Essential Units 8-14 Flashcards
Atavism
Atavism (n)
In biology, the reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence; individual or a part that exhibits atavism; return of a trait after a period of absence.
Some modern political theorists reject nationalism as a tribal atavism.
Attenuate
Attenuate (v)
To weaken
Modern digital radio equipment allows even signals that have been greatly attenuated to be transmitter by one station and received by another station.
Audacious
Audacious (adj)
Bold; daring
The German army commander Erwin Rommel was known as the “Desert Fox” as a result of his audacious surprise attacks on Allied forces in World War 2.
Austere
Austere (adj)
Stern; unadorned
Deism is an austere belief that reflects the predominant philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment: a universe symmetrical and governed by rationality.
Autonomous
Autonomous (adj)
Self-governing; independent
Some biologists have theorized that our belief in our ability to act as autonomous agents is in conformity with the theory of evolution because it gives us a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives that helps us survive.
Avarice
Avarice (n)
Greed
Successful investment bankers are sometimes accused of avarice; their defenders, however, say that they are simply very good at what they do and should be rewarded accordingly.
Aver
Aver (v)
To affirm; to declare to be true
Yogis avers that everyone has a guru, wether it’s…
Avocation
Avocation (n)
Secondary occupation
Dan was better at his avocation than his real job.
Avuncular
Avuncular (adj)
Like an uncle, benevolent and tolerant
Walter Cronkite, who was the anchorman of CBS News during much of the 1970’s and 1980’s, had an avuncular manner that made him one of America’s most trusted personalities.
Asylum
Asylum (n)
Place of refuge or shelter
The victim seemed asylum after the trial.
Axiomatic
Axiomatic (adj)
Taken for granted
In nineteenth-century geology, uniformtarism was the antithesis of catastrophism, asserting that it was axiomatic that natural law and processes do not fundamentally change,, and that what we observe now is essentially the same as what occurred in the past.
Bacchanalian
Bacchanalian (adj)
Pertaining to riotous or drunken festivity; pertaining to revelry.
For some people New Year’s Eve is an occasion for bacchanalian revelry.
Banal
Banal (adj)
Commonplace; trite
The writer has a gift for making even the most banal observation seem important and original.
Banter
Banter (n)
Playful conversation
The governor engaged in some banter with reporters before getting to the serious business of the news conference.
Bard
Bard (n)
Poet
The great bards of English literature have all been masters of the techniques of verse.
Bawdy
Bawdy (adj)
Obscene
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is the story of a group of Christian pilgrims who entertain one another with stories, ranging from the holy to the bawdy, on their journey to Canterbury Cathedral.
Beatify
Beatify (v)
To sanctify; to bless; to ascribe a virtue
In the year 2000 Pope John Paul 2 traveled to Fatima in Portugal to beatify two of the three children who said they saw the appearance of the Virgin Mary there in 1917
Beatification is the second and next to last step on the path to sainthood.
Bedizen
Bedizen (v)
To dress in a vulgar, show manner
Paul went to the costume party bedizened as a seventeenth century french aristocrat.
Behemoth
Behemoth (n)
Huge creature; anything very large and powerful
Belie
Belie (v)
To contradict; misrepresent; give a false impression
The boxer’s childlike face belies the ferocity with which he can attack opponents in the ring.
Beneficent
Beneficent (adj)
Kindly; doing good
The theologian discussed the question of why a beneficent and omnipotent God allows bad things to happen to good people.
Bifurcate
Bifurcate (v)
To divide into two parts
Teachers bifurcate their job into two parts- teaching and lesson planning.
Blandishment
Blandishment (n)
Flattery
Despite the salesperson’s blandishments, Donna did not buy the car.
Blandish is the verb, meaning to coax with flattery.
Blasé
Blasé (adj)
Bored because of frequent indulgence; unconcerned
We were amazed by John’s blase attitude toward school; he seems to have made it a rule never to open a book again.
Bolster
Bolster (v)
To give a boost to; prop up; support
The president has visited the state several times to bolster his sagging popularity there.
Bombastic
Bombastic (adj)
Pompous; using inflated language
Nearly lost in the senator’s long, bombastic speech were several sensible ideas.
Boorish
Boorish (adj)
Rude; insensitive
Bob apologized for his boorish behavior at the party, saying he hadn’t realized that it was such a formal occasion.
Bovine
Bovine (adj)
Cowlike
Following the slow moving group of students up the long path to the school’s entrance, the word bovine popped into the English teachers mind
