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High Frequency > Vocab, Deck 1 > Flashcards

Vocab, Deck 1 Flashcards

1
Q

lassitude

A

lack of energy, fatigue.

lassi = sounds like lazy
tude = attitude.
Lazy attitude. Get it? Get it?

Mn: Lassie was too lazy to save Timmy, so he drowned..

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2
Q

boorish

A

rude.

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3
Q

implacable

A

not capable of being pacified

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4
Q

incongruity

A

being unsuitable or inappropriate

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5
Q

aver

A

assert confidently or declare; law term
synonyms: assert, allege

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6
Q

guileless

A

without deceit, innocent

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7
Q

austere

A

stern, severe

think of “austerity” measures in Greece.

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8
Q

deterrent

A

discourages

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9
Q

mendacious

A

dishonest, untrue

“mendacious propaganda”

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10
Q

anarchy

A

state of disorder
“an”= against, “arch”= rule

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11
Q

abeyance

A

temporary disuse or suspension, inactivity

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12
Q

disabuse

A

persuade someone that an idea or belief is mistaken
“he quickly disabused me of my belief”.

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13
Q

eulogy

A

expression of praise; funeral
“eu” meaning “well” (ie, euphoria), “log” meaning “speaking”

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14
Q

misanthrope

A

one who hates mankind
“miso” means “to hate”, and “anthro” means “human”

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15
Q

amalgamate

A

combine

“gam” meaning “marriage, to join”

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16
Q

harangue

A

long and aggressive speech

He complied with my request and made a lengthy harangue to his village.

kind of like a filibuster?

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17
Q

equanimity

A

calmness of temperament

equa like even, or level.
anim like mind, or spirit.

(according to this root, “animal” means “spirit”. cool, yeah? also recently realized that “creature” means “product of creation”. so mystic!)

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18
Q

facetious

A

joking

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19
Q

conciliatory

A

intended to placate or pacify

to bring together or unite in feelings, make friendly. from the root “council”.

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20
Q

levity

A

lack of seriousness, lightness

levi = light.
like “levitate” = to rise by virtue of lightness.

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21
Q

caustic

A

burning; biting

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22
Q

dogmatic

A

laying down principles as absolutely true, like dogma. duh.

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23
Q

desiccate

A

to make very dry

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24
Q

dirge

A

a funeral song.

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25
Q

indigence

A

extreme poverty

sadly, just remember that “indigenous people are often indigent” ;(

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26
Q

efficacy

A

power to produce desired effect, effectiveness

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27
Q

deference

A

humble submission and respect

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28
Q

extrapolation

A

to infer an unknown from something that is known, conjecture.

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29
Q

apprise

A

inform, or teach

from the same root as “apprehend” or “apprentice”.

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30
Q

obsequious

A

fawning, attentive, being a kiss-ass

She’s constantly followed by obsequious assistants who will do anything she tells them to.

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31
Q

intractable

A

stubborn, not easily controlled or directed

 tract = pull.
 like extract (pull out), retract (pull back).
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32
Q

malleable

A

capable of being shaped; impressionable

mallet = hammer. this is blacksmith type shit.

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33
Q

approbation

A

approval or praise.

same root as “approve”

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34
Q

foment

A

stir up or instigate something. provoke.

“they accused him of fomenting political unrest”.

Think of foam being created when something is stirred.

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35
Q

endemic

A

found among a group of people in an area

en = in.
dem = people.

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36
Q

converge

A

come together

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37
Q

enervate

A

weaken, drain in energy.

literally meaning “cut the nerves from”

e = from ex, out
nerve = sinew, nerve.

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38
Q

paucity

A

scarcity, shortage.

few = old english pronunciation of “pau” meaning not many

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39
Q

fatuous

A

foolish, stupid, silly.

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40
Q

dichotomy

A

split in two

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41
Q

laconic

A

brief and to the point

Lakonikos, from Lakon “person from Lakonia,” the district around Sparta in southern Greece in ancient times, whose inhabitants were famously proud of their brevity of speech. When Philip of Macedon threatened them with, “If I enter Laconia, I will raze Sparta to the ground,” the Spartans’ reply was, “If.”

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42
Q

forestall

A

to prevent in advance, anticipate and delay

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43
Q

ambiguous

A

unclear in meaning

ambi = both, both sides
guous = “agere” = to act

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44
Q

cacophonous

A

bad sounding

caco = bad
phon = sound

fun fact about caco, it is the opposite of calli, which means beautiful.
so calligraphy is beautiful handwriting, and cacography is shitty handwriting.

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45
Q

decorum

A

good taste in manners

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46
Q

disparate

A

essentially different, unrelated

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47
Q

daunt

A

intimidate

Studying for the GRE feels like a “daunting” task.

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48
Q

felicitous

A

well-suited for the occasion, appropriate.

from “felicity” = happiness. like, a happy fit?

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49
Q

invective

A

insulting and abusive. an attack of words.

Mneumonic: ENVY + ACTIVE = wanting to attack and abuse.

an overbearing, bullying boss who is fond of sending invective e-mails to long-suffering assistants

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50
Q

anachronism

A

misplaced in time

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51
Q

irresolute

A

uncertain how to act; weak.

cannot come to a resolution.

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52
Q

aberrant

A

abnormal or deviant.

mneumonic: beer + ant = walking all abnormally.

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53
Q

ameliorate

A

improve

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54
Q

diatribe

A

harsh criticism or scolding.

dia = away (like diaspora)
tribe = to wear, or rub.

mneumonic = two tribes, fighting.

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55
Q

diffuse

A

wordy; spread out

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56
Q

flout

A

to mock or show disdain.

Flout = from the word flute. Imagine playing a rude little flute on your nose when you mock someone.

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57
Q

inundate

A

to flood, cover with water. or to overwhelm as if in a flood.

From unda = wave.
Like “undulate”

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58
Q

inure

A

to accustom to difficulty or pain, toughen or harden.

“inured to cold”

It´s “in ur” system, bro.

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59
Q

attenuate

A

to make thin, to weaken, to lessen.

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60
Q

opprobrium

A

disgrace, infamy, dishonor.

Mn: taking “opium” is shameful!<

He saw no reason why “secretary” should suddenly become a term of opprobrium among the politically correct.

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61
Q

catalyst

A

accelerates a reaction

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62
Q

dissonance

A

inharmonious or harsh sound.

dis = lack of, apart, bad?
son = sound

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63
Q

apathy

A

lack of caring

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64
Q

diffidence

A

lack of confidence or trust.

dis = lack of, away from
fide = trust

basically means the opposite of confidence.

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65
Q

autonomous

A

self-governing

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66
Q

garrulous

A

wordy, verbose, overly talkative.

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67
Q

imperturbable

A

calm, not vulnerable to disruption.

im = not
perturb = disturb

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68
Q

appease

A

pacify

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69
Q

maverick

A

rebel.

literal meaning is a calf or cow without its owner’s brand.

fun fact: so called for Samuel A. Maverick (1803-1870), Texas cattle owner who was negligent in branding his calves.

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70
Q

document

A

provide written evidence.

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71
Q

banal

A

commonplace; trite

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72
Q

exculpate

A

clear from blame.

ex = out
culp = blame

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73
Q

equivocate

A

to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, generally to mislead.

means “equal voice”, in the same way that Fox News is “fair and balanced”.

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74
Q

dissolution

A
  1. separate into parts (dissolve)
  2. also meaning loose morals, for some reason.
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75
Q

fallacious

A

false; misleading.

containing a fallacy.

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76
Q

admonish

A

to warn.

ad = “to”
monere = “advise or warn”

Monitor apparently means one that gives warning. So Monitor Lizards were named so because they supposedly gave warnings of crocodiles!?

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77
Q

burnish

A

polish.

“burnished steel of his sword”.

From the root word of “brown” and “brunette”. originally meant “to brown”.
Similar to varnish, maybe.

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78
Q

eclectic

A

from different sources.

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79
Q

exacerbate

A

worsen

ex = thoroughly
acer = harsh, bitter, acidic

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80
Q

discrete

A

separate, unconnected.

81
Q

deride

A

ridicule.

“rid” in both of these words means “to laugh”.

82
Q

delineate

A

to draw out, depict, portray.

“de” = completely
“line” =… lines

83
Q

gregarious

A

sociable.

greg = herd (think of “congregation”)
gregarious means you live in a herd and you like it a lot.

84
Q

assuage

A

alleviate, relieve.

Kind of like Julian Assange, relieving the world of corruption.

85
Q

irascible

A

irritable.

“ire” = anger.
is this why the Irish are always angry?

86
Q

appropriate

A

acquire.

ad = “to”
prop = take as one’s own, like property.

87
Q

obviate

A

make unecessary, to do away with.

“to obviate the risk of serious injury”.

Harry Potter: “obliviate” = memory charm, do away with memories.

88
Q

empirical

A

based on experience.

89
Q

intransigent

A

refuses any compromise.

he has remained intransigent, refusing all suggestions for improvement of the process

think of transaction as an agreement by both parties. intransigent means incapable of a transaction.

90
Q

default

A

failure to act.

default on a loan.

91
Q

denigrate

A

blacken, defame, criticize unfairly.

“de” = complete
“nigr” = black

92
Q

castigate

A

to punish.

mn: punish someone by putting them in a caste.

93
Q

lucid

A

bright, clear, easy to understand.

from lux = light.

94
Q

convoluted

A

complicated, mixed up.

con = together
volv = roll (like revolution).

95
Q

ingenuous

A

naive, trusting, innocent.

96
Q

indolent

A

lazy.

in = without
dol = pain (like spanish “dolor”)

97
Q

contentious

A

quarrelsome, wants to fight.

think of “contenders” being competitive.

98
Q

officious

A

wants to get involved in your business.

Mn: office gossip!

99
Q

magnanimous

A

generous in forgiveness.

magna = large
animus = soul, spirit
you got a big soul, so you’re quick to give and forgive.

100
Q

alacrity

A

cheerful readiness, promptness, eagerness.

maybe think of electricity, being ready to light your home.

101
Q

compendium

A

a brief summary of a larger work.

“He published a compendium of folk tales.”

102
Q

ebullient

A

showing excitement.

bull = bubble.
So this means bubbly.

103
Q

gainsay

A

deny.

gain = from “against”. So you’re going against what is being said.

104
Q

inherent

A

firmly est. by nature or habit

105
Q

dormant

A

sleeping.

dorm = sleep.

106
Q

impassive

A

without feeling.

im = without
pass / path = feeling

107
Q

mitigate

A

to lessen in force or intensity.

Mitt-gate: the more Mitt Romney speaks, the more mitigated his chances at the presidency.

108
Q

chicanery

A

deception.

…. Chicanos are tricky, man.

109
Q

distill

A

purify

110
Q

derivative

A

unoriginal; from other source

de = from
riva = river

original meaning is to lead of water from its source, as a river.

111
Q

inchoate

A

recently begun, but not fully formed.

112
Q

obdurate

A

stubborn, hardened.

dura = hard
(Spanish, duro = difficult, hard)

113
Q

elegy

A

funeral song.

similar to eulogy?

114
Q

abstemious

A

sparing in eating/drinking; temperate, sober.

abs = refrain from
tem = drink (like Spanish tomar = to drink).

essentially, one who abstains.

115
Q

coda

A

end of music or literary composition; conclusion.

116
Q

conundrum

A

riddle

117
Q

discordant

A

conflicting.

From “discord”, conflict.

118
Q

impair

A

make worse.

119
Q

insipid

A

lack flavor; dull.

“insipid soup”.

120
Q

abscond

A

depart secretly and hide.

usually used in the context of outlaws, like “the thief absconded with the cash from the safe”

121
Q

discredit

A

defame.

opposite of credit.

122
Q

distend

A

swell out

dis = apart
tend = stretch (like tendon)

123
Q

implode

A

burst inward

124
Q

neophyte

A

recent convert; beginner.

neo = new
phyte = plant.

125
Q

perennial

A

long-lasting

per = through (like perforate)
ann = years

so lit. through the years.

126
Q

iconoclast

A

one who attacks cherished traditions

icon = images, lit. images of Jesus
clast = to break

127
Q

anomalous

A

abnormal

an = not
(h)omo = same

128
Q

ambivalence

A

conflicting emotional attitudes

ambi = both
valen = strength (ie, valor)

129
Q

alleviate

A

relieve

130
Q

condone

A

forgive.

from “donare” = to give. Like in “donation”.

131
Q

erudite

A

learned; scholarly

ex = out, ex
rude = unlearned, rough

132
Q

ascetic

A

rigorously self-disciplined.

“the ascetic monk lived a solitary life”

133
Q

fawning

A

trying to please by flattery

134
Q

disingenuous

A

insincere.

Not ingenuous. Easy enough.

135
Q

inert

A

inactive

“inert gas” doesn’t react.

136
Q

grandiloquent

A

using high sounding language.

grand = big
loqu = to speak (ie, soliloquy)

So, talking big with big words.

137
Q

discerning

A

mentally quick and observant, able to distinguish well.

138
Q

disjointed

A

lacking coherence.

Without joints, or connections between the points.

139
Q

esoteric

A

hard to understand, belonging to an inner circle.

140
Q

goad

A

encourage or drive a certain point.

Goad actually means a stick with an electrically charged end for driving cattle and ox.

141
Q

ephemeral

A

short-lived

142
Q

elicit

A

drawn out by discussion

143
Q

embellish

A
  1. to beautify with ornamentation.
  2. to enhance a story with fake elements

bell = pretty (like bella, bellisima)

144
Q

partisan

A

one-sided; commited to a party

145
Q

disparage

A

to degrade socially.

word origin = to reduce in social rank
dis = away
parage = parentage or rank

so lit. push away from social rank

146
Q

diverge

A

go in different ways

di = two, apart
verge = bend

147
Q

engender

A

to bring about, create.

“Hate engenders violence”

gend = to beget

148
Q

burgeon

A

go forth; send out buds, to grow.

“a burgeoning economy”

149
Q

beneficent

A

kindly; doing good.

ben = good

150
Q

mollify

A

to sooth, appease, soften in temper.

“mollify with a lollipop”

151
Q

complaisant

A

trying to please, compliant.

(overlapped with “complacent” until 19th century)

152
Q

penury

A

severe poverty.

“The surplus faded away and they were reduced to penury.”

153
Q

adulterate

A

to corrupt, falsify.

ad = to
alter = .. to alter

“unadulterated” films are usually uncensored.

154
Q

desultory

A

lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusaism.
aimless.

Farsi: BINAMAK!

155
Q

artless

A

ingenuous, open and honest.

originally meant without art, as in unskilled.
this came to mean natural and untainted. then eventually honest and naive.

156
Q

aggregate

A

gather.

greg = herd or flock

157
Q

digression

A

wandering away from the subject.

dis = apart
gress = to step, to go.

158
Q

pedantic

A

showing off learning; bookish.

ped = teach

159
Q

latent

A

potential but undeveloped, lying hidden or secret, dormant.

“herpes remains latent in your cells, until your immune system weakens”.

160
Q

dupe

A
  1. noun, a deceived person.
  2. verb, to deceive someone.
161
Q

loquacious

A

talkative.

loqui = to speak (ie, eloquent, soliloquy)

162
Q

morose

A

gloomy.

..emo.

163
Q

pathological

A

pertaining to disease.

stems from “pathology”, which is the studie of diseases.
path = suffering
logy = study

164
Q

connoisseur

A

an expert, a judge, well-versed.

165
Q

craven

A

cowardly.

“a craven refusal to deliver the unwelcome news personally”

166
Q

contention

A

rivalry, competition.

“He is in contention for the Olympic medal.”

167
Q

contrite

A

showing severe remorse.

“being contrite is not enough to spare you an arrest if you’re caught shoplifting”

168
Q

discrepancy

A

difference

169
Q

effrontery

A

shameless boldness.

e = out
frontem = forehead

lit. meaning putting out the forehead in confidence or boldness

170
Q

dissemble

A

to hide under a false apperance. disguise, conceal

dis = not
semb = similar

171
Q

audacious

A

daring, confident, adventurous, bold.

from “audacity”

172
Q

arduous

A

hard

“an arduous journey across miles of desert”

173
Q

bombastic

A

pompous, empty of meaning.

root of the word means “cotton padding” (from persian “pambak”).
From stuffing and padding for clothes, the meaning was extended to mean poofy speech.

174
Q

exigency

A

urgent situation.

sounds like a fucked up french pronunciation of “emergency”.

175
Q

antipathy

A

dislike, aversion

anti = against
path = feeling

176
Q

analogous

A

comparable.

177
Q

immutable

A

unchangeable.

im = not
mutable = changeable, from mute = change, likem utate.

178
Q

occlude

A

shut; close.

clud = from claud, claus (ie, claustrophobic = fear of being shut or closed in)

179
Q

confound

A

to confuse.

Harry Potter: “confundus” charm is the the confusing charm.

180
Q

buttress

A

an external prop or support.

181
Q

euphemism

A

mild expression rather than unplesant one

A woman walks into the bar and asks the bartender for a euphemism. He gives it to her.

182
Q

coagulate

A

congeal.

183
Q

laud

A

to praise.

kind of like “applaud”

184
Q

belie

A
  1. to lie, misrepresent. (The newspaper belied the facts.)
  2. to show to be false (His trembling hands belied his calm voice.)
185
Q

compliant

A

obeying, obliging.

186
Q

emulate

A

imitate.

Nintendo NES emulators.

187
Q

divest

A

to strip or deprive of.

dis = away
vest = clothing

lit. take clothing away

188
Q

fervor

A

intensity of feeling.

kind of like fever.

189
Q

commensurate

A

proportionate.

mensur = measure.

190
Q

insensible

A

unconscious.

in = not
sensible = conscious, felt by the senses

191
Q

abate

A

to reduce in amount or intensity.

“We waited for the wind to abate.”

192
Q

capricious

A

unpredictable, impulsive.

Root is from the astrological sign Capricorn. Capricorns are mood-swingy and can’t make up their minds apparently.

193
Q

malinger

A

fakes illness to escape work.

“His boss suspected him of malingering because of his frequent absences from work.”

194
Q

cogent

A

convincing.

“the results of the DNA fingerprinting were the most cogent evidence for acquittal”
“a cogent argument”

195
Q

aesthetic

A

artistic

196
Q

insularity

A

isolated, narrow-minded.

insula actually means island (ie, peninsula). so.. isolated.
think of insulation, a layer that separates you from the outside.

197
Q

assiduous

A

careful attention and diligence, attending.

“They were assiduous in their search for all the latest facts and figures.”

Roots: ad = to
sid = sit
meaning always sitting, busy, constantly occupied.

198
Q

bolster

A

support

“She came with me to bolster my confidence.”

199
Q

onerous

A

burdensome, oppressive, causing hardship.

“had the onerous and stressful job of notifying the families of soldiers killed in action”

High Frequency (3 decks)

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