"Self-Reliance" Vocab Flashcards
eminent
“I read the other day some verses written by an eminent painter which were original and not conventional.”
important or noteworthy
admonition
“The soul always hears an admonition in such lines, let the subject be what it may. The sentiment they instill is of more value than any thought they may contain.”
a reprimand, often one that says one shouldn’t continue their actions
latent
“Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost,–and our first thought, is rendered back to us by the trumpets of the Last Judgment.”
present but inactive or hidden
predominate
“Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being.”
to dominate or take control of
confide
“Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being.”
to have faith in or trust
transcendent
“And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark.”
free from the restraints of the material world
piquancy
“So God has armed youth and puberty and manhood no less with its own piquancy and charm, and made it enviable and gracious and its claims not to be put by, if it will stand by itself.”
the degree to which something is stimulating or exciting
eclat
“As soon as he has once acted or spoken with eclat, he is a committed person, watched by the sympathy or the hatred of hundreds, whose affections must now enter into his account.”
glory; a brilliant or successful effect
unaffected
“Ah, that he could pass again into his neutrality! Who can thus avoid all pledges, and having observed, observe again from the same unaffected, unbiased, unbribable, unaffrighted innocence, must always be formidable.”
not fake; genuine
usage
“The objection to conforming to usages that have become dead to you is, that it scatters your force.”
a habit
contrite
“In this pleasing, contrite wood-life which God allows me, let me record day by day my honest thought without prospect or retrospect, and, I cannot doubt, it will be found symmetrical, though I mean it not, and see it not.”
sincerely penitent/sorry, especially for one’s own actions
hobgoblin
a source of fear or dread
ephemeris
“Honor is venerable to us because it is no ephemeris. It is always ancient virtue.”
an almanac; a table giving the apparent position of celestial bodies throughout the year
pedigree
history or lineage
gazette (v.)
to publish in a gazette
fife
small shrill pipe
squalid
dirty; showing lack of moral standards
possible
that which is possible for somebody
stout
firm or resolute
equipage
carriage with attendants
sot
fool or drunkard
mendicant
pertaining to a beggar; having beggar-like qualities
sycophantic
obsequious or flattering
suffer
to allow
