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English Vocalbulary > General Vocabulary 1 > Flashcards

General Vocabulary 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

Vassal (n)

[vaas-uh l]

A

A person holding a fief, a person who owes allegiance and service to a feudal lord.

He was forced to become the vassal of the king of Babylonia, and furnish a contingent to his army.

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2
Q

Reproach (n)

A

A mild rebuke or criticism.

Her friends reproached her for not thinking enough about her family.

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3
Q

Ember (n)

A

A hot fragment of wood or coal that is left from a fire and is glowing or smoldering.

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4
Q

Calypso (n)

A

Rare north temperate bog orchid bearing a solitary white to pink flower marked with purple at the tip of an erect reddish stalk above 1 basal leaf.

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5
Q

Elicit (v)

A

Evoke or draw out (a reaction, answer, or fact) from someone.

I tried to elicit a response from Joanna.

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6
Q

Elucidation (n)

A

To make lucid or clear; throw light upon; explain.

An explanation that elucidated his recent strange behavior.

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7
Q

Mortification (n)

A

The act of killing the lusts of the flesh by self-denial and privation.

Mortification of the flesh has a long tradition in some religions.

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8
Q

Progenitors (n)

A

An ancestor in the direct line.

Our progenitors lived contended lives.

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9
Q

Primeval (adj)

A

Having existed from the beginning, in an earliest or original stage or state.

The primeval state of being.

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10
Q

Primate (n)

A

Any placental mammal of the order Primates, has good eyesight and flexible hands and feet.

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11
Q

Primordial (adj)

A

Having existed from the beginning, in an earliest or original stage or state.

The primordial oceans.

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12
Q

Primal (adj)

A

Relating to the needs, fears, or behavior that are to form the origins of emotional life.

He preys on people’s primal fears.

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13
Q

Decrepit (adj)

A

Lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality.
or worn out by long use.

A decrepit man who can hardly walk.

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14
Q

Gaggle (n)

A

A flock of geese, OR
An often noisy or disorderly group or gathering.

A politician followed by a gaggle of supporters.

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15
Q

Plinth (n)

A

An architectural support or base (as for a column or statue).

Busts of the King and Queen on marble plinths.

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16
Q

Anecdotes (n)

A

Short account of an incident (especially a biographical one).

He told anecdotes about his job.

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17
Q

Oxymoron (n)

A

Conjoining contradictory terms.

Deafening silence.

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18
Q

Epitaph (n)

[ɛpɪtaf]

A

An inscription on a tombstone or monument in memory of the person buried there.

A poignant epitaph to his creative career.

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19
Q

Expurgate (v)

A

Edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate.

Most children read an expurgated version of Grimms’ fairy tales.

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20
Q

Expatiate (v)

[ik-spey-shee-eyt]

A

Add details, as to an account or idea.

To expatiate upon a theme.

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21
Q

Extirpate (v)

A

Surgically remove (an organ), pull up by or as if by the roots.

To extirpate an unwanted hair.

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22
Q

Execrate (v)

A

Curse or declare to be evil or anathema or threaten with divine punishment

He execrated all who opposed him.

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23
Q

Excoriate (v)

A

Express strong disapproval of or criticize (someone) severely.

He was excoriated for his mistakes.

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24
Q

Sweltering (adj)

A

Excessively hot and humid or marked by sweating and faintness.

A sweltering English summer.

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25
Q

Recondite (adj)

A

Difficult to penetrate, incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge.

The book is full of recondite information.

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26
Q

Dappled (adj)

A

Having spots or patches of color.

The horse’s dappled flank.

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27
Q

Languid (adj)

A

Lacking spirit or liveliness, a lackadaisical attempt

In or out of uniform his motion is languid, his voice relaxed.

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28
Q

Wicker (n)

A

Work made of interlaced slender branches (especially willow branches) of twigs

The large bottle is served slightly on its side in a wicker basket

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29
Q

Rheumy (adj)

[roo my]

A

A thin discharge of the mucous membranes, especially during a cold.

Five rheumy old-timers lolled about the one gate that would be open for the night.

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30
Q

Magpie (n)

A

Long-tailed black-and-white crow that utters a raucous chattering call

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31
Q

Troll (v)

A

Angling by drawing a baited line through the water.

To post inappropriate messages on the Internet, for the purpose of upsetting other users.

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32
Q

Cowslip (n)

A

Early spring flower common in British isles having fragrant yellow or sometimes purple flowers.

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33
Q

Impertinent (adj)

A

Improperly forward or bold.

Would it be impertinent of me to offer some advice to you and your readers?

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34
Q

Insidious (adj)

A

Working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way.

Sexual harassment is a serious and insidious problem.

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35
Q

Invidious (adj)

A

Likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others

She’d put herself in an invidious position.

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36
Q

Condign (adj)

A

Fitting or appropriate and deserved, used especially of punishment.

Our guerdon is shame in this world and condign punishment in the next.

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37
Q

Concomitant adj)

A

An event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another.

She loved travel, with all its concomitant worries.

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38
Q

Marsupials (adj)

A

Any non-placental mammal of the order Marsupialia, comprising the opossums, kangaroos, wombats, and bandicoots,

The marsupial animals bring forth their young before they are fully developed.

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39
Q

Buckram (n)

A

A stiff cotton fabric for interlinings, book bindings.

Our sewn bindings incorporate buckram and leather.

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40
Q

Predicate (n)

A

State, affirm, or assert (something) about the subject of a sentence or an argument of a proposition.

His retraction predicates a change of attitude.

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41
Q

Axiomatic (adj)

A

Evident without proof or argument.

When you pay them more, it is axiomatic that they will spend more.

42
Q

Rind (n)

[rahynd]

A

The natural outer covering of food (usually removed before eating).

Watermelon rind.

43
Q

Panache (n)

A

A grand or flamboyant manner; verve; style; flair

The actor who would play Cyrano must have panache.

44
Q

Edify (v)

A

To instruct or enlighten, to teach.

He had no idea even now how bad matters were, nor did she care to edify him.

45
Q

Reed (n)

A

A musical instrument that sounds by means of a vibrating reed.

46
Q

Corbel (n)

A

A short horizontal timber supporting a girder.

A very high corbelled vault.

47
Q

Succulent (adj)

A

Tender and full of juice

Succulent roast beef.

48
Q

Grafter (n)

A

A person who swindles you by means of deception or fraud.

49
Q

Puckered (n)

A

An irregular fold in an otherwise even surface (as in cloth)

Worry puckered his brow.

50
Q

Bellhop (n)

A

Someone employed as an errand boy and luggage carrier around hotels.

51
Q

Dewlap (n)

A

A hanging fold of loose skin on an elderly person’s neck.

52
Q

Ferret (v)

A

Search and discover through persistent investigation.

He ferreted out the paper from under a large tome.

53
Q

Retch (n) (v)

A

An involuntary spasm of ineffectual vomiting.

The sour taste in her mouth made her retch.

54
Q

Sash (n)

A

A long strip or loop of cloth worn over one shoulder or round the waist, especially as part of a uniform or official dress.

55
Q

Schnitzel (n)

A

Deep-fried breaded veal cutlets.

56
Q

Privation (n)

A

Act of depriving someone of food or money or rights.

Privations and other hardships are routinely endured by the people.

57
Q

Pallor (n)

[paalor]

A

Unnatural lack of color in the skin or appearance.

The deathlike pallor of his face.

58
Q

Busker (n)

A

A person who entertains people for money in public.

59
Q

Gofer (n)

A

An employee whose duties include running errands.

He was employed as a menial gofer.

60
Q

Millstone (n)

A

One of a pair of heavy flat disk-shaped stones that are rotated against one another to grind the grain

61
Q

Irreverent (adj)

A

Showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously.

She is irreverent about the whole business of politics

62
Q

Irascible (adj)

A

Easily provoked to anger; very irritable.

An irascible old man.

63
Q

Ineluctable (adj)

A

Impossible to avoid or evade.

An Ineluctable destiny.

64
Q

Indelible (adj)

A

Cannot be removed or erased.

An indelible stain.

65
Q

Inchoate (adj)

A

Only partly in existence, imperfectly formed.

A still inchoate democracy.

66
Q

Ingratiate (v)

A

Gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts.

An attempt to ingratiate herself with the local aristocracy

67
Q

Impasse (n)

A

A situation in which no progress is possible, a deadlock.

The current political impasse.

68
Q

Importune (v)

A

Beg persistently and urgently.

I importune you to help them.

69
Q

Inveigle (v)

A

Influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering.

He inveigled her back to his room.

70
Q

Manger (n)

A

A container (usually in a barn or stable) from which cattle or horses feed

71
Q

Knapsack (n)

A

A bag carried by a strap on your back or shoulder

72
Q

Unitard (n)

A

A tight-fitting garment of stretchy material that covers the body from the shoulders to the thighs.

73
Q

Cretin (n)

A

A person of subnormal intelligence.

A stupid person.

74
Q

Mea culpa (n)
[me-ah koo l-pah]

A

An acknowledgment of guilt.

‘Well, whose fault was that?’ ‘Mea culpa!’ Frank said.

75
Q

Muse (n)

A

The source of an artist’s inspiration.

Euterpe was his muse.

76
Q

Transmogrification (n)

A

The act of changing into a different form or appearance (especially a fantastic or grotesque one).

77
Q

Confabulation (n)

A

A plausible but imagined memory that fills in gaps in what is remembered.

78
Q

Entomology (n)

A

The branch of zoology dealing with insects.

79
Q

Waif (n)

A

A homeless, neglected, or abandoned person, especially a child.

She is foster-mother to various waifs and strays.

80
Q

Penumbral (adj)

A

Of or pertaining to the region of partial shadow around an umbra(shadow).

81
Q

Whining (v)

A

To utter a low, usually nasal, complaining cry or sound

82
Q

Mewl (v)

A

Cry weakly or softly.

She mewled with pain.

83
Q

Cuticles (n)

A

Hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles.

84
Q

Spangled (adj)

A

Covered with beads or jewels or sequins.

A spangled dress.

85
Q

Gnome (n)

[nOUm]

A

A legendary creature resembling a tiny old man

86
Q

Pernickety (adj)

A

Characterized by excessive precision and attention to trivial details

I remember she was most pernickety about her blacks after my father’s death.

87
Q

Fleck (n)

A

A small contrasting part of something

A fleck of dirt or a fleck of baldness.

88
Q

Oedema (n)

[ih-dee-muh]

A

Swelling from excessive accumulation of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or serous cavities

89
Q

Scab (n)

A

The crust like surface of a healing skin lesion, OR
someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

90
Q

Squelch (v)

A

To strike or press with crushing force, crush down or squash.

Attempting to squelch political speech by calling it hate speech only makes Israel look weaker.

91
Q

Dell (n)

A

A small wooded valley

Lush green valleys and wooded dells.

92
Q

Knoll (n)

A

A small natural hill.

A grassy knoll.

93
Q

Hoover (v)

A

Clean with a vacuum cleaner.

Hoover the carpets please.

94
Q

Pared (v)

A

Reduce (something) in size, extent, or quantity in a number.

The Defense Department must be pared down.

95
Q

Sprig (n)

A

An ornament that resembles a spray of leaves or flowers.

96
Q

Flappable (adj)

A

Easily upset when in stress.

Both politicians were, in fact, flappable.

97
Q

Legerdemain (n)

A

Deception or Trickery

A classic piece of management legerdemain.

98
Q

Wiseacre (n)

A

A person who pretends to know everything.

99
Q

Paranthetic (adj)

A

Related to or inserting a parenthesis.

For a few parenthetic decades after independence, life seemed full of expectations.

100
Q

Esperanto (n)

A

An artificial language invented by Dr Esperanto with the goal of being able to facility communication between different linguistic groups.

In contrast to the garbled modernity of these northern towns, a quite different trend is represented by the aspiring
esperanto of Bangalore

English Vocalbulary (31 decks)

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