M Flashcards
1
Q
macabre
A
gruesome; grisly
The city morgue is a macabre spot for the uninitiated.
2
Q
mace
A
ceremonial staff; clublike medieval weapon
The Grand Marshal of the parade raised his mace to signal that it was time for the procession to begin.
3
Q
macerate
A
soften by soaking in liquid; waste away
The strawberries had been soaking in the champagn for so long that they had begun to macerate: they literally fell apart at the touch of a spoon.
4
Q
machiavellian
A
crafty; double-dealing
I do not think he will be a good embassador because he is not accustomed to the machiavellian maneuverings of foreign diplomats.
5
Q
machinations
A
schemes
I can see through your wily machinations.
6
Q
maculated
A
spotted; stained
Instead of writing that Gorbachev had a birthmark on his forehead, the pompous young poet sang of the former premier’s maculated brow.
7
Q
madrigal
A
pastoral song
His program of folk songs included several madrigals which he sang to the accompaniment of a lute.
8
Q
maelstrom
A
whirlpool
The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.
9
Q
magisterial
A
authoritative; imperious
The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a magisterial tone of voice.
10
Q
magnanimity
A
generosity
Noted for his magnanimity, philanthropist Eugene Lang donated millions to charity.
11
Q
magnate
A
person of prominence or influence
The steel magnate decided to devote more time to city politics.
12
Q
magniloquent
A
boastful, pompous
In their stories of the trial, the reporters ridiculed the magniloquent speeches of the defense attorney.
13
Q
maim
A
mutilate; injure
The hospital could not take care of all who had been mangled or maimed in the railroad accident.
14
Q
maladroit
A
clumsy; bungling
In his usual maladroit way, he managed to upset the cart and spill the food.
15
Q
malaise
A
uneasiness; distress
She felt a sudden vague malaise when she heard sounds at the door.
16
Q
malapropism
A
comic misuse of a word
When Mrs. Malaprop criticizes Lydia for being “as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile,” she confuses “allegory” and “allegator” in a typical malapropism.
17
Q
malcontent
A
person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs
He was one of the few malcontents in the Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the Presidential program.
18
Q
malediction
A
curse
The witch uttered maledictions against her captors.
19
Q
malfeasance
A
wrongdoing
The authorities did not discover the campaign manager’s malfeasance until after he had spent most of the money he had embezzled.
20
Q
malign
A
speak evil of; defame
Because of her hatred of the family, she maligns all who are friendly to them.
21
Q
malingerer
A
one who feigns illness to escape duty
The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work.
22
Q
malleable
A
capable of being shaped by pounding
Gold is a malleable metal.
23
Q
malodorous
A
foul-smelling
The component heap was most malodorous in summer.
24
Q
manacle
A
restrain; handcuff
The police immediately manacled the prisoner so he could not escape.
25
mangy
shabby; wretched
We finally thew out the mangy rug that the dog had destroyed.
26
maniacal
raving mad
His maniacal laughter frightened us.
27
manifest
understandable; clear
His evil intentions were manifest and yet we could not stop him.
28
manifesto
declaration; statement of policy
The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism.
29
manifold
numerous; varied
I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your manifold kindnesses.
30
mannered
affected; not natural
Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a mannered, artificial way of speech.
31
manumit
emancipate; free from bondage
Enlightened slave owners were willing to manumit their slaves and thus put an end to the evil slavery in the country.
32
marred
damaged; disfigured
She had to refinish the marred surface of the table.
33
marshal
put in order
At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts before addressing their audience.
34
marsupial
one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch
The most common marsupial in North America is the opposum.
35
martinet
strict disciplinarian
The commanding officer was a martinet who observed each regulation to the ltter.
36
matrix
point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die
Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of the Western civilization.
37
maudlin
effusively sentimental
I do not like such maudlin pictures. I call them tearjerkers.
38
maul
handle roughly
The rock star was mauled by his overexcited fans.
39
mausoleum
monumental tomb
His body was placed in the family mausolem.
40
mauve
pale purple
The mauve tint in the lilac bush was another indication that spring had finally arrived.
41
maverick
rebel; nonconformist
To the masculine literary establishment, George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking cigars was clearly a maverick who fought her proper womanly role.
42
mawkish
sickening; insipid
Your mawkish sighs fill me with disgust.
43
maxim
proverb; a truth pithily stated
Aesop's fables illustrate moral maxims.
44
mayhem
injury to the body
The riot was marked not only by mayhem, with its attendant loss of life and limb, but also by arson and pillage.
45
mealymouthed
indirect speech; hypocritical; evasive
Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked, Jack made a few mealymouthed comments and tried to change the subject.
46
meander
to wind or turn in its course
It is difficult to sail up this stream because of the way it meanders through the countryside.
47
meddlesome
interfering
He felt his marriage was suffering because of his meddlesome mother-in-law.
48
medley
mixture
The band played a medley of Gershwin tunes.
49
meek
submissive; patient and long-suffering
Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor.
50
megalomania
mania for doing grandiose things
Developers who spend millions trying to build the world's tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania.
51
melee
fight
The captain tried to ascertain the cause of the melee that had broken out among the crew members.
52
mellifluous
flowing smoothly; smooth
Italian is a mellifluous language.
53
memento
token; reminder
Take this book as a memento of your visit.
54
memorialize
commemorate
Let us memorialize his great contribution by dedicating this library in his honor.
55
mendacious
lying; false
He was pathological liar, and his friends learned to discount his mendacious stories.
56
mendicant
beggar
From the moment we left the ship, we were surrounded by mendicants and peddlers.
57
menial
suitable for sevants; low
I cannot understand why a person of your ability and talent should engage in such menial activities.
58
mercantile
concerning trade
I am more interested in the opportunites available in the mercantile field than I am in those in the legal profession.
59
mercenary
motivated solely by money or gain
"I'm not in this war because I get my kicks waving flags," said the mercenary soldier. "I'm in it for the dough."
60
mercurial
fickle; changing
He was of a mercurial temperament and therefore unpredictable.
61
meretricious
flashy; tawdry; falsely attractive
Her jewels were inexpensive but not meretricious.
62
mesmerize
hypnotize
The incessant drone seemed to mesmerize him and place him in a trance.
63
metallurgical
pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores
During the course of his metallurgical research, the scientist developed a steel alloy of tremendous strength.
64
mete
measure; distribute
He tried to be impartial in his efforts to mete out justice.
65
meteoric
swift; momentarily brilliant
We all wondered at his meteoric rise to fame.
66
methodical
systematic
An accountant must be methodical and maintain order among his financial records.
67
mettle
courage; spirit
When challenged by the other horses in the race, the thoroughbred proved its mettle by its determination to hold the lead.
68
miasma
swamp gas; heavy, vaporous atmosphere, often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive corrupting influence
The smog hung over Victorian London like a dark cloud; noisome, reeking of decay, it was a visible miasma.
69
militant
combative; bellicose
Althoughat this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one could usually find him adopting a more militant attitude.
70
militate
work against
Your record of lateness and absence will militate against your chances of promotion.
71
minatory
menacing; threatening
Jabbing a minatory forefinger at Dorothy, the Wicked Witch cried, "I'll get you, and your little dog, too!"
72
mincing
affectedly dainty
Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps.
73
minion
a servile dependent
He was always accompanied by several of his minions because he enjoyed their subservience and flattery.
74
minutiae
petty details
She would have liked to ignore the minutiae of daily living.
75
mirage
unreal reflection; optical illusion
The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in the desert.
76
mire
entangle; stick in swampy ground
Their rear wheels became mired in mud.
77
mirth
merriment; laughter
Sober Malvolio found Sir Toby's mirth improper.
78
misanthrope
one who hates mankind
We thought the hermit was a miantrope because he shunned our society.
79
misapprehension
error; misunderstanding
To avoid msapprehension, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given.
80
miscellany
mixture of writings on various subjects
This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century prose and poetry.
81
mischance
ill luck
By mischance, he lost his week's salary.
82
misconstrue
interpret incorrectly; misjudge
She took the passage seriously rather than humourously because she misconstrued the author's ironic tone.
83
miscreant
wretch; villain
His kindness to the miscreant amazed all of us who had expected to hear severe punishment pronounced.
84
misdemeanor
minor crime
The culprit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor rather than face trial for a felony.
85
miserly
stingy; mean
The miserly old man hoarded his coins not out of prudence but out of greed.
86
mishap
accident
With a little care you could have avoided this mishap.
87
misnomer
wrong name; incorrect designation
His tyrannical conduct proved to all that his nickname, King Eric the Just, was a misnomer.
88
misogamy
hatred of marriage
He remained a bachelor not because of misogamy but because of ill fate: his fiancee died before the wedding.
89
misogynist
hater of women
She accused him of being a misogynist because he had been a bachelor all his life.
90
missive
letter
The ambassador received a missive from the Secretary of State.
91
mite
very small object or creature; small coin
Gnats are annoying mites that sing.
92
mitigate
appease
Nothing he did could mitigate her wrath; she was unforgiving.
93
modicum
limited quantity
Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious.
94
modish
fashionable
She always discarded all garments that were no longer modish.
95
modulation
toning down; changing from one key to another
When we she spoke, it was with quiet modulation of voice.
96
mogul
powerful person
The oil moguls made great profits when the price of gasoline rose.
97
mollycoddle
pamper; indulge excessively
Don't mollycoddle the boy, Maud! You'll spoil him.
98
molt
shed or cast off hair or feathers
The male robin molted in the spring.
99
momentous
very important
On this momentous occasion, we must be very solemn.
100
monastic
related to monks
Wanting to live a religious life, he took his monastic vows.
101
monolithic
solidly uniform; unyielding
Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a monolithic front.
102
monotheism
belief in one God
Abraham was the first to proclaim his belief in monotheism.
103
moodiness
fits of depression or gloom
We could not discover the cause of her recurrent moodiness.
104
moratorium
legal delay of payment
If we declare a moratorium and delay collection of debts for six months, I am sure the farmers will be able to meet their bills.
105
morbid
given to unwholesome thought; gloomy
These morbid speculations are dangerous; we must lighten our spirits by emphasizing more pleasant matters.
106
mordant
biting; sarcastic; stinging
Actors feared the critic's mordant pen.
107
mores
customs
The mores of Mexico are those of Spain with some modifications.
108
moribund
at the point of death
The doctors called the family to the bedside of the moribund patient.
109
morose
ill-humored; sullen
When we first meet Hamlet, we find him morose and depressed.
110
mortician
undertaker
The mortician prepared the corpse for burial.
111
mortify
humiliate; punish the flesh
She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears.
112
mote
small speck
The tiniest mote in the eye is very painful.
113
motif
theme
This simple motif runs throughout the score.
114
motility
ability to move spontaneously
Certain organisms exhibit remarkable motility; motile spores, for example, may travel for miles before coming to rest.
115
motley
parti-colored; mixed
The captain had gathered a motley crew to sail the vessel.
116
mottled
spotted
When he blushed, his face took on a mottled hue.
117
mountebank
charlatan; boastful pretender
The patent medicine man was a mountebank.
118
muddle
confuse; mix up
His thoughts were muddled and chaotic.
119
muggy
warm and damp
August in New York City is often muggy.
120
mulct
defraud a person of something
The lawyer was accused of trying to mulct the boy of his legacy.
121
multifarious
varied; greatly diversified
A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.
122
munificent
very generous
The munificent gift was presented to the bride by her rich uncle.
123
murkiness
darkness; gloom
The murkiness and fog of the waterfront that evening depressed me.
124
muse
ponder
For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thought soon changed as he recalled his own personal problems.
125
musky
having the odor of musk
She left a trace of musky perfume behind her.
126
muster
gather; assemble
Washington mustered his forces at Trenton.
127
musty
stale; spoiled by age
The attic was dark and musty.
128
mutinous
unruly; rebellious
The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew.
129
millinery
person who makes or sells women's hats
The millinery displayed fashionable hats in the street where many women passed by.
