Deck 6 Flashcards
succor
/ˈsʌkər/
relief; help in time of distress or want
The woman was accused of providing succor to the enemy in the form of food and medical help.
suffrage
/ˈsʌfrɪdʒ/
the right to vote
The pivotal feminist goal of suffrage was not obtained in the United States until 1920, and in Britain not until 1928.
sundry
/ˈsʌndri/
various
The main character in the novel returns home safely after his sundry adventures.
supersede
/ˌsupərˈsid/
to replace, especially to displace as inferior or antiquated
Malay was the lingua franca of the Malay peninsula for centuries, but in many parts of that region it is being superseded in that role by a European interloper, English.
supine
/adj. suˈpaɪn; n. ˈsupaɪn/
lying on the back; marked by lethargy
The captured robbery suspects were held supine on the floor.
supplant
/səˈplænt, -ˈplɑnt/
to replace; substitute
The “Frankenstein monster” fear of some people is that AI machines will eventually supplant biological life forms, making such life redundant or even subservient.
suppliant
/ˈsʌpliənt/
beseeching; 嘆願［懇願］する（ような）
The worshippers raised their suppliant voices to God, praying for forgiveness.
supplicant
/ˈsʌplɪkənt/
one who asks humbly and earnestly
The mother of the man sentenced to be executed appeared as a supplicant before the governeor, asking him to grant her son clemency.
supposition
the act of assuming to be true or real
Science proceeds on the supposition that knowledge is possible.
syllogism
/ˈsɪləˌdʒɪzəm/
a form of deductive reasoning that has a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion
The following syllogism is often taught in logic courses: “All Xs are Ys, all Ys are Zs; therefore, all Xs are Zs.”
sylvan
/ˈsɪlvən/
related to the woods or forest
The house’s sylvan setting provides the family with beauty and tranquility.
tacit
/ˈtæsɪt/
silently understood; implied
During the Cold War, there was a tacit assumption on the part of both the Soviet Union and the United States that neither side would launch an unprovoked nuclear attack against the other side.
talisman
/ˈtælɪsmən, -ɪz-/
charm to bring good luck and avert misfortune; お守り
The soldier’s mother gave him a talisman to protect him from harm during battle.
tangential
/tænˈdʒɛnʃəl/
peripheral; digressing; 脱線して、ほとんど関係のない
The judge ruled that the evidence had only a tangential bearing on the case and directed the lawyer to present only a brief summary of it.
tautology
/tɔˈtɒlədʒi/
unnecessary repetition; 類語反復、同語反復
Unless the phrase “repeat again” is being used to refer to something that has occurred more than twise, it is a tautology.
taxonomy
/tækˈsɒnəmi/
science of classification; in biology, the process of classifying organisims in categories
In the late seventeenth century and the eighteenth century accurate observation of organisms developed, leading to the development of the sciences of taxonomy and morphology (the study of the form and structure of organisms.)
tenet
/ˈtɛnɪt; Brit. also ˈtinɪt/
belief; doctrine
In his novel, the psychologist depecits a brave new world based on the tenets of a behavioral psychology that frees human beings from the inhibitions and preconceptions of traditional society.
tenuous
/ˈtɛnyuəs/
weak; insubstantial
Study of the historical evidence has shown that there is only a tenuous connection between the country Plato describes in The Republic and the legendary land of Atlantis.
terrestrial
eartly; commonplace
Much of our information about Mars comes from the Mariner 9 spacecraft, which orbited the planet in 1971; Mariner 9, photographing 100% of the planet, uncovered many spectacular geological formations, including a vast Martian canyon that dwarfs the terrestrial Grand Canyon.
theocracy
/θiˈɒkrəsi/
government by priests representing a god; 神政［神権］政治、神政国家
All Islamic fundamentalists are opposed to secularism, and some of them support theocracy.
thespian
/ˈθɛspiən/
an actor or actress
Every year the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland gives thespians from around the world the opportunity to perform before a diverse audience.
timbre
/ˈtæmbər, ˈtɪm-; Fr. ˈtɛ̃brə/
the characteristic quality of sound produced by a particular instrument or voice; tone color
The audience was delighted by the rich timbre of the singer’s soprano.
tirade
/ˈtaɪreɪd, taɪˈreɪd/
long, violent speech; verbal assault
The students had no choice but to sit and wait for the principal’s tirade about poor discipline to end.
toady
/ˈtoʊdi/
flatterer; hanger-on; yes-man
The boss had no respect for the employee because he considered him a toady who would do anything he said.
tome
/toʊm/
book, usually large and academic
Despite being an abridged edition of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary, the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary consists of two tomes that define over half a million words.
torpor
/ˈtɔrpər/
lethargy; dormancy; sluggishness
After returning home from his coast-to-coast trip, the truck driver sank into a peaceful torpor, watching TV and dozing.
torque
/tɔrk/
a turning or twisting force; the moment of a force; the measure of a force’s tendency to produce twisting or turning and rotation around an axis
Internal combustion engines produce useful torque over a rather circumscribed range of rotational speeds (normally from about 1,000 rpm to 6,000 rpm.)
tortuous
/ˈtɔrtʃuəs/
having many twists and turns; highly complex
Only the world’s leading mathematicians are able to follow the tortuous line of reasoning … to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem.
tout
/taʊt/
to promote or praise energetically
The critic touted Moby Dick as the greatest book in American literature.
tractable
obedient; yielding; easily managed or controlled
The country’s leader found that the people became more tractable when he made them believe there was a great threat facing them that only he could overcome.
transgression
act of trespassing or violating a law or rule
The teacher made it clear on the first day of the term that she would not countenance any transgression of classroom rules.
transient
/ˈtrænʃənt, -ʒənt, -ziənt/
temporary; short-lived; fleeting
A hypothesis to explain the fact that American states in which the population is composed of a large number of recently settled people tend to have high rates of crime, suicide, divorce, and other social problems is that anomie is higher in transient populations than in more stable populations, resulting in more antisocial behavior.
translucent
partially transparent
The architect decided to install a translucent door in the room to allow outside light to shine in.
travail
/trəˈveɪl, ˈtræveɪl/
work, especially arduous work; tribulation; anguish; 苦労、骨折り
America’s early pioneers endured great travail, but persevered and eventually settled much of the vast continent.
travesty
/ˈtrævəsti/
parody; exaggeratd imitation; caricature; 曲解、茶番、まがいもの
The playwright complained that the musical comedy version of his play was a travesty of his work.
treatise
/ˈtritɪs/
article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly; 論文
The thesis of the philosopher’s treatise is that reality is, ultimately, opaque to human understanding.
tremulous
/ˈtrɛmyələs/
trembling; quivering; frugal; timid;
One of the most famous poems in English literature is Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach,” in which the speaker listens to the “tremulous cadence slow” of waves on the shore.
trepidation
/ˌtrɛpɪˈdeɪʃən/
fear and anxiety
John tried to hide his trepidation when he proposed to Susie, the girl he loved.
truculence
/ˈtrʌkyələnt, ˈtrukyə-/
aggressiveness; ferocity; 好戦性、けんか腰
The principal warned the student that his truculence might one day land him in jail.
tryst
/trɪst, traɪst/
agreement between lovers to meet; rendezvous
In his novel, Thomas describes an ancient Roman amphitheater where lovers often arranged secret trysts.
tumid
/ˈtumɪd, ˈtyu-/
swollen; pompous or inflated, as language; 腫れた、おおげさな
The prose of writers discussing lofty subjects sometimes becomes tumid.
turbid
/ˈtɜrbɪd/
not clear or transparent because of stirred-up sediment or the like; clouded; opaque; in a state of great confusion
The poem captures the restless and turbid state of the soldier’s mind the night before the decisive battle was set to begin.
turgid
/ˈtɜrdʒɪd/
swollen; inflated, overblown, or pompous; bombastic
The professor’s editor advised him to change his writing style so that it was less pedantic and turgid if he wanted to apeal to a mass audience.
tutelary
/ˈtutlˌɛri, ˈtyut-/
serving as a guardian or protector
Most of the people of ancient Rome believed in the existence of tutelary spirits.
uncanny
/ʌnˈkæni/
mysterious; strange
Some people believe that the psychic has an uncanny ability to accurately predict the future.
undulate
/v. ˈʌndʒəˌleɪt, ˈʌndyə-, -də-; adj. ˈʌndʒəlɪt, -ˌleɪt, ˈʌndyə-, -də-/
to move with a sinuous or wavelike motion; display a smooth rising-and-falling or side-to-side alternation of movement
The undulating terrain of the area has made it difficult for engineers to build roads there.
unfeigned
/ʌnˈfeɪnd/
not false; not made up; genuine
The child smiled in unfeigned delight when she opened the Christmas present.
untenable
/ʌnˈtɛnəbəl/
incapable of being defended, as an argument, thesis, etc.; indefensible
Skeptics are inclined to regard arguments for God’s existence from design as meaningless, since they rely on a logically untenable position that assumes the conclusion of their argument - God’s existence.
untoward
/ʌnˈtɔrd, -ˈtoʊrd/
unfavorable or unfortunate; troublesome; adverse; unruly
Police were called in to investigate whether anything untoward had happened to the missing man.
usury
/ˈyuʒəri/
practice of lending money at exorbitant rates; 高利貸し、高利
In the 1980’s, Delaware Governor Pierre S. Du Pont succeeded in having the state’s usury laws liberalized, with the result that many large New York banks set up subsidiaries in Delaware.
vacillate
/ˈvæsəˌleɪt/
to waver; oscillate; 揺れる、二の足を踏む
The senator’s position keeps vacillating between remaining neutral and lending his support to the proposal.
vacuous
empty; void; lacking intelligence; purposeless
In Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, the youngest of the five Bennett daughters, Lydia, is portrayed as a vacuous young woman with few interests other than having fun.
valedictory
/ˌvælɪˈdɪktəri/
pertaining to a farewell
The 80-year-old actor came out of retirement to give a valedictory performance on Broadway.
vapid
/ˈvæpɪd/
tasteless; dull
To relax in the evening the judge likes to watch vapid situation comedies on TV.
variegated
/ˈvɛəriɪˌgeɪtɪd, ˈvɛərɪˌgeɪ-/
varied; marked with different colors
Botanists are still working to catalog the variegated species of the tropical rain forest.
vaunt
/vɔnt, vɑnt/
to boast; brag; 自慢する、うぬぼれて話す
The head coach warned her players not to vaunt their undefeated record.
venal
/ˈvinl/
bribable; mercenary; corruptible
The depressing though inescapable conclusion the journalist reached is that the mayor went into politics for motives that were almost entirely venal.
vendetta
/vɛnˈdɛtə/
prolonged feud marked by bitter hostility; 〔長期間の激しい〕抗争、確執
The judge warned both families that the vendetta between them had to end at once.
venerate
/ˈvɛnəˌreɪt/
to adore; honor; respect
Mother Theresa is venerated for her compassion for the poor people of India.
veracious
/vəˈreɪʃəs/
truthful; accurate
The witness’ testimony appeared to be veracious at first, but under cross-examination, several inconsistencies appeared.
verbose
/vərˈboʊs/
characterized by the use of many or too many words; wordy:
The skillful editor cut 20% of the words from the verbose manuscript without appreciably altering its meaning.
vertigo
/ˈvɜrtɪˌgoʊ/
dizziness
The physician diagnosed the patient’s vertigo as being caused by an acute anxiety attack.
vexation
/vɛkˈseɪʃən/
irritation; annoyance; confusion; puzzlement
Some people have the ability to prosper and live happily despite life’s inevitable vexations.
viable
/ˈvaɪəbəl/
practicable; capable of developing
Since the early 1950s, government planners have faced a dilemma: Spend a great deal of money to keep cities viable by rebuiding decrepit infrastructure, or allow them to decay.
vindictive
/vɪnˈdɪktɪv/
spiteful; vengeful; unforgiving
The Treaty of Versailles, which concluded World War I, was deliberately vindictive, imposing tremendous penalties on the defeated nation.
virtuoso
/ˌvɜrtʃuˈoʊsoʊ/
someone with masterly skills; expert musician
The British guitar virtuoso John Williams has entertained thousands of people during his long career.
visage
/ˈvɪzɪdʒ/
countenance; appearance; aspect; 顔、容貌、様相
The infant studied its mother’s visage intently.
viscous
/ˈvɪskəs/
thick, syrupy, and sticky
The maple syrup is so viscous we had trouble pouring it.
vitiate
/ˈvɪʃiˌeɪt/
to impair the quality of; corrupt morally; make inoperative
Unfortunately, one error in the study’s methodology vitiates the entire body of work.
vituperative
/vaɪˈtupərətɪv, -pəˌreɪtɪv, -ˈtyu-, vɪ-/
using or containing harsh, abusive censure; 罵りの、毒舌を振るう
The young music critic’s vituperative comments aroused the wrath of nearly every serious composer.
vivisection
/ˌvɪvəˈsɛkʃən/
dissection, surgery, or painful experiments performed on a living animal for the purpose of scientific research
The book Animal Rights by the philosopher Tom Regan contains a long discussion of vivisection.
vogue
something in fashion, as at a particular time
Short hairdos were the vogue in the twenties.
vortex
whirlpool; whirlwind; center of turbulence
Inexorably, the country was drawn into the vortex of war.
warranted
justified
The book argues that a new investigation into Marilyn Monroe’s death is warranted by new evidence released by the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act.
wary
careful; cautious
According to psychologists, human beings are naturally wary of strangers.
welter
to wallow or roll; toss about; be in turmoil; 揺れる、うねる、転げ回る
The pigs weltered about happily in the mud.
whimsical
/ˈʰwɪmzɪkəl, ˈwɪm-/
fanciful; unpredictable
Many children appreciate Dr. Seuss’ whimsical stories.
wistful
vaguely longing; sadly thoughtful
The poem casts a wistful look back at a way of life that has vanished forever.
zealot
/ˈzɛlət/
one who is fanatically devoted to a cause
The Crusades of the eleventh to thirteenth centuries were conceived of by Christian zealots as a way to drive the Islamic interlopers from the Holy Land.
