Set 11 Flashcards
prostrate
stretch out full on ground; make prostrate; enervate; ex. prostrating illness; adj. lying face down; having lost all strength
gerontology
study of the sociological phenomena associated with old age
trite
hackneyed; commonplace
chaperon
older person who accompanies and supervises a young unmarried woman
unilateral
one-sided; involving or affecting only one side; ex. unilateral declaration
swerve
deviate; turn aside sharply from a straight course; ex. swerve from the principle; ex. The car swerved to the right.
artful
exhibiting art or skill; deceitful; cunning; ex: artifice
notch
V-shaped cut in a surface; v.
overthrow
topple; n.
monetary
pertaining to money
inequity
unfairness; adj. inequitable
urge
drive or force forward (by causing impulses); drive to take action; impel; entreat earnestly; ex. urge horses; n. impulse that prompts action
sojourn
temporary stay; v. stay for a time
ejaculation
exclamation; abrupt ejection (to discharge sperm); v. ejaculate
embark
commence; go on board a boat; begin a journey
reparable
capable of being repaired
dote
be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline
blighted
suffering from a disease; destroyed
wake
trail of ship or other object through water; path of something that has gone before; ex. hunger followed in the wake of the war
spoof
parody
resort
turn to for help; ex. resort to violence; n.
foliage
masses of leaves; ex: defoliate
draught
current of air (through a room or to a fire); act of pulling roads; act of swallowing liquid or amount of liquid swallowed at a time
junket
trip especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense
historic
important in history; ex. historic battle
billowing
swelling out in waves; surging
chastise
punish as by beating; criticize severely
momentous
very important; n. moment; ex: momentary
universal
characterizing or affecting all; general; present everywhere; of the universe; cosmic; ex. universal agreement; ex. a subject of universal interest
fauna
animals of a period or region; ex: flora
endemic
prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country; peculiar to a particular region or people; ex: pandemic
benison
blessing
hail
frozen rain drop; v. salute or greet; precipitate hail
torpedo
underwater explosive apparatus; v.
demean
disgrace; humiliate; debase in dignity; behave
thematic
of a theme; relating to a unifying motif or idea
swelter
(of a person) suffer from oppressive heat; be oppressed by heat
hubris
arrogance; excessive self-conceit
fawning
courting favor by cringing and flattering; v. fawn: exhibit affection as a dog; seek favor or attention by obsequiousness
magnitude
greatness (in size or extent); extent
rococo
ornate; highly decorated; n. ex: 18th century
valor
bravery; adj. valiant: possessing valor; brave
necromancy
black magic; sorcery; dealings with the dead; art that professes to communicate with the spirits of the dead so as to predict the future; ex: necromancer; ex: necro+divination; ex: necro-: death; ex. necropolis
galley
low ship with sails (rowed along by slaves)
provenance
place of origin; origin or source of something; ex. Gunpowder is of Chinese provenance; ex: come
unobtrusive
inconspicuous; not blatant
sodden
thoroughly soaked; dull or stupid as if from drink
transient
staying for a short time; momentary; temporary; n. one that is transient
dinghy
small boat (often ship’s boat)
incarnation
act of assuming a human body and human nature; one who personifies something; personification; ex. previous incarnation/reincarnation
rendition
rendering; translation; artistic interpretation of a song, etc
abortive
unsuccessful; fruitless
putrid
decayed and foul-smelling; foul; rotten; decayed; n. putridity
vicissitude
change (esp. from good to bad); change of fortune; ex: the last emperor of China
cameo
shell or jewel carved in relief; star’s special appearance in a minor role in a film
maritime
bordering on(adjacent to) the sea; nautical; of the ships or the sea; ex. Maritime Provinces
flag
droop; grow feeble; decline in vigor or strength; adj. flagging; ex: unflagging
malignant
tending to cause death; highly injurious; aggressively malevolent; ex. malignant tumor
servitude
slavery; compulsory labor imposed as a punishment
accessory
additional object; useful but not essential thing
vilify
slander; speak evil of; n. vilification
querulous
given to complaining; complaining; fretful; whining
chronic
long established as a disease
embed(imbed)
enclose; place in something; fix firmly in a surrounding mass
compromise
adjust or settle by making mutual concessions; endanger the interests or reputation of; put into danger, disrepute, or a dishonorable position; ex. compromise one’s principle; n.
kudos
honor; glory; acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement
acute
(of the senses) sharp; quickly perceptive; keen; penetrating; brief and severe; ex. acute sense of smell/analysis/pain
worldly
engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual; of the material world
anchor
secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place; n. anchorage
pigment
coloring matter (usually powder to be mixed with water or oil)
pass'e
old-fashioned; past the prime
concede
admit; acknowledge as being true (often reluctantly); yield; grant; ex. concede a goal
constituency
voters represented by an elected official; district so represented; group of supporters (or constituents)
alleviate
relieve (pain)
husband
use sparingly; conserve; save; ex. husband one’s energy; ex: house holder
precipitate
hurl downward; throw headlong; hasten; cause to happen sooner; condense and fall as rain or snow; cause (a solid substance) to be separated from a solution; adj. hasty; rash; premature; sudden
congruence
correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship; ex: congruity
reprehensible
deserving blame; blameworthy; v. reprehend: blame
aerie
nest of a large bird of prey
primogeniture
seniority by birth; state of being the first-born child; right of the eldest child (to inherit the entire property of one or both parents)
nubile
marriageable; of marriageable age; ex: connubial
predator
predatory animal or bird; predatory person; creature that seizes and devours another animal; person who robs or exploits others; adj. predatory: living by preying on other organisms; plundering; n. predation
imminent
impending; near at hand
dogged
determined; stubborn; stubbornly persevering; tenacious; ex. Inspector Javert’s dogged pursuit of Jean Valjean
cessation
stoppage
orgy
wild drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in an activity; ex. orgy of shopping
epitome
perfect example or embodiment; brief summary; ex. epitome of good manners; v. epitomize: make an epitome of; be an epitome of; embody
blunt
having a dull edge; abrupt and frank in speech or manner; brusque; v. make or become blunt
outstrip
outrun; surpass; outdo
martyr
one who voluntarily suffers death for his or her religion or cause; great sufferer; ex. martyr to his rheumatism
severity
harshness; intensity; sternness; austerity; adj. severe: harsh; strict; extremely violent or intense
cordon
extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress; (?”±œÀÁ?? ¡†µŒ¦ž ?¯Ëüáë ¡ƒ€Á«å) ËŒ?€ ü¨¼È; v.
reputed
supposed; ex. reputed father of the child; v. repute: consider; n. repute: reputation; esteem
bland
soothing or mild (food); agreeable; causing no trouble or offence
prolong
lengthen; extend; draw out
scrap
small bit or fragment; discarded waste material; fight; ex. a scrap of paper/cloth; v. break into parts for disposal; discard as worthless; fight; quarrel
dawdle
loiter; hang around; waste time doing nothing
filch
steal (things of small value)
connivance
pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend; v. connive: feign ignorance (of a wrong); cooperate secretly in an illegal action; conspire
homily
sermon; tedious moralizing lecture; serious warning; adj. homiletic
vouchsafe
grant condescendingly; guarantee; ex. vouchsafe your fair return on your investment
plenary
(of power) complete; full; fully attended by all qualified members; ex. plenary power
prurient
having or causing lustful desires and thoughts; arousing immoderate sexual desire
tirade
long angry denunciatory speech; diatribe; harangue; extended scolding; denunciation
pedagogue
teacher; ex: child leader
inclined
tending or leaning toward; bent; v. incline: slant; dispose; be disposed; tend
vital
full of life; animated; vibrant and lively; critical; of great importance; necessary to stay alive; of life; living; breathing; n. vitality; v. vitalize
ensue
follow (as a result)
warp
twist out of shape; n.
compulsive
resulting from compulsion
centrifugal
radiating; departing from the center
incentive
spur; motive; something which encourages one to greater activity
milieu
social environment; means of expression; ex. feel out of one’s milieu; ex. His proper milieu is watercolor.
culinary
relating to cooking or kitchen
weird
eerie; strange; unnatural
unearthly
not earthly; supernatural; weird; ghostly
cuisine
style of cooking; ex. French cuisine
determination
resolve; firmness of purpose; measurement or calculation; decision
vanguard
forerunners; foremost position of an army; advance forces; foremost position in a trend or movement; ex: rearguard
emasculate
weaken; castrate
impropriety
improperness; unsuitableness
chauvinist
blindly devoted patriot; zealous adherent of a group, cause, or sex; adj. chauvinistic; ex: chauvinism; Nicolas Chauvin
pseudonym
pen name; fictitious name assumed by an author; adj. pseudonymous
schematic
of a schema or scheme; relating to an outline or diagram; using a system of symbols; n. schema: diagrammatic representation; outline
colossal
huge
accolade
award of merit; strong praise and approval
screech
unpleasant high sharp sound; shriek; v.
slag
glassy residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter
memorialize
commemorate
advent
arrival
rag
scrap of cloth; adj. ragged: old and torn; seeming unfinished and imperfect; ex. ragged debut/performance
voluble
fluent; talkative; glib; n. volubility
audit
examination of accounts of a business; official examination; v.
flutter
(of a bird with large wings) wave (the wings) lightly, rapidly, and irregularly; vibrate rapidly or erratically; fly by waving quickly; flitter; n.
buffoonery
clowning
pernicious
very harmful; deadly; very destructive; ex. pernicious effect/anemia
lackluster
lacking luster(shine; gloss); dull
elevation
elevated position; altitude; height; flat upright side of a building; angle made by pointing a gun; ex. The elevation of her style is much admired; ex. front elevation of the house
slough
(of a snake) shed or cast off (dead outer skin); n. outer layer that is shed
gnarl
protruding knot on a tree; v.
noncommittal
neutral; refusing commitment to a particular opinion; unpledged; undecided
puissant
powerful; strong; potent; n. puissance: power
congeal
freeze; coagulate
restraint
moderation or self-control; controlling force; restriction
prodigy
highly gifted child; person with exceptional talents; marvel; wonder
philanthropist
lover of mankind; doer of good; n. philanthropy
importune
beg persistently; make repeated requests (in an annoying way)
incontrovertible
indisputable; impossible to dispute; not open to question; unquestionable
snicker
half-stifled(suppressed) laugh; v.
infinitesimal
very small
rank
offensive in odor or flavor
hindrance
block; obstacle; v. hinder
duration
length of time something lasts
totem
animal, plant, or natural object serving as a symbol of a clan or family; representation of this; ex. totem pole
sober
serious; solemn; not drunken; abstemious or temperate; v. make or become sober
unaccountable
unexplicable; impossible to account for; unreasonable or mysterious
fret
be annoyed or vexed; ex. fret over your poor grades; n. irritation of mind; adj. fretful
engaging
charming; attractive
agility
nimbleness; ability to move quickly
botch
mismanage; blow
airy
of air; high in the air; lofty; immaterial; unreal
pall
become boring; grow tiresome
verbalize
put into words; adj. verbal: of words; spoken rather than written; oral; of a verb
icon(ikon)
religious image; idol; image or representation
bastard
illegitimate child
discredit
defame; disgrace; destroy confidence in; disbelieve; n. ex: discreditable: causing discredit; shameful
halcyon
calm; peaceful; ex. halcyon days
crochet
make (a piece of needlework) by looping thread with a hooked needle; n. ex: crotchet
incinerate
burn to ashes
hilarity
boisterous mirth(merriment; laughter); adj. hilarious: full of laughter
jaundice
medical condition in which the skin, the white part of the eyes, etc. turn yellow; v. affect with jaundice; affect with prejudice, envy, or hostility; bias
novelty
something new; newness; adj. novel: new; original
nib
beak(bill); pen point
topple
become unsteady and fall down
prot'eg'e
person receiving protection and support from a patron
marshal
put in order; guide ceremoniously to the correct place; ex. marshal the children into the museum; n. military officer; official
oligarchy
government by a privileged few
gossamer
sheer; very light; like cobwebs; n. soft and sheer fabric; cobweb
permeable
that can be permeated; penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through; v. permeate: spread or flow throughout; charge
impuissance
powerlessness; feebleness
implicate
incriminate; involve incriminatingly; show to be involved (in a crime); ex. implicate someone in the crime
coquette
flirt; flirtatious woman; woman who tries to attract the admiration of men without sincere feelings; v.
bugaboo
bugbear; object of baseless terror
alimony
payments made regularly to an ex-spouse after divorce
lancet
small surgical tool for making incisions
regal
royal; of a monarch; ex. regal manner
hermetic
sealed by fusion so as to be airtight; airtight
sanguine
optimistic; cheerful; hopeful; of the color of blood; red
defalcate
embezzle
bludgeon
club; heavy-headed weapon; v.
chaplain
clergyman attached to a chapel
gyroscope
apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc.
coalition
partnership; league; union of separate political parties
recourse
resorting to help when in trouble; ex. without recourse to
contravene
contradict; oppose; violate (a rule, law, or custom); n. contravention
bargain
agreement between two groups or people; something for sale at a price advantageous to the buyer; v. negotiate; trade; ex. bargaining power
blemish
mar; spoil the beauty or perfection of; n. flaw or defect (that spoils perfection); ex. blemishes in the crystal; ex: unblemished
blush
become red in the face (from embarrassment or shame); become red or rosy; n.
numismatist
person who collects coins; n. numismatics: study or collection of money, coins, and medals
