GRE Major Tests Chapter 26 Flashcards
Analogue
- something similar 2. output proportional to input (engineering)
ex) If one thing is an analogue of another, it is similar in some way.
Coda
piece of music at the end of a musical work, finale, final part of document
ex) The movie’s coda shows the main character as an adult 25 years later.
Commingle
mix
ex) Fact and fiction commingle in the story.
Equivocal
ambiguous, open to interpretation [equivocate (v), equivocation (n)]
ex) Since the defendant’s alibi is equivocal, the jury will disregard it almost instantly.
Fallible
capable of making mistakes [fallibility (n)]
ex) The crime-solving techniques of a couple of decades ago were much more fallible than today’s methods.
Hallow
respect, worship
ex) When the church is built, the Bishop will hallow the building with a prayer.
Indigence
poverty
ex) The indigent man could not afford food or clothing.
Papyrus
material used for writing on before paper was invented
ex) The ancient document was written on delicate papyrus, and needed to be handled carefully.
Pique
- annoyance (n) 2. to stimulate interest; to annoy (v)
ex) Hopefully the movie trailer will pique the interest of moviegoers and motivate them to buy tickets to see the film.
Sap
- liquid inside plants (n) 2. to drain; to undermine (v) 3. a fool (n)
ex) Eventually it was found that the best plan was to sap through them.
Arbitrator
mediator, person appointed to judge a dispute [arbitrate (v)]
ex) The couple finally agreed to let the salesclerk be the final arbitrator and tell them which shirt looked best.
Descry
to see (esp. at a distance), catch sight of
ex) Using the binoculars, I hoped to descry what the criminals were doing in the woods.
Facetious
not intended to be taken seriously
ex) While Aaron thought he was being funny, he did not realize his remarks came across as facetious.
Indecorous
unseemly, inappropriate (of behavior)
ex) The religious woman was offended by the indecorous behavior of the atheists.
Proliferate
grow and spread [proliferation (n)]
ex) As problems with the business continued to proliferate, Edward decided to chuck it all and go into retirement.
Scotch (v)
to prevent, stop, disable
ex) A spokesman has scotched the rumours’
Strut
- supporting rod (n) 2. to walk in an arrogant manner, show off (v)
ex) The rooster would strut in the yard when trying to impress the hens.
Toy (v)
to play with
ex) He was a vampire, one that seemed content to toy with her.
Usury
lending money at high interest rates
ex) While Pat was only a teenager, she understood usury and applied a hefty interest rate to the loans she gave her brother.
Wag (n)
a witty person
ex) He is a wag.
Atavism
reappearance of ancestral traits, regression [atavistic (a)]
ex) Not surprisingly, Jake was an atavistic alcoholic like his father.
Filibuster
delaying tactics
ex) The senator will filibuster to prevent a vote on the bill.
Gambit
opening move, transaction
ex) The general’s gambit did not pay off, and soon we were surrounded by enemy soldiers.
Mitigation
making less severe [mitigate (v)]
ex) The doctor gave me a prescription to mitigate the pain.
Obligate
compulsory
ex) All citizens of the United States must obligate to vote in every election as their civic duty.
Predilection
leaning, interest, talent
ex) Gregory goes out to watch birds daily so I assume he has a predilection for the hobby.
Propitiate
appease, try to gain favor [propitiation (n)]
ex) Only an idiot believes he can propitiate his way into heaven by giving the church all of his money.
Stanch
to stop
ex) Colleagues may have saved her life by stanching the flow.
Travesty
parody, ridiculous error
ex) It would be a travesty of justice to put an innocent man in jail.
Waft
drift smoothly (v), whiff, smell (n)
ex) My children hurried to the kitchen when the scent of freshly baked cookies started to waft upstairs.
Forage
search for food
ex) As the night grew colder, the soldiers started to forage for firewood.
Lumber
- walk in an ungainly way, 2. timber (wood)
ex) In order to make my deck, I headed to the area of Home Depot that carried lumber stacked neatly on the tall shelves.
Muse
- think, meditate (v) 2. a source of inspiration (n) [in mythology, a goddess who gives inspiration]
ex) The model was the artist’s muse for his famous sculpture.
Prescience
foreknowledge, the capacity to know future events
ex) Since Nana has prescience, she knows my baby is going to be a boy.
Prune
- to trim 2. a dried plum
ex) Have you ever pruned a tree?
Ready
(used of wit) quick
ex) A ready wit.
Resolve
firmness (n)
ex) he air conditioning unit will not work until the maintenance man can resolve the problem.
Squalid
dirty and demeaning
ex) The homeless man had no choice but to sleep in squalid conditions.
Sullied
made dirty or impure [opposite unsullied; sully (v)]
ex) The accusation of child abuse is sure to sully the teacher’s reputation and cause him his job.
Veneration
worship, respect [venerable (a), venerate (v)]
ex) The Bible says we should venerate our parents and our elders.
Demur
object, hesitate to accept
ex) Don’t hesitate to demur to the idea if you have any qualms.
Duplicity
cunning, deception, double dealing
ex) Most politicians use duplicity to deceive voters just long enough to get their votes.
Exigency
urgent matter, pressing need
ex) Rules are an exigency inside of a prison or else chaos will reign.
Expostulate
offer strong objections, remonstrate
ex) More than likely, the cat will expostulate his opinion of his new food by leaving it in his dish.
Gossamer
delicate, filmy, like gauze
ex) Through Carla’s gossamer sleeves, we could see her thin arms.
Inefficacious
ineffective
ex) When the army’s strategy proved inefficacious, they switched tactics and incorporated guerrilla warfare.
Pine
- type of evergreen tree 2. grieve
ex) Make sure your pet won’t pine while you’re away.
Prudish
narrow-minded, excessively concerned with morals [prudery (n), prude (n)]
ex) My grandmother’s narrowminded and prudish viewpoints do not line up with today’s world views.
Quixotic
impractically idealistic, unrealistic and impractical
ex) Although Jack’s plan for killing the giant was quixotic, it was the village’s only hope.
Stipple
cover with dots of paint etc.
ex) The sunlight falling through the lace curtain stippled her face.
