Summer 2016 Vocab

Question 1

savant

Answer 1

a person of profound or extensive learning; learned scholar

Question 2

parse

Answer 2

to analyze (a sentence) in terms of grammatical constituents, identifying the parts of speech, syntactic relations, etc.

Question 3

masochistic

Answer 3

gratified by pain, degradation, deprivation, etc., inflicted on oneself either by one’s own actions or the actions of others.

Question 4

mercurial

Answer 4

changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic:

Question 5

excelsior

Answer 5

fine wood shavings, used for stuffing, packing, etc.

Question 6

importunate

Answer 6

urgent or persistent in solicitation, sometimes annoyingly so.

Question 7

progeny

Answer 7

a descendant or offspring, as a child, plant, or animal.

Question 8

vesture

Answer 8

clothing; garments.

Question 9

hoary

Answer 9

gray or white with age

Question 10

chassis

Answer 10

a construction forming the sides, top, and bottom of a cabinet, showcase, or the like.

Question 11

hoyden

Answer 11

a boisterous, bold, and carefree girl; a tomboy.

Question 12

porpoise

Answer 12

to move forward with a rising and falling motion in the manner of a porpoise: (dolphin)

Question 13

spurious

Answer 13

not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit.

Question 14

detritus

Answer 14

rock in small particles or other material worn or broken away from a mass, as by the action of water or glacial ice.

Question 15

innocuous

Answer 15

adjective
1.
not harmful or injurious; harmless:
an innocuous home remedy.
2.
not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive; an innocuous remark.
3.
not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid:
an innocuous novel.

Question 16

exegesis

Answer 16

critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, especially of the Bible.

Question 17

garrulous

Answer 17

excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters.

Question 18

buttress

Answer 18

any external prop or support built to steady a structure by opposing its outward thrusts, especially a projecting support built into or against the outside of a masonry wall.

Question 19

kestrel

Answer 19

a common small falcon, Falco tinnunculus, of northern parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, notable for hovering in the air with its head to the wind.

Question 20

crocus

Answer 20

any of the small, bulbous plants of the genus Crocus, of the iris family, cultivated for their showy, solitary flowers, which are among the first to bloom in the spring.

Question 21

vicar

Answer 21

a person who is authorized to perform the functions of another; deputy:
God’s vicar on earth.

Question 22

asperity

Answer 22

harshness or sharpness of tone, temper, or manner; severity; acrimony:

Question 23

curate

Answer 23

noun
1.
Chiefly British. a member of the clergy employed to assist a rector or vicar.
2.
any ecclesiastic entrusted with the cure of souls, as a parish priest.
verb (used with object), curated, curating.
3.
to take charge of (a museum) or organize (an art exhibit):
to curate a photography show.
4.
to pull together, sift through, and select for presentation, as music or website content:
“We curate our merchandise with a sharp eye for trending fashion,” the store manager explained.

Question 24

skiff

Answer 24

any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person.

Question 25

burgeon

Answer 25

to grow or develop quickly; flourish:

Question 26

bramble

Answer 26

any prickly shrub belonging to the genus Rubus, of the rose family.

Question 27

expostulate

Answer 27

to reason earnestly with someone against something that person intends to do or has done; remonstrate:

Question 28

recalcitrant

Answer 28

adjective
1.
resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant; refractory.
2.
hard to deal with, manage, or operate.
noun
3.
a recalcitrant person.

Question 29

sinew

Answer 29

a tendon; strength

Question 30

limpet

Answer 30

any of various marine gastropods with a low conical shell open beneath, often browsing on rocks at the shoreline and adhering when disturbed.

Question 31

dogmatic

Answer 31

adjective
1.
relating to or of the nature of a dogma or dogmas or any strong set of principles concerning faith, morals, etc., as those laid down by a church; doctrinal:
We hear dogmatic arguments from both sides of the political spectrum.
2.
asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner; opinionated:
I refuse to argue with someone so dogmatic that he won’t listen to reason.

Question 32

strident

Answer 32

adjective
1.
making or having a harsh sound; grating; creaking:
strident insects; strident hinges.
2.
having a shrill, irritating quality or character:
a strident tone in his writings.

Question 33

matriculating

Answer 33

1.
to enroll in a college or university as a candidate for a degree.
2.
to register (a coat of arms), used especially in Scottish heraldry.

Question 34

bungling

Answer 34

to do clumsily and awkwardly; botch:

Question 35

burly

Answer 35

large in bodily size; stout; sturdy.

Question 36

restiveness

Answer 36

adjective
1.
impatient of control, restraint, or delay, as persons; restless; uneasy.
2.
refractory; stubborn.
3.
refusing to go forward; balky:

Question 37

impeachable

Answer 37

1.
making one subject to impeachment, as misconduct in office.
2.
liable to be impeached.

Question 38

farce

Answer 38

a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character.

Question 39

commodious

Answer 39

spacious and convenient; roomy:

Question 40

svelte

Answer 40

slender, especially gracefully slender in figure; lithe.

Question 41

soubrette

Answer 41

a maidservant or lady’s maid in a play, opera, or the like, especially one displaying coquetry, pertness, and a tendency to engage in intrigue.

Question 42

remonstrative

Answer 42

to say or plead in protest, objection, or disapproval.

Question 43

esoteric

Answer 43

adjective
1.
understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite:
poetry full of esoteric allusions.
2.
belonging to the select few.
3.
private; secret; confidential.
4.
(of a philosophical doctrine or the like) intended to be revealed only to the initiates of a group:
the esoteric doctrines of Pythagoras.

Question 44

semantic

Answer 44

1.
of, relating to, or arising from the different meanings of words or other symbols:
semantic change; semantic confusion.
2.
of or relating to semantics.

Question 45

parochial

Answer 45

adjective
1.
of, relating to, or financially supported by one or more church parishes:
parochial churches in Great Britain.
2.
of or relating to parochial schools or the education they provide.
3.
very limited or narrow in scope or outlook; provincial:
parochial views; a parochial mentality.

Question 46

specious

Answer 46

adjective
1.
apparently good or right though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing or plausible:
specious arguments.
2.
pleasing to the eye but deceptive.
3.
Obsolete. pleasing to the eye; fair.

Question 47

append

Answer 47

verb (used with object)
1.
to add as a supplement, accessory, or appendix; subjoin:
to append a note to a letter.
2.
to attach or suspend as a pendant.
3.
to sign a document with; affix:
to append one's signature to a will.

Question 48

voraciously

Answer 48

adjective
1.
craving or consuming large quantities of food:
a voracious appetite.
2.
exceedingly eager or avid:
voracious readers; a voracious collector.

Question 49

pedantic

Answer 49

adjective
1.
ostentatious in one's learning.
2.
overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching.