Advanced D-H Flashcards
effigy (n)
EFF-ih-jee
Representation or image of a person, esp. a crude fascimile used to mock a hated person
effrontery (n)
eff-RUN-ter-ee
Shameless boldness
egress (verb, n)
EE-gress
An exit or the action of exiting
elegy (n)
ELL-uh-jee
Song or poem of sorrow, esp. for a deceased person
emaciate (verb)
im-MAY-she-ayt or im-MAY-see-ayt
Make abnormally thin, cause to physically waste away
enconium (n)
en-COH-mee-um
Warm, glowing praise, esp. a formal expression of praise
endemic (adj)
en-DEMM-ick
Native, local; specific to, or confined to a particular place
engender (verb)
en-JEN-der
Produce, give rise to, cause to exist; procreate
epicure (n)
EPP-ick-yoor
Person with cultivated, refined tastes, esp. in food and wine
equanimity (n)
eck-wuh-NIM-it-ee or ee-kwuh-NIM-it-ee
Composure, evenness of mind; mental or emotional stability, esp. under stress
equivocate (verb)
eck-WIV-uh-cayt
Use unclear language to deceive or avoid committing to a position
ersatz (adj)
ER-zats or er-ZATS
Aritifical, synthetic; being an inferior substitute
erstwhile (adj, adv)
ERST-while
Former, previous (adj); in the past, formerly (adv)
euphony (n)
YOO-fun-nee
Pleasing or sweet sound, esp. as formed by a harmonious use of words
exigent (adj)
ECK-sih-jent
requiring immediate attention, action, or aid; excessively demanding
expurgate (verb)
ECK-sper-gayt
Censor; remove objectionable or offensive parts
extemporaneous (adj)
eck-stem-por-AY-nee-uss
Done without preparation (esp. of a speech), or with some preparation but no notes; impoverished, done on the spur of the moment
fastidious (adj)
fass-TIH-dee-uss
Excessively particular, difficult to please; painstaking, meticulous, requiring excessive attention to detail
fatuous (adj)
FAT-choo-uss
Foolish, silly, esp. in a smug or complacent manner
fecund (adj)
FEE-cuhnd or FECK-uhnd
Fruitful, fertile; capable of abundantly producing offspring, vegetation, or creative or intellectual work
felicitious (adj)
fuh-LISS-it-uss
Admirably appropriate, very well-suited for the occasion; pleasant, fortunate, marked by happiness
fervid (adj)
FER-vid
Very hot; heated in passion or enthusiasm
fetid (adj)
FET-id or FEE-tid
Stinking; having an offensive smell
fledgling (n, adj)
FLEDGE-ling
A young bird that has just recently gotten its feathers, an inexperienced person (n); new or inexperienced (adj)
florid (adj)
FLOR-id
Reddish or rosy; flowery, showy, or excessively fancy
flout (verb)
FLOUT
Treat with disdain, contempt, or scorn (usually of rules)
fracas (n)
FRAY-cuss or FRACK-uss
Noisy disturbance or fight; brawl
fractious (adj)
FRACK-chuss
Unruly, troublemaking; irritable
frenetic (adj)
fruh-NET-ick
Wildly excited, frantic, distracted
fulminate (verb)
FULL-min-ayt
Explode, detonate; attack verbally in a vehement, thunderous way
furtuve (adj)
FUR-tiv
Done secretly; stealthy, sly, shifty
gambol (verb)
GAM-bull
Frolic; skip or leap playfully
glower (verb)
GLAH-wer
Stare in an angry, sullen way
gouge (n, verb)
GAH-oodge
Scooping or digging tool, like a chisel, or a hole made with such a tool (n); cut or scoop out; force out a person’s eye with one’s thumb; swindle, extort money from (verb)
grandiloquent (adj)
gran-DILL-oh-kwent
Relating to lofty speeh, esp. to the point of being pompous, overblown, bombastic
grandstand (verb)
GRAND-stand
Perform showily in an attempt to impress onlookers
grouse (verb, n)
GRAH-oos
Complain or grumble (verb); a reason for complaint (n)
grovel (verb)
GRAH-vull
Creep or crawl with one’s face to the ground, prostrate oneself as a oken of subservience, degrade or abase oneself
halcyon (adj)
HAL-see-un
Calm and peaceful, carefree; prosperous, successful, happy
harangue (n, verb)
huh-RANG
Long, intense verbal attack, esp. when delivered publicly
harrow (n, verb)
HAIR-oh
Farming tool that breaks up soil (noun); painfully disturb or distress (verb)
hedge (verb)
HEDGE
Avoid comitment by leaving provisions for withdrawal or changing one’s mind; protect a bet by also betting on the other side
hegemony (n)
huh-JEM-uh-nee or HEDGE-uh-moh-nee
Domination, authority; influence by one country over others socially, culturally, economically, etc.
hermetic (adj)
her-MET-ick
Airtight, sealed, isolated; reclusive; pertaining to alchemy, occult
hoary (adj)
HOR-ee
Very old, gray or white as from old age
hoodwink (verb)
HOOD-wink
Trick, deceive
husband (verb)
HUZZ-buhnd
manage prudently, sparingly, or economically; conserve
demagogue (n)
DEM-uh-gah’g
A leader who lies and gains power by arousing the passions and especially prejudices of the people; Think of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton
demur (verb)
dih-MUR
Show reluctance or object, especially for moral reasons
desultory (adj)
DESS-ull-tor-ee
Lacking consistency or order, disconnected, sporadic; going off topic
diaphanous (adj)
die-AFF-uh-nuss
Very sheer, fine, translucent
diffident (adj)
DIFF-id-ent
Lacking confidence, shy
diffuse (verb, adj)
diff-YOOZ (v), diff-YOOSS (adj)
Spread widely disseminate (verb); dispersed, widely spread out, or word and going off-topic (adj)
dilatory (adj)
DILL-uh-tor-ee
Slow late; procrastinating or stalling for time
dilettante (n)
DILL-uh-tahnt
Person who takes up an art or activity for amusement only or in a superficial way
distaff (adj, n)
DISS-taff
Female, esp. relating to the maternal side of the family; women or women’s work; a staff that holds wool or flax for spnning
distend (verb)
diss-TEND
Swell, expand, stretch, bloat
dither (verb, n)
DIH-ther
Act indecisively (verb); a state of fear or trembling excitement (n)
diurnal (adj)
die-ER-null
Occurring every day; happening in the daytime (rather than at night)
doctrinaire (n, adj)
doc-trin-AIR
Person who applies doctrine in an impractical or rigid and close-minded way (n); merely theoretical; impractical; or fanatical about other people accepting one’s ideas (adj)
dilate (verb)
DIE-layt
To become wider or make wider; cause to expand; to speak or write at length elaborate upon
dissemble (verb)
diss-EM-bull
Mislead conceal the truth, put on a false appearance of
ebullient (adj)
ebb-OOL-yent
Very enthusiastic, lively, excited; bubbling as though being boiled
forage (verb)
FOR-idge
Wander in search of; rummage, hunt, make a raid
expedient (adj)
eck-SPEE-dee-unt
Suitable, proper; effective, often at the expense of ethics or other considerations
hand-wringing (n)
HAND-ring-ing
Grasping, squeezing, etc. of the hands as an expression of nervousness, guilt, etc.; extend debate over what to do about an issue
doff (verb)
DOFF
Take off (such as clothes), put aside; remove one’s hat as a gesture
glacial (adj)
GLAY-shull
Pertaining to glaciers; cold, icy, slow, unsympathetic
gestations (n)
jess-TAY-shun
Pregnancy; the period from conception until birth of an animal or (metaphorically) of an idea or plan
graft (verb, n)
GRAFT
Insert part of a plant into another plant, where it continues to grow; join living tissue (such as skin) to part of the body where it will continue to live and grow (verb); the act of acquiring money or other benefits through illegal means, esp. by abusing one’s power (n)
ethos (n)
EETH-ohss or EETH-ahss
The character, personality, or moral values specific to a person, group, time period, etc.
exonerate (verb)
egg-ZAH-ner-ayt
Clear from blame or accusation; free from a responsibility
droll (adj)
DROHL
Funny in an odd way
*waggish (merry, roguish), risible (laughable, related to laughing), jocular, jocund, jocose (jesting, jolly)
discomfiting (adj)
diss-CUHM-fit-ing
Disconcerting, confusing, frustrating
dyspeptic (adj)
diss-PEP-tick
Grumpy, pessimistic, irritable; suffering from dyspepsia (indigestion)
discordant (adj)
diss-CORD-uhnt
Harsh or inharmonious in sound; disagreeing, incongruous
*dissonance
dirge (n)
DERJ
A funeral or mourning song or poem
*lament, requiem, threnody, elegy
duplicity (n)
doo-PLISS-it-ee
Deceit, double-dealing, acting in two different ways for the purpose of deception
disparage (verb)
diss-PAIR-edge
Belittle, put down; bring shame upon, discredit
euphemism (n)
YOO-fuh-mizm
Substitution of a mild, inoffensive, or indirect expression for one that is considered offensive or too direct
echelon (n)
ESH-uh-lahn
A level, rank or grade; the people at that level
*stratum
hallmark (n)
HALL-mark
A mark of indication of quality, purity, genuineness, etc.; any distinguishing characteristic
dichotomy (n)
die-COT-uh-mee
Division into two parts or into two contradictory groups
edify (verb)
ED-ih-fy
Uplift, enlighten, instruct or improve in a spiritual or moral way
dissolution (n)
diss-uh-LOO-shun
Dissolving, the state of having been dissolved; breaking bonds or breaking up of a group of people; death, disintegration; sinking into extreme hedonism, vice, and degradation
dovetail (verb)
DOVE-tail
Join or fit together
delimit (verb)
dih-LIM-it
Fix, mark, or define the boundaries of
garner (verb)
GAR-ner
gather and store; amass, collect
goad (verb)
GOH’d
Urge on (as cattle) with a pointed or electrically charged stick; spur on, stimulate, encourage
dupe (n, verb)
DOOP
Person who is easily fooled or used (n); to fool or exploit (verb)
discrete (adj)
diss-CREET
Separate, distinct, detached, existing as individual parts
disparate (adj)
DISS-puh-rit or diss-PAIR-it
Distinct, different
hotly (adv)
HOT-lee
In an intense, fiery, or heated way
declivity (n)
dih-CLIV-it-ee
Downward slope
*declination
dictum (n)
DICT-um
Formal or authoritative pronouncement; saying or proverb
*maxim, apothegm, adage, truism
fallow (adj)
FAL-oh
Left unplanted (of land); not in use
hapless (adj)
HAP-less
Unlucky, unfortunate
grievous (adj)
GREE-vuss
Causing grief or suffering; very serious, grave; flagrant, outrageous
grating (adj)
GRAY-ting
Irritating; harsh or discordant (of a noise); scraping
*rasping
hew (verb)
HYOO
Strike, chop, or hack (as with an axe, sword, etc.); make or shape something (such as a statue) with a cutting tool
fortuitous (adj)
for-TOO-it-uss
Happening by chance; lucky
*fluke, inadvertent
ford (n, verb)
FORD
Place where a river or similar body of water is shallow enough to walk or ride a vehicle (n); to cross at such a place (verb)
fawn (verb)
FAWN
Show affections or try to please in the manner of a dog; try to win favor through flattery and submissive behavior
*obsequious
declaim (verb)
dih-CLAIM
Speak in an impassioned, pompous, or oratorical manner; give a formal speech
*grandstand
homage (n)
HAH-midge
Honor or respect demonstrated publicly
fluke (n)
FLOO’k
Stroke of luck, something accidentally successful
forestall (verb)
fore-STALL
Delay, hinder, prevent by taking action beforehand
*waylay (ambush, intercept unexpectedly), obviate, preclude, stymie
faction (n)
FACT-shun
Group or clique within a larger organization; party strife and dissension
