Vocab 2 (E-H) Flashcards
El dorado
Name of a non existent country or city having much gold, once believed to exist on the Amazon. A place of fabulous wealth or opportunity.
Edda
Elder Edda/Poetic Edda - a collection, made c1200, of ancient Old Norse poems on mythical and traditional subjects.
Elucidate
To explain or make clear
Elusive
Difficult to describe, find, achieve or remember
Emblazon
To print or decorate something in a very noticeable way
Emblematic
Pertaining to, of the nature of, or serving as an emblem; symbolic, typical.
Empathy
The ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in their situation.
Emulate
To copy something achieved by someone else and try to do it as well as they have.
Encomienda
A formal or high-flown expression of praise; a panegyric (?)
Encumber
To weigh someone or something down, or to make it difficult for someone to do something.
Encyclical
Of an ecclesiastical letter, now esp. one issued by the Pope, intended for extensive circulation.
Ennui
A feeling of boredom and mental tiredness caused by having nothing interesting or exciting to do
Epicenter
The point on the Earth’s surface directly above an earthquake or atomic explosion.
Equipoise
Equality or equal distribution of weight; equilibrium, esp. of intellectual, moral of social forces or interests.
Equivocate
To speak in a way that is intentionally unclear and confusing to other people, especially to hide the truth.
Ergometer
An instrument or machine which measures work or energy, esp. The work done in a spell of exercise.
Eschew
Avoid, escape, keep clear of (a danger, place or person.)
Espalier
A fruit tree or ornamental shrub trained on a lattice or framework of stakes.
Étude
An instrumental piece, esp. for the piano, which concentrates on a particular aspect of technique or allows a display of virtuosity.
Euphonious
Having a pleasant sound
Evanescent
Lasting for only a short time, then disappearing quickly and being forgotten.
Evasive
Done in infer to avoid something or someone.
Evocative
Making you remember or imagine something pleasant.
Execrable
Very bad
Exhortation
To strongly encourage or try to persuade someone to do something.
Exonerate
To show or state that someone or something is not guilty of something.
Extemporaneous
Done or said without advance preparation or thought.
Extrapolate
To guess or think about what might happen from information that is already known.
Facile
Describes a remark or theory which is too simple and has not been thought about enough.
Facilitate
To make possible or easier
Fait accompli
An accomplished fact, a thing already done.
Fakir
A member of an Islamic religious group, or a Hindu holy man.
Fartlek
A method of training for middle and long-distance running, in which the athlete runs over country, mixing fast with slow work.
Fascia
A layer of fibrous tissue that permeates the human body.
The dashboard in a vehicle.
The sign above the window of a shop c where the shop’s name is written
Fateful
Having an important and usually negative effect on the future.
Feckless
Describes people or behavior with no energy or enthusiasm
Felicitous
Suitable or right, expressing well the intended thought or feeling.
Felicity
Happiness, luck or a condition which produces positive results.
When words or remarks are suitable and express what was intended.
Fiesta
A public celebration in Spain or Latin America, especially one on a religious holiday, with entertainments and activities.
Figment
Something which seems real but is not
Filigree
Delicate jewelry made from twisted, especially silver, wire.
Decorative open patterns.
Finagle
To use tricks and dishonest methods to get what you want.
Fist meme
The distance from the end of the extended thing to the opposite side of the hand (15/16 cm). Used in archery.
Flibbertigibbet
A foolish person who talks too much.
Florid
With too much decoration or detail.
Too red, especially in a way that is unhealthy.
Flotsam and Jetsam
Pieces of broken wood and other waste materials found on the beach or floating on the sea.
Anything or anyone that is unwanted or worthless.
Flux
Continuous change.
A substance added to a metal to make it easier to solder to another metal.
Fop
A man who is extremely interested in his appearance and who wears very decorative clothes.
Forswear
To make a serious decision to stop doing something.
Frowsy
Smelling stuffy or stale from being dirty or unventilated
Funicular
Cordlike.
Pertaining to a rope or its tension.
A special type of railway which travels up and down steep slopes, with the carriages being pulled by a strong metal rope.
Gable
Triangular top end of a wall where it meets the sloping parts of a roof.
Galoot
An inexperienced marine.
A clumsy or stupid person.
Galvanize
To cause someone to suddenly take action, especially by shocking or exciting them in some way.
Gambit
A clever action in a game or other situation which is intended to achieve an advantage and usually involves taking a risk.
A remark that you make to someone in order to start a conversation.
Gaudy
Unpleasantly bright in colour or decoration.
Genocide
Attempted deliberate and systematic extermination of an ethnic or national group.
Geodesic
Of or pertaining to geodesy, relating to the geometry of the earth’s surface or more generally, curved surfaces.
Gesundheit
Sad to someone after they sneeze.
Gild
To cover the surface of someone with bright golden light.
Rich or of a higher social class.
Glaucoma
A disease of the eye which can cause a person to gradually lose their sight.
Glaze
To put a piece of glass into a window or the windows of a building.
Glib
Speaking or spoken in a confident and persuasive way but without honestly or careful consideration.
Gradient
How steep a slope is
Grapevine
A type of clinging plant on which grapes grow.
Gridlock
A situation in which no progress can be made.
Green
Something used a medium of exchange.
Guileless
Honest, not able to deceive.
Guise
The appearance of someone or something, especially when intended to deceive.
Habiliment
Clothing, or an item of clothing.
Hackles
The hairs on the back of some animals or the feathers on the back of the neck of some birds which rise when the animal or bird is frightened or about to fight.
To annoy someone.
Halcyon
A very happy or successful period in the past.
Hallux
Big toe.
Hammer and tongs
To do something, especially to argue, with a lot of energy or violence.
Harangue
To speak to someone or a group of people, often for a long time, in a forceful and sometimes angry way, especially to persuade them.
Hawk
(Person) one who strongly supports the use of force in political relationships rather than discussion or other more peaceful solutions.
To sell goods informally in public places.
Hector
To talk and behave towards someone in a loud and unpleasantly forceful way, especially in order to get them to act or think as you want them to.
Hem and haw
To be uncertain and take a long time.
Hermetic
So tightly closed that no air can leave or enter.
People who live within and rarely communicate with those who live outside.
Hone
To sharpen an object.
To make something perfect or completely suitable for its purpose.
Horse latitudes
Either of two belts of latitudes located over the oceans at about 30 to 35 degrees north, having high barometric pressure.
Hue and cry
A noisy expression of public anger or disapproval.
Hydra
A difficult problem that keeps returning.
