English Flashcards
Abjure
1 formal a : to renounce upon oath
b : to reject solemnly
2 formal : to abstain from : avoid
Annular
of, relating to, or forming a ring
an annular skin lesion
Assiduous
: showing great care, attention, and effort : marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent application
assiduous planning
an assiduous book collector
She tended her garden with assiduous attention.
Bemuse
1 : to make confused : PUZZLE, BEWILDER
2 : to occupy the attention of : DISTRACT, ABSORB
has bemused audiences around the world
3 : to cause to have feelings of wry or tolerant amusement
Caprice
1a : a sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated notion or action
policy changes that seem to be motivated by nothing more than caprice
b : a sudden usually unpredictable condition, change, or series of changes
the caprices of the weather
2 : a disposition to do things impulsively
a preference for democratic endeavor over authoritarian caprice
Beneficent
1 : doing or producing good a beneficent policy especially : performing acts of kindness and charity a beneficent leader 2 : BENEFICIAL beneficent bacteria
Cavitation
a : the formation of partial vacuums in a liquid by a swiftly moving solid body (such as a propeller) or by high-intensity sound waves
also : the pitting and wearing away of solid surfaces (as of metal or concrete) as a result of the collapse of these vacuums in surrounding liquid
b : the formation of cavities in an organ or tissue especially in disease
Codicil
1 : a legal instrument made to modify an earlier will
2 : APPENDIX, SUPPLEMENT
Equanimity
1 : evenness of mind especially under stress
nothing could disturb his equanimity
2 : right disposition : BALANCE
physical equanimity
Fait accompli
: a thing accomplished and presumably irreversible
he charged that the members were presented with a fait accompli instead of being called to a meeting to discuss the policy change
Gelding
1 : a castrated animal
specifically : a castrated male horse
2 archaic : EUNUCH
Expiate
1a : to make amends for permission to expiate their offences by their assiduous labours — Francis Bacon b : to extinguish the guilt incurred by 2 obsolete : to put an end to
Hypergolic
1 : igniting upon contact of components without external aid (such as a spark)
2 : of, relating to, or using hypergolic fuel
Histrionic
1 : deliberately affected : overly dramatic or emotional : THEATRICAL
histrionic gestures
a tendency to become histrionic
2 : of or relating to actors, acting, or the theater
seeking histrionic perfection
Gammon
Talk intended to deceive
“As soon as he had gammoned him sufficiently, he let him out, and sent him about his business.”
-The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, Edgar Allan Poe
Grandiloquence
: a lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic style, manner, or quality especially in language
was urged to follow up his grandiloquence with positive action
Livery
1a : a concern offering vehicles (such as boats) for rent
a canoe livery
an automobile livery
b : the feeding, stabling, and care of horses for pay
c : LIVERY STABLE
2a chiefly British : an identifying design (as on a vehicle) that designates ownership
b : a servant’s uniform
c : the distinctive clothing or badge formerly worn by the retainers (see RETAINER entry 1 sense 1) of a person of rank
d : distinctive dress : GARB
a nun’s traditional livery
3 : the act of delivering legal possession of property
4 archaic : the apportioning of provisions especially to servants : ALLOWANCE
5 archaic
a : one’s retainers or retinue
b : the members of a British livery company
Interferometer
an apparatus that utilizes the interference of waves (as of light) for precise determinations (as of distance or wavelength)
Parsimony
1a : the quality of being careful with money or resources : THRIFT
the necessity of wartime parsimony
b : the quality or state of being stingy
The charity was surprised by the parsimony of some larger corporations.
2 : economy in the use of means to an end
especially : economy of explanation in conformity with Occam’s razor
the scientific law of parsimony dictates that any example of animal behavior should be interpreted at its simplest, most immediate level
— Peter Gorner
Plenipotentiary
1 : invested with full power
2 : of or relating to a plenipotentiary
: a person and especially a diplomatic agent invested with full power to transact business
Obstreperous
1 : marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness : CLAMOROUS
obstreperous merriment
an obstreperous argument
2 : stubbornly resistant to control : UNRULY
obstreperous behavior
an obstreperous child
Occult
to shut off from view or exposure : COVER, ECLIPSE
the light of a star that was about to be occulted … by Uranus itself
— Jonathan Eberhart
Patrician
1 : a member of one of the original citizen families of ancient Rome
2a : a person of high birth : ARISTOCRAT
one of the most nobly born of English patricians
— Sam Schulman
b : a person of breeding and cultivation
a tall patrician … who looked as if she was accustomed to serving on boards and making important decisions
— J. A. Michener
Putative
1 : commonly accepted or supposed
2 : assumed to exist or to have existed
