GRE Major Tests Chapter 29 Flashcards
Abraded
To produce damage or irritation by scraping, rubbing, or crushing
ex) The wool blanket abraded my legs and gave me a rash.
Apposite
fitting, suitable
ex) My daughter and I usually disagree about which clothing items are apposite for school.
Diatribe
tirade, violent denunciation, stream of criticism
ex) Upset about his demotion, Ed made an angry diatribe about his employer.
Gerontocracy
government by the aged
ex) The retirement of this gerontocracy led to the so-called fifth generation of leaders now in charge of the Party and the country.
Maculated
spotted
ex) As I said, it was reasonable looking cloth, but maculate now.
Quisling
traitor
ex) The quisling was a traitor who helped the British when they came to try and take over his country.
Sedulity
thoroughness, perseverance [sedulous (a)]
ex) Her sedulity was rewarded when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case
Seine
type of fishing net
ex) They seine whitefish and salmon.
Tender
to offer
ex) She quickly tendered her resignation.
Waffle
talk nonsense
ex) she waffled when asked what she thought of her sister’s new boyfriend
Burlesque
- comic play 2. lampoon
ex) The characters in the burlesque show are men dressed as loud and obnoxious women.
Exemplar
model type [exemplary (a)]
ex) The school valedictorian is an exemplar of the perfect student.
Homiletics
art of preaching and giving sermons
ex) Tends to speak in homiletic aphorisms, which can be a little tiresome.
Impugn
challenge, question someone’s honor etc.
ex) The mayor leaked news of the arrest to the media to impugn his opponent’s character.
Incubus
demon or evil spirit supposed to descend upon sleeping women in order to have sex with them
ex) Incubus is a mythological creature that’s sole goal is to rape women who are resting.
Lope
run with long strides
ex) Sprinters usually will lope in their lanes in order to ensure victory at the finish line of the race.
Macerate
soften or break up by soaking, weaken
ex) Garnished with cherries that had been macerated in liqueur.
Nostrum
remedy
ex) To get rid of an unsightly rash, Phil was even willing to try a nostrum recommended by his crazy uncle.
Saw
- tool for cutting 2. wise saying
ex) He sawed the boards in half.
Sibyl
prophetess
ex) She claims she is a sibyl.
Brook
- small stream 2. tolerate
ex) I tried to swim in the brook, but it was impossible because of how shallow the water was.
Emboss
decorate with a raised design
ex) Behind them soldiers and officers bore a large, dark-faced icon with an embossed metal cover.
Eschew
shun, avoid
ex) Since my husband believes chores are a woman’s work, he tries to eschew them around the house.
Limpid
transparently clear
ex) Because the sky was not limpid, we could not see the stars.
Liturgy
form of worship
ex) In the seminary, Mark learned all the customs of the Christian liturgy.
Nexus
connection
ex) Today Facebook seems to be the nexus of communication.
Odometer
instrument to measure distance covered
ex) Odometer fraud is illegal, but that doesn’t stop scammers from rolling back the miles on used vehicles
Purchase
- grip 2. buy
ex) I had to borrow money to purchase the car.
Quotidian
daily, routine
ex) After the excitement of decorating her new home, Janet made an attitude adjustment and got down to the quotidian chores of housekeeping.
Seminal
essential, formative
ex) His award-winning performance was a seminal event for the college.
Agog
filled with anticipation and excitement
ex) The little kids were agog as they waited for Santa Claus to arrive.
Amortize
pay off a debt in installments
ex) The businessman was able to amortize his building loan by paying monthly payments on the first and the 15th.
Curmudgeon
grumpy person
ex) My neighbor is a curmudgeon who keeps the soccer balls that accidentally come into his yard.
Dormancy
state of inactivity
ex) Since the volcano is dormant right now, you do not have to be concerned about it erupting.
Efficacy
effectiveness
ex) Fortunately, the medicine had the efficacy to reduce the amount of pain John was feeling.
Epithet
phrase used as a label or to express the essential nature of
ex) The epithet “Curly” is used to describe the big football player with the curly hair.
Figurehead
symbol of power, nominal leader
ex) He may be a figurehead, but the president who is elected today is worth keeping an eye on for signs of where Pakistan is going.
Fracas
fight, disturbance
ex) The husband and wife were fined by the judge for starting a fracas in court.
Jamb
door post
ex) An example of a jamb is the part of a door that a bolt goes into when a door is locked.
Milk
to squeeze, obtain by application of pressure
ex) Greedy landlords milking their tenants of all their money.
Chorales
simple hymns
ex) Practiced a chorale to perform in church.
Dissonance
discord, disagreement
ex) His cruel abuse showed a dissonance with his loving words.
Frieze
decorative border
ex) A wallpaper frieze with chickens on it.
Gist
essence, main point
ex) Because Ken told his story in a confusing way, I could not get the gist of it.
Latent
hidden, real but undeveloped
ex) The detective asked the lab technician to search the room for latent fingerprints.
Partiality
bias
ex) A person with an unfortunate partiality for jumping to conclusions.
Plodding
walking slowly and heavily, uninspired
ex) Since Sam grew tired from running, he was seen plodding slowly toward the end of the race.
Rekindle
relight, revive
ex) Her interest was rekindled when she saw herbs in everyday medicinal use there.
Symphony
type of musical composition
ex) The musical development of the city was stimulated by the creation of a symphony orchestra.
Tarnished
made dull, spoil (reputation)
ex) The scandal tarnished his reputation.
