GRE Cards Deck J Flashcards
jargon
noun
Definition: Vocabulary specific to a group or occupation; convoluted or unintelligible language
Usage: The information my doctor gave me was so full of medical jargon I couldn’t understand it at all! I’m going to look on the Internet for something written for regular people.
Related Words: Argot and Cant also refer to specialized vocabularies (more often used to describe the underworld—lawyers have jargon, mobsters have argot or cant.) Cant can also mean lofty but insincere talk (e.g., pageant queens talking about world peace). A lexicon is a dictionary or specialized vocabulary.
More Info: Jargon comes from a Latin root for “chatter” that also gives us gargle and gargoyle. Vague business-talk (“It is a best practice to synergize our efficiencies”) is often called jargon.
jocular
adj
Definition: Joking or given to joking all the time; jolly, playful
Usage: He’s certainly a jocular fellow—if we were friends, I’m sure I’d find his antics amusing, but as his professor, I do wish he’d contribute some serious comments to the class discussion instead of his constant stream of jocular comments.
Related Words: Jocund and jocose come from the same root and mean the same thing. Waggish (merry, roguish), Risible (laughable, related to laughing), Droll (funny in an odd way)
judicious
adj
Definition: Using good judgment; wise, sensible
Usage: In his will, the old titan of industry left little to his hard-partying younger son, and left the bulk of his estate to the more judicious older son, with instructions that the older son see that the rest of the family was taken care of.
Related Words: Prudent (wise, careful in providing for the future), Circumspect (cautious, careful to consider the circumstances and consequences)
More Info: The related judicial means “relating to judges, courtrooms, justice, etc.” While a judicious person is wise, a judicial attitude would probably be cold, impartial, detached.
juncture
noun
Definition: Critical point in time, such as a crisis or a time when a decision is necessary; a place where two things are joined together
Usage: We are at a critical juncture in the history of this organization: either we can remain a nonprofit, or we can register as a political action committee and try to expand our influence. / The little canoe started to sink when it split at the juncture between the old wood and the new material used to repair it.
Related Words: Dovetail (join or fit together), Diverge (differ, deviate; branch off or turn aside, as from a path)
More Info: Junction is the act of joining, or a place where two things meet, esp. railroad lines or roads. A juncture is more the actual line where two things join, and a junction is the place where they come together. Junction often occurs in place names.
jettison
verb
Definition: Discard, cast off; throw items overboard in order to lighten a ship in an emergency
Usage: We got so tired while hiking the Appalachian Trail that we jettisoned some of our fancy camping supplies just so we could drag ourselves to a place where we could get medical attention.
Related Words: Cargo jettisoned off a ship is called jetsam. Any bunch of discarded, worthless stuff can be called flotsam and jetsam.
More Info: Jettison comes from a root for “throw” that also gives us jetty, “a wharf, pier, or other structure that juts out into the water.”
jingoism
(noun)
Also jingoist (noun)
Definition: Excessive, loud patriotism and aggressive, warlike foreign policy, the extreme belief that your own country is always best, which is often shown in enthusiastic support for a war against another country
Usage: Patriotism can turn into jingoism and intolerance very quickly.
Related Words: Hawkish (advocating war), Chauvinism (fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc.)
More Info: The opposite of a jingoist is a pacifist (someone opposed to war) or possibly a cosmopolite (someone who considers him or herself a citizen of the entire world).
juxtapose
(verb)
Also juxtaposition (noun)
Definition: Place side-by-side (either physically or in a metaphorical way, such as to make a comparison)
Usage: Making a decision between two engagement rings from two different stores was difficult, he noted—it would be much easier if he could juxtapose them and compare them directly.
Related Words: Abreast (side-by-side; metaphorically, “up to date with,” as in “keeping abreast of the news”), Abut (touch, border on, end at, as in Their house abuts my property).
