Lessons 3-4

Question 1

amalgam

Answer 1

n. alloy of mercury and other metals; mixture of different elements

Question 2

antediluvian

Answer 2

adj. very old or old-fashioned

Question 3

apothecary

Answer 3

n. one who prepares and sells ointments, drugs, and similar items for medicinal purposes

Question 4

ascetic

Answer 4

adj. refraining from self-indulgence

n. person who practices self-denial

Question 5

beneficient

Answer 5

adj. doing or producing good

Question 6

charlatan

Answer 6

n. one who falsely claims knowledge or ability

Question 7

denizen

Answer 7

n. inhabitant, resident, or frequenter of a place

Question 8

doyen

Answer 8

n. senior member of a group, especially one who is highly respected; oldest example of a category
(doyenne) n. female equivalent of a doyen

Question 9

flora

Answer 9

n. plants considered as a group in a particular area or era

Question 10

imbibe

Answer 10

v. consume by drinking; absorb or take in mentally

Question 11

nostrum

Answer 11

n. medicine or remedy whose effectiveness has not been proven

Question 12

obviate

Answer 12

v. prevent or make unnecessary; get rid of

Question 13

perennial

Answer 13

adj. lasting indefinitely or recurring

n. plant that lives three or more years

Question 14

putative

Answer 14

adj. commonly accepted or supposed; assumed to exist

Question 15

savant

Answer 15

n. person with detailed knowledge in a specialized field

Question 16

approbation

Answer 16

n. expression of approval; praise

Question 17

benighted

Answer 17

adj. existing in a state of moral, cultural or intellectual darkness; unenlightened

Question 18

bourgeois

Answer 18

n. middle class or a member of the middle class
adj. very concerned with middle-class values, such as respectability and material well being, with an inclination toward mediocrity; reflecting mediocrity

Question 19

credo

Answer 19

n. strongly held belief; a guide to one’s action

Question 20

empirical

Answer 20

adj. based on experience or observation as opposed to theory; capable of being confirmed by observation

Question 21

eschew

Answer 21

v. stay away from; shun, especially on practical or moral grounds

Question 22

expatiate

Answer 22

v. speak or write about in great detail; elaborate; usually used with on or upon

Question 23

iconoclast

Answer 23

n. one who attacks established beliefs, customs, or institutions

Question 24

indigence

Answer 24

n. extreme level of poverty
(indigent) n. person who is indigent
adj. without means of support

Question 25

laudable

Answer 25

adj. praiseworthy

Question 26

mandate

Answer 26

n. clear command or instruction

v. require or order

Question 27

ostensible

Answer 27

adj. only seemingly so; apparent

Question 28

recalcitrant

Answer 28

adj. unwilling to accept another’s authority; stubbornly defiant

Question 29

regurgitate

Answer 29

v. expel (partially digested food) from the stomach; repeat mindlessly what one has learned

Question 30

risible

Answer 30

adj. provoking or causing laughter