Unit5 Flashcards
malevolent
Having or showing intense ill will or hatred.
eg. Captain Ahab sees Moby Dick not simply as a whale but as a powerfully malevolent foe.
malicious
Desiring to cause pain, injury, or distress to another.
eg. The boys didn’t take the apples with any malicious intent; they were just hungry and didn’t know any better.
malign
To make harsh and often false or misleading statements about.
eg. Captain Bligh of the Bounty may be one of the most unjustly maligned figures in British naval history.
malnourished
Badly or poorly nourished.
eg. When they finally found the children in the locked cabin, they were pale and malnourished but unharmed.
cataclysm
(1) A violent and massive change of the earth’s surface. (2) A momentous event that results in great upheaval and often destruction.
eg. World War I was a great cataclysm in modern history, marking the end of the old European social and political order.
catacomb
An underground cemetery of connecting passageways with recesses for tombs.
eg. The early Christian catacombs of Rome provide a striking glimpse into the ancient past for modern-day visitors.
catalyst
(1) A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction or lets it take place under different conditions. (2) Someone or something that brings about or speeds significant change or action.
eg. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 turned out to be the catalyst for World War I.
catatonic
(1) Relating to or suffering from a form of schizophrenia. (2) Showing an unusual lack of movement, activity, or expression.
eg. After an hour, extreme boredom had produced a catatonic stupor in those of the audience who were still awake.
protagonist
The main character in a literary work.
eg. Macbeth is the ruthlessly ambitious protagonist of Shakespeare’s play, but it is his wife who pulls the strings.
protocol
(1) A code of diplomatic or military rules of behavior. (2) A set of rules for the formatting of data in an electronic communications system.
eg. The guests at the governor’s dinner were introduced and seated according to the strict protocol governing such occasions.
protoplasm
The substance that makes up the living parts of cells.
eg. A mixture of organic and inorganic substances, such as protein and water, protoplasm is regarded as the physical basis of life.
prototype
(1) An original model on which something is patterned. (2) A first, full-scale, usually working version of a new type or design.
eg. There was great excitement when, after years of top-secret development, the prototype of the new Stealth bomber first took to the skies.
antechamber
An outer room that leads to another and is often used as a waiting room.
eg. The antechamber to the lawyer’s office was both elegant and comfortable, designed to inspire trust and confidence.
antedate
(1) To date something (such as a check) with a date earlier than that of actual writing. (2) To precede in time.
eg. Nantucket Island has hundreds of beautifully preserved houses that antedate the Civil War.
antecedent
(1) A word or phrase that is referred to by a pronoun that follows it. (2) An event or cause coming before something.
eg. As I remember, she said “My uncle is taking my father, and he’s staying overnight,” but I’m not sure what the antecedent of “he” was.
anterior
(1) Located before or toward the front or head. (2) Coming before in time or development.
eg. When she moved up to join the first-class passengers in the plane’s anterior section, she was delighted to recognize the governor in the next seat.
