41 words to know before reading The Jungle Book

1. A lightweight toy flown in the wind on a string.
2. A bird of prey with long wings and a forked tail.

Now Rann, the Kite, brings home the night That Mang, the Bat, sets free— The herds are shut in byre and hut, For

1. A tropical fruit with sweet, juicy flesh and a large seed.
2. A colloquial term for a man or guy in some dialects.

Now Rann, the Kite, brings home the night That Mang, the Bat, sets free— The herds are shut in byre and hut, For loosed till dawn are we. This is

1. Groups of animals, especially large mammals, that live or move together.
2. To gather, lead, or manage animals in a group.

Now Rann, the Kite, brings home the night That Mang, the Bat, sets free— The herds are shut in byre and hut, For loosed till dawn are we. This is the hour of pride and power, Talon

1. A cowshed or barn for housing cattle.
2. A shelter for livestock, typically found on farms.

Now Rann, the Kite, brings home the night That Mang, the Bat, sets free— The herds are shut in byre and hut, For loosed till dawn are we. This is the hour of pride and power, Talon and tush and

1. A small, simple shelter or dwelling, often made of wood or other natural materials.
2. A temporary or basic structure used for camping or storage.

because Mowgli would not sleep under anything that looked so like a panther-trap as that hut, and when they shut the door he went through the window. “Give him his will,” said Messua’s

1. The claw of a bird of prey.
2. A playing card with a distinctive design on the back.

are shut in byre and hut, For loosed till dawn are we. This is the hour of pride and power, Talon and tush and claw. Oh, hear the call!—Good hunting all That keep the Jungle Law! Night-Song in

1. The fleshy part of the human body behind the hips; buttocks.
2. (Archaic) A small tusk or tooth, especially of a horse.

in byre and hut, For loosed till dawn are we. This is the hour of pride and power, Talon and tush and claw. Oh, hear the call!—Good hunting all That keep the Jungle Law! Night-Song in the Jungle

1. A sharp, curved nail on the foot of an animal.
2. A mechanical device resembling an animal's claw, used for gripping.

and hut, For loosed till dawn are we. This is the hour of pride and power, Talon and tush and claw. Oh, hear the call!—Good hunting all That keep the Jungle Law! Night-Song in the Jungle

1. Young bears, especially of the species Ursidae.
2. The young of certain other animals, such as lions or foxes.

right on the child’s back not a tooth even scratched the skin, as he laid it down among the cubs. “How little! How naked, and—how bold!” said Mother Wolf, softly. The baby was pushing his way

1. Used to emphasize a statement or response.
2. Truly or certainly (often expressing agreement).

said Bagheera. “Now I know thou art a man, and a man’s cub no longer. The jungle is shut indeed to thee henceforward. Let them fall, Mowgli; they are only tears.” So Mowgli sat and cried as

1. A variant spelling of 'sheer,' meaning thin, fine, or transparent.

Tabaqui sat still, rejoicing in the mischief that he had made, and then he said spitefully: “Shere Khan, the Big One, has shifted his hunting-grounds. He will hunt among these hills during the

1. Belonging to you (archaic or poetic form of "your").
2. Short for "thyroid" in medical contexts (informal).

I tell him of your gratitude?” said Tabaqui. “Out!” snapped Father Wolf. “Out, and hunt with thy master. Thou hast done harm enough for one night.” “I go,” said Tabaqui, quietly. “Ye can hear

1. A young bear, lion, or other carnivorous mammal.
2. A section of the Boy Scouts for young boys (ages 8–10).

to a wolf’s cave at night. He looked up into Father Wolf’s face and laughed. “Is that a man’s cub?” said Mother Wolf. “I have never seen one. Bring it here.” A wolf accustomed to moving his own

1. A small, tailless amphibian with moist skin and long hind legs for leaping.
2. A device used to hold objects, such as flower stems or horse hooves, in place.

“What matter? He will die in the winter rains. He will scorch in the sun. What harm can a naked frog do us? Let him run with the Pack. Where is the bull, Bagheera? Let him be accepted.” And then

1. A character from "The Jungle Book," a friendly bear who mentors Mowgli.
2. (Slang) A term of endearment, often for a large, lovable person.

Council—Baloo, the sleepy brown bear who teaches the wolf cubs the Law of the Jungle; old Baloo, who can come and go where he pleases because he eats only nuts and roots and honey—rose up on

1. A place where a wild animal lives or rests.
2. A secret or private hideaway.

you. I watched. The Bandar-log have taken him beyond the river to the Monkey City—to the Cold Lairs. They may stay there for a night, or ten nights, or an hour. I have told the bats to watch

1. A large wild cat, such as a leopard or jaguar, especially in its black form.
2. A term used for cougars or mountain lions in some regions.

They fed me behind bars from an iron pan till one night I felt that I was Bagheera, the Panther, and no man’s plaything, and I broke the silly lock with one blow of my paw, and came away; and

1. (archaic) You (singular), used as the object of a verb or preposition.
2. (poetic) A form of 'you' in older or religious texts.

I will keep him. Lie still, little frog. O thou Mowgli—for Mowgli, the Frog, I will call thee—the time will come when thou wilt hunt Shere Khan as he has hunted thee!” “But what will our

1. Feeding on grass or plants in a field (for animals).
2. The act of animals eating grass or vegetation.

as though it had been cut off with a hoe. All over the plain, cattle and buffaloes were grazing, and when the little boys in charge of the herds saw Mowgli they shouted and ran away, and the

1. Lightweight flying toys controlled by strings.
2. Birds of prey with long wings and forked tails.

of the bulls! Hsh! He is asleep. We will not wake him, for his strength is very great. The kites have come down to see it. The black ants have come up to know it. There is a great assembly in

1. People who accompany or spend time with others.
2. Animals or objects that provide company or support.

remembered the good firm beaches of Novastoshnah seven thousand miles away; the games his companions played, the smell of the seaweed, the seal-roar, and the fighting. That very minute he turned

1. The long, thick hair growing from the neck or head of certain animals, like lions or horses.
2. A person's long, thick hair, often styled or flowing.

to the sea as possible. Sea Catch was fifteen years old, a huge gray fur-seal with almost a mane on his shoulders, and long, wicked dogteeth. When he heaved himself up on his front flippers he

1. Located at or toward the back (e.g., hind legs).
2. A female deer, especially a red deer over three years old.

his sides were torn to ribbons. “Oh, you men, you men!” Matkah said, fanning herself with her hind flipper. “Why can’t you be sensible and settle your places quietly? You look as though you had

1. Seabirds of the family Laridae, often found near coasts and known for their loud calls.
2. To deceive or trick someone (verb).

with his hind flippers half in and half out of the surf. “Wake up!” barked Kotick, for the gulls were making a great noise. “Hah! Ho! Hmph! What’s that?” said Sea Vitch, and he struck the next

1. A large marine mammal with tusks and whiskers, found in Arctic regions.
2. Slang for a person with a prominent mustache.

island almost due northeast from Novastoshnah, all ledges of rock and gulls’ nests, where the walrus herded by themselves. He landed close to old Sea Vitch—the big, ugly, bloated, pimpled,

1. A strip of hair grown above the upper lip.
2. Facial hair that grows between the nose and mouth.

farther north they held a bowing council every few hours, and Kotick nearly bit off his mustache with impatience till he saw that they were following up a warm current of water, and then he

1. To annoy or irritate someone with persistent complaints or demands.
2. A horse, especially an old or worn-out one.

saith: “Nag, come up and dance with death!” Eye to eye and head to head, (Keep the measure, Nag.) This shall end when one is dead; (At thy pleasure, Nag.) Turn for turn and twist for twist—

1. A single-story house, often with a veranda.
2. A small, cozy cottage, typically with a low-pitched roof.

were no people in the bungalow, did we have any mongoose in the garden? So long as the bungalow is empty, we are king and queen of the garden; and remember that as soon as our eggs in the

1. A small carnivorous mammal with a long body and tail, known for hunting snakes.
2. Any of various species in the family Herpestidae, native to Africa and Asia.

him, and we’ll see what he’ll do.” It is the hardest thing in the world to frighten a mongoose, because he is eaten up from nose to tail with curiosity. The motto of all the mongoose family

1. A roofed platform along the outside of a house, level with the ground floor.
2. An open-air gallery or porch, often partly enclosed by a railing.

wife screaming: “Rikki-tikki, I led Nagaina toward the house, and she has gone into the veranda, and—oh, come quickly—she means killing!” Rikki-tikki smashed two eggs, and tumbled backward

1. (noun) A decorative trimming or edging, often made of gathered fabric.
2. (verb) To gather or pleat fabric into a decorative edge.

of the Pack was open, and Shere Khan with his following of scrap-fed wolves walked to and fro openly, being flattered. Bagheera lay close to Mowgli, and the fire-pot was between Mowgli’s

1. A venomous snake, typically hooded, found in Africa and Asia.
2. A yoga pose where the upper body is lifted while lying on the stomach.

followed it. Angry as he was, Rikki-tikki was very frightened as he saw the size of the big cobra. Nag coiled himself up, raised his head, and looked into the bathroom in the dark, and Rikki

1. The number equivalent to four times ten (40).
2. A term used to describe a quantity or age.

all the Pack by strength and cunning, lay out at full length on his rock, and below him sat forty or more wolves of every size and color, from badger-colored veterans who could handle a buck

1. Long, pointed teeth extending outside the mouth of certain animals, like elephants or walruses.
2. Hard, elongated structures used for digging or defense in some species.

of killing him on that day when Big Toomai carried the little brown baby under Kala Nag’s tusks, and told him to salute his master that was to be. “Yes,” said Little Toomai, “he is afraid of

1. Stakes or posts driven into the ground to form a fence or boundary.
2. Small groups of protesters stationed outside a place to demonstrate or strike.

and the long hours when there was nothing to do except to watch Kala Nag fidgeting in his pickets. What Little Toomai liked was to scramble up bridle-paths that only an elephant could take; the

1. Large, humped mammals adapted to desert life.
2. Symbols of endurance and survival in harsh conditions.

and landed close to the mule. “It’s disgraceful,” he said, blowing out his nostrils. “Those camels have racketed through our lines again—the third time this week. How’s a horse to keep his

1. A governor who rules a country or province as the representative of a monarch.
2. A type of orange and black butterfly resembling the monarch butterfly.

his mustache, “your Amir whom you do not obey must come here and take orders from our Viceroy.” Parade-Song of the Camp Animals Elephants of the Gun-Team We lent to Alexander the strength of

1. A title for a ruler or leader in some Muslim countries.
2. A commander or high-ranking officer in certain Islamic contexts.

called Rawal Pindi, to be reviewed by the Viceroy of India. He was receiving a visit from the Amir of Afghanistan—a wild king of a very wild country; and the Amir had brought with him for a

1. A large, humped mammal used for transport in deserts.
2. A color resembling light tan or yellowish-brown.

live. All things made he—Shiva the Preserver. Mahadeo! Mahadeo! he made all— Thorn for the camel, fodder for the kine, And mother’s heart for sleepy head, O little son of mine!

1. A spirited or quarrelsome woman.
2. A seductive or attractive woman.

Rrrhha!” Then he stopped suddenly, and I heard a little whimper in the dark, and knew that Vixen had found me at last. She knew as well as I did that if there is one thing in the world the

1. A set of straps and fittings used to control or attach an animal or object.
2. To utilize or control a resource or energy for a purpose.

and Billy the mule carried himself as though he commanded all the troops, and his harness was oiled and polished till it winked. I gave a cheer all by myself for Billy the mule, but he