Word List 24 Flashcards
mettle
vigor and strength of spirit or temperament
quality of temperament or disposition
stamina
e.g. equipment that proved its mettle
gentlemen of brave mettle
nettle
a tall plant that has leaves with hair that sting
to strike or sting with or as if with nettles
to arouse to sharp but transitory annoyance or anger
e.g. The mayor’s recent actions have nettled some members of the community.
mettlesome
full of mettle; spirited
e.g. The mettlesome opening dance number got the audience all jazzed up.
a mettlesome debate on the teaching of evolution in the schools
miff
annoy
a petty quarrel or fit of pique
e.g. She was slightly miffed at not being invited.
migratory
of, relating to, or characterized by migration
wandering, roving
e.g. Most of the apple crop is picked by migratory workers.
milk
to draw or coerce profit or advantage from illicitly or to an extreme degree; exploit
e.g. greedy landlords milking their tenants of all their money
mime
a form of entertainment in which a performer plays a character or tells a story without words by using body movements and facial expressions
an actor in mime
mimic
one that mimics
imitative; mock
to imitate closely; ape
to ridicule by imitation
e.g. a gifted mimic who can do a terrific imitation of anyone’s voice
a mimic battle fought by kids playing around
a talent for mimicking famous actresses
minaret
a tall slender tower of a mosque having one or more balconies from which the summons to prayer is cried by the muezzin
minatory
having a menacing quality
e.g. The novel’s protagonist is haunted by a minatory black specter.
minacious
menacing, threatening
mince
to cut or chop into very small pieces
to walk with short steps in a prim affected manner
minion
a servile dependent, follower, or underling
a subordinate or petty official
e.g. Most of the top appointments went to the new governor’s personal minions and political cronies.
minnow
a very small fish that is often used as bait to catch larger fish
mint
a place where coins, medals, or token are made
a place where something is manufactured
a vast sum or amount
e.g. worth a mint
modicum
a small portion; a limited quantity
e.g. Only a modicum of skill is necessary to put the kit together.
minuet
a slow graceful dance in 3/4 time characterized by forward balancing, bowing, and toe pointing
music for or in the rhythm of a minuet
minuscule
very small
e.g. Public health officials have claimed that the chemical is harmless in such minuscule amounts.
minutia
a minute or minor detail
mirage
something that is seen and appears to be real but that is not actually there
something that you hope for or want but that is not possible or real
e.g. A peaceful solution proved to be a mirage.
mire
wet spongy earth; heavy often deep mud or slush
a troublesome or intractable situation
to cause to stick fast in or as if in mire
to hamper or hold back as if by mire; entangle
e.g. found themselves in a mire of debt
The case has been mired in probate court for years.
mirth
gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with laughter
e.g. Her clumsy attempt to cut the cake was the cause of much mirth.
misanthrope
a person who hates or distrusts humankind
e.g. a former misanthrope who now professes a newly discovered love of mankind
mischievous
harmful, injurious
able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor injury
irresponsibly playful
e.g. mischievous gossip
punished for their mischievous tricks on the neighbors
miscreant
unbelieving, heretical
depraved, villainous
infidel, heretic
one who behaves criminally or viciously
e.g. He supports tough penalties against corporate miscreant.
miser
a mean grasping person; especially, one who is extremely stingy with money
e.g. The miser liked to sit and play with his money.
spendthrift
a person who spends improvidently or wastefully
e.g. The spendthrift managed to blow all of his inheritance in a single year.
miserly
marked by grasping meanness and penuriousness
e.g. He was given a miserly raise.
My brother, who is notoriously miserly, surprised us when he offered to pick up the tab.
misgiving
a feeling of doubt or suspicion especially concerning a future event
e.g. I felt some misgiving about his ability to do the job.
misnomer
the misnaming of a person in a legal instrument
a use of a wrong or inappropriate name
e.g. “International Airport” is something of a misnomer, since almost all the arriving and departing flights are local.
misshapen
badly shaped; deformed
mite
a small coin or sum of money
a very little; bit
a very small object or creature
mitigate
to cause to become less harsh or hostile; mollify
to make less severe or painful; alleviate
extenuate
e.g. Emergency funds are being provided to help mitigate the effects of the disaster.
medicines used to mitigate a patient’s suffering.
mitten
a covering for the hand and wrist having a separate section for the thumb only
mnemonics
a technique of developing the memory
moat
a deep and wide trench around the rampart of a fortified place that is usually filled with water
a channel resembling a moat
mode
a prevailing fashion or style (as of dress or behavior)
modish
fashionable, stylish
e.g. He wore a modish gray suit and hat.
the strikingly modish gown
modulate
to tune to a key or pitch
to adjust to or keep in proper measure or proportion; temper
e.g. Because she doesn’t modulate her voice, she sounds exactly the same when she’s excited as when she’s sad.
mogul
a great personage; magnate
molar
a tooth with a rounded or flattened surface adapted for grinding
molding
an object produced by molding
a decorative recessed or relieved surface
a decorative plane or curved strip used for ornamentation or finishing
e.g. The house has beautiful moldings around its doors and windows.
mollify
to soothe in temper or disposition; appease
to reduce the rigidity of; soften
to reduce in intensity; assuage, temper
e.g. He tried to mollify his critics with an apology.
discommode
to cause inconvenience to; trouble
e.g. The breakdown of her car did not discommode her seriously.
pique
a transient feeling of wounded vanity; resentment
to arouse anger or resentment in; irritate
to excite or arouse especially by a provocation, challenge, or rebuff
pride
e.g. After a moment of pique, the senator responded calmly to his accusers.
He slammed the door in a fit of pique.
Her seat companion piqued her by repeatedly poking her in the ribs.
sly remarks to pique their curiosity
He piques himself on his skill as a cook.
mollycoddle
a pampered or effeminate man or boy
to treat with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence and attention
e.g. refused to mollycoddle his malingering son and sent him off to school
molt
to shed hair, feather, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically
molten
fused or liquefied by heat; melted
having warmth or brilliance
e.g. molten lava
moment
importance in influence or effect
e.g. The issues were of little moment to the electorate.
momentous
important, consequential
e.g. a momentous occasion that will go down in history books
mongrel
an individual resulting from the interbreeding of diverse breeds or strains; especially, one of unknown ancestry
a cross between types of persons or things
also
e.g. Mongrels often suffer fewer health problems than purebreds.
monocle
an eyeglass for one eye
monolithic
of, relating to, or resembling a monolith; huge, massive
cast as a single piece
constituting a massive undifferentiated and often rigid whole
e.g. a monolithic concrete wall
a monolithic floor covering
a monolithic society
monomania
mental illness especially when limited in expression to one idea or area of though
excessive concentration on a single object or idea
e.g. His interest in the subject verges on monomania.
monotonous
uttered or sounded in one unvarying tone; marked by a sameness of pitch and intensity
tediously uniform or unvarying
e.g. The lecturer’s monotonous delivery threatened to put us to sleep.
monsoon
a periodic wind especially in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia
rainfall that is associated with the monsoon
e.g. floods caused by summer monsoon
montage
the production or a rapid succession of images in a motion picture to illustrate an association of ideas
a literary musical, or artistic composite of juxtaposed more of less heterogeneous elements
a heterogeneous mixture; jumble
e.g. My memories of the childhood trip are a montage of the sights, smells, and sounds of India.
monumental
serving or resembling a monumental; massive; also, highly significant; outstanding
of or relating to a monument
very great
e.g. the monumental complexity of the issue
a monumental misunderstanding
moralistic
characterized by or expressive of a concern with morality
characterized by or expressive of a narrow moral attitude
e.g. While a moralistic speech won’t convince kids not to try drugs, a story about people affected by drugs might.
moratorium
a legally authorized period of delay in the performance of a legal obligation or the payment of a debt
a waiting period set by an authority
a suspension of activity
e.g. The treaty calls for a nuclear testing moratorium.
The director of the blood bank called for a moratorium in donations until the surplus could be used up.
morbid
of, relating to, or characteristic of disease
affected with or induced by disease
productive of disease
abnormally susceptible to or characterized by gloomy or unwholesome feelings
grisly, gruesome
e.g. morbid anatomy / a morbid condition
a morbid fascination with death
mordant
biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style; incisive
burning, pungent
e.g. a writer famous for her mordant humor
a mordant review of the movie that compare it to having one’s teeth pulled for two hours
mordacious
biting or given to biting
sharp or caustic in style, tone, etc.
e.g. Unable longer to endure his mordacious humor, she turned and left him alone on the balcony.
mores
the fixed morally binding customs of a particular group
moral attributes
habits, manners
e.g. Women have long expressed their sexuality - and the mores of the time - through their choice of undergarments.
moribund
being in the state of dying; approaching death
being in the state of inactivity or obsolescence
e.g. an actor who is trying to revive his moribund career
morose
having a sullen and gloomy disposition
marked by or expressive of gloom
e.g. He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone.
sanguine
having blood as the predominating bodily humor; also, marked by sturdiness, high color, and cheerfulness
confident, optimistic
e.g. a sanguine disposition
sanguine about the company’s future
morsel
a small piece of food; bite
a small quantity; fragment
a tasty dish; something delectable and pleasing
a negligible person
e.g. The chef’s cuisine is so good that diners will want to savor every morsel.
searching for any morsel of useful information
mortar
a sturdy vessel in which material is pounded or rubbed with a pestle
a muzzle-loading cannon having a tube short in relation to its caliber that is used to throw projectiles at high angles
mortification
a sense of humiliation and shame caused by something that wounds one’s pride or self-respect
the subjection and denial of bodily passions and appetites by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort
necrosis, gangrene
e.g. the mortification of being dumped the night before the prom
mortify
to subject to severe and vexing embarrassment; shame
to subdue or deaden especially by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort
e.g. was mortified by her children’s atrocious manners
mortuary
of or relating to the burial of the dead
of, relating to, or characteristic of death
a place in which dead bodies are kept until burial; especially, funeral home
e.g. the huge department store’s mortuary atmosphere in its sad, last weeks of operation
mosque
a building used for public worship by Muslims
mote
a small particle; speck
e.g. a mote of dirt
motif
a usually recurring salient thematic element; especially, a dominant idea or central theme
a single or repeated design or color
e.g. The motif of mute figures standing in lonely isolation is a recurrent one in the artist’s works.
motley
variegated in color
composed or diverse often incongruous elements
e.g. a motley coat
a motley crew of musicians
mottle
a colored spot
to mark with spots or blotches of different color or shades of color as if stained
e.g. canvases covered with streaks and mottles
old papers mottled by mold
mountainous
containing many mountains
resembling a mountain; huge
e.g. the seemingly mountainous obstacles he had to overcome while growing up
muffle
to wrap up so as to conceal or protect
to wrap or pad with something to dull the sound
keep down, suppress
e.g. muffle the noise
muffle her angle
mulish
unreasonably and inflexibly obstinate
e.g. She approached the job with mulish determination.
a mulish insistence on doing things his own way
mundane
of, relating to, or characteristic of the world
characterized by the practical, transitory, and ordinary; commonplace
e.g. mundane chores, like washing dishes
Prayer and meditation helped her put her mundane worries aside.
the mundane concerns of day-to-day life
municipality
a primarily urban political unit having corporate status and usually powers of self-government
the governing body of a municipality
e.g. a municipality with an excellent police department
munificent
very liberal in giving or bestowing; lavish
characterized by great liberality or generosity
e.g. a munificent host who has presided over many charitable events at his mansion
munition
armament, ammunition
mural
of, relating to, or resembling a wall
applied to and made integral with a wall or ceiling surface
a mural work of art
murky
characterized by thickness and heaviness of air; foggy, misty
darkly vague or obscure
e.g. a politician with a murky past
one of church’s murky chapels
pellucid
admitting maximum passage of light without diffusion or distortion
reflecting light evenly from all surfaces
easy to understand
e.g. a pellucid stream
Her poetry has a pellucid simplicity that betrays none of the sweat that went into writing it.
muse
to become absorbed in thought
e.g. I could sell the house, she mused, but then where should I go?
musket
a heavy large-caliber muzzle-loading usually smoothbore shoulder firearm; broadly, a shoulder gun carried by infantry
muster
an act of assembling; an assembled group
to cause to gather; convene
to enroll formally (usually used with in or into)
to call forth; rouse
e.g. a muster of concerned citizens
They pushed the car with all the strength they could muster.
mustered into the army
a command to muster the troops
mutineer
a person who is involved in a mutiny
e.g. The mutineers were captured after they turned to piracy on the open seas.
mutter
to utter sounds or words indistinctly or with a low voice and with lips partly closed
to murmur complainingly or angrily; grumble
e.g. She angrily muttered something about her bad luck.
Some employees are muttering about the changes in the penison plan.
myopia
a condition of the eye that makes it difficult to see objects that are far away
a lack of foresight or discernment; a narrow view of something
myriad
ten thousand
a great number
also
e.g. a myriad of possibilities
myriad problems/topics/activity
nadir
the lowest point
e.g. The discussion really reached its nadir when people resorted to name-calling.
narcotic
a drug (such as cocaine, heroin, or marijuana) that affects the brain and that is usually dangerous and illegal
a drug that is given to people in small amounts to make them sleep or feel less pain
something that soothes, relieves, or lulls
also
e.g. An irradicable sense of self-righteousness seems to be the narcotic that inures these religious fanatics from any realization of the harm they have done. The lecturer drones on in a narcotic monotone that eventually had the entire class struggling to stay awake.
narcosis
a state of stupor, unconsciousness, or arrested activity produced by the influence of narcotics or other chemical or physical agents
natal
native
of, relating to, or present at birth; especially, associated with one’s birth
natty
trimly neat and tidy; smart
e.g. a soldier in his natty blue uniform
He’s quite a natty dresser.
nautical
of, relating to, or associated with seamen, navigation, or ships
e.g. sextants and other antique nautical equipment
naysay
to say nay to; deny; reject; oppose
nebulous
of, relating to, or resembling a nebula; nebular
indistinct, vague
e.g. nebulous references to some major changes the future may hold
nefarious
flagrantly wicked or impious; evil
e.g. the chaste heroines and nefarious villains of old-time melodramas
negate
to deny the existence or truth of
to cause to be ineffective or invalid
e.g. The fact that she lied about her work experience negated the contract.
neolithic
(cap.) of or relating to the latest period of the Stone Age characterized by polished stone implements
belonging to an earlier stage and now outmoded
e.g. My old manual typewriter now seems positively neolithic.
