unit20 Flashcards
nominal
(1) Existing in name or form only and not in reality. (2) So small as to be unimportant; insignificant.
nomenclature
(1) A name or designation, or the act of naming. (2) A system of terms or symbols used in biology, where New Latin names are given to kinds and groups of animals and plants.
ignominious
(1) Marked with shame or disgrace; dishonorable. (2) Humiliating or degrading.
misnomer
A wrong name, or the use of a wrong name.
patrician
A person of high birth or of good breeding and cultivation; an aristocrat.
patriarchy
(1) A family, group, or government controlled by a man or a group of men. (2) A social system in which family members are related to each other through their fathers.
expatriate
A person who has moved to a foreign land.
paternalistic
Tending to supply the needs of or regulate the activities of those under one’s control.
legate
An official representative, such as an ambassador.
legacy
(1) Something left to a person in a will. (2) Something handed down by an ancestor or predecessor or received from the past.
delegation
A group of people chosen to represent the interests or opinions of others.
relegate
(1) To remove or assign to a less important place. (2) To refer or hand over for decision or for carrying out.
aggregate
A collection or sum of units or parts.
congregation
(1) A gathering of people, especially for worship or religious instruction. (2) The membership of a church or temple.
egregious
Standing out, especially in a bad way; flagrant.
segregate
(1) To separate from others or from the general mass; isolate. (2) To separate along racial lines.
affluence
An abundance of wealth.
effluent
Polluting waste material discharged into the environment.
confluence
(1) A coming or flowing together at one point. (2) A place of meeting, especially of two streams.
mellifluous
Flowing like honey; sweetened as if with honey.
prehensile
Adapted for grasping, especially by wrapping around.
apprehend
(1) Arrest, seize. (2) Understand.
comprehend
(1) To grasp the meaning of; understand. (2) To take in or include.
reprehensible
Deserving stern criticism or blame.
temper
To dilute, qualify, or soften by adding something more agreeable; to moderate.
temperance
(1) Moderation in satisfying appetites or passions. (2) The drinking of little or no alcohol.
intemperate
Not moderate or mild; excessive, extreme.
distemper
(1) A highly contagious viral disease, especially of dogs. (2) A highly contagious and usually fatal viral disease, especially of cats, marked by the destruction of white blood cells.
purge
(1) To clear of guilt or sin. (2) To free of something unwanted or considered impure.
expurgate
To cleanse of something morally harmful or offensive; to remove objectionable parts from.
purgative
(1) Cleansing or purifying, especially from sin. (2) Causing a significant looseness of the bowels.
purgatory
(1) According to Roman Catholic doctrine, the place where the souls of those who have died in God’s grace must pay for their sins through suffering before ascending to heaven. (2) A place or state of temporary suffering or misery.
