GRE Cards Deck O P Flashcards

Question

paucity | noun

Answer 1

Definition: Scarcity, the state of being small in number Usage: Our school has such a disgraceful paucity of textbooks that the students are sharing, and so cannot even count on being able to take the books home to do homework. Related Words: Dearth (scarcity, lack) More Info: Paucity is related to pauper, a very poor person.

Answer 2

Definition: Small sin or fault Usage: I’m going to propose to Melinda tomorrow—sure, she has her peccadillos, like anyone, but she’s the perfect woman for me. More Info: “Pecado” is Spanish for “sin.” Adding “-illo” to a Spanish word indicates “small” (a tomatillo resembles a small tomato, for instance). Thus, peccadillo means “small sin.” English speakers pronounce the word like “armadillo,” although of course Spanish speakers would use a “y” sound for the double l.

Answer 3

Definition: Ordinary, dull, commonplace Usage: It was so amazing when you had us over to dinner and made that rack of lamb! I’m afraid neither of us is a professional chef like you are, though, so we hope you won’t mind that we’ve made something more pedestrian: hot dogs and French fries. Related Words: Prosaic means “relating to prose” or “ordinary, dull, commonplace”—the idea being that prose is not as exciting or noble as poetry. More Info: Of course, a pedestrian is also someone who travels on foot (the root for “foot” also appears in pedal, moped, and podiatrist). The connection with “ordinary” is that a distinguished person would travel on horseback—only the common folk would travel on foot.

Answer 4

Definition: Liking or inclination (usually penchant for) Usage: He seems like a mild-mannered accountant, but twice a year he jets off to Australia to satisfy his penchant for adventure sports. Related Words: Predilection, Propensity, Proclivity, and Bent are all words for a preference or inclination (He has an arrogant bent about him, and a propensity to offend others). Partial means biased, or having a special liking for something or someone More Info: From the French penchant (“leaning”) which comes from a Latin root that also gives us pendulum. A person with a penchant leans metaphorically in a certain direction.

Answer 5

Definition: Disloyal, treacherous, violating one’s trust, deceitful, untrustworthy Usage: The perfidious soldier sold the military secrets of the country in exchange for money. Related Words: Apostate (person who deserts a party, cause, religion, etc.), Recreant (coward or deserter), Quisling (person who betrays his country by aiding an invader), Infidel (unbeliever, person who does not accept a particular faith) More Info: Perfidious contains the root “fid,” for “trust,” also appearing in diffident, fiduciary, infidel, and Fidel Castro’s name.

Answer 6

Definition: Relating to or making up an outer boundary or region; not of primary importance, fringe Usage: My main goal is to get into a good grad school. Whether it has good fitness facilities is really a peripheral concern. Related Words: Auxiliary (helping or supporting the main thing) More Info: “Peri” means “around.” Peripheral vision is what you can see “out of the corner of your eye.”

Answer 7

Definition: Spread or penetrate throughout Usage: Under the Emperor Constantine , Christianity began to permeate every sector of public life. Related Words: Pervade is a synonym. Both words use the root “per” for “through.”

Answer 8

Definition: Tending to spread throughout Usage: Poverty is pervasive in our school system; 65% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch. Related Words: Omnipresent and ubiquitous mean existing everywhere.

Answer 9

Definition: Efforts to improve the well-being of humankind, generally through giving money Usage: Many wealthy people turn to philanthropy as a way to create social good, and many others turn to it as a way to hobnob (mix socially) with the rich and famous. Related Words: Altriusm (selflessness, concern for the welfare of others) More Info: “Phil” means “love” (a bibliophile loves books) and “anthro” means “humankind.” A misanthropist is a hater of humankind.

Answer 10

Definition: Fake, counterfeit; insincere, not genuine Usage: Phony Louis Vuitton bags are easily purchased in Chinatown, but they are illegal—selling them can land a vendor in jail. / She’s such a phony person, pretending to befriend people and then talking about them behind their backs. Related Words: Faux, apocryphal, and spurious all mean fake or counterfeit. A phony person may possess various affectations (fake behavior, such as in speech or dress, adopted to give a certain impression).

Answer 11

``` Also piety (noun) Definition: Devout; religiously reverent and dutiful ``` Usage: She is a pious - religious - follower of the faith, never missing the prayer. More Info: Pious shares a root (“pure”) with purity, puree, and purge.

Answer 12

Definition: Core, essence; significance or weight Usage: I can only stay at this meeting for a minute—can you get to the pith of the issue now, and discuss the details after I leave? / This presentation has no pith—there’s no central point and nothing I didn’t already know. Related Words: Gist means main idea. To distill is to purify (as water) or extract the essential elements of (as an idea). More Info: Pith is also the central part of a plant stem, feather, or hair. To pith cattle is to kill it by severing the spinal cord—that is, the central part. A pith helmet (worn in battle) is so called because it was originally made from the pith of the Bengal spongewood tree.

Answer 13

Definition: Satisfy or calm down (an angry or dissatisfied person), esp. by conciliatory gestures Usage: Flight attendant tried to placate the angry passengers. Related Words: Appease, Mollify, Conciliate, and Assuage are near-synonyms. Implacable means “not able to be placated.” More Info: “Conciliatory gestures” (as in the definition above) could mean giving in, lowering oneself, compromising one’s principles, offering gifts or rebates, etc.

Answer 14

Definition: Peaceful, calm, tranquil Usage: This horse has a placid nature. Placid water of small lake. Related Words: Quiescent (quiet, still) More Info: The movie Lake Placid is about a lake containing a man-eating crocodile, which is really NOT placid. Lake Placid is a real place in New York, though, and seems to have been named with much the same thought in mind as the Pacific Ocean (pacific also means peaceful).

Answer 15

Definition: Able to be shaped or formed; easily influenced Usage: A young child’s mind is quite plastic, and exposure to violent movies and video games can have a much greater effect on children than they typically do on adults. Related Words: Tractable, pliable, and malleable can also mean physically bendable, or metaphorically bendable, as in “easily influenced or shaped by others.” Mutable means changeable. More Info: The word plastic is much older than the substance we call “plastic.” Plastic surgery is so called because it reshapes parts of the body, not because the substance plastic is involved.

Answer 16

) Definition: Believable; having the appearance of truth Usage: It is plausible that one of two things may happen. Related Words: Credible (believable), Feasible (possible; logical or likely; suitable), Viable (able to live or develop; capable of success, practicable, workable) More Info: Plausible shares a Latin root (“approve”) with applause and plaudits.

Answer 17

Definition: Plunge, fall straight down Usage: During the first 60 seconds or so of a skydive, the diver plummets towards Earth in freefall; then, he or she activates a parachute and floats down at what seems like a relatively leisurely pace. More Info: As a noun, a plummet (or plumb bob) is a weight on the end of a cord. To plumb (or sound) the depths of a body of water is to drop a plummet (or sounding line) and see how much cord is used when the plummet hits the bottom, and therefore how deep the water is. When something plummets, the idea is that it is falling fast and straight down, as though it has been weighted.

Answer 18

Definition: Divided into sharply opposed groups Usage: The country has been divided into two polarised groups - one group support legalisation of drugs and other oppose it. Related Words: Faction (group or clique within a larger organization), Partisan (partial to a particular party, group, etc., esp. in a biased, emotional way), Cabal (a conspiratorial group) More Info: In science, polarized objects have positive electric charges in one area and negative electric charges in another.

Answer 19

Definition: Heavy; bulky and unwieldy; dull, labored Usage: The book assigned by her professor was a ponderous tome (heavy book), more a reference book than something you could read straight through. After reading through few pages she was really bored. Related Words: Tedium (that which is tiresome due to being too long, dull, or slow, as in The plot moved at a tedious pace) More Info: To ponder is simply to contemplate or think deeply about. But ponderous means boring, difficult to make your way through. Both are based on the idea of “heaviness”—considering “heavy” ideas makes you a thoughtful person, but having to listen to a long, boring speech might seem like a heavy weight upon you.

Answer 20

Definition: Happening or continuing after death Usage: Ernest Hemingway died in 1961. His novel The Garden of Eden was published posthumously in 1986. More Info: “Post” means “after,” course. Posthumous also shares a root with humus—earth or soil, as in the kind a deceased person is buried in. (Not to be confused with hummus, the spread made from chickpeas). Posthumous often describes the publication of books, the granting of awards or military honors, or the birth of a child after the father’s death.

Answer 21

Definition: Ruler, person of great power Usage: 62-year-old Prince Charles has certainly waited long enough to become potentate of England; his mother, Elizabeth II, has been ruling for his entire life. Related Words: Sovereign can be a noun meaning “monarch or supreme ruler,” or an adjective meaning “having supreme power, being above all others.” More Info: Potentate shares a root (“power”) with omnipotent (all powerful), impotent (lacking power), and despot (ruler who uses power in a bad way).

Answer 22

Definition: Practical; dealing with actual facts and reality Usage: Megan and Dave were in love, but Megan decided to be pragmatic—she doubted they’d stay together through a four-year long distance relationship as they attended different colleges, so she figured they might as well end things now. Related Words: Politic (shrewd, pragmatic; tactful or diplomatic), Expedient (suitable, proper; effective, often at the expense of ethics or other considerations) More Info: A pragmatic sanction is a ruler’s declaration having the force of law. A ruler might issue a pragmatic sanction when the ideal situation isn’t possible, so one must be practical and “just get the job done.”

Answer 23

Definition: Introductory statement, preface Usage: I gave him bad news without preamble. / Preamble of institution. Related Words: A prologue is an introductory part, usually of a work of literature. More Info: Preamble literally means “walk before.” The root for “walk” is also found in amble, ambulance, ambulatory, and circumambulate.

Answer 24

Definition: Unstable, insecure, dangerous Usage: She made a precarious living by writing. Precarious ladder. Related Words: Parlous is a synonym.

Answer 25

Definition: Something that comes before, esp. something that also announces or suggests something on its way Usage: We cannot ignore this warning sign—it is clearly a precursor of larger problems to come. / The new CEO decided to do things differently from his precursors. Related Words: Antedate (be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date) More Info: The “cursor” in precursor is the same as in currency—the root means “run.” A precursor can be thought of as a “before-runner,” or forerunner (a synonym).

Answer 26

``` Also predisposition (noun) Definition: Having an inclination or tendency beforehand; susceptible ; Make someone liable to specific attitude, action, or condition Usage: Lack of exercise may predispose an Individual to high blood pressure. / Some autoimmune disorders don’t kill the patient directly, but rather make the patient predisposed to contracting other, potentially fatal illnesses. / His defense attorney argued that his abusive childhood predisposed him to a life of crime. More Info: Predisposed certainly is related to the idea of being disposed. While to dispose of something is to throw it away, to be disposed to do something is to be inclined to or willing to do it. For instance, He is disposed to be a good host. ```

Answer 27

Definition: Prevent; take the place of, supplant; take before someone else can Usage: Minister held a press conference in order to pre-empt criticism in the newspaper. All the network preempted their regular schedule to broadcast news of agency. Related Words: Obviate (prevent, eliminate, or make unnecessary) More Info: The “empt” part of preempt comes from a rare word for “purchase”—to preempt can also mean to settle on public land in order to establish the right to purchase that land before anyone else.

Answer 28

Definition: Based on inference or assumption; providing reasonable grounds for belief Usage: The dictator’s favorite nephew is the presumptive heir to power, but anything could happen. / He’s the presumptive winner of the election—we haven’t counted all the votes, but at this point it’s almost mathematically impossible for the other guy to win. Related Words: Ostensible or ostensive (professed, evident, or pretended; outwardly appearing in a certain way), Putative (supposed or reputed) More Info: Don’t confuse presumptive with presumptuous, meaning assuming in an arrogant way. He’s presumptively a nice guy, at least from what I’ve heard—my sister said he wasn’t presumptuous at all.

Answer 29

Definition: Too bold or forward; going beyond that which is proper Usage: I hope, I won't be considered presumptuous, If I offer some advise. More Info: Don’t confuse presumptuous with presumptive, meaning “based on inference or assumption,” as in a presumptive heir to the throne.

Answer 30

Definition: Claiming or demanding a position of importance or dignity, esp. when unjustified; showing off, creating a deceptive, false show of worth Usage: Some people try to sound pretentious - event though they don't have knowledge, they will show that they are scholar. Related Words: Ostentatious (pretentious, boastfully showy in order to impress others) More Info: Pretentious shares an origin with pretend and pretense (pretending or making a false show of something).

Answer 31

Definition: Having high moral standards Usage: She was very principled woman - she alerted the authorities for corrupt accounting practices in her department. Related Words: Scrupulous can mean principled (strictly following moral rules), or can mean precise, exact, careful about the details. More Info: A principle is a moral rule. A principal is the head of a school, and principal as an adjective means first or most important (the money you owe on student loans, not including the interest, is the principal). Thus, you could say something like My principal principle is never to lie.

Answer 32

Definition: In an original, pure state; uncorrupted Usage: Having grown up in a rural area, Billy had been in plenty of forests where people regularly left beer cans and shotgun shells behind. So it truly took his breath away, after hiking hours through the Himalayas, to visit a pristine forest, seemingly untouched by humans. Related Words: Unadulterated and unsullied are near-synonyms.

Answer 33

Definition: Honesty, integrity Usage: This time, the party would only nominate a candidate whose probity - honesty - is beyond any doubt. Related Words: Scrupulous or principled (having high moral standards), Veracious (honest, true) More Info: Normally we think of a “probe” as sort of medically unpleasant, but the real purpose of a probe is to get information—for instance, a government probe might investigate corruption, or probe for the truth.

Answer 34

Definition: Wasteful, extravagant; giving abundantly, lavish Usage: If you’re going to leave a trust fund for your children, you should raise them not to be prodigal, or they’ll blow through all the cash the minute they get their hands on it. / The prodigal land produced larger crops than the people could even consume. Related Words: Profligate (utterly immoral or extremely prodigal), Wastrel or Spendthrift (wasteful person) More Info: In the Biblical story of the prodigal son, a son asks his dad if he can have his inheritance now, before the dad dies (rude!), then wastes everything on wild living and comes back all hungry and apologetic, begging for a job as a swineherd (the nice dad takes him back and kills a fattened calf for him). Don’t confuse prodigal with prodigy (very gifted child).

Answer 35

Definition: Extraordinarily large, impressive, etc. Usage: The Great Wall of China consists of a prodigious series of fortifications - defensive wall - stretching over 5,000 miles! / If we don’t double our sales with this new product, we will have to declare bankruptcy—we have a prodigious task ahead. Related Words: Prodigious can be good or bad, but Titanic and Olympian specifically mean large or majestic in a manner suitable for the gods. More Info: Prodigious shares an origin with prodigy (very gifted child).

Answer 36

Definition: Completely and shamelessly immoral, or extremely wasteful Usage: Profligate consumption of energy. / The billionaire software developer was so disgusted with his profligate daughter’s spending that he cut her off—she had bought champagne for an entire nightclub full of strangers one too many times. Related Words: Prodigal (wasteful, extravagant), Debauched (corrupted morally), Dissolution (sinking into extreme hedonism, vice, and degradation)

Answer 37

Definition: Very insightful, penetrating deeply into a subject; pervasive, intense, “down to the very bottom”; at the very bottom Usage: Certain fish that live in the dark, profound depths of the ocean have long since evolved to have sightless eyes. / He was profoundly disappointed when the project he had worked on for fifteen years failed. More Info: Most people know profound in the sense “Whoa, that’s deep, man.” Fewer people know that you can have profound grief or be profoundly corrupt. In both cases, profound means “complete, all the way through.”

Answer 38

Definition: Abundant, extravagant, giving or given freely Usage: It didn’t mean anything at all to me, giving my old microwave to the family next door, but the woman’s profuse thanks made me think that maybe the family was having some financial troubles. / She came home on Valentine’s Day to an apartment decorated with a profusion of flowers. Related Words: Copious (abundant, plentiful), Lavish (abundant or giving in abundance; marked by excess) More Info: Here, “pro” means “forth” and “fuse” comes from the Latin “fundere,” meaning “pour or melt.” “Fuse” is also found in fusion, suffuse, diffusion, transfusion, and effusive

Answer 39

Definition: of price - excessively high or expensive; Tending to forbid something, or serving to prevent something Usage: I was admitted to NYU, but it was prohibitively expensive, so I ended up at state school instead. / My parents installed a high fence as a prohibitive barrier against the neighborhood hooligans. Related Words: Exorbitant means excessive, especially by being outrageously expensive.

Answer 40

Definition: Increase or spread rapidly or excessively Usage: The book alleged that terrorist cells are proliferating across the United States faster than law enforcement can keep up. Related Words: Prolific means producing a lot of something – generally either offspring (rabbits are prolific) or creative work (a prolific songwriter). More Info: A phrase associated with the Cold War was nuclear proliferation, the rapid buildup of nuclear weapons. Proliferate shares a Latin root (“offspring, progeny”) with proletariat, meaning the working class, manual laborers, or the poor.

Answer 41

Definition: Introductory part to a book, play, etc. Usage: The novel’s prologue gives some historical background so the main story can be better understood in context. Related Words: Preamble (introductory statement, preface—such as the Preamble to the Constitution) More Info: An epilogue is a concluding portion added after a literary work. The “log” in prologue and epilogue is the same root (“logos,” for “discourse or speech”) as the “lect” in lecture, lectern, and dialect. Both prologue and epilogue can be used metaphorically—“If the blown tire was an unpleasant prologue to the evening, the food poisoning we came down with that night was an even worse epilogue.”

Answer 42

Definition: Distinct, strong, clearly indicated, very noticeable Usage: Aunt Shirley claimed we would never know that her “secret recipe” for brownies involved lots of healthy vegetables, but the brownies had a pronounced asparagus flavor. More Info: Of course, we pronounce a word, but pronounce can also mean declare, as in, He pronounced the book the best thing he had ever read.

Answer 43

Definition: Conforming to good manners or appropriate behavior; justness Usage: He always behaved with utmost propriety / The parent questioned the propriety of the punishment meted out to her son—sitting in a corner all day seemed a little harsh for using the pencil sharpener at the wrong time. / Saying the accounting firm was complicit in financial impropriety - failure to observe honesty and modesty - was a rather polite way to refer to the fraud it committed against its investors. Related Words: Genteel (aristocratic, elegant), Seemly (proper or attractive), Decorous (behaving with propriety and good taste; polite), Mores (customs, manners, or morals of a particular group) More Info: This is an easy one to remember—it’s not a coincidence that propriety looks a lot like proper.

Answer 44

Definition: Dull, ordinary Usage: Sitting at home she has to do prosaic day to day activities - she got bored because of this activities. Related Words: Pedestrian means commonplace, dull, or lacking imagination. Quotidian means daily or commonplace (as daily things tend to be!). Middling comes from the idea of being in the “middle” and means medium, average, or mediocre. Something lackluster is unexciting. Humdrum means boring or dull. More Info: Prosaic means “relating to prose” or “ordinary, dull, commonplace” —the idea being that prose is not as exciting or noble as poetry.

Answer 45

Definition: Prohibit, outlaw; denounce; exile or banish Usage: Plagiarism - practise of taking some one else ideas and putting as your own - is proscribed by every college’s code of conduct. Related Words: Censure (strong disapproval or official reprimand), Circumscribe (encircle or confine, set limits) More Info: The “scribe” in proscribe means “write” (as in script, scribble, scripture, etc.) The sense is that to proscribe is to publish a record of someone’s punishment—to condemn or sentence that person publicly. Don’t confuse proscribe with prescribe, which means “order, set down as a rule” (like a doctor’s prescription)—the two words are opposites!

Answer 46

Definition: Potential, in the future Usage: Meeting to discuss prospective changes in the government legislation. More Info: Don’t confuse with perspective (point of view). Perspective is a noun, which is a good clue that you want prospective in phrases like “prospective student” (usually a person applying to a college but not yet accepted).

Answer 47

Also prudence (noun) Definition: Wise in practical matters, carefully providing for the future Usage: Katie’s friends blew all kinds of money on spring break, but Katie prudently kept to her usual spending habits: she’d drink one of whatever was least expensive, and then watch her friends get stupid while she checked her bank balances on her phone and dreamed about the day she’d have a full-time job and a 401K. Related Words: Circumspect (cautious, prudent; careful to consider the circumstances and consequences), Provident (showing foresight, being frugal or careful to provide for the future, thinking ahead in a wise way) More Info: The antonym is imprudent.

Answer 48

Definition: Inclined to fight, combative Usage: The increasingly pugnacious behaviour of politician in the assembly. Related Words: Belligerent, bellicose, and truculent are synonyms. More Info: Pugilism (boxing, fistfighting) and pugnacious come from the Latin “pugnus,” for “fist.”

Answer 49

Definition: Stubborn, hardhearted, hardened in wrongdoing Usage: The president remained obdurate on question of tax cuts. Related Words: Flinty, glacial, stony, and callous can have the meaning of being emotionally “hard” or cold. Reprobate and unregenerate can refer to people who are hardened evildoers. More Info: “Ob” means “against” and the rest of the word is derived from the Latin “durare” (hard), which also gives us durable and endure. Obdurate people are hardened against feelings, persuasion, or conscience.

Answer 50

Definition: Slanting or sloping; indirect, misleading, or evasive Usage: After the fifteenth oblique reference that Bella made to George or George made to Bella, everyone in the office figured out that they were dating. More Info: In math, oblique lines are neither parallel nor perpendicular. Your obliques are the abdominal muscles (along the sides) that run at a slant. In botany, an oblique leaf has unequal sides. You should now be prepared to interpret oblique in any strange context—it’s slanting, or metaphorically “slanting”!

Answer 51

Definition: Stop up, close, shut in or shut off Usage: They were occluding the waterfront with the wall of the building. It is placed at eye level with one eye occluded. Related Words: Occult (to hide, to shut off from view)” More Info: Occlude shares a root (shut, close) with close, cage, and claustrophobia.

Answer 52

Definition: Express an opinion Usage: He opined that his work on radioactive substances would be of little or no practical use. Related Words: Expatiate (to expand or elaborate on a topic, to explain in detail), Excogitate (think through in detail)

Answer 53

Definition: Disgrace and disapproval that result from outrageously shameful actions Usage: International opprobrium has been heaped on the country following its attack on its neighbours. Related Words: Infamy (very bad reputation; strong condemnation by the public), Notorious (well known for a disgraceful reason), Obloquy (shame, disapproval, or verbal abuse esp. by the public or a group)

Answer 54

Definition: Full, rich, and clear (of the voice or speaking); pompous, bombastic Usage: The actor, Amitabh Bachhan is know for his dignified, orotund voice. Related Words: Sonorous (giving out a deep, rich, loud sound), Dulcet (melodious, agreeable to the ear), Mellifluous (richly and smoothly flowing, as “a mellifluous voice”), Stentorian (loud) More Info: Rotund simply means rounded—when applied to a person, it’s a somewhat more polite word than “fat.” The connection is the idea of “roundness”—orotund comes from the idea of speaking with a rounded mouth.

Answer 55

Definition: Become bone or become hard like bone; become inflexible in attitudes, opinions, etc. Usage: I remember having many broad-ranging discussions with him back in college, but since then, his opinions have ossified—sadly, he is now the most close-minded person I know. Related Words: Doctrinaire (Person who applies doctrine in an impractical or rigid and close-minded way), Dogmatic (close-minded, expressing one’s own opinions as though they were facts) More Info: Ossify shares a Latin root (“bone”) with osseous (bony), osteoporosis (condition in which the bones become fragile), and ossuary (place for bones of the dead, such as a cemetery or urn).

Answer 56

Definition: Professed, evident, or pretended; outwardly appearing in a certain way; appearing or claiming to be one thing when it is really something else Usage: The delay may have been deeper cause then the ostensive reason / He’s an ostensive candidate for the job, but we need to check these references before we move further / He has spent the past three months in Florida, ostensibly for medical treatment, but in actual fact to avoid prosecution for a series of notorious armed robberies. Related Words: Putative (supposed or reputed), Nominal (trivial; in name only, so-called) More Info: The Latin “ostendere” means “to show” and also occurs in ostentatious, meaning “showing off.”

Answer 57

Definition: Pretentious, boastful showiness Usage: Her ostentatious clothing is simply not appropriate in a business environment. Related Words: Showy means showing off and could be good or bad (a showy car). Garish refers to something much too bright, vivid, or fancy (makeup that looks okay in a nightclub looks garish in the office). Gaudy items stand out in a cheap, tasteless, or overly colorful way (wearing too much big jewelry looks gaudy). More Info: The Latin “ostendere” means “to show” and also occurs in ostensible/ostensive, meaning “professed, evident, or pretended; outwardly appearing in a certain way.”

Answer 58

Definition: Overly nervous, agitated, or excited; too ornate, elaborate, or fussy; overdone Usage: By the time her boyfriend met her in the park, she was overwrought, thinking he must have chosen a public place so he could break up with her—turned out, he had just invited her to a picnic. / Accustomed to more spare American churches, Father Smith found the churches of South America a bit overwrought, with enormous, flowery, gold altars and gold-plating on everything imaginable. Related Words: Florid (reddish or rosy; flowery, showy, or excessively fancy—often, florid writing), Rococo (ornate, florid) More Info: Wrought simply means “worked, made.” With metals, it means “made from hammering or beating.” Wrought-iron furniture is simply made from iron. Something finely wrought is made with care and attention to detail.

Answer 59

Definition: Suitable for or resembling a palace, magnificent Usage: After a career spent in budget hotels, she was thrilled when the client put her up in a palatial room at a five-star hotel. Related Words: Olympian (suitable for the gods; majestic, aloof), Stately (majestic; very elegant, dignified, or imposing

Answer 60

Definition: Make less serious or severe; relieve symptoms of an illness Usage: The doctors said it would be pointless to subject Uncle Al to continued treatments when there was no hope of a cure, so we gave consent for him to be transferred to the palliative care wing where he would be made as comfortable as possible in his final weeks or months. Related Words: Ameliorate, Mitigate, Alleviate, and Extenuate also refer to lessening something bad without eliminating it. More Info: Palliate comes from the Latin “pallium,” a cloak, which covers up. To palliate a crime is to try to make it seem not as bad, such as by introducing extenuating circumstances.

Answer 61

Definition: Abnormally pale (as skin); lacking color or vitality Usage: When Eric left the office mid-day, we knew from the pallor that had overtaken him that he really was getting sick. / We need this blog to really hit hard against the special interest groups ruining our country, and your pallid writing isn’t doing it. Related Words: Wan (abnormally pale), Sallow (sickly-yellow in color

Answer 62

Definition: Flair, style, swagger; a flamboyant or grand way of acting Usage: He entertained Palm spring society with great Panache. Related Words: Verve (vigor, spirit, liveliness) More Info: In French, a panache is literally a tuft of feathers, such as you might display on a (rather ostentatious) hat. The figurative use of panache dates from the tale of Cyrano de Bergerac (played by Gerard Depardieu in 1990’s Cyrano de Bergerac) and is often associated with him.

Answer 63

Definition: Formal or lofty expression of praise Usage: Lincoln enthusiasts were excited that a new biography was to be published, and many hoped that new light would be cast on certain controversies. However, the book was pure panegyric, nothing but heroic tales, uncritically presented / She delivered a panegyrics on the president-elect. PRelated Words: Encomium (warm, glowing praise, esp. a formal expression of praise), Laudation (praise, tribute), Eulogy (a speech of praise or written work of praise, esp. a speech given at a funeral), Paean (song of praise, triumph, or thanks) More Info: Panegyric contains the root “pan” (“all”), indicating a speech given in public, to all.

Answer 64

Definition: Splendid, wide-ranging, impressive display or array Usage: Our old cafeteria had only few salads, but the new cafeteria has a salad bar with a panoply of toppings. More Info: Panoply contains the root “pan” (“all”) as well as a root for weapons. A panoply was originally a full suit of armor and can still be military regalia or something that covers and protects (The sergeant arrived in full panoply).

Answer 65

Definition: Model of excellence, perfect example Usage: Apple iPhone is paragon in category of mobile phones. Related Words: Prototype (original model serving as the basis for future copies or versions), Paradigm (model or pattern; worldview, set of shared assumptions, values, etc.), Exemplar (example, item that is representative or typical, something worthy of imitation), Epitome (perfect example, brief summary) More Info: A paragon is also a large, perfect diamond or pearl. Paragon is often used in the expression “paragon of virtue.”

Answer 66

Definition: Peel or cut off the outer layer (such as peeling fruit with a knife), reduce or trim as if cutting off the outer parts Usage: We need to pare down our budget if we’re going to survive on unemployment for awhile. / She simplified her life by paring commitments from her schedule. Related Words: Truncate (shorten by cutting off a part), Abridge (reduce or lessen; shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea) More Info: Pare shares a root (“make ready, produce, bring forth”) with prepare and with various medical words related to childbirth, such as postpartum.

Answer 67

Definition: Discussion, negotiation, esp. between enemies (noun); to have such a discussion (verb) Usage: The industry trade show is our chance to parley with our competitors. We do go out for drinks together, but really, we’re just hoping someone slips up and tells us about their new product line. Related Words: Armistice (truce, mutual agreement to temporarily stop fighting) More Info: French speakers will note parley’s similarity to the French verb parler. The same root (“speech”) also occurs in the English parable, parlance, and parliament.

Answer 68

Definition: Deflect or avoid (esp. a blow or attack); skillfully evade (a question) Usage: When asked by a reporter if rumors of his infidelity - unfaithfulness - were true, the candidate parried, answering that he had always supported legislation bolstering the sanctity - ultimate importance and inviolability- of marriage. Related Words: Riposte is also a fencing term that has made it into common use. When an opponent thrusts (with a sword), your move to defend yourself is a parry; then, the short thrust you make back in retaliation is a riposte. Outside of fencing, a riposte is a witty comeback or swift reply. More Info: Parry shares a root (“make ready, produce, bring forth”) with prepare, although this root came through Italian and French to mean “to ward off, defend.”

Answer 69

Definition: Mix of incongruous parts; artistic work imitating the work of other artists, often satirically Usage: The slickly-produced boy band’s first album was deeply unimaginative, just a pastiche of every other boy band album ever produced. Related Words: Heterogeneous means “made up of diverse elements.” Hodgepodge, Medley, Farrago, Potpourri, Pastiche and Olio are all words for mixtures of diverse things. Eclectic means “selecting the best of everything or from many diverse sources” and thus is more positive than pastiche, which indicates a sort of thrown-together mess of other people’s work. More Info: From the Italian pasticcio, something made by mixing borrowed elements from other sources. Pasticcio is also a pasta dish—the idea being “a mess” or scramble of pasta.

Answer 70

Definition: Capable of producing disease Usage: Many common and legal food additives are pathogenic, known to lead to diabetes or even cancer. More Info: “Pathos” means “disease” (as in pathological, “diseased”) and “gen” means “producing” (as in generate).

Answer 71

Definition: Person who pays excessive attention to book learning and rules, or who uses his or her learning to show off Usage: I hate when pedants interrupt you to correct your grammar, especially if what you’re saying is important. Related Words: Didactic means “intended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson.” This is a perfectly positive quality for a teacher, but could be annoying coming from a peer. Fastidious means “excessively particular, hard to please.” More Info: “Ped” means “child,” as in pediatrician. A pedant was once a schoolmaster; now it’s someone who acts like a schoolmaster in inappropriate situations.

Answer 72

Definition: Travel around while selling; sell illegally; give out or disseminate Usage: After an unsuccessful year spent peddling cutlery door-to-door, he turned to peddling drugs, thus landing himself in jail. / “I don’t want these people peddling lies to our children,” said Mrs. Hoffman, protesting an event in which fringe political candidates were invited to speak to kids. Related Words: A peddler or vendor sells things, as does a fishmonger, ironmonger, etc. (although a scandalmonger doesn’t so much sell scandals as promote them).

Answer 73

Definition: Disparaging, derogatory, belittling (adj); a name or word that is disparaging (noun) Usage: I’m open to constructive criticism, but I think my supervisor’s remarks are inappropriately pejorative. Related Words: Vituperate and revile mean to verbally abuse or speak very badly of.

Answer 74

Definition: Transparent, translucent; clear, easy to understand Usage: He decided that the cove’s pellucid waters were an excellent place to teach his daughter to swim, reasoning that, if she started to sink, he would easily be able to see where she was. Related Words: Lucid can mean literally clear, but often means metaphorically clear or clearheaded—a lucid argument, a lucid person. Pellucid usually means literally transparent, as above. Limpid means clear, transparent, or completely calm. More Info: The prefix “pel” or “per” means “through” and often doesn’t change the meaning of the other root parts that much (for instance, fervid means passionate and perfervid means really passionate). You can think of the pel/per prefix as similar to the English expression “through and through.”

Answer 75

Definition: Regretful, feeling remorse for one’s sins or misdeeds (adj); a person who feels this way (noun) Usage: After being “separated” from the college for plagiarism, she wrote a letter to the Dean expressing her deep regret and penitence and hoping to be readmitted. Related Words: Contrite and Remorseful are synonyms. To atone or make amends is to try to make up for having done something wrong. More Info: Penitent shares a root with penitentiary (“prison”) and penal (“relating to punishment”).

Answer 76

Definition: Outer part of a shadow from an eclipse; any surrounding region, fringe, periphery; any area where something “sort of” exists Usage: The Constitution doesn’t specifically mention a right to privacy, but some experts consider this to exist in the penumbra of the Constitution, as a guarantee of privacy is needed in order to exercise the rights that are enumerated. / The rent in Chicago was too high, so they moved to a suburb in the penumbra of the city. Related Words: Hinterland (remote or undeveloped area)

Answer 77

Definition: Extreme poverty or scarcity Usage: The young model married an elderly billionaire thinking she’d be set for life, but she ended up living in penury after her husband died and his middle-aged children held up the probate case for years, keeping her from receiving any money whatsoever. Related Words: Destitution is a synonym. Indigent (destitute), Insolvent (unable to meet one’s financial obligations, bankrupt)

Answer 78

Definition: Intrinsically; by itself; in itself Usage: Research shows that it is not divorce per se that harms children, but the continuing conflicts between parents. More Info: From Latin, often written in italics. Per se is often used to indicate that while something isn’t naturally or the same as something else, it still has the same effect. Pronounce it “per say.”

Answer 79

Definition: Travel from place to place, esp. on foot Usage: After college, he took a year off to peregrinate across the country, visiting friends and seeing the forty-odd states he had never before had the chance to see. Related Words: Itinerant, peripatetic and wayfaring are all similar. Transient also means moving around, but is more associated with homeless people or those on the fringe of society (whereas itinerant is more associated with people who travel for a job). More Info: Relatedly, the peregrine falcon is a roving or migrating bird.

Answer 80

Definition: Lasting through the years or indefinitely, enduring; recurring Usage: Fighting over the bathroom is a perennial problem in our house—there are eight of us, and we’re homeschooled, so we’re all pretty much always here. More Info: Perennial plants last more than one year, as opposed to annuals, which must be replanted every year. “Per” means “through” and the “ennial” part of the word is really just a variant on “annual,” so perennial literally means “through the years.”

Answer 81

Definition: Done superficially, without much care, or merely as routine Usage: She did a really perfunctory job on this Powerpoint. Sure, it has a dozen slides, but most of them just say things like “Sales—Ways to Improve” in Times New Roman on a white background. Maybe she’s planning to fill in the details later. Related Words: Cursory (quick and superficial, as in a cursory glance at the report) More Info: “Per” means “through” and the rest of perfunctory comes from the same place as “function”—think of perfunctory as trying to get through performing a function as quickly as possible.

Answer 82

Definition: Journeying from place to place; traveling on foot Usage: He quit his office job to become a peripatetic musician, traveling from town to town playing in bars and sleeping on couches. Related Words: Itinerant and wayfaring are synonyms. Peregrinate is a verb for being peripatetic. Transient also means moving around, but is more associated with homeless people or those on the fringe of society (whereas itinerant is more associated with people who travel for a job). More Info: “Peri” means around (as in perimeter) and the rest comes from a Latin word meaning “to walk.” Peripatetic was originally associated with Aristotle’s school of philosophers, who would walk while teaching.

Answer 83

Definition: Very harmful or destructive, deadly Usage: The cuts in government funding have had a pernicious effect on local health services. Related Words: Baneful is a synonym. Baleful is similar, but relates more to the idea of evil. Deleterious means harmful or unhealthful. More Info: “Per” means “through” in the sense of “completely.” The rest of the word shares a root (for “harmful”) with noxious (harmful or morally corrupting).

Answer 84

Definition: Having penetrating insight or good discernment Usage: A good detective is shrewd (having sharp Judgement) and perspicacious, judging when someone is lying, noticing things the rest of us would ignore, and making connections that allow an investigation to move forward. Related Words: Keen (sharp, piercing; very perceptive or mentally sharp; intense), Acumen (keen, quick, accurate insight or judgment), Astute (shrewd, very perceptive) More Info: “Per” means “through” and “spic/spec” means “look” (as in spectacles, spectate, etc.) Perspicacious is really just the adjective form of perspective—as in, having a really good perspective.

Answer 85

Definition: Formation of soldiers carrying shields close together for defense; any very close group of people Usage: 600 marchers set off led by phalanx of police. Related Words: The expression “rank and file” (or just “ranks” of people) is also a military term referring to an orderly formation of soldiers in rows and columns. More Info: The plural phalanges refers to the bones in the hands and feet, which fit together closely, like soldiers in a phalanx.

Answer 86

Definition: Person deficient in or hostile to art, literature, music, or culture. Usage: I am complete philistine when it comes to painting / I wouldn't have expected them to enjoy a film of that quality anyway - they are just a bunch of philistines. Related Words: Boor or churl (rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a peasant or country bumpkin), Lowbrow (not intellectual or cultivated, as in She preferred art films, but her boyfriend preferred lowbrow comedies with lots of vomit jokes). More Info: The original Philistines were simply the people of Philistia; they warred with the Israelites and are referred to negatively in the Bible. Thus, their name has come to mean barbarians.

Answer 87

Definition: Apathetic, sluggish, not easily excited or made emotional Usage: A phlegmatic child, he declined to participate in the youth soccer league. He preferred to stay at home, mostly sitting outside poking at dirt with a stick, and occasionally stopping for naptime. Related Words: Indolent, torpid, sluggish, idle, lethargic, loafing, and slack are all related to laziness or slowness. More Info: The ancient Greeks thought that people were ruled by the “four humors:” blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. A person with too much phlegm would be phlegmatic; a person with too much bile would be bilious (bitter, mean), and a person ruled by blood would be sanguine (cheerful).

Answer 88

Definition: A shallow, overused statement; cliche Usage: She has a platitude nature - Her remarks about others carries no values as she say it so many times. Related Words: Banal, Hackneyed, Inane, Insipid and Trite all mean “lacking freshness and originality, shallow.” More Info: Platitude shares a root (“flat”) with plate and plateau. A platitude is a “flat,” stale remark.

Answer 89

Definition: Of the common people Usage: I toured a luxury apartment building and I laughed when I saw that the apartments had luxurious walk-in closets and whirlpool bathtubs—but hilariously tiny ovens. Because, of course, the wealthy would never do something so plebian as cook their own food. Related Words: Demotic (same root as democracy) is a more neutral word for “pertaining to the people.” Plebian is negative, often used in a joking way—“Oh, sorry to interrupt your studying of that opera libretto—I didn’t mean to imply that you’d do something so plebian as watch hockey with us.” Populist is generally meant in a positive way, as in championing the rights and interests of regular people. More Info: The term plebe, used to describe the incoming class at a military school, is a variant of plebian.

Answer 90

Definition: Excess; excessive amount Usage: She had a plethora of excuses, but there is simply no justification for arriving to class drunk. Related Words: Surfeit or surplus (excess, overabundance) More Info: The 1986 comedy ¡Three Amigos! popularized the word plethora—if want to remember the word plethora for life, look up “plethora of pinatas” on Youtube.

Answer 91

Definition: Brave, spirited Usage: While the police hit a dead end, a band of plucky children was able to find the stolen bicycle. More Info: Plucky (along with synonym spunky) is a rather “cute” word for courageous. It is appropriate for children and for people dealing with fairly minor situations in a bold, clever way. Some find it sexist when applied to adult women in professional or otherwise serious situations; it is almost never applied to men. Plucky would be very inappropriate to describe a soldier in battle, a hero of the Civil Rights movement, etc. Use a word like courageous or intrepid instead.

Answer 92

Definition: Rule by the wealthy Usage: There have always been rich and poor people, of course, but some argue that the U.S. is becoming a plutocracy, with the richest 10% controlling two-thirds of the nation’s wealth and nearly half of our Congressional representatives being millionaires. Related Words: A plutocracy might also be an oligarchy (rule by only a few). More Info: In Greek mythology, Pluto (also known as Hades) was god of the underworld, and Plutus was god of wealth. Things got a bit confused over the years, as people used “Plutus” to mean “Pluto” as a way to make things sound a little more positive.

Answer 93

Definition: Controversial argument, esp. one attacking a specific idea Usage: She has published a anti-war polemic. More Info: Polemic comes from a Greek root for “war.”

Answer 94

Definition: Shrewd, pragmatic; tactful or diplomatic Usage: Celebrities have to watch what they say, as even an offhand comment can end up splashed across the covers of magazines. When the starlet was asked what she thought of her ex-husband marrying the swimsuit model he left her for, she gave the politic reply, “I wish both of them the best.” Related Words: Expedient (suitable, proper; effective, often at the expense of ethics or other considerations) More Info: The expression “the body politic” means the citizens of a particular government, considered as a group.

Answer 95

Definition: Speaking or composed of many languages (of a person, book, etc.); a person who knows several languages Usage: New York’s public service announcements often take the form of polyglot posters in the subway, suggesting in six languages that readers give up their seats for pregnant women or those with disabilities. More Info: “Poly” means “many” (polygamy, polynomial) and “glot” means “tongue” (glottal, epiglottis).

Answer 96

Definition: Presume, suggest, put forward (an idea) Usage: Scientists today posit the existence of life on other planets. Related Words: Postulate is a synonym. Assert and contend are stronger words for putting forth an idea as true. To posit is sometimes as weak as merely introducing an idea for discussion, rather than making a strong argument for it. More Info: We pose a question, but we posit an idea.

Answer 97

Definition: Talk in an idle, simple-minded, meaningless, or foolish way; chatter, babble Usage: Do you intend to keep up this childish prattle. Related Words: Prate is a synonym—actually, both words are variants of the same Middle Dutch word.

Answer 98

Definition: Cause to happen suddenly or prematurely; fling, plunge, or hurl down Usage: Mr. and Mrs. Rosen had been considering a move to Florida for years, but the sudden destruction of their house in a hurricane precipitated their decision to finally make the move. Related Words: Catalyst (causer of change) More Info: Precipitation is rain, snow, or hail—water that, of course, comes down from the sky. Precipitous sometimes means “pertaining to a precipice (such as a cliff),” as in a precipitous mountain face, and sometimes means “hasty.”

Answer 99

Definition: Concise summary, abstract Usage: Just as scientific journals publish abstracts of their articles online (and then charge for access to the full version), the entrepreneur decided to publish a précis of her whitepaper online, while charging for access to the full version. Related Words: Digest (a periodical containing shortened versions of works published elsewhere), Recapitulation (summary or the act of summing up), Compendium (Concise but complete summary; a list or collection) More Info: Related to the word precise and coming from French, précis has the sense of efficiently (and precisely) expressing the essentials.

Answer 100

Definition: Preference, tendency or favorability towards Usage: She has completed teacher training allowing her to teach grades K–6, but she discovered that she really has a predilection for teaching kindergarten. Related Words: Penchant, Propensity, Proclivity, and Bent are all words for a preference or inclination (he has an arrogant bent about him, and a propensity to offend others).

Answer 101

Definition: Having foreknowledge or foresight, seeing the future Usage: Mariposa swears she’s prescient—she thinks she sees the future in her dreams. / The science fiction novel, published in 1955, was strangely prescient —it pictures the year 2000 as having no flying cars, but a communication system known as the “interconnect,” used largely for online shopping and wasting time. Related Words: To prognosticate or augur is to tell the future. Prophetic means “relating to prophesy, predicting, ominous.” More Info: Of course the “science” in prescience is the same as in the word science and omniscience (all knowingness)—the root means “to know.” Prescience is to know in advance, either supernaturally, or just by having good judgment.

Answer 102

Definition: Supernatural, exceptional Usage: While Tiger Woods has been mired in scandal, his preternatural golfing talent is still undeniable. / Anger gave me preternatural strength and I managed to force the door open. Related Words: Occult can mean “supernatural, mysterious, arcane.” More Info: From Latin—literally, “beyond nature.”

Answer 103

Definition: Stray from the truth, mislead, lie Usage: Maryanne had been shoplifting—when her mother asked where her new clothes had come from, she prevaricated, vaguely suggesting that a rich friend had bought them for her. Related Words: Dissembling (misleading, concealing the truth, acting hypocritically), Disingenuous (insincere, not genuine), Equivocate (use unclear language to deceive or avoid committing to a position) More Info: As you can see, we have many words in English that mean something just short of lying—probably because there are many situations in which we need to point out a lie, but want to do so as politely or discreetly as we can; all of the above words are less blunt than lie.

Answer 104

Definition: The state of being first or most important Usage: The government insists on the primacy of citizens' right. Related Words: Preeminence (superiority, the state of being more distinguished or noteworthy) More Info: The root in primacy means “first” and also appears in prime, primal, and primate (interestingly, a primate is both a church bishop and the order of animals including humans, apes, and monkeys).

Answer 105

Definition: Inclination, natural tendency Usage: His proclivity for shapely blondes. / After his therapist pointed out that he had a natural proclivity to judge people prematurely, he tried to work on that by imagining things from the other person’s point of view. Related Words: Predilection, Propensity, Penchant, and Bent are all words for a preference or inclination (He has an arrogant bent about him, and a propensity to offend others). Predisposed (having an inclination or tendency beforehand; susceptible) More Info: Proclivity shares a Latin root (“slope”) with incline, decline, declivity, inclination, etc.

Answer 106

Definition: Excessively long and wordy (of a person, piece of writing, etc.) Usage: The author's prolix style has done nothing to encourage sales of the book. / My mother is incredibly verbose. She’ll tell a boring, prolix story for five whole minutes, and at the end, it turns out that the point was that she got a fifty cent discount on a box of spaghetti at the store. Related Words: Loquacious and Verbose are synonyms. More Info: “Pro” means “forth” and “lix” comes from the Latin for “liquid.” Words just “pour” right out of a prolix person.

Answer 107

Definition: Reproduce, spread, increase Usage: Hackers can take down a large computer system in days or even minutes as a virus propagates and infects all of the machines on a network. Related Words: Proliferate (increase or spread rapidly or excessively) More Info: Propagate is originally about plants and is still often used regarding plants—many types of plants can be propagated from cuttings (that is, a small piece cut from a mature plant can grow into a new plant).

Answer 108

Definition: Natural inclination or tendency Usage: She has inherited from her father a propensity to talk too much. Related Words: Predilection, Proclivity, Penchant, and Bent are all words for a preference or inclination (He has an affable bent about him, and a proclivity for striking up conversations with strangers). More Info: Like its synonym penchant, this word shares a root (meaning “lean”) with pendulum and penchant. A propensity is a “leaning” towards something.

Answer 109

Definition: Relating to prophesy, predicting, ominous, Saying correctly what will happen in future. Usage: While most of the country was consumed with irrational optimism about the economy, this particular journalist possessed an almost prophetic pessimism—not only did she predict the crash, she even predicted the month it actually happened. Related Words: Prescient (having foreknowledge or foresight, seeing the future), Prognosticate or Augur (tell the future)

Answer 110

Definition: Attempt to reconcile with, satisfy, or reduce the animosity of (a person who is angry, offended, etc.) Usage: The ancient Greeks would often attempt to propitiate angry gods by sacrificing animals to them. Related Words: Placate, Appease, Mollify, Conciliate, and Assuage are near-synonyms. More Info: The Romans had something called a “propitiatorim,” or “place of atonement”—presumably, one would be propitiating the gods.

Answer 111

Definition: Favorable, giving good signs for the future, likely to work out; kind or forgiving Usage: After having to postpone the game earlier in the week due to rain, the officials were pleased to see the propitious weather forecast. “We’ll get this game in after all,” one of them exclaimed. Related Words: Auspicious (looking as though success is likely), Opportune (suitable, convenient, occurring at an appropriate time) Memory Trick: It’s a bit confusing that propitiate means “attempt to reconcile with, satisfy, or reduce the animosity of.” Perhaps it would help to imagine that the gods have already been propitiated (the Romans were fond of sacrificing animals to gain the gods’ favor), and therefore an endeavor is propitious, or likely to be successful.

Answer 112

Definition: Lucky, fortunate, or relating to divine care (the idea that a deity has helped or cared for a person) Usage: Every time their religious sister ran out of money, help always arrived! She viewed this as God’s providential hand, but her family members viewed it as their always having to bail her out, and it was getting annoying. Related Words: Propitious (favorable, giving good signs for the future, likely to work out; kind or forgiving), Auspicious (looking as though success is likely) More Info: Provident means showing foresight, being frugal or careful to provide for the future, thinking ahead in a wise way. Often this quality is attributed to God (or nature), so providence sometimes simply means God or God’s care.

Answer 113

Definition: Agent, substitute, person authorized to act on behalf of another Usage: She was in the hospital, but certainly didn’t want to miss voting on the proposal, so she sent a proxy to the board meeting to vote “yes.” Related Words: Legate or Emissary (agent or official person sent to represent someone else) More Info: Often used in the expression by proxy, as in voting by proxy.

Answer 114

Definition: Juvenile, immature, childishly silly and trivial Usage: You are making puerile excuses. Related Words: Jejune (dull, childish), Sophomoric (very immature, having poor judgment)

Answer 115

Definition: boxing, fighting with the fists Usage: Pugilism has been called “the sweet science” by some, but others feel that hitting other people in the head until they can’t get up isn’t much of a sport. Related Words: Belligerent, bellicose, truculent, and pugnacious mean combative, inclined to fighting. More Info: Pugilism and pugnacious come from the Latin “pugnus,” for “fist.”

Answer 116

Definition: Power, might Usage: When people asked the twenty-five year old bride what had attracted her to her commanding, sixty year old CEO husband, she replied that she had always been drawn to puissance. More Info: Puissant comes through French from the same Latin root (“power”) as omnipotent (all powerful), potentate (ruler), and impotent (lacking power).

Answer 117

Definition: Physical beauty Usage: Contestant in the Miss World Contest, show their pulchritude. Related Words: Comeliness is a synonym. Aesthetic (concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful) Memory Trick: This word is so ugly sounding! Would you ever have guessed it meant beauty? Imagine a man telling a woman she is the epitome of pulchritude. Unless she has a very good vocabulary, it probably won’t go very well.

Answer 118

Definition: Having a sharp taste or smell; biting, stimulating, sharp Usage: The new assistant chef received some rather pungent criticism from the head chef for her idea to make feta cheese soup, which the customers found much too pungent. Related Words: Acerbic (sour; harsh or severe), Acrid (sharp or biting, pungent), Astringent (caustic, biting, severe; a skin cleaning fluid that clears pores), Caustic (capable of corroding metal or burning the skin; very critical or sarcastic) More Info: The Latin “pungere” means “to prick.”

Answer 119

Definition: Cowardly, timid Usage: He was so pusillanimous that not only was he afraid to ask his boss for a raise, he was even afraid to tell the waitress that he didn’t like sugar in his tea. Related Words: Craven (cowardly) More Info: What an interesting origin this word has—“pullus” was Latin for a young animal, and “pusillus” added the idea of being small and weak. The root “animus” (animation, etc.) means “spirit.” Thus, a pusillanimous person has the spirit of a weak baby animal.

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