Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
68 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
sequester
|
v. isolate; retire from public life; segregate; seclude
the judge sequestered the jury |
|
|
sere
|
adj. parched; dry
your lips look sere |
|
|
serendipity
|
n. gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck
many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity |
|
|
serenity
|
n. calmness, placidity
the serenity was shattered by an explosion |
|
|
serpentine
|
adj. winding; twisting
the car swerved on the serpentine road |
|
|
sextant
|
n. navigation tool used to determine a ship's latitude and longitude
|
|
|
shackle
|
v. chain; fetter
the criminal's ankles were shackled to prevent him from escaping |
|
|
sham
|
v. pretend
she shammed sickness |
|
|
shambles
|
n. wreck; mess
her apartment was a shambles |
|
|
shard
|
n. fragment, generally of pottery
he reassembled the clay pot from the shards he picked up |
|
|
sheaf
|
n. bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together
the lawyer picked up the sheaf of papers |
|
|
sheathe
|
v. place into a case
he sheathed his dagger |
|
|
shirk
|
v. avoid (responsibility, work, etc); malinger
he would never shirk any responsibility |
|
|
shoddy
|
adj. sham (pretend); not genuine; inferior
i would never buy such shoddy material |
|
|
shrew
|
n. scolding woman
no one wanted to marry the shrew |
|
|
shun
|
v. keep away from
Cherishing his solitude, the recluse shunned the company of other human beings. |
|
|
shunt
|
v. turn aside; divert; sidetrack
he shunted the train onto a side track |
|
|
shyster
|
n. lawyer using questionable methods
|
|
|
sibylline
|
adj. prophetic; oracular
sibylline books |
|
|
sidereal
|
adj. relating to the stars
the telescope is used to view distant sidereal bodies |
|
|
silt
|
n. sediment deposited by running water
|
|
|
simian
|
adj. monkeylike
lemurs have many simian characteristics |
|
|
simper
|
v. smirk; smile affectedly
Complimented on her appearance, she self-consciously simpered |
|
|
simplistic
|
adj. oversimplified
|
|
|
sinecure
|
n. well-paid position w/ little responsibility
this job is no sinecure! |
|
|
sinewy
|
adj. tough; strong and firm
the steak was too sinewy to chew |
|
|
singular
|
adj. unique; extraordinary; odd
i don't undestand his singular behavior |
|
|
sinuous
|
adj. winding; bending in and out; not morally honest
the snake moved in a sinuous manner |
|
|
skiff
|
n. small, light sailboat or rowboat
|
|
|
skinflint
|
n. stingy person; miser
Scrooge was a skinflint |
|
|
skirmish
|
n. minor fight
the troops might run into a skirmish or two on their way there |
|
|
skittish
|
adj. lively; frisky
she is as skittish as a kitten playing w/ a piece of string |
|
|
skulduggery
|
n. dishonest behavior
the investigation turned up new instances of skulduggery |
|
|
skulk
|
v. move furtively and secretly
he skulked thru the alleys to avoid bumping into his friends |
|
|
slacken
|
v. slow up; loosen
by the 5th hr, the runners slackened their pace |
|
|
slag
|
n. residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter
|
|
|
slake
|
v. quench; sate
When we reached the oasis were able to slake our thirst |
|
|
slapdash
|
adj. haphazard; careless; sloppy
there are still tons of errors - he obviously proofread it in a slapdash manner |
|
|
sleazy
|
adj. flimsy; unsubstantial
This is a sleazy fabric; it will not wear well |
|
|
sleeper
|
n. something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable
|
|
|
sleight
|
n. dexterity
the magician amazed us w/ his sleight of hand |
|
|
slew
|
n. large quantity or number
she had a whole slew of errands to do |
|
|
slight
|
n. insult to one's dignity; snub
to treat (someone) with indifference; ignore, esp. pointedly or contemptuously; snub: to be slighted by society. 8. to do negligently; scamp: to slight one's studies. |
|
|
slipshod
|
adj. untidy or slovenly; shabby
he prided himself on never doing slipshod work |
|
|
slither
|
v. slip or slide
during the storm, many people slithered down the hill |
|
|
sloth
|
n. slow-moving tree-dwelling mammal
|
|
|
slothful
|
adj. lazy
i feel slothful today |
|
|
slough
|
v. cast off
Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin |
|
|
slovenly
|
adj. untidy; careless in work habits
unshaven, he had a slovenly appearance |
|
|
sluggard
|
n. lazy person
think sluggish! |
|
|
sluice
|
n. artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water
in times of drought, the sluice enables farmers to obtain water for irrigation |
|
|
slur
|
n. insult to one's character or reputation; slander
|
|
|
smattering
|
n. slight knowledge
I don't know whether it's better to be ignorant or to have a mere smattering of information about it. |
|
|
smelt
|
v. melt or blend ores, changing their chemical composition
he smelts tin w/ copper to create an alloy |
|
|
smolder
|
v. burn w/o flame; be liable to break out at any moment
the rags smoldered for hrs before they burst into flame |
|
|
snivel
|
v., run at the nose; snuffle; whine
Don't you come sniveling to me complaining about your big brother |
|
|
sobriety
|
n. moderation (esp regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness
Neither falling-down drunks nor stand--up comics are noted for sobriety |
|
|
sodden
|
adj. soaked; dull, as if from drink
he set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry |
|
|
sojourn
|
n. temporary stay
After his sojourn in Florida... |
|
|
solace
|
n. comfort in trouble
i hop you will find solace inthe thought that all of us share your loss |
|
|
solecism
|
n. construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically
You failed your paper bc it contains many solecisms |
|
|
solemnity
|
n. seriousness; gravity
nothing shall disturb the solemnity of the marriage service |
|
|
solicitous
|
adj. worried, concerned
the employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees |
|
|
soliloquy
|
n. talking to oneself
|
|
|
solstice
|
n. point at which the sun is farthest from the equator
the winter solstice usually occurs on dec. 21 |
|
|
soluble
|
adj. able to be dissolved; able to be worked out
this problem is not soluble! |
|
|
solvent
|
adj. able to pay all debt
By dint of very frugal living, he was finally able to become solvent |
|
|
somatic
|
adj. pertaining to the body; physical
|
