Vocabulary List 5 Flashcards
(200 cards)
Define the following:
Utilitarian
adj. designed to be useful or practical rather than attractive
Define the following:
End
n. a goal or result that one hopes to achieve
Define the following:
Coltish
adj. energetic but awkward in one’s movement or behavior
Define the following:
Anthropogenic
adj. originating in human activity (chiefly of environmental pollution or pollutants)
Define the following:
Indictment
n. a formal charge or accusation for a serious crime
n. a thing that serves to illustrate that a system or situation is bad and deserves to be condemned
Define the following:
Spindly
adj. (of a person or limb) long or tall and thin
adj. (of a thing) weak or insubstantial in construction
Define the following:
Euphoric
adj. characterized or feeling intense excitement and happiness
Define the following:
Ensconce
v. establish or settle (someone) in a safe, comfortable, or secret place
Define the following:
Conflux (or confluence)
n. the act or process of merging
Define the following:
Ascertain
v. find out (something) for certain
Define the following:
Quiddity
n. the inherent nature or essence of someone or something
n. a distinctive feature; a peculiarity or quirk
Define the following:
Repository
n. a place, building, or receptacle where things are or may be stored
Define the following:
Receptacle
n. an object or space used to contain something (trash receptacles)
Define the following:
Mnemonic
n. a device used to assist in remembering something
adj. aiding or designed to aid the memory
Define the following:
Curtail
v. reduce in extent or quality
v. (curtail someone of) deprive someone of (something)
Define the following:
Vested
adj. secured in the possession of or assigned to a person
adj. protected or established by law or contract
Define the following:
Imperial
adj. of or relating to an emperor (the imperial family)
adj. majestic, magnificent (the bedroom was huge and imperial)
adj. imperious or domineering
adj. of, relating to, or denoting the U.S. system of non metric measurements (e.g. foot, ounce, etc.)
Define the following:
Autocratic
adj. taking no account of other people’s wishes or feeling, cavalier; domineering
adj. of or relating to a ruler who has absolute power
Define the following:
Hank
n. a coil or skein of yarn, hair, rope, or other material (a thick hank of blonde hair)
Define the following:
Skein
n. a length or thread of yarn, loosely coiled and knitted
n. a complicated or tangled arrangement, snafu, or state (a skein of lies)
n. a flock of geese or swans in flight, typically in a V-shaped formation
Define the following:
Gainly
adj. graceful and well-proportioned
Define the following:
Liaison
n. a channel for communication (he provided a liaison with the guerrillas)
n. a person who acts as a connection for communication between groups of people
Define the following:
Bank
v. heap (a substance) into a mass or mound (snow was banked in humps on the roadside)
v. edge or surround with a row or ridge of something (steps banked with pots of chrysanthemum)
n. a slope, mass, or mound of a particular substance
n. a set or series of similar things, especially electrical or electronic devices (the DJ had big banks of lights and speakers on either side of his console)
Define the following:
Introspection
n. the examination or observation of one’s mental state and emotional processes