Essential Words Units 1-5

Question 1

abate

Answer 1

decrease, reduce

Question 2

abdicate

Answer 2

give up a position, right or power

Question 3

de facto

Answer 3

in fact, whether by right or not; exercising power without being legally established

Question 4

aberrant

Answer 4

deviating from the norm

Question 5

deviant

Answer 5

a person whose behaviors differs from the accepted standards of society

Question 6

abeyance

Answer 6

temporary suppression or suspension

Question 7

adject

Answer 7

miserable, pitiful

Question 8

abjure

Answer 8

to reject; abandon formally

Question 9

abscission

Answer 9

the act of cutting; the natural separation of the leaf or other part of a plant

Question 10

hypothesized

Answer 10

form a hypothesis that is a proposition put forward as a starting point for further investigation

Question 11

adaptive

Answer 11

relating to adaptation, an alteration in structure or habits by which a species improves its condition in relationship to its environment

Question 12

herbivorous

Answer 12

feeding mainly on plants

Question 13

abscond

Answer 13

the depart secretly

Question 14

abstemious

Answer 14

moderate in appetite

Question 15

abysmal

Answer 15

very bad

Question 16

free market

Answer 16

not regulated or slightly regulated

Question 17

planned economy

Answer 17

allocation, production, consumption planned in advance (command)

Question 18

capitalism

Answer 18

controlled by private owners rather than government

Question 19

accretion

Answer 19

growth in size or increase in amount

Question 20

geophysicist

Answer 20

physics of the earth & enrivonment

Question 21

igneous

Answer 21

latin fire - rock from molten state

Question 22

accrue

Answer 22

to accumulate, addition

Question 23

monopolistic

Answer 23

having exclusive control over a commercial activity

Question 24

adamant

Answer 24

uncompromising

Question 25

adjunct

Answer 25

something added, attached or joined

Question 26

admonish

Answer 26

to caution or reprimand

Question 27

adulterate

Answer 27

to corrupt or make impure

Question 28

aesthetic

Answer 28

relating to beauty or art

Question 29

aesthete

Answer 29

someone who cultivates a special sensitivity to beauty

Question 30

Gothic

Answer 30

style of architecture, genre of fiction, gloom, mystery and horror

Question 31

affected

Answer 31

pretentious, phony

Question 32

affinity

Answer 32

fondness, similarity

Question 33

aggrandize

Answer 33

to make larger or greater

Question 34

aggregate

Answer 34

total, amounting to a whole

Question 35

alacrity

Answer 35

cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed

Question 36

alchemy

Answer 36

seemingly magical power or process of transmutation

Question 37

allay

Answer 37

to lessen; ease; soothe

Question 38

alleviate

Answer 38

to relieve; improve partially

Question 39

alloy

Answer 39

combination, mixture of two or more metals

Question 40

allure

Answer 40

the power to entice by charm

Question 41

lobby

Answer 41

group sharing goals to bring about the passage etc of laws that affect these goals

Question 42

clockwork universe

Answer 42

once created, the universe continues to run according to laws of nature with no further intervention

Question 43

amalgamate

Answer 43

combine into a unified whole

Question 44

ambiguous

Answer 44

unclear; doubtful in meaning

Question 45

ambivalence

Answer 45

the state of having conflicting emotional attitudes

Question 46

ambrosia

Answer 46

something delicious; food of the gods

Question 47

ameliorate

Answer 47

to improve

Question 48

amenable

Answer 48

agreeable; cooperative; suited

Question 49

amenity

Answer 49

something that increases comfort

Question 50

amulet

Answer 50

ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits

Question 51

anachronism

Answer 51

something out of the proper time

Question 52

analgestic

Answer 52

medication that reduces or eliminates pain

Question 53

analogous

Answer 53

comparable

Question 54

Social Darwinism

Answer 54

advantage over others as the result of genetic or biological superiority

Question 55

Protestant work ethic

Answer 55

hard work and a rational view to achieve material success

Question 56

Confusian

Answer 56

Chinese system of ethics placing a high value on family relationships

Question 57

anarchy

Answer 57

absence of government; state of disorder; anarchic

Question 58

anarchism

Answer 58

all forms of government are oppressive and should be abolished

Question 59

anodyne

Answer 59

calms; soothes pain

Question 60

anomalous

Answer 60

irregular; deviating from norm

Question 61

antecedent

Answer 61

something that comes before

Question 62

Reformation

Answer 62

16th century movement aimed at reforming abuses in the Roman Catholic Church

Question 63

antediluvian

Answer 63

prehistoric

Question 64

antipathy

Answer 64

dislike; hostility

Question 65

apathy

Answer 65

indifference

Question 66

protagonist

Answer 66

the main character

Question 67

welfare state

Answer 67

provision of welfare by government

Question 68

apex

Answer 68

the highest point

Question 69

classicism

Answer 69

an aesthetic tradition that values simplicity, elegance, restraint and order

Question 70

Augustans

Answer 70

1700-1789 lit; satire (Pope and Swift)

Question 71

apogee

Answer 71

the point in an orbit most distant from the body being orbited; highest point

Question 72

Ottoman Empire

Answer 72

14th century; destroyed Byz Empire

Question 73

apothegm

Answer 73

a terse, witty saying

Question 74

appease

Answer 74

to calm; pacify; placate