Random Flashcards
Apartheid
.
abrogate
— vb
( tr ) to cancel or revoke formally or officially; repeal; annul
[C16: from Latin abrogātus repealed, from ab- 1 + rogāre to propose (a law)]
admonish
— vb
- to reprove firmly but not harshly
- to advise to do or against doing something; warn; caution
[C14: via Old French from Vulgar Latin admonestāre (unattested), from Latin admonēre to put one in mind of, from monēre to advise]
agrarian
— adj
- of or relating to land or its cultivation or to systems of dividing landed property
- of or relating to rural or agricultural matters
— n
3. a person who favours the redistribution of landed property
[C16: from Latin agrārius, from ager field, land]
amenable
— adj
- open or susceptible to suggestion; likely to listen, cooperate, etc
- accountable for behaviour to some authority; answerable
- capable of being or liable to be tested, judged, etc
[C16: from Anglo-French, from Old French amener to lead up, from Latin mināre to drive (cattle), from minārī to threaten]
apodictic
— adj
- unquestionably true by virtue of demonstration
- archaic logic
a. necessarily true
b. asserting that a property holds necessarily
[C17: from Latin apodīcticus, from Greek apodeiktikos clearly demonstrating, from apodeiknunai to demonstrate]
castigate
— vb
( tr ) to rebuke or criticize in a severe manner; chastise
[C17: from Latin castīgāre to correct, punish, from castum pure + agere to compel (to be)]
casuistic
— adj
- attempting to resolve moral dilemmas by the application of general rules and the careful distinction of special cases
- a person who is oversubtle in his or her analysis of fine distinctions; intellectually dishonest; sophist
[C17: from French casuiste, from Spanish casuista, from Latin cāsus case 1]
commensurate
— adj
- having the same extent or duration
- corresponding in degree, amount, or size; proportionate
- able to be measured by a common standard; commensurable
[C17: from Late Latin commēnsūrātus, from Latin com- same + mēnsurāre to measure]
comport
— vb (foll by with )
- ( tr ) to conduct or bear (oneself) in a specified way; behave
- to be in agreement, harmony, or conformity (usually followed by with ): His statement does not comport with the facts.
[C16: from Latin comportāre to bear, collect, from com- together + portāre to carry]
concomitant
— adj
1. existing or occurring together; associative
— n
2. a concomitant act, person, etc
[C17: from Late Latin concomitārī to accompany, from com- with + comes companion, fellow]
contemporaneous
-adj
living or occurring during the same period of time; contemporary.
1630s, from Medieval Latin contemporarius, from Latin com- “with” (see com-) + temporarius “of time,” from tempus “time” (see temporal (v.)). Meaning “modern, characteristic of the present” is from 1866.
convalescence
— vb
( intr ) to recover from illness, injury, or the aftereffects of a surgical operation, esp by resting
[C15: from Latin convalēscere, from com- (intensive) + valēscere to grow strong, from valēre to be strong]
corpus
— n , pl -pora
- a collection or body of writings, esp by a single author or on a specific topic: the corpus of Dickens’ works
- the main body, section, or substance of something
[C14: from Latin: body]
corroborate
— vb
1. ( tr ) to confirm or support (facts, opinions, etc), esp by providing fresh evidence
[C16: from Latin corrōborāre to invigorate, from rōborāre to make strong, from rōbur strength, literally: oak]
demur
— vb , -murs , -murring , -murred
- to raise objections or show reluctance; object
- law to raise an objection by entering a demurrer
[C13: from Old French demorer, from Latin dēmorārī to loiter, linger, from morārī to delay, from mora a delay]
desuetude
— n
[des-wi-tood, -tyood]
the state of being no longer used or practiced.
[C15: from Latin dēsuētūdō, from dēsuescere to lay aside a habit, from de- + suescere to grow accustomed]
diametrically
— adv
1. completely; utterly
- Also: diametral of, related to, or along a diameter
- completely opposed
[1630s, “completely” (opposed, contrary, etc.); see diametric. Mostly in figurative use; the two points that mark the ends of a line of diameter across a circle are opposite one another.]
dictum
— n , pl -tums , -ta
- a formal or authoritative statement or assertion; pronouncement
- a popular saying or maxim
[C16: from Latin, from dīcere to say]
disparage
— vb
- to speak contemptuously of; belittle
- to damage the reputation of
[C14: from Old French desparagier, from des- dis- 1 + parage equality, from Latin par equal]
dispensation
— n
- the act of distributing or dispensing
- something distributed or dispensed
- a system or plan of administering or dispensing
- Christianity
a. the ordering of life and events by God
b. a divine decree affecting an individual or group
c. a religious system or code of prescriptions for life and conduct regarded as of divine origin
[late 14c., from O.Fr. despensation, from L. dispensatio “management, charge,” from pp. stem of dispensare (see dispense). Theological sense is from being used to translate Gk. oikonomoia “office, method of administration.”]
divest
–v
1.
to strip of clothing, ornament, etc.: The wind divested the trees of their leaves.
2.
to strip or deprive (someone or something), especially of property or rights; dispossess.
[Medieval Latin dīvestīre, equivalent to dī- di-2 + vestīre to dress, vest]
dubious
— adj
- marked by or causing doubt: a dubious reply
- unsettled in mind; uncertain; doubtful
- of doubtful quality; untrustworthy: a dubious reputation
- not certain in outcome
[C16: from Latin dubius wavering]
eclectic
— adj
- (in art, philosophy, etc) selecting what seems best from various styles, doctrines, ideas, methods, etc
- composed of elements drawn from a variety of sources, styles, etc
[C17: from Greek eklektikos, from eklegein to select, from legein to gather]
elucidate
— vb
to make clear (something obscure or difficult); clarify
[C16: from Late Latin ēlūcidāre to enlighten; see lucid]
epochs
— n
- a point in time beginning a new or distinctive period: the invention of nuclear weapons marked an epoch in the history of warfare
- a long period of time marked by some predominant or typical characteristic; era
[C17: from New Latin epocha, from Greek epokhē cessation; related to ekhein to hold, have]
equivocal
— adj
- capable of varying interpretations; ambiguous
- deliberately misleading or vague; evasive
- of doubtful character or sincerity; dubious
[C17: from Late Latin aequivocus, from Latin equi- + vōx voice]
ethos
— n
the distinctive character, spirit, and attitudes of a people, culture, era, etc
[from Greek ethos “moral character, nature, disposition, habit, custom,”]
evince
— vb
( tr ) to make evident; prove; show (something, such as an emotion) clearly
[C17: from Latin ēvincere to overcome; see evict]
explicate
— vb
- to make clear or explicit; explain
- to formulate or develop (a theory, hypothesis, etc)
[C16: from Latin explicāre to unfold, from plicāre to fold]
expurgate
— vb
( tr ) to amend (a book, text, etc) by removing (obscene or offensive sections)
[C17: from Latin expurgāre to clean out, from purgāre to purify; see purge]
forensic
— adj
relating to, used in, or connected with a court of law: forensic science
[C17: from Latin forēnsis public, from forum]
gross
— adj
- obviously or exceptionally culpable or wrong; flagrant: gross inefficiency
- lacking in perception, sensitivity, or discrimination: gross judgments
[C14: from Old French gros large, from Late Latin grossus thick]
imbue
— vb
(usually foll by with ) , -bues , -buing , -bued
1. to instil or inspire (with ideals, principles, etc): his sermons were imbued with the spirit of the Reformation
[C16: from Latin imbuere to stain, accustom]
impede
— vb
( tr ) to restrict or retard in action, progress, etc; hinder; obstruct
[C17: from Latin impedīre to hinder, literally: shackle the feet, from pēs foot]
implicate
— vb
- to show to be involved, esp in a crime
- to involve as a necessary inference; imply: his protest implicated censure by the authorities
- to affect intimately: this news implicates my decision
- rare to intertwine or entangle
[C16: from Latin implicāre to involve, from im- + plicāre to fold]
injunction
— n
- law an instruction or order issued by a court to a party to an action, esp to refrain from some act, such as causing a nuisance
- a command, admonition, etc
- the act of enjoining
[C16: from Late Latin injunctiō, from Latin injungere to enjoin]
interlocutor
— n
- a person who takes part in a conversation
- Also called: middleman the man in the centre of a troupe of minstrels who engages the others in talk or acts as announcer
1514, from L. interlocutus, pp. of interloqui “interrupt,” from inter- “between” + loqui “speak.”
interpolate
— vb
- to insert or introduce (a comment, passage, etc) into (a conversation, text, etc)
- to falsify or alter (a text, manuscript, etc) by the later addition of (material, esp spurious or valueless passages)
- ( intr ) to make additions, interruptions, or insertions
[C17: from Latin interpolāre to give a new appearance to, from inter- + polīre to polish]
iterate
— vb
( tr ) to say or do again; repeat
(not reiterate)
[C16: from Latin iterāre, from iterum again]
jettison
— vb , -sons , -soning , -soned
- to throw away; abandon: to jettison old clothes
- to throw overboard
[C15: from Old French getaison, ultimately from Latin jactātiō a tossing about; see jactation]
lectionary
— n , pl -aries
a book containing readings appointed to be read at divine services
[C16: from Latin lectio a reading, from legere to read, select]
(lection — n
a variant reading of a passage in a particular copy or edition of a text
2.
a portion of sacred writing read in a divine service; lesson; pericope. )
libelous
(libel)
— n
- law
a. the publication of defamatory matter in permanent form, as by a written or printed statement, picture, etc
— vb , -bels , -belling , -belled , -bels , -beling , -beled
[C13 (in the sense: written statement), hence C14 legal sense: a plaintiff’s statement, via Old French from Latin libellus a little book, from liber a book]
lucid
— adj
- readily understood; clear
- shining or glowing
- psychiatry of or relating to a period of normality between periods of insane or irresponsible behaviour
[C16: from Latin lūcidus full of light, from lūx light]
mitigate
— vb
to make or become less severe or harsh; moderate
[C15: from Latin mītigāre, from mītis mild + agere to make]
mutually exclusive
–adj
being related such that each excludes or precludes the other
related in such a way that each thing makes the other thing impossible : not able to be true at the same time or to exist together
pericope
— n
a selection from a book, esp a passage from the Bible read at religious services
[from Late Latin pericope “section of a book,” from Greek perikope “a section” of a book, literally “a cutting all round,” from peri- “around” (see peri-) + kope “a cutting]
pervade
— vb
( tr ) to spread through or throughout, esp subtly or gradually; permeate
[C17: from Latin pervādere, from per- through + vādere to go]
trenchant
— adj
- keen or incisive: trenchant criticism
- vigorous and effective: a trenchant foreign policy
- distinctly defined: a trenchant outline
- archaic , poetic or sharp: a trenchant sword
[C14: from Old French trenchant cutting, from trenchier to cut; see trench]
vicarious
— adj
- obtained or undergone at second hand through sympathetic participation in another’s experiences
- suffered, undergone, or done as the substitute for another: vicarious punishment
- delegated: vicarious authority
- taking the place of another
[C17: from Latin vicārius substituted, from vicis interchange; see vice ³, vicissitude]
polemic
— adj
1. of or involving dispute or controversy
— n
- an argument or controversy, esp over a doctrine, belief, etc
- a person engaged in such an argument or controversy
[C17: from Medieval Latin polemicus, from Greek polemikos relating to war, from polemos war]
posit
— vb
- to assume or put forward as fact or the factual basis for an argument; postulate
- to put in position
— n
3. a fact, idea, etc, that is posited; assumption
[C17: from Latin pōnere to place, position]
predecessor
— n
- a person who precedes another, as in an office
- something that precedes something else
- an ancestor; forefather
[C14: via Old French from Late Latin praedēcessor, from prae before + dēcēdere to go away, from dē away + cēdere to go]
prolepsis
1.
Rhetoric . the anticipation of possible objections in order to answer them in advance.
2.
the assigning of a person, event, etc., to a period earlier than the actual one; the representation of something in the future as if it already existed or had occurred; prochronism.
3.
the use of a descriptive word in anticipation of its becoming applicable.
[C16: via Late Latin from Greek: anticipation, from prolambanein to anticipate, from pro- ² + lambanein to take]
purposive
— adj
- relating to, having, or indicating conscious intention
- serving a purpose; useful
[C13: from Old French porpos, from porposer to plan, from Latin prōpōnere to propose]
Qoheleth
— n
Old Testament Ecclesiastes or its author, traditionally believed to be Solomon
[from Hebrew qōheleth]
c.1300, name given to one of the Old Testament books, traditionally ascribed to Solomon, from Greek ekklesiastes (see ecclesiastic), to render Hebrew qoheleth “one who addresses an assembly,” from qahal “assembly.” The title is technically the designation of the speaker, but that word throughout is usually rendered into English as “The Preacher” (which Klein calls “erroneous”).
recursive
1.
pertaining to or using a rule or procedure that can be applied repeatedly.
— n.
(recursion) the act or process of returning or running back
redaction
— vb
- to compose or draft (an edict, proclamation, etc)
- to put (a literary work, etc) into appropriate form for publication; edit
[C15: from Latin redigere to bring back, from red- re- + agere to drive]
reprove
— vb
( tr ) to speak disapprovingly to (a person); rebuke or scold
[C14: from Old French reprover , from Late Latin reprobāre , from Latin re- + probāre to examine, approve 1]
repudiate
— vb
- to reject the authority or validity of; refuse to accept or ratify
- to refuse to acknowledge or pay (a debt)
- to cast off or disown (a son, lover, etc)
[C16: from Latin repudiāre to put away, from repudium a separation, divorce, from re- + pudēre to be ashamed]
retrospect
— n
1. the act of surveying things past (often in the phrase in retrospect )
— vb (often foll by to )
- to contemplate (anything past); look back on (something)
- to refer
[C17: from Latin retrōspicere to look back, from retro- + specere to look]
rudiment
— n
- ( often plural ) the first principles or elementary stages of a subject
- ( often plural ) a partially developed version of something
[C16: from Latin rudīmentum a beginning, from rudis unformed; see rude]
schema
— n , pl -mata
1. a plan, diagram, or scheme
[C19: from Greek: form]
shibboleth
— n
- a belief, principle, or practice which is commonly adhered to but which is thought by some people to be inappropriate or out of date
- a custom, phrase, or use of language that acts as a test of belonging to, or as a stumbling block to becoming a member of, a particular social class, profession, etc
late 14c., the Hebrew word shibboleth, meaning “flood, stream,” also “ear of corn;” in Judges xii:4-6. It was the password used by the Gileadites to distinguish their own men from fleeing Ephraimites, because Ephraimites could not pronounce the -sh- sound. Hence the figurative sense of “watchword” (first recorded 1630s), which evolved by 1862 to “outmoded slogan still adhered to.” A similar test-word was cicera “chick pease,” used by the Italians to identify the French (who could not pronounce it correctly) during the massacre called the Sicilian Vespers (1282).
spurious
— adj
1. not genuine or real
[C17: from Latin spurius of illegitimate birth]
subsequent
— adj
occurring after; succeeding
[C15: from Latin subsequēns following on, from subsequī, from sub- near + sequī to follow]
subvert
— vb
- to bring about the complete downfall or ruin of (something existing or established by a system of law, etc)
- to undermine the moral principles of (a person, etc); corrupt
[C14: from Latin subvertere to overturn, from sub- from below + vertere to turn]
supercede
— vb
- to take the place of (something old-fashioned or less appropriate); supplant
- to replace in function, office, etc; succeed
- to discard or set aside or cause to be set aside as obsolete or inferior
[C15: via Old French from Latin supersedēre to sit above, from super- + sedēre to sit]
supine
— adj
- lying or resting on the back with the face, palm, etc, upwards
- displaying no interest or animation; lethargic
[Latin supīnus lying face up, inactive]
truncate
— vb
1. ( tr ) to shorten by cutting off a part, end, or top
— adj
- cut short; truncated
- biology having a blunt end, as though cut off at the tip: a truncate leaf
[C15: from Latin truncāre to lop]
tacit
— adj
1. implied or inferred without direct expression; understood; silent; saying nothing
(taciturn - habitually silent)
[C17: from Latin tacitus, past participle of tacēre to be silent]
unilinear
-adj.
developing or evolving in a steady, consistent, and undeviating way.
[from Latin linearis “belonging to a line,” from linea “string, line”]
univocal
— adj
1. unambiguous or unmistakable
— n
2. a word or term that has only one meaning
[Late Latin ūnivōc ( us ) ( ūni- uni- + -vōcus, adj. derivative of vōx, stem vōc-, voice) + -al]
