Advanced Word List # 13 Flashcards
Alleviated
made less severe [alleviation (n); alleviate (v)]
Apostrophe
- punctuation mark
2. appeal to someone not present (a figure of speech)
Centurion
roman soldier (commander of a company of 100 soldiers)
Emollient
softening (a); something which softens (n)
Fusillade
long burst of gunfire
Inerrancy
infallibility; inability to make mistakes [inerrant (a)]
Mince
- chop into small pieces
- walk with tiny steps
- speak in an affected manner
Palpate
medical term meaning to examine with the hands
Platitude
unoriginal, obvious saying
Quibble
- (v) to argue about minor matters; to play on worlds when finding fault
- (n) a minor verbal point in an argument
Apprehension
slight fear; sense of something unfavorable
Conniving
cunning; scheming [connive(v)]
Derision
mockery [deride (v)]
Epigram
short, witty saying
Lassitude
lack of energy; weariness
Pedantic
over-insistent on matters of book-learning [pedant (n)]
Phenomenology
branch of science concerned with things as the are perceived; not directly from theory
Precipitate
- hurried (a)
- insoluble product of a reaction in chemistry (n)
- to instigate or speed up an action (v)
Renege
go back on promise or retract statement
Apprehension
slight fear; sense of something unfavorable
Armada
fleet of ships
Dawdler
slow person who falls behind others [dawdle (v)]
Dross
something worthiness; impurities left after refining
Explate
atone; make amends for
Hack
- chop roughly
- person who writes to earn money
- hired horse
Prone
- vulnerable to
2. horizontal
Propensity
tendency; inclination
Scabbard
cover for a sword
Skiff
small boat
Umbrage
- shadow
2. offense; sense of injury
Dilettantism
dabbling esp. in the arts [ dilettante (n) = person who dabbles]
Enervate
weaken
Malevolent
having evil intentions [malevolence (n)]
Neophyte
new convert; tyro
Panegyric
speech praising someone; laudatory words
Presage
forewarn of; indicate
Serration
jagged edge
Slight
- minor (a)
2. perceived insult (v) and (n)
Tare
- weed
2. allowance made for container when weighing
Unprepossessing
unattractive
Aberration
deviation from the normal
Cant
insincere talk
Disinter
dig up [opposite inter = bury]
Facade
- front elevation of building
2. false appearance or demeanor
Impeding
hindering [impede (v); impediment (n)]
Lacuna
gap; missing part [plural = lacunae]
Monolithic
united in purpose; forming a single unit
Pied
multicolored
Roster
list of names
Seemly
appropriate (of behavior); decorous
Analogue
- something similar
2. output proportional to input (engineering)
Coda
piece of music at the end of a musical work; finale; final part of document
Commingle
mix
Equivocal
ambiguous; open to interpretation [equivocate (v), equivocation (n)]
Fallible
capable of making mistakes [fallibility (n)]
Hallow
respect; worship
Indigence
poverty
Papyrus
material used for writing on before paper was invented
Pique
- annoyance (n)
2. to stimulate interest; to annoy (v)
Sap
- liquid inside plants (n)
- to drain; to undermine (v)
- a fool (n)
Arbitrator
mediator; person appointed to judge a dispute [arbitrate (v)]
Descry
to see (esp. at a distance); catch sight of
Facetious
not intended to be taken seriously
Indecorous
unseemly; inappropriate (of behavior)
Proliferate
grow and spread [proliferation (n)]
Scotch (v)
to prevent; stop; disable
Strut
- supporting rod (n)
2. to walk in an arrogant manner; show off (v)
Toy (v)
to play with
Usury
lending money at high interest rates
Wag (n)
a witty person
Atavism
reappearance of ancestral traits; regression [atavistic (a)]
Filibuster
delaying tactics
Gambit
opening move; transaction
Mitigation
making less severe [mitigate (v)]
Obligate
compulsory
Predilection
leaning; interest; talent
Propitiate
appease; try to gain favor [propitiation (n)]
Stanch
to stop
Travesty
parody; ridiculous error
Waft
drift smoothly (v); whiff; smell (n)
Forage
search for food
Lumber
- walk in an ungainly way
2. timber (wood)
Muse
- think, meditate (v)
2. a source of inspiration (n) [ in mythology, a goddess who gives inspiration]
Prescience
foreknowledge
Prune
- to prim
2. a dried plum
Ready
(used of wit) quick
Resolve
firmness (n)
Squalid
dirty and demeaning
Sullied
made dirty or impure [opposite unsullied; sully (v)]
Veneration
worship; respect [venerable (a), venerate (v)]
Demur
object; hesitate to accept
Duplicity
cunning; deception; double dealing
Exigency
urgent matter; pressing need
Expostulate
offer strong objections; remonstrate
Gossamer
delicate; filmy; like gauze
Inefficacious
ineffective
Pine
- type of evergreen tree
2. grieve
Prudish
narrow-minded; excessively concerned with morals [prudery (n), prude (n)]
Quixotic
impractically idealistic
Stipple
cover with dots of paint etc.