6/30 Flashcards
Acumen
n.
keen, accurate judgement or insight
Latin
acuere: sharpen
Adulterate
v.
to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
Latin
ad: to
versus: true
Amalgamate
v.
to combine several elements into a whole
n. amalgamation
malagma: (GR) softening substence
(alchemy) a blend of mercury with other metal
Aver
v.
to state as a fact; to declare or assert
ad- (LT) : to
verus (LT) : true
Bolster
v.
to provide support or reinforcement
Bombastic
adj.
pompous; grandiloquent
n. bombast
Diatribe
n.
a harsh denunciation
Greek
dia: through
tribein: rub
Dissemble
v.
to disguise or conceal; to mislead
Endemic
adj.
characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people
Greek
demos: people
endemios: native
Evanescent
adj.
tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
Exacerbate
v.
to make worse or more severe
Latin
ex-
acerbes: harsh, bitter
Fervent
adj.
greatly emotional or zealous
n. fervor
Latin
fervent-: boiling
Fortuitous
adj.
happening by accident or chance
Latin
fors: chance, luck
Germane
adj.
relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
Latin
german: having the same parents
Grandiloquence
n.
pompous speech or expression
adj. grandiloquent
Latin
grandis: big
loqui: to speak
Hackneyed
adj.
rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
Halcyon
adj.
calm and peaceful
Greek
hals: sea
kuon: conceiving
Hegemony
n.
the consistent dominance of one state or group over others
Greek
hegemon: leader
Iconoclast
n.
one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
Greek
eikon: likeness
klan: to break
Idolatrous
adj.
given to intense or excessive devotion to something
n. idolatry
Impassive
adj.
revealing no emotion
Imperturbable
adj.
marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness
Latin
in-: not
perturbare: to confuse, disturb
Implacable
adj.
not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
Latin
in-: not
placere: to appease
Impunity
n.
immunity from punishment or penalty
Latin
in-: not
punire: punish
Inchoate
adj.
in an initial stage; not fully formed
v. incohere
in-
cohum (LT): strap (to the oxen’s yoke)
Infelicitous
adj.
unfortunate; inappropriate
in-
felicite (FR): happiness
Insipid
adj.
lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge
Latin
in-: not
sapidus: tasty
Loquacious
adj.
extremely talkative
n. loquacity
Latin
loqui: to talk
Mendacity
n.
the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty
Latin
mendac-: lying
Misanthrope
n.
one who hates all other humans
adj. misanthropic
Greek
misein: to hate
anthropos: man
Mitigate
v.
to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate
Latin
mitis: mild
Obdurate
adj.
unyielding; hardhearted; intractable
Latin
durus: hard
Obsequious
adj.
exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
Latin
ob- (LT) : after
sequi (LT) : to follow
Occlude
v.
to obstruct or block
Latin
occludere: to shut up
Opprobrium
n.
disgrace; contempt; scorn
Latin
ob-: against
probrum: disgraceful act
Pedagogy
n.
the profession or principles of teaching, or instructing
pedo- (GR) : child
agogos (LT) : to lead
Pedantic
adj. overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education; show-offish about one’s knowledge
Penury
n.
poverty; destitution
Latin
penuria: need, scarcity
paene: almost
Pervasive
adj.
having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
Latin
pervas-: passed through
Pine
v.
to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor
Latin
poena: punishment, penalty
Pith
n.
the essential or central part
Pithy
adj.
precise and brief
Placate
v.
to appease; to calm by making concessions
Latin
placat-: appeased
Platitude
n.
a superficial remark, esp. one offered as meaningful
Latin
plat: flat
Polemical
adj.
controversial; argumentative
Prodigal
adj.
recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish
Latin
prodigus: lavish
Profuse
adj.
given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant
Latin
pro-: forth
fundere: pour
Proliferate
v.
to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
Queries
n.
questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations
Latin
quaerere: ask, seek
Querulous
adj.
prone to complaining or grumbling; peevish
Latin
queri: complain
Rancorous
adj.
characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
n. rancor
rancere (LT) : spoiled, rotten
Recalcitrant
adj.
obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
Latin
re- (LT): back
calx (LT): heel
calcitrare (LT): to kick
Repudiate
v.
to refuse to have anything to do with; to disown
re- (LT): back
ped- (LT): foot (kick)
pudere (LT): cause shame to
Rescind
v.
to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
Latin
re-
scindere: to divide, split
Reverent
adj.
marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect
n. reverence
Latin
reverent-: revering
Rhetoric
n.
the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
Salubrious
adj.
promoting health or well-being
Latin
salus: health
Solvent
adj.
able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance
Latin
solvent-: loosening, unfasting, paying
Specious
adj.
seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive; plausible but false
Latin
speciosus: fair
Spurious
adj.
lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit
Latin
spurius: false
Subpoena
n.
a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony
Latin
sub poena: under penalty
Succinct
adj.
brief; concise
Latin
sub-: from below
cingere: gird
Superfluous
adj.
exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
Latin
super-: over
fluere: to flow
Surfeit
v.
an overabundant supply; excess; to feed or supply to excess
n. surfeit
Latin
super-: above, in excess
facere: do
Tenacity
n.
the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued; persistent determination
adj. tenacious
Latin
tenere: to hold
Tenuous
adj.
having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak
Latin
tenuis: thin
Tirade
n.
a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
Italian
tirare: to pull
Transient
adj.
fleeting; passing quickly; brief
Latin
trans-: across
ire: go
Furtive
adj.
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
Latin
furturn: theft
Harangue
v. n.
to deliver a forceful or angry speech; ranting speech or writing
German
hring: circle
Hyperbole
n.
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
adj. hyperbolic
Impecunious
adj.
lacking funds; without money
Latin
pecunia: money
Incipient
adj.
beginning to come into being or to become apparent
Latin
in-: into, towards
capere: take
Inert
adj.
unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
Latin
in-: not
art-: skill, art
Innocuous
adj.
harmless; causing no damage
Latin
in-: not
nocuus: injurious
Intransigent
adj.
refusing to compromise
n. intransigence
Latin
in-: not
transigere: come to an understanding
Inveigle
v.
to obtain by deception or flattery
aveugle (FR): blind
ab- (LT): off
oculus (LT): eye
Odious
adj.
evoking intense aversion or dislike
Latin
odium: hatred
Penurious
adj.
penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
Latin
penuria: need, scarcity
Pernicious
adj.
extremely harmful in a way that is not easily seen or noticed
Latin
nex-: death
pernicles: ruin
perniciosus: destructive
Peruse
v.
to examine with great care
n. perusal
English
per-: thoroughly
Pious
adj.
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
n. piety
Latin
pius: dutiful, pious
Precursor
n.
one that precedes and indicates or announces another
Latin
prae: beforehand
currere: to run
Preen
v.
to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
Prodigious
adj.
abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
Prolific
adj.
producing large volumes or amounts; productive
Latin
proles: offspring
Putrefy
v.
to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
adj. putrid
Quaff
v.
to drink deeply
Quiescence
n.
stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest
adj. quiescent
Latin
quiescere: to rest
Redoubtable
adj.
awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
Sanction
n. v.
authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority
Latin
sancire: ratify
Satire
n.
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
adj. satirical
Latin
satira: satire, poetic medley
Squalid
adj.
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
n. squalor
Latin
squalere: be rough or dirty
Stoic
adj.
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
n. stoicism
Latin
stoicus
Supplant
v.
to take the place of; to supersede
Latin
sub-: from below
planta: sole
Torpid
adj.
lethargic; sluggish; dormant
n. torpor
torpere: be numb or sluggish
Ubiquitous
adj.
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
Latin
ubi: where
ubique: everywhere
Urbane
adj.
sophisticated; refined; elegant
n. urbanity
Vilify
v.
to defame; to characterize harshly
Latin
villis: of low value
Viscous
adj.
thick; sticky
n. viscosity
Latin
viscum: birdlime
