The House of Bernarda Alba

The House of Bernarda Alba Glossary

amethyst

a precious stone consisting of a violet or purple variety of quartz

brocade

a rich fabric, usually silk, woven with a raised pattern, typically with gold or silver thread

carranacas

Spanish musical instruments akin to tambourines

dint

an impression or hollow in a surface

effrontery

insolent or impertinent behavior

eyelets

a small round hole in leather or cloth for threading a lace, string, or rope through

honeytongue

a slang term for a flatterer

inlay

the decorative technique of inserting pieces of contrasting, often colored materials, into depressions in a base object to form patterns or pictures

litany

a series of petitions for use in church services, usually recited by the clergy and responded to in a recurring formula by the people

mantilla

a lace or silk scarf worn by women over the hair and shoulders, especially in Spain

mealy-mouthed

hesitant to state facts or opinions simply and directly, as from timidity or hypocrisy

moiré

a fabric with a wavy, watered appearance produced mainly from silk

nunnery

a building in which nuns live as a community; a convent

petticoats

a woman's undergarments

reaper

a person who harvests crops

Requiem aeternam donat eis domine

A Latin line spoken during a requiem (funeral) mass that translates to "Grant them eternal rest, O Lord"

rushes

marsh or waterside plants

sacristan

an officer who is charged with the care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents

sanctimonious

making a show of being morally superior to other people

sheaf

a bundle of grain stalks laid lengthways and tied together after reaping

sow

an adult female pig, especially one that has farrowed

St. Bartholomew

one of Christ's Twelve Apostles, whose likeness is often worn as a charm

tether

a rope or chain with which an animal is tied to restrict its movement

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