H Flashcards
habitat
n. dwelling place; the area in which an organism lives
The bears’ habitat is being threatened by development.
hackneyed
adj. worn out by overuse
The politician used the same hackneyed phrases in every speech.
halcyon
adj. calm and peaceful; happy; golden; prosperous
On the eve of the battle the soldier’s mind took him back to the halcyon years before the war.
hallowed
adj. holy; sacred
The couple walked through the hallowed battlefield, remembering their son who had died there.
hamlet
n. small village
The president was born in a hamlet in Indiana.
hamper
v. to obstruct
Economic development has been hampered by a poorly educated work force.
haphazard
adj. unplanned, happening by change
The job was done in a haphazard way.
hapless
adj. unfortunate, having bad luck
The hapless soldiers were killed by a powerful explosion.
harangue
n. long pompous speech; tirade
The old senator launched into a harangue about the good old days.
harbinger
n. precursor, sign of something to come
The fall in the stock market is a harbinger of economic decline.
hardy
adj. robust, vigorous
The plant is hardy enough to withstand the desert heat.
harrowing
adj. extremely distressing, terrifying
We had a harrowing journey by train along the mountainside.
haughty
adj. arrogant and condescending
Few of the employees like the haughty manager.
havoc
n. widespread destruction; chaos
The explosion caused havoc in the city.
headstrong
adj. reckless; insisting on the one’s own way
The mother had her hands full with her headstrong toddler.
heathen
adj. pagan; uncivilized and irreligious
The missionary preaches to the heathen people.
hector
v. to bully; torment
The bully hectored the boy until the boy began to cry.
hedonism
n. pursuit of pleasure as a goal
Brad lived a life of hedonism.
heedful
adj. paying close attention; mindful
Visitors should be heedful of the dangers of a big city.
hegemony
n. leadership, domination, usually by a country
No one challenges the country’s hegemony in the region.
heinous
adj. shocking, wicked, terrible
The heinous crime shocked the town.
Hellenism
n. the culture and civilization of ancient Greece
Hellenism had a great influence on all the civilizations in the Mediterranean region.
hemorrhage
n. heavy bleeding
Doctors used stitches to stop the hemorrhage.
Herculean
adj. calling for great strength or courage
The historian started on the Herculean task of writing a comprehensive history of the world.
heresy
n., opinion contrary to popular belief
The church condemned the belief as heresy.
heretical
adj. opposed to a established religious teaching
The heretical beliefs were condemned by the Church.
hermaphrodism
n. a condition in animals and humans in which male and female reproductive organs and secondary sexual characteristics are present in the same individual
The word “hermaphrodism” originates from the name of the Greek minor deity, Hermaphroditus.
hermeneutic
adj. explaining; interpreting
The two literary critics disagree on which of the two approaches is the best hermeneutic approach.
hermetic
adj. tightly sealed; magical
]The scholar is studying the hermetic tradition associated with the Egyptian pyramids.
heterodox
adj. unorthodox, not widely accepted
The newspaper likes to publish letters expressing heterodox views.
heterogeneous
adj. composed of unlike parts, different, diverse
The school believes in heterogeneous grouping of students.
heuristic
adj. helping to learn
The science teacher uses models of organic compounds as a heuristic device.
hiatus
n. break, interruption, vacation
There was a hiatus in the signal, and then it resumed.
hidebound
adj. excessively rigid; dry and stiff
The students complain that the principal is so hidebound that she won’t consider any of their new ideas.
hierarchy
n. a series arranged by rank or grade
Some people enjoy the challenge of climbing the company hierarchy.
hieroglyphics
n. a system of writing in which pictorial symbols represent meaning or sounds; writing or symbols that are difficult to decipher
For many years scholars believed that Egyptian hieroglyphics did not represent phonetic characters.
hindsight
n. perception of events after they happen
In hindsight I should not have bought the stock.
hinterland
n. the remote or less developed parts of a country
Early American settlers clung to the East coast, leaving the hinterland largely unexplored.
hirsute
adj. covered with hair
Scientists believe early man was hirsute.
histrionics
n. exaggerated emotional behavior calculated for effect; theatrical arts or performances
Critics panned the actor’s performance as mere histrionics.
hoary
adj. very old; whitish or gray from age
The hoary poet read the poem he had written as a young man.
Hobson’s choice
n. a double bind; that is, a situation in which a person must choose between alternatives that are equally unsatisfactory
henry Ford famously offered customers Hobson’s choice in selecting what color Model-T they wanted: Any color as long as it’s black.
hoi polloi
n. the common people
The billionaire told his son not to mix with the hoi polloi.
holistic
adj. emphasizing importance of the whole and interdependence of its parts
Only a holistic approach can solve this complex problem.
holocaust
n. widespread destruction, usually by fire
The bombing caused a holocaust in the city.
homage
n. public honor and respect
On George Washington’s birthday we pay homage to “the father of our nation.”
homeostasis
n. automatic maintenance by n organism of normal temperature, chemical balance, etc., within itself
Various processes help the body to maintain tissue homeostasis.
homily
n. sermon; tedious moralizing
The minister has the habit of writing his weekly homily on Wednesday morning.
homogeneous
adj. composed of identical parts; uniform in composition
Our group is homogeneous in terms of age.
homogenize
v. to make uniform in composition
Many countries are afraid that globalization will homogenize culture.
homonym
n. word identical in pronunciation and spelling but different in meaning
The word “bear” and the word “bear” are homonyms.
hone
v. to sharpen
The young writer honed her skills by writing an hour every day.
host
n. a great number
The bankruptcy of the large company presented the town with a host of problems.
hubris
n. overbearing pride; arrogance
Hubris and greed contributed to his downfall.
humane
adj. merciful, kindly
Many people advocate the humane treatment of animals.
humanist
n. one who believes in humanism, a system of ideas and values relating to human beings, emphasizing their value and de-emphasizing belief in God
The debate was between a Christian and a humanist.
husband
v. to farm, manage carefully and thriftily
The expedition husbanded their supplies.
hybrid
n. something of mixed origin or composition
The new vehicle is a hybrid – part car and part helicopter.
hydrological
adj. concerned with water, especially its effects on the Earth
Life on Earth is dependent on the hydrological cycle.
hyperbole
n. purposeful exaggeration for effect
The sports writer uses hyperbole regularly.
hyperbolic
adj. relating to purposeful exaggeration for effect
The sports writer likes to use hyperbolic language.
hyperventilate
v. to breathe abnormally fast
The patient was hyperventilating.
hypochondria
n. unfounded belief that one is often ill
The doctor suspected that her patient was suffering from hypochondria.
hypocritical
adj. pretending to be virtuous; deceiving
His teacher scolded him for his hypocritical behavior.
hypostatize
v. to ascribe physical existence to
The human mind seems to have a tendency to hypostatize the self.
hypothermia
n. abnormally low body temperature
The survivors of the avalanche were treated for hypothermia.
hypothesis
n. unproved theory; provisional explanation of facts
The scientist is trying to support his hypothesis with evidence.
hypothetical
adj. based on assumptions or hypotheses
The existence of life on other planets is only hypothetical.
