SAT 2 Flashcards
Acrid
sharp or biting to the taste or smell; bitterly pungent; irritating to the eyes, nose, etc.: acrid smoke from burning rubber. | extremely or sharply stinging or bitter; exceedingly caustic: acrid remarks. | unpleasantly pungent or sharp to the smell or taste | sharp or caustic, esp in speech or nature
Boorish
of or like a boor; unmannered; crude; insensitive. | ill-mannered, clumsy, or insensitive; rude
Cynical
distrusting or disparaging the motives of others; like or characteristic of a cynic. | showing contempt for accepted standards of honesty or morality by one’s actions, especially by actions that exploit the scruples of others. | bitterly or sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic. | (initial capital letter) cynic (def 5). | cinismo | distrustful or contemptuous of virtue, esp selflessness in others; believing the worst of others, esp that all acts are selfish | sarcastic; mocking | showing contempt for accepted standards of behaviour, esp of honesty or morality: the politician betrayed his promises in a cynical way
Epistle
a letter, especially a formal or didactic one; written communication. | (usually initial capital letter) one of the apostolic letters in the New Testament. | (often initial capital letter) an extract, usually from one of the Epistles of the New Testament, forming part of the Eucharistic service in certain churches. | a letter, esp one that is long, formal, or didactic | a literary work in letter form, esp a dedicatory verse letter of a type originated by Horace | (New Testament) any of the apostolic letters of Saints Paul, Peter, James, Jude, or John | a reading from one of the Epistles, forming part of the Eucharistic service in many Christian Churches
Heresy
opinion or doctrine at variance with the orthodox or accepted doctrine, especially of a church or religious system. | the maintaining of such an opinion or doctrine. | Roman Catholic Church. the willful and persistent rejection of any article of faith by a baptized member of the church. | any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs, customs, etc. | an opinion or doctrine contrary to the orthodox tenets of a religious body or church the act of maintaining such an opinion or doctrine | any opinion or belief that is or is thought to be contrary to official or established theory | belief in or adherence to unorthodox opinion
Lance
a long wooden shaft with a pointed metal head, used as a weapon by knights and cavalry soldiers in charging. | a cavalry soldier armed with such a weapon; lancer. | an implement resembling the weapon, as a spear for killing a harpooned whale. | (initial capital letter) Military. a U.S. Army surface-to-surface rocket with a range of 47 miles (75 km) and capable of carrying a tactical nuclear warhead. | a lancet. | oxygen lance. | Machinery. a tube having a nozzle for cleaning furnace walls and other inaccessible surfaces with air, water, or steam. a pipe for directing oxygen onto a heated metal object in order to burn a hole in it, the lance also being consumed so as to add to the heat. | to open with or as if with a lancet. | to pierce with a lance. | to cut through (concrete or the like) with an oxygen lance.
Obscure
(of meaning) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain: an obscure sentence in the contract. | not clear to the understanding; hard to perceive: obscure motivations. | (of language, style, a speaker, etc.) not expressing the meaning clearly or plainly. | indistinct to the sight or any other sense; not readily seen, heard, etc.; faint. | inconspicuous or unnoticeable: the obscure beginnings of a great movement. | of little or no prominence, note, fame, or distinction: an obscure French artist. | far from public notice, worldly affairs, or important activities; remote; retired: an obscure little town. | lacking in light or illumination; dark; dim; murky: an obscure back room. | enveloped in, concealed by, or frequenting darkness. | not bright or lustrous; dull or darkish, as color or appearance.
Poignant
keenly distressing to the feelings: poignant regret. | keen or strong in mental appeal: a subject of poignant interest. | affecting or moving the emotions: a poignant scene. | pungent to the smell: poignant cooking odors. | sharply distressing or painful to the feelings | to the point; cutting or piercing: poignant wit | keen or pertinent in mental appeal: a poignant subject | pungent in smell
Respite
a delay or cessation for a time, especially of anything distressing or trying; an interval of relief: to toil without respite. | temporary suspension of the execution of a person condemned to death; reprieve. | to relieve temporarily, especially from anything distressing or trying; give an interval of relief from. | to grant delay in the carrying out of (a punishment, obligation, etc.). | a pause from exertion; interval of rest | a temporary delay | a temporary stay of execution; reprieve | (transitive) to grant a respite to; reprieve
Terse
neatly or effectively concise; brief and pithy, as language. | abruptly concise; curt; brusque. | neatly brief and concise | curt; abrupt
Acrophobia
a pathological fear of heights. | abnormal fear or dread of being at a great height
Bourgeois
a member of the middle class. | a person whose political, economic, and social opinions are believed to be determined mainly by concern for property values and conventional respectability. | a shopkeeper or merchant. | belonging to, characteristic of, or consisting of the middle class. | conventional; middle-class. | dominated or characterized by materialistic pursuits or concerns. | a size of type approximately 9-point, between brevier and long primer. | Léon Victor Auguste [ley-awn veek-tawr oh-gyst] /le???? vik?t?r o??gyst/ (Show IPA), 1851–1925, French statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1920. | Louise, 1911–2010, U.S. sculptor, born in France. | a member of the middle class, esp one regarded as being conservative and materialistic or (in Marxist thought) a capitalist exploiting the working class
Debility
a weakened or enfeebled state; weakness: Debility prevented him from getting out of bed. | a particular mental or physical handicap; disability. | weakness or infirmity
Epistolary
contained in or carried on by letters: an epistolary friendship. | of, pertaining to, or consisting of letters. | relating to, denoting, conducted by, or contained in letters | (of a novel or other work) constructed in the form of a series of letters
Hiatus
a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc. | a missing part; gap or lacuna: Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript. | any gap or opening. | Grammar, Prosody. the coming together, with or without break or slight pause, and without contraction, of two vowels in successive words or syllables, as in see easily. | Anatomy. a natural fissure, cleft, or foramen in a bone or other structure. | (esp in manuscripts) a break or gap where something is missing | a break or interruption in continuity | a break between adjacent vowels in the pronunciation of a word | (anatomy) a natural opening or aperture; foramen | (anatomy) a less common word for vulva
Languid
lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow: a languid manner. | lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent. | drooping or flagging from weakness or fatigue; faint. | without energy or spirit | without interest or enthusiasm | sluggish; inactive
Obscured
(of meaning) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain: an obscure sentence in the contract. | not clear to the understanding; hard to perceive: obscure motivations. | (of language, style, a speaker, etc.) not expressing the meaning clearly or plainly. | indistinct to the sight or any other sense; not readily seen, heard, etc.; faint. | inconspicuous or unnoticeable: the obscure beginnings of a great movement. | of little or no prominence, note, fame, or distinction: an obscure French artist. | far from public notice, worldly affairs, or important activities; remote; retired: an obscure little town. | lacking in light or illumination; dark; dim; murky: an obscure back room. | enveloped in, concealed by, or frequenting darkness. | not bright or lustrous; dull or darkish, as color or appearance.
Poised
(of a person) composed, dignified, and self-assured. | being in balance or equilibrium: a balloon poised on the nose of a seal. | teetering or wavering: to be poised on the brink of disaster. | hovering or suspended in or as in midair: a bird poised in flight; a helicopter poised overhead. | a state of balance or equilibrium, as from equality or equal distribution of weight; equipoise. | a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession: to show poise in company. | steadiness; stability: intellectual poise. | suspense or wavering, as between rest and motion or two phases of motion: the poise of the tides. | the way of being poised, held, or carried. | the state or position of hovering: the poise of a bird in the air.
Resplendent
shining brilliantly; gleaming; splendid: troops resplendent in white uniforms; resplendent virtues. | having a brilliant or splendid appearance
Therapeutic
of or pertaining to the treating or curing of disease; curative. | a therapeutic substance. | of or relating to the treatment of disease; curative | serving or performed to maintain health: therapeutic abortion
Acuity
sharpness; acuteness; keenness: acuity of vision; acuity of mind. | keenness or acuteness, esp in vision or thought | the capacity of the eye to see fine detail, measured by determining the finest detail that can just be detected
Braggart
a person who does a lot of bragging. | bragging; boastful. | a person who boasts loudly or exaggeratedly; bragger | boastful
Debunking
to expose or excoriate (a claim, assertion, sentiment, etc.) as being pretentious, false, or exaggerated: to debunk advertising slogans. | (transitive) (informal) to expose the pretensions or falseness of, esp by ridicule
Epitomized
to contain or represent in small compass; serve as a typical example of; typify: This meadow epitomizes the beauty of the whole area. | to make an epitome of: to epitomize an argument. | to be a personification of; typify | to make an epitome of
Hidebound
narrow and rigid in opinion; inflexible: a hidebound pedant. | oriented toward or confined to the past; extremely conservative: a hidebound philosopher. | (of a horse, cow, etc.) having the back and ribs bound tightly by the hide. | restricted by petty rules, a conservative attitude, etc | (of cattle, etc) having the skin closely attached to the flesh as a result of poor feeding | (of trees) having a very tight bark that impairs growth
Languish
to be or become weak or feeble; droop; fade. | to lose vigor and vitality. | to undergo neglect or experience prolonged inactivity; suffer hardship and distress: to languish in prison for ten years. | to be subjected to delay or disregard; be ignored: a petition that languished on the warden’s desk for a year. | to pine with desire or longing. | to assume an expression of tender, sentimental melancholy. | the act or state of languishing. | a tender, melancholy look or expression. | to lose or diminish in strength or energy | (often foll by for) to be listless with desire; pine
Obsequious
characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning: an obsequious bow. | servilely compliant or deferential: obsequious servants. | obedient; dutiful. | obedient or attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner | (rare) submissive or compliant
Polemical
a controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine, etc. | a person who argues in opposition to another; controversialist. | Also, polemical. of or pertaining to a polemic; controversial. | of or involving dispute or controversy | an argument or controversy, esp over a doctrine, belief, etc | a person engaged in such an argument or controversy
Restorative
serving to restore; pertaining to restoration. | capable of renewing health or strength. | a restorative agent, means, or the like. | a means of restoring a person to consciousness: Smelling salts serve as a restorative. | tending to revive or renew health, spirits, etc | anything that restores or revives, esp a drug or agent that promotes health or strength
Thwart
to oppose successfully; prevent from accomplishing a purpose. | to frustrate or baffle (a plan, purpose, etc.). | Archaic. to cross. to extend across. | a seat across a boat, especially one used by a rower. | a transverse member spreading the gunwales of a canoe or the like. | passing or lying crosswise or across; cross; transverse. | perverse; obstinate. | adverse; unfavorable. | across; athwart. | to oppose successfully or prevent; frustrate: they thwarted the plan
Adamant
utterly unyielding in attitude or opinion in spite of all appeals, urgings, etc. | too hard to cut, break, or pierce. | any impenetrably or unyieldingly hard substance. | a legendary stone of impenetrable hardness, formerly sometimes identified with the diamond. | unshakable in purpose, determination, or opinion; unyielding | a less common word for adamantine (sense 1) | any extremely hard or apparently unbreakable substance | a legendary stone said to be impenetrable, often identified with the diamond or loadstone
Brawny
muscular; strong. | muscular and strong
Decathlon
an athletic contest comprising ten different track-and-field events and won by the contestant amassing the highest total score. | an athletic contest for men in which each athlete competes in ten different events Compare pentathlon
Equivocate
to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead; prevaricate or hedge: When asked directly for his position on disarmament, the candidate only equivocated. | (intransitive) to use vague or ambiguous language, esp in order to avoid speaking directly or honestly; hedge
Hieroglyphics
Also, hieroglyphical. designating or pertaining to a pictographic script, particularly that of the ancient Egyptians, in which many of the symbols are conventionalized, recognizable pictures of the things represented. | inscribed with hieroglyphic symbols. | hard to decipher; hard to read. | Also, hieroglyph. a hieroglyphic symbol. | Usually, hieroglyphics. hieroglyphic writing. | a figure or symbol with a hidden meaning. | hieroglyphics, handwriting, figures, characters, code, etc., difficult to decipher: the confusing hieroglyphics of advanced mathematics. | a form of writing, esp as used in ancient Egypt, in which pictures or symbols are used to represent objects, concepts, or sounds | difficult or undecipherable writing | of or relating to a form of writing using picture symbols, esp as used in ancient Egypt
Larceny
the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods of another from his or her possession with intent to convert them to the taker’s own use. | (law) (formerly) a technical word for theft
Obsession
the domination of one’s thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc. | the idea, image, desire, feeling, etc., itself. | the state of being obsessed. | the act of obsessing. | (psychiatry) a persistent idea or impulse that continually forces its way into consciousness, often associated with anxiety and mental illness | a persistent preoccupation, idea, or feeling | the act of obsessing or the state of being obsessed
Ponderous
of great weight; heavy; massive. | awkward or unwieldy: He carried a ponderous burden on his back. | dull and labored: a ponderous dissertation. | of great weight; heavy; huge | (esp of movement) lacking ease or lightness; awkward, lumbering, or graceless | dull or laborious: a ponderous oration
Retention
the act of retaining. | the state of being retained. | the power to retain; capacity for retaining. | the act or power of remembering things; memory. | the act of retaining or state of being retained | the capacity to hold or retain liquid | the capacity to remember | (pathol) the abnormal holding within the body of urine, faeces, etc, that are normally excreted | (commerce) a sum of money owed to a contractor but not paid for an agreed period as a safeguard against any faults found in the work carried out | (pl) (accounting) profits earned by a company but not distributed as dividends; retained earnings
Timorous
full of fear; fearful: The noise made them timorous. | subject to fear; timid. | characterized by or indicating fear: a timorous whisper. | fearful or timid | indicating fear or timidity
Adroit
expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body. | cleverly skillful, resourceful, or ingenious: an adroit debater. | skilful or dexterous | quick in thought or reaction
Brevity
shortness of time or duration; briefness : the brevity of human life. | the quality of expressing much in few words; terseness: Brevity is the soul of wit. | conciseness of expression; lack of verbosity | a short duration; brief time
Decorum
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc. | the quality or state of being decorous; orderliness; regularity. | Usually, decorums. an observance or requirement of polite society. | sweet and fitting it is to die for one’s country. | propriety, esp in behaviour or conduct | a requirement of correct behaviour in polite society
Err
to go astray in thought or belief; be mistaken; be incorrect. | to go astray morally; sin: To err is human. | Archaic. to deviate from the true course, aim, or purpose. | to make a mistake; be incorrect | to stray from the right course or accepted standards; sin | to act with bias, esp favourable bias: to err on the side of justice
Hinder
to cause delay, interruption, or difficulty in; hamper; impede: The storm hindered our progress. | to prevent from doing, acting, or happening; stop: to hinder a man from committing a crime. | to be an obstacle or impediment. | situated at the rear or back; posterior: the hinder part of a carcass. | Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S. the buttocks. | to be or get in the way of (someone or something); hamper | (transitive) to prevent | (prenominal) situated at or further towards the back or rear; posterior: the hinder parts
Largess
generous bestowal of gifts. | the gift or gifts, as of money, so bestowed. | Obsolete. generosity; liberality. | the generous bestowal of gifts, favours, or money | the things so bestowed | generosity of spirit or attitude
Obsolete
no longer in general use; fallen into disuse: an obsolete expression. | of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date: an obsolete battleship. | (of a linguistic form) no longer in use, especially, out of use for at least the past century. Compare archaic. | effaced by wearing down or away. | Biology. imperfectly developed or rudimentary in comparison with the corresponding character in other individuals, as of the opposite sex or of a related species. | to make obsolete by replacing with something newer or better; antiquate: Automation has obsoleted many factory workers. | out of use or practice; not current | out of date; unfashionable or outmoded | (biology) (of parts, organs, etc) vestigial; rudimentary |
Pontificate
the office or term of office of a pontiff. | to perform the office or duties of a pontiff. | to speak in a pompous or dogmatic manner: Did he pontificate about the responsibilities of a good citizen? | to serve as a bishop, especially in a Pontifical Mass. | to speak or behave in a pompous or dogmatic manner Also (less commonly) pontify (?p?nt??fa?) | to serve or officiate as a pontiff, esp in celebrating a Pontifical Mass | the office or term of office of a pontiff, now usually the pope
Reticent
disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved. | reluctant or restrained. | not open or communicative; not saying all that one knows; taciturn; reserved
Tirade
a prolonged outburst of bitter, outspoken denunciation: a tirade against smoking. | a long, vehement speech: a tirade in the Senate. | a passage dealing with a single theme or idea, as in poetry: the stately tirades of Corneille. | a long angry speech or denunciation | (prosody, rare) a speech or passage dealing with a single theme
Adulation
excessive devotion to someone; servile flattery. | obsequious flattery or praise; extreme admiration
Bristle
one of the short, stiff, coarse hairs of certain animals, especially hogs, used extensively in making brushes. | anything resembling these hairs. | to stand or rise stiffly, like bristles. | to erect the bristles, as an irritated animal (often followed by up): The hog bristled up. | to become rigid with anger or irritation: The man bristled when I asked him to move. | to be thickly set or filled with something suggestive of bristles: The plain bristled with bayonets. The project bristled with difficulties. | to be visibly roused or stirred (usually followed by up). | to erect like bristles: The rooster bristled his crest. | to furnish with a bristle or bristles. | to make bristly.
Decoy
a person who entices or lures another person or thing, as into danger, a trap, or the like. | anything used as a lure. | a trained bird or other animal used to entice game into a trap or within gunshot. | an artificial bird, as a painted wooden duck, used for the same purpose. | a pond into which wild fowl are lured for capture. | an object capable of reflecting radar waves, used as a spurious aircraft, missile, chaff, etc., for the deception of radar detectors. | to lure by or as if by a decoy: They decoyed the ducks to an area right in front of the blind. | to become decoyed: Ducks decoy more easily than most other waterfowl. | a person or thing used to beguile or lead someone into danger; lure | (military) something designed to deceive an enemy or divert his attention
Erratic
deviating from the usual or proper course in conduct or opinion; eccentric; queer: erratic behavior. | having no certain or definite course; wandering; not fixed: erratic winds. | Geology. noting or pertaining to a boulder or the like carried by glacial ice and deposited some distance from its place of origin. | (of a lichen) having no attachment to the surface on which it grows. | an erratic or eccentric person. | Geology. an erratic boulder or the like. | irregular in performance, behaviour, or attitude; inconsistent and unpredictable | having no fixed or regular course; wandering | a piece of rock that differs in composition, shape, etc, from the rock surrounding it, having been transported from its place of origin, esp by glacial action | an erratic person or thing
Histrionic
of or pertaining to actors or acting. | deliberately affected or self-consciously emotional; overly dramatic, in behavior or speech. | an actor. | excessively dramatic, insincere, or artificial: histrionic gestures | (rare) dramatic | (pl) melodramatic displays of temperament | (rare) (pl, functioning as singular) dramatics
Laud
to praise; extol. | a song or hymn of praise. | lauds, (used with a singular or plural verb) Ecclesiastical. a canonical hour, marked especially by psalms of praise, usually recited with matins. | William, 1573–1645, archbishop of Canterbury and opponent of Puritanism: executed for treason. | (transitive) to praise or glorify | praise or glorification | William. 1573–1645, English prelate; archbishop of Canterbury (1633–45). His persecution of Puritans and his High Church policies in England and Scotland were a cause of the Civil War; he was impeached by the Long Parliament (1640) and executed
Obstreperous
resisting control or restraint in a difficult manner; unruly. | noisy, clamorous, or boisterous: obstreperous children. | noisy or rough, esp in resisting restraint or control
Portend
to indicate in advance; to foreshadow or presage, as an omen does: The street incident may portend a general uprising. | to signify; mean. | to give warning of; predict or foreshadow | (obsolete) to indicate or signify; mean
Retraction
the act of retracting or the state of being retracted. | withdrawal of a promise, statement, opinion, etc.: His retraction of the libel came too late. | retractile power. | the act of retracting or state of being retracted | the withdrawal of a statement, charge, etc
Titter
to laugh in a restrained, self-conscious, or affected way, as from nervousness or in ill-suppressed amusement. | a tittering laugh. | (intransitive) to snigger, esp derisively or in a suppressed way | (transitive) to express by tittering | a suppressed laugh, chuckle, or snigger
Adversity
adverse fortune or fate; a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, or distress: A friend will show his or her true colors in times of adversity. | an adverse or unfortunate event or circumstance: You will meet many adversities in life. | distress; affliction; hardship | an unfortunate event or incident
Broach
Machinery. an elongated, tapered, serrated cutting tool for shaping and enlarging holes. | a spit for roasting meat. | a gimlet for tapping casks. | (in a lock) a pin receiving the barrel of a key. | Also, broach spire. Architecture. an octagonal spire rising directly from a tower without any intervening feature. | Masonry. a pointed tool for the rough dressing of stone. | brooch. | to enlarge and finish with a broach. | to mention or suggest for the first time: to broach a subject. | to draw (beer, liquor, etc.), as by tapping: to broach beer from a keg.
Deference
respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another. | respectful or courteous regard: in deference to his wishes. | submission to or compliance with the will, wishes, etc, of another | courteous regard; respect
Esoteric
understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite: poetry full of esoteric allusions. | belonging to the select few. | private; secret; confidential. | (of a philosophical doctrine or the like) intended to be revealed only to the initiates of a group: the esoteric doctrines of Pythagoras. | restricted to or intended for an enlightened or initiated minority, esp because of abstruseness or obscurity: an esoteric cult Compare exoteric | difficult to understand; abstruse: an esoteric statement | not openly admitted; private: esoteric aims
Hoary
gray or white with age: an old dog with a hoary muzzle. | ancient or venerable: hoary myths. | tedious from familiarity; stale: Please don’t tell that hoary joke at dinner again tonight. | having grey or white hair | white or whitish-grey in colour | ancient or venerable
Lavish
expended, bestowed, or occurring in profusion: lavish spending. | using or giving in great amounts; prodigal (often followed by of): lavish of his time; lavish of affection. | to expend or give in great amounts or without limit: to lavish gifts on a person. | prolific, abundant, or profuse | generous; unstinting; liberal | extravagant; prodigal; wasteful: lavish expenditure | (transitive) to give, expend, or apply abundantly, generously, or in profusion
Obtuse
not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; not sensitive or observant; dull. | not sharp, acute, or pointed; blunt in form. | (of a leaf, petal, etc.) rounded at the extremity. | indistinctly felt or perceived, as pain or sound. | mentally slow or emotionally insensitive | (maths) (of an angle) lying between 90° and 180° (of a triangle) having one interior angle greater than 90° | not sharp or pointed | indistinctly felt, heard, etc; dull: obtuse pain | (of a leaf or similar flat part) having a rounded or blunt tip |
Portent
an indication or omen of something about to happen, especially something momentous. | threatening or disquieting significance: an occurrence of dire portent. | a prodigy or marvel. | a sign or indication of a future event, esp a momentous or calamitous one; omen | momentous or ominous significance: a cry of dire portent | a miraculous occurrence; marvel
Revere
to regard with respect tinged with awe; venerate: The child revered her mother. | revers. | Paul, 1735–1818, American silversmith and patriot, famous for his night horseback ride, April 18, 1775, to warn Massachusetts colonists of the coming of British troops. | a city in E Massachusetts, on Massachusetts Bay, near Boston: seaside resort. | (transitive) to be in awe of and respect deeply; venerate | Paul. 1735–1818, American patriot and silversmith, best known for his night ride on April 18, 1775, to warn the Massachusetts colonists of the coming of the British troops
Tome
a book, especially a very heavy, large, or learned book. | a volume forming a part of a larger work. | a combining form with the meanings “cutting instrument” (microtome; osteotome), “segment, somite” (sclerotome), used in the formation of compound words. | a large weighty book | one of the several volumes of a work | indicating an instrument for cutting: osteotome
Advocate
to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly: He advocated higher salaries for teachers. | a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc. (usually followed by of): an advocate of peace. | a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor. | a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law. | (transitive; may take a clause as object) to support or recommend publicly; plead for or speak in favour of | a person who upholds or defends a cause; supporter | a person who intercedes on behalf of another | a person who pleads his client’s cause in a court of law See also barrister, solicitor, counsellor | (Scots law) the usual word for barrister |
Brusque
abrupt in manner; blunt; rough: A brusque welcome greeted his unexpected return. | blunt or curt in manner or speech
Defoliate
to strip (a tree, bush, etc.) of leaves. | to destroy or cause widespread loss of leaves in (an area of jungle, forest, etc.), as by using chemical sprays or incendiary bombs, in order to deprive enemy troops or guerrilla forces of concealment. | to lose leaves. | (of a tree) having lost its leaves, especially by a natural process. | to deprive (a plant) of its leaves, as by the use of a herbicide, or (of a plant) to shed its leaves | (of a plant) having shed its leaves
Espouse
to make one’s own; adopt or embrace, as a cause. | to marry. | to give (a woman) in marriage. | to adopt or give support to (a cause, ideal, etc): to espouse socialism | (archaic) (esp of a man) to take as spouse; marry
Hone
a whetstone of fine, compact texture for sharpening razors and other cutting tools. | a precision tool with a mechanically rotated abrasive tip, for enlarging holes to precise dimensions. | to sharpen on a hone: to hone a carving knife. | to enlarge or finish (a hole) with a hone. | to make more acute or effective; improve; perfect: to hone one’s skills. | South Midland and Southern U.S. to yearn; long: to hone for the farm life; to hone after peach pie. | Archaic. to moan and groan. | a fine whetstone, esp for sharpening razors | a tool consisting of a number of fine abrasive slips held in a machine head, rotated and reciprocated to impart a smooth finish to cylinder bores, etc | (transitive) to sharpen or polish with or as if with a hone
Lax
not strict or severe; careless or negligent: lax morals; a lax attitude toward discipline. | loose or slack; not tense, rigid, or firm: a lax rope; a lax handshake. | not rigidly exact or precise; vague: lax ideas. | open, loose, or not retentive, as diarrheal bowels. | (of a person) having the bowels unusually loose or open. | open or not compact; having a loosely cohering structure; porous: lax tissue; lax texture. | Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with relatively relaxed tongue muscles. Compare tense1(def 4). | lacking firmness; not strict | lacking precision or definition | not taut
Obviate
to anticipate and prevent or eliminate (difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective measures; render unnecessary: to obviate the risk of serious injury. | (transitive) to avoid or prevent (a need or difficulty)
Poseur
a person who attempts to impress others by assuming or affecting a manner, degree of elegance, sentiment, etc., other than his or her true one. | a person who strikes an attitude or assumes a pose in order to impress others
Riddled
a question or statement so framed as to exercise one’s ingenuity in answering it or discovering its meaning; conundrum. | a puzzling question, problem, or matter. | a puzzling thing or person. | any enigmatic or dark saying or speech. | to propound riddles; speak enigmatically. | to pierce with many holes, suggesting those of a sieve: to riddle the target. | to fill or affect with (something undesirable, weakening, etc.): a government riddled with graft. | to impair or refute completely by persistent verbal attacks: to riddle a person’s reputation. | to sift through a riddle, as gravel; screen. | a coarse sieve, as one for sifting sand in a foundry.
Torpid
inactive or sluggish. | slow; dull; apathetic; lethargic. | dormant, as a hibernating or estivating animal. | an eight-oared, clinker-built boat used for races at Oxford University during the Lenten term. | apathetic, sluggish, or lethargic | (of a hibernating animal) dormant; having greatly reduced metabolic activity | unable to move or feel
Aesthetic
pertaining to a sense of the beautiful or to the philosophy of aesthetics. | of or pertaining to the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty; of or relating to the science of aesthetics. | having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty. | pertaining to, involving, or concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to pure intellectuality. | the philosophical theory or set of principles governing the idea of beauty at a given time and place: the clean lines, bare surfaces, and sense of space that bespeak the machine-age aesthetic; the Cubist aesthetic. | Archaic. the study of the nature of sensation. | connected with aesthetics or its principles | relating to pure beauty rather than to other considerations artistic or relating to good taste: an aesthetic consideration | a principle of taste or style adopted by a particular person, group, or culture: the Bauhaus aesthetic of functional modernity |
Bulwark
a wall of earth or other material built for defense; rampart. | any protection against external danger, injury, or annoyance: The new dam was a bulwark against future floods. | any person or thing giving strong support or encouragement in time of need, danger, or doubt: Religion was his bulwark. | Usually, bulwarks. Nautical. a solid wall enclosing the perimeter of a weather or main deck for the protection of persons or objects on deck. | to fortify or protect with a bulwark; secure by or as if by a fortification. | a wall or similar structure used as a fortification; rampart | a person or thing acting as a defence against injury, annoyance, etc | (often pl) (nautical) a solid vertical fencelike structure along the outward sides of a deck | a breakwater or mole | (transitive) to defend or fortify with or as if with a bulwark
Defunct
no longer in effect or use; not operating or functioning: a defunct law; a defunct organization. | no longer in existence; dead; extinct: a defunct person; a defunct tribe of Indians. | the defunct, the dead person referred to: the survivors of the defunct. | no longer living; dead or extinct | no longer operative or valid
Etymology
the derivation of a word. Synonyms: word origin, word source, derivation, origin. | a chronological account of the birth and development of a particular word or element of a word, often delineating its spread from one language to another and its evolving changes in form and meaning. Synonyms: word history, word lore, historical development. | the study of historical linguistic change, especially as manifested in individual words. | the study of the sources and development of words and morphemes | an account of the source and development of a word or morpheme
Hyperbole
obvious and intentional exaggeration. | an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”. | a deliberate exaggeration used for effect: he embraced her a thousand times
Legend
a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical. | the body of stories of this kind, especially as they relate to a particular people, group, or clan: the winning of the West in American legend. | an inscription, especially on a coat of arms, on a monument, under a picture, or the like. | a table on a map, chart, or the like, listing and explaining the symbols used. Compare key1(def 8). | Numismatics, inscription (def 8). | a collection of stories about an admirable person. | a person who is the center of such stories: She became a legend in her own lifetime. | Archaic. a story of the life of a saint, especially one stressing the miraculous or unrecorded deeds of the saint. | Obsolete. a collection of such stories or stories like them. | a popular story handed down from earlier times whose truth has not been ascertained
Odious
deserving or causing hatred; hateful; detestable. | highly offensive; repugnant; disgusting. | offensive; repugnant
Posterity
succeeding or future generations collectively: Judgment of this age must be left to posterity. | all descendants of one person: His fortune was gradually dissipated by his posterity. | future or succeeding generations | all of one’s descendants
Rife
of common or frequent occurrence; prevalent; in widespread existence, activity, or use: Crime is rife in the slum areas of our cities. | current in speech or report: Rumors are rife that the government is in financial difficulty. | abundant, plentiful, or numerous. | abounding (usually followed by with). | of widespread occurrence; prevalent or current: rumour was rife in the village | very plentiful; abundant | (foll by with) abounding (in): a land rife with poverty
Torpor
sluggish inactivity or inertia. | lethargic indifference; apathy. | a state of suspended physical powers and activities. | dormancy, as of a hibernating animal. | a state of torpidity
Affable
pleasantly easy to approach and to talk to; friendly; cordial; warmly polite: an affable and courteous gentleman. | showing warmth and friendliness; benign; pleasant: an affable smile. | showing warmth and friendliness; kindly; mild; benign | easy to converse with; approachable; amicable
Bureaucracy
government by many bureaus, administrators, and petty officials. | the body of officials and administrators, especially of a government or government department. | excessive multiplication of, and concentration of power in, administrative bureaus or administrators. | administration characterized by excessive red tape and routine. | a system of administration based upon organization into bureaus, division of labour, a hierarchy of authority, etc: designed to dispose of a large body of work in a routine manner | government by such a system | government or other officials collectively | any administration in which action is impeded by unnecessary official procedures and red tape
Degradation
the act of degrading. | the state of being degraded. | Physical Geography. the wearing down of the land by the erosive action of water, wind, or ice. | Chemistry. the breakdown of an organic compound. | the act of degrading or the state of being degraded | a state of degeneration, squalor, or poverty | some act, constraint, etc, that is degrading | the wearing down of the surface of rocks, cliffs, etc, by erosion, weathering, or some other process | (chem) a breakdown of a molecule into atoms or smaller molecules | (physics) an irreversible process in which the energy available to do work is decreased
Eulogy
a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially a set oration in honor of a deceased person. | high praise or commendation. | a formal speech or piece of writing praising a person or thing, esp a person who has recently died | high praise or commendation
Hypochondriac
Also, hypochondriacal, H05/H0509000 hahy-poh-k uh n- drahy - uh -k uh l, ?ha? po? k?n?dra? ? k?l. Psychiatry. pertaining to or suffering from hypochondria, an excessive preoccupation with and worry about one’s health: The comedy is aimed at the hypochondriac demographic. produced by hypochondria : Hypochondriac feelings overwhelmed her. | Anatomy, Zoology. of or pertaining to the hypochondrium. | Psychiatry. a person suffering from or subject to hypochondria. | a person who worries or talks excessively about his or her health. | a person suffering from hypochondria | relating to or suffering from hypochondria | (anatomy) of or relating to the hypochondrium
Legion
a division of the Roman army, usually comprising 3000 to 6000 soldiers. | a military or semimilitary unit. | the Legion. American Legion. foreign legion (def 2). | any large group of armed men. | any great number of persons or things; multitude. | very great in number: The holy man’s faithful followers were legion. | a military unit of the ancient Roman army made up of infantry with supporting cavalry, numbering some three to six thousand men | any large military force: the French Foreign Legion | (usually capital) an association of ex-servicemen: the British Legion | (often pl) any very large number, esp of people
Officious
objectionably aggressive in offering one’s unrequested and unwanted services, help, or advice; meddlesome: an officious person. | marked by or proceeding from such forwardness: officious interference. | Obsolete. ready to serve; obliging. | unnecessarily or obtrusively ready to offer advice or services | marked by such readiness | (diplomacy) informal or unofficial | (obsolete) attentive or obliging
Posthumous
arising, occurring, or continuing after one’s death: a posthumous award for bravery. | published after the death of the author: a posthumous novel. | born after the death of the father. | happening or continuing after one’s death | (of a book, etc) published after the author’s death | (of a child) born after the father’s death
Rigor
strictness, severity, or harshness, as in dealing with people. | the full or extreme severity of laws, rules, etc. | severity of living conditions; hardship; austerity: the rigor of wartime existence. | a severe or harsh act, circumstance, etc. | scrupulous or inflexible accuracy or adherence: the logical rigor of mathematics. | severity of weather or climate or an instance of this: the rigors of winter. | Pathology. a sudden coldness, as that preceding certain fevers; chill. | Physiology. a state of rigidity in muscle tissues during which they are unable to respond to stimuli due to the coagulation of muscle protein. | Obsolete. stiffness or rigidity. | (med) a sudden feeling of chilliness, often accompanied by shivering: it sometimes precedes a fever
Totter
to walk or go with faltering steps, as if from extreme weakness. | to sway or rock on the base or ground, as if about to fall: The tower seemed to totter in the wind. The government was tottering. | to shake or tremble: a load that tottered. | the act of tottering; an unsteady movement or gait. | to walk or move in an unsteady manner, as from old age | to sway or shake as if about to fall | to be failing, unstable, or precarious | the act or an instance of tottering
