GRE Major Tests Chapter 28 Flashcards
Abeyance
state of inactivity, disuse
ex) Once the famine was over, the food rationing dictated by the government was put in abeyance.
Disarm
having the ability to decrease suspicions and fears
ex) Because Danny is a disarming man and can easily reduce buyer fears, he is a great car salesman.
Elaborate
- complex and detailed (a) 2. to expand on (v)
ex) Only my mother could turn simple sardines into an elaborate seafood pasta dish.
Foment
- stir up 2. bathe with hot liquids (medical)
ex) The celebrity liked to foment rumors by posting cryptic statements about her private relationships online.
Jockeying
maneuvering, struggling to get ahead of others [jockey (v)]
ex) The movers jockeyed the sofa through the door.
Minutiae
small details
ex) The students ignored their teacher as she told them minutiae about her boring life.
Rue
regret [rueful (a)]
ex) My husband will rue the day he ever cheated on me!
Somatic
concerned with the body
ex) Somatic symptoms like headaches and fatigue generally resolve themselves quickly.
Stinting
holding back, limiting the supply (of supplies/money etc.) [stint (v)], a span of time in which a person is occupied with a particular job or in a particular place
ex) Patricia’s stint as a waitress gave her the patience she needed to work in shoe sales.
Temperate
moderate
ex) Living in a temperate climate, I sometimes had to wear my jacket in the early fall since it was cool outside.
Allure
- attraction (n) 2. to attract (v)
ex) The woman’s allure was her floral perfume that captivated the man’s senses.
Caulk
treat with substance such as tar to make water-tight
ex) He carefully caulked the area around the windows.
Conscript
- person enlisted compulsorily into the armed forces 2. (v) to enlist compulsorily
ex) Because of John’s moral beliefs, he refuses to take part in the conscription that would require him to bear arms.
Desultory
aimless, inconsistent in effort
ex) The students were confused by the teacher’s desultory lecture which seemed to have no real focus.
Elegy
poem concerned with death, praise of a dead person
ex) Since I am not an animal lover, I could only sigh as Ann sang an elegy for her dead cat.
Fallow
uncultivated, not being used
ex) At the end of summer, the once crowded beaches become fallow as the young people return to school.
Forbearing
tolerant [forbear (v); forbearance (n)]
ex) The police officer showed forbearance when he let the young thief off with a warning.
Hegemony
political domination, complete authority
ex) The president of the company has hegemony over his employees.
Improbity
lack of honesty or integrity
ex) Their blood is filled with improbity, their face are ferocious.
Qualm
hesitation or fear
ex) I have a serious qualm about my teenage daughter dating an older man.
Assay
a test or assessment on something to determine what it contains
ex) The laboratory conducted an assay to quantitatively measure the presence of ore in the composition.
Chauvinist
someone excessively patriotic [chauvinism (n)]
ex) Racial chauvinism has kept minorities out of the exclusive country club for many years.
Discrete
separate, distinct, individual
ex) Brown and white rice are two discrete varieties.
Enlist
- sign up for the army 2. obtain
ex) Evidently. I’m wondering why you don’t enlist help.
Fabricated
to make up for the purpose of deception
ex) The journalist got fired when his editor learned of his plan to fabricate a story about the president.
Fulminate
- attack loudly in words, denounce thunderously 2. explode noisily
ex) The disgruntled customer continued to fulminate over a price difference.
Hawser
thick rope or cable
ex) The towing hawsers also had to be kept under constant surveillance.
Jibe
to agree, harmonize
ex) The findings of the court did not jibe with the testimony of the witness, angering the judge.
Peer
- an equal, 2. to stare at, 3. nobleman
ex) Technology allowed us to peer deeper into the mysteries of the miniscule.
Stickler
one who is strict about rules or details
ex) Our company hired an efficiency expert who is a stickler for increasing productivity.
Cloture
the act of ending a debate or discussion with a request for a vote
ex) There was a call for cloture on the discussion so voting could begin.
Congruent
matching [congruency (n)]
ex) Eating five chocolate bars is not congruent with your plan for losing weight.
Dally
waste time, flirt
ex) They fired the guard because he would dally about, wasting his time.
Dissemble
avoid the truth, to disguise or conceal behind a false appearance
ex) Her plan was to dissemble her intentions from her husband so she could successfully plan him a surprise party.
Dote
be excessively fond of [doting (a)]
ex) My grandmother loves to dote on her grandchildren and sends us many gifts.
Errant
- wandering, 2. wrong, 3. straying from accepted standards
ex) The errant student was given a warning for not going directly to class.
Fervent
passionate
ex) Jack’s fervent love for Kelly encouraged him to tattoo her name on his back.
Stomach (v)
to tolerate
ex) I can’t stomach raw onions.
Synapse
junction between two nerve cells
ex) Some pharmaceutical companies are also working on a pill that could repair the synapses that get the electrical signal to your brain.
Undercutting
offering a lower price, undermining
ex) Frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership.
Arson
deliberate, criminal starting of fires
ex) Fire investigators suspected arson when they couldn’t find an electrical source for the fire.
Carrion
dead flesh, carcasses
ex) We could smell the carrion left by hunters even before we stumbled upon it during our trek up the mountain.
Intelligible
can be understood
ex) Because the intoxicated man slurred his words, his speech was far from intelligible.
Ironclad
cannot be altered, firm
ex) The company has an ironclad policy against revealing secrets to competitors.
Lint
fluff, soft material used to cover wounds
ex) Some fabrics leave tiny specks of lint on the glass.
Pretension
assumed attitude of superiority, arrogance
ex) He spoke about his achievements without pretension.
Pundit
expert
ex) During the trial, the prosecutor will call upon a pundit of forensics to link the evidence to the suspect.
Pyre
ceremonial fire
ex) Over the pyre of wood in the backyard, we roasted marshmallows and hot dogs.
Sate
satisfy
ex) I need a glass of ice water to sate my thirst.
Syncopation
type of musical rhythm with missed beats
ex) There was some nice syncopation and it had a good swing to it.
