English, 7 Flashcards
Surfeit
an overindulgence that causes disgust or revulsion
Enmity
hostility between enemies
Swarthy
having a dark complexion
Supplicate
an appeal made to somebody in authority
Glean
to obtain information in small amounts over time
Bifurcate
to divide in two
Maladroit
clumsy or insensitive in speech or behavior
Dalliance
1) a flirtation or affair; 2) an idle waste of time
Facilitate
to simplify a process
Quisling
a traitor
Arrears
unpaid debts
Intone
to say something in a solemn tone
Hale
in robust good health
Skint
penniless
Bibulous
tending to drink too much alcohol
Spadework
preliminary work that is often hard drudgery
Indigence
destitution
Dotard
offensive term for somebody who is thought to be unable to think clearly, especially when attributed to old age
Inviolable
secure from being infringed, breached, or broken
Parricide
murder of a parent
Guerdon
a reward
Bewail
to lament something
Condign
completely appropriate, fitting
Libation
the pouring out of a liquid as a sacrifice
Oblation
the offering of a gift or sacrifice to a deity
Gaud
a showy trinket or ornament
Fardel
a tied package (archaic)
Insensate
without feeling; cold and heartless
Connivance
secret plotting
Emulous
motivated or characterized by rivalry or imitation
Cumber
to hamper somebody
Insatiate
same as insatiable
Malapert
impudent or bold in speech or behavior (archaic or literary)
Verdure
the green color associated with lush vegetation
Recusant
a Roman Catholic who broke the law by refusing to attend Church of England services in England between the 16th and 18th centuries
Gibe
mocking remark
Impetuous
acting impulsively
Dilatory
tending to waste time or move slowly
Manifest
clear to see or understand
Repine
to feel dissatisfied and complain about it
Adduce
to offer as evidence
Deliquesce
to become liquid from decaying
Misologist
a hater of ideas or reason
Asseverate
to state something earnestly or solemnly
Equipoise
a state of balance
Perfidious
deceitful and untrustworthy
Wight
a living person
Panegyrist
extravagant praise delivered in formal speech or writing
Encomium
a formal text that expresses high praise for somebody
Epicure
somebody who has developed a refined taste for food
Impregnable
too strong to be captured or entered by force
Torpid
sluggish
Felicitate
to congratulate somebody
Quietus
death, especially viewed as a welcome release from life
Eristic
fond of arguing or controversy
Fecundity
1) the ability to produce offspring, especially in large numbers; 2) the ability to produce many different and original ideas
Concupiscence
powerful feelings of physical desire
Amenable
1) willing to cooperate; 2) able to be affected or judged
Allay
to calm emotions or worry
Facetious
intended to be humorous, but usually inappropriate
Inanition
exhaustion caused by lack of food or water or as a result of disease
Caitiff
coward
Supercilious
full of contempt and arrogance
Pastiche
a piece of creative work, e.g. in literature, drama, or art, that imitates and often satirizes another work or style
Remittance
the act of paying
Diasporas
a dispersion of a people, language, or culture that was formerly concentrated in one place
Gentrify
to transform a run-down or aging neighborhood into a more prosperous one
Presage
a sense of something to come
Embryonic
in an initial or rudimentary stage of development
Commensurable
related by virtue of sharing the same system of measurement or by being measurable using the same units
Corporeal
relating to or involving the physical body rather than the mind or spirit
Pugilist
the practice, sport, or profession of boxing
Chasten
to make somebody less self-satisfied or self-assertive and more subdued
Internecine
1) involving conflict within a group; 2) damaging or injuring participants on both sides of a conflict
Despond
to become discouraged or lose hope
Nimby
somebody who objects to something unattractive or potentially dangerous being located near his or her home
Fitful
starting and stopping irregularly
Hedonism
a devotion, especially a self-indulgent one, to pleasure and happiness as a way of life
Demimonde
people who are not considered to be entirely respectable
Ossification
the process of becoming set and inflexible in behavior, attitudes, and actions
Turgid
swollen and distended or congested
Conurbation
an extended urban area, typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of one or more cities
Spurious
not being what it purports to be; false or fake
Dirigisme
state control of economic and social matters
Arriviste
an ambitious or ruthlessly self-seeking person, especially one who has recently acquired wealth or social status
Wastrel
a wasteful or good-for-nothing person
Historiography
the study of historical writing
Parsimonious
unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal
Gumshoe
a detective
Espouse
adopt or support
Marginalize
to treat as insignificant or peripheral
Hamstring
severely restrict the efficiency or effectiveness of
Scintilla
a tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling
Risible
such as to provoke laughter
Obstreperous
noisy and difficult to control
Mitigate
make less severe, serious, or painful
Capitulate
cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; surrender
Perfunctory
carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection
Pusillanimous
showing a lack of courage or determination; timid
Plebeian
of or belonging to a lower class; lacking in refinement
