Set 1 Flashcards
satyr
half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus (resembling a goat), portrayed as wanton(unrestrained) and cunning; lecher; ex: faun; ex: goat: lecherous man
dupe
someone easily fooled or deceived; v. deceive
ravine
narrow valley with steep sides; gorge; ex: gully, canyon
jab
poke abruptly with something sharp; punch with short blows
doze
sleep lightly; nap
distend
expand; swell out
sleeper
one that achieves unexpected success; something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable
foible
small weakness of character; slight fault; ex: feeble
prance
move about in a spirited manner (proudly and confidently)
fluctuate
waver; shift; rise and fall as if in waves; change or vary irregularly
asylum
place of refuge or shelter; protection (religious or political)
inclement
stormy; unkind; unmerciful; ex: clement
masquerade
wear a mask or disguise; pretend; n. costume party or ball at which masks are worn; pretense; disguise
convert
one who has adopted a different religion or opinion; v. change into another form; (persuade to) adopt a particular religion or belief
nepotism
favoritism (to a relative); ex: nephew
hypnosis
induced sleeping state; adj. hypnotic; v. hypnotize
romp
play or frolic boisterously; gambol; n.
hedonist
one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life; ex: hedonism: practice of living one’s life purely for pleasure
unctuous
oily; bland; insincerely suave
fuddle
make stupid or confused as with alcholic drink; n. in a fuddle: confused
fortitude
bravery; courage; strength of mind
nourish
provide with food necessary for life and growth
primordial
existing at the beginning (of time); rudimentary
voluptuous
sensual; of or giving sensual pleasure; indulging in sensual pleasures; ex. voluptuous lines; ex. voluptuous life of the Romans; n. voluptuary: voluptuous person
jostle
shove; bump; push against (someone) rather roughly; ex. jostled by the crowds
theocracy
government run by religious leaders
scenario
plot outline; screenplay(script for a movie); opera libretto; outline of possible future events
embellish
adorn; ornament; enhance as a story (by adding fictitious details)
graduate
arrange into categories or grades; divide into marked intervals (for use in measurement); ex. graduated ruler
patronize
support; act superior toward; treat in a condescending manner; be a customer of; n. patron: one that supports; regular customer; n. patronage; ex: boycott
synthetic
not natural; artificial; resulting from synthesis; ex. synthetic fiber; n.
braggart
boaster; bragger
overturn
turn over; capsize; topple
pastoral
rural; of rural life; idyllic; of a pastor
meter
arrangement of words in the form of poetry (by accentual rhythm)
peroration
conclusion of an oration; perorating; v. perorate: conclude a speech; speak at great length
itinerant
wandering; traveling from place to place (to perform work); ex. itinerant preacher
ecclesiastic
ecclesiastical; pertaining to the church; n. minister; priest; cleric; clergyman
uproar
noisy confusion
calumny
malicious misrepresentation; slander
deadlock
standstill resulting from the opposition of two unrelenting forces; stalemate
remediable
reparable
ken
range of knowledge; ex. beyond one’s ken
avocation
secondary or minor occupation
stint
set limits in amount or number; be thrifty; adj. stinting, unstinting; ex: stint:savings
cynical
skeptical or distrustful of human motives; n. cynicism; ex: cynic: person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness
accelerate
move faster
deliberate
consider; ponder; adj. done on purpose; slow
repel
drive away; disgust; ex. repel the attack/moisture; ex. repelled by the dirty room; ex: repulsion
drone
idle person who lives on other people’s work; male bee
mayhem
injury to body; crime of willfully maiming or crippling a person; violent disorder; ex. mayhem in the zoo; ex: maim
simulate
feign; imitate
pore
study industriously; ponder; scrutinize; ex. pore over the book; n.
prod
poke (with a pointed object); stir up; urge; goad to action; n. pointed object used to prod; prodding
occlude
shut; close; obstruct; ex. A blood clot occluded an artery.
cabal
small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
odyssey
long, eventful, adventurous journey
lewd
lustful
restive
impatiently restless (induced by external coercion or restriction); restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control; ex. restive horses because of wolves; ex: not a general synonym for `restless’
heinous
atrocious; wicked; hatefully bad; ex. heinous crime
vignette
small drawing placed at the beginning or end of a chapter; picture; short literary sketch; short written description of a character or scene
bait
harass; tease; torment; ex. badger baiting; n. food or other lure used to catch fish or trap animals
derivation
deriving; origin or source of something; ex. the derivation of the word
tautological
needlessly repetitious; ex. ``It was visible to the eye’’; n. tautology: needless repetition of the same sense; statement that is always true
probe
explore with a probe or tools; investigate; n. slender instrument used to explore a wound or body cavity; device designed to investigate an unknown region; thorough investigation; ex. space probe
mural
wall painting
ferment
agitation; commotion(noisy and excited activity); unrest (of a political kind); v. produce by fermentation; undergo fermentation; cause (a state of trouble)
lucid
easily understood; clear; intelligible; n. lucidity
ewe
female sheep
junta
group of persons joined in political intrigue; cabal; group of military officers ruling a country after seizing power (by force)
rift
narrow opening in a large mass; break in a friendly relation; ex. through a rift in the clouds; OP. reconcilation
natal
connected with birth; ex: prenatal; ex: postnatal
ruthless
pitiless; merciless; cruel
trenchant
cutting; incisive; keen
treatise
article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly
drudgery
hard unpleasant work; menial work
malcontent
person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs; discontented person; adj. discontented
artisan
a manually skilled worker
abrogate
abolish
rhapsodize
speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner; ex. rhapsodize over the beauty of the scenery
slovenly
untidy; careless in work habits; slipshod; n. sloven: one who is habitually untidy or careless
pharisaical
pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical
linger
loiter or dawdle; be slow in leaving; delay going; continue or persist; be slow to disappear; ex. The smell lingered for days.
hygiene
science and practice of the promotion and preservation of health; adj. hygienic: showing careful attention to cleanness (to prevent disease); ex. hygienic condition
brittle
hard but easily broken; difficult; unstable; ex. brittle situation
cohorts
group of people who share some common quality; armed band; a group of between 300 and 600 soldiers under one commander (in the ancient Rome)
ovoid
egg-shaped; ex: ovum; ex: ovulate
prevail
be widespread; triumph over; gain victory; prevail on: persuade; induce; ex. Justice has prevailed; ex. prevail on someone to do something
misogamy
hatred of marriage
linguistic
pertaining to language
hypothetical
based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed; n. hypothesis
low
moo; make the sound of a cow
contest
dispute; argue about the rightness of; compete for; try to win; ex. contest the election results; ex. contest a seat in Parliament; n.
cadence
rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat; regular beat of sound; rhythm
ego
one’s opinion of oneself; self-esteem
erotic
pertaining to passionate love or sexual love
eugenic
pertaining to the improvement of race; n. eugenics: study of hereditary improvement of the human race
canto
division of a long poem
prate
talk idly; speak foolishly; boast idly
nurture
nourish; feed; educate; rear; care for while it is growing or developing; foster; cultivate; n. something that nourishes; rearing
merger
combination (of two business corporations); act of merging
tension
stretching; condition of being stretched; mental strain; strained relationship between groups or people
stem
stop or check (the flow of); ex. stem the bleeding from the slashed artery; n. main axis of a plant; stalk
heedless
not noticing; disregarding
orthography
correct spelling; ex: ortho-: straight; correct; ex. orthodontics
stoop
bend forward and down; lower or debase oneself; fall to a lower standard of behavior by doing something; condescend; ex. stoop to lying
collateral
security given for loan; adj. secondary; descended from the same person but through different sons or daughters
remorse
deep regret for wrongdoing; guilt; self-reproach
incapacitate
disable; n. incapacity: lack of capacity
whim
sudden capricious idea; fancy
fallible
liable to err
maneuver(manoeuver)
strategic military or naval movement (done for training purposes); carefully planned process; stratagem; v. carry out a military maneuver; use maneuvers in gaining an end
animadversion
critical remark; v. animadvert: comment critically with disapproval
commune
small (often rural) community whose members share work and income; v. exchange thoughts or feelings; ex. commune with nature
onus
burden; responsibility
scapegoat
someone who bears the blame for others; whipping boy; ex: escape+goat
commemorative
remembering; honoring the memory of; ex. commemorative stamp
suborn
persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury); n. subornation
tan
convert (hide) into leather; make brown by exposure to the sun
febrile
feverish
communal
held in common; public; of a group of people; of a commune
clemency
disposition to be lenient in deciding punishments; mildness as of the weather; adj. clement
facade(fa\c{c}ade)
front or face (of building); superficial or false appearance
slapdash
hasty and careless; haphazard; sloppy(carelessly done)
imperceptible
unnoticeable; impossible to perceive; undetectable
floe
flat mass of floating ice
reverend
deserving reverence; n. priest
dilute
make (a liquid) less concentrated; reduce in strength; ex. dilute the influence of the president
virile
manly; having masculine spirit or strength; full of strength
azure
sky blue
deft
neat; skillful
nefarious
very wicked
persist
continue in existence; last; continue in a course of action in spite of opposition; ex. persist in/with something; adj. persistent
inverse
opposite
hackneyed
commonplace; trite
wisp
small bunch (of hair); faint streak (of smoke)
retrench
cut down; cut down expenses; economize
don
put on; OP. doff
polygamist
one who has more than one spouse at a time; ex: bigamy; ex: polyandry
behemoth
huge creature; something of monstrous size or power
deterrent
something that discourages or deters
ingrate
ungrateful person (not expressing thanks)
gibberish
nonsense; nonsensical or unintelligible talk or writing; babbling
crossbreed
hybridize; n. hybrid; ex: interbreed; ex: inbreed
plasticity
ability to be molded; adj. plastic: capable of being shaped or molded; ex. plastic material such as clay
amoral
nonmoral; having no understanding of right and wrong
mendicant
beggar; adj. living as a beggar
wretch
miserable person; bad or despicable person; adj. wretched: miserable; bad; contemptible; vile
abeyance
suspended action
pulpit
raised platform used in preaching (in a church)
instigate
start; urge; provoke; incite; ex. instigate a search/quarrel
wax
increase gradually (as the moon); grow
ostracize
banish from a group; exclude from public favor; ban; ex. His friends ostracized him. n. ostracism
speechless
unable for the moment to speak (because of strong feeling); ex. speechless with anger
acclaim
applaud; praise; greet with great approval; announce with great approval; ex. The new drung has been acclaimed as the most important discoveries for years; n. strong expression of approval and praise
virus
disease communicator
inerrancy
infallibility
parlance
language; manner of speaking; idiom; ex. in legal/common parlance
avenge
take vengence for something or on behalf of someone; ex. They avenged his death by burning the village; ex. He swore to avenge his brother; ex. They avenged themselves on their enemy.
integrity
honesty; uprightness; wholeness; state of being whole and undivided; completeness
brood
sit on in order to hatch; think deeply or worry anxiously; n. the young of certain animals; group of young birds hatched at one time
equinox
period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn; ex. vernal/autumnal equinox; adj. equinoctial
ultimatum
last demand; last warning; last statement of conditions that must be met; ex. They have ignored our ultimatum.
gradation
series of gradual stages; degree in such a progression
ramify
branch out; divide into branches or subdivisions
gangrene
decay of body tissue caused by insufficient blood supply (usually following injury); adj. gangrenous
disconcert
confuse; upset; embarrass; perturb
abdicate
renounce; give up (position, right, or responsibility)
atone
make amends for; pay for; ex. atone for
slur
slander; insult to one’s character or reputation; v.
vitriolic
causing sharp pain to the mind; caustic; corrosive; sarcastic; of vitriol; n. vitriol: sulphuric acid (which burns flesh deeply); bitterly abusive expression; caustic expression; ex: glass
apropos
with reference to; regarding; ex. remarks apropos (of) the present situation; adj. ADv.
fatalism
belief that events are determined by forces or fates beyond one’s control; adj. fatalistic; ex: fatal: causing death
sere
sear; parched; dry
leeway
room to move; margin; latitude; ex. leeway for the deadline
lap
take in food or drink with one’s tongue; splash gently; ex. waves lapping the shore; n. front area from the waist to the knees of a seated person
flout
reject; mock; show contempt for; scorn; ex. flout the rules
patina
green crust on old bronze works or copper; tone slowly taken by varnished painting
perimeter
outer boundary; length of the outer boundary; circumference
mercantile
concerning trade or merchants
objective
not influenced by emotions; fair; n. goal; aim
palate
roof of the mouth; sense of the taste
timbre
quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument (which distinguishes it from others of the same pitch)
peevish
bad-tempered; irritable; v. peeve: make angry
uncanny
strange; mysterious; ex. uncanny knack
indices
signs; indications; ex. indices of a student’s potential; ex: index: something that reveals or indicates; sign; ex. cost-of-living index
annuity
yearly allowance
acoustics
science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in
foppish
vain about dress and appearance; n. fop: man who takes too much interest in his clothes and appearance
disinter
dig up; unearth; OP. inter
decomposition
decay; v. decompose: decay; break and separate into simple parts
minatory
menacing; threatening
fraught
filled (with something unpleasant); full; ex. fraught with danger and difficulties; ex: freight
scurvy
contemptible; despicable; n. disease caused by deficiency of Vitamin C
wrench
twist; pull; strain; ex. He wrenched the gun out of her hands.
disabuse
correct a false impression; undeceive; free from a wrong belief
sentinel
sentry; lookout
gingerly
very carefully; adj.
subpoena
writ(written command issued by a court) summoning a witness to appear in court; v. summon with a subpoena
