| daystar | the morning star (perhaps the planet Venus which often preceded the dawning of the sun), or the sun itself | The rising of the daystar told him that dawn was coming soon. |
| bric-a-brac | small ornamental objects displayed in a home as curiousities or keepsakes | The boys were boisterous that they broke some of their aunt's bric-a-brac. |
| foraging | searching (usually for food) | The survivors were reduced to foraging for food in the flooded storerooms. |
| detail | a group of soldiers assigned a specific task | The detail was assigned to shuttle refugees to the island. |
| swathes | paths | Swathes were cut through the jungle. |
| unsheathing | pulling out something (like a knife) from its case | He unsheathed his blade before plunging it into the intruder's neck. |
| impetuous | rash, impulsinve, unthinking | An impetuous student killed the snake. |
| penultimate | next to the last | She was the penultimate member of the panda species. |
| dodo | a flightless bird, hunted to extinction in the 17th century | Humans may go the way of the dodo if they cannot control their love of war . |