Unit 1 Flashcards
Definition: A prayer that asks for God’s blessing, especially a prayer that concludes a worship service
Sentence: The moment the bishop had finished his ___________, she squeezed quickly out of her row and darted out the cathedral’s side entrance.
benediction
Definition: Someone who helps another person or group, especially by giving money
Sentence: An anonymous __________ had given $15 million to establish an ecological institute at the university.
benefactor
Definition: A person or organization that benefits or is expected to benefit from something, especially one that receives money or property when someone dies
Sentence: Living in a trailer in near-poverty, she received word in the mail that her father had died, naming her as the sole ___________ of his life-insurance policy.
beneficiary
Definition: Kindness, generosity
Sentence: In those financially desperate years, the young couple was saved only by the ___________ of her elderly great-uncle.
benevolence
Definition: Friendly, peaceful
Sentence: Their relations with their in-laws were generally ________, despite some bickering during the holidays.
amicable
Definition: Charmed or fascinated; inflamed with love
Sentence: Rebecca quickly became ________ of the town’s rustic surroundings, its slow pace, and its eccentric characters.
enamored
Definition: Having or showing strong feelings of attraction or love
Sentence: It turned out that the _______ Congressman had gotten his girlfriend a good job and was paying for her apartment.
amorous
Definition: A lover, often secret, not allowed by law or custom
Sentence: He had been coming to the house for 2 years before her brothers realized that he was actually the ________ of their shy and withdrawn sister.
paramour
Definition: Existing before a war, especially before the American Civil War
Sentence: When World War I was over, the French nobility found it impossible to return to their extravagant __________ way of life.
antebellum
Definition: Warlike, aggressive, quarrelsome
Sentence: The more _________ party always got elected whenever there was tension along the border and the public believed that military action would lead to security.
bellicose
Definition: Aggressiveness, combativeness
Sentence: The ____________ in Turner’s voice told them that the warning was a serious threat.
belligerence
Definition: Open defiance and opposition, sometimes armed, to a person or thing in authority
Sentence: A student _________ that afternoon in Room 13 resulted in the new substitute teacher racing out of the building in tears.
rebellion
Definition: (1) To soothe anger or agitation (2) To subdue by armed action
Sentence: It took the police hours to ______ the angry demonstrators.
pacify
Definition: A person opposed to war or violence, especially someone who refuses to bear arms or to fight, on moral or religious grounds
Sentence: Her grandfather had fought in the Marines in World War II, but in his later years he had become almost a ________, opposing every war for one reason or another.
pacifist
Definition: An agreement between 2 or more people or groups; a treaty or formal agreement between nations to deal with a problem or to resolve a dispute
Sentence: The girls made a ____ never to reveal what had happened on that terrifying night in the abandoned house.
pact
Definition: Contrary to the opinion of
Sentence: She had only 3 husbands, ____ some Hollywood historians who claim she had as many has 6.
pace
Definition: The study of crime, criminals, law enforcement, and punishment
Sentence: His growing interest in ___________ led him to become a probation officer.
criminology
Definition: To remove or reduce the criminal status of
Sentence: An angry debate over _______________ doctor-assisted suicide raged all day in the statehouse.
decriminalize
Definition: To show evidence of involvement in a crime or a fault
Sentence: The muddy tracks leading to and from the cookie jar were enough to ___________ them.
incriminate
Definition: (1) An accusation in answer to an accusation made against oneself (2) The making of such an accusation
Sentence: Their failure to find help led to endless and pointless ______________ over responsibility for the accident.
recrimination
Definition: A formal or official act of approving; praise, usually given with pleasure or enthusiasm
Sentence: The senate signaled its ___________ of the new plan by voting for it unanimously.
approbation
Definition: The process of proving in court that the will of someone who has died is valid, and of administering the estate of a dead person
Sentence: When her father died, she thought she would be able to avoid _______, but she wasn’t that lucky.
probate
Definition: Absolute honesty and uprightness
Sentence: Her unquestioned _______ helped win her respect of her fellow judges.
probity
Definition: A person of thoroughly bad character
Sentence: His wife finally left him, claiming he was a _________ who would disappear for weeks at a time, gambling and drinking away all his money.
reprobate
