Lexicographer: Exodus

Kikongo Words
Bandika – to kill with an arrow; attach, glue, join, load.
Braai –roast, barbeque, toast.
Citoyen –citizen.
Filaires – tiny parasites that crawl into your pores and cause flare-ups.
Jezebel –wife of Ahab, King of Israel, who was a cruel & immoral queen who worshiped Baal and tried to kill prophets of Israel; A shameless impudent scheming woman.
Mondele – "white daughter"; Elisabet's nickname for Leah.
Nuus – daily news
Nyoka –snake, serpent
Nzolani— to be the most precious.
Nzole –traditional marriage cloth, symbolizes the togetherness of marriage; double the size of a regular pagne.
Nzolo – dearly beloved.

English Words/Phrases:
Bigamist : somebody who is married illegally to two people simultaneously.
Derelict : no longer lived in; in poor condition because of neglect.
Exonerates: to declare officially that somebody is not to blame; to relieve somebody from an obligation or responsibility.
Penitents: expressing or feeling regret or sorrow for having committed sins or misdeeds.
Prophetic: predicting or foreshadowing something that does eventually happen; relating to a prophet.
Rabid: infected with rabies; very enthusiastic or fanatical.
Scapular: any one of the feathers on a bird's shoulder.
Spires: a tall narrow pointed structure on the top of a roof, tower, or steeple.
Stupor: an acute lack of mental alertness brought on, for example, by shock or lack of sleep.

“ Love changes everything. I have never suspected it would be so. Requited love, I should say, for I’ve loved my father fiercely my whole life, and it changed nothing. But now, all around me, the flame trees have roused from their long, dry sleep into walls of scarlet blossom. Anatole moves through the dappled shade at the edges of my vision, wearing the silky pelt of a panther. I crave to feel that pelt against my neck. I crave it with a predator’s impatience, ignoring time, keening to the silence of owls” (Kingsolver, 399-400).
This quote stuck out to me because it shows Leah’s realization of what the concept of love really is. She spent a good part of her life trying to love her father and receive that same affection in return. When Nathan couldn’t love Leah in the way she hoped she would, there seemed to be an empty void within her. I think this void caused Leah to drift toward Anatole from the very beginning of the book. Anatole gave Leah the attention, encouragement, and love she had been missing most of her life.