Unit 3: The “Red Badge of Courage” — Vocabulary Flashcards
Affront Definition
An action of remark that’s causes outrage or offense
Altercation Definition
A noisy argument or disagreement, especially in public
Ardor Definition
Great enthusiasm or passion
Homeric Definition
Relating to or in the style of Homer or the epic poems ascribed to him
Lucid Definition
Expressed clearly; easy to understand
Lurid Definition
Unpleasantly bright in color, especially so as to create a harsh or un-natural effect
Martial Definition
Relating to fighting or war
Oblique Definition
Neither parallel nor at right angles to a specified or implied line; slanting
Prowess Definition
Skill or expertise in a particular activity of field
Purl Definition
Denoting or relating to a knitting stitch made by putting the needle through the front of the stitch from right to left; (literary) flow of a stream or River with a swirling motion and babbling sound
Score Definition
Twenty
Wrangle Definition
A dispute or argument, typically one that is long and complicated
Wreathe Definition
Cover, surround, or encircle (something)
Din Definition
A loud, unpleasant, and prolonged noise
Dregs Definition
The remnants of a liquid left in a container, together with any sediment; the most worthless part or parts of something
Pilfer Definition
Steal (things of little value)
Scoff Definition
Speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way (verb); an expression of scornful derision (noun)
Unscrupulous Definition
Having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair
Vociferous Definition
Expressing or characterized by vehement opinions; loud and forceful
Wag Definition
A person who makes jokes; a joker
Extricate Definition
Free (someone or something) from a constraint or difficulty
Impetus Definition
The force of energy with which a body moves; something that makes a process or activity happen or happen more quickly; motivation
Perambulate Definition
Walk or travel through or round a place or area; especially for pleasure and in a leisurely way; walk around in order to officially assert and record its boundaries
Ponderous Definition
Slow and clumsy because of great weight; dull or laborious (especially of speech or writing)
Viands Definition
An item of food; a meat, seafood, or vegetable dish that accompanies rice in a typical Filipino meal
Banshee Definition
(In Irish Legend) a female spirit whose wailing warns of a death in a house
Battery (Military term) Definition
A fortified emplacement for heavy guns; an artillery subunit of guns, men, and vehicles
Bawl Definition
Shout or call out noisily and unrestrainedly; weep or cry noisily
Facetious Definition
Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant
Discomfit Definition
Discomfit Definition
Make (someone) feel uneasy or embarrassed
Feign Definition
Pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury); (Archaic) invent (a story or excuse)
Imprecation Definition
A spoken curse
Pommel Definition
Strike repeated with the fists; a rounded knob on the end of the handle of a sword, dagger, or old-fashioned gun; the upward curving or projecting part of a saddle in front of the rider.
Urchin Definition
A young child who is poorly or raggedly dressed; (Archaic) goblin; (Dialect) a hedgehog
Abject Definition
(Of something bad) experienced or present to the maximum degree; (of a person or their behavior) completely without pride or dignity; self-abasing
Affable Definition
Friendly, good natured, or easy to talk to
Blanch Definition
Make white or pale by extracting color; flinch or grow pale from shock, fear, or a similar emotion
Jaded Definition
Bored or lacking enthusiasm, typically after having had too much of something; (informal) physically tired
Stolid Definition
Calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation
Derision Definition
Contemptuous ridicule or mockery
Sagacious Definition
Having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgement; wise or shrewd
Soughing Definition
(Of the wind in trees, the sea, etc.)make a moaning, whistling, or rushing sound
Doggerel Definition
Comic verse composed in irregular rhythm; verse or words that are boldly written or expressed
Perfunctory Definition
(Of an action) carried out without real interest, feeling, or effort
Render Definition
Give or provide (a service, help, etc.); submit or present for inspection or consideration; deliver (a verdict or judgement); (literary) give up; surrender
Ague Definition
Malaria or another illness involving fever and shivering
Philippic Definition
A bitter attack or denunciation, especially a verbal one
Spectral Definition
Of or like a ghost
Stricken Definition
Seriously affected by an undesirable condition or unpleasant feeling; showing great distress
Brood Definition
Think deeply about something that makes one angry, unhappy, or worried
Harangue Definition
A lengthy and aggressive speech
Clamor Definition
A loud and confused noise, especially that of people shouting
Compunction Definition
A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad
Craven Definition
Contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly
Hillock Definition
A small hill or mound
Laurels Definition
Any of a number of shrubs and other plants with dark green glossy leaves; honor or praise awarded for an achievement
Loon Definition
(Informal) a silly or foolish person; a waterbird; act in a foolish or desultory way
Malediction Definition
A magical word or phrase uttered with the intention of bringing about evil; a curse
Pathos Definition
A quality that evokes pity or sadness
Remonstrance Definition
A forcefully reproachful protest
Swoon Definition
Faint, especially from extreme emotion
Debauch Definition
Destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt; (noun) a bout of excessive indulgence in explicit content, such as alcohol and drugs
Pallid Definition
(Of a person’s face) pale, typically because of poor health; lacking vigor or intensity; insipid
Strewn Definition
Untidily scattered
Visage Definition
A person’s face, with reference to the form or proportions of the features; a person’s facial expression; the manifestation, image, or aspect of something
Charnel Definition
Short for charnel house; associated with death
Deprecate Definition
Express disapproval or; another term for “depreciate”
Conjure Definition
Cause (a spirt or ghost) to appear by means of a magic ritual
Derision Definition
Contemptuous ridicule or mockery
Cognitive Dissonance Definition
A psychological term used to describe the conflict a person feels when he or she believes in two inconsistent things
Fracas Definition
A noisy disturbance or quarrel
Omen Definition
An event regarded as a portent of good and evil; prophetic significance
Cur Definition
An aggressive or unkempt dog, especially a mongrel; a contemptible man (derogatory)
Taunt Definition
A remark in order to anger, wound, or provoke someone
Cavalcade Definition
A formal procession of people walking, on horseback, or riding in vehicles
Charger Definition
A horse ridden by a knight or cavalryman; (Archaic) a large flat dish
Gesticulate Definition
Use gestures, especially dramatic ones, instead of speaking or to emphasize one’s words
Respite Definition
A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant; a short delay permitted before an unpleasant obligation is met or a punishment is carried out (execution)
Accoutrement Definition
An additional item or dress or equipment
Bludgeon Definition
A think stick with a heavy end, used as a weapon; beat (someone) repeatedly with a bludgeon or other heavy object; make one’s way by brute force
Color Sergeant Definition
A rank or non-commissioned officer in the Army and Royal Marines, above sergeant and below warrant officer
Dullard Definition
A slow or stupid person
Gyrate Definition
Move or cause to move rapidly in a circle or spiral; dance in a wild suggestive manner
Stoic Definition
A person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining; a member of the ancient philosophical school of stoicism
Yokel Definition
An uneducated and unsophisticated person from the countryside
Epithet Definition
An adjective of phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as characteristic of the person or thing mentioned; and epithet used as a term or abuse
Impetus Definition
Momentum; motivation
Melee Definition
A confused fight or scuffle; a confused crowd of people
Cuff Definition
Secure with handcuffs
Glower Definition
Have an angry or sullen look on one’s face; scowl; and angry or sullen look
Portal Definition
(Anatomy) relating to an opening in an organ through which major blood vessels pass, especially the transverse fissure of the liver
Celerity Definition
Swiftness of movement
Expletive Definition
An oath or swear word
Jaunty Definition
Having or expressing a lively, cheerful, and self-confident manner
Poignant Definition
Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret; (Archaic) sharp or pungent in taste or smell
Portentous Definition
Of or like a portent; of momentous significance; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner so as to impress
Prodigious Definition
Remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree; (Archaic) reinforcements of troop; give assistance or aid to
Galling Definition
Causing annoyance or resentment; annoying
Paroxysm Definition
A sudden attack or outburst of a particular emotion or activity; (medicine) a sudden recurrence or attack of a disease
Perfunctorily Definition
To do something because you have to, as a formality, often in a careless way
Sward Definition
(Literary) an expanse of short grass; (farming) the upper layer of soil, especially when covered with grass
Stentorian Definition
(Of a person’s voice) loud and powerful
