Word List 1 Flashcards
Abase (v)
lower; degrade; humiliate
Anna refused to abase herself before the King of Siam
Abash (v)
embarrass
He was not all abashed by her open admiration
Abate (v)
subside or moderate
Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate
Abbreviate (v)
shorten
Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech
Abdicate (v)
renounce, give up
When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world
Aberrant (adj)
abnormal or deviant
Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment
Aberration (n)
abnormality; departure from norm; mental irregularity or disorder
It remains the consensus among investors on Wall Street that current low oil prices are a temporary aberration and that we shall soon see a return to expensive oil
Abet (v)
assist; encourage, usually in doing something wrong
She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned
Abeyance (n)
suspended action
Hostilities between the two rival ethnic groups have been in abeyance since the arrival of the United Nations peacekeeping force last month
Abhor (v)
detest; hate
She abhorred all forms of bigotry (abhorrence n)
Abjure (v)
renounce upon oath; disavow
Pressure from university authorities caused the young scholar to abjure his heretical opinions (abjuration n)
Abolish or (Abrogate) (v)
cancel; put an end to
The president of the college refused to abolish the physical education requirement (abolition n)
Abominable (adj)
detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad
Mary liked John until she learned he was also dating Susan; then she called him an abominable young man, with abominable taste in women
Abortive (adj)
unsuccessful; fruitless
Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratise Beijing peacefully
Abrasive (adj)
rubbing away; tending to grind down
Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener’s patience (abrade v)
Abridge (v)
condense or shorten
Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel
Abrogate or (Abolish) (v)
abolish
Responding to conservative attacks against an outspoken radical professor, the dean pledged to resist such attempts to abrogate academic freedom
Abscond (v)
depart secretly and hide
The teller who absconded with the with the bonds went uncultured until someone recognised him from his photograph
Absolute (adj)
complete; totally unlimited; certain
Although King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity
Absolve (v)
pardon (an offense)
The father confessor absolved him of his sins (absolution n)
Abstain (v)
refrain; withhold from participation
After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race
Abstemious (adj)
sparing in eating and drinking; temperate/moderate
Concerned whether her vegetarian son’s abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him
Abstinence (n)
restraint from eating or drinking
The doctor recommended total abstinence from salted food (abstain v)