General Vocabulary 2 Flashcards
(100 cards)
Aestivation (n)
[es-tuh-veytion]
The arrangement of sepals and petals(botany) in a flower bud before it opens.
Nettle (v)
Cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations.
Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really nettles me.
Necrophilia (n)
An irresistible sexual attraction to dead bodies.
Rachet (n)
Mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction.
Dszygotic (adj)
[dahy-zahy-got-ik]
Developed from two fertilized ova, as fraternal twins.
Laterite (n)
A red soil produced by rock decay, contains insoluble deposits of ferric and aluminum oxides.
Sullen (adj)
Showing a brooding ill humor or or dismal, and gloomy.
In the years that followed, I became inward and sullen as those memories took me under.
Vacuous (adj)
[vak-yoo-uh s]
Devoid of matter, devoid of significance or force.
He had a vacuous expression on his face.
Dissolute (adj)
Unrestrained by convention or morality.
Congreve draws a debauched aristocratic society.
Polyglot (adj)
Having a command of or composed in many languages.
A polyglot career woman.
Entrepot (n)
A port where merchandise can be imported and then exported without paying import duties.
Hong Kong has long been an entrepôt between east and west.
Intuit (v)
Know or grasp by intuition or feeling.
I intuited his real identity.
Double entendre (n) [ahn-tahn-druh]
A double meaning.
Petulant (adj)
Easily irritated or annoyed.
An incorrigibly fractious and petulant young man.
Scurrilous (adj)
[skur-uh-luh s]
Expressing offensive reproach.
A scurrilous attack on the mayor.
Enunciated (v)
Express or state clearly.
Orotund (adj)
Ostentatiously lofty instyle.
A man given to orotund talk.
Blighted (adj)
Spoil harm or destroy.
Her remorse could be a blight on everybody’s happiness.
Adonis (n)
Any handsome young man.
Tavern (n)
A building with a bar that is licensed to sell alcoholic drinks.
Congenial (adj)
Suitable to your needs.
A congenial atmosphere to work in.
Dreariest (adj)
Lacking in liveliness, charm or surprise.
A series of dreary dinner parties.
Tawdry (adj)
Made of inferior workmanship and materials, tastelessly showy.
With tawdry decorations and jewelry, quality has been exchanged for lots of flash and shine.
Incertitude (n)
The state of being unsure of something.
A growing incertitude about the honesty of the housekeeper they had just hired.