Unit 3 Flashcards
ambient
Existing or present on all sides.
ambiguous
(1) Doubtful or uncertain especially from being obscure or indistinct.
(2) Unclear in meaning because of being understandable in more than one way.
ambivalent
(1) Holding opposite feelings and attitudes at the same time toward someone or something.
(2) Continually wavering between opposites or alternate courses of action.
amphitheater
(1) An oval or circular building with an open area ringed by rising tiers of seats, used in Ancient Rome for contests and spectacles.
(2) A large modern theater or stadium.
ephemeral
(1) Lasting a day only.
(2) Lasting a very short time.
epiphyte
A plant that obtains its nutrients from the air and the rain and usually grows on another plant for support.
epitaph
An inscription on a grave or tomb in memory of the one buried there.
epithet
(1) A descriptive word or phrase occurring with or in place of the name of a person or thing.
(2) An insulting or demeaning word or phrase.
hypochondriac
A person unduly concerned with health and often suffering from delusions of physical disease.
hypocrisy
A pretending to be what one is not or to feel what one does not really feel.
hypothermia
Subnormal temperature of the body.
hypothetical
(1) Involving an assumption made for the sake of argument or for further study or investigation.
(2) Imagined for purposes of example.
thermal
(1) Of, relating to, or caused by heat.
(2) Designed to insulate in order to retain body heat.
thermocline
The region in a body of water that divides the warmer, oxygen-rich surface layer from the colder, oxygen-poor deep water.
thermocouple
A device for measuring temperature that makes use of the way different metals respond to heat.
thermonuclear
Of or relating to the changes in the nucleus of atoms with low atomic weight, such as hydrogen, that require a very high temperature to begin.
polychromatic
Showing a variety or a change of colors; multicolored.
polyglot
(1) One who can speak or write several languages.
(2) Having or using several languages.
polymer
A chemical compound formed by a reaction in which two or more molecules combine to form larger molecules with repeating structural units.
polyphony
Music consisting of two or more independent but harmonious melodies.
primal
(1) Original or primitive.
(2) First in importance.
primiparous
(1) Bearing a first offspring.
(2) Having borne only one previous offspring.
primogeniture
An exclusive right of inheritance belonging to the eldest son of single set of parents.
primordial
(1) First created or developed.
(2) Existing in or from the very beginning.
homonym
One of two or more words pronounced and/or spelled alike but different in meaning.
homogeneous
(1) Of the same or a similar kind.
(2) Of uniform structure or composition throughout.
homologous
Developing from the same or a similar part of a remote ancestor.
homophone
One of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling.
diffraction
(1) The bending or spreading of a beam of light especially when it passes through a narrow opening or in reflected from a ruled surface.
(2) Similar changes in other waves, such as sound waves.
dissension
Disagreement in opinion.
disseminate
To spread widely as if by sowing seeds.
dissipate
(1) To cause to spread out to the point of vanishing; disperse.
(2) To spend wastefully or foolishly; squander.
ad hoc
Formed or used for a particular purpose or for immediate needs.
ad hominem
Marked by an attach on an opponent’s character rather than by answer to the arguments made or the issues raised.
alter ego
(1) A trusted friend or personal representative.
(2) The opposite side of a personality.
de facto
Being such in practice or effect, although not formally recognized; actual.
de jure
By right of law.
ex post facto
Done, made, or formulated after the fact.
modus operandi
A usual way of doing something.
modus vivendi
(1) A practical compromise or arrangement that is acceptable to all concerned.
(2) A way of life.
