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47 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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tonsure
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n. shaving of the head, esp by person entering religious orders
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topography
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n. physical features of a region
topography of the region |
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torrent
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n. rushing stream; flood
adj. torrential the water ran downhill in torrents |
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torrid
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adj. passionate; hot or scorching
torrid love affairs torrid climates |
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totter
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v. move unsteadily; sway, as if about to fall
the drunkard tottered down the street |
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touchstone
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`n. stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion
What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person? |
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tout
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v. publicize; praise excessively
he touted some junk bonds which turned out to be bad investments |
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tract
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n. pamphlet; a region of indefinite size
he was granted a tract of land in the New World |
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tractable
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adj. docile; easily managed
the tamed lion was tractable |
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traduce
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v. expose to slander
His opponent's tried to traduce the candidate's reputation |
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transcendent
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adj. surpassing; exceeding ordinary limits; superior
it was a transcendent experience for her - watching the sun rise at the waterfront v. transcend n. transcendency |
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transfigure
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v. transform outwardly, usu for the better; change in form or aspect
her romance transfigured her poetry |
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transgression
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n. violation of a law; sin
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transitory
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adj. impermanent; fleeting
fame is transitory |
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transmute
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v. change; convert to something different
transmute your dreams into actualities |
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transpire
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v. be revealed; happen
It had just transpired... |
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transport
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n. strong emotion
one moment in transports of joy, at another moment in transports of grief |
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trappings
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n. outward decorations; ornaments
he loved the trappings of success: limousines, stock options, the company jet |
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travail
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n. painful physical or mental labor; drudgery; torment
she hated the seeemingly endless travail of cramming for the boards |
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travesty
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n. harshly distorted imitation; parody; debased likeness
travesty of the original |
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treatise
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n. article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly
He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his grad degree |
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trenchant
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adj. forceful and vigorous; cutting
trenchant wit |
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tribulation
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n. distress; suffering
after all the tribulations we have gone through, we need a rest |
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tribunal
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n. court of justice
the decision of the tribunal was final |
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tribute
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n. tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect
they refused to pay tribute to the foreign despot |
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trident
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n. 3-pronged spear
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trite
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adj. hackneyed, commonplace
the trite and predictable situations on TV programs bore us |
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trivia
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n. trifles; unimportant matters
these trashy magazines feature trivia |
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troth
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n. pledge of good faith esp in betrothal
He gave her his troth and vowed to cherish her always |
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trough
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n. container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle...)
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truculence
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n. aggressiveness; ferocity
His reviews are known for their caustic attacks and general tone of truculence |
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truism
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n. self-evident truth
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truncate
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v. cut the top off
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tryst
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n. meeting
the lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger |
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tumid
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adj. swollen; pompous; bombastic
his writing style is very tumid |
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tumult
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n. commotion; riot; noise
I can't hear you over the tumult of the mob |
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tundra
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n. rolling, treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America
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turbid
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adj. muddy; having the sediment disturbed
the water was turbid after the children had waded through it |
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tureen
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n. deep dish for serving soup
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turgid
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adj. swollen; distended
the turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the countryside |
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turncoat
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n. traitor
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turpitude
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n. depravity (moral corruption or degradation)
He was denied entrance into the country bc of moral turpitude |
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tutelage
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n. guardianship; training
under the tutelage of such masters... |
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tutelary
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adj. protective; pertaining to a guardianship
I am acting in my tutelary capacity when i refuse to grant you permission to leave the campus |
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tycoon
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n. wealthy leader
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tyranny
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n. oppression; cruel govt
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tyro
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n. beginner; novice
for a mere tyro, you have produced some marvelous results |
