list 10 Flashcards
abstruse
hard to understand
aberration
abnormality
acerbic
sharp, bitter
adage
old saying, proverb
ahistorical
not related to history
allay
to calm, to soothe
altercation
angry argument
ameliorate
to improve
ancillary
secondary, additional
Antediluvian
ancient
anvil
block of iron used by a blacksmith
append
to add to to attach
austere
strict harsh
not luxurious
aviary
a cage for birds
barb
an insult
bay
a dogs or wolfs howl
belie
to deny, to give a false impression of
bemused
deep in thought, dazed
bequest
gift left by a will
bewail
to cry or complain about
blanch
to turn Pail
bludgeon
club, to hit
boorish
bad mannered
broach
to begin to talk about
to open
burgeon
to grow rapidly
calligrapher
one who uses a special pen to create beautiful handwriting
carp
to complain
categorical
definite, absolute
causal
involving the cause of something
centrifuge
a machine that spins substances so that they seperate
charlatan
a person who pretends to be skilled
check
to stop
cicada
a winged insect
cistern
water container
clank
harsh banging noise
collegiality
the sharing of authority
commemorate
to honor a memory
compatriot
person from the same country
concur
to agree
confer
to discuss
congeal
to become solid
connotative
suggest an extra meaning
contrite
sorry
coronation
crowning
cosmologist
one who studies the universe
debase
to lower, to humble
decorous ness
good manners, proper behavior
defacement
destruction of appearance e
defunct
dead, no longer existing
depravity
wickedness
desist
to stop
deter
to prevent
dictum
a formal statement of opinion
dike
wall used to hold back wate r
diorama
miniature scene in three dimensions
disburse
to pay out money
disdain
to look down upon, to scorn
dissension
act of disagreeing
distend
to stretch, to extend
dross
useless material
edifice
large building
effrontery
open rudeness
elegy
song or poem or the dead
elusive
hard to catch, evasive
empiricism
practice of relaying an observation and experianxe
encompass
to include
entail
to involve
enumeration
numbered list
epochal
important, pertaining to particular period of history
erudition
knowledge acquired from books
ethereal
not physical, spiritual
evocative
brining out a reaction, stimulating
execrable
very bad
expansive
wide, braid
expunge
to erase
extrapolate
to predict
faction
a group of people who think the same way
fecund
fertile
fetid
having a bad smell
filament
thin wire or thread
fledging
inexperienced person
young bird
flushed
red in the face
forgo
to do without, to give up
fractious
disobedient
fulsome
gross offensive
lavish overdone
galvanize
to inspire or stimulate sudden action
to prevent rust coating
gaunt
thin, grim
genteel
upper class, elegant, polite
gibe
to ridicule
glacial
cold, unfriendly
gnat
flea
gratis
free of charge
harbinger
a sign or omen, a messenger
Herculean
of great power or difficulty
immutable
unchangeabke
impetus
motivation, driving force
improvidence
lack of foresight
incandescent
bright, glowing with heat
incidental
unimportant, not central
incontrovertible
unquestionable, definte
indecipherable
impossible to understand
indigent
extremely poor
indubitable
certain, definite
infatuation
foolish or impulsive love
infuriate
to anger
inkling
beginning of the idea
inscrutable
mysterious, hard to understand
insurmountable
impossible to overcome
intractable
hard to manage, disobedien
invasive
invading, entering
irascible
bad tempered
