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pen • du • lum n., body suspended from a fixed point so as to swing freely to and fro under the action of gravity and commonly used to regulate movements (as of clockwork). The sharp, descending pendulum threatened the narrator’s life in the Edgar Allan Poe story “The Pit and the Pendulum.”

quiv • er • ing n., shaking or moving characterized by a slight trembling motion. The quivering of Grandpa’s hands is due to Parkinson’s disease.

lim • ber adj., having a supple and resilient quality. After a few warm-up exercises, Mr. Hogan felt as limber as a twenty-year-old.

rouse vi., awaken or stir up. The slamming of the kitchen door roused the birds, and they flew up into the trees.

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pul • let n., young hen. The farmer put the pullets in the chicken coop for safety.

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ra • vine n., small, narrow, steep-sided valley larger than a gully and smaller than a canyon. The wheel fell off the carriage and tumbled down into the ravine.