Word List 47 Flashcards
sanatorium
an establishment that provides therapy combined with a regimen for treatment or rehabilitation
an establishment for the treatment of the chronically ill
sangfroid
self-possession or imperturbability especially under strain
e.g. The professional gambler seemed to take both his wins and his losses with remarkable sangfroid.
sapling
a young tree
youth
sardonic
disdainfully or skeptically humorous; derisively mocking
e.g. a sardonic little jab that made her visitor quiet and subdued for the rest of the night
sate
to cloy with overabundance; glut to appease (as a thirst) by indulging to the full
e.g. sate the appetite of vampire-hungry fans
scabrous
difficult, knotty
rough to touch
dealing with suggestive, indecent, or scandalous themes; salacious; also, squalid
e.g. a scabrous problem
scabrous paint/skin
a movie with scabrous humor
scad
(informal) a great number or quantity
paucity
smallness of number; fewness
smallness of quantity; dearth
e.g. a paucity of useful answers to the problem of traffic congestion at rush hour
scamper
to run nimbly and usually playfully about
scarp
a line of cliffs produced by faulting or erosion
a low steep slope along a beach caused by wave erosion
scintillate
to emit sparks; spark
to throw off as a spark or as sparkling flashes
e.g. star scintillating in the sky
scintillate witticisms
scission
a division or split in a group or union; schism
e.g. fears that the scission of the labor union will compromise the workers’ bargaining power
scour
to rub or scrub
to clean by purging; purge
to move about quickly especially in search
e.g. They scoured the grounds for the missing keys.
screed
a lengthy discourse
e.g. In her screed against the recording industry, she blamed her producer for ruining her career.
scrumptious
delightful, excellent; especially, delicious
scud
to move or run swiftly especially as if driven forward
rush
loose vapory clouds driven swiftly by the wind
a slight sudden shower
a gust of wind
e.g. clouds scudding across the sky
A cold scud sent leaves skittering down from the trees.
scutter
scurry, scamper
seafaring
the use of the sea for travel or transportation
seclude
to remove or separate from intercourse or outside influence; isolate
shut off, screen
e.g. seclude themselves from the turmoil of secular affairs
sedition
incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority
e.g. The leaders of the group have been arrested and charged with sedition.
seditious
- sedition
e. g. Several dissidents were jailed for leading protests that the government branded as seditious.
senile
of, relating to, exhibiting, or characteristic of old age; especially, exhibiting a loss of cognitive abilities associated with old age
sententious
given to or abounding in aphoristic expression
given to or abounding in excessive moralizing
terse, aphoristic, or moralistic in expression; pithy, epigrammatic
e.g. a smug and sententious writer
a sententious crank who has written countless letters to the editor about the decline in family values
sequacious
intellectually servile; (of a person) lacking independence or originality of thought
e.g. The human race is gregarious and sequacious, rather than individual and adventurous.
sequela
an aftereffect of a disease, condition, or injury
a secondary result
serendipity
the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for; also, an instance of this
e.g. They found each other by pure serendipity.
sermonize
to compose or deliver a sermon
to speak didactically or dogmatically
e.g. a teacher who can talk to her students about serious subjects without sermonizing
shanty
a small crudely built dwelling or shelter usually of wood
shawl
a square or oblong usually fabric garment or wrapper used especially as a covering for the head or shoulders
sheaf
a quantity of stalks and ears of a cereal grass or sometimes other plant material bound together
a large amount or number
e.g. contends that casino gambling would generate a sheaf of social problems for the state
sheen
a bright or shining condition; brightness
e.g. polished the metal until it had an even sheen
shibboleth
a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning
a widely held belief; also, truism, platitude
a custom or usage regarded as distinct of a group
e.g. She repeated the old shibboleth that time heals all wounds.
Accent was a shibboleth of social class.
shuffle
to work into or out of trickily
to act or speak in a shifty or evasive manner
e.g. shuffle out of the difficulty
sidesplitting
extremely funny
sidle
to go or move with one side foremost especially in a furtive advance
to cause to move or turn sideways
e.g. sidle up to him and slip him a note
sidle through the narrow opening
simian
of, relating to, or resembling monkeys or apes
monkey, ape
skittish
lively or frisky in action; capricious
easily frightened; restive
coy, bashful; also, wary
e.g. a skittish horse
skittish about taking on such a large mortgage
skulduggery
underhanded or unscrupulous behavior; also, a devious device or trick
e.g. The company’s apparently healthy bottom line was merely an illusion, the result of years of accounting skulduggery.
slapdash
haphazard, slipshod
e.g. The investigation of the charges against the mayor was slapdash and not very thorough.
slaver
drool, slobber
to fawn
e.g. a dog slavering over a bone
suburbanites slavering over drop-dead models
sleazy
lacking firmness of texture; flimsy
marked by low character or quality
squalid, dilapidated
e.g. a dancer in a sleazy outfit
a sleazy lothario who is always on the make
sleight
deceitful craftiness; also, stratagem
dexterity, skill
e.g. employ some sophisticated sleight to con that wary couple out of their money
a brilliant new theory that pays tribute to his remarkable sleight of mind
slobber
drool
to indulge the feelings effusively and without restraint
driveling, sloppy, or incoherent utterance
e.g. The baby just slobbered on the blanket.
sloven
one habitually negligent of neatness or cleanliness especially in personal appearance
slew
to turn about a fixed point
to cause to skid; veer
e.g. slew a car around a turn
slump
to fall or sink suddenly
also
e.g. slumping sales
The economy has been in a slump since last year.
snappish
given to curt irritable speech
arising from annoyance or irascibility
inclined to bite
e.g. a snappish remark/dog
snappy
quickly made or done
marked by vigor or liveliness
briskly cold
stylish, smart
e.g. a snappy decision
snappy dialogue / a snappy dresser
sojourn
a temporary stay
e.g. The family enjoyed a two-week sojourn in the mountains.
somnolent
sleep-inducing
inclined to or heavy with sleep; drowsy
sluggish
e.g. a somnolent sermon
somnolent rivers
souse
pickle to plunge in liquid; immerse to make drunk something pickled wetting a habitual drunkard; also, a drinking spree; binge
spangle
small glittering object or particle
to set or sprinkle with or as if with spangles
to glitter as if covered with spangled; sparkle
spasmodic
relating to or resembling a spasm especially in sudden violence
acting or proceeding fitfully; intermittent
e.g. a spasmodic jerk
spasmodic attempts to lose weight
spoor
a track by which the progress of someone or something may be followed
spunk
spirit, courage, and determination
e.g. had the spunk to overcome a severe physical disability
spurn
to tread sharply or heavily upon; trample
to reject with disdain or contempt; scorn
e.g. Fiercely independent, the elderly couple spurned all offers of financial help.
star-crossed
not favored by the stars; ill-fated
stoop
to bend down or over
yield, submit
to descend from a superior rank, dignity, or status
debase, degrade
e.g. She stooped down to hug the child.
stooped to lying
stouthearted
courageous
stubborn
straggle
to move along slowly, typically in a small irregular group, so as to remain some distance behind the person or people in front
to grow, spread, or be laid out in an irregular, untidy way; trail
an untidy or irregularly arranged mass or group of something
e.g. The trees straggle over the countryside.
a straggle of cottages
stupendous
causing astonishment or wonder; awesome, marvelous
of amazing size or greatness; tremendous
e.g. a person with stupendous wealth
the stupendous engineering feats achieved by the ancient Romans
subscribe
sign
to pledge (a gift or contribution)
to assent to; support
to feel favorably disposed
e.g. unwilling to subscribe to the agreement
subscribe a large sum to the flood relief fund
I subscribe to your sentiments.
subsist
to have existence
persist, continue
to hold true
e.g. The author’s right to royalties shall subsist for the term of the copyright.
substratum
an underlying support; foundation
e.g. drilled into the bedrock substratum
subvention
the provision of assistance or financial support
e.g. The committee receives an annual subvention from the foundation to run the museum.
sully
to make soiled or tarnished; defile
e.g. sully a reputation
sundry
miscellaneous, various
(all and sundry: everybody)
e.g. draw design inspirations from sundry cultures
superannuated
outmoded, old-fashioned
older than the typical member of a specified group
e.g. a periodical that insists on using largely superannuated terms like “editress” and “aviatrix”
