The Hero With a Thousand Faces — Vocabulary
Joseph Campbell
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Exemplary sample	Uses	ACT/SAT
	53
ogrefrightening giant In the story, the ogre lived in a dark cave and captured anyone who came near.more Show sample from book All the ogres and secret helpers of our nursery are there, all the magic of childhood.†p.12.652 more ogre → ogres:a frightening giant from fairy tales, especially one who eats people… Show general definition a frightening giant from fairy tales, especially one who eats people; or a cruel or terrifying person
	21	top 10
illustratemake clear Pictures of flooding help to illustrate the problem of global warming.more Show sample from book The myths never tire of illustrating the point that conflict in the created world is not what it seems.p.246.520 more illustrate → illustrating:helping make clear Show general definition for illustrate (as in: as illustrated by this example) to help make clear -- typically by example
	40	top 2000
serpentsnake There was a picture of a serpent eating its tail.more Show sample from book Hairy and misformed, or eke shaped as animals, ostriches, or serpents, they were very dangerous to unprotected persons.†p.61.539 more serpent → serpents:snakes Show general definition a snake
	35
deitydeity → deities:gods and goddesses Literature is filled with references to Greek and Roman deities.more Show sample from book The protecting deities of the universe took flight, but the Future Buddha remained unmoved beneath the Tree.†p.26.134 more deity → deities:gods or goddesses Show general definition god or goddess
	20	top 100
correspondcorrespond → corresponds:is equivalent The girls are using a simple code where "1" corresponds to "A", "2" to "B" and so on for each of the 26 letters of the alphabet.more Show sample from book Every beam and joist corresponds to an element in the great hogan of the all-embracing earth and sky.†p.332.419 more correspond → corresponds:connects or fits together by being equivalent, proportionate, or matched Show general definition for correspond (as in: corresponding time period) connect or fit together by being equivalent, proportionate, or matched (Two things are equivalent if they have the same or very similar value, purpose, or result.)
	34
boonsomething that is of great benefit The new community center is a boon to the neighborhood, offering free classes and a safe place for kids to play.more Show sample from book The Greeks tell of King Midas, who had the luck to win from Bacchus the offer of whatsoever boon he might desire.†p.163.533 more Show general definition something that is of great benefit
	23	top 1000
doctrineprinciple She argues that the action is protected under the separation-of-powers doctrine that is fundamental to the US Constitution.more Show sample from book This doctrine of the incommunicability of the Truth which is beyond names and forms is basic to the great Oriental, as well as to the Platonic, traditions.†p.25.622 more a belief (or system of beliefs or principles) accepted as authoritative by some … Show general definition a belief (or system of beliefs or principles) accepted as authoritative by some group
	19	top 500
attaingain or reach something with effort She was the first woman to attain the rank of general.more Show sample from book Olioll, Brian, and Fiachra, likewise, went on the quest and equally attained to the identical well.†p.98.418 more attain → attained:gained or reached something with effort Show general definition to gain or reach something with effort
	16	top 100
yieldproduce (lead to) The discovery could yield a more effective treatment for diabetes.more Show sample from book And since it is the source of all existence, it yields the world's plenitude of both good and evil.†p.35.715 more yield → yields:gives or produces Show general definition for yield (as in: will yield valuable data) to produce (usually something wanted); or the thing or amount produced
	25
incarnatein the form of a human body She described him as the devil incarnate.more Show sample from book Indeed, this young hero was none other than the Future Buddha, in an earlier incarnation.†p.72.424 more incarnate → incarnation:embodiment Show general definition embody (made real in a material sense) -- especially in the form of a human body, but sometimes figuratively
	18	top 500
annihilatecompletely defeat and destroy She reported that "ISIS needs to understand the Joint Force is on orders to annihilate them."more Show sample from book The hero whose attachment to ego is already annihilate passes back and forth across the horizons of the world, in and out of the dragon, as readily as a king through all the rooms of his house.†p.78.117 more to completely destroy or defeat Show general definition to completely destroy or defeat
	13	top 100
perspectiveway of seeing or thinking about things A child who was abused with have a different perspective of family life than one raised in a nurturing home.more Show sample from book From the perspective of the source, the world is a majestic harmony of forms pouring into being, exploding, and dissolving.†p.247.112 more a particular way of seeing or thinking about things Show general definition for perspective (as in: Look at it from her perspective) a particular way of seeing or thinking about things
	17	top 1000
abyssseemingly bottomless pit At the end of the story, Gandalf falls with the demon into the abyss.more Show sample from book Something of the light that blazes invisible within the abysses of its normally opaque materiality breaks forth, with an increasing uproar.†p.22.716 more abyss → abysses:holes or dropoffs so deep the bottom cannot be seen -- often used figuratively to imply frightening bottomless pits Show general definition a hole or dropoff so deep the bottom cannot be seen -- often used figuratively to imply a frightening bottomless pit
	16
i.e.in other words Most of the items the store sells are private-label, i.e., not national brands you'd recognize.more Show sample from book In a word: the first work of the hero is to retreat from the world scene of secondary effects to those causal zones of the psyche where the difficulties really reside, and there to clarify the difficulties, eradicate them in his own case (i.e., give battle to the nursery demons of his local culture) and break through to the undistorted, direct experience and assimilation of what C. G. Jung has called "the archetypal images."p.12.915 more that is to say or in other words Show general definition that is to say; or in other words
	12
transcendentbeyond the ordinary range of human experience or understanding Hearing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah was a transcendent experience for me.more Show sample from book Through all, the transcendent force is then perceived which lives in all, in all is wonderful, and is worthy, in all, of our profound obeisance.†p.36.211 more beyond the ordinary range of human experience or understanding… Show general definition beyond the ordinary range of human experience or understanding or: surpassing usual limits of excellence
	3	top 1000
cleavesplit Large molecules cleave at their weakest points and produce smaller fragments.more Show sample from book The eye of the ordained victor immediately perceives the chink in every fortress of circumstance, and his blow can cleave it wide.p.295.94 more split or cut through Show general definition for cleave (as in: cleave through) to split or cut through something Show editor's word notes Ironically, this word can mean to split in two or to hold together. Note that you may see cleaved, cleft, clove, or cloven as the past tense of this sense of cleave.
	2	top 1000
cleave#2cleave → cleaves:holds firmly The New Testament quotes the Old Testament twice in saying, "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to this wife, and they become one flesh."more Show sample from book In the United States there is even a pathos of inverted emphasis: the goal is not to grow old, but to remain young; not to mature away from Mother, but to cleave to her.p.7.64 more hold firmly Show general definition for cleave (as in: cleave to) to hold firmly to something -- such as an object, a person or idea Show editor's word notes Ironically, this word can mean to split in two or to hold together. Note that you may see cleaved, clove, or clave as the past tense of this sense of cleave.
	11
bardsomeone who composes poems about important events and people Shakespeare is sometimes called the Bard of Avon.more Show sample from book The bard's legend and poems survive in a thirteenth-century manuscript, "The Book of Taliesin," which is one of the "Four Ancient Books of Wales."†p.172.910 more someone who composes and recites or sings poems about important events and peopl… Show general definition for bard (as in: written by the bard) someone who composes and recites or sings poems about important events and people; or (as a proper noun) Shakespeare Show editor's word notes Shakespeare is sometimes called the Bard of Avon or just the Bard.
	11
dissolutionformal ending or termination After years of growing apart, they finally agreed that the dissolution of their marriage was the healthiest choice for both of them.more Show sample from book And Chapter IV, Dissolutions, tells of the foretold end, first of the hero, then of the manifested world.†p.30.810 more dissolution → dissolutions:the act or process of breaking something up or bringing it to an end Show general definition the act or process of breaking something up or bringing it to an end—for example, ending a relationship or meeting, or a substance breaking apart as it mixes into a liquid Show editor's word notes In everyday and legal use, dissolution can mean ending a relationship, meeting, or legal body, such as the dissolution of a marriage or a company. In chemistry, it refers to a substance breaking apart and spreading evenly through a liquid (for example, salt in water), or a compound separating into its parts by chemical action.
	10
metaphysicalabout things beyond the physical world, like the soul or God Many people are comforted by metaphysical beliefs about the soul continuing to exist after death.more Show sample from book The key to the modern systems of psychological interpretation therefore is this: the metaphysical realm = the unconscious.†p.222.49 more about things beyond the physical world, such as existence, reality, or the soul Show general definition relating to things beyond the physical world—such as existence, reality, God, or the soul—and sometimes to ideas that are very abstract or overly theoretical Show editor's word notes People often use metaphysical for beliefs or questions that go beyond what can be directly tested by science—for example, beliefs about the soul, God, or what ultimately makes something real. These are usually things without material form that you cannot touch or measure. In philosophy, metaphysical specifically refers to metaphysics, the branch of philosophy that studies being and knowing—questions like "What is real?", "Do we have free will?", or "What does it mean for something to exist?" In everyday language, someone might call a discussion metaphysical if it feels very abstract or "off in the clouds," as in "They got lost in a metaphysical argument about whether anything is truly knowable."