Word List 18 Flashcards
hack
to cut or sever with repeated irregular or unskillful blows; to cut or shape by or as if by crude or ruthless strokes
annoy, vex (usually used with off)
a person who works solely for mercenary reasons; hireling; a writer who works on order; also, a writer who aims solely for commercial success
e.g. hacking out new election districts
hackneyed
lacking ion freshness or originality
e.g. hackneyed slogans
halcyon
of or relating to the halcyon or its nesting period
calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent
hale
free from defect, disease, or infirmity; sound
retaining exceptional health and vigor
e.g. a hale and hearty old man
halfhearted
lacking heart, spirit, or interest
e.g. He made a halfhearted attempt to contact them.
hallmark
a mark or device laced or stamped on an article of trade to indicate origin, purity, or genuineness
a distinguishing characteristic, trait, or feature
e.g. the dramatic flourishes which are the hallmark of the trial lawyer
hallow
to make holy or set apart for holy use
to respect greatly; venerate
halting
marked by a lack of sureness or effectiveness
e.g. Progress in the negotiations has been halting.
hamper
to restrict the movement of by bonds or obstacles; impede
to interfere with the operation of; disrupt
curb, restrain
to interfere with; encumber
e.g. The project was hampered by budget restraints.
hangar
shelter, shed; especially, a covered and usually enclosed area for housing and repairing aircraft
hangdog
sad dejected
sheepish
e.g. a hangdog expression
hanker
to have a strong or persistent desire; yearn (often used with for or after)
e.g. By the middle of the winter, they were hankering for a warm day.
haphazard
marked by lack of plan, order, or direction
e.g. a haphazard tour of the city
Considering the haphazard way you measured the ingredients, it’s a wonder the cookies came out this good.
harangue
a speech addressed to a public assembly
a ranting speech or writing
lecture
also
e.g. He delivered a long harangue about the evils of popular culture.
The eminent professor harangued for three hours on his favorite subject.
harbinger
one that pioneers in or initiates a major change; precursor
one that presages or foreshadows what is to come
also
e.g. Her father’s successful job interview was seen as a harbinger of better times to come.
the hope that the housing slump does not harbinger a general economic depression
hardheaded
stubborn, willful
concerned with or involving practical considerations; sober, realistic
e.g. some hardheaded advice
hardy
bold, brave; audacious, brazen
inure to fatigue or hardship; robust
capable of withstanding adverse conditions
e.g. Hardy fans stuck with the team through good times and bad.
hardy outdoor furniture
harness
the gear other than a yoke of a draft animal; gear, equipment, especially military equipment
occupational surroundings or routine; close association
to put harness on
utilize
e.g. a parachute harness
get back into harness after a vacation
ability to work in harness with others
Engineers are finding new ways to harness the sun’s energy to heat homes.
harp
to dwell on or recur to a subject tiresomely or monotonously (usually used with on)
harpsichord
a stringed instrument resembling a grand piano but usually having two keyboards and two or more strings for each note and producing tones by the plucking or strings with plectra
harridan
an ill-tempered scolding woman; shrew
e.g. If you were married to that harridan, you, too, would take to drink.
harrow
torment, vex
harry
to make a pillaging or destructive raid on; assault
to force to move along by harassing
to torment by or as if by constant attack
e.g. harrying the terrified horses down out of the mountains
hasten
to move or act quickly
to urge on; accelerate
e.g. hasten the activation of yeast with heat
hasten the coming of a new order
hatch
a small door or opening (as in an airplane or spaceship)
to bring into being; originate, especially to concoct in secret
e.g. an escape hatch
hatch a plot
haughty
blatantly and disdainfully proud
e.g. He rejected their offer with a tone of haughty disdain.
hauteur
arrogance, haughtiness
e.g. She looked at him with the hauteur of someone who is accustomed to being instantly obeyed.
haven
harbor, port
a place of safety; refuge
a place offering favorable opportunities or conditions
e.g. a haven for artists
The national park provides a safe haven for wildlife.
havoc
wide and general destruction; devastation
great confusion and disorder
e.g. The disease can play havoc with the body’s immune system.
The blackout caused havoc in the city.
headlong
headfirst without deliberation; recklessly without pause or delay lacking in calmness or restraint; precipitate plunging headfirst
e.g. plunged headlong into the crowd in pursuit of the purse snatcher
terrified forest creatures in a headlong retreat from the rapidly spread fire
headstrong
not easily restrained; impatient of control, advice, or suggestions
directed by ungovernable will
e.g. a headstrong businessman
violent headstrong actions
headway
motion or rate of motion in a forward direction
advance, progress
e.g. The ant was making little headway carrying a crumb that was about five times its size.
hearken
listen
to give respect attention
e.g. Hearken! I hear the distant beat of the hooves of many horses.
hearken to his words of wisdom
hearten
to give heart to; cheer
e.g. heartened by the victory
heartrending
heartbreaking
e.g. a heartrending choice between saving his daughter or his son
heavy-handed
clumsy
oppressive, harsh
e.g. the government’s most heavy-handed efforts to muzzle social protest
heckle
to harass and try to disconcert with questions, challenges, or gibes; badger
e.g. Several protesters were heckling the speaker at the rally.
hectic
of, relating to, or being a fluctuating but persistent fever
red, flushed
characterized by activity, excitement, or confusion
e.g. the hectic days preparing for the holiday
hector
to play the bully; swagger
to intimidate or harass by bluster or personal pressure
e.g. The judge ordered the attorney to stop hectoring the witness.
hedge
a fence or boundary formed by a dense row of shrubs or low trees; barrier, limit
a means of protection or defense (as against financial loss)
to enclose or protect with or as if with a hedge; encircle
to hem in or obstruct with or as if with a barrier; hinder
to protect oneself from losing or failing by a counterbalancing action
to evade the risk of commitment especially by leaving open a way of retreat; trim
e.g. She hedged when she was asked to support the campaign.
He hedged his earlier comments about the need for new management.
hedonism
the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life
a way of life based on or suggesting the principles of hedonism
e.g. Their spring break trip in Mexico became an exercise in heedless hedonism.
heed
to pay attention
to give consideration or attention to; mind
also
e.g. She failed to heed the warnings.
took heed of the students’ learning disability so as to arrive at reasonable expectation for him
hegemony
preponderant influence or authority over others; domination
the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group
e.g. the consequences of the hegemony of American popular culture around the world
heinous
hatefully or shockingly evil; abominable
e.g. heinous crimes
heirloom
a piece of property that descends to the hair as an inseparable part of an inheritance of real property
something of special value handed on from one generation to another
a horticultural variety that has survived for several generations usually due to the efforts of private individual
hem
a border of cloth article doubled back and stitched down; rim, margin
to finish with a hem; border, edge
to surround in a restrictive manner; confine
equivocate
e.g. hemmed in by enemy troops
The administration hemmed and hawed over students’ demands.
hemophilia
a sex-linked hereditary blood defect that occurs almost exclusively in males and is characterized by delayed clotting of the blood and consequent difficulty in controlling hemorrhage even after minor injuries
hemorrhage
a copious discharge of blood from the blood vessels
a rapid and uncontrollable loss or outflow
e.g. a financial hemorrhage
hemostat
hemostatic; especially, an instrument for compressing a bleeding vessel
herbaceous
of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an herb
(of a stem) having little or no woody tissue and persisting usually for a single growing season
having the texture, color, or appearance of a leaf
herbicide
an agent used to destroy or inhibit plant growth
herd
a congregation of gregarious wild animals
a group of people/like things
the undistinguished masses; crowd
to gather, lead, or drive as if in a herd
to place in a group
e.g. a herd of tourists
isolate the individual prophets from the herd
herd the children into the car
hereditary
genetically transmitted or transmittable
of a kind established by tradition
e.g. hereditary disease
hereditary enemies
heresy
adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma; an opinion or doctrine contrary to church dogma
dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice
e.g. He was preaching dangerous heresies.
heretical
- heresy
also, of, relating to, or characterized by departure from accepted beliefs of standards; unorthodox
e.g. the belief that women should be allowed to have careers outside the home was once considered heretical.
hermetic
relating to or characterized by occultism or abstruseness; recondite
airtight; impervious to external influence
recluse, solitary
e.g. hermetic seal
trapped inside the hermetic military machine
leads a hermetic life
wrote hermetic poetry whose sole intended readership was himself
hermit
one that retired from society and lives in solitude especially for religious reasons; recluse
a pieced molasses cookie
e.g. St. Jerome is said to have spent two years as a hermit in the desert, searching for inner space.
herpetology
a branch of zoology dealing with reptiles and amphibians
hew
to cut with blows of a heavy cutting instrument
to give form or shape to with or as if with heavy cuts
conform, adhere (oft. used in “hew to the line”)
e.g. The walls are built of stones hewn by skilled craftsmen.
hew to tradition
no pressure on newspapers to hew to the official line
hiatus
a break in or as if in a material object; gap
an interruption in time or continuity; break, especially a period when something (as a program or activity) is suspended or interrupted
e.g. steam rising from an hiatus in the ground
after a 5-year hiatus from writing
a hiatus between the theory and the practice
hidebound
having an inflexible or ultraconservative character
e.g. The hidebound innkeeper refused to see the need for a website, insisting that the inn had done without one for over 150 years.
hie
to go quickly; hasten
to cause to go quickly
e.g. We had best hie home before the snow gets worse.
hieratic
constituting or belonging to a cursive form of ancient Egyptian writing simpler than the hieroglyphic
of or relating to priests or a priesthood; priestly, sacerdotal
highly stylized or formal
e.g. hieratic poses
hieroglyphic
written in, constituting, or belonging to a system of writing mainly in pictorial characters
resembling hieroglyphic in difficulty of decipherment
also
highbrow
a person who possesses or has pretensions to superior learning or culture
e.g. Guests at her elegant dinner parties are a mix of the city’s highbrows and captains of industry.
hike
to rise up; to raise in amount sharply or suddenly
also
e.g. a new wage hike
hinge
a determining factor; turning point
to be contingent on a single consideration or point (used with on or upon)
e.g. The prosecution’s case hinges on the DNA evidence.
hirsute
hairy
covered with coarse stiff hairs
e.g. wore a hirsute mask as part of his werewolf costume
histology
a branch of anatomy that deals with a minute structure of animal and plant tissues as discernible with the microscope
tissue structure or organization
histrionic
deliberately affected; theatrical
of or relating to actors, acting, or the theater
e.g. a penchant for dish throwing, door slamming, and other histrionic displays of temper
hitherto
up to this or that time
e.g. At the talent show Kyle revealed his hitherto unknown gift for doing impressions.
hive
the usually aboveground nest of bees
a place swarming with activity
e.g. The house was a hive of activity as we prepared for the party.
hoary
gray or white with or as if with age
extremely old; ancient
e.g. a hoary tale of revenge
a man hoary with age
hoax
to trick into believing or accepting as genuine something false and often preposterous
e.g. a skilled forger who hoaxed the art world into believing that the paintings were long-lost Vermeers
hodgepodge
a heterogeneous mixture; jumble
e.g. The exhibit was a hodgepodge of mediocre art, bad art, and really bad art.
hoe
a garden tool that has a flat blade on a long handle
any of various implements for tilling, mixing, or raking
also
hoist
life, raise; especially, to raise into position by or as if by means of ropes or machinery
drink
e.g. hoisted into place and securely welded
hoist a few beers
holster
a leather or fabric case for carrying a firearm (or any usually small item) on a person
e.g. a knife holster
a heart monitor carried in a hip holster
homage
expression of high regard; respect (usually used with pay)
something that shows respect or attests to the worth or influence of another; tribute
e.g. The poem is a moving homage to all who have served in our nation’s armed services.
homiletics
the art of preaching
homogenize
to blend (diverse elements) into a uniform mixture; to make homogeneous
e.g. The new curriculum is an attempt to homogenize education throughout the country.
plans to homogenize the science curriculum
hone
whetstone
to sharpen or smooth with a whetstone
to make more acute, intense, or effective; whet
e.g. helped her comic timing
honorarium
a payment for a service (as making a speech) on which custom or propriety forbids a price to be set
e.g. We are willing to offer a small honorarium for judging the competition.
hoodwink
to deceive by false appearance; dupe
e.g. be hoodwinked into buying things you don’t need
hoof
the hard covering on the foot of an animal
to dance as a performer
plumb
a lead weight attached to a line and used to indicate a vertical direction
straight down or up; vertically
in a direct manner; exactly; also, without interval of time; immediately
to examine minutely and critically
exactly vertical or true
thorough, complete
e.g. He set the board plumb.
a scientist who spend her life plumbing the minds of criminals
a horror movie that’s plumb trash and further evidence of the deterioration of popular culture
hortative
giving exhortation; advisory
serving to encourage or urge
horticulture
the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants
hospitable
given to generous and cordial reception of guests
promising or suggesting generous and cordial welcome
offering a pleasant or sustaining environment
readily receptive; open
e.g. It’s a hearty plant that grows in even the least hospitable climates
hospitable to new ideas
hovel
an open shed or shelter
a small, wretched, and often dirty house; hut
e.g. refugees living in crowded hovels
hub
the central part of a circular object
a center of activity; focal point
an airport or city through which an airline routes most of its traffic
e.g. the hub of the city
She was at the hub of all the activity.
All of the airline’s coast-to-coast flights pass through its hub.
hubris
exaggerated pride or self-confidence
e.g. His failure was brought on by his hubris.
huckster
someone who sells things in small amounts often by traveling to different places; hawker, peddler
one who produces promotional material for commercial clients especially for radio or television
e.g. hucksters outside the auditorium selling everything from key chains to life-size cutouts of the rock star
hue
complexion, aspect
color; gradation of color
e.g. suggested she wear brighter hues to complement her skin tone
We decorated the room in hues of blue and green.
hulk
a heavy clumsy ship; the body of an old ship unfit for service; a ship used as a prison
an abandoned wreck or shell (as of a building or automobile)
one that is bulky or unwieldy
e.g. the burned out hulk of the factory
The ship’s rusting hulk is still visible on the rocks.
hull
the outer covering of a fruit or seed
the frame or body of a ship or boat (or other usually large or heavy craft or vehicle)
covering casing
to remove the hulls of; shuck
e.g. The coffin was placed in a cement hull.
hull the pinto beans before adding them
humane
marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals
characterized by or tending to broad humanistic culture; humanistic
e.g. the humane way to treat animals
humane conditions in prisons
humane studies
exhume
disinter
to bring back for neglect or obscurity
e.g. exhume a body
exhumed a great deal of information from the archives
supercilious
coolly and patronizingly haughty
e.g. The supercilious art dealer rolled her eyes when we asked if she had anything for under $1000.
bumptious
presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive; obtrusive
e.g. a bumptious young man whose family wealth gave him a sense of entitlement
humdrum
monotonous, dull
e.g. another humdrum day at the office
humility
the quality or state of being humble
e.g. He accepted the honor with humility.
The ordeal taught her humility.
humor
characteristic or habitual disposition or bent; an often temporary state of mind imposed especially by circumstances
a sudden, unpredictable, or unreasoning inclination; whim
to soothe or content by indulgence
to adapt oneself to
e.g. of cheerful humor
was in no humor to listen
The only way to get along with him is to humor him.
humored her grandfather by listening to his war stories for the hundredth time
hunch
jostle, shove
to thrust or bend over into a humped or crooked position
a strong intuitive feeling concerning especially a future event or result
e.g. He hunched his shoulders as he headed out into the storm.
My hunch is that the stock is going to go up in value.
hurdle
a portable panel usually of wattled withes and stakes used especially for enclosing land or livestock
an artificial barrier over which racers must leap
barrier, obstacle
overcome, surmount
e.g. The company faces severe financial hurdles this year.
hurl
rush, hurtle
vomit
to throw (down) with violence; fling
to utter with vehemence
e.g. the forces that were to be hurled against the Turks
hurled the manuscript into the fire
hurled insults at the police
husband
a frugal manager
to manage prudently and economically
to use sparingly; conserve
e.g. We should husband our natural resources so that our children and grandchildren may benefit from them.
husbandry
the control or judicious use of resources; conservation
the cultivation or production of plants or animals; agriculture
the scientific control and management of a branch of farming and especially of domestic animals
e.g. In accordance with his practice of good husbandry, he never buys anything on credit.
a family of winemakers whose tradition of vineyard husbandry goes back several generations
prodigal
characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure; lavish
recklessly spendthrift
yielding abundantly; luxuriant (usually used with of)
e.g. a prodigal feast / prodigal outlays for her clothes
The prodigal child always spend her allowance the minute she got it.
The nature has been so prodigal of her bounty.
husky
hoarse with or as if with emotion
burly, robust; large
hyperbole
extravagant exaggeration
e.g. “Enough food to feed a whole army” is a common example of hyperbole.
hyphen
a punctuation mark “-“ used especially to divide or to compound words, word elements, or numbers
