Set 22 Flashcards
mason
one who builds or works with stone or brick; n. masonry: work of a mason; stonework or brickwork
perspicacious
(of someone) having insight; penetrating; astute
compulsory
obligatory; that must be done
premonitory
serving to warn
hatch
deck opening; lid covering a deck opening; v. emerge from an egg; produce (young) from an egg
unsightly
ugly; unpleasant to look at
reiterate
repeat
smart
intelligent; quick and energetic; fashionable; ex. smart pace/restaurant; v. cause or feel a sharp pain; n. smarting pain
incontinent
lacking self-restraint; not continent; licentious
fiend
evil spirit; devil
monochromatic
having only one color
expansive
(of a person) outgoing and sociable; broad and extensive; able to increase in size
lode
metal-bearing vein(long deposit of an ore)
carnivorous
meat-eating; n. carnivore; ex: herbivore
disinclination
unwillingness
stipulate
state as a necessary condition (of an agreement); make express conditions; specify; ex. He stipulated payment in advance
exploit
brave and successful act; deed or action, particularly a brave deed; ex: crossing the Atlantic ocean
gentry
people of standing(rank or position); people of good family or high social position; class of people just below nobility
odoriferous
giving off an odor
cynosure
object of general attention; person or thing that is a center of attention; ex: Ursa Minor
rostrum
raised platform for speech-making; pulpit
peripheral
of a periphery; marginal; outer; of minor importance; not central; ex. peripheral nerve/interest
vagabond
wanderer (without a permanent home); tramp
beeline
direct quick route
fleet
fast; rapid; n. adj. fleeting: passing quickly; ephemeral
emaciated
thin and wasted (from hunger or illness)
pare
cut away the outer covering or skin of (with a knife); trim; ex. pare apples/expenses
aristocracy
hereditary nobility; privileged class; government by nobility; n. aristocrat
obsessive
related to thinking about something constantly; of an obsession; preoccupying; n. obsession: compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea; compulsive idea; v. obsess: preoccupy the mind of excessively
orthodox
traditional; (of someone) conservative in belief; adhering to an established doctrine
soporific
sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness; drowsy
urgent
compelling immediate action; pressing; persistent; importunate; ex. urgent in his demands
sprightly
lively
clasp
hold firmly within arms
blatant
extremely (offensively) obvious; loudly offensive; ex. blatant lie; n. blatancy
implore
beg
coeval
living at the same time as; existing during the same period of time; contemporary; of the same age
compartment
one of the parts into which an enclosed space is divided
platonic
purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire
jetsam
things thrown from a ship (to lighten the ship)
enfranchise
admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote); ex: franchise
feasible
practical; able to be carried out; practicable
dulcet
sweet sounding; pleasing to the ear; melodious
meager
scanty; inadequate
senility
old age; feeblemindedness of old age; adj. senile: resulting from old age; showing the weakness of body or mind from old age; ex. senile dementia
placid
peaceful; calm; ex. placid child/lake
tart
sharp to the taste; acid-tasting; caustic; sarcastic; ex. tart apple/reply
perversion
corruption; turning from right to wrong
list
tilt (as of a ship); lean over (to one side)
lank
long and thin; ex. Lank, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln
spoilsport
one who spoils the pleasure of others
invoke
call and bring into use (a right or law); call on/upon (a higher power or god) for help; ask for; beg for; conjure (a spirit); ex. invoke the veto power; ex. invoke one’s advisor/God
ambivalence
the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes or opinions
weary
tired after long work; v.
lethal
deadly
reprobate
morally disapproved person; person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency; ex: disapproved by God ?
outskirts
fringes; outer borders (as of a city); ex. outskirts of Boston
sow
plant or scatter seed
inordinate
beyond reasonable limits; unrestrained; excessive; ex. inordinate demands
gratis
free; without charge; adj.
temporal
of time; not lasting forever; limited by time; temporary; secular; worldly
culprit
one guilty of a crime
egregious
notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking
pathos
tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings; ex. pathos that runs through the novel
tardy
slow; sluggish; not on time; late; ex. tardy arrival
beneficent
kindly; doing good
diversion
act of turning aside; pastime; v. divert: turn aside from a course; distract; amuse
refrain
abstain from; resist; forbear; n. chorus
volition
act of using one’s will; act of making a conscious choice; ex. She selected this dress of her own volition.
thermal
pertaining to heat; producing heat; warm; ex. thermal bath; n. rising current of warm air
tract
propaganda pamphlet (esp. by a religious or political group); expanse of land; region of indefinite size; system of related organs; ex. digestive tract
moribund
dying; at the point of death; ex: death
rigid
hard and unbending; stiff and unyielding; fixed in behavior or views; strict; rigorous; ex. rigid rule
sophist
teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning; n. sophism: plausible but fallacious argument
amiss
wrong; faulty; ex. something amiss; ADv.
centigrade
denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius)
presumptuous
going beyond what is right; excessively forward; arrogant; taking liberties
idiosyncrasy
individual trait usually odd in nature; behavioral peculiarity; eccentricity; attitude, behavior, or opinion peculiar to a person; anything highly individual or eccentric; adj. idiosyncratic
lance
pierce with a lance; cut into; n. spearlike weapon
lineaments
features especially of the face; distinctive shape or contour of the face; ex: line
pied
piebald; variegated(many-colored); multicolored
repeal
revoke; annul
volatile
changeable; of a quickly changing nature (as of temper); mercurial; tending to violence; evaporating rapidly; ex. volatile character/situation in the street
incidence
rate of occurrence; particular occurrence; ex. high incidence of infant mortality
venture
risk; expose to risk; dare; undertake a risk; n.
potable
suitable for drinking; drinkable
bestial
beastlike; brutal; inhuman; very cruel
orient
get one’s bearings; adjust; make familiar with a situation; orientate
proviso
stipulation; condition in an agreement; provision
queasy
experiencing nausea; nauseated; easily nauseated; squeamish; ex. feel a little queasy
ubiquitous
being everywhere; omnipresent; n. ubiquity
travail
strenuous work; toil; painful labor; labor of childbirth
righteous
morally upright; just
address
direct a speech to; speak to; deal with or discuss; direct one’s efforts or attention to; make with a destination; n. formal speech
feign
pretend
quietude
tranquillity; calmness
urbane
suave; refined in manner; elegant
capacity
mental or physical ability; role; position or duty; ability to accommodate; ex. in my capacity as president
thresh
beat (cereal plants) with a machine or flail to separate the grains from the straw
problematic
causing a problem; open to doubt; doubtful; unsettled; questionable; ex. Whether the arena will ever be completed is problematic.
stun
make unconscious or numb as by a blow; amaze; astound
mite
very small object or insect-like creature; small coin
crotchety
(of someone old) eccentric; odd; whimsical; bad-tempered; n. crotchet: odd or whimsical notion
torrid
(of weather) hot or scorching; passionate; ex. torrid love affairs
humor
indulge; comply with the wishes of; n. quality that makes something amusing; state of mind; mood; ex. in a bad humor; ex. out of humor
contrived
unnatural and forced; artificial; not spontaneous; ex. The ending was rather contrived.
requisite
necessary requirement; something required; adj. required; necessary
mendacious
lying; habitually dishonest; n. mendacity
execute
put into effect; carry out; kill as a lawful punishment; n. execution
supersede
replace; cause to be set aside; make obsolete; n. supersession
resolve
determination; resolution; firmness of purpose
humanitarian
one devoted to the promotion of human welfare; ex: humanism
restitution
returning something (lost or stolen) to the rightful owner; reparation; indemnification; compensation for loss, damage, or injury
torque
twisting force; force producing rotation
clique
small exclusive group of people
mock
ridicule; deride; imitate often in derision
propitiate
appease; conciliate; make peaceful; adj. propitiatory
feline
of a member of the cat family; n.
swathe
swath; wrap around; bandage; ex. one’s head swathed in bandages
espouse
adopt; support (an idea or aim); marry; n. espousal
epistemologist
philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge; n. epistemology
raconteur
story-teller; one who tells stories with wit and skill
personable
attractive (in personality or appearance)
bristle
short stiff hair; v. (hair or fur) stand up stiffly
compensatory
making up for; repaying
coiffure
hairstyle
haughtiness
pride; arrogance; adj. haughty
vulnerable
susceptible to wounds or attack; n. vulnerability
philology
study of language or words
tramp
walk with a heavy step; travel on foot; n. vagrant; one who travels aimlessly about; long walk; sound of heavy walking
terrestrial
on or relating to the earth
genus
division of animals or plants, below a family and above a species
pragmatist
practical person; n. pragmatism: pragmatic way of dealing with things
ward
administrative division of a city; division in a hospital or prison; incompetent person placed under the protection of a guardian; v. guard; ward off: avert
flaccid
flabby; lacking firmness; weak; ex. flaccid muscles
convoke
call together; ex. convoke Parliament; n. convocation
misdemeanor
minor crime; misdeed; wrongdoing
libretto
text of an opera or oratorio; ex: book
lithe
flexible; supple; ex: limber
analgesia
condition of being unable to feel pain
fetish(fetich)
object believed to have spiritual powers; object of excessive attention or reverence; ex: fetishism
pundit
authority on a subject; expert; learned person
skim
read or glance through quickly; touch lightly in passing; brush; remove from the surface of a liquid
oculist
physician who specializes in treatment of the eyes
nondescript
undistinctive; ordinary; ordinary-looking; ex. nondescript fellow in a crowd
asinine
stupid; ex. asinine remarks
zenith
point directly overhead in the sky; summit; acme; highest point
vagrant
wandering from place to place; roving; stray; moving in a random fashion; ex. vagrant thoughts; n. vagrancy
immolate
offer or kill as a sacrifice (by fire)
hackles
hairs on back and neck, especially of a dog; ex. make someone’s hackles rise
rapture
great joy and delight; ecstasy; adj. rapturous
marrow
soft fatty tissue that fills most bone cavities and is the source of blood cells
dint
means; effort; ex. by dint of hard work
aquiline
curved; hooked; of or like an eagle; ex. aquiline nose
exorbitant
(of costs or demands) excessive; exceeding reasonable bounds
monotheism
belief in one God
purported
alleged; claimed; reputed or rumored; ex. purported Satanists
duplicity
double-dealing; hypocrisy; being dishonest and deceitful; adj. duplicitous
hazardous
dangerous
purchase
secure grasp or hold; firm grasp or footing
fitful
spasmodic; intermittent; irregular
consign
send to a person or place for sale; deliver officially; entrust; put into the care of another; set apart (for a special purpose); n. consignment; ex: consignor, consignee
skittish
inconstant; capricious; frivolous; not serious; ex. charming but skittish young woman; ex: skit
regimen
prescribed course of diet or exercise; prescribed diet and habits; ex. daily regimen of a dancer
contraband
illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods; adj.
lax
careless; negligent; not paying enough attention; ex. lax service
antecede
precede
kaleidoscope
tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc. produce interesting symmetrical effects; series of changing events; ex. kaleidoscope of European history; ex: beautiful
natty
neatly or smartly dressed; dapper; smart; ex. natty dresser
dormer
window projecting upright from roof; ex: sleeping room
protocol
diplomatic etiquette; ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats; first copy of a treaty before its ratification; ex. Protocol demands that the queen meet him at the airport.
modicum
limited quantity; small amount; ex. He does not have a modicum of sense; ex: moderate
matinee(matinee)
dramatic or musical performance given in the afternoon
transmute
transform; change; convert to something different
stout
rather fat; strong in body; sturdy; resolute; determined; strong in determination; ex. stout stick/supporter
apologist
one who writes in defense of a cause or institution; n. apologia
despoil
plunder; sack; ex. despoil the village
potentate
monarch; sovereign
glean
gather leavings; gather grain left behind by reapers; gather bit by bit (facts or information) often with difficulty
quay
dock; wharf; pier; landing place (for boats)
trifle
something of little importance or value; small amount; ex. a trifle; v. treat without seriousness; flirt
pejorative
(of a word or phrase) suggesting that someone is of little value; negative in connotation; having a belittling effect; ex. Many women now considers ``housewife’’ a pejorative expression, because it patronized them.
ascertain
find out for certain; make certain
tempestuous
stormy; violent; impassioned; n. tempest: violent storm
ancestry
family descent; adj. ancestral
autonomous
self-governing; n. autonomy
tantalize
tease; excite by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach; torture with disappointment; ex: Tantalus: Greek mythological figure
sheer
pure; thin and transparent; very steep
sartorial
pertaining to tailors or tailoring; ex. a man of great sartorial elegance; ex: sartor: tailor
agog
highly excited; intensely curious
default
failure to act; failure to perform a task or be present; v.
archaeology
study of artifacts and relics of early mankind
foreshadow
give an indication beforehand; be a sign of (what is coming); portend; prefigure
harass
annoy by repeated attacks
exegesis
explanation, especially of biblical(of the bible) passages
studied
carefully contrived; calculated; unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful; ex. studied remark
chameleon
lizard that changes color in different situations
wangle
achieve by cleverness or trick; wiggle out; fake; ex. She tried to wangle an invitation to the party.
solvent
able to pay all depths; n. solvency
