Vocab #2 Flashcards
A distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition
Motif
The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation
Semiotics
That which cannot be doubted; unquestionable
Indubitable
To make, or utter with, a gleeful chuckling or snorting sound
Chortle
To attack by argument or criticism; oppose or challenge as false or questionable
Impugn
Repeated use of the same conjunction
Polysyndeton
A word formed from a verb
Participle
A phrase expressing an idea in a clever or amusing way
Epigram
The use of a word to replace a word used earlier in a sentence to avoid repetition
Anaphora
Filled with bitter criticism or malice
Vitriolic
A person between the ages of 80 and 89
Octogenarian
Existing in a land from the earliest times or before the arrival of colonists; indigenous
Aboriginal
Having a title without any real authority
Titular
Producing a great number or amount of something
Prolific
A line of poetry with eight metrical feet
Octometer
Denoting a word or part of a word that expresses the doer of an action
Agentive
A casual romantic or sexual relationship
Dalliance
Acting in a stealthy manner as if to hinder observation
Furtive
Soft feathers from the breast of the female eider duck, used as stuffing for quilts
Eiderdown
The place of origin or earliest known history of something
Provenance
The white fur of the stoat, used for trimming garments, especially in the ceremonial robes of judges or peers
Ermine
Interpret a word or action in a particular way
Construe
A woman’s small hat, typically having a narrow, closely turned up brim
Toque
A highly poisonous European plant of the parsley family, with a purple spotted stem, fernlike leaves, small white flowers, and an unpleasant smell
Hemlock
To preserve a corpse from decay, originally with spices and now usually by arterial injection of a preservative
Embalm
Used to express necessity or inevitability
Perforce
Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant
Facetious
Relating to or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities
Egalitarian
“A silence.” You stop suddenly in midsentence as if words fail, or as if a word to your wise reader has been completely sufficient
Aposiopesis
“A turning away.” You “turn away” from your audience to address someone new - God, the angels, heaven, the dead, or anyone not present
Apostrophe
You substitute an epithet, a label, for a person’s real name, usually with ironic emphasis
Antonomasia
Also called paralepsis or preteritio. “A passing over.” You pretend not to mention something in the very act of mentioning it.
Apophasis
“Doubting.” You hesitate ironically between alternatives
Aporia
