Barron's 3500 List 4 Flashcards
<p>apotheosis</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>appall</p>
<p>V. dismay; shock. We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails.</p>
<p>apparatus</p>
<p>N. equipment. Firefighters use specialized apparatus to fight fires.</p>
<p>apparition</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>appease</p>
<p>V. pacify or soothe; 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.</p>
<p>appellation</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p>append</p>
<p>V. attach. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have just created an appendix.</p>
<p>application</p>
<p>N. diligent attention. Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application to the task. apply, V. (secondary meaning)</p>
<p>apposite</p>
<p>ADJ. appropriate; fitting. He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.</p>
<p>appraise</p>
<p>V. estimate value of. It is difficult to appraise the value of old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless. appraisal, N.</p>
<p>appreciate</p>
<p>V. 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.</p>
<p>apprehend</p>
<p>V. arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive. The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long.</p>
<p>apprehension</p>
<p>N. fear. His nervous glances at the passersby on the deserted street revealed his apprehension.</p>
<p>apprenticeship</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>apprise</p>
<p>V. inform. When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.</p>
<p>approbation</p>
<p>N. approval. She looked for some sign of approbation from her parents, hoping her good grades would please them.</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>appropriate</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>V. acquire; take possession of for one’s own use. The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians’ use.</p>
<p>apropos</p>
<p>PREP. with reference to; regarding. I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and pertinent. also ADJ. and ADV.</p>
<p>aptitude</p>
<p>N. fitness; talent. The counselor gave him an aptitude test before advising him about the career he should follow.</p>
<p>aquatic</p>
<p>ADJ. pertaining to water. Paul enjoyed aquatic sports such as scuba diving and snorkeling.</p>
<p>aquiline</p>
<p>ADJ. curved, hooked. He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle.</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>arable</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>ADJ. fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New World, praising its vast acres of arable land ready for the plow.</p>
<p>arbiter</p>
<p>N. a person with power to decide a dispute; judge. As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.</p>
<p>arbitrary</p>
<p>ADJ. capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical. Tom's arbitrary dismissal angered him; his boss had no reason to fire him. He threw an arbitrary assortment of clothes into his suitcase and headed off, not caring where he went.</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>arbitrator</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>N. judge. Because the negotiating teams had been unable to reach a contract settlement, an outside arbitrator was called upon to mediate the dispute between union and management. arbitration, N.</p>
<p>arboretum</p>
<p>N. place where different tree varieties are exhibited. Walking along the tree-lined paths of the arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine sycamores.</p>
<p>arcade</p>
<p>N. a covered passageway, usually lined with shops. The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the winter rain.</p>
<p>arcane</p>
<p>ADJ. secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround themselves with arcane rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders. So do doctors. Consider the arcane terminology they use and the impression they try to give that what is arcane to us is obvious to them.</p>
<p>archaeology</p>
<p>N. study of artifacts and relics of early mankind. The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>archaic</p>
<p class=”large” style=”text-align:center”;>ADJ. antiquated. “Methinks,” “thee,” and “thou” are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.</p>
<p>archetype</p>
<p>N. prototype; primitive pattern. The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.</p>