September 5th Flashcards
saturnine
“a sluggish, gloomy temperament”
Medieval alchemists ascribed to the planet Saturn a gloomy and slow character.
When people are called saturnine, it means they are like the planet — gloomy, mean, scowling. Not exactly the life of the party.
Gloomy : A cloudy day, a sad song about lost love, your downbeat mood after your team loses a big game — all of these can be called gloomy.
riveting
“to fix one’s attention on”
Rivet : A rivet is a fastener that holds something closed or down.
Something riveting keeps you glued to your seat and grabs your attention.
Sometimes a movie is so riveting that not even free popcorn refills can lure you away.
Riveting is an adjective for things that really draw you in, like a book you read in one sitting or a song you turn up so you can hear every lyric.
The testimony, punctuated by video montages of the rampage — including some footage from the body cameras of police officers who testified — was a riveting reminder of the brutal reality of the day.
But this week’s was the most riveting in years, not only because of the topic but also because it revealed the stark divide, theologically and politically, among the church’s U.S. leaders.
neophyte
“a beginner”
A neophyte is someone who’s brand new at something.
You’re a neophyte the first time you pick up a guitar and start learning to play.
As vice president, Biden opposed deploying more troops and felt military leaders took advantage of a neophyte president by presenting him limited options and selectively leaking to the press to box him in.
Mr. Zelensky, a comedian, actor and political neophyte who was elected Ukraine’s president in 2019, wasn’t always at the center of the U.S.-Ukraine circle.
munificent
“very generous; lavish”.
If you give your best friend a bracelet for her birthday, then you’re a good friend. If you give her a diamond bracelet, a racehorse, and an oil well, then you’re a munificent friend, meaning you are very lavish when it comes to giving gifts.
But it is possible to imagine China exploiting that medicine as a domestic moneymaker, or as leverage over developing countries to whom it will play the “munificent” benefactor
Serving 14 years as chief minister — the highest elected position in the state — she turned Tamil Nadu, with its 72 million people, into a munificent welfare state.
motility
“spontaneous movement”
In biology, motility is the ability of organisms and fluid to move or get around. A microbiologist might test and compare the motility of various single-celled organisms.
When assessing sperm, doctors look at three main measures — concentration, motility and morphology.
They ignore evidence in a 2014 review of 10 studies associating exposure to cellphones with reductions in sperm motility and viability.
ligneous
If something’s made of wood, or looks like it is, it’s ligneous.
Ligneous is a technical term, the kind that scientists like, so if you want to describe something as wood-like in a casual conversation or an informal piece of writing, it’s probably best to go with, well, wood-like, or woody.
ligneous if you’re deliberately trying to sound like someone who spends a lot of time looking into a microscope.
insolvent
Piggy bank empty? Nothing but lint in your pockets? Then you’re probably unable to meet any financial obligations. In other words, you are insolvent.
Being insolvent isn’t just about being poor. A person or business that’s insolvent has no resources, no assets and no way to pay any of the bills.
Insolvent -> Bankrupt
The government’s decision to wait until British Steel was insolvent cost the company’s supply chain £500m in unpaid bills, Labour said.
He told senators that it is especially important to avoid overpaying private health plans because Medicare is financially fragile, with the trust fund for Medicare-paid hospital services forecast to become insolvent in three years.
Although its government is nearly insolvent and half of its citizens live in poverty, South Africa is considered too rich to qualify for cut-rate vaccines from international aid organizations.
hone
The verb hone means to sharpen skills. When you practice shooting baskets every day after school, you are honing your skills as a basketball player.
“She is honing her skills as an actress by working in community theater.”
For the NYPD, that entails honing in on public sources, working with informants and scouring chatrooms for any signs of suspicious activity, among other methods, he said
homeostasis
“the tendency of an organic system to maintain
internal stability”
Homeostasis is only achieved through the running of complicated systems in the body that regulate metabolic activity.
One of the important characteristics of a system is the perpetual movement toward homeostasis.
Chinese herbal therapy aims to help regain homeostasis, or balance, in one’s body and to strengthen the body’s resistance to disease.
fulsome
Compliments usually make you feel pretty good, but fulsome compliments, which are exaggerated and usually insincere, may have the opposite effect.
In his new book, “The Outlier,” historian Kai Bird writes that Carter’s “domestic and foreign policy ledgers are lengthy and fulsome.”
Biden’s high-profile Oval Office meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday was just one piece of a fulsome attempt to win over GOP lawmakers, White House aides said
contumacious
“stubbornly rebellious or disobedient”
That ornery horse that keeps heading back to the barn, no matter how much you coax and pull and try to convince him to stay on the trail? He’s showing you his contumacious side, meaning he’s stubbornly resisting authority.
You might hear the word contumacious used in a courtroom to describe an uncooperative witness or someone who willfully disobeys an order given by the court
According to the deputy chief justice, Philomena Mwilu, the court was left with no option but to annul the poll because of the “contumacious” approach of the electoral commission
viscous
Viscous means sticky, gluey and syrupy. So if something is viscous, you usually don’t want to stick your fingers in it — that goes for boogers and maple syrup alike.
discomfit
“to confuse, deject, frustrate, deceive”
To discomfit someone is to make them feel uncomfortable or upset.
An easy way to discomfit another person is to use the age-old, childish trick of ignoring them.
Don’t be discomfited by choosing the wrong word; use this word to mean “embarrass.”
There is also evidence that Mr. Biden recognizes that his aggressive language about China — as the great adversary in a fateful struggle between democracies and autocracies — is discomfiting to many Europeans.
But Stemberger’s case shines a discomfiting light on a little-known program run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement known as Operation Cocoon, which is devised to disrupt international drug trafficking rings.
cajole
“to deceptively persuade someone to do something he or she doesn’t want to do.”
To cajole someone is to persuade them by using insincere compliments or promises.
Fisher had spent more than 30 years raising money for Haiti, cajoling foundations for grants, bartering with businesses for services and equipment, seeking partnerships with universities.
It is the latest attempt by a big firm to cajole staff into getting jabbed.
taut
“tightly drawn, as a rope; emotionally tense”
Taut means tight rather than slack. The tightrope ought to be taut and not dangling down by the lion cage.
It’s nice to have a taut body with tight muscles, but not so great to have a taut mind — tightly wound and tense.
The Olympic gymnast’s taut body was something she worked hard for, but she gave a taut reply to reporters who asked her so many questions about her past, which she wished to keep a secret.
One of the tautest exchanges took place when Ose challenged Faulconer’s record on dealing with homelessness, a cornerstone of the former mayor’s campaign.
Although playing Twain threatened to engulf the lot, Mr. Holbook maintained a hectic career as a Hollywood character actor known for delivering taut and intelligent performances.
