Tag Archives: word #15

Relinquished

Relinquished (verb) – to withdraw or retreat from : leave behind

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relinquished

From “The Shawl” By Cynthia Ozick

I came across this word while reading “The Shawl” By Cynthia Ozick. It appears around the beginnning of the reading, as the author talks about how the girl, Magda is interacting with Rosa. It caught my interest because it’s a word that i’ve heard before but isn’t used quite often. So i’m curious as to how it ties in with the sentence and the author’s overall point.

“Without complaining, Magda relinquished Rosa’s teats, first the left, then the right; both were cracked, not a sniff of milk” (Ozick).

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, the author is discribing how Magda relinquished Rosa’s teats.

Rein

Rein (noun) : a strap fastened to a bit by which a rider or driver controls an animal —usually used in plural

The Shawl by Louise Erdrich

“As the uncle slapped the reins and the horse lurched forward, the boy tried to jump into the wagon, but his mother pried his hands off the boards, crying, Gego, gego, and he fell down hard.”

This statement explains that the wife, Aanakwad falls in love with other man and after giving birth to his child, she tries to run away from her home and she leaves her son behind as she takes her daughter and newborn baby with her on the wagon.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rein

Stenosis

Stenosis (noun) – a narrowing or constriction of the diameter of a bodily passage or orifice.

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stenosis

From: “The Cheater’s Guide to Love” by Junot Diaz

“The numbness in your arms and legs increases. You return to your doctors and they send you over to a neurologist, who sends you out for an MRI. Looks like you have stenosis all down your spine, the doctor reports, impressed.”

Here, the word stenosis is used to describe a condition that the narrator is suffering from. He is unable to lift heavy weights now. This shows that the narrator is getting older and probably won’t have the ability to actively date now. Also, due to the depression from his ex-girlfriend leaving him, the narrator is gaining weight and his spine is unable to support it.

Image result for stenosis