GRE05 Flashcards
misnomer
wrong or improper name; incorrect designation
brunt
main impact or shock (of an attack or blow); Ex. brunt of the argument
maternal
motherly; N. maternity: motherhood
tempo
speed of music
covert
secret; hidden; implied; OP. overt
cerebral
pertaining to the brain or intellect; intellectual rather than emotional; CF. cerebrum
innovation
change; something newly introduced; introduction of something new; V. innovate: begin or introduce (something new); be creative; ADJ. innovative
habitat
natural home of a plant or animal; CF. habitation
potion
dose (of liquids); liquid dose
choreography
art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances
reaper
one who harvests grain; Ex. the Grim Reaper; V. reap: cut and gather (crop); harvest a crop
clemency
disposition to be lenient in deciding punishments; mildness as of the weather; ADJ. clement
devious
roundabout; erratic; deviating from the straight course; not straightforward; not completely honest; Ex. devious route
margin
border; room; allowance beyond what is needed; Ex. margin of safety
sepulcher
tomb; V: place in a sepulcher; ADJ. sepulchral
beneficent
kindly; doing good
motility
ability to move spontaneously; ADJ. motile: moving spontaneously
egress
exit; opening for going out; act of going out; OP. ingress
commemorative
remembering; honoring the memory of; Ex. commemorative stamp
treasure
keep as precious; cherish
imbibe
drink in
redoubtable
formidable; causing fear
elevation
elevated position; altitude; height; flat upright side of a building; angle made by pointing a gun; Ex. The elevation of her style is much admired; Ex. front elevation of the house
sultry
(of weather) hot; sweltering; sensual; voluptuous
purveyor
furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer; V. purvey: supply (eg. food); furnish; CF. provide
galleon
large three-masted sailing ship
homily
sermon; tedious moralizing lecture; serious warning; ADJ. homiletic
dismiss
eliminate from consideration; no longer consider; put out of court without further hearing; reject; discharge from employment; direct to leave; ADJ. dismissive; N. dismissal
hovel
shack; small wretched house
commemorate
honor the memory of; serve as a memorial to; Ex. commemorate the 100th anniversary/those who died in the war
saturate
soak thoroughly; imbue; impregnate; charge; fill to capacity
notable
conspicuous; worthy of note; remarkable; important; distinguished; noted
turbid
(of a liquid) having the sediment disturbed; muddy; thick
bolster
support; reinforce
fussy
fastidious; finicky; easily upset
upshot
outcome; final result
vegetate
live in a monotonous way (without interests or activity); CF. vegetation: plants of an area; CF. vegetarian; CF. vegan
polarize
split into opposite extremes or camps
chafe
warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing; N.
thwart
block or hinder; baffle; frustrate
pedantic
bookish; showing off learning; marked by an excessive ostentatious concern for book learning; N. pedantry
penetrate
enter into; pierce; permeate; see through; grasp the inner significance of; understand
derivative
unoriginal; obtained from another source; Ex. derivative prose style; N.
ewe
female sheep
supplant
take the place of unfairly; usurp; replace
dichotomy
division into two opposite parts; split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones)
enjoin
command; order; forbid
curator
superintendent; manager (in charge of a museum or a library)
transpire
(of a fact) become known; be revealed; happen; give off (watery waste matter) through pores
pauper
very poor person
distend
expand; swell out
strew
spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter; Ex. flower girl strewing rose petals
mangy
shabby; wretched; suffering from mange; of bad appearance
erudite
(of a person or book) learned; full of learning; scholarly; N. erudition
impending
nearing; approaching; about to happen
decadence
decay; fall to a lower level (of morality, civilization, or art); ADJ. decadent
causal
implying a cause-and-effect relationship; N. causality
chorus
phrase repeated throughout a song or poem
sidetrack
switch (a railroad car) to a siding; divert from a main issue; N. CF. siding: short section of railroad track connected by switches with a main track
dank
damp; unpleasantly wet
assert
state strongly or positively; demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc.); make a claim to (by forceful action); Ex. assert one’s independence
murmur
low, indistinct, continuous sound; V. CF. mumble
acute
(of the senses) sharp; quickly perceptive; keen; penetrating; brief and severe; Ex. acute sense of smell/analysis/pain
ravenous
extremely hungry; voracious
relic
surviving remnant (from an extinct culture); memento; keepsake; relics: corpse; Ex. ancient relics; Ex. relics of his travel; Ex. His relics are buried at X.
prodigy
highly gifted child; person with exceptional talents; marvel; wonder
obligatory
binding; required; compulsory; V. oblige: constrain; make grateful; do a favor; accommodate
benediction
blessing
scheme
systematic plan; plot; clever dishonest plan; orderly arrangement of elements; Ex. health insurance scheme; Ex. a scheme to escape taxes; Ex. a color scheme; Ex. a story with no scheme; V: contrive a scheme
litter
waste material thrown away (as bits of paper scattered untidily); V: cover untidily with scattered litter
theoretical
based on theory; not practical or applied; hypothetical
traverse
go through or across
noxious
harmful; CF. obnoxious
gerontocracy
government ruled by old people
gnome
dwarf; underground spirit who guards treasure hoards
impudence
impertinence; insolence
hatch
deck opening; lid covering a deck opening; V: emerge from an egg; produce (young) from an egg
mentor
counselor; teacher
requite
make return for; repay; reciprocate; revenge; N. requittal
mode
prevailing style; current fashion; manner; way of doing something; Ex. in the latest mode; Ex. simple mode of life
stagnant
(of water) not flowing (often bad-smelling); motionless; stale; not developing; inactive; dull; Ex. stagnant industrial output
expunge
cancel; remove a word or name (from a book or list); erase
outstrip
outrun; surpass; outdo
fervid
ardent; zealous; hot
grouse
complain; fuss; grumble; grouch; N: plump chickenlike game bird
scrutinize
examine closely and critically; N. scrutiny
knave
untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel; jack; N. knavery
siren
apparatus for making sounds; womanlike creature
plane
carpenter’s tool for smoothing and leveling wood; V. CF. flat
deport
send out of the country; behave; N. deportation, deportment
peregrination
journey; V. peregrinate
phalanx
formation of infantry carrying overlapping shields and long spears; group of men packed together (for attack or defense)
debonair
(of men) friendly, charming, and fashionably dressed; aiming to please; CF. of good disposition
incriminate
accuse of or implicate in a crime; serve as evidence against; cause to seem or make guilty of a crime; Ex. incriminating evidence
concerted
mutually agreed on; done together by agreement; Ex. concerted effort; CF. in concert: working together
log
record of a voyage or flight; record of day-to-day activities; section of a trunk; V.
inter
bury; N. interment
mobile
movable; not fixed; N. mobility
sway
swing from side to side; influence (someone) to change one’s opinion; N.
touching
causing a feeling of pity or sympathy; pathetic; V. touch: cause to feel pity or sympathy; ADJ. touched
verbose
wordy; N. verbosity
navigable
(of a body of water) wide and deep enough to allow ships to pass through; (of a ship or aircraft) able to be steered
rasp
(of a sound) grate on (eg. nerves); make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; rub with something rough; Ex. The cat’s tongue rasped my hand.
academic
related to a school; not practical or directly useful
cumulative
growing by addition; accumulative
brusque
blunt; abrupt; curt; not wanting to waste time being nice
mantle
loose sleeveless outer garment; cloak; something that covers or envelops; the layer of the earth between the crust and the core
coagulate
congeal; thicken; clot; N. coagulant
fancier
breeder or dealer of animals; one who has a special interest, as for raising specific plant or animal
untoward
unexpected and adverse; unfortunate or unlucky; Ex. untoward encounter
hereafter
life after death
novice
beginner
manumit
emancipate; free from slavery or bondage
malignant
tending to cause death; highly injurious; aggressively malevolent; Ex. malignant tumor
tribute
tax levied by a ruler; payment made by one nation to another in acknowledgment of submission; mark of respect (such as praise or gift); Ex. pay tribute to
indissoluble
permanent; impossible to dissolve or disintegrate
encompass
surround; include; Ex. His activities encompass publishing and computers.
pragmatic
practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with practical worth or impact of something; Ex. pragmatic test of the skill
pretend
feign; pretend to: claim to possess; make pretensions to; Ex. I don’t pretend to much expertise; N. pretense
stupor
state of being stupefied; state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness
glossy
smooth and shining; N. gloss: shiny brightness on a surface; superficially attractive appearance; Ex. gloss of good manners
ulterior
intentionally hidden; beyond what is evident; situated beyond; unstated and often questionable; Ex. ulterior motive
discord
conflict; lack of harmony; dissonance (when musical notes are played)
rumble
make or move with a deep rolling sound (as thunder or stomach)
impertinent
insolent; rude; not pertinent; N. impertinence
acme
peak; pinnacle; highest point
occult
mysterious; secret; supernatural; beyond human comprehension; CF. mysterious to human ?; OP. bare
conflagration
great fire
oblivious
inattentive or unmindful; unaware; wholly absorbed; forgetful(having the habit of forgetting)
remunerative
(of work) compensating; rewarding; profitable; well-paid; V. remunerate: reward; pay (someone) for work or trouble
luminous
shining (esp. in the dark); issuing light; Ex. luminous paint/road signs
infinitesimal
very small
dapper
neat and trim (in appearance); (of small men) neat in appearance and quick in movements; neat; spry
regeneration
spiritual rebirth; Ex. regeneration of the prisoners; V. regenerate: give or obtain new life; reform spiritually
potpourri
heterogeneous mixture; medley; mixture of dried flower petals a pot (to give a pleasant smell to a room)
advert
refer
paltry
insignificant; petty; trifling; contemptible; Ex. paltry sum; CF. trash
diadem
crown
felon
person convicted of a grave crime; CF. felony: serious crime
tryst
meeting arranged by lovers; arrangement between lovers to meet
agitate
stir up; disturb
tatter
torn piece of cloth; ADJ. tattered: (of clothes) old and torn; (of a person) dressed in old torn clothes
cue
word or signal (as in a play to prompt another actor’s speech or entrance); reminder or hint; V: give a cue to
foreboding
premonition of evil; feeling of coming evil; V. forebode: be a warning of (something unpleasant)
heckler
person who verbally harasses others; V. heckle: verbally harass as with gibes (by interrupting a speaker or speech)
sectarian
of a sect; narrow-minded; parochial; N: member of a sect; narrow-minded person
placid
peaceful; calm; Ex. placid child/lake
superfluous
excessive; overabundant; unnecessary; N. superfluity
conglomeration
mass of material sticking together
perversion
corruption; turning from right to wrong
pariah
social outcast; Ex. Mariah the pariah
glean
gather leavings; gather grain left behind by reapers; gather bit by bit (facts or information) often with difficulty
kaleidoscope
tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc. produce interesting symmetrical effects; series of changing events; Ex. kaleidoscope of European history; CF. beautiful
convivial
pleasantly merry; festive; joyous; gay; characterized by joviality; jovial
rationale
fundamental reason or principle (on which a system or principle is based); fundamental reason or justification; grounds for an action
glacial
like a glacier; of an ice age; extremely cold; Ex. glacial epoch; CF. iceberg
oversee
watch over and direct; supervise; N. oversight: unintentional failure to notice or do something; supervision
curmudgeon
churlish, miserly individual; bad-tempered old person
paramount
foremost in importance; supreme; CF. para-: beyond; above; Ex. paranormal
colossal
huge
writhe
twist in coils; contort in pain
indifferent
unmoved or unconcerned by; having no interest in; mediocre; neither good nor bad
homespun
domestic; made at home; spun or woven at home; simple and ordinary; Ex. homespun philosophy
sedulous
diligent; assiduous; paying attention; N. sedulity
cleft
N: split
slapdash
hasty and careless; haphazard; sloppy(carelessly done)
tautological
needlessly repetitious; Ex. ``It was visible to the eye’’; N. tautology: needless repetition of the same sense; statement that is always true
profane
violate; desecrate (something holy); treat unworthily; be profane for; ADJ: secular; nonreligious; irreverent for holy things
trample
step heavily with the feet; crush under the feet
menagerie
collection of wild animals on exhibition; zoo
euthanasia
mercy killing
mausoleum
monumental tomb; large stately tomb; CF. Mausolos
ragamuffin
dirty child in torn clothes; person wearing tattered clothes
outcast
one that has been excluded from a society; ADJ.
diva
operatic singer; prima donna
putative
supposed; reputed; generally regarded as such; Ex. putative father of the child
pulse
rhythmical throbbing of arteries; brief sudden change in a normally constant quantity; V: pulsate
conifer
pine tree (usu. evergreen); cone-bearing tree; ADJ. coniferous; CF. deciduous; CF. evergreen
diatribe
bitter scolding or denunciation; invective; abuse
malefactor
evildoer; criminal
clapper
striker (tongue) of a bell
unmitigated
(of something bad) not moderated; unrelieved or immoderate; without qualification; absolute; Ex. unmitigated disaster
exculpate
clear from blame or guilt
scapegoat
someone who bears the blame for others; whipping boy; CF. escape+goat
gloat
express evil satisfaction; look at or think about with evil satisfaction; view malevolently; Ex. The thief gloated over the stolen jewels.
caucus
private meeting of a group of people in a political party to select officers or determine policy; CF. the Caucus club of Boston
quiver
case for arrows
residue
remainder; balance
halcyon
calm; peaceful; Ex. halcyon days
infidel
unbeliever (with respect to a particular religion)
cipher
nonentity; worthless person or thing; zero; secret code; V.
bearing
deportment; connection
ambrosia
food of the gods
perverse
purposely continuing to do something wrong; stubbornly wrongheaded; perverted; directed away from what is right; wicked and unacceptable; Ex. perverse satisfaction; Ex. Hannibal Lecter in a perverse mood; N. perversity
vagrant
wandering from place to place; roving; stray; moving in a random fashion; Ex. vagrant thoughts; N. vagrancy
sporadic
occurring irregularly; intermittent
incapacitate
disable; N. incapacity: lack of capacity
puissant
powerful; strong; potent; N. puissance: power
complicity
participation; involvement (in a questionable act or a crime)
recluse
hermit; loner; ADJ. reclusive
