Deck 0 Flashcards
abate
to decrease
NASA announced that it would delay the launch of the manned spacecraft until the radiation from the solar flares abated.
abdicate
to give up a position, right, power, or responsibility
The appeals judge has abdicated his responsibility to review the findings of the high court.
aberrant
deviating from what is normal
When a person’s behavior becomes aberrant, his or her peers may become concerned that the individual is becoming a deviant.
abeyance
temporary suppression or suspension
A good judge must hold his or her judgement in abeyance until all the facts in a case have been presented.
abject
miserable; pitiful
The novel portrays the abject poverty of many people during the Great Depression.
abjure
to reject; abandon formally
Most members of the Religious Society of Friends abjure the use of violence to settle disputes between nations.
abscission
the act of cutting; the natural separation of a leaf or other part of a plant
Premature leaf abscission is an adaptive plant response to herbivorous attack.
abscond
to depart secretly
A warrant is out for the arrest of a person believed to have absconded with three million dollars.
abstemious
moderate in appetite
Some research suggests that people with an abstemious lifestyle tend to live longer than people who indulge their appetites.
abstinence
the giving up of certain pleasures
The monk’s vow of abstinence includes all intoxicating substances.
abysmal
very bad
The abysmal failure of the free market system in Russia has led some people to argue that …
accretion
growth in size or increase in amount
a steady accretion of the crust
accrue
to accumulate; grow by additions
Regulating the growth of large companies when they begin to become monopolistic is a difficult task for government in a capitalist country; if it limits monopolies too much, the nation’s firms could become less competitive than foreign companies that enjoy the advantages accruing from greater monopolies.
adamant
uncompromising; unyielding
Despite widespread opposition to his plan, the political party’s leader is adamant that the party must move to the center to appeal to moderate voters.
adjunct
something added, attached, or joined
Speed walking, cross-country running, and marathons are normally regarded as adjuncts of track and filed athletics since races in these sports are not normally held on a track.
admonish
to caution or reprimand
The judge admonished the jury to discount testimony that had been ruled inadmissible.
adulterate
to corrupt or make impure
The unscrupulous company sells an adulterated version of the drug, and doesn’t inform consumers that they are getting a less efficacious drug than they think they are getting.
scrupulous
having or showing a strict regard for what one considers right; principled; 実直な
affected
acted upon; influenced in a harmful way; impaired, harmed, or attacked, as by climate or disease.
It has been argued that the emphasis on so-called “proper-English” leads to unnatural and affected speech.
affinity
fondness, liking; similarity
The female students in the class felt an affinity for the ancient Greek playwright Euripides because he sympathized with women, slaves, and other despised members of his society.
aggrandize
to make larger or greater
One of the concerns of the framers of the U.S. Constitution was that one branch of government would try to aggrandize itself at the expense of the others.
aggregate
amounting to a whole; total
The aggregate wealth of a country includes private as well as public resources and possessions.
alacrity
cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed
The football coach was pleased to see the team get to work on the task of improving its tackling skills with alacrity.
allay
to lessen; ease; soothe
Improvements in antivirus software have allayed many people’s fears of having their computers “infected” with malicious software.
alleviate
to relieve; improve partially
Capitalism is very efficient at increasing absolute wealth but it is not as successful at alleviating relative poverty.
alloy
a combination; a mixture of two or more metals
Scientists formulate alloys to create properties that are not possessed by natural metals or other substances.
allure
n.v. the power to entice by charm;
to entice by charm
Political groups in the United States often lobby Congress to use the allure of America’s vast market as an incentive for countries to pursue policies in accordance with American policies.
amalgamate
to combine into a unified whole
In early 1999, six municipalities were amalgamated into an enlarged city of Toronto, Canada.
ambivalence
the state of having conflicting emotional attitudes
Johne felt some ambivalence about getting married before finishing college.
ambrosia
something delicious; the food of the gods
The combination of flavors in the Moroccan backed eggplant was pure ambrosia.
ameliorate
to improve
Knowing they could not stop the spread of a contagion in a few days, health authorities worked to inhibit its spread and to ameliorate its effects by issuing warnings to the public and initiating immunization programs.
amenable
agreeable; cooperative; suited
The young writer is amenable to suggestions for improving her prose style to make it more interesting.
amenity
something that increases comfort
Many amenities considered normal and necessary by people in developed countries, such as indoor plumbing, were luxuries only a few generations ago.
anachronism
something out of the proper time
Some experts regard the retirement age of 65 as an anachronism at a time when people in the developed world have much longer life expectancies than previously.
analgesic
medication that reduces or eliminates pain
Aspirin is a powerful analgesic that was introduced in 1899 and is still one of the most effective medicines available to alleviate pain, fever, and inflammation.
anodyne
something that calms or soothes pain
Some people use alcohol as an anodyne to numb their emotional pain.
anomalous
irregular; deviating from the norm
The psychologist discounted the anomalous behavior of the soldier, saying it was merely a short-term effect of the stress of battle.
antecedent
something that comes before
an antecedent event
antediluvian
prehistoric
Most of our knowledge of antediluvian times has been built up as a result of one of humanity’s grandest collaborative endeavors - the gathering, identification, dating, and categorization of fossils as they are discovered.
antipathy
dislike; hostility
Heathcliff feels great antipathy for Edgar, the man who marries the woman he loves.
apathy
indifference
Apathy was high in the election because there was no major controversy or issue to arouse voter interest.
apex
the highest point
In English literature, classicism reached its apex in the poertry of Alexander Pope and the other Augustans.
apogee
the point in an orbit most distant from the body being orbited; the highest point
The Ottoman Empire reached its apogee in the seventeenth century, when it controlled a territory running from Budapest to North Africa.
apothegm
a terse, witty saying
One of the best-known political apothegms was written by the British historian Lord Acton: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
appease
to calm; pacify; placate
Many historians have criticized British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain for trying to appease Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.
