Vocabulary in Life of Pi

The scientific study of animals, their behaviour, biology, and classification. Pi's father runs a zoo, so the word appears in the context of professional animal management and study.

Slow and clumsy because of great weight or size; in this text used to describe something heavy and laborious, whether physical or intellectual.

A person who believes it is impossible to know whether God exists. Pi uses the term critically, seeing agnosticism as a failure of imaginative commitment rather than honest doubt.

A Hindu act of worship or prayer, typically involving offerings, incense, and ritual gestures made before a deity's image or shrine.

The house or residence of a Roman Catholic parish priest. Pi visits one when he seeks out the Christian priest Father Martin.

Relating to Sufism, the mystical and devotional tradition within Islam that emphasises direct personal experience of God through love, prayer, and sometimes music or dance.

In Hinduism, the moral law, duty, or right way of living that governs the universe and each individual's conduct. Pi encounters the concept as part of his Hindu upbringing.

A Kabbalistic concept meaning divine contraction or withdrawal; here it is also the name of the Japanese cargo ship on which Pi and his family sail, giving the word a double resonance of absence and catastrophe.

A small crane-like device on the side of a ship used to lower and raise lifeboats. Pi's survival depends on the lifeboat being released by this mechanism during the sinking.

A large sheet of heavy waterproof canvas used as a cover. On the lifeboat, the tarpaulin covers the bow shelter where Richard Parker hides.

A plank or seat fixed crosswise inside a boat, used as a seat for rowers or as a structural brace. Pi uses the thwarts of the lifeboat as platforms and boundaries.

A pole with a hook or barbed head used for landing large fish or, on a boat, for handling sails. Pi finds one among the lifeboat's survival equipment.

A large, fast, brilliantly coloured open-ocean fish (also called mahi-mahi or dolphinfish). Pi catches dorados as a primary food source during his months at sea.

A device that uses sunlight to evaporate seawater and condense the vapour into drinkable fresh water. Pi relies on solar stills from the lifeboat's survival kit to avoid dying of thirst.

The hard upper shell of a turtle or crustacean. Pi kills sea turtles and must break through the carapace to reach the meat and blood inside.

Small burrowing mammals native to southern Africa, related to mongooses. On the algae island, Pi discovers the island is inhabited by thousands of meerkats, which behave in eerie, coordinated ways.

Feeding on animal flesh, or in this text extended to a plant or island that consumes living creatures. The algae island is revealed to be carnivorous, digesting any animal that remains on it at night.

Simple, plant-like organisms that grow in water or damp conditions, ranging from microscopic forms to large seaweeds. The mysterious island Pi discovers is made entirely of dense, edible algae.

The Roman Catholic doctrine that the bread and wine of the Eucharist are transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ. Pi reflects on this miracle as part of his wonder at Christianity's bold claims.

Pre-packaged non-perishable food supplies, such as biscuits and tinned goods, stored on a lifeboat or vessel for emergency use. Pi discovers and carefully manages the lifeboat's dry rations to extend his survival.

A state of complete emptiness, loneliness, and misery. Pi uses the word to describe the overwhelming psychological suffering of being utterly alone on the open ocean.

A person who has been shipwrecked and stranded, typically at sea or on an isolated shore, with no immediate means of rescue. Pi identifies himself as a castaway surviving on a lifeboat in the Pacific.

Absolutely necessary and urgent; something that cannot be avoided or ignored. Pi describes certain survival actions — such as establishing dominance over Richard Parker — as imperative to staying alive.