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