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Word Smart I > Day 5 > Flashcards

Day 5 Flashcards

1
Q

Define:

bourgeois

(boor ZHWAH)

A

adj. middle class, usually in a pejorative sense; boringly conventional

The original bourgeoisie (boor zhwaw ZEE) were simply people who lived in cities, an innovation at the time. They weren’t farmers and they weren’t nobles. They were members of a new class—the middle class. Now the word is used mostly in making fun of or sneering at people who seem to think about nothing but their possessions and other comforts and about conforming with other people who share those concerns.

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2
Q

Define:

bovine

(BOH vyne)

A

adj. cow related; cowlike

Cows are bovine, obviously. Eating grass is a bovine concern. canine (KAY nyne): dogs / equine (EE kwyne): horses / feline (FEE lyne): cats / piscine (PYE seen): fish / porcine (POR syne): pigs / ursine (UR syne): bears

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3
Q

Define:

brevity

(BREV i tee)

A

n. briefness

The audience was deeply grateful for the brevity of the after-dinner speaker’s remarks.

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4
Q

Define:

broach

(brohch)

A

v. to open up a subject for discussion, often a delicate subject

Henrietta was proud of her new dress, so no one knew how to broach the subject with her of how silly grandmothers look in leather.

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5
Q

Define:

bucolic

(byoo KAHL ik)

A

adj. charmingly rural; rustic; countrylike

The changing of the autumn leaves, old stone walls, distant views, and horses grazing in green meadows are examples of bucolic splendor.

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6
Q

Define:

bureaucracy

(byoo RAHK ruh see)

A

n. a system of government administration consisting of numerous bureaus or offices, especially one run according to inflexible and inefficient rules; any large administrative system characterized by inefficiency, lots of rules, and red tape

The Department of Motor Vehicles is a bureaucracy. The forms you have to fill out all request unnecessary information. After you finally get everything all filled out and handed in, you don’t hear another word from the department for many months.

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7
Q

Define:

burgeon

(BUR jun)

A

v. to expand; to flourish

The burgeoning weeds in our yard soon overwhelmed the grass.

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8
Q

Define:

burlesque

(bur LESK)

A

n. a ludicrous, mocking, lewd imitation

Vaudeville actors frequently performed burlesque works on the stage.

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9
Q

Define:

charlatan

(SHAR luh tun)

A

n. fraud; quack; con man

Buck was selling what he claimed was a cure for cancer, but he was just a charlatan (the pills were jelly beans).

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10
Q

Define:

chasm

(KAZ um)

A

n. a deep, gaping hole; a gorge

Mark was so stupid that his girlfriend wondered whether there wasn’t a chasm where his brain should be.

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11
Q

Define:

chastise

(chas TYZE)

A

v. to inflict punishment on; to discipline

Mother chastised us for firing our bottle rockets through the living-room window.

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12
Q

Define:

chicanery

(shi KAY nuh ree)

A

n. trickery; deceitfulness; artifice, especially legal or political

Political news would be dull were it not for the chicanery of our elected officials.

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13
Q

Define:

chimera

(kye MEER uh)

A

n. an illusion; a foolish fancy

Jie’s dream of becoming a movie star was just a chimera.

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14
Q

Define:

choleric

(KAHL ur ik)

A

adj. hot-tempered; quick to anger

The choleric watchdog would sink his teeth into anyone who came within biting distance of his doghouse.

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15
Q

Define:

chronic

(KRAHN ik)

A

adj. constant; lasting a long time; inveterate

DJ’s chronic back pains often kept him from football practice, but the post-game internal bleeding lasted only a day.

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16
Q

Define:

chronicle

(KRAHN uh kul)

A

n. a record of events in order of time; a history

Sally’s diary provided her mother with a detailed chronicle of her daughter’s extracurricular activities.

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17
Q

Define:

circuitous

(sur KYOO uh tus)

A

adj. roundabout; not following a direct path

The circuitous bus route between the two cities went here, there, and everywhere, and it took an extremely long time to get any­ where.

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18
Q

Define:

circumlocution

(sur kum loh KYOO shun)

A

n. an indirect expression; use of wordy or evasive language

The lawyer’s circumlocution left everyone in the courtroom wondering what had been said.

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19
Q

Define:

circumscribe

(SUR kum skrybe)

A

v. to draw a line around; to set the limits; to define; to restrict

The Constitution clearly circumscribes the restrictions that can be placed on our personal freedoms.

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20
Q

Define:

circumspect

(SUR kum spekt)

A

adj. cautious

As a public speaker, Nick was extremely circumspect; he always took great care not to say the wrong thing or give offense.

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21
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. middle class, usually in a pejorative sense; boringly conventional

A

bourgeois

(boor ZHWAH)

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22
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. cow related; cowlike

A

bovine

(BOH vyne)

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23
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. briefness

A

brevity

(BREV i tee)

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24
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to open up a subject for discussion, often a delicate subject

A

broach

(brohch)

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25
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. charmingly rural; rustic; countrylike

A

bucolic

(byoo KAHL ik)

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26
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a system of government adminis­tration consisting of numerous bureaus or offices, especially one run ac­cording to inflexible and inefficient rules; any large administrative system characterized by inefficiency, lots of rules, and red tape

A

bureaucracy

(byoo RAHK ruh see)

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27
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to expand; to flourish

A

burgeon

(BUR jun)

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28
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a ludicrous, mocking, lewd imitation

A

burlesque

(bur LESK)

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29
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. fraud; quack; con man

A

charlatan

(SHAR luh tun)

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30
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a deep, gaping hole; a gorge

A

chasm

(KAZ um)

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31
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to inflict punishment on; to discipline

A

chastise

(chas TYZE)

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32
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. trickery; deceitfulness; artifice, espe­cially legal or political

A

chicanery

(shi KAY nuh ree)

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33
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an illusion; a foolish fancy

A

chimera

(kye MEER uh)

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34
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. hot-tempered; quick to anger

A

choleric

(KAHL ur ik)

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35
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. constant; lasting a long time; inveterate

A

chronic

(KRAHN ik)

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36
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a record of events in order of time; a history

A

chronicle

(KRAHN uh kul)

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37
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. roundabout; not following a direct path

A

circuitous

(sur KYOO uh tus)

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38
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an indirect expression; use of wordy or evasive language

A

circumlocution

(sur kum loh KYOO shun)

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39
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to draw a line around; to set the limits; to define; to restrict

A

circumscribe

(SUR kum skrybe)

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40
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. cautious

A

circumspect

(SUR kum spekt)

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41
Q

Define:

circumvent

(sur kum VENT)

A

v. to frustrate as though by surrounding

Our hopes for an early end of the meeting were circumvented by the chairperson’s refusal to deal with the items on the agenda.

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42
Q

Define:

civil

(SIV ul)

A

adj. polite; civilized; courteous

Our dinner guests conducted themselves civilly when we told them we weren’t going to serve them dinner after all. They didn’t bang their cups on the table or throw their plates to the floor.

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43
Q

Define:

clemency

(KLEM un see)

A

n. mercy; forgiveness; mildness

The governor committed an act of clemency when he released all the convicts from the state penitentiary.

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44
Q

Define:

cliché

(klee SHAY)

A

n. an overused saying or idea

The expression “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is a cliché; it’s been used so many times, that freshness has been worn away.

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45
Q

Define:

clique

(kleek)

A

n. an exclusive group bound together by some shared quality or interest

The high school newspaper staff was a real clique; they all hung out together and wouldn’t talk to anyone else. It was hard to have fun at that school if you weren’t a member of the right clique. The cheerleaders were cliquish as well.

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46
Q

Define:

coalesce

(koh uh LES)

A

v. to come together as one; to fuse; to unite

When the dough coalesced into a big black blob, we began to wonder whether the cookies would be edible.

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47
Q

Define:

coerce

(koh URS)

A

v. to force someone to do or not to do something

Darth Vader tried flattery, Darth Vader tried gifts, Darth Vader even tried to coerce, but Darth Vader was never able to make Han Solo reveal the hidden rebel base.

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48
Q

Define:

cogent

(KOH junt)

A

adj. powerfully convincing

Shaft was cogent in explaining why he needed the confidential files, so we gave them to him.

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49
Q

Define:

cognitive

(KAHG nu tiv)

A

adj. dealing with how we know the world around us through our senses; mental

Scientists study the cognitive apparatus of human beings to pattern how computers should gather information about the world. Cognition is knowing.

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50
Q

Define:

cognizant

(KAHG nu zunt)

A

adj. aware; conscious

Al was cognizant of the dangers of sword swallowing, but he tried it anyway and hurt himself quite badly.

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51
Q

Define:

coherent

(koh HEER unt)

A

adj. holding together; making sense

After puzzling over Grace’s disorganized Holy Roman Empire essay for almost an hour, Ms. Fabricius needed only twenty minutes to read Arjun’s coherent paper on the Defenestration of Prague.

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52
Q

Define:

colloquial

(kul OH kwee ul)

A

adj. conversational; informal in language

A writer with a colloquial style is a writer who uses ordinary words and whose writing seems as informal as common speech.

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53
Q

Define:

collusion

(kuh LOO zhun)

A

n. conspiracy; secret cooperation

The increase in oil prices was the result of collusion by the oil-producing nations.

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54
Q

Define:

commensurate

(kuh MEN sur it)

A

adj. equal; proportionate

Ryan’s salary is commensurate with his ability; like his ability, his salary is small.

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55
Q

Define:

compelling

(kum PEL ing)

A

adj. forceful; causing to yield

A compelling argument for buying a digital video recorder is one that makes you go out and buy a digital video recorder.

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56
Q

Define:

compendium

(kum PEN dee um)

A

n. a summary; an abridgment

A yearbook often contains a compendium of the offenses, achievements, and future plans of the members of the senior class.

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57
Q

Define:

complacent

(kum PLAY sunt)

A

adj. self-satisfied; overly pleased with oneself; contented to a fault

The complacent camper paid no attention to the bear prowling around his campsite, and the bear ate him up.

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58
Q

Define:

complement

(KAHM pluh munt)

A

v. to complete or fill up; to be the perfect counterpart

The flower arrangement complemented the table decorations.

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59
Q

Define:

complicity

(kum PLIS uh tee)

A

n. participation in wrongdoing; the act of being an accomplice

There was complicity between the bank robber and the dis­ honest teller. The teller neglected to turn on the alarm, and the robber rewarded him by sharing the loot.

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60
Q

Define:

comprehensive

(kahm pruh HEN siv)

A

adj. covering or including everything

The insurance policy was comprehensive; it covered all possible losses.

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61
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to frustrate as though by surrounding

A

circumvent

(sur kum VENT)

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62
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. polite; civilized; courteous

A

civil

(SIV ul)

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63
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. mercy; forgiveness; mildness

A

clemency

(KLEM un see)

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64
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an overused saying or idea

A

cliché

(klee SHAY)

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65
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an exclusive group bound together by some shared quality or interest

A

clique

(kleek)

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66
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to come together as one; to fuse; to unite

A

coalesce

(koh uh LES)

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67
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to force someone to do or not to do something

A

coerce

(koh URS)

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68
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. powerfully convincing

A

cogent

(KOH junt)

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69
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. dealing with how we know the world around us through our senses; mental

A

cognitive

(KAHG nu tiv)

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70
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. aware; conscious

A

cognizant

(KAHG nu zunt)

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71
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. holding together; making sense

A

coherent

(koh HEER unt)

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72
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. conversational; informal in language

A

colloquial

(kul OH kwee ul)

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73
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. conspiracy; secret cooperation

A

collusion

(kuh LOO zhun)

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74
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. equal; proportionate

A

commensurate

(kuh MEN sur it)

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75
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. forceful; causing to yield

A

compelling

(kum PEL ing)

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76
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a summary; an abridgment

A

compendium

(kum PEN dee um)

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77
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. self-satisfied; overly pleased with oneself; contented to a fault

A

complacent

(kum PLAY sunt)

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78
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to complete or fill up; to be the perfect counterpart

A

complement

(KAHM pluh munt)

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79
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. participation in wrongdoing; the act of being an accomplice

A

complicity

(kum PLIS uh tee)

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80
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. covering or including every­thing

A

comprehensive

(kahm pruh HEN siv)

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81
Q

Define:

deprecate

(DEP ruh kayt)

A

v. to express disapproval of

To deprecate a colleague’s work is to risk making yourself unwelcome in your colleague’s office.

82
Q

Define:

deride

(di RYDE)

A

v. to ridicule; to laugh at contemptuously

Geraldo derided Diana’s driving ability after their hair-raising trip down the twisting mountain road.

83
Q

Define:

derogatory

(dih RAHG uh tor ee)

A

adj. showing a critical or disrespectful attitude

Stephen could never seem to think of anything nice to say about anyone; virtually all of his comments were derogatory.

84
Q

Define:

desiccate

(DES uh kayt)

A

v. to dry out

The hot wind desiccated the few grapes remaining on the vine; after a day or two, they looked like raisins.

85
Q

Define:

despondent

(dih SPAHN dunt)

A

adj. extremely depressed; full of despair

The cook became despondent when the wedding cake exploded fifteen minutes before the reception.

86
Q

Define:

despot

(DES puht)

A

n. an absolute ruler; an autocrat

Stephen was a despot; workers who disagreed with him were fired.

87
Q

Define:

destitute

(DES tuh toot)

A

adj. extremely poor; utterly lacking

Destitute people are people without money or possessions, or with very little money and very few possessions.

88
Q

Define:

desultory

(DES ul tor ee)

A

adj. without a plan or purpose; disconnected; random

Aadi made a few desultory attempts to start a garden, but nothing came of them.

89
Q

Define:

dextrous

(DEX trus)

A

adj. skillful; adroit

Though not imposing in stature, Rashid was the most dextrous basketball player on the court; he often beat taller competitors with his nimble management of the ball.

90
Q

Define:

dialectical

(dye uh LEK ti kul)

A

adj. relating to discussions; relating to the rules and methods of reasoning; approaching truth in the middle of opposing extremes

The game of Twenty Questions is dialectical, in that the participants attempt to narrow down a chosen object by asking a series of ever more specific questions.

91
Q

Define:

dictum

(DIK tum)

A

n. an authoritative saying; an adage; a maxim; a proverb

“No pain, no gain” is a hackneyed dictum of sadistic coaches ev­ erywhere.

92
Q

Define:

didactic

(dye DAK tik)

A

adj. intended to teach; morally instructive; pedantic

Luther’s seemingly amusing talk had a didactic purpose; he was trying to show his listeners the difference between right and wrong.

93
Q

Define:

diffident

(DIF i dunt)

A

adj. timid; lacking in self-confidence

The diffident student never made a single comment in class.

94
Q

Define:

digress

(dye GRES)

A

v. to stray from the main subject

After a lengthy digression, the lecturer returned to his speech and brought it to a conclusion.

95
Q

Define:

dilettante

(DIL uh tahnt)

A

n. someone with superficial knowledge of the arts; an amateur; a dabbler

Reginald said he was an artist, but he was merely a dilettante; he didn’t know a pencil from a paintbrush.

96
Q

Define:

discern

(dih SURN)

A

v. to have insight; to see things clearly; to dis­ criminate; to differentiate

The ill-mannered people at Tisha’s party proved that she had little discernment when it came to choosing friends.

97
Q

Define:

discreet

(dih SKREET)

A

adj. prudent; judiciously reserved

The psychiatrist was very discreet; no matter how much we pestered him, he wouldn’t gossip about the problems of his famous patients.

98
Q

Define:

discrete

(dih SKREET)

A

adj. unconnected; separate; distinct

The twins were identical but their personalities were discrete.

99
Q

Define:

discriminate

(dih SKRIM uh nayt)

A

v. to notice or point out the difference between two or more things; to discern; to differentiate

A person with a refined aesthetic sense is able to discriminate subtle differences where a less observant person would see nothing. Such a person is discriminating. This kind of discrimination is a good thing.

100
Q

Define:

disdain

(dis DAYN)

A

n. arrogant scorn; contempt

Bertram viewed the hot dog with disdain, believing that to eat such a disgusting food was beneath him.

101
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to express disapproval of

A

deprecate

(DEP ruh kayt)

102
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to ridicule; to laugh at contemptuously

A

deride

(di RYDE)

103
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. showing a critical or disrespectful attitude

A

derogatory

(dih RAHG uh tor ee)

104
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to dry out

A

desiccate

(DES uh kayt)

105
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. extremely depressed; full of de­spair

A

despondent

(dih SPAHN dunt)

106
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an absolute ruler; an autocrat

A

despot

(DES puht)

107
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. extremely poor; utterly lacking

A

destitute

(DES tuh toot)

108
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. without a plan or purpose; disconnected; random

A

desultory

(DES ul tor ee)

109
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. skillful; adroit

A

dextrous

(DEX trus)

110
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. relating to discussions; relating to the rules and methods of reasoning; approaching truth in the middle of opposing extremes

A

dialectical

(dye uh LEK ti kul)

111
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an authoritative saying; an adage; a maxim; a proverb

A

dictum

(DIK tum)

112
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. intended to teach; morally instructive; pe­dantic

A

didactic

(dye DAK tik)

113
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. timid; lacking in self-confidence

A

diffident

(DIF i dunt)

114
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to stray from the main subject

A

digress

(dye GRES)

115
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. someone with superficial knowledge of the arts; an amateur; a dabbler

A

dilettante

(DIL uh tahnt)

116
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to have insight; to see things clearly; to dis­ criminate; to differentiate

A

discern

(dih SURN)

117
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. prudent; judiciously reserved

A

discreet

(dih SKREET)

118
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. unconnected; separate; distinct

A

discrete

(dih SKREET)

119
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to notice or point out the difference between two or more things; to discern; to differentiate

A

discriminate

(dih SKRIM uh nayt)

120
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. arrogant scorn; contempt

A

disdain

(dis DAYN)

121
Q

Define:

engender

(en JEN dur)

A

v. to bring into existence; to create; to cause

My winning lottery ticket engendered a great deal of envy among my co-workers; they all wished that they had won.

122
Q

Define:

enigma

(uh NIG muh)

A

n. a mystery

Ben is an enigma; he never does any homework but he always gets good grades.

123
Q

Define:

enormity

(i NOR muh tee)

A

n. extreme evil; a hideous offense; immensity

“Hugeness” or “great size” is not the main meaning of enormity. When you want to talk about the gigantic size of something, use immensity instead.

124
Q

Define:

ephemeral

(i FEM ur al)

A

adj. lasting a very short time

The tread on those used tires will probably turn out to be ephemeral.

125
Q

Define:

epigram

(EP uh gram)

A

n. a brief and usually witty or satirical saying

epigraph: an apt quotation placed at the beginning of a book or essay
epitaph: a commemorative inscription on a grave
epithet: a term used to characterize the nature of something; some­ times a disparaging term used to describe a person.

126
Q

Define:

epitome

(i PIT uh mee)

A

n. a brief summary that captures the meaning of the whole; the perfect example of something; a paradigm

The first paragraph of the new novel is an epitome of the entire book; you could read it and understand what the author was trying to get across. It epitomized the entire work.

127
Q

Define:

equanimity

(ek wuh NIM uh tee)

A

n. composure; calm

The entire apartment building was crumbling, but Rachel faced the disaster with equanimity. She ducked out of the way of a falling beam and made herself a chocolate sundae.

128
Q

Define:

equitable

(EK wuh tuh bul)

A

adj. fair

King Solomon’s decision was certainly equitable; each mother would receive half the child.

129
Q

Define:

equivocal

(ih KWIV uh kul)

A

adj. ambiguous; intentionally confusing; capable of being interpreted in more than one way

Joe’s response was equivocal; we couldn’t tell whether he meant yes or no, which is precisely what Joe wanted.

130
Q

Define:

erudite

(ER yoo dyte)

A

adj. scholarly; deeply learned

The professor said such erudite things that none of us had the slightest idea of what he was saying.

131
Q

Define:

esoteric

(es uh TER ik)

A

adj. hard to understand; understood by only a select few; peculiar

Chicken wrestling and underwater yodeling were just two of Earl’s esoteric hobbies.

132
Q

Define:

espouse

(eh SPOWZ)

A

v. to support; to advocate

The Mormons used to espouse bigamy, or marriage to more than one woman.

133
Q

Define:

ethereal

(ih THIR ee ul)

A

adj. heavenly; as light and insubstantial as a gas or ether

The ethereal music we heard turned out to be not angels pluck­ ing on their harps but the wind blowing past our satellite- television antenna.

134
Q

Define:

euphemism

(YOO fuh miz um)

A

n. a pleasant or inoffensive expression used in place of an unpleasant or offensive one

Aunt Angie, who couldn’t bring herself to say the word death, said that Uncle George had taken the big bus uptown. “Taking the big bus uptown” was her euphemism for dying.

135
Q

Define:

evanescent

(ev uh NES unt)

A

adj. fleeting; vanishing; happening for only the briefest period

Meteors are evanescent: They last so briefly that it is hard to tell whether one has actually appeared.

136
Q

Define:

exacerbate

(ig ZAS ur bayt)

A

v. to make worse

Dipping Austin in lye exacerbated his skin condition.

137
Q

Define:

exacting

(ig ZAK ting)

A

adj. extremely demanding; difficult; requiring great skill or care

The exacting math teacher subtracted points for even the most unimportant errors.

138
Q

Define:

exalt

(ig ZAWLT)

A

v. to raise high; to glorify

The manager decided to exalt the lowly batboy by asking him to pitch in the opening game of the World Series.

139
Q

Define:

exasperate

(ig ZAS puh rayt)

A

v. to annoy thoroughly; to make very angry; to try the patience of

The child’s insistence on hopping backward on one foot exasperated his mother, who was in a hurry.

140
Q

Define:

exemplify

(ig ZEM pluh fye)

A

v. to illustrate by example; to serve as a good example

Fred participated in every class discussion and typed all of his papers. His teacher thought Fred exemplified the model student; Fred’s classmates thought he was sycophantic.

141
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to bring into existence; to create; to cause

A

engender

(en JEN dur)

142
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a mystery

A

enigma

(uh NIG muh)

143
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. extreme evil; a hideous offense; im­mensity

A

enormity

(i NOR muh tee)

144
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. lasting a very short time

A

ephemeral

(i FEM ur al)

145
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a brief and usually witty or satirical saying

A

epigram

(EP uh gram)

146
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a brief summary that captures the meaning of the whole; the perfect example of something; a paradigm

A

epitome

(i PIT uh mee)

147
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. composure; calm

A

equanimity

(ek wuh NIM uh tee)

148
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. fair

A

equitable

(EK wuh tuh bul)

149
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. ambiguous; intentionally confusing; capable of being interpreted in more than one way

A

equivocal

(ih KWIV uh kul)

150
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. scholarly; deeply learned

A

erudite

(ER yoo dyte)

151
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. hard to understand; understood by only a select few; peculiar

A

esoteric

(es uh TER ik)

152
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to support; to advocate

A

espouse

(eh SPOWZ)

153
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. heavenly; as light and insubstantial as a gas or ether

A

ethereal

(ih THIR ee ul)

154
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a pleasant or inoffensive expression used in place of an unpleasant or offensive one

A

euphemism

(YOO fuh miz um)

155
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. fleeting; vanishing; happening for only the briefest period

A

evanescent

(ev uh NES unt)

156
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to make worse

A

exacerbate

(ig ZAS ur bayt)

157
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. extremely demanding; difficult; requiring great skill or care

A

exacting

(ig ZAK ting)

158
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to raise high; to glorify

A

exalt

(ig ZAWLT)

159
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to annoy thoroughly; to make very angry; to try the patience of

A

exasperate

(ig ZAS puh rayt)

160
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to illustrate by example; to serve as a good example

A

exemplify

(ig ZEM pluh fye)

161
Q

Define:

foment

(foh MENT)

A

v. to stir up; to instigate

The bad news from abroad fomented pessimism among professional investors.

162
Q

Define:

forbear

(for BAYR)

A

v. to refrain from; to abstain

Stephen told me I could become a millionaire if I joined him in his business, but his company makes me nervous so I decided to forbear.

163
Q

Define:

forego

(for GOH)

A

v. to do without; to forbear

We had some of the chocolate cake, some of the chocolate mousse, and some of the chocolate cream pie, but we were worried about our weight so we decided to forego the chocolate- covered potato chips. That is, we forewent them.

164
Q

Define:

forsake

(for SAYK)

A

v. to abandon; to renounce; to relinquish

We urged Buddy to forsake his life with the alien beings and return to his job at the drugstore.

165
Q

Define:

fortuitous

(for TOO uh tus)

A

adj. accidental; occurring by chance

The program’s outcome was not the result of any plan but was entirely fortuitous.

166
Q

Define:

founder

(FOWN dur)

A

v. to fail; to collapse; to sink

The candidate’s campaign for the presidency foundered when it was revealed that he had once been married to a drug addict.

167
Q

Define:

fraternal

(fruh TUR nul)

A

adj. like brothers

The fraternal feelings of the group were strengthened by the monthly fishing trips that were planned.

168
Q

Define:

frenetic

(fruh NET ik)

A

adj. frantic; frenzied

There was a lot of frenetic activity in the office, but nothing ever seemed to get accomplished.

169
Q

Define:

frugal

(FROO gul)

A

adj. economical; penny-pinching

Laura was so frugal that she even tried to bargain with the checkout girl at the supermarket.

170
Q

Define:

furtive

(FUR tiv)

A

adj. secretive; sly

Cal wiggled his ears while the countess was talking to him in a furtive attempt to catch our attention.

171
Q

Define:

futile

(FYOOT ul)

A

adj. useless; hopeless

A D+ average and no extracurricular interests to speak of meant that applying to Harvard was futile, but Lucinda hoped against hope.

172
Q

Define:

impervious

(im PUR vee us)

A

adj. not allowing anything to pass through; impenetrable

A raincoat, if it is any good, is impervious to water. It is made of an impervious material.

173
Q

Define:

impetuous

(im PECH oo wus)

A

adj. impulsive; extremely impatient

Impetuous Dick always seemed to be running off to buy a new car, even if he had just bought one the day before.

174
Q

Define:

implement

(IM pluh munt)

A

v. to carry out

Leo developed a plan for shortening the grass in his yard, but he was unable to implement it because he didn’t have a lawn mower.

175
Q

Define:

impotent

(IM puh tunt)

A

adj. powerless; helpless; unable to perform sexual intercourse

Joe and Olga made a few impotent efforts to turn aside the steamroller, but it squished their vegetable garden anyway.

176
Q

Define:

impugn

(im PYOON)

A

v. to attack, especially to attack the truth or integrity of something

The critic impugned the originality of Jacob’s novel, claiming that long stretches of it had been lifted from the work of some­ one else.

177
Q

Define:

inane

(i NAYN)

A

adj. silly; senseless

Their plan to make an indoor swimming pool by flooding their basement was inane.

178
Q

Define:

inaugurate

(in AW gyuh rayt)

A

v. to begin officially; to induct formally into office

The mayor inaugurated the new no-smoking policy and then celebrated by lighting up a big cigar.

179
Q

Define:

incandescent

(in kun DES unt)

A

adj. brilliant; giving off heat or light

An incandescent light bulb is one containing a wire or filament that gives off light when it is heated. An incandescent person is one who gives off light or energy in a figurative sense.

180
Q

Define:

incantation

(in kan TAY shun)

A

n. a chant; the repetition of statements or phrases in a way reminiscent of a chant

Much to our delight, the wizard’s incantation eventually caused the small stone to turn into a sleek black BMW.

181
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to stir up; to instigate

A

foment

(foh MENT)

182
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to refrain from; to abstain

A

forbear

(for BAYR)

183
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to do without; to forbear

A

forego

(for GOH)

184
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to abandon; to renounce; to relinquish

A

forsake

(for SAYK)

185
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. accidental; occurring by chance

A

fortuitous

(for TOO uh tus)

186
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to fail; to collapse; to sink

A

founder

(FOWN dur)

187
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. like brothers

A

fraternal

(fruh TUR nul)

188
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. frantic; frenzied

A

frenetic

(fruh NET ik)

189
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. economical; penny-pinching

A

frugal

(FROO gul)

190
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. secretive; sly

A

furtive

(FUR tiv)

191
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. useless; hopeless

A

futile

(FYOOT ul)

192
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. not allowing anything to pass through; impenetrable

A

impervious

(im PUR vee us)

193
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. impulsive; extremely impatient

A

impetuous

(im PECH oo wus)

194
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to carry out

A

implement

(IM pluh munt)

195
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. powerless; helpless; unable to perform sexual intercourse

A

impotent

(IM puh tunt)

196
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to attack, especially to attack the truth or integrity of something

A

impugn

(im PYOON)

197
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. silly; senseless

A

inane

(i NAYN)

198
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to begin officially; to induct formally into office

A

inaugurate

(in AW gyuh rayt)

199
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. brilliant; giving off heat or light

A

incandescent

(in kun DES unt)

200
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a chant; the repetition of statements or phrases in a way reminiscent of a chant

A

incantation

(in kan TAY shun)

Word Smart I (9 decks)

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