Set 23 Flashcards
constraint
restraint; compulsion; repression of feelings; reticence; v. constrain: hold back; restrain; compel; oblige; confine forcibly; imprison
grunt
utter a deep guttural sound (as a pig does); n.
viscid
adhesive; gluey
parsimony
stinginess; excessive frugality; adj. parsimonious
pinnace
small boat
clamber
climb by crawling with difficulties; scramble
gleam
brief flash of light; glow; v.
feature
distinctive part of the faces (as the eyes or mouth); features: overall appearance of the face; prominent or distinctive quality; prominent article; film; v. make prominent
vying
contending; ex: vie
prune
cut away; trim
denounce
condemn; criticize; n. denunciation
deplore
regret; express sorrow and severe disapproval for something bad; ex. deplore their violent behavior; adj. deplorable: very bad; deserving severe disapproval; ex. deplorable living condition
interjection
exclamation; ex. ``Ouch’’
bevy
large group; ex. a bevy of starlets
precept
practical rule guiding conduct; ex. mother’s precept
distinctive
clearly different from others of the same kind
concord
harmony; accord
peripatetic
walking about from place to place (to work); moving; ex. peripatetic school of philosophy
solicitous
anxious; worried; concerned; eager; ex. solicitous to do something; n. solicitude
cipher
nonentity; worthless person or thing; zero; secret code; v.
contrive
invent or fabricate in a clever way (by improvisation); manage; ex. contrive to attract his attention
brawn
human muscle; muscular strength; sturdiness
euthanasia
mercy killing
pariah
social outcast; ex. Mariah the pariah
inhibited
(of a person) unable to express what one really feels
delusive
deceptive; likely to delude; misleading; raising vain hopes; ex. delusive promises
propensity
natural inclination
vex
annoy; distress
alliteration
repetition of beginning sound in poetry
recast
reconstruct (a sentence, story, statue, etc.); fashion again
cession
yielding to another; ceding
blasphemy
irreverence; sacrilege; cursing; bad language about God or holy things; v. blasphem; adj. blasphemous; ex: sacrilege
emblazon
ornament richly (a shield or flag); n. emblazonment
cleft
n. split
seamy
sordid; base; filthy; unwholesome; ex. seamy side of city life
scad
a great quantity; ex. scads of clothes
licentious
amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained
opalescent
iridescent; lustrous; like an opal; n. opalescence
impasse
predicament(dangerous condition) from which there is no escape; situation allowing for no further progress
sinuous
twisting; winding; bending in and out; not morally honest
perpetrate
commit an offense; do (something wrong)
crypt
secret recess or vault usually used for burial; underground room (under a church)
lot
object used in making a determination at random; fate; piece of land
clarion
shrill, trumpetlike sound; kind of trumpet used in former times
transpire
(of a fact) become known; be revealed; happen; give off (watery waste matter) through pores
buffet
strike forcefully; slap; batter; knock out; n. table with food set out for people to server themselves; meal at which people help themselves to food that’s been set
muddle
confuse; mix up confusedly; n. state of confusion
harry
harass, annoy, torment (by repeated attacks); raid
atypical
not normal; not typical
redundant
superfluous; more than is necessary; verbose; excessively wordy; repetitious
podium
pedestal; raised platform
levitate
rise and float in the air (especially by magical means); ex: light
defile
pollute; make filthy or dirty; corrupt morally; profane; desecrate; n. narrow passage or gorge through mountains
verbiage
pompous array of words; too many unnecessary words; wordiness
flay
strip off skin; plunder; remove the skin from; criticize harshly
raspy
making a harsh noise; grating; harsh
aphorism
pithy maxim or saying; adj. aphoristic
correlation
mutual relationship
callous
hardened; unfeeling; without sympathy for the sufferings of others; unkind
badger
pester; annoy continually with demands; persuade by asking again and again; ex. The children badgered me into taking them into the cinema; n. a kind of mountain animal
primary
first in rank or importance; principal; earliest in time; ex. primary stages; n. ex: first
quack
charlatan; impostor
