Random Vocab/Knowledge Flashcards
What does this latin phrase mean:
A mari usque ad mare
From sea to sea.
Canadian national motto from the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible ,, Psalms 72
“And he shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the Earth”
*It is also on all Cdn currency and our passports*
Define: ASININE
extremely stupid or foolish.
“Lydia ignored his asinine remark”
Define: FIDELITY
Meaning:
- faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support (“he sought only the strictest fidelity to justice”)
- sexual faithfuless to a partner
- the degree of exactness with which something is copied or reproduced (“the 1949 recording provides reasonable fidelity”)
When something forks into two equal parts from one main branch.
ex. tree branches, ancestral lines
&
to separate into at least 2 parts or many parts
BIFURCATE
&
DIVIDE
showing or expressing respect and high regard due to a superior or an elder
showing or expressing deference
DEFERENCE
(DEFERENTIAL)
honor or respect that is felt for or shown to (someone or something)
REVERENCE
(REVERENTIAL)
ex:Her poems are treated with reverence by other poets.
a naive girl or young woman
INGENUE
to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way (unnecessarily)
PONTIFICATE
the belief that traditional morals, ideas, beliefs, etc., have no worth or value
the belief that a society’s political and social institutions are so bad that they should be destroyed
NIHILISM
(noun: NIHILIST)
CONCLAVE
A conclave can be a private meeting, a secret assembly, or a general gathering.
// A conclave of regional leaders of the international organization is meeting in June.
sagacious
Sagacious means “having or showing an ability to understand difficult ideas and situations and to make good decisions.” It implies being wise or discerning.
// Student reviews paint the writing professor as a sagacious mentor and a compassionate teacher.
mollify
Mollify means “to soothe in temper or disposition” or “to reduce in intensity.”
// The company attempted to mollify its employees by offering them more flexible work schedules.
// The explanation was intended to mollify the manager’s anger.
fractious
Fractious means “troublesome,” “unruly,” “quarrelsome,” or “irritable.”
// The political party is more organized and coherent and less fractious.
leviathan
A leviathan is something large or formidable.
// Towering leviathans of the forest, these giant sequoias often reach heights of more than 200 feet.
elicit
Elicit means “to get (a response, information, etc.) from someone.”
// The final amount raised by the charity walk elicited cheers from the crowd.
// The teacher’s question elicited no response.
opportune
Opportune means “suitable or convenient for a particular situation” or “occurring at an appropriate time.”
// It is an opportune time to invest in the stock market.
// The book’s publication is opportune.
bemuse
Bemuse means “to bewilder” or “to confuse.”
// The contestant seemed somewhat bemused by the question; however, she gave the correct answer.
// The actor was bemused by all the attention she was receiving for her role in the movie.
zoomorphic
Zoomorphoric means “having the form of an animal.”
// Using cookie cutters, the children made zoomorphic treats to bring to the bake sale
chagrin
Chagrin refers to “a distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, or failure.”
// To the chef’s chagrin, the sauce was too sweet.
CHAGRIN in Context
“Baseball has invested a lot to keep casual fans interested. It has changed rules, to the chagrin of old-school fans like me, to shorten games.” — Paul Muschick, The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania), 6 Mar. 2022
decimate
Definition of decimate
transitive verb
1: to select by lot and kill every tenth man of (decimate a regiment)
2: to exact a tax of 10 percent from( poor as a decimated Cavalier— John Dryden)
3a: to reduce drastically especially in number (cholera decimated the population)(Kamieniecki’s return comes at a crucial time for a pitching staff that has been decimated by injuries.— Jason Diamos)
b: to cause great destruction or harm to (firebombs decimated the city)(an industry decimated by recession)
reciprocate
Reciprocate means “to do something for or to someone who has done something similar for or to you.”
// It was kind of my friend to give me a ride to the airport, and on the flight I was thinking of how to reciprocate the favor.
ostensible
Definition of ostensible
1: intended for display : open to view
2: being such in appearance : plausible rather than demonstrably true or realthe ostensible purpose for the trip
Deepfake
We define deepfake as “an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said.” The word, which is written as a closed compound, rather than as two words, has been in written use since at least 2018.
furtive
Definition of furtive
1a: done in a quiet and secretive way to avoid being noticed : SURREPTITIOUS (a furtive glanceexchanged furtive smiles)
b: expressive of stealth : SLY (had a furtive look about him)
2: obtained underhandedly : STOLEN (furtive gains)
nascent
What It Means
Nascent means “coming or having recently come into existence.”
// The actress is now focusing on her nascent singing career..
Mr Menon has co-founded multiple organizations and has invested in over 20 nascent startups in the previous year alone.” — Business World, 2 Mar. 2022
intersperse
Intersperse means “to place or insert something at intervals in or among other things.”
// The author has interspersed the guidebook with pictures of the different animals tourists might encounter on the safari.
gregarious
Gregarious means “tending to associate with others of one’s kind” and “enjoying or tending to enjoy the company of others,” which makes it synonymous with social and sociable.
//The documentary is filmed inside the burrows of the gregarious prairie dogs.
//The new hire is quite outgoing and gregarious.
cryptography
Cryptography is the enciphering and deciphering of messages in secret code or cipher. It is also the computerized encoding and decoding of information.
// Effective cryptography is essential for secure exchanges of sensitive information in cyberspace.
kitsch
“She got off at the next stop and found herself standing in front of an old coffee shop with fake-pine garlands and fake-velvet bows on its doors. … At the thought of yet another year without having a coffee shop of her own to run (though with less kitsch)….” — Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake, 2022
Kitsch is “something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality.”
// Kitsch and tacky but collectable items can be found at the flea market.
prosaic
Prosaic is a synonym of dull, unimaginative, everyday, or ordinary, but its original meaning is “characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry.”
// Retirement can lead to a prosaic lifestyle unless you will yourself to seek adventure.
// The poem is filled with prosaic lines; however, there is much to contemplate in between.
arbitrary
Arbitrary means “determined, planned, or chosen seemingly at random or by chance.”
// Because the committee wasn’t transparent about the selection process, the results of the process appeared to be wholly arbitrary.
// People often make arbitrary decisions on where to go out to eat.
wherewithal
Wherewithal refers to the means, resources, or money that is needed to get or do something.
// News reports suggest that the company does not have the wherewithal from investors to prevent a buyout.
transpire
Transpire means “to happen” or “to become known.”
// The police are still trying to determine what transpired on the night of the accident.
// After the business magnate was arrested for financial-related crimes, it transpired that he has been in insurmountable debt for years.
candor
Candor is “unreserved, honest, or sincere expression.”
// During the interview, the comedian spoke with candor about the nervousness she feels every time she takes the stage.
nonchalant
Nonchalant means “having an air of easy unconcern or indifference.”
// The most experienced public speakers are able to address audiences with a nonchalant ease.
peremptory
puh-REMP-tuh-ree
Peremptory means “expressive of urgency or command” or “marked by arrogant self-assurance.”
// The soldiers were given a peremptory order to abandon the mission.
// The company’s president has a peremptory manner about her especially at the negotiating table.
nonpareil
adjective | nahn-puh-REL
Nonpareil means “having no equal.”
// The singer’s stunning performance was nonpareil.
hark back
Hark back means “to turn back to an earlier topic or circumstance” or “to go back to something as an origin or source.”
// The sisters’ stories hark back to the good old days of their youth.
// The diner’s interior harks back to the 1950s.
verdant
Verdant means “green in tint or color,” “green with growing plants,” or “unripe in experience or judgment.”
// The golf course is noted for its tricky hazards and lush, verdant borders along its fairways.
turpitude
Turpitude refers to inherent lack of integrity or morality, or to an evil or immoral act. It is frequently used in legal contexts in the phrase “moral turpitude.”
// Crimes such as theft and perjury may involve moral turpitude.
bloviate
Bloviate means “to speak or write verbosely and windily.”
// The columnist tends to bloviate on topics about which he is not particularly knowledgeable.
ramshackle
Ramshackle means “in a very bad condition and needing to be repaired” or “carelessly or loosely constructed.”
// The company was contracted to demolish the ramshackle apartments.
// The reviewer of the book said it had a ramshackle plot that was confusing and unbelievable.
indoctrinate
Indoctrinate means “to teach (someone) to fully accept the ideas, opinions, and beliefs of a particular group and to not consider other ideas, opinions, and beliefs.”
// The goal of the professor is to teach politics, rather than to indoctrinate students with a narrow set of political beliefs.
epithet
noun | EP-uh-thet
An epithet is “a characterizing word or phrase that accompanies, or occurs in place of, the name of a person or thing” or “a disparaging or abusive word or phrase.”
// Richard the First is frequently referred to by the epithet “Lionheart.”
// The school’s policy makes it clear that derogatory epithets will not be tolerated.
mercurial
adjective | mer-KYUR-ee-ul
Mercurial means “changing often” or “characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood.” It can also mean “having qualities of eloquence, ingenuity, or thievishness attributed to the god Mercury or to the influence of the planet Mercury.”
// The boss has a mercurial temperament when at jobsites but she was relaxed and happy at the company picnic.
// The iconic brand has somehow always managed to maintain its esteemed position in the mercurial fashion world.
galumph
verb | guh-LUMF
Galumph means “to move with a clumsy heavy tread.”
// After long days at his landscaping job, their teenage son galumphs into the house and flings himself onto the couch, sighing heavily.
ad hoc
adjective
Ad hoc means “concerned with a particular end or purpose” or “formed or used for specific or immediate problems or needs.”
// An ad hoc committee was formed to investigate the matter.
// There was an unexpected change of plans and ad hoc solutions had to be made.
oblige
verb | uh-BLYJE
Oblige is usually used to mean “to do a favor for someone,” or “to do something as a favor, or as though it is a favor.” In more technical use, it means “to force or require someone to do something.”
// They needed help organizing the event, and I was happy to oblige.
// The law obliges the government to make this information public.
redolent
adjective | RED-uh-lunt
As a synonym of aromatic, the word redolent can describe something that has a noticeable smell without specifying the scent, but more often it is accompanied by of or with and means “full of a specified fragrance,” as in “redolent with smoke.”
// No matter what time of year he visited, his grandmother’s house was always redolent of cloves and other warm spices.
evanescent
adjective | ev-uh-NESS-unt
Something that is evanescent vanishes quickly like a vapor.
// The joy of winning the last game was evanescent, as the team quickly turned its focus to the upcoming championships.
adulation
noun | aj-uh-LAY-shun
Adulation means extreme or excessive admiration or flattery.
// The movie star basked in the adulation of her many fans as she walked down the red carpet.
credulous
adjective | KREJ-uh-lus
A credulous person is ready to believe things based on slight or uncertain evidence. A credulous thing, such as a report or statement, likewise shows that same readiness to believe.
// Margo smiled as she watched her credulous siblings listening with rapt attention to their aunt’s tall tales.
festoon
verb | fess-TOON
Festoon means “to cover or decorate (something) with many small objects, pieces of paper, etc.,” or “to hang decorative chains or strips on.”
// Tiny wildflowers festooned the meadow.
// The students festooned the gymnasium with streamers and bunting for the dance.
panacea
noun | pan-uh-SEE-uh
A panacea is something that is regarded as a cure-all—that is, a remedy for all ills or difficulties.
// The new program should help with the city’s housing crisis, but it’s no panacea.
lout
noun | LOUT
A lout is a person who is both awkward and brutish.
// To get away from the obnoxious louts they’d been seated near, Jared and Fiona asked the waiter if they could be moved to another table.
sumptuous
adjective | SUMP-shuh-wus
Sumptuous is used to describe things that are extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent.
// The hotel’s most sumptuous suite overlooks the lush gardens and includes a palatial marble bathroom with a spa and a commodious, intricately tiled walk-in shower.
arrogate
verb | AIR-uh-gayt
Arrogate is a formal word that usually means “to take or claim (something, such as a right or a privilege) in a way that is not fair or legal.”
// The city council has accused the mayor of arrogating to himself decision-making authority that rightly belongs with the council.
vocation
noun | voh-KAY-shun
Vocation can refer simply to an occupation, or it can refer to a strong desire to pursue a particular kind of work or course of action.
// Since he was a teenager, he knew that he would find his vocation in religious work.
// She is headed to medical school to pursue her vocation as a doctor.
fidelity
noun | fuh-DELL-uh-tee
Fidelity refers to the quality or state of being faithful to someone, such as a spouse, or something, such as one’s country. Fidelity can also refer to accuracy in details. When applied to electronic devices, fidelity is the degree to which those devices accurately reproduce something, such as sound or images.
// The movie takes full advantage of the film medium while maintaining fidelity to the book.
behest
noun | bih-HEST
A behest is an authoritative order or an urgent prompting.
// The committee met again at the behest of the senator.
decry
verb | dih-KRY
Decry is a formal word that means “to express strong disapproval of.”
// The editorial decried the shuttering of the movie theater, which has been a local landmark for many years.
perfunctory
adjective | per-FUNK-tuh-ree
Perfunctory is used to describe something that is done without energy or enthusiasm, as a duty or out of habit.
// Clearly exhausted after a long day on her feet, our server gave us only a perfunctory greeting before taking our drink orders.
ephemeral
adjective | ih-FEM-uh-rul
Ephemeral means “lasting a very short time.”
// The performance was not recorded, a fact that made its ephemeral nature all the more poignant.
prescience
noun | PRESH-ee-unss
Prescience is the ability to see or anticipate what will or might happen in the future.
// Stacy had the prescience to know that the stock’s value wasn’t going to remain high forever, and she managed to sell it just before it started to decrease.
garrulous
adjective | GAIR-uh-lus
Garrulous can mean “chatty” or “excessively talkative” when describing a person (or even a bird that calls or sings rapidly and constantly), or it can mean “wordy” when referring to a piece of language itself, such as a letter or speech.
// Annie’s garrulous and outgoing nature is a stark contrast to her brother’s more retiring demeanor.
// His garrulous, rapid-fire presentation hyping the new feature was exciting at first, but soon became repetitive and tiresome.
emancipation
noun | ih-man-suh-PAY-shun
Emancipation is the act of freeing someone from the restraint, control, or power of another. It is especially used for the act of freeing someone from slavery.
// Jomo Kenyatta played a key role in the emancipation of Kenya from European rule in the 1960s and became the first president of the newly independent nation.
