Vocabulary in The Haunted House

Vocabulary in The Haunted House, a classic poem by Thomas Hood, for new readers include:

• espial (ih-ˈspeye (-ə)l, rhymes with "dial"), meaning discovery or observation
• wren (silent "w" but otherwise phonetic) - a little brown songbird, mostly existing only in the New World (North and South America)
• prodigious (ban) - remarkably large in extent or degree
• demurely (dozing) - modestly reserved in appearance, or coy
• (shut or open) casement - a window or window part on hinge such that it opens and closes like a vertical door
• parapet (par-UH-pit or -pet)- a low protective wall along the top of a roof, balcony, or bridge - mentioned in some Bible translations
• coping-stone - the same as "copestone", which is the highest stone in a structure, or a crowning achievement
• rafter - a parallel beam in support of a roof
• heron (HAIR-ən) - a long-necked, long-billed bird that wades in water, with large wings (can span as much as 7.5 feet); like a crane except with a longer and more curved neck but not as large a bird overall
• alighted - landed softly on from the air (e.g., a bird alighted on a rooftop)
• whitwall - a green woodpecker, better known as a whetile, or yaffle
• sable - black, especially as worn in mourning
• diurnal - during daytime
• prehensile (pre-​hen-​sile) - adapted for grasping, as in a tail
• buff - a yellowish-beige color (or today, as slang, in muscular physical conditioning
• settle (noun) - a wooden bench with a back for support, and two arms at the ends, as might be seen in outside a courtroom
• redolent - aromatic, or suggestive of something
• bade - commanded or ordered
• perennially - constant, perpetual, recurring
• dappled - marked with small spots that contrast with their background
• rankly - excessively, unusually in an offensive or unwanted way
• taper - a thin candle
• portentous - like a portend (a sign of something disastrous or eventful)
• malediction - a curse
• spectre-pallid - a pale or ghastly spirit
• gilt - thinly covered with a layer of gold paint
• hue - color, gradation of color, shade, or even (in the abstract) the character of something like a political party
• interdict (verb) - to prohibit, often in the sense of blocking movement of a person or thing
• burnished - polished, usually by rubbing it
• midge - a small fly having two wings (a midget is slang for a small person)
• gossamer - a film of cobwebs as spun by small spiders
• festoon - a chain or grouping of flowers, ribbons, or leaves, typically hung for decoration purposes
• course (verb, used as coursed) - to hunt, particularly hares (similar to a large rabbit)
• flit (flitted) - move quickly while also lightly