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trib • ute n., regular payment of money or goods made by one ruler or nation to another as acknowledgment of servitude, for protection from invasion, etc. Ancient Egypt became a wealthy nation in part because of the tributes of gold and products it demanded from nations it conquered.
spoil n., arms, money, or goods taken from a defeated foe; plunder. The victors of a war often take spoils from the defeated.
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moor n., tract of open, rolling wasteland, usually covered with heather and often marshy. The vast moor attracted birds, which hunted for fish in the remote marshy area.
brood n., offspring, or a family of offspring, of animals. The mother hen sat on her nest until she hatched her brood.
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purge vt., cleanse or rid of impurities, foreign matter, or undesirable elements. Roland bought some bottom-dwelling fish to purge his aquarium of algae.
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bog n., wet, spongy ground. It is a dangerous to ride a horse across a bog because its hoof might get caught in the mulch and it might break a leg.
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rel • ish vt., enjoy; like. Renee relished Sunday afternoons because she had time to do whatever she wanted—read a novel, skate in the park, or get together with friends.
bolt vt., swallow (food) hurriedly; gulp down. Our dog never seems to chew his dinner but just greedily bolts whatever we feed him.
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in • fa • mous adj., having a very bad reputation; notorious; in disgrace or dishonor. Jesse James was an infamous outlaw of the nineteenth century in the American West.
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cow • er vi., shrink and tremble, as from fear or cold. When we brought our new kitten home, it was terrified and ran under the bed to cower.
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heav • ing vt., to cause to swell or rise; to rise and fall rhythmically. When my little brother saw the heaving ocean, he was terrified by the rolling waves.
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a • venge vt., to take vengeance for or on behalf of someone else. The angry soldiers sought to avenge the death of their comrade.
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hoar • y adj., gray or white with age; extremely old; ancient. When they found the frostbite victim, her skin was so hoary it made her look as if she were a very old woman.
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pyre n., a combustible heap for burning a dead body as a funeral rite. The flames from the pyre were so bright that people from miles away knew when the emperor’s funeral had begun.
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la • ment • ing vt., to mourn aloud; wail; to express sorrow, mourning, or regret, often in a demonstrative way. My brother moaned and cursed, lamenting in grief when my parents took his video game privileges away.
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bil • low • ing adj., rising and rolling in waves or surges. The billowing sails made a wavelike motion in the wind.