A (II) Flashcards
amphibian (adj.)
able to live both on land and in water
Frogs are classified as amphibian.
amphitheater (n.)
oval building with tiers of seats
The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators.
ample (adj.)
abundant
Bond had ample opportunity to escape. Why did he let us catch him?
amplify (v.)
to broaden or clarify by expanding; to intensify; to make stronger
Charlie Brown tried to amplify his remarks, but he was drowned out by jeers from the audience. Lucy was smarter: she used a loudspeaker to amplify her voice.
amputate (v.)
to cut off part of body; prune–chop off
Though the doctors had to amputate his leg to prevent the spread of cancer, the young athlete refused to let the loss of a limb keep him from participating in sports.
anachronistic (adj.)
having an error involving time in a story
The reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is anachronistic; clocks did not exist in Caesar’s time.
analogous (adj.)
comparable
She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.
analogy (n.)
similarity; parallelism
A well-known analogy compares the body’s immune system with an army whose defending troops are the lymphocytes or white blood cells.
anarchist (n.)
person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority
Denying she was an anarchist, Katya maintained she wished only to make changes in our government, not to destroy it entirely.
anathema (n.)
solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse
The Ayatolla Khomeini heaped anathema upon “the Great Satan,” that is, the United States. To the Ayatolla, America and the West were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing them in his dying words.
ancestry (n.)
family descent
David can trace his ancestry as far back as the seventeenth century, when one of his ancestors was a court trumpeter somewhere in Germany.
anchor (v.)
to secure or fasten firmly; to be fixed in place
We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place.
anecdote (n.)
short account of an amusing or interesting event
Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Reagan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds.
anemia (n.)
condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles
The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia.
anesthetic (n.)
substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness
His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep.
anguish (n.)
acute pain; extreme suffering
Visiting the site of the explosion, the governor wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.
angular (adj.)
sharped-cornered; stiff in manner
Mr. Spock’s features, though angular, were curiously attractive, in a Vulcan way.
animated (adj.)
lively; spirited
Jim Carrey’s facial expressions are highly animated: when he played Ace Ventura, he looked practically rubber-faced.
animosity (n.)
active enmity
He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.
animus (n.)
hostile feeling or intent
The speaker’s sarcastic comments about liberal do-gooders and elitist snobs revealed his deep-seated animus against his opponent.
annals (n.)
records; history
“In this year our good King Richard died,” wrote the chronicler in the kingdom’s annals.
annex (v.)
to attach; to take possession of
Mexico objected to the United States’ attempts to annex the territory that later became the state of Texas.
annihilate (v.)
to destroy
The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.
annotate (v.)
to comment; to make explanatory notes
In explanatory notes following each poem, the editor carefully annotated the poet’s more esoteric references.
annul (v.)
to make void
The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.
anoint (v.)
consecrate–to dedicate or to declare sacred
The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel.
anomalous (adj.)
abnormal; irregular
He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures which he despised.
anomaly (n.)
irregularity
A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.
anonymity (n.)
state of being nameless; anonymousness
The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention him by name; the dean readily agreed to respect his anonymity.
anonymous (adj.)
having no name
She tried to ascertain the identity of the writer of the anonymous letter.
antagonism (n.)
hostility; active resistance
Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking to him.
antecede (v.)
to precede–to come before something in time
The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century.
antecedents (n.)
preceding event or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background.
Susi Bechhofer’s ignorance of her Jewish background had its antecedents in the chaos of World War II. Smuggled out of Germany and adopted by a Christian family, she knew nothing of her birth and antecedents until she was reunited with her family in 1989.
antediluvian (adj.)
antiquated; extremely ancient
Looking at his great-aunt’s antique furniture, which must have been cluttering up her attic since the time of Noah’s flood, the young heir exclaimed “Heavens! How positively antediluvian!”
anthem (n.)
song of praise of patriotism
Let us now all join in singing the national anthem.
anthology (n.)
book of literary selections by various authors
This anthology of science fiction was complied by the late Isaac Asimov.
anthropocentric (adj.)
regarding human beings as the center of the universe
Without considering any evidence that might challenge his anthropocentric viewpoint, Hector categorically maintained that dolphins could not be as intelligent as men.
anthropoid (adj.)
manlike
The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals.
anthropologist (n.)
a student of the history and science of mankind
Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric man in this area.
anticlimax (n.)
letdown in thought or emotion
After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax.
antidote (n.)
medicine to counteract a poison or disease
When Marge’s child accidentally swallowed some cleaning fluid, the local poison control hotline instructed Marge how to administer the antidote.
antipathy (n.)
aversion; dislike
Tom’s extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife.
antiquated (adj.)
old-fashioned; obsolete
Philip had grown so accustomed to editing his papers on word processors that he thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.
antiseptic (n.)
substance that prevents infection
It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant.
antithesis (n.)
contrast; direct opposite of or to
This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.
apathy (n.)
lack of caring; indifference
A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote.
ape (v.)
to imitate or mimic
He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of the whole school.
apex (n.)
tip; summit; climax
At the apex of his career, the star was deluged with offers of leading roles.
aphorism (n.)
pithy–concise and forcefully expressive–maxim–a short, pithy statement expressing general truth or role of conduct
An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific.
“The proper study of mankind is man” is an aphorism. “There’s no smoke without a fire” is an adage.
aplomb (n.)
poise–graceful and elegant bearing in a person; assurance
Gwen’s aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she coolly picket up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace.
apocalyptic (adj.)
prophetic; pertaining to revelations
The crowd jeered at the street preacher’s apocalyptic predictions of doom.
The Apocalypse or Book of Revelations of Saint John prophesies the end of the world as we know it and foretells marvels and prodigies that signal the coming doom.
apocryphal (adj.)
untrue; made up
To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.
apolitical (adj.)
having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs
It was hard to remain apolitical during the Vietnam War; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to take political stands.
apologist (n.)
one who writes in defense of a cause or institution
Rather than act as an apologist for the current regime in Beijing and defend its brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to the West.
apostate (n.)
one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs
Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.
apotheosis (n.)
elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something
The apotheosis of a Roman emperor was designed to insure his eternal greatness: people would worship at his altar forever.
The hero of the musical How to Succeed in Business…was the apotheosis of yuppieness: he was the perfect upwardly-bound young man on the make.
appall (v.)
to dismay; to shock
We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city’s jails.
apparatus (n.)
equipment
Firefighters use specialized apparatus to fight fires.
apparition (n.)
ghost; phantom
On the castle battlements, an apparition materialized and spoke to Hamlet, warning him of his uncle’s treachery.
In Ghostbusters, hordes of apparitions materialized, only to be dematerialized by the specialized apparatus wielded by Bill Murray.
appease (v.)
to pacify or soothe; to relieve
Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offering him one toy after another, but he would not calm down until they appeased his hunger by giving him a bottle.
appellation (n.)
name; title
Macbeth was startled when the witches greeted him with an incorrect appellation.
Why did they call him Thane of Cawdor, he wondered, when the holder of that title still lived?
append (v.)
to attach
When you append a bibliography to a text, you have just created an appendix.
application (n.)
diligent attention
Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application to the task.
apposite
appropriate; fitting
He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.
appraise (v.)
to estimate value of
It is difficult to appraise the value of old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless.
appreciate (v.)
to be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of
Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks gave her, which appreciated in value considerably over the years.
apprehend (v.)
to arrest (a criminal); to dread; to perceive
The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long.
apprehension (n.)
fear
His nervous glances at the passersby on the deserted street revealed his apprehension.
apprenticeship (n.)
time spent as a novice learning a trade from a skilled worker
As a child, Pip had thought it would be wonderful to work as Joe’s apprentice; now he hated his apprenticeship and scorned the blacksmith’s trade.
apprise (v.)
to inform
When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.
approbation (n.)
approval
She looked for some sign of approbation from her parents, hoping her good grades would please them.
