Word List 18 Flashcards
Eschew (v)
avoid
Hoping to present himself to his girlfriend as a totally reformed character, he tried to eschew all the vices, especially chewing tobacco and drinking bathtub gin
Esoteric (adj)
hard to understand; known only to the chosen few
New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events
Espouse (v)
adopt; support
She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause
Estimable (adj)
worthy of esteem; admirable
Tennis star Andre Agassi survived a near loss in the semifinals to win the seventh Grand Slam tournament title of his uneven yet estimable career
Ethos (n)
underlying character of a culture, group etc
Seeing how tenderly Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how greatly children were valued in the Spanish ethos
Etymology (n)
study of word parts
A knowledge of etymology can help you on many English testsL if you know that the roots and prefixes mean, you can determine the meanings of unfamiliar words
Eulogy (n)
expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone’s death
Euphony (n)
sweet sound
Noted for its euphony even when it is spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sang
(euphonious adj)
Euphoria (n)
feeling of exaggerated (or unfounded) well-being
Jill’s been on cloud nine ever since Jack asked her out
Euthanasia (n)
mercy killing
Many people support euthanasia for terminally ill patients who wish to die
Evanescent (adj)
fleeting; vanishing
For a brief moment, the entire skyline was bathed in an orange-red hue in the evanescent rays of the sunset
Evince (v)
show clearly
When he tried to answer the questions the evinced his ignorance of the subject matter
Exacerbate (v)
worsen; embitter
Exacting (adj)
extremely demanding
Cleaning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an exacting task
Exalt (v)
raise in rank or dignity; praise
Excoriate (v)
scold with bitting harshness; strip the skin off
Seeing the rips in Bill’s new pants, his mother furiously excoriated him for ruining his good clothes
Exculpate (v)
clear from blame
Fearful of being implicated as a conspirator in the plot to kill Hitler, General Fromm equivocated, prevaricated, and lied outright in an attempt to exculpate himself
Execrable (adj)
very bad
The anecdote was in such execrable taste that the audience hissed and booed
Execrate (v)
curse; express abhorrence for
The world execrated the memory of Hitler and hoped that genocide would never again the the policy of any notion
Exegesis (adj)
explanation; especially of biblical passage
The minister based her sermon on her exegesis of a difficult passage from the book of Job
Exhort (v)
urge
The evangelist exhorted all the sinners in the audience to repent
(exhortation n)
Exigency (n)
urgent situation; pressing needs or demands; state of requiring immediate attention
The exigencies of war gave impetus and funding to computer research in general and in particular to the development of code-breaking machine
Exonerate (v)
acquit; exculpate
The defence team feverishly sought fresh evidence that might exonerate their client
Exorbitant (adj)
excessive
Expatiate (adj)
talk at length
The dean welcomed the Queen with a Latin oration in which he expatiated on the wonders of Elizabeth’s scholarship program
Expedient (adj)
suitable; practical; politic
A pragmatic politician was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical
Expiate (v)
make amends for (a sin)
Jean Valjean tried to expiate his crimes by performing acts of charity
Expletive (n)
interjection; profane oath
Fred was so foul-mouthed that, if you deleted all the expletives from his comments, very little would have been left
Explicate (v)
explain; interpret; clarify
Harry Levin explicated James Joyce’s novels with such clarity that even Finnegan’s Wake seemed comprehensible to his students
