T Flashcards
tableau
n. vivid description, striking incident or scene
The dancers formed a tableau in the shape of a diamond.
taboo
n. a ban as a result of a social custom
That society has a taboo against men and women displaying affection for each other in public.
tabula rasa
n. condition of mind free from ideas or impressions; something that is new and not marked by external influence
The professor regards each new class of students as a tabula rasa.
tacit
adj. silently understood or implied
There was a tacit agreement between the couple not to bring up the subject.
taciturn
adj. uncommunicative, not inclined to speak much
Vermonters have a reputation for being taciturn.
tactile
adj. relating to the sense of touch
The soldier’s burned hands had lost their tactile sensitivity.
talisman
n. charm to bring good luck and avert misfortune
Chase’s talisman is a rabbit’s foot that he brings to exams.
talon
n. claw of an animal, esp. a bird of prey
The eagle held a chicken with its talon.
tandem
adj. one behind the other
The cyclists rode around the track in tandem.
tangent
n. digression, diversion
The speaker keeps going off on tangents.
tangential
adj. digressing, diverting
Try to avoid discussing tangential issues in your essay.
tangible
adj. able to be touched
The judge asked for tangible evidence to be produced.
tantamount
adj. equivalent in value of significance; amounting to
Offering him five dollars for the watch is tantamount to saying the watch is a fake.
tattoo
n. a signal sounded on a drum or a bugle to summon soldiers to their quarters at night; a continuous even drumming
The tattoo sounded at 9:00 P.M.
tautological
adj. needlessly repetitious
Try to avoid tautological expressions in your writing.
tautology
n. unnecessary repetition
The phrase “repeat again” is often a tautology.
tawdry
adj. gaudy, cheap, showy
Mandy loves to wear tawdry jewelry.
taxonomy
n. science of classification; in biology, the process of classifying organisms in categories
The Swedish scientist Carolus Linnaeus developed the system of taxonomy used by scientists today.
technocracy
n. government by scientists and engineers
Some observers believe that the United States is becoming a technocracy.
technocrat
n. a scientist or technical expert who has a lot of power in politics or industry
The Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has been described as a technocrat.
technophile
n. person who is enthusiastic about technology
The technophile always buys the most advanced cell phone available.
tectonic
adj. related to structural deformation of the Earth’s crust
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge tectonic plate boundary runs down the center of the Atlantic Ocean.
teleology
n. belief in a purposeful development toward an end
Teleology is a recurring issue in biology.
temerity
n. oldness; rashness
The professor had the temerity to suggest that sports have little place at a university.
temper
v. to moderate; restrain; tone down or toughen
The critic tempered her negative remarks about the book by saying that it showed some promise.
temperament
n. disposition; characteristic frame of mind
By temperament Steve is not the type of person likely to become a writer.
temperance
n. restraint, self-control, moderation
Hardship taught the family the value of temperance.
temperate
adj. marked by moderate temperatures, weather, or climate; moderate in degree or quality
Tired of the hard winter, Mr. Smith moved to a temperate climate.
tempered
adj. moderated, restrained
His tempered support for the war is due to the fact that his son is in that army.
tempestuous
adj. stormy, raging, furious
The movie portrays the couple’s tempestuous relationship.
template
n. pattern for making a copy
This template has produced 10,000 copies of the product.
temporal
adj. related to time; not eternal
The monastery is organized so that temporal matters occupy little of the monk’s time.
temporize
v. to act evasively to gain time, avoid an argument, or postpone a decision
The board of governors temporized so long that our company lost the contract.
tenable
adj. defensible, reasonable
This is tenable if we proceed cautiously.
tenacious
adj. stubborn, holding firm
Our team’s tenacious defense is allowing less than seven points a game.
tendentious
adj. biased; designed to further a cause; having an aim
The columnist’s tendentious article sparked a debate on the issue.
tenet
n. belief, doctrine
The philosophy has three basic tenets.
tensile
adj. capable of withstanding physical stress
The engineer designed a test to check the product’s tensile strength.
tenuous
adj. weak, insubstantial
Scientists have established a tenuous connection between achievement and IQ.
tepid
adj. lukewarm; showing little enthusiasm
The suggestion received a tepid response.
terra firma
n. solid ground
After the fourteen-hour flight we were glad to be back on terra firma.
terra incognita
n. an unexplored region or area of knowledge
Modern researchers are steadily exploring the terra incognita of the brain.
terrestrial
adj. earthly; down-to-earth, commonplace
The terrestrial tracking station monitors the space probe.
terse
adj. concise, brief, free of extra words
The terse reply to our question simply said, “No.”
tête-à-tête
n. a private conversation between two people
Lawyers for each of the parties met for a tête-à-tête.
theism
n. belief in the existence of a god
Surveys show that most Americans believe in some form of theism.
theocracy
n. government by priests representing a god
Some European settlers wanted to establish a theocracy.
theological
adj. concerned with the study of religion
The book discusses theological issues such as whether God is all-powerful.
theoretical
adj. abstract; not verified; not practical
So far the plan is only theoretical.
therapeutic
adj. having healing powers
Many doctors consider swimming to be therapeutic.
thermal
adj. pertaining to heat
The generator runs on thermal energy from the sun.
thesaurus
n. book of synonyms and antonyms
The thesaurus groups similar words around a single shared meaning.
thesis
n. a proposition put forward for consideration
The thesis of the book is that women should have the duty as well as the right to serve in the military.
thespian
n. an actor or actress
Our school’s thespians will perform the musical South Pacific next month.
timbre
n. the characteristic quality of sound produced by a particular experiment or voice
The guitar maker uses a special type of wood to give the instruments he makes a particular timbre.
timorous
adj. timid, shy, full of apprehension
The timorous girl became more confident and outgoing when she went to college.
tirade
n. long violent speech; verbal assault
The principal’s tirade lasted over an hour.
titan
n. person of colossal stature, strength, or achievement
The play depicts a titanic struggle between good and bad.
titillate
v. to excite pleasurably
Several scenes in the movie are designed to titillate viewers.
titular
adj. holding of title without obligations; nominal
The country’s titular ruler hosted a dinner for foreign guests.
toady
n. flatterer, hanger-on, yes-man
The toady agrees with everything her boss says.
tome
n. book, usually large and academic
The tome contains twenty long essays on Shakespeare’s play.
topography
n. art of making maps or charts; physical features of a place
The country’s rugged topography makes land travel difficult.
torpid
adj. lethargic; unable to move; dormant
The snakes are torpid in the winter.
torpor
n. lethargy; dormancy; sluggishness
The bear slowly recovered from the torpor caused by its long hibernation.
torque
n. a turning or twisting force
The engine generates a lot of torque, making it excellent for use in vehicles designed to tow heavy loads.
torrid
adj. burning hot; passionate
The actor’s torrid affair is the subject of a popular movie.
torsion
n. act of twisting and turning
The race car uses a bar that provides torsion to stabilize when it corners.
tortuous
adj. having many twists and turns; highly complex
The road takes a tortuous path through the mountains.
totalitarianism
n. a system of government in which one political group maintains complete control
Communism and Fascism were the two major forms of totalitarianism during the twentieth century.
totem
n. a natural object or animal believed to have spiritual significance
The clan keep s a wooden pole on which totems are carved.
touchstone
n. a quality or example used to test the genuineness or excellence of others
The touchstone I use in judging a poem is a Shakespearean sonnet.
tout
v. to promote or praise energetically
The salesperson touted this product as the best of its type.
toxin
n. poison
The toxins were stored safely away from children.
tract
n. region of land; pamphlet
The 100-acre tract was sold for ten million dollars.
tractable
adj. obedient, yielding
The children became more tractable as the year progressed.
transcendent
adj. rising above, going beyond; superior; beyond the material
Many people believe that human beings possess a soul that is transcendent.
transcription
n. copy, reproduction; record
The transcription of the speech will be available next week.
transfix
v. to render motionless, as with awe, terror, or amazement
The crowd watched, transfixed, as the gigantic UFO landed.
transgress
v. to trespass, violate a law
Be careful not to transgress against the local laws.
transient
adj. temporary, short-lived, fleeting
Each individual life seems to be transient.
transitory
adj. short-lived, existing only briefly
Rainbows are normally trnasitory.
translucent
adj. partially transparent
We could see the fish quite well through the translucent glass.
transmogrification
n. change from one shape or form to another
The story describes Joe’s transmogrification into a werewolf.
transmutation
n. change in appearance, shape, or nature
At involves the transmutation of the ordinary into the extraordinary.
trappings
n. outward decorations; ornaments
The president enjoyed the trappings of office, such as flying in a special jet plane.
travail
n. work, especially arduous work; tribulation; anguish
The book tells the story of the travail of a slave in America.
travesty
n. parody, exaggerated imitation, caricature
The new play is a deliberate travesty of Hamlet.
treatise
n. article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly
The treatise argues that countries most often go to war for economic reasons.
tremulous
adj. trembling, quivering; fearful, timid
Gail was tremulous as she waited to get her GRE score.
trenchant
adj. acute, sharp, incisive; forceful, effective
The student took her teacher’s trenchant criticism of her writing to heart.
trepidation
n., fear and anxiety
The soldier looked forward to the battle with trepidation.
trifling
adj. of slight worth, trivial, insignificant
Don’t worry about this trifling matter.
trite
adj. unoriginal
Try to avoid trite language when you write.
trivial
adj. unimportant
Things that seemed important before the war now seem trivial.
trope
n. a figure of speech using words in a nonliteral way
The writer uses the two Americas trope to highlight the difference between rich and poor.
trophic
adj. related to nutrition
The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies on the food chain.
tropism
n. the movement of an organism or part of an organism toward or away from a external stimulus
In one type of tropism, gravitropism, plant movement occurs in response to gravity.
troupe
n. group of actors
The troupe has performed three Shakespearean comedies.
truculence
n. state of violent agitation
The child’s truculence began when his mother took away his favorite toy.
truism
n. a statement that is obviously true and that says nothing new
The salesperson often utters the truism to customers “You get what you pay for.”
truncate
v. to cut off, shorten by cutting
The editor truncated the long novel by eliminating long descriptions.
tryst
n. agreement between lovers to meet; rendezvous
The lovers arranged a tryst.
tsunami
n. a very large wave caused by a seismic disturbance of the ocean floor
With coastal area around the world becoming increasingly populated, tsunamis are posing a great risk to human life.
tumid
adj. swollen; distended
Images of starving children with tumid bellies captured the world’s attention.
tumult
n. state of confusion; agitation
There was tumult in the streets when the enemy invasion began.
tundra
n. treeless plain found in arctic or subarctic regions
The explorers walked across the frozen tundra, searching for oil.
turbid
adj. muddy; opaque; in a state of confusion
They rowed down the silty, turbid wasters of the Congo River.
turbulence
n. commotion, disorder; agitation
The 1960s was a period of turbulence in American history.
turgid
adj. swollen, bloated
The publisher rejected the book because it was written in turgid prose.
turmoil
n. great commotion; confusion
There was turmoil in the city when invaders reached the edge of town.
turpitude
n. inherent vileness, foulness, depravity
The novelist portrays the turpitude human beings are capable of.
tutelary
adj. serving as a guardian or protector
The ancient Romans believed that everyone has a tutelary spirit.
typology
n. a theory of types
The linguist’s typology of language classifies language by grammatical features rather than common ancestyr.
tyrannical
adj. oppressive; dictatorial
The men took up arms to end the dictator’s tyrannical rule.
tyro
n. beginner, novice
The students tried to take advantage of the teacher because she was a tyro.
