arbitrate to act as an impartial judge in order to settle disputes.
as clean as God's fingers pure or perfect, in the way that all parts of God are flawless.
autocracy a government in which one person has absolute power; dictatorship; despotism.
base having or showing little or no honor, courage, or decency; mean; ignoble; contemptible.
beguile to mislead by cheating or tricking; deceive.
bewildered confused or disoriented; here, meaning bewitched or acting unnaturally.
bound under compulsion; obliged; here it means in service to.
break charity to treat wrongfully or betray.
broken sick, weakened, or beaten; here, meaning weak and imperfect.
calamity deep trouble or misery; any extreme misfortune bringing great loss and sorrow; disaster.
calumny a false and malicious statement meant to hurt someone's reputation.
clapped put, moved, set swiftly ( clapped into jail).
conjure up to raise spirits from the dead.
contemptuous full of contempt; scornful; disdainful. Here, the word describes Giles Corey's attempt to disrupt the court.
contentious always ready to argue; quarrelsome.
cool emotionally uninvolved; uncommitted; dispassionate. Here, meaning calculated.
covenant a binding and solemn agreement to do or keep from doing a specified thing; compact; the promise made by God to humanity, as describedin the Bible. Here, "covenanted" specifically refers to a person bound by God's law and scriptures. For example, John Proctor is a married man and is bound to Elizabeth through their marriage promise or contract. According to God's law, Proctor and Elizabeth must remain faithful to one another. Of course, the entire premise of The Crucible is the result of Proctor's and Abigail's infidelity.
crucible a container made of a substance that can resist great heat, for melting, fusing, or calcining ores, metals, and the like; a severe test or trial; here, meaning a test designed to bring about change or reveal an individual's true character.
