Themed Lists Flashcards
(5 cards)
Jaundice
Jaundice is a condition of the liver that has the side effect of turning the skin yellow. The second definition—and the one you have to know for the GRE—may seem completely unrelated:** to be biased against as a result of envy or prejudice**. In the 17th Century, being yellow, apparently, was associated with having prejudice. Hence, we have the second definition of the word jaundice.
It is important to note that yellow now, at least colloquially, means to be cowardly. This definition does not relate to jaundice.
Shelly was jaundiced towards Olivia; though the two had once been best friends, Olivia had become class president, prom queen, and, to make matters worse, the girlfriend of the one boy Shelly liked.
Jejune
Many people like this word for the simple reason that it’s fun to say. After all, how often do we get to see the summery month of June in a word? All this niftiness aside, the definition of jejune (sadly) is a letdown. To be jejune is to be dull, insipid and lacking flavor. No, it can’t be, you think. But yes, jejune, our delightful word, means something that literally means lackluster.
But it gets even worse for poor jejune: it is derived from the second part of the small intestine, the jejunum, where the inside walls absorb the food’s nutrients. Now jejune does not only mean boring, it also conjures up images we’d rather leave in the dark.
Finally, jejune has a second definition. Jejune, though, is yet again a victim of bad PR. To be jejune (secondary definition) means to be childish and immature.
Naive, simplistic, dull, or uninteresting
Jejune sounds like “junior” → immature, childish
🔹 The critic called the movie’s plot jejune and predictable.
🔹 Her jejune response to the political debate showed she hadn’t done any research.
🔹 He dismissed the essay as jejune, lacking the nuance the topic deserved.
Bilious
Speaking of nasty stuff in the body, bilious comes from bile—you know, that yellow stuff in your liver that every once in a while makes a very unwelcome gustatory appearance. To be filled with bile, however, doesn’t mean to have a bad taste in your mouth.
According to Hippocrates, he of the bodily humors, if we are filled with too much bile, we are angry. Therefore, to be bilious is to be constantly irritable and ready to bite somebody’s head off.
Rex was bilious all morning, and his face would only take on a look of contentedness when he’d had his morning cup of coffee.
Choleric
Easily angered , bad-tempered or irritable.
when u have cholera = u are sick and u get irritated or bad tempered
*While a brilliant lecturer, Mr. Dawson came across as choleric and unapproachable—very rarely did students come to his office hours.
🔹 The choleric coach yelled at the players for every minor mistake.
🔹 She avoided bringing up politics around her choleric uncle.
🔹 The boss’s choleric temperament created a tense work environment.
*
Sanguine
But not all is bad in the world of bodily humors. Definition of sanguine, surprisingly, sanguine means to be cheerful, optimistic.
While sanguine has a positive definition, the word sanguinary—note the sang- root—means a carnage or bloodbath. Yes, I know English can be a confusing language. But, if you learn these high-frequency GRE words, you will have something to be sanguine about!
With the prospect of having to learn 3,000 words during the course of the summer, Paul was anything but sanguine.
