blue book #11

Question 1

dispensation

Answer 1

1.
an act or instance of dispensing; distribution.

2.
something that is distributed or given out.

3.
a certain order, system, or arrangement; administration or management.

4.
a dispensing with, doing away with, or doing without something.

5. a special exemption.

Question 2

dispense

Answer 2

1.
to deal out; distribute:
to dispense wisdom.

2.
to administer:
to dispense the law without bias.

3.
to dispense with:
a) to do without; forgo: to dispense with preliminaries.
b) to do away with; rid of.
c) to grant exemption from a law or promise.

Question 3

disperse

Answer 3

1.
to drive or send off in various directions; scatter:
to disperse a crowd.

2.
to spread widely; disseminate:
to disperse knowledge.

3.
to dispel; cause to vanish:
The wind dispersed the fog.

4.
to separate and move apart in different directions without order or regularity; become scattered:
The crowd dispersed.

5.
to be dispelled; be scattered out of sight; vanish:
The smoke dispersed into the sky.

Question 4

dispirit

Answer 4

to deprive of spirit, hope, enthusiasm, etc.; depress; discourage; dishearten.

Question 5

disposed

Answer 5

having a certain inclination or disposition; inclined (usually followed by to or an infinitive):
a man disposed to like others.

Question 6

disposition

Answer 6

1.
the predominant or prevailing tendency of one’s spirits; natural mental and emotional outlook or mood; characteristic attitude:
a girl with a pleasant disposition.

2.
state of mind regarding something; inclination:
a disposition to gamble.

3.
physical inclination or tendency:
the disposition of ice to melt when heated.

4.
power to make decisions about or dispose of a thing; control:
funds at one’s disposition.

Question 7

disrepute

Answer 7

bad repute; low regard or estimation in the view of others; disfavor:
Some literary theories have fallen into disrepute.

Question 8

dissemble

Answer 8

1.
to give a false or misleading appearance to; conceal the truth or real nature of:
to dissemble one’s incompetence in business.

2.
to put on the appearance of; feign:
to dissemble innocence.

3.
to conceal one’s true motives, thoughts, etc., by some pretense; speak or act hypocritically.

Question 9

disseminate

Answer 9

to scatter or spread widely, as though sowing seed; promulgate extensively; broadcast; disperse:
to disseminate information about preventive medicine.

Question 10

dissension

Answer 10

1.
strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord.

2.
difference in sentiment or opinion; disagreement.

Question 11

dissent

Answer 11

1.
to differ in sentiment or opinion, especially from the majority; withhold assent; disagree (often followed by from):
Two of the justices dissented from the majority decision.

2.
to disagree with the methods, goals, etc., of a political party or government; take an opposing view.

3.
to disagree with or reject the doctrines or authority of an established church.

4.
difference of sentiment or opinion.

5.
dissenting opinion.

Question 12

dissident

Answer 12

1.
a person who dissents.

2.
disagreeing or dissenting, as in opinion or attitude:
a ban on dissident magazines.

Question 13

dissipate

Answer 13

1.
to scatter in various directions; disperse; dispel.

2.
to spend or use wastefully or extravagantly; squander; deplete:
to dissipate one’s talents; to dissipate a fortune on high living.

3.
to become scattered or dispersed; be dispelled; disintegrate:
The sun shone and the mist dissipated.

4.
to indulge in extravagant, intemperate, or dissolute pleasure.

Question 14

dissociate

Answer 14

1.
to sever the association of oneself; separate:
He tried to dissociate himself from the bigotry in his past.

2.
to subject to dissociation.

3.
to withdraw from association.

Question 15

dissolute

Answer 15

indifferent to moral restraints; given to immoral or improper conduct; licentious; dissipated.

Question 16

dissonant

Answer 16

1.
disagreeing or harsh in sound; discordant.

2.
out of harmony; incongruous; at variance.

Question 17

dissuade

Answer 17

1.
to deter by advice or persuasion; persuade not to do something (often followed by from):
She dissuaded him from leaving home.

2.
to advise or urge against:
to dissuade an action.

Question 18

distend

Answer 18

1.
to expand by stretching, as something hollow or elastic:
Habitual overeating had distended his stomach.

2.
to spread in all directions; expand; swell and stretch:
The sea distended about them.

Question 19

distill

Answer 19

1.
to subject to a process of vaporization and subsequent condensation, as for purification or concentration.

2.
to concentrate, purify, or obtain by or as by distillation :
to distill whiskey from mash.

3.
to remove by distillation:
to distill out impurities.

5.
to extract the essential elements of; refine; abstract:
She managed to distill her ideas into one succinct article.

6.
to let fall in drops; give forth in or as in drops:
The cool of the night distills the dew.

Question 20

distort

Answer 20

1.
to twist awry or out of shape; make crooked or deformed:
Arthritis had distorted his fingers.

2.
to give a false, perverted, or disproportionate meaning to; misrepresent:
to distort the facts.

Question 21

distraught

Answer 21

1.
worried, distressed; deeply agitated.

2.
mentally deranged; crazed.

Question 22

dither

Answer 22

1.
a trembling; vibration.

2.
a state of flustered excitement or fear.

3.
to act irresolutely; vacillate.

4.
to tremble with excitement or fear.

Question 23

ditty

Answer 23

1.
a poem intended to be sung.

2.
a short, simple song.

Question 24

diurnal

Answer 24

1.
of or relating to a day or each day; daily.

2.
of or belonging to the daytime (opposed to nocturnal).

3.
showing a periodic alteration of condition with day and night, as certain flowers that open by day and close by night.

4.
active by day, as certain birds and insects.

Question 25

divergent

Answer 25

1.
diverging; going apart; differing; deviating.

2.
pertaining to or causing separation.

3.
(of a mathematical expression) having no finite limits.

Question 26

diverse

Answer 26

1.
of a different kind, form, character, etc.; unlike:
a wide range of diverse opinions.

2.
of various kinds or forms; multiform.

3.
including representatives from more than one social, cultural, or economic group, especially members of ethnic or religious minority groups:
a diverse student body.

Question 27

divest

Answer 27

1.
to strip of clothing, ornament, etc.:
The wind divested the trees of their leaves.

2.
to strip or deprive someone or something, especially of property or rights; dispossess.

3.
to rid of or free from:
He divested himself of all responsibility for the decision.

4.
to take away or alienate (property, rights, etc.).

Question 28

divine

Answer 28

1.
to discover or declare (something obscure or in the future) by divination; prophesy.

2.
to perceive by intuition or insight; conjecture:
She divined personal details about her customers based on their clothing and accents.
It was not difficult to divine his true intent.

3.
proceeding from a god: divine laws;
divine guidance.

4.
godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity:
divine magnanimity.

5.
heavenly; celestial:
the divine kingdom.

6.
extremely good; unusually lovely:
He has the most divine tenor voice.

Question 29

divisive

Answer 29

1.
forming or expressing division or distribution.

2.
creating dissension or discord; causing disagreement.

Question 30

divulge

Answer 30

to disclose or reveal (something private, secret, or previously unknown).

Question 31

docile

Answer 31

1.
easily managed or handled; tractable:
a docile horse.

2.
readily trained or taught; teachable.

Question 32

docket

Answer 32

1.
a list of cases in court for trial, or the names of the parties who have cases pending.

2.
an official memorandum or entry of proceedings in a legal cause.

3.
the list of business to be transacted by a board, council, legislative assembly, or the like.

4. a court calendar; agenda.

Question 33

doctrinaire

Answer 33

1.
a person who tries to apply some doctrine or theory without sufficient regard for practical considerations; an impractical theorist.

2.
dogmatic about others’ acceptance of one’s ideas; fanatical:
a doctrinaire preacher.

3.
merely theoretical; impractical.

Question 34

dogged

Answer 34

persistent in effort; stubbornly tenacious:

a dogged worker.

Question 35

dogmatic

Answer 35

1.
relating to the nature of a dogma or any strong set of principles concerning faith, morals, etc., as those laid down by a church; doctrinal:
We hear dogmatic arguments from both sides of the political spectrum.

2.
asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner; rigidly opinionated:
I refuse to argue with someone so dogmatic that he won’t listen to reason.

Question 36

doleful

Answer 36

sorrowful; mournful; melancholy:

a doleful look on her face.

Question 37

dolorous

Answer 37

full of, expressing, or causing pain or sorrow; grievous; mournful:
a dolorous melody; dolorous news.

Question 38

dolt

Answer 38

a dull, stupid person; blockhead.

Question 39

domestic

Answer 39

1.
of or relating to the home, the household, household affairs, or the family:
domestic pleasures.

2.
devoted to home life or household affairs.

3.
no longer wild; tame; domesticated:
domestic animals.
4.
of or relating to one’s own or a particular country as apart from other countries:
domestic trade.

5.
indigenous to or produced or made within one’s own country; not foreign; native:
domestic goods.

Question 40

domicile

Answer 40

1.
a place of residence; abode; house or home.

2.
a permanent legal residence.

3.
to establish in a domicile.

Question 41

domineer

Answer 41

1.
to rule arbitrarily or despotically; tyrannize; intimidate.

2.
to tower; to tower over or above:
The castle domineers the town.

Question 42

dormant

Answer 42

1.
lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive, as in sleep; torpid:
The lecturer’s sudden shout woke the dormant audience.

2.
in a state of rest or inactivity; inoperative; in abeyance:
The project is dormant for the time being.

3.
undisclosed; unasserted:
dormant musical talent.

5.
(of a volcano) not erupting; temporarily inactive.

Question 43

dotard

Answer 43

a person, especially an old person, exhibiting a decline in mental faculties; a weak-minded or foolish old person.

Question 44

doting

Answer 44

1.
excessively fond:
doting parents.

2.
showing a decline of mental faculties, especially associated with old age; weak-minded; senile.

Question 45

double entendre

Answer 45

1.
a double meaning.

2.
a word or expression used in a given context so that it can be understood in two ways, especially when one meaning is risqué.

Question 46

dour

Answer 46

1.
sullen; gloomy:
The captain’s dour look depressed us all.

2.
severe; stern:
His dour criticism made us regret having undertaken the job.

Question 47

dowager

Answer 47

1.
a woman who holds some title or property from her deceased husband, especially the widow of a king, duke, etc. (often used as an additional title to differentiate her from the wife of the present king, duke, etc.):
a queen dowager; an empress dowager.

2.
an elderly woman of stately dignity, especially one of elevated social position:
a wealthy dowager.

3.
noting, pertaining to, or characteristic of a dowager:
the dowager duchess; to prefer a dowager style of dress.

Question 48

downplay

Answer 48

to treat or speak of (something) so as to reduce emphasis on its importance, value, strength, etc.:
The press has downplayed the president’s role in the negotiations.

Question 49

dowry

Answer 49

1.
(a.k.a. dower) the money, goods, or estate that a wife brings to her husband at marriage.

2.
a natural gift, endowment, talent, etc.

Question 50

draconian

Answer 50

1.
(uppercase) of, relating to, or characteristic of the Athenian statesman Draco, or his severe code of laws.

2.
rigorous; unusually severe or cruel:
Draconian forms of punishment.

Question 51

draft

Answer 51

1.
a drawing, sketch, or design.

2.
a first or preliminary form of any writing, subject to revision, copying, etc.

3.
act of drawing; delineation.

4.
a current of air in any enclosed space, especially in a room, chimney, or stove.

5.
to draw or pull.

6.
to take or select by draft, especially for military service.

Question 52

dramatis personae

Answer 52

1.
(used with a plural verb) the characters in a play.

2.
(used with a singular verb) a list of the characters preceding the text of a play.

Question 53

drawback

Answer 53

a hindrance or disadvantage; an undesirable or objectionable feature.

Question 54

dregs

Answer 54

1.
the sediment of liquids; lees; grounds.

2.
the least valuable part of anything:
the dregs of society.

3.
a small remnant; any small quantity.

Question 55

drivel

Answer 55

1.
saliva flowing from the mouth, or mucus from the nose; slaver.

2.
nonsense; childish, silly, or meaningless talk or thinking; twaddle.

Question 56

droll

Answer 56

amusing in an odd way; subtly, whimsically humorous.

Question 57

drudgery

Answer 57

menial, distasteful, dull, or hard work.

Question 58

dualism

Answer 58

the state of being dual or consisting of two parts; division into two.

Question 59

dubious

Answer 59

1.
doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt:
a dubious reply.

2.
of doubtful quality or propriety; questionable:
a dubious compliment; a dubious transaction.

3.
of uncertain outcome:
in dubious battle.

4.
wavering or hesitating in opinion; inclined to doubt.

Question 60

dulcet

Answer 60

1.
pleasant to the ear; melodious:
the dulcet tones of the cello.

2.
pleasant or agreeable to the eye or the feelings; soothing.

Question 61

dupe

Answer 61

1.
a person who is easily deceived or fooled; gull.

2.
a person who unquestioningly or unwittingly serves a cause or another person:
a dupe of the opponents.

3.
to make a dupe of; deceive; delude; trick.

Question 62

duplicity

Answer 62

1.
deceitfulness in speech or conduct, as by speaking or acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter; double-dealing.

2.
the state or quality of having two elements or parts; being twofold or double.

Question 63

duress

Answer 63

1.
compulsion by threat or force; coercion; constraint.

2.
forcible restraint, especially imprisonment.

3.
in law, such constraint or coercion as will render void a contract or other legal act entered or performed under its influence.

Question 64

dwindle

Answer 64

1.
to become smaller and smaller; shrink; waste away:
His vast fortune has dwindled away.

2.
to fall away, as in quality; degenerate.

3.
to make smaller and smaller; cause to shrink:
Failing health dwindles ambition.

Question 65

dyslexia

Answer 65

any of various reading disorders associated with impairment of the ability to interpret spatial relationships or to integrate auditory and visual information.

Question 66

dyspeptic

Answer 66

1.
pertaining to, subject to, or suffering from impaired digestion.

2.
gloomy, pessimistic, and irritable.

3.
a person subject to or suffering from dyspepsia (impaired digestion).

Question 67

earnest

Answer 67

1.
serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous:
an earnest worker.

2.
showing depth and sincerity of feeling:
earnest words; an earnest entreaty.

3.
seriously important; demanding or receiving serious attention.

4.
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose:
to speak in earnest.

Question 68

ebb

Answer 68

1.
the flowing back of the tide as the water returns to the sea.

2.
a flowing backward or away; decline or decay:
the ebb of a once great nation.

3.
a point of decline:
His fortunes were at a low ebb.

4.
to flow back or away, as the water of a tide.

5.
to recede; decline or decay; fade away:
His life is gradually ebbing.

Question 69

ebony

Answer 69

1.
a hard, heavy, durable wood, most highly prized when black, from various tropical trees.

2.
any tree yielding such wood.

3.
a deep, lustrous black.

Question 70

ebullient

Answer 70

1.
overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited:
The award winner was in an ebullient mood at the dinner in her honor.

2.
bubbling up like a boiling liquid.

Question 71

eccentric

Answer 71

1.
deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd:
eccentric conduct; an eccentric person.

2.
not having the same center; not concentric: used especially of two circles or spheres at least one of which contains the centers of both.

3.
deviating from a circular form, as an elliptic orbit.

Question 72

echelon

Answer 72

1.
a level of command, authority, or rank:
After years of service, she is now in the upper echelon of city officials.

2.
a level of worthiness, achievement, or reputation; tier; rank:
studying hard to get into one of the top echelon colleges.

Question 73

eclectic

Answer 73

1.
selecting or choosing from various sources.

2.
made up of what is selected from different sources.

3.
not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems.

Question 74

eclipse

Answer 74

1.
any obscuration of light.

2.
a reduction or loss of splendor, status, reputation, etc.:
Scandal caused the eclipse of his career.

4.
to cause to undergo eclipse:
The moon eclipsed the sun.

5.
to throw into shadow; make less outstanding or important by comparison; surpass:
a soprano whose singing eclipsed that of her rivals.

Question 75

economize

Answer 75

1.
to avoid waste or extravagance; to practice economy.

2.
to manage economically; use sparingly or frugally.

Question 76

ecstasy

Answer 76

1.
rapturous delight.

2.
an overpowering emotion or exaltation; a state of sudden, intense feeling.

3.
the frenzy of poetic inspiration.

4.
mental transport or rapture from the contemplation of divine things.

Question 77

eddy

Answer 77

1.
a current at variance with the main current in a stream of liquid or gas, especially one having a rotary or whirling motion.

2.
a small whirlpool.

3.
any similar current, as of air, dust, or fog.

4.
a current or trend, as of opinion or events, running counter to the main current.

5.
to move or whirl in eddies.

Question 78

edict

Answer 78

1.
a decree issued by a sovereign or other authority; pronouncement.

2.
any authoritative proclamation or command.

Question 79

edifice

Answer 79

1.
a building, especially one of large size or imposing appearance.

2.
any large, complex system or organization.

Question 80

edify

Answer 80

to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift:
religious paintings that edify the viewer.

Question 81

editorialize

Answer 81

1.
to set forth one’s position or opinion on some subject in, or as if in, an editorial.

2.
to inject personal interpretations or opinions into an otherwise factual account.

Question 82

efface

Answer 82

1.
to wipe out; do away with; expunge:
to efface one’s unhappy memories.

2.
to rub out, erase, or obliterate (outlines, traces, inscriptions, etc.).

3.
to make oneself inconspicuous; withdraw modestly or shyly.

Question 83

effervescent

Answer 83

1.
effervescing; bubbling.

2.
vivacious; lively; excited and enthusiastic.

Question 84

efficacious

Answer 84

capable of having the desired result or effect; effective as a means, measure, remedy, etc.:
The medicine is efficacious in stopping a cough.

Question 85

effigy

Answer 85

1.
a representation or image, especially sculptured, as on a monument.

2.
a crude representation of someone disliked, used for purposes of ridicule.

3.
“in effigy,” in public view in the form of an effigy:
a leader hanged in effigy by the mob.