blue book #13

Question 1

errant

Answer 1

1.
deviating from the regular or proper course; erring; straying.

2.
journeying or traveling, as a medieval knight in quest of adventure; roving adventurously.

3.
moving in an aimless or lightly changing manner:
an errant breeze.

Question 2

erratic

Answer 2

1.
unpredictable; unstable; capricious.

2.
deviating from the usual or proper course in conduct or opinion; eccentric; queer:
erratic behavior.

3.
having no certain or definite course; wandering; not fixed:
erratic winds.

Question 3

erroneous

Answer 3

1.
containing error; mistaken; incorrect; wrong:
an erroneous answer.

2.
straying from what is moral, decent, proper, etc.

Question 4

ersatz

Answer 4

1.
serving as a substitute; synthetic; artificial:
an ersatz coffee made from grain.

2.
an artificial substance or article used to replace something natural or genuine; a substitute.

Question 5

erudite

Answer 5

characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly:

an erudite professor; an erudite commentary.

Question 6

escalate

Answer 6

1.
to increase in intensity, magnitude, etc.:
to escalate a war; a time when prices escalate.

2.
to raise, lower, rise, or descend on or as if on an escalator.

Question 7

escapade

Answer 7

1.
a reckless adventure or wild prank.

2.
an escape from confinement or restraint.

Question 8

escapism

Answer 8

the avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in entertainment or in an imaginative situation, activity, etc.

Question 9

eschew

Answer 9

to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid:

to eschew evil.

Question 10

esoteric

Answer 10

1.
understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite:
poetry full of esoteric allusions; esoteric philosophical doctrines.

2.
belonging to the select few.

3.
private; secret; confidential.

Question 11

espionage

Answer 11

1.
the act or practice of spying.

2.
the use of spies by a government to discover the military and political secrets of other nations.

3.
the use of spies by a corporation or the like to acquire the plans, technical knowledge, etc., of a competitor:
industrial espionage.

Question 12

espouse

Answer 12

1.
to make one’s own; adopt or embrace, as a cause; champion, advocate.

2.
to marry.

Question 13

espy

Answer 13

to see at a distance; catch sight of.

Question 14

estrange

Answer 14

1.
to turn away in feeling or affection; make unfriendly or hostile; alienate the affections of:
Their quarrel estranged the two friends.

2.
to remove to or keep at a distance:
The necessity for traveling on business has estranged him from his family.

3.
to divert from the original use or possessor.

Question 15

ethereal

Answer 15

1.
light, airy, or tenuous:
an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.

2.
extremely delicate or refined:
ethereal beauty.

3.
heavenly or celestial:
gone to his ethereal home.

4.
of or relating to the upper regions of space.

Question 16

ethos

Answer 16

1.
the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period:
In the Greek ethos the individual was highly valued.

2.
the character or disposition of a community, group, person, etc.

3.
the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character’s action rather than his or her thought or emotion.

Question 17

etiquette

Answer 17

1.
conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion.

2.
a prescribed or accepted code of usage in matters of ceremony, as at a court or in official or other formal observances.

3.
the code of ethical behavior regarding professional practice or action among the members of a profession in their dealings with each other:
medical etiquette.

Question 18

etymology

Answer 18

1.
the origin of a word.

2.
a chronological account of the birth and development of a particular word or element of a word, often delineating its spread from one language to another and its evolving changes in form and meaning.

3.
the study of historical linguistic change, especially as manifested in individual words.

Question 19

eulogy

Answer 19

1.
a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially a set oration in honor of a deceased person.

2.
high praise or commendation.

Question 20

euphemism

Answer 20

1.
the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.

2.
the expression so substituted: “to pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”

Question 21

euphony

Answer 21

agreeableness of sound; pleasing effect to the ear, especially a pleasant sounding or harmonious combination or succession of words:
the majestic euphony of Milton’s poetry.

Question 22

euphoria

Answer 22

1.
a state of intense happiness and self-confidence:
She was flooded with euphoria as she went to the podium to receive her award.

2.
a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania.

Question 23

euthanasia

Answer 23

1.
the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition; mercy killing.

2.
painless death.

Question 24

evanescent

Answer 24

1.
vanishing; fading away; fleeting.

2.
tending to become imperceptible; scarcely perceptible.

Question 25

even-handed

Answer 25

impartial; equitable: | evenhanded justice.

Question 26

evict

Answer 26

``` 1. to expel (a person, especially a tenant) from land, a building, etc., by legal process, as for nonpayment of rent; eject; dislodge. ``` 2. to recover property by virtue of superior legal title.

Question 27

evince

Answer 27

1. to show clearly; make evident or manifest; prove. 2. to reveal the possession of a quality, trait, etc.

Question 28

eviscerate

Answer 28

1. to remove the entrails from; disembowel: to eviscerate a chicken. 2. to deprive of vital or essential parts: The censors eviscerated the book to make it inoffensive to the leaders of the party. 3. in surgery, to remove the contents of a body organ.

Question 29

evoke

Answer 29

1. to call up or produce memories, feelings, etc.: to evoke a memory. 2. to elicit or draw forth: His comment evoked protests from the shocked listeners. 3. to call up; cause to appear; summon: to evoke a spirit from the dead. 4. to produce or suggest through artistry and imagination a vivid impression of reality: a short passage that manages to evoke the smells, colors, sounds, and shapes of that metropolis.

Question 30

ex-officio

Answer 30

by virtue of office or official position.

Question 31

exacerbate

Answer 31

1. to increase the severity, bitterness, or violence of (disease, ill feeling, etc.); aggravate; make worse. 2. to embitter the feelings of (a person); irritate; exasperate.

Question 32

exacting

Answer 32

1. rigid or severe in demands or requirements: an exacting teacher. 2. requiring close application or attention: an exacting task. 3. given to or characterized by exaction; extortionate.

Question 33

exalt

Answer 33

1. to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate: He was exalted to the position of president. 2. to praise; extol: to exalt someone to the skies. 3. to stimulate, as the imagination: The lyrics of Shakespeare exalted the audience. 4. to intensify, as a color: complementary colors exalt each other.

Question 34

exasperation

Answer 34

1. an act or instance of irritating or provoking to a high degree; extreme annoyance; provocation. 2. the state of being exasperated; a state of irritation: Her exasperation at being interrupted was understandable.

Question 35

excerpt

Answer 35

1. a passage or quotation taken or selected from a book, document, film, or the like; extract. 2. to take or select a passage from a book, film, or the like; extract; abridge by choosing representative sections.

Question 36

excise

Answer 36

1. to strike or blot out, as a passage or sentence, from a text; to cut out. 2. to cut out or off, as a tumor.

Question 37

excommunicate

Answer 37

1. to cut off from communion with a church or exclude from the sacraments of a church by ecclesiastical sentence. 2. to exclude or expel from membership or participation in any group, association, etc.: an advertiser excommunicated from a newspaper.

Question 38

excoriate

Answer 38

1. to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally; censure: He was excoriated for his mistakes. 2. to strip off or remove the skin from: Her palms were excoriated by the hard labor of shoveling.

Question 39

excrement

Answer 39

waste matter discharged from the body, especially feces.

Question 40

excruciating

Answer 40

1. extremely painful; causing intense suffering; unbearably distressing; torturing: an excruciating noise; excruciating pain. 2. exceedingly elaborate or intense; extreme: done with excruciating care.

Question 41

exculpate

Answer 41

to clear from a charge of guilt or fault; free from blame; vindicate.

Question 42

execrable

Answer 42

1. utterly detestable; abominable; abhorrent. 2. very bad: an execrable stage performance.

Question 43

exemplary

Answer 43

1. worthy of imitation; commendable: exemplary conduct. 2. serving as a warning: an exemplary penalty. 3. serving as an illustration or specimen; illustrative; typical: The sentences read are exemplary of the style of the essay as a whole. 4. serving as an example, model, or pattern.

Question 44

exhilarate

Answer 44

1. to enliven; invigorate; stimulate: The cold weather exhilarated the walkers. 2. to make cheerful or merry; make energetically happy.

Question 45

exhort

Answer 45

1. to urge, advise, or caution earnestly; admonish urgently. 2. to give urgent advice, recommendations, or warnings.

Question 46

exhume

Answer 46

``` 1. to dig (something buried, especially a body) out of the earth; disinter. ``` 2. to revive or restore after neglect or a period of forgetting; bring to light: to exhume a literary reputation; to exhume old letters.

Question 47

exigent

Answer 47

1. requiring immediate action or aid; urgent; pressing. 2. requiring a great deal, or more than is reasonable.

Question 48

exodus

Answer 48

1. a going out; a departure or emigration, usually of a large number of people: the summer exodus to the country and shore. 2. the Exodus, the departure of the Israelites from Egypt under Moses.

Question 49

exonerate

Answer 49

1. to clear, as of an accusation; free from guilt or blame; exculpate: He was exonerated from the accusation of cheating. 2. to relieve, as from an obligation, duty, or task.

Question 50

exorbitant

Answer 50

exceeding the bounds of custom, propriety, or reason, especially in amount or extent; highly excessive: to charge an exorbitant price; exorbitant luxury.

Question 51

exorcise

Answer 51

1. to seek to expel an evil spirit by adjuration or religious or solemn ceremonies: to exorcise a demon. ``` 2. to free (a person, place, etc.) of evil spirits or malignant influences. ```

Question 52

exotic

Answer 52

1. of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized: exotic foods; exotic plants. 2. strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance: an exotic hairstyle. 3. of a uniquely new or experimental nature: exotic weapons. 4. of, relating to, or involving stripteasing: the exotic clubs where strippers are featured.

Question 53

expatriate

Answer 53

1. to banish a person from his or her native country; to exile. 2. to withdraw oneself from residence in or allegiance to one’s native country: He expatriated from his homeland. 4. an expatriated person: Many American writers were living as expatriates in Paris.

Question 54

expectorate

Answer 54

1. to eject or expel matter, as phlegm, from the throat or lungs by coughing or hawking and spitting; spit. 2. to eject or expel matter in this way.

Question 55

expedient

Answer 55

1. appropriate, desirable, and advantageous; tending to promote some proposed or desired object; fit or suitable for the purpose; proper under the circumstances: It is expedient that you go. 2. conducive to advantage or interest, as opposed to right. 3. a means to an end: The ladder was a useful expedient for getting to the second floor. Use any expedients you think necessary to get over the obstacles in your way.

Question 56

expedite

Answer 56

1. to speed up the progress of; hasten: to expedite shipments. 2. to accomplish promptly, as a piece of business; dispatch: to expedite one’s duties. 3. to issue or dispatch, as an official document or letter.

Question 57

expiate

Answer 57

to atone for; make amends or reparation for: | to expiate one’s crimes.

Question 58

expletive

Answer 58

1. an interjectory word or expression, frequently profane; an exclamatory oath. 2. a syllable, word, or phrase serving to fill out.

Question 59

explicate

Answer 59

1. to make plain or clear; explain; interpret. 2. to develop a principle, theory, etc.

Question 60

explicit

Answer 60

1. fully and clearly expressed or demonstrated; leaving nothing merely implied; unequivocal: explicit instructions; an explicit act of violence; explicit language. 2. clearly developed or formulated: explicit knowledge; explicit belief. 3. definite and unreserved in expression; outspoken: He was quite explicit as to what he expected us to do for him. 4. described or shown in realistic detail: explicit sexual scenes.

Question 61

exploit

Answer 61

1. to utilize, especially for profit; turn to practical account: to exploit a business opportunity. 2. to use selfishly for one’s own ends: employers who exploit their workers. 3. to advance or further through exploitation; promote: He exploited his new movie through a series of guest appearances. 4. a striking or notable deed; feat; spirited or heroic act: the exploits of Alexander the Great.

Question 62

exponent

Answer 62

1. a person or thing that details, explains, or interprets: an exponent of modern theory in the arts. 2. a person or thing that is a representative, advocate, type, or symbol of something: Lincoln is an exponent of American democracy.

Question 63

exposé

Answer 63

a public exposure or revelation, as of something discreditable: Certain cheap magazines make a fortune out of sensational exposés.

Question 64

expound

Answer 64

1. to set forth or state in detail: to expound theories. 2. to explain; interpret. 3. to make a detailed statement (often followed by on).

Question 65

expunge

Answer 65

1. to strike or blot out; erase; obliterate: We must expunge from our society the myths and half-truths that engender such groundless fears as these. 2. to efface; wipe out or destroy.

Question 66

expurgate

Answer 66

1. to amend by removing words, passages, etc., deemed offensive or objectionable; censor: Most children read an expurgated version of Grimms’ fairy tales. 2. to purge or cleanse of moral offensiveness.

Question 67

extant

Answer 67

still in existence; still existing; not destroyed or lost: | There are only three extant copies of the document.

Question 68

extemporaneous

Answer 68

1. done, spoken, performed, etc., without special advance preparation; impromptu: an extemporaneous speech. 2. previously planned but delivered with the help of few or no notes: extemporaneous lectures. 3. speaking or performing with little or no advance preparation: extemporaneous actors. 4. made for the occasion, as a shelter.

Question 69

extenuate

Answer 69

1. to represent a fault or offense as less serious: I will repent of my failings, and not endeavor to extenuate them. 2. to serve to make a fault or offense seem less serious, as by showing mitigating circumstances. 3. to underestimate, underrate, or make light of: Do not extenuate the difficulties we are in. 4. to make thin, lean, or emaciated; to reduce the consistency or density of.

Question 70

extirpate

Answer 70

1. to remove or destroy totally; do away with; exterminate: Without irreparable injury to ourselves we cannot attempt to eradicate it or extirpate it. 2. to pull up by or as if by the roots; root up: to extirpate an unwanted hair.

Question 71

extol

Answer 71

to praise highly; laud; eulogize: | to extol the beauty of Naples.

Question 72

extort

Answer 72

1. to wrest or wring (money, information, etc.) from a person by violence, intimidation, or abuse of authority; obtain by force, torture, or threat. 2. to compel something of a person or thing: Her wit and intelligence extorted their admiration.

Question 73

extraneous

Answer 73

1. introduced or coming from without; not belonging or proper to a thing; external; foreign: extraneous substances in our water. 2. not pertinent; irrelevant: an extraneous remark; extraneous decoration.

Question 74

extrapolate

Answer 74

1. to infer an unknown from something that is known; conjecture; project from known data. 2. to estimate the value of a variable or function outside the tabulated or observed range.

Question 75

extremity

Answer 75

1. the extreme or terminal point, limit, or part of something. 2. the end part of a limb, as a hand or foot: to experience cold in one’s extremities. 4. a condition or circumstance of extreme need, distress, etc.: to suffer the extremities of being poor. 5. the utmost or any extreme degree: the extremity of joy. 6. an extreme or extraordinary measure, act, etc.: to go to any extremity to feed the children. 7. extreme nature or character: the extremity of his views on foreign trade.

Question 76

extricate

Answer 76

1. to free or release from entanglement; disengage: to extricate someone from a dangerous situation. ``` 2. to liberate (gas) from combination, as in a chemical process. ```

Question 77

extrinsic

Answer 77

1. not essential or inherent; not a basic part or quality; extraneous: facts that are extrinsic to the matter under discussion. 2. being outside a thing; outward or external; operating or coming from without: extrinsic influences.

Question 78

exuberant

Answer 78

1. effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; lavishly abundant; lively and enthusiastic: an exuberant welcome for the hero. 2. abounding in vitality; extremely joyful and vigorous. 3. extremely good; overflowing; plentiful: exuberant health. 4. profuse in growth or production; luxuriant; superabundant: exuberant vegetation.

Question 79

exude

Answer 79

1. to come out gradually in drops, as sweat, through pores or small openings; ooze out; emit. 2. to project or display conspicuously or abundantly; radiate: to exude cheerfulness.

Question 80

exult

Answer 80

1. to show or feel a lively or triumphant joy; rejoice exceedingly; be highly elated or jubilant: They exulted over their victory. 2. to leap, especially for joy.

Question 81

fabricate

Answer 81

1. to make by art or skill and labor; construct: The finest craftspeople fabricated this clock. 2. to devise or invent a legend, lie, etc. 4. to fake; forge a document, signature, etc.

Question 82

façade

Answer 82

1. in architecture, the front of a building, especially an imposing or decorative one. 2. a superficial appearance or illusion of something: They managed somehow to maintain a facade of wealth.

Question 83

facetious

Answer 83

1. not meant to be taken seriously or literally: a facetious remark. 2. amusing; humorous. 3. lacking serious intent; concerned with something nonessential, amusing, or frivolous: a facetious person.

Question 84

facile

Answer 84

1. moving, acting, working, proceeding, etc., with ease, sometimes with superficiality: facile fingers; a facile mind. 2. easily done, performed, used, etc.: a facile victory; a facile method. 3. easy or unconstrained, as manners or persons. 4. affable, agreeable, or complaisant; easily influenced: a facile temperament; facile people.

Question 85

facilitate

Answer 85

1. to make easier or less difficult; help forward (an action, a process, etc.): Careful planning facilitates any kind of work. 2. to assist the progress of.

Question 86

facility

Answer 86

1. something that permits the easier performance of an action, course of conduct, etc.: to provide someone with every facility for accomplishing a task; to lack facilities for handling bulk mail. 2. readiness or ease due to skill, aptitude, or practice; dexterity: to compose with great facility. 3. ready compliance: Her facility in organizing and directing made her an excellent supervisor. 4. an easy-flowing manner: facility of style. 5. the quality of being easily or conveniently done or performed. 6. freedom from difficulty, controversy, misunderstanding, etc.: facility of understanding.