Week 9 Flashcards
declivity
(noun)
dih-CLIV-it-ee
Definition: Downward slope
Usage: Not just any declivity can serve as a wheelchair ramp—I’m pretty sure this
thing is too steep to pass regulations.
Related Words: Declination (downward slope, deterioration, deviation from the
norm, refusal)
More Info: The opposite of declivity is acclivity, an upward slope.
delimit
(verb)
dih-LIM-it
Definition: Fix, mark, or define the boundaries of
Usage: The role of an executive coach is delimited by our code of conduct—we
may not counsel people for psychological conditions, for instance.
Related Words: Demarcate (mark the boundaries of, separate)
More Info: Delimit is one of those words where the “de” doesn’t seem to be doing
much—the definition is pretty close to that of limit.
demagogue
(noun)
DEM-uh-gah’g
Definition: A leader who lies and gains power by arousing the passions and
especially prejudices of the people
Usage: Political demagogues lie and twist the facts, depending more on their
natural charisma and ability to determine exactly what their audience wants to hear
than any actual understanding or perspicacity.
Related Words: A Propagandist or Provocateur influences the public in ways that
are probably more emotional than logical.
More Info: The Greek root “demos,” for “people,” also appears in democracy,
demographics, and demotic (populist, pertaining to the people).
demur
(verb)
dih-MUR
Definition: Show reluctance or object, especially for moral reasons
Usage: When asked to name her favorite professor in the department, she
demurred—she was pretty sure that, if she said anything, it would come back to
haunt her.
Related Words: Balk (refuse to proceed or to do something)
desultory
(adj)
DESS-ull-tor-ee
Definition: Lacking consistency or order, disconnected, sporadic; going off topic
Usage: Lulu said she’d been studying for the GRE for a year, but she had been
doing so in only the most desultory way—a few vocab words here and there, then
nothing for a month, and practice tests whenever she felt like it, which was rarely. /
Don’t mind my daughter—there’s no need to let a toddler’s desultory remarks pull
an adult conversation off track.
More Info: Desultory comes from the Latin “desultor,” a circus rider who jumps
from one horse to another.
diaphanous
(adj)
die-AFF-uh-nuss
Definition: Very sheer, fine, translucent
Usage: The wedding dress was a confection of diaphanous silk, made of at least
ten layers of the thin fabric, each layer of which was so fine you could see through
it.
Related Words: Gossamer (a fine, filmy cobweb, or a fine, light fabric)
More Info: Diaphanous generally describes fabric or the (beautiful, translucent)
wings of certain insects.
dichotomy
(noun)
die-COT-uh-mee
Definition: Division into two parts or into two contradictory groups
Usage: There is a dichotomy in the sciences between theoretical or “pure” sciences
such as physics and chemistry, and the life sciences, which often deal more with
classifying than with theorizing.
Related Words: Binary (consisting of or involving two), Duality (a dual state,
existence in two parts, as in “Descartes posited a duality between mind and body”)
More Info: Dichotomy comes from the Greek “dicha” (apart) and
“tomos” (cutting).
dictum
(noun)
DICT-um
Definition: Formal or authoritative pronouncement; saying or proverb
Usage: “A stitch in time saves nine” is an old dictum meaning that it’s easier to
solve a problem before it gets too big. / The king’s dictum stated that each feudal
lord must provide a certain number of soldiers within three weeks’ time.
Related Words: Maxim, Apothegm, and Adage are all words for a proverb, saying,
or truism
More Info: The root “dict” comes from “dicere” (to say) and also appears in
dictator, dictionary, indict (connect to a crime), malediction (curse), benediction
(blessing), and many others.
diffident
(adj)
DIFF-id-ent
Also diffidence (noun)
Definition: Lacking confidence, shy
Usage: Natasha was so diffident that she never believed her comments could be
worth anything in class, even when she knew the answer.
Related Words: Timorous (fearful, timid), Self-Effacing (modest, downplaying
one’s own presence or accomplishments)
More Info: Diffident contains the root “fid,” for “trust,” also appearing in fidelity,
fiduciary, and infidel. The connection is that a diffident person may be mistrustful
of others, and thus shy.
diffuse
(verb, adj)
diff-YOOZ (v), diff-YOOSS (adj)
Definition: Spread widely, disseminate (verb); dispersed, widely spread out, or
wordy and going off-topic (adj)
Usage: The spy attempted to root out the dissenters at the gala, but he was only able
to detect a diffuse sense of discontent all around the room. / It will be very difficult
to diffuse the power among the people when transitioning from autocracy to
democracy.
More Info: A diffuser is a device that spreads air freshener or other scent by being
plugged into an outlet. Don’t confuse diffuse with defuse, to calm or put an end to
(to “defuse a fight”).
conundrum
(noun)
cah-NUHN-drum
Definition: Riddle, the answer to which involves a play on words; any mystery
Usage: A classic conundrum is “What’s black and white and red all over?” The answer, of course, is a
newspaper. / How to count the entire population accurately—including those without fixed addresses—is a
bit of a conundrum.
Related Words: Enigma (puzzle, mystery), Paradox (contradiction, or seeming contradiction that is
actually true)
converge
(verb)
cuhn-VERGE
Definition: Move towards one another or towards a point; unite
Usage: I know we’re driving to the wedding from different states, but our routes ought to converge when
each of us hits I-95—maybe we could converge at a Cracker Barrel for lunch!
More Info: The antonym of converge is diverge.
conversant
(adj)
cuhn-VER-sint
Definition: Knowledgeable about or experienced with
Usage: For an opera singer, she is unusually conversant in physics—she just explained to everyone the
purpose of the Large Hadron Collider.
Related Words: Abreast (keeping up with, staying aware of, or remaining equal in progress with)
More Info: Conversant does NOT mean talkative—it means having enough knowledge to be able to carry
on an intelligent conversation about a topic.
conversely
(adverb)
cuhn-VER-slee
Definition: In an opposite way; on the other hand
Usage: I am not here to argue that lack of education causes poverty. Conversely, I am here to argue that
poverty causes lack of education.
Related Words: The expression “to the contrary” is sometimes used in the same way as conversely.
More Info: In logic, the converse of a statement is a simple reversal, from “Bachelors are unmarried
men” to “Unmarried men are bachelors.” The converse is not always true, such as in the case of “All
schnauzers are dogs” and “All dogs are schnauzers.”
convoluted
(adj)
CAHN-vuh-loo-tid
Definition: Twisted; very complicated
Usage: Your argument is so convoluted that I’m not even able to understand it enough to start critiquing
it. / To get from the hotel room to the pool requires following a convoluted path up two staircases and
down two others—to get to someplace on the same floor we started on!
Related Words: Tortuous (twisting, not direct, deceitful), Labyrinthine (tortuous, resembling a labyrinth),
Byzantine (complex or intricate; relating to the Byzantine Empire and its highly intricate art and
architecture style)
copious
(adj)
COH-pee-uss
Definition: Plentiful, bountiful
Usage: Although she took copious notes in class, she found that she was missing a big picture that would
have tied all the information together. / The fertile, copious land yielded a rich harvest.
Related Words: Profuse (giving or done in a free, abundant way)
More Info: Copious shares a root with cornucopia, a “horn of plenty” (the symbol of the American
Thanksgiving holiday).
corroborate
(verb)
cuh-ROBB-er-ayt
Definition: Support, add evidence to
Usage: You’re telling me you were thirty miles away riding a roller coaster when the school was
vandalized? I have a hard time believing that—is there anyone who can corroborate your story?
Related Words: Substantiate and verify also mean to prove true or provide evidence in favor of.
More Info: Corroborate shares a Latin root (“robur,” for oak or strength) with robust.
cosmopolitan
(adj)
cahz-moh-PAH-lit-uhn
Also cosmopolite (noun)
Definition: Belonging to the entire world, at home globally; free from local or national prejudices or
attachments
Usage: Trapped in a small town, he dreamed of a more cosmopolitan existence filled with world travel,
exotic cuisine, and scintillating parties where he would meet famous authors and other cosmopolites.
Related Words: Urbane (elegant, sophisticated, suave; suitable to social life in major cities)
More Info: The magazine Cosmopolitan was originally named to evoke the image of a wordly,
sophisticated woman. A “cosmopolitan” is also a cocktail popularized by the show Sex and the City. Most
New Yorkers do not think that drinking “cosmos” is cosmopolitan.
countenance
(noun, verb)
COUNT-eh-nenss
Definition: Facial expression or face (noun); approve or tolerate (verb)
Usage: Her countenance said it all—the look on her face was pure terror. / I saw you cheating off my
paper, and I can’t countenance cheating—either you turn yourself in or I’ll report you.
Related Words: Brook (suffer or tolerate), Condone (overlook or tacitly approve)
More Info: Countenance shares a root with continence, meaning “self control.” The use of countenance
to mean “approve or tolerate” makes sense when you think about a similar expression: “I cannot look you
in the face after what you did.” (We would usually say “I cannot face you” when the speaker is the guilty
party).
counterintuitive
(adj)
count-er-in-TOO-it-iv
Definition: Against what one would intuitively expect
Usage: Although it seems counterintuitive, for some extreme dieters, eating more can actually help
them to lose weight, since the body is reassured that it is not facing a period of prolonged starvation.
Related Words: Paradoxical (contradictory, or seemingly contradictory but actually true)
