The Da Vinci Code
Vocabulary

5 uses

Silas was surprised by the austerity of the sanctuary.

austerity = absence of luxury, comfort, or decoration

6 uses

The Holy See worked hard to retain a veil of mystery, even for its highest clergy.

clergy = formal religious leaders (typically in Christianity)

5 uses

We are a congregation of Catholics who have chosen as our priority to follow Catholic doctrine as rigorously as we can in our own daily lives.

doctrine = a belief (or system of beliefs or principles) accepted as authoritative by some group

9 uses

To my taste, the authors made some dubious leaps of faith in their analysis,

dubious = doubtful (not to be relied upon)

1 use

...the floor produced an ephemeral optical illusion...

ephemeral = existing only for a short time

3 uses

8 uses

Anyone who chose the forbidden gospels over Constantine's version was deemed a heretic.

heretic = someone with unacceptable beliefs

1 use

...the Dossiers Secrets had been authenticated by many specialists and incontrovertibly confirmed what historians had suspected for a long time:

incontrovertibly = undeniably

70 uses

Langdon had lectured often enough on the Knights Templar to know that almost everyone on earth had heard of them, at least abstractedly.

Knights Templar = an order of medieval knights that existed for two centuries after the First Crusade and who helped to protect Jerusalem and European pilgrims to Jerusalem when it was under Christian control

1 use

6 uses

As she read the passages, Sophie recalled an angry priest who had banged on her grandfather's door when she was a schoolgirl.†

passages = short parts of longer written works

2 meanings, 4 uses

4 uses

She apparently believed the curator had left her a cryptic postscript telling her to find Langdon.

postscript = a note added to the end of a letter after the signature — usually preceded with "PS:" or "P.S."

1 use

Langdon rolled his eyes at Sophie, well accustomed to Teabing's predilection for dramatic antics.

predilection = tendency or preference (a predisposition in favor of something)

4 uses

I must purge my soul of today's sins.

purge = get rid of

6 uses

I think you'll find this relevant to our discussion.

relevant = related in a meaningful way

1 use

Few people realized that anagrams, despite being a trite modern amusement, had a rich history of sacred symbolism.

trite = lacking impact because they are so familiar

4 uses

...master stonemasons, erecting Templar churches all over Europe, but Rosslyn was considered their most sublime labor of love and veneration.

veneration = respect

1 use

Sir Leigh Teabing had vociferously proclaimed his innocence, and yet from his incoherent rantings about the Holy Grail, secret documents, and mysterious brotherhoods, Fache suspected the wily historian was setting the stage for his lawyers to plead an insanity defense.

vociferously = with forceful energy