Section 2 Vocabulary Lessons 5 & 6

Question 0

Stygian

Answer 0

A sense of infernal gloom

The River Styx in Ancient Greek mythology is one of the drivers of Hades, across which the souls of the dead were ferried

Question 1

Marathon

Answer 1

Any long contest with endurance as the primary factor

Ancient Greek city named Marathon; messenger sent to announce victory of the Greeks over the Persians and ran 26 miles and collapsed and died upon arrival.

Question 2

Tawdry

Answer 2

Cheap, showy, and lacking in good taste

A corruption of St. Audrey, a place where fairs were held at which neck pieces were sold. They were cheap.

Question 3

Calliope

Answer 3

A keyboard instrument using steam to power whistles that play musical notes

Greek Kalliope, the Muse of epic poetry

Question 4

Apochrypha

Answer 4

Doubtful accuracy

14 books of the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible done by Saint Jerome at the end of the 14th century. Protestants doubted the legitimacy of the content.

Question 5

Byzantine

Answer 5

That which is highly complicated, intricate and involved

5-th century architecture, an intricate art form made up of huge domes and intricate spires and minarets.

Question 6

Mesmerize

Answer 6

To spellbind or fascinate

Franz Mesmer was a German physician who discovered hypnosis.

Question 7

Halloween

Answer 7

All Saints Day

Derived from All-gallows Eve, which is the eve of All Saints Day.

Question 8

Vandal

Answer 8

Mischievous or malicious destruction or damage to property

Vandals were a tribe of Germanic people who savaged Gaul, Spain, and eventually sacked Rome.

Question 9

Bowdlerize

Answer 9

To expurgate, to edit (as a piece of writing) by prudish lay omitting parts considered indelicate

Thomas Bowdler changed dialogue from Shakespeare’s plays.

Question 10

Protean

Answer 10

Changeableness

In Greek mythology, Proteus was a sea God who had the power to change his shape at will.

Question 11

Cassandra

Answer 11

A person who prophesies doom or disaster, to which no one adheres to

Apollo cursed Kassandra the prophetess to make her prophesies unheeded despite their truth

Question 12

Maudlin

Answer 12

Crying at the slightest provocation, overly sentimental

Mary Magdalene bathed The feet of Christ in her tears to repent for her sins

Question 13

Parthian

Answer 13

To make a sharp telling remark or point as one is leaving

Parthia was a country with an army that shot arrows in a rear ward direction as they rode off

Question 14

Argonaut

Answer 14

Adventurer; someone on a quest to find a thing of great value which ultimately leads to great danger

Sailors who sailed with Jason aboard the ship Argo in classical mythology.

Question 15

Utopia

Answer 15

A place of perfection in every aspect

Fictional island breathed by Sir Thomas More created a book called Utopia in which a perfect society was presented.

Question 16

Tantalize

Answer 16

To torment, tease by heightening expectations that cannot be reached or attained

King Tantalus in Greek mythology was a bad king and condemned to stand in a pool of clear water with a tree bearing from right above his head. Though every time he tried to reach for food or drink, it moved away out of his reach, tantalizing him for eternity.

Question 17

Pharisee

Answer 17

Self righteous or hypocritical.

A Jewish sect who were hypocritical in their interpretation and enforcement of religious law.

Question 18

Quixotic

Answer 18

Impractically idealistic or foolishly chivalrous

Don Quixote was the idealistic hero of a book who “dreamed the impossible dream” so to say

Question 19

Roentgen

Answer 19

A measure of radiation

Wilhelmina Conrad Roentgen discovered x-rays