"Ramadan" by Neil Gaiman

We read "Ramadan" by Neil Gaiman. The class identified vocabulary words: those words that they did not know. Then we looked them up.

There are many, many online dictionaries. They define words differently. Your assignment is to look up five words from the list below on at least three different web sites, and then write down a definition of each, IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

How do you know a web site is reputable (good, reliable)? How do you know it's a good place to find definitions? You can judge a website by the following measure: 1) Is the source a known entity that is famous for its accuracy and knowledge on that particular subject (for instance, mit.edu would probably be a good web site for math and science information, because we know the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the foremost math and science university in the country)? or 2) You've gone to "About Us" or "Contact Us" and you see that the people who created the website have the proper credentials for their content.

On your paper, make sure you list which three web sites you went to when you looked up your three definitions. If you encounter a definition that is unclear, go to a dictionary web site that does a better job for you in defining the word. Also, make sure the version of the definition you pick matches the context of the story. Sometimes the definition with which we are most familiar is NOT the one meant in the story.

Which words are plural nouns? In the case of verbs, what form of the verb is it? Is the verb in the past tense? Which words are adverbs? When looking up a word, it's best to find a root form of the word and look that up.
The words the class identified are as follows:
cadi (qadi)
caliph
concubine
consummate
coveted
darting
devising
dirham
djinn
durance
ennobling
ensorcelled
fief
geomancer
harem
hennaed
hitherto
homunculi
ifrit
ingenious
labyrinth
laden
merciful
obsidian
oubliettes
peremptorily
pomegranates
prodigy
promiscuous
remnants
sagacity
sage
savory
scribes
steward
veiled
venerate
vermilion
vizier
wanton
ware