English Vocab Iii

Front 1

sessile

Back 1

adj.
1. Botany. Stalkless and attached directly at the base

2. Zoology. Permanently attached or fixed; immobile; not free-moving

Hint 1

1. sessile leaves

2. sessile barnacles

Front 2

milquetoast

Back 2

n. a timid, weak, or unassertive person

Front 3

paean

Back 3

n. a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph

encomium: formal expression of high praise

Front 4

simian

Back 4

adj. Relating to, characteristic of, or resembling an ape or a monkey

Front 5

peripatetic

Back 5

adj.
1. Walking about or from place to place; traveling on foot.

2. Of or relating to the philosophy or teaching methods of Aristotle, who conducted discussions while walking about in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.

Front 6

bole

Back 6

n. the trunk of a tree

Front 7

rakish

Back 7

adj.
1. Nautical. Having a trim, streamlined appearance:

2. Dashingly or sportingly stylish; jaunty.

Hint 7

1, “We were schooner-rigged and rakish, with a long and lissome hull” (John Masefield).

Front 8

prole

Back 8

n. : a member of the working class (not necessarily employed)

[syn: proletarian, worker]

Front 9

insouciance

Back 9

n.
Blithe lack of concern; nonchalance, lighthearted

n : the cheerful feeling you have when nothing is troubling you [syn: carefreeness, lightheartedness, lightsomeness]

Front 10

blithe

Back 10

adj. Carefree and lighthearted; casual

Lacking due concern

Hint 10

spoken with blithe ignorance of the true situation

Front 11

sonorous

Back 11

adj.
1. Having or producing sound, esp. a full, deep, or rich sound.

2. Impressive in style of speech

Hint 11

2. a sonorous oration

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jingle

Back 12

v.
1. To make a tinkling() or ringing metallic sound, as a small bell.

2. To have the catchy sound of a simple, repetitious rhyme or doggerel (Crudely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature.).

Hint 12

tinkling: a succession of short, light, ringing sounds, as a small bell.

Front 13

doggerel

Back 13

n. Crudely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature.

Front 14

cognate

Back 14

n.
1. Related by blood; having a common ancestor.

2. Related in origin, as certain words in genetically related languages descended from the same ancestral root; for example, English name and Latin nmen from Indo-European *n-men-.

3. Related or analogous in nature, character, or function

Front 15

unprepossessing

Back 15

adj. Not overtly impressive; unremarkable; nondescript:

Hint 15

an unprepossessing little hotel

Front 16

dossier

Back 16

n. A collection of papers giving detailed information about a particular person or subject.

Front 17

mum

Back 17

adj. Not verbalizing; silent.

Front 18

tousle

Back 18

(tou'zəl, -səl)

v. To disarrange or rumple; dishevel.

Front 19

torchere

Back 19

n. A usually tall floor lamp with a bowl-shaped part that diffuses the light or directs it upward.

Front 20

cryptic

Back 20

adj.
1. mysterious in meaning; puzzling; ambiguous:
a cryptic message.

2. abrupt; terse; short:
a cryptic note.

3. secret; occult:
a cryptic writing.

4. Using code or cipher.

Hint 20

occult: understood only by the initiate

Front 21

strident

Back 21

adj. Loud, harsh, grating, or shrill; discordant; vociferous.

Front 22

jackeroo

Back 22

n. A young man living as an apprentice on a sheep station, or otherwise engaged in acquainting himself with colonial life. [Colloq., Australia]

Front 23

gumption

Back 23

n.
1. Boldness of enterprise; initiative or aggressiveness.

2. Guts; spunk(); mettle()

3. Common sense.

Hint 23

2. spunk: spirit, pluck, mettle

pluck: courage or resolution in the face of difficulties.

mettle: courage and fortitude

Fortitude: physical and mental strength in facing difficulty courageously

Front 24

palimony

Back 24

n. An allowance for support made under court order and given usually by one person to his or her former lover or live-in companion after they have separated.

Front 25

baroque

Back 25

n .
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a style in art and architecture developed in Italy and spread through Europe from the early 1600s to 1750, emphasizing dramatic, often strained effect and typified by bold, curving forms, elaborate ornamentation, and overall balance of disparate parts; characterized by free and sculptural use of the classical orders and ornament, by forms in elevation and plan suggesting movement, and by dramatic effect in which architecture, painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts often worked to combined effect.

2. extravagantly ornate, florid(), and convoluted in character or style, esp. something in bad taste

the baroque prose of the novel's more lurid (shocking) passages.

3. irregular in shape: baroque pearls.

Hint 25

2.
Florid:
1. Reddish; ruddy; rosy:
a florid complexion.

2. flowery; excessively ornate; showy:
florid writing.

2. “the baroque, encoded language of post-structural legal and literary theory” (Wendy Kaminer)

Front 26

arcane

Back 26

adj. Known or understood by only a few: mysterious

Hint 26

arcane economic theories

Front 27

logorrhea

Back 27

adj. Excessive use of words.

Front 28

crane

Back 28

v. intransitive
1. To stretch one's neck toward something for a better view.

2. To be irresolute; hesitate.

Front 29

loathe

Back 29

v. to dislike greatly

abhor

abominate

Front 30

mortify

Back 30

v.
1. To cause to experience shame, humiliation, or wounded pride; humiliate.

2. To discipline (one's body and physical appetites) by self-denial or self-inflicted privation.

Front 31

winnow

Back 31

v. To examine closely and separate the good from the bad;

sift; extract (as in wheat from the chaff)

Front 32

gewgaw

Back 32

n. a showy trifle; a trinket; a bauble

Front 33

clerestory

Back 33

n .
1. The upper part of the nave, transepts, and choir of a church, containing windows.

2. An upper portion of a wall containing windows for supplying natural light to a building.

Hint 33

CLER-story

Front 34

refectory

Back 34

n. A room where meals are served, especially in a college or other institution.

Front 35

doppelganger

Back 35

n. a ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts its fleshly counterpart.

Front 36

scintillating

Back 36

v.
1. To throw off sparks; to sparkle or shine; flash.

2. To be animated and brilliant:

Hint 36

2. scintillating dinner converations

Front 37

cantillate.

Back 37

v. To chant or recite (a liturgical text) in a musical monotone

Front 38

lilt

Back 38

n.
1. A cheerful or lively manner of speaking, in which the pitch of the voice varies pleasantly.

2. A light, happy tune or song.

3. A light or resilient manner of moving or walking.

Front 39

privation

Back 39

n.
1. Lack of the basic necessities or comforts of life.

2. An act, condition, or result of deprivation or loss.

Front 40

hark

Back 40

v. to listen attentively

Front 41

hark back

Back 41

v. To return to a previous point or circumstance, as in a narrative.

Front 42

steely

Back 42

adj.
1. Made of steel.

2. Resembling steel, as in color or hardness

Hint 42

2. steely eyes

Front 43

laud

Back 43

n.
1. Praise; glorification.

2. A hymn or song of praise.

Hint 43

lauds also Lauds (used with a singular or plural verb)

Front 44

pearlescent

Back 44

adj. Having a pearly luster or gloss.

Front 45

aural

Back 45

adj. Characterized by or relating to an aura.

Front 46

aspergillum

Back 46

n. An instrument, such as a brush or a perforated container, used for sprinkling holy water.

Front 47

yawn

Back 47

v.
1. To open the mouth wide with a deep inhalation, usually involuntarily from drowsiness, fatigue, or boredom.

2. To open wide; gape:

Hint 47

2. The chasm yawned at our feet.

Front 48

stodgy

Back 48

adj.
1. Dull, unimaginative, tediously commonplace; boring

a stodgy Victorian novel

2. Unduly formal or traditional; prim () or pompous; stuffy:

a stodgy old businessman

3. Indigestible and starchy; heavy: stodgy food.

4. Solidly built; stocky;

stodgy athelete

Hint 48

prim: Precise or proper to the point of affectation; excessively decorous

“Why is the middle-class so stodgy, so utterly without a sense of humor!” (Katherine Mansfield).

Front 49

petulant

Back 49

adj.
moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, esp. over some trifling annoyance

a petulant toss of the head

"an incorrigibly fractious young man";

syn: cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peevish, peckish, pettish, testy, tetchy, techy

Hint 49

peevish:–adjective
1. cross, querulous, or fretful (irritable), as from vexation or discontent: a peevish youngster.

testy: adj.
irritably impatient; touchy.

nettlesome: –adjective
1. causing irritation, vexation, or annoyance: to cope with a nettlesome situation.
2. easily provoked or annoyed: to become nettlesome over trivial matters.

peckish: adj.
1. somewhat hungry: By noon we were feeling a bit peckish.
2. rather irritable: He's always a bit peckish after his nap.

pettish: –adjective
petulantly peevish: a pettish refusal.

tetchy: adj.
irritable; touchy.

techy: adj.
irritable; touchy.

2. showing annoyance, irritation, or bad mood: a peevish reply; a peevish frown.

Front 50

baleful

Back 50

adj.
1. Portending evil; ominous; sinister.

2. Harmful or malignant in intent or effect.

Front 51

prodigious

Back 51

adj.
1. Impressively great in size, force, or extent; enormous:


2. Extraordinary; marvelous:

Hint 51

1. a prodigious storm

2. a prodigious talent.

Front 52

flagrant

Back 52

adj. Conspicuously bad, offensive, or reprehensible; blatant

Hint 52

a flagrant miscarriage of justice

flagrant cases of wrongdoing at the highest levels of government

Front 53

auteur

Back 53

n. A filmmaker, usually a director, who exercises creative control over his or her works and has a strong personal style.

Front 54

subtext

Back 54

n.
1. The implicit meaning or theme of a literary text.

2. The underlying personality of a dramatic character as implied or indicated by a script or text and interpreted by an actor in performance.

Front 55

demur

Back 55

v.
1. To voice opposition; object:


2. To delay.

Hint 55

1. demurred at the suggestion.

Front 56

penchant

Back 56

n. A definite liking; a strong inclination; predilection.

Front 57

mewl

Back 57

v. To cry weakly; whimper.

Hint 57

whimper: to cry with low, plaintive, broken sounds.

plaintive: expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful: a plaintive melody.

Front 58

hale

Back 58

adj. Free from infirmity or illness; sound; healthy.

Front 59

roil

Back 59

v.
1. To make (a liquid) muddy or cloudy by stirring up sediment.

2. To displease or disturb; vex:

Hint 59

2. My roommate's off-putting habits began to roil me.

Front 60

tendril

Back 60

n. A twisting, threadlike structure

a strand of hair

a twining plant, such as a grape or cucumber, grasps an object or a plant for support.

Front 61

fallow

Back 61

adj.
1. Plowed but left unseeded during a growing season:

2. Characterized by inactivity:

Hint 61

1. fallow farmland

2. fallow gold market

Front 62

smite

Back 62

v.
1. To strike,damage and destroy

2. To afflict:

3. To afflict retributively; chasten() or chastise.()

4. To affect sharply with great feeling:

Hint 62

2. The population was smitten by the plague.

3.chasten: to inflict suffering upon for purposes of moral improvement; chastise.

chastise: to discipline, esp. by corporal punishment.

He was smitten by deep remorse.

Front 63

acolyte

Back 63

n.
1. One who assists the celebrant in the performance of liturgical rites.

2. A devoted follower or attendant.

Front 64

feral

Back 64

adj.
1.a. Existing in a wild or untamed state.

1.b. Having returned to an untamed state from domestication.

2. Of or suggestive of a wild animal; savage:

Hint 64

2. a feral grin

Front 65

rueful

Back 65

adj.
1. Inspiring pity or compassion.

2. Causing, feeling, or expressing sorrow or regret.

Front 66

imp

Back 66

n.
1. A mischievous child.

2. A small demon.

Front 67

provocateur

Back 67

n : a secret agent who incites suspected persons to commit illegal acts

Front 68

tallow

Back 68

n.
1. Hard fat obtained from parts of the bodies of cattle, sheep, or horses, and used in foodstuffs or to make candles, leather dressing, soap, and lubricants.

2. Any of various similar fats, such as those obtained from plants.

Front 69

ethereal

Back 69

adj.
1. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
ethereal spirit

2. Highly refined; delicate; airy.
ethereal Irish lace

3. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly.
ethereal realm of the zodiac

4. Not of this world; spiritual.
ethereal powers bless an old house

Front 70

ebullient

Back 70

adj.
1. Zestfully enthusiastic.

2. Boiling or seeming to boil; bubbling.

Hint 70

ebul-yent

Front 71

accretion

Back 71

n. Growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion.

Front 72

abet

Back 72

v.
To approve, encourage, support, urge and help an action or plan of action.

Hint 72

abetted the thief in robbing the bank

Front 73

inscrutable

Back 73

adj. Difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable; mysterious.

Front 74

plight

Back 74

n. A situation, especially a bad or unfortunate one; predicament.

Front 75

muss

Back 75

v. To make messy or untidy; rumple.

Front 76

flinty

Back 76

adj 1: showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings;

"the child's misery would move even the most obdurate heart" [syn: obdurate, stony]

2: having austere inflexibility;

"granitic morality"; "his unyielding mouth and glassy eyes"- Marchette Chute [syn: granitic, unyielding]

Front 77

supplicate

Back 77

v.

To ask for humbly or earnestly, as by praying;

To humbly entreat; to beseech.

Front 78

vex

Back 78

v.
1. To annoy, as with petty importunities; bother; to torment; trouble; distress; plague; worry.
Fear of poverty vexes many.

2. To debate or discuss (a question, for example) at great length.
Years ago I vexed the presence of god with my old roommate, Jay Rhee.

3. to disturb by motion; stir up; toss about.
As we began kyaking the paddles vexed the sendiment making the otherwise clear water cloudy.

4. To afflict with physical pain
Doctors in the civil war vexed their amputees when they amputated appendages despite the lack of morphine. consumed.

Front 79

austere

Back 79

adj.
1. Severe or stern in disposition; somber and grave

2. Severe or strict in discipline; ascetic:

3. Severe or strict in appearance; having no adornment or ornamentation; bare:

Hint 79

1. the austere figure of a Puritan minister

2. a sadu's austere life.

3. an austere style.

Front 80

beseech

Back 80

v.

To request earnestly; beg for; implore

Hint 80

beseech help

Front 81

shrill

Back 81

adj.
1. Having or producting a high-pitched and piercing in tone or sound:

2. Sharp or keen to the senses; harshly vivid:

Hint 81

1. the shrill wail of a siren.

a shrill fife.

2. shrill colors used by the fauvists

Front 82

vociferous

Back 82

adj.
conspicuously and offensively loud

Syn: blatent, boisterous, strident, clamorous

Hint 82

Synonyms: vociferous, blatant, boisterous, strident, clamorous
These adjectives mean conspicuously and usually offensively loud.

Vociferous suggests a noisy outcry, as of vehement protest: vociferous complaints.

Blatant connotes coarse or vulgar noisiness: “Up rose a blatant Radical” (Walter Bagehot).

Boisterous implies unrestrained noise, tumult, and often rowdiness: boisterous youths.

Strident stresses offensive harshness, shrillness, or discordance: a legislator with a strident voice.

Something clamorous is both vociferous and sustained: a clamorous uproar.

Front 83

vehement

Back 83

adj.
1. Characterized by forcefulness of expression or intensity of emotion or conviction; fervid; intense; strong
a vehement speech; a vehement denial

Marked by great energy or exertion; strenuous:
vehement clapping.

2. characterized by rancor or anger; violent
vehement gang conflicts

Hint 83

1. a vehement denial

fervid: marked by great passion or zeal

2. vehement hostility

vigor: healthy physical or mental energy or power; vitality.

Front 84

spunk

Back 84

n.
1. The courage to carry on. Spirit; pluck (Resourceful courage and daring in the face of difficulties); mettle ()

2. Punk (Dry decayed wood) ,
touchwood (decayed wood used for tinder), or
tinder (Readily combustible material, such as dry twigs, used to kindle fires).

Hint 84

mettle: noun
1. courage and fortitude: a man of mettle.
2. disposition or temperament: a man of fine mettle.

Fortitude: mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously:
Never once did her fortitude waver during that long illness.

Front 85

pluck

Back 85

n.
1. Resourceful courage and daring in the face of difficulties; spirit

2. The heart, liver, windpipe, and lungs of a slaughtered animal

3. The act of plucking

Front 86

punk

Back 86

n.
1. Dry decayed wood, used as tinder.
spunk
touchwood
tinder

2. Any of various substances that smolder when ignited, used to light fireworks.

3. Chinese incense.

Front 87

occult

Back 87

adj.
1. Of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena.

2. Beyond the realm of human comprehension; inscrutable.

3. Available only to the initiate; secret: mysterious.

4. Hidden from view; concealed.

5. Medicine. Not accompanied by readily detectable signs or symptoms. Detectable only by microscopic examination or chemical analysis, as a minute blood sample.

Hint 87

3. occult lore

5. occult carcinoma.

Front 88

discordant

Back 88

adj.
1. Not being in accord; conflicting.

2. Disagreeable in sound; harsh or dissonant.

Hint 88

2. Out of harmony

Front 89

impenetrable

Back 89

adj.
1. Impossible to penetrate or enter:

2. Impossible to understand; incomprehensible:


3. Impervious to sentiment or argument:

Hint 89

1. an impenetrable fortress.

2. impenetrable jargon.

3. an impenetrable heart.

Front 90

entreat

Back 90

v.

v : ask for or request earnestly;
"The prophet bid all people to become good persons"
[syn: bid, beseech, adjure, press, conjure]

Front 91

ascetic

Back 91

n.
one who renounces material comforts and leads a life of austere self-discipline, especially as an act of religious devotion.

Front 92

tinder

Back 92

n. Readily combustible material, such as dry twigs, used to kindle fires.

Front 93

rumple

Back 93

v.
To wrinkle or form into folds or creases.

Front 94

dishevel

Back 94

v.

1. To disarrange the hair or clothing

2. To throw into disorder.

Front 95

adjure

Back 95

v.
1. To command solemnly, as under oath; enjoin ()
“adjuring her in the name of God to declare the truth” (Increase Mather).

2. To appeal to or entreat earnestly.
The jury asked for instructions from the judge.

Front 96

conjure

Back 96

v.
1.a. To summon (a devil or spirit) by magical or supernatural power.

1.b. To influence or effect by or as if by magic:

2. To call or bring to mind; evoke; to imagine; picture:

Hint 96

1.b. tried to conjure away the doubts that beset her.

2.a. “Arizona conjures up an image of stark deserts for most Americans” (American Demographics)

“a sight to store away, then conjure up someday when they were no longer together” (Nelson DeMille).

Front 97

peevish

Back 97

adj.

1. irascible: cross(), querulous(), fretful(), vexed, discontent
a peevish youngster

[syn: cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peckish, pettish, petulant, testy, tetchy, techy

2. showing annoyance, irritation, or bad mood:
a peevish reply
a peevish frown

3. perverse or obstinate; contrary or stubborn

Hint 97

cross: adj.
angry and annoyed; ill-humored; snappish: Don't be cross with me.

querulous: adj.
habitually complaining

fret: adj.
disposed or quick to fret; irritable or peevish

Front 98

reprehensible

Back 98

adj.
Deserving rebuke or censure; blameworthy

Front 99

importunate

Back 99

adj.

urgent or persistent in solicitation, especially annoyingly so; troublesome; annoying:

importunate demands for attention from the children

Front 100

keen

Back 100

adj.
1. Having a fine, sharp cutting edge or point.

2. Having or marked by intellectual quickness and acuity; sharp.

3. Acutely sensitive:

4. Sharp; vivid; strong: Intense; piercing:

5. Ardent; enthusiastic:

6. Eagerly desirous:

7. Slang. Great; splendid; fine:

Hint 100

1. a keen razor

2. a keen mind

3. a keen ear

4. “His entire body hungered for keen sensation, something exciting” (Richard Wright).

a keen wind.

5. a keen chess player

6. keen on going to Europe in the spring

7. What a keen day!

Front 101

valor

Back 101

n .
Courage and boldness, as in battle; bravery.

Front 102

pretentious

Back 102

adj.
1. Claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit, especially when unjustified.

2. Making or marked by an extravagant outward show; ostentatious; showy.

Front 103

fervid

Back 103

adj.
1. Marked by great passion or zeal; heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm, etc.: a fervid orator.

2. Extremely hot; burning.

Hint 103

1. a fervid patriot

Front 104

prim

Back 104

adj.

1. formally precise or proper, as persons or behavior; stiffly neat; prudish ()

2. Neat and trim;
a prim hedgerow

Hint 104

prudish: adj
excessively proper or modest in speech, conduct, dress, etc.

Front 105

enjoin

Back 105

v.
1.To direct or impose with authority and emphasis.

2. To prohibit or forbid.

Front 106

fractious

Back 106

adj.
1. Inclined to make trouble; unruly.

2. Having a peevish nature; cranky.

Front 107

querulous

Back 107

adj.
adj : habitually complaining;
"a whining child"
[syn: fretful, whiney, whining(a), whiny]

Front 108

tawdry

Back 108

adj.
1. Gaudy() and cheap in nature or appearance.

2. Shameful or indecent ()

Hint 108

gaudy: Showy in a tasteless or vulgar way.

2. tawdry secrets.

Front 109

gaudy

Back 109

adj.

Showy in a tasteless or vulgar way.