Magoosh 2 Flashcards
Sangfroid
This word literally means cold-blooded. It is defined as calmness and poise, especially in trying situations.
Parvenu
This is a person who has recently acquired wealth, and has therefore risen in class.
Demur
Demur is a verb. It means to object. Demur should not be confused with demure, which as an adjective that means coy. They both come from around the time of the Norman Conquest (though the Anglophiles may have demurred to use either).
Arriviste
This word is similar to parvenu (though arriviste connotes more ruthless ambition). It came into the language much more recently, circa 1900.
Melee
I learned melee early in my life, because I had the peculiar misfortune of having a surname that rhymes with it. While none of this schoolyard teasing resulted in any melees, it’ll behoove you to know that it means a wild, confusing fight or struggle. Oh, and it comes from French (rhyming similarities aside, my last name is not derived from French).
Let’s see if I can weave them all into a coherent sentence:
Despite the scornful stares from entrenched aristocrats, the parvenu walked blithely about the palace grounds, maintaining his sangfroid and demurring to enter into the melees that the snobbish were so fond of baiting arrivistes into.
Lagniappe
This word looks like it got jumbled up while I was typing. Believe it or not, lagniappe is not the result of errant fingers on my part, but comes to us from Louisiana. In Cajun country, in the 19th Century, a lagniappe was any unexpected gift. By no means a common GRE word, if lagniappe happens to show up on the test, then consider it an unexpected gift.
Picayune
Picayune would make for a good 2,000-dollar jeopardy clue, one which would probably read something like this:
“Don’t trifle with us–this word comes from Cajun country via France and refers to a 19th century coin of little value.”
“What is picayune?”, would be the correct answer (thanks, Alex!).
Derived from Cajun via Provencal France, picayune refers not only to a coin but also to an amount that is trifling or meager. It can also refer to a person who is petty. Therefore, if I’m being picayune, I’m fussing over some trivial point.
Eponyms
An eponym is any word that is derived from a person’s name.
English is one of the most promiscuous languages, absorbing languages as unrelated as Sanskrit and Finnish into its bulging lexicon. By extension, I’d also warn against relying on Latin/Greek roots to figure out what unfamiliar words mean. Thwarting a root-based approach even more is the fact that English not only takes from any language it stumbles across, but that it blithely appropriates a person’s name, trimming a few letters here and there (adding the Latin –ian, or -esque for true mongrel effect), and then begets a Franken-word that would confound the most seasoned etymologist.
Adapting a name in such a fashion results in an eponym. What makes eponyms fascinating—and even more random—is that just about anyone can bequeath the world his or her name: a fictional anti-hero who thought windmills were dragons; a jingoistic veteran of Napoleon’s army; an author with a penchant for absurdity, and an aversion to bureaucracy.
Of course, for GRE purposes we do not need to know that a jeroboam is a massive wine bottle named for an ancient Israeli king (who apparently was quite the wino). So I have culled from a list of eponyms those that may actually show up test day.
Mesmerize
Franz Mesmer, an Austrian physician prominent the turn of the 19th century, was renowned for hypnotizing people. His method included kneeling near a patient, touching his/her knees and looking into the person’s eyes (I’m curious if he ever proposed to one of his clients).
Today, we have the word mesmerize, which doesn’t necessarily mean to hypnotize (though it could), but is used figuratively and means to hold spellbound.
The plot and the characters were so well developed that many viewers were mesmerized, unable to move their eyes from the screen for even a single second.
Gerrymander
No, this word does not pertain to a large salamander named Gerry – though I suppose it could.
Gerrymander is actually far more interesting than that.
Elbridge Gerry was the vice president of James Madison, the 4th president of the United States. Elbridge had an interesting idea. To get elected a president had to win a certain number of districts. So Elbridge came up with the following plan: if he partitioned a city in a certain way he could ensure that the president would win the majority of the votes from that district.
The end result was a city that was split up into the oddest arrangement of districts. And can you guess what a map of the city, gerrymandered, looked like? Yep, a salamander.
Today the use of gerrymander hasn’t changed too much, and refers to the manipulation of boundaries to favor a certain group.
Hector
If you remember reading Homer’s Iliad, you may remember Hector, a muscular, daunting force (some of you may more vividly recall Eric Bana from the movie Troy). As people were intimidated around Hector, it makes sense that the word ‘hector’ means to bully or intimidate.
The boss’s hectoring manner put off many employees, some of whom quit as soon as they found new jobs.
Pollyannaish
Like Hector, Pollyannaish comes from fiction. However, in this case we are dealing with a relatively recent work, that of Eleanor Porter who came up with a character named Pollyanna. Pollyanna was extremely optimistic and so it is no surprise that Pollyannaish means extremely optimistic.
Even in the midst of a lousy sales quarter, Debbie remained Pollyannaish, never losing her shrill voice and wide smile, even when people hung up on her.
Chauvinist
Many have heard this word, and some may even have a visceral reaction to the word. However, this word is actually misused. A chauvinist is not a male who chugs beers, watches too much football, and demeans women. That would be a male chauvinist. So what is a chauvinist, unadorned by any adjective?
Well, Nicolas Chauvin, a one-time recruit in Napoleon’s army, used to go about town, thumping his chest about how great France was. In its modern day incantation, chauvinism can also mean anyone who thinks that their group is better than anybody else’s group. You can have male chauvinists, political party chauvinists, and even female chauvinists.
Pyrrhic
King Pyrrhus had the unfortunate luck of going up against the Romans. Some would say that he was actually lucky in that he actually defeated the Romans in the Battle of Asculum. Pyrrhic was perhaps more ambivalent, quipping, “One more such victory will undo me.”
So any win that comes at so great a cost that it is not even worth it is a pyrrhic victory.
Kafkaesque
By day, Franz Kafka filed papers at an insurance office, and by night churned out dark novels, which suggested that the quotidian world of the office was actually far more sinister. Mainly, his novels were known for the absurd predicaments of their main characters (who often went by nothing more than a single initial).
Today, we have the word Kafkaesque, that refers to the absurdity we have to deal with living in a world of faceless bureaucracies. So next time you are put on hold for three hours and then volleyed back in forth between a dozen monotone-voice employees, think to yourself, hey this is Kafkaesque.
Quixotic
Don Quixote is perhaps one of the most well-known characters in all of literature. I suppose there is something heartbreaking yet comical at a man past his prime who believes he is on some great mission to save the world. In fact, Don Quixote was so far off his rocker that he thought windmills were dragons.
As a word that means somebody who mistakes windmills for dragons would have a severely limited application, quixotic has taken the broader meaning of someone who is wildly idealistic. It is one thing to want to help end world hunger; it is another to think you can do so on your own. The latter would be deemed quixotic.
Maudlin
Mary Magdalene was the most important female disciple of Jesus. After Jesus had been crucified, she wept at his tomb.
From this outward outpouring of emotion, we today have the word maudlin. Whereas Mary’s weeping was noble, maudlin has taken on a negative connotation. A person who is maudlin cries in public for no good reason, and is oftentimes times used to describe one who’s tried to finish a jeroboam alone, and now must share with the stranger sitting next to them all of his deepest feelings.
Panglossian
Interestingly, there is another eponym for literature that has a very similar meaning: Panglossian.
Derived from Dr. Pangloss from Voltaire’s Candide, Panglossian carries a negative connotation, implying blind optimism.
Despite the fact that his country had been marred by a protracted civil war, Victor remained ever Panglossian, claiming that his homeland was living through a Golden Age.
Malapropism
This is definitely one of my favorite eponyms. While the provenance is nowhere nearly as interesting as those of other eponyms, the word perfectly describes a lapse that any of us is capable of making, especially those studying for the GRE.
Ms. Malaprop was a character in a play The Rivals by the largely forgotten George Sheridan. She was known for mixing up similar sounding words, usually to comic effect. Indeed, she would utter the words with complete aplomb that those listening were unsure if she’d even mixed up words in the first place.
Her favorite Spanish dance was the flamingo (note: the dance in question is the flamenco; a flamingo is a salmon-colored bird known both for its elegance and tackiness).
GRE malapropisms aren’t quite so silly as Ms. Malaprop mixing up a bird and a Spanish dance, but I’ll do my best. See if you can spot the GRE malapropisms below.
The graffiti artist was indicated for defecating the church with gang signs.
Picasso was a protein artist, able to mix elements of African art with the oven guard.
Quisling
We’ve all heard of the Nazis. Some of you may have even heard of the Vichy government, which was a puppet regime set up by the Nazis in France during WWII. Few of us, however, know that Germany also tried to turn Norway into a puppet regime. In order for Germany to take over Norway, it needed an inside man, a Norwegian who would sell his country out for the Nazis.
This man was Viktor Quisling. For arrant perfidy, he has been awarded the eponym quisling, which means traitor.
Byzantine
Okay, I cheated a little on this one. Byzant was not a medieval philosopher (nor an industrious ant).
The word ‘byzantine’ is not derived from a person’s name, but from Byzantium, an ancient city that was part of the Byzantine Empire (the word can also refer to the empire itself). Specifically, Byzantium was known for the intricate patterns adorning its architecture. Bulbous domed turrets were emblazoned with ornate latticing (think of the towers on a Russia church).
The modern usage of byzantine refers not to architecture per se, but to anything that is extremely intricate and complex. It actually carries a negative connotation.
Getting a driver’s license is not simply a matter of taking a test; the regulations and procedures are so byzantine that many have found themselves at the mercy of the DMV.
Galvanize
Like many late 18th Century scientists, Luigi Galvani was fascinated with electricity (you may recall a certain Ben Franklin who had a similar penchant). Galvani’s breakthrough came a little more serendipitously than playing with metal in lightning storms—he noticed that an electric current passing through a dead frog’s legs made those legs twitch. This observation sparked—pardon the pun—a series of connections: could it be that electric shock could cause muscles to twitch?
Today, galvanize can mean to shock but in a different sense than through raw electricity. To galvanize is to shock or urge somebody/something into action.
The colonel’s speech galvanized the troops, who had all but given up.
Supercilious
Cilia are small, thick hairs. One area on our bodies that contains cilia is our eyebrows. Supercilious is derived from the rising of these brows. Of course a word that means raising one’s eyebrows would probably have limited use. It’s what the raising of eyebrows connotes. Apparently, to be supercilious is to be haughty and disdainful. That is, when we look down at someone in a demeaning way, we might be tempted to lift our brows.
Protean
Nope, I have not spelled protein incorrectly (don’t worry—carbohydrates will not show up next on the list!). Protean is an eponym derived from the Greek god Proteus, who could change into shape or forms at will. To be protean, however, does not mean you wow party guests by shifting into various kinds of lawn furniture. The consummate adaptability implied by the word is used to describe a person’s ability.
So an actor, musician, or writer who is very versatile is protean.
Peter Sellers was truly a protean actor—in Doctor Strangelove he played three very different roles: a jingoist general, a sedate President and a deranged scientist.
Sartorial
The Sartorius muscle is found on your legs and crosses from the back, near the hamstring, all the way to the base of the quadriceps, at the front of the leg. The name Sartorius was derived from the Latin for tailor. You may ask what a leg muscle has to do with a person who stitches clothes? Well, whenever a tailor was at work, he/she would cross his or her legs. In order to do so, a tailor must employ a special leg muscle, the Sartorius. Today, sartorial does not relate directly to the muscle or tailor, but rather to the way we dress (makes sense considering tailors work with clothes).
Monte was astute at navigating the world of finance, however sartorially he was found wanting—typically a beige tie attempted to complement a gray suit and white pants.
Saturnine
The etymology of this curious word can be traced to two sources: alchemy and astrology. For alchemists, Saturn was related to the chemical lead. When a person has severe lead poisoning, he or she takes on a very gloomy and morose disposition. Astrologists, on the other hand, believed that the planet Saturn was gloomy and morose. Usually, we would be loath to attribute human characteristics to large floating rocks, but remember, these were astrologists. Either way you look at it, to be saturnine is to be morose.
Mercurial
From the element mercury, which has no fixed form and constantly changes, we have the word mercurial. Mercurial refers to personality; anyone who easily changes his or her mood easily is known as mercurial. This is a very common GRE word, so make sure you learn it.
Jaundice
Jaundice is a condition of the liver that has the side effect of turning the skin yellow. The second definition—and the one you have to know for the GRE—may seem completely unrelated: to be biased against as a result of envy or prejudice. In the 17th Century, being yellow, apparently, was associated with having prejudice. Hence, we have the second definition of the word jaundice. It is important to note that yellow now, at least colloquially, means to be cowardly. This definition does not relate to jaundice.
Jejune
Many people like this word for the simple reason that it’s fun to say. After all, how often do we get to
see the summery month of June in a word? All this niftiness aside, the definition of jejune (sadly) is a
letdown. To be jejune is to be dull, insipid and lacking flavor. No, it can’t be, you think. But yes,
jejune, our delightful word—means something that is actually…meh.
But it gets even worse for poor jejune—it is derived from the first part of the large intestine, the
jejunum, where food is digested. Now jejune does not only mean boring, it also conjures up images
we’d rather leave in the dark.
Finally, jejune has a second definition. Jejune, though, is yet again a victim of bad PR. To be jejune
(secondary definition) can also mean to be childish and immature.
Now that I’m done lamenting jejune’s debased status, I’m going to have a jejune fit.
Bilious
Speaking of nasty stuff in the body, bilious comes from bile—you know, that yellow stuff in your liver that every once in a while makes a very unwelcome gustatory appearance.
To be filled with bile, however, doesn’t mean to have a bad taste in your mouth.
According to Hippocrates, he of the bodily humors, if we are filled with too much bile, we are angry.
Therefore, to be bilious is to be constantly irritable and ready to bite somebody’s head off.
Choleric
Hippocrates, along with the Roman physician Galen, believed that the body was filled with humors, or fluids. The balance of these humors led to certain moods. If a person had too much black bile he (usually not she) would be said to be choleric, or highly irascible (choleric was more Galen’s nomenclature, as Hippocrates stuck to bilious, a synonym for choleric).
Sanguine
But not all is bad in the world of bodily humors. Meet sanguine, from the Latin sanguineus, which comes from blood. Not that most of us would consider blood a humor, but according to Galen, blood, along with bile/choler, was one of the four bodily humors. And while this bloody association doesn’t bode well for the definition of sanguine, surprisingly, sanguine means to be cheerful, optimistic.
How did this ever come to be? Well, when we are happy the blood rushes to our cheeks turning them red (yes, this seems to me about as valid as yellow meaning prejudice—not that green with envy makes any sense).
While sanguine has a positive definition, the word sanguinary—note the sang- root—means a carnage or bloodbath. Yes, I know English can be a confusing language. But, if you learn these high-frequency GRE words, you will have something to be sanguine about!
Martinet
Not to be confused with a doll dangled on strings (that’s a marionette) a martinet is a person who is a strict disciplinarian. Think of a drill sergeant who barks an order and a platoon of cadets jump to attention – the slightest misstep and its toilet duty. If anything, the martinet is the one holding the strings.
This military example is no coincidence – martinet is an eponym, meaning a word derived from a person’s name. The guilty party in this case is the 17th Century French drillmaster Jean Martinet.
Curmudgeon
Probably one of my favorite GRE words – it’s great for describing certain folk and it’s fun to say. A curmudgeon is a grouchy, surly person, one who is always sulking as they grumble about something or another.
Misanthrope
You thought a curmudgeon was bad? A misanthrope – or hater of mankind – walks down the street spewing vitriol at all those who walk by. College campuses are famous for misanthropes, those disheveled types who haunt coffee shops, muttering balefully as students pass by. Some say they are homeless – others that they didn’t get tenure. Regardless, steer clear of the misanthrope.
Reprobate
This word comes from reprove, a popular GRE word, which means (nope, not to prove again) to express disapproval of. A reprobate is a noun and is the recipient of the disapproval.
Reprobate is a mildly humorous word, meaning that you would use it to describe some no good soul, but one you have a fondness for.
Those old reprobates drinking all day down by the river –they are not going to amount to much.
Virago
This word has a real cool origin – the vir- comes from the Latin man. Virago, however, was coined during the medieval period to describe heroic female warriors. Today virago does not have such a noble connotation – it describes an ill-tempered and sometimes violent woman. If you’ve ever had an old lady scream at you for no good reason, then you’ve had an encounter with a virago.
