6/30 Flashcards

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1
Q

Acumen

A

n.
keen, accurate judgement or insight

Latin
acuere: sharpen

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2
Q

Adulterate

A

v.
to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients

Latin

ad: to
versus: true

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3
Q

Amalgamate

A

v.
to combine several elements into a whole

n. amalgamation

malagma: (GR) softening substence
(alchemy) a blend of mercury with other metal

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4
Q

Aver

A

v.
to state as a fact; to declare or assert

ad- (LT) : to
verus (LT) : true

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5
Q

Bolster

A

v.

to provide support or reinforcement

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6
Q

Bombastic

A

adj.
pompous; grandiloquent

n. bombast

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7
Q

Diatribe

A

n.
a harsh denunciation

Greek

dia: through
tribein: rub

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8
Q

Dissemble

A

v.

to disguise or conceal; to mislead

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9
Q

Endemic

A

adj.
characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people

Greek

demos: people
endemios: native

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10
Q

Evanescent

A

adj.

tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing

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11
Q

Exacerbate

A

v.
to make worse or more severe

Latin
ex-
acerbes: harsh, bitter

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12
Q

Fervent

A

adj.
greatly emotional or zealous

n. fervor

Latin
fervent-: boiling

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13
Q

Fortuitous

A

adj.
happening by accident or chance

Latin
fors: chance, luck

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14
Q

Germane

A

adj.
relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter

Latin
german: having the same parents

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15
Q

Grandiloquence

A

n.
pompous speech or expression

adj. grandiloquent

Latin

grandis: big
loqui: to speak

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16
Q

Hackneyed

A

adj.

rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage

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17
Q

Halcyon

A

adj.
calm and peaceful

Greek

hals: sea
kuon: conceiving

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18
Q

Hegemony

A

n.
the consistent dominance of one state or group over others

Greek
hegemon: leader

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19
Q

Iconoclast

A

n.
one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions

Greek

eikon: likeness
klan: to break

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20
Q

Idolatrous

A

adj.
given to intense or excessive devotion to something

n. idolatry

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21
Q

Impassive

A

adj.

revealing no emotion

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22
Q

Imperturbable

A

adj.
marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness

Latin
in-: not
perturbare: to confuse, disturb

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23
Q

Implacable

A

adj.
not capable of being appeased or significantly changed

Latin
in-: not
placere: to appease

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24
Q

Impunity

A

n.
immunity from punishment or penalty

Latin
in-: not
punire: punish

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25
Q

Inchoate

A

adj.
in an initial stage; not fully formed

v. incohere

in-
cohum (LT): strap (to the oxen’s yoke)

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26
Q

Infelicitous

A

adj.
unfortunate; inappropriate

in-
felicite (FR): happiness

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27
Q

Insipid

A

adj.
lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge

Latin
in-: not
sapidus: tasty

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28
Q

Loquacious

A

adj.
extremely talkative

n. loquacity

Latin
loqui: to talk

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29
Q

Mendacity

A

n.
the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty

Latin
mendac-: lying

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30
Q

Misanthrope

A

n.
one who hates all other humans

adj. misanthropic

Greek

misein: to hate
anthropos: man

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31
Q

Mitigate

A

v.
to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate

Latin
mitis: mild

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32
Q

Obdurate

A

adj.
unyielding; hardhearted; intractable

Latin
durus: hard

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33
Q

Obsequious

A

adj.
exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

Latin
ob- (LT) : after
sequi (LT) : to follow

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34
Q

Occlude

A

v.
to obstruct or block

Latin
occludere: to shut up

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35
Q

Opprobrium

A

n.
disgrace; contempt; scorn

Latin
ob-: against
probrum: disgraceful act

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36
Q

Pedagogy

A

n.
the profession or principles of teaching, or instructing

pedo- (GR) : child
agogos (LT) : to lead

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37
Q

Pedantic

A

adj. overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education; show-offish about one’s knowledge

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38
Q

Penury

A

n.
poverty; destitution

Latin

penuria: need, scarcity
paene: almost

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39
Q

Pervasive

A

adj.
having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout

Latin
pervas-: passed through

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40
Q

Pine

A

v.
to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor

Latin
poena: punishment, penalty

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41
Q

Pith

A

n.

the essential or central part

42
Q

Pithy

A

adj.

precise and brief

43
Q

Placate

A

v.
to appease; to calm by making concessions

Latin
placat-: appeased

44
Q

Platitude

A

n.
a superficial remark, esp. one offered as meaningful

Latin
plat: flat

45
Q

Polemical

A

adj.

controversial; argumentative

46
Q

Prodigal

A

adj.
recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish

Latin
prodigus: lavish

47
Q

Profuse

A

adj.
given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant

Latin
pro-: forth
fundere: pour

48
Q

Proliferate

A

v.

to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly

49
Q

Queries

A

n.
questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations

Latin
quaerere: ask, seek

50
Q

Querulous

A

adj.
prone to complaining or grumbling; peevish

Latin
queri: complain

51
Q

Rancorous

A

adj.
characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment

n. rancor

rancere (LT) : spoiled, rotten

52
Q

Recalcitrant

A

adj.
obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage

Latin
re- (LT): back
calx (LT): heel
calcitrare (LT): to kick

53
Q

Repudiate

A

v.
to refuse to have anything to do with; to disown

re- (LT): back
ped- (LT): foot (kick)
pudere (LT): cause shame to

54
Q

Rescind

A

v.
to invalidate; to repeal; to retract

Latin
re-
scindere: to divide, split

55
Q

Reverent

A

adj.
marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect

n. reverence

Latin
reverent-: revering

56
Q

Rhetoric

A

n.

the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion

57
Q

Salubrious

A

adj.
promoting health or well-being

Latin
salus: health

58
Q

Solvent

A

adj.
able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance

Latin
solvent-: loosening, unfasting, paying

59
Q

Specious

A

adj.
seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive; plausible but false

Latin
speciosus: fair

60
Q

Spurious

A

adj.
lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit

Latin
spurius: false

61
Q

Subpoena

A

n.
a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony

Latin
sub poena: under penalty

62
Q

Succinct

A

adj.
brief; concise

Latin
sub-: from below
cingere: gird

63
Q

Superfluous

A

adj.
exceeding what is sufficient or necessary

Latin
super-: over
fluere: to flow

64
Q

Surfeit

A

v.
an overabundant supply; excess; to feed or supply to excess

n. surfeit

Latin
super-: above, in excess
facere: do

65
Q

Tenacity

A

n.
the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued; persistent determination

adj. tenacious

Latin
tenere: to hold

66
Q

Tenuous

A

adj.
having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak

Latin
tenuis: thin

67
Q

Tirade

A

n.
a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation

Italian
tirare: to pull

68
Q

Transient

A

adj.
fleeting; passing quickly; brief

Latin
trans-: across
ire: go

69
Q

Furtive

A

adj.
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

Latin
furturn: theft

70
Q

Harangue

A

v. n.
to deliver a forceful or angry speech; ranting speech or writing

German
hring: circle

71
Q

Hyperbole

A

n.
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech

adj. hyperbolic

72
Q

Impecunious

A

adj.
lacking funds; without money

Latin
pecunia: money

73
Q

Incipient

A

adj.
beginning to come into being or to become apparent

Latin
in-: into, towards
capere: take

74
Q

Inert

A

adj.
unmoving; lethargic; sluggish

Latin
in-: not
art-: skill, art

75
Q

Innocuous

A

adj.
harmless; causing no damage

Latin
in-: not
nocuus: injurious

76
Q

Intransigent

A

adj.
refusing to compromise

n. intransigence

Latin
in-: not
transigere: come to an understanding

77
Q

Inveigle

A

v.
to obtain by deception or flattery

aveugle (FR): blind
ab- (LT): off
oculus (LT): eye

78
Q

Odious

A

adj.
evoking intense aversion or dislike

Latin
odium: hatred

79
Q

Penurious

A

adj.
penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous

Latin
penuria: need, scarcity

80
Q

Pernicious

A

adj.
extremely harmful in a way that is not easily seen or noticed

Latin
nex-: death
pernicles: ruin
perniciosus: destructive

81
Q

Peruse

A

v.
to examine with great care

n. perusal

English
per-: thoroughly

82
Q

Pious

A

adj.
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion

n. piety

Latin
pius: dutiful, pious

83
Q

Precursor

A

n.
one that precedes and indicates or announces another

Latin

prae: beforehand
currere: to run

84
Q

Preen

A

v.

to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care

85
Q

Prodigious

A

adj.

abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

86
Q

Prolific

A

adj.
producing large volumes or amounts; productive

Latin
proles: offspring

87
Q

Putrefy

A

v.
to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor

adj. putrid

88
Q

Quaff

A

v.

to drink deeply

89
Q

Quiescence

A

n.
stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest

adj. quiescent

Latin
quiescere: to rest

90
Q

Redoubtable

A

adj.

awe-inspiring; worthy of honor

91
Q

Sanction

A

n. v.
authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority

Latin
sancire: ratify

92
Q

Satire

A

n.
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision

adj. satirical

Latin
satira: satire, poetic medley

93
Q

Squalid

A

adj.
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect

n. squalor

Latin
squalere: be rough or dirty

94
Q

Stoic

A

adj.
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast

n. stoicism

Latin
stoicus

95
Q

Supplant

A

v.
to take the place of; to supersede

Latin
sub-: from below
planta: sole

96
Q

Torpid

A

adj.
lethargic; sluggish; dormant

n. torpor
torpere: be numb or sluggish

97
Q

Ubiquitous

A

adj.
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread

Latin

ubi: where
ubique: everywhere

98
Q

Urbane

A

adj.
sophisticated; refined; elegant

n. urbanity

99
Q

Vilify

A

v.
to defame; to characterize harshly

Latin
villis: of low value

100
Q

Viscous

A

adj.
thick; sticky

n. viscosity

Latin
viscum: birdlime