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481 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abjure
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1. renounce 2. recant 3. give up or abstain from
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abortive
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unsuccessful
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aboveboard
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straightforward
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abscond
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depart secretly
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abstruse
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difficult to understand; recondite
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accede
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1. concede 2. come into office or dignity
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accolade
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1. expression of praise 2. ceremonial greeting 3. bestowal of knighthood
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actuate
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1. activate 2. move into action
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adduce
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cite as an example or means of proof in an argument
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adsorption
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accumulation of gases, liquids, or solutes on the surface of a liquid or solid
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adze
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axelike tool
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affront
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offend
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aggregate
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total
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agog
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full of excitement or interest
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ague
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febrile condition; chill or fit of shivering
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alb
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long white linen robe worn by a priest at Mass
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alembic
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device used for distilling or a similar purifying process
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altruistic
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selfless
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amain
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with might
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analgestic
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pain relieving
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annular
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shaped like a ring
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aphorism
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tersely phrased statement of truth or opinion
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appurtenaince
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adjunct; accessory; something added to another
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anchorite
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one who has gone into seclusion for religious reasons
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animalcule
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microscopic life form
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apocryphal
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of questionable authorship or authenticity
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aquiline
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of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an eagle
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argent
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silver
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arrant
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downright; extreme; notorious
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askance
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obliquely
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asperity
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roughness; harshness
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aspersion
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1. damaging or derogatory remark; slander 2. sprinkling with water
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asquint
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with sidelong glance
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assay
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1. chemically analyze 2. examine
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asseverate
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1. declare seriously 2. affirm
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athwart
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across, through
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aubade
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song or poem greeting the dawn
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augure
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predict the future
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august
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awe-inspiring, majestic
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aver
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affirm; declare
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bairn
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child
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ballast
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1. heavy material used to balance a ship or a balloon 2. gravel used for the bed of a road
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barbican
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tower on the approach to a castle or town
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barratry
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1. persistently instigating lawsuits 2. simony
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bast
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1. phloem 2. bast fiber
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beck
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small brook; creek
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bedeck
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adorn in a showy manner
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belime
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smear or ensnare with birdlime
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bellwether
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leader of activities; indicator of future trends
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benedight
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blessed
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bequest
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the act of giving or passing on to another
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bereft
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1. lacking something needed 2. sorrowful through loss or desparation
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besprent
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sprinkled over
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betimes
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1. in good time; early 2. once in a while
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bewray
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curse
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birdlime
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sticky substance smeared on branches to capture birds
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blandish
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flatter
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blithe
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casual, lighthearted
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bluster
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blow in loud, violent gusts
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bodkin
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small, blunt needle; hairpin; awl
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bonhoie
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good nature; pleasant and easy manner
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boon
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blessing
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boor
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person with unrefined manners, peasant
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brackish
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1. somewhat salty 2. distasteful
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brae
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hillside; slope
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brocade
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heavy fabric interwoven with a rich raised design
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brogue
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heavy shoe of untanned leather, formerly worn in Scotland and Ireland
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brumal
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belonging to winter; winterlike
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brume
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mist, fog
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brummagem
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1. cheap and tawdry 2. spurious; counterfeit
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brusque
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abrupt and curt; discourteously blunt
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burgonet
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light steel helmet with a peak and hinged flaps covering the cheeks, worn in the 16th century
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byre
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barn for cows
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byrnie
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long (usually sleeveless) chain mail tunic; hauberk
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cadre
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nucleus of trained personnel around which a larger organization can be built and trained
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caitiff
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despicable coward, wretch
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calcitrate
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kick
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callow
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immature
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calumny
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slander
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candor
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1. sincerity 2. fairness
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captious
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unduly critical
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carousal
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boisterous merrymaking
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caustic
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capable of burning, corroding, or eating away by chemical action
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cassock
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ankle-length garment with close-fitting sleeves and waist worn by clergy
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catachresis
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misuse of a word or phrase
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cavil
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find fault unnecessarily; quibble
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cerastes
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venomous snake with hornlike projections over each eye
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cerement
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burial garment
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champaign
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plain
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coadjutor
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coworker; assistant
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coalesce
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come together
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codex
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manuscript volume
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cogitate
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ponder
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collateral
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supporting
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collop
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small portion or slice of food
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commensurate
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of the same size, extent, or duration as another
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compunction
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uneasiness caused by a feeling of guilt
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conflate
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bring together; fuse; meld
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confluence
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1. junction, especially of rivers 2. assemblage of a multitude in one place
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congeal
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1. solidify by freezing 2. coagulate, jell
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consuetude
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custom, usage
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contusion
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bruise; injury in which the skin is not broken
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convalescence
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gradual return to health after illness
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cope
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long ecclesaistical vestment worn over an alb or surplice
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copula
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dome-like structure
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corbel
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bracket projecting from a wall, used to hold up a cornice or arch
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cornice
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horizontal projection that crowns or completes a building
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corrie
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round hollow in a hillside; cirque
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corrugate
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shape into folds
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courtesan
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woman prostitute, especially one whose clients are nobility
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cowl
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hood or hooded robe worn by a monk
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crone
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ugly old woman
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cupidity
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excessive desire for wealth
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curtal
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something cut short
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daub
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1. smear with a soft adhesive substance 2. apply with hasty or crude strokes
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deacon
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1. cleric ranking just below a priest in Anglian, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches 2. Protestant layperson who assists a minister
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dearth
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scare supply; lack
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debar
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1. exclude 2. forbid, hinder
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decoct
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1. extract the flavor of by boiling 2. make concentrated
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decurion
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1. officer in command of ten men in the army of ancient Rome 2. member of a municipal senate in ancient Rome
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demure
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modest; shy
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defray
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pay
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desiccate
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make dry or dull
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diktat
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authoritative decree or order
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delimit
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demarcate, establish the boundaries or limits of
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dilatory
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intended to delay
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decry
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openly criticize
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deluge
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great flood or heavy downpour
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desuetude
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cessation of use; disuse
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desultory
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aimless; haphazard; rambling; marked by lack of purpose
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diatribe
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bitter, abusive denunciation
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dispraise
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disapproval, censure
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dissimulate
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disguise feelings or intentions
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distemper
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disease
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dowff
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dull and heavy
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droll
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amusingly odd or whimsically comical
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dross
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waste or impure matter
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dudgeon
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state or fit of intense indignation; resentment; ill-humor; often used in the phrase "in high dudgeon"
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dunnock
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hedge swallow or hedge accentor
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edacious
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given to eating; voracious; devouring
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edify
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instruct especially so as to encourage moral, spiritual, intellectual improvement
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educe
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evoke
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effable
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capable of being uttered or explained
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effete
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weak
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effrontery
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brazen boldness; presumptuousness
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effulgence
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brilliant radiance
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effuse
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pour
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embrocate
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moisten and rub with lotion
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emolument
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payment for an office or employment
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empathy
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understanding another's emotions
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emprise
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chivalrous or adventurous undertaking
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empyreal
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celestial
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emulous
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eager to surpass another
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encomium
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expression of praise
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enervate
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weaken
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enjoin
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1. direct or impose with authority or emphasis 2. forbid
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enow
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enough
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eponym
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person whose name is the source of the name of something
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equable
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unchanging, steady
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equanimity
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quality of being calm; composure
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equerry
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1. personal attendant to the British royal household 2. officer charged with supervising horses
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equipoise
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equilibrium; counterbalance
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escarp
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1. steep slope, escarpment 2. inner wall of a ditch around a fortification 3. cause to form a steep slope
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escutcheon
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shield bearing a coat of arms
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esplanade
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flat open stretch of pavement or grass, especially one designed as a promenade along a shore
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esurient
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hungry, voracious, greedy
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exasperate
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1. annoy 2. increase the gravity of
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execrate
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1. curse 2. loathe, abhor
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exegete
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one who explains difficult parts of written works
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exhume
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dig up; revive
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expiate
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make amends; atone
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expostulate
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reason earnestly with someone in an effort to dissuade or correct; remonstrate
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expurgate
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remove bad material before publication
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eunuch
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castrated man
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evanescent
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fleeting
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fastidious
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displaying meticulous attention to detail
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feckless
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1. lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective 2. careless and irresponsible
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fecund
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fertile
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festoon
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string or garland
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fiat
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1. arbitrary order or decree 2. authorization or sanction
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flagitious
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1. vicious 2. infamous, scandalous
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forsooth
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in truth, indeed
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frieze
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decorated horizontal band
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friseur
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hairdresser; coiffeur
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frith
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firth, long inlet of the sea
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fulminate
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1. issue a thunderous verbal attack 2. explode
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fulsome
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offensive through excess of praise
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fustian
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1. coarse twilled cotton or cotton and linen stuff, including corduroy, velveteen, etc. 2. pompous; bombastic
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gammon
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1. nonsensical or misleading talk 2. lower part of a side of bacon
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gar
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cause or compel
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garret
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attic
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gastronome
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lover of good food and drink
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gaunt
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thin and bony; lean
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gelid
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very cold, icy
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gemon
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public meeting or local judicial assembly in Anglo-Saxon England
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gerfalcon
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large falcon of Arctic regions
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glede
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any of several birds of prey
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gleed
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glowing coal, ember
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glen
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small secluded valley
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gloaming
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twilight; dusk
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glut
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eat or indulge excessively
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gorget
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piece of armor that protects the throat
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gout
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disturbance of uric acid metabolism chiefly in males
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grapnel
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grapple, small anchor with three or more flukes
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guerdon
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reward, recompense
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gyve
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shackle or fetter, especially for the leg
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hagiography
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biography of saints
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hale
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sound, healthy
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handsel
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1. gift to express good wishes at the start of a new year or enterprise 2. first payment
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harangue
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long pompous speech
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harridan
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worn out strumpet; vixenish woman; hag
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heterodox
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unorthadox
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hibernacle
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winter retreat; winter home of a hibernating animal
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hirsute
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hairy
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hoary
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gray or white with age
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hobbledehoy
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awkward, gawky young fellow
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hortatory
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marked by urging; intended to encourage or incite
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impetuous
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1. impulsive and passionate 2. marked by violent force
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importunate
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urgent or persistent in requesting
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imprecate
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curse
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impute
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relate to a particular cause or source
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incarnadine
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1. fleshy pink 2. blood red
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incendiary
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inflammatory
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indemnity
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security against damage, loss, or injury
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indict
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accuse of wrongdoing
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indigent
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poor
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inflect
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change pitch
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insolvent
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bankrupt
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interdict
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prevent
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interloper
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meddler
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inure
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enure, habituate to something undesireable
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invective
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abusive language, vituperation
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invidious
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1. tending to provoke envy or ill will 2. envious
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irascible
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irritable; easily provoked
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iridescent
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brilliant; lustrous; colorful
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irrupt
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break or burst in
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janizary
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member of a group of elite, loyal supporters
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jetty
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structure, such as a pier, that projects into a body of water to influence the tide
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jurisprudence
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philosophy or science of law
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jurist
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expert on law
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ken
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perception, understanding
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laconic
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using few words, terse
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largess
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1. liberality in bestowing gifts, especially in a condescending manner 2. generosity
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lariat
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lasso
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leach
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1. remove constituents from by percolation 2. drain, empty
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leveret
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young hare
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livery
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1. distinctive dress worn by members of a particular group 2. business that offers vehicles for hire
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livid
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1. discolored, as if from a bruise 2. ashen or pallid 3. furious
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loadstar
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1. star that is used as a point of reference 2. guiding principle, interest, or ambition
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lording
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lordling; lord regarded as immature or insignificant
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lugubrious
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mournful, dismal
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lurid
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causing shock or horror
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macerate
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make soft by soaking; starve
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magniloquent
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pompous, bombastic
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manacle
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device for confining the hands, like handcuffs
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maravedi
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ancient Spanish coin
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martinet
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strict disciplinarian
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mastiff
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any of an ancient breed of large strong dogs
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mattock
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digging tool with a flat blade at a right angle to the handle
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matutinal
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of, relating to, or occurring in the morning; early
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maugre
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notwithstanding, in spite of
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meed
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fitting recompense
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mendacious
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false
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menses
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catamenia; menstrual cycle
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meretricious
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attractively designed
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metier
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1. occupation; proffession 2. area in which one excels
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micturate
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urinate
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midden
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dunghill or refuse heap
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misericord
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1. relaxation of monastic rules 2. bracket attached to the underside of a church seat against which a standing person might lean 3. dagger used in Medieval times to kill a seriously wounded knight
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moiety
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half; portion
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mollify
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soothe, pacify
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morass
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area of low-lying soggy ground
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morion
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crested metal helmet with a curved peak in front and back
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mot
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witty remark
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motley
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1. colorful 2. garment worn by a jester
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mulct
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penalty such as a fine
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multifarious
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having great diversity or variety
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munificent
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generous
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myopia
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nearsightedness
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nefarious
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infamous for wickedness
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neophyte
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1. recent convert to a belief, proselyte 2. beginner, novice
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niggard
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stingy, miserly
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noviciate
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1. period of being a novice 2. place where novices live 3. novice
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obfuscate
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1. make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand 2. render indistinct or dim
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oblectate
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delight; please greatly
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obol
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silver coin used in ancient Greece
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objurgate
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scold or rebuke sharply; berate
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obsequious
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servile
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obsequy
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funeral rite or ceremony
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obstreperous
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1. noisily and stubbornly defiant 2. aggressively boisterous
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obtrude
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force oneself or one's ideas upon others in an unwanted way
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obviate
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do away with, prevent
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ope
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open
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ordure
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excrement, dung
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oriel
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bay window projecting from an upper floor; supported by a corbel or bracket
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orison
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prayer
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orle
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bearing around a shield
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osier
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any of several willows having long rodlike twigs used in basketry
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pablum
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something (as in writing or speech) that is trite, insipid, or simplistic
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palaver
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idle chatter
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palinode
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formal statement of retraction
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palliate
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make less severe or intense
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palpable
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tangible
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palpitate
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1. tremble, quiver 2. throb
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palsy
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1. complete or partial paralysis, accompanied by uncontrolable movements 2. fit of strong emotion marked by the inability to act
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paltry
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1. unimportant, trivial 2. wretched, contemptible
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panegyric
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encomium
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panoply
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1. splendid or striking array 2. something that covers and protects
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paragon
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model of excellence or perfection
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paregoric
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pain-killing
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parson
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1. Anglican cleric with full control of a parish under ecclesiastical law; rector 2. member of the clergy
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passant
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being a beast facing and walking toward the viewer's left with one front leg raised
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pate
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1. head 2. mind
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patina
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1. color or incrustation which age gives to works of art 2. appearance or aura produced by habit, practice, or use 3. superficial layer or exterior
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peccadillo
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small shortcoming or sin
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pederast
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pedophile
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pelf
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wealth, especially when dishonestly acquired
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pen
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female swan
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pendant
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1. hanging down 2. projecting 3. pending
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penetralia
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innermost parts of a building
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perambulate
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walk through
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percolate
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filter
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perfunctory
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routine
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peripatetic
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moving about
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perse
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dark grayish blue or purple
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perspicacity
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acuteness of perception, discernment, or understanding
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pertinacious
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holding tenaciously to a purpose, belief, or opinion
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petulant
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1. irritable 2. contemptible
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pharisee
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1. member of an ancient Jewish sect that emphasized strict observance 2. hypocritically self-righteous person
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philology
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literary study or classical scholarship
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phlegm
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sluggishness
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physiology
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study of the functions of living organisms and their parts
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physiognomy
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art of judging human character from facial features
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pibroch
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traditional dirge for highland bagpipes
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pinafore
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sleeveless garment similar to an apron, worn especially by small girls
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pittance
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1. meager monetary allowance 2. small amount
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platitude
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lack of originality; triteness
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plenary
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full, complete
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plucky
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courageous
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potation
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1. act of drinking 2. a drink
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potentate
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one who has the power and position to rule over others
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precinct
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subdivision or district
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predilection
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preference
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presage
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prediction
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presbyter
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priest in various hierarchal churches
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probity
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integrity, honesty
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prognosticate
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predict
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provender
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dry food for livestock
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pursy
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fat and short-breathed
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prate
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talk idlely and at length, chatter
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preceptory
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community of medieval Knights Templars
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prelate
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high-ranking member of the clergy
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pudendum
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human external genital organ, especially of a woman
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puerile
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juvenile, childish
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puissance
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power, might
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pusillanimous
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cowardly
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puttee
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strip of cloth worn spirally around the leg from ankle to knee
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pyx
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1. container for wafers for the Eucharist 2. chest in a mint where coins await assay
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querulous
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complaining
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quiddity
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1. real nature of a thing, essence 2. small distinction, quibble
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quorum
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minimum number of people needed for a meeting
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rampant
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rearing on the hind legs
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rapine
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forcible seizure of another's property, plunder
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reave
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1. seize and carry off forcibly 2. break or tear apart
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rebarbative
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serving or tending to irritate or repel
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recheat
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horn call to call back the hounds
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recondite
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difficult to understand
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recumbent
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resting; idle
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redound
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have an effect or consequence
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renascent
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springing or rising again into being
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repine
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1. be discontented 2. yearn for something
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reprobate
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morally unprincipled person
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retouch
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improve
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retrench
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1. reduce 2. remove, delete
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rheumy
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watering
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roset
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red color used by painters
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rostrum
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elevated platform for public speaking
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rowel
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sharp-toothed wheel in a spur
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runnel
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rivulet
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sable
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1. carnivorous mammal of northern Europe and Asia, having soft dark fur 2. grayish yellowish brown 3. sablefish
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sanctimony
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hypocritical devoutness or high-mindedness
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sap
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dig away the foundation of; weaken
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sardonic
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scornfully or cynically mocking
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sallow
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of sickly yellowish hue or complexion
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saturnine
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sullen
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scapula
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shoulder blade
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scintillate
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sparkle or shine
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scroop
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crisp rustle of silk or a similar fabric
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sedulous
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assiduous
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sees
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official seat of a bishop
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sententious
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pithy
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sexagenary
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relating to or proceeding by sixties
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sibyl
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woman prophet
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signet
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seal
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simony
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buying or selling of ecclesiastical pardons, offices, or emoluments
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sine qua non
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indispensable thing
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sizar
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student at the university of Cambridge or Dublin who, having passed an examination, is exempt from college fees
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skelp
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strike or slap
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slattern
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untidy or dirty woman
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slough
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depression or hollow, usually filled with deep mud or mire
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smart
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suffer acutely
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sopite
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put to sleep; quiet
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sopoforic
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drowsy
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sorb
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1. Old World tree in the rose family 2. take up and hold
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sou
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one of several coins formerly used in France
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sough
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make a soft murmuring or rustling sound
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spavin
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swelling of the hock joint of a horse; resulting in lameness
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specious
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seemingly true but actually false
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spelt
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hardy wheat grown mostly in Europe
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splenetic
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1. of or relating to the spleen 2. irritable
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spoliate
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plunder, pillage, despoil
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sprack
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quick, lively, alert
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spulzie
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plunder; booty
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squalid
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dirty or wretched, as from poverty or lack of care
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stirk
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heiffer or bullock, especially between one and two years old
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stochastic
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conjectural
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stolid
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showing little emotion
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stot
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young bull or ox, especially three years old
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stripling
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adolescent
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strumpet
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woman prostitute
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suffuse
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spread through or over, as with liquid, color, or light
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sundry
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various; miscellaneous
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surfeit
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1. overindulgence 2. excessive amount
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surplice
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loose-fitting white ecclesiastical gown with wide sleeves, worn over a cassock
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supernal
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celestial, heavenly
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supine
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prostrate
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supplicate
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beseech
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surcingle
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girth that binds a saddle, pack, or blanket to the body of a horse
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tallow
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wax used to make candles
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tarn
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small mountain lake
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temerity
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recklessness
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tenebrous
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dark and gloomy
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temporize
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stall for time
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termagant
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quarrelsome, scolding woman
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tilt
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joust
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tocsin
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warning; alarm
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torpor
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state of mental inactivity or insensibility
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transmigrate
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move into another body after death
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tregetour
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juggler who produces illusions by the use of elaborate machinery
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trenchant
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forceful, effective, vigorous
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truant
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absent without permission
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truculent
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fierce
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truism
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self-evident truth
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turbid
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heavy, dark, or dense
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turpitude
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depravity, baseness
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ubiquitous
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omnipresent
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ululate
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howl, wail, or lament loudly
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unctuous
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1. characterized by insincere earnestness 2. like oil or ointment
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unguent
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healing salve, ointment
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usurer
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one who lends money at a high interest rate
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uxorious
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excessively fond or submissive to a wife
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vagary
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extravagant notion or action
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vallate
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surrounded by a wall
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vaunt
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brag about
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variegate
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1. change the appearance of, especially by marking with different colors 2. make varied
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vapid
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lacking liveliness, animation, zest
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veneer
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thin surface layer
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venery
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indulgence in or pursuit of sexual activity
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vermilion
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vivid red to reddish orange
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vicinage
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vicinity
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vilipend
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view or treat with contempt; despise
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virile
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of or relating to the characteristics of an adult male
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virtu
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1. love of fine objects 2. productions of art 3. artistic quality
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vitriolic
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caustic
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vituperate
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rebuke or criticize harshly
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vociferate
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utter or cry out vehemently, especially in protest
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votary
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person who is fervently devoted or enthusiastic
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wainscot
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facing or panneling, usually of wood, applied to the walls of a room
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wanton
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immoral; undisciplined
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wattle
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1. twigs, reeds, or branches 2. fold of skin hanging from the neck or throat of certain birds and lizards
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weal
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prosperity; happiness
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weasand
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gullet; throat
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wergeld
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in Anglo-Saxon and Germanic law, price set upon a person's life as a basis of rank
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wight
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1. living being; creature 2. valorous, brave
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whilom
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quondam
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wimple
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cloth worn around the head by medieval nuns
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winnow
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blow off (chaff) or away
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woad
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plant in the mustard family that yields blue dye
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palimpsest
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manuscript on which earlier text has been incompletely erased or still visible
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sybaritic
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devoted to or marked by pleasure and luxury
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gourmandize
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overeat
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