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Vocab From Reading > The Sentinel - Arthur C. Clarke > Flashcards

The Sentinel - Arthur C. Clarke Flashcards

1
Q

Founder

A
  • someone that establishes a settlement/institution
  • (of a ship) fill with water and sink
  • (of a plan) fail/break down due to a certain setback

originator, creator, sink, capsize, fail, collapse, fall through

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2
Q

Perihelion

A

point in a celestial body’s orbit at which it’s closest to the sun

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3
Q

Aphelion

A

point in a celestial body’s orbit at which it’s farthest from the sun

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4
Q

Unabashed

A

not embarassed or ashamed

shameless, brazen, bold, unconcerned

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5
Q

Solemnity

A
  • state or quality of being serious or dignified
  • a formal, dignified rite/ceremony

stateliness, gravity, ritual

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6
Q

Sybaritic

A
  • Fond of sensuous luxury/pleasure
  • Self-indulgent

lavish, pampered, luxurious

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7
Q

Rampart

A
  • Defensive wall of a castle with a walkway and parapet
  • Fortify/surround

embankmant, battlement, bulwark

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8
Q

Heliograph

A

Solar telegraph system that signals by flashing sunlight reflected off a mirror - uses Morse code

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9
Q

Enigma

A

Person/thing that is difficult to understand

closed book, conundrum

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10
Q

Erstwhile

A

Former; formerly

old, late, previous, whilom

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11
Q

Bas-relief

A

sculptural relief in which the projection from the surrounding surface is slight and no part of the modeled form is undercut (heads on coins)

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12
Q

Arrears

A

Money that is owed and should have been paid earlier

dues, liabilities

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13
Q

Overwrought

A
  • State of nervous excitement and anxiety
  • Too complicated/elaborate in design or construction

tense, edgy, high strung, neurotic, overblown, florid

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14
Q

Laconic

A

Using very few words - of a person, speech, or writing style

brief, concise, terse, crisp, succinct

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15
Q

Smite

A
  • Strike with a firm blow
  • Be strongly attracted to someone/something
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16
Q

Affable

A

Friendly, good-natured, easy to talk to

amiable, congenial, agreeable, pleasant, personable

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17
Q

Mitigate

A

Make less severe, serious, or painful

alleviate, diminish, attenuate, cushion, assuage

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18
Q

Compunction

A

Feeling of guilt that prevents or follows the doing of something bad

scruples, qualms, remorse, reluctance

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19
Q

Melodramatic

A

Being exaggerated, sensationalized, over-emotional

histrionic, theatrical

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20
Q

Haughty

A

Arrogantly superior

conceited, snobbish, pompous, smug

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21
Q

Capitulate

A
  • To stop struggling
  • Surrender

yield, submit, acquiesce, come to terms

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22
Q

Languid

A
  • Displaying/having a disinclination for physical effort
  • Slow/relaxed
  • Weak or faint from illness/fatigue

lethargic, sluggish, flagging, feeble, frail

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23
Q

Morose

A
  • Gloomy
  • Ill-tempered

sullen, gloomy, taciturn, dismal

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24
Q

Worsted

A

A fine, smooth yarn spun from long-staple wool

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25
Q

Clytaemnestra

A

Figure of Greek mythology; wife of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae; half-sister of Helen of Troy; killed Agamemnon after his return from Trojan War

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26
Q

Wistful

A

Having/showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing

nostalgic, yearning, rueful

27
Q

Retinue

A

A group of advisors/assistants accompanying an important person

entourage, retainers, cortège

28
Q

Implicit

A
  • Implied though not plainly expressed
  • Always to be found in

absolute, inferred, understood, unspoken, unconditional

29
Q

Thoroughgoing

A
  • Attending to every detail/aspect of something
  • Exemplifying a specified characteristic fully

exhaustive, unadultered

30
Q

Qualm

A
  • Uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear, especially about one’s own conduct
  • A misgiving

reservation, concern, compunction, trepidation

31
Q

Lilliputian

A

Of a person or thing - trivial/very small

petty, narrow, parochial, insular, picayune

32
Q

Bulwark

A
  • Defensive wall
  • Person, institution, or principle that acts as a defense
  • Extension of a ships sides above its deck

rampart, fortification, barricade

33
Q

Jejune

A
  • Naive, simplistic, superficial
  • Dry and uninteresting

guileless, inexperienced, green, vapid, insipid

34
Q

Vapid

A

Offering nothing stimulating or challenging

colorless, flat, pallid, uninspiring

35
Q

Insipid

A

Lacking flavor, vigor, or interest

bland, watered-down, lusterless, prosaic

36
Q

Guile

A

Sly/cunning intelligence

craftiness, shrewdness

37
Q

Ineffable

A
  • Too great/extreme to be expressed with words
  • Not to be uttered

indescribable, breathtaking, staggering

38
Q

Harangue

A
  • Lengthy and aggressive speech
  • Lecture someone at length in a critical manner

diatribe, admonish, lambaste, berate

39
Q

Inextricable

A

Impossible to disentangle/separate/escape from

inseparable, indivisible, raveled, entangled

40
Q

Lavish

A
  • Bestow something in generous/extravagent quantities on
  • Cover something thickly/liberally with

heap, shower, deluge

41
Q

Pared

A
  • Trim something by cutting away its outer edges/skin
  • Reduce in size, extent, quantity, or number by small, successive stages

peel, shave, strip, skin, diminish, prune

42
Q

Astern

A

Behind/toward the rear of a ship or aircraft

43
Q

Dogging

A
  • Follow (someone) closely and persistently
  • Cause continual trouble for
  • Act lazily
  • Grip something with a mechanical device

pursue, stalk, hound, plague, beleaguer, haunt

44
Q

Maltese cross

A
  • Symbol that represents protection and is worn by firefighters
  • Represented by four arrowhead shapes converging at their tips
  • Used by Order of St. John of Jerusalem
45
Q

Keel

A
  • Longitudinal structure along the centerline and bottom of a hull, on which teh rest of the hull is built
  • Capsize

bottom, underside, founder, list, turn turtle

46
Q

Vertiginous

A

Causing vertigo, especially by being very high/steep

47
Q

Plaintive

A

Sounding sad and mournful

48
Q

Rend

A
  • Tesr something in two or more pieces
  • Cause gret emotional pain to (someone, their heart)

split, sever, cleave

49
Q

Nave

A
  • Central part of a church building where the congregation sits
  • Rectangular in Western churches
  • Separated from the chancel (near the altar where the clergy sits) by step or rail
50
Q

Flagstone

A
  • Flat stone cut into rectangular/square shape used for paving, sidewalks, roofing, fencing, etc.
  • Usually a sandstone
51
Q

Reverie

A
  • State of being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts
  • Instrumental piece suggesting a dreamy/musing state

daydream, trance, preoccupation

52
Q

Incandescent

A
  • Emitting light as a result of being heated
  • (Of an electric light) containing a filament that gets white hot when heated by a current passing through it
  • Full of strong emotion

blazing, radiant, brilliant, passionate, seething, irate, apoplectic

53
Q

Doldrums

A

State or period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression

sluggish, dull, subdued

54
Q

Thermocline

A
  • Layer of water where temperature changes rapily with depth
  • Usually first 1,000 m below surface
  • Coincides with the pycnocline, where density changes with depth

metalimnion (lakes)

55
Q

Ephemeral

A

Lasting for a very short time

transient, fleeting, momentary

56
Q

Pallid

A

Pale, usually due to poor health; feeble

pasty, wan, washed-out, sickly

57
Q

Banyan

A

Species of fig tree that develops accessory trunks from adjacent pop roots that allows the tree to spread outwards to large sizes; genus Ficus

58
Q

Inured

A
  • Accustom someone to something unpleasant
  • Come into operation; take effect

harden, temper, condition

59
Q

Disconcerting

A
  • Causing one to feel unsettled
  • Disturb the composure of

unnerving, off-putting

60
Q

Gyre

A
  • To whirl/gyrate
  • A spiral/vortex
  • Circular pattern of curents in ocean basins
61
Q

Incredulous

A

Unable/unwilling to believe something

skeptical, wary, distrusting

62
Q

Impresario

A

Person who organizes and often finaces concerts, plays, operas, etc.

63
Q

Feckless

A

Lacking initiative or strength of character

indolent, ne’er-do-well, inept, idle

Vocab From Reading (3 decks)

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