Day 11 Flashcards
exponent
Person who expounds or explains; champion,
advocate, or representative
“She has become one of America’s foremost exponents of the romantic style in interior design.”
expurgate
Censor; remove objectionable or offensive part
“an expurgated edition of the letters
“
extemporaneous
Done without preparation (esp. of a
speech), or with some preparation but no
notes; improvised, done on the spur of
the moment
extraneous
Irrelevant; foreign, coming from without,
not belonging
Obviously, some degree of packaging is necessary to transport and protect the products we need, but all too often manufacturers add extraneous wrappers over wrappers and layers of unnecessary plastic.
facetious
Joking, humorous, esp. inappropriately;
not serious, concerned with frivolous
things
“the essay is a facetious commentary on the absurdity of war as a solution for international disputes”
facilitate
Make easier, help the progress of
What physical events might have facilitated the evolution of macroscopic animals?
faction
Group or clique within a larger
organization; party strife and dissension
several factions within the environmental movement have joined forces to save this wilderness area
fallow
Left unplanted (of land); not in use
"”incentives for farmers to let land lie fallow”
fanatical
Excessively devoted, enthusiastic, or
zealous in an uncritical way
” because of her fanatical views, her friends know better than to discuss religion with her”
fanciful
Whimsical, capricious; imaginary; freely
imaginative rather than based on reason
or reality
“a fanciful tale of a monster in the woods
“
fathom
Measure the depth of (usually of water)
as with a sounding line; penetrate and
discover the meaning of, understand
to comprehend
“the themes display a newer fathom than the technical modernism of the composer’s earlier works
“
fatuous
Foolish, silly, esp. in a smug or
complacent manner
” the fatuous questions that the audience members asked after the lecture suggested to the oceanographer that they had understood little
“
fecund
Fruitful, fertile; capable of abundantly
producing offspring, vegetation, or
creative or intellectual work
a fecund source of information
felicitous
Admirably appropriate, very well-suited
for the occasion; pleasant, fortunate,
marked by happiness
a felicitous accompaniment to dinner is provided by a harpist on weekends at the restaurant
fervid
Very hot; heated in passion or
enthusiasm
at the school board meeting the librarian delivered a fervid speech defending the classic novel against would-be censors
fetid
Stinking; having an offensive smell
finesse
Extreme delicacy, subtlety, or diplomacy in
handling a sensitive situation or in a
performance or skill (noun); use tact or
diplomacy; employ a deceptive strategy (verb)
She handled the interviewer’s questions with finesse.
flag
Get tired, lose enthusiasm; hang limply or
droop
“if you begin to flag, there is an excellent cafe to revive you”
fledgling
A young bird that has just recently gotten its
feathers, an inexperienced person (noun); new
or inexperienced (adj)
“the country’s fledgling democracy”
florid
showy, or excessively
fancy
a florid, gilded mirror that took up most of the wall
fluke
Stroke of luck, something accidentally
successful
Her second championship shows that the first one was no mere fluke.
foment
Incite, instigate, stir up, promote the growth
of; apply medicated liquid to a body part
He was accused of fomenting violence.
forage
Wander in search of; rummage, hunt, make a
raid
He had to forage for firewood.
flout
Treat with disdain, contempt, or scorn (usually
of rules)
Despite repeated warnings, they have continued to flout the law.
