GRE Barron's 47-48 Flashcards
torrent
rushing stream; flood. Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water ran downhill in torrents.
torrid
passionate; hot or scorching. The novels published by Harlequin Romances feature torrid love affairs, some set in torrid climates.
totter
move unsteadily; sway, as if about to fall. On unsteady feet, the drunk tottered down the hill to the nearest bar.
touchy
sensitive; irascible. Do not discuss his acne with Archy; he is very touchy about it.
traduce
expose to slander; 中傷する. His opponents tried to traduce the candidate’s reputation by spreading rumors about his past.
transcendent
surpassing; exceeding ordinary limits; superior. Standing on the hillside watching the sunset through the Golden Gate was a transcendent experience for Lise: the sight was so beautiful it surpassed her wildest dreams.
transcribe
copy. When you transcribe your notes, please send a copy to Mr. Smith and keep the original for our files.
transfigure
transform outwardly, usually for the better; change in form or aspect. Elizabeth Barrett’s love for Robert Browing transfigured her poetry as well as transforming her life.
transmute
change; convert to something different. He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities.
transpire
be revealed; happen. When Austen writes the sentence “It had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him,” her meaning is not that the debts had just been incurred, but that the shocking news had just leaked out.
transport
strong emotion. Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in transports of joy over a vivid sunset, at another moment in transports of grief over a dying bird.
trappings
outward decorations; ornaments. He loved the trappings of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet.
trek
travel; journey. The tribe made their trek further north that summer in search of game.
tremor
trembling; slight quiver. She had a nervous tremor in her right hand.
trenchant
forceful and vigorous; cutting. With his trenchant wit, reviewer Frank Rich cut straight to the heart of the matter, panning a truly dreadful play.
tribulation
distress; suffering. After all the trials and tribulations we have gone through, we need this rest.
tribunal
court of justice. The decision of the tribunal was final and the prisoner was sentenced to death.
tribute
tax levied by a ruler; mar of respect. The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot.
trifling
trivial; unimportant. Why bother going to see a doctor for such a trifling, everyday cold?
trinket
knickknack; bauble; 小さなアクセサリー、つまらないもの. Whenever she traveled abroad, Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs.
trite
hackneyed; commonplace. The trite and predictable situations in many television programs turn off many viewers, who, in turn, turn off their sets.
truism
self-evident truth. Many a truism is summed up in a proverb; for example, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure.”
truncate
cut the top off. The top of the cone that has been truncated in a plane parallel to its base is a circle.
tumult
commotion; riot; noise. She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob.
turncoat
traitor. The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a turncoat.
turpitude
depravity; 卑劣(な行為). A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude.
tutelage
guardianship; training. Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument, she made rapid progress as a virtuoso.
tycoon
wealthy leader. Joh D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon.
tyranny
oppression; cruel government. Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his entire life.
tyro
beginner; novice. For a mere tyro, you have produced some marvelous results.
ulterior
situated beyond; unstated and often questionable. You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it.
ultimatum
last demand; warning. Since they have ignored our ultimatum, our only recourse is to declare war.
umbrage
resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult. She took umbrage at his remarks and stormed away in a huff.
unaccountable
inexplicable; unreasonable or mysterious. I have taken an unaccountable dislike to my doctor: “I do not love thee, Doctor Fell. The reason why, I cannot tell.”