Vocab, Deck 3

Question 1

consecrate

Answer 1

to declare sacred

from com = together, sacrare = sacred.

Question 2

desecrate

Answer 2

to make profane, not sacred. to defile or violate a sacred thing.

“They desecrated the church by boning in it.”

Question 3

contumacious

Answer 3

disobedient, rebellious.

“His contumacious attitude and talking back caused him to lose his job”.

Question 4

covet

Answer 4

to desire something owned by another.

Ned Flanders: “I think I’m coveting my own wife!”

Question 5

dearth

Answer 5

scarcity.

root word is “dear”, meaning precious or rare.

Question 6

distrait

Answer 6

inattentive, preoccupied, absent minded.

I disliked her trait of distrait; she was always preoccupied and aloof.

Question 7

dross

Answer 7

waste, worthless matter, trivial matter.

“She liked the tune but said the lyrics were absolute dross”.

Question 8

effervescence

Answer 8

lively, ebullient, bubbly.

eff = out
fervescere = to be hot, to boil.

Question 9

elysian

Answer 9

blissful, delightful.

Resembling “Elysium”, from classical mythology, meaning heaven, paradise.

Question 10

arbitrate

Answer 10

to settle or decide a dispute, to reach a settlement between parties.

“I’d like to have the matter arbitrated by an unbiased judge”

arbiter = judge.

Question 11

disaffect

Answer 11

to alienate the affection or sympathy of.

dis = without
affect = affection, care.

Question 12

capitulate

Answer 12

to surrender, give up.

Etym: meaning to create chapters of, pertaining to a peace treaty. Capitalize the first letter of the word Surrender!

Question 13

remonstrate

Answer 13

to say or plead in protest.

kind of like staging a “demonstration”.

Question 14

exonerate

Answer 14

to clear of accusation.

“He was exonerated from the crime through a presidential pardon”.

Question 15

skein

Answer 15

resembling a coil, twisty.

The hairs on the floor were skeins of mine.

Question 16

ineluctable

Answer 16

unavoidable, inescapable.

“Although death is ineluctable, we must not allow our natural fear of oblivion to prevent us from having an enjoyable, productive life.”

you cannot “elect” another option.

Question 17

contravention

Answer 17

a violation, or an infringement.

contra = against

Question 18

lampoon

Answer 18

to publicly criticize or satirize.

Sounds like “harpoon”.
National Lampoon = satire of college.

Question 19

vitiate

Answer 19

To spoil or corrupt. To make worse.
Like “mitigate”.

Sound like “vicious”.

Question 20

itinerant

Answer 20

travelling from place to place, mobile.

Like “itinerary” for travelers.

Question 21

surfeit

Answer 21

to overindulge to excess, to overdo.

Hawaiians are fat, all they do is SURF and EAT to excess.

Question 22

ardent

Answer 22

strong enthusiasm or devotion.

Question 23

doctrinaire

Answer 23

A person attached to one theory.

Trying to INDOCTRINATE people with it.

Question 24

corroborate

Answer 24

confirm or give support to.

The evidence corroborated the claim that Henry was the murdered. He was pissed.

Sounds like a Chinese man saying “Collaborate”. Someone needs to CONFIRM that that’s what he’s saying. Racist mnemonics are the best mnemonics.

Question 25

censure

Answer 25

express disapproval.

He censured the book so much, it ended up being censored.

I am extremely disappointed by the Census 2000 classification of Iranians as White.

Question 26

expurgate

Answer 26

to take out (purge, ex = out)

Question 27

fastidious

Answer 27

very concerned about accuracy and cleanliness.

FAST but TIDY. efficient and clean.

Question 28

parlous

Answer 28

dangerous.

“It’s doggone parlous out dere, y’hear me?”

Question 29

bucolic

Answer 29

pastoral, rural, pertaining to the pleasant aspects of the countryside.

from bous = cow.. (like bovine).

I like to think of it as BLUe COLLar.