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Barrons Vocabulary > Set 22 > Flashcards

Flashcards in Set 22 Deck (199)
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2
Q

mason

A

one who builds or works with stone or brick; n. masonry: work of a mason; stonework or brickwork

3
Q

perspicacious

A

(of someone) having insight; penetrating; astute

4
Q

compulsory

A

obligatory; that must be done

5
Q

premonitory

A

serving to warn

6
Q

hatch

A

deck opening; lid covering a deck opening; v. emerge from an egg; produce (young) from an egg

7
Q

unsightly

A

ugly; unpleasant to look at

8
Q

reiterate

A

repeat

9
Q

smart

A

intelligent; quick and energetic; fashionable; ex. smart pace/restaurant; v. cause or feel a sharp pain; n. smarting pain

10
Q

incontinent

A

lacking self-restraint; not continent; licentious

11
Q

fiend

A

evil spirit; devil

12
Q

monochromatic

A

having only one color

13
Q

expansive

A

(of a person) outgoing and sociable; broad and extensive; able to increase in size

14
Q

lode

A

metal-bearing vein(long deposit of an ore)

15
Q

carnivorous

A

meat-eating; n. carnivore; ex: herbivore

16
Q

disinclination

A

unwillingness

17
Q

stipulate

A

state as a necessary condition (of an agreement); make express conditions; specify; ex. He stipulated payment in advance

18
Q

exploit

A

brave and successful act; deed or action, particularly a brave deed; ex: crossing the Atlantic ocean

19
Q

gentry

A

people of standing(rank or position); people of good family or high social position; class of people just below nobility

20
Q

odoriferous

A

giving off an odor

21
Q

cynosure

A

object of general attention; person or thing that is a center of attention; ex: Ursa Minor

22
Q

rostrum

A

raised platform for speech-making; pulpit

23
Q

peripheral

A

of a periphery; marginal; outer; of minor importance; not central; ex. peripheral nerve/interest

24
Q

vagabond

A

wanderer (without a permanent home); tramp

25
Q

beeline

A

direct quick route

26
Q

fleet

A

fast; rapid; n. adj. fleeting: passing quickly; ephemeral

27
Q

emaciated

A

thin and wasted (from hunger or illness)

28
Q

pare

A

cut away the outer covering or skin of (with a knife); trim; ex. pare apples/expenses

29
Q

aristocracy

A

hereditary nobility; privileged class; government by nobility; n. aristocrat

30
Q

obsessive

A

related to thinking about something constantly; of an obsession; preoccupying; n. obsession: compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea; compulsive idea; v. obsess: preoccupy the mind of excessively

31
Q

orthodox

A

traditional; (of someone) conservative in belief; adhering to an established doctrine

32
Q

soporific

A

sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness; drowsy

33
Q

urgent

A

compelling immediate action; pressing; persistent; importunate; ex. urgent in his demands

34
Q

sprightly

A

lively

35
Q

clasp

A

hold firmly within arms

36
Q

blatant

A

extremely (offensively) obvious; loudly offensive; ex. blatant lie; n. blatancy

37
Q

implore

A

beg

38
Q

coeval

A

living at the same time as; existing during the same period of time; contemporary; of the same age

39
Q

compartment

A

one of the parts into which an enclosed space is divided

40
Q

platonic

A

purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire

41
Q

jetsam

A

things thrown from a ship (to lighten the ship)

42
Q

enfranchise

A

admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote); ex: franchise

43
Q

feasible

A

practical; able to be carried out; practicable

44
Q

dulcet

A

sweet sounding; pleasing to the ear; melodious

45
Q

meager

A

scanty; inadequate

46
Q

senility

A

old age; feeblemindedness of old age; adj. senile: resulting from old age; showing the weakness of body or mind from old age; ex. senile dementia

47
Q

placid

A

peaceful; calm; ex. placid child/lake

48
Q

tart

A

sharp to the taste; acid-tasting; caustic; sarcastic; ex. tart apple/reply

49
Q

perversion

A

corruption; turning from right to wrong

50
Q

list

A

tilt (as of a ship); lean over (to one side)

51
Q

lank

A

long and thin; ex. Lank, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln

52
Q

spoilsport

A

one who spoils the pleasure of others

53
Q

invoke

A

call and bring into use (a right or law); call on/upon (a higher power or god) for help; ask for; beg for; conjure (a spirit); ex. invoke the veto power; ex. invoke one’s advisor/God

54
Q

ambivalence

A

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes or opinions

55
Q

weary

A

tired after long work; v.

56
Q

lethal

A

deadly

57
Q

reprobate

A

morally disapproved person; person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency; ex: disapproved by God ?

58
Q

outskirts

A

fringes; outer borders (as of a city); ex. outskirts of Boston

59
Q

sow

A

plant or scatter seed

60
Q

inordinate

A

beyond reasonable limits; unrestrained; excessive; ex. inordinate demands

61
Q

gratis

A

free; without charge; adj.

62
Q

temporal

A

of time; not lasting forever; limited by time; temporary; secular; worldly

63
Q

culprit

A

one guilty of a crime

64
Q

egregious

A

notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking

65
Q

pathos

A

tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings; ex. pathos that runs through the novel

66
Q

tardy

A

slow; sluggish; not on time; late; ex. tardy arrival

67
Q

beneficent

A

kindly; doing good

68
Q

diversion

A

act of turning aside; pastime; v. divert: turn aside from a course; distract; amuse

69
Q

refrain

A

abstain from; resist; forbear; n. chorus

70
Q

volition

A

act of using one’s will; act of making a conscious choice; ex. She selected this dress of her own volition.

71
Q

thermal

A

pertaining to heat; producing heat; warm; ex. thermal bath; n. rising current of warm air

72
Q

tract

A

propaganda pamphlet (esp. by a religious or political group); expanse of land; region of indefinite size; system of related organs; ex. digestive tract

73
Q

moribund

A

dying; at the point of death; ex: death

74
Q

rigid

A

hard and unbending; stiff and unyielding; fixed in behavior or views; strict; rigorous; ex. rigid rule

75
Q

sophist

A

teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning; n. sophism: plausible but fallacious argument

76
Q

amiss

A

wrong; faulty; ex. something amiss; ADv.

77
Q

centigrade

A

denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius)

78
Q

presumptuous

A

going beyond what is right; excessively forward; arrogant; taking liberties

79
Q

idiosyncrasy

A

individual trait usually odd in nature; behavioral peculiarity; eccentricity; attitude, behavior, or opinion peculiar to a person; anything highly individual or eccentric; adj. idiosyncratic

80
Q

lance

A

pierce with a lance; cut into; n. spearlike weapon

81
Q

lineaments

A

features especially of the face; distinctive shape or contour of the face; ex: line

82
Q

pied

A

piebald; variegated(many-colored); multicolored

83
Q

repeal

A

revoke; annul

84
Q

volatile

A

changeable; of a quickly changing nature (as of temper); mercurial; tending to violence; evaporating rapidly; ex. volatile character/situation in the street

85
Q

incidence

A

rate of occurrence; particular occurrence; ex. high incidence of infant mortality

86
Q

venture

A

risk; expose to risk; dare; undertake a risk; n.

87
Q

potable

A

suitable for drinking; drinkable

88
Q

bestial

A

beastlike; brutal; inhuman; very cruel

89
Q

orient

A

get one’s bearings; adjust; make familiar with a situation; orientate

90
Q

proviso

A

stipulation; condition in an agreement; provision

91
Q

queasy

A

experiencing nausea; nauseated; easily nauseated; squeamish; ex. feel a little queasy

92
Q

ubiquitous

A

being everywhere; omnipresent; n. ubiquity

93
Q

travail

A

strenuous work; toil; painful labor; labor of childbirth

94
Q

righteous

A

morally upright; just

95
Q

address

A

direct a speech to; speak to; deal with or discuss; direct one’s efforts or attention to; make with a destination; n. formal speech

96
Q

feign

A

pretend

97
Q

quietude

A

tranquillity; calmness

98
Q

urbane

A

suave; refined in manner; elegant

99
Q

capacity

A

mental or physical ability; role; position or duty; ability to accommodate; ex. in my capacity as president

100
Q

thresh

A

beat (cereal plants) with a machine or flail to separate the grains from the straw

101
Q

problematic

A

causing a problem; open to doubt; doubtful; unsettled; questionable; ex. Whether the arena will ever be completed is problematic.

102
Q

stun

A

make unconscious or numb as by a blow; amaze; astound

103
Q

mite

A

very small object or insect-like creature; small coin

104
Q

crotchety

A

(of someone old) eccentric; odd; whimsical; bad-tempered; n. crotchet: odd or whimsical notion

105
Q

torrid

A

(of weather) hot or scorching; passionate; ex. torrid love affairs

106
Q

humor

A

indulge; comply with the wishes of; n. quality that makes something amusing; state of mind; mood; ex. in a bad humor; ex. out of humor

107
Q

contrived

A

unnatural and forced; artificial; not spontaneous; ex. The ending was rather contrived.

108
Q

requisite

A

necessary requirement; something required; adj. required; necessary

109
Q

mendacious

A

lying; habitually dishonest; n. mendacity

110
Q

execute

A

put into effect; carry out; kill as a lawful punishment; n. execution

111
Q

supersede

A

replace; cause to be set aside; make obsolete; n. supersession

112
Q

resolve

A

determination; resolution; firmness of purpose

113
Q

humanitarian

A

one devoted to the promotion of human welfare; ex: humanism

114
Q

restitution

A

returning something (lost or stolen) to the rightful owner; reparation; indemnification; compensation for loss, damage, or injury

115
Q

torque

A

twisting force; force producing rotation

116
Q

clique

A

small exclusive group of people

117
Q

mock

A

ridicule; deride; imitate often in derision

118
Q

propitiate

A

appease; conciliate; make peaceful; adj. propitiatory

119
Q

feline

A

of a member of the cat family; n.

120
Q

swathe

A

swath; wrap around; bandage; ex. one’s head swathed in bandages

121
Q

espouse

A

adopt; support (an idea or aim); marry; n. espousal

122
Q

epistemologist

A

philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge; n. epistemology

123
Q

raconteur

A

story-teller; one who tells stories with wit and skill

124
Q

personable

A

attractive (in personality or appearance)

125
Q

bristle

A

short stiff hair; v. (hair or fur) stand up stiffly

126
Q

compensatory

A

making up for; repaying

127
Q

coiffure

A

hairstyle

128
Q

haughtiness

A

pride; arrogance; adj. haughty

129
Q

vulnerable

A

susceptible to wounds or attack; n. vulnerability

130
Q

philology

A

study of language or words

131
Q

tramp

A

walk with a heavy step; travel on foot; n. vagrant; one who travels aimlessly about; long walk; sound of heavy walking

132
Q

terrestrial

A

on or relating to the earth

133
Q

genus

A

division of animals or plants, below a family and above a species

134
Q

pragmatist

A

practical person; n. pragmatism: pragmatic way of dealing with things

135
Q

ward

A

administrative division of a city; division in a hospital or prison; incompetent person placed under the protection of a guardian; v. guard; ward off: avert

136
Q

flaccid

A

flabby; lacking firmness; weak; ex. flaccid muscles

137
Q

convoke

A

call together; ex. convoke Parliament; n. convocation

138
Q

misdemeanor

A

minor crime; misdeed; wrongdoing

139
Q

libretto

A

text of an opera or oratorio; ex: book

140
Q

lithe

A

flexible; supple; ex: limber

141
Q

analgesia

A

condition of being unable to feel pain

142
Q

fetish(fetich)

A

object believed to have spiritual powers; object of excessive attention or reverence; ex: fetishism

143
Q

pundit

A

authority on a subject; expert; learned person

144
Q

skim

A

read or glance through quickly; touch lightly in passing; brush; remove from the surface of a liquid

145
Q

oculist

A

physician who specializes in treatment of the eyes

146
Q

nondescript

A

undistinctive; ordinary; ordinary-looking; ex. nondescript fellow in a crowd

147
Q

asinine

A

stupid; ex. asinine remarks

148
Q

zenith

A

point directly overhead in the sky; summit; acme; highest point

149
Q

vagrant

A

wandering from place to place; roving; stray; moving in a random fashion; ex. vagrant thoughts; n. vagrancy

150
Q

immolate

A

offer or kill as a sacrifice (by fire)

151
Q

hackles

A

hairs on back and neck, especially of a dog; ex. make someone’s hackles rise

152
Q

rapture

A

great joy and delight; ecstasy; adj. rapturous

153
Q

marrow

A

soft fatty tissue that fills most bone cavities and is the source of blood cells

154
Q

dint

A

means; effort; ex. by dint of hard work

155
Q

aquiline

A

curved; hooked; of or like an eagle; ex. aquiline nose

156
Q

exorbitant

A

(of costs or demands) excessive; exceeding reasonable bounds

157
Q

monotheism

A

belief in one God

158
Q

purported

A

alleged; claimed; reputed or rumored; ex. purported Satanists

159
Q

duplicity

A

double-dealing; hypocrisy; being dishonest and deceitful; adj. duplicitous

160
Q

hazardous

A

dangerous

161
Q

purchase

A

secure grasp or hold; firm grasp or footing

162
Q

fitful

A

spasmodic; intermittent; irregular

163
Q

consign

A

send to a person or place for sale; deliver officially; entrust; put into the care of another; set apart (for a special purpose); n. consignment; ex: consignor, consignee

164
Q

skittish

A

inconstant; capricious; frivolous; not serious; ex. charming but skittish young woman; ex: skit

165
Q

regimen

A

prescribed course of diet or exercise; prescribed diet and habits; ex. daily regimen of a dancer

166
Q

contraband

A

illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods; adj.

167
Q

lax

A

careless; negligent; not paying enough attention; ex. lax service

168
Q

antecede

A

precede

169
Q

kaleidoscope

A

tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc. produce interesting symmetrical effects; series of changing events; ex. kaleidoscope of European history; ex: beautiful

170
Q

natty

A

neatly or smartly dressed; dapper; smart; ex. natty dresser

171
Q

dormer

A

window projecting upright from roof; ex: sleeping room

172
Q

protocol

A

diplomatic etiquette; ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats; first copy of a treaty before its ratification; ex. Protocol demands that the queen meet him at the airport.

173
Q

modicum

A

limited quantity; small amount; ex. He does not have a modicum of sense; ex: moderate

174
Q

matinee(matinee)

A

dramatic or musical performance given in the afternoon

175
Q

transmute

A

transform; change; convert to something different

176
Q

stout

A

rather fat; strong in body; sturdy; resolute; determined; strong in determination; ex. stout stick/supporter

177
Q

apologist

A

one who writes in defense of a cause or institution; n. apologia

178
Q

despoil

A

plunder; sack; ex. despoil the village

179
Q

potentate

A

monarch; sovereign

180
Q

glean

A

gather leavings; gather grain left behind by reapers; gather bit by bit (facts or information) often with difficulty

181
Q

quay

A

dock; wharf; pier; landing place (for boats)

182
Q

trifle

A

something of little importance or value; small amount; ex. a trifle; v. treat without seriousness; flirt

183
Q

pejorative

A

(of a word or phrase) suggesting that someone is of little value; negative in connotation; having a belittling effect; ex. Many women now considers ``housewife’’ a pejorative expression, because it patronized them.

184
Q

ascertain

A

find out for certain; make certain

185
Q

tempestuous

A

stormy; violent; impassioned; n. tempest: violent storm

186
Q

ancestry

A

family descent; adj. ancestral

187
Q

autonomous

A

self-governing; n. autonomy

188
Q

tantalize

A

tease; excite by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach; torture with disappointment; ex: Tantalus: Greek mythological figure

189
Q

sheer

A

pure; thin and transparent; very steep

190
Q

sartorial

A

pertaining to tailors or tailoring; ex. a man of great sartorial elegance; ex: sartor: tailor

191
Q

agog

A

highly excited; intensely curious

192
Q

default

A

failure to act; failure to perform a task or be present; v.

193
Q

archaeology

A

study of artifacts and relics of early mankind

194
Q

foreshadow

A

give an indication beforehand; be a sign of (what is coming); portend; prefigure

195
Q

harass

A

annoy by repeated attacks

196
Q

exegesis

A

explanation, especially of biblical(of the bible) passages

197
Q

studied

A

carefully contrived; calculated; unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful; ex. studied remark

198
Q

chameleon

A

lizard that changes color in different situations

199
Q

wangle

A

achieve by cleverness or trick; wiggle out; fake; ex. She tried to wangle an invitation to the party.

200
Q

solvent

A

able to pay all depths; n. solvency