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Flashcards in Vocab deck 2 Deck (100)
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1
Q

Acolyte

A

n - A person who assists in some religious services by carrying out minor duties; one who attends or assists, a follower.
Example: The movie director’s acolytes hung on his every word.

2
Q

Bibulous

A

adj- Given to the consumption of alcoholic drinks.
Example: Health education classes provide information about the damage that can result from an excessively bibulous lifestyle.
2.

3
Q

Coalesce

A

n. To grow together; to unite to form a whole.

Example: Dissatisfied Republicans and Democrats coalesced behind the third-party candidate.

4
Q

Covert

A

adj. Not openly acknowledged; secret.

Example: The intelligence operation was supposed to be covert, but sophisticated technology revealed it.

5
Q

Declaim

A

V. To recite something in the style of a public speech; to speak in a loud, theatrical way.
Example: “To be or not to be—,” declaimed the actor, “that is the question.”

6
Q

Delineate

A
  1. v. To describe vividly and in detail.
    Example: Jane Austen’s description of the Netherfield ball delineates the social practices of late eighteenth-century upper-class England.
  2. To draw an outline of; to represent by drawing.
    Example: In her studio, the architect delineated her plan for the new wing of the building.
7
Q

Demagogue

A

n. A leader who seeks power by appealing to people’s emotions and prejudices and by making false claims and promises.
Example: During the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy was a demagogue who played on people’s fear of communism.

8
Q

Encomium

A

n. (plural: encomiums or encomia) An expression of warm and enthusiastic praise; a tribute.
Example: At a dinner in his honor, the philanthropist received encomiums for his generous financial gift to the cancer center.

9
Q

Obdurate

A

adj. 1- Resistant to persuasion; inflexible.
Example: Despite our pleadings, Maisie remained obdurate in her determination to hike the hazardous trail.
2. Persistent in wrongdoing.
Example: The judge reasoned that the obdurate high schooler would benefit more from focused education than stealing

10
Q

Prescience

A

n. Foresight; knowledge beforehand of events.

Example: The ancient Greeks consulted oracles because they believed them to have the power of prescience.

11
Q

Protagonist

A

n. The chief character in a drama or story.

12
Q

Sedulous

A

adj. Completed with careful perseverance; diligent.
Example: Through their sedulous efforts, workers in Project HOPE delivered medicine and supplies to doctors and patients in the disaster zone.

13
Q

Trenchant

A

adj. very strong, clear, and effective

Example: The reviewer’s trenchant criticism did not please the book’s author.

14
Q

Utopia

A

n. A place or state of perfect social and political conditions.

15
Q

Valedictory

A

n. A farewell address, especially one given at a graduation ceremony.
Example:The valedictory is usually given by a student who has achieved great distinction.
adj. Of or relating to such a farewell address
Example: General Lee’s valedictory remarks to the Army of Virginia were tinged with sadness.

16
Q

Absolve

A

v. To clear guilt, or free from a promise or a responsibility.
Example: The court-ordered DNA test absolved the suspect of the assault charges.

17
Q

Adumbrate

A

V. 1) to foreshadow vaguely
Example: The league of nations adumbrated the United Nations
2. to suggest, disclose, or outline partially

18
Q

Apothegm

A

n. a short phrase that expresses a true or wise idea

Example: What do you think of the apothegm “Easy come; easy go”?

19
Q

Aspersion

A

n. A defamatory expression; slander.

Casting aspersions on another’s good character is a despicable act.

20
Q

Coadjutor

A

n. One who works with another, usually in a subordinate position; an assistant.
Example: The film director’s coadjutor arranged the schedule so the production ran smoothly.

21
Q

Congenital

A

adj. existing at birth

Surgeons can now make dramatic improvements on congenital physical abnormalities.

22
Q

élan

A

n. energy, style, and enthusiasm

The band played with such élan that it was invited to lead the parade.

23
Q

Germane

A

adj. Relating to a subject in an appropriate way
During her press conference, the governor refused to answer questions that weren’t germane to her proposed budget.

24
Q

Hiatus

A

n. An interruption or gap in space, continuity, or time.

Example: The sculptor expressed frustration at the hiatus in his productivity in recent years.

25
Q

Immure

A

v. To confine within or as if within walls; to imprison.

Rapunzel let down her long hair to escape from the high tower in which she was immured.

26
Q

Ineluctable

A

Adj. Not to be avoided or changed; inevitable.

The ineluctable involvement of the United States in European affairs began in 1917.

27
Q

Internecine

A

Adj. 1.occurring between members of the same country, group, or organization
Example: The internecine fighting among gangs distressed the community.
2. Relating to conflict within a group.
Example: Word leaked to the outside world of the internecine struggle among Iraq’s ruling elite.

28
Q

Invoke

A

v. 1. to mention (someone or something) in an attempt to make people feel a certain way or have a certain idea in their mind
2.to refer to (something) in support of your ideas
Example: The petitioners invoked the support of their Congressional representatives to continue public television funding.
2. to make use of (a law, a right, etc.)
Example: The witness refused to testify by invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination

29
Q

Prototype

A

n. A person or thing that serves as an example of it’s kind; an original
Example: the prototype of the automobile actually did look like a horseless carriage

30
Q

Quadrennial

A

adj. 1. Occurring every four years
Example: Presidential elections are a quadrennial event in the US
2. lasting 4 years
Example: The governor’s quadrennial term of office ends next January

31
Q

Amalgam

A

n. 1) An alloy of mercury and other metals.
Example: Silver amalgam, which was commonly used for filling teeth, is being replaced by a composite of other materials.
2. A mixture of different elements.
Example: The report is a curious amalgam of practical proposals and questionable claims of past accomplishments.

32
Q

Antediluvian

A

adj. : very old or old-fashioned

Example: n this age of cell phones, faxes, and e-mail, picking up a pen to write a letter seems almost antediluvian.

33
Q

Apothecary

A

n. one who prepares and sells drugs or compounds for medicinal purposes
Example: Romeo convinced the impoverished apothecary to sell him the deadly poison illegally.

34
Q

Ascetic

A

adj. 1. Refraining from self-indulgence.
Example: Henry David Thoreau lived an ascetic life during his two years in a cabin at Walden Pond.
2. A person who practices self-denial.
Example: As he searched for the meaning of life, the man who became the Buddha lived for many years as an ascetic.

35
Q

Beneficent

A

adj. doing or producing good

36
Q

charlatan

A

a person who falsely pretends to know or be something in order to deceive people
Example: the famed faith healer turned out to be a charlatan

37
Q

denizen

A

a person, animal, or plant that lives in or often is found in a particular place or region
Example: one of those muscle-bound denizens of the gym

38
Q

doyen

A
  1. A senior member of a group, especially one who is highly respected.
    Example: Anthropologist Louis Leakey was the doyen of a small group searching for evidence of human origins.
  2. Oldest example of a catagory
39
Q

Flora

A

Plants considered as a group in a particular area or era.

Example: Prominent among the flora of Florida are dozens of varieties of palm trees.

40
Q

imbibe

A
  1. To drink (alcohol)
    example: As the designated driver, I will not imbibe even one alcoholic drink.
  2. to take in mentally
    Example: The graphic arts students imbibed the capabilities of the new computer with enthusiasm.
41
Q

nostrum

A

A medicine or remedy whose effectiveness has not been proven.
Example: Here is a nostrum that the makers claim reverses hair loss.

42
Q

Obviate

A
to make (something) no longer necessary : to prevent or avoid (something)
    Example: The new medical treatment obviates the need for surgery
43
Q

Perennial

A
  1. Lasting indefinitely.
    example: scientists are warning that a perennial viral threat, the upcoming flu season, could be far more dangerous than usual
  2. a plant that lives for 3 or more years
44
Q

putative

A

generally believed to be something

example: the putative reason for her dismissal was poor job performance

45
Q

savant

A

a person who knows a lot about a particular subject

Example: a savant in the field of medical ethics

46
Q

approbation

A

An expression of approval; praise.

Example: The company’s flexible-hours policy won the employees’ approbation.

47
Q

benighted

A

having no knowledge or education

Example: the poor benighted souls who do not know the joys of reading

48
Q

bourgeois

A
  1. Middle class
    Example: Madame Loisel is miserable in her status as a member of the bourgeois.
  2. having qualities or values associated with the middle class : too concerned about wealth, possessions, and respectable behavior
    Example: Was it really imperative to wear a suit to this event, Sam wondered, or was it just one more bourgeois demand for which he had no patience?
49
Q

credo

A

A strongly held belief that guides the action of a person or a group
Example: The credo of the Three Musketeers was “All for one, and one for all.”

50
Q

empirical

A

based on testing or experience

Example: They collected plenty of empirical data from their experiments

51
Q

eschew

A
to avoid (something) especially because you do not think it is right, proper, etc
Example: They now eschew the violence of their past
52
Q

expatiate

A

to speak or write about something in a way that includes a lot of details or uses many words
Example: the naturalist is known for her willingness to expatiate on any number of issues relating to wildlife and the environment

53
Q

iconoclast

A

a person who criticizes or opposes beliefs and practices that are widely accepted
Example: notorious as an iconoclast, that music critic isn’t afraid to go after sacred cows

54
Q

indigence

A

a level of poverty in which real hardship and deprivation are suffered and comforts of life are wholly lacking
Example: there are various state and federal programs to help relieve indigence

55
Q

laudable

A

deserving praise

Example: Improving the schools is a laudable goal.

56
Q

mandate

A
  1. an official order to do something
    Ex: The Constitution mandates the right of an accused to a fair trial.
  2. the power to act that voters give to their elected leaders
    Example: After years of battle with the French, in the 1960s the Muslim majority’s vote in Algeria mandated its independence.
57
Q

ostensible

A

seeming or said to be true or real but very possibly not true or real
Example: the ostensible reason for the meeting turned out to be a trick to get him to the surprise party

58
Q

recalcitrant

A

stubbornly refusing to obey rules or orders

Example: a heart-to-heart talk with the recalcitrant youth revealed that he had a troubled life at home

59
Q

regurgitate

A
  1. to bring food that has been swallowed back to and out of the mouth
    Example: Some birds feed their young by regurgitating food into their offsprings’ beaks.
  2. to repeat (something, such as a fact, idea, etc.) without understanding it
    Example: The speaker was just regurgitating facts and figures.
60
Q

risible

A

deserving to be laughed at : very silly or unreasonable

Example: The suggestion was downright risible

61
Q

archaic

A

old and no longer used

Example: The wearing of wigs by British courtroom lawyers seems archaic to Americans.

62
Q

carouse

A

To take part in wild, noisy merrymaking.

Example: Some visitors to New Orleans during Mardi Gras carouse until the early hours of the morning.

63
Q

chicanery

A

deception or trickery

Example: that candidate only won the election through chicanery

64
Q

contentious

A

likely to cause people to argue or disagree

Example: The dispute involves one of the region’s most contentious leaders

65
Q

Dissemble

A

To conceal with an intent to deceive

Example: children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age

66
Q

egregious

A

very bad and easily noticed

Example: Although I believe that dissent is a right, I find egregious interruptions of a speaker unacceptable.

67
Q

execrate

A
to dislike and criticize (someone or something) very strongly
Example: She came to execrate the hypocritical values of her upper-class upbringing
68
Q

Fealty

A

loyalty to a person, group, etc

Example: The knights of the Round Table pledged fealty to King Arthur

69
Q

microcosm

A

something (such as a place or an event) that is seen as a small version of something much larger
Example: The village is a microcosm of the whole country

70
Q

paroxysm

A

a sudden strong feeling or expression of emotion that cannot be controlled
Example: a paroxysm of laughter greeted the pratfall

71
Q

pecuniary

A

relating to or in the form of money

Example: that makes good pecuniary sense

72
Q

rectitude

A

the quality of being honest and morally correct

Example: Charles has a finely honed sense of rectitude that keeps him from cheating on exams

73
Q

stratagem

A

a trick or plan for deceiving an enemy or for achieving a goal
Example: tried various stratagems to get the cat into the carrier, but the feisty feline was wise to them all

74
Q

stultify

A
to cause (someone or something) to become dull, slow, etc
Example: The government has been stultified by bureaucracy
75
Q

vendetta

A

a prolonged and bitter feud

Example: It took the deaths of Juliet and Romeo to end the vendetta between the Montagues and the Capulets.

76
Q

Actuate

A
  1. to make (a machine or electrical device) move or operate
    Example: A thermostat is actuated by changes of temperature
  2. to cause someone to do something or to act in a certain way
    Example: Telecasts of the grievances of Native American women actuated Wilma Olaya, a Cherokee, to return to Oklahoma where she became the tribe’s first female chief.
77
Q

brackish

A

somewhat salty;unpleasant in taste

Example: the river becomes brackish as we approach the tidemark

78
Q

cognitive

A

Relating to mental processes such as awareness, remembering, and reasoning.
Example: cognitive delays

79
Q

dissertation

A

A lengthy, usually written discussion of a topic, often for a college or university degree.
Example: On completion of her dissertation on phosphoarginine functions in invertebrates, Perry received her M.S. degree.

80
Q

dolorous

A

experiencing or displaying sadness or pain

Example: dolorous ballads of death and regret

81
Q

endemic

A

Widespread or peculiar to a certain place or among a certain people.
Example: Malaria is endemic to the tropics.

82
Q

fecund

A

producing or able to produce many babies, young animals, or plants; or intellectually productive.
Example: a fecund imagination
Example: a fecund breed of cattle

83
Q

genealogy

A

The study of family history

84
Q

inebriated

A

affected by drinking too much alcohol

Example: He was clearly inebriated when he left the bar

85
Q

insidious

A

causing harm in a way that is gradual or not easily noticed

Example: Most people with this insidious disease have no idea that they are infected

86
Q

interloper

A

a person who is not wanted or welcome by the other people in a situation or place
Example: I had hoped to help my neighbors, but they regarded me as an interloper

87
Q

precursor

A

A person or thing that comes before and indicates the approach of another; a forerunner.
Example: 18th-century lyric poets like Robert Burns were precursors of the Romantics

88
Q

presentiment

A

a feeling or belief that something is going to happen

Example: He had a nagging presentiment of danger

89
Q

ramification

A

something that is the result of an action, decision, etc.

Example: Eliminating the position of Department Chair has ramifications for all students in social studies courses.

90
Q

torpor

A

a state of not being active and having very little energy

Example: The news aroused him from his torpor

91
Q

abjure

A
to reject (something) formally
Example: a strict religious sect that abjures the luxuries, comforts, and conveniences of the modern world
92
Q

amorphous

A

having no definite or clear shape or form

Example: The amoeba’s lack of a fixed structure gives it an amorphous shape.

93
Q

animus

A

a strong feeling of dislike or hatred

Example: She felt an animus against them

94
Q

dichotomy

A

Division into two distinct parts or groups.

Example: She argues that moral relativism blurs the dichotomy between good and evil.

95
Q

exemplar

A

An example or model, especially an ideal one.

Example: Mahatma Gandhi was the exemplar of nonviolent resistance to injustice.

96
Q

herculean

A

Of extraordinary size, power, or difficulty

Example: Plowing the city streets after the blizzard of 1996 was a herculean task.

97
Q

inchoate

A

Not fully formed or realized.

Example: Writers of fiction often explain that their inchoate ideas take shape as they write their novels.

98
Q

invidious

A

unpleasant and likely to cause bad feelings in other people

Example: The report made invidious comparisons between the company’s claims and its performance.

99
Q

mélange

A

a mixture of different things

Example: The garage sale was a mélange of clothes, furniture, and household bric-a-brac.

100
Q

nefarious

A

evil or immoral

Example: The nefarious practice of enforced child labor is rampant in many poor countries.