Three Cups of Tea Vocabulary List

Introduction: “In Mr. Mortenson’s Orbit”

crags: n – a steep rugged mass of rock projecting upward or outward

sortie: n – the flying of an airplane on a combat mission.

ibex: n – any of several wild goats of the genus Capra, inhabiting mountainous regions of Eurasia and North Africa, having long, recurved horns.

paltry: adj – ridiculously or insultingly small

paiya chu: n – a type of butter tea, “forms of the basis of the Balti diet” (21), green tea, salt, baking soda, goat’s milk and yak’s butter

jirgas: n – a tribal assembly of elders which takes decisions by consensus

irrefutably: adv – that cannot be refuted or disproved

madrassa: n – a school or college, especially a school attached to a mosque where young men study theology

Chapter 1: “Failure”

shalwar kamiz: n – a traditional dress worn by both women and men, a tunic shirt with loose-fitting trousers

porter: n – a person hired to carry burdens or baggage

scree: n – loose rock debris covering a slope

promontory: n – a bluff, or part of a plateau, overlooking a lowland
aerie: n – a lofty nest of any large bird; a house or fortress

rapelling: n – the act or method of moving down a steep incline or past an overhang by means of a double rope secured above and placed around the body

facsimile: n – an exact copy

Chapter 2: “The Wrong Side of the River”

predicament: n – an unpleasantly difficult, perplexing, or dangerous situation

cornice: n – a mass of snow, ice, etc., projecting over a mountain ridge

colossi: n – anything colossal, gigantic, or very powerful

cairns: n – a heap of stones set up as a landmark or monument

Allah Akbhar : n – “God is Great”, often used as a form of greeting

cha: n – tea

rupees: n – a form of currency, 40 rupees approximately equals $1
taciturn: adj – stern, and silent in expression and manner

fetishize: v – to turn into a fetish (any object or idea eliciting unquestioning respect or devotion)

erudite: adj – scholarly or learned

brigand: n – a pirate

kurba: n – skull-shaped unleavened bread, baked each morning by the Balti

primordial: adj – prehistoric; primitive

zamba: n – a bridge, often made of yak hair rope lashed together and hung between two rocks

angrezi: n – Balti word for Greg, a “strange white man”

topi: n – lambswool pillbox cap

nurmadhar: n – the chief of a village, Haji Ali was the chief of Korphe

As-Salaam Alaaikum: n – a greeting, means, “peace be with you”

balti: n – the large, central room of a home

naswar : n – strong, green chewing tobacco

cheezaley : n – Balti word that means, roughly, “What the hell?”
Inshallah: n – means “God-willing”

Chapter 3: “Progress and Perfection”

lassi and chapatti: n – Balti breakfast food

urdwa: n – a wool cap

spartan: adj – sternly disciplined and rigorously simple

biango: n – roasted hen

chogo rabak: n – large ram

prelapsarian: adj – characteristic of or pertaining to any innocent or carefree period

serpentine: adj – winding and complex

Chapter 4: “Self-Storage”

interminable: adj – never ending

missionaries: n – people sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work

serendipity: n – emerging from seemingly good luck and/or fortunate circumstance

impetuousness: n – characterized by rash thinking and action

expatriate: v – to withdraw (oneself) from residence in one's native country

oblivious: adj – totally clueless

menial: adj – small and unimportant

homogenous: adj – largely consisting of the same type of a people or thing

untethered: adj – not tied down to anything or anyone

avocation: n – a person’s “calling” or work

Chapter 5: “580 Letters, One Check”

maw: n – the mouth or throat of an animal

frugality: n – entailing little expense

vertiginous: adj – whirling, spinning, dizzy

quixotic: adj – impulsive, extravagantly chivalrous or romantic

tempestuous: adj – characterized by storms

Chapter 6: “Rawalpnidi’s Rooftops at Dusk”

charpoy: n – a light bed frame

chokidar: n – the owner of a hotel
hazzan: n – a call to prayer

muezzin: n – the crier who, from a minaret or other high part of a mosque, at stated hours five times daily, intones aloud the call summoning Muslims to prayer
wudu: n – ritualistic cleaning before prayer

infidel: n – a person who does not accept a particular faith

zakat: n – Urdu word for charity

azarband: n – the waist string on a pair of pants (shalwar)

Chapter 7: “Hard Way Home”

cricket: n – a game, popular especially in England

languid: adj – lacking in vigor or energy

salaamed: n – a respectful ceremonial greeting

dua: n – a prayer for a safe journey

abyss: n – a very deep hole

sisyphian: adj – an activity that is unending and/or repetitive

riverine: adj – of or pertaining to a river

sage: adj – wise, careful

fatalism: n – the acceptance of all things and events as inevitable; submission to fate
irremediable: adj – not remitting to repair or rest

Chapter 8: “Beaten by the Braldu”

cosmopolitan: adj – international; multinational

indignant: adj – angry; resentful

fervency: n – enthusiasm; passion

celestial: adj - heavenly

formidable: adj – frightening, dreadful

bravado: n – audacity; boldness

imploring: adj – begging; pleading

stolid: adj – impassive; emotionless

impassively: adv – blankly; unemotionally

revered: adj – respected; valued

aggrieved: adj - wronged; angry; upset

solicitous: adj – considerate; caring

topis: n - A helmet worn for protection against sun and heat

biryani: n - a spicy Indian dish of rice with meat or vegetables

wizened: adj – wrinkled; shriveled

balti: n - a type of one-pot cooking involving very spicy dishes

flailing: adj – thrashing; floundering

emaciated: adj – thin; withered

Chapter 9: “The People Have Spoken”

overwrought: adj – stresses; emotional

palpable: adj – blatent; overt; conspicuous

faux: adj – false; artificial

dilapidated: adj – rundown; decaying

soliloquy: n – a long speech

alleviate: v – to ease or lessen; assuage

camaraderie: n – friendship; companionship

rancorous: adj – revengeful; unforgiving

traverse: v – to cross or pass through

Chapter 10: “Building Bridges”

nostalgically: adv – homesickly; longingly; reflectively

mullah: n - a title of respect for a person who is learned in, teaches, or expounds the sacred law

apocalyptic: adj – catastrophic; devastating

vagaries: n – whims; unpredictable behaviors

convene: v – to call together; assemble

naswar: smokeless tobacco that one inhales

inscrutable: adj – unreadable; confusing

buttressed: adj – reinforced; supported

deity: n – divinity; god

animist: n – one who believes that spirits exist in everything

placation: n – something that appeases or pleases

pilgrimage: n – a religious or spiritual journey

odysseys: n – long, difficult journeys

forage: v – to hunt; to scavenge

contiguous: adj – neighboring; adjacent

Bedouin: n - a nomad or wanderer of the desert

incredulously: adv – disbelievingly doubtfully

unwieldly: adj – awkward; heavy

guile: n – slyness; craftiness; cunning

advocates: n – supporters; believers

unimpeded: adj – unhindered; unrestricted

Chapter 11: “Six Days”

accruing: adj – accumulating; growing

venture capitalist: n – one who invests money in a newly started project

stupor: n – unconsciousness; daze; trance

paunch: n – stomach or abdomen of a human or animal

bloke: n – slang for “man”

begetting: adj – causing; bringing out

indefatigable: adj – untiring; unrelenting

beckoned: v – to signal or summon

deference: n – respect; esteem; regard

Chapter 12: “Haji Ali’s Lesson”

deferentially: adv – respectfully; admiringly

squalid: adj – filthy; dirty; foul

laudable: adj – praiseworthy; admirable

matrimonial: adj – having to due with marriage; wedded

nuptials: n – marriages; weddings

derelict: adj – neglected; abandoned

austere: adj – severe; strict; plain

sheath: n – cover; casing

sanctify: v – to bless or make holy

mandate: n – permission; authorization

ornate: adj – elaborate; complex

precipice: n – a cliff; abyss

flanked: adj – on both sides

cadences: n – rhythms, beats

pilfered: adj – stolen; filched

kafir: n – a slang term for “rejector of religion,” or infidel

Chapter 13- “A Smile Should be More than a Memory”

Taliban: n – Muslim fundamentalist group in Afghanistan

exhort: v – urge, press

fiery: adj – sweltering, blistering

lucrative: adj – capable of making money

taut: adj – inflexible

shunted: v – pushed, shoved, moved

arbitrarily: adv – done without much thinking or planning

infamy: n – famous for doing malevolent (bad) deeds

guerilla: n – member of a band of irregular soldiers that uses guerrilla warfare, harassing the enemy by surprise raids, sabotaging communication and supply lines,

purdah: n – the seclusion of women from the sight of men or strangers, practiced by some Muslims and Hindus

temperate: adj – pleasant, mild, moderate

hashish: n – the flowering tops and leaves of Indian hemp smoked, chewed, or drunk as a narcotic and intoxicant

hookah: n – a tobacco pipe of Near Eastern origin with a long, flexible tube by which the smoke is drawn through a jar of water and thus cooled

besotted: adj – smitten, obsessed

phalanx: n – body of troops in close array

dispiriting: adj – disappointing, hopeless

winnowed: adj – narrowed down

garish: adj – brash, bright

banshee: n – phantom, ghoul

fundamentalist: n – strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles

fawning: adj – submissive

tedium: n – boredom, dullness

fledgling: n – baby bird

cacophony: n – dissonance, disharmony

Chapter 14- “Equilibrium”

prone: adj – flat, horizontal

ornery: adj – crabby, cranky

contrarian: n – someone who is disagreeable

sheepishly: adv – done with embarrassment

septic shock: n – A condition of physiologic shock caused by an overwhelming infection

Chapter 15: “Mortenson in Motion”

fatwa: n – an Islamic religious decree issued by a religious leader

predestination: n – fate, destiny

fakhir: n – a Muslim or Hindu religious ascetic or monk commonly considered a wonder-worker

convivial: adj – welcoming, warm

mired: adj – delayed, caught up

sectarian: adj – narrowly confined to a certain sect

volubly: adv – fluently

leer: v – to look at in a sketchy way

spearheaded: v – to take control of

unprecedented: adj – extraordinary

dervish: n – A member of any of various Muslim ascetic orders, some of which perform whirling dances and vigorous chanting as acts of ecstatic devotion

zakat: n – a tax, comprising percentages of personal income of every kind, levied as almsgiving for the relief of the poor: the third of the Pillars of Islam

inauguration: n – swearing in

dignitaries: n – very important people

voyeur: n – someone who watches an event

Chapter 16: “Red Velvet Box”

inexorably: adv – inevitably, relentlessly

licentiousness: n – extravagance, wastefulness

unadorned: adj – simple

placate: v – to calm down, to appease

apocalyptic: adj – of or related to the end of the world

pantheon: n – a public building containing tombs or memorials of the illustrious dead of a nation

transcend: v – exceed, rise above

Chapter 17- “Cherry Trees in the Sand”

principality: n – a small or subordinate state

wrest: v – extract

behest: n – request, command

incursion: n – storming, attack, raid

retort: n – angry reply, a “come-back”

parity: n – equality

impunity: n – exemption from punishment

ruefully: adv – regretfully

skittish: adj – wary, jumpy, edgy

apparition: n – a ghost or spirit

tasbih: n – is a form of prayer that involves the repetitive utterances of short sentences glorifying God.

torrent: n – an overflow, inundation

arabesques: n – complex, ornate design of intertwined floral, foliate, and geometric figures

logistics: n – the planning, implementation, and coordination of the details of a business or other operation

opaque: adj – dense, thick, not clear

lamentation: n – weeping, crying

scavenge: v – hunt, search

ochre: n – a moderate orange-brown color

unrelenting: adj – insistent; remorseless

Chapter 18: “Shrouded Figure”

insolvency: n – bankruptcy; liquidation

volatile: adj – unstable; unpredictable

tenacity: n – stubbornness; insistence

delegate: v – to hand over; to assign

phantasmagorical: adj – other-wordly; characterized by mystery or magic

vigil: n – the act or a period of observing

cursory: adj – hurried; superficial

self-aggrandizing: adj – conceited; stuck-up

kowtowing: adj – flattering

hospice: n – hospital; sanatorium

miffed: adj – annoyed; displeased

Chapter 19: “A Village Called New York”

methodical: adj – systematic; logical

loath: adj – unwilling; reluctant

presiding: adj - controlling

monotheist: n – a person who believes in only one God

proselytize: v – to attempt to convert someone to a given religion

extremism: n - radicalism

jihad: n - a holy war undertaken as a sacred duty by Muslims.

indoctrination: n - programming

stark: adj – bare

pristine: adj – perfect; spotless

rhetoric: n – language; expression

embolden: v – to make confident; to encourage

enclave: n – commune; cooperative

acute: adj – sensitive; heightened

monotony: n – sameness; boredom

ostensibly: adv – apparently; seemingly

abstain: v – to withhold or give up

cordon: v – to barricade

obstinacy: n – stubbornness; determination

ensnare: v – to tangle or trap

malignancies: n – growths; tumors

patronize: v – to demean or to support

implore: v – to beg; to plead

posh: adj – classy; stylish

laboriously: adv – with difficulty

hallucinogenic: adj – producing hallucinations

Chapter 20: “Tea with the Taliban”

loiter: v – to hang around; to wait

tariff: n – a tax or toll

cajoled: v – to coax; to persuade

bravado: n – boldness

obliterate: v – to wipe out; to demolish

sentry: n – guard; sentinel

discombobulated: adj – confused; frustrated

lauded: adj – praised; glorified

reclusive: adj – isolated; secluded

conviction: n – belief; passion

Chapter 21: “Rumsfeld’s Shoes”

philanthropist: n – goodhearted person; generous donor

AARP: n – American Association of Retired Persons

bureaucracy: n – system of government; administration

pandering: adj – catering to the lowest tastes

brigand: n – thief; robber

prestigious: adj – important; prominent

vaporize: v – to engage in boastful talk or to make into a vapor

cavernous: adj – spacious; vast

intrepid: adj – fearless; bold

burkha: n – a long loose body-covering garment with veiled holes for the eyes, worn by some Muslim women

scouring: adj – searching

cancerous: adj – evil in a way that has the potential to grow

inhospitable: adj – unwelcoming; unfriendly

Chapter 22: “’The Enemy is Ignorance’”

eccentricity: n – weirdness; oddity

incongruously: adv – strangely; bizarrely

defer: v – postpone; put off

wallow: v – flounder; stumble

nondescript: adj – ordinary; dull

dispersed: adj – detached; isolated

advocating: adj – supporting; campaigning

elongated: adj – stretched out; extended

rapture: n – ecstasy; delight

intractable: adj – stubborn; difficult

feeble: adj – weak; frail

assert: v – to declare; to emphasize

inaugurate: v – swear in; install

ruminate: v – ponder; think over

encroaching: adj - intrusive

defiantly: adv – disobediently; rebelliously

Chapter 23: “Stones into Schools”

conversant: adj – familiar; up to date

suffrage: n – the right to vote

emancipating: adj – liberating; freeing

sequester: v - confiscate

benevolent: adj – kind; caring; compassionate

askew: adj – crooked; off center

sporadic: adj – irregular; random

conducive: adj – contributing to; helpful

mete: v – to allot; to distribute

devout: adj – religious; devoted

subsistence: n - survival

rudimentary: adj – basic; simple

affiliation: n – connection; involvement