Hick: Part 4 and Epilogue

by Sarah Miller
This biography covers the life of journalist Lorena "Hick" Hickok, whose life was changed by the love of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

This list covers vocabulary from Part 4 and the Epilogue.

Here are links to our lists for the book:

List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. grassroots
    of or involving the common people rather than those in power
    The book, Ladies of Courage, profiled an array of women—including Eleanor—who had made an impact in politics in every role from grassroots organizer to mayor, congresswoman, and governor.
  2. propriety
    correct behavior
    When Hick’s resonant voice called out “Darling!” to Eleanor from across the living room, they could barely conceal their horror at what appeared to be a blatant breach of propriety.
  3. sojourn
    a temporary stay
    Hick’s Val-Kill sojourn lasted a year.
  4. vocation
    the particular occupation for which you are trained
    Hick had a new vocation now.
  5. minutia
    a small or minor detail
    She had a unique trove of thousands of letters to draw upon, recounting the minutiae of Eleanor’s daily life from her first night in the White House.
  6. indefatigable
    showing sustained enthusiasm with unflagging vitality
    After decades of indefatigable work and travel, it was hard to fathom that she was just as mortal as any other human being.
  7. benevolence
    an inclination to do kind or charitable acts
    Despite her fundamental benevolence, she could be diabolically stubborn, and almost no one on earth had the mettle to oppose her.
  8. mettle
    the courage to carry on
    Despite her fundamental benevolence, she could be diabolically stubborn, and almost no one on earth had the mettle to oppose her.
  9. undertaking
    any piece of work that is attempted
    “How she garnered her strength for these undertakings was a marvel,” her doctor’s wife recalled.
  10. complaisant
    showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others
    Her body was not so complaisant; her old iron constitution held out nearly three weeks—until 6:15 p.m. on November 7, 1962.
  11. auxiliary
    functioning in a supporting capacity
    In her own small corner of the world, she had become an auxiliary grandmother.
  12. hallowed
    worthy of religious veneration
    That cavern was simply too large, too hallowed for anyone else to occupy.
  13. conniption
    a display of bad temper
    “The people at the Library are going to have conniptions when they found— or find out what I’ve done to some of your mother’s letters,” she confessed.
  14. posthumous
    occurring or coming into existence after a person's death
    In effect, Lorena Hickok had engineered her own posthumous coming-out with as much precision as she could.
  15. eminent
    standing above others in quality or position
    She plunged herself into research at the FDR Library, assembled a group of like-minded women (including Blanche Wiesen Cook, Eleanor Roosevelt’s most eminent biographer), and formed the Lorena Hickok Memorial and Scholarship Fund.
Created on 三月 24, 2026 (updated 五月 26, 2026)

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