List A3 Flashcards
nondescript
adj. lacking distinction or individual character
dauntless
adj. incapable of being intimidated
paraphrase
v. to restate in different words; to summarize
debonair
adj. easy and carefree in manner
circumscribe
v. to define the limits of
cascade
n. a waterfall or series of small waterfalls; a succession of stages, processes, or units
etymology
n. the study of the origin of words
etiquette
n. the forms of behavior of polite society
ligament
n. connective tissue, joining bones or supporting internal organs
cerebral
adj. pertaining to the brain; intellectual
chronology
n. arrangement of events in time
adj. chronological
scribe
n. a professional copyist of manuscripts and documents, esp. in ancient times
dilate
v. to make wider; to expand
n. dilation
demagogue
n. a leader who obtains power by appealing to the emotions and passions of the people
n. demagoguery
remunerate
v. to pay or compensate
n. remuneration
sentinel
n. one who keeps watch
testy
adj. irritable; touchy
foliage
n. leaves
engender
v. to beget; to cause; to promote
genocide
n. killing of a whole national or ethnic group
bristle
v. to react in an angry or offended manner
quid pro quo
n. an equal exchange or substitution
segregate
v. to separate into groups or parts
bolster
v. to support or strengthen
abstract
adj. without reference to scientific instance or concrete existence; theoretical; v. to remove
n. abstraction
mosaic
n. an image created by the assembly of many small colored pieces, e.g. tiles
glut
n. an oversupply
toddle
v. to walk with short, unsteady steps, like a child
pulverize
v. to crush; to grind to powder or dust
cardinal
adj. of main importance; principal
crony
n. a long-time friend or close companion
incongruous
adj. lacking agreement; incompatible
complaisant
adj. showing desire to please; cheerfully obliging
n. complaisance
cumbersome
adj. clumsy or difficult to manage
inhibit
v. to hold back
n. inhibition
staunch
adj. strongly loyal
spontaneous
adj. occurring naturally or without forethought
n. spontaneity
urbane
adj. sophisticated
n. urbanity
aberration
n. a departure from what is right, true, or correct
adj. aberrant
momentous
adj. of extreme importance
conscript
v. to draft compulsorily, esp. into military service; n. a draftee
evoke
v. to call forth or call to mind
adj. evocative
fastidious
adj. not easy to please; very critical or discriminating
unequivocal
adj. very clear; definite
temporize
v. to act evasively in order to gain time
figurehead
n. a person with apparent but no real authority
accommodate
v. to oblige; to provide a service or favor; to fit
adj. accommodating
temporal
adj. relating to time
aboveboard
adj. without dishonesty or concealment
ad infinitum
adj. lasting forever; continuously
stanch
v. to stop the flow of something
embryonic
adj. not yet developed; at an early stage
n. embryo
giddy
adj. dizzy; lightheaded
depict
v. to represent; to portray
n. depiction
finesse
n. subtle skill in performance or in handling a situation
duel
n. a prearranged combat between two persons
fractious
adj. disruptive or irritable
conjecture
n. an interference or conclusion based on incomplete advance
interloper
n. one who interferes with the affairs of others; a meddler
brooch
n. a large, decorative pin
foment
v. to stir up negative feelings, esp. those that lead to violent action
morbid
adj. gruesome; awful
n. morbidity
complacent
adj. too pleases with oneself; self-satisfied
n. complacence
abrade
v. to wear down a surface by or as if by scraping
n. abrasion
adj. abrasive
hallucination
n. a false perception of reality; a delusion
v. hallucinate
heinous
adj. extremely wicked; abominable
adorn
v. add beauty; to decorate
yelp
n. a sharp cry expressing pain
skeptical
adj. tending to question or doubt
n. skeptic
stimulate
v. to rouse or excite to action or increased action; to spur on
stoic
adj. apparently indifferent to joy, grief, pleasure, or pain
n. stoicism
cadre
n. a core group of trained, highly skilled people capable of training others
plethora
n. an excessive amount
adj. plethoric
dismantle
V. to take apart
exasperate
v. to make very impatient; to annoy greatly
zeitgeist
n. the trend or spirit of the times
forfeit
v. to surrender or be forced to surrender
hallmark
n. any mark or symbol of genuineness or high quality
amplify
v. to make larger
n. amplification
freelance
adj. without long-term commitment to any employer
florid
adj. flushed with rosy color; overdecorated
tantalize
v. to torment or tease by showing something desirable while keeping it out of reach
adj. tantalizing
elicit
v. to draw out; to invoke
n. elicitation
induce
v. to influence, esp. by persuasion; to bring about; to infer by inductive reasoning
exuberant
adj. lively, happy, and full of good spirits
n. exuberance
ascribe
v. to attribute to a specific source
derelict
adj. abandoned; negligent
cue
n. a hint
goad
v. to prod or urge, as if with a pointed stick; n. a long stick used to prod animals; something used to urge on
antediluvian
adj. very old; outdated
incumbent
adj. necessary or obligatory; n. a person who currently holds a particular position
proscribe
v. to prohibit or forbid; to denounce
n. proscription
carte blanche
n. unrestricted power to act at one’s own discretion
subjective
adj. based on personal experience or feeling, not on external evidence
n. subjectivity
purport
v. to acclaim, esp. falsely
maim
v. to cripple; to mutilate; to disable
nocturnal
adj. occurring at night
contemporary
adj. of the same time or period
mediocre
adj. ordinary to inferior quality; not standing out from the average
encroach
v. to infringe; to intrude; to trespass
fruitless
adj. without results; unprofitable
callous
adj. lacking pity or mercy; unfeeling
noisome
adj. disgustingly offensive; foul (esp. in reference to an odor)
culminate
v. to reach the highest point
n. culmination
berserk
adj. dangerously destructive; frenzied
n. berserker
archive
n. records or documents of a government or institution; the place where such records are kept
extant
adj. currently or actually existing
quail
v. to draw back in fear; lost heart or courage
tactile
adj. of or related to the sense of touch
diffuse
v. to spread around or scatter; adj. widely scattered
n. diffusion
gestate
v. evolve, as in prenatal growth
n. gestation
inundate
v. to flood
n. inundation
ludicrous
adj. ridiculous or exaggerated as to cause or deserve laughter; absurd
wax
v. to become larger
traction
n. the ability (as of a tire or wheel) to stay on a surface without sliding; the act of pulling (esp. as a medical treatment)
ethereal
adj. delicate; soft; airy; intangible
taboo
n. something forbidden or prohibited
bellow
v. to yell very loudly; to shout
canon
n. a law or body of laws, esp. religious; an established principle or basis for judgment; the works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic
till
v. to prepare the soil for planting
dismal
adj. causing gloom or depression
impute
v. to assign credit, often of guilt or blame
n. imputation
junta
n. a group of military officers ruling a country after seizing power
covert
adj. concealed or disguised; not openly practiced
hangar
n. a structure used for housing aircraft
dupe
v. to deceive; to trick; n. a person easily tricked
anthropology
n. study of the origin, behavior, and culture of human beings
n. anthropologist
flighty
adj. unstable or easily excited
condone
v. to parson or overlook voluntarily
repel
v. to drive or force back; to drive off
collude
v. to plot secretly for a deceitful or illegal purpose
n. collusion
insular
adj. narrow in outlook; provincial
sediment
n. a residue that settles in the bottom of something
acrid
adj. harsh; sarcastic; bitter to the taste
audible
adj. able to be heard
posthumous
adj. done or occurring after death
conundrum
n. a riddle or puzzle, esp. one without a solution
embezzle
v. to take money for one’s own use, in a violation of trust
lethargic
adj. dull; sluggish; moving slowly
n. lethargy
hedonist
n. someone who seeks only pleasure
n. hedonism
garrulous
adj. talking too much, esp. about trivial things
n. garrulity
table
v. to postpone consideration of
quotidian
adj. daily; customary
protract
v. to extend the duration of; prolong
adj. protracted
legerdemain
n. trickery; deception; sleight of hand
unpretentious
adj. modest; not showy
gustatory
adj. relating to the sense of taste
repertoire
n. the range of pieces an artist is prepared to perform
epigram
n. a short, cleverly-worded statement
adj. epigrammatic
muse
v. to meditate; to consider thoughtfully
contract
v. to reduce in size by drawing together
retire
v. to retreat, as from battle
dowdy
adj. lacking in neatness or style; shabby
genealogy
n. the science or study if family descent
manumit
v. to grant freedom to slaves; to emancipate
n. manumission
lopsided
adj. larger or shaped differently on side than on another
precipitate
adj. moving rapidly and without caution
duress
n. strain or hardship, often legally applied
arable
adj. suitable for growing crops (of land)
alacrity
n. cheerful willingness; swiftness
sensuous
adj. appealing to the sense, esp. those involved in appreciating beauty
cavort
v. to leap in a lively manner; to have lively or boisterous fun
diffident
adj. lackinf self-confidence; timid; shy
n. diffidence
maelstrom
n. a violently confused state; a very large whirlpool
retract
v. to take back; to pukl back
n. retraction
mean
adj. lowly; insignificant; petty
belated
adj. delayed; postponed; detained
crestfallen
adj. feeling disappointment; feeling shame or humiliation
vindicate
v. tomclear of blame with supporting arguments or proof
n. vindication
taur
adj. tense; very tight
subordinate
adj. occupying a lower position
parody
n. a humorous and ridiculous imitation
accrue
v. to come as a gain; to increase
n. accrual
endemic
adj. native to a particular country
credit
v. to believe; to trust
palatable
adj. pleasant or acceptable to the taste
extract
v. to remove, esp. with effort
pathetic
adj. arousing pity; arousing scornful pit
n. pathos
vie
v. to compete
olfactory
adj. relating to the sense of smell
trauma
n. serious physical or emotional injury
adj. traumatic
adulterate
v. to make impure
ocular
adj. relating to the eye or sense of sight
alchemy
n. medieval chemistry, esp. the attempt to change common metals to gold
commensurate
adj. equal in proportion; having the same size, duration, etc.
chaste
adj. pure; not engaging in sexual activity
n. chastity
anecdote
N. a brief story, often humorous
adj. anecdotal
fervid
adj. extremely emotional; passionate
n. fervor
disparate
adj. entirely unlike
n. disparity
hyperbole
n. exaggeration
adj. hyperbolic
forthright
adj. direct and without evasion; honest
temperate
adj. consistent; moderate; without extremes
n. temperance
attract
v. to pull towards; to stimulate interest
adj. attractive
schism
n. a division; a split; a break
ubiquitous
adj. present everywhere
n. ubiquity
deride
v. to ridicule
n. derision
adj. derisive
collage
n. an assembly of diverse elements
bourgeoisie
n. the middle class
adj. bourgeois
husband
v. to use sparingly; to conserve
frugal
adj. careful in spending money or resources
n. frugality
