poe 167

had not failed of its impression upon the fancies of the Parisian police. With its
emissaries, the name of Dupin had grown into a household word. The simple
character of those inductions by which he had disentangled the mystery never
having been explained even to the Prefect, or to any other individual than
myself, of course it is not surprising that the affair was regarded as little less than
miraculous, or that the Chevalier’s analytical abilities acquired for him the credit
of intuition. His frankness would have led him to disabuse every inquirer of
such prejudice; but his indolent humor forbade all farther agitation of a topic
whose interest to himself had long ceased. It thus happened that he found
himself the cynosure of the policial eyes; and the cases were not few in which
attempt was made to engage his services at the Prefecture. One of the most
remarkable instances was that of the murder of a young girl named Marie
Rogêt.%
This event occurred about two years after the atrocity in the Rue Morgue.
Marie, whose Christian and family name will at once arrest attention from their
resemblance to those of the unfortunate “cigar- girl,” was the only daughter of
the widow Estelle Rogêt. The father had died during the child’s infancy, and
from the period of his death, until within eighteen months before the
assassination which forms the subject of our narrative, the mother and daughter
had dwelt together in the Rue Pavée Saint Andrée; Madame there keeping a
pension, assisted by Marie. Affairs went on thus until the latter had attained her
twenty-second year, when her great beauty attracted the notice of a perfumer,
who occupied one of the shops in the basement of the Palais Royal, and whose
custom lay chiefly among the desperate adventurers infesting that
neighborhood. Monsieur Le Blanc was not unaware of the advantages to be
derived from the attendance of the fair Marie in his perfumery; and his liberal
proposals were accepted eagerly by the girl, although with somewhat more of
hesitation by Madame.
The anticipations of the shopkeeper were realized, and his rooms soon
became notorious through the charms of the sprightly grisette. She had been in
his employ about a year, when her admirers were thrown info confusion by her

Thesaurus
cynosure: (n) guide, center, polestar, bluffness, outspokenness, diligent.
focus, North Star, wonder, celebrity, ingenuousness. ANTONYMS: (n) inquirer: (n) examiner, questioner,
personality, pattern, paragon; (adj) cunning, tact, delicacy, deceit, asker, interrogator, investigator,
mirror. conformity, reticence, indirectness, searcher, querist, trier, inquisitor,
disabuse: (v) inform, purge, evasiveness. tester; (v) inspector.
undeceive, open the eyes of, set right, grisette: (n) Thais, Messalina, Lais, perfumer: (n) maker.
rid. Jezebel, Delilah, cocotte, Phryne, perfumery: (n) establishment.
dwelt: (v) dwell, inhabit. lorette, wench, petite dame, nymph. sprightly: (adj) spirited, cheerful, alive,
forbade: (v) prohibit, to prohibit. indolent: (adj) idle, lazy, slothful, blithe, agile, airy, keen; (adj, v)
frankness: (n) honesty, truth, sluggish, careless, slow, dull, torpid, nimble, active; (adj, n) brisk; (adj, adv)
forthrightness, candidness, freedom, inert, drowsy, listless. ANTONYMS: jolly. ANTONYMS: (adj) inactive,
sincerity, candour, plainness, (adj) active, industrious, vigorous, slow, clumsy, sluggish.
168 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

sudden disappearance from the shop. Monsieur Le Blanc was unable to account
for her absence, and Madame Rogêt was distracted with anxiety and terror. The
public papers immediately took up the theme, and the police were upon the
point of making serious investigations, when, one fine morning, after the lapse of
a week, Marie, in good health, but with a somewhat saddened air, made her re-
appearance at her usual counter in the perfumery. All inquiry, except that of a
private character, was of course immediately hushed. Monsieur Le Blanc
professed total ignorance, as before. Marie, with Madame, replied to all
questions, that the last week had been spent at the house of a relation in the
country. Thus the affair died away, and was generally forgotten; for the girl,
ostensibly to relieve herself from the impertinence of curiosity, soon bade a final
adieu to the perfumer, and sought the shelter of her mother’s residence in the
Rue Pavée Saint Andrée.%
It was about five months after this return home, that her friends were
alarmed by her sudden disappearance for the second time. Three days elapsed,
and nothing was heard of her. On the fourth her corpse was found floating in the
Seine, near the shore which is opposite the Quartier of the Rue Saint Andree, and
at a point not very far distant from the secluded neighborhood of the Barrière du
Roule.
The atrocity of this murder, (for it was at once evident that murder had been
committed,) the youth and beauty of the victim, and, above all, her previous
notoriety, conspired to produce intense excitement in the minds of the sensitive
Parisians. I can call to mind no similar occurrence producing so general and so
intense an effect. For several weeks, in the discussion of this one absorbing
theme, even the momentous political topics of the day were forgotten. The
Prefect made unusual exertions; and the powers of the whole Parisian police
were, of course, tasked to the utmost extent.
Upon the first discovery of the corpse, it was not supposed that the murderer
would be able to elude, for more than a very brief period, the inquisition which
was immediately set on foot. It was not until the expiration of a week that it was
deemed necessary to offer a reward; and even then this reward was limited to a

Thesaurus
adieu: (int, n) farewell; (n) vale, conclusion, finish, close, exhalation, fame, infamy, disrepute, note,
valediction, goodbye, leave, cheerio, termination, exit, death, lapse, expiry. notability, prominence, flagrancy,
adios, bye, so long, parting; (int) bon ANTONYM: (n) beginning. distinction; (adj, n) renown.
voyage. ANTONYM: (n) greeting. hushed: (adj) calm, silent, still, ANTONYM: (n) obscurity.
elapsed: (adj) gone, forgotten, lapsed, subdued, placid, muffled, noiseless, professed: (adj) alleged, declared,
back, beyond, onwards, over and soft, soundless, tranquil, gentle. apparent, avowed, pretended,
done. ANTONYM: (adj) noisy. seeming, supposed, affected, feigned,
elude: (adj, v) evade, circumvent; (v) inquisition: (n) examination, inquest, so-called, purported.
dodge, duck, avoid, skirt, escape, inquiry, exploration, quest, probe, saddened: (adj) sorry, sad, depressed,
baffle, defy, shirk, bilk. ANTONYMS: investigation, research, inspection, dejected, upset, dismayed, unhappy,
(v) face, encounter, meet, acquire. disquisition; (adj) Reign of Terror. dissatisfied, troubled, disillusioned,
expiration: (n) ending, end, notoriety: (n) publicity, reputation, in a state. ANTONYM: (adj) satisfied.
 Edgar Allan Poe 169

thousand francs. In the mean time the investigation proceeded with vigor, if not
always with judgment, and numerous individuals were examined to no purpose;
while, owing to the continual absence of all clue to the mystery, the popular
excitement greatly increased. At the end of the tenth day it was thought
advisable to double the sum originally proposed; and, at length, the second week
having elapsed without leading to any discoveries, and the prejudice which
always exists in Paris against the Police having given vent to itself in several
serious émeutes, the Prefect took it upon himself to offer the sum of twenty
thousand francs “for the conviction of the assassin,” or, if more than one should
prove to have been implicated, “for the conviction of any one of the assassins.” In
the proclamation setting forth this reward, a full pardon was promised to any
accomplice who should come forward in evidence against his fellow; and to the
whole was appended, wherever it appeared, the private placard of a committee
of citizens, offering ten thousand francs, in addition to the amount proposed by
the Prefecture. The entire reward thus stood at no less than thirty thousand
francs, which will be regarded as an extraordinary sum when we consider the
humble condition of the girl, and the great frequency, in large cities, of such
atrocities as the one described.%
No one doubted now that the mystery of this murder would be immediately
brought to light. But although, in one or two instances, arrests were made which
promised elucidation, yet nothing was elicited which could implicate the parties
suspected; and they were discharged forthwith. Strange as it may appear, the
third week from the discovery of the body had passed, and passed without any
light being thrown upon the subject, before even a rumor of the events which
had so agitated the public mind, reached the ears of Dupin and myself. Engaged
in researches which absorbed our whole attention, it had been nearly a month
since either of us had gone abroad, or received a visiter, or more than glanced at
the leading political articles in one of the daily papers. The first intelligence of the
murder was brought us by G ----, in person. He called upon us early in the
afternoon of the thirteenth of July, 18--, and remained with us until late in the
night. He had been piqued by the failure of all his endeavors to ferret out the
assassins. His reputation - so he said with a peculiarly Parisian air - was at stake.

accomplice: (n) abettor, accessary,
partner, companion, partaker,
confederate, accessory after the fact,
abetter, friend; (adj, n) associate,
coadjutor. ANTONYMS: (n)
adversary, enemy, opponent,
observer.
agitated: (adj) upset, excited, nervous,
restive, tumultuous, distressed, tense,
jumpy, overwrought, anxious,
alarmed. ANTONYMS: (adj) calm,
lethargic, tranquil, relaxed, assured,
Thesaurus
cool, still. unconcerned.
appended: (adj) added, affixed, placard: (n) sign, card, poster,
additional. advertisement, notice, handbill,
elucidation: (n) clarification, posting, broadside, tablet; (v)
comment, explanation, account, advertise, post.
description, definition, exposition, proclamation: (n) announcement,
illumination, illustration, answer, decree, edict, annunciation, notice,
resolution. ANTONYM: (n) problem. statement, promulgation, report,
piqued: (adj) irritated, irate, hurt, publication, manifesto, propagation.
irked, intoxicated, indignant, up in stake: (n, v) risk, chance, venture, bet,
arms, in a huff, offended, huffy, wager, post, pole, gamble, support;
excited. ANTONYM: (adj) (n) interest, shaft.
170 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

Even his honor was concerned. The eyes of the public were upon him; and there
was really no sacrifice which he would not be willing to make for the
development of the mystery. He concluded a somewhat droll speech with a
compliment upon what he was pleased to term the tact of Dupin, and made him
a direct, and certainly a liberal proposition, the precise nature of which I do not
feel myself at liberty to disclose, but which has no bearing upon the proper
subject of my narrative.%
The compliment my friend rebutted as best he could, but the proposition he
accepted at once, although its advantages were altogether provisional. This point
being settled, the Prefect broke forth at once into explanations of his own views,
interspersing them with long comments upon the evidence; of which latter we
were not yet in possession. He discoursed much, and beyond doubt, learnedly;
while I hazarded an occasional suggestion as the night wore drowsily away.
Dupin, sitting steadily in his accustomed arm-chair, was the embodiment of
respectful attention. He wore spectacles, during the whole interview; and an
occasional signal glance beneath their green glasses, sufficed to convince me that
he slept not the less soundly, because silently, throughout the seven or eight
leaden-footed hours which immediately preceded the departure of the Prefect.
In the morning, I procured, at the Prefecture, a full report of all the evidence
elicited, and, at the various newspaper offices, a copy of every paper in which,
from first to last, had been published any decisive information in regard to this
sad affair. Freed from all that was positively disproved, this mass of information
stood thus:
Marie Rogêt left the residence of her mother, in the Rue Pavée St. Andrée,
about nine o’clock in the morning of Sunday June the twenty-second, 18--. In
going out, she gave notice to a Monsieur Jacques St. Eustache, and to him only, of
her intent intention to spend the day with an aunt who resided in the Rue des
Drômes. The Rue des Drômes is a short and narrow but populous thoroughfare,
not far from the banks of the river, and at a distance of some two miles, in the
most direct course possible, from the pension of Madame Rogêt. St. Eustache was
the accepted suitor of Marie, and lodged, as well as took his meals, at the

drowsily: (adv) sleepily, lethargically,
somnolently, lazily, dozily,
indolently, sluggishly, soporifically,
slowly, dreamily, languorously.
ANTONYM: (adv) vigorously.
embodiment: (n) shape, epitome,
incarnation, avatar, amalgamation,
union, unification, incorporation,
coalescence, cast; (adj) integration.
learnedly: (adv) wisely, letteredly,
literately, literarily, cleverly,
skilledly, intellectually, sagely,
Thesaurus
studiously, culturedly, academically. petitioner; (n, v) wooer.
respectful: (adj) deferential, mannerly, tact: (n) diplomacy, delicacy, finesse,
dutiful, courteous, attentive, address, discretion, skill,
obedient, reverential, regardful, consideration, refinement, grace,
reverent, polite, humble. thoughtfulness, tactfulness.
ANTONYMS: (adj) cheeky, ANTONYMS: (n) frankness,
impudent, insolent, rude, carelessness, thoughtlessness,
contemptuous, disobedient, scornful, insensitivity, clumsiness.
nasty, sneering, irreverent, impolite. thoroughfare: (n) road, street,
suitor: (n) plaintiff, suer, admirer, highway, avenue, passage, way,
beau, candidate, complainant, route, path, boulevard, track,
gallant, boyfriend, applicant, roadway.
 Edgar Allan Poe 171

pension. He was to have gone for his betrothed at dusk, and to have escorted her
home. In the afternoon, however, it came on to rain heavily; and, supposing that
she would remain all night at her aunt’s, (as she had done under similar
circumstances before,) he did not think it necessary to keep his promise. As night
drew on, Madame Rogêt (who was an infirm old lady, seventy years of age,) was
heard to express a fear “that she should never see Marie again;” but this
observation attracted little attention at the time.%
On Monday, it was ascertained that the girl had not been to the Rue des
Drômes; and when the day elapsed without tidings of her, a tardy search was
instituted at several points in the city, and its environs. It was not, however until
the fourth day from the period of disappearance that any thing satisfactory was
ascertained respecting her. On this day, (Wednesday, the twenty-fifth of June,) a
Monsieur Beauvais, who, with a friend, had been making inquiries for Marie
near the Barrière du Roule, on the shore of the Seine which is opposite the Rue
Pavée St. Andrée, was informed that a corpse had just been towed ashore by
some fishermen, who had found it floating in the river. Upon seeing the body,
Beauvais, after some hesitation, identified it as that of the perfumery-girl. His
friend recognized it more promptly.
The face was suffused with dark blood, some of which issued from the
mouth. No foam was seen, as in the case of the merely drowned. There was no
discoloration in the cellular tissue. About the throat were bruises and
impressions of fingers. The arms were bent over on the chest and were rigid. The
right hand was clenched; the left partially open. On the left wrist were two
circular excoriations, apparently the effect of ropes, or of a rope in more than one
volution. A part of the right wrist, also, was much chafed, as well as the back
throughout its extent, but more especially at the shoulder-blades. In bringing the
body to the shore the fishermen had attached to it a rope; but none of the
excoriations had been effected by this. The flesh of the neck was much swollen.
There were no cuts apparent, or bruises which appeared the effect of blows. A
piece of lace was found tied so tightly around the neck as to be hidden from
sight; it was completely buried in the flesh, and was fasted by a knot which lay

betrothed: (adj) affianced, intended,
bespoken, busy, occupied,
contracted, attached, bargained for;
(n) fiance, fiancee; (v) engage.
clenched: (adj) tight, clinched.
cuts: (n) film waste.
discoloration: (n) blot, blemish, blotch,
spot, decoloration, discolouration,
fading, mark, splotch, scar, bruise.
effected: (adj) completed, complete,
finished, fulfilled, done, realized,
conventional, constituted,
Thesaurus
established.
environs: (adj, n) purlieus; (n) vicinity, tardy: (adj, adv, v) late; (adj, v) slow,
confines, outskirts, environment,
entourage, precincts, scene,
surround, surroundings; (adj)
vicinage.
infirm: (adj, n, v) feeble; (adj, v) faint,
weak, sickly, debilitated; (adj)
impotent, fragile, decrepit, ill,
delicate, shaky. ANTONYMS: (adj)
whole, well, hearty.
suffused: (adj) distributed, covered,
full.
remiss; (adj, adv) backward, dilatory,
behindhand; (adj) belated, slack,
overdue, delayed, sluggish.
ANTONYMS: (adj) early, punctual,
premature, speedy.
tidings: (n) intelligence, information,
message, report, word, advice,
communication, dispute, wind,
statement, tiding.
volution: (n) turning.
172 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

just under the left ear. This alone would have sufficed to produce death. The
medical testimony spoke confidently of the virtuous character of the deceased.
She had been subjected, it said, to brutal violence. The corpse was in such
condition when found, that there could have been no difficulty in its recognition
by friends.%
The dress was much torn and otherwise disordered. In the outer garment, a
slip, about a foot wide, had been torn upward from the bottom hem to the waist,
but not torn off. It was wound three times around the waist, and secured by a
sort of hitch in the back. The dress immediately beneath the frock was of fine
muslin; and from this a slip eighteen inches wide had been torn entirely out -
torn very evenly and with great care. It was found around her neck, fitting
loosely, and secured with a hard knot. Over this muslin slip and the slip of lace,
the strings of a bonnet were attached; the bonnet being appended. The knot by
which the strings of the bonnet were fastened, was not a lady’s, but a slip or
sailor’s knot.
After the recognition of the corpse, it was not, as usual, taken to the Morgue,
(this formality being superfluous,) but hastily interred not far front the spot at
which it was brought ashore. Through the exertions of Beauvais, the matter was
industriously hushed up, as far as possible; and several days had elapsed before
any public emotion resulted. A weekly paper, however, at length took up the
theme; the corpse was disinterred, and a re-examination instituted; but nothing
was elicited beyond what has been already noted. The clothes, however, were
now submitted to the mother and friends of the deceased, and fully identified as
those worn by the girl upon leaving home.
Meantime, the excitement increased hourly. Several individuals were
arrested and discharged. St. Eustache fell especially under suspicion; and he
failed, at first, to give an intelligible account of his whereabouts during the
Sunday on which Marie left home. Subsequently, however, he submitted to
Monsieur G----, affidavits, accounting satisfactorily for every hour of the day in
question. As time passed and no discovery ensued, a thousand contradictory
rumors were circulated, and journalists busied themselves in suggestions.

Thesaurus
bonnet: (n) cap, protection, chapeau, chemise, caftan. wearily, carelessly.
tile, wimple, beret, lid, cowling, hitch: (v) fasten, attach; (n, v) catch, interred: (adj) buried, inhumed,
castor, poke bonnet, sunbonnet. limp, hobble, arrest; (n) hindrance, hidden. ANTONYM: (adj) unburied.
disordered: (adj) chaotic, upset, sick, drawback, barrier, difficulty, check. re-examination: (n) revision,
disorganized, broken, incoherent, ANTONYMS: (n) advantage, ease, correction, retrospect.
deranged, messy, disjointed, help; (v) detach, undo. virtuous: (adj) upright, pure,
disconnected, ill. ANTONYMS: (adj) individuals: (n) people, persons. righteous, good, moral, just,
neat, ordered, organized, arranged, industriously: (adv) diligently, honorable, honest, respectable,
quiet, regulated, systematic, painstakingly, busily, sedulously, decent, pious. ANTONYMS: (adj)
systematized, straightforward, tidy. tirelessly, untiringly, eagerly, bad, sinful, corrupt, impure,
frock: (n) dress, gown, clothing, attire, studiously, laboriously, carefully, unethical, decadent, degenerate,
robe, kirtle, habit, clothes, coat, conscientiously. ANTONYMS: (adv) irreverent.
 Edgar Allan Poe 173

Among these, the one which attracted the most notice, was the idea that Marie
Rogêt still lived - that the corpse found in the Seine was that of some other
unfortunate. It will be proper that I submit to the reader some passages which
embody the suggestion alluded to. These passages are literal translations from
L’Etoile, a paper conducted, in general, with much ability.%
“Mademoiselle Rogêt left her mother’s house on Sunday morning, June the
twenty-second, 18--, with the ostensible purpose of going to see her aunt, or
some other connexion, in the Rue des Drômes. From that hour, nobody is proved
to have seen her. There is no trace or tidings of her at all... There has no person,
whatever, come forward, so far, who saw her at all, on that day, after she left her
mother’s door... Now, though we have no evidence that Marie Rogêt was in the
land of the living after nine o’clock on Sunday, June the twenty-second, we have
proof that, up to that hour, she was alive. On Wednesday noon, at twelve, a
female body was discovered afloat on the shore of the Barrière de Roule. This
was, even if we presume that Marie Rogêt was thrown into the river within three
hours after she left her mother’s house, only three days from the time she left her
home - three days to an hour. But it is folly to suppose that the murder, if murder
was committed on her body, could have been consummated soon enough to
have enabled her murderers to throw the body into the river before midnight.
Those who are guilty of such horrid crimes, choose darkness rather the; light...
Thus we see that if the body found in the river was that of Marie Rogêt, it could
only have been in the water two and a half days, or three at the outside. All
experience has shown that drowned bodies, or bodies thrown into the water
immediately after death by violence, require from six to ten days for
decomposition to take place to bring them to the top of the water. Even where a
cannon is fired over a corpse, and it rises before at least five or six days’
immersion, it sinks again, if let alone. Now, we ask, what was there in this cave
to cause a departure from the ordinary course of nature?... If the body had been
kept in its mangled state on shore until Tuesday night, some trace would be
found on shore of the murderers. It is a doubtful point, also, whether the body
would be so soon afloat, even were it thrown in after having been dead two days.
And, furthermore, it is exceedingly improbable that any villains who had

consummated: (adj) perfected, done,
fulfilled; (v) completed, crowned.
decomposition: (n) decay, rot,
putrefaction, dissolution,
disintegration, rotting, deterioration, gruesome, grim, fearful, dreadful,
analysis, rust, corruption,
degradation.
drowned: (adj) prostrate, sunken; (v)
drenched, drent.
embody: (v) comprehend, comprise,
personify, body, represent,
exemplify, typify, encompass,
Thesaurus
incorporate, materialize, integrate.
ANTONYMS: (v) divide, exclude,
disembody.
horrid: (adj) grisly, ghastly, ugly,
direful, dire, horrible, fearsome.
ANTONYMS: (adj) lovely, nice,
appealing, attractive, kind.
immersion: (n) absorption, ducking,
concentration, submersion,
submergence, baptism, dousing,
incidence, wetting; (v) irrigation,
spargefaction.
mangled: (adj, prep) lacerated, rent;
(adj) deformed, mutilated, lacerate,
disabled, broken, maimed, distorted,
damaged, blasted.
midnight: (n) dark, noon, hour.
ostensible: (adj) seeming, alleged,
specious, superficial, nominal,
manifest, outward, pretended,
unreal, supposed, colorable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) real, actual,
genuine.
174 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

committed such a murder as is here supposed, would have throw the body in
without weight to sink it, when such a precaution could have so easily been
taken.”%
The editor here proceeds to argue that the body must have been in the water
“not three days merely, but, at least, five times three days,” because it was so far
decomposed that Beauvais had great difficulty in recognizing it. This latter
point, however, was fully disproved. I continue the translation:

What, then, are the facts on which M. Beauvais says that he has no doubt
the body was that of Marie Rogêt? He ripped up the gown sleeve, and
says he found marks which satisfied him of the identity. The public
generally supposed those marks to have consisted of some description of
scars. He rubbed the arm and found hair upon it - something as
indefinite, we think, as can readily be imagined - as little conclusive as
finding an arm in the sleeve. M. Beauvais did not return that night, but
sent word to Madame Rogêt, at seven o’clock, on Wednesday evening,
that an investigation was still in progress respecting her daughter. If we
allow that Madame Rogêt, from her age and grief, could not go over,
(which is allowing a great deal,) there certainly must have been some
one who would have thought it worth while to go over and attend the
investigation, if they thought the body was that of Marie. Nobody went
over. There was nothing said or heard about the matter in the Rue Pavée
St. Andrée, that reached even the occupants of the same building. M. St.
Eustache, the lover and intended husband of Marie, who boarded in her
mother’s house, deposes that he did not hear of the discovery of the
body of his intended until the next morning, when M. Beauvais came
into his chamber and told him of it. For an item of news like this, it
strikes us it was very coolly received.”

In this way the journal endeavored to create the impression of an apathy on

the part of the relatives of Marie, inconsistent with the supposition that these

apathy: (n) indifference, inactivity,
lassitude, inertia, lethargy, passivity, nervously, anxiously, agitatedly,
supineness, passiveness,
lukewarmness, emotionlessness,
impassivity. ANTONYMS: (n)
keenness, energy, interest,
inquisitiveness, vitality, drive,
eagerness, concern, involvement,
enjoyment, desire.
coolly: (adv) quietly, composedly,
coldly, collectedly, nonchalantly,
placidly, serenely, chilly, steadily,
Thesaurus
frostily, frigidly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
expressively, boisterously,
enthusiastically.
decomposed: (adj) putrid, decayed,
bad, decaying, putrefied, decay,
rotting, off, malodorous.
indefinite: (adj, v) ambiguous, vague;
(adj) uncertain, boundless, hazy,
equivocal, unlimited, doubtful,
dubious, imprecise, indecisive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) definite, limited,
fixed, constrained, specific, distinct,
known, precise, clear, exact.
precaution: (n) foresight, care,
prevention, discretion, anticipation,
caution, circumspection, prudence,
safeguard, protection; (adj)
precautionary.
recognizing: (v) recognize,
acknowledge, recognise; (adj)
conscious, respectful; (n) observation.
scars: (n) seams.
 Edgar Allan Poe 175

relatives believed the corpse to be hers. Its insinuations amount to this: - that
Marie, with the connivance of her friends, had absented herself from the city for
reasons involving a charge against her chastity; and that these friends, upon the
discovery of a corpse in the Seine, somewhat resembling that of the girl, had
availed themselves of the opportunity to impress press the public with the belief
of her death. But L’Etoile was again over-hasty. It was distinctly proved that no
apathy, such as was imagined, existed; that the old lady was exceedingly feeble,
and so agitated as to be unable to attend to any duty, that St. Eustache, so far
from receiving the news coolly, was distracted with grief, and bore himself so
frantically, that M. Beauvais prevailed upon a friend and relative to take charge
of him, and prevent his attending the examination at the disinterment.
Moreover, although it was stated by L’Etoile, that the corpse was re-interred at
the public expense - that an advantageous offer of private sculpture was
absolutely declined by the family - and that no member of the family attended
the ceremonial: - although, I say, all this was asserted by L’Etoile in furtherance
of the impression it designed to convey - yet all this was satisfactorily disproved.
In a subsequent number of the paper, an attempt was made to throw suspicion
upon Beauvais himself. The editor says:%

Now, then, a change comes over the matter. We are told that on one
occasion, while a Madame B---- was at Madame Rogêt’s house, M.
Beauvais, who was going out, told her that a gendarme was expected
there, and she, Madame B., must not say anything to the gendarme until
he returned, but let the matter be for him... In the present posture of
affairs, M. Beauvais appears to have the whole matter looked up in his
head. A single step cannot be taken without M. Beauvais; for, go which
way you will, you run against him... For some reason, he determined
that nobody shall have any thing to do with the proceedings but himself,
and he has elbowed the male relatives out of the way, according to their
representations, in a very singular manner. He seems to have been very
much averse to permitting the relatives to see the body.

averse: (adj) reluctant, indisposed,
backward, opposed, unwilling,
disinclined, loth, antagonistic,
antipathetical, repugnant,
antipathetic. ANTONYMS: (adj)
inclined, sympathetic, caring, eager,
willing, keen.
chastity: (n) honor, purity, abstinence,
virtue, innocence, chasteness,
continence, modesty, cleanliness,
austerity; (adj) honesty.
ANTONYMS: (n) nymphomania,
Thesaurus
lewdness, adultery. improvement, lift, forwarding,
connivance: (n) complicity, tacit fartherance, relief; (n, v)
consent, acquiescence, conspiracy, advancement. ANTONYM: (n)
plot, connivency, commendation, impediment.
involvement, approval, hers: (pron) she, his; (adj) own.
responsibility, secret approval. permitting: (adj) lenient, permitted.
declined: (adj) less. resembling: (adj, prep) like; (adj)
disinterment: (n) exhumation, digging analogous, parallel, similar,
up, feat, effort, exploit, excavation, conformable, approximate,
deed. semblative, other, probable; (prep)
furtherance: (n) advance, aid, support, similar to, reminiscent of.
promotion, encouragement, ANTONYM: (prep) unlike.
176 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

By the following fact, some color was given to the suspicion thus thrown
upon Beauvais. A visiter at his office, a few days prior to the girl’s
disappearance, and during the absence of its occupant, had observed a rose in
the key-hole of the door, and the name “Marie” inscribed upon a slate which
hung near at hand.%
The general impression, so far as we were enabled to glean it from the
newspapers, seemed to be, that Marie had been the victim of a gang of
desperadoes - that by these she had been borne across the river, maltreated and
murdered. Le Commerciel, however, a print of extensive influence, was earnest
in combating this popular idea. I quote a passage or two from its columns:

We are persuaded that pursuit has hitherto been on a false scent, so far
as it has been directed to the Barrière du Roule. It is impossible that a
person so well known to thousands as this young woman was, should
have passed three blocks without some one having seen her; and any one
who saw her would have remembered it, for she interested all who knew
her. It was when the streets were full of people, when she went out... It is
impossible that she could have gone to the Barrière du Roule, or to the
Rue des Drômes, without being recognized by a dozen persons; yet no
one has come forward who saw her outside of her mother’s door, and
there is no evidence, except the testimony concerning her expressed
intentions, that she did go out at all. Her gown was torn, bound round
her, and tied; and by that the body was carried as a bundle. If the murder
had been committed at the Barrière du Roule, there would have been no
necessity for any such arrangement. The fact that the body was found
floating near the Barrière, is no proof as to where it was thrown into the
water... . A piece of one of the unfortunate girl’s petticoats, two feet long
and one foot wide, was torn out and tied under her chin around the back
of her head, probably to prevent screams. This was done by fellows who
had no pocket-handkerchief.

combating: (adj) militant, rival,
opposed; (n) hostility.
disappearance: (n) vanishing, loss,
going, fade, evaporation,
disappearing, departure, passing,
death, receding, ending.
ANTONYMS: (n) recurrence,
appearing, arrival, renaissance,
revitalization, show, emergence,
survival.
earnest: (adj, v) devout; (adj) eager,
solemn, heartfelt, diligent, studious,
Thesaurus
sincere, intense, ardent, staid; (n) graven, written, carved, carven.
guarantee. ANTONYMS: (adj) maltreated: (adj) mistreated, battered,
flippant, halfhearted, uncertain, aggrieved, assaulted, physically
insincere, unimportant, nonchalant, abused, beaten, downtrodden,
lethargic, apathetic, unenthusiastic, harmed, molested, persecuted,
indifferent, frivolous. injured.
fellows: (n) fellow, membership, occupant: (n) tenant, inhabitant,
faculty. dweller, denizen, occupier, inmate,
glean: (v) cull, garner, reap, harvest, holder, citizen, householder,
gather, extract, accumulate, winnow, dalesman, coaster.
assemble, pick up, to gather. pocket-handkerchief: (n)
inscribed: (adj) etched, incised, handkerchief.
 Edgar Allan Poe 177

A day or two before the Prefect called upon us, however, some important
information reached the police, which seemed to overthrow, at least, the chief
portion of Le Commerciel’s argument. Two small boys, sons of a Madame Deluc,
while roaming among the woods near the Barrière du Roule, chanced to
penetrate a close thicket, within which were three or four large stones, forming a
kind of seat, with a back and footstool. On the upper stone lay a white petticoat;
on the second a silk scarf. A parasol, gloves, and a pocket-handkerchief were
also here found. The handkerchief bore the name “Marie Rogêt.” Fragments of
dress were discovered on the brambles around. The earth was trampled, the
bushes were broken, and there was every evidence of a struggle. Between the
thicket and the river, the fences were found taken down, and the ground bore
evidence of some heavy burthen having been dragged along it.%
A weekly paper, Le Soleil, had the following comments upon this discovery --
comments which merely echoed the sentiment of the whole Parisian press:

The things had all evidently been there at least three or four weeks; they
were all mildewed down hard with the action of the rain and stuck
together from mildew. The grass had grown around and over some of
them. The silk on the parasol was strong, but the threads of it were run
together within. The upper part, where it had been doubled and folded,
was all mildewed and rotten, and tore on its being opened... The pieces
of her frock torn out by the bushes were about three inches wide and six
inches long. One part was the hem of the frock, and it had been mended;
the other piece was part of the skirt, not the hem. They looked like strips
torn off, and were on the thorn bush, about a foot from the ground...
There can be no doubt, therefore, that the spot of this appalling outrage
has been discovered.

Consequent upon this discovery, new evidence appeared. Madame Deluc

testified that she keeps a roadside inn not far from the bank of the river, opposite
the Barrière du Roule. The neighborhood is secluded -- particularly so. It is the

burthen: (v) weight, angle, weight
down; (n) loading, plumbing, white
elephant.
footstool: (n) footrest, hassock,
footboard, Ottoman.
mildew: (n, v) mold, rust, decay, cast;
(n) fungus, blight, mushroom,
helminth, moulding; (v) must,
become moldy.
mildewed: (v) moldy, rusty, seedy,
spotted, decayed; (adj, v) fusty; (adj)
trite.
Thesaurus
parasol: (n) sunshade, canopy,
awning, umbrella, marquee, beach
umbrella, shade, cover, tilt, tent.
petticoat: (adj, n) female; (n)
underskirt, skirt, she, woman, her,
crinoline, wife, undergarment, apron;
(adj) petty.
roadside: (n) verge, shoulder, border,
edge, margin.
scarf: (n) neckerchief, handkerchief,
stole, necktie, cravat, kerchief,
mantilla, shawl, wrap, tie, stock.
thicket: (n) brake, coppice, brush,
grove, spinney, bush, brushwood,
cluster, underbrush, undergrowth,
underwood.
thorn: (n) barb, prickle, bramble,
spike, point, brier, pricker, needle,
sticker, fang; (adj, n) sting.
threads: (n) duds, clothing, apparel,
clothes, wear, vesture, coat, cords,
dress, garb, garment.
trampled: (adj) crushed, damaged,
flattened, compressed, packed down.
178 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

usual Sunday resort of blackguards from the city, who cross the river in boats.
About three o’clock, in the afternoon of the Sunday in question, a young girl
arrived at the inn, accompanied by a young man of dark complexion. The two
remained here for some time. On their departure, they took the road to some
thick woods in the vicinity. Madame Deluc’s attention was called to the dress
worn by the girl, on account of its resemblance to one worn by a deceased
relative. A scarf was particularly noticed. Soon after the departure of the couple,
a gang of miscreants made their appearance, behaved boisterously, ate and
drank without making payment, followed in the route of the young man and
girl, returned to the inn about dusk, and re-crossed the river as if in great haste.%
It was soon after dark, upon this same evening, that Madame Deluc, as well
as her eldest son, heard the screams of a female in the vicinity of the inn. The
screams were violent but brief. Madame D. recognized not only the scarf which
was found in the thicket, but the dress which was discovered upon the corpse.
An omnibus driver, Valence, now also testified that he saw Marie Rogêt cross a
ferry on the Seine, on the Sunday in question, in company with a young man of
dark complexion. He, Valence, knew Marie, and could not be mistaken in her
identity. The articles found in the thicket were fully identified by the relatives of
Marie.
The items of evidence and information thus collected by myself, from the
newspapers, at the suggestion of Dupin, embraced only one more point -- but
this was a point of seemingly vast consequence. It appears that, immediately
after the discovery of the clothes as above described, the lifeless, or nearly
lifeless body of St. Eustache, Marie’s betrothed, was found in the vicinity of what
all now supposed the scene of the outrage. A phial labelled “laudanum,” and
emptied, was found near him. His breath gave evidence of the poison. He died
without speaking. Upon his person was found a letter, briefly stating his love for
Marie, with his design of self- destruction.
“I need scarcely tell you,” said Dupin, as he finished the perusal of my notes,
“that this is a far more intricate case than that of the Rue Morgue; from which it
differs in one important respect. This is an ordinary, although an atrocious

boisterously: (adv) noisily,
clamorously, raucously,
uproariously, rowdily, riotously,
loudly, tumultuously, vociferously,
unruly, roughly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
demurely, peacefully.
complexion: (n, v) tint; (n) cast,
character, appearance, look, hue,
aspect, flush, glow, dye, fashion.
corpse: (n) carcass, body, carcase, dead
person, stiff, dead body, remains,
corse, clay, dry bones; (adj) lich.
Thesaurus
drank: (v) absorb. motorbus, coach, charabanc,
embraced: (adj) popular. collection, anthology, compilation,
emptied: (adj) empty, void, depleted, jitney, car, motorcoach.
emptier, annulled, open, vacuous. phial: (n) ampoule, bottle, cruet,
labelled: (adj) tagged. ampul, ampule, noggin, caster, flask,
lifeless: (adj) inanimate, dull, insipid, stoup.
defunct, inactive, flat, exanimate, poison: (adj, v) contaminate, taint; (n,
dreary, tedious, inert, lackluster. v) envenom, drug, empoison; (adj)
ANTONYMS: (adj) lively, stiff, alive, toxic, poisonous; (v) defile, intoxicate;
interesting, awake, moving, upright, (n) bane, venom. ANTONYMS: (n)
bright, brilliant, firm, inspiring. cure; (v) clean.
omnibus: (n, v) bus, autobus; (n) stating: (n) reference.
 Edgar Allan Poe 179

instance of crime. There is nothing peculiarly outré about it. You will observe
that, for this reason, the mystery has been considered easy, when, for this reason,
it should have been considered difficult, of solution. Thus; at first, it was thought
unnecessary to offer a reward. The myrmidons of G--- were able at once to
comprehend how and why such an atrocity might have been committed. They
could picture to their imaginations a mode - many modes - and a motive - many
motives; and because it was not impossible that either of these numerous modes
and motives could have been the actual one, they have taken it for granted that
one of them must. But the case with which these variable fancies were
entertained, and the very plausibility which each assumed, should have been
understood as indicative rather of the difficulties than of the facilities which must
attend elucidation. I have before observed that it is by prominences above the
plane of the ordinary, that reason feels her way, if at all, in her search for the
true, and that the proper question in cases such as this, is not so much ‘what has
occurred?’ as ‘what has occurred that has never occurred before?’ In the
investigations at the house of Madame L’Espanaye, the agents of G---- were
discouraged and confounded by that very unusualness which, to a properly
regulated intellect, would have afforded the surest omen of success; while this
same intellect might have been plunged in despair at the ordinary character of all
that met the eye in the case of the perfumery-girl, and yet told of nothing but
easy triumph to the functionaries of the Prefecture.%
“In the case of Madame L’Espanaye and her daughter there was, even at the
beginning of our investigation, no doubt that murder had been committed. The
idea of suicide was excluded at once. Here, too, we are freed, at the
commencement, from all supposition of self- murder. The body found at the
Barrière du Roule, was found under such circumstances as to leave us no room
for embarrassment upon this important point. But it has been suggested that the
corpse discovered, is not that of the Marie Rogêt for the conviction of whose
assassin, or assassins, the reward is offered, and respecting whom, solely, our
agreement has been arranged with the Prefect. We both know this gentleman
well. It will not do to trust him too far. If, dating our inquiries from the body
found, and thence tracing a murderer, we yet discover this body to be that of

Thesaurus
assassin: (n) assassinator, liquidator, enthusiastic. probability, admissibility,
bravo, assassinate, cutthroat, thug, freed: (adj) disentangled, emancipated, believability, credibleness, fair
killer; (v) slayer, butcher, Cain, disengaged, liberated, extricated, appearance, plausibleness,
sabreur. freer, unchained, untied, loosened, presumption, reasonableness; (adj, n)
discouraged: (adj) despondent, disillusioned, not tied up. verisimilitude.
downhearted, downcast, peculiarly: (adj, adv) particularly, tracing: (n) trace, copy, design, model,
demoralized, dejected, dispirited, curiously, unusually, uncommonly, chase, drafting, action of tracing,
disheartened, frustrated, crestfallen, singularly; (adv) especially, oddly, blueprint, cast, draftsmanship, ghost.
pessimistic, depressed. ANTONYMS: strangely, specifically, weirdly, unusualness: (n) unusuality,
(adj) uplifted, heartened, cheered, specially. ANTONYMS: (adv) uncommonness, peculiarity, miracle,
inspired, cheerful, encouraged, typically, ordinarily, slightly. abnormality, eccentricity,
hopeful, happy, calm, positive, plausibility: (n) credibility, possibility, unfamiliarity.
180 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

some other individual than Marie; or, if starting from the living Marie, we find
her, yet find her unassassinated -- in either case we lose our labor; since it is
Monsieur G---- with whom we have to deal. For our own purpose, therefore, if
not for the purpose of justice, it is indispensable that our first step should be the
determination of the identity of the corpse with the Marie Rogêt who is missing.%
“With the public the arguments of L’Etoile have had weight; and that the
journal itself is convinced of their importance would appear from the manner in
which it commences one of its essays upon the subject - ‘Several of the morning
papers of the day,’ it says, ‘speak of the conclusive article in Monday’s Etoile.’ To
me, this article appears conclusive of little beyond the zeal of its inditer. We
should bear in mind that, in general, it is the object of our newspapers rather to
create a sensation -- to make a point - than to further the cause of truth. The latter
end is only pursued when it seems coincident with the former. The print which
merely falls in with ordinary opinion (however well founded this opinion may
be) earns for itself no credit with the mob. The mass of the people regard as
profound only him who suggests pungent contradictions of the general idea. In
ratiocination, not less than in literature, it is the epigram which is the most
immediately and the most universally appreciated. In both, it is of the lowest
order of merit.
“What I mean to say is, that it is the mingled epigram and melodrame of the
idea, that Marie Rogêt still lives, rather than any true plausibility in this idea,
which have suggested it to L’Etoile, and secured it a favorable reception with the
public. Let us examine the heads of this journal’s argument; endeavoring to
avoid the incoherence with which it is originally set forth.
“The first aim of the writer is to show, from the brevity of the interval
between Marie’s disappearance and the finding of the floating corpse, that this
corpse cannot be that of Marie. The reduction of this interval to its smallest
possible dimension, becomes thus, at once, an object with the reasoner. In the
rash pursuit of this object, he rushes into mere assumption at the outset. ‘It is
folly to suppose,’ he says, ‘that the murder, if murder was committed on her
body, could have been consummated soon enough to have enabled her

Thesaurus
brevity: (n) briefness, shortness, expression, locution, saying, crack, mingled: (adj) miscellaneous, complex,
succinctness, transience, terseness, wisecrack, moral, jeu d'esprit, smart indiscriminate, heterogeneous,
abruptness, crispness, duration, saying. medley, confused, eclectic, motley,
economy, length, brevities. favorable: (adj) lucky, fortunate, different; (v) blended, blent.
ANTONYMS: (n) lengthiness, length. propitious, prosperous, convenient, pungent: (adj, n) bitter; (adj) hot,
coincident: (adj) concurrent, advantageous, encouraging, happy, peppery, acid, acrid, biting,
simultaneous, consistent, helpful; (adj, v) friendly; (adj, n) penetrating, caustic; (adj, v) poignant,
coincidental, identical, congruent, kindly. ANTONYMS: (adj) adverse, keen, brisk. ANTONYMS: (adj) bland,
accordant, concomitant, coexisting, at negative, ominous, disapproving, sweet, faint, odorless.
the same time, corresponding. inauspicious, detrimental, reasoner: (n) analogist, casuist,
ANTONYM: (adj) inconsistent. unfriendly, disagreeable, hindering, logician, ratiocinator, disputant,
epigram: (n) aphorism, joke, witticism, harmful, untimely. arguer, intellectual, intellect.
 Edgar Allan Poe 181

murderers to throw the body into the river before midnight.’ We demand at
once, and very naturally, why? Why is it folly to suppose that the murder was
committed within five minutes after the girl’s quitting her mother’s house? Why is
it folly to suppose that the murder was committed at any given period of the
day? There have been assassinations at all hours. But, had the murder taken
place at any moment between nine o’clock in the morning of Sunday, and a
quarter before midnight, there would still have been time enough ‘‘to throw the
body into the river before midnight.’ This assumption, then, amounts precisely to
this - that the murder was not committed on Sunday at all - and, if we allow
L’Etoile to assume this, we may permit it any liberties whatever. The paragraph
beginning ‘It is folly to suppose that the murder, etc.,’ however it appears as
printed in L’Etoile, may be imagined to have existed actually thus in the brain of
its inditer - ‘It is folly to suppose that the murder, if murder was committed on
the body, could have been committed soon enough to have enabled her
murderers to throw the body into the river before midnight; it is folly, we say, to
suppose all this, and to suppose at the same time, (as we are resolved to
suppose,) that the body was not thrown in until after midnight’ -- a sentence
sufficiently inconsequential in itself, but not so utterly preposterous as the one
printed.%
“Were it my purpose,” continued Dupin, “merely to make out a case against
this passage of L’Etoile’s argument, I might safely leave it where it is. It is not,
however, with L’Etoile that we have to do, but with the truth. The sentence in
question has but one meaning, as it stands; and this meaning I have fairly stated:
but it is material that we go behind the mere words, for an idea which these
words have obviously intended, and failed to convey. It was the design of the
journalist to say that, at whatever period of the day or night of Sunday this
murder was committed, it was improbable that the assassins would have
ventured to bear the corpse to the river before midnight. And herein lies, really,
the assumption of which I complain. It is assumed that the murder was
committed at such a position, and under such circumstances, that the bearing it
to the river became necessary. Now, the assassination might have taken place
upon the river’s brink, or on the river itself; and, thus, the throwing the corpse in

assassination: (n, v) murder,
manslaughter; (n) killing, massacre,
defamation, obloquy, calumny,
traducement, slaying, carnage; (v)
trucidation.
brink: (n, v) edge; (n) border, hem,
threshold, boundary, brim, shore,
periphery, lip, margin, limit.
ANTONYMS: (n) middle, interior,
end.
folly: (n) fatuity, foolishness, silliness, journalist: (n) reporter, correspondent,
tomfoolery, nonsense, stupidity,
Thesaurus
craziness, density, freak; (adj, n)
irrationality, trifling. ANTONYM: (n)
sense.
herein: (adv) here, therein.
inconsequential: (adj) inconsequent,
minor, unimportant, trivial,
negligible, small, irrelevant,
insignificant, frivolous, trifling,
slight. ANTONYMS: (adj) significant,
major, responsible, serious, crucial.
author, columnist, pressman, scribe,
newscaster, diarist, diary keeper,
chronicler, newsman.
liberties: (n) freedoms, familiarity,
intimacy.
preposterous: (adj) absurd, irrational,
ludicrous, nonsensical, foolish,
ridiculous, laughable, derisory,
monstrous, inconsistent; (adj, v)
extravagant. ANTONYMS: (adj)
sensible, reasonable, impressive,
plausible.
quitting: (n) departure, resignation.
182 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

the water might have been resorted to, at any period of the day or night, as the
most obvious and most immediate mode of disposal. You will understand that I
suggest nothing here as probable, or as cöincident with my own opinion. My
design, so far, has no reference to the facts of the case. I wish merely to caution
you against the whole tone of L’Etoile’s suggestion, by calling your attention to
its ex parte character at the outset.%
“Having prescribed thus a limit to suit its own preconceived notions; having
assumed that, if this were the body of Marie, it could have been in the water but
a very brief time; the journal goes on to say:

All experience has shown that drowned bodies, or bodies thrown into
the water immediately after death by violence, require from six to ten
days for sufficient decomposition to take place to bring them to the top
of the water. Even when a cannon is fired over a corpse, and it rises
before at least five or six days’ immersion, it sinks again if let alone.

“These assertions have been tacitly received by every paper in Paris, with the
exception of Le Moniteur. This latter print endeavors to combat that portion of
the paragraph which has reference to ‘drowned bodies’ only, by citing some five
or six instances in which the bodies of individuals known to be drowned were
found floating after the lapse of less time than is insisted upon by L’Etoile. But
there is something excessively unphilosophical in the attempt on the part of Le
Moniteur, to rebut the general assertion of L’Etoile, by a citation of particular
instances militating against that assertion. Had it been possible to adduce fifty
instead of five examples of bodies found floating at the end of two or three days,
these fifty examples could still have been properly regarded only as exceptions to
L’Etoile’s rule, until such time as the rule itself should be confuted. Admitting
the rule, (and this Le Moniteur does not deny, insisting merely upon its
exceptions,) the argument of L’Etoile is suffered to remain in full force; for this
argument does not pretend to involve more than a question of the probability of
the body having risen to the surface in less than three days; and this probability

Thesaurus
adduce: (v) quote, advance, allege, exorbitantly, inordinately; (adv) dispute, confute, refute, oppose,
submit, prove, propose, mention, extremely, enormously, exceedingly, impugn, negative, repel, deny.
offer, present, refer, abduce. very, profusely, overly, ANTONYMS: (v) prove,
admitting: (adj) suscipient; (adv) exaggeratedly, intemperately. acknowledge, accept.
conditionally; (n) acknowledgment, ANTONYMS: (adv) justifiably, risen: (v) uprise.
receipt, credence; (conj) although. moderately, insufficiently. tacitly: (adv) unspokenly, implicitly,
citation: (n) quotation, reference, lapse: (n, v) decline, drop, mistake; impliedly, wordlessly, stilly,
mention, allusion, passage, award, (adj, n, v) fall; (v) expire, elapse, voicelessly, assumedly,
honorable mention, honor, source, collapse, go by; (n) oversight, error, unexpressedly.
call; (v) cite. ANTONYM: (n) demerit. fault. ANTONYMS: (v) behave, start, unphilosophical: (adj) irrational,
citing: (n) quotation, citation. rise, renew, improve. undiscerning, unenlightened,
excessively: (adj, adv) immoderately, rebut: (v) contradict, answer, disprove, ungifted, unwise.
 Edgar Allan Poe 183

will be in favor of L’Etoile’s position until the instances so childishly adduced

shall be sufficient in number to establish an antagonistical rule.%
“You will see at once that all argument upon this head should be urged, if at
all, against the rule itself; and for this end we must examine the rationale of the
rule. Now the human body, in general, is neither much lighter nor much heavier
than the water of the Seine; that is to say, the specific gravity of the human body,
in its natural condition, is about equal to the bulk of fresh water which it
displaces. The bodies of fat and fleshy persons, with small bones, and of women
generally, are lighter than those of the lean and large-boned, and of men; and the
specific gravity of the water of a river is somewhat influenced by the presence of
the tide from sea. But, leaving this tide out of question, it may be said that very
few human bodies will sink at all, even in fresh water, of their own accord.
Almost any one, falling into a river, will be enabled to float, if he suffer the
specific gravity of the water fairly to be adduced in comparison with his own -
that is to say, if he suffer his whole person to be immersed, with as little
exception as possible. The proper position for one who cannot swim, is the
upright position of the walker on land, with the head thrown fully back, and
immersed; the mouth and nostrils alone remaining above the surface. Thus
circumstanced, we shall find that we float without difficulty and without
exertion. It is evident, however, that the gravities of the body, and of the bulk of
water displaced, are very nicely balanced, and that a trifle will cause either to
preponderate. An arm, for instance, uplifted from the water, and thus deprived
of its support, is an additional weight sufficient to immerse the whole head,
while the accidental aid of the smallest piece of timber will enable us to elevate
the head so as to look about. Now, in the struggles of one unused to swimming,
the arms are invariably thrown upwards, while an attempt is made to keep the
head in its usual perpendicular position. The result is the immersion of the
mouth and nostrils, and the inception, during efforts to breathe while beneath
the surface, of water into the lungs. Much is also received into the stomach, and
the whole body becomes heavier by the difference between the weight of the air
originally distending these cavities, and that of the fluid which now fills them.
This difference is sufficient to cause the body to sink, as a general rule; but is

childishly: (adv) foolishly, babyishly,
silly, infantilely, stupidly,
immaturely, simplely, juvenilely,
absurdly, ridiculously, frivolously.
circumstanced: (adj) conditioned.
efforts: (n) pains.
elevate: (v) advance, lift, hoist, erect,
exalt, boost, rear, cheer, promote,
dignify, uphold. ANTONYMS: (v)
demote, drop, downgrade, depress,
decrease, reduce.
favor: (n, v) countenance, aid, grace,
Thesaurus
support, benefit, boon; (adj, n) rapt, riveted. ANTONYMS: (adj)
kindness; (n) advantage; (v) befriend, detached, superficial, bored.
encourage, patronize. ANTONYMS: nostrils: (n) naris, nose.
(v) hinder, contradict, dislike, hurt, preponderate: (v) dominate, prevail,
differ, thwart, reject, demean; (n) predominate, overbalance,
derogation, disapproval, unkindness. outbalance, reign, domineer, rule,
immerse: (v) douse, plunge, drench, preponder, overshadow; (adj) rule the
dunk, absorb, drown, engross, bury, roost.
engulf, steep, submerge. uplifted: (adj) high, raised, noble, not
immersed: (adj) submerged, inverted, not prone, proud,
engrossed, deep, underwater, sunk, undismayed, stately, lofty, sublime,
dipped, covered, engaged, profound, animated.
184 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

insufficient in the cases of individuals with small bones and an abnormal

quantity of flaccid or fatty matter. Such individuals float even after drowning.%
“The corpse, being. supposed at the bottom of the river, will there remain
until, by some means, its specific gravity again becomes less than that of the bulk
of water which it displaces. This effect is brought about by decomposition, or
otherwise. The result of decomposition is the generation of gas, distending the
cellular tissues and all the cavities, and giving the puffedappearance which is to
horrible. When this distension has so far progressed that the bulk of the corpse is
materially increased with. out a corresponding increase of mass or weight, its
specific gravity becomes less than that of the water displaced, and it forthwith
makes its appearance at the surface. But decomposition is modified by
innumerable circumstances - is hastened or retarded by innumerable agencies;
for example, by the heat or cold of the season, by the mineral impregnation or
purity of the water, by its depth or shallowness, by its currency or stagnation, by
the temperament of the body, by its infection or freedom from disease before
death. Thus it is evident that we can assign no period, with any thing like
accuracy, at which the corpse shall rise through decomposition. Under certain
conditions this result would be brought about within an hour; under others, it
might not take place at all. There are chemical infusions by which the animal
frame can be preserved foreverfrom corruption; the Bi-chloride of Mercury is
one. But, apart from decomposition, there may be, and very usually is, a
generation of gas within the stomach, from the acetous fermentation of vegetable
matter (or within other cavities from other causes) sufficient to induce a
distension which will bring the body to the surface. The effect produced by the
firing of a cannon is that of simple vibration. This may either loosen the corpse
from the soft mud or ooze in which it is imbedded, thus permitting it to rise
when other agencies have already prepared it for so doing; or it may overcome
the tenacity of some putrescent portions of the cellular tissue; allowing the
cavities to distend under the influence of the gas.
“Having thus before us the whole philosophy of this subject, we can easily
test by it the assertions of L’Etoile. ‘All experience shows,’ says this paper, ‘that

acetous: (adj) sour, acid, acrimonious,
crabbed, tart, vinegary.
distend: (v) expand, bulge, inflate,
bloat, blow up, balloon, enlarge,
swell, widen; (adj, v) stretch, extend.
ANTONYMS: (v) shrink, constrict,
contract, compress.
distension: (n) dilatation, dilation,
intumescence, extension, expansion,
distention, diastole, inflation, bulge,
enlargement, tumefaction.
flaccid: (adj) limp, soft, loose, lax,
Thesaurus
weak, slack, languid, baggy, downy, putrescent: (adj) rotten, corrupt, septic,
drooping; (v) weakly. ANTONYMS: rank, rancid, decayed, unclean,
(adj) stiff, taut, upright, proactive. putrefied; (v) putrid.
impregnation: (n) fertilization, shallowness: (n) frivolity, glibness,
conception, fertilisation, permeation, ignorance, trivia, triviality,
saturation, pervasion, superfetation, commonplace, depth, shoaliness.
diffusion, creation, absorption; (adj) ANTONYMS: (n) profundity,
saturated. substance.
ooze: (v) exude, seep, dribble, drain, stagnation: (n) recession, depression,
drop, trickle; (n) mire, muck; (n, v) stagnancy, deadlock, stasis, delay,
leak; (adj) mud; (adj, n) slime. inaction, inactivity, backwater,
ANTONYM: (v) flood. slump, congestion.
 Edgar Allan Poe 185

drowned bodies, or bodies thrown into the water immediately after death by
violence, require from six to ten days for sufficient decomposition to take place to
bring them to the top of the water. Even when a cannon is fired over a corpse,
and it rises before at least five or six days’ immersion, it sinks again if let alone.’
“The whole of this paragraph must now appear a tissue of inconsequence
and incoherence. All experience does not show that ‘drowned bodies’ require
from six to ten days for sufficient decomposition to take place to bring them to
the surface. Both science and experience show that the period of their rising is,
and necessarily must be, indeterminate. If, moreover, a body has risen to the
surface through firing of cannon, it will not ‘sink again if let alone,’ until
decomposition has so far progressed as to permit the escape of the generated gas.
But I wish to call your attention to the distinction which is made between
‘drowned bodies,’ and ‘bodies thrown into the water immediately after death by
violence.’ Although the writer admits the distinction, he yet includes them all in
the same category. I have shown how it is that the body of a drowning man
becomes specifically heavier than its bulk of water, and that he would not sink at
all, except for the struggles by which he elevates his arms above the surface, and
his gasps for breath while beneath the surface - gasps which supply by water the
place of the original air in the lungs. But these struggles and these gasps would
not occur in the body ‘thrown into the water immediately after death by
violence.’ Thus, in the latter instance, the body, as a general rule, would not sink
at all - a fact of which L’Etoile is evidently ignorant. When decomposition had
proceeded to a very great extent - when the flesh had in a great measure left the
bones - then, indeed, but not till then, should we lose sight of the corpse.%
“And now what are we to make of the argument, that the body found could
not be that of Marie Rogêt, because, three days only having elapsed, this body
was found floating? If drowned, being a woman, she might never have sunk; or
having sunk, might have reappeared in twenty-four hours, or less. But no one
supposes her to have been drowned; and, dying before being thrown into the
river, she might have been found floating at any period afterwards whatever.

Thesaurus
cannon: (n) clash, carom, gun, shank, unlearned, innocent. ANTONYMS: indistinct, obscure, undetermined,
basilisk, gun of position, carambole, (adj) conscious, versed, cultured, indecisive, inexact, adventitious.
carronade, culverin, field piece, educated, informed, wary, literate, ANTONYMS: (adj) quantifiable,
howitzer. aware, polite. definite, determinate, specific, exact,
drowning: (n) masking, demersion. includes: (v) involve; (adj) included. certain, strong.
firing: (n, v) discharge, explosion; (n) inconsequence: (n) illogicality, lungs: (v) air pump, air blower,
dismissal, fire, combustion, sack, independence, irrelevance, ventilator, punkah; (n) blowpipe,
lighting, dismission, release; (adj) inconsequentness, inconsistency, organ.
combustible; (v) burst. insignificance, unimportance. sunk: (adj) sunken, undone, finished,
ignorant: (adj) unconscious, unwitting, ANTONYM: (n) importance. ruined, profound, immersed,
rude, illiterate, uneducated, blind, indeterminate: (adj) inconclusive, damaged, lowed, lying flat; (v) cut
dull, unaware, uninformed, indefinite, equivocal, vague, neutral, up, dashed.
186 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“ ‘But,’ says L’Etoile, ‘if the body had been kept in its mangled state on shore
until Tuesday night, some trace would be found on shore of the murderers.’ Here
it is at first difficult to perceive the intention of the reasoner. He means to
anticipate what he imagines would be an objection to his theory - viz: that the
body was kept on shore two days, suffering rapid decomposition - morerapid
than if immersed in water. He supposes that, had this been the case, it might
have appeared at the surface on the Wednesday, and thinks that only under such
circumstances it could so have appeared. He is accordingly in haste to show that
it was not kept on shore; for, if so, ‘some trace would be found on shore of the
murderers.’ I presume you smile at the sequitur. You cannot be made to see how
the mere duration of the corpse on the shore could operate to multiply traces of
the assassins. Nor can I.%
“ ‘And furthermore it is exceedingly improbable,’ continues our journal, ‘that
any villains who had committed such a murder as is here supposed, would have
thrown the body in without weight to sink it, when such a precaution could have
so easily been taken.’ Observe, here, the laughable confusion of thought! No one
- not even L’Etoile - disputes the murder committed on the body found. The marks
of violence are too obvious. It is our reasoner’s object merely to show that this
body is not Marie’s. He wishes to prove that Marie is not assassinated - not that
the corpse was not. Yet his observation proves only the latter point. Here is a
corpse without weight attached. Murderers, casting it in, would not have failed
to attach a weight. Therefore it was not thrown in by murderers. This is all which
is proved, if any thing is. The question of identity is not even approached, and
L’Etoile has been at great pains merely to gainsay now what it has admitted only
a moment before. ‘We are perfectly convinced,’ it says, ‘that the body found was
that of a murdered female.’
“Nor is this the sole instance, even in this division of his subject, where our
reasoner unwittingly reasons against himself. His evident object, I have already
said, is to reduce, us much as possible, the interval between Marie’s
disappearance and the finding of the corpse. Yet we find him urging the point
that no person saw the girl from the moment of her leaving her mother’s house.

gainsay: (v) disavow, negate,
contradict, deny, refute, controvert,
disclaim, impugn, oppose, contest,
contravene. ANTONYMS: (v) agree,
correspond.
haste: (n, v) hurry, dash, dispatch,
rush; (n) celerity, expedition,
rapidity, speed, bustle, hastiness,
quickness. ANTONYMS: (n) delay,
patience, forethought, caution.
laughable: (adj) absurd, amusing,
humorous, comical, ludicrous,
Thesaurus
ridiculous, farcical, droll, comic, conclude, suppose, conjecture.
foolish, jocular. ANTONYMS: (adj) ANTONYMS: (v) appreciate, despair,
serious, tragic, adequate, generous, speculate.
impressive. sequitur: (n) conclusion.
multiply: (v) expand, increase, unwittingly: (adv) unintentionally,
propagate, breed, augment, unknowingly, unconsciously,
duplicate, proliferate, procreate, accidentally, ignorantly, innocently,
reproduce, calculate, extend. unawares, unawarely,
ANTONYMS: (adv) singly; (v) divide, unsuspectingly, uninformedly,
diminish, reduce, estimate, dwindle. obliviously. ANTONYMS: (adv)
presume: (v) dare, consider, believe, mindfully, deliberately, knowingly.
think, infer, guess, expect, esteem,
 Edgar Allan Poe 187

‘We have no evidence,’ he says, ‘that Marie Rogêt was in the land of the living
after nine o’clock on Sunday, June the twenty-second.’ As his argument is
obviously an ex parte one, he should, at least, have left this matter out of sight;
for had any one been known to see Marie, say on Monday, or on Tuesday, the
interval in question would have been much reduced, and, by his own
ratiocination, the probability much diminished of the corpse being that of the
grisette. It is, nevertheless, amusing to observe that L’Etoile insists upon its point
in the full belief of its furthering its general argument.%
“Reperuse now that portion of this argument which has reference to the
identification of the corpse by Beauvais. In regard to the hair upon the arm,
L’Etoile has been obviously disingenuous. M. Beauvais, not being an idiot, could
never have urged, in identification of the corpse, simply hair upon its arm. No
arm is without hair. The generality of the expression of L’Etoile is a mere
perversion of the witness’ phraseology. He must have spoken of some
peculiarity in this hair. It must have been a peculiarity of color, of quantity, of
length, or of situation.
“ ‘Her foot,’ says the journal, ‘was small - so are thousands of feet. Her garter
is no proof whatever - nor is her shoe - for shoes and garters are sold in packages.
The same may be said of the flowers in her hat. One thing upon which M.
Beauvais strongly insists is, that the clasp on the garter found, had been set back
to take it in. This amounts to nothing; for most women find it proper to take a
pair of garters home and fit them to the size of the limbs they are to encircle,
rather than to try them in the store where they purchase.’ Here it is difficult to
suppose the reasoner in earnest. Had M. Beauvais, in his search for the body of
Marie, discovered a corpse corresponding in general size and appearance to the
missing girl, he would have been warranted (without reference to the question of
habiliment at all) in forming an opinion that his search had been successful. If, in
addition to the point of general size and contour, he had found upon the arm a
peculiar hairy appearance which he had observed upon the living Marie, his
opinion might have been justly strengthened; and the increase of positiveness
might well have been in the ratio of the peculiarity, or unusualness, of the hairy

contour: (n) contour line, outline,
form, profile, shape, line,
configuration, silhouette, curve,
circuit, edge. ANTONYM: (n) core.
disingenuous: (adj) insincere,
deceptive, dishonest, artful, false,
hypocritical, crafty, insidious,
duplicitous, oblique, cunning.
ANTONYMS: (adj) straightforward,
sincere, honest, candid, open,
genuine, naive, frank, truthful.
encircle: (adv, n, v) compass; (adv, v)
Thesaurus
beset, surround, enclose, encompass, falsification, corruption, depravity,
environ; (v) besiege, circumvent, misuse, casuistry, vice, buggery; (adj)
bound; (n, v) circle, embrace. declension, hardening, backsliding.
ANTONYM: (v) expose. phraseology: (n) language, expression,
garter: (n) cestus, halter, running knot, phrasing, wording, idiom,
surcingle, noose, knot, lasso, vernacular, dialect, choice of words,
suspender, star, wreath, crown. terminology, locution; (n, v) style.
hairy: (adj) hirsute, bushy, dangerous, positiveness: (n) assertiveness,
downy, woolly, bristly, fleecy, rough, assurance, security, confidence,
fuzzy, shaggy, fluffy. ANTONYMS: positivism, absolute power,
(adj) hairless, safe, tidy, sleek. absoluteness, roundness,
perversion: (n) misrepresentation, definiteness, trust, boldness.
188 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

mark. %If, the feet of Marie being small, those of the corpse were also small, the
increase of probability that the body was that of Marie would not be an increase
in a ratio merely arithmetical, but in one highly geometrical, or accumulative.
Add to all this shoes such as she had been known to wear upon the day of her
disappearance, and, although these shoes may be ‘sold in packages,’ you so far
augment the probability as to verge upon the certain. What, of itself, would be
no evidence of identity, becomes through its corroborative position, proof most
sure. Give us, then, flowers in the hat corresponding to those worn by the
missing girl, and we seek for nothing farther. If only one flower, we seek for
nothing farther - what then if two or three, or more? Each successive one is
multiple evidence - proof not added to proof, but multiplied by hundreds or
thousands. Let us now discover, upon the deceased, garters such as the living
used, and it is almost folly to proceed. But these garters are found to be
tightened, by the setting back of a clasp, in just such a manner as her own had
been tightened by Marie, shortly previous to her leaving home. It is now
madness or hypocrisy to doubt. What L’Etoile says in respect to this
abbreviation of the garter’s being an usual occurrence, shows nothing beyond its
own pertinacity in error. The elastic nature of the clasp-garter is self-
demonstration of the unusualness of the abbreviation. What is made to adjust
itself, must of necessity require foreign adjustment but rarely. It must have been
by an accident, in its strictest sense, that these garters of Marie needed the
tightening described. They alone would have amply established her identity. But
it is not that the corpse was found to have the garters of the missing girl, or
found to have her shoes, or her bonnet, or the flowers of her bonnet, or her feet,
or a peculiar mark upon the arm, or her general size and appearance - it is that
the corpse had each, and all collectively. Could it be proved that the editor of
L’Etoile really entertained a doubt, under the circumstances, there would be no
need, in his case, of a commission de lunatico inquirendo. He has thought it
sagacious to echo the small talk of the lawyers, who, for the most part, content
themselves with echoing the rectangular precepts of the courts. I would here
observe that very much of what is rejected as evidence by a court, is the best of
evidence to the intellect. For the court, guiding itself by the general principles of

Thesaurus
abbreviation: (n) abridgment, ANTONYMS: (adv) meagerly, diminish, undermine, minimize,
abridgement, short form, contraction, inadequately, illiberally, sparingly, lower.
abstraction, form, summary, poorly. clasp: (n, v) embrace, hug, grip, grasp,
shortening, reduction, ellipsis, arithmetical: (adj) statistical, squeeze, clutch, buckle, brooch; (adj,
diminution. ANTONYM: (n) mathematical, numerable, calculable, n, v) pin; (v) stick, cling.
expansion. computable, numerical, numeric, ANTONYMS: (v) unbuckle, loose,
accumulative: (adj) acquisitive, analytic, algebraic. unclasp, relax, detach.
additive, additional. augment: (v) amplify, add, enhance, sagacious: (adj, v) judicious, prudent,
amply: (adj, adv) abundantly, enlarge, aggrandize, reinforce, boost, discreet; (adj) rational, astute, acute,
sufficiently; (adv) fully, well, lavishly, expand, improve, intensify; (n, v) discerning, keen, perspicacious,
plentifully, richly, generously, accrue. ANTONYMS: (v) reduce, intelligent, shrewd. ANTONYMS:
enough, adequately, capaciously. decrease, attenuate, degrade, drop, (adj) foolish, stupid, dense.
 Edgar Allan Poe 189

evidence - the recognized and booked principles - is averse from swerving at

particular instances. And this steadfast adherence to principle, with rigorous
disregard of the conflicting exception, is a sure mode of attaining the maximum
of attainable truth, in any long sequence of time. The practice, in mass, is
therefore philosophical; but it is not the less certain that it engenders vast
individual error.%
“In respect to the insinuations levelled at Beauvais, you will be willing to
dismiss them in a breath. You have already fathomed the true character of this
good gentleman. He is a busy-body, with much of romance and little of wit. Any
one so constituted will readily so conduct himself, upon occasion of real
excitement, as to render himself liable to suspicion on the part of the over acute,
or the ill- disposed. M. Beauvais (as it appears from your notes) had some
personal interviews with the editor of L’Etoile, and offended him by venturing
an opinion that the corpse, notwithstanding the theory of the editor, was, in
sober fact, that of Marie. ‘He persists,’ says the paper, ‘in asserting the corpse to
be that of Marie, but cannot give a circumstance, in addition to those which we
have commented upon, to make others believe.’ Now, without re-adverting to
the fact that stronger evidence ‘to make others believe,’ could never have been
adduced, it may be remarked that a man may very well be understood to believe,
in a case of this kind, without the ability to advance a single reason for the belief
of a second party. Nothing is more vague than impressions of individual
identity. Each man recognizes his neighbor, yet there are few instances in which
any one is prepared to give a reason for his recognition. The editor of L’Etoile
had no right to be offended at M. Beauvais’ unreasoning belief.
“The suspicious circumstances which invest him, will be found to tally much
better with my hypothesis of romantic busy-bodyism, than with the reasoner’s
suggestion of guilt. Once adopting the more charitable interpretation, we shall
find no difficulty in comprehending the rose in the key-hole; the ‘Marie’ upon
the slate; the ‘elbowing the male relatives out of the way;’ the ‘aversion to
permitting them to see the body;’ the caution given to Madame B----, that she
must hold no conversation with the gendarmeuntil his return (Beauvais’); and,

adherence: (n) observance, loyalty,
coherence, cohesion, commitment,
tenacity, constancy, fidelity,
devotion, attachment, faithfulness.
ANTONYMS: (n) disloyalty,
disobedience.
asserting: (v) affirm; (adj) declaratory,
declarative, evidentiary; (n) assertion.
comprehending: (adj) intelligent,
general, observant, sympathetic,
brotherly, conversant.
conflicting: (adj) repugnant, opposed,
Thesaurus
incompatible, clashing, inconsistent,
opposite, contrary, divergent,
adverse, paradoxical; (v) antagonistic.
ANTONYMS: (adj) consistent,
compatible, parallel, peaceful,
harmonious, corresponding,
agreeing, agreeable, congruous.
steadfast: (adj, v) solid, firm,
permanent, loyal, fast, fixed,
immovable, faithful; (adj) resolute,
determined, steady. ANTONYMS:
(adj) irresolute, disloyal, unreliable,
undependable, uncommitted, weak,
transient, fickle, compliant,
acquiescent, inconstant.
swerving: (n) veering.
tally: (n, v) count, check, score, sum;
(v) agree, number, suit, fit, match,
accord, jibe. ANTONYMS: (v)
disagree, conflict, differ.
unreasoning: (adj) irrational,
unintelligent, unintellectual,
thoughtless, unreasonable, partisan,
vacuous, unthinking, unreasoned.
190 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

lastly, his apparent determination ‘that nobody should have anything to do with
the proceedings except himself.’ It seems to me unquestionable that Beauvais
was a suitor of Marie’s; that she coquetted with him; and that he was ambitious
of being thought to enjoy her fullest intimacy and confidence. I shall say nothing
more upon this point; and, as the evidence fully rebuts the assertion of L’Etoile,
touching the matter of apathy on the part of the mother and other relatives - an
apathy inconsistent with the supposition of their believing the corpse to be that
of the perfumery- girl - we shall now proceed as if the question of identity were
settled to our perfect satisfaction.”%
“And what,” I here demanded, “do you think of the opinions of Le
Commerciel?”
“That, in spirit, they are far more worthy of attention than any which have
been promulgated upon the subject. The deductions from the premises are
philosophical and acute; but the premises, in two instances, at least, are founded
in imperfect observation. Le Commerciel wishes to intimate that Marie was
seized by some gang of low ruffians not far from her mother’s door. ‘It is
impossible,’ it urges, ‘that a person so well known to thousands as this young
woman was, should have passed three blocks without some one having seen
her.’ This is the idea of a man long resident in Paris - a public man - and one
whose walks to and fro in the city, have been mostly limited to the vicinity of the
public offices. He is aware that he seldom passes so far as a dozen blocks from
his own bureau, without being recognized and accosted. And, knowing the
extent of his personal acquaintance with others, and of others with him, he
compares his notoriety with that of the perfumery-girl, finds no great difference
between them, and reaches at once the conclusion that she, in her walks, would
be equally liable to recognition with himself in his. This could only be the case
were her walks of the same unvarying, methodical character, and within the
same species of limited region as are his own. He passes to and fro, at regular
intervals, within a confined periphery, abounding in individuals who are led to
observation of his person through interest in the kindred nature of his
occupation with their own. But the walks of Marie may, in general, be supposed

abounding: (adj) rich, abundant, full,
rife, replete, affluent, wealthy,
plentiful, ample, fraught, prolific.
ANTONYM: (adj) poor.
assertion: (n) statement, argument,
claim, avowal, contention, charge,
testimony, profession, allegation,
accusation, position. ANTONYMS:
(n) denial, disavowal, uncertainty.
intimacy: (adj, n) familiarity,
acquaintance; (n) closeness,
fellowship, association, friendship,
Thesaurus
intercourse, affair, camaraderie, unquestionable: (adj) incontrovertible,
conversance, confidence. indisputable, sure, incontestable,
ANTONYMS: (n) distance, formality. indubitable, certain, unequivocal,
kindred: (adj) cognate, akin, similar, irrefutable, undoubted, definite; (v)
allied, related; (n) kin, consanguinity, unimpeachable. ANTONYMS: (adj)
relation, folk, folks, kin group. dubious, uncertain, doubtful,
periphery: (n) perimeter, fringe, edge, indefinite, tenuous, provisional,
limit, boundary, margin, debatable, disputable.
circumference, bound, border, circle, vicinity: (n) region, district, proximity,
rim. ANTONYMS: (n) center, middle, place, neighbourhood, locality,
heart, mainstream. environs, vicinage, area, propinquity,
reaches: (n) recess. nearness.
 Edgar Allan Poe 191

discursive. In this particular instance, it will be understood as most probable,

that she proceeded upon a route of more than average diversity from her
accustomed ones. The parallel which we imagine to have existed in the mind of
Le Commerciel would only be sustained in the event of the two individuals’
traversing the whole city. In this case, granting the personal acquaintances to be
equal, the chances would be also equal that an equal number of personal
rencounters would be made. For my own part, I should hold it not only as
possible, but as very far more than probable, that Marie might have proceeded,
at any given period, by any one of the many routes between her own residence
and that of her aunt, without meeting a single individual whom she knew, or by
whom she was known. In viewing this question in its full and proper light, we
must hold steadily in mind the great disproportion between the personal
acquaintances of even the most noted individual in Paris, and the entire
population of Paris itself.%
“But whatever force there may still appear to be in the suggestion of Le
Commerciel, will be much diminished when we take into consideration the hour
at which the girl went abroad. ‘It was when the streets were full of people,’ says
Le Commerciel, ‘that she went out.’ But not so. It was at nine o’clock in the
morning. Now at nine o’clock of every morning in the week, with the exception of
Sunday, the streets of the city are, it is true, thronged with people. At nine on
Sunday, the populace are chiefly within doors preparing for church. No observing
person can have failed to notice the peculiarly deserted air of the town, from
about eight until ten on the morning of every Sabbath. Between ten and eleven
the streets are thronged, but not at so early a period as that designated.
“There is another point at which there seems a deficiency of observation on
the part of Le Commerciel. ‘A piece,’ it says, ‘of one of the unfortunate girl’s
petticoats, two feet long, and one foot wide, was torn out and tied under her
chin, and around the back of her head, probably to prevent screams. This was
done, by fellows who had no pocket-handkerchiefs.’ Whether this idea is, or is
not well founded, we will endeavor to see hereafter; but by ‘fellows who have no
pocket-handkerchiefs’ the editor intends the lowest class of ruffians. These,

Thesaurus
diminished: (adj) abated, weakened, unevenness, unfairness, variation, (n) investigation.
lessened, atrophied, belittled, disagreement. ANTONYMS: (n) populace: (n) multitude, masses,
attenuate, reduced, lower, equality, symmetry, proportion, inhabitants, public, commonalty,
attenuated, cut, short. balance, evenness, parity, justice. mob, crowd, population, nation,
discursive: (adj, v) excursive, founded: (prep) established, institute; man, country.
discursory; (adj) diffuse, desultory, (v) fusil, cast. thronged: (adj) throng, busy,
dianoetic, indirect, discoursive, granting: (n) concession, conceding, populous, brisk, teeming, swarming,
digressive; (v) ambulatory, monadic, yielding, surrendering, issue, sprightly, sensitive, replete,
vagrant. agreement; (conj) although. overflowing; (n) persistent.
disproportion: (n) inequality, observing: (adj) observant, mindful, traversing: (n) traverse,
discrepancy, difference, imbalance, watchful, commemorative, conscious, perambulation, crossing; (adj)
inadequacy, incongruity, irregularity, observative, perceptive, thoughtful; moving.
192 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

however, are the very description of people who will always be found to have
handkerchiefs even when destitute of shirts. You must have had occasion to
observe how absolutely indispensable, of late years, to the thorough blackguard,
has become the pocket-handkerchief.”
“And what are we to think,” I asked, “of the article in Le Soleil?”
“That it is a vast pity its inditer was not born a parrot - in which case he
would have been the most illustrious parrot of his race. He has merely repeated
the individual items of the already published opinion; collecting them, with a
laudable industry, from this paper and from that. ‘The things had all evidently
been there,’ he says,’ at least, three or four weeks, and there can be no doubt that
the spot of this appalling outrage has been discovered.’ The facts here re-stated
by Le Soleil, are very far indeed from removing my own doubts upon this
subject, and we will examine them more particularly hereafter in connexion with
another division of the theme.%
“At present we must occupy ourselves with other investigations You cannot
fail to have remarked the extreme laxity of the examination of the corpse. To be
sure, the question of identity was readily determined, or should have been; but
there were other points to be ascertained. Had the body been in any respect
despoiled? Had the deceased any articles of jewelry about her person upon
leaving home? if so, had she any when found? These are important questions
utterly untouched by the evidence; and there are others of equal moment, which
have met with no attention. We must endeavor to satisfy ourselves by personal
inquiry. The case of St. Eustache must be re-examined. I have no suspicion of this
person; but let us proceed methodically. We will ascertain beyond a doubt the
validity of the affidavits in regard to his whereabouts on the Sunday. Affidavits
of this character are readily made matter of mystification. Should there be
nothing wrong here, however, we will dismiss St. Eustache from our
investigations. His suicide, however corroborative of suspicion, were there found
to be deceit in the affidavits, is, without such deceit, in no respect an
unaccountable circumstance, or one which need cause us to deflect from the line
of ordinary analysis.

blackguard: (n) ruffian, rogue, dog,
rascal, heel, hound, cad; (adj) base,
vile; (v) vituperate, revile.
despoiled: (adj) plundered, looted,
desecrated, sacked, assaulted,
besmirched, corrupted, desolate,
desolated, destroyed, dishonored.
ANTONYM: (adj) untarnished.
jewelry: (n) jewellery, jewel, gem,
bijou, gems, adornment, bangle,
earring, bead, bracelet, band.
laudable: (adj) commendable,
Thesaurus
creditable, admirable, praiseworthy, attention.
worthy, deserving, good, honorable, methodically: (adv) regularly, exactly,
meritorious, applaudable, estimable. precisely, carefully, consistently,
ANTONYMS: (adj) shameful, orderly, meticulously, neatly,
regrettable, unimpressive, logically, painstakingly, analytically.
lamentable, poor, despicable. ANTONYMS: (adv) carelessly,
laxity: (n) laxness, relaxation, randomly, rashly, unevenly,
carelessness, remissness, laches, illogically.
evasion, failure, feebleness; (adj) parrot: (n, v) mimic; (n) popinjay, poll,
flaccidity, immorality, debasement. parakeet, macaw, copycat, cockateel,
ANTONYMS: (n) intervention, Amazon, cockatiel, cockatoo; (v) ape.
strictness, vigilance, severity, removing: (adj) departing.
 Edgar Allan Poe 193

“In that which I now propose, we will discard the interior points of this
tragedy, and concentrate our attention upon its outskirts. Not the least usual
error, in investigations such as this, is the limiting of inquiry to the immediate,
with total disregard of the collateral or circumstantial events. It is the mal-
practice of the courts to confine evidence and discussion to the bounds of
apparent relevancy. Yet experience has shown, and a true philosophy will
always show, that a vast, perhaps the larger portion of truth, arises from the
seemingly irrelevant. It is through the spirit of this principle, if not precisely
through its letter, that modern science has resolved to calculate upon the
unforeseen. But perhaps you do not comprehend me. The history of human
knowledge has so uninterruptedly shown that to collateral, or incidental, or
accidental events we are indebted for the most numerous and most valuable
discoveries, that it has at length become necessary, in any prospective view of
improvement, to make not only large, but the largest allowances for inventions
that shall arise by chance, and quite out of the range of ordinary expectation. It is
no longer philosophical to base, upon what has been, a vision of what is to be.
Accident is admitted as a portion of the substructure. We make chance a matter
of absolute calculation. We subject the unlooked for and unimagined, to the
mathematical formulae of the schools.%
“I repeat that it is no more than fact, that the larger portion of all truth has
sprung from the collateral; and it is but in accordance with the spirit of the
principle involved in this fact, that I would divert inquiry, in the present case,
from the trodden and hitherto unfruitful ground of the event itself, to the
contemporary circumstances which surround it. While you ascertain the validity
of the affidavits, I will examine the newspapers more generally than you have as
yet done. So far, we have only reconnoitred the field of investigation; but it will
be strange indeed if a comprehensive survey, such as I propose, of the public
prints, will not afford us some minute points which shall establish a direction for
inquiry.”
In pursuance of Dupin’s suggestion, I made scrupulous examination of the
affair of the affidavits. The result was a firm conviction of their validity, and of

Thesaurus
collateral: (n) warranty, guarantee, ANTONYMS: (adj) sloppy, fruitless, effete, infecund, lean,
mortgage, guaranty, security, pledge, unscrupulous, slapdash, relaxed, unfertile, inoperative. ANTONYMS:
bond; (adj) secondary, indirect, guilty, deceitful. (adj) fruitful, fertile.
oblique, subsidiary. ANTONYMS: substructure: (n) base, foot, bed, unimagined: (adj) undreamed,
(adj) primary, chief, fundamental, groundwork, floor, basis, bottom, undreamt of, undreamt, undreamed
principal, lineal. ground, substratum, understructure, of, unexpected, incredible,
newspapers: (n) press, papers, the infrastructure. ANTONYM: (n) top. adventitious, unanticipated.
media, journalists, reporters. trodden: (adj) trampled, damaged, uninterruptedly: (adv) constantly,
scrupulous: (adj) careful, punctilious, beaten, compressed, packed down. ceaselessly, continually, endlessly,
exact, conscientious, particular, ANTONYM: (adj) loose. unremittingly, unceasingly,
painstaking, accurate, prudent, unfruitful: (adj) sterile, infertile, successively, consecutively,
meticulous, rigorous, cautious. acarpous, unproductive, arid, continuedly, sustainedly, straightly.
194 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

the consequent innocence of St. Eustache. In the mean time my friend occupied
himself, with what seemed to me a minuteness altogether objectless, in a scrutiny
of the various newspaper files. At the end of a week he placed before me the
following extracts:

About three years and a half ago, a disturbance very similar to the
present, was caused by the disappearance of this same Marie Rogêt, from
the parfumerie of Monsieur Le Blanc, in the Palais Royal. At the end of a
week, however, she re-appeared at her customary comptoir, as well as
ever, with the exception of a slight paleness not altogether usual. It was
given out by Monsieur Le Blanc and her mother, that she had merely
been on a visit to some friend in the country; and the affair was speedily
hushed up. We presume that the present absence is a freak of the same
nature, and that, at the expiration of a week, or perhaps of a month, we
shall have her among us again.%
--Evening Paper - Monday June 23.

An evening journal of yesterday, refers to a former mysterious

disappearance of Mademoiselle Rogêt. It is well known that, during the
week of her absence from Le Blanc’s parfumerie, she was in the company
of a young naval officer, much noted for his debaucheries. A quarrel, it is
supposed, providentially led to her return home. We have the name of
the Lothario in question, who is, at present, stationed in Paris, but, for
obvious reasons, forbear to make it public.
--Le Mercurie - Tuesday Morning, June 24.

An outrage of the most atrocious character was perpetrated near this city
the day before yesterday. A gentleman, with his wife and daughter,
engaged, about dusk, the services of six young men, who were idly
rowing a boat to and fro near the banks of the Seine, to convey him
across the river. Upon reaching the opposite shore, the three passengers
stepped out, and had proceeded so far as to be beyond the view of the

atrocious: (adj) monstrous, awful,
heinous, abominable, wicked,
dreadful, frightful, terrible, bad,
horrible; (adj, n) outrageous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) humane,
benevolent, drivable, elegant,
virtuous, good, passable, fine, kind,
admirable, tasteful.
files: (n) archives.
forbear: (v) refrain, desist, help,
tolerate, abide, eschew, endure,
relinquish; (n) predecessor,
Thesaurus
progenitor, forebear.
freak: (n, v) crotchet, caprice; (adj, n)
eccentric; (n) oddity, crank, fanatic,
nut, monster, fit, whim, fad.
idly: (adj, adv) foolishly; (adv) vainly,
vaguely, listlessly, forgetfully,
distractedly; (adj) thoughtlessly.
ANTONYM: (adv) energetically.
outrage: (n, v) insult, affront, dishonor,
anger; (v) offend, violate, desecrate;
(adj, n, v) abuse; (n) atrocity,
indignity, enormity.
paleness: (adj, n) pallor; (n) pallidness,
wanness, whiteness, achromasia,
blondness, lividity, luridness,
lividness, fairness, pale. ANTONYM:
(n) strength.
rowing: (n) boating, athletics, dustup,
quarrel, course; (adj) nautical.
speedily: (adj, adv) quickly, quick,
immediately; (adv) rapidly, promptly,
hastily, swiftly, fast, apace, hurriedly,
fleetly. ANTONYMS: (adv) later,
eventually.
 Edgar Allan Poe 195

boat, when the daughter discovered that she had left in it her parasol.
She returned for it, was seized by the gang, carried out into the stream,
gagged, brutally treated, and finally taken to the shore at a point not far
from that at which she had originally entered the boat with her parents.
The villains have escaped for the time, but the police are upon their trail,
and some of them will soon be taken.%
--Morning Paper - June 25.

We have received one or two communications, the object of which is to

fasten the crime of the late atrocity upon Mennais; but as this gentleman
has been fully exonerated by a loyal inquiry, and as the arguments of
our several correspondents appear to be more zealous than profound,
we do not think it advisable to make them public.
--Morning Paper - June 28.

We have received several forcibly written communications, apparently

from various sources, and which go far to render it a matter of certainty
that the unfortunate Marie Rogêt has become a victim of one of the
numerous bands of blackguards which infest the vicinity of the city
upon Sunday. Our own opinion is decidedly in favor of this supposition.
We shall endeavor to make room for some of these arguments hereafter.
--Evening Paper - Tuesday, June 31.

On Monday, one of the bargemen connected with the revenue service,

saw a empty boat floating down the Seine. Sails were lying in the bottom
of the boat. The bargeman towed it under the barge office. The next
morning it was taken from thence, without the knowledge of any of the
officers. The rudder is now at the barge office.”
--Le Diligence - Thursday, June 26.

bands: (n) cords, stripes.
barge: (n) lighter, pontoon, boat, hoy,
wherry, houseboat, scow, craft,
flatboat, buss; (v) obtrude.
bargeman: (n) lighterman, seaman,
tar, gob, longshoreman, mariner,
seafarer, ferryman, boatman,
shipman, waterman.
brutally: (adv) fiercely, ferociously,
cruelly, savagely, viciously, pitilessly,
mercilessly, barbarically, rudely,
inhumanly, ruthlessly. ANTONYMS:
Thesaurus
(adv) humanely, kindly, nicely,
peacefully, attentively, mercifully,
tamely.
correspondents: (n) reporters, press,
newspapers, journalists.
exonerated: (adj) clear, cleared,
absolved, guiltless, easily perceptible, fervent, ardent, avid, devoted,
easily deciphered, decipherable,
vindicated, clean; (v) exempt.
infest: (v) overrun, disturb, pester,
beset, annoy, invade, harry,
overwhelm, occupy, molest, harass.
officers: (n) executive committee, staff.
rudder: (n) helm, wheel, needle,
surface, guide, steering wheel, tiller,
aerofoil, airfoil, compass, control
surface.
zealous: (adj) keen, enthusiastic,
strenuous, vehement, glowing, fiery;
(adj, n) passionate. ANTONYMS:
(adj) indifferent, apathetic,
unenthusiastic, cool, halfhearted,
moderate.
196 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

Upon reading these various extracts, they not only seemed to me irrelevant,
but I could perceive no mode in which any one of them could be brought to bear
upon the matter in hand. I waited for some explanation from Dupin.%
“It is not my present design,” he said, “to dwell upon the first and second of
those extracts. I have copied them chiefly to show you the extreme remissness of
the police, who, as far as I can understand from the Prefect, have not troubled
themselves, in any respect, with an examination of the naval officer alluded to.
Yet it is mere folly to say that between the first and second disappearance of
Marie, there is no supposable connection. Let us admit the first elopement to
have resulted in a quarrel between the lovers, and the return home of the
betrayed. We are now prepared to view a second elopement (if we know that an
elopement has again taken place) as indicating a renewal of the betrayer’s
advances, rather than as the result of new proposals by a second individual - we
are prepared to regard it as a ‘making up’ of the old amour, rather than as the
commencement of a new one. The chances are ten to one, that he who had once
eloped with Marie, would again propose an elopement, rather than that she to
whom proposals of elopement had been made by one individual, should have
them made to her by another. And here let me call your attention to the fact, that
the time elapsing between the first ascertained, and the second supposed
elopement, is a few months more than the general period of the cruises of our
men-of-war. Had the lover been interrupted in his first villany by the necessity of
departure to sea, and had he seized the first moment of his return to renew the
base designs not yet altogether accomplished - or not yet altogether
accomplished by him? Of all these things we know nothing.
“You will say, however, that, in the second instance, there was no elopement
as imagined. Certainly not - but are we prepared to say that there was not the
frustrated design? Beyond St. Eustache, and perhaps Beauvais, we find no
recognized, no open, no honorable suitors of Marie. Of none other is there any
thing said. Who, then, is the secret lover, of whom the relatives (at least most of
them) know nothing, but whom Marie meets upon the morning of Sunday, and
who is so deeply in her confidence, that she hesitates not to remain with him

Thesaurus
advances: (v) access, approach. wander. inadvertence, inattention, disregard,
amour: (n) affair, affaire, love, love elopement: (n) escape, flight, running thoughtlessness, disesteem; (adj)
affair, liaison, flirtation, romance, away. idleness.
relationship, passion; (n, v) intrigue; quarrel: (adj, n, v) dispute; (n, v) fight, renew: (v) renovate, rejuvenate,
(adj) amourette. feud, brawl, row, altercation, argue, restore, refresh, refurbish, modernize,
copied: (adj) counterfeit, derivative, conflict, squabble; (n) dissension, revive, overhaul, reinstate, reiterate,
sham, false, phony, mock, imitative, difference. ANTONYMS: (n) mend. ANTONYMS: (v) reduce, kill.
forged, fake, ersatz, bogus. agreement, reconciliation, supposable: (adj) thinkable,
ANTONYM: (adj) real. acceptance, concord, consensus; (v) presumable, imaginable, likely,
dwell: (adj, v) inhabit; (v) reside, bide, agree. surmisable, presumptive; (v)
live, stay, lodge, delay, occupy, remissness: (n) laxity, negligence, academic, conjectural, speculative,
continue, be, settle. ANTONYM: (v) laxness, carelessness, heedlessness, hypothetical, theoretical.
 Edgar Allan Poe 197

until the shades of the evening descend, amid the solitary groves of the Barrière
du Roule? Who is that secret lover, I ask, of whom, at least, most of the relatives
know nothing? And what means the singular prophecy of Madame Rogêt on the
morning of Marie’s departure? -- ‘I fear that I shall never see Marie again.’
“But if we cannot imagine Madame Rogêt privy to the design of elopement,
may we not at least suppose this design entertained by the girl? Upon quitting
home, she gave it to be understood that she was about to visit her aunt in the Rue
des Drômes and St. Eustache was requested to call for her at dark. Now, at first
glance, this fact strongly militates against my suggestion; - but let us reflect. That
she did meet some companion, and proceed with him across the river, reaching
the Barrière du Roule at so late an hour as three o’clock in the afternoon, is
known. But in consenting so to accompany this individual, (for whatever purpose --
to her mother known or unknown,) she must have thought of her expressed
intention when leaving home, and of the surprise and suspicion aroused in the
bosom of her affianced suitor, St. Eustache, when, calling for her, at the hour
appointed, in the Rue des Drômes, he should find that she had not been there,
and when, moreover, upon returning to the pension with this alarming
intelligence, he should become aware of her continued absence from home. She
must have thought of these things, I say. She must have foreseen the chagrin of
St. Eustache, the suspicion of all. She could not have thought of returning to
brave this suspicion; but the suspicion becomes a point of trivial importance to
her, if we suppose her not intending to return.%
“We may imagine her thinking thus - ‘I am to meet a certain person for the
purpose of elopement, or for certain other purposes known only to myself. It is
necessary that there be no chance of interruption - there must be sufficient time
given us to elude pursuit - I will give it to be understood that I shall visit and
spend the day with my aunt at the Rue des Drômes - I well tell St. Eustache not
to call for me until dark - in this way, my absence from home for the longest
possible period, without causing suspicion or anxiety, will be accounted for, and
I shall gain more time than in any other manner. If I bid St. Eustache call for me
at dark, he will be sure not to call before; but, if I wholly neglect to bid him call,

affianced: (adj, v) betrothed; (adj)
intended, busy, occupied, trothplight,
pledged, contract, committed,
attached; (v) bound; (n) fiance.
aroused: (adj) ablaze, aflame,
passionate, hot, agitated, inflamed,
susceptible, tense, fascinated,
emotional, elated.
foreseen: (v) foresee, long expected;
(adj) envisioned, foretold, contingent,
concourse, coming, casual,
adventitious, accidental, predictable.
Thesaurus
interruption: (n) disruption, vaticination, prevision, prediction,
intermission, halt, pause, suspension, prognosis, omen, revelation,
discontinuance, hiatus; (n, v) break, foreboding.
hindrance, impediment; (v) interrupt. shades: (n) shade, sunglasses, dark
ANTONYMS: (n) permanence, help, glasses, shadow, glasses, blind,
respect. awning, roller blind, eyeglasses.
privy: (adj) confidential, covert, solitary: (adj) forlorn, only, alone,
personal, clandestine, ulterior, occult, single, lonely, lone, sole,
latent, secret; (n) outhouse, lavatory, unaccompanied, isolated; (adj, n)
loo. recluse; (n) hermit. ANTONYMS:
prophecy: (n) oracle, augury, (adj) sociable, combined, common,
prognostication, forecast, outgoing.
198 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

my %time for escape will be diminished, since it will be expected that I return the
earlier, and my absence will the sooner excite anxiety. Now, if it were my design
to return at all - if I had in contemplation merely a stroll with the individual in
question - it would not be my policy to bid St. Eustache call; for, calling, he will
be sure to ascertain that I have played him false - a fact of which I might keep
him for ever in ignorance, by leaving home without notifying him of my
intention, by returning before dark, and by then stating that I had been to visit
my aunt in the Rue des Drômes. But, as it is my design never to return - or not
for some weeks - or not until certain concealments are effected - the gaining of
time is the only point about which I need give myself any concern.’
“You have observed, in your notes, that the most general opinion in relation
to this sad affair is, and was from the first, that the girl had been the victim of a
gang of blackguards. Now, the popular opinion, under certain conditions, is not
to be disregarded. When arising of itself -- when manifesting itself in a strictly
spontaneous manner -- we should look upon it as analogous with that intuition
which is the idiosyncrasy of the individual man of genius. In ninety-nine cases
from the hundred I would abide by its decision. But it is important that we find
no palpable traces of suggestion. The opinion must be rigorously the public’s own;
and the distinction is often exceedingly difficult to perceive and to maintain. In
the present instance, it appears to me that this ‘public opinion’ in respect to a
gang, has been superinduced by the collateral event which is detailed in the third
of my extracts. All Paris is excited by the discovered corpse of Marie, a girl
young, beautiful and notorious. This corpse is found, bearing marks of violence,
and floating in the river. But it is now made known that, at the very period, or
about the very period, in which it is supposed that the girl was assassinated, an
outrage similar in nature to that endured by the deceased, although less in
extent, was perpetuated, by a gang of young ruffians, upon the person of a
second young female. Is it wonderful that the one known atrocity should
influence the popular judgment in regard to the other unknown? This judgment
awaited direction, and the known outrage seemed so opportunely to afford it!
Marie, too, was found in the river; and upon this very river was this known
outrage committed. The connexion of the two events had about it so much of the

Thesaurus
appears: (n) appearing. pacify, bore, soothe, stifle, evident, apparent, clear, transparent,
awaited: (adj) expected, appointed, tranquilize, placate, quiet, dampen. indubitable, noticeable, lucid, patent,
scheduled, forthcoming, prospective. notifying: (n) notification, informing, perceptible. ANTONYMS: (adj)
disregarded: (adj) unnoticed, apprisal, communication, making imaginary, intangible, impalpable,
neglected, unseen, written off, known; (v) inform. doubtful, furtive, imperceptible,
wretchless, unvalued, unheeded, opportunely: (adv) conveniently, insignificant, obscure, unclear.
overlooked, lost, irrecoverable; (v) expediently, handily, auspiciously, perpetuated: (adj) perpetuate.
unregarded. advantageously, fortunately, luckily, rigorously: (adv) severely, strictly,
excite: (v) arouse, enliven, disturb, aproposly, favorably, appropriately, stringently, carefully, harshly,
agitate, awaken, incite, inspire, rouse, happily. ANTONYMS: (adv) exactly, austerely, closely, narrowly,
electrify; (n, v) energize; (adj, v) inconveniently, unfortunately. stiffly, gravely. ANTONYMS: (adv)
quicken. ANTONYMS: (v) calm, palpable: (adj) tangible, obvious, leniently, lightheartedly, negligently.
 Edgar Allan Poe 199

palpable, that the true wonder would have been a failure of the populace to
appreciate and to seize it. But, in fact, the one atrocity, known to be so
committed, is, if any thing, evidence that the other, committed at a time nearly
coincident, was not so committed. It would have been a miracle indeed, if, while
a gang of ruffians were perpetrating, at a given locality, a most unheard-of
wrong, there should have been another similar gang, in a similar locality, in the
same city, under the same circumstances, with the same means and appliances,
engaged in a wrong of precisely the same aspect, at precisely the same period of
time! Yet in what, if not in this marvellous train of coincidence, does the
accidentally suggested opinion of the populace call upon us to believe?
“Before proceeding farther, let us consider the supposed scene of the
assassination, in the thicket at the Barrière du Roule. This thicket, although
dense, was in the close vicinity of a public road. Within were three or four large
stones, forming a kind of seat with a back and footstool. On the upper stone was
discovered a white petticoat; on the second, a silk scarf. A parasol, gloves, and a
pocket-handkerchief, were also here found. The handkerchief bore the name,
‘Marie Rogêt.’ Fragments of dress were seen on the branches around. The earth
was trampled, the bushes were broken, and there was every evidence of a violent
struggle.%
“Notwithstanding the acclamation with which the discovery of this thicket
was received by the press, and the unanimity with which it was supposed to
indicate the precise scene of the outrage, it must be admitted that there was some
very good reason for doubt. That it was the scene, I may or I may not believe -
but there was excellent reason for doubt. Had the true scene been, as Le
Commerciel suggested, in the neighborhood of the Rue Pavée St. Andrée, the
perpetrators of the crime, supposing them still resident in Paris, would naturally
have been stricken with terror at the public attention thus acutely directed into
the proper channel; and, in certain classes of minds, there would have arisen, at
once, a sense of the necessity of some exertion to redivert this attention. And
thus, the thicket of the Barrière du Roule having been already suspected, the idea
of placing the articles where they were found, might have been naturally

acclamation: (n) applause, ovation,
plaudit, praise, cheer, eclat, approval,
commendation, vox populi,
adulation, hand. ANTONYMS: (n)
razzing, jeers, hisses, heckles, catcalls,
vituperation, disapproval.
acutely: (adv) sharply, keenly,
severely, astutely, piercingly, shrilly,
cleverly; (adj, adv) intensely,
extremely, gravely, critically.
ANTONYMS: (adv) chronically,
mildly, slightly, faintly, vaguely,
Thesaurus
unexceptionally.
appliances: (n) equipment, rig,
hardware, rigging, outfit, tackle,
tackling.
proceeding: (n) matter, transaction,
affair, procedure, lawsuit,
proceedings; (v) deed, act; (n, v)
measure; (adv, n) happening; (adj, adv,
v) going on.
seize: (v) catch, capture, grab, arrest,
clutch, get, apprehend, receive,
annex, clasp; (n, v) grapple.
ANTONYMS: (v) baulk, relinquish,
restore, surrender, give, remove.
unanimity: (n) accord, concord,
harmony, agreement, unity,
consensus, union, unison, vox populi,
concert, acclamation. ANTONYM: (n)
disarray.
unheard-of: (adj) extraordinary,
unknown, wonderful, unlikely,
unimaginable, uncanny, outlandish,
unaccountable, obscure, nameless,
inconceivable.
200 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

entertained. %There is no real evidence, although Le Soleil so supposes, that the

articles discovered had been more than a very few days in the thicket; while
there is much circumstantial proof that they could not have remained there,
without attracting attention, during the twenty days elapsing between the fatal
Sunday and the afternoon upon which they were found by the boys. ‘They were
all mildewed down hard,’ says Le Soleil, adopting the opinions of its predecessors,
‘with the action of the rain, and stuck together from mildew. The grass had grown
around and over some of them. The silk of the parasol was strong, but the
threads of it were run together within. The upper part, where it bad been
doubled and folded, was all mildewed and rotten, and tore on being opened.’ In
respect to the grass having ‘.grown around and over some of them,’ it is obvious
that the fact could only have been ascertained from the words, and thus from the
recollections, of two small boys; for these boys removed the articles and took
them home before they had been seen by a third party. But grass will grow,
especially in warm and damp weather, (such as was that of the period of the
murder,) as much as two or three inches in a single day. A parasol lying upon a
newly turfed ground, might, in a single week, be entirely concealed from sight
by the upspringing grass. And touching that mildew upon which the editor of Le
Soleil so pertinaciously insists, that he employs the word no less than three times
in the brief paragraph just quoted, is be really unaware of the nature of this
mildew? Is he to be told that it is one of the many classes of fungus, of which the
most ordinary feature is its upspringing and decadence within twenty-four
hours?
“Thus we see, at a glance, that what has been most triumphantly adduced in
support of the idea that the articles bad been ‘for at least three or four weeks’ in
the thicket, is most absurdly null as regards any evidence of that fact. On the
other hand, it is exceedingly difficult to believe that these articles could have
remained in the thicket specified, for a longer period than a single week - for a
longer period than from one Sunday to the next. Those who know any thing of
the vicinity of Paris, know the extreme difficulty of finding seclusion unless at a
great distance from its suburbs. Such a thing as an unexplored, or even an
unfrequently visited recess, amid its woods or groves, is not for a moment to be

Thesaurus
absurdly: (adv) ridiculously, foolishly, decadence: (n) degeneracy, holiday, nook, vacation, hollow,
ludicrously, nonsensically, deterioration, decadency, decay, alcove, interval, interruption; (n, v)
idiotically, silly, stupidly, decline, degradation, depravity, break. ANTONYM: (n) continuation.
inconsistently, comically, illogically, degeneration, become rotten, become recollections: (n) memories,
irrationally. ANTONYMS: (adv) gangrenous, downfall. ANTONYMS: reminiscences, recollection,
solemnly, impressively, rationally, (n) restraint, righteousness, biography.
harmoniously. parsimony, decency. tore: (v) tare; (n) moulding, molding.
circumstantial: (adj) particular, pertinaciously: (adv) stubbornly, triumphantly: (adv) exultantly,
detailed, incidental, thorough, unyieldingly, firmly, tenaciously, winningly, jubilantly, elatedly,
presumptive, precise, coincidental, obstinately, doggedly, headstrongly, proudly, successfully, triumphally,
elaborate, exact, special, specific. stiffly, contumaciously, dourly. conqueringly, gleefully, delightedly,
ANTONYM: (adj) concrete. recess: (n) niche, pause, intermission, gloriously.
 Edgar Allan Poe 201

imagined. Let any one who, being at heart a lover of nature, is yet chained by
duty to the dust and heat of this great metropolis - let any such one attempt, even
during the weekdays, to slake his thirst for solitude amid the scenes of natural
loveliness which immediately surround us. At every second step, he will find
the growing charm dispelled by the voice and personal intrusion of some ruffian
or party of carousing blackguards. He will seek privacy amid the densest foliage,
all in vain. Here are the very nooks where the unwashed most abound - here are
the temples most desecrate. With sickness of the heart the wanderer will flee
back to the polluted Paris as to a less odious because less incongruous sink of
pollution. But if the vicinity of the city is so beset during the working days of the
week, how much more so on the Sabbath! It is now especially that, released from
the claims of labor, or deprived of the customary opportunities of crime, the
town blackguard seeks the precincts of the town, not through love of the rural,
which in his heart he despises, but by way of escape from the restraints and
conventionalities of society. He desires less the fresh air and the green trees, than
the utter license of the country. Here, at the road-side inn, or beneath the foliage
of the woods, he indulges, unchecked by any eye except those of his boon
companions, in all the mad excess of a counterfeit hilarity - the joint offspring of
liberty and of rum. I say nothing more than what must be obvious to every
dispassionate observer, when I repeat that the circumstance of the articles in
question having remained undiscovered, for a longer period - than from one
Sunday to another, in any thicket in the immediate neighborhood of Paris, is to
be looked upon as little less than miraculous.%
“But there are not wanting other grounds for the suspicion that the articles
were placed in the thicket with the view of diverting attention from the real
scene of the outrage. And, first, let me direct your notice to the date of the
discovery of the articles. Collate this with the date of the fifth extract made by
myself from the newspapers. You will find that the discovery followed, almost
immediately, the urgent communications sent to the evening paper. These
communications, although various and apparently from various sources, tended
all to the same point - viz., the directing of attention to a gang as the perpetrators
of the outrage, and to the neighborhood of the Barrière du Roule as its scene.

carousing: (n) revelry, revels,
celebrations, skylarking, partying,
party, merriment; (adj) orgiastic,
bacchic, bacchanal, bacchant.
chained: (adj) in chains, enchained,
bound.
collate: (v) compare, collect, compile,
sort, balance, amass, confront, verify, impassive, unprejudiced, composed. bully, brute, hoodlum, tough,
examine, accumulate, check out.
ANTONYM: (v) disorganize.
desecrate: (adj, v) profane, abuse,
debase; (v) violate, outrage, pollute,
Thesaurus
blaspheme, spoil, ravage, misuse; (n, loveliness: (n) comeliness, fairness,
v) dishonor. ANTONYMS: (v) grace, attractiveness, charm,
consecrate, bless, worship, respect, glamour, pulchritude, beauteousness,
praise, conserve, honor, save. good looks, cuteness, fineness.
dispassionate: (adj) detached, calm, ANTONYMS: (n) unattractiveness,
fair, disinterested, impartial, unpleasantness, awkwardness.
apathetic, neutral, indifferent, ruffian: (n) rowdy, rascal, hooligan,
ANTONYMS: (adj) passionate, miscreant, villain, rogue, roughneck.
partial, emotional, feeling, interested, slake: (adj, v) abate, slacken; (v) satisfy,
involved, moved, enthusiastic, fiery, assuage, satiate, slack, allay, sate,
personal, prejudiced. ease, fill, mollify.
202 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

Now here, of course, the suspicion is not that, in consequence of these

communications, or of the public attention by them directed, the articles were
found by the boys; but the suspicion might and may well have been, that the
articles were not before found by the boys, for the reason that the articles had not
before been in the thicket; having been deposited there only at so late a period as
at the date, or shortly prior to the date of the communications by the guilty
authors of these communications themselves.%
“This thicket was a singular - an exceedingly singular one. It was unusually
dense. Within its naturally walled enclosure were three extraordinary stones,
forming a seat with a back and footstool. And this thicket, so full of a natural art,
was in the immediate vicinity, within a few rods, of the dwelling of Madame
Deluc, whose boys were in the habit of closely examining the shrubberies about
them in search of the bark of the sassafras. Would it be a rash wager - a wager of
one thousand to one -- that a day never passed over the heads of these boys
without finding at least one of them ensconced in the umbrageous hall, and
enthroned upon its natural throne? Those who would hesitate at such a wager,
have either never been boys themselves, or have forgotten the boyish nature. I
repeat -- it is exceedingly hard to comprehend how the articles could have
remained in this thicket undiscovered, for a longer period than one or two days;
and that thus there is good ground for suspicion, in spite of the dogmatic
ignorance of Le Soleil, that they were, at a comparatively late date, deposited
where found.
“But there are still other and stronger reasons for believing them so
deposited, than any which I have as yet urged. And, now, let me beg your notice
to the highly artificial arrangement of the articles. On the upper stone lay a white
petticoat; on the second a silk scarf; scattered around, were a parasol, gloves, and
a pocket-handkerchief bearing the name, ‘Marie Rogêt.’ Here is just such an
arrangement as would naturally be made by a not over-acute person wishing to
dispose the articles naturally. But it is by no means a really natural arrangement.
I should rather have looked to see the things all lying on the ground and
trampled under foot. In the narrow limits of that bower, it would have been

bark: (n, v) skin, yelp, snarl, cry, rind,
shout; (v) growl, roar; (n) bay, peel,
crust. ANTONYMS: (n, v) whisper.
bower: (n) arbour, alcove, pergola,
hermitage, grotto, framing,
framework, summer house; (v)
inclose, embower, enclose.
boyish: (adj) young, puerile,
adolescent, youthful, babyish,
childish, girlish, kittenish, boylike,
callow, immature. ANTONYM: (adj)
mature.
Thesaurus
dogmatic: (adj) arbitrary, overbearing, umbrageous: (adj) shadowy, umbrage,
authoritative, authoritarian, narrow, umbratious, indignant, outraged,
peremptory, doctrinal, doctrinaire; shadowed, incensed, touchy, testy,
(adj, v) absolute, confident, formal. umbriferous, suspect.
ANTONYMS: (adj) flexible, doubtful, undiscovered: (v) solved,
uncertain, amenable, equivocal, undeveloped, unexplained, untraced;
indecisive, questioning, tolerant, (adj) unnoticed, remote, unexplored,
ambiguous, polite, liberal. unheard-of, silly, unacquainted with,
sassafras: (n) seasoner, yarrow, foolish.
seasoning, flavorer, flavourer, wager: (n, v) stake, hazard, risk,
flavouring, laurel, sassafras tree, venture, gamble, chance; (v) lay,
sassafras wood, flavoring. pledge, pawn, play; (n) stakes.
 Edgar Allan Poe 203

scarcely %possible that the petticoat and scarf should have retained a position
upon the stones, when subjected to the brushing to and fro of many struggling
persons. ‘There was evidence,’ it is said, ‘of a struggle; and the earth was
trampled, the bushes were broken,’ - but the petticoat and the scarf are found
deposited as if upon shelves. ‘The pieces of the frock torn out by the bushes were
about three inches wide and six inches long. One part was the hem of the frock
and it had been mended. They looked like strips torn off.’ Here, inadvertently,
Le Soleil has employed an exceedingly suspicious phrase. The pieces, as
described, do indeed ‘look like strips torn off;’ but purposely and by hand. It is
one of the rarest of accidents that a piece is ‘torn off,’ from any garment such as is
now in question, by the agency of a thorn. From the very nature of such fabrics, a
thorn or nail becoming entangled in them, tears them rectangularly - divides
them into two longitudinal rents, at right angles with each other, and meeting at
an apex where the thorn enters - but it is scarcely possible to conceive the piece
‘torn off.’ I never so knew it, nor did you. To tear a piece off from such fabric,
two distinct forces, in different directions, will be, in almost every case, required.
If there be two edges to the fabric - if, for example, it be a pocket- handkerchief,
and it is desired to tear from it a slip, then, and then only, will the one force serve
the purpose. But in the present case the question is of a dress, presenting but one
edge. To tear a piece from the interior, where no edge is presented, could only be
effected by a miracle through the agency of thorns, and no one thorn could
accomplish it. But, even where an edge is presented, two thorns will be
necessary, operating, the one in two distinct directions, and the other in one. And
this in the supposition that the edge is unhemmed. If hemmed, the matter is
nearly out of the question. We thus see the numerous and great obstacles in the
way of pieces being ‘torn off’ through the simple agency of ‘thorns;’ yet we are
required to believe not only that one piece but that many have been so torn. ‘And
one part,’ too, ‘was the hem of the frock!’ Another piece was ‘part of the skirt, not
the hem,’ - that is to say, was torn completely out through the agency of thorns,
from the uncaged interior of the dress! These, I say, are things which one may
well be pardoned for disbelieving; yet, taken collectedly, they form, perhaps,
less of reasonable ground for suspicion, than the one startling circumstance of

collectedly: (adv) coolly, calmly,
quietly, placidly, serenely, soberly,
steadily, tranquilly, sedately, stilly,
levelheadedly.
conceive: (v) think, imagine,
comprehend, design, apprehend,
realize, discover, cogitate, appreciate, heedlessly, unwittingly,
invent, catch. ANTONYMS: (v)
destroy, doubt, misunderstand,
question, ruin.
disbelieving: (adj) unbelieving,
skeptical, questioning, leery, not
Thesaurus
persuaded, unsure, uncertain,
suspicious, quizzical, nervous,
mistrustful. ANTONYMS: (adj)
believing, credulous, unsuspicious,
certain, convinced.
inadvertently: (adv) accidentally,
unintentionally, negligently, casually,
thoughtlessly, unawares,
involuntarily, by accident; (adj, adv)
inattentively. ANTONYMS: (adv)
mindfully, wittingly, deliberately,
purposely.
longitudinal: (adj) long, vertical,
lengthwise, oblong, longer.
rectangularly: (adv) oblongly,
orthogonally.
shelves: (n) shelf, rack, shelving.
startling: (adj) wonderful, shocking,
surprising, striking, alarming,
appalling, marvellous, dramatic,
frightful, sensational, lurid.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unremarkable,
soothing, comforting.
204 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

the articles’ having been left in this thicket at all, by any murderers who had
enough precaution to think of removing the corpse. You will not have
apprehended me rightly, however, if you suppose it my design to deny this
thicket as the scene of the outrage. There might have been a wrong here, or, more
possibly, an accident at Madame Deluc’s. But, in fact, this is a point of minor
importance. We are not engaged in an attempt to discover the scene, but to
produce the perpetrators of the murder. What I have adduced, notwithstanding
the minuteness with which I have adduced it, has been with the view, first, to
show the folly of the positive and headlong assertions of Le Soleil, but secondly
and chiefly, to bring you, by the most natural route, to a further contemplation of
the doubt whether this assassination has, or has not been, the work of a gang.%
“We will resume this question by mere allusion to the revolting details of the
surgeon examined at the inquest. It is only necessary to say that is published
inferences, in regard to the number of ruffians, have been properly ridiculed as
unjust and totally baseless, by all the reputable anatomists of Paris. Not that the
matter might not have been as inferred, but that there was no ground for the
inference: - was there not much for another?
“Let us reflect now upon ‘the traces of a struggle;’ and let me ask what these
traces have been supposed to demonstrate. A gang. But do they not rather
demonstrate the absence of a gang? What struggle could have taken place - what
struggle so violent and so enduring as to have left its ‘traces’ in all directions -
between a weak and defenceless girl and the gang of ruffians imagined? The
silent grasp of a few rough arms and all would have been over. The victim must
have been absolutely passive at their will. You will here bear in mind that the
arguments urged against the thicket as the scene, are applicable in chief part,
only against it as the scene of an outrage committed by more than a single
individual. If we imagine but one violator, we can conceive, and thus only
conceive, the struggle of so violent and so obstinate a nature as to have left the
‘traces’ apparent.
“And again. I have already mentioned the suspicion to be excited by the fact
that the articles in question were suffered to remain at all in the thicket where

Thesaurus
allusion: (n) innuendo, reference, cue, ANTONYMS: (adj) founded, sound, malleable, gentle.
suggestion, mention, intimation, substantial, justified, valid, proven. revolting: (adj) offensive, loathsome,
pointer, insinuation, implication, examined: (adj) qualified, studied, nasty, foul, detestable, nauseating,
indication, clue. considered. nauseous, horrible, hideous,
apprehended: (adj) arrested, seized, obstinate: (adj) obdurate, inflexible, repellent; (adj, v) sickening.
understood, under arrest, in custody, intractable, determined, inveterate, ANTONYMS: (adj) attractive,
detained, appreciated, disobedient, willful, stubborn, pleasant, tasty, delicious, edible,
comprehended. contrary, wayward, dogged. lovable, delightful, appealing, lovely.
baseless: (adj) groundless, ANTONYMS: (adj) flexible, violator: (n) lawbreaker, debaucher,
unwarranted, ungrounded, amenable, irresolute, cooperative, ravisher, offender, rapist, libertine,
gratuitous, idle, unsupported, unfair, easygoing, docile, biddable, outlaw, stunner, peach, mantrap,
wanton, invalid, flimsy, undue. agreeable, accommodating, malefactor.
 Edgar Allan Poe 205

discovered. It seems almost impossible that these evidences of guilt should have
been accidentally left where found. There was sufficient presence of mind (it is
supposed) to remove the corpse; and yet a more positive evidence than the
corpse itself (whose features might have been quickly obliterated by decay,) is
allowed to lie conspicuously in the scene of the outrage - I allude to the
handkerchief with the name of the deceased. If this was accident, it was not the
accident of a gang. We can imagine it only the accident of an individual. Let us
see. An individual has committed the murder. He is alone with the ghost of the
departed. He is appalled by what lies motionless before him. The fury of his
passion is over, and there is abundant room in his heart for the natural awe of
the deed. His is none of that confidence which the presence of numbers
inevitably inspires. He is alone with the dead. He trembles and is bewildered.
Yet there is a necessity for disposing of the corpse. He bears it to the river, but
leaves behind him the other evidences of guilt; for it is difficult, if not impossible
to carry all the burthen at once, and it will be easy to return for what is left. But
in his toilsome journey to the water his fears redouble within him. The sounds of
life encompass his path. A dozen times he hears or fancies the step of an
observer. Even the very lights from the city bewilder him. Yet, in time and by
long and frequent pauses of deep agony, he reaches the river’s brink, and
disposes of his ghastly charge - perhaps through the medium of a boat. But now
what treasure does the world hold - what threat of vengeance could it hold out -
which would have power to urge the return of that lonely murderer over that
toilsome and perilous path, to the thicket and its blood chilling recollections? He
returns not, let the consequences be what they may. He could not return if he
would. His sole thought is immediate escape. He turns his back forever upon
those dreadful shrubberies and flees as from the wrath to come.%
“But how with a gang? Their number would have inspired them with
confidence; if, indeed confidence is ever wanting in the breast of the arrant
blackguard; and of arrant blackguards alone are the supposed gangs ever
constituted. Their number, I say, would have prevented the bewildering and
unreasoning terror which I have imagined to paralyze the single man. Could we
suppose an oversight in one, or two, or three, this oversight would have been

arrant: (adj) rank, unmitigated,
thorough, stark, utter, ill, gross,
infamous, bad, blatant, base.
ANTONYM: (adj) minor.
bewilder: (v) astound, amaze, puzzle, dispose; (adj) decretive, dispositive;
bemuse, baffle, nonplus, befuddle,
stump; (adj, v) perplex, confound,
stun. ANTONYMS: (v) explain,
enlighten, inform, sharpen.
bewildering: (adj) astonishing,
puzzling, perplexing, confusing,
marvelous, mystifying, amazing,
Thesaurus
astounding, discomfit, upsetting, blunder; (n, v) charge, care.
staggering. ANTONYMS: (adj) redouble: (v) intensify, double,
enlightening, simple, soothing. magnify, echo, duplicate, deepen,
disposing: (adv) disposingly; (v) enhance, repeat, reproduce, escalate,
reduplicate. ANTONYMS: (v) reduce,
(n) distribution. decrease.
obliterated: (adj) obliterate, destroyed, toilsome: (adj) arduous, hard, difficult,
lost, forgotten, invisible; (v) erased, strenuous, backbreaking, severe,
effaced. heavy, painful, tough, grueling; (adj,
oversight: (adj, n, v) omission; (n) v) wearisome.
control, mistake, lapse, error, trembles: (n) animal disease,
direction, management; (adj, n) fault, nervousness.
206 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

remedied by a fourth. They would have left nothing behind them; for their
number would have enabled them to carry all at once. There would have been no
need of return.%
“Consider now the circumstance that in the outer garment of the corpse when
found, ‘a slip, about a foot wide had been torn upward from the bottom hem to
the waist wound three times round the waist, and secured by a sort of hitch in
the back.’ This was done with the obvious design of affording a handle by which
to carry the body. But would any number of men hare dreamed of resorting to
such an expedient? To three or four, the limbs of the corpse would have afforded
not only a sufficient, but the best possible hold. The device is that of a single
individual; and this brings us to the fact that ‘between the thicket and the river,
the rails of the fences were found taken down, and the ground bore evident
traces of some heavy burden having been dragged along it!’ But would a number
of men have put themselves to the superfluous trouble of taking down a fence,
for the purpose of dragging through it a corpse which they might have lifted
over any fence in an instant? Would a number of men have so dragged a corpse
at all as to have left evident traces of the dragging?
“And here we must refer to an observation of Le Commerciel; an observation
upon which I have already, in some measure, commented. ‘A piece,’ says this
journal, ‘of one of the unfortunate girl’s petticoats was torn out and tied under
her chin, and around the back of her head, probably to prevent screams. This was
done by fellows who had no pocket-handkerchiefs.’
“I have before suggested that a genuine blackguard is never without a
pocket-handkerchief. But it is not to this fact that I now especially advert. That it
was not through want of a handkerchief for the purpose imagined by Le
Commerciel, that this bandage was employed, is rendered apparent by the
handkerchief left in the thicket; and that the object was not ‘to prevent screams’
appears, also, from the bandage having been employed in preference to what
would so much better have answered the purpose. But the language of the
evidence speaks of the strip in question as ‘found around the neck, fitting
loosely, and secured with a hard knot.’ These words are sufficiently vague, but

bandage: (v) bind, wrap, dress,
envelop; (adj, n) truss, tie; (n) swathe,
binding, roller, gauze; (adj) string.
ANTONYM: (v) undress.
dragging: (n) pulled wire, stemming,
haulage; (adj) slow, sickly, slack,
unfit, sluggish, tardy, tedious; (v)
involve. ANTONYMS: (adj) energetic,
energizing, exciting, prompt, short.
hare: (n) leporid, cony, puss, doe,
jackrabbit, coney; (adj) antelope,
courser, eagle, gazelle, greyhound.
Thesaurus
loosely: (adv) freely, vaguely,
wantonly, broadly, softly, desultorily,
laxly, relaxedly, lasciviously, baggily,
flabbily. ANTONYMS: (adv) closely,
firmly, tight, strictly, narrowly,
efficiently, densely, accurately,
precisely, clearly.
rails: (n) track, railroad, Gruiformes,
railing, railway, bustards, Coots,
course, gallinules, crakes, order
Gruiformes.
speaks: (n) talks.
superfluous: (adj, v) spare; (adj)
needless, extra, excess, excessive,
unnecessary, surplus, pointless,
superabundant, supernumerary,
supererogatory. ANTONYMS: (adj)
indispensable, important, essential,
basic, pertinent.
upward: (adv) upwards, upwardly,
aloft; (adj) overhead, rising, upper,
increasing, open, vertical, mounting,
upright. ANTONYMS: (adj)
descending, downward; (adv) down.
 Edgar Allan Poe 207

differ materially from those of Le Commerciel. The slip was eighteen inches
wide, and therefore, although of muslin, would form a strong band when folded
or rumpled longitudinally. And thus rumpled it was discovered. My inference
is this. The solitary murderer, having borne the corpse, for some distance,
(whether from the thicket or elsewhere) by means of the bandage hitched around
its middle, found the weight, in this mode of procedure, too much for his
strength. He resolved to drag the burthen - the evidence goes to show that it was
dragged. With this object in view, it became necessary to attach something like a
rope to one of the extremities. It could be best attached about the neck, where the
head would prevent its slipping off. And, now, the murderer bethought him,
unquestionably, of the bandage about the loins. He would have used this, but for
its volution about the corpse, the hitch which embarrassed it, and the reflection
that it had not been ‘torn off’ from the garment. It was easier to tear a new slip
from the petticoat. He tore it, made it fast about the neck, and so dragged his
victim to the brink of the river. That this ‘bandage,’ only attainable with trouble
and delay, and but imperfectly answering its purpose - that this bandage was
employed at all, demonstrates that the necessity for its employment sprang from
circumstances arising at a period when the handkerchief was no longer
attainable -- that is to say, arising, as we have imagined, after quitting the thicket,
(if the thicket it was), and on the road between the thicket and the river.%
“But the evidence, you will say, of Madame Deluc, (!) points especially to the
presence of a gang, in the vicinity of the thicket, at or about the epoch of the
murder. This I grant. I doubt if there were not a dozen gangs, such as described
by Madame Deluc, in and about the vicinity of the Barrière du Roule at or about
the period of this tragedy. But the gang which has drawn upon itself the pointed
animadversion, although the somewhat tardy and very suspicious evidence of
Madame Deluc, is the only gang which is represented by that honest and
scrupulous old lady as having eaten her cakes and swallowed her brandy,
without putting themselves to the trouble of making her payment. Et hinc illæ
iræ?

Thesaurus
animadversion: (n) censure, criticism, bandanna, cravat, hanky, wipe, analogy, guess, result. ANTONYM:
comment, blame, reflection, bandana, collar, shawl; (n, v) napkin; (n) fact.
exception, slam, dispraise, (v) sudary. loins: (n) waist, body part, haunch,
disapproval, stricture, objection. imperfectly: (adv) faultily, defectively, lends, pubic region, area, pubes.
answering: (adj) respondent, badly, deficiently, incompletely, longitudinally: (adv) lengthways,
responsive, according, agreeing, partially, poorly, inadequately, longways, longwise, at length,
responsory; (n) respondency. sketchily, incorrectly, halfway. endlong, along.
gangs: (n) Ganges. ANTONYMS: (adv) perfectly, rumpled: (adj) crumpled, creased,
garment: (n, v) garb, apparel; (n) flawlessly, correctly, well. untidy, dishevelled, unkempt,
habiliment, habit, gown, vest, things, inference: (n) corollary, implication, tousled, disordered, frowzled,
guise; (v) clothe, tog, raiment. illation, conclusion, assumption, wrinkled, crinkle, crisp.
handkerchief: (n) hankie, kerchief, judgment, surmise, derivation, ANTONYMS: (adj) tidy, smart, neat.
208 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“But what is the precise evidence of Madame Deluc? ‘A gang of miscreants

made their appearance, behaved boisterously, ate and drank without making
payment, followed in the route of the young man and girl, returned to the inn
about dusk, and recrossed the river as if in great haste.’
“Now this ‘great haste’ very possibly seemed greater haste in the eyes of
Madame Deluc, since she dwelt lingeringly and lamentingly upon her violated
cakes and ale - cakes and ale for which she might still have entertained a faint
hope of compensation. Why, otherwise, since it was about dusk, should she
make a point of the haste? It is no cause for wonder, surely, that even a gang of
blackguards should make haste to get home, when a wide river is to be crossed
in small boats, when storm impends, and when night approaches.%
“I say approaches; for the night had not yet arrived. It was only about dusk
that the indecent haste of these ‘miscreants’ offended the sober eyes of Madame
Deluc. But we are told that it was upon this very evening that Madame Deluc, as
well as her eldest son, ‘heard the screams of a female in the vicinity of the inn.’
And in what words does Madame Deluc designate the period of the evening at
which these screams were heard? ‘It was soon after dark,’ she says. But ‘soon
after dark,’ is, at least, dark; and ‘about dusk’ is as certainly daylight. Thus it is
abundantly clear that the gang quitted the Barrière du Roule prior to the screams
overheard (?) by Madame Deluc. And although, in all the many reports of the
evidence, the relative expressions in question are distinctly and invariably
employed just as I have employed them in this conversation with yourself, no
notice whatever of the gross discrepancy has, as yet, been taken by any of the
public journals, or by any of the Myrmidons of police.
“I shall add but one to the arguments against a gang; but this one has, to my
own understanding at least, a weight altogether irresistible. Under the
circumstances of large reward offered, and full pardon to any King’s evidence, it
is not to be imagined, for a moment, that some member of a gang of low ruffians,
or of any body of men, would not long ago have betrayed his accomplices. Each
one of a gang so placed, is not so much greedy of reward, or anxious for escape,
as fearful of betrayal. He betrays eagerly and early that he may not himself be

abundantly: (adv) copiously, richly,
fully, generously, bounteously,
plentifully, plenteously, freely,
exuberantly, largely, bountifully.
ANTONYMS: (adv) fruitlessly,
insufficiently, stingily, meagerly,
scantily.
designate: (n, v) denominate, appoint,
note, name; (v) allocate, assign,
delegate, define, allot, mark; (adj, n, v)
denote. ANTONYMS: (v) disapprove,
generalize, guess, oppose, elect.
Thesaurus
discrepancy: (n) difference, deviation, ANTONYMS: (adj) proper, fitting,
disagreement, divergence, departure, admirable, correct, pleasant.
discord, discrepance, contradiction, lamentingly: (adv) weepingly,
variation, variance, dissimilarity. wailingly, plaintively, bewailingly,
ANTONYMS: (n) agreement, sadly, wailfully.
harmony, concordance, similarity, lingeringly: (adv) slowly, longly,
surplus, equality, convergence, chronically, dilatorily, extendedly,
parity. leisurely.
indecent: (adj) indelicate, unseemly, violated: (adj) profaned, seduced,
filthy, immodest, dirty, gross, dishonored; (v) strained, disunited,
immoral, indecorous, shameful, ruined financially, subjugated, rough,
unbecoming, inappropriate. not continuous, humbled, fractured.
 Edgar Allan Poe 209

betrayed. That the secret has not been divulged, is the very best of proof that it
is, in fact, a secret. The horrors of this dark deed are known only to one, or two,
living human beings, and to God.%
“Let us sum up now the meagre yet certain fruits of our long analysis. We
have attained the idea either of a fatal accident under the roof of Madame Deluc,
or of a murder perpetrated, in the thicket at the Barrière du Roule, by a lover, or
at least by an intimate and secret associate of the deceased. This associate is of
swarthy complexion. This complexion, the ‘hitch’ in the bandage, and the
‘sailor’s knot,’ with which the bonnet-ribbon is tied, point to a seaman. His
companionship with the deceased, a gay, but not an abject young girl,
designates him as above the grade of the common sailor. Here the well written
and urgent communications to the journals are much in the way of
corroboration. The circumstance of the first elopement, as mentioned by Le
Mercurie, tends to blend the idea of this seaman with that of the ‘naval officer’
who is first known to have led the unfortunate into crime.
“And here, most fitly, comes the consideration of the continued absence of
him of the dark complexion. Let me pause to observe that the complexion of this
man is dark and swarthy; it was no common swarthiness which constituted the
sole point of remembrance, both as regards Valence and Madame Deluc. But
why is this man absent? Was he murdered by the gang? If so, why are there only
traces of the assassinated girl? The scene of the two outrages will naturally be
supposed identical. And where is his corpse? The assassins would most probably
have disposed of both in the same way. But it may be said that this man lives,
and is deterred from making himself known, through dread of being charged
with the murder. This consideration might be supposed to operate upon him
now - at this late period - since it has been given in evidence that he was seen
with Marie - but it would have had no force at the period of the deed. The first
impulse of an innocent man would have been to announce the outrage, and to
aid in identifying the ruffians. This policy would have suggested. He had been
seen with the girl. He had crossed the river with her in an open ferry-boat. The
denouncing of the assassins would have appeared, even to an idiot, the surest

abject: (adj) contemptible, pitiful, low,
wretched, despicable, sordid, base,
mean, vile; (n) ignominious, dirty.
ANTONYMS: (adj) honorable,
hopeful, magnificent, esteemed,
proud, dignified, commendable,
noble, exalted, worthy, happy.
companionship: (n) company, society,
fellowship, camaraderie, partnership,
friendship, fraternity, amity,
coexistence, brotherhood,
communion. ANTONYMS: (n)
Thesaurus
animosity, enmity, solitude.
constituted: (adj) habitual, planted,
legitimate, grooved, accomplished,
official.
denouncing: (v) denounce; (adj)
disparaging, critical, reproving,
censorious, disapproving.
divulged: (adj) out of the closet,
exposed.
fitly: (adv) appropriately, properly,
fittingly, decorously, aptly,
befittingly, readily, accommodately,
expediently, suitly, justly.
seaman: (n) seafarer, tar, gob, sailor,
bluejacket, jack, navigator, bargee,
bargeman, boatswain, bosun.
swarthiness: (n) darkness, skin colour,
swarthness, skin color, shadow,
iniquity, dimness, dark, complexion,
complection.
swarthy: (adj) dusky, black, swart,
sable, somber, dun, tawny, coloured,
colored, atramentous; (n) brunette.
ANTONYMS: (adj) fair, light.
210 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

and sole means of relieving himself from suspicion. We cannot suppose him, on
the night of the fatal Sunday, both innocent himself and incognizant of an
outrage committed. Yet only under such circumstances is it possible to imagine
that he would have failed, if alive, in the denouncement of the assassins.%
“And what means are ours, of attaining the truth? We shall find these means
multiplying and gathering distinctness as we proceed. Let us sift to the bottom
this affair of the first elopement. Let us know the full history of ‘the officer,’ with
his present circumstances, and his whereabouts at the precise period of the
murder. Let us carefully compare with each other the various communications
sent to the evening paper, in which the object was to inculpate a gang. This done,
let us compare these communications, both as regards style and MS., with those
sent to the morning paper, at a previous period, and insisting so vehemently
upon the guilt of Mennais. And, all this done, let us again compare these various
communications with the known MSS. of the officer. Let us endeavor to
ascertain, by repeated questionings of Madame Deluc and her boys, as well as of
the omnibus driver, Valence, something more of the personal appearance and
bearing of the ‘man of dark complexion.’ Queries, skilfully directed, will not fail
to elicit, from some of these parties, information on this particular point (or upon
others) - information which the parties themselves may not even be aware of
possessing. And let us now trace the boatpicked up by the bargeman on the
morning of Monday the twenty-third of June, and which was removed from the
barge-office, without the cognizance of the officer in attendance, and without the
rudder, at some period prior to the discovery of the corpse. With a proper
caution and perseverance we shall infallibly trace this boat; for not only can the
bargeman who picked it up identify it, but the rudder is at hand. The rudder of a
sail-boat would not have been abandoned, without inquiry, by one altogether at
ease in heart. And here let me pause to insinuate a question. There was no
advertisement of the picking up of this boat. It was silently taken to the barge-
office, and as silently removed. But its owner or employer - how happened he, at
so early a period as Tuesday morning, to be informed, without the agency of
advertisement, of the locality of the boat taken up on Monday, unless we

denouncement: (n) condemnation,
damnation, broadside, curse, insult,
libel, excoriation, slur, diatribe,
tirade, execration.
elicit: (v) educe, derive, cause, fetch,
evoke, extract, arouse, excite,
provoke, draw out, discover.
ANTONYMS: (v) cover, forgo, hide,
halt.
incognizant: (adj) unwitting,
unfamiliar, oblivious.
inculpate: (v) impeach, incriminate,
Thesaurus
charge, criminate, blame, implicate,
imply, suggest, indict, arraign,
censure.
infallibly: (adv) unerringly,
unfailingly, inerrably, assuredly,
certainly, firmly.
insinuate: (v) imply, hint, intimate,
indicate, suggest, adumbrate,
connote, signify, ingratiate, instill,
denote.
multiplying: (adj) cumulative; (n)
generation, calculation.
relieving: (adj) pertinent, comforting,
applicable; (n) encouragement.
sift: (v) screen, filter, investigate,
riddle, sieve, examine, sprinkle,
separate, sort; (n, v) scrutinize,
analyze.
vehemently: (adj, adv) ardently; (adv)
violently, zealously, strongly,
fervently, passionately, ferociously,
fervidly, keenly, intensely, furiously.
ANTONYMS: (adv) feebly, gently,
impassively.
 Edgar Allan Poe 211

imagine %some connexion with the navy - some personal permanent connexion
leading to cognizance of its minute in interests - its petty local news?
“In speaking of the lonely assassin dragging his burden to the shore, I have
already suggested the probability of his availing himself of a boat. Now we are to
understand that Marie Rogêt was precipitated from a boat. This would naturally
have been the case. The corpse could not have been trusted to the shallow waters
of the shore. The peculiar marks on the back and shoulders of the victim tell of
the bottom ribs of a boat. That the body was found without weight is also
corroborative of the idea. If thrown from the shore a weight would have been
attached. We can only account for its absence by supposing the murderer to have
neglected the precaution of supplying himself with it before pushing off. In the
act of consigning the corpse to the water, he would unquestionably have noticed
his oversight; but then no remedy would have been at hand. Any risk would
have been preferred to a return to that accursed shore. Having rid himself of his
ghastly charge, the murderer would have hastened to the city. There, at some
obscure wharf, he would have leaped on land. But the boat - would he have
secured it? He would have been in too great haste for such things as securing a
boat. Moreover, in fastening it to the wharf, he would have felt as if securing
evidence against himself. His natural thought would have been to cast from him,
as far as possible, all that had held connection with his crime. He would not only
have fled from the wharf, but he would not have permitted the boat to remain.
Assuredly he would have cast it adrift. Let us pursue our fancies. - In the
morning, the wretch is stricken with unutterable horror at finding that the boat
has been picked up and detained at a locality which he is in the daily habit of
frequenting - at a locality, perhaps, which his duty compels him to frequent. The
next night, without daring to ask for the rudder, he removes it. Now where is
that rudderless boat? Let it be one of our first purposes to discover. With the first
glimpse we obtain of it, the dawn of our success shall begin. This boat shall guide
us, with a rapidity which will surprise even ourselves, to him who employed it
in the midnight of the fatal Sabbath. Corroboration will rise upon corroboration,
and the murderer will be traced.”

Thesaurus
accursed: (adj) execrable, abominable, cadaverous, dreadful, grisly, unspeakable, inexpressible,
detestable, accurst, hateful, damned, gruesome, macabre, hideous, unpronounceable, indefinable,
damnable, maledict, blasted; (v) appalling, atrocious; (adv) untellable, unnameable,
atrocious, stranded. gruesomely. ANTONYMS: (adj) unapproachable, beyond description,
adrift: (adj, adv) directionless; (adv) wonderful, lovely, attractive, incommunicable, terrible.
afloat, wrong; (adj, v) astray; (adj) delightful. wharf: (n) quay, harbor, port, pier,
disoriented, isolated, undirected, hastened: (adj) careless. waterfront, jetty, nailery, bindery,
rudderless, planless, insular, in rudderless: (adj) adrift, afloat, aimless, beehive, basin; (n, v) berth.
Twain. ANTONYMS: (adv) anchored, directionless, flooded, aimlessly wretch: (n) victim, villain, scoundrel,
determined, purposeful, stable, drifting, drifting, floating, inundated, reprobate, reptile, miscreant, martyr,
moored. overflowing, purposeless. object of compassion, poor devil,
ghastly: (adj) awful, fearful, unutterable: (adj) indescribable, prey, wreak.
212 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

[For reasons which we shall not specify, but which to many readers will
appear obvious, we have taken the liberty of here omitting, from the MSS. placed
in our hands, such portion as details the following up of the apparently slight
clew obtained by Dupin. We feel it advisable only to state, in brief, that the result
desired was brought to pass; and that the Prefect fulfilled punctually, although
with reluctance, the terms of his compact with the Chevalier. Mr. Poe’s article
concludes with the following words. - Eds.]
It will be understood that I speak of coincidences and no more. What I have
said above upon this topic must suffice. In my own heart there dwells no faith in
præter-nature. That Nature and its God are two, no man who thinks, will deny.
That the latter, creating the former, can, at will, control or modify it, is also
unquestionable. I say “at will;” for the question is of will, and not, as the insanity
of logic has assumed, of power. It is not that the Deity cannot modify his laws,
but that we insult him in imagining a possible necessity for modification. In their
origin these laws were fashioned to embrace all contingencies which could lie in
the Future. With God all is Now.%
I repeat, then, that I speak of these things only as of coincidences. And
farther: in what I relate it will be seen that between the fate of the unhappy Mary
Cecilia Rogers, so far as that fate is known, and the fate of one Marie Rogêt up to
a certain epoch in her history, there has existed a parallel in the contemplation of
whose wonderful exactitude the reason becomes embarrassed. I say all this will
be seen. But let it not for a moment be supposed that, in proceeding with the sad
narrative of Marie from the epoch just mentioned, and in tracing to its
dénouement the mystery which enshrouded her, it is my covert design to hint at
an extension of the parallel, or even to suggest that the measures adopted in
Paris for the discovery of the assassin of a grisette, or measures founded in any
similar ratiocination, would produce any similar result.
For, in respect to the latter branch of the supposition, it should be considered
that the most trifling variation in the facts of the two cases might give rise to the
most important miscalculations, by diverting thoroughly the two courses of
events; very much as, in arithmetic, an error which, in its own individuality, may

Thesaurus
arithmetic: (adj) arithmetical, public, blatant. fictitious, intentional, bent, wrought.
numerical; (n) calculation, diverting: (adj, v) entertaining; (adj) omitting: (v) except; (n) disregard,
computation, algorism, mathematics, comical, fun, amusive, droll, comic, contraction; (adj) omissive.
math, estimate, weighing up; (v) laughable, funny, humorous, trifling: (adj) paltry, slight, petty,
fluxions, geometry. recreative, intriguing. negligible, immaterial, worthless,
contingencies: (n) contingency exactitude: (n) precision, exactness, trivial, minor, small; (adj, v)
reserve. correctness, punctuality, fidelity, inconsequential; (adj, n) frivolity.
covert: (adj) clandestine, hidden, trueness, truth, veracity, rigor, ANTONYMS: (adj) significant,
concealed, secret, underground, thoroughness, promptitude. worthwhile, major, considerable,
undercover; (n) cover, blind, refuge, ANTONYMS: (n) vagueness, crucial, enormous, great, mature,
concealment, covering. ANTONYMS: inaccuracy, inexactness. profound, substantial; (n)
(adj) open, aboveboard, unconcealed, fashioned: (adj) formed, featured, importance.
 Edgar Allan Poe 213

be inappreciable, produces, at length, by dint of multiplication at all points of

the process, a result enormously at variance with truth. And, in regard to the
former branch, we must not fail to hold in view that the very Calculus of
Probabilities to which I have referred, forbids all idea of the extension of the
parallel: - forbids it with a positiveness strong and decided just in proportion as
this parallel has already been long-drawn and exact. This is one of those
anomalous propositions which, seemingly appealing to thought altogether apart
from the mathematical, is yet one which only the mathematician can fully
entertain. Nothing, for example, is more difficult than to convince the merely
general reader that the fact of sixes having been thrown twice in succession by a
player at dice, is sufficient cause for betting the largest odds that sixes will not be
thrown in the third attempt. A suggestion to this effect is usually rejected by the
intellect at once. It does not appear that the two throws which have been
completed, and which lie now absolutely in the Past, can have influence upon the
throw which exists only in the Future. The chance for throwing sixes seems to be
precisely as it was at any ordinary time - that is to say, subject only to the
influence of the various other throws which may be made by the dice. And this is
a reflection which appears so exceedingly obvious that attempts to controvert it
are received more frequently with a derisive smile than with anything like
respectful attention. The error here involved - a gross error redolent of mischief -
I cannot pretend to expose within the limits assigned me at present; and with the
philosophical it needs no exposure. It may be sufficient here to say that it forms
one of an infinite series of mistakes which arise in the path or Reason through
her propensity for seeking truth in detail.%

attempts: (adj) trying.
controvert: (v) confute, debate,
dispute, gainsay, negate, negative,
oppose, question, rebut, refute,
argue. ANTONYMS: (v) agree,
corroborate, harmonize, prove.
derisive: (adj) ironic, sarcastic,
derisory, contemptuous, cynical,
mordant, sardonic, jeering, scornful,
quizzical, satirical. ANTONYMS:
(adj) complimentary, approving,
flattering, praising, sympathetic.
Thesaurus
dint: (v) indent; (n) indentation, blow, science, Archimedes, whitehead; (adj)
strength, percussion, agency, hollow, Cartesian.
depression, might, impression; (adj) multiplication: (n) augmentation,
delve. increase, generation, expansion, rise,
inappreciable: (adj) impalpable, doubling, propagation, increment,
invisible, insignificant, negligible, reproduction; (n, v) addition; (adj)
inconsiderable, trivial, evanescent, pullulation. ANTONYM: (n)
intangible, slight, trifling, decrease.
inconsequential. redolent: (adj) fragrant, reminiscent,
mathematician: (v) arithmetician, evocative, odoriferous, odorous,
algebraist, calculator, abacist; (n) sweet, balmy, suggestive, scented,
geometrician, gauss, scientist, man of spicy, remindful.
 Edgar Allan Poe 215

THE %BALLOON-HOAX

[Astounding News by Express, via Norfolk! - The Atlantic crossed in

Three Days! Signal Triumph of Mr. Monck Mason’s Flying Machine! -
Arrival at Sullivan’s Island, near Charlestown, S.C., of Mr. Mason, Mr.
Robert Holland, Mr. Henson, Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, and four others,
in the Steering Balloon, “Victoria,” after a passage of Seventy-five Hours
from Land to Land! Full Particulars of the Voyage!
The subjoined jeu d’esprit with the preceding heading in magnificent
capitals, well interspersed with notes of admiration, was originally
published, as matter of fact, in the “New York Sun,” a daily newspaper,
and therein fully subserved the purpose of creating indigestible aliment
for the quidnuncs during the few hours intervening between a couple of
the Charleston mails. The rush for the “sole paper which had the news,”
was something beyond even the prodigious; and, in fact, if (as some
assert) the “Victoria” did not absolutely accomplish the voyage recorded,
it will be difficult to assign a reason why she should not have
accomplished it.]

The great problem is at length solved! The air, as well as the earth and the
ocean, has been subdued by science, and will become a common and convenient
highway for mankind. The Atlantic has been actually crossed in a Balloon! and this
Thesaurus
aliment: (n) meal, sustenance, food, discredit, divest, refuse, take. colors, mediate, mesne; (adj, v)
nutriment, diet, maintenance, meat, capitals: (n) brevier, caps, pica intercurrent, interjacent; (v)
alimentation, eating, nutrition, boldface. intervenient; (n) middler.
nourishment. creating: (v) create; (n) making. ANTONYM: (adj) permanent.
assert: (v) allege, affirm, say, claim, henson: (n) Jim Henson. subdued: (adj) quiet, muffled, dull,
declare, swear, show, avow, aver, indigestible: (adj) unpalatable, stodgy, restrained, muted, tame, faint,
maintain, argue. ANTONYMS: (v) inedible, incocted, inadmissible, repressed, low, meek; (adj, v)
reject, controvert, repress, refute. starchy, heavy, tough, undigestible, resigned. ANTONYMS: (adj)
assign: (v) allot, delegate, consign, filling, innutritious. ANTONYMS: enthusiastic, lively, uninhibited,
ascribe, appoint, place, allocate, (adj) light, digestible, tasty, readable. unsubdued, rebellious, noisy, bright,
appropriate; (n, v) allow, apply, give. intervening: (adj) middle, interstitial, elaborate, frivolous, upbeat.
ANTONYMS: (v) relieve, discharge, intervene, interposed, intermediate subjoined: (v) enclitical.
216 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

too without difficulty - without any great apparent danger - with thorough
control of the machine - and in the inconceivably brief period of seventy-five
hours from shore to shore! By the energy of an agent at Charleston, S.C., we are
enabled to be the first to furnish the public with a detailed account of this most
extraordinary voyage, which was performed between Saturday, the 6th instant,
at 11, A.M., and 2, P.M., on Tuesday, the 9th instant, by Sir Everard Bringhurst;
Mr. Osborne, a nephew of Lord Bentinck’s; Mr. Monck Mason and Mr. Robert
Holland, the well-known æronauts; Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, author of “Jack
Sheppard,” &c.; and Mr. Henson, the projector of the late unsuccessful flying
machine - with two seamen from Woolwich - in all, eight persons. The
particulars furnished below may be relied on as authentic and accurate in every
respect, as, with a slight exception, they are copied verbatim from the joint
diaries of Mr. Monck Mason and Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, to whose politeness
our agent is also indebted for much verbal information respecting the balloon
itself, its construction, and other matters of interest. The only alteration in the
MS. received, has been made for the purpose of throwing the hurried account of
our agent, Mr. Forsyth, into a connected and intelligible form.%

THE BALLOON

“Two very decided failures, of late - those of Mr. Henson and Sir George
Cayley - had much weakened the public interest in the subject of aerial
navigation. Mr. Henson’s scheme (which at first was considered very feasible
even by men of science,) was founded upon the principle of an inclined plane,
started from an eminence by an extrinsic force, applied and continued by the
revolution of impinging vanes, in form and number resembling the vanes of a
windmill. But, in all the experiments made with models at the Adelaide Gallery,
it was found that the operation of these fans not only did not propel the machine,
but actually impeded its flight. The only propelling force it ever exhibited, was
the mere impetus acquired from the descent of the inclined plane; and this impetus
carried the machine farther when the vanes were at rest, than when they were in

extrinsic: (adj) external, extraneous,
exotic, foreign, adventitious, alien,
outer, unnecessary, unessential,
outside, accidental. ANTONYMS:
(adj) interior, native, integral.
impinging: (n) hit, collision, contact,
engagement, impingement, striking,
hitting, contact lens, close interaction; optical device; (v) promoter.
(adj) appulsive, adjoining.
inconceivably: (adv) unthinkably,
amazingly, astoundingly, beyond
belief, impenetrably, implausibly,
Thesaurus
unintelligibly, unfathomably, propulsive, dynamic, dynamical.
unbelievably, inexplicably. verbatim: (adv) literally, word for
ANTONYM: (adv) conceivably. word, literatim, verbally, to the letter;
projector: (n) designer, searchlight, (adj) exact, direct, verbal, verbatim et
schemer, film projector, overhead literatim, not alternating; (adj, adv)
projector, planner, slide projector, directly. ANTONYMS: (adj)
magic lantern, movie projector, imprecise, broad.
windmill: (n) wind generator,
propel: (v) drive, impel, actuate, force, whirligig, aerogenerator, screw,
throw, move, motivate, prompt, fling, Rollingstone, wind turbine, wheel,
carry, thrust. wind engine, grinder, wind machine,
propelling: (adj) propellent, moving, pinwheel.
 Edgar Allan Poe 217

motion - a fact which sufficiently demonstrates their inutility; and in the absence
of the propelling, which was also the sustaining power, the whole fabric would
necessarily descend. This consideration led Sir George Cayley to think only of
adapting a propeller to some machine having of itself an independent power of
support - in a word, to a balloon; the idea, however, being novel, or original,
with Sir George, only so far as regards the mode of its application to practice. He
exhibited a model of his invention at the Polytechnic Institution. The propelling
principle, or power, was here, also, applied to interrupted surfaces, or vanes, put
in revolution. These vanes were four in number, but were found entirely
ineffectual in moving the balloon, or in aiding its ascending power. The whole
project was thus a complete failure.%
“It was at this juncture that Mr. Monck Mason (whose voyage from Dover to
Weilburg in the balloon, “Nassau,” occasioned so much excitement in 1837,)
conceived the idea of employing the principle of the Archimedean screw for the
purpose of propulsion through the air - rightly attributing the failure of Mr.
Henson’s scheme, and of Sir George Cayley’s, to the interruption of surface in the
independent vanes. He made the first public experiment at Willis’s Rooms, but
afterward removed his model to the Adelaide Gallery.
“Like Sir George Cayley’s balloon, his own was an ellipsoid. Its length was
thirteen feet six inches - height, six feet eight inches. It contained about three
hundred and twenty cubic feet of gas, which, if pure hydrogen, would support
twenty-one pounds upon its first inflation, before the gas has time to deteriorate
or escape. The weight of the whole machine and apparatus was seventeen
pounds - leaving about four pounds to spare. Beneath the centre of the balloon,
was a frame of light wood, about nine feet long, and rigged on to the balloon
itself with a network in the customary manner. From this framework was
suspended a wicker basket or car.
“The screw consists of an axis of hollow brass tube, eighteen inches in length,
through which, upon a semi-spiral inclined at fifteen degrees, pass a series of
steel wire radii, two feet long, and thus projecting a foot on either side. These
radii are connected at the outer extremities by two bands of flattened wire - the

aiding: (adj) healthy, subventitious,
subsidiary, serviceable, auxiliary,
convenient.
ellipsoid: (adj) rounded, ellipsoidal,
spheroidal.
ineffectual: (adj) ineffective, futile,
useless, feeble, abortive, powerless,
idle, weak, unable, void, vain.
ANTONYMS: (adj) strong, effectual,
effective, useful, viable, competent,
invulnerable, helpful, decisive.
inutility: (n) uselessness,
Thesaurus
impracticableness, impracticability, propeller: (n) airscrew, prop, fan,
quality, inability, unusefulness, helix, twin screws, turbine, screw
impracticality, disadvantage. propeller, axial flow impeller, aircraft
ANTONYM: (n) utility. propeller, extortioner, airplane
juncture: (n, v) joint; (adj, n) crisis; (n) propeller.
articulation, event, junction, propulsion: (n) drive, momentum,
connection, affair, point, time, push, thrust, actuation, impulsion,
conjuncture; (v) joining. power, driving force, impulse,
projecting: (adj) projected, protruding, pushing, force.
jutting, protrusive, pendent; (adj, v) wicker: (n) wickerwork, caning, wood,
overhanging, jutting over, salient; (v) dwelling, home, osier, piece of work,
beetling, protuberant, convex. Wike, cane; (adj) twiggen.
218 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

whole in this manner forming the framework of the screw, which is completed
by a covering of oiled silk cut into gores, and tightened so as to present a
tolerably uniform surface. At each end of its axis this screw is supported by
pillars of hollow brass tube descending from the hoop. In the lower ends of
these tubes are holes in which the pivots of the axis revolve. From the end of the
axis which is next the car, proceeds a shaft of steel, connecting the screw with the
pinion of a piece of spring machinery fixed in the car. By the operation of this
spring, the screw is made to revolve with great rapidity, communicating a
progressive motion to the whole. By means of the rudder, the machine was
readily turned in any direction. The spring was of great power, compared with
its dimensions, being capable of raising forty-five pounds upon a barrel of four
inches diameter, after the first turn, and gradually increasing as it was wound
up. It weighed, altogether, eight pounds six ounces. The rudder was a light
frame of cane covered with silk, shaped somewhat like a battledoor, and was
about three feet long, and at the widest, one foot. Its weight was about two
ounces. It could be turned flat, and directed upwards or downwards, as well as
to the right or left; and thus enabled the æronaut to transfer the resistance of the
air which in an inclined position it must generate in its passage, to any side upon
which he might desire to act; thus determining the balloon in the opposite
direction.%
“This model (which, through want of time, we have necessarily described in
an imperfect manner,) was put in action at the Adelaide Gallery, where it
accomplished a velocity of five miles per hour; although, strange to say, it excited
very little interest in comparison with the previous complex machine of Mr.
Henson - so resolute is the world to despise anything which carries with it an air
of simplicity. To accomplish the great desideratum of ærial navigation, it was
very generally supposed that some exceedingly complicated application must be
made of some unusually profound principle in dynamics.
“So well satisfied, however, was Mr. Mason of the ultimate success of his
invention, that he determined to construct immediately, if possible, a balloon of
sufficient capacity to test the question by a voyage of some extent - the original

cane: (n, v) scourge, whip; (v) flog,
beat, birch, thrash, lash; (n) stick, bat,
rattan, twig.
descending: (v) descend; (adj)
downhill, down, descendent,
decreasing, dropping, falling,
sloping, degressive, occasive; (adv)
downward. ANTONYM: (adj)
upward.
desideratum: (n) need, requirement,
necessity, aim; (v) porism, problem,
query, question.
Thesaurus
despise: (v) disdain, loathe,
depreciate, abhor, dislike, detest,
slight, hate; (n, v) contemn; (n)
contempt, deride. ANTONYMS: (v)
respect, love, adore, appreciate,
cherish, like, praise, accept.
oiled: (adj) intoxicated, oily.
ANTONYM: (adj) unoiled.
pinion: (v) fetter, bind, shackle,
restrain, hopple, gag; (n) pennon,
quill, wing, irons; (adj) tie.
resolute: (adj, n) constant, firm, fixed,
steady; (adj, v) determined; (adj)
inflexible, brave, adamant, dogged,
unbending, courageous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) weak, uncertain,
uncommitted, timid, fickle, feeble,
indecisive, flexible, flippant, hesitant,
undecided.
revolve: (v) consider, meditate,
deliberate, ponder, circle,
contemplate, return, circulate, orbit,
rotate; (n, v) gyrate.
tightened: (adj) secure, securer, firm.
 Edgar Allan Poe 219

design being to cross the British Channel, as before, in the Nassau balloon. To
carry out his views, he solicited and obtained the patronage of Sir Everard
Bringhurst and Mr. Osborne, two gentlemen well known for scientific
acquirement, and especially for the interest they have exhibited in the progress
of ærostation. The project, at the desire of Mr. Osborne, was kept a profound
secret from the public - the only persons entrusted with the design being those
actually engaged in the construction of the machine, which was built (under the
superintendence of Mr. Mason, Mr. Holland, Sir Everard Bringhurst, and Mr.
Osborne,) at the seat of the latter gentleman near Penstruthal, in Wales. Mr.
Henson, accompanied by his friend Mr. Ainsworth, was admitted to a private
view of the balloon, on Saturday last - when the two gentlemen made final
arrangements to be included in the adventure. We are not informed for what
reason the two seamen were also included in the party - but, in the course of a
day or two, we shall put our readers in possession of the minutest particulars
respecting this extraordinary voyage.%
“The balloon is composed of silk, varnished with the liquid gum caoutchouc.
It is of vast dimensions, containing more than 40,000 cubic feet of gas; but as coal
gas was employed in place of the more expensive and inconvenient hydrogen,
the supporting power of the machine, when fully inflated, and immediately after
inflation, is not more than about 2500 pounds. The coal gas is not only much less
costly, but is easily procured and managed.
“For its introduction into common use for purposes of aerostation, we are
indebted to Mr. Charles Green. Up to his discovery, the process of inflation was
not only exceedingly expensive, but uncertain. Two, and even three days, have
frequently been wasted in futile attempts to procure a sufficiency of hydrogen to
fill a balloon, from which it had great tendency to escape, owing to its extreme
subtlety, and its affinity for the surrounding atmosphere. In a balloon
sufficiently perfect to retain its contents of coal-gas unaltered, in quantity or
amount, for six months, an equal quantity of hydrogen could not be maintained
in equal purity for six weeks.

Thesaurus
acquirement: (adj, n) accomplishment; inflated: (adj) grandiloquent, superintendence: (n) oversight,
(n) acquisition, achievement, skill, exaggerated, puffy, conceited, direction, management, inspection,
workmanship, craftsmanship, hyperbolic, vain, bloated, swollen, control, government, surveillance,
purchase, ability, mastery, science, extravagant, flatulent; (adj, v) supervising, care, guidance,
procurement. distended. ANTONYMS: (adj) invigilation.
aerostation: (n) aeronautics, aeronaut. deflated, humble, cheap, reasonable. unaltered: (adj) unalterable, unmoved,
gentlemen: (n) sirs, messieurs. osborne: (n) John James Osborne, John same, unaffected. ANTONYM: (adj)
indebted: (adj) grateful, appreciative, Osborne. affected.
thankful, obliged, liable, insolvent, sufficiency: (n) enough, fill, varnished: (adj) sullied, polished,
broke; (prep) beholden, debted; (n) ampleness, adequateness, fullness, spotted, shiny, lustrous, smooth,
debtor; (v) owe. ANTONYM: (adj) capacity, competence, satisfaction, painted, besmirched, glossy, tainted,
ungrateful. affluence; (adj, n) plenty, abundance. flyblown. ANTONYM: (adj) dull.
220 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“The supporting power being estimated at 2500 pounds, and the united
weights of the party amounting only to about 1200, there was left a surplus of
1300, of which again 1200 was exhausted by ballast, arranged in bags of different
sizes, with their respective weights marked upon them - by cordage, barometers,
telescopes, barrels containing provision for a fortnight, water-casks, cloaks,
carpet-bags, and various other indispensable matters, including a coffee-warmer,
contrived for warming coffee by means of slack-lime, so as to dispense
altogether with fire, if it should be judged prudent to do so. All these articles,
with the exception of the ballast, and a few trifles, were suspended from the
hoop overhead. The car is much smaller and lighter, in proportion, than the one
appended to the model. It is formed of a light wicker, and is wonderfully strong,
for so frail looking a machine. Its rim is about four feet deep. The rudder is also
very much larger, in proportion, than that of the model; and the screw is
considerably smaller. The balloon is furnished besides with a grapnel, and a
guide-rope; which latter is of the most indispensable importance. A few words,
in explanation, will here be necessary for such of our readers as are not
conversant with the details of aerostation.%
“As soon as the balloon quits the earth, it is subjected to the influence of
many circumstances tending to create a difference in its weight; augmenting or
diminishing its ascending power. For example, there may be a deposition of
dew upon the silk, to the extent, even, of several hundred pounds; ballast has
then to be thrown out, or the machine may descend. This ballast being
discarded, and a clear sunshine evaporating the dew, and at the same time
expanding the gas in the silk, the whole will again rapidly ascend. To check this
ascent, the only recourse is, (or rather was, until Mr. Green’s invention of the
guide-rope,) the permission of the escape of gas from the valve; but, in the loss of
gas, is a proportionate general loss of ascending power; so that, in a
comparatively brief period, the best-constructed balloon must necessarily
exhaust all its resources, and come to the earth. This was the great obstacle to
voyages of length.

augmenting: (adj) augmentative,
increscent, building, cumulative; (v)
augment; (n) continuation,
development.
cordage: (n) rope, quantity, measure,
quantum, ropes, cord fabric, amount,
twine.
diminishing: (adj) abating, declining,
dwindling, lessening, waning; (n)
decrease, shrinking, reducing,
reduction; (adv) diminishingly; (v)
diminish. ANTONYMS: (adj)
Thesaurus
increasing, growing, burgeoning.
dispense: (v) allot, deal, administer,
assign, deal out, apportion, dole out,
give, issue, diffuse, furnish.
ANTONYMS: (v) prohibit, receive,
withhold.
evaporating: (n) contraction.
grapnel: (n) crampon, grapple, hook,
tool, grip, grab, clamshell, crampoon,
crampoons, grapnel anchor, grappler.
proportionate: (adj, v) proportional;
(adj) proportionable, equal,
harmonious, comparable, balanced,
sufficient, relative, appropriate,
adequate, equitable. ANTONYM:
(adj) disproportionate.
quits: (n) quit, par, even, equal,
abandon, leave, quittance, a wash.
tending: (n) care, hairdressing, aid,
treatment, attention, babysitting,
incubation; (adj) apt, conducive,
prone, disposed.
trifles: (n) jests, nonsense, nugae,
trivia.
 Edgar Allan Poe 221

“The guide-rope remedies the difficulty in the simplest manner conceivable.

It is merely a very long rope which is suffered to trail from the car, and the effect
of which is to prevent the balloon from changing its level in any material degree.
If, for example, there should be a deposition of moisture upon the silk, and the
machine begins to descend in consequence, there will be no necessity for
discharging ballast to remedy the increase of weight, for it is remedied, or
counteracted, in an exactly just proportion, by the deposit on the ground of just
so much of the end of the rope as is necessary. If, on the other hand, any
circumstances should cause undue levity, and consequent ascent, this levity is
immediately counteracted by the additional weight of rope upraised from the
earth. Thus, the balloon can neither ascend or descend, except within very
narrow limits, and its resources, either in gas or ballast, remain comparatively
unimpaired. When passing over an expanse of water, it becomes necessary to
employ small kegs of copper or wood, filled with liquid ballast of a lighter nature
than water. These float, and serve all the purposes of a mere rope on land.
Another most important office of the guide-rope, is to point out the direction of
the balloon. The rope drags, either on land or sea, while the balloon is free; the
latter, consequently, is always in advance, when any progress whatever is made:
a comparison, therefore, by means of the compass, of the relative positions of the
two objects, will always indicate the course. In the same way, the angle formed
by the rope with the vertical axis of the machine, indicates the velocity. When
there is no angle - in other words, when the rope hangs perpendicularly, the
whole apparatus is stationary; but the larger the angle, that is to say, the farther
the balloon precedes the end of the rope, the greater the velocity; and the
converse.%
“As the original design was to cross the British Channel, and alight as near
Paris as possible, the voyagers had taken the precaution to prepare themselves
with passports directed to all parts of the Continent, specifying the nature of the
expedition, as in the case of the Nassau voyage, and entitling the adventurers to
exemption from the usual formalities of office: unexpected events, however,
rendered these passports superfluous.

alight: (v) light, land, perch, dismount, expanse: (n) breadth, expansion,
get down, settle, get off, descend;
(adj) ablaze, burning, blazing.
ANTONYM: (v) mount.
conceivable: (adj) imaginable,
thinkable, believable,
comprehensible, likely, earthly,
potential, credible, plausible,
cogitable, reasonable. ANTONYMS:
(adj) unthinkable, difficult,
implausible, impossible,
unimaginable.
Thesaurus
stationary: (adj) motionless, fixed, set,
space, region, compass, extent, orbit, quiescent, permanent, immobile,
latitude, acreage, dilation, length. steady, static, constant, unmoving,
ANTONYM: (n) closeness. still. ANTONYMS: (adj) mobile,
formalities: (n) ceremony, etiquette, shifting, flowing.
observance, process, procedure, unimpaired: (adj) unbroken, intact,
protocol, manners, official procedure, clean, sound, healthy, entire,
rules and regulations, code of complete, undamaged, uninjured; (v)
conduct, ceremonial. unmarred, unsinged. ANTONYM:
specifying: (n) naming; (adj) precise, (adj) impaired.
specific, limited, discriminating, upraised: (adj) erect, elevated, high,
illustrative. raised.
222 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

“The inflation was commenced very quietly at daybreak, on Saturday

morning, the 6th instant, in the Court-Yard of Weal-Vor House, Mr. Osborne’s
seat, about a mile from Penstruthal, in North Wales; and at 7 minutes past 11,
every thing being ready for departure, the balloon was set free, rising gently but
steadily, in a direction nearly South; no use being made, for the first half hour, of
either the screw or the rudder. We proceed now with the journal, as transcribed
by Mr. Forsyth from the joint MSS. Of Mr. Monck Mason, and Mr. Ainsworth.
The body of the journal, as given, is in the hand-writing of Mr. Mason, and a P.
S. is appended, each day, by Mr. Ainsworth, who has in preparation, and will
shortly give the public a more minute, and no doubt, a thrillingly interesting
account of the voyage.%

THE JOURNAL

“Saturday, April the 6th. – Every preparation likely to embarrass us, having
been made over night, we commenced the inflation this morning at daybreak;
but owing to a thick fog, which encumbered the folds of the silk and rendered it
unmanageable, we did not get through before nearly eleven o’clock. Cut loose,
then, in high spirits, and rose gently but steadily, with a light breeze at North,
which bore us in the direction of the British Channel. Found the ascending force
greater than we had expected; and as we arose higher and so got clear of the
cliffs, and more in the sun’s rays, our ascent became very rapid. I did not wish,
however, to lose gas at so early a period of the adventure, and so concluded to
ascend for the present. We soon ran out our guide-rope; but even when we had
raised it clear of the earth, we still went up very rapidly. The balloon was
unusually steady, and looked beautifully. In about ten minutes after starting, the
barometer indicated an altitude of 15,000 feet. The weather was remarkably fine,
and the view of the subjacent country - a most romantic one when seen from any
point, - was now especially sublime. The numerous deep gorges presented the
appearance of lakes, on account of the dense vapors with which they were filled,
and the pinnacles and crags to the South East, piled in inextricable confusion,

embarrass: (v) baffle, bother,
confound, hinder, disconcert, block,
complicate, impede, discomfit; (adj, v)
bewilder, encumber. ANTONYMS:
(v) comfort, please, soothe, relieve.
encumbered: (adj) burdened,
burdensome, weighed down, heavy,
deep, clayey, cloggy. ANTONYM:
(adj) unencumbered.
inextricable: (adj) insoluble, intricate,
involved, perplexed, inaccessible,
entangled, impervious, impassable,
Thesaurus
knotty; (v) inseparable, infrangible. stimulatingly, sensationally,
subjacent: (adj) inferior, lower, down, grippingly, electrifyingly,
underlying, low, subjected, liable, breathtakingly, excitingly,
obnoxious, lesser, exposed. emotionally, movingly.
ANTONYM: (adj) superjacent. transcribed: (adj) written, tinned.
sublime: (adj, v) majestic; (adj) unmanageable: (adj) unwieldy,
dignified, grand, lofty, magnificent, intractable, uncontrollable, awkward,
elevated, noble, exalted, glorious; (v) cumbersome, stubborn, clumsy,
sacred, sublimate. ANTONYMS: (adj) bulky, recalcitrant, ungovernable,
poor, ridiculous. obstinate. ANTONYMS: (adj)
thrillingly: (adv) electrically, manageable, orderly, wieldy,
impressively, stirringly, amenable, biddable.
 Edgar Allan Poe 223

resembling nothing so much as the giant cities of eastern fable. We were rapidly
approaching the mountains in the South; but our elevation was more than
sufficient %to enable us to pass them in safety. In a few minutes we soared over
them in fine style; and Mr. Ainsworth, with the seamen, was surprised at their
apparent want of altitude when viewed from the car, the tendency of great
elevation in a balloon being to reduce inequalities of the surface below, to nearly
a dead level. At half-past eleven still proceeding nearly South, we obtained our
first view of the Bristol Channel; and, in fifteen minutes afterward, the line of
breakers on the coast appeared immediately beneath us, and we were fairly out
at sea. We now resolved to let off enough gas to bring our guide-rope, with the
buoys affixed, into the water. This was immediately done, and we commenced a
gradual descent. In about twenty minutes our first buoy dipped, and at the
touch of the second soon afterwards, we remained stationary as to elevation. We
were all now anxious to test the efficiency of the rudder and screw, and we put
them both into requisition forthwith, for the purpose of altering our direction
more to the eastward, and in a line for Paris. By means of the rudder we
instantly effected the necessary change of direction, and our course was brought
nearly at right angles to that of the wind; when we set in motion the spring of the
screw, and were rejoiced to find it propel us readily as desired. Upon this we
gave nine hearty cheers, and dropped in the sea a bottle, enclosing a slip of
parchment with a brief account of the principle of the invention. Hardly,
however, had we done with our rejoicings, when an unforeseen accident
occurred which discouraged us in no little degree. The steel rod connecting the
spring with the propeller was suddenly jerked out of place, at the car end, (by a
swaying of the car through some movement of one of the two seamen we had
taken up,) and in an instant hung dangling out of reach, from the pivot of the
axis of the screw. While we were endeavoring to regain it, our attention being
completely absorbed, we became involved in a strong current of wind from the
East, which bore us, with rapidly increasing force, towards the Atlantic. We
soon found ourselves driving out to sea at the rate of not less, certainly, than fifty
or sixty miles an hour, so that we came up with Cape Clear, at some forty miles
to our North, before we had secured the rod, and had time to think what we

breakers: (n, v) surf; (v) beach comber,
whitecaps, white horses; (n) shallows,
shelf, lee shore, ironbound coast, flat,
shoals, waves.
buoy: (v) uphold, encourage, bolster,
sustain, cheer, buoy up, inspire, give
a lift, weigh mount; (adj) float; (n)
signal. ANTONYMS: (v) discourage;
(n) drown, sink.
buoys: (n) buoyage.
dangling: (adj) suspended, pendent,
pendant, limp, floppy, pendulous; (n)
Thesaurus
suspension, abeyance, break,
abatement; (adv) adangle.
ANTONYM: (adj) upright.
mountains: (n) plenty, mountain
range, mountain chain.
pivot: (n) axle, axis, fulcrum, pin, hub, unforeseen: (adj, v) unexpected,
nucleus, pintle; (v) revolve; (n, v)
swivel, wheel, turn.
requisition: (n, v) request, claim,
command; (v) commandeer, call,
require, exact; (n) application,
requirement, order, exaction.
ANTONYMS: (v) supply, restore.
swaying: (adj) swinging, convincing,
oscillating, influential, persuasive,
moving, lilting, groggy; (n) floating,
manipulation.
unanticipated, unlooked for; (adj)
sudden, accidental, contingent,
casual, surprising, chance, incidental;
(adj, adv) out of the blue.
ANTONYMS: (adj) predicted,
expected, direct.
224 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

were about. It was now that Mr. Ainsworth made an extraordinary, but to my
fancy, a by no means unreasonable or chimerical proposition, in which he was
instantly %seconded by Mr. Holland - viz.: that we should take advantage of the
strong gale which bore us on, and in place of beating back to Paris, make an
attempt to reach the coast of North America. After slight reflection I gave a
willing assent to this bold proposition, which (strange to say) met with objection
from the two seamen only. As the stronger party, however, we overruled their
fears, and kept resolutely upon our course. We steered due West; but as the
trailing of the buoys materially impeded our progress, and we had the balloon
abundantly at command, either for ascent or descent, we first threw out fifty
pounds of ballast, and then wound up (by means of a windlass) so much of the
rope as brought it quite clear of the sea. We perceived the effect of this
manœuvre immediately, in a vastly increased rate of progress; and, as the gale
freshened, we flew with a velocity nearly inconceivable; the guide-rope flying
out behind the car, like a streamer from a vessel. It is needless to say that a very
short time sufficed us to lose sight of the coast. We passed over innumerable
vessels of all kinds, a few of which were endeavoring to beat up, but the most of
them lying to. We occasioned the greatest excitement on board all - an
excitement greatly relished by ourselves, and especially by our two men, who,
now under the influence of a dram of Geneva, seemed resolved to give all
scruple, or fear, to the wind. Many of the vessels fired signal guns; and in all we
were saluted with loud cheers (which we heard with surprising distinctness) and
the waving of caps and handkerchiefs. We kept on in this manner throughout the
day, with no material incident, and, as the shades of night closed around us, we
made a rough estimate of the distance traversed. It could not have been less than
five hundred miles, and was probably much more. The propeller was kept in
constant operation, and, no doubt, aided our progress materially. As the sun
went down, the gale freshened into an absolute hurricane, and the ocean beneath
was clearly visible on account of its phosphorescence. The wind was from the
East all night, and gave us the brightest omen of success. We suffered no little
from cold, and the dampness of the atmosphere was most unpleasant; but the

chimerical: (adj) imaginary, fanciful,
fantastic, romantic, delusive,
visionary, unreal, fictitious, utopian,
chimeral, insubstantial.
dampness: (n) clamminess, humidity,
moistness, moisture, wet, wetness,
vapor, dankness, drizzle, heat,
mugginess. ANTONYMS: (n)
dryness, smoothness, freshness.
dram: (n) drachma, nip, ankus, spot,
dynamic random access memory,
snifter, blast, apothecaries' weight; (n,
Thesaurus
v) potion; (v) drench, swill.
inconceivable: (adj, v) unbelievable,
hard to believe; (adj) impossible,
implausible, incomprehensible,
unimaginable, unthinkable,
improbable, unintelligible,
inscrutable, fabulous. ANTONYMS:
(adj) conceivable, believable, likely,
understandable, credible.
phosphorescence: (n) light, flash,
glow, lambent flame, shimmer.
scruple: (adj, v) hesitate, demur, pause;
(n) hesitation, qualm, misgiving,
distrust, objection; (n, v) mistrust; (v)
falter, question.
steered: (adj) directed.
streamer: (n) banner, standard, ensign,
pennant, pennon, emblem,
pennoncelle, pennoncel, colors, sign,
ribbon.
windlass: (n) capstan, anchor
windlass, hoist, pulley, lifting device,
stowce, wince, windas; (v) crane,
derrick.
 Edgar Allan Poe 225

ample space in the car enabled us to lie down, and by means of cloaks and a few
blankets, we did sufficiently well.
“P.S. (by Mr. Ainsworth.) The last nine hours have been unquestionably the
most exciting of my life. I can conceive nothing more sublimating than the
strange peril and novelty of an adventure such as this. May God grant that we
succeed! I ask not success for mere safety to my insignificant person, but for the
sake of human knowledge and - for the vastness of the triumph. And yet the feat
is only so evidently feasible that the sole wonder is why men have scrupled to
attempt it before. One single gale such as now befriends us - let such a tempest
whirl forward a balloon for four or five days (these gales often last longer) and
the voyager will be easily borne, in that period, from coast to coast. In view of
such a gale the broad Atlantic becomes a mere lake. I am more struck, just now,
with the supreme silence which reigns in the sea beneath us, notwithstanding its
agitation, than with any other phenomenon presenting itself. The waters give up
no voice to the heavens. The immense flaming ocean writhes and is tortured
uncomplainingly. The mountainous surges suggest the idea of innumerable
dumb gigantic fiends struggling in impotent agony. In a night such as is this to
me, a man lives - lives a whole century of ordinary life - nor would I forego this
rapturous delight for that of a whole century of ordinary existence.%

“Sunday, the seventh. [Mr. Mason’s MS.] – This morning the gale, by 10, had
subsided to an eight or nine - knot breeze, (for a vessel at sea,) and bears us,
perhaps, thirty miles per hour, or more. It has veered, however, very
considerably to the north; and now, at sundown, we are holding our course due
west, principally by the screw and rudder, which answer their purposes to
admiration. I regard the project as thoroughly successful, and the easy
navigation of the air in any direction (not exactly in the teeth of a gale) as no
longer problematical. We could not have made head against the strong wind of
yesterday; but, by ascending, we might have got out of its influence, if requisite.
Against a pretty stiff breeze, I feel convinced, we can make our way with the
propeller. At noon, to-day, ascended to an elevation of nearly 25,000 feet, by

Thesaurus
bears: (n) fissiped, badgers, Carnivora, uncomplicated. complainingly.
order Carnivora. rapturous: (adj) overjoyed, enraptured, vastness: (n) enormity, immensity,
becomes: (v) become. rapt, delighted, rhapsodic, blissful; immenseness, enormousness,
forego: (v) disclaim, antedate, (adj, v) ravishing; (v) ardent, grandeur, size, hugeness, bigness,
renounce, antecede, waive, abandon, passionate, fond, erotic. ANTONYM: extent, magnificence, grandness.
resign, forgo, precede, relinquish, (adj) down. ANTONYM: (n) closeness.
spare. sundown: (n) nightfall, evening, dusk, voyager: (n) passenger, traveller,
problematical: (adj) knotty, twilight, hour. ANTONYMS: (n) tourist, explorer, itinerant, commuter,
questionable, debatable, doubtful, dawn, daybreak, sunrise. wanderer, wayfarer, adventurer.
difficult, disputable, uncertain, uncomplainingly: (adv) tolerantly, whirl: (n, v) spin, turn, eddy, roll,
convoluted, baffling; (v) enigmatic, resignedly, enduringly, wheel, twist, swirl; (v) reel, gyrate; (n)
apocryphal. ANTONYMS: (adj) easy, acquiescently. ANTONYM: (adv) go, fling.
226 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

discharging ballast. Did this to search for a more direct current, but found none
so favorable as the one we are now in. We have an abundance of gas to take us
across this small pond, even should the voyage last three weeks. I have not the
slightest fear for the result. The difficulty has been strangely exaggerated and
misapprehended. I can choose my current, and should I find all currents against
me, I can make very tolerable headway with the propeller. We have had no
incidents worth recording. The night promises fair.%
P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] I have little to record, except the fact (to me quite a
surprising one) that, at an elevation equal to that of Cotopaxi, I experienced
neither very intense cold, nor headache, nor difficulty of breathing; neither, I
find, did Mr. Mason, nor Mr. Holland, nor Sir Everard. Mr. Osborne complained
of constriction of the chest - but this soon wore off. We have flown at a great
rate during the day, and we must be more than half way across the Atlantic. We
have passed over some twenty or thirty vessels of various kinds, and all seem to
be delightfully astonished. Crossing the ocean in a balloon is not so difficult a
feat after all. Omne ignotum pro magnifico. Mem: at 25,000 feet elevation the sky
appears nearly black, and the stars are distinctly visible; while the sea does not
seem convex (as one might suppose) but absolutely and most unequivocally
concave.

“Monday, the 8th. [Mr. Mason’s MS.] – This morning we had again some little
trouble with the rod of the propeller, which must be entirely remodelled, for fear
of serious accident - I mean the steel rod - not the vanes. The latter could not be
improved. The wind has been blowing steadily and strongly from the north-east
all day and so far fortune seems bent upon favoring us. Just before day, we
were all somewhat alarmed at some odd noises and concussions in the balloon,
accompanied with the apparent rapid subsidence of the whole machine. These
phenomena were occasioned by the expansion of the gas, through increase of
heat in the atmosphere, and the consequent disruption of the minute particles of
ice with which the network had become encrusted during the night. Threw
down several bottles to the vessels below. Saw one of them picked up by a large

constriction: (n) contraction, choke,
bottleneck, compress, pressure,
retraction, impediment, reduction,
strain, traction, shrinkage.
ANTONYMS: (n) opening, width,
freedom.
convex: (adj) gibbous, biconvex,
hunched, bulgy, protuberant,
prominent; (adj, n) crescent; (v)
protrude, bulge out, stick out,
projecting. ANTONYMS: (adj)
concave, sunken.
Thesaurus
delightfully: (adv) pleasantly,
enchantingly, exquisitely, gladly,
charmingly, finely, sweetly,
deliciously, beautifully, merrily; (adv,
v) happily. ANTONYMS: (adv)
unattractively, horribly, disagreeably.
encrusted: (adj) crusted, crustlike,
covered, smudged, dirty, filthy,
peeling, grubby, soiled, flaking,
curmudgeonly. ANTONYM: (adj)
smooth.
favoring: (adj) affirmative,
encouraging, auspicious, being
prospered, beneficial, affirmatory; (n)
convenient, contributing, beautiful,
conducive, promotion.
headway: (n) advancement, way,
advance, headroom, forward
movement, speed, progress, head,
clearance, development; (v) flood.
ANTONYMS: (n) deterioration,
regression.
magnifico: (n) magnate, Hidalgo; (adj)
splendid.
 Edgar Allan Poe 227

ship - seemingly one of the New York line packets. Endeavored to make out her
name, but could not be sure of it. Mr. Osbornes telescope made it out something
like “Atalanta.” It is now 12 ,at night, and we are still going nearly west, at a
rapid pace. The sea is peculiarly phosphorescent.%
“P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] It is now 2, A.M., and nearly calm, as well as I can
judge - but it is very difficult to determine this point, since we move with the air
so completely. I have not slept since quitting Wheal-Vor, but can stand it no
longer, and must take a nap. We cannot be far from the American coast.

“Tuesday, the 9th. [Mr. Ainsworth’s MS.] – One, P.M. We are in full view of
the low coast of South Carolina. The great problem is accomplished. We have
crossed the Atlantic - fairly and easily crossed it in a balloon! God be praised!
Who shall say that anything is impossible hereafter? “

The Journal here ceases. Some particulars of the descent were

communicated, however, by Mr. Ainsworth to Mr. Forsyth. It was nearly dead
calm when the voyagers first came in view of the coast, which was immediately
recognized by both the seamen, and by Mr. Osborne. The latter gentleman
having acquaintances at Fort Moultrie, it was immediately resolved to descend in
its vicinity. The balloon was brought over the beach (the tide being out and the
sand hard, smooth, and admirably adapted for a descent,) and the grapnel let go,
which took firm hold at once. The inhabitants of the island, and of the fort,
thronged out, of course, to see the balloon; but it was with the greatest difficulty
that any one could be made to credit the actual voyage - the crossing of the
Atlantic. The grapnel caught at 2, P.M., precisely; and thus the whole voyage
was completed in seventy-five hours; or rather less, counting from shore to
shore. No serious accident occurred. No real danger was at any time
apprehended. The balloon was exhausted and secured without trouble; and

Thesaurus
accomplished: (adj) proficient, able, badly, inadequately, dishonorably, (prep) excluding.
skillful, gifted, finished, experienced, execrably, incompetently, poorly. particulars: (n) specification, data,
completed, adept, fine, versed, balloon: (v) inflate, ball, soar, distend, nicety, minutiae, terms,
competent. ANTONYMS: (adj) bulge, swell, bloat, billow, fly, consideration, workings, fine points,
unfinished, amateur, untrained, increase; (adj, n) bubble. ins and outs.
unskilled, unseasoned, unable, ANTONYMS: (v) contract, flatten, praised: (adj) bepuffed, popular,
inexpert, green, clumsy, bad, shrink, decrease. renowned.
mediocre. counting: (n) calculation, count, telescope: (n) scope, collimator,
admirably: (adv) superbly, perfectly, reckoning, computation, setting, tube, reach, range, pipe,
excellently, admirable, marvellously, enumeration, numbering, perspicil, oscilloscope; (v) shrivel,
heroically, bravely, brilliantly, nicely, numeration, tally, nosecount; (adj) reduce in size. ANTONYM: (v) grow.
creditably, ably. ANTONYMS: (adv) calculating, including. ANTONYM: took: (adj) taken; (v) receive.
228 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

when the MS. from which this narrative is compiled was despatched from
Charleston, the party were still at Fort Moultrie. Their farther intentions were not
ascertained; but we can safely promise our readers some additional information
either on Monday or in the course of the next day, at farthest.%
This is unquestionably the most stupendous, the most interesting, and the
most important undertaking, ever accomplished or even attempted by man.
What magnificent events may ensue, it would be useless now to think of
determining.

determining: (adj) crucial, deciding,
conclusive, determinate, certain,
definite, decisive, fixed, terminative;
(v) determine; (n) terminer.
farther: (adj, adv, prep) beyond; (adj)
additional, more, distant; (adv)
furthermore, besides, abroad, in
addition, too; (adj, prep) outside;
(pron) another. ANTONYMS: (prep)
within; (adv) nearer, closer.
narrative: (n, v) history, tale; (n)
account, story, chronicle, legend,
Thesaurus
yarn, recital, relation, report,
anecdote.
safely: (adv) surely, safe, certainly,
cautiously, soundly, strongly, sure,
steadily, harmlessly, unharmedly,
unhurtly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
harmfully, hazardously, loosely.
stupendous: (adj, v) prodigious; (adj)
huge, terrific, marvellous, immense,
tremendous, fantastic, mighty,
mammoth, miraculous, enormous.
ANTONYM: (adj) abysmal.
undertaking: (n) promise, attempt,
project, venture, adventure,
endeavor, job, effort; (n, v) task, labor,
business.
useless: (adj) pointless, unnecessary,
needless, worthless, fruitless,
hopeless, abortive, idle, barren,
superfluous, unavailing.
ANTONYMS: (adj) helpful, effective,
competent, convenient, valuable,
necessary, brilliant, great,
meaningful, usable, worthwhile.
 Edgar Allan Poe 229

MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE

Qui n’a plus qu’un moment a vivre

N’a plus rien a dissimuler.%
-- Quinault -- Atys.

Of my country and of my family I have little to say. Ill usage and length of
years have driven me from the one, and estranged me from the other. Hereditary
wealth afforded me an education of no common order, and a contemplative turn
of mind enabled me to methodize the stores which early study very diligently
garnered up. -- Beyond all things, the study of the German moralists gave me
great delight; not from any ill-advised admiration of their eloquent madness, but
from the ease with which my habits of rigid thought enabled me to detect their
falsities. I have often been reproached with the aridity of my genius; a deficiency
of imagination has been imputed to me as a crime; and the Pyrrhonism of my
opinions has at all times rendered me notorious. Indeed, a strong relish for
physical philosophy has, I fear, tinctured my mind with a very common error of
this age -- I mean the habit of referring occurrences, even the least susceptible of
such reference, to the principles of that science. Upon the whole, no person could
be less liable than myself to be led away from the severe precincts of truth by the
ignes fatui of superstition. I have thought proper to premise thus much, lest the

aridity: (n) drought, barrenness,
waterlessness, poverty, poorness,
dryness, unproductiveness, sterility;
(adj, n) siccity; (adj) ebb tide, low
water. ANTONYMS: (n) greenness,
lushness, fertility, fruitfulness,
humidity.
diligently: (adv) busily, assiduously,
sedulously, attentively,
industriously, earnestly, actively,
laboriously, tirelessly, carefully,
studiously. ANTONYMS: (adv)
Thesaurus
wearily, hastily. stereotype.
estranged: (adj) disaffected, separated, precincts: (n) entourage, arena,
confused, bitter, anomic, neurotic, outskirts, neighbourhood, walk,
lonely, homeless, friendless, foreign, neighborhood, proximity,
factious. surroundings, vicinity, limitations,
ill-advised: (adj) indiscreet, rash, suburbs.
unwise, reckless, impolitic, hasty, superstition: (n) superstitious, taboo,
thoughtless, inadvisable, incautious, religion, old wives' tale, superstitious
foolish, unwary. notion, lore, folklore, fanaticism,
methodize: (adj, v) adjust; (v) arrange, fallacy, belief, magic. ANTONYMS:
regulate, dispose, systematize, settle, (n) science, truth.
order, marshal, organize, govern,
230 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

incredible tale I have to tell should be considered rather the raving of a crude
imagination, than the positive experience of a mind to which the reveries of
fancy have been a dead letter and a nullity.%
After many years spent in foreign travel, I sailed in the year 18 -- , from the
port of Batavia, in the rich and populous island of Java, on a voyage to the
Archipelago of the Sunda islands. I went as passenger -- having no other
inducement than a kind of nervous restlessness which haunted me as a fiend.
Our vessel was a beautiful ship of about four hundred tons, copper-fastened,
and built at Bombay of Malabar teak. She was freighted with cotton-wool and
oil, from the Lachadive islands. We had also on board coir, jaggeree, ghee, cocoa-
nuts, and a few cases of opium. The stowage was clumsily done, and the vessel
consequently crank.
We got under way with a mere breath of wind, and for many days stood
along the eastern coast of Java, without any other incident to beguile the
monotony of our course than the occasional meeting with some of the small
grabs of the Archipelago to which we were bound.
One evening, leaning over the taffrail, I observed a very singular, isolated
cloud, to the N.W. It was remarkable, as well for its color, as from its being the
first we had seen since our departure from Batavia. I watched it attentively until
sunset, when it spread all at once to the eastward and westward, girting in the
horizon with a narrow strip of vapor, and looking like a long line of low beach.
My notice was soon afterwards attracted by the dusky-red appearance of the
moon, and the peculiar character of the sea. The latter was undergoing a rapid
change, and the water seemed more than usually transparent. Although I could
distinctly see the bottom, yet, heaving the lead, I found the ship in fifteen
fathoms. The air now became intolerably hot, and was loaded with spiral
exhalations similar to those arising from heat iron. As night came on, every
breath of wind died away, an more entire calm it is impossible to conceive. The
flame of a candle burned upon the poop without the least perceptible motion,
and a long hair, held between the finger and thumb, hung without the possibility
of detecting a vibration. However, as the captain said he could perceive no

Thesaurus
beguile: (v) attract, charm, enchant, ghee: (n) hydrate of amyl, clarified feces, quarter, dope, dirt, inside
allure, captivate, bluff, entrap, butter. information, after part; (n, v) shit; (v)
enthrall, lure, fascinate; (n, v) cheat. intolerably: (adv) excruciatingly, fatigue.
ANTONYMS: (v) protect, irritate, irk, unbearably, insufferably, stowage: (n) loading, charge, storage,
bore, advise, guard, annoy, repel. unendurably, insupportably, load, storage room, larder, chandlery,
coir: (n) fibre, chorus, coir rope, unfeasibly, impossibly, horribly, storeroom, pantry, buttery, shipment.
coconut fibre. unpardonably, inexcusably, taffrail: (n) railing.
crank: (n) grouch, nut, crackpot, unforgivably. ANTONYMS: (adv) teak: (n) Tectona grandis, wood; (adj)
conceit, quip, winch, bend, screwball, tolerably, excusably, bearably, ebony.
quirk, crosspatch; (adj) cranky. acceptably, pleasantly, thumb: (v) feel, flip, handle, leaf,
freighted: (adj) fraught, filled, understandably. touch, flick, hitch, riff; (n) pollex, bull
charged; (prep) burdened. poop: (n) ninny, stern, nincompoop, nose, forefinger.
 Edgar Allan Poe 231

indication of danger, and as we were drifting in bodily to shore, he ordered the

sails to be furled, and the anchor let go. No watch was set, and the crew,
consisting principally of Malays, stretched themselves deliberately upon deck. I
went below -- not without a full presentiment of evil. Indeed, every appearance
warranted me in apprehending a Simoom. I told the captain my fears; but he
paid no attention to what I said, and left me without deigning to give a reply. My
uneasiness, however, prevented me from sleeping, and about midnight I went
upon deck. -- As I placed my foot upon the upper step of the companion-ladder,
I was startled by a loud, humming noise, like that occasioned by the rapid
revolution of a mill-wheel, and before I could ascertain its meaning, I found the
ship quivering to its centre. In the next instant, a wilderness of foam hurled us
upon our beam-ends, and, rushing over us fore and aft, swept the entire decks
from stem to stern.%
The extreme fury of the blast proved, in a great measure, the salvation of the
ship. Although completely water-logged, yet, as her masts had gone by the
board, she rose, after a minute, heavily from the sea, and, staggering awhile
beneath the immense pressure of the tempest, finally righted.
By what miracle I escaped destruction, it is impossible to say. Stunned by the
shock of the water, I found myself, upon recovery, jammed in between the stern-
post and rudder. With great difficulty I gained my feet, and looking dizzily
around, was, at first, struck with the idea of our being among breakers; so
terrific, beyond the wildest imagination, was the whirlpool of mountainous and
foaming ocean within which we were engulfed. After a while, I heard the voice
of an old Swede, who had shipped with us at the moment of our leaving port. I
hallooed to him with all my strength, and presently he came reeling aft. We soon
discovered that we were the sole survivors of the accident. All on deck, with the
exception of ourselves, had been swept overboard; -- the captain and mates must
have perished as they slept, for the cabins were deluged with water. Without
assistance, we could expect to do little for the security of the ship, and our
exertions were at first paralyzed by the momentary expectation of going down.
Our cable had, of course, parted like pack-thread, at the first breath of the

apprehending: (v) apprehend; (n)
perception, thought, recognition.
awhile: (adj) in transitu, en passant;
(adv) briefly.
dizzily: (adv) unsteadily, woozily,
lightly, faintly, vertiginously,
dazedly, frivolously, confusedly,
flippantly, thoughtlessly; (adj, adv)
silly. ANTONYM: (adv) alertly.
foaming: (adj) foamy, effervescent,
effervescing, bubbly, bubbling,
sparkling, spumy; (adj, n) frothing;
Thesaurus
(n) surging, effervescence, scum. quiver, vibration; (adj) flutter,
furled: (adj) rolled. quavering, shivering, tremulous.
paralyzed: (adj) palsied, crippled, ANTONYM: (adj) steady.
disabled, helpless, torpid, powerless, tempest: (adj, n) storm, gust; (n) gale,
prostrate, enervated, dead, impotent, hurricane, squall, disturbance,
inert. cyclone, typhoon, agitation, tornado,
perished: (adj) decayed, emperished, blizzard. ANTONYM: (n) serenity.
rotting, annihilated, fallen, lost, water-logged: (adj) wet.
moldy, nonexistent, putrefied, dead, whirlpool: (n, v) vortex, whirl, swirl,
decomposed. gurge; (n) maelstrom, verticity, whir;
quivering: (adj, n) trembling, tremor, (v) undercurrent, indraught, reflux,
quaking, trepidation; (n) palpitation, purl.
232 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

hurricane, or we should have been instantaneously overwhelmed. We scudded

with frightful velocity before the sea, and the water made clear breaches over us.
The frame-work of our stern was shattered excessively, and, in almost every
respect, we had received considerable injury; but to our extreme Joy we found
the pumps unchoked, and that we had made no great shifting of our ballast. The
main fury of the blast had already blown over, and we apprehended little danger
from the violence of the wind; but we looked forward to its total cessation with
dismay; well believing, that, in our shattered condition, we should inevitably
perish in the tremendous swell which would ensue. But this very just
apprehension seemed by no means likely to be soon verified. For five entire days
and nights -- during which our only subsistence was a small quantity of jaggeree,
procured with great difficulty from the forecastle -- the hulk flew at a rate
defying computation, before rapidly succeeding flaws of wind, which, without
equalling the first violence of the Simoom, were still more terrific than any
tempest I had before encountered. Our course for the first four days was, with
trifling variations, S.E. and by S.; and we must have run down the coast of New
Holland. -- On the fifth day the cold became extreme, although the wind had
hauled round a point more to the northward. -- The sun arose with a sickly
yellow lustre, and clambered a very few degrees above the horizon -- emitting
no decisive light. -- There were no clouds apparent, yet the wind was upon the
increase, and blew with a fitful and unsteady fury. About noon, as nearly as we
could guess, our attention was again arrested by the appearance of the sun. It
gave out no light, properly so called, but a dull and sullen glow without
reflection, as if all its rays were polarized. Just before sinking within the turgid
sea, its central fires suddenly went out, as if hurriedly extinguished by some
unaccountable power. It was a dim, sliver-like rim, alone, as it rushed down the
unfathomable ocean.%
We waited in vain for the arrival of the sixth day -- that day to me has not
arrived -- to the Swede, never did arrive. Thenceforward we were enshrouded in
patchy darkness, so that we could not have seen an object at twenty paces from
the ship. Eternal night continued to envelop us, all unrelieved by the
phosphoric sea-brilliancy to which we had been accustomed in the tropics. We

emitting: (n) emission; (adj) flowing,
mittent, emissive.
envelop: (v) fold, enfold, encase,
enclose, wrap, encircle, conceal,
embrace, beset, hide; (n) envelope.
ANTONYMS: (v) reveal, release,
open, unwrap, expose.
extinguished: (adj) extinct, out, dead,
quenched, allayed, destroyed; (n)
defunctness, complete annihilation,
experimental extinction,
extermination, extinction.
Thesaurus
hulk: (n) giant, colossus, wreck, turgid: (adj) bombastic, tumid,
carcass, heavyweight, monster; (adj) inflated, puffy, declamatory, large,
hull, bole, skeleton greater part, tumescent, orotund; (adj, prep, v)
principal part, main part. bloated, swollen; (v) dropsical.
instantaneously: (adv) directly, ANTONYMS: (adj) readable, concise,
instantly, at once, forthwith, lively, modest.
suddenly, promptly, abruptly, unrelieved: (adj) concentric,
momentarily, outright, right away, in undiminished, monotonous,
a flash. ANTONYM: (adv) eventually. unceasing, constant, unremitting,
phosphoric: (adj) phosphorous, unrelenting, unending, tiresome,
phosphorical. straight; (v) worse. ANTONYM: (adj)
pumps: (n) heart, spectator. acute.
 Edgar Allan Poe 233

observed too, that, although the tempest continued to rage with unabated
violence, there was no longer to be discovered the usual appearance of surf, or
foam, which had hitherto attended us. All around were horror, and thick gloom,
and a black sweltering desert of ebony. -- Superstitious terror crept by degrees
into the spirit of the old Swede, and my own soul was wrapped up in silent
wonder. We neglected all care of the ship, as worse than useless, and securing
ourselves, as well as possible, to the stump of the mizen-mast, looked out bitterly
into the world of ocean. We had no means of calculating time, nor could we form
any guess of our situation. We were, however, well aware of having made
farther to the southward than any previous navigators, and felt great amazement
at not meeting with the usual impediments of ice. In the meantime every
moment threatened to be our last -- every mountainous billow hurried to
overwhelm us. The swell surpassed anything I had imagined possible, and that
we were not instantly buried is a miracle. My companion spoke of the lightness
of our cargo, and reminded me of the excellent qualities of our ship; but I could
not help feeling the utter hopelessness of hope itself, and prepared myself
gloomily for that death which I thought nothing could defer beyond an hour, as,
with every knot of way the ship made, the swelling of the black stupendous seas
became more dismally appalling. At times we gasped for breath at an elevation
beyond the albatross -- at times became dizzy with the velocity of our descent
into some watery hell, where the air grew stagnant, and no sound disturbed the
slumbers of the kraken.%
We were at the bottom of one of these abysses, when a quick scream from my
companion broke fearfully upon the night. “See! see!” cried he, shrieking in my
ears, “Almighty God! see! see!” As he spoke, I became aware of a dull, sullen
glare of red light which streamed down the sides of the vast chasm where we
lay, and threw a fitful brilliancy upon our deck. Casting my eyes upwards, I
beheld a spectacle which froze the current of my blood. At a terrific height
directly above us, and upon the very verge of the precipitous descent, hovered a
gigantic ship of, perhaps, four thousand tons. Although upreared upon the
summit of a wave more than a hundred times her own altitude, her apparent size
exceeded that of any ship of the line or East Indiaman in existence. Her huge hull

billow: (n, v) wave, surge, swell; (n)
sea, cloud; (v) balloon, heave, zoom,
roll, inflate, bloat. ANTONYMS: (n)
trough; (v) flatten, collapse, deflate.
chasm: (n) breach, gap, hiatus, gulf,
ravine, hole, abysm, vacancy, canyon,
aperture, emptiness. ANTONYMS:
(n) junction, closure.
dismally: (adv) gloomily, sadly,
unhappily, murkily, dolefully,
forbiddingly, darkly, somberly,
depressingly, cheerlessly, grimly.
Thesaurus
ANTONYMS: (adv) brightly, smartly. screech, scream, belly laugh, shright,
ears: (n) antenna. howler, riot; (adj) sharp.
ebony: (adj, n) sable; (adj) black, dark, sweltering: (adj) hot, close, sticky,
jet, soot, raven, smut, sloe; (n) jet stifling, muggy, sultry, scorching,
black, coal black, wood. humid, broiling, baking, oppressive.
overwhelm: (v) overpower, defeat, ANTONYMS: (adj) fresh, cool, cold.
inundate, flood, overthrow, drown, unabated: (adj) unreduced,
deluge, crush, engulf, astound, unrestricted, unmitigated,
overturn. ANTONYMS: (v) unflagging, relentless, intense,
encourage, amplify, capitulate, incite, unrelenting.
install, lose, protect, submit. upreared: (adj) elevated.
shrieking: (n) shriek, screeching,
234 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

was of a deep dingy black, unrelieved by any of the customary carvings of a

ship. A single row of brass cannon protruded from her open ports, and dashed
from their polished surfaces the fires of innumerable battle-lanterns, which
swung to and fro about her rigging. But what mainly inspired us with horror
and astonishment, was that she bore up under a press of sail in the very teeth of
that supernatural sea, and of that ungovernable hurricane. When we first
discovered her, her bows were alone to be seen, as she rose slowly from the dim
and horrible gulf beyond her. For a moment of intense terror she paused upon
the giddy pinnacle, as if in contemplation of her own sublimity, then trembled
and tottered, and -- came down.%
At this instant, I know not what sudden self-possession came over my spirit.
Staggering as far aft as I could, I awaited fearlessly the ruin that was to
overwhelm. Our own vessel was at length ceasing from her struggles, and
sinking with her head to the sea. The shock of the descending mass struck her,
consequently, in that portion of her frame which was already under water, and
the inevitable result was to hurl me, with irresistible violence, upon the rigging
of the stranger.
As I fell, the ship hove in stays, and went about; and to the confusion ensuing
I attributed my escape from the notice of the crew. With little difficulty I made
my way unperceived to the main hatchway, which was partially open, and soon
found an opportunity of secreting myself in the hold. Why I did so I can hardly
tell. An indefinite sense of awe, which at first sight of the navigators of the ship
had taken hold of my mind, was perhaps the principle of my concealment. I was
unwilling to trust myself with a race of people who had offered, to the cursory
glance I had taken, so many points of vague novelty, doubt, and apprehension. I
therefore thought proper to contrive a hiding-place in the hold. This I did by
removing a small portion of the shifting-boards, in such a manner as to afford me
a convenient retreat between the huge timbers of the ship.
I had scarcely completed my work, when a footstep in the hold forced me to
make use of it. A man passed by my place of concealment with a feeble and
unsteady gait. I could not see his face, but had an opportunity of observing his

Thesaurus
attributed: (adj) credited. ANTONYM: undauntedly, audaciously, hurl: (v) chuck, dash, pitch, throw,
(adj) unofficial. unflinchingly. ANTONYMS: (adv) dart, pelt, toss, heave, send; (n, v)
ceasing: (n) stopping, subsidence. nervously, cautiously, timidly. fling; (n) casting. ANTONYM: (v)
dingy: (adj) dark, black, drab, dull, giddy: (adj, v) flighty; (adj) dizzy, faint, hold.
muddy, impure, dim, seedy, dowdy, silly, changeable, vertiginous, rigging: (n) rig, tackle, apparatus,
unclean, grimy. ANTONYMS: (adj) featherbrained, light, fickle, outfit, accouterment, trappings,
immaculate, spotless, sparkling, capricious; (adv) careless. harness, tackling, suit, paraphernalia,
bright, neat, brilliant, interesting, ANTONYMS: (adj) serious, dull. caparison.
smart. hatchway: (n) doorway, scuttle, secreting: (n) burial, burying,
fearlessly: (adj, adv) daringly, boldly, gangway, driveway, cellarway, concealment, money laundering,
heroically, courageously, valiantly; gateway, door, first step, brood, activity, screening, hiding, masking;
(adv) dauntlessly, bravely, gallantly, escape hatch, entryway. (adj) secretory, secernent.
 Edgar Allan Poe 235

general appearance. There was about it an evidence of great age and infirmity.
His knees tottered beneath a load of years, and his entire frame quivered under
the burthen. He muttered to himself, in a low broken tone, some words of a
language which I could not understand, and groped in a corner among a pile of
singular-looking instruments, and decayed charts of navigation. His manner was
a wild mixture of the peevishness of second childhood, and the solemn dignity
of a God. He at length went on deck, and I saw him no more.%

* * * * * * * *

A feeling, for which I have no name, has taken possession of my soul -- a

sensation which will admit of no analysis, to which the lessons of bygone times
are inadequate, and for which I fear futurity itself will offer me no key. To a
mind constituted like my own, the latter consideration is an evil. I shall never -- I
know that I shall never -- be satisfied with regard to the nature of my
conceptions. Yet it is not wonderful that these conceptions are indefinite, since
they have their origin in sources so utterly novel. A new sense -- a new entity is
added to my soul.

* * * * * * * *

It is long since I first trod the deck of this terrible ship, and the rays of my
destiny are, I think, gathering to a focus. Incomprehensible men! Wrapped up in
meditations of a kind which I cannot divine, they pass me by unnoticed.
Concealment is utter folly on my part, for the people will not see. It was but just
now that I passed directly before the eyes of the mate -- it was no long while ago
that I ventured into the captain’s own private cabin, and took thence the
materials with which I write, and have written. I shall from time to time continue
Thesaurus
bygone: (adj) ancient, former, gone, timing, millennium, offing, future obvious, straightforward.
obsolete, outmoded, previous, tense, afterlife, time to come; (v) Int peevishness: (n) irritability,
archaic, old, late; (n) preterite, he womb of time. ANTONYMS: (n) fretfulness, biliousness, anger,
antique. ANTONYMS: (adj) future, past, pastness. surliness, testiness, pettishness,
current, coming, modern. incomprehensible: (adj) temper, petulance, choler, fussiness.
charts: (n) catalogue. inapprehensible, inscrutable, unnoticed: (v) unheeded, unthought
decayed: (adj) spoiled, corrupt, inarticulate, abstruse, cryptic, of, unregarded; (adj) disregarded,
dilapidated, rank, rusty, rotting, unfathomable, puzzling, obscure, unmarked, hidden, neglected,
decaying, rotted, putrid; (adj, v) inexplicable, inconceivable, ignored, obscure; (adj, v)
wasted; (v) stale. ANTONYMS: (adj) unaccountable. ANTONYMS: (adj) unremarked, unobserved.
matured, restored, strengthened. comprehensible, explicable, ANTONYMS: (adj) evident, seen,
futurity: (n) hereafter, futurition, understandable, intelligible, legible, noticeable, noted, obvious.
236 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

this Journal. It is true that I may not find an opportunity of transmitting it to the
world, but I will not fall to make the endeavour. At the last moment I will
enclose the MS. in a bottle, and cast it within the sea.%

* * * * * * * *

An incident has occurred which has given me new room for meditation. Are
such things the operation of ungoverned Chance? I had ventured upon deck and
thrown myself down, without attracting any notice, among a pile of ratlin-stuff
and old sails in the bottom of the yawl. While musing upon the singularity of my
fate, I unwittingly daubed with a tar-brush the edges of a neatly-folded
studding-sail which lay near me on a barrel. The studding-sail is now bent upon
the ship, and the thoughtless touches of the brush are spread out into the word
DISCOVERY.
I have made many observations lately upon the structure of the vessel.
Although well armed, she is not, I think, a ship of war. Her rigging, build, and
general equipment, all negative a supposition of this kind. What she is not, I can
easily perceive -- what she is I fear it is impossible to say. I know not how it is,
but in scrutinizing her strange model and singular cast of spars, her huge size
and overgrown suits of canvas, her severely simple bow and antiquated stern,
there will occasionally flash across my mind a sensation of familiar things, and
there is always mixed up with such indistinct shadows of recollection, an
unaccountable memory of old foreign chronicles and ages long ago.

* * * * * * * *

antiquated: (adj) old, aged,
antediluvian, archaic, obsolete,
musty, old-fashioned, outdated,
dowdy, outmoded, antique.
ANTONYMS: (adj) new,
contemporary, fresh, modernistic,
recent, current.
chronicles: (n) archives, history,
archive, records.
daubed: (adj) beplastered, covered,
greasy.
musing: (adj) contemplative,
Thesaurus
meditative, thoughtful, pensive; (n) considered, heedful, prudent, kind,
meditation, consideration, reflection, cautious, mindful, responsible,
rumination, reverie, thought, attentive, observant, sensible.
cogitation. ungoverned: (adj) unchecked,
scrutinizing: (adj) exploring uncurbed, undisciplined,
thoroughly, inquisitive, searching, uncontrolled, unmuzzled, unreined,
penetrating. unshackled, rude, savage, native,
thoughtless: (adj, v) careless, heedless, irregular.
rash, improvident; (adj) reckless, yawl: (v) yap, wawl, howl, growl, roar,
inattentive, hasty, unthinking, ululate, wail, waul; (n) corvette, foist,
negligent, neglectful, imprudent. cutter.
ANTONYMS: (adj) considerate,
 Edgar Allan Poe 237

I have been looking at the timbers of the ship. She is built of a material to
which I am a stranger. There is a peculiar character about the wood which strikes
me as rendering it unfit for the purpose to which it has been applied. I mean its
extreme porousness, considered independently by the worm-eaten condition
which is a consequence of navigation in these seas, and apart from the rottenness
attendant upon age. It will appear perhaps an observation somewhat over-
curious, but this wood would have every, characteristic of Spanish oak, if
Spanish oak were distended by any unnatural means.%
In reading the above sentence a curious apothegm of an old weather-beaten
Dutch navigator comes full upon my recollection. “It is as sure,” he was wont to
say, when any doubt was entertained of his veracity, “as sure as there is a sea
where the ship itself will grow in bulk like the living body of the seaman.”

* * * * * * * *

About an hour ago, I made bold to thrust myself among a group of the crew.
They paid me no manner of attention, and, although I stood in the very midst of
them all, seemed utterly unconscious of my presence. Like the one I had at first
seen in the hold, they all bore about them the marks of a hoary old age. Their
knees trembled with infirmity; their shoulders were bent double with
decrepitude; their shrivelled skins rattled in the wind; their voices were low,
tremulous and broken; their eyes glistened with the rheum of years; and their
gray hairs streamed terribly in the tempest. Around them, on every part of the
deck, lay scattered mathematical instruments of the most quaint and obsolete
construction.

* * * * * * * *

apothegm: (n) aphorism, apophthegm,
adage, dictum, proverb, saying,
axiom, maxim, byword, saw, rule.
decrepitude: (n) debility, weakness,
cachexia, dotage, feebleness, frailty,
infirmity, disrepair; (v) caducity; (adj)
anility, declining years.
hoary: (adj) ancient, hoar, old, white,
grey, elderly, musty, dull, canescent,
antique, archaic.
porousness: (n) permeability, body,
sponginess, consistency, consistence,
Thesaurus
permeableness. tremulous: (adj) shaky, trembling,
rheum: (adj) juice, humor, gravy, shaking, fearful, apprehensive,
lymph, blood, sanies, serosity, serum, quavering, fidgety, shivering; (n)
sap; (n) genus rheum, saliva. nervous, diffident, coy. ANTONYMS:
rottenness: (n) decay, putrescence, (adj) stable, confident, steady.
putridness, corruptness, putrefaction, veracity: (n) truth, accuracy, exactness,
putridity, depravity, degeneracy, truthfulness, fact, reality, precision;
filth, deterioration; (v) moldiness. (adj) probity; (adj, n) faithfulness,
shrivelled: (adj) shriveled, withered, sincerity, candor. ANTONYMS: (n)
wizened, shrunken, sere, sear, thin, mendacity, falsehood, falsity,
lean, dry, shrunk, dryer. dishonesty.
skins: (n) cash, folding money. weather-beaten: (adj) gnarled, rugged.
238 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

I mentioned some time ago the bending of a studding-sail. From that period
the ship, being thrown dead off the wind, has continued her terrific course due
south, with every rag of canvas packed upon her, from her trucks to her lower
studding-sail booms, and rolling every moment her top-gallant yard-arms into
the most appalling hell of water which it can enter into the mind of a man to
imagine. I have just left the deck, where I find it impossible to maintain a footing,
although the crew seem to experience little inconvenience. It appears to me a
miracle of miracles that our enormous bulk is not swallowed up at once and
forever. We are surely doomed to hover continually upon the brink of Eternity,
without taking a final plunge into the abyss. From billows a thousand times
more stupendous than any I have ever seen, we glide away with the facility of
the arrowy sea-gull; and the colossal waters rear their heads above us like
demons of the deep, but like demons confined to simple threats and forbidden to
destroy. I am led to attribute these frequent escapes to the only natural cause
which can account for such effect. -- I must suppose the ship to be within the
influence of some strong current, or impetuous under-tow.%
* * * * * * * *

I have seen the captain face to face, and in his own cabin -- but, as I expected,
he paid me no attention. Although in his appearance there is, to a casual
observer, nothing which might bespeak him more or less than man-still a feeling
of irrepressible reverence and awe mingled with the sensation of wonder with
which I regarded him. In stature he is nearly my own height; that is, about five
feet eight inches. He is of a well-knit and compact frame of body, neither robust
nor remarkably otherwise. But it is the singularity of the expression which reigns
upon the face -- it is the intense, the wonderful, the thrilling evidence of old age,
so utter, so extreme, which excites within my spirit a sense -- a sentiment
ineffable. His forehead, although little wrinkled, seems to bear upon it the stamp
of a myriad of years. -- His gray hairs are records of the past, and his grayer eyes
are Sybils of the future. The cabin floor was thickly strewn with strange, iron-
clasped folios, and mouldering instruments of science, and obsolete long-

abyss: (n) gorge, ravine, chasm, gulf,
deep, purgatory, depth, hell, gap,
Gehenna, pit. ANTONYMS: (n)
junction, juncture.
arrowy: (adj) barbed.
bespeak: (v) augur, reserve, point,
engage, betoken, auspicate, mark,
prefigure, foreshadow; (n, v) argue,
imply.
billows: (n) great waters, high seas,
offing, watery waste, brine, vapors,
clouds, smoke, sea, ocean, main.
Thesaurus
canvas: (n) duck, sail, sheet, tarpaulin, indefinable, inexpressible, beyond
cloth, tarp, burlap; (n, v) canvass; (v) expression, unimaginable, beyond
painting, tableau, solicit. words, unpronounceable, dreadful,
glide: (adj, n, v) slide; (n, v) coast, slip; untellable.
(v) float, run, fly, flow, drift, lapse, irrepressible: (adj) uncontrollable,
slink, skid. ANTONYMS: (v) lurch, uncontainable, unmanageable,
hurtle, flounder, sink. wanton, inextinguishable, rampant,
hover: (v) fly, hang, float, poise, effervescent; (v) ungovernable,
vacillate, flutter, brood, drift, glide, volcanic, stanchless, simmering.
waver; (adj) boggle. ANTONYM: (adj) orderly.
ineffable: (adj) indescribable, mouldering: (adj) moldering,
unspeakable, unutterable, becoming rotten, rotten, rotting.
 Edgar Allan Poe 239

forgotten charts. His head was bowed down upon his hands, and he pored, with
a fiery unquiet eye, over a paper which I took to be a commission, and which, at
all events, bore the signature of a monarch. He muttered to himself, as did the
first seaman whom I saw in the hold, some low peevish syllables of a foreign
tongue, and although the speaker was close at my elbow, his voice seemed to
reach my ears from the distance of a mile.%

* * * * * * * *

The ship and all in it are imbued with the spirit of Eld. The crew glide to and
fro like the ghosts of buried centuries; their eyes have an eager and uneasy
meaning; and when their fingers fall athwart my path in the wild glare of the
battle-lanterns, I feel as I have never felt before, although I have been all my life a
dealer in antiquities, and have imbibed the shadows of fallen columns at Balbec,
and Tadmor, and Persepolis, until my very soul has become a ruin.

* * * * * * * *

When I look around me I feel ashamed of my former apprehensions. If I

trembled at the blast which has hitherto attended us, shall I not stand aghast at a
warring of wind and ocean, to convey any idea of which the words tornado and
simoom are trivial and ineffective? All in the immediate vicinity of the ship is the
blackness of eternal night, and a chaos of foamless water; but, about a league on
either side of us, may be seen, indistinctly and at intervals, stupendous ramparts
of ice, towering away into the desolate sky, and looking like the walls of the
universe.

antiquities: (n) antique.
athwart: (adj, adv, n, prep) across; (adv,
prep) aslant, cross; (adj, adv, prep)
thwart; (adj, adv) crosswise; (adv)
sideways, obliquely, transversely,
traverse, overthwart, crossways.
imbued: (adj) addicted, alive, instinct,
full.
indistinctly: (adv) vaguely, dimly,
hazily, mistily, inarticulately,
shadowily, obscurely, unclearly,
fuzzily, confusedly, ambiguously.
Thesaurus
ANTONYMS: (adv) precisely,
audibly, coherently, distinctly.
muttered: (adj) garbled, incoherent,
broken, inarticulate.
peevish: (adj) fretful, fractious,
morose, testy, irascible, moody,
captious, petulant, cross,
cantankerous, touchy.
ramparts: (n) rampart, fortification.
simoom: (n) samiel, wind, sirocco,
dust storm.
tornado: (n) storm, hurricane, gale,
cyclone, squall, whirlwind, twister,
typhoon, waterspout, windstorm,
crack.
towering: (adj) lofty, tall, eminent,
great, soaring, mighty, elevated,
monumental, exalted, imposing,
distinguished. ANTONYMS: (adj)
short, dwarfed, little, low.
warring: (adj) militant, fighting,
hostile, opposed, inconsistent, war,
brawling, factious, opposing,
oppugnant, rebellious.
240 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

* * * * * * * *

As I imagined, the ship proves to be in a current; if that appellation can

properly be given to a tide which, howling and shrieking by the white ice,
thunders on to the southward with a velocity like the headlong dashing of a
cataract.%

* * * * * * * *

To conceive the horror of my sensations is, I presume, utterly impossible; yet

a curiosity to penetrate the mysteries of these awful regions, predominates even
over my despair, and will reconcile me to the most hideous aspect of death. It is
evident that we are hurrying onwards to some exciting knowledge -- some
never-to-be-imparted secret, whose attainment is destruction. Perhaps this
current leads us to the southern pole itself. It must be confessed that a
supposition apparently so wild has every probability in its favor.

* * * * * * * *

The crew pace the deck with unquiet and tremulous step; but there is upon
their countenances an expression more of the eagerness of hope than of the
apathy of despair.
In the meantime the wind is still in our poop, and, as we carry a crowd of
canvas, the ship is at times lifted bodily from out the sea -- Oh, horror upon
horror! the ice opens suddenly to the right, and to the left, and we are whirling
dizzily, in immense concentric circles, round and round the borders of a gigantic
amphitheatre, the summit of whose walls is lost in the darkness and the

amphitheatre: (n) amphitheater, arena,
stadium, gallery, bowl, coliseum,
colosseum.
concentric: (adj) homocentric,
unrelieved, coaxial, axial, focal,
azygous, umbilical.
confessed: (adj) known.
dashing: (adj) stylish, dapper, gallant,
showy, smart, snappy, impetuous,
rakish, raffish, brave; (adj, n) spruce.
ANTONYMS: (adj) boring, unstylish,
dull, bumbling, bland, awkward,
Thesaurus
drab, graceless. weeping, sniveling.
eagerness: (n, v) desire, aspiration; (n) hurrying: (n) hastening, speed,
enthusiasm, avidity, cupidity, quickening, rushing, early, speeding,
readiness, passion, keenness, speeding up, stepping up,
ambition, fervor, avidness. amphetamine, forward, eager.
ANTONYMS: (n) indifference, penetrate: (v) bore, imbue, fathom,
unwillingness, aloofness, disinterest, infiltrate, pierce, permeate, cut, filter,
lethargy, listlessness, patience, interpenetrate, get through, enter.
gloom, reluctance. whirling: (adj) rotary, revolving,
howling: (n) howl, cry; (adj) fierce, dizzy, giddy, lightheaded, rotating,
fantastic, gross, glaring, marvelous, vortical; (n) rotation, gyration,
wonderful, wondrous; (adj, n) revolution; (adj, n) swirling.
 Edgar Allan Poe 241

distance. But little time will be left me to ponder upon my destiny -- the circles
rapidly grow small -- we are plunging madly within the grasp of the whirlpool -
- and amid a roaring, and bellowing, and thundering of ocean and of tempest,
the ship is quivering, oh God! and -- going down.%
NOTE. -- The “MS. Found in a Bottle,” was originally published in 1831, and
it was not until many years afterwards that I became acquainted with the maps
of Mercator, in which the ocean is represented as rushing, by four mouths, into
the (northern) Polar Gulf, to be absorbed into the bowels of the earth; the Pole
itself being represented by a black rock, towering to a prodigious height.

Thesaurus
bellowing: (n) roaring, roar, bellows, deadly, dementedly, foolishly, cogitate, deliberate, think, reflect,
hollo, holloa, rout, yowl, boation, distractedly; (adj, adv) rabidly. conceive, mull, mull over; (n, v)
mugiency, hollering; (adj) mugient. ANTONYMS: (adv) sensibly, calmly, muse, study. ANTONYMS: (v)
bowels: (n) gut, compassion, pity, sanely, carefully; (adj) slightly. decide, wander, ignore.
inside, bowel, viscera, innards, belly, ocean: (n) deep, brine, salt water, rushing: (adv) rushingly; (n) haste,
guts, insides, intestines. main, waves, watery waste, hurry, hurrying, running, hastening,
destiny: (n) fate, chance, fortune, multitude, lot; (adj) oceanic, many, flush, movement; (adj) flowing,
kismet, luck, lot, destination, portion, marine. headlong, moving.
weird, life; (n, v) doom. plunging: (adv) diving, headlong, thundering: (adj) thumping,
ANTONYMS: (n) chance, design. pitching, headfirst; (adj) precipitous, whopping, lumpish, gaunt, hulky,
madly: (adv) insanely, furiously, low, plummeting; (n) descent. lubberly, spanking, big, loud, striking
sorely, frantically, wildly, devilishly, ponder: (v) meditate, consider, terror; (n) thunder.
 Edgar Allan Poe 243

THE %OVAL PORTRAIT

The chateau into which my valet had ventured to make forcible entrance,
rather than permit me, in my desperately wounded condition, to pass a night in
the open air, was one of those piles of commingled gloom and grandeur which
have so long frowned among the Appennines, not less in fact than in the fancy of
Mrs. Radcliffe. To all appearance it had been temporarily and very lately
abandoned. We established ourselves in one of the smallest and least
sumptuously furnished apartments. It lay in a remote turret of the building. Its
decorations were rich, yet tattered and antique. Its walls were hung with tapestry
and bedecked with manifold and multiform armorial trophies, together with an
unusually great number of very spirited modern paintings in frames of rich
golden arabesque. In these paintings, which depended from the walls not only in
their main surfaces, but in very many nooks which the bizarre architecture of the
chateau rendered necessary -- in these paintings my incipient delirium, perhaps,
had caused me to take deep interest; so that I bade Pedro to close the heavy
shutters of the room -- since it was already night -- to light the tongues of a tall
candelabrum which stood by the head of my bed -- and to throw open far and
wide the fringed curtains of black velvet which enveloped the bed itself. I
wished all this done that I might resign myself, if not to sleep, at least alternately
to the contemplation of these pictures, and the perusal of a small volume which

arabesque: (n) fret, molding, flourish,
tracery, strapwork, listel, embroidery,
decoration, coquillage, fillet.
armorial: (v) typical, symptomatic,
symbolic, representative,
pathognomonic, exponential,
emblematic, diagnostic, diacritical,
demonstrative, characteristic.
bedecked: (adj) decked out, decorated,
ornate, ornamented.
candelabrum: (n) chandelier,
candlestick, girandole, luster, sconce,
Thesaurus
gaselier, branched candlestick,
electrolier.
fringed: (adj) fibrillated, bounded,
feathered, bushy, decorated,
fimbriate, fimbricate, laciniate,
befringed, rough, laciniated.
incipient: (adj) initial, budding,
nascent, imperfectly formed,
commencing, first, undeveloped; (adj, magnificently, affluently, deluxely,
v) introductory; (v) inceptive; (n)
beginning.
multiform: (adj) different,
multifarious, polymorphous,
multigenerous, manifold,
miscellaneous, multiple,
polymorphic, multiplex,
polyschematist, multifold.
sumptuously: (adv) luxuriously,
splendidly, gorgeously, expensively,
richly, grandly, lavishly,
lushly. ANTONYM: (adv) scantily.
244 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

had been found upon the pillow, and which purported to criticise and describe
them.
Long -- long I read -- and devoutly, devotedly I gazed. Rapidly and
gloriously the hours flew by and the deep midnight came. The position of the
candelabrum displeased me, and outreaching my hand with difficulty, rather
than disturb my slumbering valet, I placed it so as to throw its rays more fully
upon the book.%
But the action produced an effect altogether unanticipated. The rays of the
numerous candles (for there were many) now fell within a niche of the room
which had hitherto been thrown into deep shade by one of the bed-posts. I thus
saw in vivid light a picture all unnoticed before. It was the portrait of a young
girl just ripening into womanhood. I glanced at the painting hurriedly, and then
closed my eyes. Why I did this was not at first apparent even to my own
perception. But while my lids remained thus shut, I ran over in my mind my
reason for so shutting them. It was an impulsive movement to gain time for
thought -- to make sure that my vision had not deceived me -- to calm and
subdue my fancy for a more sober and more certain gaze. In a very few moments
I again looked fixedly at the painting.
That I now saw aright I could not and would not doubt; for the first flashing
of the candles upon that canvas had seemed to dissipate the dreamy stupor
which was stealing over my senses, and to startle me at once into waking life.
The portrait, I have already said, was that of a young girl. It was a mere head
and shoulders, done in what is technically termed a vignette manner; much in
the style of the favorite heads of Sully. The arms, the bosom, and even the ends
of the radiant hair melted imperceptibly into the vague yet deep shadow which
formed the back-ground of the whole. The frame was oval, richly gilded and
filigreed in Moresque. As a thing of art nothing could be more admirable than
the painting itself. But it could have been neither the execution of the work, nor
the immortal beauty of the countenance, which had so suddenly and so
vehemently moved me. Least of all, could it have been that my fancy, shaken
from its half slumber, had mistaken the head for that of a living person. I saw at

devotedly: (adv) affectionately,
lovingly, zealously, faithfully,
piously, fondly, religiously,
passionately, enthusiastically,
eagerly, dutifully. ANTONYMS:
(adv) coldly, apathetically,
unfaithfully, unenthusiastically,
carelessly, disobediently.
devoutly: (adv) sincerely, godly,
religiously, reverently, earnestly,
solemnly, heartily, holy, purely,
heartfeltly, at heart.
Thesaurus
dissipate: (adj, v) waste; (v) disperse,
squander, disappear, diffuse,
consume, scatter, disseminate, break,
evaporate, spend. ANTONYMS: (v)
save, conserve, appear, collect, hoard,
absorb, gather.
fixedly: (adv) steadily, steadfastly,
regularly, intently, stably, setly,
permanently, rigidly, unwaveringly,
surely, resolutely.
lids: (n) lid.
outreaching: (v) expansive.
purported: (adj) ostensible, pretended,
supposed, nominal, so-called.
ripening: (n) ageing, maturement,
development, mellowing, aging,
maturing, mature, growing, growth,
gestation, organic process.
slumbering: (adj) dormant, asleep,
latent. ANTONYM: (adj) awake.
vignette: (n) vine, description,
illustration, tailpiece, study,
illumination, portrait, exposure,
ornament, initial letter, survey.
 Edgar Allan Poe 245

once that the peculiarities of the design, of the vignetting, and of the frame, must
have instantly dispelled such idea -- must have prevented even its momentary
entertainment. Thinking earnestly upon these points, I remained, for an hour
perhaps, half sitting, half reclining, with my vision riveted upon the portrait. At
length, satisfied with the true secret of its effect, I fell back within the bed. I had
found the spell of the picture in an absolute life-likeliness of expression, which, at
first startling, finally confounded, subdued, and appalled me. With deep and
reverent awe I replaced the candelabrum in its former position. The cause of my
deep agitation being thus shut from view, I sought eagerly the volume which
discussed the paintings and their histories. Turning to the number which
designated the oval portrait, I there read the vague and quaint words which
follow:%
“She was a maiden of rarest beauty, and not more lovely than full of glee.
And evil was the hour when she saw, and loved, and wedded the painter. He,
passionate, studious, austere, and having already a bride in his Art; she a
maiden of rarest beauty, and not more lovely than full of glee; all light and
smiles, and frolicsome as the young fawn; loving and cherishing all things;
hating only the Art which was her rival; dreading only the pallet and brushes
and other untoward instruments which deprived her of the countenance of her
lover. It was thus a terrible thing for this lady to hear the painter speak of his
desire to portray even his young bride. But she was humble and obedient, and
sat meekly for many weeks in the dark, high turret-chamber where the light
dripped upon the pale canvas only from overhead. But he, the painter, took glory
in his work, which went on from hour to hour, and from day to day. And be was
a passionate, and wild, and moody man, who became lost in reveries; so that he
would not see that the light which fell so ghastly in that lone turret withered the
health and the spirits of his bride, who pined visibly to all but him. Yet she
smiled on and still on, uncomplainingly, because she saw that the painter (who
had high renown) took a fervid and burning pleasure in his task, and wrought
day and night to depict her who so loved him, yet who grew daily more
dispirited and weak. And in sooth some who beheld the portrait spoke of its
resemblance in low words, as of a mighty marvel, and a proof not less of the

Thesaurus
cherishing: (n) love, conservation. pallet: (n) bed, stillage, berth, range, disrespectful, impious, irreverent.
fervid: (adj) ardent, burning, hot, tester, stretcher, shakedown, scope, sooth: (n) verity, soothsaying, fact,
vehement, eager, passionate, reach, bunk, paillasse. truth, reality.
impassioned, fiery, enthusiastic; (adj, reclining: (adj, v) leaning; (adj) studious: (adj) scholarly, bookish,
v) warm, glowing. recumbent, decumbent, accumbent, academic, assiduous, erudite,
frolicsome: (adj) frisky, frolic, lying, lying down, obligatory, idle, diligent, learned, careful, deliberate;
waggish, coltish, gay, rollicking, prone, prostrate; (n) relaxation. (adj, v) thoughtful, reflective.
frolicky, jocose, airy, lively, jocular. reverent: (adj, v) pious, devout, ANTONYM: (adj) negligent.
ANTONYMS: (adj) serious, lethargic. religious; (adj) respectful, holy, wedded: (adj, v) marital, connubial,
hating: (adj) loathful, abhorring, deferential, godly, reverential, matrimonial, conjugal, wed; (adj)
disgusting, misanthropic, vengeful; worshipful, pietistic; (v) devotional. nuptial, bridal. ANTONYMS: (adj)
(n) venom. ANTONYMS: (adj) blasphemous, unmarried, unattached.
246 Collected Works of Poe, Volume I

power of the painter than of his deep love for her whom he depicted so
surpassingly well. But at length, as the labor drew nearer to its conclusion, there
were %admitted none into the turret; for the painter had grown wild with the
ardor of his work, and turned his eyes from canvas merely, even to regard the
countenance of his wife. And he would not see that the tints which he spread
upon the canvas were drawn from the cheeks of her who sate beside him. And
when many weeks bad passed, and but little remained to do, save one brush
upon the mouth and one tint upon the eye, the spirit of the lady again flickered
up as the flame within the socket of the lamp. And then the brush was given,
and then the tint was placed; and, for one moment, the painter stood entranced
before the work which he had wrought; but in the next, while he yet gazed, he
grew tremulous and very pallid, and aghast, and crying with a loud voice, ‘This
is indeed Life itself!’ turned suddenly to regard his beloved: -- She was dead!

Thesaurus
ardor: (adj, n) eagerness, zeal; (n) (adv) more rapidly, sooner, quicker, hollow, pocket, depression.
fervor, fervency, fire, flame, passion, nigher, NER, faster, earlier, Neer. surpassingly: (adv) surpassing,
enthusiasm, ardency, heat, avidity. pallid: (adj) ghastly, wan, bloodless, extremely, surpass, excellently,
ANTONYMS: (n) apathy, coolness, lurid, cadaverous, sickly, ashen, superiorly, transcendently, greatly,
coldness, hatred. white, pasty, livid, watery. extraordinarily, eminently, finely,
depicted: (adj) pictured, represented, ANTONYMS: (adj) healthy, rosy, preeminently.
graphic, delineated; (v) depict. vivid. turret: (adj) steeple, spire, campanile,
entranced: (adj) delighted, captivated, sate: (v) fill, satisfy, glut, satiate, pall, obelisk, pillar, monument, minaret,
fascinated, enthralled, enchanted, saturate, gorge, take, surfeit, content, column; (n) gun turret, gun
ecstatic, beguiled, enslaved, gripped; replete. enclosure, garret.
(adv) on cloud nine; (v) overjoyed. socket: (n) cavity, receptacle, outlet, wrought: (adj) shaped, done, worked,
nearer: (adj) adjacent, narre, hither; alveolus, hole, pit, dent, sleeve, worked up, formed.

abandonment: (n) resignation,
renunciation, desertion, neglect,
withdrawal, surrender, exposure,
forsaking, relinquishment, rejection,
leaving. ANTONYMS: (n) attention,
accomplishment, arrival, acceptance
abbreviation: (n) abridgment,
abridgement, short form,
contraction, abstraction, form,
summary, shortening, reduction,
ellipsis, diminution. ANTONYM:
(n) expansion
aberration: (n) insanity, aberrancy,
frenzy, deviation, mistake,
aberrance, oddity, distortion; (n, v)
diversion; (adj, n) mania,
derangement. ANTONYMS: (n)
regularity, average, conformity,
mean, sameness, norm, normality
abide: (v) endure, bide, undergo,
tolerate, take, suffer, stomach, bear,
brook; (adj, v) stay, dwell.
ANTONYMS: (v) check, depart,
disallow, disapprove, disbelieve,
journey, dodge, leave, migrate,
move, pass
abject: (adj) contemptible, pitiful,
low, wretched, despicable, sordid,
base, mean, vile; (n) ignominious,
dirty. ANTONYMS: (adj) honorable,
hopeful, magnificent, esteemed,
proud, dignified, commendable,
noble, exalted, worthy, happy
abnormal: (adj) aberrant, uncommon,
unusual, odd, unnatural, strange,
anomalous, perverted, irregular,
atypical, monstrous. ANTONYMS:
(adj) typical, usual, Standard,
unexceptional, straight, regular,
average, ordinary, natural,
customary, conventional
abominable: (adj, v) odious, foul;
(adj) abhorrent, detestable, dreadful,
awful, execrable, terrible, loathsome,
cursed, wicked. ANTONYMS: (adj)
nice, lovable, admirable, alluring,
appealing, commendable, laudable,
Edgar Allan Poe
GLOSSARY
delightful, desirable, enjoyable,
likable
abound: (v) swarm, teem, flow,
overflow, burst; (n) exuberate,
shower down, stream, rain,
abundance; (adj) abundant.
ANTONYM: (v) disperse
abounding: (adj) rich, abundant, full,
rife, replete, affluent, wealthy,
plentiful, ample, fraught, prolific.
ANTONYM: (adj) poor
abrupt: (adj) sudden, brusque, sharp,
precipitous, steep, instantaneous,
unexpected, swift, instant, hasty; (n)
bold. ANTONYMS: (adj) gentle,
gradual, rambling, gracious,
courteous, polite, anticipated, kind,
calm, protracted, deliberate
absorbing: (adj) fascinating,
engrossing, charming, enthralling,
gripping, captivating, riveting,
absorbent, attractive, readable; (adj,
v) exciting. ANTONYMS: (adj) dull,
irksome, tedious, repellent,
uninteresting
abstracted: (adj) absentminded,
separate, absent-minded, abstract,
distrait, inattentive, pensive,
preoccupied, remote, lost, vacant.
ANTONYM: (adj) alert
abstraction: (n) abstract, reverie,
engrossment, extraction,
withdrawal, removal, deduction,
abbreviation, preoccupancy,
theorisation, theorization.
ANTONYMS: (n) attentiveness,
inclusion, alertness, concentration,
fact
abstruse: (adj) esoteric, obscure,
abstract, difficult, deep, cryptic,
mysterious, occult, complex, dark,
intricate. ANTONYMS: (adj) simple,
direct, clear, lucid, plain, obvious,
mainstream, concrete,
comprehensible, easy, accessible
abstruseness: (n) profoundness,
obscurity, profundity, abstrusity,
247
wisdom, incomprehensibility,
mystery, depth, deepness,
obscureness. ANTONYM: (n)
simplicity
absurdly: (adv) ridiculously,
foolishly, ludicrously, nonsensically,
idiotically, silly, stupidly,
inconsistently, comically, illogically,
irrationally. ANTONYMS: (adv)
solemnly, impressively, rationally,
harmoniously
abundance: (adj) plenty; (n)
plenitude, store, richness, profusion,
amplitude, exuberance, affluence,
treasure, enough; (adj, n) riches.
ANTONYMS: (n) scarcity, shortage,
insufficiency, lack, aridity,
scarceness, paucity, emptiness,
fruitlessness, bareness
abundant: (adj, n) lush, luxuriant;
(adj) generous, thick, plenty,
affluent, liberal, fruitful, teeming,
fertile, ample. ANTONYMS: (adj)
sparse, meager, scanty, infertile,
scant, arid, rare, empty, skimpy,
lacking, fruitless
abundantly: (adv) copiously, richly,
fully, generously, bounteously,
plentifully, plenteously, freely,
exuberantly, largely, bountifully.
ANTONYMS: (adv) fruitlessly,
insufficiently, stingily, meagerly,
scantily
abyss: (n) gorge, ravine, chasm, gulf,
deep, purgatory, depth, hell, gap,
Gehenna, pit. ANTONYMS: (n)
junction, juncture
academy: (n) school, academe,
college, university, institution,
Acadmie des Beaux Arts, academia,
lycee, secondary school,
establishment, campus
accelerated: (adj) quick, rapid,
speedy, intensive, faster, speeded
up, sudden, express
accelerating: (adj) faster, progressive
acceleration: (n) rapidity, rise, rush,
 248
pickup, precipitation, quickness,
speedup, swiftness, quickening,
Unit of acceleration , Retardation of
the tides. ANTONYMS: (n) braking,
decelerating, deceleration,
retardation, slowness
accession: (n) increase, acceptance,
augmentation, access, acquisition,
agreement, accretion, assent,
entrance, coming, increment.
ANTONYMS: (n) abdication,
decline, deposition, disagreement,
discard, impeachment, renunciation,
resignation, withdrawal, fall
accidental: (adj) casual,
unintentional, adventitious,
unintended, incidental, chance,
random, unforeseen, unexpected,
contingent, haphazard.
ANTONYMS: (adj) deliberate,
designed, intended, planned,
premeditated
accidentally: (adv) incidentally,
casually, fortuitously, by chance,
coincidentally, adventitiously,
unintentionally, contingently,
haphazardly, occasionally,
inadvertently. ANTONYMS: (adv)
deliberately, knowingly, purposely,
unfortunately, correctly
acclamation: (n) applause, ovation,
plaudit, praise, cheer, eclat,
approval, commendation, vox
populi, adulation, hand.
ANTONYMS: (n) razzing, jeers,
hisses, heckles, catcalls,
vituperation, disapproval
accommodations: (n) house, housing,
lodging, habitat
accompany: (v) attend, follow,
companion, guide, company, lead,
walk, associate, consort, conduct,
concur. ANTONYMS: (v) desert,
abandon, leave
accompanying: (adj) concomitant,
concurrent, related, acceding,
incidental, accessory, subservient,
auxiliary, collateral, minor,
supplementary
accomplice: (n) abettor, accessary,
partner, companion, partaker,
confederate, accessory after the fact,
abetter, friend; (adj, n) associate,
coadjutor. ANTONYMS: (n)
adversary, enemy, opponent,
observer
accomplish: (v) perform, reach, do,
compass, perfect, attain, make,
fulfill, realize, execute, carry out.
ANTONYMS: (v) abandon, neglect,
choke, blow, lose
accomplished: (adj) proficient, able,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
skillful, gifted, finished,
experienced, completed, adept, fine,
versed, competent. ANTONYMS:
(adj) unfinished, amateur,
untrained, unskilled, unseasoned,
unable, inexpert, green, clumsy, bad,
mediocre
accomplishing: (n) doing; (adj)
effectual
accordance: (n) harmony, agreement,
conformity, unison, concordance,
coincidence, accordancy, admission,
fitness, consensus, concent
according: (adj) pursuant, consonant,
equal, agreeable, harmonious,
conformable, consistent,
corresponding, respondent; (adv)
correspondingly, accordingly
accoutrements: (n) accouterments,
trappings, paraphernalia,
equipment, gear, dress, clothes,
apparel, attire
accretion: (n) accumulation, increase,
augmentation, accession, deposition,
addition, Accretion thinning,
buildup, gain, raise, inheritance.
ANTONYMS: (n) scattering,
shrinkage, erosion, loss
accruing: (adj) incoming
accumulative: (adj) acquisitive,
additive, additional
accursed: (adj) execrable, abominable,
detestable, accurst, hateful, damned,
damnable, maledict, blasted; (v)
atrocious, stranded
accusation: (n) complaint, charge,
accusal, blame, allegation,
condemnation, insinuation,
denunciation, indictment,
inculpation, impeachment.
ANTONYMS: (n) exoneration,
argument, compliment
accustomed: (adj, n) habitual; (adj)
familiar, normal, wonted, usual,
natural, everyday, ordinary,
habituated, common, traditional.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unusual, green,
unseasoned, unconventional,
untrained, abnormal,
uncharacteristic, exceptional
acetous: (adj) sour, acid, acrimonious,
crabbed, tart, vinegary
acknowledging: (n) agreement; (adj)
responsive, affirmative
acquaintance: (n) connection, friend,
acquaintanceship, mate, awareness,
associate, buddy, friendship,
intercourse, companion; (n, v)
knowledge. ANTONYMS: (n)
ignorance, inexperience,
unfamiliarity, animosity, enemy
acquaintances: (n) associates
acquainted: (adj) knowledgeable,
informed, aware, cognizant,
conversant, hand and glove,
intimate, thick; (adv) abreast; (v)
inform, acquaint
acquirement: (adj, n)
accomplishment; (n) acquisition,
achievement, skill, workmanship,
craftsmanship, purchase, ability,
mastery, science, procurement
acumen: (n) perception, insight,
understanding, intellect, wisdom,
acuteness, astuteness,
discrimination, cleverness,
discernment, judgment.
ANTONYMS: (n) stupidity, naivete,
ineptness, inability, ignorance,
denseness, dullness, foolishness
acutely: (adv) sharply, keenly,
severely, astutely, piercingly, shrilly,
cleverly; (adj, adv) intensely,
extremely, gravely, critically.
ANTONYMS: (adv) chronically,
mildly, slightly, faintly, vaguely,
unexceptionally
adduce: (v) quote, advance, allege,
submit, prove, propose, mention,
offer, present, refer, abduce
adherence: (n) observance, loyalty,
coherence, cohesion, commitment,
tenacity, constancy, fidelity,
devotion, attachment, faithfulness.
ANTONYMS: (n) disloyalty,
disobedience
adieu: (int, n) farewell; (n) vale,
valediction, goodbye, leave, cheerio,
adios, bye, so long, parting; (int) bon
voyage. ANTONYM: (n) greeting
adjoining: (adj) contiguous,
neighbor, near, abutting, touching,
conterminous, neighboring,
immediate, next, vicinal; (adj, v)
close. ANTONYMS: (adj) separate,
divided, detached, apart, far
adjusted: (adj) altered, set, arranged,
accustomed, correct, fitted, right,
tuned, secure, familiarised,
familiarized. ANTONYM: (adj)
maladjusted
adjusting: (v) adjust; (n) adjusting
operation
admirable: (adj) fine, outstanding,
beautiful, great, commendable,
lovely, good, creditable,
praiseworthy, worthy, grand.
ANTONYMS: (adj) appalling, poor,
unworthy, despicable, contemptible,
detestable, dishonorable, rotten,
unimpressive, loathsome, low
admirably: (adv) superbly, perfectly,
excellently, admirable,
marvellously, heroically, bravely,

brilliantly, nicely, creditably, ably.
ANTONYMS: (adv) badly,
inadequately, dishonorably,
execrably, incompetently, poorly
admiring: (adj) admire, admiringly,
loving, respectful, glowing,
affectionate, amatory, appreciative,
enthusiastic, flattering, approving.
ANTONYMS: (adj) defamatory,
critical, disdainful, disapproving,
disrespectful, uncomplimentary
admittance: (n) access, accession,
introduction, door, matriculation,
inlet, permit, entrance, entree, entry,
input
admitting: (adj) suscipient; (adv)
conditionally; (n) acknowledgment,
receipt, credence; (conj) although
adonis: (n) daemon, genus Adonis;
(adj) Antionous, narcissus, Hebe,
Venus, Apollo, peri, Cupid,
Hyperion, the Graces
adored: (adj) loved, respected,
precious, idolized, idolised,
acclaimed, blessed, favorite, dearly
loved, beloved, venerated
adrift: (adj, adv) directionless; (adv)
afloat, wrong; (adj, v) astray; (adj)
disoriented, isolated, undirected,
rudderless, planless, insular, in
Twain. ANTONYMS: (adv)
anchored, determined, purposeful,
stable, moored
advantageous: (adj) expedient,
useful, auspicious, helpful, gainful,
serviceable, convenient, lucky,
worthwhile, beneficial; (adj, v)
profitable. ANTONYMS: (adj)
useless, disadvantageous,
detrimental, unhelpful, unfortunate,
inauspicious, worthless, unpleasant
advent: (n) coming, arrival,
apparition, appearance, approach,
entrance, emergence, Second
Coming, reaching, season,
Christmas. ANTONYMS: (n)
departure, end, exit, disappearance
adventitious: (adj) accidental,
secondary, random, haphazard,
casual, aleatory, incident,
promiscuous, incidental, fortuitous,
foreign
adventures: (n) experiences, fortunes,
confessions, journal, life, biography,
autobiography, personal narrative
adversity: (n) hardship, calamity,
disaster, distress, misadventure,
affliction, fatality, catastrophe, trial,
trouble, tragedy. ANTONYMS: (n)
favor, prosperity, fortune, aid, help,
opportunity, privilege
advert: (n) advertisement,
Edgar Allan Poe
announcement, ad, advertising,
poster, advertizing; (v) notice,
allude, mention, pay attention,
attend
advertiser: (n) booster, adman,
publicist, publicizer, sponsor,
promoter, advocate, forerunner,
plugger, tout, touter
advisable: (adj) eligible, desirable,
advantageous, suitable, sound,
prudent, acceptable, sensible, fitting,
convenient, appropriate.
ANTONYMS: (adj) inappropriate,
unwise, imprudent, improper,
worthless
aerial: (adj) airy, unreal, ethereal,
aery, pneumatic, insubstantial,
unsubstantial, aeriform, fanciful,
overhead, airlike. ANTONYM: (adj)
grounded
aeronaut: (n) airman, balloonist,
pilot, aerial navigator, aerostation,
Icarus, flyer, ballooner, aviatrix,
flier, aviatress
aeronautic: (adj) aeronautical,
aerostatical
aerostation: (n) aeronautics, aeronaut
aesthetically: (adv) sentiently,
perceptively, pleasingly
afar: (adv) off, away, far away,
distantly, beyond, Afar off, in the
distance, by far, apart; (adj)
outlying, far. ANTONYMS: (adv)
close, nearby, near; (prep) within
affaire: (n) liaison, amour, intimacy,
extramarital affair, involvement
affectedly: (adv) pretentiously,
pompously, insincerely, stiltedly,
unnaturally, theatrically, feignedly,
snobbishly, contrivedly,
pedantically, pedanticly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) modestly,
naturally
affectionate: (adj) fond, tender, kind,
mild, devoted, ardent, warm,
cordial, caring, brotherly; (adj, adv)
fatherly. ANTONYMS: (adj)
uncaring, callous, undemonstrative,
aloof, cool, disapproving, reserved,
antagonistic, paternal, rough
affianced: (adj, v) betrothed; (adj)
intended, busy, occupied,
trothplight, pledged, contract,
committed, attached; (v) bound; (n)
fiance
affinity: (n) analogy, alliance,
propinquity, rapport, bond, relation,
relationship, kindred, semblance,
penchant, similarity. ANTONYMS:
(n) repulsion, dissimilarity,
difference, consanguinity, aversion,
hatred, horror
249
affixed: (adj) additional
affright: (v) frighten, scare, horrify,
startle, terrorize, terrify, intimidate;
(n) dread, alarm, fear; (n, v) fright
afloat: (adj) buoyant, floating,
current, in circulation, directionless,
undirected, rudderless; (adv) adrift,
aboard; (v) afoot; (n) on foot
afterward: (adv, conj) then, after that;
(adv) thereafter, afterwards, later,
subsequently, later on, next, soon;
(adj) following; (n) future.
ANTONYMS: (adv) now,
previously, before
agate: (n) calcedony, heliotrope,
carnelian, gagate, achate,
chalcedony
aghast: (adj) dismayed, appalled,
horrified, frightened, scared,
terrified, confounded, astonished;
(n) agape; (v) all agog, breathless.
ANTONYMS: (adj) undisturbed,
unperturbed, unsurprised
agility: (n) quickness, lightness,
alacrity, adroitness, promptitude,
mobility, legerdemain, liveliness,
rapidity, speed, activity.
ANTONYMS: (n) slowness,
oafishness, inflexibility, heaviness,
awkwardness
agitated: (adj) upset, excited,
nervous, restive, tumultuous,
distressed, tense, jumpy,
overwrought, anxious, alarmed.
ANTONYMS: (adj) calm, lethargic,
tranquil, relaxed, assured, cool, still
agitating: (adj) stirring, provoking,
poignant, vexatious, sensational,
provocative, afflictive, terrific
agitation: (n) disturbance,
excitement, tumult, stirring,
convulsion, stir, commotion,
emotion, unrest, shake, turmoil.
ANTONYMS: (n) serenity, calm,
equanimity, rest, peace, deterrent
agog: (adj) impatient, eager, excited,
raring, thirsty, keen, enthusiastic,
ablaze, astir, bewildered, ardent
agreeably: (adv) enjoyably,
pleasantly, sympathetically,
pleasingly, suitably, well,
melodically, accordingly, affably,
genially; (adv, v) happily.
ANTONYMS: (adv) disagreeably,
incongruously, uncooperatively,
unhelpfully, badly, stubbornly,
harshly
ague: (n) acute, symptom, sickness,
malady, illness, malaria, paludism,
swamp fever, chills and fever; (adj)
appendicitis, angina pectoris
aided: (adj) power, favored
 250
aiding: (adj) healthy, subventitious,
subsidiary, serviceable, auxiliary,
convenient
airs: (n, v) pretension; (n) affectation,
pride, pose, pretensions, attitude;
(adj, n) arrogance; (v) precisianism,
euphuism, purism, pedantry.
ANTONYMS: (n) humility,
personality, realness, truthfulness,
honesty
airy: (adj) light, windy, aery, aerial,
ethereal, insubstantial, sprightly,
perky, volatile, aeriform, aired.
ANTONYMS: (adj) airless, hot,
massive, wooden, weighty,
substantial, stifling, sluggish,
ponderous, musty, lumbering
ajar: (v) dissentient, unclosed,
unstopped, wide open, out of tune;
(adj) open, gaping, partly open, not
closed
alarmed: (adj) afraid, scared,
frightened, apprehensive, horrified,
anxious, uneasy, agitated, shocked,
terrified, concerned. ANTONYM:
(adj) carefree
alarming: (adj) scary, alarm, awful,
formidable, shocking, appalling,
awesome, dire, horrid, horrible,
dreadful. ANTONYMS: (adj)
soothing, lovely, normal
alarmingly: (adv) dreadfully,
disturbingly, terrifyingly,
distressingly, appallingly, fearfully,
frightfully, awfully, dangerously,
scarily, shockingly
alas: (adv) unluckily, regrettably,
sadly, unhappily, sorry to say; (n)
oh; (int) lackaday. ANTONYM:
(adv) luckily
albatross: (n) burden, weight, load,
deterrent, handicap, impediment,
stress, dead weight, white elephant,
tribulation, trial
alien: (n) foreigner, outsider; (adj)
strange, extrinsic, remote, exotic,
extraneous, unfamiliar; (n, v)
alienate; (adj, n) unknown; (v)
estrange. ANTONYMS: (adj)
familiar, akin, ordinary; (adj, n)
native; (n) citizen, local
alight: (v) light, land, perch,
dismount, get down, settle, get off,
descend; (adj) ablaze, burning,
blazing. ANTONYM: (v) mount
aliment: (n) meal, sustenance, food,
nutriment, diet, maintenance, meat,
alimentation, eating, nutrition,
nourishment
allayed: (adj) quenched, slaked
alley: (n) track, road, passage, lane,
alleyway, aisle, path, runway,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
pathway, street, back street
allude: (v) advert, refer, hint, glance,
intimate, suggest, touch, bring up,
mean, notice, pertain
allusion: (n) innuendo, reference,
cue, suggestion, mention,
intimation, pointer, insinuation,
implication, indication, clue
alluvial: (n) alluvium; (adj) earthly,
champaign
almighty: (adj) omnipotent,
powerful, potent, great, supreme;
(adj, n) divine; (n) lord, Jehovah,
deity, God, godhead. ANTONYMS:
(adj) ineffectual, insignificant, lay,
powerless, lowly
alms: (n) handout, charity,
benefaction, gift, donation,
contribution, offering, bounty; (n, v)
sportula, largess; (v) relieve
aloft: (adj, adv) overhead; (adv) up,
on high, over, aloof, upwards,
uphill, above ground; (prep) upon;
(adj) eminent, lofty
alphabet: (n) rudiments, rudiment,
elements, grammar, ABC,
fundamentals, basics, first rudiment,
first principle, outlines, abecedary
alteration: (n) adjustment, change,
revision, shift, changeover,
conversion, modification, variation,
reversal, metamorphosis,
amendment. ANTONYMS: (n)
fixity, preservation
altering: (n) castration, fixing,
interchange, neutering; (adj)
changing, alterant
alternate: (adj, n, v) substitute; (n)
surrogate, standby, vice; (v)
reciprocate, vary, take turns,
fluctuate, change; (adj, n)
alternative; (adj) secondary.
ANTONYMS: (adj) consecutive,
successive, required, opposite,
necessary, essential; (v) remain,
continue
alternately: (adv) alternatively, by
turns, in turn, secondarily,
reciprocally, mutually, off-and-on,
rather, anthemwise, secondly; (adj,
adv) on and off
altitude: (n) height, Alt, high, level,
distance, pitch, tallness, stature,
eminence, El, length. ANTONYMS:
(n) depth, abyss, pit
amazed: (adj) astounded, astonished,
stunned, dumbfounded,
flabbergasted, shocked, staggered,
bewildered, surprised,
thunderstruck, aghast
amazement: (n) admiration, wonder,
surprise, consternation,
stupefaction, stupor, wonderment,
feeling, alarm, jolt; (v) amaze.
ANTONYMS: (n) preparation,
indifference, expectation, coolness,
cool, composure, calmness,
contempt, belief
ambrosia: (n) nectar, composition,
weed, treat, sweet, kickshaw, goody,
dainty, dessert, delicacy, bitterweed
amour: (n) affair, affaire, love, love
affair, liaison, flirtation, romance,
relationship, passion; (n, v) intrigue;
(adj) amourette
amphitheatre: (n) amphitheater,
arena, stadium, gallery, bowl,
coliseum, colosseum
ample: (adj) abundant, big, broad,
copious, large, plentiful, heavy,
liberal, roomy, affluent,
considerable. ANTONYMS: (adj)
small, meager, insufficient, scarce,
sparse, scant, cramped, narrow,
partial, sketchy, slender
amply: (adj, adv) abundantly,
sufficiently; (adv) fully, well,
lavishly, plentifully, richly,
generously, enough, adequately,
capaciously. ANTONYMS: (adv)
meagerly, inadequately, illiberally,
sparingly, poorly
amsterdam: (n) Dutch capital
amused: (adj) amusing, smiling,
tickled pink, pleased, diverted
amusing: (adj) humorous, fun,
pleasant, entertaining, risible,
comical, diverting, enjoyable,
laughable, agreeable, pleasing.
ANTONYMS: (adj) tragic, boring,
unpleasant, unfunny, tiring, grim,
depressing, sad, annoying, heavy,
serious
analogical: (v) analogous; (adj)
similar, figurative, normal; (adv)
alike
analogous: (adj) similar, analog,
analogical, akin, parallel, like,
equivalent, corresponding,
comparable, cognate, analogue.
ANTONYMS: (adj) dissimilar,
different, heterologous, disparate,
disagreeing, homologous, opposite,
unalike
analyst: (n) analyzer, expert,
psychiatrist, systems analyst,
assayer, examiner, commentator,
system analyst, shrink, interpreter,
authority
analytic: (adj) logical, calculable,
computable, docimastic, numerable,
statistical, clinical, methodical,
psychic, questioning; (adv)
analytically. ANTONYMS: (adj)

synthetic, illogical
analytical: (adj) rational, curious,
inquisitive, systematic, critical,
logical, methodical, judicious,
perceptive, prognostic,
mathematical. ANTONYMS: (adj)
synthetic, synthetical, disorganized,
chaotic, unsystematic, intuitive
analyzing: (n) study
anatomical: (n) locution, expression,
saying, anatomical reference; (adj)
organic, analytic, corporal, corporeal
anatomy: (n) morphology,
physiology, structure, analysis,
body, chassis, dissection, flesh,
human body, figure; (adj) skeleton
ancestors: (n) family, ancestor,
lineage, pedigree, parents, majority,
intimates, genealogy, family tree,
associates, relatives
anchor: (n) mainstay, armature,
grappling iron, grapnel, chapelet; (v)
fasten, secure, cast anchor, fix; (adj)
refuge, rest. ANTONYMS: (v)
release, detach
anguish: (n, v) pain, ache; (n)
torment, agony, torture, distress,
misery, suffering, despair, grief,
sorrow. ANTONYMS: (n) pleasure,
happiness, calm, euphoria,
joyfulness, ecstasy, content, peace,
hopefulness
angular: (adj) bony, skinny, spare,
lean, gaunt, angulate, angled, Unit
of angular velocity, Angular
advance of an eccentric , scrawny,
gangling. ANTONYMS: (adj) beefy,
weighted, thick, straight, plump,
fleshy, flat, fat
animadversion: (n) censure, criticism,
comment, blame, reflection,
exception, slam, dispraise,
disapproval, stricture, objection
ankle: (n) knuckle, kimbo, crane,
fluke, crutch, crotch, zigzag, groin,
sickle, scythe, malleolus
annals: (n) history, record, account,
records, register, story, roll,
almanac, diary, legend, yearbook
announcing: (n) publicity,
communication; (adj) annunciative
annoyance: (n) anger, harassment,
aggravation, disturbance,
inconvenience, pain, bother,
botheration, temper, displeasure,
vexation. ANTONYMS: (n) calm,
satisfaction, patience, calmness,
delight, equanimity, advantage,
balm
annoyed: (adj) irritated, vexed, irate,
aggravated, angered, cross,
disgruntled, exasperated, infuriated,
Edgar Allan Poe
displeased, resentful. ANTONYMS:
(adj) pleased, unprovoked, smiling,
patient, unconcerned, contented
anomalous: (adj) abnormal, irregular,
deviant, atypical, aberrant, eccentric,
exceptional, peculiar, anomalistic,
unusual, unnatural. ANTONYMS:
(adj) usual, regular, typical,
ordinary
anomaly: (n) aberration,
anomalousness, deviation,
abnormity, aberrant, peculiarity,
irregularity, exception, deflection,
informality, anachronism.
ANTONYM: (n) normality
anon: (adv) directly, immediately,
early, readily, soon, instantly, again,
forthwith, promptly, shortly, rath
antagonistic: (adj) counter, opposite,
opposed, conflicting, averse,
warlike, inimical, unfriendly,
repugnant, contrary; (adj, v)
adverse. ANTONYMS: (adj)
synergistic, conciliating, peaceable,
peaceful, compatible, agreeable,
sympathetic
anticipate: (v) expect, foretell, think,
forecast, forestall, calculate,
estimate, predict, prevent, presume,
guess. ANTONYM: (v) doubt
anticipating: (v) anticipate; (adj)
pregnant, anticipant, hopeful, ready,
oracular
anticipation: (n) forecast, hope,
foresight, prevention, augury,
expectance, hopefulness,
prefiguration, presentiment; (n, v)
outlook, prospect. ANTONYMS: (n)
despair, boredom
antioch: (n) Antakya
antiquated: (adj) old, aged,
antediluvian, archaic, obsolete,
musty, old-fashioned, outdated,
dowdy, outmoded, antique.
ANTONYMS: (adj) new,
contemporary, fresh, modernistic,
recent, current
antique: (adj) old, antiquated,
obsolete, aged, antiquarian, musty,
quaint, outmoded, antediluvian,
outdated; (n) relic. ANTONYMS:
(adj, n) modern; (adj) recent, fresh,
current, contemporary
antiquities: (n) antique
antiquity: (n) ancientness, ancientry,
past, relic, status quo, artefact,
artifact, oldness, old age, hoariness;
(adj, n) age. ANTONYMS: (n) today,
newness, modernity
anxiously: (adv) uneasily, restlessly,
carefully, worriedly, fearfully,
nervously, concernedly, solicitously,
251
timidly, keenly, enthusiastically.
ANTONYMS: (adv) calmly,
confidently, merrily, indifferently,
fearlessly, nonchalantly, patiently,
unconcernedly
apathy: (n) indifference, inactivity,
lassitude, inertia, lethargy, passivity,
supineness, passiveness,
lukewarmness, emotionlessness,
impassivity. ANTONYMS: (n)
keenness, energy, interest,
inquisitiveness, vitality, drive,
eagerness, concern, involvement,
enjoyment, desire
aperture: (n) breach, slit, puncture,
opening, gap, cleft, perforation,
loophole, mouth, hiatus, outlet.
ANTONYM: (n) closure
apex: (n) top, peak, vertex, crown,
acme, apices, extremity, height,
summit, pinnacle, point.
ANTONYMS: (n) base, nadir,
trough, bottom, abyss, depth
apollo: (adj) Aphrodite, Hyperion,
narcissus, peri, houri; (n) aurora,
Terpsichore, Euterpe, Phoebus
Apollo, Orpheus, orb of day
apothegm: (n) aphorism,
apophthegm, adage, dictum,
proverb, saying, axiom, maxim,
byword, saw, rule
appalled: (adj) dismayed, scared,
shocked, horrified, afraid, fright,
amazed, astonished, stunned,
outraged, scandalized. ANTONYM:
(adj) indifferent
apparel: (n, v) garb, attire, garment,
array, vesture; (n) clothing, finery,
costume, clothes; (v) adorn, clothe
appealing: (adj) charming, adorable,
prepossessing, enchanting, inviting,
fascinating, engaging, absorbing,
likable, pretty, magnetic.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unappealing,
repellent, disgusting, unattractive,
unpleasant, horrifying,
unsympathetic, uninteresting,
repulsive, modern, forgettable
appellation: (n) designation,
denomination, title, name,
nickname, epithet, moniker, term,
appellative, cognomen, degree
appended: (adj) added, affixed,
additional
appertain: (v) belong, relate, apply,
dwell, lie, consist, regard, touch,
refer, concern
appliances: (n) equipment, rig,
hardware, rigging, outfit, tackle,
tackling
appreciable: (adj, adv, v) perceptible,
noticeable; (adj) considerable,
 252
respectable, conspicuous, palpable,
discernible, apparent, manifest; (adj,
adv) observable; (v) measurable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) insignificant,
inconsiderable, negligible,
unnoticed
appreciative: (adj) grateful,
supportive, indebted, appreciatory,
complimentary, sympathetic,
understanding, sensitive,
discriminating, pleased, obliged.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unkind,
derogatory, uncomplimentary,
disapproving, unsympathetic,
negative
apprehended: (adj) arrested, seized,
understood, under arrest, in
custody, detained, appreciated,
comprehended
apprehending: (v) apprehend; (n)
perception, thought, recognition
apprehension: (n) alarm,
comprehension, dread, misgiving,
understanding, capture, foreboding,
arrest, trepidation; (n, v) doubt,
appreciation. ANTONYMS: (n)
release, confidence, calmness,
tranquility, freeing,
misunderstanding, peace, relief,
bravery, calm, equanimity
apprehensive: (adj) anxious, fearful,
uneasy, alarmed, worried, timid,
doubtful, shy, insecure, jealous; (adj,
n) nervous. ANTONYMS: (adj)
assured, unworried, calm, unafraid,
cocksure, trusting, serene,
unconcerned, fearless, carefree,
brave
apropos: (adj) appropriate,
applicable, apposite, eligible, apt,
pertinent, germane, pat; (adv)
timely, seasonably, incidentally.
ANTONYMS: (adj) inappropriate,
irrelevant, malapropos, unsuitable;
(adv) irrelevantly, untimely,
inopportunely
aqua: (n) liquid, aquamarine, agua,
blueness, pani, blue, water, aquas,
greenish blue, turquoise, peacock
blue
aqueduct: (n) conduit, channel, canal,
duct, pantile, pipe, flume, culvert,
gully, trough, gutter
arabesque: (n) fret, molding, flourish,
tracery, strapwork, listel,
embroidery, decoration, coquillage,
fillet
arbor: (n) bower, mandrel, axle,
spindle, hinge, arbour, axis,
mandril, alcove, stud, frame
arch: (n, v) curve, bow, bend; (n)
dome, curvature, acute; (adj) wily,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
shrewd, sly; (v) vault; (adj, n, v)
round. ANTONYMS: (adj) smallest,
petty, modest, minor, frank, least,
lesser, inferior, forthright, guileless,
humble
archipelago: (n) Oceania,
Austronesia, Aleutians; (adj)
Hebridean, Australasian
arctic: (adj, v) icy, freezing, glacial,
boreal, wintry, frosty; (adj) north,
frozen, northern, frigid, cold.
ANTONYMS: (adj) tropical, sultry,
temperate, torrid, warm
ardor: (adj, n) eagerness, zeal; (n)
fervor, fervency, fire, flame, passion,
enthusiasm, ardency, heat, avidity.
ANTONYMS: (n) apathy, coolness,
coldness, hatred
aridity: (n) drought, barrenness,
waterlessness, poverty, poorness,
dryness, unproductiveness, sterility;
(adj, n) siccity; (adj) ebb tide, low
water. ANTONYMS: (n) greenness,
lushness, fertility, fruitfulness,
humidity
aright: (adv) correctly, right, well,
true, not Amis, satisfactorily,
favorably, justly, exactly, rightly,
properly
arisen: (adj) risen
arithmetic: (adj) arithmetical,
numerical; (n) calculation,
computation, algorism,
mathematics, math, estimate,
weighing up; (v) fluxions, geometry
arithmetical: (adj) statistical,
mathematical, numerable,
calculable, computable, numerical,
numeric, analytic, algebraic
arithmetically: (adv) algebraically,
algebraicly
armorial: (v) typical, symptomatic,
symbolic, representative,
pathognomonic, exponential,
emblematic, diagnostic, diacritical,
demonstrative, characteristic
arouse: (v) wake, stir, agitate, excite,
awaken, stimulate, anger, kindle,
provoke, raise; (n, v) rouse.
ANTONYMS: (v) calm, dampen,
stifle, sedate, quiet, pacify, bore,
allay, lull, quench, suppress
aroused: (adj) ablaze, aflame,
passionate, hot, agitated, inflamed,
susceptible, tense, fascinated,
emotional, elated
arousing: (adj, n) stirring; (adj)
moving, stimulating, affecting,
animating, hopeful, pitiful,
poignant; (n) awakening, start,
beginning
arranging: (n) arrange, arrangements,
disposition, composing,
composition, order, position, set,
orchestration, organization,
agreement
arrant: (adj) rank, unmitigated,
thorough, stark, utter, ill, gross,
infamous, bad, blatant, base.
ANTONYM: (adj) minor
arrogance: (n) haughtiness, disdain,
conceit, presumption, audacity,
vanity, arrogancy, conceitedness,
arrogant, condescension,
imperiousness. ANTONYMS: (n)
modesty, timidity, humbleness,
diffidence, respect
arrowy: (adj) barbed
articulate: (v) speak, pronounce,
utter, vocalize, voice, state, say,
joint, enunciate, express; (adj)
eloquent. ANTONYMS: (adj)
incoherent, unintelligible, illogical,
misrepresented, mumbled, unclear,
unarticulated; (v) mumble,
disconnect, misrepresent, misspeak
artifice: (n, v) art; (n) ruse, deception,
contrivance, artfulness, dodge,
science, trickery, wile, proficiency,
maneuver. ANTONYMS: (n)
truthfulness, sincerity, honesty,
naivete, inability, artlessness,
incapacity, straightforwardness
ascend: (n, v) mount; (v) arise, scale,
uprise, climb, go up, come up,
increase, elevate; (n) ascending,
ascent. ANTONYMS: (v) descend,
drop, decline, fall, lower, set, sink
ascending: (adj) uphill, rising,
assurgent, climbing, ascendent; (n)
ascension, ascent, rise, advance,
movement; (v) go up
ascension: (n) rise, ascending, climb,
climbing, rising, lift, raising,
upheaval, Ascension Day, elevation,
mount. ANTONYMS: (n)
descending, fall
ascensions: (n) ascending
ascent: (n) ascension, climb,
ascending, elevation, hill, incline,
advance, grade; (n, v) rise; (v)
ascend, uprise. ANTONYMS: (n)
fall, drop, declivity
ascertain: (v) determine, find out,
learn, discover, check, tell, control,
find, ensure, detect; (adj, v)
establish. ANTONYM: (v) disprove
ascertained: (adj) discovered,
determined; (v) absolute,
recognized, received, noted,
notorious, decisive, unmistakable,
unequivocal, positive
ashore: (adv, pron) aground; (adj)
beached, stranded; (adv) aland, on

land, onto land, toward land
asiatic: (n) oriental, Irani, Bhutani,
coolie, Dardanian, Israelite, Laos,
Maldivian, turkis, cooly
askant: (adj) squint, sidelong, askew,
asquint, cockeyed, indirect, squinty;
(adv) suspiciously, obliquely
assassin: (n) assassinator, liquidator,
bravo, assassinate, cutthroat, thug,
killer; (v) slayer, butcher, Cain,
sabreur
assassination: (n, v) murder,
manslaughter; (n) killing, massacre,
defamation, obloquy, calumny,
traducement, slaying, carnage; (v)
trucidation
assemblage: (n) meeting, collection,
congregation, set, multitude, crew,
confluence, gathering, gang,
convention, convocation.
ANTONYMS: (v) dispersal,
scattering
assent: (n) acceptance, acquiescence,
approval, agreement, compliance,
admission, approbation; (v) accede,
accord, agree; (adj, v) acquiesce.
ANTONYMS: (v) resist, disagree,
disapprove, reject, refuse; (n)
disagreement, refusal, resistance
assert: (v) allege, affirm, say, claim,
declare, swear, show, avow, aver,
maintain, argue. ANTONYMS: (v)
reject, controvert, repress, refute
asserting: (v) affirm; (adj)
declaratory, declarative, evidentiary;
(n) assertion
assertion: (n) statement, argument,
claim, avowal, contention, charge,
testimony, profession, allegation,
accusation, position. ANTONYMS:
(n) denial, disavowal, uncertainty
assign: (v) allot, delegate, consign,
ascribe, appoint, place, allocate,
appropriate; (n, v) allow, apply,
give. ANTONYMS: (v) relieve,
discharge, discredit, divest, refuse,
take
assigning: (n) allocation, distribution,
allocating, assign, allotting,
appointment, attribution,
transmission
associates: (n) staff, membership,
circle, entourage, intimates, people
assorted: (adj) different,
miscellaneous, sundry, various,
motley, varied, diverse,
heterogeneous, multiple, manifold,
pied. ANTONYMS: (adj)
homogeneous, uniform, same,
identical, matching, limited, few
assorting: (v) assort
assuredly: (adv) certainly,
Edgar Allan Poe
confidently, positively, securely,
indeed, definitely, undoubtedly,
admittedly, safely, insuredly,
decidedly
astonish: (adj, v) astound; (adj, n, v)
surprise; (adj) astonishing,
surprised; (v) flabbergast, daze,
confound, dazzle, stun, alarm,
nonplus. ANTONYMS: (v) expect,
bore
astonished: (adj) astonish,
dumbfounded, flabbergasted,
stunned, aghast, bewildered,
astounded, taken aback,
thunderstruck, astonied; (v) amaze
astonishing: (adj) amazing,
wonderful, stupendous, prodigious,
strange, surprising, astounding,
incredible, breathtaking; (v)
astonish; (adj, n) marvelous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) ordinary,
humdrum, boring, mundane, dull,
expected, predictable, usual,
comforting
astonishment: (n) admiration,
wonder, wonderment, surprise,
marvel, stupefaction, confusion,
consternation, awe, alarm, startle.
ANTONYMS: (n) calmness, belief,
contempt
astounding: (adj) amazing,
miraculous, wonderful, incredible,
tremendous, spectacular,
sensational, breathtaking, awesome,
staggering, prodigious.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unremarkable,
comforting, predictable, boring,
insignificant
astronomical: (adj) vast, celestial,
astrophysical, great, uranic,
enormous, large, galactic, universal,
elevated, excessive
astronomy: (n) astrology, astrometry,
physics, astrodynamics,
astrophysical, astrophysics
asunder: (adj, v) separate; (adv)
aside, in two; (adj, adv) in Twain;
(adj) loose, distant, adrift, aloof; (v)
discrete, far between, free.
ANTONYM: (adv) together
athwart: (adj, adv, n, prep) across;
(adv, prep) aslant, cross; (adj, adv,
prep) thwart; (adj, adv) crosswise;
(adv) sideways, obliquely,
transversely, traverse, overthwart,
crossways
atmospheric: (adj) airy,
atmospherical, retiring,
atmospherics, light
atoms: (n) smithereens, Smither
atone: (v) satisfy, pay, propitiate,
indemnify, compensate, make up,
253
recoup, apologize, abye, aby, repent.
ANTONYM: (v) forfeit
atrocious: (adj) monstrous, awful,
heinous, abominable, wicked,
dreadful, frightful, terrible, bad,
horrible; (adj, n) outrageous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) humane,
benevolent, drivable, elegant,
virtuous, good, passable, fine, kind,
admirable, tasteful
atrocities: (n) murder, killing,
slaughter, violence, carnage
atrocity: (adj, n) outrage, flagrancy;
(n) brutality, abomination, barbarity,
barbarism, violence, atrociousness,
inhumaneness, crime, horror.
ANTONYMS: (n) kindness,
humanity
attach: (v) append, adhere, add, affix,
bind, link, associate, assign, nail,
apply, annex. ANTONYMS: (v)
undo, separate, unfasten,
disconnect, free, deflect, dissociate,
loosen, quit, take, unscrew
attain: (v) make, reach, achieve,
acquire, gain, strike, catch, arrive at,
find, obtain, come to. ANTONYMS:
(v) lose, fail, abandon, surrender,
differ
attainable: (adj) possible, obtainable,
gettable, available, feasible,
approachable, accessible, viable,
doable, realistic, open.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unattainable,
unachievable, impossible
attained: (adj) attains, attaint,
reached, complete, earned, fulfilled
attaining: (v) attain, achieve; (n)
attainment
attainment: (adj, n) acquirement; (n,
v) acquisition; (n) achievement,
gain, accession, completion,
fulfillment, success, performance,
scholarship, realization.
ANTONYM: (n) loss
attendant: (n) companion, follower,
assistant, escort, subordinate,
employee, guide, varlet; (adj)
accompanying, concomitant,
incidental. ANTONYMS: (n)
superior, boss; (adj) absent,
unrelated, significant
attentive: (adj) assiduous, diligent,
heedful, watchful, observant,
advertent, mindful, careful, aware,
alert, respectful. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unfocused, negligent, neglectful,
forgetful, heedless, unobservant,
rude, unprepared, unconscious,
uncaring, inconsiderate
attentively: (adv) carefully,
mindfully, watchfully, observantly,
 254
heedfully, vigilantly, cautiously,
considerately, diligently, alertly,
obligingly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
unhelpfully, neglectfully, abruptly,
carelessly, hastily, casually
attracting: (adj) alluring, tempting,
attractive, tractive, winning, taking,
prepossessing, allicient, seductive;
(n) drawing; (v) attrahent
attributable: (adj) predicable,
referable, owing, imputable,
derivable, accusable, affirmable
attribute: (adj, n) quality, property;
(n, v) assign; (n) feature, emblem,
characteristic, peculiarity, mark; (v)
credit, impute, accredit
attributing: (n) reference
audacious: (adj) brash, arrogant,
barefaced, bold, daring, impudent,
intrepid, brave, shameless,
enterprising, insolent. ANTONYMS:
(adj) modest, timid, cautious, polite,
reserved, meek, humble, fearful,
discreet, respectful
aught: (n) nil, zero, anything, ought,
cypher, nix, cipher, naught, null,
zip; (adj) any
augment: (v) amplify, add, enhance,
enlarge, aggrandize, reinforce,
boost, expand, improve, intensify;
(n, v) accrue. ANTONYMS: (v)
reduce, decrease, attenuate,
degrade, drop, diminish,
undermine, minimize, lower
augmented: (adj) amplified, enlarged,
greater than before, inflated, plus,
more
augmenting: (adj) augmentative,
increscent, building, cumulative; (v)
augment; (n) continuation,
development
augury: (n) omen, sign, portent,
warning, prognostic, indication,
hunch, signal, foreboding, forecast,
forerunner
austere: (adj) ascetic, stern, severe,
harsh, plain, rigorous, rigid,
abstemious, stark, astringent, stiff.
ANTONYMS: (adj) ornate,
luxurious, frivolous, hedonistic,
extravagant, lush, elaborate,
spending, sunny, warm, indulgent
authentic: (adj) genuine, actual,
straight, right, real, accurate, valid,
believable, bona fide, true; (adj, v)
authoritative. ANTONYMS: (adj)
bogus, fake, unrealistic, false,
spurious, phony, counterfeit,
dishonest, unauthorized,
unbelievable, imitation
authorship: (n) source, paternity,
writing, pencraft, fatherhood, origin,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
authorism, bookcraft, drafting; (n, v)
composition; (v) publication
avail: (n, v) advantage, assist, aid,
profit, benefit, help; (adj, n) service;
(n) good, assistance, utility; (v) do.
ANTONYMS: (v) useless, hurt,
hinder, harm; (n) inappropriateness
averse: (adj) reluctant, indisposed,
backward, opposed, unwilling,
disinclined, loth, antagonistic,
antipathetical, repugnant,
antipathetic. ANTONYMS: (adj)
inclined, sympathetic, caring, eager,
willing, keen
aversion: (n) antipathy, distaste,
abhorrence, disinclination, dislike,
grudge, aversation, nausea, enmity,
revulsion; (n, v) disgust.
ANTONYMS: (n) attraction, love,
inclination, predilection, desire,
fondness, goodwill
avoirdupois: (n) obesity, weight,
fatness, abdominousness,
adiposeness, avoirdupois weight,
adiposity, heaviness,
oleaginousness; (adj) obese; (adv)
portly
await: (v) anticipate, abide, bide,
tarry, wait, attend, look, hope,
approach, loom, come on.
ANTONYM: (v) doubt
awaited: (adj) expected, appointed,
scheduled, forthcoming, prospective
awaiting: (adj) looming, imminent, in
the near future, pending, expectant
awakened: (adj) excited, aroused,
awakens, awoke, interested
awakening: (n) arousal, waking up,
revival, disenchantment,
awakenment, introduction,
provocation; (adj) arousing, moving,
animating; (v) awake. ANTONYM:
(n) suppression
awhile: (adj) in transitu, en passant;
(adv) briefly
awkwardly: (adv) gawkily, ineptly,
ungracefully, embarrassingly,
maladroitly, stiffly, gracelessly,
inopportunely, bunglingly,
inelegantly, unwieldily.
ANTONYMS: (adv) gracefully,
elegantly, usefully, urbanely,
contentedly, coherently, calmly,
conveniently, agilely, expertly,
amenably
awoke: (adj) awakened
babel: (n) pandemonium, racket,
tumult, Babylon, uproar, din, noise;
(adj) Saturnalia, most admired
disorder, donnybrook, confusion
worse confounded
baboon: (n) chacma, mandrill,
Bavian, family Cercopithecidae,
babion, Cercopithecidae, oaf; (adj)
harridan, toad, specter, scarecrow
bacchanalian: (adj) bacchantic,
bacchant, carousing, orgiastic,
bacchic; (v) thirsty soul, carouser,
reveler
bade: (v) bid, command, bad
ballast: (n) weight, ballasting,
counterbalance, substance, freight;
(adj) aplomb, unperturbed; (v)
stabilize, load, poise, stabilise
balloon: (v) inflate, ball, soar,
distend, bulge, swell, bloat, billow,
fly, increase; (adj, n) bubble.
ANTONYMS: (v) contract, flatten,
shrink, decrease
bandage: (v) bind, wrap, dress,
envelop; (adj, n) truss, tie; (n)
swathe, binding, roller, gauze; (adj)
string. ANTONYM: (v) undress
banker: (n) cashier, teller, cambist,
investor, moneyman, bank
employee, capitalist, ditcher,
goldsmith, usurer, moneyer
banter: (n, v) chaff, badinage, jest,
quiz; (v) kid, tease, joke, deride,
twit; (n) raillery, fun. ANTONYMS:
(v) flatter, placate, soothe
barber: (v) shave, neaten; (n) shaver,
hairdresser, Chinook, foehn,
khamsin, norther, vendaval, wuther,
hairstylist
barge: (n) lighter, pontoon, boat, hoy,
wherry, houseboat, scow, craft,
flatboat, buss; (v) obtrude
bargeman: (n) lighterman, seaman,
tar, gob, longshoreman, mariner,
seafarer, ferryman, boatman,
shipman, waterman
bark: (n, v) skin, yelp, snarl, cry, rind,
shout; (v) growl, roar; (n) bay, peel,
crust. ANTONYMS: (n, v) whisper
barometer: (n) baroscope, aeroscope,
barograph, aneroid barometer,
standard, aerometer, gauge, norm,
trial balloon, weather station; (v)
glass
barrel: (n) vessel, keg, roll, barrels,
barrelful, tun, vase, cask, vat,
container, hogshead
barren: (adj, n) sterile; (adj) infertile,
deserted, arid, void, dry, stark,
meagre, fruitless, abortive; (n)
waste. ANTONYMS: (adj)
productive, lush, fruitful,
developing, growing, profitable,
rewarding, rich, sheltered, humid,
populous
barricade: (n, v) barrier, blockade,
barricado; (v) block, obstruct,
hinder, dam; (n) obstruction, fence,

rampart, hurdle. ANTONYMS: (n)
opening; (v) open, expose, assist
baseless: (adj) groundless,
unwarranted, ungrounded,
gratuitous, idle, unsupported,
unfair, wanton, invalid, flimsy,
undue. ANTONYMS: (adj) founded,
sound, substantial, justified, valid,
proven
basement: (n) base, vault, cellarage,
offices, story, storey, kitchen,
pantry, scullery, footing; (adj, n)
bottom
battlement: (n) fortification, parapet,
machicolation, embattlement,
rampart, earthwork, embrasure,
crenelation; (v) scarp,
circumvallation, vallum
bawling: (adj, n) weeping, sniveling;
(n) cry, wailing; (adj) vociferous,
weepy, blatant, sobbing, clamorous,
tearful, howling
bayonet: (n, v) spear; (n) sword,
cutlass, Creese, stiletto, cimeter,
broadsword, brand, dagger; (v) butt,
eviscerate
bearer: (n) holder, carrier, messenger,
porter, courier, envoy, traveller,
griever, hamal, lamenter, mourner
bearings: (n) bearing, direction, crest,
position
beast: (n) animal, monster, swine,
fiend, creature, scavenger, savage,
critter, animate being, barbarian;
(adj) bear. ANTONYM: (n) man
beasts: (n) stock
beaver: (n) whiskers, opera hat,
topper, top hat, stovepipe, alpha
geminorum, silk hat, high hat, eager
beaver, dress hat; (adj) irrepressible
bedecked: (adj) decked out,
decorated, ornate, ornamented
bedstead: (n) bed, berth, cot,
bedframe, furniture, shakedown,
pallet, stretcher, tester, stead, hatch
beetle: (v) project, jut, bulge; (adj)
beetling, impend, bestride, mount,
ride, protrusive; (n) mallet; (adj, v)
hang over
begging: (n) mendicancy, request,
plea; (v) asking, beg; (adj)
beseeching, entreating, mendicant,
imploring, suppliant, vagabond
beguile: (v) attract, charm, enchant,
allure, captivate, bluff, entrap,
enthrall, lure, fascinate; (n, v) cheat.
ANTONYMS: (v) protect, irritate,
irk, bore, advise, guard, annoy, repel
beheld: (adj) visual
behold: (v) see, view, contemplate,
regard, perceive, observe, look,
consider, discern, descry, watch.
Edgar Allan Poe
ANTONYMS: (v) Miss, disregard,
ignore, overlook
belabor: (v) thrash, beat, pound,
trounce, beat soundly, belabour,
criticize, criticise, beat up; (n) buffet;
(n, v) pelt
belfry: (n) apse, room, bell tower,
head, pinnacle, belltower
bellowing: (n) roaring, roar, bellows,
hollo, holloa, rout, yowl, boation,
mugiency, hollering; (adj) mugient
bellows: (n) blower, lung, bellowing,
blowpipe, organ; (v) air blower, air
pump, fan, punkah, ventilator
beloved: (adj, n) dear, darling,
favorite, pet; (adj) precious, loved,
cherished; (n) love, dearest, honey,
sweetheart. ANTONYMS: (adj)
detested, despised, disliked
bending: (n) bow, bend, deflection,
deflexion, refraction, flexure, crook;
(adj) flexible, supple, winding,
pliant. ANTONYM: (adj) stiff
berry: (n) fruit, kernel, berries,
cranberry, currant, dewberry,
hackberry, wintergreen,
whortleberry, teaberry, mulberry
beseech: (v) beg, crave, implore, ask,
request, adjure, pray, sue, appeal,
solicit, plead. ANTONYMS: (v) give,
offer, grant, reject
beset: (v) beleaguer, afflict, assault,
siege, molest, worry, attack, plague,
obsess, assail; (adv, v) surround
besieged: (adj) enclosed, under
pressure, under attack, targeted,
struggling, stressed, under fire,
fraught, embattled, careworn,
harassed
besmeared: (adj) beplastered,
covered, grubby
bespeak: (v) augur, reserve, point,
engage, betoken, auspicate, mark,
prefigure, foreshadow; (n, v) argue,
imply
bestir: (v) activate, agitate, stir,
actuate, turn on, arouse, provoke,
move, excite, wake, awaken
bestow: (v) give, confer, grant,
impart, contribute, donate, apply,
award; (adj, v) accord, allow,
present. ANTONYMS: (v) deprive,
refuse, withhold, retrieve, withdraw
bestowed: (adj) presented, conferred,
awarded, accurate
betray: (v) deceive, bewray, sell,
grass, dupe, reveal, mislead,
disclose, accuse, befool, bamboozle.
ANTONYMS: (v) protect,
undeceive, hide, defend, withhold
betrayal: (n) faithlessness, deception,
treason, infidelity, subversiveness,
255
traitorousness, disclosure,
revelation, perfidy, disloyalty,
dishonesty. ANTONYMS: (n)
loyalty, safeguarding, keeping,
honesty, guarding, preserving,
allegiance
betrothed: (adj) affianced, intended,
bespoken, busy, occupied,
contracted, attached, bargained for;
(n) fiance, fiancee; (v) engage
betting: (adj) gambling, dissipated,
sporting; (n) gaming
bewilder: (v) astound, amaze, puzzle,
bemuse, baffle, nonplus, befuddle,
stump; (adj, v) perplex, confound,
stun. ANTONYMS: (v) explain,
enlighten, inform, sharpen
bewildered: (adj) bemused, confused,
confounded, perplexed, befuddled,
puzzled, dumbfounded, taken
aback, addled, disoriented; (adj, v)
lost. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unimpressed, clear, oriented,
precise, understanding, alert
bewildering: (adj) astonishing,
puzzling, perplexing, confusing,
marvelous, mystifying, amazing,
astounding, discomfit, upsetting,
staggering. ANTONYMS: (adj)
enlightening, simple, soothing
billet: (n) position, note, berth, job,
bar, post, ticket, quarters; (v)
quarter, accommodate, lodge
billow: (n, v) wave, surge, swell; (n)
sea, cloud; (v) balloon, heave, zoom,
roll, inflate, bloat. ANTONYMS: (n)
trough; (v) flatten, collapse, deflate
billows: (n) great waters, high seas,
offing, watery waste, brine, vapors,
clouds, smoke, sea, ocean, main
biographer: (n) writer, novelist; (v)
fabulist; (adj) autobiographical,
autobiographic
biographical: (adj) biographic
biography: (n) history, life story, life,
life history, memoirs, memoir, story,
hagiography, animation,
biographies, resume
bitten: (adj) stung, rabid, annoyed;
(v) smitten
bivalve: (n) mussel, mollusc,
mollusk, shellfish; (adj) bivalved,
bivalvular; (v) bicipital, bicephalous,
bilabiate, bidental; (adj, n)
pelecypod
bizarrerie: (adj) rarity, monstrosity,
monster, eccentricity, teratism
blackguard: (n) ruffian, rogue, dog,
rascal, heel, hound, cad; (adj) base,
vile; (v) vituperate, revile
blackness: (n) black, darkness, sable,
gloom, nigritude, night, inkiness,
 256
dark, murk, murkiness, obscurity
blaze: (n, v) flash, glare, flame, mark,
scintillation; (n) fire, light, burning,
inflammation, sheen; (adj, v) burn
blazing: (adj) flaming, afire, burning,
ardent, aflame, glaring, bright,
blatant, alight, passionate; (n) blaze.
ANTONYMS: (adj) freezing, quiet
bleed: (v) run, ooze, phlebotomize,
leak, percolate, shed blood, trickle,
hemorrhage, fleece; (n) ache, smart
bleeding: (adj) bloody, gory, blasted;
(n) haemorrhage, bloodletting,
runout, cupping, leeches,
venesection, phlebotomy; (v) bleed
blend: (n, v) mix; (v) amalgamate,
combine, merge, fuse, commingle,
incorporate, admix; (n) amalgam,
admixture, composite.
ANTONYMS: (n, v) divide; (v)
disharmonize, unmix, steady; (n)
separation
bless: (v) consecrate, celebrate,
sanctify, anoint, eulogize, sign,
praise, keep, grant, glorify; (n)
blessing. ANTONYMS: (v) curse,
condemn, disapprove, damn,
disallow, deny
blessed: (adj) happy, holy, cursed,
sacred, damned, hallowed, blasted,
fortunate, saintly, lucky, divine.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unlucky,
condemned, damned, disapproved,
unhappy, unholy, secular
blighted: (v) broken, wasted, rotten,
moldering, effete, cankered; (adj)
spoilt, ill-fated, bleak, blasted, bad
blockhead: (n) dunderhead, ass,
idiot, beetlehead, dunce, dolt, fool,
loggerhead, muttonhead,
knucklehead; (n, v) block
blowing: (n) processing, insufflation,
bravado; (v) fanning, blow out; (adj)
windy, breezy
blunderbuss: (n) caliver, carbine,
firelock, fowling piece, fusil, musket,
musketry, bungler, rifle, oaf
blundering: (adj) clumsy, tactless,
inept, maladroit, ungainly,
unthinking, ridiculous, obtuse,
oblivious, lumbering, insensitive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) graceful,
sensitive, dexterous
bodily: (adj) material, corporeal,
corporal, animal, carnal, somatic,
real, personal, sensual; (adv)
altogether, fleshly. ANTONYMS:
(adj) mental, spiritual, soulful,
intellectual; (adv) mentally
boisterously: (adv) noisily,
clamorously, raucously,
uproariously, rowdily, riotously,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
loudly, tumultuously, vociferously,
unruly, roughly. ANTONYMS:
(adv) demurely, peacefully
boldly: (adj, adv) courageously,
valiantly, heroically; (adv)
fearlessly, daringly, bravely,
intrepidly, impudently, audaciously,
shamelessly, brashly. ANTONYMS:
(adv) discreetly, modestly,
nervously, hesitantly, shyly,
fearfully, meekly, submissively,
secretly, respectfully, diffidently
boldness: (n) prowess, face, daring,
valor, nerve, assurance, heroism,
audaciousness, spirit, cheek, valour.
ANTONYMS: (n) cowardice,
shyness, timidity, meekness,
reticence
bolted: (adj) barred, Bolten, secured,
firm, barricaded, blockaded, bolted
attachment, fast, fastened, latched,
tight
bombay: (n) greater Bombay
bonfire: (n) fire, balefire, blaze,
conflagration, firecracker, fireworks,
salute, beacon, campfire, feu de joie,
flames
bonnet: (n) cap, protection, chapeau,
tile, wimple, beret, lid, cowling,
castor, poke bonnet, sunbonnet
bookseller: (n) bookshop, bookstore,
owner, proprietor, publisher
booming: (adj) thriving, roaring,
flourishing, successful, loud,
blooming, prospering, palmy,
resonant, wealthy, deep.
ANTONYMS: (adj) failing, quiet,
poor, weak, shrill, thin
boon: (n) blessing, benefit, mercy,
concession, good, gratuity; (n, v)
benefaction, gift, grant; (adj) jocund,
hilarious. ANTONYMS: (n)
disadvantage, privation, disaster,
minus
booty: (n) plunder, prize, loot,
pillage, stolen goods, spoil, spoils,
swag, haul, prey, trophy
bordered: (adj) fringed, edged,
delimited, surrounded
bosom: (n) heart, interior, boob,
thorax, chest, bust, tit; (n, v)
embrace; (v) cherish, hug; (adj)
intimate. ANTONYMS: (n) outside,
exteriority
boston: (n) capital of Massachusetts,
hub of the universe
bouleversement: (n) shipwreck,
cataclysm, break up, wreck, wrack,
desolation, revolution
boundless: (adj) limitless, endless,
unlimited, infinite, bottomless,
incalculable, immense,
immeasurable, interminable,
unbounded, vast. ANTONYMS:
(adj) limited, restricted, confined,
finite, incomplete, negligible, small
bounds: (n) boundary, border, limit,
bound, margin, borderline, end,
bourn, Bourne, brink, edge.
ANTONYMS: (n) center, middle
bout: (n, v) round; (n) attack, spell,
turn, competition, fight, battle,
fighting, effort, game, fit
bowed: (adj) arched, curved, inclined,
crooked, arciform, arching, arced,
bandy, arcuate, twisted, bended.
ANTONYMS: (adj) straight,
concave, plucked
bowels: (n) gut, compassion, pity,
inside, bowel, viscera, innards, belly,
guts, insides, intestines
bower: (n) arbour, alcove, pergola,
hermitage, grotto, framing,
framework, summer house; (v)
inclose, embower, enclose
boyish: (adj) young, puerile,
adolescent, youthful, babyish,
childish, girlish, kittenish, boylike,
callow, immature. ANTONYM: (adj)
mature
bravo: (v) murderer, slayer, Cain,
matador, sabreur; (n) thug,
liquidator; (adj) bully, hotspur,
enfant perdu, scapegrace
breadth: (n) width, spread,
amplitude, wideness, size, length,
latitude, extent, area, broadness,
stretch. ANTONYMS: (n) length,
longitude, emptiness, thinness
breakers: (n, v) surf; (v) beach
comber, whitecaps, white horses; (n)
shallows, shelf, lee shore, ironbound
coast, flat, shoals, waves
breathed: (adj) unvoiced, inaudible,
breathing, aphonic
breeches: (n) knickers, inexpressibles,
knickerbockers, brogues, short,
smalls, overalls, small clothes, pants,
trousers, pantaloons
brevity: (n) briefness, shortness,
succinctness, transience, terseness,
abruptness, crispness, duration,
economy, length, brevities.
ANTONYMS: (n) lengthiness,
length
brighten: (adj, v) clear up; (v) light,
illuminate, burnish, clear, gild,
glow, perk up, cheer, irradiate,
enliven. ANTONYMS: (v) upset,
sadden, overcast, fade, dim, depress,
blacken, spoil
brilliancy: (n, v) brightness; (n)
brilliance, lustre, luster, splendor,
glitter, glory, radiance, splendour;

(adj, n) gorgeousness; (v) gloss
brilliantly: (adv) brightly,
glitteringly, gloriously, superbly,
radiantly, shiningly, resplendently,
splendidly, magnificently,
dazzlingly, vividly. ANTONYMS:
(adv) incompetently, terribly,
poorly, dimly, badly, abysmally
brim: (n) rim, periphery, verge, edge,
lip, hem, rand, margin, perimeter,
brink, limit
brimful: (adj) teeming, brimfull, full,
packed, replete, topful, abundant,
full to the brim, brimful of,
crowded, overfilled
brink: (n, v) edge; (n) border, hem,
threshold, boundary, brim, shore,
periphery, lip, margin, limit.
ANTONYMS: (n) middle, interior,
end
bristly: (adj) barbed, thorny, rough,
spiny, stiff, hairy, setaceous, briery,
bristled, barbellate, briary.
ANTONYM: (adj) soft
broadway: (n) show business
brow: (n) peak, brink, brows, height,
summit, forehead, eyebrow, edge,
crown, brim, border. ANTONYM:
(n) trough
browne: (n) phiz, Charles Farrar
Browne
brows: (n) brow
bruise: (n, v) hurt, wound; (v) crush,
pound, mash, contuse, grind, bray;
(n) contusion, hematoma; (adj, n)
buffet
bruised: (adj) wounded, hurt, raw,
sore, livid, tender, sensitive, rotten,
surbet, sore to the touch, painful
brushing: (n) brush, slashing,
hairdressing, rub, striking, combing;
(adj) ripping. ANTONYM: (n) set
brusquerie: (adj) misbehavior,
brutality, conduct unbecoming a
gentleman
brutal: (adj) barbaric, barbarous,
bestial, hard, cruel, unkind, vicious,
savage, harsh, truculent, barbarian.
ANTONYMS: (adj) merciful, kind,
liberal, humane, generous, caring,
friendly, nice, pleasant
brutally: (adv) fiercely, ferociously,
cruelly, savagely, viciously,
pitilessly, mercilessly, barbarically,
rudely, inhumanly, ruthlessly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) humanely,
kindly, nicely, peacefully,
attentively, mercifully, tamely
brute: (adj) brutal, harsh, gruff,
brutish; (adj, n) animal, savage; (n)
barbarian, fiend, creature, monster;
(adv) beastly. ANTONYMS: (adj)
Edgar Allan Poe
weak, refined, mild, gentle; (n)
gentleman
buckle: (n, v) clasp, warp; (v) curve,
crumple, distort, fasten; (adj, n)
button; (n) screw, hook, fastener;
(adj) strap. ANTONYMS: (v)
unbuckle, flatten, smooth, straighten
bullet: (n) shot, round, pellet, slug,
projectile, missile, stone, carcass,
delivery, grenade, sphere
bundle: (n, v) pack, cluster, clump,
wad; (n) sheaf, pile, batch, stack,
package, group, heap. ANTONYMS:
(v) scatter, separate, disperse, divide
buoy: (v) uphold, encourage, bolster,
sustain, cheer, buoy up, inspire, give
a lift, weigh mount; (adj) float; (n)
signal. ANTONYMS: (v) discourage;
(n) drown, sink
buoys: (n) buoyage
burgomaster: (n) burghmaster,
burghermaster, portreeve, constable,
seneschal, warden, Corregidor,
mayor, alderman
burnished: (adj) polished, bright,
shiny, lustrous, shimmering,
sparkly, glittery, shining; (adj, v)
sunny; (v) meridian, orient
bursting: (adj) explosive, teeming,
chock-full, full, complete,
paroxysmal, exploding, disruptive,
detonating, crowded; (n) outbreak.
ANTONYM: (adj) hungry
burthen: (v) weight, angle, weight
down; (n) loading, plumbing, white
elephant
burying: (n) entombment,
inhumation
bushes: (n) underbrush, thicket,
undergrowth, minor league
busily: (adv) actively, occupiedly,
briskly, industriously, engagedly,
energetically, assiduously, lively,
officiously, fussily, meddlesomely.
ANTONYM: (adv) inactively
buskin: (n) boot, combat boot, sock,
cothurnus, desert boot, dramaturgy,
Melpomene and Thalia, gums, half
boot, histrionic art, chukka boot
butchery: (n, v) carnage; (n)
bloodbath, bloodshed, massacre,
abattoir, butchering, battue,
slaughterhouse, shambles, killing,
murder
buttons: (n) bellboy, peyote
bygone: (adj) ancient, former, gone,
obsolete, outmoded, previous,
archaic, old, late; (n) preterite,
antique. ANTONYMS: (adj) future,
current, coming, modern
byron: (n) Lord Byron, George
Gordon Byron
257
cadet: (n) boy, recruit, cadee, raw
levies, trainee, plebe, staff officer,
second lieutenant, officer, soldier,
midshipman
caged: (adj) jailed, imprisoned,
incarcerated, confined, enslaved, in
prison, behind bars, restrained,
trapped, locked up
calculating: (adj) scheming, sly,
shrewd, crafty, calculative, wily,
wary, discreet, devious; (n)
calculation; (adj, v) wise.
ANTONYMS: (adj) uncalculating,
unassuming, reckless, artless, rash,
guileless, candid, unconscious
calculus: (n) stone, calculi,
computation, bilestone,
encrustation, incrustation, analysis,
reckoning, differential calculus,
enterolith; (v) calculation
callow: (adj) inexperienced, juvenile,
youthful, young, green,
unsophisticated, naive, unfledged,
beardless; (v) bald; (n) cub.
ANTONYMS: (adj) sophisticated,
worldly, mature, urbane
caloric: (adj) thermal; (n) heat,
thermogen
calvin: (n) John Calvin, Melvin
Calvin, Jean Chauvin
cambric: (n) calico, cambric-muslin,
cashmere, fabric, textile, material,
cloth, linen
candelabrum: (n) chandelier,
candlestick, girandole, luster,
sconce, gaselier, branched
candlestick, electrolier
candle: (n) candela, light, taper,
bougie, CD, candlepower, lamp,
wax light, Standard candle; (v)
examine, illuminate
candor: (adj, n) honesty, sincerity,
truth, abandon, fidelity,
uprightness; (n) frankness, integrity,
fairness, candidness, outspokenness.
ANTONYMS: (n) unfairness,
indirectness, deception,
doublespeak, delicacy, conformity,
caution, tact
cane: (n, v) scourge, whip; (v) flog,
beat, birch, thrash, lash; (n) stick,
bat, rattan, twig
canister: (n) container, tin, case shot,
case, cannister, box, bin, drum, jar,
cartridge, canister shot
cannon: (n) clash, carom, gun, shank,
basilisk, gun of position, carambole,
carronade, culverin, field piece,
howitzer
cant: (n) jargon, lingo, slang,
vernacular, argot; (n, v) bank, tilt,
bias, incline; (adj, n) bevel; (v) list
 258
caoutchouc: (n) rubber, gum elastic,
whalebone, natural rubber, arctic,
latex, baleen, Indian rubber, ebonite,
vulcanite
capability: (n) ability, aptitude,
abilities, potential, capableness, gift,
competence, power, qualification,
faculty, potency. ANTONYMS: (n)
failure, incapability, incompetence,
incapableness, insufficiency,
inexperience
capitals: (n) brevier, caps, pica
boldface
caprice: (n) fancy, fantasy, humor,
quirk, freak, notion, impulse, fit,
capriccio, fad, vagary. ANTONYMS:
(n) plan, strategy, blueprint, reality
capricious: (adj) fanciful, whimsical,
irregular, freakish, arbitrary, fickle,
changeable, impulsive, volatile,
variable, unpredictable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) dependable,
predictable, stable, steady, steadfast,
placid, logical, fixed, consistent,
serious
capriciously: (adv) fitfully,
whimsically, erratically,
inconstantly, impulsively, moodily,
waywardly, volatilely, fancifully,
arbitrarily, untrustworthily.
ANTONYM: (adv) logically
caps: (n) brevier, bourgeois, pica
boldface
captivating: (adj, v) enchanting,
charming, engaging; (adj) attractive,
absorbing, alluring, bewitching,
delightful, engrossing, lovely,
enthralling. ANTONYMS: (adj)
repellent, boring, unpleasant,
unappealing, forgettable, annoying
captive: (n) convict, prisoner of war,
slave, detainee, jailbird, gaolbird;
(adj) confined, imprisoned, rapt,
jailed, amoroso. ANTONYMS: (adj)
free, uninterested, unconfined,
liberated, emancipated,
disillusioned; (n) guard, captor
caput: (n) chapter, protuberance,
protrusion, prominence, jut,
gibbousness, extrusion, syndicate,
consistory, hump, excrescence
carcase: (n) body, skeleton, dead
body
carcass: (n) body, frame, corpse,
cadaver, framework, shell, carrion,
remains, dead body, skeleton, bomb
carelessly: (adv) incautiously, hastily,
recklessly, heedlessly, casually,
sloppily, imprudently,
inconsiderately, rashly, negligently,
unwarily. ANTONYMS: (adv)
thoroughly, diligently, carefully,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
warily, laboriously, thoughtfully,
attentively, daintily, methodically,
discreetly, economically
carelessness: (n) negligence,
inattention, indifference,
nonchalance, thoughtlessness,
abandon, incaution, disregard,
omission, forgetfulness, dereliction.
ANTONYMS: (n) attention, caution,
alertness, vigilance, carefulness,
thoughtfulness, assiduousness,
economy, regard, prudence,
forethought
cargo: (n) burden, freight, wares,
goods, merchandise, payload,
shipment, weight, lading, haul; (adj,
n) load
carousing: (n) revelry, revels,
celebrations, skylarking, partying,
party, merriment; (adj) orgiastic,
bacchic, bacchanal, bacchant
casement: (n) embrasure, casement
cloth
cask: (n) bucket, butt, tun, tub, drum,
vat, hogshead, keg, coffin,
containerful, vessel
casting: (n) cast, hurl, pouring,
molding, teeming, block, Malleable
castings, fling, to throw something a
long distance, flinging, pelt
catapult: (n, v) sling; (n) launcher,
slingshot, balister, bow, ordnance,
plaything; (v) shoot, fling, launch,
propel
cataract: (n) waterfall, torrent, falls,
deluge, cataclysm, amaurosis,
blindness, angel, flood, prestriction;
(v) pour
causeway: (n) pathway, sidewalk,
path, track, alley, footpath, jetty,
causey, walkway; (v) furnish,
provide
cautiously: (adv) guardedly,
prudently, warily, circumspectly,
charily, discreetly, vigilantly,
timidly, attentively, watchfully,
sparingly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
openly, irresponsibly, imprudently,
bravely, recklessly, incautiously,
thoughtlessly, wastefully, tactlessly,
rashly, liberally
ceasing: (n) stopping, subsidence
celestial: (adj) ethereal, divine,
supernal, angelic, holy, sacred,
astronomical, unworldly,
superlunary, from on high; (n)
heaven. ANTONYMS: (adj)
mundane, secular, terrestrial, mortal
cellular: (adj) polygastric,
multilocular, locular, cellulated,
porous, spongy, alveolate, vascular,
organic, cystic; (n) cellular linen.
ANTONYM: (adj) noncellular
center: (n, v) centre, focus; (adj, n)
middle; (n) heart, core, pivot, midst,
kernel, substance, seat; (v)
concentrate. ANTONYMS: (n) edge,
outside, exterior, circumference;
(adj, n) border; (adj) extreme, right,
left; (v) scatter, dissipate, disperse
centrifugal: (n) reel; (adj) motor,
motorial; (v) radiant, divergent.
ANTONYMS: (adj) centripetal,
centralizing, consolidating
centripetal: (adj) sensory, unifying,
receptive, centralizing, acropetal
ceremonial: (n) ceremony,
observance, rite, service, liturgy,
formality, etiquette, observation;
(adj) formal, solemn, official.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unstructured,
relaxed, casual
cessation: (n) pause, abatement,
close, stop, respite, suspension,
surcease, standstill, rest,
termination; (n, v) death.
ANTONYMS: (n) beginning,
continuation, commencement,
persistence
chafed: (adj) uncomfortable, sore,
painful, galled, angry; (v) fretted,
agitated
chaff: (v) tease, jest, rally, mock, kid,
jolly, joke; (n) bran, raillery, husk;
(n, v) ridicule
chafing: (n) abrasion, soreness,
tenderness, rubbing, resistance,
roughness; (v) irritate, to chafe; (adj)
impatient
chagrin: (n) mortification, vexation,
annoyance, shame, disappointment,
letdown, humiliation; (n, v) disquiet,
gangrene; (v) disappoint, mortify.
ANTONYMS: (v) please, delight; (n)
pride, satisfaction
chagrined: (adj) ashamed, mortified,
hurt, annoyed, vexed, afflicted,
displeased, discomposed, sorry; (v)
horrified, cut up
chained: (adj) in chains, enchained,
bound
changeless: (adj) fixed, steady,
immutable, abiding, invariable,
stable, invariant, steadfast,
unvarying, unalterable,
unchangeable
characterized: (adj) affected, formed,
molded, cast
charcoal: (n, v) coke; (n) coal, fusain,
wood coal, anthracite, greyness;
(adj) soot, smut, sloe; (v) black lead,
pastel
charitable: (adj) kind, clement,
gentle, benevolent, liberal, bountiful,

philanthropic, generous, humane,
kindly, lenient. ANTONYMS: (adj)
uncharitable, mean, nasty,
tightfisted, inhumane, selfish,
miserly, hard, cruel, commercial,
cheap
charleston: (v) dance
charms: (n) trinkets, jewelry, jewels
chasm: (n) breach, gap, hiatus, gulf,
ravine, hole, abysm, vacancy,
canyon, aperture, emptiness.
ANTONYMS: (n) junction, closure
chastise: (v) castigate, chasten,
correct, reprimand, punish, criticize,
beat, scold, chew out, flog; (n, v)
scourge. ANTONYMS: (v) comfort,
bless, commend, promote, reward,
encourage
chastity: (n) honor, purity,
abstinence, virtue, innocence,
chasteness, continence, modesty,
cleanliness, austerity; (adj) honesty.
ANTONYMS: (n) nymphomania,
lewdness, adultery
chateau: (n) mansion, palace, villa,
hall, place, rotunda, winery, rus in
urbe, vineyard, wine grower, lodge
cheer: (v) animate, applaud, amuse,
hearten, inspire, lighten; (n, v)
comfort, delight, cry; (adj, v)
embolden; (n) consolation.
ANTONYMS: (n) sadness, boo,
uncheerfulness, hiss, pessimism,
raspberry; (v) depress, discourage,
dissuade, complain, jeer
cheers: (n) cheerio, bye, acclamation,
so long, goodbye, au revoir,
clapping, encore
chemically: (adv) with chemicals
chequered: (adj) checkered
cherishing: (n) love, conservation
chess: (n) chess game, chess set,
cheat, shogi, cheater, cheating,
brome, bromegrass, bearded darnel,
checkers, board game
chevalier: (n) maharaja, nawab,
palsgrave, pasha, rajah, waldgrave,
knight, Maurice chevalier
chiefly: (adv) principally, primarily,
above all, especially, headly, mostly,
largely, primely, predominantly;
(adj, adv) mainly, particularly.
ANTONYM: (adv) partially
childish: (adj) childlike, naive,
babyish, immature, simple, puerile,
infantile, juvenile, silly, frivolous,
young. ANTONYMS: (adj) sensible,
old, wise, adult, jaded
childishly: (adv) foolishly, babyishly,
silly, infantilely, stupidly,
immaturely, simplely, juvenilely,
absurdly, ridiculously, frivolously
Edgar Allan Poe
childless: (adj) sterile, unfruitful,
issueless, infertile, bare, bereaved,
bleak, unkind, unproductive, orbate
chilliness: (n) coldness, cold,
frigidity, chill, low temperature,
cool, wintriness, frostiness, algor,
iciness, algidity. ANTONYMS: (n)
warmth, friendliness
chilling: (adj) icy, bloodcurdling,
wintry, macabre, ghastly, cold,
scary, apathetic; (n) cooling,
freezing, refrigeration. ANTONYM:
(adj) reassuring
chilly: (adj, adv) unfriendly; (adv)
coolly, frigidly; (adj) cool, bleak,
algid, freezing, frozen, icy, frosty;
(adj, n) cold. ANTONYMS: (adj) hot,
tropical, responsive, mild,
welcoming, friendly, balmy, torrid
chimerical: (adj) imaginary, fanciful,
fantastic, romantic, delusive,
visionary, unreal, fictitious, utopian,
chimeral, insubstantial
chiming: (v) mocking
chimney: (n) fireplace, smokestack,
shaft, flue, hearth, vent, lamp
chimney, chimneys, nostril, throat,
weasand
chimneys: (n) chimney
choler: (n) anger, bile, resentment,
rage, madness, dander, spleen,
petulance, indignation, irritability,
ire
chops: (n, v) jaws; (n) orifice, chaps,
jaw, fauces, propylon, portico,
porch, door, portal; (v) gob
christendom: (n) apostleship, church,
hierarch, priesthood, Christianism,
church government, ministry,
prelacy
chronicles: (n) archives, history,
archive, records
chronometer: (n) timepiece,
chronograph, Jacquet's recording
chronometer, watch, stopwatch,
timekeeper, timer, chronoscope,
alarm clock, grandfather clock,
travel clock
chuckle: (n, v) snicker, snigger,
giggle, chortle, titter, crow; (v)
chuck, laugh, cackle, exult; (n)
laughter
chuckling: (n) laughter
cigar: (n) cheroot, cigars, smoke,
cigarette, corona, panatela,
panetella, segar, cigarillo
cipher: (n) zero, nothing, number, nil,
nobody, null; (n, v) figure, cypher,
code; (v) calculate; (adj, n)
nonentity. ANTONYMS: (n) infinity;
(v) encode, decode, code, scramble
circulated: (adj) disseminated,
259
diffuse, dispersed, distributed
circumference: (n) circuit, border,
perimeter, boundary, periphery,
outline, brim, compass, circle, edge,
rim. ANTONYMS: (n) middle,
inside, interior, center
circumjacent: (adj) circumfluent
circumstance: (n) affair, incident,
matter, event, occasion, chance,
accident, opportunity, adventure,
casualty, fact
circumstanced: (adj) conditioned
circumstantial: (adj) particular,
detailed, incidental, thorough,
presumptive, precise, coincidental,
elaborate, exact, special, specific.
ANTONYM: (adj) concrete
citation: (n) quotation, reference,
mention, allusion, passage, award,
honorable mention, honor, source,
call; (v) cite. ANTONYM: (n)
demerit
citing: (n) quotation, citation
clad: (adj) dressed, attired, clothed,
coated, garbed; (n) cladding; (prep)
gowned; (v) costume, shod, dress,
attire. ANTONYMS: (adj)
undressed, unclothed
clamor: (n, v) outcry, cry, clamour,
hullabaloo, roar, shout; (n) noise,
racket, uproar, exclamation,
hubbub. ANTONYMS: (n) silence,
serenity, tranquility; (v) whisper,
mutter
clasp: (n, v) embrace, hug, grip,
grasp, squeeze, clutch, buckle,
brooch; (adj, n, v) pin; (v) stick,
cling. ANTONYMS: (v) unbuckle,
loose, unclasp, relax, detach
clattering: (n) crash; (adj) clattery
claws: (v) tentacle, tenaculum,
unguis, hook, fangs, teeth; (n)
clutches, jaws
clearness: (n) clarity, brightness,
distinctness, perspicuity, lucidity,
explicitness, sharpness, simplicity,
purity, limpidity, intelligibility.
ANTONYMS: (n) ambiguity,
opacity, dirtiness, vagueness,
unclearness, obscureness,
indistinctness, clutter, haziness,
mustiness
clenched: (adj) tight, clinched
cleverness: (n) ingenuity, adroitness,
wisdom, aptitude, acumen,
intelligence, skill, dexterity,
astuteness, brightness, smartness.
ANTONYMS: (n) slowness,
clumsiness, imbecility, foolishness,
ineptness, simplicity,
straightforwardness, uselessness,
frankness
 260
clew: (n) cue, clod, glob, knob,
footmark, footprint, vestige; (v)
point out; (adj) pellet, globule,
Pelote
climber: (n) cragsman, social climber,
jock, rock climber, upstart, creeper,
vine, rambler, mountain climber,
trekker, hiker
cling: (v) adhere, cleave, stick, cohere,
hang, attach, grasp, adjoin, clutch,
grip, hold. ANTONYMS: (v) detach,
repel, unfasten
clinging: (adj) adhering, sticky,
adherent, devoted, adhering closely,
affectionate, dependent, tenacious,
osculant; (n) coherence
closet: (n) cupboard, cubicle, cell,
latrine, bathroom, wardrobe, water
closet; (adj) clandestine,
confidential, secret, private.
ANTONYM: (adj) open
clotted: (n) clammy, ropy, mastic,
glutenous, gelatin; (adj) thick,
clogged, grumous, bloody, choked,
fleamy
clouded: (adj, n) cloudy; (adj)
gloomy, dark, overcast, obscure,
blurred, foggy, misty, hazy, bleary;
(v) cymophanous. ANTONYM: (adj)
clear
clumsily: (adv) awkwardly, ineptly,
crudely, ungracefully, maladroitly,
gawkily, inelegantly, gauchely,
inexpertly, unwieldily, roughly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) skillfully,
cleverly, coherently, deftly,
elegantly, gracefully, carefully,
expertly, competently, tactfully,
urbanely
cluster: (n, v) clump, bundle, huddle,
group, crowd; (n) batch,
agglomeration, gang, collection, tuft;
(v) collect. ANTONYMS: (v)
dissemble, scatter; (n) individual
clutch: (n, v) clasp, grip, clench,
grasp, hold, clinch, gripe; (v) grab,
grapple, embrace; (adj, v) catch.
ANTONYMS: (n) loose; (v) release,
unfasten
clutched: (adj) tense, worried,
anxious, neurotic
clutches: (n) clasp, grip, grasp, hold,
clench, seizing, custody, talons; (v)
vice, tongs, pliers
clutching: (n) locking
coadjutor: (adj, n) accomplice, ally,
associate, comrade; (n) abettor,
accessory, colleague, coadjutrix,
aide, helper, sidekick
coating: (n) skin, painting, facing,
covering, finish, application,
sheathing, envelope, mantle,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
overcoat, cover. ANTONYM: (n)
middle
cobalt: (n) Co, kobalt, atomic number,
carbon dioxide, carbonic acid gas,
Centennial State; (adj) cyanogen,
azure, smalt, ultramarine
cobbler: (n) bootmaker, shoemaker,
cordwainer, hosier, highball, hatter,
maker, shaper, pie, vamper; (v)
tinker
codfish: (n) burbot, gadoid, Atlantic
cod, codling, cusk, eelpout, ling,
scrod
coffer: (n) box, chest, case, caisson,
casket, trunk, safe, strongbox,
treasury, crate, coffers
cognizance: (n, v) cognition,
acquaintance; (n) sense,
consciousness, ken, notice,
jurisdiction, note, observation,
recognition; (v) knowledge
cognizant: (adj) mindful, conscious,
sensible, knowing, knowledgeable,
familiar, cognisant, perceptive,
witting, conversant, acquainted.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unwitting,
ignorant, incognizant, oblivious,
uninformed
cognomen: (v) agnomen; (n) family
name, appellation, name,
denomination, title, surname,
soubriquet, sobriquet, designation,
nickname
cogs: (n) teeth, moving parts,
workings, works, mechanism,
device, cost of goods sold
coherence: (n) comprehensibility,
agreement, coherent, adhesion,
cohesiveness, coherency, clarity,
cohesion, continuity, adherence,
logic. ANTONYMS: (n)
inconsistency, disagreement
coincide: (v) agree, concur, accede,
correspond, conform, consort,
accept, square, consent; (adj, v)
meet; (n) coincidence. ANTONYMS:
(v) diverge, disagree, contradict,
clash, deviate, conflict
coincidence: (n) chance, accident,
conformity, conjunction,
coexistence, consistency, unison,
correspondence, concurrence,
appulse; (v) coincide. ANTONYM:
(n) plan
coincident: (adj) concurrent,
simultaneous, consistent,
coincidental, identical, congruent,
accordant, concomitant, coexisting,
at the same time, corresponding.
ANTONYM: (adj) inconsistent
coir: (n) fibre, chorus, coir rope,
coconut fibre
coldness: (n) chilliness, coolness,
indifference, distance, apathy,
iciness, reserve, frost, frigidity,
unconcern; (adj, n) cold.
ANTONYMS: (n) friendliness,
sympathy, sensitivity, hotness, heat,
responsiveness, concern, brightness,
kindness
collate: (v) compare, collect, compile,
sort, balance, amass, confront,
verify, examine, accumulate, check
out. ANTONYM: (v) disorganize
collateral: (n) warranty, guarantee,
mortgage, guaranty, security,
pledge, bond; (adj) secondary,
indirect, oblique, subsidiary.
ANTONYMS: (adj) primary, chief,
fundamental, principal, lineal
collation: (n) snack, nosh,
refreshment, checking, bite, meal,
banquet, verification; (v) refection,
junket, picnic
collectedly: (adv) coolly, calmly,
quietly, placidly, serenely, soberly,
steadily, tranquilly, sedately, stilly,
levelheadedly
collectively: (adv) together,
generally, conjointly, communally,
aggregately, unitedly, mutually,
commonly, altogether, corporately,
cooperatively. ANTONYMS: (adv)
alone, individually
collocation: (n) disposal,
configuration, collection, collocate,
pair up, put into pairs, junction,
classification, arrangement,
disposition, apposition
colloquy: (n) talk, conference,
conversation, dialog, chat, dialogue,
collocution, verbal intercourse,
meeting, parley, interview
color: (n, v) flush, blush, tint, tinge,
paint, stain; (adj, n, v) colour; (v)
redden; (n) guise, complexion; (adj,
n) tone. ANTONYMS: (v) discolor,
pale, show, whiten, untwist, denote,
depict, represent, blanch, blench
colored: (adj) chromatic, black,
tinged, tinted, colorful, dyed,
coloured, partial, dark, bleached,
biased. ANTONYMS: (adj) truthful,
white, uncolored, unbiased, pale,
objective, honest, genuine, real
coloring: (n) color, paint, coloration,
tint, colouring, dye, complexion,
pigment, colour, dyeing, colouration
colors: (n) flag, colours, paints,
banner, color, colour, ensign,
pigment, tint, dye, paint
colossal: (adj) huge, gargantuan,
prodigious, Brobdingnagian, vast,
enormous, great, mammoth,

immense, massive, monstrous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) tiny, small,
insignificant, minute, compact,
microscopic, miniature, slight
combating: (adj) militant, rival,
opposed; (n) hostility
combines: (adj) combined
combing: (n) hairdressing, search,
combing waste, cockscomb
combining: (n) combination,
combine, fusion, consolidation,
compounding, admixture,
incorporation, association,
conjugation; (adj) polysynthetic,
combined
comet: (n) Ariel, iris, Dendrocometes,
celestial body
comicality: (n) oddity, comedy
commanding: (adj) imperative,
imperious, peremptory, bossy,
imposing, ascendant, compelling,
magnificent; (adj, n) grand,
impressive; (adv) commandingly.
ANTONYMS: (adj) inferior,
unassertive, indecisive,
unimpressive, insignificant,
subservient
commence: (v) begin, start, open,
initiate, embark, institute, introduce,
launch, arise, inaugurate, enter.
ANTONYMS: (v) finish, stop,
terminate, complete, remain,
relinquish
commenced: (v) began, Gan; (adj)
initiate, present
commencement: (n) opening, start,
origin, birth, kickoff, inauguration,
inception, onset, outset, origination,
source. ANTONYMS: (n) middle,
termination, finishing, finish,
ending, conclusion, culmination
commencing: (adj) initial, incipient;
(v) commence; (adv) startingly;
(prep) starting, from; (n) start,
initiation, commencement,
origination, inauguration
commendation: (n, v) acclaim,
applause, praise; (n) approval,
citation, approbation, tribute, credit,
plaudit, acclamation, admiration.
ANTONYMS: (n) disapproval,
criticism, censure, demotion
commensurate: (adj) equal, sufficient,
commensurable, proportionate,
equivalent, comparable, coextensive,
tangible, valid, level, competent.
ANTONYMS: (adj) inappropriate,
inconsistent, incommensurate,
divergent, inadequate
commentary: (n) comment,
exposition, observation, note, article,
footnote, remark, gloss, explanation,
Edgar Allan Poe
review, notation
commotion: (n) tumult, ado,
disturbance, turmoil, stir, din,
flurry, fuss, bedlam, tempest; (n, v)
agitation. ANTONYMS: (n) peace,
order, calm, serenity, calmness,
stillness, quiet, tranquility, inactivity
communicating: (n) communication,
intercommunication, suasion,
expression, transmission,
examination, intercourse,
dramaturgy; (v) communicate; (adj)
communicant, dramaturgic
communion: (n) communication,
denomination, intercourse, alliance,
Eucharist, faction, sacrament, traffic,
sharing, fellowship, Holy
Communion. ANTONYMS: (n)
hostility, disunity, distance,
disagreement, alienation, contention
companions: (n) circle, entourage,
people
companionship: (n) company,
society, fellowship, camaraderie,
partnership, friendship, fraternity,
amity, coexistence, brotherhood,
communion. ANTONYMS: (n)
animosity, enmity, solitude
compass: (n) scope, range, room,
extent, area, circumference, reach;
(n, v) round, grasp, circle; (v) get.
ANTONYM: (v) lose
compelled: (adj) forced, obligate,
enforced, constrained, responsible,
answerable, unwilling, destined
competitor: (n) antagonist, adversary,
candidate, challenger, match,
contender, opponent, competition,
enemy, aspirant, entrant.
ANTONYMS: (n) colleague, friend
complaisance: (adj, n) affability,
civility; (n) courtesy, deference,
respect, compliancy, agreeableness,
submission, amenity, politeness;
(adj) gallantry
complexion: (n, v) tint; (n) cast,
character, appearance, look, hue,
aspect, flush, glow, dye, fashion
compliment: (n, v) praise, honor; (v)
laud, flattery, applaud, greet,
adulation, congratulate, belaud; (n)
eulogy, tribute. ANTONYMS: (n)
criticism, reproach, disparagement;
(n, v) slander, libel; (v) criticize,
denounce, disparage, denigrate,
complain, belittle
comprehend: (v) grasp, catch, see,
comprise, appreciate, feel, sense,
apperceive, read; (adj, v)
understand; (n, v) embrace.
ANTONYMS: (v) mistake,
misapprehend, exclude,
261
misunderstand, misconceive
comprehended: (adj) understood,
apprehended
comprehending: (adj) intelligent,
general, observant, sympathetic,
brotherly, conversant
comprehensible: (adj) intelligible,
coherent, understandable, lucid,
perspicuous, accessible, plain,
apprehensible, comprehendible,
readable, incomprehensible.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unintelligible,
illegible, unfathomable, obscure,
doubtful, incomplete, difficult,
unclear
comprehension: (n) knowledge,
inclusion, conception,
understanding, intelligence, grasp,
wit, capacity, familiarity,
discernment, uptake. ANTONYMS:
(n) incomprehension, ignorance
compressing: (n) pressure,
compression, squeezing,
condensation, applying pressure;
(adj) pinching. ANTONYM: (n)
decompression
compression: (n) compaction,
pressure, contraction, consolidation,
concentration, compressing,
squeezing, concretion, compactness,
data compression, constriction.
ANTONYM: (n) looseness
computation: (n, v) calculation,
estimation, reckoning; (n) compute,
estimate, account, arithmetic,
figuring, count, computing; (v)
enumeration. ANTONYMS: (n)
guesswork, guessing, conjecture,
estimation
concave: (n) indentation, depression,
concavity; (adj) cavernous,
biconcave, cupped, dipped, arched,
indented; (adj, n) crescent; (v) stove
in. ANTONYM: (adj) curved
conceal: (v) hide, disguise, bury,
screen, cloak, smother, shield,
suppress, mask, obscure; (n, v) veil.
ANTONYMS: (v) reveal, show,
expose, divulge, clarify, uncover,
disclose, tell, admit, spotlight, flaunt
concealed: (adj) covert, clandestine,
blind, occult, secret, mysterious,
obscure, buried, invisible, secreted,
surreptitious. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unconcealed, available, overt, open,
divulged, Shown, revealed,
disclosed, uncovered, noticeable,
mainstream
concealing: (n) covering,
concealment, burial, stealing,
stealth, screening, burying,
screenings, activity; (adj)
 262
suppressive
concealment: (n) suppression,
confidentiality, concealing, secrecy,
screen, disguise, hiding, privacy,
camouflage, blind, covering.
ANTONYMS: (n) discovery,
disclosure, exposure, expression,
openness, uncovering, revelation
concede: (v) acknowledge, admit,
accord, confess, agree, cede, yield,
submit, award, recognize, avow.
ANTONYMS: (v) deny, refute,
reject, persevere, fight,
disacknowledge, repudiate,
maintain, confront, prohibit, acquire
conceit: (n) pretension, vanity, self-
esteem, pride, assumption, egotism,
fancy, haughtiness, conception,
caprice, quip. ANTONYMS: (n)
humility, timidity, selflessness,
humbleness, reserve
conceivable: (adj) imaginable,
thinkable, believable,
comprehensible, likely, earthly,
potential, credible, plausible,
cogitable, reasonable. ANTONYMS:
(adj) unthinkable, difficult,
implausible, impossible,
unimaginable
conceive: (v) think, imagine,
comprehend, design, apprehend,
realize, discover, cogitate,
appreciate, invent, catch.
ANTONYMS: (v) destroy, doubt,
misunderstand, question, ruin
conceived: (adj) formed
conceiving: (n) fantasy, daydream;
(adj) imaginant, original
concentric: (adj) homocentric,
unrelieved, coaxial, axial, focal,
azygous, umbilical
concierge: (n) gatekeeper, door-
keeper, doorman, doorkeeper,
custodian, janitor, porter, warder,
Guarda Costa, warden, game keeper
conciliate: (v) appease, reconcile,
assuage, propitiate, placate, mollify,
pacify, calm, accommodate,
mediate, allay. ANTONYM: (v)
enrage
concludes: (adj) ended, concluded
concluding: (adj) last, terminal,
ultimate, closing, definitive,
conclusive, latest; (n) ending, dying,
finishing, reasoning. ANTONYMS:
(adj) opening, former, first
conclusive: (adj) decisive,
undeniable, definitive, certain,
definite, crucial, indisputable,
ultimate; (adj, prep) cogent; (adj, v)
unanswerable, determinate.
ANTONYMS: (adj) indecisive,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
uncertain, dubious, unconfirmed,
indefinite, questionable, iffy,
opening, unconvincing, provisional
concordance: (n) accord, concord,
accordance, approval, concert,
harmony, congruence, comity,
concurrence, index, unison
concussion: (n) shock, collision, blow,
impact, shake, shudder, bump, jolt,
percussion, crash, vibrate
condensation: (n) abridgement,
liquefaction, synopsis, compression,
capsule, contraction, abridgment,
abstract, abbreviation,
concentration, epitome.
ANTONYMS: (n) dryness,
expansion
condense: (v) compact, abbreviate,
compress, concentrate, congeal, cut,
contract, set, shorten, abstract,
centralize. ANTONYMS: (v)
lengthen, dilute, amplify, enlarge,
extend, increase, soften, elaborate
condensed: (adj) concise,
compressed, concentrated, succinct,
compact, summary, compendious,
short, shortened; (adj, v) condense;
(n) tabloid. ANTONYMS: (adj)
loose, uncondensed, diluted,
expanded, convoluted, long
condenser: (n) lens, setup, distributor
ignition capacitor, capacitance,
trimmer, optical condenser,
electrical condenser, coil, capacity,
bypass condenser, bypass capacitor
condensing: (n) inspissation,
compression, abridgement,
abridgment, capsule, compressing,
condensate, thickening, contraction
conditionally: (adv) provisorily,
qualifiedly, contingently,
dependently, supposing, guardedly,
hypothetically, temporarily; (n) if, in
case, provided
cone: (n) strobile, retinal cone,
pyramid, roll, conus, strobilus,
pinnacle, conoid, cone shape, cone
cell; (adj) conical
confectioner: (n) maker, shaper,
confectionary, waferer,
confectionery maker
confess: (adj, v) own, allow, admit,
avow; (v) concede, profess,
recognize, divulge, disclose, reveal,
receive. ANTONYMS: (v) suppress,
hide, dispute, conceal, repress,
harbor
confessed: (adj) known
confessing: (v) confess
confession: (n) admission,
acknowledgment, recognition,
acknowledgement, concession,
divulgence, disclosure, shrift,
penance, profession, admission of
guilt. ANTONYMS: (n) disavowal,
refutation
confide: (v) commit, trust, entrust,
intrust, consign, rely, charge,
unbosom, whisper, lean, hope.
ANTONYMS: (v) suppress, keep,
conceal, retain
confidently: (adv) hopefully, surely,
securely, assuredly, intrepidly,
boldly, courageously, certainly,
sanguinely, bravely, definitely.
ANTONYMS: (adv) powerlessly,
weakly, hesitantly, anxiously,
uncertainly, timidly, despairingly,
tentatively, pessimistically,
irresolutely, awkwardly
confine: (n, v) bound, border, limit;
(v) bind, restrain, circumscribe, tie,
incarcerate, hold; (n) boundary,
bounds. ANTONYMS: (v) release,
free, liberate, broaden
confines: (n) boundary, bound,
barrier, compass, limit, limits, range,
frontier; (adj) environs, alentours;
(adj, n) neighborhood
conflagration: (n) blaze, inferno,
flame, wildfire, combustion,
holocaust, burning, bonfire,
empyrosis, flagration; (n, v)
deflagration
conflicting: (adj) repugnant,
opposed, incompatible, clashing,
inconsistent, opposite, contrary,
divergent, adverse, paradoxical; (v)
antagonistic. ANTONYMS: (adj)
consistent, compatible, parallel,
peaceful, harmonious,
corresponding, agreeing, agreeable,
congruous
conformation: (n) shape, compliance,
constitution, configuration,
accordance, composition, build,
accord, cast, line, formation.
ANTONYMS: (n) disobedience,
noncompliance
confounded: (adj) bemused,
accursed, execrable, baffled, cursed,
befuddled, confused, puzzled,
aghast, perplexed; (adj, v) abashed
confounding: (adj) baffling, puzzling,
contradictory, devious, difficult,
marvelous, misleading, astounding;
(v) confound; (n) misunderstanding,
confusion
conical: (adj) pyramidal, tapering,
copped, conelike, coniform, taper,
cone, tapered, coppled, pointed
conjecture: (n) supposition,
speculation, assumption, surmise,
hypothesis; (v) suppose, believe,

anticipate, assume, speculate; (n, v)
estimate. ANTONYMS: (n)
certainty; (v) demonstrate, know,
learn, prove
conjurer: (n) performer, illusionist,
conjuror, wizard, juggler,
prestidigitator, sorcerer, conjure
man, necromancer, enchanter,
pythonist
conjuring: (n) magic, hocus-pocus,
incantation, sorcery, witchcraft,
sleight of hand, adjuration, figgum,
conjury, evocation; (adj) magical
conjuror: (n) magician, seer,
illusionist, prestidigitator, conjure
man, jockey, performer, wizard,
witch, trickster, necromancer
connecting: (n) concatenation,
assembly, attachment, connection,
connexion, joining, coupling,
junction, fastening, articulation;
(adj) connected
connexion: (n) conjunction,
connector, connective, connection,
association, bond, concatenation,
join, linkage, link, junction
connivance: (n) complicity, tacit
consent, acquiescence, conspiracy,
plot, connivency, commendation,
involvement, approval,
responsibility, secret approval
consecrated: (adj) consecrate, blessed,
sanctified, hallowed, holy,
dedicated, divine, devoted, adopted;
(adj, prep) set apart; (prep) dedicate.
ANTONYM: (adj) secular
consenting: (adj) agreeable, yielding,
submissive, consentant, compliant,
affirmative, accepting; (v)
complying, chosen
consequent: (adj) following, ensuing,
resultant, sequent, resulting,
successive, succeeding; (n) sequel,
outcome, upshot; (adj, v) attendant.
ANTONYMS: (adj) original,
preceding
consigned: (adj) destined, aboard
consigning: (n) delegation
conspicuous: (adj) apparent, blatant,
visible, manifest, obvious, marked,
glaring, blazing, flagrant, famous;
(adj, v) salient. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unobtrusive, unremarkable,
unnoticeable, concealed, hidden,
indistinct, invisible, secret,
unimportant, unseen, doubtful
conspicuously: (adv) prominently,
eminently, remarkably, obviously,
clearly, outstandingly, evidently,
manifestly, plainly, strikingly; (adj,
adv) noticeably. ANTONYMS: (adv)
imperceptibly, unnoticeably,
Edgar Allan Poe
vaguely
constituted: (adj) habitual, planted,
legitimate, grooved, accomplished,
official
constrained: (adj) forced, bound, stiff,
strained, awkward, compelled,
limited, affected, stilted, rigid,
unnatural. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unrestricted, liberated, natural, open
constriction: (n) contraction, choke,
bottleneck, compress, pressure,
retraction, impediment, reduction,
strain, traction, shrinkage.
ANTONYMS: (n) opening, width,
freedom
constructing: (adj) building,
edificant; (n) synthesis
consul: (n) diplomat, chancellor,
legate, diplomatist, internuncio,
nuncio, proconsul, envoy,
ambassador, provost, warden
consummated: (adj) perfected, done,
fulfilled; (v) completed, crowned
contaminating: (adj) contaminated,
pestilent, dirty, infectious,
corrupting
contemplation: (n) consideration,
reflection, thought, attention,
cogitation, musing, introspection,
speculation, animus, deliberation;
(n, v) study
contemplative: (adj, v) reflective,
pensive, wistful, meditative,
introspective; (adj) broody,
brooding, speculative, ruminative,
musing; (v) museful. ANTONYMS:
(adj) shallow, vacuous, blank,
thoughtless, disregarding,
unreflective, satisfied
contend: (v) wrestle, compete,
conflict, combat, argue, war, clash,
altercate, struggle, contest; (n, v)
allege. ANTONYMS: (v) retreat,
harmonize, abandon, deny, cede,
agree, surrender, desert
contented: (adj) content, happy,
comfortable, quiet, cheerful, smug,
complacent, satisfied, easy, proud,
delighted. ANTONYMS: (adj)
discontented, unhappy, depressed,
unsatisfied, sad, anxious
contention: (n) competition, battle,
conflict, argumentation, argument,
discord, assertion, controversy,
allegation, arguing, difference.
ANTONYMS: (n) affection,
kindness, friendship, friendliness,
agreement, accord, cooperation,
denial
contingencies: (n) contingency
reserve
continual: (adj, adv) constant; (adj)
263
ceaseless, incessant, endless,
continuous, frequent, everlasting,
uninterrupted, perpetual,
unrelenting, perennial.
ANTONYMS: (adj) sporadic,
temporary, occasional, finite,
inconstant, infrequent, ending,
ceasing, halting, rare, acute
continuously: (adv) continually,
incessantly, ceaselessly, endlessly,
unceasingly, persistently,
uninterruptedly, unremittingly,
steadily, perpetually, permanently.
ANTONYMS: (adv) sporadically,
inconsistently
contort: (v) twist, bend, deform,
warp, wring, wrench, falsify, curl,
mangle, make faces, deface.
ANTONYMS: (v) straighten,
unbend, untwist, smile
contour: (n) contour line, outline,
form, profile, shape, line,
configuration, silhouette, curve,
circuit, edge. ANTONYM: (n) core
contracted: (adj) insular, contract,
constricted, tight, bound, close,
narrow-minded, confined, brief; (v)
shrunk; (adj, v) selfish. ANTONYM:
(adj) expanded
contradict: (v) deny, oppose, belie,
conflict, confute, controvert,
contravene, disprove, refute,
invalidate, impugn. ANTONYMS:
(v) agree, match, correspond,
approve, corroborate, prove,
support, reinforce
contradictory: (adj) inconsistent,
incompatible, contrary, opposite,
antagonistic, ironic, repugnant; (adj,
n) discordant, disagreeing; (n)
contradiction; (v) contradict.
ANTONYMS: (adj) consistent,
similar, compatible, parallel,
agreeing, corresponding,
confirming, coherent, corroboratory,
reconcilable, sound
contrary: (adj, n) contradictory,
reverse; (adj) adverse, conflicting,
unfavorable, perverse, cross,
disobedient, alien, different,
obstinate. ANTONYMS: (adj)
similar, harmonious, helpful,
obliging, compatible, complaisant,
concordant, parallel, agreeable,
cooperative, favorable
contributor: (n) correspondent,
donor, participant, benefactor, giver,
subscriber, partaker, accomplice,
writer, journalist, presenter.
ANTONYM: (n) recipient
contrivance: (n) device, appliance,
gadget, artifice, plot, dodge,
 264
resource, plan, contraption,
machine, apparatus
contrive: (v) plan, invent, design,
concoct, devise, cast, concert,
excogitate, frame, formulate; (n, v)
manage. ANTONYMS: (v)
demolish, destroy, ruin, waste,
wreck, fail
contrived: (adj) affected, unnatural,
false, forced, labored, spurious,
feigned, unreal, strained, built,
artificially formal. ANTONYM: (adj)
sincere
contriving: (adj) designing, deep,
calculating, shifty
controvert: (v) confute, debate,
dispute, gainsay, negate, negative,
oppose, question, rebut, refute,
argue. ANTONYMS: (v) agree,
corroborate, harmonize, prove
conveniences: (n) creature comforts,
comforts, convenience, living,
support, livelihood, keep,
sustenance, facility, facilities, device
conversant: (adj) proficient, knowing,
informed, familiar, versed, learned,
cognizant, conscious, erudite,
experienced, skilled. ANTONYMS:
(adj) unfamiliar, oblivious,
inexperienced
converse: (n, v) chat, discourse,
argue; (v) confer, confabulate, speak;
(n) conversation, colloquy, contrast;
(adj, n) opposite; (adj) counter.
ANTONYMS: (adj, n) equal; (adj)
similar, complementary; (n)
similarity
convex: (adj) gibbous, biconvex,
hunched, bulgy, protuberant,
prominent; (adj, n) crescent; (v)
protrude, bulge out, stick out,
projecting. ANTONYMS: (adj)
concave, sunken
convexity: (n) bulge, camber, knob,
projection, convexness, convex
shape, solid, form, shape,
protuberance, gibbosity
conveyed: (v) borne, sent
conveying: (n) conveyance, delivery,
conveyancing, conveyance of title,
transference, transmission, convey,
transmit, assigning, transfer,
delegation
convulsively: (adv) spasmodically,
paroxysmally, spasticly, with
convulsions
coolly: (adv) quietly, composedly,
coldly, collectedly, nonchalantly,
placidly, serenely, chilly, steadily,
frostily, frigidly. ANTONYMS:
(adv) nervously, anxiously,
agitatedly, expressively,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
boisterously, enthusiastically
copied: (adj) counterfeit, derivative,
sham, false, phony, mock, imitative,
forged, fake, ersatz, bogus.
ANTONYM: (adj) real
copious: (adj) bountiful, ample,
affluent, plentiful, rich, plenteous,
much, many, generous, large; (adj,
n) luxuriant. ANTONYMS: (adj)
small, meager, sparse, lacking, rare,
scant, scanty, thin, few; (adv)
partially
copiously: (adv) profusely, lavishly,
richly, plentifully, plenteously,
generously, exuberantly, liberally,
affluently, prolifically, bountifully.
ANTONYMS: (adv) meagerly,
thinly, scantily
coppice: (n) copse, brush, brake,
underwood, thicket, wood, spinney,
underbrush, undergrowth, grove,
canebrake
cord: (n) band, bond, tie, twine, tape,
whipcord, thread, yarn, lace, rope,
leash
cordage: (n) rope, quantity, measure,
quantum, ropes, cord fabric,
amount, twine
cordial: (adj) genial, warm, affable,
amiable, friendly, genuine, ardent,
unaffected, gracious, honest; (n)
liqueur. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unfriendly, stern, cold, cool,
disagreeable, aloof, reserved,
distant, rude, uncordial, unpleasant
cordiality: (adj, n) friendliness,
geniality, sympathy, sociability; (n)
hospitality, sincerity, affability,
amity, kindness, amiability; (v)
heartiness. ANTONYMS: (n)
frostiness, disapproval,
disapprobation, disagreement,
difference, misunderstanding,
hostility, rudeness
cords: (n) trousers, bands, line,
strings, corduroys, raised bands
corpse: (n) carcass, body, carcase,
dead person, stiff, dead body,
remains, corse, clay, dry bones; (adj)
lich
correspond: (adj, n, v) agree; (v)
accord, coincide, conform, suit,
consort, match, parallel, fit, answer,
harmonize. ANTONYMS: (v)
disagree, conflict, contradict,
disaccord, clash, jar
correspondents: (n) reporters, press,
newspapers, journalists
corroborated: (adj) corroborate,
substantiated, verified
corroboration: (n) evidence,
certification, testimony, proof,
support, ratification, verification,
approval, authentication, confirm,
corroborate
corroborative: (adj) corroboratory,
collateral, confirmative, confirming,
affirmative, corroborant,
substantiating, verifying,
verificatory, validatory,
substantiative
corrosion: (n) erosion, corroding,
decay, deterioration, canker, rot,
rust, attrition, wear, putrefaction,
impairment
cosmogony: (n) astrophysics,
cosmogeny, cosmography
countenance: (n) aspect, expression,
brow, complexion; (n, v) face,
sanction, support, favor; (v) allow,
tolerate, uphold. ANTONYMS: (v)
reject, oppose, discourage,
disapprove, prohibit
counterbalance: (v) compensate,
counteract, neutralize, countervail,
cover, counterweigh; (n, v)
counterpoise; (n) counterweight,
equilibrium, poise, equilibration.
ANTONYMS: (v) unbalance,
overbalance
counterfeit: (adj, n, v) sham; (n, v)
copy, duplicate; (adj, v) mock,
falsify; (adj) false, artificial,
assumed; (adj, n) imitation; (v)
forge, ape. ANTONYMS: (adj)
genuine, real, authentic, true, actual;
(n) original
counting: (n) calculation, count,
reckoning, computation,
enumeration, numbering,
numeration, tally, nosecount; (adj)
calculating, including. ANTONYM:
(prep) excluding
courteously: (adv) graciously, civilly,
considerately, decorously, decently,
gallantly, obligingly, urbanely,
suavely, thoughtfully, kindly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) coarsely,
uncooperatively, disrespectfully,
impolitely
cove: (n) bay, cave, harbor, bight,
inlet, recess, creek, glen, man,
fellow, guy
covert: (adj) clandestine, hidden,
concealed, secret, underground,
undercover; (n) cover, blind, refuge,
concealment, covering.
ANTONYMS: (adj) open,
aboveboard, unconcealed, public,
blatant
coveted: (adj) sought after, desirable,
in demand. ANTONYM: (adj)
unpopular
crackling: (adj, n) crisp; (adj)

snapping, crepitant, cheerful, brittle,
noisy; (n) crepitation, decrepitation,
crackleware, crackle China,
bohemian crackle
craggy: (adj) cragged, rugged, rocky,
cliffy, jagged, hilly, harsh, uneven,
broken, precipitous, abrupt.
ANTONYMS: (adj) even, flat, level
crank: (n) grouch, nut, crackpot,
conceit, quip, winch, bend,
screwball, quirk, crosspatch; (adj)
cranky
cravat: (n) neckerchief, neckcloth,
stock, ascot, collar, handkerchief,
scarf, neckwear, necktie, ruff
creator: (n) author, originator,
producer, maker, inventor, artist,
founder, builder, manufacturer,
initiator, God. ANTONYM: (n)
destructor
credentials: (n) certificate, papers,
credential, commission, document,
diploma, background, identification,
card, warrant, voucher
creditable: (adj, v) reputable,
respectable; (adj, n) meritorious;
(adj) praiseworthy, laudable,
worthy, admirable, believable; (n)
estimable, dignity; (v) up to the
mark. ANTONYMS: (adj) unworthy,
disrespected, disgraceful,
discreditable, lamentable, poor,
blameworthy
creed: (n) conviction, gospel, religion,
credo, faith, tenet, dogma, doctrine,
denomination, persuasion, church
doctrine
creek: (n) brook, cove, bay, stream,
inlet, river, bayou, rivulet; (v) burn,
runnel, beck
creeping: (n) creep, crawl,
locomotion, spreading; (v) lentor;
(adj) reptile, slow, reptant,
reptatory, serpiginous, moving
crescent: (n) circus, carve, arch,
arcade, bow, peristyle, lunule; (adj)
semilunar, falcate; (adj, n) convex,
concave. ANTONYMS: (adj)
uncoiled, straight, unbent, unbowed
crevice: (n) cleft, break, chink, cranny,
chap, fissure, interstice, rift, gap,
hole, fracture
criminate: (v) charge, arraign,
censure, impeach, incriminate,
blame, reproach, reprimand, indict,
crime, criminator
criticise: (v) comment, criminate,
chide, berate, reprehend, knock,
reprove, denounce, deplore,
criticize; (adj) judge
crooked: (adj) bent, corrupt,
dishonest, curved, unfair, deformed;
Edgar Allan Poe
(adj, n, v) awry; (adj, v) irregular,
askew, wry, indirect. ANTONYMS:
(adj) straight, honest, principled,
even, aboveboard, lawful, level,
moral, flat, aligned, honorable
crotchet: (n, v) caprice; (n) quirk,
kink, crank, hook, fad, whim,
quirkiness, queerness, quarter note,
oddity
crowbar: (n) jemmy, pry, jimmies,
pry bar, ringer, wrecking bar; (v)
brag
crowding: (n) plough crowding,
bunch, jostlement, overcrowding
crowned: (adj) laureled, fulfilled,
browbound, incoronate, successful
crumple: (n, v) crinkle, pucker; (v)
crease, rumple, collapse, fold,
buckle, cave in, scrunch; (adj, v)
crisp, ruffle. ANTONYMS: (v)
flatten, press, iron
cryptograph: (n) code, cryptogram,
cipher, cypher, writing, device,
cryptographer, cryptography, secret
code, coding, secret writing
crystalline: (adj) limpid, transparent,
lucid, crystal, serene, pellucid,
crystal clear, vitreous, translucent,
perspicuous; (v) crystallizable.
ANTONYM: (adj) noncrystalline
cubic: (adj) solid, Ternary cubic,
cuboid, cubiform, compact.
ANTONYM: (adj) planar
cudgel: (n) bludgeon, truncheon,
stick, staff, switch, mace, baton; (v)
beat, bat, hit, drub
culpable: (adj) guilty, blameworthy,
censurable, reprehensible,
blameable, blameful, condemnable,
liable, criminal, to blame,
responsible. ANTONYMS: (adj)
innocent, inculpable, blameless
cunning: (adj) crafty, canny, adroit,
wily, sly, shrewd, tricky, artful; (n)
craftiness, craft, cleverness.
ANTONYMS: (adj) simple, honest,
stupid, unimaginative, gullible,
ingenuous, straightforward, candid,
sincere; (n) frankness,
straightforwardness
curse: (n, v) blight, plague; (n)
anathema, blasphemy, malediction,
denunciation; (adj, v) beshrew; (v)
swear, ban, damn, vituperate.
ANTONYMS: (n) blessing,
benediction, making; (v)
communicate
curses: (n) abuse
cursory: (adj) careless, passing,
fleeting, perfunctory, ephemeral,
superficial, slapdash, facile,
evanescent, sketchy, shallow.
265
ANTONYMS: (adj) complete,
comprehensive, meticulous, long
customary: (adj, n) accustomed,
usual, habitual; (adj) conventional,
ordinary, commonplace, traditional,
average, wonted, regular, standard.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unusual,
abnormal, exceptional,
unconventional, offbeat, irregular,
innovative, different, unfamiliar,
extraordinary, rare
cuvier: (n) Georges Cuvier
cylinder: (n) barrel, roll, pipe, tube,
roller, column, spool, container,
bottle, cask; (adj) cylindroid
cylindrical: (adj) cylinder, round,
tubular, rounded, tubelike,
vasiform, cylindroid, bulging,
complete, circular
cynicism: (adj, n) mistrust; (n)
suspicion, irony, skepticism, scorn,
resentment, pessimism, negative
attitude, mockery, lack of
expectation, doubt. ANTONYMS:
(n) trust, gratification
cynosure: (n) guide, center, polestar,
focus, North Star, wonder, celebrity,
personality, pattern, paragon; (adj)
mirror
dabbled: (adj) bespattered,
besplashed, covered, covered
patchily, spattered, splashed,
splattered, splashy; (v) soggy
dainty: (adj, v) nice; (adj, n, v)
delicacy; (adj) fastidious, savory,
tasteful, squeamish, particular,
mincing, refined; (adj, n) tidbit; (n)
luxury. ANTONYMS: (adj) coarse,
vulgar, rough, inelegant, harsh,
gross, awkward, accepting, heavy,
careless, thick
damned: (adj) accursed, doomed,
blasted, condemned, damn, cussed,
wretched, infernal, hateful,
goddamned; (adv) damnably.
ANTONYM: (adj) saved
dampness: (n) clamminess, humidity,
moistness, moisture, wet, wetness,
vapor, dankness, drizzle, heat,
mugginess. ANTONYMS: (n)
dryness, smoothness, freshness
dangling: (adj) suspended, pendent,
pendant, limp, floppy, pendulous;
(n) suspension, abeyance, break,
abatement; (adv) adangle.
ANTONYM: (adj) upright
daphne: (n) nymph, mezereon
daring: (adj, n) bold, courageous,
adventurous; (adj) audacious,
venturesome, intrepid; (n) bravery,
audacity, boldness, courage,
adventurousness. ANTONYMS: (n)
 266
cowardice, timidity; (adj) timid,
cautious, dull, afraid, chicken,
fearful, unadventurous, wimpy
darkened: (adj) darkens, obscured,
old, obfuscate, murky, cloudy,
opaque, overcast
dash: (adj, n, v) rush; (n, v) touch,
sprint, strike, splash, jog; (v) dart,
break; (n) tinge, beat; (adj, n)
animation. ANTONYMS: (v)
dawdle, inspirit, languish, saunter,
encourage, linger; (n) stagnation,
languor, listlessness, mass, dullness
dashed: (v) ashamed, cut up, sunk;
(adj) broken, done for, dejected,
discouraged, dotted
dashing: (adj) stylish, dapper,
gallant, showy, smart, snappy,
impetuous, rakish, raffish, brave;
(adj, n) spruce. ANTONYMS: (adj)
boring, unstylish, dull, bumbling,
bland, awkward, drab, graceless
dastardly: (adj) dastard, craven, base,
fearful, low, shameful, ignoble,
sneaky, timorous; (n) coward; (adv)
recreantly. ANTONYM: (adj) honest
daubed: (adj) beplastered, covered,
greasy
daybreak: (adj, n) break of day; (n)
sunrise, prime, morning, light,
dawning, cockcrow, dayspring,
aurora, sunup, daylight.
ANTONYMS: (n) sunset, sundown,
darkness, eventide, nightfall
dazzled: (adj) confused, dazzle,
bewildered, blind, blinder,
fascinated, unsighted
dazzling: (adj) brilliant, blinding,
splendid, glaring, vivid, stunning,
dazzlingly, striking, sparkling,
fulgent, resplendent. ANTONYMS:
(adj) dim, ugly, uninspired,
unremarkable, unexceptional,
gradual, abysmal, humdrum, dark
deadly: (adj, adv) deathly; (adj)
baneful, lethal, fatal, destructive,
mortal, pernicious, virulent, toxic;
(adv) lifelessly, lethally.
ANTONYMS: (adj) interesting,
uplifting, readable, mild, healthy,
healthful, benign, innocuous,
exciting
decadence: (n) degeneracy,
deterioration, decadency, decay,
decline, degradation, depravity,
degeneration, become rotten,
become gangrenous, downfall.
ANTONYMS: (n) restraint,
righteousness, parsimony, decency
decay: (adj, n, v) decline; (v)
decompose, crumble, corrupt; (n, v)
blight, ebb, rust, collapse; (n)
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
decomposition, corruption,
disintegration. ANTONYMS: (v)
flourish, grow, thrive, strengthen,
ripen, develop; (n) vigor,
development
decayed: (adj) spoiled, corrupt,
dilapidated, rank, rusty, rotting,
decaying, rotted, putrid; (adj, v)
wasted; (v) stale. ANTONYMS: (adj)
matured, restored, strengthened
deceased: (adj, n) departed; (n) dead
person, cadaver, decedent; (adj)
defunct, asleep, passed away,
passed on, extinct, lifeless, late.
ANTONYMS: (adj) living, awake,
animated
deceit: (n) guile, artifice, deception,
falsehood, ruse, pretense, fraud,
trickery; (adj, n) cunning, craft, art.
ANTONYMS: (n) sincerity,
truthfulness, fairness, frankness,
loyalty, straightforwardness,
uprightness, truth
deceitful: (adj) false, fraudulent,
insincere, crooked, dishonest,
untrue, sly, artful, untrustworthy,
unreliable, treacherous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) straightforward,
genuine, trustworthy, truthful, loyal,
open, principled, straight, upright,
faithful, dependable
deceived: (adj) mistaken, misguided
decidedly: (adv) clearly, positively,
definitely, absolutely, emphatically,
decisively, resolutely, firmly,
markedly, surely, determinedly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) uncertainly,
equivocally, slightly, vaguely
declare: (v) advertise, assert, allege,
attest, aver, admit, acknowledge,
proclaim, avow; (n, v) affirm, say.
ANTONYMS: (v) conceal, revoke,
suppress, retract, repress, disclaim,
withhold, request, refute, block
decomposed: (adj) putrid, decayed,
bad, decaying, putrefied, decay,
rotting, off, malodorous
decomposition: (n) decay, rot,
putrefaction, dissolution,
disintegration, rotting, deterioration,
analysis, rust, corruption,
degradation
decorations: (n) flags, badges,
streamers, bunting, insignia,
streamer
decreased: (adj) reduced, diminished,
dropped, depleted, dead, fallen,
short, lower
decreasing: (v) diminish, lessen,
dwindle, abate; (n) lessening,
contraction; (adj) diminishing,
falling, abating, decrescent,
amortizing. ANTONYMS: (adj)
rising, increasing, burgeoning
decreed: (adj) appointed, lawful,
prescribed, legal, inevitable,
appointive
decrepitude: (n) debility, weakness,
cachexia, dotage, feebleness, frailty,
infirmity, disrepair; (v) caducity;
(adj) anility, declining years
dedication: (n) allegiance, devotion,
commitment, offering, inscription,
loyalty, sanctification, celebration,
fidelity, passion; (adj, n)
glorification. ANTONYMS: (n)
unfaithfulness, desecration,
disloyalty, dishonesty, neglect
deduct: (v) subtract, abate, allow,
curtail, derive, take off, withhold,
cut, recoup, reduce; (n, v) discount.
ANTONYMS: (v) add, increase,
sum, tally, credit
deed: (n) accomplishment, act, feat,
behavior, action, exploit, covenant,
doing, document, title, fact.
ANTONYM: (n) failure
deeds: (n) works, activity, actions,
conduct, background, events,
happenings, performance, activities
deepened: (adj) concentrated,
gathered
deep-seated: (adj) ingrained,
profound, confirmed, deep-rooted,
deep, gut, constitutional, intrinsic,
built-in, inborn, chronic
deep-set: (adj) hollow
defenceless: (adj) unarmed,
vulnerable, helpless, naked,
undefended, unguarded,
unprotected
defended: (adj) shielded, secured,
watched over, secure, sacred
defer: (v) adjourn, postpone, comply,
procrastinate, bow, suspend, retard,
accede, protract; (adj, v) put off; (n,
v) delay. ANTONYMS: (v) advance,
rush, hurry, hasten, forge, disagree,
expedite, continue, resist
deferential: (adj, v) respectful; (adj)
dutiful, deferent, reverential,
regardful, reverent, obedient,
submissive, subservient,
complaisant, humble. ANTONYMS:
(adj) disobedient, inconsiderate,
irreverent, patronizing, rude,
noncompliant, assertive,
uncomplimentary
deficiency: (adj, n) defect, blemish,
imperfection; (n) dearth, lack,
failing, deficit, shortcoming,
inadequacy, absence; (n, v) want.
ANTONYMS: (n) excess, perfection,
provision, enough, adequacy,

supply, strength, virtue, surplus,
gain, glut
deficient: (adj) wanting, inadequate,
scanty, imperfect, short, scarce, less,
lacking, low, meager, insufficient.
ANTONYMS: (adj) sufficient,
perfect, ample, flawless, enough,
excessive, complete, present, sound,
strong, confident
deflect: (v) avert, deviate, parry,
divert, swerve, avoid, ward off, turn
aside, head off, swing, evade.
ANTONYMS: (v) aid, assist, help,
attract
degradation: (n) fall, abasement,
degeneracy, corruption, abjection,
debasement, decadence,
degeneration, humiliation,
deposition, disgrace. ANTONYMS:
(n) elevation, glorification, honor
deity: (n) God, godhead, godhood,
godship, idol, immortal, goddess,
Jupiter; (adj, n) divinity, the Deity,
theology. ANTONYMS: (n) human,
mortal, person
dejected: (adj) sad, depressed, low,
downhearted, gloomy, down,
unhappy, spiritless, sorrowful,
miserable, melancholy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) elated, happy,
euphoric, joyous, encouraged,
positive, enthusiastic, hopeful
deliberateness: (n) intentionality,
pace, rate, thoughtfulness,
circumspection, prudence, careful
consideration, clumsiness,
dilatoriness, calculation,
backwardness
deliberation: (n) cogitation, counsel,
debate, caution, thought,
advisement, attention,
contemplation, consultation; (adj, n)
calculation, circumspection.
ANTONYMS: (n) thoughtlessness,
carelessness, impetuosity,
distraction, rashness
delicacy: (adj, n) weakness, fragility,
tidbit; (n) finesse, daintiness,
delicate, elegance, sensitivity,
luxury, treat, airiness. ANTONYMS:
(n) sturdiness, toughness, durability,
frankness, inelegance, ruggedness,
vulgarity, tactlessness, insensitivity,
inaccuracy, clumsiness
delightfully: (adv) pleasantly,
enchantingly, exquisitely, gladly,
charmingly, finely, sweetly,
deliciously, beautifully, merrily;
(adv, v) happily. ANTONYMS:
(adv) unattractively, horribly,
disagreeably
delighting: (adj) satisfactory,
Edgar Allan Poe
attractive
delights: (n) delices
delineated: (adj) portrayed, lineal,
graphic, represented
delirium: (n) craze, insanity, mania,
disturbance, fever, ecstasy,
derangement; (adj, n) fury; (adj)
furor, rage, distraction.
ANTONYMS: (n) indifference,
dejection
demeanor: (n, v) bearing, conduct; (n)
carriage, air, deportment, attitude,
manner, behaviour, guise, mien,
port
demented: (adj) daft, brainsick,
delirious, frenetic, mad, deranged,
insane, psychotic, distracted, lunatic,
unbalanced. ANTONYMS: (adj)
sane, balanced, stable, reasonable,
rational, calm
demon: (n) ghost, fiend, incubus,
monster, daemon, ogre, daimon,
goblin, deuce, genie, elf.
ANTONYM: (n) saint
demonstrating: (v) demonstrative;
(adj) representative, representing,
demonstrable
demur: (adj, v) hesitate, boggle,
stickle; (n, v) protest, scruple; (v)
dissent, refuse, deprecate, doubt,
object; (n) challenge. ANTONYMS:
(v) accept, concur, acquiesce,
approve
demurely: (adv) soberly, primly,
virtuously, staidly, reservedly,
solemnly, sedately, bashfully,
seriously, gravely, properly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) improperly,
brazenly, brashly, boldly
denizen: (n) occupant, inhabitant,
citizen, inmate, dweller, liver,
occupier, borderer, cottager, native,
indweller. ANTONYMS: (n)
immigrant, foreigner, alien
denominate: (v) designate, entitle,
nominate, style, christen, denote,
title, dub; (n, v) name, appoint; (n)
term
denouncement: (n) condemnation,
damnation, broadside, curse, insult,
libel, excoriation, slur, diatribe,
tirade, execration
denouncing: (v) denounce; (adj)
disparaging, critical, reproving,
censorious, disapproving
densely: (adv) solidly, heavily,
slowly, obtusely, compactly, firmly,
dully, dumbly, closely, tightly,
stupidly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
loosely, sparsely, brightly
denying: (v) deny; (adv) denyingly;
(adj) opposed, recusative, unselfish,
267
abnegative
depart: (v) go, deviate, decease,
diverge, start, stray, wander, leave,
die, vary, part. ANTONYMS: (v)
stay, arrive, enter, come, abide,
conform, continue, remain, appear,
converge, return
departed: (adj) dead, bygone, late,
former, bypast, defunct, past, left;
(adj, v) gone, extinct; (n) decedent.
ANTONYMS: (adj) remaining, alive
depending: (adv) dependingly; (v)
depend; (adj) suspensory, pendent,
subject to, pendulous
depict: (v) describe, draw, sketch,
illustrate, demonstrate, portray,
paint, express, explain, depicture,
limn. ANTONYMS: (v) distort,
confuse
depicted: (adj) pictured, represented,
graphic, delineated; (v) depict
depicting: (n) portraying, depict,
characterisation, characterization,
delineation, mirror, portrayal
deportment: (n, v) bearing,
demeanor, conduct, carriage; (n)
manner, attitude, demeanour,
behaviour, comportment, dealing,
air
deposition: (n) affidavit, declaration,
statement, evidence, dismissal,
ousting, allegation, degradation,
testimony; (v) deposal; (n, v)
dethronement
depot: (n) store, depository, arsenal,
warehouse, station, storehouse,
godown, storeroom, stop, cache,
entrepot
depraved: (adj) bad, immoral, base,
abandoned, debauched, vicious,
wicked, degenerate, evil, perverse,
perverted. ANTONYMS: (adj) good,
virtuous, just, chaste, noble, pure,
righteous, upright, ethical, innocent
depravity: (n) corruption, evil,
degeneracy, depravation,
debauchery, degeneration,
degradation, wickedness, vice,
turpitude; (adj) demoralization.
ANTONYMS: (n) honor, justice,
morality, nobility, purity, restraint,
uprightness, virtue, righteousness,
decency, goodness
deprive: (v) divest, bereave, despoil,
denude, deny, rob, dispossess,
dismantle, starve; (adj, v) abridge,
curtail. ANTONYMS: (v) provide,
present, offer, indulge, give, endow,
appropriate, supply, add
deprived: (adj) bereft, poor, destitute,
depressed, needy, broke, bankrupt,
denuded, humble, indigent,
 268
insolvent. ANTONYMS: (adj) rich,
exalted, salubrious
derisive: (adj) ironic, sarcastic,
derisory, contemptuous, cynical,
mordant, sardonic, jeering, scornful,
quizzical, satirical. ANTONYMS:
(adj) complimentary, approving,
flattering, praising, sympathetic
derivation: (n) ancestry, origin, birth,
extraction, source, cause, lineage,
derivative, foundation, descent,
etymology. ANTONYMS: (n) result,
outgrowth
descend: (v) settle, condescend,
down, drop, deign, subside, go
down, dismount, derive, get off,
come down. ANTONYMS: (v)
ascend, climb, float, scale, increase,
level, mount
descended: (v) extraught
descending: (v) descend; (adj)
downhill, down, descendent,
decreasing, dropping, falling,
sloping, degressive, occasive; (adv)
downward. ANTONYM: (adj)
upward
descriptive: (adj) narrative,
representative, illustrative, graphic,
expositive, epic, illuminating,
detailed, suggestive, vivid,
figurative. ANTONYMS: (adj)
prescriptive, confusing, diachronic,
vague, straightforward
desecrate: (adj, v) profane, abuse,
debase; (v) violate, outrage, pollute,
blaspheme, spoil, ravage, misuse; (n,
v) dishonor. ANTONYMS: (v)
consecrate, bless, worship, respect,
praise, conserve, honor, save
deserved: (v) merited, richly
deserved; (adj) appropriate, due,
fitting, just, earned, suitable,
rightful, adequate, required
desideratum: (n) need, requirement,
necessity, aim; (v) porism, problem,
query, question
designate: (n, v) denominate,
appoint, note, name; (v) allocate,
assign, delegate, define, allot, mark;
(adj, n, v) denote. ANTONYMS: (v)
disapprove, generalize, guess,
oppose, elect
desires: (n) requirements, needs
desirous: (adj) wistful, avid,
ambitious, greedy, longing, eager,
hungry, covetous, envious, agog;
(adj, v) willing. ANTONYMS: (adj)
undesirous, reluctant, undesiring,
unconcerned
desolate: (adj, v) desert, forlorn; (adj)
bare, barren, alone, bleak, deserted,
cheerless, disconsolate; (v)
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
devastate, destroy. ANTONYMS:
(adj) cheerful, inhabited, happy,
sheltered, mobbed, overcrowded,
ecstatic, hopeful; (v) create,
construct, build
desolation: (n) devastation, misery,
destruction, depression, grief,
wretchedness, bleakness, loneliness,
waste, ruin; (adj, n) desertion.
ANTONYMS: (n) ecstasy, joy,
productiveness, fertileness,
fecundity, cheer, fruitfulness,
preservation, hopefulness,
cheerfulness
despise: (v) disdain, loathe,
depreciate, abhor, dislike, detest,
slight, hate; (n, v) contemn; (n)
contempt, deride. ANTONYMS: (v)
respect, love, adore, appreciate,
cherish, like, praise, accept
despoiled: (adj) plundered, looted,
desecrated, sacked, assaulted,
besmirched, corrupted, desolate,
desolated, destroyed, dishonored.
ANTONYM: (adj) untarnished
destined: (adj, v) bound, fated; (adj)
predetermined, sure, inescapable,
intended, predestined, inevitable,
prepared, foreordained, appointed.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unscheduled,
unlikely
destiny: (n) fate, chance, fortune,
kismet, luck, lot, destination,
portion, weird, life; (n, v) doom.
ANTONYMS: (n) chance, design
destitute: (adj) impoverished, needy,
bankrupt, broke, poor, helpless,
impecunious, penniless, necessitous;
(adj, v) forlorn, devoid.
ANTONYMS: (adj) wealthy,
privileged, prosperous, solvent
destitution: (n, v) want, deficiency;
(n) deprivation, indigence, penury,
poverty, need, pauperism, lack,
hardship, famine. ANTONYMS: (n)
affluence, luxury, prosperity
detailing: (n) particularization,
description, recital
detain: (v) arrest, confine, catch,
capture, apprehend, stay, keep, jail,
imprison, incarcerate, retard.
ANTONYMS: (v) free, liberate, rush
detained: (adj) seized, locked up,
jailed, intransitive, tardy, inside,
caged, captive, behind bars; (n) in
prison, under arrest
detecting: (n) spotting, investigation,
catching, detective work, sleuthing,
police investigation, hearing; (adj)
observant
deter: (v) dissuade, bar, check, keep,
block, hinder, impede, discourage;
(n, v) cow, intimidate, abash.
ANTONYMS: (v) persuade, speed,
facilitate, promote, support,
stimulate, yield, attract
deteriorate: (adj, v) degrade; (v)
aggravate, decline, worsen, spoil,
vitiate, descend, drop, fail, impair,
rot. ANTONYMS: (v) recover,
convalesce, grow, strengthen,
ameliorate, construct, flourish,
recuperate, renovate, thrive, build
deuced: (adj) cursed, infernal, damn,
damned, darned, blessed, goddamn,
goddam, demonic, unholy, satanic
devils: (n) unclean spirits
devoid: (adj) empty, vacant, absent,
wanting, vacuous, destitute, clear,
deficient, bereft, inane; (v) quit.
ANTONYMS: (adj) filled, supplied,
replete, full
devotedly: (adv) affectionately,
lovingly, zealously, faithfully,
piously, fondly, religiously,
passionately, enthusiastically,
eagerly, dutifully. ANTONYMS:
(adv) coldly, apathetically,
unfaithfully, unenthusiastically,
carelessly, disobediently
devotion: (n) allegiance, attachment,
dedication, loyalty, worship,
affection, enthusiasm, fondness,
devotedness; (adj, n) veneration,
passion. ANTONYMS: (n)
disloyalty, negligence, apathy,
disobedience, neglect, hatred,
separation, dishonesty, infidelity
devoured: (adj) eaten up
devouring: (adv) devouringly; (adj)
esurient, edacious, avid, greedy,
voraginous, ravenous; (n) fire
devoutly: (adv) sincerely, godly,
religiously, reverently, earnestly,
solemnly, heartily, holy, purely,
heartfeltly, at heart
diagonally: (adv) obliquely,
slantingly, crossways, transversely,
slopingly, aslantly, biasly, slantedly,
slantways, cornerwise, bias.
ANTONYM: (adv) square
diamonds: (n) hearts, ice, spades,
sparkler, clubs
diaries: (n) papers
dice: (v) cube, cut, chop, cut up, play
dice, bet; (n) die, dice box, bone,
dees
dickens: (n) devil, demon,
exclaiming, exclamation, the Devil,
Satan, fiend, urchin, Beelzebub,
Charles Dickens; (adj) mischievous
diffident: (adj) coy, modest, reserved,
shy, timid, tentative, unassuming,
retiring, hesitant, backward, self-

conscious. ANTONYMS: (adj)
outgoing, confident, brash,
assertive, unrepentant, brave,
arrogant, approachable
digested: (adj) mature, digestible
digging: (n) excavation, excavating,
digs, dug, excavate, take, locality,
mining, barb, creating by removal,
attack reception
dilate: (adj, v) enlarge, expatiate; (v)
distend, amplify, heave, inflate,
broaden, develop, extend, increase,
magnify. ANTONYMS: (v) contract,
constrict, shrink, lessen, reduce
dilation: (n) dilatation, expansion,
swelling, spread, swell, growth,
development, aggrandizement,
rarefaction, bulge, enlargement
diligence: (n) assiduity, industry,
attention, application,
assiduousness, concentration,
activity, perseverance, carefulness,
sedulity, industriousness.
ANTONYMS: (n) carelessness,
indolence, feebleness, slackness,
negligence, sloth
diligent: (adj) busy, active, assiduous,
painstaking, careful, earnest,
studious, attentive, laborious,
industrious, zealous. ANTONYMS:
(adj) careless, negligent, dilatory,
idle, inactive, languid, slack,
sluggish, lethargic, weary, indolent
diligently: (adv) busily, assiduously,
sedulously, attentively,
industriously, earnestly, actively,
laboriously, tirelessly, carefully,
studiously. ANTONYMS: (adv)
wearily, hastily
diluted: (adj) thin, watery, weak,
insipid, tasteless, bland, sparse, rare,
cut, washy, tame. ANTONYMS:
(adj) straight, concentrated,
undiluted, thickened, strengthened,
enriched, thick
diminish: (v) decline, abate, abridge,
deduct, dwindle, detract, fall,
depreciate; (adj, v) lessen; (adj, n, v)
degrade; (n, v) reduce.
ANTONYMS: (v) grow,
compliment, supplement, rise,
recognize, prolong, praise, flatter,
expand, enlarge, congratulate
diminished: (adj) abated, weakened,
lessened, atrophied, belittled,
attenuate, reduced, lower,
attenuated, cut, short
diminishing: (adj) abating, declining,
dwindling, lessening, waning; (n)
decrease, shrinking, reducing,
reduction; (adv) diminishingly; (v)
diminish. ANTONYMS: (adj)
Edgar Allan Poe
increasing, growing, burgeoning
diminution: (n, v) decrease, decline;
(n) deduction, reduction, abatement,
cut, contraction, rebate, decrement,
curtailment, declension.
ANTONYMS: (n) growth,
expansion, restoration, enlargement
diminutive: (adj) minute, Lilliputian,
small, petite, tiny, bantam, baby,
exiguous, short, miniature, midget.
ANTONYMS: (adj) big, huge,
gigantic, large, giant, tall
dimness: (n) darkness, gloom,
shadow, haze, faintness, obscurity,
dusk, dark, cloudiness, duskiness,
gloominess. ANTONYMS: (n) light,
brightness, intelligence, clearness,
strength, clarity
dingy: (adj) dark, black, drab, dull,
muddy, impure, dim, seedy, dowdy,
unclean, grimy. ANTONYMS: (adj)
immaculate, spotless, sparkling,
bright, neat, brilliant, interesting,
smart
dint: (v) indent; (n) indentation,
blow, strength, percussion, agency,
hollow, depression, might,
impression; (adj) delve
dipped: (adj) immersed, unfit,
swaybacked, lordotic, curved in,
swayback
directing: (adj) guiding, directive,
administrative, determinative,
directional, sovereign, commanding,
controlling; (n) administration,
conducting, conservation
directness: (n) candor, frankness,
plainness, honesty, immediacy,
straightforwardness, forthrightness,
openness, freedom, ingenuousness,
outspokenness. ANTONYMS: (n)
vagueness, obliqueness,
circuitousness, reticence, delicacy,
caution, dishonesty
disabuse: (v) inform, purge,
undeceive, open the eyes of, set
right, rid
disagree: (v) differ, dissent, argue,
conflict, squabble, disaccord,
diverge, vary, bicker; (n, v) clash,
discord. ANTONYMS: (v) consent,
match, concur, harmonize, conform
disagreement: (n) discrepancy,
dispute, conflict, contention,
variance, scrap, argument,
difference of opinion, dissension; (n,
v) discord; (adj, n) dissidence.
ANTONYMS: (n) accord, harmony,
consistency, compatibility, treaty,
sameness, pact, consent, concord,
acceptance, unity
disappearance: (n) vanishing, loss,
269
going, fade, evaporation,
disappearing, departure, passing,
death, receding, ending.
ANTONYMS: (n) recurrence,
appearing, arrival, renaissance,
revitalization, show, emergence,
survival
disapproval: (n) condemnation,
disapprobation, censure, blame,
criticism, dislike, disfavor, dissent,
objection, dispraise, denunciation.
ANTONYMS: (n) blessing,
commendation, favor, respect,
pleasure, acceptance, praise,
admiration, enthusiasm
disarrangement: (n) muddle, clutter,
anarchy, confusion, disarray,
disorder, disturbance,
disorganization, tangle,
derangement, pandemonium
disbelief: (n) discredit, incredulity,
doubt, distrust, agnosticism,
atheism, misgiving, mistrust,
uncertainty, suspicion, wonder.
ANTONYMS: (n) trust, credulity,
faith, understanding, certainty
disbelieving: (adj) unbelieving,
skeptical, questioning, leery, not
persuaded, unsure, uncertain,
suspicious, quizzical, nervous,
mistrustful. ANTONYMS: (adj)
believing, credulous, unsuspicious,
certain, convinced
discard: (n, v) scrap, dump; (v)
chuck, dismiss, throw away, cast off,
displace, fling, get rid of, cast aside,
ditch. ANTONYMS: (v) retain, hold,
cherish, accept, cover, support
discarded: (adj) waste, junked, scrap,
unwanted, unnecessary, useless,
throwaway, surplus, superfluous,
unused, obsolete
discernible: (adj) observable,
apparent, visible, appreciable,
conspicuous, detectable, evident,
noticeable, obvious, audible,
palpable. ANTONYMS: (adj)
indiscernible, unrecognizable,
indistinguishable, obscure,
obscured, unnoticeable, invisible,
undetectable
discharged: (adj) released, exempt,
clear, freer, free, fired, finished,
drained, dismissed, defunct,
deadened
discharging: (n) unloading,
discharge, fulfillment, acquittal; (v)
unload
disciple: (n) adherent, follower,
devotee, scholar, pupil, believer,
proselyte, cohort, learner, partisan,
votary. ANTONYMS: (n) leader,
 270
teacher, God, instructor
disciples: (n) congregation
disclose: (v) declare, betray, reveal,
detect, divulge, discover, convey,
announce, air; (n, v) impart; (adj, v)
confess. ANTONYMS: (v) secrete,
withhold, hide, cover, deny, fold,
suppress
disclosed: (adj) exposed, open,
unconcealed, out of the closet,
naked, manifest, discovered,
ascertained, detailed
disclosing: (n) confession,
communication
discoloration: (n) blot, blemish,
blotch, spot, decoloration,
discolouration, fading, mark,
splotch, scar, bruise
discolored: (adj) wan, blond, flecked,
flawed, faded, dirty, rusty, dingy,
dark, freckled, crusty. ANTONYMS:
(adj) clean, plain, unblemished
discomfort: (n) uneasiness,
annoyance, unease, anxiety, distress,
displeasure, agitation, hurt, malaise,
suffering, restlessness.
ANTONYMS: (n, v) ease, comfort;
(n) enjoyment, pleasure, calmness,
calm; (v) relieve, alleviate
discomposed: (adj) disturbed,
perturbed, doubtful, excited,
distraught, uncomfortable, fearful
disconcerted: (adj) confused,
confounded, bewildered, blank,
embarrassed, disturbed, troubled,
worried, ashamed,
discombobulated, bemused.
ANTONYMS: (adj) composed,
soothed, unabashed, relaxed
discouraged: (adj) despondent,
downhearted, downcast,
demoralized, dejected, dispirited,
disheartened, frustrated, crestfallen,
pessimistic, depressed.
ANTONYMS: (adj) uplifted,
heartened, cheered, inspired,
cheerful, encouraged, hopeful,
happy, calm, positive, enthusiastic
discouraging: (adj) discouragingly,
chill, disappointing, disheartening,
bad, bleak, gloomy, sad,
demoralizing, daunting, dispiriting.
ANTONYMS: (adj) encouraging,
uplifting, inspiring, heartening,
comfortable, hopeful
discrepancy: (n) difference,
deviation, disagreement,
divergence, departure, discord,
discrepance, contradiction,
variation, variance, dissimilarity.
ANTONYMS: (n) agreement,
harmony, concordance, similarity,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
surplus, equality, convergence,
parity
discursive: (adj, v) excursive,
discursory; (adj) diffuse, desultory,
dianoetic, indirect, discoursive,
digressive; (v) ambulatory, monadic,
vagrant
diseased: (adj) bad, ailing, sickly,
unsound, sick, ill, unhealthy,
pathological, infected,
unwholesome, infirm. ANTONYMS:
(adj) well, fit
disengaged: (adj) vacant,
unemployed, disentangled, free,
freed, untrammelled, devoid,
unreserved, detached, liberated,
loosened
disengagement: (n) disconnection,
separation, withdrawal,
disentanglement, disjunction,
liberation, extrication,
disassociation, freedom, retreat,
enlargement. ANTONYM: (n)
connection
disentangled: (adj) freed, free,
extricated, freer, loosened,
unsnarled
disgraceful: (adj) dishonorable,
scandalous, shocking, degrading,
disreputable, infamous, base,
ignominious, outrageous, black,
ignoble. ANTONYMS: (adj)
admirable, honorable, reputable,
exalted, commendable, respectable,
noble, glorious
disgust: (n) antipathy, aversion,
abhorrence, abomination,
detestation, dislike, repugnance; (n,
v) shock, distaste; (v) nauseate,
displease. ANTONYMS: (n, v)
delight; (n) love, attraction, liking,
adoration; (v) attract, allure, charm,
entice, please
disinclined: (adj) reluctant, loath,
averse, indisposed, loth, backward,
not content, opposed, dubious,
afraid, not in the vein. ANTONYMS:
(adj) tending, willing, leaning, eager,
bent, keen, disposed
disingenuous: (adj) insincere,
deceptive, dishonest, artful, false,
hypocritical, crafty, insidious,
duplicitous, oblique, cunning.
ANTONYMS: (adj) straightforward,
sincere, honest, candid, open,
genuine, naive, frank, truthful
disinterested: (adj) indifferent,
detached, fair, unbiased, objective,
neutral, dispassionate, equitable,
evenhanded, uninterested,
impassive. ANTONYMS: (adj)
biased, interested, prejudiced, eager,
passionate, riveted, concerned,
partial, personal
disinterment: (n) exhumation,
digging up, feat, effort, exploit,
excavation, deed
dismally: (adv) gloomily, sadly,
unhappily, murkily, dolefully,
forbiddingly, darkly, somberly,
depressingly, cheerlessly, grimly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) brightly,
smartly
dismay: (adj, n, v) appall; (v) depress,
dishearten, discourage, horrify; (n)
consternation, discouragement; (n,
v) daunt, affright; (adj, n) terror,
dread. ANTONYMS: (n, v) delight;
(v) stimulate, assure, ensure,
encourage, elate; (n) spirit,
satisfaction, mettle, resolution,
assurance
dismiss: (v) cashier, disband, cast,
discard, brush aside, can, bounce,
cast off, cease, dispatch; (n, v) drop.
ANTONYMS: (v) employ, welcome,
signal, remember, recall, mobilize,
maintain, keep, hold, engage,
contract
dismissing: (v) dismiss; (n) acquittal,
denial, dimission
disordered: (adj) chaotic, upset, sick,
disorganized, broken, incoherent,
deranged, messy, disjointed,
disconnected, ill. ANTONYMS: (adj)
neat, ordered, organized, arranged,
quiet, regulated, systematic,
systematized, straightforward, tidy
disorganization: (n) disorder,
disarrangement, confusion, disarray,
muddle, clutter, anarchy,
disorganisation, disorderliness,
disruption, mess. ANTONYM: (n)
efficiency
disparaging: (adj) pejorative,
contemptuous, derogative, abusive,
condemnatory, critical, defamatory,
libelous, sarcastic; (adj, v)
reproachful; (v) objurgatory.
ANTONYMS: (adj) complimentary,
hopeful, favorable, constructive
dispassionate: (adj) detached, calm,
fair, disinterested, impartial,
apathetic, neutral, indifferent,
impassive, unprejudiced, composed.
ANTONYMS: (adj) passionate,
partial, emotional, feeling,
interested, involved, moved,
enthusiastic, fiery, personal,
prejudiced
dispense: (v) allot, deal, administer,
assign, deal out, apportion, dole out,
give, issue, diffuse, furnish.
ANTONYMS: (v) prohibit, receive,

withhold
dispirited: (adj) depressed,
disconsolate, downcast,
discouraged, blue, crestfallen,
dismal, down, downhearted,
disheartened, melancholy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) cheerful,
optimistic, euphoric, enthused,
heartened, happy, enthusiastic,
positive
displaced: (adj) disjointed, homeless,
gone, extendant, disordered,
deranged
displaying: (n) advertising
displeased: (adj) disgruntled,
dissatisfied, angry, annoyed,
unhappy, peeved, irritated,
disgusted, indignant; (v) pained,
afflicted. ANTONYMS: (adj)
contented, satisfied, calm
dispose: (n, v) incline, order,
influence; (v) adjust, predispose,
position, place, lead, tend; (n) bias,
array. ANTONYMS: (v) disturb,
disqualify, displace, disorder,
disincline, disarrange
disposed: (adj) prone, apt, ready,
subject, prepared, liable, game,
inclined, fain, likely, minded.
ANTONYMS: (adj) ailing,
indisposed, unlikely, disinclined,
reluctant, impervious
disposing: (adv) disposingly; (v)
dispose; (adj) decretive, dispositive;
(n) distribution
disposition: (n) attitude, character,
disposal, tendency, predisposition,
inclination, propensity, bias,
arrangement, direction, aptitude
disproportion: (n) inequality,
discrepancy, difference, imbalance,
inadequacy, incongruity,
irregularity, unevenness, unfairness,
variation, disagreement.
ANTONYMS: (n) equality,
symmetry, proportion, balance,
evenness, parity, justice
disquietude: (n) anxiety, agitation,
uneasiness, concern, alarm,
apprehension, commotion, fear,
unrest, turmoil; (adj, n) inquietude
disregard: (n, v) disdain, slight,
scorn; (n) carelessness, contempt; (v)
discount, defy, despise, cut, flout;
(adj, v) overlook. ANTONYMS: (v)
notice, heed, value, obey, accept,
consider; (n) respect,
thoughtfulness, consideration,
attention; (n, v) regard
disregarded: (adj) unnoticed,
neglected, unseen, written off,
wretchless, unvalued, unheeded,
Edgar Allan Poe
overlooked, lost, irrecoverable; (v)
unregarded
disruption: (n) dislocation, break,
breach, interruption, disturbance,
disintegration, abruption, gap,
collapse; (n, v) rupture, split.
ANTONYM: (n) accord
dissatisfaction: (n) displeasure,
disappointment, dislike,
disaffection, discontent, distaste,
disquiet, disapproval, regret,
discontentment, discontentedness.
ANTONYMS: (n) contentment,
approval, gratification, enjoyment,
idealism, optimism
dissatisfied: (adj) discontent,
disgruntled, disappointed, put out,
displeased, malcontent, grumpy,
annoyed, disaffected; (adj, v)
querulous, complaining.
ANTONYMS: (adj) content,
contented, happy, fulfilled, gratified,
pleased, idealistic
dissect: (n, v) anatomize, scrutinize;
(v) carve, dismember, cut,
decompose, analyse, cut up,
separate, parse, resolve.
ANTONYMS: (v) mend, synthesize,
join
dissemble: (v) feign, assume, conceal,
disguise, camouflage, dissimulate,
act, hide, sham, pretend, mask.
ANTONYMS: (v) show,
demonstrate, expose, reveal
dissipate: (adj, v) waste; (v) disperse,
squander, disappear, diffuse,
consume, scatter, disseminate,
break, evaporate, spend.
ANTONYMS: (v) save, conserve,
appear, collect, hoard, absorb,
gather
dissolved: (adj) adulterate, gone,
liquified, broken
dissonant: (adj) disharmonious,
inharmonious, inharmonic,
inconsistent, harsh, irreconcilable,
cacophonous, absonant, conflicting,
raucous; (n) disagreeing.
ANTONYMS: (adj) harmonious,
musical, complementary,
compatible, agreeing, melodious,
consonant
distasteful: (adj, v) disagreeable; (adj)
offensive, unwelcome, ugly,
revolting, undesirable,
objectionable, disgustful, foul, nasty;
(v) unpalatable. ANTONYMS: (adj)
pleasant, tasteful, attractive,
appealing, savory, pleasing,
desirable, appetizing, tasty, nice,
noble
distend: (v) expand, bulge, inflate,
271
bloat, blow up, balloon, enlarge,
swell, widen; (adj, v) stretch, extend.
ANTONYMS: (v) shrink, constrict,
contract, compress
distended: (adj) inflated, bloated,
turgid, puffed, bombastic, distent,
expanded, enlarged; (adj, v) puffy;
(v) blowzy, bigswoln
distension: (n) dilatation, dilation,
intumescence, extension, expansion,
distention, diastole, inflation, bulge,
enlargement, tumefaction
distention: (n) dilatation, dilation,
swelling, inflation, bulge, extension,
expansion, enlargement, conceit,
stress, rise
distillation: (n) distillment, brew,
purification, refinement, extract,
sublimination, oozing, liquid,
exhalation, quintessence, essence
distinctly: (adv) clearly, particularly,
evidently, expressly, obviously,
markedly, definitely, precisely,
manifestly, separately, decidedly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) inaudibly,
faintly, vaguely, silently,
imperceptibly, poorly
distinctness: (n) clearness, sharpness,
definition, otherness, perspicuity,
discreteness, articulate sound,
separation, uncloudedness,
dissimilarity; (adj) conspicuousness.
ANTONYM: (n) indistinctness
distinguishable: (adj, adv)
appreciable, perceptible, definite,
visible; (adj) distinct, apparent,
marked, differentiable, recognizable;
(adv) observable, noticeable.
ANTONYM: (adj) inseparable
distorted: (adj) deformed, contorted,
twisted, misshapen, perverted, wry,
bent, misrepresented, malformed,
distort; (adj, adv) awry.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unchanged,
distinct, balanced, perfect
distracted: (adj) demented,
inattentive, abstracted, crazy,
frenzied, distraught, preoccupied,
distressed, confused; (adj, v) mad,
disconcerted. ANTONYMS: (adj)
attentive, alert, assured, calm,
mellow
distressed: (adj) worried, distraught,
anxious, sad, disturbed, downcast,
hurt, distracted, wretched, shocked,
troubled. ANTONYMS: (adj)
composed, content, euphoric,
happy, comforted, glad, joyful,
collected, unconcerned, unaffected
distressing: (adj) sorrowful,
deplorable, pitiful, painful, bad,
depressing, disturbing, sore,
 272
lamentable, hurtful, worrying.
ANTONYMS: (adj) reassuring,
heartwarming, pleasing,
unemotional, soothing, comforting,
comfortable, cheerful, appealing,
happy
disturb: (v) trouble, disorder,
disconcert, distress, perturb,
disquiet, distract, discompose,
disrupt, upset, concern.
ANTONYMS: (v) calm, please,
soothe, smooth, order, reassure, sort,
settle, respect, quiet, organize
disturbance: (n, v) commotion,
brawl; (n) disorder, turmoil, upset,
derangement, dislocation,
disruption, tumult, din; (adj, n, v)
trouble. ANTONYMS: (n) stillness,
peace, satisfaction, serenity, respect,
accord
disturbances: (n) turbulence, strife,
conflict
disturbing: (adj) disquieting,
alarming, disconcerting, worrying,
bothersome, worrisome, upsetting,
unsettling, troubling, troublesome,
distressful. ANTONYMS: (adj)
soothing, comforting, pleasing,
pleasant
divert: (adj, v) distract; (v) entertain,
avert, delight, deflect, deviate,
beguile, depart, disport, digress,
sidetrack. ANTONYMS: (v) bore,
irritate, maintain, set, upset, stay,
displease, sadden
diverting: (adj, v) entertaining; (adj)
comical, fun, amusive, droll, comic,
laughable, funny, humorous,
recreative, intriguing
divinity: (n) God, theology,
divineness, immortal, godship,
godhead, spirit, demiurge,
apologetics, demigod; (adj, n) the
Deity. ANTONYM: (n) devil
divulged: (adj) out of the closet,
exposed
dizzily: (adv) unsteadily, woozily,
lightly, faintly, vertiginously,
dazedly, frivolously, confusedly,
flippantly, thoughtlessly; (adj, adv)
silly. ANTONYM: (adv) alertly
dizzy: (adj) giddy, silly, faint,
frivolous, light, vertiginous,
brainsick, featherbrained, flighty,
muzzy; (v) daze. ANTONYMS: (adj)
alert, balanced, intelligent, poised,
rational, steady, sober, serious
dogged: (adj) obdurate, stubborn,
willful, bullheaded, insistent,
obstinate, tenacious, wilful, untiring,
resolute, persistent. ANTONYMS:
(adj) yielding, compromising,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
indifferent, undetermined
doggedly: (adv) stubbornly, firmly,
tenaciously, persistently, resolutely,
pertinaciously, perseveringly,
obdurately, steadfastly, untiringly,
steadily. ANTONYM: (adv)
hesitantly
dogmatic: (adj) arbitrary,
overbearing, authoritative,
authoritarian, narrow, peremptory,
doctrinal, doctrinaire; (adj, v)
absolute, confident, formal.
ANTONYMS: (adj) flexible,
doubtful, uncertain, amenable,
equivocal, indecisive, questioning,
tolerant, ambiguous, polite, liberal
domesticated: (adj) tame, vernacular,
subdued, gentle, tamed, naturalized,
submissive, depressed, crushed,
cade, broken. ANTONYM: (adj)
wild
domino: (n) mask, disguise, eye
mask, block, Antoine domino, fats
domino, half mask, vizor, visor,
masquerade dress, masquerade
doom: (n, v) sentence, destine, fate;
(v) condemn, convict, damn; (n)
destiny, day of reckoning, chance,
luck, lot. ANTONYMS: (n) plan; (v)
absolve
doomed: (adj, v) destined, fated,
undone; (adj) condemned, cursed,
unlucky, unfortunate, inevitable,
predetermined, ruined; (n) lost.
ANTONYMS: (adj) auspicious,
delivered, hopeful, redeemed,
revived, saved, successful
dotted: (adj) speckled, dappled,
specked, spotted, dashed, stippled,
scattered, spotty, dot, mottled,
broken
doubled: (adj) twofold, multiple,
doubles, folded, repeated, dual,
bivalent, reduplicate
doubly: (adv) twice, twofold, two
times, in two ways, dualistically
doubted: (adj) distrusted, suspected
doubtless: (adv) assuredly,
undoubtedly, probably,
unquestionably, clearly, without
doubt, presumably; (adj) sure; (adv,
v) questionless; (adj, adv) no doubt,
to be sure. ANTONYMS: (adj)
improbably, uncertain, unlikely,
questionable
dover: (n) dove, capital of Delaware
downfall: (n) ruin, decline,
destruction, debacle, defeat, descent,
decadence, failure, undoing,
devastation, bane. ANTONYMS: (n)
making, ascension, lift, salvation,
victory, creation, beginning
downward: (adv) underneath, under,
below, downwards, downwardly,
beneath, down below; (adj)
downcast, sloping, depressed,
downright. ANTONYMS: (adv) up;
(adj) rising
downwards: (adv) down, downhill,
downwardly. ANTONYM: (adv) up
drab: (adj) dreary, gloomy, dingy,
cheerless, somber, boring, dowdy,
dark, colorless, dull, depressing.
ANTONYMS: (adj) colorful, vivid,
brilliant, chic, flashy, interesting,
cheerful, distinctive, smart, strong
dragging: (n) pulled wire, stemming,
haulage; (adj) slow, sickly, slack,
unfit, sluggish, tardy, tedious; (v)
involve. ANTONYMS: (adj)
energetic, energizing, exciting,
prompt, short
draggled: (adj) unclean, dirty,
dilapidated
dram: (n) drachma, nip, ankus, spot,
dynamic random access memory,
snifter, blast, apothecaries' weight;
(n, v) potion; (v) drench, swill
draughts: (n) solitaire, go bang,
backgammon, misere chess, chess,
dominos, board game
drawers: (n) knickers, pants, tights,
shorts, bloomers, briefs, underwear,
breeches, underpants,
underdrawers, trousers
dread: (n, v) apprehension, fear,
panic; (n) anxiety, awe,
consternation, alarm, trepidation,
dismay, foreboding, terror.
ANTONYMS: (adj) pleasing,
welcomed, pleasant; (v) welcome,
want; (n) reassurance, fearlessness,
confidence, security, ease, calm
dreaded: (adj) awful, terrible,
cowardly, causing horror, dire,
direful, desperate, dreadful, fearful,
fearsome; (v) drad
dreadfully: (adj, adv) frightfully,
shockingly; (adv) fearfully,
appallingly, hideously,
horrendously, horribly, atrociously,
ghastly, tremendously, horridly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) pleasantly,
wonderfully, happily, hardly,
superbly, well
dreading: (adj) anxious
dreaming: (n) reverie, ambition,
nightmare, conception, castle in the
air; (adj) absent-minded, asleep,
visionary, vacant, wistful, rapt
dreamy: (adj) faraway, romantic,
impractical, somnolent, visionary,
sleepy, pensive, moony, idealistic,
drowsy; (v) balmy. ANTONYMS:

(adj) cynical, vigorous, pragmatic,
practical, awake, alert, ordinary,
prosaic
dreary: (adj) depressing, drab, dull,
cheerless, drear, miserable, gloomy,
dark, dismal, stuffy, disconsolate.
ANTONYMS: (adj) interesting,
cheerful, sunny, brilliant, lively,
light, exciting, clear, cheery,
pleasant, exotic
drenched: (adj) saturated, soaked,
soaking, damp, soppy, wet through,
sodden, sopping, wringing wet,
soaked to the skin, dripping wet
drifting: (adj, adv) aimless,
wandering; (adv) adrift; (adj)
floating, nomadic, vagabond,
rootless, roaming, wayfaring,
migratory; (n) running with the
regulator closed. ANTONYM: (adj)
resident
drizzling: (adj) drizzle, sprinkle,
pouring, disgusting, drizzly, nasty,
disagreeable, rainy, showery,
raining, descending
droll: (adj) comical, humorous,
funny, laughable, burlesque,
ludicrous, ridiculous; (adj, n) comic,
witty; (n) buffoon, clown.
ANTONYMS: (adj) dramatic, dull,
grave, tragic, solemn
drowned: (adj) prostrate, sunken; (v)
drenched, drent
drowning: (n) masking, demersion
drowsily: (adv) sleepily,
lethargically, somnolently, lazily,
dozily, indolently, sluggishly,
soporifically, slowly, dreamily,
languorously. ANTONYM: (adv)
vigorously
drowsiness: (n) sleepiness, lethargy,
dullness, doziness, laziness,
somnolency, inertia, drowse,
lassitude, languor, sluggishness.
ANTONYM: (n) alertness
drums: (n) drumming
drunken: (adj) boozy, sottish,
intoxicated, tipsy, tight, bibulous,
groggy, intemperate, blotto, canned,
pissed
dulness: (n) dullness, matt,
dreariness, dimness, bluntness,
flatness, boringness, vapidity,
jejunity, mat, tedium. ANTONYMS:
(n) brightness, asperity
dumb: (adj) mute, speechless, dense,
dim, silent, dull, slow, stupid,
inarticulate, foolish, obtuse.
ANTONYMS: (adj) bright,
communicative, intelligent,
loquacious, sharp, smart, speaking,
brilliant, talkative
Edgar Allan Poe
durability: (n) continuity,
durableness, longevity, stamina,
firmness, persistence, stability,
hardiness, permanence, toughness,
endurance. ANTONYMS: (n)
weakness, flimsiness
durable: (adj, v) stable, fast; (adj)
lasting, permanent, sturdy, strong,
serviceable, enduring, firm, tough,
abiding. ANTONYMS: (adj) weak,
flimsy, lightweight, undependable,
temporary, shoddy, cheap, unstable,
soft, insubstantial, fickle
dusk: (n) nightfall, twilight, darkness,
gloaming, sunset, gloom, night,
shade, shadow, sundown; (adj)
dusky. ANTONYMS: (n) dawn,
light, daybreak, morning, afternoon
dusky: (adj) dark, cloudy, gloomy,
black, swarthy, dull, murky,
obscure, dingy, sooty, somber.
ANTONYMS: (adj) light, bright,
sunny, radiant, clear
dutchman: (n) Netherlander,
mynheer, make up piece; (adj) dago,
tenderfoot, slant, wop, greaser,
Polak, mick, easterner
dwarf: (adj, n) midget, miniature; (n)
gnome, fairy, brownie, manikin,
pygmy; (v) overshadow; (adj) little,
runt, baby. ANTONYMS: (adj) large,
big, huge; (v) maximize
dwarfish: (adj) stunted, dwarfed,
short, scrubby, little, tiny, puny,
midget, miniature, small, petty
dwell: (adj, v) inhabit; (v) reside,
bide, live, stay, lodge, delay, occupy,
continue, be, settle. ANTONYM: (v)
wander
dwelling: (n) domicile, home,
residence, house, place,
accommodation, address, building,
lodge, habitation; (adj, n) dwell
dwelt: (v) dwell, inhabit
dynamics: (n) kinetics, ballistics,
dynamism, movement, mechanics,
motion, dynamic psychology; (v)
statics
eagerly: (adv) zealously, readily,
keenly, fervently, avidly, greedily,
enthusiastically, intently, earnestly,
impatiently, actively. ANTONYMS:
(adv) apathetically, nonchalantly,
grudgingly, patiently, halfheartedly,
reluctantly, unenthusiastically
eagerness: (n, v) desire, aspiration;
(n) enthusiasm, avidity, cupidity,
readiness, passion, keenness,
ambition, fervor, avidness.
ANTONYMS: (n) indifference,
unwillingness, aloofness, disinterest,
lethargy, listlessness, patience,
273
gloom, reluctance
earnest: (adj, v) devout; (adj) eager,
solemn, heartfelt, diligent, studious,
sincere, intense, ardent, staid; (n)
guarantee. ANTONYMS: (adj)
flippant, halfhearted, uncertain,
insincere, unimportant, nonchalant,
lethargic, apathetic, unenthusiastic,
indifferent, frivolous
earnestly: (adj, adv) seriously; (adv)
eagerly, intently, zealously,
solemnly, ardently, fervently,
heartily, gravely, warmly,
passionately. ANTONYMS: (adv)
indifferently, insincerely,
unconcernedly, jokingly
earrings: (n) charms, bracelets, rings,
ornaments, necklaces, jewels,
jewelry, costume jewelry, trinkets
earthen: (adj) clay, ceramic,
earthenware
eastward: (adj) eastbound, eastern;
(adv) eastwards
eaves: (n) arch, balcony, cupola,
dome, penthouse, eave, overhang,
attic, loft, projection, roof space
ebony: (adj, n) sable; (adj) black,
dark, jet, soot, raven, smut, sloe; (n)
jet black, coal black, wood
eccentricity: (n) abnormality,
idiosyncrasy, oddness, peculiarity,
anomaly, crankiness, irregularity,
quirk, strangeness, weirdness,
curiousness. ANTONYMS: (n)
usualness, normalcy,
conventionality, concentricity,
conformity
echoing: (adj) resonant, hollow,
resounding, deep, booming, loud,
ringing, spacious, vast; (n) imitation,
roll. ANTONYMS: (adj) thin, weak,
cramped
ecliptic: (n) orbit, equator, circle
edging: (n) border, edge, brim, brink,
lace, trimming, boundary, galloon,
hem, list, frame
editing: (n) redaction, edition, copy
editing, deletion, cutting, cut,
compiling, layout, compilation, edit,
electronic editing. ANTONYM: (n)
freedom
effected: (adj) completed, complete,
finished, fulfilled, done, realized,
conventional, constituted,
established
effectually: (adv) efficaciously,
effectively, validly, adequately,
potently, tellingly, strongly,
decisively; (adj) nicely, fully, head
and shoulders. ANTONYM: (adv)
ineffectually
effusion: (n) effluence, eruption,
 274
outpour, efflux, outburst, exudation,
extrusion, exhalation, emanation,
emission, flow
egregious: (adj) rank, glaring,
flagrant, crying, infamous,
outrageous, peculiar, absurd,
eccentric; (v) extravagant; (adj, v)
preposterous. ANTONYMS: (adj)
petty, slight, trivial, measly, little,
minor
egress: (n) exit, egression, outlet,
door, emergence, departure,
emersion, emission, way out,
dissilience; (v) emerge.
ANTONYMS: (n) entry, ingress
ejected: (adj) evicted, dispossessed
elapsed: (adj) gone, forgotten, lapsed,
back, beyond, onwards, over and
done
elapsing: (n) expiration, course
elastic: (adj) flexible, springy, soft,
pliable, resilient, limber, pliant,
yielding, ductile, buoyant; (n)
rubber band. ANTONYMS: (adj)
rigid, stiff, inflexible, inelastic,
unadaptable, intolerant, firm, hard,
unyielding
elevate: (v) advance, lift, hoist, erect,
exalt, boost, rear, cheer, promote,
dignify, uphold. ANTONYMS: (v)
demote, drop, downgrade, depress,
decrease, reduce
elevation: (n) height, highness,
exaltation, ascent, climb, hill,
aggrandizement, raise, El, Alt,
stature. ANTONYMS: (n)
degradation, descent, levelness,
depression, downgrading,
demotion, drop, depth
elicit: (v) educe, derive, cause, fetch,
evoke, extract, arouse, excite,
provoke, draw out, discover.
ANTONYMS: (v) cover, forgo, hide,
halt
elicited: (adj) evoked, elicit
ellipse: (n) oval, elliptical, ovule,
elliptic, conic section, circle, curve,
conic, orbit
ellipsoid: (adj) rounded, ellipsoidal,
spheroidal
elopement: (n) escape, flight, running
away
eloquence: (n) style, fluency, oratory,
rhetoric, articulateness, expression,
volubility, persuasiveness,
articulacy, facundity, way with
words. ANTONYM: (n)
inarticulateness
eloquent: (adj) glib, fluent,
persuasive, expressive, meaningful,
significant, graphic, vivid, speaking,
forcible, moving. ANTONYMS: (adj)
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
incoherent, innocent,
straightforward, weak
elucidation: (n) clarification,
comment, explanation, account,
description, definition, exposition,
illumination, illustration, answer,
resolution. ANTONYM: (n) problem
elude: (adj, v) evade, circumvent; (v)
dodge, duck, avoid, skirt, escape,
baffle, defy, shirk, bilk.
ANTONYMS: (v) face, encounter,
meet, acquire
embark: (v) leave, undertake, start,
venture, enter, sail, commence, get
on, open, go on board, go into.
ANTONYMS: (v) land, debark
embarrass: (v) baffle, bother,
confound, hinder, disconcert, block,
complicate, impede, discomfit; (adj,
v) bewilder, encumber.
ANTONYMS: (v) comfort, please,
soothe, relieve
embellishment: (n) decoration,
adornment, ornament, flourish,
ornamentation, enhancement,
enrichment, beautification,
embroidery, garnish, hyperbole.
ANTONYM: (n) understatement
emblem: (n) flag, type, device,
allegory, character, crest, sign,
badge, figure, ensign, symbol
embodiment: (n) shape, epitome,
incarnation, avatar, amalgamation,
union, unification, incorporation,
coalescence, cast; (adj) integration
embody: (v) comprehend, comprise,
personify, body, represent,
exemplify, typify, encompass,
incorporate, materialize, integrate.
ANTONYMS: (v) divide, exclude,
disembody
embossed: (adj) raised, brocaded,
stamped, decorated, prominent,
bossy; (n) relief
embraced: (adj) popular
embracing: (n) embrace, hugging,
kissing, taking on, implementation,
espousal, clutches; (adj) twining,
osculant, grasping, close
eminence: (n) distinction, elevation,
altitude, celebrity, superiority, rank,
excellence, fame, glory, prominence,
status. ANTONYMS: (n)
insignificance, cavity, depression,
unimportance, dip, commonness,
inferiority
emit: (adj, v) discharge; (v) shoot,
belch, reek, give off, evolve, eject,
shed, radiate, emanate; (n, v) give.
ANTONYMS: (v) absorb, contain,
repress, retain, suppress, block,
trickle, withhold
emitting: (n) emission; (adj) flowing,
mittent, emissive
emphasizing: (n) accenting,
accentuation, accent, emphasise,
stressing, emphasize, action
empressement: (adj, n) eagerness,
zeal; (n) overanxiety, earnestness;
(adj) intentness
emptied: (adj) empty, void, depleted,
emptier, annulled, open, vacuous
enamored: (adj) loving, smitten,
crazy, taken with, dotty, amorous,
besotted, captivated, hooked, mad,
enamoured. ANTONYMS: (adj)
sickened, repelled
enchanted: (adj) bewitched,
delighted, charmed, fascinated, rapt,
spellbound, blissful, happy,
enamored, possessed; (v) entranced.
ANTONYMS: (adj) disenchanted,
unhappy
encircle: (adv, n, v) compass; (adv, v)
beset, surround, enclose,
encompass, environ; (v) besiege,
circumvent, bound; (n, v) circle,
embrace. ANTONYM: (v) expose
enclose: (v) contain, confine,
circumscribe, corral, enfold, encircle,
envelop, cover; (adv, v) encompass,
beset; (adv) compass. ANTONYMS:
(v) expose, release, unwrap, lack
enclosing: (n) enclose, inclosure,
boxing, encasement, introduction,
insertion, intromission,
surrounding, incasement, grip,
envelopment
enclosure: (n) appendage, annex,
cage, appendix, addendum, barrier,
enclosing, pen, yard, hedge,
addition
encompass: (n, v) embrace,
comprehend, encircle; (adv, v)
compass, surround; (v) contain,
comprise, cover, embody, besiege,
circumscribe. ANTONYMS: (v)
exclude, free, omit, release, lack
encompassing: (adj, prep) encircling;
(n, prep) surrounding; (prep) about;
(v) encompass; (adj) broad, blanket,
circumferential, panoptic,
circumambient, comprehensive,
circuitous
encrusted: (adj) crusted, crustlike,
covered, smudged, dirty, filthy,
peeling, grubby, soiled, flaking,
curmudgeonly. ANTONYM: (adj)
smooth
encumber: (v) saddle, clog, hamper,
charge, lumber, tax, embarrass,
constrain, hinder, bound, cumber.
ANTONYMS: (v) free, alleviate,
assist, aid, facilitate, ease, help,

lighten, relieve
encumbered: (adj) burdened,
burdensome, weighed down, heavy,
deep, clayey, cloggy. ANTONYM:
(adj) unencumbered
endeavor: (n, v) struggle, try, strain;
(n) effort, trial, essay, shot,
enterprise, work; (v) strive, aim.
ANTONYMS: (n, v) neglect
endeavoring: (n) effort; (adj) aspiring
endeavors: (n) activities, deeds,
events, Comings and Goings,
undertakings, accomplishments,
happenings
endeavour: (n) attempt, effort, pains,
trial, try, enterprise, striving,
contribution, braving; (v) exert,
strive
endurance: (adj, n) sufferance; (n)
stamina, tolerance, courage,
permanence, continuance, energy,
fortitude, tenacity, duration,
toughness. ANTONYMS: (n)
weakness, inconsistency,
impatience, frailty, discontinuation,
discontinuance, death
endure: (adj, n, v) continue, support;
(n, v) bear, suffer, stand, be; (v)
accept, undergo, allow, stay,
tolerate. ANTONYMS: (v) perish,
die, break, fall, discontinue,
crumble, end, enjoy, resign, quit,
collapse
enduring: (adj) durable, abiding,
lasting, permanent, continuing,
constant, hardy, immortal, eternal,
stable; (adv) enduringly.
ANTONYMS: (adj) impatient,
transient, fleeting, mortal, modern,
insubstantial, inconstant, fickle,
erratic, unstable
energetic: (adj) animated, brisk, busy,
driving, dynamic, powerful, strong,
effective, agile, emphatic, forcible.
ANTONYMS: (adj) sluggish, lazy,
weary, languid, inactive, exhausted,
indolent, apathetic, dull, indifferent,
listless
enfeeble: (adj, v) weaken; (v)
enervate, attenuate, unnerve, waste,
impair, devitalize, emaciate, cripple,
break, diminish. ANTONYMS: (v)
strengthen, harden, galvanize
engagements: (n) arrangements,
actions, activities, schedule, travels,
movements
engender: (v) cause, breed, generate,
bring about, make, bring forth,
create, produce, procreate, father,
bring. ANTONYMS: (v) stop,
destroy, halt, finish
englishman: (n) Sassenach, British,
Edgar Allan Poe
Briton, Britisher, Englander, English,
Saxon, limey, burgher, Jacobean,
burgess
engrossed: (adj) rapt, engaged, intent,
occupied, preoccupied, busy,
fascinated, obsessed, thoughtful,
hooked; (adj, v) immersed.
ANTONYMS: (adj) disinterested,
bored, distracted, indifferent,
unconcerned, uninterested,
inattentive, carefree
engulfed: (adj) overcome, weak,
overwhelmed, conquered,
overpowered, swamped, powerless,
flooded, enclosed, beaten,
enveloped
enigma: (adj, n) mystery, riddle; (n)
puzzle, secret, perplexity, poser,
question, problem, closed book, nut
to crack, logogriph. ANTONYMS:
(n) clearness, explanation
enkindled: (adj) ignited, lighted,
kindled, burning; (prep) inflamed
enlarged: (adj) inflated, magnified,
extended, expanded, puffy,
increased, augmented, amplified,
distended, wide, swollen.
ANTONYM: (adj) atrophied
enormously: (adv) hugely,
prodigiously, mightily, vastly,
immensely, greatly, extremely,
massively, infinitely; (adj, adv)
monstrously, excessively.
ANTONYMS: (adv) mildly,
somewhat, hardly
ensconce: (v) establish, position,
place, conceal, hide, set, cache,
muffle, smother, root; (adj) house.
ANTONYMS: (v) unveil, disclose,
divulge, reveal, show, uncover
ensconced: (v) imbedded, situate,
posited
ensue: (v) come, arise, happen, result,
succeed, occur, transpire, turn out,
befall, come after, stem.
ANTONYMS: (v) forerun, preface,
antecede, dwindle, recede
ensuing: (adj) following, consequent,
succeeding, later, subsequent, next,
successive, resulting, consequential,
ensue, posterior. ANTONYMS: (adj)
antecedent, earlier, prior,
preliminary
entangled: (adj) complicated,
intricate, embroiled, complex, foul,
confused, matted, tangled,
inextricable, knotty; (v) entangle
entangling: (v) entangle; (adj) snary,
intricable
entertain: (v) amuse, delight, bear,
cherish, beguile, admit,
accommodate, harbor, hold, distract;
275
(n, v) interest. ANTONYMS: (v)
disregard, ignore, banish, forget,
tire, displease
entertained: (adj) diverted, pleased
entomological: (adj) entomical
entranced: (adj) delighted,
captivated, fascinated, enthralled,
enchanted, ecstatic, beguiled,
enslaved, gripped; (adv) on cloud
nine; (v) overjoyed
enumerated: (adj) detailed
enunciation: (n) delivery, elocution,
articulation, pronunciation, speech,
declaration, annunciation, accent,
assertion, inflection, expression
envelop: (v) fold, enfold, encase,
enclose, wrap, encircle, conceal,
embrace, beset, hide; (n) envelope.
ANTONYMS: (v) reveal, release,
open, unwrap, expose
enveloped: (adj) convoluted,
enclosed, cover, bounded,
Byzantine, clothed, involved, misty,
swallowed, vestured, emotionally
involved
environs: (adj, n) purlieus; (n)
vicinity, confines, outskirts,
environment, entourage, precincts,
scene, surround, surroundings; (adj)
vicinage
envy: (v) begrudge, want; (n)
enviousness, desire, heartburning,
resentment, envies, heartburn,
jealousy, hatred; (adj) jealous.
ANTONYM: (n) generosity
epigram: (n) aphorism, joke,
witticism, expression, locution,
saying, crack, wisecrack, moral, jeu
d'esprit, smart saying
epitaph: (n) memorial, lettering,
inscription, commemoration,
epitaphic, legend
epoch: (n) era, date, period, day,
season, time, term, cycle, crisis, date
of reference, times
equanimity: (n) aplomb, poise,
calmness, calm, temper, peace,
imperturbability, temperament,
serenity, tranquility; (adj, n)
stoicism. ANTONYMS: (n) panic,
anger, excitableness, fear, hysteria,
nervousness, agitation, anxiety
equator: (n) circle, colures, midriff,
orbit, round, diaphragm, celestial
equator, ecliptic
equatorial: (adj) Mediterranean
erase: (v) delete, efface, blot out,
obliterate, wipe out, expunge,
annihilate, eradicate, clear, rub out,
eliminate. ANTONYMS: (v) restore,
record, add, acknowledge
errand: (n) chore, mission, job, task,
 276
assignment, embassy, duty, charge,
messenger, communication, work
erratic: (adj) capricious, irregular,
eccentric, freakish, broken,
desultory, planetary, unstable,
temperamental, quaint; (adj, v)
stray. ANTONYMS: (adj) consistent,
constant, dependable, predictable,
regular, certain, steady, unchanging,
reliable, common, stable
erring: (adj) devious, sinful, fallible,
wrong, amiss, at fault, guilty,
perverse, reprehensible; (n)
transgression
erroneously: (adv) mistakenly,
falsely, incorrectly, faultily,
inaccurately, fallaciously, wrong,
inexactly, untruely, misguidedly,
amiss. ANTONYMS: (adv)
accurately, rightly
eruption: (adj, n) burst, blast,
explosion; (adj) detonation,
discharge; (n) rash, spurt, outburst,
eructation, effusion, bang.
ANTONYMS: (n) retention, slump
eschewing: (n) renunciation
especial: (adj) extraordinary, special,
specific, chief, individual, distinct,
distinctive, characteristic,
appropriate, peculiar, express.
ANTONYMS: (adj) general, normal,
common, unexceptional, usual
esteem: (n) deference, admiration; (n,
v) respect, value, consideration,
account; (v) appreciate, deem, adore,
admire, count. ANTONYMS: (v)
scorn, hate, disdain, insult, despise,
abominate, abhor, dislike, reject; (n)
disesteem, disapproval
estimating: (n) estimation
estimation: (n) deference,
assessment, calculation,
approximation, appraisal, attention;
(n, v) esteem, consideration, regard,
reputation, credit. ANTONYMS: (n)
calculation, disbelief, doubt
estranged: (adj) disaffected,
separated, confused, bitter, anomic,
neurotic, lonely, homeless,
friendless, foreign, factious
eternal: (adj) constant, perpetual,
ceaseless, everlasting, lasting,
continual, aeonian, immortal,
boundless, deathless, enduring.
ANTONYMS: (adj) mortal, finite,
brief, ephemeral, fleeting,
terminable, ending, fragile,
inconstant
eternity: (n) aeon, afterlife, forever,
perpetuity, timelessness,
endlessness, everlasting, endless
time, everlastingness, everness,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
existence. ANTONYMS: (n)
finiteness, impermanence
ethereal: (adj) airy, celestial,
unworldly, delicate, intangible,
aeriform, spiritual, aery, vaporous,
incorporeal, diaphanous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) earthly, heavy,
indelicate, worldly, tangible, thick,
robust, concrete
ethics: (n) morality, ethic, morals,
moral philosophy, conscience,
behavior, ethical, philosophy,
casuistry, ethical motive, character
evaporating: (n) contraction
evenly: (adv) flatly, levelly,
uniformly, regularly, smoothly,
steadily, planely, horizontally,
plainly, truely, rightly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) inconsistently,
unequally, agitatedly, indirectly
eventful: (adj) fateful, weighty,
lively, important, momentous,
memorable, notable, hectic,
significant; (n) stirring; (v) full of
incident. ANTONYMS: (adj) dull,
insignificant, ordinary, slow, empty
exacerbate: (adj, v) exasperate,
embitter, infuriate; (v) worsen,
deteriorate, anger, heighten,
compound, intensify, inflame,
irritate. ANTONYMS: (v) alleviate,
ease, soothe, soften, resolve, placate,
pacify, mollify, calm, appease, better
exactitude: (n) precision, exactness,
correctness, punctuality, fidelity,
trueness, truth, veracity, rigor,
thoroughness, promptitude.
ANTONYMS: (n) vagueness,
inaccuracy, inexactness
exactness: (n) correctness, accuracy,
exactitude, truth, rigor, trueness,
accurateness, fidelity, punctuality,
veracity, strictness. ANTONYMS:
(n) inexactness, fuzziness,
inaccuracy, negligence, inexactitude,
incorrectness
exaggerated: (adj) extravagant,
theatrical, immoderate, inflated,
overdone, hyperbolic, magnified,
pretentious, overstated, excessive;
(adj, v) hypertrophied.
ANTONYMS: (adj) restrained,
unembellished, minimized
excavated: (adj) concave, hollow
exceeding: (prep) beyond, more than,
greater than; (adj) excessive,
transcendent, extraordinary,
exceptional, prodigious, surpassing,
Olympian; (v) exceed
exceedingly: (adj, adv) very, highly;
(adv) too, exceptionally, overly,
surpassingly, extraordinarily,
greatly, awfully, terrifically,
eminently. ANTONYMS: (adv)
slightly, hardly, insufficiently,
somewhat
excel: (v) top, surpass, cap, outdo,
pass, eclipse, beat, transcend, lead,
outshine; (adj, v) better.
ANTONYMS: (v) flunk, trail
excellence: (adj, n) worth, eminence,
desert; (n) distinction, advantage,
goodness, superiority, virtue,
greatness, predominance; (adj)
mastery. ANTONYMS: (n)
mediocrity, failing, fault, flaw,
unevenness, imperfection, disgrace,
commonness
excellency: (n) highness, merit,
majesty, mightiness, virtue,
splendor, superiority, worship,
grace, chastity, glory
excepting: (conj, prep) but, bar; (n,
prep) except for, exclusive of; (prep)
aside from, besides, apart from,
barring, excluding, with the
exception of; (v) saving.
ANTONYM: (prep) including
excessively: (adj, adv) immoderately,
exorbitantly, inordinately; (adv)
extremely, enormously, exceedingly,
very, profusely, overly,
exaggeratedly, intemperately.
ANTONYMS: (adv) justifiably,
moderately, insufficiently
excitable: (adj) nervous, irritable,
combustible, hasty, edgy, fiery,
sensitive, volatile, passionate, warm,
quick. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unexcitable, calm, unflappable,
easygoing, easy, tranquil, reliable,
mild
excite: (v) arouse, enliven, disturb,
agitate, awaken, incite, inspire,
rouse, electrify; (n, v) energize; (adj,
v) quicken. ANTONYMS: (v) calm,
pacify, bore, soothe, stifle,
tranquilize, placate, quiet, dampen
exclamation: (n) clamor, ejaculation,
exclaiming, utterance, whoop,
interjection, shout, expletive, deuce,
Dickens, ecphonesis
excursion: (n) expedition, jaunt,
outing, digression, drive, tour,
airing, voyage, deviation, stroll; (n,
v) journey
excusably: (adv) justly, reasonably,
forgivably, justifiably, rightly,
understandably, with good reason,
with reason. ANTONYMS: (adv)
inexcusably, wrongly
excused: (adj) privileged, immune
executing: (n) performing, execution,
decapitation, capital punishment,

electrocution, death penalty,
crucifixion, implementation,
corporal punishment; (v) perform,
execute
exertion: (n) application, exercise,
endeavor, attempt, struggle, trouble,
diligence, strain, labor, pull, essay.
ANTONYMS: (n) idleness,
inactivity, inertia, relaxation,
laziness, ease
exhaust: (v) spend, drain, empty, sap,
expend, deplete, use, tire out; (adj,
v) tire, waste, dissipate.
ANTONYMS: (v) refresh,
invigorate, replenish, restore, revive,
energize, save, renew, increase,
fortify
exhaustion: (n) consumption,
enervation, tiredness, lassitude,
attrition, weakening, weariness,
inanition, weakness; (adj, n)
collapse; (adj) prostration.
ANTONYMS: (n) vitality, pep,
restoration, vim
exhibit: (adj, n, v) display; (v) evince,
evidence, expose, demonstrate,
disclose, flaunt, announce, present,
show, produce. ANTONYMS: (v)
hide, cover; (n) concealment, hiding
exhibited: (adj) ostensible, avowed,
apparent, declared
exhibiting: (n) advertising; (adj)
exhibitory, ostensive
exonerated: (adj) clear, cleared,
absolved, guiltless, easily
perceptible, easily deciphered,
decipherable, vindicated, clean; (v)
exempt
expanse: (n) breadth, expansion,
space, region, compass, extent, orbit,
latitude, acreage, dilation, length.
ANTONYM: (n) closeness
expediency: (n) utility, convenience,
advantage, fitness, advisability,
pertinence, expedient, benefit,
effectiveness, value, pertinency.
ANTONYMS: (n) impracticality,
inconvenience, inexpedience,
unsuitability, uselessness
expedient: (adj) fit, advisable,
becoming, desirable, adequate, apt,
convenient, suitable; (n) contrivance,
resource, artifice. ANTONYMS:
(adj) inappropriate, inexpedient,
impractical, futile, detrimental,
inconvenient, foolish
expelled: (adj) evicted, disqualified,
dispossessed, debarred, barred,
banned
expiration: (n) ending, end,
conclusion, finish, close, exhalation,
termination, exit, death, lapse,
Edgar Allan Poe
expiry. ANTONYM: (n) beginning
expired: (adj) lapsed, deceased,
invalid, dead, overdue, extinct,
elapsed, out
explorer: (n) adventurer, traveler,
pioneer, researcher, tourist, scout,
discoverer, diver, excursionist, soul,
mortal
expose: (v) endanger, exhibit, betray,
detect, display, air, uncover,
debunk, denude, unfold, divulge.
ANTONYMS: (v) conceal, cover,
enclose, suppress, shield, shelter,
insulate, hide, guard, drape
expostulation: (n) dissuasion,
deprecation, objection, admonition,
reprehension, dehortation,
increpation, reprobation, rebuke,
reproach, reproof
expressive: (adj) significant,
meaningful, descriptive, mobile,
revelatory, indicative, articulate,
graphic, emphatic, suggestive, vivid.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unemotional,
undemonstrative, nondescript, cold,
expressionless, empty, emotionless,
inarticulate, innocent, impassive,
reserved
exquisite: (adj) beautiful, delicate,
excellent, dainty, gorgeous,
admirable, acute, heavenly, choice,
wonderful; (adj, v) delightful.
ANTONYMS: (adj) dull, inferior,
ugly, subdued, rough, poor, coarse,
mild, imperfect, horrible, flawed
exquisitely: (adv) excellently, finely,
magnificently, perfectly, beautifully,
gorgeously, superbly, keenly,
subtlely; (adj, adv) intensely,
exceedingly
exterior: (adj, n) outside, surface,
outward; (n) appearance, skin, front;
(adj) external, superficial, outlying,
outer, outdoor. ANTONYMS: (adj,
n) interior, inside; (adj) inner,
internal, intrinsic, middle, deep
extinction: (n) destruction,
extermination, end, expiration,
obliteration, expiry, dissolution,
devastation, demise, effacement; (n,
v) cessation. ANTONYMS: (n)
preservation, protection
extinguished: (adj) extinct, out, dead,
quenched, allayed, destroyed; (n)
defunctness, complete annihilation,
experimental extinction,
extermination, extinction
extolled: (adj) decorated, dignified,
exalted, elevated, adorned,
emblazoned, inscribed
extort: (v) exact, soak, compel, take,
wring, force, extract, pry; (adj)
277
bleed, fleece, overcharge
extravagant: (adj) wasteful,
luxurious, prodigal, exaggerated,
profligate, costly, expensive, lavish,
immoderate, profuse, undue.
ANTONYMS: (adj) restrained,
frugal, parsimonious, plain, stingy,
understated, thrifty, reasonable,
moderate, cautious, tasteful
extravaganza: (n) vaudeville, farce,
spectacular, display, burlesque,
show, opera, pageant, piece, play,
revue
extremity: (n) end, member,
boundary, bound, close, appendage,
limit, limb, ending, fringe,
conclusion. ANTONYMS: (n) trunk,
average, minimum, head, leniency
extrinsic: (adj) external, extraneous,
exotic, foreign, adventitious, alien,
outer, unnecessary, unessential,
outside, accidental. ANTONYMS:
(adj) interior, native, integral
fable: (n) legend, fiction, tale, story,
fabrication, fairy tale, lie, myth,
anecdote; (adj, n) apologue, parable.
ANTONYMS: (n) fact, history
fabulous: (adj) mythical, legendary,
fabled, mythological, wonderful,
marvelous, spectacular, fab, terrific,
amazing, imaginary. ANTONYMS:
(adj) normal, prosaic, routine,
ordinary, factual, common,
humdrum, dire, unimpressive,
abysmal
faculties: (n) mother wit
fain: (adj) willing, prepared, ready,
favorable, heart and soul, prone;
(adv) gladly, lief, readily, willingly;
(v) optative
faintly: (adv) dimly, vaguely,
indistinctly, lightly, weakly, hazily,
slightly, softly, shadowily, infirmly,
palely. ANTONYMS: (adv) clearly,
intensely, distinctly,
overpoweringly, harshly,
considerably, powerfully, strongly,
brightly, obviously, audibly
fallacy: (n) delusion, deception,
paralogism, illusion, misconception,
falsehood, inaccuracy, idol, falsity,
sophistry; (adj, n) subterfuge.
ANTONYMS: (n) fact, truth,
validity, verity, understanding,
correctness
falsehood: (n) fable, fabrication,
deception, untruth, lie, fib, fiction,
invention, dishonesty; (adj, n)
deceit, falsity. ANTONYMS: (n) fact,
honesty, reality
falsity: (n) deceit, fabrication, lie,
falsification, falseness, deception,
 278
fable, disloyalty, dishonesty,
unreality, fiction. ANTONYMS: (n)
validity, verity
familiarity: (adj, n) acquaintance; (n)
intimacy, closeness, experience,
casualness, conversancy,
knowledge, conversance,
naturalness, nearness, friendship.
ANTONYMS: (n) unfamiliarity,
formality, abnormality, distance,
animosity
fancied: (adj) unreal, chimerical,
fictional, fanciful, fictitious,
fabricated, preferred, assumed,
illusory, imagined, ideal
fancies: (n) stock
fanciful: (adj) mythical, fantastic,
capricious, unreal, arbitrary,
romantic, ideal, chimerical, notional,
visionary; (adj, v) fancy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) prosaic, real,
realistic, plausible, normal
fancying: (n) daydream, fantasy
fanning: (n) ventilation
farce: (n) comedy, travesty, joke,
mockery, sham, play, charade,
caricature, dressing, forcemeat,
buffoonery. ANTONYMS: (n)
tragedy, drama
farewell: (int, n) adieu; (n) bye, leave,
valediction, adios, parting, goodbye,
separation, departure, aloha; (int)
bon voyage. ANTONYMS: (n) hello,
salutation, welcome
far-off: (adj) distant, far, faraway,
outlying, extreme, inaccessible, last,
long, obscure, unknown, wide
farther: (adj, adv, prep) beyond; (adj)
additional, more, distant; (adv)
furthermore, besides, abroad, in
addition, too; (adj, prep) outside;
(pron) another. ANTONYMS: (prep)
within; (adv) nearer, closer
farthest: (adj) ultimate, extreme,
farthermost, utmost, uttermost, last,
furthermost, endmost, greatest,
most distant; (adj, adv) remotest.
ANTONYMS: (adv) closest, nearest
fascination: (n) charm, glamor,
bewitchment, glamour,
enchantment, enthrallment,
charisma, magnetism, allure, magic,
captivation. ANTONYMS: (n)
disinterest, boredom,
disenchantment, disenthrallment,
repulsion
fashioned: (adj) formed, featured,
fictitious, intentional, bent, wrought
fasten: (adj, v) attach, fix, affix; (v)
connect, bind, tie, tack, pin, stick,
clasp, anchor. ANTONYMS: (v)
detach, undo, unlock, loosen,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
release, open, disconnect, untie,
separate, unscrew
fastened: (adj) tied, fast, buttoned,
closed, tight, secure, pinned,
binding, empight, steady, firm.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unfastened,
unbuttoned
fastening: (n) clasp, clip, buckle,
attachment, lock, catch, link,
bonding; (n, v) bond; (v) tie, bind
fastidious: (adj, n) exacting, critical,
accurate; (adj) delicate, particular,
careful, exigent, dainty,
discriminating, nice, fussy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) sloppy,
unfastidious, careless, uncouth,
uncritical, easy, indifferent,
undemanding, slapdash, relaxed,
easygoing
fatally: (adv) lethally, fatefully,
perniciously, disastrously,
destructively, terminally, deadly,
pestilently, killingly, calamitously;
(adj, adv) dangerously
fathom: (n, v) plumb; (v) penetrate,
discern, bottom, understand,
comprehend, know, make out,
measure; (n) probe, gauge.
ANTONYMS: (v) confuse,
misunderstand, Miss
fatigued: (adj) tired, weary, beat,
worn, tired out, jaded, spent, worn
out, done in, fagged, run-down.
ANTONYMS: (adj) refreshed, alert,
lively, energized, energetic
fatty: (adj) adipose, greasy, oily,
obese, rich, heavy, unctuous, suety,
chubby; (n) fat person, fatso.
ANTONYMS: (adj) lean, thin,
nonfat, light
faubourg: (n) suburbia, suburb
favor: (n, v) countenance, aid, grace,
support, benefit, boon; (adj, n)
kindness; (n) advantage; (v)
befriend, encourage, patronize.
ANTONYMS: (v) hinder, contradict,
dislike, hurt, differ, thwart, reject,
demean; (n) derogation,
disapproval, unkindness
favorable: (adj) lucky, fortunate,
propitious, prosperous, convenient,
advantageous, encouraging, happy,
helpful; (adj, v) friendly; (adj, n)
kindly. ANTONYMS: (adj) adverse,
negative, ominous, disapproving,
inauspicious, detrimental,
unfriendly, disagreeable, hindering,
harmful, untimely
favored: (adj) advantaged, preferred,
lucky, advantageous, pet, favorite,
blessed, privileged, favorable; (adj,
n) happy, prosperous. ANTONYMS:
(adj) disliked, unpopular, Standard
favoring: (adj) affirmative,
encouraging, auspicious, being
prospered, beneficial, affirmatory;
(n) convenient, contributing,
beautiful, conducive, promotion
favorite: (adj, n) darling, favourite,
dear, number one; (adj) favored,
beloved, popular; (n) pet, choice,
pick, preference. ANTONYMS: (n)
indifference, superior, underdog;
(adj) unwanted, despised, disliked,
hated, unusual
fawn: (v) crawl, creep, grovel, cringe,
cower, crouch, bootlick, kowtow,
blandish, flatter; (n) deer.
ANTONYMS: (v) insult, despise,
ignore, domineer
fearful: (adj, n) afraid; (adj, v)
dreadful, cowardly; (adj) terrible,
apprehensive, awful, timid, anxious,
craven, frightful, eerie.
ANTONYMS: (adj) rational, calm,
confident, bold, unimpressed,
charming, fearless, courageous,
reassuring, unafraid, wonderful
fearfully: (adv) timidly, timorously,
awfully, apprehensively,
horrendously, hideously, anxiously,
appallingly, terribly; (adj, adv)
shockingly, dreadfully.
ANTONYMS: (adv) bravely, calmly,
confidently, wonderfully, rationally,
unconcernedly
fearlessly: (adj, adv) daringly, boldly,
heroically, courageously, valiantly;
(adv) dauntlessly, bravely, gallantly,
undauntedly, audaciously,
unflinchingly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
nervously, cautiously, timidly
feasible: (adj) probable, possible, fit,
viable, available, practical, credible,
achievable, likely, doable, realizable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) impossible,
unlikely, impracticable, impractical,
inconceivable, infeasible, unfeasible,
unrealistic, implausible
feat: (n) deed, accomplishment,
achievement, act, effort,
performance, action, triumph,
attainment, trick; (adj) fetis .
ANTONYM: (n) inaction
feathers: (n) plumage, fur, indument,
garment, garb, fine hair, clothing,
dress, apparel, attire, array
fecundity: (n) fertility, productivity,
richness, fruitfulness, prolificacy,
productiveness, luxuriance,
lushness, creativeness, birthrate;
(adj) uberty. ANTONYMS: (n)
infertility, sterility
feeble: (adj) delicate, decrepit, ailing,

helpless, powerless, poor, mild, lax,
thin; (adj, v) faint, debilitated.
ANTONYMS: (adj) strong, vigorous,
hearty, tough, effective, powerful,
unrelenting, robust, potent,
persuasive, able
feeblest: (adj) least
feint: (n) wile, pretence, simulation,
affectation, sham, guise, ruse, deceit,
bluff, cheat, pretense
fellows: (n) fellow, membership,
faculty
ferment: (n) agitation, excitement,
barm, tumult, unrest, disturbance;
(adj, v) stew, pother; (v) effervesce,
turn, brew. ANTONYMS: (v) quiet,
defuse, soothe
fermentation: (adj, n, v) ferment; (n)
excitement, agitation, effervescence,
fermenting, zymosis, perturbation,
commotion, unrest, heat, emotion
ferocious: (adj) cruel, brutal,
barbarous, feral, truculent,
atrocious, fell, bloodthirsty, brutish;
(adj, v) fierce, savage. ANTONYMS:
(adj) gentle, mild, tender, tame,
nonviolent, kind, calm
ferocity: (n) violence, cruelty,
ferociousness, fury, rage, truculence,
atrocity, fierceness, wildness,
vehemence, anger. ANTONYMS: (n)
meekness, friendliness, serenity
ferret: (n) detective, Mustela nigripes,
foulmart, fitch, musteline, mustelid;
(v) grub, ferret out, search, seek,
ransack
fervid: (adj) ardent, burning, hot,
vehement, eager, passionate,
impassioned, fiery, enthusiastic;
(adj, v) warm, glowing
fervor: (adj, n) devotion, passion; (n)
enthusiasm, zeal, eagerness,
fervency, energy, warmth,
earnestness, fervidness, ardour.
ANTONYMS: (n) indifference,
apathy, impassiveness, aloofness,
coolness, dejection, doubt
fever: (n) malaria, delirium, pyrexia,
heat, frenzy, feverishness, febricity,
Bilious typhoid fever, Levant fever,
Hectic infantile fever, Typhoid fever
feverish: (adj) febrile, feverous, fiery,
frenzied, fevered, excited, sick,
fanatical; (adj, v) hot, flushed; (adj,
n) hysterical. ANTONYMS: (adj)
calm, afebrile, collected, composed,
mellow
fidelity: (n) constancy, devotion,
faithfulness, adherence, allegiance,
loyalty, faith, dedication, exactness;
(adj, n) honesty, truth.
ANTONYMS: (n) infidelity,
Edgar Allan Poe
unfaithfulness, disloyalty,
inaccuracy, faithlessness,
dishonesty, unreliability
fiend: (n) monster, devil, fanatic,
brute, deuce, incubus, goblin, ogre,
enthusiast, daemon, addict.
ANTONYM: (n) angel
fiendish: (adj, v) infernal, diabolic,
satanic, hellish; (adj) demonic,
diabolical, cruel, atrocious,
inhuman, wicked, brutal
fiery: (adj, n) burning, passionate,
glowing; (adj) fervent, ablaze, hot,
fervid, impassioned, peppery; (adj,
v) fierce, violent. ANTONYMS: (adj)
calm, passionless, dispassionate,
indifferent, placid, gentle, cool;
(adv) easygoing
filth: (n) grime, garbage, foulness,
impurity, soil, blot, stain, nastiness,
squalor, uncleanliness; (adj) impure.
ANTONYMS: (n) cleanliness,
luxury, loveliness
finale: (n) close, end, ending, finish,
finis, termination, catastrophe, last,
epilogue, closing, denouement.
ANTONYMS: (n) start, introduction,
prelude
finer: (adj) superior, advanced,
bigger, higher, more, greater
fireside: (n) fireplace, home, family,
habitation, dwelling, abode,
domicile, country, dwelling house,
fire, habitat
firing: (n, v) discharge, explosion; (n)
dismissal, fire, combustion, sack,
lighting, dismission, release; (adj)
combustible; (v) burst
firmament: (n) sphere, welkin,
heaven, heavens, celestial sphere,
expanse, arena, field, vault of
heaven, domain, area
fissure: (n) crevice, chasm, cranny,
break, cleft, breach, rift, chap, chink,
cleavage, aperture. ANTONYMS:
(n) repair, mend
fitful: (adj) erratic, fickle, changeable,
spasmodic, uncertain, intermittent,
irregular, variable, sporadic,
desultory, flickering. ANTONYMS:
(adj) regular, unbroken
fitly: (adv) appropriately, properly,
fittingly, decorously, aptly,
befittingly, readily, accommodately,
expediently, suitly, justly
fixedly: (adv) steadily, steadfastly,
regularly, intently, stably, setly,
permanently, rigidly, unwaveringly,
surely, resolutely
fixture: (n) installation, device, fixing,
attachment, competition, match,
clamping plate, fixity, equipment,
279
appliance; (adj) establishment
flaccid: (adj) limp, soft, loose, lax,
weak, slack, languid, baggy, downy,
drooping; (v) weakly. ANTONYMS:
(adj) stiff, taut, upright, proactive
flaming: (adj, n) burning, ardent,
glowing, passionate; (adj) blazing,
ablaze, aflame, hot; (n) enthusiastic,
flame, fire. ANTONYMS: (adj)
extinguished, placid, gentle, quiet
flashing: (adj) bright, sparkling,
blinking, meteoric, scintillating,
light, brilliant, dazzling, gleaming;
(n) flare, flashes
flattened: (adj) planate, packed
down, trodden, unconscious,
depressed, compressed
flatter: (v) fawn, adulate, wheedle,
cajole, soap, kowtow, blandish,
grovel, butter up; (n, v) court; (n)
caress. ANTONYMS: (v) insult,
disparage, criticize, discourage
flaw: (n, v) crevice, blemish, crack;
(adj, n) fault, blot, blunder; (n)
chink, demerit, cranny, break, chap.
ANTONYMS: (n) strength,
perfection
flee: (v) bolt, break out, fly, desert,
break, abscond, elope, elude, run
away, run, leave. ANTONYMS: (v)
appear, advance
fleshy: (adj) corpulent, brawny,
chubby, overweight, obese, heavy,
stout, round, succulent; (adj, adv)
plump; (adv) portly. ANTONYMS:
(adj) slim, slender
float: (v) drift, swim, waft, hover,
ride, fly; (n, v) buoy, blow; (n) raft,
floater, bobber. ANTONYM: (v)
reject
flog: (v) lash, whip, chastise, lick,
trounce, flagellate, birch, castigate,
cane, strap, wallop
flogging: (n) beating, flagellation,
whipping, lash, drubbing,
trouncing, tanning, hiding, lashing,
whip, whacking
flourish: (n, v) display; (v) thrive,
prosper, boast, wave, brag, wield,
boom, grow; (adj, v) bloom; (adv, v)
shake. ANTONYMS: (v) decline,
struggle, deteriorate, wilt, pine,
fade, flounder, decrease, dwindle
flourishing: (adj) thriving, palmy,
healthy, successful, luxuriant,
booming, verdant, lush, auspicious,
favorable, rich. ANTONYMS: (adj)
arid, declining, fading, poor,
unhealthy
flowing: (adj) fluent, running,
graceful, smooth, fluid, soft, liquid;
(n) current, flux, flow; (adj, v) loose.
 280
ANTONYMS: (adj) secure, ugly,
still, stilted, jerky, harsh, halting
flue: (adj) down, cobweb, dust; (n)
fluff, flue pipe, shaft, smokestack,
tunnel, uptake, vent, chimneystack
flurry: (n) commotion, stir, bother,
squall, breeze, ado; (adj, n) bustle,
fuss, hurry; (n, v) fluster; (v)
disconcert. ANTONYM: (n) quiet
flushed: (adj, n) red, sanguine; (adj)
feverish, glowing, aroused, aflame,
burning, exultant, exulting; (n)
flush, elated. ANTONYM: (adj) cool
fluttering: (adj) flying, palpitating,
flittering, flaring, aflare, waving; (n)
flutter, flapping, flicker, flitting;
(adv) flutteringly
foam: (n, v) froth, bubble, spume;
(adj, v) boil, seethe; (v) effervesce,
suds, fizz, ferment; (n) lather,
bubbles
foaming: (adj) foamy, effervescent,
effervescing, bubbly, bubbling,
sparkling, spumy; (adj, n) frothing;
(n) surging, effervescence, scum
folding: (n) foldaway, plication,
foldable, bend, crease, bending,
flexure, pleating, collapsable,
collapsible, doubling
folds: (n) laps
foliage: (n) verdure, foliation,
greenery, leaf, frond, cotyledon,
ramage, tigella, stem, blade, leaves
foolishly: (adv) idiotically,
ridiculously, stupidly, indiscreetly,
silly, insanely, injudiciously,
preposterously, absurdly,
senselessly; (adj, adv) madly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) sensibly,
solemnly, shrewdly, prudently,
responsibly, judiciously, carefully,
rationally
foolscap: (v) table, vellum, tablet,
marble, papyrus, parchment, pillar,
slate, paper; (n) cap
footing: (n) foothold, base, bottom,
foundation, status, rank, foot,
pedestal, situation, relation, root.
ANTONYM: (n) top
footrace: (n) run, discharge,
marathon
footstep: (n) pace, footfall, track,
footmark, vestige, tread, trail, stride,
degree; (n, v) step, action
footsteps: (n) road, footprints, way,
trail, path, track, footpath
footstool: (n) footrest, hassock,
footboard, Ottoman
forbade: (v) prohibit, to prohibit
forbear: (v) refrain, desist, help,
tolerate, abide, eschew, endure,
relinquish; (n) predecessor,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
progenitor, forebear
forbidden: (adj) banned, taboo,
illegal, prohibited, contraband,
illicit, verboten, proscribed,
outlawed, illegitimate; (adj, adv) off-
limits. ANTONYMS: (adj) allowed,
permitted, permissible, legal, open
forcible: (adj) forceful, active,
energetic, powerful, strong, violent,
coercive, vigorous, effective,
convincing; (prep) conclusive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) weak, gentle,
peaceful
forcibly: (adv) forcefully,
emphatically, powerfully, by force,
mightily, under protest, cogently,
hard, strongly, convincingly, clearly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) voluntarily,
weakly, gently
fore: (adv) ahead, before; (adj, adv)
forward; (n) bow, head, forefront,
stem; (adj, n) front; (adj) anterior,
foremost, frontal. ANTONYMS:
(adv) aft, behind, rear; (adj) back
foreboding: (n) apprehension,
boding, presentiment, fear, anxiety,
premonition, misgiving,
anticipation, sign; (adj) ominous,
sinister. ANTONYMS: (adj)
favorable; (n) calmness, bravery,
equanimity
forefathers: (n) patriarchs, forefather,
ancestor, colony, lineage, family
forefinger: (n) index finger, index,
forefingers, paw, thumb, hand,
exponent, antenna, feeler
forego: (v) disclaim, antedate,
renounce, antecede, waive,
abandon, resign, forgo, precede,
relinquish, spare
foreigner: (adj, n) stranger; (n)
outlander, outsider, unknown,
barbarian, gringo, newcomer,
immigrant, deportee, traveler; (adj)
foreign. ANTONYMS: (n)
inhabitant, domestic, citizen
foresee: (v) expect, forecast,
anticipate, envisage, previse,
foreknow, prophesy, provide,
foresaw, predict, see
foreseen: (v) foresee, long expected;
(adj) envisioned, foretold,
contingent, concourse, coming,
casual, adventitious, accidental,
predictable
forethought: (n) caution, care,
forecast, anticipation, deliberation,
premeditation, precaution, counsel,
circumspection, consideration,
discretion. ANTONYMS: (n)
hindsight, unpreparedness, neglect,
impulsiveness, carelessness
forgetting: (v) forget; (adj) oblivious;
(n) disregard
fork: (n) crotch, bifurcation, turn,
branching; (n, v) branch, bend; (v)
diverge, split, branch off, separate,
divide. ANTONYM: (v) converge
formalities: (n) ceremony, etiquette,
observance, process, procedure,
protocol, manners, official
procedure, rules and regulations,
code of conduct, ceremonial
formality: (n) ceremony, formalities,
decorum, etiquette, custom,
ceremoniousness, starch, ritual, rite,
observance; (n, v) stiffness.
ANTONYMS: (n) casualness,
possibility, warmth, friendliness
formless: (adj) shapeless, unformed,
indistinct, unstructured, unbodied,
nebulous, vague, indistinguishable,
soft, fuzzy, rude. ANTONYMS: (adj)
organized, clear, distinct
forthwith: (adv) directly,
immediately, at once, now,
instantly, straight, presently,
straightaway, incontinently; (adj,
adv) quickly; (adj) immediate
fortified: (adj) secure, watched over,
shielded, securer, secured, carrying
weapons, safeguarded, protected,
fast, equipped, defended.
ANTONYM: (adj) unarmed
foul: (adj, v) nasty, base, corrupt,
coarse; (adj) filthy, disgusting, evil,
unclean, putrid; (n, v) defile, soil.
ANTONYMS: (adj, v) clean, pure;
(adj) pleasant, fair, inoffensive,
humane, attractive, honest, pleasing,
fragrant; (v) unclog
fourthly: (adv) quaternarily
fracture: (n, v) crack, rupture, burst,
breach; (n) cleft, fissure, breaking,
crevice, disruption; (v) bust, smash.
ANTONYM: (n) repair
fragrance: (n, v) aroma, perfume,
scent, smell; (n) bouquet, odor,
essence, odour, redolence,
sweetness; (adj) fragrant.
ANTONYMS: (n) stink, stench
frail: (adj, v) weak, feeble; (adj)
fragile, flimsy, delicate, breakable,
rickety, slender, light, slim; (v) faint.
ANTONYMS: (adj) substantial,
robust, tough, fit, healthy, hearty,
perfect, weighty, well, capable,
sturdy
frankness: (n) honesty, truth,
forthrightness, candidness, freedom,
sincerity, candour, plainness,
bluffness, outspokenness,
ingenuousness. ANTONYMS: (n)
cunning, tact, delicacy, deceit,

conformity, reticence, indirectness,
evasiveness
frantic: (adj) desperate, crazy,
excited, distraught, frenetic,
distracted; (adj, v) frenzied, furious,
wild, raging; (n) maniac.
ANTONYMS: (adj) mellow,
composed
frantically: (adv) frenziedly,
desperately, wildly, distractedly,
furiously, excitedly, deliriously,
ravingly, distraughtly, fiercely,
crazily. ANTONYMS: (adv)
sensibly, cautiously, peacefully,
sluggishly
freak: (n, v) crotchet, caprice; (adj, n)
eccentric; (n) oddity, crank, fanatic,
nut, monster, fit, whim, fad
freed: (adj) disentangled,
emancipated, disengaged, liberated,
extricated, freer, unchained, untied,
loosened, disillusioned, not tied up
freer: (adj) unconfined
freighted: (adj) fraught, filled,
charged; (prep) burdened
frenchman: (n) French person, Gaul,
frog, Norman, Parisian,
Frenchwoman, savoyard, Breton,
Angevine, Angevin, monsieur
freshness: (adj) coolness; (n)
impertinence, gall, greenness,
impudence, insolence, newness,
viridity, originality, crust, crispness.
ANTONYMS: (n) oldness, clutter,
humidity, mustiness
fret: (n, v) gall, irritate, trouble,
worry; (v) agitate, chafe, rub, fray,
upset, annoy; (n) anxiety
friendless: (adj) alone, lonely,
abandoned, solitary, helpless,
lonesome, forsaken, unfriended,
deserted, introverted, unwanted.
ANTONYM: (adj) sociable
frightful: (adj, v) fearful; (adj)
formidable, awful, fearsome,
appalling, gruesome, horrible,
terrible, dread, frightening, grim.
ANTONYMS: (adj) wonderful,
calming, soothing, pleasant, lovely,
fair
frightfully: (adv) awfully, ghastly,
dreadfully, fearfully, hideously,
terribly, gruesomely, terrifically,
atrociously, horrendously, awful
frigid: (adj, n) cold, chilly, dull,
distant; (adj) chill, freezing, icy, cool,
arctic, frosty, bleak. ANTONYMS:
(adj) friendly, hot, burning, torrid
frigidity: (n) cold, coldness, coolness,
chill, iciness, indifference, frostiness,
chilliness, distance, frigidness, sang
Froid
Edgar Allan Poe
fringed: (adj) fibrillated, bounded,
feathered, bushy, decorated,
fimbriate, fimbricate, laciniate,
befringed, rough, laciniated
frivolity: (n) flippancy, giddiness,
flightiness, frivolousness, silliness,
triviality, frippery, prank; (adj, n)
trifling, inconsistency; (adj) folly.
ANTONYMS: (n) solemnity,
substance, importance, reliability,
responsibility
frivolous: (adj) empty, foolish, dizzy,
petty, idle, light, flighty,
unimportant, flippant, trivial,
superficial. ANTONYMS: (adj)
important, solemn, worthwhile,
vital, weighty, staid, significant,
sensible, responsible, crucial, heavy
frock: (n) dress, gown, clothing,
attire, robe, kirtle, habit, clothes,
coat, chemise, caftan
frolic: (n, v) sport, romp, gambol,
disport; (v) cavort, lark; (adj, v) frisk;
(n) caper, joy, merriment, prank
frolicsome: (adj) frisky, frolic,
waggish, coltish, gay, rollicking,
frolicky, jocose, airy, lively, jocular.
ANTONYMS: (adj) serious, lethargic
fruiterer: (n) seller, vender, trafficker,
vendor, costermonger
fruitless: (adj, v) abortive; (adj)
barren, useless, empty, futile,
ineffective, idle, pointless, sterile,
bootless, unproductive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) fertile, useful,
effective, satisfying, fruitful,
worthwhile, profitable, successful,
productive, hopeful, meaningful
frustrated: (adj) discouraged,
defeated, foiled, baffled, thwarted,
dissatisfied, discomfited, balked,
stymied, disgruntled; (v) unhinged.
ANTONYMS: (adj) encouraged,
heartened, successful, calm, pleased
fugitive: (adj) ephemeral, fleeting,
momentary, elusive, caducous; (n)
escapee, absconder, deserter,
emigrant, criminal; (v) fugacious
fulfilled: (adj) complete, finished,
done, satisfied, accomplished,
completed, whole, delighted,
concluded, happy, full of pride.
ANTONYMS: (adj) incomplete,
unfulfilled, frustrated, ashamed,
dissatisfied
fulness: (n) fullness, entirety,
completeness, totality
fulvous: (adj) tawny
fumes: (n) gas, exhaust, exhaust
fumes, smokes, smog, vapor,
exhalation, steam, smoke, toxic
waste, contamination
281
functionary: (n) officer, official, clerk,
employee, agent, Mandarin,
incumbent, appointee, bailiff,
beadle, bureaucrat
fungus: (n) mushroom, blastomycete,
ergot, earthstar, earthnut, candida,
growth, bolete, earthball,
basidiomycete, ascomycete
furiously: (adv) irately, angrily,
fiercely, wildly, violently, ragingly,
wrathfully, infuriatedly, rabidly,
impetuously, frantically.
ANTONYM: (adv) sluggishly
furled: (adj) rolled
furnace: (n) forge, heater, blast
furnace, fireplace, hearth, stove,
oven, kiln, electric furnace, cupola,
crematorium
furnish: (v) afford, provide,
contribute, render, offer,
accommodate, supply, outfit, yield,
decorate; (n, v) give. ANTONYM:
(v) divest
furnished: (adj) fitted, arranged,
privileged, instruct, carrying
weapons, equipt, enlightened; (v)
provide, furnish, begone, beset
furnishing: (n) provision, fixture,
fitting, installation, equipment,
trimming, device, interior
decoration, contents; (v) provide,
furnish
furtherance: (n) advance, aid,
support, promotion,
encouragement, improvement, lift,
forwarding, fartherance, relief; (n, v)
advancement. ANTONYM: (n)
impediment
fuss: (n, v) flurry, bicker, fidget,
hubbub; (adj, n) stir; (n) flap,
commotion, ado, bother,
disturbance; (v) fret. ANTONYM:
(n) peace
futile: (adj) useless, empty,
ineffective, frivolous, idle, abortive,
bootless, hopeless, meaningless,
vain, hollow. ANTONYMS: (adj)
successful, useful, fruitful,
meaningful, worthwhile, promising,
productive, effective
futurity: (n) hereafter, futurition,
timing, millennium, offing, future
tense, afterlife, time to come; (v) Int
he womb of time. ANTONYMS: (n)
past, pastness
gaining: (n) acceptance, acquisition,
attainment, capture; (adj) ahead,
fortunate. ANTONYM: (n) loss
gainsay: (v) disavow, negate,
contradict, deny, refute, controvert,
disclaim, impugn, oppose, contest,
contravene. ANTONYMS: (v) agree,
 282
correspond
gait: (n, v) pace, step, tread, footstep,
rate, stride, action; (n) walk,
carriage, movement, velocity
gale: (n) blast, blow, tempest, storm,
squall, hurricane, gust, wind,
thunderstorm, blizzard, fresh gale.
ANTONYM: (n) breeze
galled: (adj) chafed, uncomfortable,
chilly, bleak, bare, bald, angry,
painful
gambols: (n) behave, play, frolic,
employment, disport, act, action,
amusement
gangs: (n) Ganges
garment: (n, v) garb, apparel; (n)
habiliment, habit, gown, vest,
things, guise; (v) clothe, tog, raiment
garments: (n) attire, clothing, dress,
apparel, raiment, outfit, costume,
garb, array, gear, anything
worthless
garter: (n) cestus, halter, running
knot, surcingle, noose, knot, lasso,
suspender, star, wreath, crown
gasping: (adj) panting, winded,
blown, out of breath, thirsty, pursy;
(v) spavined, touched in the wind
gateway: (n) entrance, gate, entry,
doorway, portal, passage,
passageway, inlet, admission,
entryway, gangway
gazette: (n) magazine, journal,
newspaper, gazetteer, organ, public
press, list, the press, tract, catalogue;
(v) publish
gazing: (adj) fixed
gendarme: (n) mace bearer, huissier,
kavass, lictor, policeman, officer,
bedel, beefeater, National Guard,
posse comitatus, reserves
generality: (n) generalization,
commonness, rule, abstraction,
commonality, balance, thought,
quality, idea, catholicity, bulk.
ANTONYMS: (n) specific,
particularity
generosity: (n, v) charity, liberality;
(adj, n) bounty, kindness,
beneficence, favor; (n) benevolence,
bounteousness, chivalry, nobility,
munificence. ANTONYMS: (n)
stinginess, greed, meanness, thrift,
thriftiness, avarice, unfriendliness,
bareness, malevolence, miserliness,
nastiness
gentlemanly: (adj) courteous, polite,
chivalrous, refined, gallant, suave,
mannerly, genteel, gentle, well-bred;
(n) gentleman. ANTONYMS: (adj)
rude, unbecoming
genus: (adj, n) description, kind,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
character; (n) sort, genera, variety,
breed, gender, kidney, type, order
geometrical: (adj)
nonrepresentational, mathematical
geometry: (v) arithmetic, analysis,
algebra, stereometry, hypsometry,
configuration, analytic geometry,
analytical geometry, coordinate
geometry, descriptive geometry,
elementary geometry
gesticulate: (v) wave, motion,
beckon, sign, signal, applaud,
acclaim, bless, make signs, blessing,
blest
gesticulating: (adj) communicative
ghastliness: (n) gruesomeness,
luridness, horror, dreadfulness,
terribleness, horribleness,
repulsiveness, misery, grimness,
ghastness, frightfulness.
ANTONYM: (n) pleasantness
ghastly: (adj) awful, fearful,
cadaverous, dreadful, grisly,
gruesome, macabre, hideous,
appalling, atrocious; (adv)
gruesomely. ANTONYMS: (adj)
wonderful, lovely, attractive,
delightful
ghee: (n) hydrate of amyl, clarified
butter
gibraltar: (n) Rock of Gibraltar
giddy: (adj, v) flighty; (adj) dizzy,
faint, silly, changeable, vertiginous,
featherbrained, light, fickle,
capricious; (adv) careless.
ANTONYMS: (adj) serious, dull
gifted: (adj) capable, accomplished,
talented, able, apt, proficient,
brilliant, ingenious, expert,
intelligent, adept. ANTONYMS:
(adj) inept, dim, incompetent,
mediocre, slow, clumsy
gigantic: (adj) colossal, enormous,
large, huge, giant, stupendous,
monstrous, vast, big, immense,
massive. ANTONYMS: (adj) small,
tiny, little, insignificant, short,
miniature
gilded: (adj, v) gilt; (adj) rich, gold,
golden, deluxe, gilden, fortunate,
garish, advantageous, aurated,
luxurious
gill: (v) rivulet, gullet, rillet; (adj) ax,
adze, mattock; (n) ceras, girl, gill
box, external gill, ctenidium
gladiatorial: (v) polemic, pugilistic;
(adj) disputatious, combative,
warlike, quarrelsome, militant,
gladiatory
gladly: (adv, v) happily; (adv)
gleefully, contentedly, cheerfully,
fain, joyfully, jovially, cheerily,
delightedly, gladsomely, readily.
ANTONYMS: (adv) reluctantly,
unwillingly, sadly, resentfully,
miserably
glamour: (n, v) charm; (n) allure,
enchantment, appeal, beauty, spell,
glamor, attraction; (v) fascinate,
enchant, bewitch. ANTONYMS: (n)
attractiveness, ugliness
glancing: (adj) passing
glare: (n) glance, brilliance, radiance,
brightness; (n, v) glower, flash,
shine, scowl, beam, frown; (v) flame.
ANTONYMS: (n) dullness, dimness
glazed: (adj) glossy, glassed, glazen,
vitreous, vitrified, icy, lustrous,
shiny, empty, slippery, glasslike.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unglazed, alert,
dull
gleaming: (adj) brilliant, shiny,
radiant, glossy, lustrous, glowing,
beaming, resplendent; (n) gleam,
glimmer; (adj, adv) agleam.
ANTONYMS: (adj) dull, dirty,
rough
glean: (v) cull, garner, reap, harvest,
gather, extract, accumulate,
winnow, assemble, pick up, to
gather
glee: (n) delight, cheerfulness, mirth,
fun, gaiety, hilarity, joy, rejoicing,
frolic, jubilation, happiness.
ANTONYMS: (n) sadness, gloom,
sorrow, despondency, displeasure,
misery, boredom
glide: (adj, n, v) slide; (n, v) coast,
slip; (v) float, run, fly, flow, drift,
lapse, slink, skid. ANTONYMS: (v)
lurch, hurtle, flounder, sink
gliding: (adj) sliding, flying, slipping,
labent, elusory; (n) sailing, soaring,
flight, glissando; (v) slither; (adv)
glidingly
glimmer: (adj, n, v) flicker, twinkle;
(n, v) gleam, shimmer, flash,
sparkle, beam, glow, shine; (v) blink;
(n) gleaming
glittering: (adj, v) brilliant; (adj)
sparkling, flashing, dazzling,
glistering, glistening, glinting,
shining, scintillating, splendid; (adj,
adv) aglitter
globe: (n) earth, world, orb, circle,
eyeball, round, planet, bolus,
fireball, bulb; (adj, n) sphere
gloom: (n) desolation, dark, darkness,
blackness, depression, dimness,
dusk, dreariness, despair, dejection;
(n, v) cloud. ANTONYMS: (n)
brightness, happiness, cheerfulness,
glee, ecstasy, joy, optimism, cheer
gloomily: (adv) murkily, obscurely,

drearily, darkly, somberly,
morosely, sadly, sorrowfully,
despondently, unhappily, glumly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) brightly,
favorably, happily, optimistically,
contentedly; (adj) auspiciously
gloriously: (adv) brilliantly, grandly,
magnificently, illustriously,
marvelously, superbly, wonderfully,
gorgeously, radiantly, greatly,
renownedly
glossy: (adj, v) sleek; (adj) smooth,
bright, glazed, brilliant, flat,
glistening, burnished, resplendent,
lustrous, glassy. ANTONYMS: (adj)
dull, rough, coarse, shoddy
gloves: (n) gauntlet, mitten, mittens,
gauntlets, scarf, ornament, handbag,
belt, batting glove, boxing glove,
baseball mitt
glowing: (adj, n) enthusiastic, cordial,
passionate; (adj) burning, fervent,
blazing, flaming, fiery, dazzling;
(adj, v) warm; (adj, adv) aglow.
ANTONYMS: (adj) pale, wan,
unhappy, unenthusiastic,
derogatory, dispassionate, unwell
gnarled: (adj) knotty, knotted, gnarly,
asperous, crisp, deformed, crabbed,
roughhewn, wrinkled, unsmooth,
unpolished. ANTONYMS: (adj)
smooth, unknotted, straight
gnawed: (v) gnow, eroded
gnawing: (v) corroding, biting; (n)
arrosion
goat: (n) satyr, kid, lecher, chamois,
gallant, fornicator, caprine animal,
Billy, paillard, grasshopper, victim
goats: (n) suborder Ruminantia,
Ruminantia, giraffes, deer, frank
Capra, genus Capra, bison,
antelopes, family Bovidae, camels,
Capra
gobble: (v) devour, gulp, consume,
engorge, stuff, guzzle, gorge,
swallow, eat, cram; (n) cry
goddess: (n) divinity, God, beauty,
nymph; (adj, n) idol; (adj) duck,
darling, angel, Dulcinea, ladylove,
inamorata
golconda: (n) Potosi, king's ransom,
Pacatolus, mint of money, mine of
wealth, gold mine, El Dorado,
bonanza
good-bye: (n) bye, farewell, goodbye,
goodby, vale, adios, cheerio
goodly: (adv) benignly, kindly,
strongly, rightly, graciously,
virtuously, soundly, uprightly; (adj)
sizable, handsome, respectable
gore: (v) butt, stab, spike, spear,
push, stick, impale, pierce; (n)
Edgar Allan Poe
bloodshed, gusset, carnage
gossip: (n, v) chatter, rumor, chitchat,
gab, talk, babble, natter, tattle; (n)
chatterbox, conversation, small talk.
ANTONYM: (n) truth
gouge: (v) swindle, deceive, beguile,
fleece, dig, scoop, extort, defraud,
cut; (n, v) groove, dent
gown: (n) robe, clothing, cassock,
vestment, wrapper, overclothes,
outerwear, uniform, tunic, clothes;
(v) clothe
graceful: (adj) beautiful, delicate,
amiable, easy, fine, charming, fair,
airy, becoming, lovely, lithe.
ANTONYMS: (adj) inelegant,
stocky, awkward, vigorous, jerky,
ugly, stilted, heavy, coarse,
strenuous
gradation: (n) degree, scale, ablaut,
progression, graduation, tier, step,
level, shade, form, extent
graduated: (adj) gradational,
gradatory, equal, measured,
proportional, regressive, calibrated;
(n) graduate
grandeur: (n) dignity, splendor,
magnitude, brilliance, glory, pomp,
elegance, majesty, magnificence,
grandness; (adj, n) solemnity.
ANTONYMS: (n) modesty,
simplicity
grandiloquence: (n) magniloquence,
fustian, rant, claptrap, boast,
rhetoric, flourish, multiloquence,
style, turgidity, pomposity
grandiloquent: (adj) pompous,
overblown, magniloquent,
pretentious, high-flown, tall,
portentous, exaggerated, stilted,
inflated, verbose. ANTONYM: (adj)
unpretentious
granting: (n) concession, conceding,
yielding, surrendering, issue,
agreement; (conj) although
graphic: (adj, v) pictorial; (n) picture,
diagram, graphics, image,
schematic; (adj) descriptive, clear,
realistic, picturesque, explicit.
ANTONYMS: (adj) softened, vague,
straightforward
grapnel: (n) crampon, grapple, hook,
tool, grip, grab, clamshell,
crampoon, crampoons, grapnel
anchor, grappler
gratefully: (adv) appreciatively,
indebtedly, obligedly, gratifyingly,
delightfully, beholdenly, pleasingly,
pleasantly, welcomely, goodly,
deliciously
gravely: (adv) seriously, soberly,
severely, solemnly, badly, staidly,
283
momentously, heavily, earnestly,
weightily, grievously. ANTONYMS:
(adv) lightheartedly, mildly,
slightly; (adj) soft
gravitation: (n) gravity, attraction,
pull, graveness, habit, gravitational
attraction, gravitational force,
attractive force
greasy: (adj) fatty, dirty, oily, tallowy,
slick, sebaceous, unclean, unctuous,
slippery, adipose, oleaginous.
ANTONYM: (adj) lean
greedy: (adj) avid, gluttonous,
desirous, grasping, acquisitive,
glutton, piggish, voracious, selfish;
(adj, v) avaricious, covetous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) temperate,
ascetic, unconcerned, abstemious,
moderate
grieved: (adj) sore, sad, sorry,
sorrowful, upset, woeful, pained,
affected, brokenhearted
grimm: (n) Wilhelm Karl Grimm
grinning: (n) grin, smile, facial
expression, facial gesture, smiling;
(adj) beaming
grisette: (n) Thais, Messalina, Lais,
Jezebel, Delilah, cocotte, Phryne,
lorette, wench, petite dame, nymph
groan: (n, v) grumble, murmur, cry,
sigh, mutter, squeak, rumble, scrape;
(v) howl, complain; (n) complaint
grotesque: (adj) fantastic, bizarre,
funny, antic, absurd, droll, strange,
baroque, weird, ugly, hideous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) lovely, normal,
commonplace, attractive
grotesquerie: (n) grotesquery
groundwork: (n) bottom, basis, base,
foundation, bed, ground, footing,
bedrock, fundament, background,
substructure
growl: (adj, n, v) snarl; (n, v) roar,
bark, howl, yap, moan, thunder; (v)
gnarl, mutter, complain, croak
gruff: (adj) bluff, abrupt, curt, crusty,
brusque, brutal, husky; (adj, v)
coarse, rough, hoarse, harsh.
ANTONYMS: (adj) courteous,
friendly, high, velvety, smooth,
mellow, gentle, civil, polite
guardianship: (n) custody, care,
charge, keeping, safekeeping,
tutelage, conservation, protection,
wardship; (adj, n) ward; (adj) guard
guarding: (n) surveillance,
conservation, precaution, shielding,
marking, civil defense, patrol,
accompaniment, guardianship; (adj)
preserving, defensive
guesser: (n) conjecture
guiding: (adj) scouting, directive,
 284
leading, controlling, guidance,
directional, guide, direction,
management, steering, sovereign
habiliment: (n) garment, habit,
clothing, vesture, dress, vestment,
raiment, garb, gear, clothes,
abiliment
habitation: (adj, n) abode; (n)
domicile, residence, house, home,
habitat, lodging, place, occupancy,
inhabitation, inhabitancy.
ANTONYM: (n) vacancy
habited: (adj) clothed, dressed,
garbed
habitual: (adj, n) common, frequent,
usual; (adj) chronic, conventional,
confirmed, accustomed, natural,
commonplace, everyday, ordinary.
ANTONYMS: (adj) occasional,
infrequent, mild, irregular,
exceptional, erratic, abnormal,
innovative
habitually: (adv) usually, ordinarily,
normally, generally, regularly,
frequently, commonly, routinely,
wontedly, conventionally,
commonplacely. ANTONYMS:
(adv) unusually, seldom, erratically,
exceptionally, occasionally
habituated: (v) given to, addicted to,
attuned to; (adj, v) used to; (adj)
addicted, wont, trained, inured,
used, inveterate, hardened.
ANTONYM: (adj) untrained
hairs: (n) hair
hairy: (adj) hirsute, bushy,
dangerous, downy, woolly, bristly,
fleecy, rough, fuzzy, shaggy, fluffy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) hairless, safe,
tidy, sleek
halloo: (n, v) whoop; (v) squall, yell,
shout, call to, incite, roar; (int) hollo,
hello; (n) loo, vociferation
hallow: (v) bless, sanctify, dedicate,
venerate, celebrate keep, do honor
to, honor, commemorate, celebrate,
enshrine, devote. ANTONYM: (v)
desecrate
handkerchief: (n) hankie, kerchief,
bandanna, cravat, hanky, wipe,
bandana, collar, shawl; (n, v)
napkin; (v) sudary
harassed: (adj) annoyed, pestered,
irritated, bothered, annoy, jittery,
worried, troubled, beleaguered,
obsessed, harried. ANTONYMS:
(adj) calm, carefree
hardihood: (v) audacity; (n) courage,
daring, boldness, temerity,
fearlessness, fortitude, brass; (adj, n)
face, guts; (n, v) assurance.
ANTONYMS: (n) frailty, timidity
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
hardness: (n) austerity, asperity,
callousness, difficulty, rigor,
consistency, stiffness, cruelty,
arduousness, tightness, insensibility.
ANTONYMS: (n) ease, limpness,
malleability
hare: (n) leporid, cony, puss, doe,
jackrabbit, coney; (adj) antelope,
courser, eagle, gazelle, greyhound
hark: (v) harken, hear, hearken, heed,
listen in; (n) look here, look you,
look
harmless: (adj) safe, benign,
inoffensive, hurtless, innocent,
innoxious, intact, simple; (n) silly;
(adj, n) foolish; (v) weaponless.
ANTONYMS: (adj) lethal,
damaging, destructive, poisonous,
toxic, serious, offensive, malicious,
hurtful, noxious, unpleasant
harrison: (n) William Henry
Harrison, sir rex Harrison, rex
Harrison, Benjamin Harrison,
president William Henry Harrison,
president Benjamin Harrison,
George Harrison, Reginald Carey
Harrison
haste: (n, v) hurry, dash, dispatch,
rush; (n) celerity, expedition,
rapidity, speed, bustle, hastiness,
quickness. ANTONYMS: (n) delay,
patience, forethought, caution
hastened: (adj) careless
hastily: (adv) hurriedly, rapidly,
quickly, rashly, promptly, suddenly,
thoughtlessly, impetuously, swiftly,
imprudently, speedily.
ANTONYMS: (adv) carefully,
unhurriedly, industriously, sensibly,
prudently, late, calmly, thoroughly,
patiently, gradually, cautiously
hasty: (adj) fast, abrupt, cursory, fleet,
sudden, rash, impetuous, careless,
speedy, hurried, quick.
ANTONYMS: (adj) deliberate,
considered, leisurely, sensible,
gradual, thorough, cautious, careful,
roundabout, prudent, patient
hatchway: (n) doorway, scuttle,
gangway, driveway, cellarway,
gateway, door, first step, brood,
escape hatch, entryway
hating: (adj) loathful, abhorring,
disgusting, misanthropic, vengeful;
(n) venom
haughtiness: (n) pride, disdain,
condescension, conceit,
snobbishness, lordliness,
imperiousness, hauteur, contempt,
superiority, arrogant. ANTONYMS:
(n) humility, humbleness
haunted: (adj) ghostly, ghostlike,
phantom, taken up, preoccupied,
possessed, unearthly, magical, mad,
infatuated, concerned
hazardous: (adj) risky, unsafe,
perilous, critical, insecure,
precarious, dicey, chancy, uncertain;
(adj, n) daring, adventurous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) secure, stable
headache: (n) cephalalgia, pain,
encumbrance, bother, migraine,
vexation, pest, head ache, worry; (n,
v) twinge; (v) gripe
headboard: (n) head, panel, head
end, head of bed
headlong: (adj, adv) headfirst; (adv)
directly, hastily, precipitately; (adj)
rash, hurried, desperate,
precipitous, impetuous, sudden,
precipitate. ANTONYMS: (adj)
cautiously, considered; (adv)
carefully
headway: (n) advancement, way,
advance, headroom, forward
movement, speed, progress, head,
clearance, development; (v) flood.
ANTONYMS: (n) deterioration,
regression
heap: (n, v) pile, aggregate, amass; (n)
collection, accumulation, mound,
mass, group, lot; (v) bank, collect.
ANTONYM: (v) tidy
heaped: (adj) dense, cumulative,
concentrated, collective, coacervate,
thick
hears: (v) hear
hearsay: (n) report, gossip, rumour,
buzz, on dit, news, scandal, fame,
talk, comment; (v) bruit.
ANTONYM: (n) fact
hearth: (n) fire, oven, fireside, stove,
chimney, focus, furnace, dwelling,
kiln, home, abode
hearty: (adj) heartfelt, healthy, genial,
sturdy, cheering, fervent,
wholehearted, lusty, enthusiastic,
convivial; (adj, n) well.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unhealthy, frail,
old, weak, sluggish, unwholesome,
meager
heated: (adj) fierce, burning, excited,
ardent, fevered, passionate, hot,
furious, fiery, fervent; (v) heat.
ANTONYMS: (adj) friendly, cooled,
mild, apathetic, quiet, impassive
heavenly: (adj) celestial, blissful,
ethereal, delightful, angelic, blessed,
elysian, holy, unearthly, godlike,
sacred. ANTONYMS: (adj) worldly,
miserable, infernal, hellish,
unappealing, dreadful, turbulent
heavens: (n) firmament, heaven, sky,
welkin, sphere, atmosphere, celestial

sphere, space, skies, area, vault of
heaven
heaving: (v) tremor, twitter; (adj)
swelling, full, full up, jammed; (n)
murmur, forcing out, groan,
grumble, mutter. ANTONYM: (adj)
deserted
heel: (n) blackguard, dog, counter,
cad, villain, scoundrel, shoe, sole,
bounder, tree rest; (v) lean
helicon: (n) bombardon, calliope,
sousaphone, tuba, Pierides, Pierian
Spring, Parnassus, tuneful Nine,
poetry, poesy, muse
helplessness: (n) powerlessness,
defenselessness, dependence,
impotency, impotence, inability,
impuissance, incapability,
incapacity, defencelessness, failing.
ANTONYMS: (n) resistance,
capacity, strength
hemisphere: (n) area, sphere, region,
realm, district, circle, ground,
cerebral hemisphere, Hemisphere of
vision, northern hemisphere, orb
hemispherical: (adj) crescent
henson: (n) Jim Henson
herald: (n) forerunner, courier,
messenger; (v) declare, foretell,
announce, bode, proclaim,
introduce, foreshadow; (n, v) augur.
ANTONYMS: (v) follow; (n)
successor
hereafter: (adv) thereafter, from now
on, hence, henceforth, hereinafter,
afterwards; (n) afterlife, futurity,
time to come, great beyond, future
life
hereditary: (adj) familial, ancestral,
inherent, heritable, inherited,
inborn, congenital, innate,
patrimonial, native, heredity
herein: (adv) here, therein
hereupon: (adv) immediately,
whereupon, thereupon
hermetically: (adv) chemically,
tightly, impenetrably, sealedly,
imperviously
hesitate: (adj, n, v) pause, delay; (adj,
v) linger; (v) fluctuate, halt, waver,
vacillate, demur, boggle,
procrastinate; (n, v) doubt.
ANTONYMS: (v) rush, decide
hesitation: (n, v) falter, fear; (n)
hesitance, faltering, delay, hesitate,
diffidence, hesitancy, qualm,
reluctance; (v) hesitating.
ANTONYMS: (n) certainty,
resolution, confidence, decisiveness,
enthusiasm, inclination, willingness
heterogeneous: (adj, v) different;
(adj) assorted, miscellaneous, mixed,
Edgar Allan Poe
unlike, motley, varied, various,
disparate, heterogenous; (v) diverse.
ANTONYMS: (adj) homogeneous,
autogenous
hideous: (adj) dreadful, frightful,
fearful, ghastly, horrid, ugly,
repulsive, lurid, horrible, grisly,
grim. ANTONYMS: (adj) lovely,
pleasant, beautiful, wonderful
hiding: (n) covering, concealment,
concealing, beating, screening,
thrashing, flogging, rout, burial,
drubbing, ambush
hieroglyphical: (v) runic, cuneiform,
uncial
highway: (n) highroad, way, path,
route, street, thoroughfare, course,
main road, expressway, bus,
freeway
hilarity: (adj, n) mirth, merriment; (n)
delight, exhilaration, cheerfulness,
joy, jollity, gaiety, happiness,
laughter, fun. ANTONYMS: (n)
boredom, despondency, misery
hinder: (v) impede, resist, check,
hamper, obstruct, curb, handicap,
delay; (n, v) bar; (adj) posterior,
hind. ANTONYMS: (v) help,
facilitate, assist, prompt, encourage,
promote, allow, support, accelerate
hinted: (adj) veiled, roundabout, not
explicit, implicit, coded, oblique
hippodrome: (n) circus, arena,
Flavian amphitheater, amphitheater,
gymnasium, race course,
playground, palestra, lists,
racecourse, stadium
hissing: (adj) sibilant, sibilous,
sibilatory; (n) whistling, heckling,
scoffing, sibilance, taunts, sibilation,
white noise; (v) fizzle. ANTONYM:
(n) applause
hitch: (v) fasten, attach; (n, v) catch,
limp, hobble, arrest; (n) hindrance,
drawback, barrier, difficulty, check.
ANTONYMS: (n) advantage, ease,
help; (v) detach, undo
hoary: (adj) ancient, hoar, old, white,
grey, elderly, musty, dull, canescent,
antique, archaic
hoax: (adj, n) fake; (v) dupe, defraud,
gull, kid, bamboozle; (n) fraud,
deceit; (n, v) humbug, swindle, trick.
ANTONYM: (adj) real
hollander: (n) Netherlander, grinding
machine
hollo: (n, v) holler; (v) cry, scream,
shout, yell, call; (n) roar, holloa,
bellowing, roaring; (int, n) holla
hollow: (adj, n) blank; (n) cavity,
depression, cave, dell; (adj) empty,
false; (adj, n, v) concave; (n, v)
285
excavate, dent, scoop. ANTONYMS:
(adj) convex, sincere, true, full,
meaningful, cramped, valid; (n)
hump, bump, hill, lump
homewards: (adv) toward home,
home, to your house
homo: (n) gay, fellow, lesbian,
homosexual, human being, human,
man, ad hominem, guy, one,
somebody
honesty: (adj, n) candor, justice,
fidelity, equity; (n) integrity,
fairness, candidness, probity,
frankness, rectitude, faith.
ANTONYMS: (n) dishonesty,
wickedness, treachery, deceit,
deception, deviousness, decadence,
affectation, caution, evasiveness,
injustice
honor: (n, v) respect, reputation,
glory, fame, reward; (n) award,
accolade, reverence; (v) celebrate;
(adj, n, v) worship, grace.
ANTONYMS: (n, v) dishonor,
disgrace; (n) shame, humiliation,
wickedness, contempt, insult; (v)
break, ignore, disrespect, discredit
honorable: (adj) good, estimable,
exalted, respectable, fair, decent,
reputable, ethical, honor; (adj, v)
great, noble. ANTONYMS: (adj)
shameful, disgraceful, corrupt,
degenerate, immoral, humiliating,
dishonest, unethical, decadent, bad,
deceitful
honors: (n) formality
hoop: (n) circle, band, ring, loop,
annulus, round, sphere, wheel,
circlet, halo; (v) encircle
hopelessness: (n) despair,
despondency, discouragement,
depression, desolation, sadness,
dismay, hopeless, gloominess,
gloom, dissatisfaction.
ANTONYMS: (n) capability, power,
worth, cheerfulness, effectiveness,
joy, possibility, competence,
happiness
hopkins: (n) sir Anthony Philip
Hopkins, sir Anthony Hopkins,
Johns Hopkins, Anthony Hopkins,
mark Hopkins, Gerard Manley
Hopkins, sir Frederick gowland
Hopkins
horny: (adj) corneous, hornlike, hard,
hot, excited, ruttish, randy,
lecherous, lascivious, aroused,
cornuted
horoscope: (n) astrology, prediction,
figure, distinguished appearance,
birth, conspicuous representation,
destiny, diagram, digit, fate,
 286
forecasting
horribly: (adv) horrifically, awfully,
terrifically, hideously, atrociously,
appallingly; (adj, adv) frightfully,
terribly, fearfully, shockingly; (adj)
ghastly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
pleasantly, wonderfully, kindly,
sweetly
horrid: (adj) grisly, ghastly, ugly,
gruesome, grim, fearful, dreadful,
direful, dire, horrible, fearsome.
ANTONYMS: (adj) lovely, nice,
appealing, attractive, kind
horrors: (adj) pessimism, vapors,
spleen, megrims; (n) delirium
tremens
hostel: (n, v) lodge; (n) dormitory,
small hotel, khan, youth hostel,
hotel, hostelry, caravansary, tavern,
housing, hospice
hosts: (n) armies, Sabaoth
hourly: (adv) always, by the hour,
daily, often, constantly, continually,
frequently; (adj) horary, continual,
ephemeral; (n) an hour
hover: (v) fly, hang, float, poise,
vacillate, flutter, brood, drift, glide,
waver; (adj) boggle
howling: (n) howl, cry; (adj) fierce,
fantastic, gross, glaring, marvelous,
wonderful, wondrous; (adj, n)
weeping, sniveling
hoyle: (n) regulation, Edmond Hoyle
hubbub: (n) commotion, uproar,
disorder, din, noise, bustle, tumult,
bedlam, brouhaha; (n, v) racket,
brawl. ANTONYM: (n) calm
hulk: (n) giant, colossus, wreck,
carcass, heavyweight, monster; (adj)
hull, bole, skeleton greater part,
principal part, main part
humble: (v) demean, humiliate,
mortify; (n, v) disgrace, debase; (adj,
n, v) abase; (adj) base, lowly,
unassuming, docile, low.
ANTONYMS: (adj) impressive,
arrogant, haughty, imposing,
conceited, pompous, snooty,
overbearing, presumptuous, proud,
exalted
humility: (n) diffidence, modesty,
submission, shyness, meekness,
lowliness, timidity, trait,
humiliation, resignation; (adj)
veneration. ANTONYMS: (n)
haughtiness, affectation, conceit,
arrogance
humming: (adj) droning, zippy,
reeking, bustling, grunting, stinking;
(n) buzzing, vocalizing, sound,
murmur, growling
humor: (n, v) caprice, freak, humour;
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
(n) temper, mood, disposition, wit;
(v) indulge, gratify; (adj, n) spirit,
frame of mind. ANTONYMS: (n)
seriousness, gravity, solemnity; (v)
displease
hundredth: (n) centesm, common
fraction, one percent, secular
hunted: (adj) coursed, afraid, wanted,
required, sought, sought after; (n)
victim
hurl: (v) chuck, dash, pitch, throw,
dart, pelt, toss, heave, send; (n, v)
fling; (n) casting. ANTONYM: (v)
hold
hurricane: (n) storm, tempest,
cyclone, squall, tornado, whirlwind,
twister, tropical storm, gust, spring
hawser, monsoon
hurriedly: (adv) rapidly, quickly,
swiftly, abruptly, promptly, fast, in
haste, suddenly, speedily, rashly,
precipitately. ANTONYMS: (adv)
calmly, unhurriedly, patiently,
carefully, gradually, thoroughly
hurrying: (n) hastening, speed,
quickening, rushing, early,
speeding, speeding up, stepping up,
amphetamine, forward, eager
hushed: (adj) calm, silent, still,
subdued, placid, muffled, noiseless,
soft, soundless, tranquil, gentle.
ANTONYM: (adj) noisy
hyacinth: (n) zircon, amethyst, cape
hyacinth, carbuncle, common
hyacinth, hyacine
hymn: (n) song, canticle, chant,
anthem, carol, chorale, doxology; (v)
glorify, laud, sing, extol
hypocrisy: (n, v) insincerity; (n) cant,
dissimulation, falsity, deception,
falseness, sanctimony, deceit, lip
service; (v) double dealing; (adj)
hypocritical. ANTONYMS: (n)
sincerity, honesty
ideality: (n) vision, idealism
idiocy: (n) folly, absurdity, amentia,
fatuity, idiot, foolishness, lunacy,
silliness, madness, idiotism,
stupidity. ANTONYMS: (n) sense,
logic, wisdom
idiom: (n) expression, language,
vernacular, phrase, jargon, speech,
parlance, tongue, accent, set phrase,
saying
idiosyncrasy: (n) mannerism,
eccentricity, foible, peculiarity,
oddity, feature, attribute,
personality, quirk, diathesis; (adj, n)
individuality
idiot: (n) dolt, blockhead, dunce,
dimwit, moron, cretin, ass, imbecile,
oaf, changeling, idiocy. ANTONYM:
(n) intellectual
idiotic: (adj) absurd, foolish, fatuous,
imbecile, crazy, stupid, ridiculous,
mindless, silly, unwise, daft.
ANTONYMS: (adj) wise, genius,
clever
idle: (adj) lazy, indolent, inactive,
free, unfounded, fruitless, baseless,
groundless, frivolous, empty,
disengaged. ANTONYMS: (adj)
active, employed, industrious,
energetic, meaningful, productive,
worthwhile, diligent; (v) change,
run, work
idleness: (n) lethargy, laziness,
torpor, inactivity, idling,
unemployment, sloth, inaction,
inertia, faineance, idlesse.
ANTONYMS: (n) energy, activity,
bustle, liveliness, responsibility
idly: (adj, adv) foolishly; (adv) vainly,
vaguely, listlessly, forgetfully,
distractedly; (adj) thoughtlessly.
ANTONYM: (adv) energetically
idolatrous: (adj) loving, profane,
heathen, heretical, idolatrical,
idolish, idolous, pagan
idolatry: (adj, n) devotion; (n)
worship, veneration, idol worship,
iconolatry, bibliolatry; (adj)
infatuation, fervor, flame,
enthusiasm, enchantment
ignited: (adj) kindled, enkindled,
flaming, ablaze, fiery; (adj, v)
burning; (v) having life, flowing,
active, being alive, laving
ignorant: (adj) unconscious,
unwitting, rude, illiterate,
uneducated, blind, dull, unaware,
uninformed, unlearned, innocent.
ANTONYMS: (adj) conscious,
versed, cultured, educated,
informed, wary, literate, aware,
polite
ill-advised: (adj) indiscreet, rash,
unwise, reckless, impolitic, hasty,
thoughtless, inadvisable, incautious,
foolish, unwary
illimitable: (adj) endless, infinite,
boundless, limitless, unlimited,
immense, eternal, measureless,
interminable, unmeasurable,
unmeasured
illuminated: (adj) lit, lighted,
luminous, enlightened, clear, light,
shining, irradiated, lighter, Lighty,
irradiate
illumine: (v) illuminate, enlighten,
light, shine, light up, brighten,
clarify, irradiate, elucidate, to
illuminate; (adj, v) illume
illusion: (n, v) delusion; (n) fantasy,

apparition, deception, magic, fancy,
deceit, dissimulation, phantom,
trick, vision. ANTONYMS: (n)
reality, fact
illustrious: (adj, n) glorious,
celebrated, excellent, grand; (adj)
famous, bright, eminent, famed,
distinguished, brilliant, well-known.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unknown,
obscure, ordinary, undistinguished,
lowly
imagery: (n) imagination, imaging,
statue, vision, evocation,
resemblance, portraiture, images,
simile, figure of speech; (adj) image
imaginary: (adj) fictitious, unreal,
false, mythical, illusory, ideal,
hypothetical, visionary, fictional,
notional, chimerical. ANTONYMS:
(adj) real, palpable, actual, concrete,
prosaic, normal, true
imagining: (n) conception,
daydream, fantasy, opinion; (v)
imagine; (adj) imaginant
imbedded: (v) embosomed, rooted,
mewed up, in the bosom of, posited,
situate; (adj) encysted
imbued: (adj) addicted, alive,
instinct, full
imitation: (adj, n) fake, sham,
reproduction; (n) dummy, forgery,
mockery, copy, emulation; (n, v)
parody; (adj) false, bogus.
ANTONYMS: (adj) genuine, real,
natural; (n) original, formalism
imitative: (adj) mock, counterfeit,
derivative, fake, false, fictitious,
bogus, bastard, onomatopoeic, base,
sham. ANTONYMS: (adj) genuine,
real, nonimitative
imitator: (n) mimic, follower,
impersonator, copycat, ape,
emulator, mimicker, copier, aper,
copyist, somebody
immemorial: (adj) ancient,
prescriptive, pristine, primaeval,
primeval, traditional, old, eternal,
customary
immerse: (v) douse, plunge, drench,
dunk, absorb, drown, engross, bury,
engulf, steep, submerge
immersed: (adj) submerged,
engrossed, deep, underwater, sunk,
dipped, covered, engaged,
profound, rapt, riveted.
ANTONYMS: (adj) detached,
superficial, bored
immersion: (n) absorption, ducking,
concentration, submersion,
submergence, baptism, dousing,
incidence, wetting; (v) irrigation,
spargefaction
Edgar Allan Poe
imminent: (adj) forthcoming, coming,
close, future, near, pending,
approaching, at hand, menacing,
threatening, prospective.
ANTONYMS: (adj) remote, past
immolation: (n) holocaust, human
sacrifices, suttee; (v) oblation,
offering, sacrifice, favor, free gift,
boon, benefaction, grant
immortal: (adj) eternal, enduring,
undying, endless, monumental; (adj,
v) deathless, imperishable,
celebrated; (n) deity, God, divinity.
ANTONYMS: (adj) obscure, earthly,
forgettable, perishable, temporary
immovably: (adj) firmly,
extravagantly; (adv) unyieldingly,
stubbornly, unwaveringly,
unmovably, unbendingly,
unalterably, obstinately, obdurately,
inflexibly
impaired: (adj) sick, damaged,
crippled, defective, faulty,
corrupted, poor, unfit, hurt,
deficient, depressed
impalpable: (adj) imperceptible,
shadowy, invisible, efflorescent,
gritty, insubstantial, incorporeal,
inscrutable, ethereal,
inapprehensible, elusive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) tangible, definite
impart: (v) give, convey, disclose,
communicate, announce, grant,
reveal, hand, bestow, divulge,
confer. ANTONYMS: (v) withhold,
withdraw
impatience: (n) annoyance,
eagerness, anger, intolerance,
restlessness, fidget, nervousness,
fidgetiness, enthusiasm, edginess;
(adj) nonendurance. ANTONYMS:
(n) calmness, endurance, apathy
impeded: (adj) blocked, disabled,
hampered, crippled, slow
impending: (adj) forthcoming, close,
future, coming, approaching, near,
prospective, pending, at hand,
upcoming, threatening.
ANTONYMS: (adj) distant, unlikely,
past
impenetrable: (adj) impassable, thick,
incomprehensible, hard, mysterious,
unfathomable, unintelligible,
impervious, opaque, heavy, obscure.
ANTONYMS: (adj) penetrable,
readable, straightforward, apparent,
simple, sparse, vulnerable,
accessible, transparent,
understandable, open
imperceptibly: (adv) unnoticeably,
gradually, slightly, invisibly, gently,
quietly, softly, observably,
287
indistinctly, scarcely, hardly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) obviously,
visibly, audibly, conspicuously,
perceptibly, heavily, clearly,
strongly
imperfect: (adj) faulty, deficient,
defective, unfinished, incomplete,
poor, flawed, partial, inadequate,
broken, fallible. ANTONYMS: (adj)
perfect, whole, unblemished,
adequate, complete, sound,
boundless, capable, flawless
imperfectly: (adv) faultily,
defectively, badly, deficiently,
incompletely, partially, poorly,
inadequately, sketchily, incorrectly,
halfway. ANTONYMS: (adv)
perfectly, flawlessly, correctly, well
imperishable: (adj) immortal, eternal,
abiding, deathless, enduring,
permanent, perpetual, perennial,
incorruptible; (adj, v) undying,
indestructible. ANTONYMS: (adj)
temporary, fragile
impertinence: (n) audacity, gall,
impudence, insolence, disrespect,
effrontery, brass, boldness,
impertinency, sauciness, freshness.
ANTONYMS: (n) politeness,
seriousness, reticence
impetuosity: (n) eagerness, haste,
heat, violence, vehemence,
impulsiveness, impetuousness,
excitability, temerity, precipitation,
fervency. ANTONYMS: (n)
deliberation, patience,
consideration, carefulness
impetuous: (adj) boisterous, hasty,
fiery, headlong, heady, hot, brash,
foolhardy, dashing, fierce; (adj, v)
impulsive. ANTONYMS: (adj)
considered, careful, slow, sensible,
patient
impetus: (n) impulsion, force, drive,
power, stimulus, goad, spur,
incentive, driving force, momentum;
(n, v) energy. ANTONYM: (n)
inertia
impinging: (n) hit, collision, contact,
engagement, impingement, striking,
hitting, contact lens, close
interaction; (adj) appulsive,
adjoining
impious: (adj) godless, ungodly,
disrespectful, profane, unholy,
sinful, unhallowed, wicked,
iniquitous, irreligious, irreverent.
ANTONYMS: (adj) reverent,
devout, restrained, good
implacable: (adj) cruel, remorseless,
irreconcilable, pitiless, merciless,
grim, unappeasable, deadly, mortal,
 288
relentless, unforgiving.
ANTONYMS: (adj) placable,
unrelenting
implements: (n) equipment,
apparatus, gear, tackle, rigging,
outfit, hardware, trappings
implicate: (v) embroil, involve, entail,
tangle, include, accuse, compromise,
involvement, enmesh, concern,
complicate
implicated: (adj) involved, involve,
associated, caught up, occupied,
mixed up, interested, allied to,
culpably involved, affiliated
implicitly: (adv) unquestioningly,
absolutely, tacitly, virtually,
indirectly, silently, unspokenly,
inherently, obliquely, completely,
unexpressedly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
openly, explicitly
impossibility: (n) impossibleness,
option, nonexistence, absurdity,
inability, impracticability,
alternative, choice, contradiction,
contradiction in terms,
doubtfulness. ANTONYMS: (n)
possibility, probability
imposture: (n) fraud, deceit,
deception, counterfeit, cheating,
trickery, trick, cheat, hoax, guile,
dissimulation
impotent: (adj) helpless, feeble, frail,
fragile, inadequate, weak, barren,
slack, ineffective, incapable, unable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) able, powerful
impregnation: (n) fertilization,
conception, fertilisation, permeation,
saturation, pervasion, superfetation,
diffusion, creation, absorption; (adj)
saturated
impress: (n, v) mark, print, stamp; (v)
move, affect, inscribe, instill, touch,
emboss, inculcate; (n) impression
impressions: (n) impersonation,
imitation
imprinted: (adj) printed, marked,
embossed
imprisoned: (adj) confined, jailed,
fenced in, unfree, locked up,
incarcerate, deeply moved,
enraptured; (v) behind bars
improbable: (adj) implausible,
impossible, incredible, unbelievable,
fishy, questionable, inconceivable,
impractical, unthinkable, absurd;
(adj, n) marvelous. ANTONYMS:
(adj) probable, certain, plausible,
truthful, ordinary, on, practical
imprudently: (adv) injudiciously,
unwisely, indiscreetly, carelessly,
recklessly, incautiously,
thoughtlessly, foolishly, hastily,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
unthinkingly, inconsiderately.
ANTONYMS: (adv) cautiously,
carefully, discreetly, judiciously,
sensibly, wisely
impulse: (n) pulse, urge, impulsion,
force, motive, whim, drive, goad,
motivation, momentum, incentive.
ANTONYMS: (n) aversion,
disincentive, disinclination
impulsive: (adj) capricious, hasty,
driving, rash, instinctive,
changeable, hotheaded, quick-
tempered, impellent, headlong,
passionate. ANTONYMS: (adj)
cautious, considered, predictable,
unflappable, prepared, sensible,
gradual, overdue, patient, placid,
premeditated
impunity: (n) impune, come off,
freedom, immunity, permission,
forgiveness. ANTONYM: (n)
liability
inaccessible: (adj) impervious,
remote, impenetrable, distant,
unapproachable, unattainable,
untouchable, unobtainable,
unaccessible, impossible, aloof.
ANTONYMS: (adj) available,
nearby, attainable, approachable,
achievable
inadvertence: (n) disregard,
inadvertency, oversight, inattention,
omission, neglect, mistake,
superintendence, supervision, error;
(adj) nonobservance. ANTONYM:
(n) mindfulness
inadvertent: (adj) careless, heedless,
casual, inattentive, unintentional,
unmindful, neglectful, chance,
unintended, imprudent,
inconsiderate. ANTONYM: (adj)
deliberate
inadvertently: (adv) accidentally,
heedlessly, unwittingly,
unintentionally, negligently,
casually, thoughtlessly, unawares,
involuntarily, by accident; (adj, adv)
inattentively. ANTONYMS: (adv)
mindfully, wittingly, deliberately,
purposely
inappreciable: (adj) impalpable,
invisible, insignificant, negligible,
inconsiderable, trivial, evanescent,
intangible, slight, trifling,
inconsequential
inasmuch: (adv) gradually, pro tanto,
so, since, as, that, because, inasmuch
as, seeing that, for
incalculable: (adj) countless,
innumerable, numberless,
boundless, inestimable, immense,
infinite, myriad, numerous,
invaluable, unpredictable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) calculable,
negligible, limited, worthless, tiny,
slight, finite, few, definite, small,
minor
incapable: (adj) impotent,
inadequate, unable, helpless,
powerless, unqualified, inept,
insufficient, inapt, ineffectual, unfit.
ANTONYMS: (adj) able, competent,
strong, powerful, effective
incense: (v) enrage, anger, provoke,
irritate, infuriate, aggravate, rile,
cense, inflame; (n) fragrance, aroma.
ANTONYMS: (v) please, pacify
inception: (n) commencement,
opening, genesis, start, dawn,
foundation, origin, onset, outset,
creation, incipience. ANTONYMS:
(n) conclusion, culmination
incidental: (adj) fortuitous,
accidental, contingent, adventitious,
collateral, chance, occasional,
incident, attendant, concomitant,
episodic. ANTONYMS: (adj) basic,
direct, intended, significant
incipient: (adj) initial, budding,
nascent, imperfectly formed,
commencing, first, undeveloped;
(adj, v) introductory; (v) inceptive;
(n) beginning
inclose: (adv, v) environ, beset; (adv,
n, v) encompass; (n, v) encircle,
close, embrace; (adv, n) compass; (v)
circumscribe, embower, bound, gird
incognizant: (adj) unwitting,
unfamiliar, oblivious
incoherence: (n) incoherency,
disconnectedness, disjointedness,
nonsensicality, nonsense,
meaninglessness, incoherentness,
inconsistency; (adj) frenzy,
wandering, incoherent. ANTONYM:
(n) coherence
incoherent: (adj) disjointed,
disconnected, delirious, rambling,
confused, disordered, incompatible,
wandering, muddled, inconsistent,
contradictory. ANTONYMS: (adj)
clear, articulate, eloquent,
intelligible, lucid, sound, concise,
consistent
incomprehensible: (adj)
inapprehensible, inscrutable,
inarticulate, abstruse, cryptic,
unfathomable, puzzling, obscure,
inexplicable, inconceivable,
unaccountable. ANTONYMS: (adj)
comprehensible, explicable,
understandable, intelligible, legible,
obvious, straightforward
inconceivable: (adj, v) unbelievable,

hard to believe; (adj) impossible,
implausible, incomprehensible,
unimaginable, unthinkable,
improbable, unintelligible,
inscrutable, fabulous. ANTONYMS:
(adj) conceivable, believable, likely,
understandable, credible
inconceivably: (adv) unthinkably,
amazingly, astoundingly, beyond
belief, impenetrably, implausibly,
unintelligibly, unfathomably,
unbelievably, inexplicably.
ANTONYM: (adv) conceivably
incongruous: (adj) inappropriate,
improper, absurd, inapt,
incompatible, conflicting,
inconsistent, incoherent,
inexpedient; (adj, n) contradictory,
dissonant. ANTONYMS: (adj)
appropriate, befitting, consistent,
reasonable
inconsequence: (n) illogicality,
independence, irrelevance,
inconsequentness, inconsistency,
insignificance, unimportance.
ANTONYM: (n) importance
inconsequential: (adj) inconsequent,
minor, unimportant, trivial,
negligible, small, irrelevant,
insignificant, frivolous, trifling,
slight. ANTONYMS: (adj)
significant, major, responsible,
serious, crucial
inconsiderable: (adj) inconsequential,
immaterial, small, petty, slight,
negligible, trivial, fractional, minute,
imperceptible, slender. ANTONYM:
(adj) major
inconsistent: (adj) incoherent,
incompatible, inconsequent,
conflicting, absurd, discrepant,
illogical, erratic; (adj, n)
contradictory, contrary, discordant.
ANTONYMS: (adj) constant,
reliable, ordered, predictable,
corresponding, dependable,
flawless, usual, fixed
incontestably: (adv) irrefutably,
incontrovertibly, without doubt,
evidently, for sure, certainly, clearly,
of course, unquestionably,
definitely, indubitably.
ANTONYMS: (adv) questionably,
arguably
inconvenience: (n, v) trouble,
incommode; (v) discommode,
disoblige, annoy, disturb, disquiet;
(n) disadvantage, difficulty,
nuisance, unsuitableness.
ANTONYMS: (n) expediency,
advantage; (v) help, please
inconvenient: (adj) inopportune,
Edgar Allan Poe
awkward, disadvantageous,
bothersome, improper, unfavorable,
troublesome, hard, inapt, untoward,
unfortunate. ANTONYMS: (adj)
convenient, suitable, opportune,
timely, advantageous
incrusted: (adj) crusted
inculpate: (v) impeach, incriminate,
charge, criminate, blame, implicate,
imply, suggest, indict, arraign,
censure
incumbent: (adj, v) superimposed;
(n) functionary, official,
householder, occupant, parson,
locum tenens, sojourner; (adj)
compulsory; (v) supernatant,
overlying
indebted: (adj) grateful, appreciative,
thankful, obliged, liable, insolvent,
broke; (prep) beholden, debted; (n)
debtor; (v) owe. ANTONYM: (adj)
ungrateful
indecent: (adj) indelicate, unseemly,
filthy, immodest, dirty, gross,
immoral, indecorous, shameful,
unbecoming, inappropriate.
ANTONYMS: (adj) proper, fitting,
admirable, correct, pleasant
indefatigable: (adj) tireless,
assiduous, unflagging, untiring,
inexhaustible, energetic,
unremitting, indomitable, laborious,
unwearying, unwearied.
ANTONYMS: (adj) idle, feeble,
unrelenting, weary
indefinite: (adj, v) ambiguous, vague;
(adj) uncertain, boundless, hazy,
equivocal, unlimited, doubtful,
dubious, imprecise, indecisive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) definite, limited,
fixed, constrained, specific, distinct,
known, precise, clear, exact
indefinitely: (adv) indistinctly,
indeterminately, unclearly,
uncertainly, undefinedly, unfixedly,
loosely, imprecisely,
undeterminedly, unsettledly,
obscurely. ANTONYM: (adv)
temporarily
indelible: (adj) ineffaceable,
memorable, fixed, ineradicable,
lasting, irrevocable, ingrained; (adj,
v) indestructible; (n) impressive,
deep; (v) incorruptible.
ANTONYMS: (adj) erasable, fleeting
indentation: (n) pit, depression,
hollow, impression, indent, dip,
notch, impress, concavity; (n, v)
nick; (adj) concave. ANTONYMS:
(n) lump, bump
indescribable: (adj) indefinable,
ineffable, unutterable, vague,
289
beyond expression, nameless,
inexpressible, nondescript, terrible,
intangible, termless. ANTONYMS:
(adj) explainable, conceivable,
concrete
indeterminate: (adj) inconclusive,
indefinite, equivocal, vague, neutral,
indistinct, obscure, undetermined,
indecisive, inexact, adventitious.
ANTONYMS: (adj) quantifiable,
definite, determinate, specific, exact,
certain, strong
indications: (n) discriminating
marks, indicia, chance
indicative: (adj, n) declarative; (adj)
significant, suggestive, meaningful,
demonstrative, significative,
indicatory, reminiscent; (n)
indicative mood, common mood; (v)
indicating. ANTONYMS: (adj)
hidden, secretive
indigestible: (adj) unpalatable,
stodgy, inedible, incocted,
inadmissible, starchy, heavy, tough,
undigestible, filling, innutritious.
ANTONYMS: (adj) light, digestible,
tasty, readable
indiscernible: (adj) unseen, invisible,
insensible, undiscernible,
unnoticeable, indistinguishable,
impalpable, inappreciable, faint,
undetectable, impenetrable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) discernible,
visible, clear, obvious
indispensable: (adj, v) necessary,
imperative, requisite; (adj)
obligatory, fundamental, required,
mandatory, vital, urgent, absolutely
necessary; (v) needful.
ANTONYMS: (adj) dispensable,
nonessential, optional, marginal,
unnecessary, worthless, minor
indisposition: (adj, n, v) ailment; (n)
disinclination, dislike, distaste,
aversion, reluctance, hesitation; (n,
v) illness, disorder, disease; (adj, n)
infirmity. ANTONYM: (n)
inclination
indistinct: (adj) indefinite,
inarticulate, faint, dull, fuzzy,
indeterminate, hazy, neutral; (adj, n)
confused, cloudy, dark.
ANTONYMS: (adj) clear, slight,
separate, certain, precise, audible,
strong, definite
indistinctly: (adv) vaguely, dimly,
hazily, mistily, inarticulately,
shadowily, obscurely, unclearly,
fuzzily, confusedly, ambiguously.
ANTONYMS: (adv) precisely,
audibly, coherently, distinctly
individuality: (n) character,
 290
individualism, personality,
originality, distinctiveness, identity,
peculiarity, selfhood, ego,
disposition, independence.
ANTONYMS: (n) commonality,
sameness, conformity
indolent: (adj) idle, lazy, slothful,
sluggish, careless, slow, dull, torpid,
inert, drowsy, listless. ANTONYMS:
(adj) active, industrious, vigorous,
diligent
induce: (v) generate, tempt, cause,
impel, bring, create, draw,
engender, beget, get, infer.
ANTONYMS: (v) prevent, restrain
inducement: (n) enticement,
attraction, cause, incitement,
impulse, temptation, bait, impetus,
occasion, motive, goad.
ANTONYMS: (n) disincentive,
deterrent
inducing: (v) induce, remind, call to
mind, suggest, bring to mind; (n)
incentive, causing, causation,
thought; (adj) cogent, persuasive
induction: (n) initiation, deduction,
elicitation, inductance, beginning,
installation, introduction,
enthronement, influence,
presentation, coronation
indulge: (n, v) gratify, humor; (v)
coddle, cosset, baby, pamper, spoil,
satisfy, please, mollycoddle, cocker.
ANTONYMS: (v) frustrate, deprive,
stifle, neglect, deny, displease, fast
industrious: (adj) diligent, assiduous,
indefatigable, busy, energetic,
hardworking, laborious, tireless,
earnest, keen, enterprising.
ANTONYMS: (adj) indolent, idle,
destructive, weary, careless
industriously: (adv) diligently,
painstakingly, busily, sedulously,
tirelessly, untiringly, eagerly,
studiously, laboriously, carefully,
conscientiously. ANTONYMS: (adv)
wearily, carelessly
ineffable: (adj) indescribable,
unspeakable, unutterable,
indefinable, inexpressible, beyond
expression, unimaginable, beyond
words, unpronounceable, dreadful,
untellable
ineffective: (adj) incompetent,
inefficient, futile, inadequate,
impotent, null, powerless, useless,
incapable, unable; (adj, v)
ineffectual. ANTONYMS: (adj)
effective, strong, successful, useful,
dynamic, efficient, fruitful,
meaningful, original, powerful,
capable
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
ineffectual: (adj) ineffective, futile,
useless, feeble, abortive, powerless,
idle, weak, unable, void, vain.
ANTONYMS: (adj) strong, effectual,
effective, useful, viable, competent,
invulnerable, helpful, decisive
inexpressible: (adj, v) indescribable;
(adj) ineffable, unspeakable,
unutterable, indefinable,
incommunicable, nameless, untold,
beyond description, unexpressible,
undefinable. ANTONYM: (adj)
definite
inexpressibles: (n) small clothes,
overalls, smalls, pantaloons
inexpressibly: (adv) unspeakably,
indescribably, beyond words
inextricable: (adj) insoluble, intricate,
involved, perplexed, inaccessible,
entangled, impervious, impassable,
knotty; (v) inseparable, infrangible
infallibly: (adv) unerringly,
unfailingly, inerrably, assuredly,
certainly, firmly
infancy: (n) babyhood, cradle,
beginning, birth, genesis, minority,
early childhood, youth, nonage,
adolescence, early days.
ANTONYM: (n) maturity
infected: (adj) diseased, dirty,
impure, tainted, festering, corrupt,
unclean, morbid, stained, spoiled,
soiled. ANTONYM: (adj) healthy
inference: (n) corollary, implication,
illation, conclusion, assumption,
judgment, surmise, derivation,
analogy, guess, result. ANTONYM:
(n) fact
inferior: (adj) secondary, bad,
humble, poor, junior, petty, lesser,
cheap, base, feeble, vulgar.
ANTONYMS: (adj) better, choice,
excellent, premium, adscript,
perfect, higher, quality, senior; (adj,
n) superscript; (n) boss
infernal: (adj) devilish, fiendish,
diabolical, demonic, damned,
cursed, blasted, unholy, wicked;
(adj, v) diabolic, satanic
inferred: (adj) subtle, tacit, assumed,
incidental, latent, unsaid, unspoken,
understood, contingent, implied,
derivative. ANTONYM: (adj)
explicit
infest: (v) overrun, disturb, pester,
beset, annoy, invade, harry,
overwhelm, occupy, molest, harass
infinitely: (adv) greatly, vastly,
immensely, immeasurably,
boundlessly, enormously,
unboundedly, hugely, ceaselessly,
unendingly; (adj, adv) incalculably.
ANTONYM: (adv) finitely
infinity: (n) infinite, immensity,
infiniteness, infinitude,
boundlessness, immutability, glory,
greatness, holiness, forever,
perpetuity. ANTONYM: (n)
limitedness
infirm: (adj, n, v) feeble; (adj, v) faint,
weak, sickly, debilitated; (adj)
impotent, fragile, decrepit, ill,
delicate, shaky. ANTONYMS: (adj)
whole, well, hearty
infirmity: (adj, n) frailty, foible,
imbecility; (n) feebleness,
impotence, disability, decrepitude,
illness, sickness, disease, weakness.
ANTONYMS: (n) health, wellness,
strength
inflamed: (adj) impassioned, excited,
angry, hot, flaming, ablaze, irritated,
passionate, painful, burning; (n) red
inflammatory: (adj) provocative,
seditious, incitive, phlogistic,
insurgent, inflamed, rousing,
instigative, offensive, subversive,
inflammative. ANTONYM: (adj)
conciliatory
inflated: (adj) grandiloquent,
exaggerated, puffy, conceited,
hyperbolic, vain, bloated, swollen,
extravagant, flatulent; (adj, v)
distended. ANTONYMS: (adj)
deflated, humble, cheap, reasonable
influencing: (adj) affecting, infusive
info: (n) data, news, intelligence,
format, evidence, database,
arcanum, details, curriculum,
tidings, report
infusion: (n) extract, infuse,
implantation, influx, dash, brew,
smack, transfusion, touch; (n, v)
injection; (v) inoculation
ingenious: (adj) adroit, artful, clever,
cunning, deft, expert, creative,
imaginative, cute, acute, able.
ANTONYMS: (adj) impulsive,
naive, unoriginal, inept
ingenuity: (adj, n) ability; (n)
adroitness, ingeniousness, cunning,
imagination, acumen, resource,
originality, skill, wit, inventiveness.
ANTONYM: (n) ineptness
ingress: (n) access, entrance, entry,
entree, admission, entering,
admittance, incoming, door, arrival,
gateway. ANTONYM: (n) exit
inhabitant: (n) denizen, resident,
occupant, citizen, tenant, occupier,
population, native, liver, indweller;
(v) habitant. ANTONYM: (n)
stranger
inhabited: (v) populous, full of

people, arrayed, clothed, dressed,
accustomed, habited; (adj, v)
peopled; (adj) occupied, settled,
housing. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unoccupied, uninhabited, business
inhalation: (n) drag, absorption,
gasp, inhalant, inspiration,
immission, ingestion, ingurgitation,
breathing in, inhale, inhaling
inkstand: (n) inkhorn
inmost: (adj) innermost, inward,
deep, intimate, private, inner,
interior, internal, personal, secret,
intrinsic. ANTONYM: (adj)
outermost
innate: (adj) inherent, congenital,
inbred, indigenous, instinctive,
natural, intrinsic, constitutional,
essential, ingrained; (adj, v) born.
ANTONYMS: (adj) learned,
conditioned, acquired, trained,
spiritual
innermost: (adj) inward, intimate,
inner, interior, close, internal,
middle, center, hint, hearty; (adj, n)
inside. ANTONYMS: (adj) external,
outermost, outer
innumerable: (adj) countless,
numberless, incalculable,
multitudinous, infinite, innumerous,
unnumbered, uncounted, myriad,
immeasurable, untold. ANTONYM:
(adj) finite
inordinately: (adv) excessively,
exorbitantly, extraordinarily,
outrageously, extravagantly,
exceedingly, overly, too; (adj, adv)
immoderately, monstrously,
preposterously
inquest: (n) inquiry, investigation,
quest, probe, inquisition, inspection,
search, interrogation, survey, trial,
research
inquire: (v) demand, ask, explore,
enquire, inspect, research, consult,
pry, request, wonder; (n, v)
question. ANTONYM: (v) answer
inquirer: (n) examiner, questioner,
asker, interrogator, investigator,
searcher, querist, trier, inquisitor,
tester; (v) inspector
inquiries: (n) investigation,
examination, study, enquiries,
enquiry, inquiry, exploration
inquisition: (n) examination, inquest,
inquiry, exploration, quest, probe,
investigation, research, inspection,
disquisition; (adj) Reign of Terror
insane: (adj) foolish, daft, demented,
mad, delirious, lunatic, fool,
moonstruck, frantic, idiotic, nutty.
ANTONYM: (adj) sensible
Edgar Allan Poe
insanity: (adj, n) craziness,
derangement, frenzy, aberration; (n)
delirium, dementia, mania, folly,
lunacy, idiocy; (adj) madness.
ANTONYMS: (n) sanity, sense
inscribed: (adj) etched, incised,
graven, written, carved, carven
inscription: (n) epigraph, entry,
dedication, autograph, epitaph,
registration, lettering, writing,
record, superscription, title
insect: (n) worm, flea, hymenopteran,
hymenopteron, earwig, dirt ball,
homopteran, hemipteran, gallfly,
fish, biting louse
insert: (v) enter, put, introduce,
enclose, interject, inject, implant,
graft, plant, inclose, put in.
ANTONYMS: (v) erase, eject, delete
inserted: (prep) between; (adj)
parenthetical
insignificant: (adj) inconsequential,
inconsiderable, humble, poor,
immaterial, trivial, unimportant,
light, infinitesimal, indifferent,
small. ANTONYMS: (adj)
significant, enormous, major,
important, huge, substantial,
considerable, great, colossal,
valuable, influential
insinuate: (v) imply, hint, intimate,
indicate, suggest, adumbrate,
connote, signify, ingratiate, instill,
denote
insisting: (v) insist; (adj) persistent,
insistent, incumbent; (n) insistency,
imperativeness
insolubility: (n) insolubleness,
irresolubleness; (v) indiscerptibility,
indivisibility. ANTONYM: (n)
solubility
insoluble: (adj) inextricable,
insolvable, irresoluble, unsolvable,
indiscerptible, inaccessible,
indissolvable, indivisible,
inexplicable, hopeless, firm
inspecting: (n) inspection; (v) inspect;
(adj) curious, inspective
inst: (adj) instant, insistent, exigent,
demanding attention, crying,
present
instantaneous: (adj) immediate,
prompt, sudden, precipitate,
momentary, abrupt, precipitous,
precipitant, swift, momentaneous,
quick. ANTONYMS: (adj) gradual,
delayed, considered
instantaneously: (adv) directly,
instantly, at once, forthwith,
suddenly, promptly, abruptly,
momentarily, outright, right away,
in a flash. ANTONYM: (adv)
291
eventually
instil: (v) implant, inculcate, instill,
transfuse, introduce, impregnate,
imbue, impress, infix, ingrain,
impart gradually
insufferably: (adv) hatefully,
hopelessly, agonizingly,
disagreeably, dreadfully, unfeasibly,
trip, ridiculously, intolerably,
impossibly, horrendously
insufficiently: (adv) inadequately,
skimpily, scantily, scarcely,
meagerly, unsatisfactorily, scantly,
shortly, deficiently, inefficiently,
incompletely. ANTONYMS: (adv)
satisfactorily, profusely, excessively,
well, fully
insulated: (adj) cloistered
insult: (n, v) contumely, affront,
abuse, flout, outrage, wound, taunt;
(n) disgrace, indignity, contempt; (v)
cut. ANTONYMS: (n, v)
compliment, praise; (v) flatter,
consecrate; (n) privilege
insulting: (adj) contemptuous,
insolent, injurious, offensive,
scurrilous, defamatory,
opprobrious, rude, disgraceful,
disdainful, impolite. ANTONYMS:
(adj) courteous, conciliatory, polite,
generous, cordial
insurgent: (adj, n) radical, incendiary;
(adj) lawless, rebellious, mutinous,
seditious, insubordinate; (n)
anarchist, insurrectionist,
revolutionary, mutineer.
ANTONYMS: (n) loyalist; (adj)
loyal, content, conventional
intangible: (adj) immaterial,
incorporeal, ethereal, indefinite,
spiritual, elusive, imperceptible,
insubstantial, airy, indefinable; (n)
intangible asset. ANTONYMS: (adj)
concrete, palpable, touchable, actual
intellect: (n) mind, intelligence,
understanding, reason, brains, head,
intellectual, apprehension, psyche,
genius, brainpower. ANTONYM:
(n) stupidity
intelligible: (adj) clear,
understandable, articulate,
luminous, apprehensible, graspable,
simple, lucid, definite, distinct,
perspicuous. ANTONYMS: (adj)
difficult, illegible
intent: (n) idea, intention, design,
spirit, meaning, import, goal,
purpose; (adj, n) attentive; (adj)
absorbed, engrossed
interloper: (adj, n) stranger, alien; (n)
encroacher, trespasser, invader,
boarder, bodkin, foreigner,
 292
gatecrasher, go between, unknown.
ANTONYM: (n) native
intermingled: (adj) amalgamated,
integrated, coalesced, blended,
incorporated, assorted,
consolidated, incorporate,
amalgamate, fused
internally: (adv) innerly, intrinsically,
inwardly, nationally, intimately,
insidely, within, locally, essentially,
privately, really. ANTONYMS:
(adv) outwardly, outside,
internationally
interpose: (v) interject, insert,
interpolate, intercede, intervene,
meddle, intrude, tamper, step in,
butt in; (adj, v) intermeddle
interposed: (adj) interjacent,
intercedent, intervenient,
parenthetical, intermediate colors,
mediate
interpreter: (n) commentator,
interpretive program, exponent,
explainer, translator, mouthpiece,
ambassador, prophet, bagman,
expounder, program
interred: (adj) buried, inhumed,
hidden. ANTONYM: (adj) unburied
interrupting: (adj) cross,
interchanged, interpelling,
meddlesome, adverse, defensive,
contrary, interpellant, interruptive
interruption: (n) disruption,
intermission, halt, pause,
suspension, discontinuance, hiatus;
(n, v) break, hindrance, impediment;
(v) interrupt. ANTONYMS: (n)
permanence, help, respect
intervening: (adj) middle, interstitial,
intervene, interposed, intermediate
colors, mediate, mesne; (adj, v)
intercurrent, interjacent; (v)
intervenient; (n) middler.
ANTONYM: (adj) permanent
interwoven: (adj) interlinking,
interlacing, interlocking, complex,
interwove, twine, contextural,
entangled, inseparable, knotted,
related
intimacy: (adj, n) familiarity,
acquaintance; (n) closeness,
fellowship, association, friendship,
intercourse, affair, camaraderie,
conversance, confidence.
ANTONYMS: (n) distance, formality
intolerable: (adj) unbearable,
insupportable, painful, obnoxious,
detestable, inexcusable, deplorable,
undesirable, hard, excruciating,
difficult. ANTONYMS: (adj)
bearable, tolerable, acceptable,
reasonable, nice, understandable,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
lovable, excusable, inoffensive,
manageable
intolerably: (adv) excruciatingly,
unbearably, insufferably,
unendurably, insupportably,
unfeasibly, impossibly, horribly,
unpardonably, inexcusably,
unforgivably. ANTONYMS: (adv)
tolerably, excusably, bearably,
acceptably, pleasantly,
understandably
intonation: (n) inflection, tone,
expression, cadence, timbre,
chanting, drone, prosody,
vocalizing, singing, sound
intoxication: (n) inebriation,
inebriety, poisoning, tipsiness,
fascination, grogginess, ecstasy,
daze, excitement, euphoria, wine
intractable: (adj) inflexible, fractious,
stubborn, contumacious, contrary,
insubordinate, froward, recalcitrant,
perverse, wayward, unruly.
ANTONYMS: (adj) tractable,
biddable, flexible, manageable,
compliant, easy, easygoing, docile,
amenable
intrepid: (adj) daring, fearless, bold,
brave, dauntless, gallant, audacious,
hardy, adventurous, heroic,
confident. ANTONYMS: (adj)
fearful, timid, cautious, feeble
intricacy: (n) complexity, difficulty,
entanglement, elaboration,
elaborateness, complicacy, maze,
confusion, perplexity, involution,
subtlety. ANTONYM: (n) order
intricate: (adj, n) complicated; (adj)
difficult, knotty, hard, tricky,
convoluted, tortuous, inextricable,
elaborate, obscure; (adj, v) involved.
ANTONYMS: (adj) simple, easy,
plain
introverted: (adj) withdrawn, remote,
solitary, shy, introspective, aloof,
unsociable, repressed, reserved,
reticent, retiring. ANTONYMS: (adj)
uninhibited, communicative,
sociable, extrovert
intrusion: (n) infringement,
encroachment, disturbance,
interruption, inroad, trespass,
invasion, violation, incursion,
disruption, entry
intuition: (n) insight, feeling,
presentiment, suspicion,
premonition, notion, instinct, sense,
vision, bosom, thought.
ANTONYMS: (n) intellect, certainty
intuitive: (adj) instinctive, inborn,
innate, impulsive, natural,
perceptive, automatic, intuitional,
untaught, involuntary, presentative.
ANTONYMS: (adj) intellectual,
systematic, deliberate, obtuse, stilted
inutility: (n) uselessness,
impracticableness, impracticability,
quality, inability, unusefulness,
impracticality, disadvantage.
ANTONYM: (n) utility
invalid: (adj) false, illogical,
unreasonable, null, weak, void,
unhealthy, sick, flawed; (n) infirm;
(v) disable. ANTONYMS: (adj)
valid, legitimate, current, healthy,
true, watertight, correct
inversion: (n) reversal, turnover,
transposition, everting, eversion,
anastrophe, retroversion,
subversion, movement, negation,
reversion
investigator: (n) explorer, inspector,
researcher, examiner, gumshoe,
boffin, research worker, inquisitor,
adjuster, coroner; (n, v) inquirer
invigorated: (adj) brisk,
reinvigorated, impudent,
impertinent, energizing, energising,
clean, bracing, refreshed
involute: (adj) complex, tortuous,
involved, knotty, involuted, coiled,
furled, rolled
irascible: (adj) angry, choleric,
irritable, crabby, hot, excitable, testy,
touchy, passionate, hotheaded,
hasty. ANTONYMS: (adj)
easygoing, patient
irreconcilable: (adj, n) inconsistent,
incongruous, discordant, contrary,
dissonant; (adj, v) incompatible,
hostile, repugnant; (adj) implacable,
unreconcilable; (v) antagonistic.
ANTONYMS: (adj) reconcilable,
recoverable, compatible
irregular: (adj) atypical, abnormal,
erratic, anomalous, eccentric,
broken, sporadic, disorderly,
strange, changeable; (adj, n) guerilla.
ANTONYMS: (adj) symmetrical,
normal, smooth, constant, even,
steady, compact, cyclic, equal,
frequent, permanent
irregularity: (n) abnormality,
anomaly, eccentricity, inequality,
deviation, aberration, constipation,
exception, unevenness, variation;
(adj, n) deformity. ANTONYMS: (n)
symmetry, normality, regularity,
dependability, equality, frequency,
evenness, consistency,
predictability, smoothness
irreligion: (n) irreligiousness,
atheism, impiousness, indevotion,
godlessness

irrepressible: (adj) uncontrollable,
uncontainable, unmanageable,
wanton, inextinguishable, rampant,
effervescent; (v) ungovernable,
volcanic, stanchless, simmering.
ANTONYM: (adj) orderly
irresistible: (adj) resistless, invincible,
irrefragable, irrefutable,
overpowering, overwhelming,
impregnable, indomitable,
charming, fascinating; (adj, v)
uncontrollable. ANTONYMS: (adj)
resistible, insignificant, unappealing,
weak
irresistibly: (adv) charmingly,
necessarily, overwhelmingly,
charismatically, fiercely, temptingly,
overpoweringly, appealingly,
beguilingly
irresponsible: (adj) rash, reckless,
untrustworthy, flighty, feckless,
unreliable, unwise, imprudent, wild,
loose; (v) not answerable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) cautious,
sensible, dependable, dutiful,
careful, prudent, mature
irritated: (adj) annoyed, exasperated,
incensed, enraged, aggravated,
furious, irate, inflamed, sore,
displeased, provoked. ANTONYMS:
(adj) calm, pleased, patient,
contented
israelitish: (adj) Jewish, Israelitic
issuing: (n) issuance, supplying,
emanation, consequence,
publication, effect, egress,
emergence, exit; (adj) flowing,
emergent
jaded: (adj) tired, fatigued, worn,
weary, wearied, fed up, satiate,
worn-out, bored, satiated, sick.
ANTONYMS: (adj) fresh, innocent,
brilliant
jammed: (adj) packed, congested,
full, overcrowded, fixed, wedged,
crammed, stuffed, blocked, clogged;
(adj, v) stuck. ANTONYMS: (adj)
free, loose
jargon: (n, v) gibberish; (n) idiom,
dialect, vernacular, slang, lingo,
language, argot, cant,
gobbledygook; (adj, n) palaver
jauntily: (adv) cheerfully, airily,
brightly, sprucely, smartly, merrily,
dashingly, nattily, buoyantly,
breezily, lightly
java: (n) chicory, coffee capuccino,
coffee bean, ice coffee, chocolate,
coffee berry, coffee royal, decaf,
decaffeinated coffee, deep brown,
demitasse
jesting: (adj) jocular, jocose, facetious,
Edgar Allan Poe
humorous, playful; (n) banter,
humor, comedy, pleasantry, fun,
joke. ANTONYM: (n) tragedy
jetty: (n) groyne, pier, breakwater,
dock, mole, bulwark, berth, quay,
wharf, jutty, harbor
jewelled: (adj) gemmed, bejewelled,
bejeweled, beady, beaded,
bespangled, spangly, sequined,
buttony, decorated, buttonlike
jeweller: (n) goldsmith, silversmith,
jewelry maker
jewelry: (n) jewellery, jewel, gem,
bijou, gems, adornment, bangle,
earring, bead, bracelet, band
jewels: (n) jewelry, gems, wealth,
hoops, Perrie, riches, studs, fortune,
fineness, earrings, decoration
joking: (n) banter, fooling, fun; (adj)
jocose, jocular, humorous, funny,
kidding, playful, puckish, comical.
ANTONYM: (n) seriousness
joyful: (adj) gay, glad, elated,
cheerful, gleeful, cheery, delighted,
joyous, jolly, blissful, blithe.
ANTONYMS: (adj) miserable,
sorrowful, unhappy, despairing,
unpleasant, staid, sorry,
disappointed, depressed, heavy
joyfully: (adv) joyously, merrily,
gaily, gleefully, buoyantly, cheerily,
jubilantly, pleasantly, mirthfully;
(adv, v) happily; (adj, adv)
cheerfully. ANTONYMS: (adv)
joylessly, miserably, despondently
judging: (n) judge, judgment, judged,
decision making, assessment,
thought, deciding, prejudgment,
discernment
jumble: (n, v) clutter, disorder, mix
up, mix; (v) confuse, embroil,
disturb, tumble; (n) hodgepodge,
confusion; (adj, n) disarray.
ANTONYMS: (n) neatness; (v)
organize, separate, tidy, disentangle
juncture: (n, v) joint; (adj, n) crisis; (n)
articulation, event, junction,
connection, affair, point, time,
conjuncture; (v) joining
jupiter: (n) Jove, blazon, deity, father,
Zeus, solar system, thunderer
justifiable: (adj) legitimate,
defensible, excusable, lawful,
logical, legal, reasonable, admissible,
rightful, warrantable, sound.
ANTONYMS: (adj) inexcusable,
unreasonable, invalid, gratuitous,
unjustifiable, illogical, unlawful,
unworthy, untenable
justly: (adv) accurately, fairly,
correctly, honestly, lawfully,
properly, exactly, uprightly,
293
legitimately, impartially, purely.
ANTONYMS: (adv) wrongly,
unfairly, unjustifiably, unjustly,
unlawfully, sinfully, falsely,
immorally
juvenile: (adj) youthful, childish,
immature, puerile, young, babyish,
callow; (n) youngster, child, youth,
teenager. ANTONYMS: (adj, n)
adult; (adj) mature, old, sensible
juxtaposition: (n) apposition,
proximity, contact, contiguity,
abuttal, location, locating,
placement, position, positioning,
comparison
kennel: (n) doghouse, ditch, gully,
fosse, dike, drain, culvert, sewer,
gutter, hutch, trough
kernel: (n) gist, heart, essence, center,
inwardness, quintessence, grain,
marrow, substance, content, nucleus
kidd: (n) Captain Kidd
kindle: (adj, v) inflame; (v) fire,
excite, arouse, burn, flame, awaken,
incite, enkindle, stir; (n, v) light.
ANTONYMS: (v) enkindle, dampen,
calm, extinguish, quench, stifle
kindled: (adj) enkindled, lighted, lit,
burning
kindred: (adj) cognate, akin, similar,
allied, related; (n) kin,
consanguinity, relation, folk, folks,
kin group
kinsmen: (n) kin, kindred, family,
kinsfolk, people, affinity
kittens: (n) dust, fuzz
knot: (n) bow, cluster, lump, gang,
joint; (v) entangle, knit, bind; (n, v)
tie, loop, tangle. ANTONYMS: (v)
unravel, undo, unknot, disentangle
kraken: (adj) sea serpent, wyvern,
cockatrice, dragon
labor: (n, v) toil, endeavor, drudgery,
travail, struggle, confinement,
childbirth, delivery, grind; (n) effort,
exertion. ANTONYMS: (n, v) rest;
(v) relax, ignore; (n) management,
leisure, death, relaxation
lafayette: (n) spot, La Fayette,
marquis de Lafayette
lamentable: (adj) grievous, pitiful,
distressing, sad, dismal, sorrowful,
piteous, unfortunate, lugubrious;
(adj, v) pitiable, mournful.
ANTONYMS: (adj) laudable,
fortunate
lamented: (adj) mourned, bewailed
lamentingly: (adv) weepingly,
wailingly, plaintively, bewailingly,
sadly, wailfully
lancet: (adj) bistoury; (n) knife,
gimlet, probe, lancer, needle, gig,
 294
piercer, Rimer, scoop, fizgig
lapse: (n, v) decline, drop, mistake;
(adj, n, v) fall; (v) expire, elapse,
collapse, go by; (n) oversight, error,
fault. ANTONYMS: (v) behave,
start, rise, renew, improve
lark: (n) joke, fun, trick, prank, antic,
caper, game; (n, v) romp, frolic,
gambol; (v) rollick
lastly: (adv) eventually, ultimately,
latterly, in conclusion, last, at last,
terminally, latestly, utmostly,
definitively, concludingly.
ANTONYM: (adv) initially
lately: (adv) tardily, newly, freshly,
belatedly, slowly, latterly, deadly;
(adj, adv) anew, late, afresh; (adj)
recent
lateness: (n) slowness, delay,
sluggishness, timing, dilatoriness,
late, slothfulness, earliness, late
maturity, tarriance, posteriority.
ANTONYMS: (n) promptness,
punctuality, earliness
lateral: (adj) sidelong, collateral,
peripheral, accidental, indirect,
incidental, parallel, being without;
(adv) sideward, laterally, sideway.
ANTONYM: (adj) logical
lathered: (adj) frothy
latitude: (n) freedom, scope, breadth,
room, expanse, range, compass,
climate, clime, space, reach.
ANTONYM: (n) constraint
latticed: (adj) interlaced, fretted,
lattice, reticulate, reticulated,
latticelike, tabernacular, having
frets, common, reticular
laudable: (adj) commendable,
creditable, admirable, praiseworthy,
worthy, deserving, good, honorable,
meritorious, applaudable, estimable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) shameful,
regrettable, unimpressive,
lamentable, poor, despicable
laughable: (adj) absurd, amusing,
humorous, comical, ludicrous,
ridiculous, farcical, droll, comic,
foolish, jocular. ANTONYMS: (adj)
serious, tragic, adequate, generous,
impressive
laundress: (n) washwoman,
laundrywoman, laundryman,
washer, bedmaker; (v) washerman
laurels: (n) honor, laurel, accolade,
fame, garland, award, trophy,
decoration, glory, citation,
glorification. ANTONYMS: (n)
dishonor, criticism
lavish: (v) dissipate; (adj) exuberant,
generous, copious, prodigal, ample,
abundant, bountiful, excessive,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
improvident; (adj, v) profuse.
ANTONYMS: (adj) simple, scant,
economical, impoverished, frugal,
unadorned, plain; (v) stint, skimp,
begrudge, economize
laxity: (n) laxness, relaxation,
carelessness, remissness, laches,
evasion, failure, feebleness; (adj)
flaccidity, immorality, debasement.
ANTONYMS: (n) intervention,
strictness, vigilance, severity,
attention
leaden: (adj) heavy, gray, sluggish,
grey, inert, torpid, grave, languid,
drab, burdensome, livid.
ANTONYM: (adj) bright
leaping: (n) jump, bounce, bound,
leap, spring, saltation, bouncing; (v)
jumping; (adj, v) bounding; (adj)
springing; (adv) leapingly
learnedly: (adv) wisely, letteredly,
literately, literarily, cleverly,
skilledly, intellectually, sagely,
studiously, culturedly, academically
ledge: (n) projection, bulge, jetty,
board, shelf, rack, bench, hummock,
protrusion, rim; (adj) escarpment.
ANTONYM: (n) depression
left-handed: (adj) gauche, insincere,
southpaw, uncouth, illicit,
hypocritical, double-dealing,
disingenuous
legible: (adj) readable, distinct, fair,
plain, clean, definite, explicit,
understandable, direct, cloudless,
light. ANTONYM: (adj) unreadable
lent: (n) Quadragesima, Lententide
leopard: (n) panther, cheetah, cat,
pelt, opal, marble, ophite, nacre,
ocelot, pard, fur
lessened: (adj) diminished, hurt,
lower, mitigated, pointed, tapering,
vitiated, atrophied, short, attenuate,
attenuated
lessening: (n) diminution, cutback,
alleviation, contraction, abatement,
mitigation, shrinking, reduction, cut;
(adj) decreasing, diminishing.
ANTONYMS: (n) growth,
restoration; (adj) increasing
levelling: (n) equalization, grading,
flow, equalisation, evening
levity: (n) flightiness, frivolity,
flippancy, buoyancy, lightness,
giddiness, inconstancy,
frivolousness, humorousness,
jocosity; (n, v) fickleness.
ANTONYMS: (n) gravity,
seriousness
liberties: (n) freedoms, familiarity,
intimacy
license: (n, v) permit, allow, licence;
(n) allowance, freedom, permission,
liberty, authority, authorization,
certificate; (v) certify. ANTONYMS:
(v) decertify; (n) restriction
lids: (n) lid
lifeless: (adj) inanimate, dull, insipid,
defunct, inactive, flat, exanimate,
dreary, tedious, inert, lackluster.
ANTONYMS: (adj) lively, stiff,
alive, interesting, awake, moving,
upright, bright, brilliant, firm,
inspiring
lighted: (adj) illuminated, lit, light,
ablaze, bright, ignited, burn,
burning, ignite, kindled, lighten
lightness: (n) brightness, buoyancy,
frivolity, flightiness, delicacy,
airiness, agility, levity, light,
nimbleness, flippancy.
ANTONYMS: (n) darkness, gravity,
weight, harshness, seriousness
lightning: (n) levin, electricity,
thunderbolt, Leven, ignis fatuus,
heat lightning, forked lightning,
fetter, dart, chain lightning; (adj)
wind
limb: (n) arm, branch, member,
bough, extremity, offshoot, part, leg,
wing, appendage, edge
limiting: (adj) constrictive, confining,
restricting, definitive, constraining,
limited, determinative, definite; (n)
modification, apposition, restriction
limpid: (adj) transparent, bright,
diaphanous, crystal clear,
crystalline, perspicuous, pellucid,
lucid, liquid, hyaline, glassy.
ANTONYM: (adj) opaque
lingeringly: (adv) slowly, longly,
chronically, dilatorily, extendedly,
leisurely
listlessly: (adv) sluggishly,
spiritlessly, indifferently, languidly,
slowly, weakly, indolently,
supinely, lazily, inanimately,
slackly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
brightly, nimbly
literal: (adj) exact, bare, verbal,
accurate, genuine, faithful, actual,
plain, true; (n) misprint, erratum.
ANTONYMS: (adj) figurative,
symbolic, loose, imprecise,
metaphorical, broad, approximate,
false
litter: (adj, n) brood, jumble; (n)
bedding, stretcher, waste, refuse,
junk, trash, mess; (n, v) clutter; (adj)
disarray. ANTONYMS: (v) clean; (n)
space
livery: (adj) liverish, bilious; (n)
clothing, accouterment, uniform,
complexion, legal transfer, color,

hue, dye, bailment
livid: (adj) furious, irate, ashen, mad,
blue, gray, ghastly, leaden, colorless,
angry, enraged. ANTONYMS: (adj)
flushed, happy, pleased
locality: (n) vicinity, area, place, spot,
position, district, point, region,
stead, section; (n, v) quarter
locks: (n) hair, tresses, head of hair
lodged: (adj) wedged, stuck fast,
stuck, jammed
lodging: (n) abode, apartment,
accommodation, housing, hostel,
residence, quarter, home,
lodgement, address, hospice
loftiest: (adj) uppermost, top,
sovereign
loge: (n) box seat, corner,
compartment, boxful, balcony,
boxwood
loins: (n) waist, body part, haunch,
lends, pubic region, area, pubes
loneliness: (n) desolation, aloneness,
isolation, solitariness, lonesomeness,
bleakness, forlornness, desolateness,
temperament, unhappiness; (adj, n)
solitude. ANTONYMS: (n)
inclusion, cheerfulness, hopefulness
longitudinal: (adj) long, vertical,
lengthwise, oblong, longer
longitudinally: (adv) lengthways,
longways, longwise, at length,
endlong, along
loop: (n, v) curve, ring, bend, circle,
bight; (v) curl, entwine, knot; (n)
eyelet, circuit, eye. ANTONYM: (v)
uncoil
loosely: (adv) freely, vaguely,
wantonly, broadly, softly,
desultorily, laxly, relaxedly,
lasciviously, baggily, flabbily.
ANTONYMS: (adv) closely, firmly,
tight, strictly, narrowly, efficiently,
densely, accurately, precisely,
clearly
loosen: (n, v) relax, release, ease; (adj,
v) loose, disengage; (v) detach,
undo, ravel, discharge, fluff, untie.
ANTONYMS: (v) fasten, compress,
fix, tense, stiffen, bend
loosened: (adj) disentangled, loose,
freed, disengaged, extricated,
unsnarled
lothario: (n) rake, whoremonger,
sweetheart, seducer, satyr,
Bluebeard; (adj) captive, cicisbeo,
paramour, cavaliere servente,
amoroso
loveliness: (n) comeliness, fairness,
grace, attractiveness, charm,
glamour, pulchritude,
beauteousness, good looks,
Edgar Allan Poe
cuteness, fineness. ANTONYMS: (n)
unattractiveness, unpleasantness,
awkwardness
lowell: (n) Percival Lowell, Robert
Lowell, Robert Traill spence Lowell
Jr, Amy Lowell
luckily: (adv) happily, prosperously,
auspiciously, fortuitously,
successfully, providentially,
propitiously, opportunely,
advantageously, felicitously, as luck
would have it. ANTONYMS: (adv)
unluckily, inauspiciously
lucrative: (adj, v) profitable, gainful,
remunerative; (adj) fat, fruitful,
moneymaking, favourable, helpful,
beneficial, worthwhile; (v) paying.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unbeneficial,
unproductive
ludicrous: (adj) absurd, ridiculous,
farcical, foolish, laughable, comical,
grotesque, derisory, droll,
preposterous, jocular. ANTONYMS:
(adj) sane, impressive
luminary: (n) celebrity, star, leading
light, personality, guiding light, VIP,
authority, worthy, shining light,
Magnus Apollo, shiner
luminous: (adj) glowing, brilliant,
lustrous, lucent, sunny, lambent,
radiant, light, aglow; (adj, n) lucid,
clear. ANTONYMS: (adj) dark,
obscure
lunacy: (adj, n) frenzy, craziness,
madness, derangement, aberration;
(n) folly, foolishness, mania,
delirium, dementia; (adj) distraction.
ANTONYM: (n) sanity
lunar: (adj) quartilunar, sublunar,
superlunar, astronomical,
astrophysical, astral, lunary,
planetary, cosmological
lunatic: (n) madman, maniac,
bedlamite; (adj) insane, foolish,
moonstruck, mad, mental,
deranged, idiotic; (adj, n) madcap.
ANTONYM: (adj) sensible
lungs: (v) air pump, air blower,
ventilator, punkah; (n) blowpipe,
organ
lurch: (n, v) stumble, pitch, stagger;
(v) reel, tilt, cant, rock, sway, shake,
teeter, wobble. ANTONYM: (v)
hesitate
lustre: (n) brilliance, gloss, brilliancy,
grandeur, splendour, effulgence,
splendor, shininess, shine, sheen,
brightness
lyre: (n) lira, archlute, lute
mademoiselle: (n) girl, signorina,
damsel, drum, silver perch,
drumfish
295
madly: (adv) insanely, furiously,
sorely, frantically, wildly, devilishly,
deadly, dementedly, foolishly,
distractedly; (adj, adv) rabidly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) sensibly,
calmly, sanely, carefully; (adj)
slightly
madman: (n) bedlamite, maniac,
crazy, loony, nut, madcap, looney,
loco, sufferer, raver, nutcase
madness: (n) frenzy, insanity, lunacy,
idiocy, folly, delirium, insaneness;
(adj, n) furor, rage, desperation,
furore. ANTONYMS: (n) sense,
calmness, order
maelstrom: (n, v) vortex, whirlpool;
(v) eddy, overflow, regurgitation,
reflux; (n) Charybdis, volcano,
bedlam, convolution, tumult
magnetism: (n) attraction, charisma,
charm, allure, magnetics, appeal,
glamour, magic, magnet, pull; (adj)
gravity. ANTONYMS: (n)
repulsiveness, ugliness
magnificently: (adv) beautifully,
grandly, superbly, gloriously,
majestically, gorgeously,
sumptuously, marvelously,
wonderfully, fantastically, showily.
ANTONYMS: (adv) poorly,
modestly, badly, abysmally, simply,
meagerly, incompetently
magnifico: (n) magnate, Hidalgo;
(adj) splendid
maiden: (n) maid, girl, demoiselle,
damosel, wench, fille, lass, miss;
(adj) first, initiatory, unmarried
majesty: (adj, n) grandeur, splendor,
nobility; (n) dignity, loftiness,
magnificence, stateliness, greatness,
king, royalty, highness.
ANTONYMS: (n) austerity,
simplicity
malignant: (adj) malevolent,
malicious, evil, malefic, fatal,
spiteful, virulent, sinister,
mischievous, pernicious, venomous
malignantly: (adv) maliciously,
spitefully, evilly, malevolently,
hatefully, perniciously, nastily,
malefically, viciously, pestilentially,
noisomely. ANTONYM: (adv)
benevolently
malignity: (n) malevolence,
malignance, venom, animosity,
enmity, hatred, evil, rancor, spite,
malignancy, hate. ANTONYM: (n)
benignity
maltreated: (adj) mistreated, battered,
aggrieved, assaulted, physically
abused, beaten, downtrodden,
harmed, molested, persecuted,
 296
injured
mammalia: (n) Class Mammalia
man-at-arms: (n) soldier, warrior,
fighter
mangled: (adj, prep) lacerated, rent;
(adj) deformed, mutilated, lacerate,
disabled, broken, maimed, distorted,
damaged, blasted
maniac: (n) madman, bedlamite,
madcap, freak, fanatic, nut, looney,
bigot, madwoman; (adj) loco,
maniacal
manifest: (adj) evident, distinct,
conspicuous, clear, patent, plain; (v)
display, demonstrate, exhibit,
evidence; (n, v) declare.
ANTONYMS: (v) hide; (adj) hidden,
obscure, secret, inconspicuous,
veiled, furtive, avoidable,
ambiguous; (adv) absent
manifold: (adj) diverse, different,
many, various, multiplex,
multiplied, frequent; (v) duplicate,
copy, multiply; (n) diversity
mankind: (n) world, humanity,
humankind, human race, humans,
person, flesh, mortality, people,
human beings, humanness
mannered: (adj) affected, unnatural,
stiff, ponderous, pretentious,
conscious, ceremonial, contrived,
accustomed, theatrical, thewed.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unpretentious,
genuine
manners: (n) conduct, etiquette,
propriety, behavior, deportment,
manner, courtesy, custom, decorum,
good manners, usage. ANTONYM:
(n) vulgarity
manoeuvre: (n) device, gambit,
artifice, ruse, stratagem, ploy, tactic;
(v) direct, guide, steer, go
mansion: (n) house, manor,
residence, castle, home, manor
house, hall, building, palace, villa,
abode. ANTONYMS: (n) hovel,
shack, hut
manufactured: (adj) industrial,
ersatz, insincere, contrived,
unnatural, pretend, feigned, man-
made, factory, affected, false
manuscript: (n, v) writing; (n) book,
handwriting, record, copy, text,
document, Ms, holograph,
transcript, palimpsest
marvel: (n, v) wonder; (n) prodigy,
curiosity, phenomenon, amazement,
miracle, portent, marl, surprise,
admiration; (v) admire.
ANTONYMS: (v) disregard; (n)
nightmare
mason: (n) freemason, bricklayer,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
stonemason, manufacturer, maker,
artist, artificer, architect, smith,
stonecutter, James Neville mason
masonry: (n) brickwork, stonework,
construction, bricklaying, structure,
trade, dry masonry, craft,
freemasons collectively
massacre: (n, v) murder, carnage,
butchery; (v) exterminate, kill,
annihilate, butcher, slay; (n) mass
murder, bloodshed, killing
mastery: (n) dominance, dominion,
command, domination, ascendancy,
ascendency, control, authority,
mastership, supremacy, ascendance
mastication: (n) chewing, chew,
manducation, chaw, cud, gumming,
change of state; (v) deglutition,
epulation, gulp, rumination
materially: (adv) physically,
substantially, corporeally,
significantly, really, essentially,
corporally, vitally, solidly,
momentously, fundamentally
mates: (n) match, couple, mate, pair,
Lucifer, friction match, family unit,
family, equal, dyad, duo
mathematician: (v) arithmetician,
algebraist, calculator, abacist; (n)
geometrician, gauss, scientist, man
of science, Archimedes, whitehead;
(adj) Cartesian
mattock: (adj) ax, hatchet, pecker,
pickaxe, pick, hoe, grub ax, gill, adze
maturer: (adj) overripe, ripe, ripened
meagre: (adj) exiguous, paltry,
necessitous, miserable, marginal,
meagerly, gaunt, emaciated,
inadequate, deficient, beggarly.
ANTONYM: (adj) ample
mechanics: (n) mechanism,
aerodynamics, kinematics,
hydraulics, kinetics, kinetic, statics,
classical mechanics, theory of
motion, pneumatics, hydraulic
meditate: (n, v) muse; (v)
contemplate, consider, cogitate,
reflect, speculate, wonder, ruminate,
ponder, think, bethink
meditating: (n) conception
meditation: (n, v) contemplation,
study; (n) consideration, reflection,
deliberation, thought, introspection,
musing, rumination, conception,
reflexion. ANTONYM: (n)
distraction
meditations: (n) contemplation,
consideration, cogitation
meditatively: (adv) thoughtfully,
reflectively, wistfully, musingly,
contemplatively, ponderingly,
ruminatively, broodingly,
thinkingly, broodily, musefully.
ANTONYMS: (adv) unthinkingly,
rashly
meekly: (adv) humbly, submissively,
tamely, compliantly, obediently,
docilely, peacefully, lowly,
modestly, placidly, kindly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) haughtily,
harshly, wildly, arrogantly,
assertively, brashly
melancholy: (adj, v) dreary; (adj, n)
gloom, melancholic; (adj) depressed,
dejected, dismal, gloomy, doleful;
(n, v) low spirits; (n) gloominess,
depression. ANTONYMS: (n)
happiness, cheerfulness,
hopefulness, optimism; (adj) happy,
bright, cheery, satisfied
melody: (n) air, tune, music, measure,
harmony, aria, song, strain, line,
melodic phrase; (n, v) chant
melted: (adj) molten, fluid, liquified,
dissolved, liquefied, baked, fluent,
touched, limpid, sorry, flowing
membrane: (n) film, skin, web, tunic,
adventitia, chorioallantois, choroid,
cornea, eardrum, gelatin, intima
memorandum: (n, v) note; (n)
memorial, entry, letter, memoranda,
record, inscription, notice, protocol,
chit, missive
memorials: (n) memoir
mender: (n) repairer, repairman,
serviceman, tinker, maintenance
man, chub mackerel
mending: (n) fix, repair, fixing,
maintenance, restoration,
reparation, improvement, darning,
mend, amendment, correction
mercilessly: (adv) remorselessly,
heartlessly, unmercifully, ruthlessly,
unfeelingly, cruelly, relentlessly,
brutally, callously, unrelentingly,
unkindly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
humanely, mercifully
mesmeric: (adj) attractive,
spellbinding, enticing, mesmerizing,
interesting, fascinating, entrancing,
alluring, captivating, charming,
compelling. ANTONYM: (adj)
boring
messenger: (n, v) herald; (n)
harbinger, runner, emissary, bearer,
ambassador, precursor, courier,
carrier, apostle, errand
messy: (adj) dirty, confused,
disordered, grubby, careless,
disorganized, scruffy, grimy,
disheveled, unkempt; (adj, v)
slovenly. ANTONYMS: (adj) neat,
clean, orderly, spotless, amicable,
meticulous, organized, smart,

systematic, straightforward
metallic: (adj) metal, harsh, metalline,
metallics, hard, basic, actual,
absolute, certain, chalybeate, clearly
expressed. ANTONYM: (adj) soft
metaphysical: (adj) theoretical,
supernatural, mental, immaterial,
mystical, nooscopic, abstract,
metaphysic, subjective, unworldly,
theological. ANTONYM: (adj)
empirical
meteoric: (adj) meteorological, brief,
flashing, momentary, swift,
transient, sudden; (v) blazing, in a
blaze, ablaze, phosphorescent.
ANTONYM: (adj) slow
methodical: (adj) methodic, formal,
systematic, regular, organized,
businesslike, neat, precise, exact,
correct, meticulous. ANTONYMS:
(adj) careless, illogical, chaotic,
aimless, thoughtless, haphazard,
unprofessional, disorderly,
unscientific, inconsistent
methodically: (adv) regularly,
exactly, precisely, carefully,
consistently, orderly, meticulously,
neatly, logically, painstakingly,
analytically. ANTONYMS: (adv)
carelessly, randomly, rashly,
unevenly, illogically
methodize: (adj, v) adjust; (v)
arrange, regulate, dispose,
systematize, settle, order, marshal,
organize, govern, stereotype
metre: (n) measure, beat, rhythm,
meters, m, cadence, time, verse,
chiliad, k, g
metrical: (adj) measured, rhythmic,
cadenced, poetic, musical,
deliberate, rhythmical, careful,
calculated, even, intermittent
metropolis: (n) city, capital, town,
municipality, buffalo, meshed,
borough, burgh, independence, hull,
bale
mexican: (n) wetback
midst: (adj, n) middle; (adv) mid,
between; (prep) among, amid; (n)
core, center, thick, interior, heart,
waist
mighty: (adj) immense, huge, grand,
intense, high, big, forcible, strong,
large, great; (adj, adv) powerful.
ANTONYMS: (adj) puny, tiny,
weak, insignificant
mildew: (n, v) mold, rust, decay, cast;
(n) fungus, blight, mushroom,
helminth, moulding; (v) must,
become moldy
mildewed: (v) moldy, rusty, seedy,
spotted, decayed; (adj, v) fusty; (adj)
Edgar Allan Poe
trite
militate: (v) tell, contend, work, fight,
weigh, count, act upon
milk-and-water: (adj) insipid, weak,
bland, innocuous
minding: (adj) intent
mineral: (n) ore, apatite,
arsenopyrite, augite, argentite,
amphibole, millerite, mica,
manganite, cobaltite, malachite.
ANTONYM: (adj) vegetable
mingle: (v) compound, combine,
merge, amalgamate, intermix, mix,
commingle, associate, confuse, join,
intermingle. ANTONYM: (v) part
mingled: (adj) miscellaneous,
complex, indiscriminate,
heterogeneous, medley, confused,
eclectic, motley, different; (v)
blended, blent
ministering: (adj) assisting, helpful,
latreutical, ministrative, ministrant
minutely: (adv) precisely, in detail,
closely, tinily, smally,
insignificantly, infinitesimally,
diminutively, nicely, exactly,
microscopically
minuteness: (n) diminutiveness,
smallness, attention to detail,
petiteness, tininess, weeness
miraculous: (adj) marvelous,
astonishing, marvellous, wonderful,
astounding, remarkable, magical,
incredible, wonder, stupendous,
phenomenal. ANTONYMS: (adj)
normal, mundane, unremarkable
miraculously: (adv) astoundingly,
marvelously, strangely, remarkably,
stupendously, supernaturally,
astonishingly, staggeringly,
wondrously, startlingly,
phenomenally
mirth: (adj, n) merriment, jollity; (n)
amusement, happiness, delight, joy,
hilarity, cheerfulness, festivity,
gladness, exhilaration.
ANTONYMS: (n) gloom, sadness,
misery
misanthropy: (n) hatred, hate,
incivism
miscalculation: (n) inaccuracy, fault,
mistake, boomerang, backfire,
miscomputation, arithmetical error,
undoing, misestimation, slip,
misreckoning
mischief: (adj, n) evil, hurt, harm; (n)
damage, ill, detriment,
disadvantage, devilry, caper,
devilment, maleficence.
ANTONYMS: (n) obedience,
beneficence, help
misdemeanor: (n) crime,
297
misbehavior, transgression,
misdeed, fault, delinquency,
misconduct, sin, infringement,
wrong, felony
misfortune: (n) accident, hardship,
misadventure, disaster, calamity,
mischance, catastrophe, mishap, bad
luck, misery, affliction.
ANTONYMS: (n) joy, bonus,
opportunity, privilege, success,
happiness
misfortunes: (n) misfortune
misled: (adj) fooled, undirected, false,
bewildered, confused, erroneous,
mistaken, misleading, misdirected,
led astray, incorrect
misrepresented: (adj) distorted,
twisted, malformed, perverted,
tainted, artful, kinky, immoral,
disingenuous, depraved, deformed
mistrust: (adj, n, v) distrust; (n, v)
doubt, query; (n) suspicion,
misgiving, disbelief, apprehension,
wariness; (v) suspect, disbelieve,
discredit. ANTONYM: (v) believe
misunderstood: (adj) mistreated,
confused
moan: (n, v) grumble, gripe, whine,
lament, cry, howl; (v) bewail,
complain, mourn; (n) complaint,
lamentation. ANTONYMS: (v)
compliment; (n) praise
modem: (n) electronic equipment
modesty: (n) reserve, bashfulness,
humility, diffidence, humbleness,
demureness, coyness, gentleness,
continence; (adj, n) decency,
honesty. ANTONYMS: (n)
arrogance, immodesty, spectacle,
flamboyance, abandon,
bigheadedness, pretension,
decadence, boldness
modify: (v) qualify, adapt, change,
limit, assuage, moderate, vary,
convert, amend, restrict, adjust.
ANTONYMS: (v) leave, worsen,
standardize, maintain
moiety: (n) mediety, portion, part,
parcel, section, piece, bit, division,
cut, class
moisture: (n) damp, dampness, wet,
humid, moist, moistness, vapor,
moisture content, moisten, dank,
dampen
momentary: (adj) brief, fugitive,
transient, short, instantaneous,
ephemeral, passing, momentaneous,
temporary, impermanent, temporal.
ANTONYMS: (adj) lasting, lengthy,
long
momently: (adv) momentarily, in a
moment, presently
 298
momentous: (adj, v) grave,
memorable; (adj) significant,
weighty, material, big,
consequential, serious, critical,
crucial, great. ANTONYMS: (adj)
trivial, unimportant,
inconsequential, frivolous, minor
monarch: (n) sovereign, lord,
emperor, ruler, czar, despot,
autocrat, tsar, tzar, Danaus
Plexippus; (adj) prince
monomania: (adj, n) madness,
fanaticism, frenzy, derangement,
aberration, alienation, insanity,
lunacy; (adj) infatuation; (n) passion,
craze
monotony: (n) boredom, dullness,
evenness, sameness, tediousness,
flatness, dreariness, tautophony,
tiresomeness; (adj) dull work,
humdrum. ANTONYMS: (n)
variety, variation
monument: (n) headstone, cenotaph,
tombstone, tablet, shrine, slab,
gravestone, landmark, statue; (adj,
n) column; (n, v) record
moodiness: (n) temperament,
depression, capriciousness,
grumpiness, petulance, sullenness,
humorousness, ill humor, ill
humour, jocularity, unhappiness.
ANTONYM: (n) cheeriness
moody: (adj) gloomy, dark, irritable,
morose, capricious, glum, grumpy,
fickle, petulant, dour, sullen.
ANTONYMS: (adj) equable, happy,
reliable, stable, calm
morally: (adv) virtuously, chastely,
righteously, justly, properly,
decently, ethically, purely,
uprightly, rightly, religiously.
ANTONYMS: (adv) indecently,
corruptly, improperly
morals: (n) ethics, moral, light,
hedonism, ethical motive,
conscience, motivation, motive,
need, behavior, moral philosophy
morbid: (adj) diseased, gruesome,
macabre, corrupt, pathologic,
unwholesome, peccant, sick,
unhealthy, pathological; (adj, v)
sickly
moresque: (n) tooling, frost work;
(adj) mauresque, Morisco
morgue: (n) crematorium, crematory,
dead room, pride, funeral parlour,
building, funeral home, funeral
church, funeral chapel, edifice; (adj,
n) deadhouse
morocco: (n) Marruecos, Morocco
leather, Maroc, Levant, hard grain
goat
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
morrow: (n) morning, future, mean
solar day, day
mortals: (n) people
mortification: (n) chagrin,
embarrassment, shame, gangrene,
disappointment, disgrace,
corruption, necrosis, degradation;
(adj, n) vexation; (adj) grievance
motionless: (adj) inactive, inert,
immobile, stationary, fixed,
unmoving, quiescent, dead, torpid;
(adj, adv) calm, at rest.
ANTONYMS: (adj) mobile, active,
alive, flowing
mould: (n, v) mildew, cast, form,
model; (v) make, frame, knead,
fashion, forge; (n) molding, matrix
mouldering: (adj) moldering,
becoming rotten, rotten, rotting
mountainous: (adj) colossal,
gargantuan, huge, hilly, giant,
alpine, enormous, large, rugged,
gigantic, cragged. ANTONYMS:
(adj) flat, tiny
mournful: (adj) sad, miserable,
melancholy, funereal, dolorous,
dark, pensive, gloomy, lugubrious,
lamentable; (adj, n) plaintive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) joyful, happy,
emotionless
multiform: (adj) different,
multifarious, polymorphous,
multigenerous, manifold,
miscellaneous, multiple,
polymorphic, multiplex,
polyschematist, multifold
multiplication: (n) augmentation,
increase, generation, expansion, rise,
doubling, propagation, increment,
reproduction; (n, v) addition; (adj)
pullulation. ANTONYM: (n)
decrease
multiplicity: (n) diversity,
abundance, plurality, much,
multeity, manifoldness, lot,
profusion, number, multitude,
array. ANTONYMS: (n) uniformity,
likeness
multiplied: (adj) many,
multitudinous, teeming, peopled,
populous, studded, thick, increased,
frequent; (v) absorb, acquisition
multiply: (v) expand, increase,
propagate, breed, augment,
duplicate, proliferate, procreate,
reproduce, calculate, extend.
ANTONYMS: (adv) singly; (v)
divide, diminish, reduce, estimate,
dwindle
multiplying: (adj) cumulative; (n)
generation, calculation
multitude: (n) flock, horde, crowd,
host, throng, concourse, mob,
masses, mass, herd, swarm.
ANTONYM: (n) trickle
murderer: (n) assassin, cutthroat,
killer, manslayer, murderess,
executioner, thug, liquidator; (v)
butcher; (n, v) slayer, terrorist
muscular: (adj) athletic, strong,
brawny, hefty, burly, powerful,
robust, husky, stout, stalwart,
sturdy. ANTONYMS: (adj) puny,
slight, weak, ectomorphic,
endomorphic, skinny, unfit, feeble,
frail, delicate
muse: (v) meditate, ponder,
deliberate, consider, cogitate, reflect,
brood, ruminate, speculate, think,
mull. ANTONYM: (v) wander
muset: (n) absorbing thought, muse,
bard, meditate
musing: (adj) contemplative,
meditative, thoughtful, pensive; (n)
meditation, consideration, reflection,
rumination, reverie, thought,
cogitation
muslin: (v) linen, cloth; (n)
mousseline, organdy, cambric,
crash, fabric, nainsook, organdie
mustachio: (n) moustache,
moustachio
mute: (adj) dumb, silent, inarticulate,
dummy, tongueless; (v) muffle,
dampen, deaden, hush; (adj, v)
quiet, dull. ANTONYMS: (adj)
talkative, speaking, spoken; (v)
amplify
mutely: (adv) dumbly, wordlessly,
stilly, speechlessly, taciturnly,
unspokenly, quietly, noiselessly,
dully, soundlessly, dummily.
ANTONYM: (adv) noisily
mutilated: (adj) maimed, disabled,
truncated, crippled, lacerated,
shapeless, mutilous, mutilate,
lopped, lacerate, imperfect
mutilation: (n) damage,
dismemberment, wound,
disfigurement, gash, blow, buffet,
bruise, distortion, impairment,
mayhem. ANTONYM: (n)
enhancement
mutiny: (n, v) insurrection, rebellion;
(n) disobedience, uprising,
revolution, outbreak,
insubordination, defiance, rising; (v)
rebel, rise. ANTONYMS: (n) loyalty,
obedience
muzzle: (n) mouth, gunpoint, nose,
lip, gullet, nozzle, bit; (v) muffle,
silence, hush, curb
mynheer: (n) senor, mein Herr
myriad: (adj) innumerable, countless,

multitudinous, numerous,
numberless, infinite, untold, many;
(adj, n) legion, scads; (n) ten
thousand
myrtle: (n) Vinca minor
mystic: (adj, v) secret, recondite; (adj)
mysterious, occult, cryptical, cryptic,
esoteric, inscrutable, weird, magical;
(adj, n) psychic
mysticism: (n) enchantment,
bewitchery, second sight, thinking,
thought, optimism, theology,
spirituality, religious studies,
religious mysticism, animal
magnetism
mystification: (n) bafflement,
confusion, befuddlement,
bemusement, puzzlement,
deception, deceit, fraud, imposture,
riddle, obfuscation
naiad: (n) nymph, Oberon, Mab,
hamadryad, water nymph, Nereid,
nixie, sprite, chrysalis, Thetis,
damsel
nail: (n, v) arrest, capture; (v) catch,
collar, apprehend, hook, strike, hit,
fasten, nab; (adj, n) pin.
ANTONYMS: (v) unfasten, detach
nailed: (adj) fixed, tight, stationary,
stable, secure, decided, firm,
immobile
namby-pamby: (adj) gooey, mushy,
wishy-washy, insipid, gushy, weak,
innocuous; (n) weakling, mama's
boy
narration: (n) description, recital,
narrative, explanation, history, tale,
report, relation, story, recitation,
rehearsal
narrowed: (adj) narrow, narrower,
pointed, lessened, contracted,
constricted, conical, angustate,
tapering
narrowly: (adv) closely, barely,
hardly, strictly, slenderly, tightly,
smally, contractly, slimly, precisely,
nearly. ANTONYMS: (adv) broadly,
inaccurately
nationality: (n) nation, nationalism,
patriotism, people, citizenship,
civism, race, folk, public spirit,
registry, position
nausea: (n) sickness, queasiness,
squeamishness, revulsion,
repugnance, qualm, illness; (v)
loathing, aversion, dislike, distaste
navigation: (n) sailing, steering,
shipping, seafaring, cabotage,
astronavigation, work,
transportation, transport, travel,
flight
navigator: (n) mariner, sailing master,
Edgar Allan Poe
sailor, aviator, officer, helmsman,
seafarer, seaman, explorer, cook,
airman
nebula: (n) Omega nebula, fog,
nebulosity, spot, bubbling,
cloudiness, film, diffuse nebula,
gaseous nebula, mistiness, nubecula
nebular: (adj) cloudlike, cloudy,
misty, hazy
nebulosity: (n) mistiness, nebula,
nebulousness, cloud
necessaries: (n) necessary,
necessaries of life, necessity, must
needful: (adj) necessary, essential,
indispensable, required, needed,
mandatory, exigent, needy; (adj, v)
requisite; (n) necessity, almighty
dollar
needless: (adj, v) unnecessary,
superfluous; (adj) futile,
dispensable, bootless, excessive,
preventable, meaningless, pointless,
wanton, unavailing. ANTONYMS:
(adj) essential, worthwhile,
inevitable, justifiable
neglected: (adj) dilapidated,
disregarded, ignored, deserted,
derelict, forsaken, obsolete,
antiquated, antique, shabby,
unnoticed. ANTONYM: (adj)
salubrious
negro: (n) black, darky, blackamoor,
nigger, Negroid, black person,
darkie, coon, moke, lightlessness;
(adj) dark
neighbor: (v) abut, adjoin, populate,
touch; (n) acquaintance,
neighborhood, national; (adj)
neighborly, neighbouring,
neighboring, adjacent. ANTONYM:
(n) foreigner
neighborhood: (n) vicinity, district,
area, community, locality, place,
quarter, environs, section; (adj)
neighboring, local
neighboring: (adj, adv) adjacent,
near; (adj) adjoining, nearby,
contiguous, neighbor, abutting,
next, neighborly, nigh, next to.
ANTONYMS: (adj) distant, remote,
far, national
neighbors: (n) neighbourhood
nephew: (n) aunt, grandnephew,
brother's son, niece, cousin, uncle,
kinsman
nestle: (n, v) cuddle; (v) huddle,
nuzzle, nest, draw close, ensconce;
(adj) inhabit, live, abide, dwell,
house
nettled: (adj) annoyed, harried,
stung, steamed, roiled, riled, pissed,
peeved, miffed, loaded, huffy.
299
ANTONYM: (adj) unconcerned
niagara: (n) flood, waterfall, cataract,
ghyll, torrent, overflow, Niagara
Falls, Niagara river
nibble: (n, v) bite, nip, taste; (v) eat,
munch, chew, browse, pick, gnaw,
crunch, champ. ANTONYMS: (v)
gobble, overeat, gulp, gorge
nicety: (n) detail, exactness,
fastidiousness, nuance, refinement,
exactitude, justness, precision,
correctness, daintiness, elegance
niche: (n) alcove, hole, bay, recess,
nook, compartment, recession,
opening, place, ecological niche,
fireplace
nigger: (adj) blackamoor, Negro, man
of color; (n) darky, spade, darkie,
boy, jigaboo, black person, Ethiop,
nigra
nitre: (n) niter, potassium nitrate,
saltpetre, saltpeter, nitrate
nitrogen: (n) azote, n, nitrogens,
azotic, chemical element, newton,
liquid nitrogen, element, due north,
atomic number, gas
nonchalance: (n) indifference,
apathy, composure, disregard,
impassiveness, equanimity,
negligence, casualness; (adj, n)
unconcern; (adj) insouciance,
indifferent. ANTONYMS: (n)
anxiety, interest
nondescript: (adj) indescribable, dull,
ordinary, vague, indefinite,
indefinable, unremarkable; (n) soul,
someone, somebody, person.
ANTONYMS: (adj) extraordinary,
distinctive, exciting, special
noon: (n) high noon, noonday,
noontide, afternoon, hour,
dinnertime, crest, twelve noon; (adj)
meridian, meridional; (adj, n)
culmination
noonday: (n) noontide, noon, high
noon, hour, twelve noon, afternoon;
(v) tide; (adj) meridional
northeast: (adj) northeasterly, New
York; (n) NE, geographic region,
neon, Nebraska, geographical area,
geographic area, cornhusker state,
compass point, geographical region
northward: (adj, adv) north; (adj)
northbound; (adv) northerly,
northwards, in the north, to the
north
northwesterly: (adj) northwestern,
Idaho, north
nostrils: (n) naris, nose
noticing: (n) observation, look; (adj)
conscious
notifying: (n) notification, informing,
 300
apprisal, communication, making
known; (v) inform
notoriety: (n) publicity, reputation,
fame, infamy, disrepute, note,
notability, prominence, flagrancy,
distinction; (adj, n) renown.
ANTONYM: (n) obscurity
notorious: (adj, v) notable; (adj)
known, infamous, illustrious,
disreputable, flagrant, egregious,
prominent, celebrated, noted; (adj,
n) errant. ANTONYMS: (adj)
anonymous, reputable, famous
notoriously: (adv) prominently,
scandalously, illustriously, notedly,
knownly, eminently, egregiously,
famously, celebratedly, renownedly,
famedly
notwithstanding: (adv, conj)
nevertheless, although, even
though, yet, but; (conj) albeit; (adv)
nonetheless, though, still, all the
same; (prep) despite
novelty: (adj) news; (n) freshness,
mutation, newness, trinket,
curiosity, originality, oddity, bauble;
(n, v) change, difference
null: (adj) ineffective, futile, void,
nugatory, ineffectual, paltry; (n) nil,
naught, nought, cipher, zilch
nullity: (n) nil, naught, cipher,
nothingness, nobody, void,
invalidity, nonexistence, nihility,
zero, negation
numberless: (adj) countless,
innumerable, multitudinous,
infinite, incalculable, endless,
uncounted, unnumbered,
innumerous, legion, untold.
ANTONYM: (adj) few
nutriment: (n, v) nourishment; (n)
food, fare, diet, nutrient, nutrition,
alimentation, feed, nurture, meat,
meal
oaken: (adj) woody
oaks: (n) beech family, Castanopsis,
Nothofagus, Lithocarpus, genus
Quercus, Genera Castanea, family
Fagaceae, Fagus, Fagaceae,
chestnuts
oath: (n) expletive, malediction,
imprecation, promise, affidavit,
cuss, swearing, pledge, assurance,
asseveration; (v) swear
obedient: (adj) submissive,
compliant, good, conformable, tame,
acquiescent, dutiful, meek, biddable,
amenable, subservient.
ANTONYMS: (adj) defiant,
assertive, rebellious, crooked,
intractable, naughty, wild, resistant
objectionable: (adj) distasteful,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
offensive, nasty, exceptionable,
undesirable, disagreeable,
unwelcome, disgusting,
unacceptable, repugnant, obnoxious.
ANTONYMS: (adj) agreeable,
desirable, acceptable, inoffensive
objectless: (adj) purposeless, endless,
endless bliss, endless clamor,
endless praise, endless time,
excessive, fruitless, interminable,
random, infinite
oblate: (adj) oblate tubular
oblige: (v) coerce, force, drive,
constrain, make, bind,
accommodate, obligate, necessitate,
enforce, impel. ANTONYMS: (v)
displease, request, hinder
obliquely: (adj, adv) athwart,
transversely, askew; (adv) aslant,
indirectly, slopingly, slantingly,
sideways, sidelong, skewly, askance.
ANTONYM: (adv) straight
obliterated: (adj) obliterate,
destroyed, lost, forgotten, invisible;
(v) erased, effaced
oblong: (adj) oval, elliptical,
rectangular, rounded; (v)
longitudinal; (n) block, quadrangle
observable: (adj, adv) noticeable,
perceptible; (adj) discernible,
apparent, appreciable, visible,
evident, noteworthy, notable,
detectable, remarkable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) hidden,
imperceptible, invisible
observing: (adj) observant, mindful,
watchful, commemorative,
conscious, observative, perceptive,
thoughtful; (n) investigation
obsolete: (adj) dead, archaic, ancient,
antique, outdated, extinct, old-
fashioned, disused, outmoded,
dated, old. ANTONYMS: (adj)
current, contemporary, modern,
trendy, new
obstacle: (n, v) hindrance, difficulty,
block, check, interruption, delay; (n)
drawback, barrier, hitch,
obstruction, bar. ANTONYMS: (n)
asset, aid, advantage, boost,
incentive
obstinacy: (n) stubbornness,
firmness, bullheadedness,
determination, contumacy,
mulishness, impenitence, resolve,
resoluteness, impenitency,
pertinacity. ANTONYMS: (n)
cooperation, compliance
obstinate: (adj) obdurate, inflexible,
intractable, determined, inveterate,
disobedient, willful, stubborn,
contrary, wayward, dogged.
ANTONYMS: (adj) flexible,
amenable, irresolute, cooperative,
easygoing, docile, biddable,
agreeable, accommodating,
malleable, gentle
obstreperous: (adj) noisy, boisterous,
blatant, clamorous, defiant,
disobedient, disorderly, unruly,
vociferous, tumultuous, turbulent
obtrude: (v) impose, force, encroach,
inflict, protrude, stick out, infringe,
meddle, visit, barge, push
obtuse: (adj) dim, stupid, dense,
blunt, heavy, slow, insensitive,
doltish, thick, dumb, simple.
ANTONYMS: (adj) bright, clever,
perceptive, sensitive, intelligent,
astute, acute, shrewd
obviousness: (n) blatancy,
apparency, noticeability,
noticeableness, clarity,
conspicuousness, unavoidability,
unoriginality, triteness, simplicity,
predomination. ANTONYM: (n)
originality
occultation: (n) disappearance,
evanescence, mystification,
concealment
occupancy: (n) occupation,
inhabitancy, employment, abidance,
tenancy, residence, possession,
ownership, tenure, residency, hold.
ANTONYM: (n) vacancy
occupant: (n) tenant, inhabitant,
dweller, denizen, occupier, inmate,
holder, citizen, householder,
dalesman, coaster
occupying: (n) commencement,
employment, moving in, occupation
ocular: (adj, v) visual; (adj) optical,
ophthalmic, visible, optic, sensory,
opthalmic, oculary; (n) lens system,
lens
oddly: (adv) curiously, peculiarly,
strangely, funnily, queerly,
unusually, grotesquely,
extraordinarily, uncommonly,
singularly, weirdly. ANTONYMS:
(adv) ordinarily, typically, sensibly,
harmoniously
odious: (adj, v) hateful, obnoxious;
(adj) detestable, hideous, nasty,
execrable, disgusting, abhorrent,
abominable, heinous, forbidding.
ANTONYMS: (adj) pleasant,
delightful, agreeable, lovable, nice
offended: (adj) angry, affronted,
aggrieved, pained, wronged,
annoyed, insulted, shocked, vexed,
resentful, injured. ANTONYMS:
(adj) indifferent, proud,
unconcerned

offerings: (n) aid, assistance, charity,
contributions, gifts, help
oiled: (adj) intoxicated, oily.
ANTONYM: (adj) unoiled
olympiad: (n) Olympics
olympics: (n) Olympiad, Olympian
Games
omen: (n, v) harbinger, bode, herald,
augury; (n) indication, portent,
forerunner, foreboding, sign, mark,
auspice
omitting: (v) except; (n) disregard,
contraction; (adj) omissive
omnibus: (n, v) bus, autobus; (n)
motorbus, coach, charabanc,
collection, anthology, compilation,
jitney, car, motorcoach
ooze: (v) exude, seep, dribble, drain,
drop, trickle; (n) mire, muck; (n, v)
leak; (adj) mud; (adj, n) slime.
ANTONYM: (v) flood
oozing: (n) ooze, leakage, exudation,
seepage, sweating, extravasation,
distillation, flow, leak, discharge;
(adj) seeping
opal: (n) nacre, girasol, cheetah,
garnet, lapis lazuli, leopard, peridot,
black opal, mineral, menilite,
harlequin opal
open-mouthed: (adj) spellbound
opium: (v) poppy, balm, anodyne,
milk, rose water; (adj) anaesthetic
agent; (n) tobacco, hashish, ether,
Opie, cocaine
opportunely: (adv) conveniently,
expediently, handily, auspiciously,
advantageously, fortunately, luckily,
aproposly, favorably, appropriately,
happily. ANTONYMS: (adv)
inconveniently, unfortunately
oppressive: (adj, v) onerous, close,
burdensome; (adj) sultry, stuffy,
tyrannical, muggy, despotic,
dictatorial, gloomy, domineering.
ANTONYMS: (adj) liberal,
democratic, humane, free, tolerant,
airy, freezing, libertarian
optic: (adj) visual, optical, opthalmic;
(n) eye, peeper, oculus, receptor,
optics, center, centre, compound eye
oracle: (n) prophet, divination,
vaticinator, diviner, revelation, seer,
sibyl, Solomon, soothsayer, vision,
authority
orbit: (n, v) circle, turn; (n) cycle,
field, orb, area, domain, compass,
expanse, course; (v) revolve
originality: (n) novelty, imagination,
ingenuity, initiative, freshness,
newness, invention, creativity,
heterodoxy, innovation; (adj, n)
individuality. ANTONYMS: (n)
Edgar Allan Poe
normality, unoriginality
orleans: (n) siege of Orleans
ornamented: (adj) embellished,
beautified, fancy, flowery, ornate,
adorned, bedecked, decked,
festooned, feathered, florid
ornaments: (n) stuff, trim,
ornamentation, equipments, dress,
disposition, custom, curios,
condition, clothing, gaudery
orphan: (n) waif, caterpillar, nymph,
nympha, cocoon, Aurelia, tyke,
staddle, youngster, shaver; (adj)
orphaned
orphaned: (adj) unparented,
parentless
osborne: (n) John James Osborne,
John Osborne
ostensible: (adj) seeming, alleged,
specious, superficial, nominal,
manifest, outward, pretended,
unreal, supposed, colorable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) real, actual,
genuine
ostensibly: (adv) seemingly, on the
face of it, outwardly, evidently,
prima facie, allegedly, supposedly,
professedly, superficially,
manifestly; (adj) doubtless.
ANTONYMS: (adv) genuinely,
truly, underneath, actually
outlines: (n) elements, conspectus,
prospectus, syllabus, alphabet,
grammar, contents, rudiments,
synopsis, textbook, ABC
outrage: (n, v) insult, affront,
dishonor, anger; (v) offend, violate,
desecrate; (adj, n, v) abuse; (n)
atrocity, indignity, enormity
outreaching: (v) expansive
outskirts: (n) edge, periphery,
margin, environs, border, fringe,
boundary, rim, skirt, precincts,
frontier. ANTONYM: (n) middle
outward: (adj) external, apparent,
extrinsic, outer, superficial, surface,
outside, ostensible, foreign, outdoor;
(adv) out. ANTONYMS: (adj, adv)
inward; (adj) inner, internal, deep
outwardly: (adv) exteriorly,
superficially, apparently, outside,
seemingly, without, ostensibly,
evidently, extrinsically, outerly,
outsidely. ANTONYMS: (adv)
internally, underneath
outwards: (adj) out, over, with out;
(adv) beyond, out of doors.
ANTONYM: (adv) inward
oval: (adj) elliptical, elliptic, ovate,
oviform, ovoid, oblong, egg-shaped,
rounded, prolate, round; (n) ovule
overboard: (adj) exorbitant, rabid
301
overcoat: (n) greatcoat, coat, cloak,
robe, topcoat, surcoat, coating,
overcoating, capote, chesterfield,
gown
overdo: (v) magnify, overact,
overcharge, overdraw, overplay,
embroider, overburden, fatigue,
overtax, overwhelm; (adj) overshoot
the mark. ANTONYMS: (v)
understate, minimize, fast
overdone: (adj) exaggerated,
overstated, overcooked, excessive,
immoderate, extravagant, fulsome,
overdo, undue, overwrought,
profuse. ANTONYMS: (adj)
restrained, tender
overflowing: (adj) full, copious,
exuberant, flooding, bountiful,
generous, brimming, profuse; (n, v)
flood, inundation, deluge.
ANTONYMS: (adj) sparse, scarce
overgrown: (adj) excessive,
exorbitant, inordinate, extravagant,
monstrous, covered, exaggerated,
dropsical, lush; (v) turgid, tumid
overhead: (adv) aloft, on high, over,
up, high up; (n) expense, ceiling,
budget items, command processing
overhead, operating cost; (adj)
upper. ANTONYM: (adj) surface
overlapping: (n) lapping,
imbrication, lap, repetition,
duplication, covering, garbling; (adj)
obvoluted, contorted, convolute,
related
overlooked: (adj) ignored, neglected,
unobserved, unnoted, unmarked
oversight: (adj, n, v) omission; (n)
control, mistake, lapse, error,
direction, management; (adj, n)
fault, blunder; (n, v) charge, care
overthrow: (adj, n, v) defeat, rout; (n)
fall, downfall, destruction; (n, v)
overpower, ruin, overturn; (adj, v)
overcome; (v) bring down,
demolish. ANTONYMS: (v) install,
validate, lose, appoint; (n) victory,
beginning
overtook: (v) overtake
overwhelm: (v) overpower, defeat,
inundate, flood, overthrow, drown,
deluge, crush, engulf, astound,
overturn. ANTONYMS: (v)
encourage, amplify, capitulate,
incite, install, lose, protect, submit
overwhelmed: (adj) beaten,
overpowered, vanquished,
dumbfounded, inundated, flooded,
overthrown, engulfed, conquered,
bewildered; (v) overborne.
ANTONYM: (adj) unimpressed
owing: (adj) due, unpaid, unsettled,
 302
outstanding, overdue, owed,
payable, undischarged, indebted,
fulfilling obligation, lawful.
ANTONYM: (adj) settled
pacify: (adj, n, v) calm, allay,
compose, appease; (adj, v) mollify,
lull, soothe; (n, v) ease; (v) conciliate,
placate, moderate. ANTONYMS: (v)
annoy, enrage, excite, infuriate,
aggravate, displease, inflame,
provoke
paints: (n) colors
paleness: (adj, n) pallor; (n)
pallidness, wanness, whiteness,
achromasia, blondness, lividity,
luridness, lividness, fairness, pale.
ANTONYM: (n) strength
pallet: (n) bed, stillage, berth, range,
tester, stretcher, shakedown, scope,
reach, bunk, paillasse
pallid: (adj) ghastly, wan, bloodless,
lurid, cadaverous, sickly, ashen,
white, pasty, livid, watery.
ANTONYMS: (adj) healthy, rosy,
vivid
pallor: (n) pallidness, wanness,
complexion, achromasia, lividity,
lividness, luridness, pale, skin color,
whiteness, sallowness.
ANTONYMS: (n) rosiness,
coloration, bloom
palmetto: (n) fan palm, cabbage
palmetto, cabbage palm
palpable: (adj) tangible, obvious,
evident, apparent, clear,
transparent, indubitable, noticeable,
lucid, patent, perceptible.
ANTONYMS: (adj) imaginary,
intangible, impalpable, doubtful,
furtive, imperceptible, insignificant,
obscure, unclear
palpably: (adv) patently, noticeably,
clearly, manifestly, obviously,
plainly, transparently,
unmistakably, evidently, tangibly,
markedly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
imperceptibly, insignificantly
pamphlet: (n) book, leaflet, booklet,
flyer, magazine, treatise, tract,
writing, literature, folder, lampoon
panes: (n) Fauni
panting: (adj) gasping, breathless,
blown, winded, puffed; (v)
palpitation; (n) heaving, gasp,
asthma, heave, puff
paradox: (n) incongruity,
contradiction, ambiguity,
inconsistency, puzzle, figure of
speech, phenomenon, paradoxy,
opposite, irony, equivocation
paralysis: (n) anaesthesia, numbness,
apoplexy, akinesia, alalia,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
paralyzation, disability; (adj)
consumption, decline, syncope,
sideration
paralyze: (v) palsy, cripple, paralyse,
disable, deaden, petrify; (n, v)
numb, stun; (adj, n) obtund, blunt;
(adj) anaesthetize
paralyzed: (adj) palsied, crippled,
disabled, helpless, torpid,
powerless, prostrate, enervated,
dead, impotent, inert
parasol: (n) sunshade, canopy,
awning, umbrella, marquee, beach
umbrella, shade, cover, tilt, tent
parcel: (n) bale, pack, bundle,
package, packet, section, division,
batch; (n, v) portion; (v) distribute,
apportion
parchment: (n) vellum, sheepskin,
lambskin, diploma, testament, will;
(v) foolscap, tablet, table, slate, pillar
parnassus: (n) calliope, muse,
Pierides, Pierian Spring, helicon,
Liakoura, mount Parnassus, poetics,
tuneful Nine, poetry, poesy
parrot: (n, v) mimic; (n) popinjay,
poll, parakeet, macaw, copycat,
cockateel, Amazon, cockatiel,
cockatoo; (v) ape
parted: (adj) divided, separate,
distributed, separated, divisible,
disunited, compounder, compound,
dividable
particle: (n) molecule, grain, speck,
iota, fragment, jot, bit, mite,
corpuscle, spot; (adj, n) atom
particulars: (n) specification, data,
nicety, minutiae, terms,
consideration, workings, fine points,
ins and outs
partisanship: (n) partiality, bias,
prejudice, clannishness,
anthropocentrism,
anthropocentricity, esprit de corps,
clanship, ethnocentrism, localism;
(adj, n) party spirit. ANTONYM: (n)
disloyalty
passable: (adj) adequate, indifferent,
fair, mediocre, satisfactory,
acceptable, middling, decent,
respectable, fair to middling,
moderate. ANTONYMS: (adj)
inadequate, unsatisfactory,
unacceptable, atrocious, excellent,
exceptional, disagreeable, appalling,
intolerable, poor
passport: (n) permit, instrument,
protection, identification, warrant,
safeguard, method, means, license,
device, key
patchy: (adj) uneven, spotty, erratic,
random, scrappy, fitful, varying,
speckled, haphazard, rough,
sporadic. ANTONYMS: (adj)
consistent, regular, uniform,
continuous, entire, level
patiently: (adv) perseveringly,
invalidly, quietly, uncomplainingly,
persistently, forbearingly,
resignedly, steadily, doggedly,
calmly, meekly. ANTONYM: (adv)
eagerly
patriarch: (n) forefather,
paterfamilias, father, head, chief, old
man, antediluvian, head of
household, elder, founder, senior.
ANTONYM: (n) matriarch
patrimony: (n) birthright, inheritance,
legacy, bequest, entail, estate,
dower, heirloom, heredity,
hereditament, endowment fund
patriot: (n) jingoist, jingo, subject,
patriotic, Garibaldi, loyalist,
national, chauvinist. ANTONYM:
(n) turncoat
patronage: (n) condescension, aegis,
clientele, favor, trade, backing,
assistance, countenance, auspices,
aid, championship
paved: (adj) cobbled
paving: (n) pavement, floor, pavage,
curbside, earth, ground, sett paving,
surface, paved surface, metalling of
road, ground floor
pearl: (adj, n) jewel; (n) gem, bead,
dewdrop, ivory, bone; (adj) brilliant,
flower, bijou, satin etched, ruby.
ANTONYM: (n) dud
peculiarity: (n) idiosyncrasy,
distinction, particularity, oddness,
eccentricity, distinctiveness,
abnormality, characteristic,
attribute, difference, individuality.
ANTONYM: (n) similarity
peculiarly: (adj, adv) particularly,
curiously, unusually, uncommonly,
singularly; (adv) especially, oddly,
strangely, specifically, weirdly,
specially. ANTONYMS: (adv)
typically, ordinarily, slightly
pecuniary: (adj) financial, fiscal,
commercial, economic, nummulary,
sumptuary, numismatical, pecunial,
crumenal
peep: (n, v) glance, peek, look, gaze,
glint, squeal; (n) glimpse, cheep; (v)
chirp, peer, pry. ANTONYMS: (v)
stare, gaze; (n) examination
peevish: (adj) fretful, fractious,
morose, testy, irascible, moody,
captious, petulant, cross,
cantankerous, touchy
peevishly: (adv) querulously,
tetchily, fractiously, sullenly, sulkily,

testily, moodily, touchily, crossly,
surly, morosely. ANTONYMS: (adv)
cheerfully, pleasantly, calmly
peevishness: (n) irritability,
fretfulness, biliousness, anger,
surliness, testiness, pettishness,
temper, petulance, choler, fussiness
pemmican: (n) meat, dried meat
penetrate: (v) bore, imbue, fathom,
infiltrate, pierce, permeate, cut,
filter, interpenetrate, get through,
enter
penknife: (adj, n) blade; (n)
switchblade, pocketknife, clasp
knife, pocket knife, carving knife,
stiletto; (adj) cutlery, edge tool,
whittle, razor
penning: (n) writing, composition,
authorship, fabrication, drafting,
lexicography, committal to writing,
composing, musical composition,
redaction, versification
perceive: (v) comprehend,
apprehend, discover, see, grasp,
find, know, observe, sense,
appreciate; (adj, v) discern.
ANTONYMS: (v) Miss, observe,
ignore
perceiving: (n) feeling, sensing,
hearing, looking at, recognition,
thought, vision, lipreading; (adj)
conscious, percipient, reasonable
perceptible: (adj) conspicuous,
appreciable, evident, discernible,
obvious, visible, palpable, apparent,
detectable, manifest, observable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) intangible,
unclear, inaudible, inconspicuous,
obscure, undetectable, invisible
perfection: (n) maturity, ideal,
consummation, paragon,
completeness, finish, completion,
crown, flawlessness, development,
ne plus ultra. ANTONYMS: (n)
imperfection, fault, abandonment,
ugliness, deterioration
perfumed: (adj) fragrant, odoriferous,
odorous, scented, sweet, honeyed,
mellifluous, angelic, angelical, fresh,
gratifying. ANTONYM: (adj)
odorless
perfumer: (n) maker
perfumery: (n) establishment
perigee: (n) orbit, periapsis, epigee
peril: (n, v) hazard, risk, endanger,
menace, adventure; (n) danger,
jeopardy, chance; (v) imperil,
expose, compromise. ANTONYM:
(n) security
perilous: (adj, v) dangerous,
hazardous; (adj) insecure, unsafe,
parlous, precarious, risky,
Edgar Allan Poe
treacherous, dicey, critical, dodgy.
ANTONYM: (adj) secure
periodical: (n) journal, magazine,
newspaper, review, organ,
publication, book; (adj) intermittent,
cyclic, recurrent, annual
periphery: (n) perimeter, fringe,
edge, limit, boundary, margin,
circumference, bound, border, circle,
rim. ANTONYMS: (n) center,
middle, heart, mainstream
perish: (v) expire, pass away,
decease, go, fade, decay, depart, fall,
pass, ruin, annihilate. ANTONYMS:
(v) survive, live, appear
perished: (adj) decayed, emperished,
rotting, annihilated, fallen, lost,
moldy, nonexistent, putrefied, dead,
decomposed
permitting: (adj) lenient, permitted
perpendicular: (adj) upright, vertical,
steep, plumb, straight, right, sheer,
orthogonal, normal, precipitous,
true. ANTONYMS: (adj) horizontal,
parallel, inclined, oblique, prone,
gentle
perpendicularly: (adv) uprightly,
erectly, straightly, upright,
orthogonally, sheerly, precipitously,
normally, plumb; (adv, v) sheer;
(adj, adv) directly
perpetration: (n) committal, crime,
commitment, doing, military
commission, charge, commissioning,
committee, delegacy, delegation,
consignment
perpetrator: (n) offender, doer,
criminal, performer, actor, agent,
delinquent, malefactor, crook,
wrongdoer, hoodlum
perpetual: (adj) incessant, continual,
constant, endless, eternal,
everlasting, lasting, ceaseless,
immortal, continuous, perennial.
ANTONYMS: (adj) temporary,
intermittent, transitory, mortal,
unstable, finite, inconstant,
occasional, sporadic
perpetuated: (adj) perpetuate
perplex: (adj, v) confuse, puzzle; (v)
amaze, mystify, astonish, nonplus,
complicate, confound, disconcert,
bother, get. ANTONYMS: (v)
simplify, clarify, enlighten, placate,
explain
perplexed: (adj) confused, puzzled,
baffled, confounded, doubtful,
distracted, disconcerted; (adj, v)
intricate, complicated, lost,
involved. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unperplexed, assured, clear,
knowing
303
perplexing: (adj) enigmatic, puzzling,
embarrassing, intricate, complex,
baffling, complicated, bewildering,
knotty, troublesome; (adj, n)
difficult. ANTONYMS: (adj) simple,
enlightening, soothing,
understandable, explicable
perseverance: (n) endurance,
tenacity, resolution, constancy,
fortitude, assiduity, industry,
doggedness, firmness, persistence,
determination. ANTONYMS: (n)
vacillation, cowardice, indecision,
indifference
persevere: (v) persist, continue,
endure, abide, go on, hang on, hold
on, follow, keep, remain, pursue.
ANTONYMS: (v) surrender, stop,
quit
persevering: (adj) diligent, firm,
determined, constant, resolute,
dogged, persistent, tenacious,
steadfast, industrious, insistent.
ANTONYM: (adj) irresolute
personify: (v) incarnate, embody,
typify, represent, exemplify,
personalize, materialize,
impersonate, body, symbolize, be
pertinaciously: (adv) stubbornly,
unyieldingly, firmly, tenaciously,
obstinately, doggedly, headstrongly,
stiffly, contumaciously, dourly
pertinacity: (n) persistence,
persistency, doggedness, obstinacy,
tenacity, contumacy, pertinacy,
purpose, endurance, firmness,
constancy
perturbation: (n) commotion,
agitation, fuss, emotion, excitement,
confusion, dislocation,
discomposure, interruption; (adj, n,
v) trepidation; (adj, n) flutter
perusal: (n) examination, scrutiny,
study, survey, inspection, poring
over, studying, literary scholarship,
perusing, lection, look
pervading: (adj) penetrating, general,
profound, permeating, permeant,
overmastering, lowly, deeply felt,
intellectually deep, deep, almighty
perverse: (adj) fractious, obstinate,
obdurate, bad, corrupt, headstrong,
disobedient, intractable, willful,
sinister, wayward. ANTONYMS:
(adj) wholesome, obliging,
agreeable, accommodating,
malleable, good
perversion: (n) misrepresentation,
falsification, corruption, depravity,
misuse, casuistry, vice, buggery;
(adj) declension, hardening,
backsliding
 304
petted: (adj) cherished, domesticated,
indulged, admired, cade
petticoat: (adj, n) female; (n)
underskirt, skirt, she, woman, her,
crinoline, wife, undergarment,
apron; (adj) petty
petty: (adj) insignificant, trivial, little,
frivolous, paltry, puny, negligible,
light, mean, minute, exiguous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) important,
serious, generous, profound,
significant, expansive, crucial,
considerable, broadminded,
enormous
petulant: (adj) irritable, peevish,
cross, testy, irascible, cranky,
fractious, fretful, pettish, touchy,
choleric. ANTONYMS: (adj)
easygoing, amiable, calm, affable,
cheerful
petulantly: (adv) testily, impatiently,
sulkily, querulously, pettishly,
irritably, snappishly, morosely,
tetchily, crossly, sullenly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) calmly, lightly
phantasy: (n, v) fancy; (n) daydream,
illusion, fantasy, fiction, reverie,
imagination, fairyland, phantasm,
fantasia, delusion
phial: (n) ampoule, bottle, cruet,
ampul, ampule, noggin, caster, flask,
stoup
phosphorescence: (n) light, flash,
glow, lambent flame, shimmer
phosphorescent: (adj) bright, light,
glowing, fluorescent, phosphoreous;
(v) meteoric, in a blaze, ablaze,
blazing, rutilant, relucent
phosphoric: (adj) phosphorous,
phosphorical
phraseology: (n) language,
expression, phrasing, wording,
idiom, vernacular, dialect, choice of
words, terminology, locution; (n, v)
style
physician: (n) doctor, medico, doc,
medic, quack, surgeon, leech,
houseman, MD, allergist, intern
physiology: (n) organic chemistry,
natural history, myology, bionomy,
botany, bodily property, biological
science, biology
picturesque: (adj, v) pictorial; (adj)
beautiful, striking, colorful, idyllic,
scenic, vivid, quaint, lovely,
romantic, colourful. ANTONYMS:
(adj) drab, dull, ugly, unattractive,
modern
pierced: (adj) punctured, perforate,
penetrated, cut, cleft
piercing: (adj, n) sharp, cutting; (adj,
v) keen, penetrating, biting, bitter,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
harsh, shrill; (adj) high, raw, loud.
ANTONYMS: (adj) quiet, dull, soft,
hot
pierre: (n) capital of south Dakota
piety: (n) godliness, devoutness,
faith, righteousness, holiness,
reverence, religion, religiousness,
piousness, sanctity, goodness.
ANTONYMS: (n) sin, profanity,
wickedness
pigeon: (n) dove, gull, gudgeon,
cully, ringdove, victim, cushat,
gobemouche, cull; (v) bilk, mulct
pigeons: (n) order Columbiformes,
Columbiformes
piled: (adj) heaped, dense, aggregate,
collective, concentrated, cumulous
piles: (adj, n) hemorrhoids, heaps,
lots, loads, plenty; (n) hemorrhoid,
stacks, haemorrhoid, tons; (adj)
heartburn, hernia
pillar: (n) brace, mainstay, post,
obelisk, foundation, pier,
monument, stanchion, backbone,
buttress; (adj, n) tower
pillow: (v) rest, breathe, lie, not
move; (adj) wadding; (n) throw
pillow, Wanger, bed pillow, feather
bed, long pillow, padding
pinch: (n, v) nip, arrest, twinge,
squeeze; (n) emergency, crisis,
exigency; (v) compress, lift, wring,
constrict
pining: (adj, n) longing; (adj)
languishing, languid, marcid,
amorously pensive, dull, eager; (n)
pinning, hankering, craving, desire
pinion: (v) fetter, bind, shackle,
restrain, hopple, gag; (n) pennon,
quill, wing, irons; (adj) tie
pinnacle: (n) apex, top, height, crest,
zenith, crown, summit, acme,
heyday, climax, culmination.
ANTONYMS: (n) nadir, base,
bottom, trough
piqued: (adj) irritated, irate, hurt,
irked, intoxicated, indignant, up in
arms, in a huff, offended, huffy,
excited. ANTONYM: (adj)
unconcerned
pirate: (n) buccaneer, corsair, bandit,
pillager, freebooter, sea robber,
robber, sea rover; (n, v) plagiarist;
(v) hijack, infringe
pistol: (n) firearm, gun, gat, revolver,
rod, Captain Bobadil, derringer,
spray gun, shooter, drawcansir,
Thraso
pitcher: (n) jar, ewer, mug, pot,
hurler, creamer, container, pail,
bucket, flagon, tankard
pitching: (n) cast, lurch, nosing
motion, playing, slant, delivery,
lunge, stone facing, pitch shot; (adj)
inclined; (adv) headlong
piteously: (adj, adv) sadly; (adv)
pitifully, wretchedly, ruefully,
woefully, poorly, plaintively,
sorrily, grievously, sorrowfully,
dolefully
pitiful: (adj, n) abject; (adj) pathetic,
lamentable, piteous, contemptible,
miserable, distressing, mean,
wretched, poor, sad. ANTONYMS:
(adj) generous, heartwarming,
admirable, cheerful, fine, happy,
impressive
pivot: (n) axle, axis, fulcrum, pin,
hub, nucleus, pintle; (v) revolve; (n,
v) swivel, wheel, turn
placard: (n) sign, card, poster,
advertisement, notice, handbill,
posting, broadside, tablet; (v)
advertise, post
plainly: (adv) evidently, manifestly,
clearly, distinctly, openly, obviously,
patently, overtly, definitely; (adj,
adv) frankly, honestly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) imperceptibly,
vaguely, obscurely, figuratively,
unclearly, politely, incoherently,
implicitly, finely, ambiguously,
covertly
planetary: (adj) erratic, terrestrial,
wandering, universal, planetal,
cosmopolitan, ecumenical,
worldwide, mundane, planetaries,
terrene
plank: (n) timber, beam, slat, girder,
panel, parachute, matchboard,
footbridge, hardboard; (v) flump; (n,
v) planch
plantation: (n) orchard, farm, garden,
shrubbery, hacienda, planting,
settlement, colony, parterre, grove,
planter
plausibility: (n) credibility,
possibility, probability,
admissibility, believability,
credibleness, fair appearance,
plausibleness, presumption,
reasonableness; (adj, n)
verisimilitude
plausible: (adj) credible, likely,
convincing, acceptable, feasible,
probable, reasonable, ostensible,
imaginable, oily; (adj, v) specious.
ANTONYMS: (adj) implausible,
unlikely, unbelievable, improbable,
improbably, untenable
playfulness: (n) mischief,
impertinence, gaiety, archness,
friskiness, pertness, merriment,
humor, impishness; (n, v) play,

sport. ANTONYM: (n) seriousness
pleading: (adj) importunate,
imploring, beseeching, appealing,
suppliant; (n) defense, replication,
demurrer, defence, advocacy,
argument
pledge: (n, v) bond, gage, wager,
engage, promise, plight, guarantee,
bet, contract; (n) assurance; (v)
covenant. ANTONYM: (v) redeem
plug: (n) stopper, bung, hack; (n, v)
hype, jade; (v) close, advertise,
block, occlude, obstruct, promote.
ANTONYMS: (v) open, oppose,
understate
plunder: (n, v) pillage, spoil; (v)
despoil, harry, devastate, maraud,
destroy, strip, ransack; (n) booty,
depredation
plunge: (n, v) drop, dive, fall, jump;
(v) douse, duck, submerge, crash,
dunk, plummet; (adj, v) immerse.
ANTONYMS: (n, v) rise; (v) hesitate;
(n) improvement
plunging: (adv) diving, headlong,
pitching, headfirst; (adj) precipitous,
low, plummeting; (n) descent
pocket-handkerchief: (n)
handkerchief
poetic: (adj) poetical, artistic,
rhetorical, lyrical, imaginative,
beauteous, elegiac, graphic, fanciful,
metrical, figurative. ANTONYM:
(adj) prosaic
poetical: (adj) imaginative, rhetorical,
poematic, figurative, inventive
poised: (adj) balanced, calm,
composed, steady, equanimous,
assured, urbane, serene, stable,
massed, gathered. ANTONYMS:
(adj) awkward, unprepared, coarse
poisonous: (adj) toxic, mortal,
venomous, noxious, malicious, fatal,
baneful, poison, lethal, viperous,
mephitic. ANTONYMS: (adj)
harmless, benevolent, edible,
kindhearted
polar: (adj) diametric, opposite,
glacial, freezing, cold, icy, pivotal,
frigid, diametrical, gelid; (v) head.
ANTONYMS: (adj) tropical,
equatorial, hot
polished: (adj) glossy, cultured,
finished, refined, smooth, lustrous,
genteel, courtly; (adj, v) courteous,
civil, polite. ANTONYMS: (adj)
rough, coarse, shoddy, unpolished,
amateur, awkward, unsophisticated
politeness: (n) civility, courteousness,
courtliness, manners, decorum,
gentility, good manners, niceness,
refinement, gallantry, decency.
Edgar Allan Poe
ANTONYMS: (n) vulgarity,
rudeness, incivility, neglect
polluted: (adj) dirty, contaminated,
foul, defiled, filthy, unclean,
profane, stained, soiled, tainted,
nasty. ANTONYMS: (adj) clean,
hygienic
pommel: (v) beat, pummel, defeat,
biff, club, drub, bang, batter, maul;
(n) saddlebow; (adj) bullet
pompous: (adj) grand, arrogant,
ostentatious, affected, pretentious,
overblown, showy, inflated,
majestic, lordly; (adj, prep) bloated.
ANTONYMS: (adj) modest,
straightforward, unceremonious,
quiet, unassuming, natural,
deferential, relaxed, meek
ponder: (v) meditate, consider,
cogitate, deliberate, think, reflect,
conceive, mull, mull over; (n, v)
muse, study. ANTONYMS: (v)
decide, wander, ignore
ponderable: (adj) cogitable, physical,
substantial, palpable, sensible,
thinkable; (v) detectable,
measurable, noticeable, perceptible,
ponderous
pondering: (adj) pensive, musing,
meditative, contemplative,
thoughtful, reflective; (n)
consideration, deliberation,
cogitation, reflection, lucubration
poop: (n) ninny, stern, nincompoop,
feces, quarter, dope, dirt, inside
information, after part; (n, v) shit;
(v) fatigue
populace: (n) multitude, masses,
inhabitants, public, commonalty,
mob, crowd, population, nation,
man, country
populous: (adj) multitudinous,
crowded, densely populated,
multiple, thick, inhabited,
numerous, manifold, multiplied;
(adj, v) teeming; (v) closely packed.
ANTONYM: (adj) uninhabited
porousness: (n) permeability, body,
sponginess, consistency, consistence,
permeableness
portend: (v) foretell, indicate, augur,
betoken, forecast, foreshadow, bode,
presage, herald, predict, foreshow
portraiture: (n) depiction,
description, delineation, picture,
characterization, likeness, portrayal,
imagery, representation; (v) genre,
high art
portray: (v) picture, depict, describe,
delineate, draw, illustrate,
impersonate, characterize, interpret,
play, limn
305
portrayed: (adj) pictured, delineated,
delineate, envisioned, graphic; (adv)
deceitful, counterfeit coin,
hypocritical, false, counterfeit
positiveness: (n) assertiveness,
assurance, security, confidence,
positivism, absolute power,
absoluteness, roundness,
definiteness, trust, boldness
possessing: (adj) fruitive
possessions: (n) means, belongings,
assets, goods, property, effects,
wealth, gear, things, possession,
riches
possessor: (n) owner, holder,
proprietor, householder, occupant,
landowner, landholder, proprietary,
somebody, someone, soul
posterity: (n) race, descendants,
issue, offspring, descendant, future,
generation, progeny, breed,
descendent, spat
postscript: (n) appendix, addendum,
supplement, addition, continuation,
epilogue, codicil, PS, annotation,
footnote, late addition.
ANTONYMS: (n) introduction,
preface
posture: (n) attitude, condition,
stance, deportment, aspect,
circumstance, manner, figure, mien;
(n, v) pose, place
potent: (adj) forcible, influential,
forceful, cogent, hard, mighty,
persuasive, strong, efficacious; (adj,
n) effective, effectual. ANTONYMS:
(adj) impotent, ineffective,
insignificant
pounding: (n) beat, throb, pound,
hammering, pulsation, beating,
throbbing, buffeting, hammer,
thrashing, whipping
pouring: (adj) gushing, teeming,
flowing profusely, burbling, burbly;
(n) casting, affusion, downpour,
effusion, tapping, baptism.
ANTONYM: (adj) light
powerfully: (adv) strongly, potently,
vigorously, puissantly, effectively,
forcefully, robustly, intensely,
violently, hardily, firmly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) gently, faintly,
powerlessly, slightly, mildly, feebly,
ineffectively, loosely, calmly
praised: (adj) bepuffed, popular,
renowned
precaution: (n) foresight, care,
prevention, discretion, anticipation,
caution, circumspection, prudence,
safeguard, protection; (adj)
precautionary
precautions: (n) protection, defense,
 306
safety net
precincts: (n) entourage, arena,
outskirts, neighbourhood, walk,
neighborhood, proximity,
surroundings, vicinity, limitations,
suburbs
precipitate: (adj, n) hasty; (adj, n, v)
deposit; (adj) impetuous, headlong,
sudden, immediate, instant,
precipitant; (n, v) accelerate,
expedite; (v) hurry. ANTONYMS:
(adj) overdue, cautious, protracted;
(v) retard
precipitating: (adj) down
precipitous: (adj) abrupt, sharp,
precipitate, perpendicular, sheer,
headlong, hasty, sudden,
precipitant; (adj, v) steep, high.
ANTONYM: (adj) flat
preclude: (v) forbid, obviate, avert,
hinder, forestall, bar, debar,
foreclose, prevent, anticipate,
obstruct. ANTONYM: (v) encourage
precocious: (adj) advanced, early,
pert, premature, impudent,
obtrusive, precipitate, bright, saucy,
bumptious, developed.
ANTONYMS: (adj) backward,
retarded
precocity: (n) forwardness,
intelligence, earliness,
prematureness, ardor, boldness,
cheerful readiness, confidence,
eagerness; (adj) prematurity,
premature
preconceived: (v) prepense,
aforethought
preconcert: (v) preestablish; (n)
preconcertion
predicament: (n) dilemma, fix, plight,
crisis, difficulty, mess, quandary,
case, category, impasse; (n, v)
condition
predominant: (adj) paramount, chief,
overriding, prevailing, main,
supreme, ruling, sovereign,
principal; (adj, v) prevalent, regnant.
ANTONYMS: (adj) minor,
subsidiary, peripheral, sparse
pre-eminent: (adj) prominent,
outstanding, notable, transcendent,
remarkable, eminent, famous,
principal, utmost, uppermost,
unequaled
prefect: (n) chief, proconsul, provost,
syndic, governor, warden, archon,
administrator, lieutenant; (v)
disclose, further
prefecture: (n) region, county,
situation, spot, wardenship,
administrative district, area,
administrative division, position,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
place, state
premature: (adj) untimely, early,
immature, inopportune, forward,
previous, rash, unripe; (n) precocity,
precociousness, prematurity.
ANTONYMS: (adj) overdue, timely,
late
premise: (n, v) premiss; (n)
hypothesis, presumption,
supposition, theory, grounds, thesis;
(v) postulate, preface, introduce,
state
preponderate: (v) dominate, prevail,
predominate, overbalance,
outbalance, reign, domineer, rule,
preponder, overshadow; (adj) rule
the roost
prepossessing: (adj) engaging,
winning, handsome, appealing,
lovely, captivating, charming, nice,
graceful, winsome; (v) inviting
preposterous: (adj) absurd, irrational,
ludicrous, nonsensical, foolish,
ridiculous, laughable, derisory,
monstrous, inconsistent; (adj, v)
extravagant. ANTONYMS: (adj)
sensible, reasonable, impressive,
plausible
prescribe: (n, v) ordain; (v) enjoin,
decree, dictate, fix, command,
assign, determine, set, stipulate,
designate
presentiment: (n) premonition,
hunch, apprehension, feeling,
foreboding, anticipation, intuition,
boding, suspicion; (v) augury; (n, v)
omen
presentment: (n) performance,
exhibition, demonstration,
representation, portrayal,
indictment, notification, statement,
depiction, true bill, description
preserving: (n) conservation,
preservation, protection,
conservancy, embalmment, fixation;
(adj) saving, frugal, economical,
protective, thrifty
presume: (v) dare, consider, believe,
think, infer, guess, expect, esteem,
conclude, suppose, conjecture.
ANTONYMS: (v) appreciate,
despair, speculate
pretence: (n) deceit, pretext,
dissimulation, pretense, affectation,
falsehood, deception, hypocrisy,
bluff, appearance, pretension
prevailing: (adj) prevalent, rife,
dominant, common, current,
overriding, popular, general,
influential, epidemic, powerful.
ANTONYMS: (adj) insignificant,
rare, unusual
prevarication: (n) equivocation,
deception, lying, lie, fabrication, fib,
fraud, fencing, quibble, falsity; (n, v)
shuffling. ANTONYM: (n)
correction
privation: (n) hardship, need,
deprivation, necessity, poverty,
deficiency, misery, impoverishment,
destitution, dearth; (n, v) loss.
ANTONYM: (n) affluence
privy: (adj) confidential, covert,
personal, clandestine, ulterior,
occult, latent, secret; (n) outhouse,
lavatory, loo
prized: (adj) beloved, precious, dear,
cherished, appreciated, treasured,
esteemed, valuable, highly
regarded, favorite, priceless.
ANTONYM: (adj) hated
problematical: (adj) knotty,
questionable, debatable, doubtful,
difficult, disputable, uncertain,
convoluted, baffling; (v) enigmatic,
apocryphal. ANTONYMS: (adj)
easy, uncomplicated
proceeded: (v) proceed, yode
proceeding: (n) matter, transaction,
affair, procedure, lawsuit,
proceedings; (v) deed, act; (n, v)
measure; (adv, n) happening; (adj,
adv, v) going on
proclaiming: (adj) predicating,
predicant, declaring, affirming,
oracular, hence
proclamation: (n) announcement,
decree, edict, annunciation, notice,
statement, promulgation, report,
publication, manifesto, propagation
procure: (v) get, obtain, buy, earn,
win, gain, have, purchase, induce,
derive, find. ANTONYM: (v) give
prodigious: (adj) gigantic, enormous,
huge, phenomenal, portentous,
stupendous, exceptional, colossal,
immense, gargantuan; (adj, v)
monstrous. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unexceptional, normal, average,
tiny, weak
prodigiously: (adv) astonishingly,
enormously, immensely, vastly,
marvelously, exceptionally,
colossally, largely, wonderfully,
hugely, tremendously
professed: (adj) alleged, declared,
apparent, avowed, pretended,
seeming, supposed, affected,
feigned, so-called, purported
proficiency: (n) ability, expertise,
capability, dexterity, competence,
efficiency, knowledge, expertness,
skill, facility, craft. ANTONYMS: (n)
inability, inexperience

profoundly: (adv) thoroughly,
extremely, intensely, exhaustively,
greatly, sincerely, gravely, deep,
heavily, weightily, very.
ANTONYMS: (adv) lightly, mildly
profundity: (n) deepness,
profoundness, abstruseness,
penetration, wisdom, obscurity,
astuteness, abstrusity, erudition;
(adj) profound, extensive.
ANTONYMS: (n) superficiality,
banality, flippancy, height,
mildness, simplicity
progression: (n) advance, headway,
chain, course, train, development,
series, sequence; (n, v)
improvement, advancement,
furtherance. ANTONYM: (n) decay
projected: (adj) proposed, jutting,
planned, deliberate, protruding,
protrusive, sticking, sticking out,
likely, anticipated, expected
projecting: (adj) projected,
protruding, jutting, protrusive,
pendent; (adj, v) overhanging,
jutting over, salient; (v) beetling,
protuberant, convex
projector: (n) designer, searchlight,
schemer, film projector, overhead
projector, planner, slide projector,
magic lantern, movie projector,
optical device; (v) promoter
prolongation: (n, v) protraction; (n)
continuance, extension, elongation,
production, lengthening,
perpetuation, length, maintenance,
lengthiness, duration
promiscuously: (adv) licentiously,
miscellaneously, randomly,
wantonly, mixedly, loosely,
undiscriminatingly, confusedly,
sluttishly, every which way,
arbitrarily
promptly: (adv) instantly, readily,
quickly, directly, rapidly, swiftly,
speedily, forthwith, punctually,
now, at once. ANTONYMS: (adv)
slowly, late, eventually
prone: (adj) liable, apt, inclined,
disposed, subject, flat, predisposed,
likely, prostrate, procumbent,
susceptible. ANTONYMS: (adj)
upright, immune, resistant,
unwilling, impervious, disinclined
propel: (v) drive, impel, actuate,
force, throw, move, motivate,
prompt, fling, carry, thrust
propeller: (n) airscrew, prop, fan,
helix, twin screws, turbine, screw
propeller, axial flow impeller,
aircraft propeller, extortioner,
airplane propeller
Edgar Allan Poe
propelling: (adj) propellent, moving,
propulsive, dynamic, dynamical
propensity: (n) proclivity, leaning,
disposition, bias, bent, aptitude,
aptness, proneness, predisposition,
predilection, penchant. ANTONYM:
(n) inability
prophecy: (n) oracle, augury,
prognostication, forecast,
vaticination, prevision, prediction,
prognosis, omen, revelation,
foreboding
prophet: (n) augur, oracle,
vaticinator, seer, predictor, diviner,
forecaster, visionary, foreteller,
priest, clairvoyant
proportionate: (adj, v) proportional;
(adj) proportionable, equal,
harmonious, comparable, balanced,
sufficient, relative, appropriate,
adequate, equitable. ANTONYM:
(adj) disproportionate
proportionately: (adv) relatively, pro
rata, in proportion, correspondingly,
symmetrically, commensurately,
adequately, balancedly, equally,
harmoniously, appropriately
propped: (adj) fulcrate
propriety: (adj, n) decency, modesty,
correctness, aptitude; (n) decorum,
fitness, etiquette, civility, grace,
politeness, manners. ANTONYMS:
(n) impropriety, rudeness,
unsuitableness, indecorum,
decadence, tactlessness, corruption,
vulgarity, indecency
propulsion: (n) drive, momentum,
push, thrust, actuation, impulsion,
power, driving force, impulse,
pushing, force
prose: (n) style, writing, euphuism,
commonplace, prose writer, rap;
(adj) prosaic, maunder, palaver,
prate, prosy. ANTONYMS: (n)
poetry, verse
prostrate: (adj, v) prone, exhaust,
level, fatigue; (v) fell, overwhelm,
overcome, floor, overthrow; (adj)
deject, knock down. ANTONYM:
(adj) upright
prostrated: (adj) brokenhearted,
exhausted, tired, enervated
protestantism: (n) recusancy,
Unitarianism, Mormonism,
presbyterianism, protestancy,
Puritanism, Methodism, unitarian,
congregationalism, Wesleyanism,
fundamentalist
protruded: (adj) extant, outstanding
protruding: (adj) obtrusive,
projecting, jutting, protrusive,
salient, projected, bulging,
307
protuberant, noticeable, sticking out,
proposed
protuberance: (n) prominence, bulge,
swelling, bump, hump, lump, nub,
node, knob, protrusion, jut
proven: (adj) established, tried,
irrefutable, evidence, establish,
prove, demonstrate, confirm, show,
tested, well-founded. ANTONYMS:
(adj) unconfirmed, unproven,
unverified, unproved, groundless,
theoretical
providentially: (adv) fortunately,
luckily, fortuitously, auspiciously,
opportunely, propitiously, timely,
divinely, prudently. ANTONYM:
(adv) unfortunately
proximity: (n) propinquity, vicinity,
adjacency, neighborhood,
contiguity, presence, closeness,
contact, nearby, juxtaposition,
approach. ANTONYM: (n)
remoteness
prudent: (adj, v) discreet; (adj)
cautious, circumspect, reasonable,
chary, economical, careful, frugal,
deliberate, advisable, canny.
ANTONYMS: (adj) imprudent,
reckless, spendthrift, stupid,
careless, unwise, unsafe, tactless
psyche: (n) mind, brain, ego, spirit,
intellect, ghost, heart, mentality,
soul, Hydropsyche, head.
ANTONYM: (n) body
puffed: (adj) puff, bloated, distended,
puffy, tumid, turgid, swell,
breathless, bepuffed, overflowing,
out of breath
puffy: (adj) pompous, swollen,
bloated, inflated, bombastic, tumid,
puffed, distended, orotund, puff; (v)
obese
pulse: (n, v) throb; (n) pulsation,
impulse, heartbeat, legume, rhythm,
pounding, cadence; (v) pulsate,
palpitate, pound
pumps: (n) heart, spectator
punctual: (adj) accurate, exact,
punctilious, prompt, timely,
definite, rigorous, precise, nice,
mathematical; (adj, v) regular.
ANTONYMS: (adj) early,
unpunctual, slow
punctually: (adv) precisely, exactly,
duly, accurately, correctly, on time,
regularly, timely, punctiliously,
strictly, sharp
punctuate: (v) emphasize, interrupt,
emphasise, accent, accentuate,
disrupt, stress, mark, stop; (n, v)
point; (n) punctuation
pungent: (adj, n) bitter; (adj) hot,
 308
peppery, acid, acrid, biting,
penetrating, caustic; (adj, v)
poignant, keen, brisk. ANTONYMS:
(adj) bland, sweet, faint, odorless
punish: (v) amerce, discipline,
castigate, chasten, chastise, penalize,
strike, avenge, pay, beat, execute.
ANTONYMS: (v) excuse, exonerate,
pardon, reward, commend
punning: (adj) macaronic, facetious;
(n) paronomasia, wordplay, fun,
alliteration, annomination
purification: (n) defecation, purge,
refinement, catharsis, purgation,
purging, refining, cleaning,
cleansing, cleanup, rectification.
ANTONYMS: (n) debasement,
dirtying, contamination
purity: (n) holiness, cleanness,
cleanliness, virtue, honor,
perfection, pureness, sanctity,
chastity, elegance; (adj, n) clearness.
ANTONYMS: (n) coarseness,
impurity, contamination, clutter,
dirtiness, corruption, mustiness
purloined: (adj) taken
purported: (adj) ostensible,
pretended, supposed, nominal, so-
called
purposely: (adj, adv) designedly,
advisedly, knowingly; (adv)
intentionally, on purpose, by design,
consciously, by choice, calculatedly,
explicitly; (adj) wittingly.
ANTONYM: (adv) unintentionally
pursuance: (n) prosecution,
execution, pursuit, implementation,
fulfillment, achievement, search,
quest, fulfilment, exercise, chase
pursuer: (n) follower, plaintiff,
petitioner, persecutor, hunter,
disciple, accuser, prosecutor,
attendant, beau, driver
puss: (n) cat, kitten, lass, pussy,
pussycat, cunt, chit, countenance,
feline, cuckoo, incision
putrescent: (adj) rotten, corrupt,
septic, rank, rancid, decayed,
unclean, putrefied; (v) putrid
putty: (n) cement, paste, glue, lute,
mastic, filler, solder, gum, stucco, tin
oxide; (v) apply
puzzling: (adj) enigmatic, confusing,
incomprehensible, mysterious,
cryptic, obscure, knotty,
enigmatical, complicated,
ambiguous, abstruse. ANTONYMS:
(adj) simple, straightforward,
explicable, comprehensible,
enlightening
pyramid: (n) pile, mass, heap, lump,
prism, congeries, stack, pyramis;
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
(adj) spire, steeple; (v) raise
pyrrhonism: (n) skepticism, atheism
quadrant: (n) quarter, sector, sextant,
right angle, measuring instrument,
line, intermediate gear bracket,
measuring system, a quarter of a
period, angular unit, area
quaint: (adj) odd, funny, picturesque,
comical, fanciful, curious,
whimsical, strange, queer, peculiar,
droll. ANTONYMS: (adj) modern,
ordinary, dull
quaintly: (adv) unusually, oddly,
curiously, weirdly, singularly,
peculiarly, queerly, strangely,
outlandishly, charmingly, pleasingly
quantum: (n) measure, magnitude,
quantity, volume, number, mass,
measurement, sum, total, size,
amplitude
quarrel: (adj, n, v) dispute; (n, v)
fight, feud, brawl, row, altercation,
argue, conflict, squabble; (n)
dissension, difference.
ANTONYMS: (n) agreement,
reconciliation, acceptance, concord,
consensus; (v) agree
quavering: (adj) trembling,
tremulous, unsteady, shaky,
shivering, shaking, decrepit,
doddery, doddering
queer: (adj) fantastic, odd, eccentric,
funny, curious, gay, peculiar,
strange, quaint, fishy, outlandish.
ANTONYMS: (adj) conventional,
normal, well
quelling: (n) crushing, suppression,
stifling, quell, forceful prevention,
inhibition, curtailment,
appeasement, bar, prevention
quest: (n) pursuit, investigation,
exploration, chase, research, inquest;
(n, v) probe, hunt, inquiry,
examination; (v) call for
quickened: (adj) hasty, rapid,
passionate, intoxicated
quintessence: (n) heart, epitome,
marrow, gist, core, model, paragon,
archetype, nub, substance, soul
quits: (n) quit, par, even, equal,
abandon, leave, quittance, a wash
quitting: (n) departure, resignation
quivering: (adj, n) trembling, tremor,
quaking, trepidation; (n) palpitation,
quiver, vibration; (adj) flutter,
quavering, shivering, tremulous.
ANTONYM: (adj) steady
quondam: (adj) former, late, pristine,
previous, old, past, bygone,
prevenient; (adv) once, sometime;
(n) whilom
quotation: (n) extract, mention,
reference, passage, excerpt, quote,
value, example, price, worth, cost
rabble: (n) crowd, masses, trash,
herd, canaille, people, rout, ragtag,
horde, gang, riffraff
radiance: (n) gleam, glory, brilliance,
luster, lustre, beam, brightness,
effulgence, sparkle, light; (adj, n)
brilliancy. ANTONYMS: (n)
darkness, gloominess
radiant: (adj, v) bright, glittering,
lustrous, beamy, glorious; (adj)
beaming, luminous, effulgent, lucid,
glowing, beautiful. ANTONYMS:
(adj) gloomy, dark, pale, unhappy
radiate: (v) gleam, beam, glow,
glitter, shine, diverge, glisten, emit,
shed, emanate, flash. ANTONYM:
(v) absorb
radicalism: (n) political orientation,
Jacobinism, ideology, political
theory, intolerance
radii: (n) radiuses
radius: (n) length, spoke, range,
beam, compass, scope, caliber, bore,
line, r, diameter
ragamuffin: (n) tatterdemalion, waif,
vagabond, raff, guttersnipe, rag,
tatter, tramp, caitiff, urchin, sans
culotte
ragged: (adj, n) shabby; (adj) seedy,
worn, hoarse, jagged, scruffy, torn,
untidy, unkempt; (adj, v)
threadbare; (n) harsh. ANTONYMS:
(adj) smart, elegant, smooth, new,
even
rails: (n) track, railroad, Gruiformes,
railing, railway, bustards, Coots,
course, gallinules, crakes, order
Gruiformes
raiment: (n, v) dress, garb, apparel,
garment, clothes; (n) costume, attire,
clothing, array, habit; (v) clothe
rainbow: (n) tortoise shell, tulip,
sunbow, spectrum, peacock, dream,
chimera; (adj) multicolored, motley,
kaleidoscopic, colorful
rains: (n) wet
ramparts: (n) rampart, fortification
rapidity: (n) expedition, quickness,
promptness, dispatch, celerity,
haste, velocity, pace, fleetness,
promptitude, speed. ANTONYM:
(n) tardiness
rapturous: (adj) overjoyed,
enraptured, rapt, delighted,
rhapsodic, blissful; (adj, v)
ravishing; (v) ardent, passionate,
fond, erotic. ANTONYM: (adj)
down
rarefaction: (n) growth, dilation,
development, aggrandizement,

pullulation, thinning, subtilization,
attenuation, swell, concentration,
dilatation
rarefied: (adj) thin, exalted, lofty,
rarified, tenuous, idealistic, noble,
majestic, refined, spiritual, thinner
rarity: (n) rareness, curiosity,
infrequency, curio, peculiarity,
dearth, scarcity, tenuity, paucity,
scarceness, antique. ANTONYM: (n)
frequency
rash: (adj, n) foolhardy, hasty,
precipitate, eruption; (adj)
imprudent, reckless, impetuous,
heedless, audacious, sudden; (adj,
adv) thoughtless. ANTONYMS:
(adj) cautious, careful, sensible,
wise, considered, deliberate,
prudent, modest, slow, responsible,
patient
rashness: (n) temerity, precipitation,
recklessness, hastiness, imprudence,
heedlessness, folly, precipitancy,
indiscretion, carelessness,
adventurism. ANTONYMS: (n)
caution, consideration, deliberation,
patience, discretion, carefulness,
forethought
ratiocination: (n) reasoning,
conclusion, deduction,
argumentation, logic, end, abstract
thought, close, closing, decision,
determination
rationale: (n) reason, motive,
grounds, justification, basis, theory,
attribution, cause, dialectics,
etiology, ascription
rattled: (adj) hot and bothered,
perturbed, upset, unsettled,
puzzled, disconcerted,
discomposed, bewildered, beside
oneself, abashed, addled.
ANTONYM: (adj) calm
rave: (adj, n, v) fume; (n, v) rant; (adj,
n) foam; (v) wander, jabber, gush,
storm, tear, bluster; (adj, v) boil;
(adj) flame. ANTONYM: (v) criticize
raven: (v) guttle, feed, devour, gulp,
harry, eat; (n) crow, plunder; (adj)
black, jet; (n, v) gorge
raving: (adj, v) wild; (adj) frantic,
delirious, furious, mad, insane; (adj,
n) madness, distraction, rage; (n)
rabid, delirium
rays: (n) light, sunlight, Selachii,
dogfishes, elasmobranch,
Elasmobranchii, emission, daylight,
sunshine, selachian, subclass
Elasmobranchii
razor: (adj, n) straight razor; (adj)
knife, cutlery, edge tool, penknife;
(n) electric razor, shaver, safety
Edgar Allan Poe
razor, electric shaver, rasour; (v)
epilate
readiness: (n) facility, ease,
expedition, preparation,
promptness, knack, dexterity,
eagerness, quickness, fitness; (adj, n)
alacrity. ANTONYMS: (n)
reluctance, delay
reap: (v) harvest, gain, glean, gather,
obtain, cut, receive, earn, acquire;
(adj, v) mow; (adj) clip.
ANTONYMS: (v) lose, scatter
reasoned: (adj) coherent, rational,
sound, logical, valid, reasonable,
carefully considered, intelligent,
heavy, healthy, good. ANTONYM:
(adj) confused
reasoner: (n) analogist, casuist,
logician, ratiocinator, disputant,
arguer, intellectual, intellect
reasoning: (n) argumentation,
deduction, ratiocination, illation,
logic, argument, abstract thought,
sense, judgment, thought; (adj)
rational
rebut: (v) contradict, answer,
disprove, dispute, confute, refute,
oppose, impugn, negative, repel,
deny. ANTONYMS: (v) prove,
acknowledge, accept
recess: (n) niche, pause, intermission,
holiday, nook, vacation, hollow,
alcove, interval, interruption; (n, v)
break. ANTONYM: (n) continuation
recesses: (n) penetralia, bowels,
inside
recital: (n) account, description,
narrative, explanation, history,
performance, reading, statement,
recitation, concert, relation
reckoning: (n) calculation,
computation, bill, score, computing,
liquidation, clearance; (n, v) count,
enumeration, account, estimation
reclaimed: (adj) cultivated, tame,
domestic, rescued, disciplined,
domesticated
reclining: (adj, v) leaning; (adj)
recumbent, decumbent, accumbent,
lying, lying down, obligatory, idle,
prone, prostrate; (n) relaxation
recluse: (n) hermit, anchoret, solitary,
ascetic, eremite, loner, troglodyte;
(adj) reclusive, secluded, cloistered,
withdrawn. ANTONYM: (n) native
recognizing: (v) recognize,
acknowledge, recognise; (adj)
conscious, respectful; (n)
observation
recollect: (v) recall, remember,
recognize, call to mind, remind,
mind, think, call up, reminisce,
309
refresh, retrieve. ANTONYM: (v)
forget
recollection: (n, v) mind; (n)
reminiscence, recall, anamnesis,
remembrance, recognition,
memento, memorial,
commemoration, memoir, retrospect
recollections: (n) memories,
reminiscences, recollection,
biography
reconcile: (adj, v) conciliate, accord,
harmonize; (v) accommodate,
pacify, placate, mediate, adjust,
harmonise, make up, propitiate.
ANTONYMS: (v) alienate, estrange,
provoke, quarrel, segregate, worsen
reconciling: (adj) accommodative,
peacemaking, gentle, mild,
conciliatory, peaceful, cooperative,
quiet; (n) integration, merging,
reconciliation
recourse: (n, v) appeal, haunt; (n)
refuge, expedient, resource,
assistance, alternative, dependence,
haven, asylum, request
recovering: (v) recover, regain,
restore; (adj) better; (n)
rehabilitation, recovery, rescue,
relaxation; (adv) getting better, on
the road to recovery, improving
rectangular: (adj) orthogonal, oblong,
square, rectangled, rectangle,
multilateral, angular; (n) rectangular
wave
rectangularly: (adv) oblongly,
orthogonally
redolent: (adj) fragrant, reminiscent,
evocative, odoriferous, odorous,
sweet, balmy, suggestive, scented,
spicy, remindful
redouble: (v) intensify, double,
magnify, echo, duplicate, deepen,
enhance, repeat, reproduce, escalate,
reduplicate. ANTONYMS: (v)
reduce, decrease
reeds: (n) Poaceae, grass family,
Graminaceae, family Gramineae,
family Graminaceae, bamboo,
Gramineae
reeling: (adj) giddy, intoxicated,
tipsy, queer, lightheaded, groggy,
fuddled, bewildered; (n) titubation,
rotary straightening
re-examination: (n) revision,
correction, retrospect
referable: (adj) ascribable, referrible,
attributable, accusable, culpable,
chargeable
refined: (adj) delicate, cultured,
graceful, polite, gentle, urbane,
courteous, courtly, cultivated; (adj,
n) polished, pure. ANTONYMS:
 310
(adj) unrefined, raw, uncouth,
rough, careless, crude, brute,
boorish, plain, lowly, inelegant
refinement: (n) culture, cultivation,
purification, gentility, polish, finish,
civilization, nicety, courtesy, grace;
(adj, n) elegance. ANTONYMS: (n)
vulgarity, adulteration, tackiness,
uncouthness, tastelessness,
inelegance, coarseness, clumsiness,
awkwardness, crudeness
reflective: (adj, v) thoughtful,
meditative; (adj) contemplative,
musing, wistful, brooding, reflexive,
ruminative, museful, reflecting,
broody. ANTONYMS: (adj)
superficial, satisfied, shallow
reformation: (n) correction,
amendment, improvement, redress,
reclamation, rectification,
conversion, innovation, repair,
renewal, reassembly
refract: (v) break, subject, refracting,
unsay, determine, find out, find,
ascertain
refracting: (v) refract; (adj) refractive
refraction: (n) deflexion, deflection,
deviation, aberration, diversion; (v)
obliquation, virtual image,
spectrum, warp; (adj) reflection,
refractive
refrain: (v) desist, cease, fast, avoid,
leave off, withhold, stop, spare; (adj,
v) forbear; (n) chorus, hold.
ANTONYMS: (v) participate, act,
consume, persist
refreshing: (adj) bracing,
invigorating, refreshful, pleasant,
fresh, cool, refresh, refreshingly,
crisp, tonic, pleasing. ANTONYMS:
(adj) unwelcome, soporific, tiring,
relaxing, musty
refutation: (n) confutation, denial,
rebuttal, refutal, contradiction,
negation, answer, refusal, defense,
falsification, defence. ANTONYM:
(n) agreement
regain: (v) retrieve, recoup,
recuperate, reclaim, recapture,
redeem, get, discover, feel, recall, get
back
regaining: (n) regain, clawback,
proceeds, payoff, paying back,
reappearance, indemnity, issue,
recapture, recurrence, redress.
ANTONYM: (n) loss
regards: (v) regard, esteem, respect,
consideration, honor, motive; (adj)
abord, devoir; (n) greeting, relation,
duty
regenerate: (v) reform, restore,
revive, refresh, renovate, rejuvenate,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
reclaim, reconstruct, mend,
reanimate; (n, v) convert
regenerated: (adj) elected, justified,
unearthly, renewed, sanctified,
converted, consecrated, inspired,
new
regenerating: (adj) regeneratory
regrets: (n) regret, declination, RSVP
regrets only, acknowledgement,
acknowledgment, celestial latitude,
excuse, Dec
regularity: (n) constancy, evenness,
punctuality, orderliness, uniformity,
steadiness, method, accuracy,
discipline, system, exactness.
ANTONYMS: (n) lateness,
asymmetry, irregularity, disorder,
variability, variety, abnormality
regulated: (adj) ordered, arranged,
consistent, lawful, temperate, not
haphazard, organized; (adv) in time,
in harmony, keeping pace, keeping
up
regulating: (adj) regulatory,
controlling, changeable, restrictive;
(n) regulation, limitation,
indexation, adjustment, ordinance,
autoregulation, regularisation.
ANTONYM: (adj) fixed
reinstate: (v) restore, rehabilitate,
reestablish, return, replace,
reconstruct, bring back, redeem,
recover, heal, mend. ANTONYM:
(v) withdraw
relevancy: (n) relevance, pertinency,
pertinence, materiality, applicability,
fitness, point, cogency, appositeness,
moment, consequence
relieve: (n, v) ease, assuage, mitigate,
alleviate, allay, calm, redress; (v)
free, help, console, excuse.
ANTONYMS: (v) burden,
aggravate, exacerbate, harbor,
enforce, include, upset, depress
relieving: (adj) pertinent, comforting,
applicable; (n) encouragement
relinquished: (adj) forsaken,
deserted, derelict, unoccupied,
given, surrendered
relish: (n, v) enjoy, fancy, love; (n)
gusto, liking, palate, enthusiasm,
enjoyment; (adj, n) flavor; (v) bask,
like. ANTONYM: (n) apathy
remembrance: (n, v) recollection,
mind; (n) commemoration,
memorial, recall, relic, monument,
keepsake, reminiscence, recognition;
(adj, n) memento
remissness: (n) laxity, negligence,
laxness, carelessness, heedlessness,
inadvertence, inattention, disregard,
thoughtlessness, disesteem; (adj)
idleness
remnant: (n) end, relic, remains,
residue, fragment, leftover, survival,
trace, oddment, balance, stub
remnants: (n) leavings, remains,
remainder, rest, leftovers, remnant,
offal, leftover, vestige, relics, refuse
remonstrance: (n) protest,
expostulation, objection, dissuasion,
censure, remonstration,
reprehension, admonition,
monstrance, mediation, dehortation
remorse: (n) penitence, contrition,
repentance, regret, guilt, penance,
sorrow, grief, qualm, ruefulness,
compassion. ANTONYM: (n)
shamelessness
rencontre: (n) collision, brush,
renconter, appulse, syzygy,
rencounter, coincidence, fight, affair,
contest, coexistence
render: (v) interpret, explain, give,
offer, furnish, pay, construe, return,
provide, impart, translate
rendering: (n) interpretation,
translation, rendition, reading,
representation, version, interpreting,
depiction, execution, construction,
explanation
renew: (v) renovate, rejuvenate,
restore, refresh, refurbish,
modernize, revive, overhaul,
reinstate, reiterate, mend.
ANTONYMS: (v) reduce, kill
renovation: (n) restoration, renewal,
recovery, reconstruction,
refurbishment, improvement,
alteration, innovation, conversion,
repair, reform
renown: (n, v) fame; (n) glory,
distinction, eminence, notoriety,
kudos, name, popularity, prestige,
prominence, honor. ANTONYMS:
(n) infamy, commonness; (adj)
anonymity
renting: (n) rental, letting, leasing,
lease, hiring, rent, tenancy, dealings,
dealing, letting out
rents: (n) quad, board walk, close,
embankment, esplanade, lane,
parade, alley, place, Alameda,
quadrangle
repaired: (adj) reconditioned,
maintained, mended, fastened,
serviced, intent, frozen, flat,
serviceable
repayment: (n, v) recompense,
quittance; (n) refund, payment,
redemption, remuneration,
compensation, revenge, rebate,
amends, reimbursement
repellant: (adj) rebarbative, foul,

loathsome, offensive, disgusting,
loathly, disgustful, distasteful,
highly offensive, putrid, funky
repent: (v) deplore, bewail, rue,
mourn, lament, atone, sorry,
bemoan, feel remorse, grieve, be
sorry
repetition: (n) gemination,
reiteration, recurrence, replication,
iteration, return, repeating, renewal,
duplication, rehearsal,
reduplication. ANTONYM: (n)
disappearance
repetitions: (n) iteration, reiteration,
iterance
replying: (adj) respondent,
responsive
repose: (n, v) recline, peace, lie, calm;
(n) composure, ease, quiet, leisure,
recreation, relaxation; (v) lay.
ANTONYMS: (n, v) work; (n)
activity, panic, agitation
reprehensible: (adj) censurable,
deplorable, guilty, blameworthy,
criminal, offensive, inexcusable,
abominable, objectionable,
obnoxious; (adj, v) uncommendable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) honorable,
praiseworthy, noble, good,
creditable, admirable, excusable,
innocent, reputable, proper
reproach: (n, v) blame, rebuke,
charge, abuse, disgrace, reprimand,
invective; (v) accuse, chide,
condemn; (n) condemnation.
ANTONYMS: (n, v) praise; (v)
commend, approve; (n) compliment,
commendation, approval
reputable: (adj) estimable, honorable,
respectable, famous, sound, good,
honest, prestigious, reliable, worthy,
distinguished. ANTONYMS: (adj)
seedy, unreliable, shameful, wicked,
notorious
reputed: (adj) supposed, renowned,
famous, conjectural, assumed,
famed, eminent, prominent, alleged,
well-known, distinguished.
ANTONYM: (adj) known
requisite: (n) need, necessity,
requirement, must; (adj, n)
necessary, prerequisite; (adj)
required, mandatory, needful,
compulsory, obligatory.
ANTONYMS: (adj) voluntary,
optional, dispensable; (n)
inessential, luxury
requisition: (n, v) request, claim,
command; (v) commandeer, call,
require, exact; (n) application,
requirement, order, exaction.
ANTONYMS: (v) supply, restore
Edgar Allan Poe
rescued: (adj) saved, protected
resemblance: (n) affinity, parallel,
similarity, comparison,
correspondence, likeness,
conformity, appearance, analogy,
semblance, resemble. ANTONYMS:
(n) dissimilarity, contrast
resemble: (v) seem, imitate, compare,
correspond, to resemble, agree, look,
simulate; (adj) look like; (n)
resemblance; (adv) alike
resembling: (adj, prep) like; (adj)
analogous, parallel, similar,
conformable, approximate,
semblative, other, probable; (prep)
similar to, reminiscent of.
ANTONYM: (prep) unlike
reserving: (adj) reserve, deducting,
save, reservative, prevent, not
including, leaving out, keeping,
excepting, except
residing: (adj) residentiary, situated,
permanently fixed, placed,
residential, located
resolute: (adj, n) constant, firm, fixed,
steady; (adj, v) determined; (adj)
inflexible, brave, adamant, dogged,
unbending, courageous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) weak, uncertain,
uncommitted, timid, fickle, feeble,
indecisive, flexible, flippant,
hesitant, undecided
resolutely: (adv) determinedly,
decidedly, steadfastly, decisively,
unfalteringly, boldly, steadily,
stubbornly, definitely, resolvedly,
unwaveringly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
irresolutely, indecisively,
uncertainly, feebly, hesitantly,
aimlessly
resolvent: (n) solvent, remover,
phenol, oxybenzene, naphtha,
dissolving agent, dissolver, alkahest,
alcahest, acetone, hexane
respectful: (adj) deferential,
mannerly, dutiful, courteous,
attentive, obedient, reverential,
regardful, reverent, polite, humble.
ANTONYMS: (adj) cheeky,
impudent, insolent, rude,
contemptuous, disobedient,
scornful, nasty, sneering, irreverent,
impolite
respecting: (prep) about, regarding,
apropos, as regards, pertaining to;
(adj) relative, not absolute,
pertaining, referring, loving
respiration: (n) breathing, breath,
breathe, aspiration, respire,
inspiration, wind, breathing place,
periodic breathing, panting,
exercising
311
respite: (n, v) pause, rest, lull; (n)
repose, intermission, recess, break,
remission, relief, cessation,
interruption
restaurateur: (v) quartermaster,
purveyor, manciple, batman, feeder,
commissary, caterer, grocer; (n)
restauranter, traiteur, owner
rested: (adj) comfortable
restlessness: (n) anxiety, disquiet,
impatience, fidget, uneasiness,
disquietude, unrest, fidgetiness,
agitation, insomnia; (adj, n)
nervousness. ANTONYMS: (n)
calm, contentment, restfulness,
peace
restrained: (adj) reserved, quiet,
modest, temperate, discreet, limited,
reasonable, subdued, unemotional,
reticent, guarded. ANTONYMS:
(adj) unrestrained, open, flashy,
immoral, ostentatious, wild, loud,
theatrical, outgoing, extravagant,
emotional
restraints: (n) manacles, fetters,
chains
resume: (v) restart, regain,
summarize, continue, revert, adopt,
recapitulate; (n, v) outline; (n)
digest, synopsis, summary.
ANTONYMS: (v) abandon,
suspend, die, discontinue, expand
resurrection: (n) renewal, rebirth,
revival, regeneration, restoration,
resurgence, reanimation, restitution,
renaissance, resumption,
resuscitation. ANTONYM: (n)
disappearance
retaining: (adj) retentive; (n)
employment, reservation
retarded: (adj) slow, tardy, imbecile,
belated, delayed, simple, obtuse,
leisurely, dull, deferred, defective.
ANTONYM: (adj) precocious
retarding: (n) delay, let, hindrance,
impediment, obstacle; (adj)
ritardando
retention: (n) memory, detention,
holding, keeping, possession,
restraint, reserve, retentivity,
retentiveness, storage, monopoly.
ANTONYMS: (n) allocation, release
retentive: (adj) strong, retaining,
absorbent, adhesive, glutinous,
closefisted, cohesive; (v) fast, closely
adhering, deep, dissipated
retina: (n) cornea, iris, pupil,
membrane
retiring: (adj) humble, diffident,
bashful, reserved, unassuming,
unobtrusive, timid, coy, shy,
sheepish, meek. ANTONYMS: (adj)
 312
assertive, bold, outgoing, forward,
incoming, arrogant, brash, sociable
retrace: (v) recollect, recall, trace,
etymologize, recognize, construct,
call up, bethink oneself, speculate;
(n, v) reconsider; (n) flyback
retrieval: (v) retrieve, revendication;
(n) reclamation, redress,
deliverance, recuperation,
repossession, delivery, reparation,
redemption, acquisition.
ANTONYM: (n) return
retrograde: (adj) regressive,
backward, retral, deteriorating; (v)
retreat, fall back, retire, regress,
decline, lapse, revert. ANTONYMS:
(v) progress; (adj) direct
revenge: (n) retribution, vengeance,
reprisal, retaliation, repayment,
grudge, punishment; (v) retaliate,
repay, requite, vindicate
reverence: (n, v) respect, regard, fear,
worship, honor, esteem, adore; (n)
deference, adoration, admiration,
awe. ANTONYMS: (n) despise,
disrespect, irreverence, disdain,
disparagement, contempt; (v)
dishonor
reverent: (adj, v) pious, devout,
religious; (adj) respectful, holy,
deferential, godly, reverential,
worshipful, pietistic; (v) devotional.
ANTONYMS: (adj) blasphemous,
disrespectful, impious, irreverent
reverie: (n) dream, fantasy, air castle,
brown study, revery, trance,
abstraction, castle in Spain, castle in
the air; (adj) preoccupation,
distraction. ANTONYM: (n) reality
reversed: (adj) converse, inverse,
reverse, upside-down, overturned,
opposite, contrary, reversal, upside
down, upturned, on its head
revert: (v) lapse, relapse, go back,
recur, reverse, regress, reflect,
recover, resume, get back, come
back. ANTONYMS: (v) improve,
progress
revolting: (adj) offensive, loathsome,
nasty, foul, detestable, nauseating,
nauseous, horrible, hideous,
repellent; (adj, v) sickening.
ANTONYMS: (adj) attractive,
pleasant, tasty, delicious, edible,
lovable, delightful, appealing, lovely
revolve: (v) consider, meditate,
deliberate, ponder, circle,
contemplate, return, circulate, orbit,
rotate; (n, v) gyrate
revolved: (adj) disgusted
revolving: (adj) turning, rotating,
vertiginous, rotary, gyratory,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
wheeling, rotative, rotatory,
rotational; (n) revolution; (v) revolve
rheum: (adj) juice, humor, gravy,
lymph, blood, sanies, serosity,
serum, sap; (n) genus rheum, saliva
rhyming: (adj) riming, rimed, frosted,
assonant, alliterative, frosty; (n)
versification, poetry, rhymery.
ANTONYM: (adj) unrhymed
rial: (n) Iranian rial, Omani rial,
Yemeni rial
ribbon: (n) band, riband, tape, strip,
shred, decoration, medal, ribband,
thread, fascia, belt
ribbons: (n) cavesson, hackamore,
jaquima, lines, streamer, streamers,
ticker tape, paper chain, decoration,
decorations, bunting
ribs: (n) dinner, chest, bosom
richelieu: (n) Armand Jean du
Plessis, cardinal Richelieu
richly: (adv) wealthily, copiously,
opulently, lavishly, abundantly,
sumptuously, affluently, profusely,
amply, plentifully, fully.
ANTONYMS: (adv) meagerly,
poorly, simply, barely
riddle: (n) mystery, conundrum,
puzzle, problem, poser; (n, v) screen,
sieve; (v) puncture, strain, filter, sift.
ANTONYM: (n) explanation
rife: (adj) prevailing, current,
rampant, plentiful, predominant,
epidemic, copious, numerous,
common, regnant, abundant.
ANTONYMS: (adj) scarce, limited,
rare, sparse
rift: (n, v) breach, fissure, split; (n)
gap, break, chasm, crack, crevice,
cleft, misunderstanding, rupture.
ANTONYM: (n) unity
rigged: (adj) prepared, premeditated
rigging: (n) rig, tackle, apparatus,
outfit, accouterment, trappings,
harness, tackling, suit,
paraphernalia, caparison
rigidly: (adv) severely, sternly,
strictly, firmly, stringently,
unbendingly, rigorously,
uncompromisingly, stubbornly,
unyieldingly, strongly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) loosely,
amenably
rigorous: (adj) rigid, precise, hard,
strict, austere, accurate, exacting,
exact, cruel, stern, inflexible.
ANTONYMS: (adj) lax, weak,
slapdash, sloppy, sketchy, lenient,
gentle, flexible, careless, halfhearted
rigorously: (adv) severely, strictly,
stringently, carefully, harshly,
exactly, austerely, closely, narrowly,
stiffly, gravely. ANTONYMS: (adv)
leniently, lightheartedly, negligently
ripened: (adj) mature, matured,
elderly, aged, maturer, old, mellow,
grown, full-grown, cured, adult.
ANTONYM: (adj) young
ripening: (n) ageing, maturement,
development, mellowing, aging,
maturing, mature, growing, growth,
gestation, organic process
ripped: (adj) rent, blasted, lacerated,
drugged, depressed, desolate,
desolated, deuced, devastated,
darned, distressed
risking: (n) daily double, gaming,
perfecta, place bet, exacta
rivet: (v) focus, concentrate, clinch,
fascinate, center, absorb, engross,
enthrall; (adj) nail, pin, clamp
riveted: (adj) immovable, immobile,
irremovable, rooted, wrapped up,
intent; (v) wrapped in, engrossed in,
rapt, absorbed, transfixed.
ANTONYM: (adj) detached
roadside: (n) verge, shoulder, border,
edge, margin
roam: (adj, v) stray; (v) wander,
gallivant, meander, range, gad,
walk, drift, tramp, journey, stroll.
ANTONYMS: (v) rush, settle
roaming: (adj) wandering, roving,
errant, itinerant, Peripatetic,
traveling, vagabond, astray; (n)
ramble, journey, ubiquity
roar: (n, v) bellow, cry, shout, howl,
bark, clatter, holler; (adj, n, v)
thunder; (v) bawl; (adj, v) bluster;
(adj, n) peal. ANTONYMS: (v) cry,
week
roaring: (n) bellowing, roar, bellow,
thunder; (adj) booming, prosperous,
thriving, flourishing, deafening,
noisy, boisterous
robbed: (adj) plundered, rubato,
fleeced, borrowed, bereft
robber: (n) highwayman, bandit,
mugger, outlaw, plunderer, pillager,
burglar, pirate, crook, filcher, spoiler
robbery: (n) depredation, pillage,
piracy, plunder, looting, burglary,
theft, holdup, thieving, freebooting;
(v) rob
robust: (adj, n) hardy, firm, hard;
(adj) strong, athletic, vigorous,
powerful, muscular, brawny, lusty,
mighty. ANTONYMS: (adj) slight,
fragile, frail, delicate, flimsy, feeble,
fickle
rogers: (n) Carl Rogers, ginger
Rogers, Virginia Mcmath, will
Rogers, William Penn Adair Rogers
ropes: (n) weight, pressure, leverage,

form, authority, dealings, control,
influence
rotation: (n) gyration, round,
circumvolution, roll, turn, curl,
cycle, circulation, wheel, circuit,
revolving
rotten: (adj, v) decayed, musty; (adj)
foul, poor, fetid, lousy, putrid, off,
ill, shabby, wretched. ANTONYMS:
(adj) fresh, superior, unrotten, good,
incorruptible, honest, lovely, fair,
great, respectful
rottenness: (n) decay, putrescence,
putridness, corruptness,
putrefaction, putridity, depravity,
degeneracy, filth, deterioration; (v)
moldiness
rotundity: (n) corpulence, rondure,
globularness, globosity, roundness,
circularity, obesity, embonpoint,
plumpness, fullness, corpulency
roundabout: (adj) indirect, oblique,
devious, winding, circumlocutory,
periphrastic; (n) circuit, rotary,
circle, carousel, circumlocution.
ANTONYMS: (adj) straight,
straightforward, decisive, overt
routed: (adj) conquered,
overwhelmed, overcome,
overpowered, overthrown,
vanquished, in retreat, flooded,
destined, running scared, crushed
rowing: (n) boating, athletics, dustup,
quarrel, course; (adj) nautical
rubbed: (adj) polished, refined, terse,
attrite, marked, accomplished,
fretten
rubbing: (n) friction, abrasion,
grinding, detrition, rub, grip,
resistance, chafe, sweat, travail,
massage. ANTONYM: (n)
smoothness
ruby: (adj, n) red, crimson; (adj)
jewel, ruddy, scarlet, diamond,
pearl, precious stone, bijou; (n)
carbuncle, deep red
rudder: (n) helm, wheel, needle,
surface, guide, steering wheel, tiller,
aerofoil, airfoil, compass, control
surface
rudderless: (adj) adrift, afloat,
aimless, directionless, flooded,
aimlessly drifting, drifting, floating,
inundated, overflowing, purposeless
ruddy: (adj) cherry, rubicund, rosy,
flushed, florid, sanguine, reddish,
glowing, blooming, crimson; (adj,
adv) blushing
rudely: (adv) crudely, coarsely,
uncivilly, indelicately, impolitely,
roughly, harshly, vulgarly, brutally,
meanly, wildly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
Edgar Allan Poe
respectfully, graciously, decently,
civilly, properly, attentively,
agreeably, tactfully, thoughtfully,
acceptably, gently
ruffian: (n) rowdy, rascal, hooligan,
bully, brute, hoodlum, tough,
miscreant, villain, rogue, roughneck
ruffle: (n, v) crinkle, ruff, crumple,
wrinkle, fold; (v) agitate,
discompose, fret; (adj, n)
perturbation; (n) flounce, frill.
ANTONYMS: (v) smooth, calm
rugged: (adj, n) rough, jagged,
ragged; (adj) difficult, rocky, tough,
broken, robust, hilly, strong, craggy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) delicate, easy,
smooth, flimsy, fragile, soft, weak,
feeble
ruin: (n) devastation, desolation; (adj,
n) downfall; (v) break, consume,
demolish, destroy; (n, v) doom,
ravage, destruction, damage.
ANTONYMS: (v) conserve, enhance,
save, restore, improve; (n, v) respect;
(n) making, success, triumph, rise,
preservation
ruinous: (adj) harmful, baleful,
disastrous, calamitous, injurious,
deleterious, dilapidated, blasting,
baneful, pernicious; (adj, n)
subversive. ANTONYMS: (adj)
beneficial, fortunate, harmless
rumbling: (adj, n) grumbling; (n)
grumble, noise, boom, thunder, roll,
roar; (adj) hollow, low; (v)
bombination, berloque
rumor: (n) hearsay, talk, news; (n, v)
gossip, fame, buzz, bruit, noise,
rumour; (v) repute, reputation.
ANTONYM: (n) truth
rumpled: (adj) crumpled, creased,
untidy, dishevelled, unkempt,
tousled, disordered, frowzled,
wrinkled, crinkle, crisp.
ANTONYMS: (adj) tidy, smart, neat
rushes: (n) rush, grasses
rushing: (adv) rushingly; (n) haste,
hurry, hurrying, running, hastening,
flush, movement; (adj) flowing,
headlong, moving
rusty: (adj) ancient, out of practice,
intractable, old, corroded, deaf to
reason, exceptious, cantankerous;
(v) moldy, raw, mildewed
sabbath: (n) day of rest, Saturday,
vacation, recess, holiday, dies non,
Pentecost, sabbat
sable: (adj) black, dark, dusky,
sombre, murky, mournful; (n)
ebony, fur, blackness, marten, pitch
black
sacking: (n) dismissal, burlap, sack,
313
firing, discharge, release, sackcloth,
gunny, dismission, removal,
inactivation
sacredly: (adv) divinely, saintly,
solemnly, hallowedly, piously,
sanctifiedly, inviolately, spiritually,
blessedly, dedicatedly, holily
saddened: (adj) sorry, sad, depressed,
dejected, upset, dismayed, unhappy,
dissatisfied, troubled, disillusioned,
in a state. ANTONYM: (adj)
satisfied
sagacious: (adj, v) judicious, prudent,
discreet; (adj) rational, astute, acute,
discerning, keen, perspicacious,
intelligent, shrewd. ANTONYMS:
(adj) foolish, stupid, dense
sailor: (n) seaman, seafarer, tar,
bluejacket, gob, boatman, navigator,
navy man, lascar, Panama, leghorn
saintly: (adj, adv) godly; (adj)
saintlike, sacred, pious, angelic,
sainted, religious, devout, beatific,
righteous, divine. ANTONYMS:
(adj) sinful, unholy, wicked, secular
salient: (adj) conspicuous,
outstanding, remarkable, signal,
striking, obvious, noticeable,
spectacular; (n) notable, protrusion,
ledge. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unimportant, minor
sanctuary: (n) refuge, asylum, retreat,
shrine, haven, safety, reservation,
shelter, chancel, protection, church
sane: (adj, n) reasonable, lucid; (adj)
rational, judicious, right, sensible,
normal, wise, wholesome, sound,
prudent. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unbalanced, insane, crazed,
delirious, unreasonable, irrational,
foolish
sanguine: (adj) hopeful, optimistic,
bloody, rubicund, confident,
crimson, cheerful, buoyant,
sanguineous; (adj, n) red, florid.
ANTONYMS: (adj) pessimistic,
gloomy, doubtful
sanity: (n) reason, saneness, mind,
health, reasonableness, rationality,
soundness, mental health, lucidity,
common sense, prudence.
ANTONYMS: (n) insanity, madness
sarcasm: (adj, n) irony, ridicule,
satire, humor; (n) gibe, bitterness,
jeer, scorn, insinuation, taunt; (adj)
sarcastic. ANTONYM: (n) kindness
sash: (n) girdle, cincture, band,
cummerbund, baldric, framing,
waistband, framework, frame, fillet,
fascia
sassafras: (n) seasoner, yarrow,
seasoning, flavorer, flavourer,
 314
flavouring, laurel, sassafras tree,
sassafras wood, flavoring
sate: (v) fill, satisfy, glut, satiate, pall,
saturate, gorge, take, surfeit,
content, replete
satin: (adj) glossy, sleek, velvet,
down, silky, silklike, silken, satiny,
velure; (n) cloth, fabric
satirist: (n) lampooner, defamer,
backbiter, traducer, joker, libeler,
nipper, pickpocket, ridiculer, sir
Benjamin backbite, swift
satisfactorily: (adv, v) well, fully,
rightly; (adv) sufficiently,
satisfyingly, fairly, amply, enough,
gratifyingly, competently,
pleasingly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
unsatisfactorily, inadequately,
intolerably, badly, negatively
satisfying: (adj) satisfactory, pleasant,
enjoyable, gratifying, pleasurable,
welcome, good, comforting, hearty,
delightful, satisfy. ANTONYMS:
(adj) unrewarding, disappointing,
trying, light, frustrating,
unwelcome, unflattering,
insufficient, disagreeable
satyr: (adj) faun, sylvan, forestlike,
specter; (n) goat, forest God,
fornicator, gallant, intrigant,
whoremonger, adulterer
sauerkraut: (v) damper, salmis,
porterhouse steak, porridge,
pineapple, oyster, oatmeal,
mangosteen, mango, fish; (n)
sourcrout
savage: (adj, v) fierce, wild, furious;
(adj) ferocious, brutal, cruel,
bloodthirsty, rough, pitiless; (adj, n)
brute; (n) vandal. ANTONYMS:
(adj) civilized, gentle, nice
scalp: (v) pare, flay, peel, excoriate,
decorticate; (n) tegument, head,
cutis, scaup; (adj) lifted
scant: (adj) insufficient, scanty,
skimpy, poor, few, inadequate,
narrow, little; (adj, v) meager, bare;
(v) skimp. ANTONYMS: (adj)
plentiful, extensive
scarabus: (n) scarab, dung beetle
scarf: (n) neckerchief, handkerchief,
stole, necktie, cravat, kerchief,
mantilla, shawl, wrap, tie, stock
scars: (n) seams
scholar: (n) learner, academic,
student, pundit, apprentice,
intellectual, brain, exhibitioner,
academician, professor, disciple.
ANTONYM: (n) teacher
scrambled: (adj) twisted, snarled,
miscellaneous, knotted, jumbled
scrap: (n, v) fight, brawl, clash,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
quarrel, junk; (adj, n) remnant,
fragment; (n) end, remainder, bit,
piece. ANTONYMS: (v) keep,
restore, preserve, adopt, insert; (n)
chunk, lot
scraping: (n) scrape, scratching,
scratch, rub, sizing, rament, incision,
mark, prick; (v) rubbing; (adj)
grating
scratching: (n) scrape, scraping,
abrasion, mark, scar, poor
handwriting, incision, excoriation,
chicken feed; (adj) hoarse, abrasive
screw: (adj, n) bolt; (adj, v) nail, pin;
(v) cheat, fasten, wind; (n) propeller,
jailer, gaoler; (n, v) turn, bonk.
ANTONYM: (v) detach
screwed: (adj) threaded, firm,
maudlin, muddled, muzzy, raddled,
corned; (n) whittled
scruple: (adj, v) hesitate, demur,
pause; (n) hesitation, qualm,
misgiving, distrust, objection; (n, v)
mistrust; (v) falter, question
scrupulous: (adj) careful, punctilious,
exact, conscientious, particular,
painstaking, accurate, prudent,
meticulous, rigorous, cautious.
ANTONYMS: (adj) sloppy,
unscrupulous, slapdash, relaxed,
guilty, deceitful
scrutinize: (v) inspect, examine,
review, consider, audit, investigate,
explore, search, analyze, check; (adj,
v) scan. ANTONYM: (v) ignore
scrutinizing: (adj) exploring
thoroughly, inquisitive, searching,
penetrating
scud: (v) race, scoot, rush, rack, dash,
run, navigate, flash, flit; (n)
scudding, shower
scythe: (n) crotch, crutch, crane,
elbow, ankle, fluke, groin, knee,
zigzag; (n, v) sithe; (v) reap
seacoast: (n) coast, seaside, shore,
seashore, litoral, landfall, seabank,
seabeach, littoral zone, sands
seaman: (n) seafarer, tar, gob, sailor,
bluejacket, jack, navigator, bargee,
bargeman, boatswain, bosun
seated: (adj) sat, sedentary
seating: (n) room, circle, parterre,
parquet, orchestra, service, way,
base, footing, housing, stand
secluded: (adj) remote, secret,
reclusive, privy, cloistered, isolated,
lonely, retired, sequestered, solitary;
(adj, v) hidden. ANTONYMS: (adj)
nearby, near, exposed, busy,
accessible
seclusion: (n) retreat, segregation,
retirement, isolation, secrecy,
concealment, insulation, separation,
hermitage; (adj, n) solitude,
loneliness. ANTONYMS: (n)
company, closeness, inclusion
secrecy: (adj, n, v) privacy; (n)
concealment, silence, confidentiality,
darkness, seclusion, retirement,
mystery, secretiveness, privateness,
mum
secreted: (adj) hidden, unseen, out of
sight
secreting: (n) burial, burying,
concealment, money laundering,
activity, screening, hiding, masking;
(adj) secretory, secernent
securely: (adv) surely, safely, closely,
solidly, steadily, assuredly, strongly,
tightly, fixly, setly, stably.
ANTONYM: (adv) insecurely
securing: (adj) protective; (n)
acquisition, attainment, capture,
collection, deed, acceptance
seduce: (v) lure, decoy, entice, allure,
inveigle, persuade; (adj, n, v)
debauch; (adj, v) fascinate, captivate;
(n, v) tempt; (adj) bewitch
seeming: (adj) ostensible, superficial,
illusory, outward, probable,
deceptive, specious; (adj, n)
appearance, semblance; (n) aspect,
show. ANTONYMS: (adj) actual,
deep, inner
segment: (n, v) part, paragraph, slice,
bit; (n) division, share, portion,
piece, proportion; (v) partition,
divide
seine: (n) fishnet, purse Seine, Seine
river; (v) fish
seize: (v) catch, capture, grab, arrest,
clutch, get, apprehend, receive,
annex, clasp; (n, v) grapple.
ANTONYMS: (v) baulk, relinquish,
restore, surrender, give, remove
seizing: (v) seize; (n) seizure,
clutches, prehension, taking,
apprehension, capture, infection;
(adj) catching, galling, controlling
selecting: (n) picking, option; (v)
choose; (adj) selective, electoral,
elective, eclectic
self-conceit: (n) conceit
self-confidence: (n) confidence,
assurance, pride, egoism, effrontery,
determination, morale
selfishness: (n) greed, egotism,
greediness, meanness, individuality,
opportunism, expedience,
individualism, self, selfness, selfish.
ANTONYMS: (n) altruism,
selflessness, sensitivity,
thoughtfulness, conformity,
generosity

self-possession: (n) composure,
poise, imperturbability, serenity,
aplomb, coolness, balance, restraint,
self-control, morale, presence
self-respect: (n) pride, self-esteem,
dignity, face, honesty
semblance: (adj, n) color; (n)
resemblance, appearance, look,
aspect, air, image, similarity,
pretense, guise, pretext.
ANTONYM: (n) difference
semicircle: (n) arch, semi-circles, half
circle, half-circle, plane figure, arc,
curve
sensations: (n) feelings, vibrations,
ambiance
sensibly: (adv) sanely, intelligently,
rationally, pragmatically,
realistically, cleverly, politically,
perceptibly, soundly, noticeably,
wisely. ANTONYMS: (adv)
foolishly, ludicrously, ridiculously,
unreasonably, illogically, madly,
irrationally, hastily, stupidly,
irresponsibly, immaturely
sentiment: (n) emotion, mind, notion,
feeling, persuasion, opinion,
judgment, sense, judgement,
attitude, impression
sentiments: (n) breast
sepulchre: (n) mausoleum, burial,
monument, repository, crypt,
sepulture, burial chamber, tomb,
bier; (v) inter, bury
sequel: (n) sequence, result, issue,
aftermath, continuation,
continuance, outcome, consequence,
ending, upshot, outgrowth.
ANTONYM: (n) prelude
sequitur: (n) conclusion
serene: (adj) peaceful, calm, quiet,
placid, composed, impassive, clear,
pacific, gentle, cool; (adj, v) tranquil.
ANTONYMS: (adj) agitated,
anxious, noisy, nervous, impatient,
excitable, scatterbrained, harsh,
boisterous, excited, disturbed
seriousness: (n) earnest, earnestness,
graveness, importance, staidness,
solemnity, sincerity, consequence,
sobriety, austerity, soberness.
ANTONYMS: (n) flippancy,
insignificance, frivolity, giddiness,
jollity, triviality, cheerfulness,
joking, joviality, unimportance,
playfulness
severed: (adj) cut off, cut, broken,
separate, Severn, disconnected, rent
off, disrupt, disengaged, torn,
disrupted
shades: (n) shade, sunglasses, dark
glasses, shadow, glasses, blind,
Edgar Allan Poe
awning, roller blind, eyeglasses
shadowy: (adj) indistinct, misty,
dark, faint, obscure, hazy, gloomy,
vague, shady, insubstantial, dusky.
ANTONYMS: (adj) clear, palpable,
light, distinct, open
shaft: (n) arrow, beam, axis, pole,
arbor, dart, pillar, lance, well, axle;
(adj, n) pit
shaken: (adj) jolted, agitated,
dilapidated, frayed; (v) passe, lame,
broken, threadbare, wilted, shaky,
vibrate
shallowness: (n) frivolity, glibness,
ignorance, trivia, triviality,
commonplace, depth, shoaliness.
ANTONYMS: (n) profundity,
substance
shamed: (adj) dishonored, ashamed,
hangdog, guilty, discredited,
abashed, sheepish, embarrassed,
shamefaced, bullied, cowed
shank: (n) haft, hilt, cannon, shaft,
stem, leg, pole, helm, heft, serif,
scale
sharpness: (n, v) keenness, edge; (n)
severity, bitterness, asperity,
acumen, poignancy, pungency,
quickness, perspicacity; (adj, n)
roughness. ANTONYMS: (n)
dullness, haziness, softness,
slowness, indistinctness, gentleness,
evenness, courtesy, blandness,
stupidity, kindness
shattered: (adj) destroyed, smashed,
done in, crazy, shaky, crushed; (adj,
v) exhausted; (v) battered, dead
beat, done up, lame. ANTONYMS:
(adj) fresh, energetic, lively, whole,
strong
shaving: (adj, n) paring, sliver,
shiver; (n, v) shave; (n) cut, splinter,
rasher, grazing, slice; (adj) clipping,
driblet
shifting: (adj) moving, variable,
changeable, fickle, changing,
varying, unsettled, movable, fitful;
(n) change, movement.
ANTONYMS: (adj) smooth,
consistent
shine: (n, v) light, sheen, flash, glitter,
sparkle, polish, rub; (v) burnish,
gleam, blaze; (n) radiance
shining: (adj, v) brilliant; (adj)
lustrous, radiant, glossy, luminous,
glorious, glowing; (adj, n) lucid,
resplendent, clear; (v) shine.
ANTONYMS: (adj) dull, pale,
blemished
shipping: (n) transport, forwarding,
sending, transportation, shipment,
navigation, carriage, conveyance,
315
dispatch, freightage, ferry
shopkeeper: (n) merchant,
tradesman, merchandiser, shopman,
seller, storekeeper, florist, hosier,
market keeper, cleaner, dealer
shouts: (n) cries
shovel: (v) dig, rake, broom, delve,
mop; (n) excavator, digger,
shovelful, dipper, power shovel,
poker
showers: (n) rain
shrank: (v) minify
shrewd: (adj) sharp, astute, keen,
piercing, clever, cunning, bright;
(adj, v) sagacious, knowing, crafty,
prudent. ANTONYMS: (adj) foolish,
gullible, naive, soft, candid, dim,
innocent, guileless, obtuse,
indiscriminate
shrieking: (n) shriek, screeching,
screech, scream, belly laugh, shright,
howler, riot; (adj) sharp
shrill: (adj) piercing, penetrating,
strident, keen, shrewd; (v) shriek,
screech, scream, yell; (adj, v) high,
sharp. ANTONYMS: (adj) low,
quiet, resonant
shrivelled: (adj) shriveled, withered,
wizened, shrunken, sere, sear, thin,
lean, dry, shrunk, dryer
shrouded: (adj) hidden, covered,
veiled, cloaked, secret, wearing a
veil, unseen, ulterior, masked,
enclosed, misty
shrub: (n) bush, scrub, heath,
greasewood, gorse, gooseberry,
goldenbush, frangipanni, hawthorn,
fuchsia, furze
shudder: (adj, n, v) shake, quake,
tremble; (n, v) quiver, twitch, thrill;
(n) quivering, shivering, chill,
frisson; (v) flutter
shuddering: (adj, n) quivering,
shaking; (adv) shudderingly; (n)
cold sweat, tremor; (adj) rough,
shaky, jumpy, quaking, shivery,
bumpy. ANTONYM: (adj) smooth
shutter: (n, v) close, shade; (n)
curtain, shut, blind, window,
skylight, deadlight, lid, louver,
jalousie
shutting: (n) closing, conclusion, end,
closure, ending, finish, mop up,
culmination, closedown; (adj)
confining, claudent. ANTONYM: (n)
opening
sickly: (adj, adv) poorly; (n) invalid;
(adj) sick, ailing, pale, sallow,
indisposed, morbid, diseased; (adj,
n, v) infirm; (adj, v) faint.
ANTONYMS: (adj) healthy, bitter,
robust
 316
sidereal: (adj) astral, starry, sideral
sift: (v) screen, filter, investigate,
riddle, sieve, examine, sprinkle,
separate, sort; (n, v) scrutinize,
analyze
signify: (n, v) intend, mark; (adj, n, v)
import; (v) imply, indicate, denote,
point, stand for, express, intimate,
matter
silenced: (adj) mute, muffled,
disabled
similarity: (n) parallelism, likeness,
kinship, parallel, identity,
conformity, parity, semblance,
sameness, affinity, comparison.
ANTONYMS: (n) difference,
contrast, disparity, isolation
similitude: (n) resemblance,
similarity, comparison, image,
picture, simile, alikeness,
equivalence, kinship, analogy; (adj,
n) semblance. ANTONYMS: (n)
difference, unlikeness
simoom: (n) samiel, wind, sirocco,
dust storm
sine: (n) without, circular function,
hell, cotangent, angle, cosine,
hypothenuse
sinew: (n) brawn, potency, power,
force, might, vigour, energy,
strength, beef; (adj, n) muscle, nerve
singular: (adj, n) extraordinary; (adj)
odd, individual, particular, peculiar,
phenomenal, rare, queer, single,
quaint, exceptional. ANTONYMS:
(adj) ordinary, normal, together,
usual, customary
singularity: (n) oddity, peculiarity,
individuality, eccentricity,
idiosyncrasy, oddness, abnormality,
uniqueness, irregularity, identity,
particularity
singularly: (adv) peculiarly,
uniquely, unusually, curiously,
rarely, uncommonly, oddly, solely,
exceptionally, individually; (adj,
adv) remarkably
sinking: (n) sinkage, settling, fall,
descent, foundering, depression,
immersion, submersion,
submergence; (v) decrease, decline.
ANTONYM: (adj) rising
sketch: (n, v) plan, outline, draft,
scheme, picture, project; (n)
drawing, cartoon, plot; (v) paint,
draw
sketching: (n) art, cartographic
sketching
skies: (n) heavens, firmament,
expanse
skiff: (n) gig, cockleshell, punt,
funny, boat, wherry, small boat,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
lerret, coble, cog, dingy
skilfully: (adv) skillfully, adroitly,
cunningly, proficiently, deftly,
adeptly, expertly, handily, artfully,
goodly, ably
skins: (n) cash, folding money
slain: (v) slay; (adj) overthrown, mat,
fallen, dejected, cast down
slake: (adj, v) abate, slacken; (v)
satisfy, assuage, satiate, slack, allay,
sate, ease, fill, mollify
slate: (n) list, platform, plank; (v)
condemn, paper, papyrus,
parchment, foolscap, chide,
lambaste, intend
slave: (n) servant, bondman, thrall,
bondsman, bondwoman, captive,
vassal; (n, v) labor; (v) drudge,
work; (adj, n) inferior. ANTONYMS:
(adj) free; (v) slack
sleepy: (adj) drowsy, dozy, slow,
lazy, hypnotic, inactive, comatose,
dull, heavy, dreamy; (adv) asleep.
ANTONYMS: (adj) awake,
energetic, vigorous, clear, lively,
refreshed
slender: (adj, v) lean, meager; (adj)
little, thin, fine, lithe, slight, delicate,
lissom, flimsy, faint. ANTONYMS:
(adj) stocky, fat, wide, considerable,
short, substantial, good, adequate,
stout, thick
sliding: (n) skating, shifting; (adj)
gliding, down, downhill, slippery,
labent, descending, downward; (v)
to slide
slightest: (adj) minimal, first, smallest
amount
slime: (adj) mud, silt; (n) mucus,
ooze, phlegm, gook, muck, gunk,
goo, filth; (adj, n) sludge
slipping: (n) skidding, slippage; (adj)
slithering, gliding, down, labent
slumber: (n, v) rest, doze, snooze,
nap, drowse, repose, catnap; (v) be
asleep, kip, take a nap; (n) siesta
slumbering: (adj) dormant, asleep,
latent. ANTONYM: (adj) awake
smack: (adv, n, v) slap, bang; (n, v)
savor, knock, kiss, hit, buss, wallop;
(n) flavor, blow; (adj, n) dash
sneer: (n, v) deride, jeer, scorn, flout,
ridicule, scoff, mock, leer, grimace,
gird; (n) smirk
snuff: (v) smell, kill, douse, slay,
scent, snuffle, bump off, smother,
snort; (adj) tobacco, nicotine
snugly: (adv) cozily, cosily,
comfortably, closely, tightly,
pleasantly, compactly, neatly,
conveniently, homely, trimly
soar: (v) climb, hover, fly, mount,
glide, leap, jump, lift, billow; (n, v)
rise, increase. ANTONYMS: (v)
decrease, drop, descend, collapse,
sink
soaring: (adj) high, towering, flying,
eminent, beetling; (n) glide, gliding,
sailing, rise, flight, sailplaning.
ANTONYM: (adj) low
sober: (adj, v) grave, sedate; (adj)
sane, earnest, quiet, solemn,
moderate, modest, serene, dull,
somber. ANTONYMS: (adj)
intoxicated, unrestrained, drunk,
playful, sensational, emotional,
cheerful, frivolous, funny, muddled,
delirious
socket: (n) cavity, receptacle, outlet,
alveolus, hole, pit, dent, sleeve,
hollow, pocket, depression
solemn: (adj, n, v) serious; (adj, v)
sober, important, sedate, devout,
formal, demure; (adj) heavy,
dignified, sacred; (adj, n) earnest.
ANTONYMS: (adj) frivolous,
cheerful, unceremonious, funny,
playful, flippant, relaxed
solemnity: (n) seriousness, sobriety,
earnestness, formality, ceremony,
impressiveness, austerity,
sedateness, display, pomp,
grandeur. ANTONYMS: (n) humor,
levity, cheerfulness, understatement
soles: (n) family Soleidae
solicit: (v) crave, request, petition,
ask, pray, importune, require, apply,
implore, demand; (adj, v) court
solicited: (adj) requested
solicitude: (n) care, consideration,
anxiety, thought, apprehension,
regard, attention, fear, disquietude,
heed, fret. ANTONYMS: (n)
negligence, serenity,
thoughtlessness
soliloquy: (n) language, oral
communication, apostrophe
solitary: (adj) forlorn, only, alone,
single, lonely, lone, sole,
unaccompanied, isolated; (adj, n)
recluse; (n) hermit. ANTONYMS:
(adj) sociable, combined, common,
outgoing
solitude: (n) desolation, loneliness,
seclusion, privacy, aloneness,
isolation, retirement, lonesomeness,
retreat, desert, solitariness.
ANTONYMS: (n) companionship,
closeness
soluble: (adj) dissoluble, resoluble,
resolvable, solvable, relaxed, not
adhering, merry, solute, loose,
liberal, free. ANTONYM: (adj)
insoluble

solving: (n) solution, resolving,
settlement, resolve, answer,
resolving power, finding,
determination, resoluteness,
declaration; (v) solve
sombre: (adj) dismal, dreary, dark,
shadowy, mournful, morose,
murky, gloomy, sober, dull, glum
sometime: (adv) someday, once, one
day, formerly, sooner or later; (adj)
quondam, erstwhile, former, old,
late; (adj, adv) sometimes
soot: (n) smut, lampblack, carbon
black, grime, carbon, crock, dirt;
(adj) ink, ebony, coal pitch, jet
sooth: (n) verity, soothsaying, fact,
truth, reality
sorely: (adv) severely, tenderly,
madly, very, greatly, highly, most,
distressingly, extremely, hard,
sensitively
sorrow: (n, v) regret, lament, grieve;
(v) mourn; (n) mourning, heartache,
repentance, remorse; (adj, n)
sadness, misery; (adj, n, v) distress.
ANTONYMS: (n) joy, delight,
happiness, peace, hopefulness,
cheerfulness, shamelessness, calm,
content; (v) rejoice
sorrowful: (adj) melancholy, doleful,
sad, rueful, lugubrious, gloomy,
dreary, grievous, piteous, unhappy,
mournful. ANTONYMS: (adj)
cheerful, content, joyful, successful
soundly: (adv) sound, fully, solidly,
thoroughly, deeply, substantially,
validly, strongly, stably, fastly,
safely. ANTONYMS: (adv)
harmfully, halfheartedly, fitfully,
unconvincingly
southeast: (adj) southeastern,
southeasterly, North Carolina,
Florida, Georgia; (n) SE, compass
point, geographic area, geographic
region, geographical area, selenium
southey: (n) Robert Southey
southward: (adv) southwards,
southernly; (adj) southbound,
southern
spade: (v) grub, delve, scoop,
excavate; (n) nigger, coon, nigra,
jigaboo, boy, black person, spit
sparkling: (adj, v) effervescent; (adj)
bright, brilliant, radiant, glittery,
bubbly, glittering, scintillating,
shining, scintillant; (n) sparkle.
ANTONYMS: (adj) dull, dirty,
lifeless, lethargic
spasm: (n) fit, outburst, cramp,
attack, twitch, paroxysm,
convulsion, pain, pang, start, tic
spasmodic: (adj) spastic, convulsive,
Edgar Allan Poe
intermittent, erratic, broken,
irregular, sporadic, desultory,
sudden, discontinuous; (v)
inconsonant. ANTONYM: (adj)
continuous
spear: (n) harpoon, lance, pike, fizgig,
prick, gig, javelin, shaft, halberd; (v)
stab, spike
specifying: (n) naming; (adj) precise,
specific, limited, discriminating,
illustrative
speck: (adj, n) point, atom, particle;
(n) blot, flaw, smudge, blotch,
blemish, grain, mote, dot.
ANTONYM: (n) lot
spectacle: (n) scene, pageant, display,
exhibition, phenomenon,
appearance, spectacles, view,
wonder; (n, v) sight, parade.
ANTONYM: (n) understatement
spectacles: (n) glasses, specs,
spectacle, eyeglass, goggles,
lorgnette, monocle, bifocals, dark
glasses, optical instrument, shades
spectator: (n) eyewitness, observer,
onlooker, witness, audience,
beholder, viewer, watcher,
spectators, looker, ogler.
ANTONYM: (n) player
speculative: (adj) risky, theoretical,
academic, inquisitive, notional,
hypothetical, chancy, conjectural;
(adj, v) contemplative, reflective; (v)
meditative. ANTONYMS: (adj)
definite, moderate, practical, proven
speedily: (adj, adv) quickly, quick,
immediately; (adv) rapidly,
promptly, hastily, swiftly, fast,
apace, hurriedly, fleetly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) later, eventually
spherical: (adj) global, orbicular,
globular, globose, circular, rotund,
spheric, rounded, orbiculate, sphere,
full. ANTONYM: (adj) nonspherical
spheroid: (adj) globular, round,
circular; (n) round shape, sphere; (v)
ball
spiral: (n, v) coil, loop, roll; (n) helix,
spire; (adj, v) helical; (v) screw,
gyrate, corkscrew, circle; (adj, n)
volute. ANTONYM: (v) plummet
spirited: (adj) animated, frisky,
energetic, racy, bold, gritty, quick,
enthusiastic, dashing, peppy, brave.
ANTONYMS: (adj) spiritless,
lifeless, feeble, cowardly, apathetic,
lethargic, spineless, dull, solemn,
sluggish, lackluster
spirituality: (n) inwardness,
incorporeity, church property,
otherworldliness, benefice, religion,
spiritualty, beneficiary, devoutness,
317
belongings, religious studies
spite: (n) malice, grudge, hatred,
malevolence, rancour, venom,
rancor, maliciousness, ill will,
animosity; (n, v) pique.
ANTONYMS: (v) please; (n)
benevolence, goodwill, love,
affection, harmony
splinter: (adj, v) break, shiver, crack;
(adj, n, v) split; (n, v) chip, fragment,
fracture; (adj, n) shred; (n) shaving,
part; (v) smash
splintered: (adj) shattered, broken,
pixilated, split, soaked, blind drunk,
soused, blotto, sozzled, cracked,
plastered
spoiled: (adj) bad, rotten, stale, spoil,
coddled, pampered, corrupt,
damaged, spoilt, putrid, rancid.
ANTONYM: (adj) unspoiled
sporting: (adj) fair, sportsmanlike,
clean, gambling, betting, dissipated,
athletic, adventurous, sporty; (v)
tauromachy; (n) diversion.
ANTONYM: (adj) unsporting
sprightly: (adj) spirited, cheerful,
alive, blithe, agile, airy, keen; (adj, v)
nimble, active; (adj, n) brisk; (adj,
adv) jolly. ANTONYMS: (adj)
inactive, slow, clumsy, sluggish
springing: (v) jumping, climbing,
bounding, furious, conspicuous,
prominent, ascending, projecting
outwardly; (n) growth, suspension,
emanation
squabbling: (n) contention,
argument, bickering, altercation,
internal strife, backbiting
squares: (n) square
squat: (adj) short, chunky, stumpy,
squatty, thick, low; (v) crouch,
perch, sit, hunker down, bend.
ANTONYMS: (adj) slender, tall,
slight
staggered: (adj) dumbfounded,
astonished, flabbergasted,
astounded, stunned, bewildered,
surprised, thunderstruck, angular,
dizzy, taken aback
staggering: (adj) astounding,
amazing, incredible, inconceivable,
prodigious, marvelous, startling,
ghastly, shocking, remarkable,
extraordinary. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unremarkable, normal, lovely,
comforting
stagnant: (adj) quiet, motionless,
inert, dead, slow, still, standing,
immobile, inactive, stagnate,
stationary. ANTONYMS: (adj)
active, moving
stagnation: (n) recession, depression,
 318
stagnancy, deadlock, stasis, delay,
inaction, inactivity, backwater,
slump, congestion
stalk: (n) stem, shank; (v) pursue,
walk, march, follow, shadow, tail,
track, trail, hunt
stall: (n) bench, barn, compartment,
stand, carrel, hut, stalling, cabin,
kiosk; (n, v) delay; (v) procrastinate.
ANTONYM: (v) advance
stamen: (n) thrum, reproductive
structure, backbone, stamina
stanza: (n) couplet, quatrain, strophe,
stave, line, octave, antistrophe,
sestet, poetry, envoy, canto
startle: (n, v) start, jump; (v) frighten,
scare, astonish, shock, astound,
amaze, shake, threaten, electrify.
ANTONYM: (v) soothe
startled: (adj) dumbfounded,
dismayed, distressed, aghast,
frightened, astonished, amazed,
terrified, afraid, shocked, astounded
startling: (adj) wonderful, shocking,
surprising, striking, alarming,
appalling, marvellous, dramatic,
frightful, sensational, lurid.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unremarkable,
soothing, comforting
stately: (adj) solemn, imposing,
elegant; (adj, v) noble, dignified,
grand, proud, great; (adj, adv) regal,
majestic, royal. ANTONYMS: (adj)
boisterous, humble, modest, lowly
stating: (n) reference
stationary: (adj) motionless, fixed,
set, quiescent, permanent, immobile,
steady, static, constant, unmoving,
still. ANTONYMS: (adj) mobile,
shifting, flowing
stature: (n) height, altitude, standing,
tallness, prestige, figure, growth,
status, quality, rank, greatness
stays: (n) bodice, stay, girdle, panty
girdle, stayed, staying, foundation,
corselette, sash, slip, corselet
steadfast: (adj, v) solid, firm,
permanent, loyal, fast, fixed,
immovable, faithful; (adj) resolute,
determined, steady. ANTONYMS:
(adj) irresolute, disloyal, unreliable,
undependable, uncommitted, weak,
transient, fickle, compliant,
acquiescent, inconstant
steadiness: (adj, n) stability, firmness,
steadfastness; (n) regularity,
equilibrium, consistency, resolution,
permanence, persistence, sureness;
(adj) stableness. ANTONYMS: (n)
unsteadiness, instability,
unreliability
stealing: (n) pilferage, larceny, theft,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
steal, burglary, misappropriation,
embezzlement, stolen, thievery,
pilfering, thieving
steered: (adj) directed
steering: (n) management, steerage,
direction, navigation, driving,
pilotage, control, aim, attitude
control, piloting, managing
stemming: (n) dragging
stench: (n, v) reek, smell; (n) niff,
fetor, odor, malodour, malodor,
mephitis, odour, foetor, fetidness
stern: (adj) rigid, rigorous, austere,
hard, strict, grim, solemn, rough;
(adj, v) harsh; (n) back; (adj, n) rear.
ANTONYMS: (adj) friendly,
approving, lenient, funny, genial,
gentle, kindly, lax, liberal, cheerful,
flexible
sticks: (n) backwoods, firewood,
frontier, outskirts, suburb, town,
wilderness, brushwood, high sticks;
(adj) distant
stiff: (adj) hard, formal, inflexible,
difficult, rigorous, numb, firm,
sturdy; (adj, n) stark, severe; (n)
corpse. ANTONYMS: (adj) soft,
supple, flexible, floppy, pliable, free,
easy, loose, informal, mild, pliant
stifled: (adj) strangled, suppressed,
muffled, deafened, completely
covered, dead, deadened, weak,
deaf corn, regardless, decayed
stirring: (adj) lively, exciting, alive,
rousing, spirited, touching, thrilling,
active; (n) agitation; (v) eventful,
brisk. ANTONYMS: (adj)
depressing, boring, inactive, dull,
conciliatory, asleep, uninspiring,
unimpressive; (n) suppression
stitch: (n, v) seam, crick; (v) baste,
embroider, tack, suture; (n) twinge,
pang, basting, sewing; (adj) tie
stooped: (adj) hunched, stoop,
stooping, crooked, bended, not
straight, inclined, not erect, arched,
asymmetrical, droopy
stooping: (adj) hunched, crooked,
asymmetrical, not erect, not straight,
corrupt; (n) patronage
stout: (adj, n) sturdy, stocky, hearty;
(adj) hardy, strong, robust, obese,
husky, bold, corpulent, fleshy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) thin, slim,
flimsy, cowardly, slight, skinny,
fragile, weak
stowage: (n) loading, charge, storage,
load, storage room, larder,
chandlery, storeroom, pantry,
buttery, shipment
strained: (adj) tense, labored, intense,
constrained, laboured, unnatural,
nervous, affected, taut, artificial,
tight. ANTONYMS: (adj) natural,
calm
straitened: (n) necessitous, pinched,
distressed, put to it; (adj) narrow,
poor, destitute, selfish, narrow
views, exact, near
strangled: (adj) smothered,
completely covered, muffled,
suppressed; (v) bowstringed
strata: (n) bed, layer, stratums, tier
stratum: (n) layer, bed, level, seam,
floor, ply, stage, story, horizon,
class, plane
streak: (n, v) ray, dash, mark, flash;
(adj, n) stripe; (n) band, beam, run,
bar, groove, gleam
streaks: (n) stripes, cords
streamer: (n) banner, standard,
ensign, pennant, pennon, emblem,
pennoncelle, pennoncel, colors, sign,
ribbon
strengthening: (n) fortification,
concentration, reinforcement,
consolidation, transformation,
transmutation, reenforcement,
reinforcing, intensification; (v)
strengthen; (adj) bracing.
ANTONYM: (n) weakening
strenuously: (adv) energetically,
zealously, arduously, severely,
forcefully, earnestly, laboriously,
busily, toilsomely, forwardly, hardly
stretches: (adj) stretched
strewn: (adj) spread, distributed,
disordered, strewed, confused,
covered, diffuse, disconnected,
disjointed, circulated, dispersed
stricken: (adj) smitten, struck, beaten,
laid low, affected, hurt, low,
impaired, dotty; (v) heavy laden,
victimized
strikingly: (adj, adv) notably,
signally, unusually, singularly; (adv)
prominently, stunningly,
imposingly, impressively, markedly,
outstandingly, obviously
strokes: (n) approval, reward,
recognition, prize, acclaim, credit,
brownie points
stroll: (n, v) ramble, saunter, walk,
amble, wander, promenade, tramp,
hike; (v) roam, go for a walk, range
studious: (adj) scholarly, bookish,
academic, assiduous, erudite,
diligent, learned, careful, deliberate;
(adj, v) thoughtful, reflective.
ANTONYM: (adj) negligent
stumble: (adj, n, v) slip; (n, v) lurch,
fall, err, stagger; (adj, v) blunder,
flounder, fumble; (n) misstep; (v)
hit, falter

stump: (n) stub, end, pulpit; (v)
confuse, stamp, baffle, perplex,
nonplus, puzzle, bewilder, mystify.
ANTONYM: (v) explain
stunned: (adj) dumbfounded,
astonished, astounded, amazed,
flabbergasted, dazed, stupefied,
staggered, bewildered, confused;
(adj, v) astonied. ANTONYMS: (adj)
indifferent, unimpressed
stupefied: (adj) stunned, amazed,
astonished, bewildered, astounded,
dumbfounded, stupid, confused,
flabbergasted, dumfounded, groggy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) precise,
unimpressed
stupendous: (adj, v) prodigious; (adj)
huge, terrific, marvellous, immense,
tremendous, fantastic, mighty,
mammoth, miraculous, enormous.
ANTONYM: (adj) abysmal
stupidity: (n) foolishness, nonsense,
obtuseness, dullness, fatuity,
absurdity, stolidity, slowness,
denseness, idiocy, imbecility.
ANTONYMS: (n) sense, logic,
cleverness, shrewdness, wisdom,
ability
stupor: (n) lethargy, stupefaction,
coma, shock, insensibility,
unconsciousness, trance,
sluggishness, torpor, haze,
grogginess. ANTONYMS: (n)
alertness, awareness, wakefulness
sturdy: (adj) strong, stout, solid,
rugged, firm, mighty, robust,
healthy, muscular; (adj, n) burly,
brawny. ANTONYMS: (adj) flimsy,
puny, fragile, rickety, slight,
ramshackle, infirm, frail, feeble,
delicate, soft
styled: (v) titled, named, benempt
stylus: (v) phonograph needle; (n)
manner, panache, mode, fashion,
expressive style, elan, dash, flair,
device
subdue: (adj, n, v) conquer; (v)
overpower, crush, defeat, quell,
quash, suppress, restrain; (n, v)
reduce; (adj, v) repress; (adv, v)
control. ANTONYMS: (v) incite,
enliven, resist, submit
subdued: (adj) quiet, muffled, dull,
restrained, muted, tame, faint,
repressed, low, meek; (adj, v)
resigned. ANTONYMS: (adj)
enthusiastic, lively, uninhibited,
unsubdued, rebellious, noisy, bright,
elaborate, frivolous, upbeat
subjacent: (adj) inferior, lower,
down, underlying, low, subjected,
liable, obnoxious, lesser, exposed.
Edgar Allan Poe
ANTONYM: (adj) superjacent
subjoined: (v) enclitical
subjugated: (adj) beaten,
downtrodden, overpowered,
overcome, browbeaten, captive; (v)
subdued, broken, broken friendship,
apart, blighted. ANTONYM: (adj)
liberated
sublimation: (n) exaltation,
transmutation, transformation,
purification, elevation, paragon,
alteration, change, condensation,
modification, shift
sublime: (adj, v) majestic; (adj)
dignified, grand, lofty, magnificent,
elevated, noble, exalted, glorious; (v)
sacred, sublimate. ANTONYMS:
(adj) poor, ridiculous
sublimity: (adj, n) nobility, elevation,
majesty, loftiness, splendor; (n)
magnificence, dignity, greatness,
sublimeness; (adj) solemnity,
heroism
subordinate: (adj, n) inferior,
subaltern; (adj) dependent,
secondary, lower, petty, lowly,
lesser, minor, junior; (n) assistant.
ANTONYMS: (adj, n) chief,
superior, major; (adj) senior,
dominant, independent,
insubordinate, higher, main; (n)
central
subsidence: (n) settling, remission,
settlement, ebb, collapse, sinking,
abatement, decline, cave in,
decrease, suspension
subsistence: (n) existence, life, entity,
maintenance, food, support,
sustenance, living, livelihood, esse,
ens
substructure: (n) base, foot, bed,
groundwork, floor, basis, bottom,
ground, substratum, understructure,
infrastructure. ANTONYM: (n) top
subtend: (v) be, specify, demarcate,
delineate, delimitate, define, bridge
subtlety: (n) refinement, elegance,
nuance, delicacy, craft, finesse,
nicety, niceness, penetration, polish,
cunning. ANTONYMS: (n)
tactlessness, coarseness, heaviness,
vulgarity
suburb: (n) suburbia, neighborhood,
addition, community, satellite,
environs, faubourg, outskirt, village,
place, commune
suburbs: (adj, n) environs; (n)
outskirts, periphery, outer reaches,
outer edge, fringes, entourage,
borderland; (adj) purlieus,
alentours, neighborhood
subversive: (adj, n) revolutionary; (n)
319
destructive, insurrectionist,
dynamiter, radical, revolutionist;
(adj) insurgent, incendiary, disloyal,
disruptive, ruinous
succeeding: (adj) following,
subsequent, after, consecutive,
posterior, ensuing, consequent,
successive, consequential; (adj, adv)
later; (v) succeed. ANTONYMS:
(adj) outgoing, preceding
successively: (adv) in turn, one after
the other, in succession,
sequentially, serially, running, in
order, gradually, subsequently,
repeatedly, one after another
sufferers: (n) dead, losses, wounded,
fatalities
suffice: (v) satisfy, do, answer,
content, fulfill, be sufficient, qualify,
function, be enough, suit, fulfil
sufficiency: (n) enough, fill,
ampleness, adequateness, fullness,
capacity, competence, satisfaction,
affluence; (adj, n) plenty, abundance
suffocation: (n) asphyxiation,
asphyxia, choking, killing, garrote,
strangling, putting to death, apnoea,
kill
suffused: (adj) distributed, covered,
full
suggestive: (adj, v) expressive; (adj)
obscene, spicy, allusive, graphic,
smutty, significative, narrative,
meaningful, epic, implicative
suitor: (n) plaintiff, suer, admirer,
beau, candidate, complainant,
gallant, boyfriend, applicant,
petitioner; (n, v) wooer
sulky: (adj) gloomy, grouchy,
morose, surly, peevish, moody,
dismal, cross, petulant, crabby; (adj,
v) glum. ANTONYMS: (adj)
resigned, cheerful; (n) cheeriness
sullen: (adj, n) morose, sulky, sour;
(adj) gloomy, gruff, glum, moody,
dark, cross, surly; (adj, v) grim.
ANTONYMS: (adj) bright, cheery;
(n) cheeriness
sully: (n, v) foul, defile, dirty; (adj, n,
v) soil; (adj, v) tarnish; (v) besmirch,
contaminate, smear, pollute,
corrupt, taint. ANTONYMS: (v)
respect, purify, clean, cleanse,
dignify
sulphur: (n, v) sulfur; (v) brimstone;
(n) s, atomic number, element,
chemical element, mho, native
sulfur, quebrith, reciprocal ohm, sec
sumptuous: (adj) magnificent,
luxurious, opulent, splendid,
gorgeous, deluxe, costly, lush,
lavish, grand, plush. ANTONYMS:
 320
(adj) unadorned, humble, ascetic,
meager, scanty, impoverished
sumptuously: (adv) luxuriously,
splendidly, gorgeously, expensively,
richly, grandly, lavishly,
magnificently, affluently, deluxely,
lushly. ANTONYM: (adv) scantily
sunburnt: (adj) brown, burnt,
gloomy, fiery, sallow, adust
sundown: (n) nightfall, evening,
dusk, twilight, hour. ANTONYMS:
(n) dawn, daybreak, sunrise
sung: (v) sing; (n) call, sung dynasty,
strain, song dynasty, song, birdsong,
birdcall; (adj) spoken, outspoken,
choral
sunk: (adj) sunken, undone, finished,
ruined, profound, immersed,
damaged, lowed, lying flat; (v) cut
up, dashed
sunrise: (n) dawn, sunup, daybreak,
daylight, aurora, first light,
dayspring, twilight, dawning, break
of day, crack of dawn. ANTONYMS:
(n) sunset, sundown, nightfall
sunset: (n) dusk, sundown, nightfall,
twilight, night, sunsetting, periodic
event, crepuscule, atmospheric
phenomenon, hour, recurrent event.
ANTONYMS: (n) sunrise, daybreak
supererogation: (n) sweat, excess,
elbow grease, effort, exertion
superficial: (adj) shallow, external,
sketchy, slight, outward, frivolous,
exterior, surface, apparent, outer,
flimsy. ANTONYMS: (adj) innate,
deep, real, profound, permanent,
inner, weighty, authentic, genuine,
intense, serious
superficies: (n) surface, exterior,
appearance, exteriority, top, size,
compass, externality, length,
superfice, proportion
superfluities: (n) added extras,
additions, embellishments,
trappings, accompaniments
superfluous: (adj, v) spare; (adj)
needless, extra, excess, excessive,
unnecessary, surplus, pointless,
superabundant, supernumerary,
supererogatory. ANTONYMS: (adj)
indispensable, important, essential,
basic, pertinent
superhuman: (adj) supernatural,
heavenly, preterhuman, superman,
epic, daring, godlike, gallant, brave,
celestial, incredible. ANTONYM:
(adj) normal
superintendence: (n) oversight,
direction, management, inspection,
control, government, surveillance,
supervising, care, guidance,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
invigilation
superlatively: (adv) perfectly,
preeminently, excellently,
matchlessly, extremely,
outstandingly, splendidly,
magnificently, consummately,
brilliantly, absolutely
supernatural: (adj) mystical,
preternatural, weird, superhuman,
eerie, uncanny, unnatural,
mysterious, ghostly, divine; (n)
occult. ANTONYM: (adj) normal
superseded: (adj) outmoded, archaic,
extinct, obsolete, out of date,
outdated
superstition: (n) superstitious, taboo,
religion, old wives' tale,
superstitious notion, lore, folklore,
fanaticism, fallacy, belief, magic.
ANTONYMS: (n) science, truth
superstitious: (adj) superstition, false,
groundless, eerie, irrational,
fallacious
supplying: (n) supply, issue, feeding,
logistics, issuing, issuance,
irrigation, alimentation, purveyance;
(v) furnish, provide
supposable: (adj) thinkable,
presumable, imaginable, likely,
surmisable, presumptive; (v)
academic, conjectural, speculative,
hypothetical, theoretical
supposes: (adj) ridiculous, regulation,
project, preposterous, plainly,
suggestion, notions, irrational,
absurd, fatuity, foolish
supposing: (adv) admitting,
conditionally, in case; (n)
supposition, conjecture, thought,
theory, assumption; (conj) although,
what if; (v) suppose
supposition: (n, v) conjecture; (n)
assumption, hypothesis,
presumption, premise, speculation,
surmise, guess, supposal, thought,
imagination. ANTONYMS: (n) fact,
knowledge, proof, reality, practice
surf: (n) foam, breaker, spray, wave,
surge, swell, suds, bubble; (v)
browse, beach comber, ground swell
surmise: (n, v) guess; (v) suppose,
suspect, presume, imagine, divine,
doubt; (n) hypothesis, supposition,
speculation, assumption.
ANTONYMS: (n) knowledge,
measurement
surmounted: (adj) beaten
surpassing: (adj) excellent, superior,
transcendent, exceptional,
prodigious, fine, outstanding,
extraordinary; (v) surpass; (adv)
surpassingly; (prep) above
surpassingly: (adv) surpassing,
extremely, surpass, excellently,
superiorly, transcendently, greatly,
extraordinarily, eminently, finely,
preeminently
surround: (v) gird, round, skirt,
border, besiege, beset, envelop; (n,
v) circle, inclose, ring, compass.
ANTONYMS: (v) release, free
surtout: (n) spencer
susceptibility: (n) sensitivity,
liability, impressibility, inclination,
capability, sensibility,
susceptibleness, receptivity,
responsiveness, proclivity,
tendency. ANTONYMS: (n)
resistance, insensitivity
susceptible: (adj) impressionable,
receptive, sensitive, subject, liable,
delicate, susceptive, vulnerable,
pliable, irritable, open.
ANTONYMS: (adj) resistant,
impervious, resisting, safe,
invulnerable, indifferent, smart
suspenders: (n) brace, pair, bitstock,
harness, couple
suspicions: (adj) entertain doubts,
have doubts; (n) doubts, misgivings,
reservations, qualms, worries, fears,
uncertainties
suspiciously: (adj, adv) doubtfully,
skeptically, hesitantly,
unbelievingly; (adv) mistrustfully,
warily, uncertainly, shadily,
dubiously, watchfully,
questioningly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
carelessly, gullibly, thoughtlessly,
certainly, confidently
sustaining: (adj) underneath,
alimentary, at the bottom of,
comforting, filling, fundamental,
healthy, profitable, rich; (n)
continuation, maintenance
sustenance: (n) living, food,
maintenance, subsistence, fare,
sustentation, provisions,
nourishment, nutriment, aliment,
livelihood. ANTONYM: (n) extras
swarming: (adj) full, crowded, alive,
packed, populous, sensitive, thick;
(v) dense, crowded to suffocation,
serried, closely packed.
ANTONYMS: (adj) clear, deserted
swarthiness: (n) darkness, skin
colour, swarthness, skin color,
shadow, iniquity, dimness, dark,
complexion, complection
swarthy: (adj) dusky, black, swart,
sable, somber, dun, tawny, coloured,
colored, atramentous; (n) brunette.
ANTONYMS: (adj) fair, light
swaying: (adj) swinging, convincing,

oscillating, influential, persuasive,
moving, lilting, groggy; (n) floating,
manipulation
swede: (n) kohlrabi, Swedish turnip,
rutabaga plant, turnip, mangold,
yellow turnip, turnip cabbage
sweeping: (adj) broad, extensive,
radical, wholesale, indiscriminate,
exhaustive, blanket, thorough,
general, wide; (adv) sweepingly.
ANTONYMS: (adj) narrow,
restricted, exclusive, specific,
modest, isolated
sweeps: (n) sweep period
swell: (n, v) rise, heave, increase,
wave, billow; (v) enlarge, expand,
puff, grow, bloat; (adj, n) dandy.
ANTONYMS: (v) deflate, desiccate,
shrink, compress, concentrate, wane;
(n, v) decline; (adj) bad, horrible,
shabby, awful
swelling: (n) protuberance, lump,
swell, intumescence, growth,
projection, prominence, bulge,
dropsy; (adj, v) inflated; (adj)
growing. ANTONYM: (n) decline
sweltering: (adj) hot, close, sticky,
stifling, muggy, sultry, scorching,
humid, broiling, baking, oppressive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) fresh, cool, cold
swerving: (n) veering
swimmingly: (adj, adv) readily; (adj)
in triumph, well flying colors; (adv)
easily, successfully, prosperously,
waterily, favorably, fortunately,
happily, natantly. ANTONYM:
(adv) lousy
swinging: (adj) swaying, excessive,
lilting, inordinate, hanging,
exorbitant, pendulous, outrageous,
preposterous, extravagant; (n)
slewing
swollen: (adj, v) inflated, distended;
(adj) bombastic, puffy, turgid,
puffed, high, egotistic, bulging; (v)
blown; (adj, prep) pompous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) contracted,
shrunken
syllabification: (n) division
syllable: (n) antepenultimate,
antepenult, penultima, penultimate,
articulate, utter, linguistic unit, solfa
syllable, speech sound, syllabe,
language unit
symmetry: (n) proportion, order,
regularity, correspondence,
equilibrium, harmony, consistency,
coextension, bilaterality, parity,
symmetricalness. ANTONYMS: (n)
irregularity, disproportion,
unevenness, imbalance
sympathize: (v) pity, understand,
Edgar Allan Poe
condole, compassionate, feel,
sympathise, identify with,
empathize, have compassion, feel
sorry for, feel for. ANTONYMS: (v)
disapprove, disregard
syphon: (v) siphon off; (n) tubing
syria: (n) Syrian Arab Republic,
Aramean
tabular: (adj) flat, systematic, discoid
tacitly: (adv) unspokenly, implicitly,
impliedly, wordlessly, stilly,
voicelessly, assumedly,
unexpressedly
tact: (n) diplomacy, delicacy, finesse,
address, discretion, skill,
consideration, refinement, grace,
thoughtfulness, tactfulness.
ANTONYMS: (n) frankness,
carelessness, thoughtlessness,
insensitivity, clumsiness
taffrail: (n) railing
tailor: (v) sew, fashion, shape,
accommodate, design, cut, adjust,
fit; (n) snip, dressmaker, sartor
taint: (n, v) blemish, disgrace,
corrupt, spot, blot; (adj, v) defile,
sully, pollute, contaminate; (n)
pollution, contamination.
ANTONYMS: (v) enhance, right,
respect, disinfect, clean; (n)
perfection, cleanliness; (adv)
cheerfully
talents: (adj) talent, ability, capacity,
parts, ingenuity, cleverness, turn; (n)
faculty, endowment, genius,
accomplishment
tally: (n, v) count, check, score, sum;
(v) agree, number, suit, fit, match,
accord, jibe. ANTONYMS: (v)
disagree, conflict, differ
talons: (v) claws, tenaculum, unguis,
tentacle, teeth; (n) clutches
tamerlane: (n) Timur, Timur Lenk
tapering: (adj) narrow, narrowing,
pointed, angustation, coarctation,
conical, dwindling, constricting,
constrictive, decreasing; (n)
crowning
tapestry: (n) arras, tapis, textile,
embroidery, hanging, carpet, cloth,
complexness, fabric, material,
mending
tarantula: (n) European wolf spider,
spider, tarentula, hunting spider
tardy: (adj, adv, v) late; (adj, v) slow,
remiss; (adj, adv) backward,
dilatory, behindhand; (adj) belated,
slack, overdue, delayed, sluggish.
ANTONYMS: (adj) early, punctual,
premature, speedy
tassel: (n) posy, nosegay, bouquet,
chaplet, garland, flower, fringe, tuft,
321
adornment, sword knot; (v) Tas.
tattered: (adj) shabby, ragged,
scruffy, dilapidated, threadbare,
frayed, seedy, worn out, torn,
shattered; (adj, v) bedraggled.
ANTONYMS: (adj) elegant, smart,
new
tavern: (n) hotel, saloon, bar, inn,
pub, public house, pothouse,
taphouse, cabaret, khan, hostelry
tawny: (n) tan, buff; (adj, n) brown,
auburn; (adj) luteous, golden,
sallow, russet, chestnut, creamy,
moderately black
teak: (n) Tectona grandis, wood; (adj)
ebony
tearing: (adj) fierce, violent,
vehement, furious, ripping,
ferocious; (n) lachrymation,
lacrimation, riving ahead, tear,
lancination
teens: (n) minority, tender age,
teenage years, childhood, large
integer, puberty, youth, boyhood,
adolescence, bloom
telescope: (n) scope, collimator,
setting, tube, reach, range, pipe,
perspicil, oscilloscope; (v) shrivel,
reduce in size. ANTONYM: (v)
grow
temperament: (n) character, nature,
disposition, constitution,
personality, quality, spirit, humor,
equanimity, composure, mettle
tempest: (adj, n) storm, gust; (n) gale,
hurricane, squall, disturbance,
cyclone, typhoon, agitation, tornado,
blizzard. ANTONYM: (n) serenity
temples: (n) brow
tempt: (adj, v) attract, allure; (v)
entice, decoy, charm, inveigle,
invite, coax, seduce, fascinate,
attempt. ANTONYMS: (v)
discourage, appall, repel
tenacity: (n) persistence,
determination, resolution,
doggedness, resolve, pertinacity,
strength, persistency, fortitude,
firmness; (adj) obstinacy.
ANTONYMS: (n) indifference,
slackness, weakness, cowardice,
flexibility, indecision
tenanted: (adj) occupied, engaged,
having tenants, resided in
tenderness: (n) fondness, soreness,
love, affection, sympathy; (adj, n)
clemency, mildness, compassion,
gentleness, softness, delicacy.
ANTONYMS: (n) pleasure, dryness,
hatred, strength, detachment
tending: (n) care, hairdressing, aid,
treatment, attention, babysitting,
 322
incubation; (adj) apt, conducive,
prone, disposed
tenement: (n) dwelling, apartment,
flat, apartment building, habitation,
abode, stateroom, tablinum,
residence, toft, domicile
tenor: (n) purport, meaning,
substance, tendency, spirit, tone,
mood, effect, set, temper; (adj)
soprano
terminated: (adj) complete, all over,
over, extinct, accomplished, closed,
highly skilled; (adj, adv) ended,
finished, done; (adv) completed
terminating: (adj) final, ending,
conclusive, dying, determining,
terminative, last, expiring, decisive,
expiring groans; (n) termination
termination: (n) close, end,
conclusion, result, dissolution,
cessation, expiration, finale, finish,
completion, issue. ANTONYMS: (n)
beginning, preservation, initiation,
inauguration, creation
terra: (n) mother Earth, terra firma
terrific: (adj) tremendous, fantastic,
great, wonderful, dreadful,
formidable, splendid, brilliant,
marvellous; (adj, v) terrible,
shocking. ANTONYMS: (adj) tiny,
abysmal, bad, calm, moderate,
nasty, dreadful, insignificant,
ordinary, unremarkable
terrified: (adj) afraid, frightened,
fearful, panicky, panicked, aghast,
timid, timorous, apprehensive,
startled, alarmed. ANTONYMS:
(adj) fearless, brave
terror-stricken: (adj) afraid, scared
testimony: (n, v) attestation, witness;
(n) declaration, proof, evidence,
testimonial, confirmation, statement,
affidavit, affirmation, profession
thence: (adv) therefore, thus,
therefrom, thereof, consequently,
then, so, thereafter, thenceforth,
since, on account of
thenceforward: (adv) thereafter
therefrom: (adv) therefore, thereof,
hence; (adj) redundance, strictly,
exact, expected, likeness,
deportment, coincidence, accurate
therein: (adv) in this, in there
thereunto: (adv) thereto
thereupon: (adv) hereupon, next,
then, immediately, therefore,
therewith, in the sequel, close upon,
upon which, whereupon,
accordingly
therewith: (adv) herewith, moreover,
therewithal, forthwith, with that,
besides, wherewith
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
thicket: (n) brake, coppice, brush,
grove, spinney, bush, brushwood,
cluster, underbrush, undergrowth,
underwood
thickly: (adv) deeply, heavily, thick,
viscously, thicksetly, solidly, dully,
dumbly, compactly, closely,
turbidly. ANTONYMS: (adv) thinly,
finely, slightly, sparsely, loosely,
distinctly
thickness: (n) density, width,
consistency, layer, consistence,
heaviness, concentration, bulk,
breadth, compactness, substance.
ANTONYMS: (n) slenderness,
smoothness, length, clearness
thief: (n) burglar, bandit, pirate,
plunderer, filcher, stealer,
pickpocket, pilferer, crook, brigand,
despoiler
thinly: (adv) flimsily, slightly, slimly,
slenderly, weakly, diaphanously,
rarely, leanly, finely, tenuously; (adj)
thin. ANTONYMS: (adv) densely,
thickly, loudly, liberally
thinner: (n) dilutant, solvent, reducer,
rarefied, phenylic acid, phenol,
propanone, perchloromethane,
resolvent, oxybenzene,
methylbenzene
thirdly: (adv) third, tertiarily, in the
third place, thrice
thirds: (n) Falcidian law
thirst: (n, v) hunger, lust, wish; (n)
longing, yen, craving, hankering,
dryness, appetite; (v) starve, crave.
ANTONYM: (n) dislike
thither: (adv) hither, whither, on that
point, in that respect, at that place,
in that location; (adj) further,
ulterior, remoter, succeeding, more
distant
thorn: (n) barb, prickle, bramble,
spike, point, brier, pricker, needle,
sticker, fang; (adj, n) sting
thoroughfare: (n) road, street,
highway, avenue, passage, way,
route, path, boulevard, track,
roadway
thou: (n) chiliad, grand, m, g, one
thousand, gramme, gram, gm,
gigabyte, Gb, curtilage
thoughtfully: (adv) considerately,
carefully, kindly, reflectively,
meditatively, attentively, solemnly,
contemplatively, seriously,
prudently, cautiously. ANTONYMS:
(adv) unsympathetically,
unthinkingly, carelessly,
contentedly, rashly, inconsiderately,
selfishly, meanly, insensitively,
tactlessly, cruelly
thoughtless: (adj, v) careless,
heedless, rash, improvident; (adj)
reckless, inattentive, hasty,
unthinking, negligent, neglectful,
imprudent. ANTONYMS: (adj)
considerate, considered, heedful,
prudent, kind, cautious, mindful,
responsible, attentive, observant,
sensible
threads: (n) duds, clothing, apparel,
clothes, wear, vesture, coat, cords,
dress, garb, garment
thrilling: (adj, n) electric; (adj)
exciting, sensational, exhilarating,
electrifying, emotional, rousing,
gripping, stimulating; (adj, v)
impressive; (n, v) swelling.
ANTONYMS: (adj) boring,
depressing, discouraging, upsetting,
uninspiring
thrillingly: (adv) electrically,
impressively, stirringly,
stimulatingly, sensationally,
grippingly, electrifyingly,
breathtakingly, excitingly,
emotionally, movingly
throng: (n, v) swarm, herd, mob,
flock, press; (n) multitude, host,
horde, mass, assembly, concourse.
ANTONYMS: (n) trickle, few; (v)
disperse
thronged: (adj) throng, busy,
populous, brisk, teeming, swarming,
sprightly, sensitive, replete,
overflowing; (n) persistent
throttling: (n) strangulation, choking,
suffocation, constriction,
asphyxiation
thrusting: (n) thrust, push, jab, poke,
jabbing, stab, driving force, scoke,
sack, punch, Phytolacca Americana
thundering: (adj) thumping,
whopping, lumpish, gaunt, hulky,
lubberly, spanking, big, loud,
striking terror; (n) thunder
thunderstruck: (adj) astonished,
flabbergasted, dumbfounded,
amazed, stupefied, stunned,
speechless, dumfounded, aghast,
dazed; (v) awestruck
tibia: (n) shin, shin bone, leg bone
tidings: (n) intelligence, information,
message, report, word, advice,
communication, dispute, wind,
statement, tiding
tiger: (adj) fury, dragon, demon; (n)
hostler, cat, jockey, ostler, big cat,
endangered, Alecto, monster
tightened: (adj) secure, securer, firm
tightening: (n) clamping, thinning,
tapering, alteration, modification,
narrowing, reduction, adjustment.

ANTONYM: (n) expansion
tightness: (n) tautness, stringency,
constriction, tension, firmness,
deficiency, strictness, stinginess,
pettiness, parsimony,
tightfistedness. ANTONYMS: (n)
bagginess, relaxation, width
tilt: (n, v) slant, slope, lean, list, rock,
careen, sway; (v) pitch, tip, cant,
lurch. ANTONYMS: (n, v)
surrender; (n) agreement; (v) yield
time-honored: (adj) traditional,
classic, glorious, old, accepted,
immemorial, regular, proverbial
timid: (adj) shy, afraid, diffident, coy,
bashful, nervous, frightened,
apprehensive, modest; (adj, adv)
cowardly; (adj, n) cautious.
ANTONYMS: (adj, n) brave; (adj)
confident, bold, fearless, resolute,
forward, daring, brazen, extrovert,
brash, talkative
tincture: (n, v) dye, tint, taste; (n)
shade, color, hue, tinct; (adj, n, v)
smack, dash; (adj) spice; (v)
impregnate
tink: (v) clink, check, tinkle, sound,
go
tinkling: (adj) clinking, tinkly,
tintinnabulary, reverberant; (n) ting
tinned: (adj) canned
tint: (n, v) color, tinge, hue, stain,
dye, tinct; (n) shade, tincture, tone,
cast; (v) paint. ANTONYMS: (n)
white, pallor; (v) whiten, pale
tipped: (adj) canted, tilted, leaning,
atilt, oblique, inclined, sharp,
sloping, having Angles
tippling: (n) potting
tiptoe: (v) tip, tippytoe, creep, patter,
skirt, skip, tilt, sidle, lean; (adj) alert;
(n) quieter. ANTONYM: (v) clump
tirade: (n) diatribe, invective, sermon,
speech, recitation, Philippic, oration,
delivery, broadside, lecture, say.
ANTONYMS: (n) calm, harmony,
praise
tireless: (adj) diligent, untiring,
energetic, industrious, unflagging,
unwearying, busy, hardworking,
steadfast, active, resolute.
ANTONYMS: (adj) fickle, lazy
tobacconist: (n) store, shop,
tobacconist shop
toil: (n, v) labor, work, drudge,
sweat, drudgery, grind, labour,
travail; (v) plod; (n) effort, exertion.
ANTONYMS: (n) pastime,
entertainment, fun, relaxation; (v)
laze, neglect
toilsome: (adj) arduous, hard,
difficult, strenuous, backbreaking,
Edgar Allan Poe
severe, heavy, painful, tough,
grueling; (adj, v) wearisome
token: (n) memento, souvenir, note,
keepsake, sign, relic, stamp, signal,
indication; (adj) nominal; (n, v)
trace. ANTONYM: (adj) great
tokens: (n) decorations,
discriminating marks, indications,
indicia, insignia, signs, appearances,
badges
tolerable: (adj) passable, mediocre,
bearable, fair, middling, reasonable,
adequate, respectable, endurable,
sufferable; (adj, v) satisfactory.
ANTONYMS: (adj) intolerable,
exceptional, unbearable,
unsatisfactory, bad, inadequate,
appalling, inadmissible
tolerably: (adv) well enough,
passably, acceptably, reasonably,
enough, moderately, to a tolerable
degree, pretty, to an adequate
degree; (adj, adv) somewhat; (adj)
pretty well. ANTONYMS: (adv)
unbearably, intolerably,
unacceptably, unreasonably,
insufficiently, inadequately
tomb: (n) sepulchre, sepulcher, crypt,
pit, sepulture, vault, monument,
entomb, mausoleum; (n, v) bury; (v)
inter
toothpick: (n) strip, pick, picktooth
topaz: (adj) crocus, saffron; (n)
common topaz, tan, false topaz,
sunburn, burn, light brown, quartz,
tangent, suntan
topsy-turvy: (adj) confused, upside-
down, deranged, disorderly, chaotic,
upside down, inverted; (adj, adv)
upended, inside-out, jumbled; (adv)
helter-skelter
tore: (v) tare; (n) moulding, molding
tormented: (adj) worried, tortured,
hagridden, troubled, beleaguered,
beset, besieged, cruciate, cruciform,
distraught, distressed. ANTONYM:
(adj) calm
tornado: (n) storm, hurricane, gale,
cyclone, squall, whirlwind, twister,
typhoon, waterspout, windstorm,
crack
tortured: (adj) anguished, suffering,
agonized, excruciate, excruciated,
gnarled, hagridden, miserable,
woeful, hurt
toss: (n, v) throw, fling, pitch, chuck,
cast, flip; (v) agitate, hurl, shake,
convulse, discard. ANTONYM: (v)
catch
tote: (v) carry, total, transport, tug,
haul, bear, convey, transfer; (n)
carryall, bag, holdall
323
tottering: (adj) unsteady, ramshackle,
easily shaken, tottery, sick, rocky,
broken, trembling, cracked; (v)
drooping; (n) convulsion
tourniquet: (n) tompion, stuffing,
stopping, padding, dossil,
compression bandage, wadding,
bandage
towering: (adj) lofty, tall, eminent,
great, soaring, mighty, elevated,
monumental, exalted, imposing,
distinguished. ANTONYMS: (adj)
short, dwarfed, little, low
tracing: (n) trace, copy, design,
model, chase, drafting, action of
tracing, blueprint, cast,
draftsmanship, ghost
tract: (n) region, area, expanse, essay,
pamphlet, section, extent, district,
dissertation, plot, lot
trailing: (n) tracking, drift, pursuit,
streaminess, hunt, heeling; (adj)
following, rambling, sprawling,
prone, procumbent
trampled: (adj) crushed, damaged,
flattened, compressed, packed down
tranquil: (adj, v) quiet, unruffled,
smooth; (adj, n) peaceful; (adj)
placid, still, serene, sedate, collected,
composed, equable. ANTONYMS:
(adj) noisy, tense, agitated, anxious,
troubled, bustling, loud, perturbed,
frenetic, moving, bothered
tranquilly: (adv) serenely, calmly,
peacefully, quietly, stilly,
undisturbedly, untroubledly,
restfully, placidly, coolly,
unperturbedly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
anxiously, noisily
transact: (v) perform, execute, do,
manage, conduct, deal, bargain,
negotiate, enact, sell, bank.
ANTONYM: (v) deny
transcribed: (adj) written, tinned
translating: (n) communication,
movement
transmitting: (n) transmission,
telephotography, posting, mailing,
forwarding, transmittance,
transmission system, contagion,
sending, infection
transparent: (adj) diaphanous,
obvious, plain, limpid, sheer, filmy,
gauzy, pellucid; (adj, n) lucid,
luminous, bright. ANTONYMS:
(adj) solid, unclear, cloudy, thick,
vague, subtle, questionable, hidden,
robust, heavy, furtive
transposed: (adj) inverse, reversed,
hyperbatic, inverted, backward
traversing: (n) traverse,
perambulation, crossing; (adj)
 324
moving
treasure: (n) gem, fortune, riches,
funds; (n, v) hoard, prize, store; (v)
cherish, appreciate; (adj, n) jewel,
precious stone. ANTONYMS: (v)
dislike, disparage, scorn, neglect; (n)
dud, poverty
treatise: (n) tract, thesis, essay,
discourse, paper, article,
monograph, piece, pamphlet,
review, book
treble: (adj) threefold, ternary,
triplex, thribble, double, dual, high,
voce di testa, shrill; (adj, v) triple; (v)
sing
trellis: (n) lattice, grille, espalier,
treillage, train, grate, net, network,
grill; (v) plait, wattle
trembles: (n) animal disease,
nervousness
trembling: (adj, n) shaking; (adj, n, v)
tremor; (adj) shaky, quaking,
shivering, flutter; (n) palpitation,
quiver, vibration, shiver, quake.
ANTONYMS: (adj) stable, steady
tremulous: (adj) shaky, trembling,
shaking, fearful, apprehensive,
quavering, fidgety, shivering; (n)
nervous, diffident, coy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) stable, confident,
steady
trepidation: (n) fear, tremor, alarm,
apprehension, fright, terror, dread,
dismay, consternation, perturbation,
disquiet. ANTONYMS: (n)
contentment, calm, confidence,
equanimity, bravery, reassurance
tresses: (n) locks, mop, head of hair
tribe: (n) clan, house, race, kin,
nation, people, kindred, folk, stock,
lineage, breed
tricks: (n) actions, behavior, thing,
clowning around, fooling, magic,
plunder, possession, activities
trifle: (n, v) play; (adj, n, v) trinket;
(v) dally, fiddle, flirt, fool, frivol; (n)
nothing, triviality, detail; (adj, n)
bagatelle
trifles: (n) jests, nonsense, nugae,
trivia
trifling: (adj) paltry, slight, petty,
negligible, immaterial, worthless,
trivial, minor, small; (adj, v)
inconsequential; (adj, n) frivolity.
ANTONYMS: (adj) significant,
worthwhile, major, considerable,
crucial, enormous, great, mature,
profound, substantial; (n)
importance
trinkets: (n) finery, jewels
triumphant: (adj) victorious,
successful, triumphal, exulting,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
winning, joyful, rejoicing, elated,
conquering, prideful; (adj, v)
exultant. ANTONYMS: (adj)
disappointed, failing, losing,
defeated, miserable, sorrowful
triumphantly: (adv) exultantly,
winningly, jubilantly, elatedly,
proudly, successfully, triumphally,
conqueringly, gleefully, delightedly,
gloriously
trivial: (adj) trifling, frivolous, little,
small, commonplace, superficial,
petty, paltry, inconsiderable,
piddling, slight. ANTONYMS: (adj)
important, vital, major, urgent,
profound, crucial, consequential,
considerable, enormous, mature,
serious
trodden: (adj) trampled, damaged,
beaten, compressed, packed down.
ANTONYM: (adj) loose
troop: (n) group, corps, gang, crowd,
band, brigade, crew, herd, swarm,
horde; (n, v) flock
tropics: (n) climatic zone, Torrid
Zone
troublesome: (adj) difficult, hard,
arduous, bothersome, inconvenient,
onerous, awkward, annoying,
laborious, tough, heavy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) nice, helpful,
useful, advantageous, convenient,
uncomplicated, delightful
troubling: (adj) worrying,
disquieting, distressing, distressful,
disconcerting, alarming, perturbing,
bad, annoying, sad, worrisome.
ANTONYM: (adj) reassuring
trump: (n) trump card, brick; (adj)
truepenny, quell, silence, stalemate,
checkmate, nonplus; (v)
outmaneuver, crossruff, scoop
trunk: (n) stem, boot, torso, bole,
body, stalk, snout, proboscis, stock,
tree trunk, box
trunks: (n) short pants, pants,
luggage, Jockey shorts, Jamaica
shorts, Bermuda shorts, bathing
trunks, bathing suit, costume,
drawers, swimming trunks
trustful: (adj) confiding,
unsuspicious, credulous, gullible,
trusty, trustworthy, unsuspecting;
(n) trust, private conversation, bold,
belief
trusting: (adj) credulous,
unsuspecting, naive, confident,
confiding, simple, innocent, gullible,
reliant, give, easy to fool.
ANTONYMS: (adj) distrustful,
suspicious, doubtful, hesitant,
protective, shrewd, disingenuous,
smart, jaded
trusty: (adj) trustworthy, honest,
faithful, dependable, responsible,
constant, loyal, true, authentic, solid,
sure. ANTONYMS: (adj)
untrustworthy, inconstant, corrupt,
disloyal
truthfully: (adv) exactly, truly,
forthrightly, honestly, veraciously,
truely, accurately, openly, frankly,
faithfully, candidly. ANTONYMS:
(adv) untruthfully, mendaciously,
deceitfully, guardedly, inaccurately,
insincerely, unfairly, dishonestly,
ambiguously
tuft: (n) wisp, crest, cluster, truss,
knot, fagot, tassel, strand, thicket,
curl; (adj, n) feather
tumble: (n, v) drop, jumble, stumble,
plunge, slip, spill, downfall; (v)
crumble, collapse, topple, confuse
tumbled: (adj) disordered
tumbling: (adj) falling, billowing,
dropping, rolled; (adj, adv)
plunging; (n) gymnastics, acrobatics,
stunting, stunt flying, rumbling;
(adv) headfirst
tumult: (adj, n, v) hubbub,
disturbance; (n) stir, commotion,
bustle, din, fuss, excitement; (n, v)
clamor, disorder, brawl.
ANTONYMS: (n) peace, push,
serenity, order, calm
tumultuous: (adj, n) boisterous,
tempestuous; (adj) disorderly,
riotous, turbulent, noisy, furious,
loud, troubled, disturbed; (adj, v)
tumultuary. ANTONYMS: (adj)
peaceful, calm
turgid: (adj) bombastic, tumid,
inflated, puffy, declamatory, large,
tumescent, orotund; (adj, prep, v)
bloated, swollen; (v) dropsical.
ANTONYMS: (adj) readable,
concise, lively, modest
turret: (adj) steeple, spire, campanile,
obelisk, pillar, monument, minaret,
column; (n) gun turret, gun
enclosure, garret
twilight: (n) nightfall, night, sunset,
gloaming, evening, sundown,
eventide, fall, decline, evenfall; (adj)
aurora. ANTONYMS: (n) daybreak,
sunrise
twine: (n, v) coil; (n) string, rope,
cord; (v) lace, entwine, enlace,
meander, weave, intertwine, twist.
ANTONYMS: (v) untwine,
straighten, unwind
twisting: (adj) tortuous, winding,
sinuous, crooked, zigzag,
meandering; (n) distortion, turn,

spin, torsion, overrefinement
tying: (n) ligation, bundling,
attachment, knotting, lacing; (adj)
binding; (v) restrict
ugliness: (n) eyesore, offensiveness,
hideousness, garishness, gaudiness,
grotesqueness, grotesquery,
repulsiveness, homeliness,
unsightliness; (adj, n)
unpleasantness. ANTONYMS: (n)
beauty, attractiveness, pleasantness
umbilicus: (n) navel, bellybutton,
omphalos, omphalus, point, pith,
marrow, backbone, navel point
umbrageous: (adj) shadowy,
umbrage, umbratious, indignant,
outraged, shadowed, incensed,
touchy, testy, umbriferous, suspect
unabated: (adj) unreduced,
unrestricted, unmitigated,
unflagging, relentless, intense,
unrelenting
unaccountable: (adj)
incomprehensible, inexplicable,
strange, unintelligible,
unexplainable, mysterious,
impenetrable, undiscoverable,
undecipherable, unknowable,
unnatural. ANTONYMS: (adj)
accountable, explainable,
responsible, explicable
unaccountably: (adv) mysteriously,
especially, curiously, bizarrely
unaffected: (adj) sincere, artless,
natural, plain, real, genuine,
unimpressed, ingenuous, naive,
untouched, honest. ANTONYMS:
(adj) unnatural, sophisticated,
refined, pretentious, moved, hurt,
disturbed, changed, vulnerable,
dishonest, emotional
unaltered: (adj) unalterable,
unmoved, same, unaffected.
ANTONYM: (adj) affected
unamiable: (adj) uncharitable,
unfeeling, vinegary, sour,
disobliging, resembling vinegar,
morose
unanimity: (n) accord, concord,
harmony, agreement, unity,
consensus, union, unison, vox
populi, concert, acclamation.
ANTONYM: (n) disarray
unanimous: (adj) consentaneous,
harmonious, consentient, strong,
firm, of one mind, concordant,
accordant, compact, collective,
cubic. ANTONYMS: (adj) narrow,
individual
unanimously: (adv) harmoniously, in
chorus, consentiently, collectively,
nemine contradicente, nem con,
Edgar Allan Poe
solidly, commonly, generally,
completely, accordantly
unanticipated: (adj) unforeseen,
sudden, surprising, amazing,
startling, shocking, serendipitous;
(adj, adv) out of the blue; (v)
unhoped for, unlooked for; (adj, v)
unpredicted
unarmed: (adj) naked, unprotected,
open, simple, destitute, bare; (v)
weaponless, harmless, unfortified,
vincible, untenable
unattainable: (adj) impossible,
inaccessible, impracticable,
impractical, unapproachable,
unobtainable, out of print, not
possible, unassailable, unavailable,
unbeatable. ANTONYMS: (adj)
vulnerable, accessible, possible,
attainable, feasible
unavailing: (adj) fruitless, bootless,
useless, ineffectual, inefficacious,
otiose, inutile, ineffective, idle, vain,
pointless
unavoidable: (adj) necessary,
inescapable, ineluctable, irresistible,
obligatory, certain, indispensable,
essential, sure, required, avoidless.
ANTONYMS: (adj) escapable,
unpredictable, optional, unlikely,
uncertain
unbecoming: (adj) indecorous,
unseemly, inappropriate, indecent,
indelicate, untoward, unworthy,
unsuitable, shameful, unbefitting,
incongruous. ANTONYMS: (adj)
dignified, becoming, fitting, proper,
seemly, correct, decent, suitable
unbounded: (adj) immeasurable,
limitless, endless, infinite, immense,
measureless, unlimited, vast,
illimitable, unmeasured, absolute
unbroken: (adj) continuous, entire,
complete, continual, constant, intact,
incessant, endless, whole,
undivided, solid. ANTONYMS:
(adj) intermittent, temporary,
plowed, discontinuous, disturbed,
sporadic, partial
unchecked: (adj) unbridled,
uncontrolled, rampant, uncaught,
unbuttoned, uninhibited,
unconstrained, unprevented,
untrammeled, wild, unrestricted
uncomplainingly: (adv) tolerantly,
resignedly, enduringly,
acquiescently. ANTONYM: (adv)
complainingly
unconsciously: (adv) instinctively,
unintentionally, unthinkingly,
unwittingly, ignorantly, innocently,
comatosely, automatically,
325
obliviously, unsuspectingly,
inadvertently. ANTONYMS: (adv)
consciously, deliberately,
knowingly, purposely
uncovered: (adj) naked, open, bare,
nude, unclothed, bald, unreserved,
unprotected, evident, frank,
manifest. ANTONYMS: (adj) indoor,
concealed
undergo: (v) experience, encounter,
sustain, have, endure, bear, tolerate,
go through, take, feel, know.
ANTONYMS: (v) commit, do,
execute
undergrowth: (n) brush, brushwood,
underwood, groundcover, thicket,
scrub, copse, ground cover, coppice,
wood, grove
undertaker: (n) funeral director,
mortuary, embalmer, entrepreneur,
contractor, skilled worker, funeral
undertaker, mute, trained worker
undertakings: (n) actions, events,
happenings, accomplishments,
Comings and Goings, activities
undervalue: (v) underestimate,
underrate, devalue, belittle, lessen,
disparage, misjudge, decry, despise,
devaluate, diminish. ANTONYMS:
(v) overrate, appreciate,
overestimate, overvalue, recognize
underwent: (v) endure, tolerate
undeviating: (adj) straight,
unswerving, invariable, direct,
consistent, stable, unchanged,
unvarying; (adj, n) fixed, steady,
firm. ANTONYM: (adj) temporary
undiscovered: (v) solved,
undeveloped, unexplained,
untraced; (adj) unnoticed, remote,
unexplored, unheard-of, silly,
unacquainted with, foolish
undivided: (adj) complete, whole,
unbroken, total, single, integral,
continuous, united, full, exclusive,
solid. ANTONYMS: (adj) partial,
separate, broken, imperfect,
individual
undue: (adj) excessive, immoderate,
unreasonable, unwarranted,
inordinate, extravagant, exorbitant,
extreme, unfair, improper,
unjustified. ANTONYMS: (adj)
reasonable, due, appropriate,
sensible, justified, just, fair
uneasiness: (n) disquiet, discomfort,
inquietude, anxiety, unease, malaise,
disquietude, apprehension, unrest,
impatience; (n, v) agitation.
ANTONYMS: (n) peace, calm,
confidence
unenthusiastic: (adj) halfhearted,
 326
reluctant, unwilling, tepid, negative,
cool, indifferent, uninterested,
apathetic, cold, cynical.
ANTONYMS: (adj) enthusiastic,
keen, inclined, constructive,
wholehearted, warm, positive,
optimistic, helpful
unequal: (adj) different, unlike,
uneven, rough, lopsided, unfair,
inadequate, disparate,
disproportionate, unbalanced,
unsymmetrical. ANTONYMS: (adj)
equal, even, fair, identical, similar,
same, level, constant, balanced, like,
corresponding
unequivocal: (adj, v) clear, positive,
definite; (adj) decided, explicit,
unambiguous, categorical, plain,
definitive, unmistakable; (adj, n)
certain. ANTONYMS: (adj)
equivocal, indefinite, obscured,
vague, ambiguous, implicit,
uncertain
unequivocally: (adv) decidedly,
definitely, absolutely, positively,
exactly, clearly, plainly,
categorically, expressly, explicitly,
distinctly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
unclearly, vaguely, partially,
guardedly, implicitly
unerring: (adj) sure, certain, inerrant,
inerrable, accurate, exact, faithful,
perfect, unblemished, constant,
right. ANTONYMS: (adj) erring,
imperfect, mistaken, inaccurate,
faulty
uneven: (adj) unequal, irregular,
patchy, spotty, erratic,
disproportionate; (adj, n) jagged,
rugged, harsh, ragged; (adj, v)
broken. ANTONYMS: (adj) smooth,
straight, equal, symmetrical,
corresponding, balanced, constant,
stable, consistent, level, steady
unevenly: (adv) unequally, roughly,
raggedly, erratically, jaggedly,
unsteadily, harshly, bumpily,
disproportionately, patchily,
crookedly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
smoothly, consistently,
systematically, firmly, straight,
regularly
unexplored: (adj) unexplained,
unapprehended, unascertained,
undiscovered, unheard of; (v)
unexamined, uninvented,
unsearched, unstudied, unweighed,
unsifted
unfastened: (adj) open, movable,
loose, unbuttoned, overt, opened,
opened out, slack, undecided,
undetermined, assailable.
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
ANTONYMS: (adj) buttoned, fixed,
shut, tied
unfathomable: (adj)
incomprehensible, inexplicable,
inscrutable, unintelligible,
impenetrable, abysmal, deep,
immeasurable, unaccountable,
obscure, enigmatic. ANTONYMS:
(adj) fathomable, shallow,
explicable, explainable,
comprehensible, believable,
straightforward, understandable,
legible, clear
unfilled: (adj) empty, vacant, void,
vacuous, hollow, blank, not blown
up, unpopulated, untenanted,
unlived in, accessible. ANTONYMS:
(adj) occupied, solid, full
unfit: (adj) inappropriate, improper,
inapt, unbecoming, incompetent,
unable, incapable, unsuitable, bad;
(adj, v) incapacitate; (v) indispose.
ANTONYMS: (adj) appropriate,
suitable, ready, healthy, able, firm,
competent; (v) qualify
unfitted: (adj) wrong, bare,
unequipped, unable, repugnant,
insufficient, incompetent, empty,
unqualified, without any furniture
unforeseen: (adj, v) unexpected,
unanticipated, unlooked for; (adj)
sudden, accidental, contingent,
casual, surprising, chance,
incidental; (adj, adv) out of the blue.
ANTONYMS: (adj) predicted,
expected, direct
unfrequently: (adv) not much, not
often, unoften, rarely
unfruitful: (adj) sterile, infertile,
acarpous, unproductive, arid,
fruitless, effete, infecund, lean,
unfertile, inoperative. ANTONYMS:
(adj) fruitful, fertile
ungovernable: (adj) unruly,
uncontrollable, irrepressible,
intractable, licentious, violent, wild,
indocile, uncontrolled, turbulent;
(adj, v) headstrong
ungoverned: (adj) unchecked,
uncurbed, undisciplined,
uncontrolled, unmuzzled, unreined,
unshackled, rude, savage, native,
irregular
ungrateful: (adj) unmindful,
unthankful, unappreciative,
unnatural, ingrate, unpleasant,
distasteful, displeasing, unkind,
disagreeable, not kind.
ANTONYMS: (adj) grateful,
thankful, appreciative
unguided: (adj) aimless, misguided,
aimlessly drifting, directionless,
planless, rudderless, unled,
unprompted. ANTONYM: (adj)
guided
unheard: (adj) aspirated, atonic, deaf,
indistinct, involving surds,
nonvocal, radical, sharp, silent, surd,
irrational
unheard-of: (adj) extraordinary,
unknown, wonderful, unlikely,
unimaginable, uncanny, outlandish,
unaccountable, obscure, nameless,
inconceivable
unimagined: (adj) undreamed,
undreamt of, undreamt, undreamed
of, unexpected, incredible,
adventitious, unanticipated
unimpaired: (adj) unbroken, intact,
clean, sound, healthy, entire,
complete, undamaged, uninjured;
(v) unmarred, unsinged.
ANTONYM: (adj) impaired
uninjured: (adj) whole, unhurt,
intact, unharmed, unblemished,
sound, entire; (adj, n) unscathed;
(adj, v) unbroken; (n, v) unmarred;
(n) untainted. ANTONYMS: (adj)
hurt, injured
unintelligible: (adj) opaque,
inarticulate, unfathomable,
impenetrable, unaccountable,
ambiguous, not clear, obscure,
indistinct, inconceivable, secret.
ANTONYMS: (adj) understandable,
clear, comprehensible, intelligible,
obvious
uninterrupted: (adj) ceaseless,
continuous, continual, unbroken,
incessant, perpetual, constant,
unceasing, endless; (adj, adv)
straight, nonstop. ANTONYMS:
(adj) intermittent, temporary,
broken, alternate, noisy, sporadic;
(adv) indirectly
uninterruptedly: (adv) constantly,
ceaselessly, continually, endlessly,
unremittingly, unceasingly,
successively, consecutively,
continuedly, sustainedly, straightly
universally: (adv) commonly,
globally, ally, everywhere, totally,
Catholicly, cosmically, ubiquitously,
prevalently, regularly, usually.
ANTONYMS: (adv) narrowly,
locally
unjust: (adj) partial, injurious, wrong,
inequitable, unrighteous, wicked,
foul, wrongful, improper,
unmerited, unjustified.
ANTONYMS: (adj) just, equitable,
rightful, reasonable, good
unjustly: (adv) wrongly, wrongfully,
wickedly, iniquitously, inequitably,

undeservedly, illegally, foully,
injuriously, unrighteously,
unjustifiedly. ANTONYMS: (adv)
rightly, reasonably
unlocked: (adj) unbarred, unlatched,
unbolted, not closed, loose,
unsecured, ajar, wide open,
unguaranteed
unmanageable: (adj) unwieldy,
intractable, uncontrollable,
awkward, cumbersome, stubborn,
clumsy, bulky, recalcitrant,
ungovernable, obstinate.
ANTONYMS: (adj) manageable,
orderly, wieldy, amenable, biddable
unmerciful: (adj) pitiless,
remorseless, merciless, unpitying,
cruel, inclement, brutal, relentless,
inhuman, cutthroat, ferocious.
ANTONYMS: (adj) merciful,
generous, kind
unmitigated: (adj) absolute, total,
thorough, consummate, sheer,
unqualified, unconditional, regular,
perfect, entire, outright.
ANTONYMS: (adj) mixed,
imperfect, partial, rather
unmolested: (adj) undisturbed,
untroubled, unthreatened,
peaceable, tranquil, still, smooth,
safe, quiet; (v) unafflicted,
unplagued
unmuzzled: (adj) unchained,
unenslaved, unenthralled,
unfettered, ungoverned, unbridled,
unreined, unshackled, unsubject
unnatural: (adj) affected, artificial,
grotesque, supernatural, forced,
abnormal, eccentric, uncanny,
stilted, mannered, anomalous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) natural, normal,
real, unaffected, commonplace,
genuine, sincere
unnecessarily: (adv) uselessly,
redundantly, superfluously,
gratuitously, futilely, pointlessly,
unessentially, excessively, sparely,
wantonly, supererogatorily.
ANTONYM: (adv) inescapably
unnerved: (v) relaxed; (adj)
enervated, afraid, alarmed, anxious,
fearful, hysterical, scared, tense,
terrified, timid. ANTONYM: (adj)
confident
unnoticed: (v) unheeded, unthought
of, unregarded; (adj) disregarded,
unmarked, hidden, neglected,
ignored, obscure; (adj, v)
unremarked, unobserved.
ANTONYMS: (adj) evident, seen,
noticeable, noted, obvious
unobstructed: (adj) open,
Edgar Allan Poe
unconstrained, clear, unhindered,
unchecked, unimpeded, manifest,
uncaught, unconfined, unloaded,
free. ANTONYMS: (adj) obstructed,
unclear, restricted
unostentatious: (adj) unassuming,
unpretentious, unobtrusive, humble,
restrained, understated, simple,
homely, lowly, unpretending; (adj,
n) plain
unparalleled: (adj) unequaled,
unique, unmatched, incomparable,
matchless, unprecedented, peerless,
unexampled, inimitable, unequalled,
alone. ANTONYMS: (adj) ordinary,
inferior, surpassable, abysmal,
unremarkable, usual
unperceived: (v) unheeded,
unthought of, unregarded; (adj)
unremarked, unnoted, unobserved,
unmarked, unknown, stealthy, sly,
secret
unphilosophical: (adj) irrational,
undiscerning, unenlightened,
ungifted, unwise
unprepossessing: (adj) ugly,
uninviting, hideous, unpleasant,
unpresentable, unsightly
unquestionable: (adj)
incontrovertible, indisputable, sure,
incontestable, indubitable, certain,
unequivocal, irrefutable, undoubted,
definite; (v) unimpeachable.
ANTONYMS: (adj) dubious,
uncertain, doubtful, indefinite,
tenuous, provisional, debatable,
disputable
unquestionably: (adv) certainly,
definitely, indubitably, decidedly,
indisputably, positively, surely, of
course, assuredly, no doubt; (adj)
doubtless. ANTONYMS: (adv)
doubtfully, possibly, arguably
unquiet: (adj) restless, anxious,
nervous, turbulent, unsettled,
disturbed, fussy, tumultuous; (v)
movable, saltatory, shifting.
ANTONYM: (adj) quiet
unravel: (v) disentangle, solve, undo,
decipher, explain, resolve, ravel,
unpick, untangle, uncoil; (adj, v)
extricate. ANTONYMS: (v) fasten,
ravel, entangle, tangle
unreal: (adj) illusory, fantastic,
fanciful, imaginary, insubstantial,
artificial, fictitious, visionary,
untrue; (adj, v) ideal, fancied.
ANTONYMS: (adj) genuine, natural,
substantial, authentic, ordinary,
plausible
unreality: (n) irreality, cloud,
falseness, imagination,
327
immateriality, pointlessness,
uselessness, futility, emptiness,
nonexistence, hollowness.
ANTONYMS: (n) reality, value,
existence
unreasoning: (adj) irrational,
unintelligent, unintellectual,
thoughtless, unreasonable, partisan,
vacuous, unthinking, unreasoned
unrelieved: (adj) concentric,
undiminished, monotonous,
unceasing, constant, unremitting,
unrelenting, unending, tiresome,
straight; (v) worse. ANTONYM:
(adj) acute
unremitting: (adj) ceaseless,
perpetual, incessant, unceasing,
continual, unending, continuous,
uninterrupted, persistent, eternal;
(adj, v) unrelenting. ANTONYMS:
(adj) sporadic, temporary,
inconsistent, finite, broken, acute,
undemanding, gentle
unrewarded: (adj) unacknowledged,
unpaid, unsuccessful, unthanked
unruffled: (adj) still, tranquil,
composed, quiet, serene, cool,
peaceful, placid, collected, sedate;
(adj, v) undisturbed. ANTONYMS:
(adj) agitated, bothered, disturbed,
excitable, excited, fiery, frivolous,
perturbed, scatterbrained, anxious
unscrew: (n, v) open; (n) break open,
uncap, unstop; (v) rotate, screw,
turn, unfasten, unlock.
ANTONYMS: (v) attach, screw; (n)
seal
unseen: (adj, v) unknown; (adj)
invisible, concealed, hidden,
unobserved, secret, veiled, latent; (v)
unheeded, unperceived; (n) spiritual
world. ANTONYMS: (adj) seen,
visible, open, famous, noticeable
unsettled: (adj) changeable,
undecided, doubtful, uneasy,
outstanding, variable, unpaid,
unresolved; (adj, v) unfixed,
indefinite, undetermined.
ANTONYMS: (adj) confident,
definite, decided, well, sure, happy,
constant, conclusive, certain,
calmed, calm
unshackled: (adj) unenthralled,
unfettered, ungoverned,
unenslaved, loose, exempt, untied,
unbound, unreined, unmuzzled,
unlaced
unstable: (adj) changeable, insecure,
shaky, unsound, unsettled, fickle,
unpredictable, fluid, erratic,
irresolute; (adj, n) inconstant.
ANTONYMS: (adj) steady, constant,
 328
secure, placid, strong, reliable, firm,
calm, orderly, safe
unsteady: (adj) insecure, changeable,
dizzy, unbalanced, rickety,
unsettled, shaky, unsound,
precarious, uneven; (adj, n)
uncertain. ANTONYMS: (adj)
steady, stable, alert, firm, secure,
constant
untie: (v) disentangle, unfasten, free,
loosen, release, loose, disengage,
untangle, open, unlace, unbind.
ANTONYMS: (v) fasten, bind,
tighten, tie, entangle, enslave, close,
fetter
untied: (adj) unfastened, unchained,
unshackled, unlaced, unbound,
unfettered, free, unsewed, open,
unconnected, rambling.
ANTONYMS: (adj) tied, laced
untiring: (adj) indefatigable,
unflagging, persistent, assiduous,
industrious, persevering,
indomitable, diligent, hardworking,
patient, unfaltering. ANTONYMS:
(adj) irresolute, failing, weary
untouched: (adj) intact, unharmed,
unmoved, unscathed, virgin, whole,
unhurt, new, impervious,
imperturbable, impassive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) affected,
touched, refined, vulnerable, used,
spoiled, partial, injured, marred,
tainted, impure
untoward: (adj) unlucky,
unfortunate, inauspicious,
unbecoming, inopportune, indecent,
unfavorable, unseemly, improper,
clumsy, stubborn. ANTONYMS:
(adj) auspicious, suitable, lucky,
acceptable, happy, fortunate
untrue: (adj) erroneous, unfaithful,
disloyal, incorrect, sham, mistaken,
fallacious, treacherous, wrong,
faithless, inaccurate. ANTONYMS:
(adj) faithful, true, valid, factual,
honest, reliable, correct, truthful,
loyal, real
unused: (adj, v) unaccustomed; (adj)
idle, fresh, extra, uncommon,
unfamiliar, not used, surplus,
leftover, clean, inactive.
ANTONYMS: (adj) used,
knowledgeable, accustomed, busy,
active, working, main
unusualness: (n) unusuality,
uncommonness, peculiarity,
miracle, abnormality, eccentricity,
unfamiliarity
unutterable: (adj) indescribable,
unspeakable, inexpressible,
unpronounceable, indefinable,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
untellable, unnameable,
unapproachable, beyond
description, incommunicable,
terrible
unvarying: (adj) unchanging,
invariable, constant, steady,
uniform, invariant, changeless,
consistent, unvaried, unchanged,
equal. ANTONYMS: (adj) irregular,
multiform, varied, dynamic, erratic,
unequal
unwashed: (adj) dirty, grubby,
unclean, filthy, common, mean,
unstrained, unpurified; (v) unswept,
unscoured, unwiped. ANTONYM:
(adj) clean
unwearied: (adj) indefatigable,
untiring, tireless, untired,
indomitable, unflagging,
industrious, tolerant, persistent,
persevering, laborious. ANTONYM:
(adj) impatient
unwell: (adj) sick, ill, poorly, ailing,
sickly, unhealthy, seedy, bad,
diseased, frail; (adj, v) indisposed.
ANTONYMS: (adj) healthy, well, fit
unwieldy: (adj) clumsy, cumbersome,
unmanageable, heavy, bulky,
ponderous, gawky, massive,
ungainly, lumbering; (v) cumbrous.
ANTONYMS: (adj) convenient,
manageable, wieldy, compact,
handy, dainty, light
unwittingly: (adv) unintentionally,
unknowingly, unconsciously,
accidentally, ignorantly, innocently,
unawares, unawarely,
unsuspectingly, uninformedly,
obliviously. ANTONYMS: (adv)
mindfully, deliberately, knowingly
unworthy: (adj) undeserving, base,
disgraceful, ignoble, low,
contemptible, despicable, ugly,
unmerited, unseemly, shameful.
ANTONYMS: (adj) deserving,
valuable, honorable, estimable,
reputable
uplifted: (adj) high, raised, noble, not
inverted, not prone, proud,
undismayed, stately, lofty, sublime,
animated
uppermost: (adj) top, upmost, upper,
highest, chief, maximum, supreme,
greatest, major, outermost; (n) main.
ANTONYMS: (adj) bottom, lowest,
trivial, lower
upraise: (v) raise, elevate, lift, uplift,
rear, upheave, erect, resurrect, hoist,
boost, heighten
upraised: (adj) erect, elevated, high,
raised
upreared: (adj) elevated
uproar: (adj, n, v) hubbub,
disturbance, tumult; (n) din, noise,
turmoil, commotion, disorder,
confusion; (adj, n) row; (n, v) brawl.
ANTONYMS: (n) calm, peace,
serenity, order
uprooting: (n) cutting out, ablation,
deracination, extraction,
displacement, excision
upside: (n) crest, crown, poll, top
side, upper side, pate, round top,
acme, summit, superlative, teetotum
upturned: (adj) retrousse,
overturned, upside-down, broken,
disordered, disquieted, distressed,
disturbed, confused, topsy-turvy,
shapely
upward: (adv) upwards, upwardly,
aloft; (adj) overhead, rising, upper,
increasing, open, vertical, mounting,
upright. ANTONYMS: (adj)
descending, downward; (adv) down
urchin: (n) brat, imp, elf, ragamuffin,
pixy, rogue, bairn, scamp, fairy; (adj,
n) chit, dwarf
urging: (n) spur, encouragement,
prod, prodding, goad, advocacy,
spurring, goading, influence,
exhortation; (adj) driving
usefully: (adv) practically,
conveniently, handily, beneficially,
advantageously, effectively,
fruitfully, utilitarianly, gainfully,
cleverly, favorably. ANTONYMS:
(adv) awkwardly, unhelpfully,
inconveniently, clumsily
usefulness: (n) utility, service,
benefit, convenience, practicality,
avail, helpfulness, effectiveness,
efficacy, value; (adj, n) worth.
ANTONYMS: (n) inefficiency,
inutility, clumsiness, insignificance
usher: (v) lead, escort, accompany,
marshal, show, conduct, bring,
attend; (n) attendant, porter,
doorman
usurpation: (n) encroachment,
appropriation, seizure,
accroachment, gaining control, coup
d'etat, presumption; (adj, n)
violation; (adj) overpowering,
overwhelming; (v) deposition
utmost: (adj, n) maximum, extreme,
uttermost, furthermost, best,
highest; (adj, adv) farthest; (adj, v)
supreme; (adj) last, furthest; (adj, n,
v) greatest. ANTONYMS: (adj)
moderate, worst
utter: (v) say, state, speak, breathe,
articulate, deliver, voice, pronounce;
(adj, n, v) express, declare; (adj, v)
tell. ANTONYMS: (adj) qualified,

incomplete, uncertain, rather, slight;
(v) conceal, hide, block
utterance: (n) pronunciation,
expression, speech, exclamation,
statement, remark, articulation,
observation, language, phrase,
speaking
uttered: (adj) expressed, express,
verbalised, verbalized, vocal,
explicit, oral; (v) spoke, quoth, said
vacancy: (n) emptiness, blank,
opening, void, incogitancy, post,
blankness, inanity, absence; (adj, n)
vacuity; (adj) depletion.
ANTONYMS: (n) fill, tenancy,
overflow
vacant: (adj) blank, hollow, unfilled,
void, free, unoccupied, bare, idle,
expressionless, open; (adj, v) devoid.
ANTONYMS: (adj) full, cognizant,
overflowing, inhabited, aware,
comprehending, animated, solid,
expressive, knowing
vacillating: (adj) indecisive,
changeable, undecided, wavering,
giddy, vacillant, hesitating, hesitant;
(adj, v) infirm, debilitated,
enfeebled. ANTONYMS: (adj)
stable, strong, consistent, decisive,
determined, resolute
vacillation: (n) indecision,
irresolution, hesitancy, fluctuation,
doubt, indecisiveness, instability,
indetermination, oscillation,
uncertainty, vibration.
ANTONYMS: (n) decisiveness,
insistence, resolution, determination
vagaries: (n) whims, disposition,
facetiousness, freaks, humor, ill
humor, mood, temper, caprices
vain: (adj) proud, arrogant, conceited,
fruitless, idle, empty, abortive,
ineffectual, unproductive,
narcissistic; (adj, v) useless.
ANTONYMS: (adj) shy, successful,
possible, persuasive, selfless,
fruitful, humble, useful, responsible,
worthwhile, effective
valence: (n) valance, valentia,
atomicity, quantivalence,
equivalence, potency, powerfulness,
covalency; (v) pi clouds, double
bond, unsaturation
valet: (n) man, attendant, lackey,
butler, flunkey, manservant, waiter,
gentleman, livery servant, servant,
retainer
valor: (n) bravery, courage, heroism,
valiancy, daring, spirit, pluck,
audacity, boldness; (adj, n)
gallantry, prowess
valuables: (n) swag, plunder
Edgar Allan Poe
valueless: (adj) useless, futile,
insignificant, meaningless, null,
unvalued, trifling, of no value,
rubbish, priceless, refuse.
ANTONYM: (adj) valuable
valve: (n) poppet, lock, sluice,
accelerator, clack, clack valve,
Kingston's valve , Quick-action
valve, vent peg, electron tube, safety
valve
vanish: (n, v) disappear; (adj, v) fade;
(v) disperse, pass, go, die, dissipate,
evaporate, depart, flee, melt away.
ANTONYMS: (v) come, arrive, wax,
stay
vanished: (adj, v) extinct, lost; (adj)
disappeared, departed, missing,
died out, absent, dead, wiped out,
bygone; (v) exhausted.
ANTONYMS: (adj) found, living
vanity: (n) egotism, pride, emptiness,
arrogance, futility, inanity,
vainglory, conceitedness,
pretension, pomposity; (adj, n)
amour propre. ANTONYMS: (n)
selflessness, humility, importance,
value, effectiveness
vapor: (n) fog, cloud, steam, haze,
evaporation, vapour, fume; (adj, n)
gas, air; (adj, v) bluster; (v) boast
vapors: (n) megrims, mist, blues, blue
devils, fog, depression,
hypochondriasis, pessimism, spleen,
brume, horrors
variably: (adv) changeably, patchily,
flexibly, disconnectedly,
unpredictably, untrustworthily,
undependably. ANTONYM: (adv)
steadily
variance: (n) disagreement,
difference, dissension, division,
divergence, deviation,
misunderstanding, discord,
diversity, dissimilarity, dissonance.
ANTONYMS: (n) invariability,
consistency, concurrence, concord
variously: (adv) differently,
multifariously, sundrily, variedly,
severally, assortedly, dissimilarly,
numerously, versatilely, diversly,
variegatedly
varnish: (n, v) gloss, coat, paint,
veneer, palliate; (n) lacquer, cover;
(adv, v) color; (v) gild, furbish,
whitewash. ANTONYM: (n) middle
varnished: (adj) sullied, polished,
spotted, shiny, lustrous, smooth,
painted, besmirched, glossy, tainted,
flyblown. ANTONYM: (adj) dull
vastly: (adv) greatly, hugely,
enormously, infinitely, extremely,
exceedingly, massively, very,
329
tremendously, highly, colossally
vastness: (n) enormity, immensity,
immenseness, enormousness,
grandeur, size, hugeness, bigness,
extent, magnificence, grandness.
ANTONYM: (n) closeness
vault: (n, v) leap, bound, spring,
jump, arch, hop, hurdle; (n) grave,
tomb, cellar, crypt
vaulted: (adj) domed, hollow,
hooked, testudinated, rounded,
arcuated, in the form of an arch,
curved, concave, roofed
vehemence: (n) force, violence, fury,
passion, eagerness, strength,
impetuosity, enthusiasm, fierceness,
heat, fervor. ANTONYMS: (n)
indifference, meekness, serenity
vehemently: (adj, adv) ardently;
(adv) violently, zealously, strongly,
fervently, passionately, ferociously,
fervidly, keenly, intensely, furiously.
ANTONYMS: (adv) feebly, gently,
impassively
veil: (n, v) cover, hide, disguise,
mask, cloud, shroud, camouflage;
(v) cloak, conceal; (n) curtain, blind.
ANTONYMS: (v) disclose, unveil,
expose
vein: (n) vena, strain, nervure, mine,
temper, blood vessel, tone; (adj, n)
mood, humor, strip, frame of mind
vellum: (v) parchment, paper,
foolscap; (n) skin, lambskin,
lambskin parchment, papyrus,
pillar, tablet, sheepskin, forel
velocity: (n, v) rate, pace; (n) rapidity,
swiftness, celerity, tempo,
quickness, haste, fleetness, fastness,
dispatch
velvet: (adj) velvety, down; (n) profit,
gain, velour, velours, revenue,
prosperity, receipts, satin, wealth
veneration: (n) respect, awe, honor,
devotion, esteem, adoration,
deference, estimation, worship,
admiration, thaumatolatry.
ANTONYMS: (n) contempt,
disapproval
vengeance: (n) retribution, reprisal,
retaliation, requital, avengement,
wrath, vendetta, spite, revengeance;
(n, v) avenge, resentment.
ANTONYMS: (n) forgiveness,
acceptance
vent: (n) exit, opening, flue, chimney,
escape, blowhole; (n, v) discharge,
air, release; (v) emit, ventilate.
ANTONYMS: (n) door, closure; (v)
block, suppress
ventricle: (n) maw, chamber, venter,
stomach, paunch, heart ventricle,
 330
heart, gizzard, crop, cavum, bodily
cavity
venus: (adj) the Graces; (n) Urania,
narcissus, terrestrial planet, Adonis,
peri, solar system, Hyperion, houri,
Hebe, genus Venus
veracity: (n) truth, accuracy,
exactness, truthfulness, fact, reality,
precision; (adj) probity; (adj, n)
faithfulness, sincerity, candor.
ANTONYMS: (n) mendacity,
falsehood, falsity, dishonesty
verbal: (adj) oral, literal, unwritten,
vocal, wordy, talkative, lexical,
nominal, oral law, oral testimony,
prolix. ANTONYMS: (adj)
numerical, silent
verbatim: (adv) literally, word for
word, literatim, verbally, to the
letter; (adj) exact, direct, verbal,
verbatim et literatim, not
alternating; (adj, adv) directly.
ANTONYMS: (adj) imprecise, broad
verge: (n, v) edge, skirt; (n) boundary,
brink, margin, limit, rim, bound,
brim, side; (v) bend. ANTONYMS:
(n) end, middle; (v) retreat
veriest: (adj) of mark, pointed,
remarkable
verified: (adj) substantiated,
confirmed, hard, proven,
demonstrated, authoritative, actual,
established. ANTONYM: (adj)
unproven
verify: (v) corroborate, ascertain,
confirm, check, prove, support,
certify, validate, sustain; (n, v)
establish, authenticate.
ANTONYMS: (v) invalidate,
discredit, refute, undermine
verily: (adj, adv) really; (adv) indeed,
in reality, genuinely, quitely,
actually, selfly, truely, identically,
exactly; (adv, int) in truth
versed: (adj) skillful, skilled,
knowledgeable, proficient, expert,
adept, conversant, old, learned,
adroit, practised. ANTONYMS: (adj)
green, immature, inexperienced,
unversed
versification: (n) verse, prosody,
rhyme, rime, writing, stave, stanza,
poetic rhythm, songcraft, penning,
rhythmic pattern
vest: (n) waistcoat, undershirt,
singlet, oilskins, jubbah; (v) invest,
clothe, enthrone, endow, put,
ordain. ANTONYM: (v) divest
vestibule: (n) lobby, hall, foyer,
antechamber, entrance hall, hallway,
entry, porch, passage, anteroom,
threshold
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
vexed: (adj) troubled, irritated, angry,
pestered, peeved, harassed, sore,
harried, uneasy, cross, offended.
ANTONYMS: (adj) calm,
uncomplicated
vibration: (n) tremor, shudder,
quiver, beat, pulse, oscillation,
shiver, pulsation, trembling,
undulation, movement.
ANTONYM: (n) stillness
vicinity: (n) region, district,
proximity, place, neighbourhood,
locality, environs, vicinage, area,
propinquity, nearness
vicissitude: (adj) fluctuation; (n)
variation, mutation, innovation,
reverse, turn, revolution, novelty,
transition, alteration, alternation.
ANTONYM: (n) stagnation
vicissitudes: (n) changeability, life,
variableness, variability
viewing: (n) showing, contemplation,
preview, exhibit, display, view,
sight, look, show, performance,
covering
vigilance: (n) caution, alertness,
prudence, attention, watchfulness,
surveillance, jealousy, vigil, watch,
circumspection; (adj) vigilant.
ANTONYMS: (n) carelessness,
indiscretion, negligence,
inattentiveness, recklessness
vignette: (n) vine, description,
illustration, tailpiece, study,
illumination, portrait, exposure,
ornament, initial letter, survey
vigor: (n, v) energy; (adj, n) intensity;
(n) spirit, vitality, force, life,
strength, power, might, vim,
stamina. ANTONYMS: (n)
weakness, apathy, frailty, laziness,
enervation, inactivity, indifference,
illness, lifelessness, sluggishness,
tardiness
villain: (n) rascal, scoundrel, rogue,
knave, miscreant, criminal, bandit,
crook, reprobate, varlet, rapscallion.
ANTONYMS: (n) heroine, hero
violated: (adj) profaned, seduced,
dishonored; (v) strained, disunited,
ruined financially, subjugated,
rough, not continuous, humbled,
fractured
violator: (n) lawbreaker, debaucher,
ravisher, offender, rapist, libertine,
outlaw, stunner, peach, mantrap,
malefactor
violently: (adj, adv) vehemently,
hotly, madly, ardently; (adv) wildly,
passionately, strongly, hard,
furiously, turbulently; (adv, n)
vigorously. ANTONYMS: (adv)
gently, nonviolently, feebly,
impassively, peacefully, tamely
virtuous: (adj) upright, pure,
righteous, good, moral, just,
honorable, honest, respectable,
decent, pious. ANTONYMS: (adj)
bad, sinful, corrupt, impure,
unethical, decadent, degenerate,
irreverent
visage: (n) face, look, mug,
physiognomy, expression, kisser,
appearance, aspect, brow, smiler,
forehead
visibly: (adv) apparently, noticeably,
manifestly, obviously, plainly,
perceptibly, appreciably, clearly,
discernibly, overtly, conspicuously.
ANTONYMS: (adv) imperceptibly,
invisibly, secretly, ambiguously
visionary: (adj, n) utopian; (adj, v)
imaginary; (adj) airy, fanciful,
unreal, dreamy, ideal, romantic; (n)
seer, dreamer, prophet.
ANTONYMS: (adj) foolish,
unromantic, practical, real, realistic,
unimaginative
vivat: (adj) vive , vivid
vogue: (n) fashion, style, mode, rage,
trend, popularity, currency, fad,
craze, custom, bandwagon.
ANTONYMS: (adj) unfashionable,
unpopular, unstylish
volcanic: (adj) igneous, plutonic,
Vulcanian, unstable, extrusive; (v)
simmering, stanchless,
ungovernable, inextinguishable,
burning, irrepressible
voluntarily: (adv) spontaneously,
willingly, intentionally, willfully,
volunteerly, deliberately,
gratuitously, readily, optionally,
independently, unforcedly.
ANTONYMS: (adv) obligatory,
reluctantly, forced, grudgingly,
unwillingly
volution: (n) turning
vowed: (v) promised, named,
benempt
voyage: (n, v) travel, cruise, tour; (n)
trip, passage, expedition, flight,
crossing, quest; (v) sail, navigate
voyager: (n) passenger, traveller,
tourist, explorer, itinerant,
commuter, wanderer, wayfarer,
adventurer
vulgar: (adj) rude, coarse, plebeian,
nasty, common, foul, indecent,
gross, unrefined; (adj, n) low, vile.
ANTONYMS: (adj) refined,
sophisticated, tasteful, polite,
aesthetic, muted, fashionable,
decent, artistic, pleasant, clean

vulgarly: (adv) crudely, commonly,
plebeianly, grossly, smuttily,
uncouthly, boorishly, cheaply,
rudely, vilely, tastelessly.
ANTONYM: (adv) decently
wager: (n, v) stake, hazard, risk,
venture, gamble, chance; (v) lay,
pledge, pawn, play; (n) stakes
wags: (adv) as the world goes
waistband: (n) belt, cummerbund,
band, cincture, sash, waistcloth,
stays, panty girdle, corset
waistcoat: (n) CHUDDER, barbe,
garment, jerkin, jubbah, oilskins,
pilot jacket, pajamas, cardigan,
singlet, talma jacket
waken: (v) stir, awaken, wake, wake
up, arouse, awake, excite, call,
kindle, evoke, provoke
waking: (adj) wakeful; (n)
awakening, wakefulness,
consciousness
wallet: (n) bag, notecase, billfold,
pocketbook, case, satchel, knapsack,
pouch, pocket book, file, sack
wander: (n, v) stroll, saunter, tramp,
drift; (v) stray, digress, err, travel,
roam, deviate; (adj, v) rave.
ANTONYMS: (v) settle, stay, think,
converge
wanderer: (n) vagabond, roamer,
tramp, nomad, drifter, traveler,
wayfarer, stranger, hobo, traveller;
(n, v) rambler
wandering: (adj) itinerant, nomadic,
erratic, rambling, errant, migratory;
(adj, v) stray, vagrant, vagabond,
unsettled; (n) peregrination.
ANTONYM: (adj) resident
ware: (n) commodity, goods, wares,
tableware; (v) beware, dissipate,
squander, luxuriate, consume; (adj)
cautious, commodities
warming: (n) thaw, melt, melting,
warm, thawing, warmer, heat,
heating system, temperature change,
radiant heating; (adj) calefacient
warranted: (adj) legitimate, secured,
bonded, legal, locked, mistaken,
necessary; (v) privileged,
sanctioned, allowed; (n) securer
warranty: (n) warrant, security,
guaranty, assurance, authority,
deposit, sanction, surety, pledge,
bond, bail
warring: (adj) militant, fighting,
hostile, opposed, inconsistent, war,
brawling, factious, opposing,
oppugnant, rebellious
warrior: (n) fighter, combatant,
champion, brave, gerrard, guerilla,
centurion, irregular, insurgent,
Edgar Allan Poe
guerrilla, militant
water-logged: (adj) wet
watery: (adj) moist, diluted, wet,
dilute, washy, thin, damp, fluid,
aqueous, weak, insipid.
ANTONYMS: (adj) strong, solid,
dry, soft, dehydrated, lively, dark,
clear, thick, hard
watts: (n) Isaac Watts
waving: (adj) flying, aflare, fluttering,
flaring, flared, curly, burning,
blazing, billowy, palpitating; (n)
wafture
weakened: (adj) lessened, faded,
hurt, vitiated, damaged, cut, diluted,
thinned, attenuated, attenuate,
disabled
weakening: (adj) enfeebling,
enervating, debilitative, flagging; (n)
exhaustion, decline, enfeeblement,
enervation, debilitation, attenuation,
attrition. ANTONYMS: (n)
strengthening, restoration,
improvement; (adj) growing,
increasing
wearied: (adj) jaded, tired, spent,
fatigued, weary, prostrate, limp,
haggard, shattered, worn, fatigate
weariness: (n) exhaustion, tiredness,
lassitude, languor, asthenopia,
defatigation, grogginess, listlessness,
boredom, ennui, prostration
weary: (adj, n, v) fatigue; (v) exhaust,
tire out; (adj) tired, exhausted,
fatigued, aweary, beat, languid; (n,
v) jade, bore. ANTONYMS: (adj)
energetic, fresh, lively, untiring,
hopeful, refreshed; (v) refresh,
enliven, energize, activate, rally
weather-beaten: (adj) gnarled,
rugged
weaving: (adj) lurching, staggering,
walking unsteadily, unstable,
stupefying, irregular, astounding,
unsteady; (n) braiding, creating
from raw materials, aspect weaving
wedded: (adj, v) marital, connubial,
matrimonial, conjugal, wed; (adj)
nuptial, bridal. ANTONYMS: (adj)
unmarried, unattached
wedged: (adj) impacted, cuneiform,
jammed, fast, compacter, stuck,
compact. ANTONYM: (adj) free
weighed: (adj) determined,
deliberate, tared
westward: (adv) west, westwards;
(adj, adv) westerly; (adj) westbound,
western; (v) to the west
wetting: (n) moistening, damping,
watering, splash, leak, passing
water, ducking, making water,
immersion, dousing, leakage
331
wharf: (n) quay, harbor, port, pier,
waterfront, jetty, nailery, bindery,
beehive, basin; (n, v) berth
wheeled: (adj) on wheels.
ANTONYM: (adj) wheelless
whence: (adv) wherefrom, hence,
because, for, why, wherefore, how,
then, then thence so, how comes it,
how happens it
whereabouts: (adv, n) whereabout;
(n) place, site, position, seat,
location, venue, station, address,
situation, actions
wherein: (adv) in what, in which,
where
whims: (n) vagaries, freaks, humor,
ill humor, mood, facetiousness,
caprices, disposition, temper
whimsical: (adj, n) fanciful, eccentric;
(adj) capricious, freakish, humorous,
changeable, fickle, erratic, wayward,
odd, arbitrary. ANTONYMS: (adj)
reasonable, behaving, normal,
serious, predictable
whimsically: (adv) capriciously,
humorously, freakishly, erratically,
moodily, facetiously, wittily,
skittishly, quaintly, kinkily, queerly
whip: (n, v) lash, strap, goad; (v) flog,
flagellate, beat, punish, thrash,
trounce, stir, wallop. ANTONYMS:
(v) lose, return
whirl: (n, v) spin, turn, eddy, roll,
wheel, twist, swirl; (v) reel, gyrate;
(n) go, fling
whirling: (adj) rotary, revolving,
dizzy, giddy, lightheaded, rotating,
vortical; (n) rotation, gyration,
revolution; (adj, n) swirling
whirlpool: (n, v) vortex, whirl, swirl,
gurge; (n) maelstrom, verticity,
whir; (v) undercurrent, indraught,
reflux, purl
whisker: (adj, n) hair; (adj) beard,
shag, brush, mane; (n) moustache,
sensory hair, vibrissa, bristle,
mustache; (v) bewhisker
whist: (adj) quiet, noiseless; (n) long
whist, short whist, whisk, tut, tush,
dummy whist, cards, card game; (v)
shut up
whit: (n) iota, atom, shred, scintilla,
smidgen, tittle, jot, bit, particle,
smidgin; (adj) dab
whither: (adv) hither, thither,
whereunto, whereto, for
whitman: (n) Walt Whitman
wicker: (n) wickerwork, caning,
wood, dwelling, home, osier, piece
of work, Wike, cane; (adj) twiggen
widowed: (adj) widow, alone, vidual
wilderness: (adj, n, v) desert; (adj, n)
 332
wild; (n) wasteland, solitude,
badlands, wildness, frontier,
boondocks, backwoods; (adj)
Sahara; (v) squandering.
ANTONYM: (n) metropolis
willingly: (adv) readily, voluntarily,
cheerfully, spontaneously, helpfully,
disposedly, actively, openly,
obligingly, eagerly; (adj, adv) freely.
ANTONYMS: (adv) grudgingly,
reluctantly, uncooperatively,
unenthusiastically
winding: (n) twist, wind, turn; (adj)
indirect, crooked, circuitous,
meandering, twisty, wandering;
(adj, n) twisting, twisted.
ANTONYMS: (adj) direct, unbent
windlass: (n) capstan, anchor
windlass, hoist, pulley, lifting
device, stowce, wince, windas; (v)
crane, derrick
windmill: (n) wind generator,
whirligig, aerogenerator, screw,
Rollingstone, wind turbine, wheel,
wind engine, grinder, wind
machine, pinwheel
winged: (adj) swift, rapid, speedy,
quick, flying, alate, sublime, lofty,
alated, aligerous, composed
witchery: (adj, n) fascination,
enchantment; (n) sorcery, glamour,
spell, magic, black magic,
necromancy, enticement,
allurement, temptation
withered: (adj) wizened, sear,
shriveled, thin, shrunken, dry, dried
up, wilted, faded, wizen; (v) lame.
ANTONYM: (adj) plump
withering: (adj) devastating,
extortionate, grinding; (v) dry,
sarcastic, sharp, severe, satirical,
sardonic, cutting; (n) shrinkage.
ANTONYM: (adj) hopeful
wits: (n) intellect, mind, wit, brains,
common sense, presence,
percipience, observation, mother
wit, right mind, judgment
wolf: (n) philanderer, coyote, brute,
skirt chaser, beast; (v) gobble, gorge,
guzzle, consume, swallow, bolt
womanhood: (n) muliebrity,
femininity, adulthood, maturity,
manhood, womankind, wifehood,
softness, social class, majority, adult
female
wonderfully: (adv) superbly,
astonishingly, terrifically,
magnificently, fantastically,
marvellously, wondrously,
amazingly, excellently; (adj, adv)
strangely, famously. ANTONYMS:
(adv) awfully, unpleasantly, poorly,
Collected Works of Poe, Volume I
abysmally, unremarkably, mildly,
horribly, badly, incompetently
wont: (adj, n) use, custom, usage; (n)
practice, tradition, cleanliness,
assuetude, assuefaction, convention,
rut; (v) practise
wonted: (adj, n) habitual, ordinary,
usual, familiar; (adj) everyday,
general, conventional, routine; (n)
accustomed, common, regular
wooded: (adj) arboreous, sylvan,
woody, timbered, densely forested,
leafy
woollen: (n) wool, cloth, fabric,
fleece, tweed; (adj) woolly
workings: (n) working, mechanism,
works, whole kit and boodle, kit and
boodle, kit and caboodle,
machinery, moving parts, nuts and
bolts, plant, whole kit
worldly: (adj, adv) earthly; (adj)
mundane, secular, terrestrial,
temporal, carnal, sophisticated, lay,
profane; (adv) mundanely,
temporally. ANTONYMS: (adj)
spiritual, naive, cloistered, religious,
unsophisticated, unworldly,
unrefined, otherworldly, low,
heavenly, immaterial
worshipped: (adj) adored, idolized,
venerable
wrap: (v) envelop, cover, roll, wind,
shroud, enfold, enclose, drape; (n, v)
cloak, swathe; (n) wrapping.
ANTONYMS: (v) uncover, undo,
unwind, expose, reveal
wrath: (n) rage, resentment, ire, fury,
displeasure, indignation, passion,
madness, choler, irritation; (adj)
angry. ANTONYMS: (n) happiness,
love, composure, serenity
wreath: (n) crown, coronal, garland,
chaplet, lei, circle, posy, fascia,
cincture, girdle, laurels
wreck: (n, v) smash, shipwreck,
wrack; (v) damage, spoil, demolish,
destroy, devastate; (n) crash, ruins,
destruction. ANTONYMS: (v) build,
preserve, create, repair, assist; (n)
creation
wretch: (n) victim, villain, scoundrel,
reprobate, reptile, miscreant, martyr,
object of compassion, poor devil,
prey, wreak
wrinkled: (adj, n) rough, rugged;
(adj) puckered, creased, wrinkly,
wizened, crumpled, lined, gnarled,
unironed, crinkled. ANTONYMS:
(adj) unwrinkled, ironed, straight
wrinkles: (n) crow's feet
writhe: (adj, v) distort, wrest; (v)
contort, wriggle, squirm, wrench,
worm, coil, wiggle, thrash, warp
writhed: (adj) crooked, writhen,
distorted, twisted
wrought: (adj) shaped, done, worked,
worked up, formed
yawl: (v) yap, wawl, howl, growl,
roar, ululate, wail, waul; (n)
corvette, foist, cutter
yawning: (adj, v) gaping, oscitant; (n)
yawn, hiation, pandiculation,
oscitancy; (adj) cavernous, open,
drowsy, profound, sleepy.
ANTONYMS: (adj) cramped,
narrow
yielded: (v) yold, yolden
yielding: (adj, v) flexible, pliable,
supple, tractable, pliant; (adj)
compliant, submissive, soft,
obedient, docile; (n) submission.
ANTONYMS: (adj) hard, firm,
inflexible, solid, rigid, obstinate,
stiff, stubborn, unyielding,
rebellious
yonder: (adv) beyond, further,
farther, abroad, thither, further
away, at that place; (adj) distant,
yond, furious, fierce
yore: (n) past, history, past times,
yesteryear, old times, auld langsyne,
time out of mind, time immemorial,
the good old days, past tense
yourselves: (pron) themselves,
myself, herself
youthful: (adj) immature, fresh,
green, juvenile, vernal, adolescent,
childish, new, tender, sappy,
beardless. ANTONYMS: (adj) adult,
mature, experienced, sophisticated,
late
zeal: (adj, n) eagerness; (n) fervor,
enthusiasm, devotion, passion,
vehemence, fire, fervency, heat,
fervour, ardour. ANTONYMS: (n)
apathy, lethargy, patience
zealous: (adj) keen, enthusiastic,
fervent, ardent, avid, devoted,
strenuous, vehement, glowing, fiery;
(adj, n) passionate. ANTONYMS:
(adj) indifferent, apathetic,
unenthusiastic, cool, halfhearted,
moderate
zenith: (n) apex, peak, top, height,
acme, pinnacle, summit, climax,
vertex, culmination, prime.
ANTONYMS: (n) base, bottom,
trough
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