M Flashcards
macabre
gruesome; grisly (Eg: The city morgue is a macabre spot for the uninitiated. )
mace
ceremonial staff; clublike medieval weapon (Eg: The Grand Marshal of the parade raised his mace to signal that it was time for the procession to begin. )
macerate
soften by soaking in liquid; waste away (Eg: The strawberries had been soaking in the champagn for so long that they had begun to macerate: they )
machiavellian
crafty; double-dealing (Eg: I do not think he will be a good embassador because he is not accustomed to the machiavellian )
machinations
schemes (Eg: I can see through your wily machinations. )
maculated
spotted; stained (Eg: Instead of writing that Gorbachev had a birthmark on his forehead- the pompous young poet sang of the )
madrigal
pastoral song (Eg: His program of folk songs included several madrigals which he sang to the accompaniment of a lute. )
maelstrom
whirlpool (Eg: The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom. )
magisterial
authoritative; imperious (Eg: The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a magisterial tone of voice. )
magnanimity
generosity (Eg: Noted for his magnanimity- philanthropist Eugene Lang donated millions to charity. )
magnate
person of prominence or influence (Eg: The steel magnate decided to devote more time to city politics. )
magniloquent
boastful- pompous (Eg: In their stories of the trial- the reporters ridiculed the magniloquent speeches of the defense attorney. )
magnitude
greatness; extent (Eg: It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime. )
maim
mutilate; injure (Eg: The hospital could not take care of all who had been mangled or maimed in the railroad accident. )
maladroit
clumsy; bungling (Eg: In his usual maladroit way- he managed to upset the cart and spill the food. )
malaise
uneasiness; distress (Eg: She felt a sudden vague malaise when she heard sounds at the door. )
malapropism
comic misuse of a word (Eg: When Mrs. Malaprop criticizes Lydia for being ‘‘as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile-‘’ she )
malcontent
person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs (Eg: He was one of the few malcontents in the Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the Presidential )
malediction
curse (Eg: The witch uttered maledictions against her captors. )
malefactor
criminal (Eg: We must try to bring these malefactors to justice. )
malevolent
wishing evil (Eg: We must thwart his malevolent schemes. )
malfeasance
wrongdoing (Eg: The authorities did not discover the campaign manager’s malfeasance until after he had spent most of the )
malicious
dictated by hatred or spite (Eg: The malicious neighbor spread the gossip. )
malign
speak evil of; defame (Eg: Because of her hatred of the family- she maligns all who are friendly to them. )
malignant
having an evil influence; virulent (Eg: This is a malignant disease; we must have to use drastic measures to stop its spread. )
malingerer
one who feigns illness to escape duty (Eg: The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work. )
malleable
capable of being shaped by pounding (Eg: Gold is a malleable metal. )
malodorous
foul-smelling (Eg: The component heap was most malodorous in summer. )
mammal
vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young (Eg: Many people regard the whale as a fish and do not realize that it is a mammal. )
mammoth
gigantic (Eg: The mammoth corporations of the twentieth century are a mixed blessing )
manacle
restrain; handcuff (Eg: The police immediately manacled the prisoner so he could not escape. )
mandate
order; charge (Eg: In his inaugural address- the President stated that he had a mandate from the people to seek an end to )
mandatory
obligatory (Eg: These instructions are mandatory; any violation will be severely punished. )
mangy
shabby; wretched (Eg: We finally thew out the mangy rug that the dog had destroyed. )
maniacal
raving mad (Eg: His maniacal laughter frightened us. )
manifest
understandable; clear (Eg: His evil intentions were manifest and yet we could not stop him. )
manifestation
outward demonstration; indication (Eg: Mozart’s early attraction to the harsichord was the first manifestation of his pronounced musical bent. )
manifesto
declaration; statement of policy (Eg: The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism. )
manifold
numerous; varied (Eg: I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your manifold kindnesses. )
manipulate
operate with the hands; control or change by artful means (Eg: How do you manipulate these puppets? )
mannered
affected; not natural (Eg: Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors- Gatsby adopted a mannered- artificial way of )
manumit
emancipate; free from bondage (Eg: Enlightened slave owners were willing to manumit their slaves and thus put an end to the evil slavery in the )
marital
pertaining to marriage (Eg: After the publication of his book on marital affairs- he was often consulted by married people on the verge )
maritime
bordering on the sea; nautical (Eg: The maritime Provinces depend on the sea for their wealth. )
marked
noticeable; targeted for vengeance (Eg: He walked with a marked limp- a souvenir of an old IRA attack. As British ambassador- he knew he was a )
marred
damaged; disfigured (Eg: She had to refinish the marred surface of the table. )
marshal
put in order (Eg: At a debate tournament- extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts )
marsupial
one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch (Eg: The most common marsupial in North America is the opposum. )
martial
warlike (Eg: The sound of marital music was always inspiring to the young poet. )
martinet
strict disciplinarian (Eg: The commanding officer was a martinet who observed each regulation to the ltter. )
masochist
person who enjoys his own pain (Eg: The masochist begs- ‘‘Hit me.’’ The sadist smiles and says- ‘‘I won’t.’’ )
masticate
chew (Eg: We must masticate our food carefully and slowly in order to avoid digestive disorders. )
materialism
preoccupation with physical comforts and things (Eg: By its nature- materialism is opposed to idealism- for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the )
maternal
motherly (Eg: )
matriarch
woman who rules a family or larger social group (Eg: The matriarch ruled her gypsy tribe with a firm hand. )
martrix
point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die (Eg: Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of the Western civilization. )
maudlin
effusively sentimental (Eg: I do not like such maudlin pictures. I call them tearjerkers. )
maul
handle roughly (Eg: The rock star was mauled by his overexcited fans. )
mausoleum
monumental tomb (Eg: His body was placed in the family mausolem. )
mauve
pale purple (Eg: The mauve tint in the lilac bush was another indication that spring had finally arrived. )
maverick
rebel; nonconformist (Eg: To the masculine literary establishment- George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking )
mawkish
sickening; insipid (Eg: Your mawkish sighs fill me with disgust. )
maxim
proverb; a truth pithily stated (Eg: Aesop’s fables illustrate moral maxims. )
mayhem
injury to the body (Eg: The riot was marked not only by mayhem- with its attendant loss of life and limb- but also by arson and )
meager
scanty; inadequate (Eg: His salary was far too meager for him to afford to buy a new car. )
mealymouthed
indirect speech; hypocritical; evasive (Eg: Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked- Jack made a few mealymouthed comments and tried to change )
meander
to wind or turn in its course (Eg: It is difficult to sail up this stream because of the way it meanders through the countryside. )
meddlesome
interfering (Eg: He felt his marriage was suffering because of his meddlesome mother-in-law. )
mediate
settle a dispute through the services of an outsider (Eg: Let us mediate out differences rather than engage in a costly strike. )
mediocre
ordinary; commonplace (Eg: We were disappointed because he gave a rather mediocre performance in this role. )
meditation
reflection; thought (Eg: She reached her decision only after much meditation. )
medley
mixture (Eg: The band played a medley of Gershwin tunes. )
meek
submissive; patient and long-suffering (Eg: Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor. )
megalomania
mania for doing grandiose things (Eg: Developers who spend millions trying to build the world’s tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania. )
melee
fight (Eg: The captain tried to ascertain the cause of the melee that had broken out among the crew members. )
mellifluous
flowing smoothly; smooth (Eg: Italian is a mellifluous language. )
memento
token; reminder (Eg: Take this book as a memento of your visit. )