Wide Sargasso Sea

This section presents terms and phrases that are central to understanding the text and may present a challenge to the reader. Use this list to create a vocabulary quiz or worksheet, to prepare flashcards for a standardized test, or to inspire classroom word games and other group activities.

1. frangipani (noun):

a small tropical tree that produces fragrant, often white and yellow flowers; also known as plumeria

“Then one day, very early, I saw her horse lying down under the frangipani tree.” (Part 1, Page 18)

2. patois (noun):

in Jamaica, an English-based creole language; more broadly, a regional dialect (especially one that is nonstandard and associated with the lower classes)

“I couldn’t always understand her patois songs—she also came from Martinique—but she taught me the one that meant ‘The little ones grow old, the children leave us, will they come back?’ and the one about the cedar tree flowers which only last for a day.” (Part 1, Page 20)

3. quavered (past tense verb):

trembled, often with emotion

“The music was gay but the words were sad and her voice often quavered and broke on the high note.” (Part 1, Page 20)

4. calabash (noun):

a gourd, especially one that’s been hollowed out for use as a vessel

“We boiled green bananas in an old iron pot and ate them with our fingers out of a calabash and after we had eaten she slept at once.