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Vocab 11 > Unit 3 > Flashcards

Unit 3 Flashcards

(72 cards)

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0
Q

Painstaking

A

Adj. Extremely careful

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1
Q

Pacify

A

V. To calm someone down

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2
Q

Palliate

A

V. To alleviate something without getting rid of the problem

You can take aspirin in the hope that it will palliate your headache

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3
Q

Palpable

A

Adj. Capable of being touched

The tumor was palpable; the doctor could feel it with his finger

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4
Q

Paltry

A

Adj. Insignificant

The lawyers efforts on our behalf were paltry; they didn’t add up to anything

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5
Q

Panacea

A

N. Something that cures everything

The administration seemed to believe that a tax cut would be a panacea for the country’s economic ills

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6
Q

Paradigm

A

N. A model

In selecting her wardrobe, messy Ana apparently used a scarecrow as her paradigm

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7
Q

Paradox

A

N. A true statement or phenomenon that nonetheless seems to contradict itself

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8
Q

Parochial

A

Adj. Narrow in point of view

The journalists parochial point of view prevented him from becoming a nationally known figure

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9
Q

Parody

A

N. A satirical imitation

At the talent show the girls sang a terrible parody of a Beatles song

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10
Q

Parsimonious

A

Adj. Stingy

The widow was so parsimonious that she hung teabags out to dry in her clothesline so that she would be able to use them again

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11
Q

Partisan

A

N. One who supports a particular person

Henry’s plan to give herself the award had no partisan except himself

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12
Q

Patent

A

Adj. Obvious

To say that the earth is flat is a patent absurdity since the world is obviously spherical

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13
Q

Paternal

A

Adj. Fatherly

Rich is paternal toward his niece

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14
Q

Pathology

A

N. The science of diseases

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15
Q

Patriarch

A

N. The male head of a family

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16
Q

Patrician

A

N. A person of noble birth; an aristocrat

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17
Q

Patronize

A

V. To treat as an inferior

Our guide at the art gallery was extremely patronizing, treating us as though we wouldn’t be able to distinguish a painting from a piece of sidewalk without her help

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18
Q

Paucity

A

N. Scarcity

The plan was defeated by a paucity of support

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19
Q

Peccadillo

A

N. A minor offense

The smiling defendant acted as though first degree murder were a mere peccadillo rather than a hideous crime

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20
Q

Pedantic

A

Adj. Boringly scholarly

The professors interpretation of the poem was pedantic and empty of genuine feeling

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21
Q

Pedestrian

A

Adj. Unimaginative

The menu was pedestrian; I had encountered each of the dishes dozens of times before

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22
Q

Pejorative

A

Adj. Negative

Abe’s description of the college as “a pretty good school” was unintentionally pejorative

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23
Q

Penchant

A

N. A strong taste for something

Dogs have a penchant for chasing cars and mail carriers

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24
Penitent
Adj. Sorry Julie was penitent when Kanye explained how much pain she had caused him
25
Pensive
Adj. Thoughtful Norton became suddenly pensive when jack mentioned his dead father
26
Peremptory
Adj. Final; dictatorial Asher's father peremptorily banished him to his room
27
Perennial
Adj. Happening again and again or year after year Mr. Lorenzo is a perennial favorite of students at the high school because he always gives everyone an A
28
Perfidy
N. Treachery I was appalled at Al's perfidy. He had sworn to me that he was my best friend but then asked my girlfriend to prom
29
Perfunctory
Adj. Unenthusiastic Sandra's lawn mowing was perfunctory at best: she skipped all the difficult parts and didn't take up any of the clippings
30
Peripatetic
Adj. Wandering; traveling continually Groupies are a peripatetic bunch, traveling from concert to concert to follow their favorite rock stars
31
Periphery
N. The outside edge of something The professional finger painter enjoyed his position at the periphery of the art world
32
Perjury
N. Lying under oath The defendant was acquitted of bribery but convicted of perjury because he had lied on the witness stand during trial
33
Permeate
V. To spread or seep through; to penetrate A horrible smell quickly permeated the room after jack lit a cigarette
34
Pernicious
Adj. Deadly; extremely evil lung cancer is a pernicious disease
35
Perquisite
N. A privilege that goes along with a job; a "perk" Free access to a photocopier is a perquisite of most office jobs
36
Pertinent
Adj. Relevant The suspect said that he was just borrowing the jewelry for a costume ball. The cop said he did not think that was pertinent
37
Perturb
V. To disturb greatly Ivan's mother was perturbed by his aberrant behavior at the dinner table
38
Peruse
V. To read carefully The lawyer perused the contract for many hours looking for a loophole that would enable his client to back out of the deal
39
Pervade
V. To spread throughout A terrible smell pervaded the apartment building after the sewer main exploded
40
Petulant
Adj. Rude; cranky; ill tempered The petulant waiter slammed down our water glasses and spilled a tureen of soup onto Rogers kilt
41
Philanthropy
N. Love for mankind; especially by doing good deeds His gift of one billion dollars to the local orphanage was the finest act of philanthropy I've ever seen
42
Philistine
N. A smugly ignorant person with no appreciation of intellectual or artistic matters
43
Pious
Adj. Reverent or devout; outwardly (and sometimes falsely) reverent or devout The adulterous ministers sermon on martial fidelity was filled with pious disregard for his own sins
44
Pivotal
Adj. Crucial Sofia's contribution was pivotal; without it we would have failed
45
Placate
V. To pacify; to soothe The tribe placated the angry volcano by tossing a few teenagers into the raging crater
46
Plaintive
Adj. Expressing sadness or sorrow The chilly autumn weather made the little birds song seem plaintive
47
Platitude
N. A dull or trite remark; a cliche The principal thinks he is a great orator but his loud boring speech was full of platitudes
48
Plebeian
Adj. Common; vulgar; low class Sarah refused to eat frozen dinners saying they were too plebeian for her discriminating palate
49
Plethora
N. An excess We ate a plethora of candy in Halloween and a plethora of turkey on thanksgiving
50
Poignant
Adj. Extremely moving
51
Polarize
V. To break up into opposing factions or groupings The increasingly acrimonious debate between the two candidates polarized the political party
52
Polemic
N. A powerful argument made to attack or refute a controversial issue The book was a convincing polemic that revealed the fraud at the heart of the large corporation
53
Ponderous
Adj. So large as to be clumsy; dull The chairman as usual gave a ponderous speech that left half his listeners snoring at their plates
54
Portent
N. An omen; a sign of something coming in the future The distant rumbling we heard this morning was a portent of the thunderstorm that hit our area this afternoon
55
Postulate
N. Something accepted as true without proof
56
Pragmatic
Adj. Practical; down to earth
57
Precedent
N. An earlier example or model of something
58
Precept
N. A rule to live by
59
Precipitate
V. To cause to happen abruptly The police were afraid that arresting the angry protestors might precipitate a riot
60
Precipitous
Adj. Steep
61
Preclude
V. To prevent something from ever happening
62
Precursor
N. Forerunner; something that goes before and paves the way for whatever it is that follows A sore throat is often the precursor of a cold
63
Predilection
N. A natural preference for something
64
Preeminent
Adj. Better than anyone else
65
Preempt
V. To seize something prior by right
66
Premise
N. An assumption; the basis for a conclusion
67
Prepossess
V. To make a good impression on
68
Prerogative
N. A right or privilege connected exclusively with a position Big mansions and fancy cars are among the prerogatives of wealth
69
Prevail
V. To triumph; to overcome rivals
70
Pristine
Adj. Unspoiled; pure
71
Prodigal
Adj. Wastefully extravagant

Vocab 11 (5 decks)

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