No. 3 Flashcards
deride
v. to mock. ridicule; make fun of.
the decision was derided by environmentalists.
derivative
n. something derived; unoriginal. imitative.
desiccate
v. to dry completely.
the dry desert air caused the bodies of the dead animals to desiccate quickly.
desuetude
n. state of disuse.
nasa is considering a plan to refurbish booster rockets from the apollo program that have fallen into desuetude.
desultory
adj. random. disconnected. rambling.
the jury had difficulty following the witnesses’ desultory testimony.
deterrent
n. something that discourages or hinders. discouragement.
cameras are a major deterrent to crime.
detraction
n. the act of taking away. diminish the worth or value of something.
the writer responded in a letter to the critic’s long list of detractions about his book.
diaphanous
adj. transparent. fine textured. insubstantial. vague. ultra fine. delicate.
in world war ii, many soldiers went to war with diaphanous dreams of glory, but found instead horror and death.
diatribe
n. bitter verbal attack.
the speaker launched into a diatribe against what he called the evils of technology.
dichotomy
n. division into two usually contradictory parts.
the philosopher is a dualist who argues that there is a dichotomy between the mind and physical phenomena.
diffidence
n. shyness; lack of confidence.
i say this with some diffidence.
diffuse
v. to spread out.
digression
n. act of straying from the main point.
the novel zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance by robert contains many fascinating digressions from the main story that discuss topics such as platonic philosophy.
dirge
n. funeral hymn.
the music critic described the movement of the symphony portraying the hero’s last days as dirgelike.
disabuse
v. to be free from misconception. persuade someone that an idea or belief is mistaken.
