Amin Words 2

Question 1

Synagogue

Answer 1

1. A building or place of meeting for worship and religious instruction in the Jewish faith.
2. A congregation of Jews for the purpose of worship or religious study.
3. The Jewish religion as organized or typified in local congregations.

Question 2

Tabernacle

Answer 2

1. a place or house of worship, esp. one designed for a large congregation.
2. (often capital) the portable tentlike structure used as a place of worship by the Israelites during their wandering in the wilderness. Exodus 25–27.

Question 3

Stymie

or Stymy

Answer 3

v.
1. to hinder, block, or thwart.
And similar to Obama’s executive actions, critics warn that whatever moves Clinton takes unilaterally could be easily stymied by the courts.
n.
2. Golf. (on a putting green) an instance of a ball’s lying on a direct line between the cup and the ball of an opponent about to putt.
3. a situation or problem presenting such difficulties as to discourage or defeat attempts to deal with or resolve it.

“Critics of environmental regulations, some of whom deny that global warming is a provable phenomenon, argue the administration’s green agenda threatens to stymie economic growth.”

Question 4

Jurisprudence

Jurisprudential

Answer 4

1. The philosophy or science of law.
2. A division, type, or particular body of law: modern jurisprudence; federal jurisprudence; bankruptcy jurisprudence.
   “Appellants argument invokes one of the most difficult issues in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence: the extent to which modern technology alters our traditional expectations of privacy,”

Question 5

Devolution

Answer 5

1. the act, fact, or result of devolving; passage onward from stage to stage.
2. a passing onwards or downwards from one stage to another; the passing on to a successor of property or an unexercised right.
3. (Biology) another word for degeneration; disappearance or simplification of structure or function in the course of evolution.
4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a transfer or allocation of authority, esp from a central government to regional governments or particular interests

“I want to bring our country together, our United Kingdom, together, not least by implementing as fast as we can the devolution that we rightly promised and came together with other parties to agree both for Wales and for Scotland” (David Cameron)

Question 6

Serendipity

Serendipitous

Answer 6

a talent for making fortunate discoveries by chance while searching for other things.

Question 7

Intricate

Answer 7

1. Having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate; entangled or involved: an intricate pattern; an intricate procedure.
2. Difficult to understand, analyze, or solve for having many interconnected elements; complex; obscure; puzzling.
   “Many recent films present men as expendable commodities, living only for mindless fun and intricate but never realized plans to get laid.”

Question 8

Hedonism

Hedonistic

Answer 8

1. the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.
2. devotion to pleasure and self-gratification as a way of life.
3. indulgence in sensual pleasures

This new kind of addictive arousal traps users into an expanded present hedonistic time zone. Past and future are distant and remote, as the present moment expands to dominate everything.

Question 9

Potency

Answer 9

1. the state or quality of being potent; strength.
2. power; authority.
3. latent or inherent capacity for growth or development; potentiality.

The average potency of weed has risen steadily for the last three decades.

Question 10

Anorexia

Answer 10

1. loss of appetite and inability to eat.
2. (Medicine) (Also called: anorexia nervosa) a disorder characterized by fear of becoming fat and refusal of food, leading to debility and even death.
   A recent article stated young males were suffering from “sexual anorexia” after internet porn use.

Question 11

Libido

Answer 11

the force or psychic and emotional energy behind human action associated with instinctual biological drives, especially the sexual urge.

As they develop lower reactions to the porn sites, their libido drops, and then it becomes impossible to get an erection.

Question 12

Ambush

Ambusher

Answer 12

A sudden attack made from a concealed position.
Those hiding in order to attack by surprise: The captain stationed an ambush near the harbor.
the concealed position from which such an attack is launched: They fired from ambush. The highwaymen waited in ambush near the road.
“Antitrust has been ambushed by the giant companies it was designed to contain.” Robert Reich

Question 13

Behemoth

Answer 13

1. (Old Testament) a gigantic beast, probably a hippopotamus, described in Job 40:15
2. any creature or thing of monstrous size or power.

FIFA is a multibillion dollar behemoth.

Question 14

zeitgeist

ˈzaɪtˌɡaɪst

Answer 14

(Historical Terms) the spirit, attitude, or general outlook of a specific time or period, esp as it is reflected in literature, philosophy, etc:
“A new cult of technological optimism has deeply embedded itself in the zeitgeist” (Sebastian Seung).

“Something will start at the Republican National Committee, inside the building, and it will explode the next day on the right-wing talk-show network and on Fox News and in the newspapers that play this game, The Washington Times and the others. And then they’ll create a little echo chamber, and pretty soon they’ll start baiting the mainstream media for allegedly ignoring the story they’ve pushed into the zeitgeist . And then pretty soon the mainstream media goes out and disingenuously takes a so-called objective sampling, and lo and behold, these R.N.C. talking points are woven into the fabric of the zeitgeist .”

By the conservative media pressure, the RNC talking points are woven into the fabric of the zeitgeist. Al Gore

Question 15

Cloture

Answer 15

A parliamentary procedure by which debate is ended and an immediate vote is taken on the matter under discussion. Also called closure.

Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the consideration of H.R. 2048, the Surveillance Reform Act.

Question 16

Fervor

Answer 16

1. great warmth and earnestness of feeling; passion; zeal: to defend a cause with fervor.
2. intense heat.

“Mr. Sanders is considered the Senate’s most left-wing member, and he has been inspiring fervor among the Democratic base at recent rallies and town-hall-style meetings.” NYTimes

Question 17

Jockey

Answer 17

1. (Horse Racing) a person who rides horses in races, esp as a profession or for hire
   vb
2. (Horse Racing)
   a. (tr) to ride (a horse) in a race
   b. (intr) to ride as a jockey
3. (often foll by: for) to try to obtain an advantage by manoeuvring, esp literally in a race or metaphorically, as in a struggle for power (esp in the phrase jockey for position)
4. to trick or cheat (a person)

“Rubio’s defense underscores the challenge for many in the Republican presidential field who are jockeying for the hawk of GOP mantle while trying to curry public favor.”

Question 18

Curry

Answer 18

1. To groom (a horse) with a currycomb; to rub and clean (a horse) with a currycomb.
2. To prepare (tanned hides) for use, as by soaking or coloring; to dress and finish (leather) after it has been tanned to make it strong, flexible, and waterproof.
3. to beat vigorously, as in order to clean

(Also currie): curry seasoning or sauce

Idiom: curry favor
To seek or gain favor by fawning or flattery.

“Rubio’s defense underscores the challenge for many in the Republican presidential field who are jockeying for the hawk of GOP mantle while trying to curry public favor.”

Question 19

Effusive

Answer 19

1. extravagantly demonstrative of emotion; Unrestrained or excessive in emotional expression; lacking reserve; gushy: effusive greetings. an effusive manner.
2. Profuse; pouring out; overflowing: effusive praise.

“…an effusive, excessively friendly, and somewhat obnoxious North American mother of four children.”

Question 20

Obnoxious

Answer 20

extremely unpleasant; highly objectionable or offensive: “I know no method to secure the repeal of bad or obnoxious laws so effective as their stringent execution” (Ulysses S. Grant).

“…an effusive, excessively friendly, and somewhat obnoxious North American mother of four children.”

Question 21

Churl

Churlish

Answer 21

1. like a churl; boorish; rude: churlish behavior.
2. peasantlike.
3. niggardly; mean.
4. difficult to work or deal with, as soil.

“America is at loggerheads with China about reforming the IMF and the World Bank. It has also churlishly resisted Chinese initiatives such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.” The Economist

“It is churlish to dismiss Mr Corbyn out of hand just because he is unlikely ever to become prime minister. To do so overlooks the remarkable surge in support that won him the Labour leadership.”EIU

“In these days of universal celebration of the democratic model, it may seem churlish to dwell on deficiencies in the functioning of Western democracies.” Hirschman

Question 22

Revulsion

Answer 22

1. a strong feeling of repugnance, distaste, or dislike; disgust; loathing.
2. a sudden and violent change of feeling or response in sentiment, taste, etc.
3. the act of drawing something back or away.

“…,each group will at some point ask about the other, in utter puzzlement and often with mutual revulsion, ‘How did they get to be that way?’”

Question 23

Imperative

Answer 23

1. absolutely necessary or required: It is imperative that we leave.
2. of the nature of or expressing a command.
3. of or designating a grammatical mood used in commands, exhortations, etc., as in Listen! Go! Compare indicative, subjunctive.
   n.
4. a command; order.
5. an unavoidable obligation or requirement: the imperatives of leadership.

“Discourse is shaped, not so much by fundamental personality traits, but simply by the imperatives of argument, almost regardless of the desires, character, or convictions of the participants.” (A.O.Hirschman)

“The Imperative of a Comprehensive Strategy to Fight Violent Extremism” (Javad Zarif)

“In order to continue providing employment, it is imperative to promote an economy which favors productive diversity and business creativity.” (Pope Francis I)

Question 24

Servitude

Answer 24

1. slavery or bondage of any kind.
2. compulsory service or labor as a punishment for criminals: penal servitude.
3. (Law) a right held by one person to use another’s property.

“Exposing these servitudes might actually help to loosen them and restore communication.” (Hirschman)

Question 25

Stride

Answer 25

1. A single long step.
2. A single coordinated movement of the four legs of a horse or other animal, completed when the legs return to their initial relative position.
3. (often strides) A step of progress; an advance: making great strides in their studies.

Question 26

Canvas

Answer 26

1. a closely woven, heavy cloth of cotton, hemp, or linen, used esp. for tents, sails, etc.
2. a piece of this or similar material on which a painting is made.

Question 27

Convulsion

Convulsive

Answer 27

1. (Medicine) a violent involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscles
2. a violent upheaval, disturbance, or agitation, esp a social one: “The market convulsions of the last few weeks have shaken the world” (Felix Rohatyn).
3. (usually plural) uncontrollable laughter: I was in convulsions.

“Have not these counterthrusts been at the origin of convulsive social and political struggles often leading to setbacks for the intended progressive programs as well as to much human suffering and misery?”

Question 28

Perilous

Answer 28

involving grave risk or peril; hazardous; dangerous: a perilous sea voyage.

“Israel’s security elite has for the most part rejected Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cries of imminent peril.”

Question 29

Indictment

Answer 29

1. (Law) A set of written criminal charges issued against a party, where a grand jury, under the guidance of a prosecutor, has found that sufficient evidence exists to justify trying the party for that crime.
2. A document or other communication that makes accusations of wrongdoing or describes an unacceptable situation: “[the book, an] exhaustively researched indictment of the fast-food industry” (Suzanne Schlosberg).

“Significantly, the first general indictment, Edmund Burke’s ‘Reflections on the Revolution in France’ (1790), started with a sustained polemic against the Declaration of the Rights of Man.”

Question 30

Polemic

Answer 30

1. A controversial argument, especially one refuting or attacking a specific opinion or doctrine.
2. A person engaged in or inclined to controversy, argument, or refutation.

“Significantly, the first general indictment, Edmund Burke’s ‘Reflections on the Revolution in France’ (1790), started with a sustained polemic against the Declaration of the Rights of Man.”

“One possible response is that of Professors Lucas and Sargent. They describe what happened in the 1970s in a very strong way with a polemical vocabulary reminiscent of Spiro Agnew.” Robert Solow

Question 31

Obliterate

Answer 31

to destroy every trace of; wipe out completely:
“There simply was no obvious stopping point for the forward march of political democracy once the traditional distinctions between nobility, clergy, and commoner had been obliterated.” (Hirschman)

Question 32

Inaugurate

Answer 32

1. To induct into office by a formal ceremony: The president is inaugurated on January 20.
2. To cause to begin, especially officially or formally; initiate; commence: The end of World War II inaugurated the era of nuclear power. inaugurate a new immigration policy.
3. To open or begin use of formally with a ceremony; dedicate: inaugurate a community center. to inaugurate a factory. Airmail service between Washington, D.C., and New York City was inaugurated in 1918.

Question 33

Stalwart

Answer 33

stalwart(n.)
a person who is loyal to their allegiance (especially in times of revolt); loyalist; One who steadfastly supports an organization or cause: party stalwarts.

Stalwart(adj.)

1. strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust: a stalwart oak tree.
2. solid, dependable, and courageous: stalwart citizens.
3. Loyal, resolute, and firm: a stalwart ally; stalwart support.

“Kim Davis, a clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky, has been dominating the news cycle all week with her stalwart refusal to do her job. Davis hasn’t been allowing her office to issue licenses to same-sex couples, claiming her personal religious belief about other people’s relationships should trump the law of the land.” Rolling Stone

“Nancy Pelosi, who helped drive Obama’s most enduring domestic victories into law, gave substantial political cover to scores of Democrats to vote against their own president in her last-minute opposition. Other party stalwarts made clear that Obama’s efforts were too little, too late.”CNN

Question 34

Rankle

Answer 34

to cause severe and continuous irritation, anger, or bitterness; fester: his failure to win still rankles. She rankled at what she considered to be unfair criticism. a wound that rankled. He was rankled by his rival’s sudden success.

“And the democratic lawmakers, too, seem to have grown tired of a tone and approach that has rankled many of the President’s opponents over the years.”

Question 35

Scotch

Answer 35

1. to put an abrupt end to; crush; foil: bad weather scotched our plans. The prime minister scotched the rumors of her illness with a public appearance.
2. to injure so as to render harmless
3. to cut or score

“The White House, however, was quick to scotch the notion that Friday’s reverse in Congress was an inexorable sign that Obama’s presidential clout is fading in the United States and abroad.” CNN

Question 36

Inexorable

Answer 36

1. Impossible to stop, alter, or resist; inevitable: an inexorable fate; an inexorable law of nature.
2. Not capable of being persuaded by entreaty; relentless: an inexorable opponent.

“The White House, however, was quick to scotch the notion that Friday’s reverse in Congress was an inexorable sign that Obama’s presidential clout is fading in the United States and abroad.” CNN

Question 37

Clout

Answer 37

1. a blow with the fist or a hard object
2. power or influence, esp in politics: “Doctors have banded together into large negotiating groups in efforts to increase their clout” (George Anders).
3. (Archery) archery
   a. the target used in long-distance shooting
   b. the centre of this target
   c. a shot that hits the centre

“The White House, however, was quick to scotch the notion that Friday’s reverse in Congress was an inexorable sign that Obama’s presidential clout is fading in the United States and abroad.”

Question 38

Snafu

Answer 38

A chaotic or confused situation.
“White House spokesman Josh Earnest attempted to paint Friday’s events as at just a “procedural snafu” and insisted that a bipartisan consensus remained for free trade on Capitol Hill.”CNN

Question 39

Ludicrous

Answer 39

absurd or incongruous to the point of provoking ridicule or laughter: a ludicrous lack of efficiency.

“It’s tempting! to ridicule! Jeb Bush! over his ludicrous campaign logo! But it would be wrong. He should, instead, be ridiculed over his ludicrous, self-aggrandizing economic claims.” Paul Krugman

Question 40

Corrosive

Answer 40

1. (Chemistry) (esp of acids or alkalis) capable of destroying solid materials; having the quality of corroding or eating away; erosive: a corrosive acid.
2. Gradually destructive or steadily harmful; deleterious: the corrosive effects of poverty; corrosive anxiety; corrosive increases in prices; a corrosive narcotics trade.
3. sharply sarcastic; caustic; cutting: corrosive comments; corrosive criticism; corrosive wit.

“The government claims it may do so based upon the Austin decision that corporate speech is by its nature corrosive and distorting because it might not reflect actual public support for the views expressed by the corporation.” Ted Olson. Oral Arguments. Citizens United v. FEC

Question 41

Demagogue

Answer 41

a person, esp. a political leader, who gains power by arousing people’s emotions and prejudices.

“Such human values as compassion, empathy, patience, tolerance and forgiveness have always been the basic message that all religious traditions, particularly Islam, have espoused and carried throughout history. Meanwhile, in the past two centuries, a small group of demagogues with dubious background began to present a distorted image of Islam, under the guise of purifying the religion.
Today, no one can deny that extremists and terrorists are much stronger and operating in more places in the Middle East than their demagogic leaders could ever imagine or wish in 2001.” (Javad Zarif)
“None too good at reasoning, the crowd is on the contrary much given to action. This action takes typically the form either of anomic outbreaks by “criminal crowds” or of enthusiastic, hypnotic mass movements organized by demagogic leaders (meneurs not chefs) who know how to enslave the crowd” (Le Bon explained by Hirschman).
“Seven Greeks out of ten said that Alexis Tsipras, who called the July 5th referendum in a spirit of defiance, but later settled for a much worse deal should remain prime minister. Indeed his transformation has been a big shock. Firebrand leader looked chastened after a 17-hour negotiation in Brussels; compatriots who disliked his demagoguery sympathized with him for the first time.” The Economist.

Question 42

Excommunicate

Answer 42

(Roman Catholic Church) (tr) to sentence (a member of the Church) to exclusion from the communion of believers and from the privileges and public prayers of the Church.

“The terrorist group’s Takfiri (excommunicative) approach, has allowed it to justify, and even glorify, the targeting of an ever expanding list of those they despise.
Based on this misrepresentation, they set out to totally reject all other rival religious narratives and excommunicate those they deemed different only based on what they believe, where they come from, and what population group they belong to. They claim that they have arrived at the exclusively accurate understanding of Islam and own the entire truth. This is the essence of Takfirism, and its forefathers, which in my view are at the very core of the predicament that we now face with violent extremism.”(Javad Zarif)

Question 43

Absolve

Answer 43

1. (usually foll by from) to release from blame, sin, punishment, obligation, or responsibility
2. to pronounce not guilty; acquit; pardon.

“It is usually much easier to use a high-level programming language, because such languages make it easier to express complex, abstract ideas or commands efficiently and accurately; they also absolve programmers from having to worry bout tedious details relating to the innards of the particular computer on which the program will eventually run.” The Economist

“It is instructive to note that many of those who now blame Islam for the work of extremists are the very advocates of the invasion of Iraq under the previous US administration. In so doing, they try to absolve their own role in creating these monsters and blaming Islam for the mess that they created in our region and beyond.” (Javad Zarif)

Question 44

absolve
acquit
exonerate

Answer 44

absolve, acquit, exonerate all mean to free from blame. absolve is a general word for this idea. To acquit is to release from a specific and usu. formal accusation: The court must acquit the accused if there is insufficient evidence of guilt. To exonerate is to consider a person clear of blame for an act (even when the act is admitted), or to justify the person for having done it: to be exonerated for a crime committed in self-defense.

“in Egypt a court retrying three journalists from Al Jazeera for colluding with the Muslim Brotherhood, sentenced them to three years in prison. The decision stunned observers who for months had been led to believe that they would be acquitted. One of the journalists was sentenced in absentia.” The Economist

Question 45

Franchise
Enfranchise
Disfranchisement
Disenfranchised

Answer 45

Franchise

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the franchise the right to vote, esp for representatives in a legislative body; suffrage
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) any exemption, privilege, or right granted to an individual or group by a public authority, such as the right to use public property for a business
3. (Commerce) commerce authorization granted by a manufacturing enterprise to a distributor to market the manufacturer’s products

Enfranchise

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) to grant the power of voting to, esp as a right of citizenship
2. to set free, as from bondage; to liberate, as from servitude or slavery.
3. (Law) (in England) to endow (a town, city, etc) with the right to be represented in Parliament or municipal rights.

Question 46

Reverence

Irreverent

Answer 46

Reverence
1. A feeling of profound awe and respect and often love; veneration.
2. An act showing respect, especially a bow or curtsy: to pay reverence
3. (Reverence) Used as a form of address for certain members of the Christian clergy: Your Reverence.
“There was nobody whom she reverenced as she reverenced him” (Virginia Woolf).
“maintained a reverent silence”
“We are convinced that ‘man is the source, the focus and the aim of all economic and social life’. Nonetheless, once our human capacity for contemplation and reverence is impaired, it becomes easy for the meaning of work to be misunderstood.” (Pope Francis I)

Irreverent
1. Lacking or exhibiting a lack of reverence; disrespectful.
2. Critical of what is generally accepted or respected; satirical: irreverent humor.
“irreverent scholars mocking sacred things”; “noisy irreverent tourists”
“With his sharp wit, Mr. Demirtas managed to appeal both to Kurds and to Turks worried by Mr. Erdogan’s overweening ambitions. He lured many first time voters with his irreverent and lively campaign.” (The Economist)

Question 47

Overweening

Answer 47

1. (of a person) excessively arrogant or presumptuous; overbearing: had a witty but overweening manner about him.
2. (of opinions, appetites, etc) excessive; immoderate; exaggerated: overweening pride.

“With his sharp wit, Mr. Demirtas managed to appeal both to Kurds and to Turks worried by Mr. Erdogan’s overweening ambitions. He lured many first time voters with his irreverent and lively campaign.” (The Economist)

“Punishment for man’s arrogance and overweening ambition is meted out by gods, because they are envious or because they are vigilant guardians of the existing order with its sacred mysteries.”

Question 48

Torpedo

Answer 48

n.

1. A cigar-shaped, self-propelled underwater projectile launched from a submarine, aircraft, or ship and designed to detonate on contact with or in the vicinity of a target.
2. Any of various submarine explosive devices, especially a submarine mine.
3. A small explosive placed on a railroad track that is fired by the weight of the train to sound a warning of an approaching hazard.
4. An explosive fired in an oil or gas well to begin or increase the flow.
5. A small firework consisting of gravel wrapped in tissue paper with a percussion cap that explodes when thrown against a hard surface.

v.

1. to attack, strike, or sink (a ship, etc) with one or a number of torpedoes.
2. to render ineffective; to destroy decisively; wreck: torpedo efforts at reform. to torpedo the administration’s plan.

“Mr. Demirtas’s vows to torpedo Mr. Erdogan’s presidential ambitions drew non-Kurdish voters who helped carry the HDP over the 10% threshold and into the political mainstream.”

Question 49

Teeter

Answer 49

1. To move or sway unsteadily or unsurely; wobble; totter.
2. To alternate, as between opposing attitudes or positions; fluctuate; vacillate.
3. To be close to or in danger of failure or ruin: The housing market teetered on the edge of collapse.

“More than fifty years ago, with the world teetering on the brink of nuclear crisis, Pope Saint John XXIII wrote an Encyclical which not only rejected war but offered a proposal for peace.” Pope Francis I

Question 50

Repent

Answer 50

1. To feel remorse, contrition, or self-reproach for what one has done or failed to do; be contrite (about); show penitence (for): “[He] liked to visit prisoners and admonish them to repent of their ways” (Adam Hochschild).
   He repents of his extravagance. He repented his angry words. to repent a hasty marriage. repented of intemperate behavior. You’d better accept their offer before they repent. repent one’s sins. “And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth” (King James Bible).
   “The creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us.”
2. To become a more moral or religious person as a result of remorse or contrition for one’s sins.
   “Patriarch Bartholomew has spoken in particular of the need for each of us to repent of the ways we have harmed the planet.” (Pope Francis I)
   “In calling to mind the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi, we come to realize that a healthy relationship with creation is one dimension of overall personal conversion, which entails the recognition of our errors, sins, faults and failures, and leads to heartfelt repentance and desire to change.” (Pope Francis I)