1 magoosh Flashcards
anathema
noun: a detested person; the source of somebody’s hate
Hundreds of years ago, Galileo was anathema to the church; today the church is anathema to some on the left side of the political spectrum.
Something that one absolutely and positively cannot stand is anathema. Garlic is anathema to vampires (ditto for stakes and daylight). So is kryptonite to Superman or a silver bullet to a werewolf.
Originally the term anathema comes from the Catholic practice of denouncing a particular individual or idea that was antithetical to the Catholic Church. If done to a person, it excommunicated them, meaning they could no longer partake in the church’s sacraments (with presumably pretty poor consequences for the soul.) That’s a lot worse than kryptonite.
base
base
adjective: the lowest, without any moral principles
She was not so base as to begrudge the beggar the unwanted crumbs from her dinner plate
پست ترین، بدون هیچ اصول اخلاقی
expansive
adjective: communicative, and prone to talking in a sociable manner
After a few sips of cognac, the octogenarian shed his irascible demeanor and became expansive, speaking fondly of the “good old days”.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
ارتباطی و مستعد صحبت کردن به شیوه ای اجتماعی
choleric
adjective: prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered
While a brilliant lecturer, Mr. Dawson came across as choleric and unapproachable—very rarely did students come to his office hours.
apogee
noun: the highest point
The apogee of the Viennese style of music, Mozart’s music continues to mesmerize audiences well into the 21st century.
اوج ارتفاع بلندترین نقطه
pariah
noun: an outcast
The once eminent scientist, upon being found guilty of faking his data, has become a pariah in the research community.
A pariah is someone that has been soundly rejected by their community. Your constant gossiping might make you a pariah on campus.
مطرود طرد شده
fractious
adjective: irritable and is likely to cause disruption
We rarely invite my fractious Uncle over for dinner; he always complains about the food, and usually launches into a tirade on some touchy subject.
If you’re prone to picking fights, making snarky comments, and being frustratingly stubborn, you’re fractious. And odds are you’re not invited to too many parties.
کج حلق
chary
adjective: cautious, suspiciously reluctant to do something
Having received three speeding tickets in the last two months, Jack was chary of driving at all above the speed limit, even on a straight stretch of highway that looked empty for miles ahead.
Being chary (pronounced CHAIR-ee) is being wary or cautious. If you lost two teeth in last year’s rugby season, you should be chary of signing up again this year
محتاط
cow
verb: to intimidate
Do not be cowed by a 3,000-word vocabulary list: turn that list into a deck of flashcards!
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
ترساندن نگران شدن
churlish
adjective: lacking manners or refinement
The manager was unnecessarily churlish to his subordinates, rarely deigning to say hello, but always quick with a sartorial jab if someone happened to be wearing anything even slightly mismatching.
A churlish person is one whose middle name might as well be Rude. He’s the one who was never taught to mind his manners and avoid telling vulgar jokes at the dinner table.
فاقد ادب
truculent
adjective: having a fierce, savage nature
Standing in line for six hours, she became progressively truculent, yelling at DMV employees and elbowing other people waiting in line.
If you are quick to argue, always looking for a fight, and hard to please, you are truculent. You can also write a truculent essay, and fans upset by a loss can become truculent.
پرخاشگر
ponderous
adjective: weighed-down; moving slowly
Laden with 20 kilograms of college text books, the freshman moved ponderously across the campus.
When you call Frankenstein’s monster ponderous, it’s not because he likes to ponder the great questions of life. It’s because he moves like a Mack truck, only slower and less gracefully.
feckless
adjective: lazy and irresponsible
Two years after graduation, Charlie still lived with his parents and had no job, becoming more feckless with each passing day
exegesis
noun: critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text
The Bible is fertile ground for exegesis—over the past five centuries there have been as many interpretations as there are pages in the Old Testament.
Exegesis comes from the Greek word for interpret and it’s often used in connection with the Bible. Often times, religious rules are based on an exegesis of a text. For instance, some Jewish people do not eat meat and dairy in the same meal based on an exegesis of a law in the Torah that says you should not eat a calf cooked in its mother’s milk.
تفسیر
