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Malay was the lingua franca of the Malay peninsula for centuries, but in many parts of that region it is being superseded in that role by a European interloper, English.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.
