Mid term vocab

Question 1

epithet

Answer 1

any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality:
“Richard the Lion-Hearted” is an epithet of Richard I.
2.
a characterizing word or phrase firmly associated with a person or thing and often used in place of an actual name, title, or the like, as “man’s best friend” for “dog.”.
3.
a word, phrase, or expression used invectively as a term of abuse or contempt, to express hostility, etc.

Question 2

perniciousness

Answer 2

causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful:
pernicious teachings; a pernicious lie.
2.
deadly; fatal:
a pernicious disease.
3.
Obsolete. evil; wicked.

Question 3

genteel

Answer 3

belonging or suited to polite society.
2.
well-bred or refined; polite; elegant; stylish.
3.
affectedly or pretentiously polite, delicate, etc.

Question 4

misanthropic

Answer 4

hatred, dislike, or distrust of humankind.

Question 5

caesura

Answer 5

A caesura is a pause in a line of poetry that is formed by the rhythms of natural speech rather than by metrics. A caesura will usually occur near the middle of a poetic line but can also occur at the beginning or the end of a line. In poetry, there are two types of caesural breaks: feminine and masculine.

Question 6

incongruity

Answer 6

out of keeping or place; inappropriate; unbecoming:
an incongruous effect; incongruous behavior.
2.
not harmonious in character; inconsonant; lacking harmony of parts:
an incongruous mixture of architectural styles.
3.
inconsistent:

Question 7

blank verse

Answer 7

Blank verse is a literary device defined as un-rhyming verse written in iambic pentameter. In poetry and prose, it has a consistent meter with 10 syllables in each line (pentameter); where, unstressed syllables are followed by stressed ones, five of which are stressed but do not rhyme. It is also known as “un-rhymed iambic pentameter.”

Question 8

quatrain

Answer 8

a stanza or poem of four lines, usually with alternate rhymes.

Question 9

ominous

Answer 9

portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening; inauspicious:
an ominous bank of dark clouds.
2.
indicating the nature of a future event, for good or evil; having the significance of an omen; being a portent:

Question 10

scathing

Answer 10

bitterly severe, as a remark:
a scathing review of the play.
2.
harmful, injurious, or searing.

Question 11

ode

Answer 11

a lyric poem typically of elaborate or irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion.
2.
(originally) a poem intended to be sung.

Question 12

despondent

Answer 12

feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement, or gloom:

Question 13

euphemism

Answer 13

The term euphemism refers to polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant.

Question 14

censure

Answer 14

strong or vehement expression of disapproval:
The newspapers were unanimous in their censure of the tax proposal.
2.
an official reprimand, as by a legislative body of one of its members.

Question 15

homage

Answer 15

respect or reverence paid or rendered; acknoledge

Question 16

sanctity

Answer 16

holiness, saintliness, or godliness.
2.
sacred or hallowed character:
the inviolable sanctity of the temple.
3.
a sacred thing.

Question 17

lament

Answer 17

to feel or express sorrow or regret for:
to lament his absence.
2.
to mourn for or over.

Question 18

explicate

Answer 18

to make plain or clear; explain; interpret.
2.
to develop (a principle, theory, etc.).

Question 19

foemidable

Answer 19

causing fear, apprehension, or dread:
a formidable opponent.
2.
of discouraging or awesome strength, size, difficulty, etc.; intimidating:
a formidable problem.
3.
arousing feelings of awe or admiration because of grandeur, strength, etc.
4.
of great strength; forceful; powerful:
formidable opposition to the proposal.

Question 20

fastidious

Answer 20

excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please:
a fastidious eater.
2.
requiring or characterized by excessive care or delicacy; painstaking.

Question 21

Synecdoche

Answer 21

a part of something represents the whole, or it may use a whole to represent a part. Synecdoche may also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups, or vice versa. It may also call a thing by the name of the material it is made of, or it may refer to a thing in a container or packaging by the name of that container or packing

Question 22

assuage

Answer 22

to make calm appease sooth

Question 23

aegis

Answer 23

Classical Mythology. the shield or breastplate of Zeus or Athena, bearing at its center the head of the Gorgon.
2.
protection; support:
under the imperial aegis.
3.
sponsorship; auspices:

Question 24

heroic couplet

Answer 24

A heroic couplet is a rhyming couplet, or pair of lines with end rhymes in iambic pentameter, meaning there are five iambic ‘feet’ on each line. The heroic couplet traditionally appears in long, narrative poems called epics, but it can also be used in mock epics that parody the ‘heroic’ tone of epic poetry.