depilatory hair-removing.
dermatology the study of skin.
descent line the chronological history of a person's ancestors; a genealogical family tree.
desultorily lackadaisically, without fervor.
dill a herb with aromatic leaves and seeds, which are used as a food seasoning.
dirigibles airships, or blimps.
dowries any material wealth that brides bring to their husbands at marriage.
drinking gourd a dried and then hollowed-out melon or squash, often oddly shaped, that can be used as a drinking vessel.
earthenware jugs containers made from either clay or heavy soil; once the material is sculpted into form, the container is cooked over flames and then set to cool.
efface to erase or eliminate.
Eight Sages also called the Eight Immortals, eight mythological Chinese men of great wisdom; although unacquainted in real life, the eight are frequently depicted as a group in Chinese art.
Ellis Island an island off of New York City that served as the primary immigration station from 1892 to 1943.
embossed carved or adorned.
"Ex-assistant étranger à la clinique chirugicale et d'accouchement de l'université de Lyon" French, meaning "The former foreign assistant at the surgical and birthing clinic of the University of Lyon [France]."
exorcised to have cast out evil spirits.
faggots bundled small branches, often used as kindling to start a fire.
fatalism a belief system whose adherents believe that all events are predetermined; a person cannot make personal choices because freewill does not exist.
felicitous pleasing.
ferule a rod used to punish children.
fiefdoms a land-holding system in which large tracts of land are owned and run by feudal lords; mini-kingdoms.
fighting monks a Buddhist order of monks trained in martial arts, often depicted in folklore and movies.
figs the fruit of the fig tree, a Mediterranean tree or shrub; gathered when they fall from the tree and then dried, figs are so widely used in Mediterranean countries that they are called "the poor man's food."
First Emperor of Ch'in refers to Chao Cheng, who came to the throne in 247 B.C., and, by 221 B.C., had solidified the Ch'in dynasty, mostly through conquests of rival territories; during the Ch'in empire, which lasted until 206 B.C., the Great Wall of China was begun, and all books except those on such subjects as medicine were burned to halt subversive thought.
flayed here, stripped of all protective emotions; left completely vulnerable.
flotage loose material adrift in water.
fly screen a meshlike material used to keep flies out of homes or buildings.
fontanel an anatomical term used to describe a baby's soft membranes between its skull's unformed bones.
foreheads tied with wild oaths scarf-like material wrapped around the forehead and tied at the back of the head; ideographs like those that Fa Mu Lan's father carves on the woman warrior's back would have been stitched into the fabric to spur warriors to perform great deeds.
Fourth Aunt and Uncle The title of a relative is accorded by the rank at birth; for example, Third Sister would be the third daughter born into a family.
foxtails a perennial weedy grass with spiked flowers that resemble the tails of foxes.
Fred Astaire (1899-1987) Hollywood's famous male dancer who teamed with Ginger Rogers in ten popular movies for RKO Studio during the 1930s, including Top Hat (1935) and Swing Time (1936).
frenum here, a small fold of membrane that restrains the tongue's movement.
fungus mushrooms.
