English Vocabulary Words Page 2

Front 1

Acappella

Back 1

adv./adj. without instrumental accompaniment
The acappella singing group received a standing ovation from the audience, who were largely impressed by the lack of instrumental accompaniment.

Front 2

Bona fide

Back 2

adj. made in good faith without fraud or deceit; made with earnest intent, sincere; neither specious nor counterfeit, genuine
The honest cultivator made a bona fide offer to buy a farm.

Front 3

Au courant

Back 3

adj. fully informed, up-to-date; fashionable, stylish; fully familiar, conversant
Many of the girls came to the first day of school proudly wearing their au courant outfits, just off the runway.

Front 4

Élan

Back 4

n. vigorous spirit or enthusiasm
The cheerleaders were known for their élan and overwhelming enthusiasm at every game and event.

Front 5

De jure

Back 5

adv./adj. by right, of right; based on laws or actions of the state
Many South Africans had to suffer under de jure segregation until apartheid was abolished.

Front 6

Dotage

Back 6

n. a state or period of senile decay marked by decline of mental poise and alertness
He had become unaware and degenerating in his dotage.

Front 7

Intrinsic

Back 7

adj. belonging to the essential nature or constitution of a thing; originating or due to causes within a body, organ, or part
It is possible that the intrinsic value of some coins exceeds their face value.

Front 8

Pince-nez

Back 8

n. eyeglasses clipped to the nose by a spring
Ms. Gran’s pince-nez was resting, as usual, on her nose, but she fell asleep and didn’t notice that they were slipping off – thank goodness for the connecting string!

Front 9

Timidity

Back 9

n. the lack of lacking in courage or self-confidence, in boldness or determination
The little boy clung with a relentless timidity to his mother’s dress as they walked around during the party.

Front 10

Congeal

Back 10

v. to change from a fluid to a solid state by or as if by cold; to make viscid or curdled; to make rigid, fixed, or immobile
As the man tried to grab the pole, he discovered that his fingers were congealed and had trouble moving them quickly enough.

Front 11

Verdant

Back 11

adj. green in tint or color, green with growing plants; unripe in experience or judgment
The artist requested another tube of green paint in order to complete her depiction of the verdant meadows.

Front 12

Magniloquent

Back 12

adj. speaking in or characterized by a high-flown often bombastic style or manner
The pretentious aristocrat was constantly offending people with his magniloquent boasts and unnecessarily flamboyant style.

Front 13

Convocation

Back 13

n. an assembly of persons called together to a meeting, summoned
The president of the club had a convocation at his house to discuss the impending event.

Front 14

Emanation

Back 14

n. the action of coming out from a source, emitting; effluence
The emanation of chemicals from the neighboring power plant was detrimental to the families living in nearby houses.

Front 15

Burlesque

Back 15

n. a literary or dramatic work that seeks to ridicule by means of grotesque exaggeration or comic imitation; mockery usually by caricature
v. to imitate in a humorous or derisive manner; mock
An early form of a burlesque is the Greek satyr play, which captured its audiences with humor.

Front 16

Vis-à-vis

Back 16

prep. face-to-face with; in relation to; as compared with
n. one that is face-to-face with another, escort, date, counterpart
adv. in company, together
Joan finally understood the story vis-à-vis an extremely tedious explanation by Ralph.

Front 17

Semper fidelis

Back 17

foreign term. “always faithful” (Latin, motto of the United States Marine Corps)
I will be semper fidelis as long as you don’t abuse my faithfulness.

Front 18

Aficionado

Back 18

n. a person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity; devotee
The movie aficionados met weekly to discuss cinematography and the film industry with passion.

Front 19

Alfresco

Back 19

adj./adv. taking place or located in the open air; outdoor
The businesswomen, who worked all day inside stifling buildings, all agreed that they appreciated dining alfresco for refreshment.

Front 20

Bête noire

Back 20

n. a person or thing strongly detested or avoided; bugbear (an object or source of dread)
Internet file sharing has long been the bête noire of people involved in the music industry.

Front 21

Carte blanche

Back 21

n. full discretionary power
The indifferent husband gave his wife carte blanche to furnish the house.

Front 22

Faux pas

Back 22

n. a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion
Bringing a bottle of wine to dinner in France is a faux pas that some foreigners commit.

Front 23

Aria

Back 23

n. air, melody, tune; specifically an accompanied elaborate melody sung (as in an opera) by a single voice; a striking solo performance (as in a movie)
The opera singer was famous for her striking arias that set here apart from the other performers.

Front 24

Avant-garde

Back 24

n. an intelligentsia that develops new or experimental concepts especially in the arts
adj. of or relating to an intelligentsia that develops new or experimental concepts especially in the arts, noncomformist
The avant–garde philosophers developed riveting and new concepts.

Front 25

Éclat

Back 25

n. ostentatious display, publicity; dazzling effect, brilliance; brilliant or conspicuous success; praise, applause
Most, if not all, of the Broadway shows I have seen have been performances of great éclat.

Front 26

Chiaroscuro

Back 26

n. pictorial representation in terms of light and shade without regard to color; the arrangement or treatment of light and dark parts in a pictorial work of art; the interplay or contrast of dissimilar qualities (as of mood or character); the quality of being veiled or partly in shadow
The chiaroscuro drawing’s white highlighting against the dark subject was prominent and symbolic.

Front 27

Simper

Back 27

v. to smile in a silly manner; to say with a silly smile, smirk
n. a silly smile, smirk
The girl responded with a simper to the boy’s silly question.

Front 28

Unctuous

Back 28

adj. buttery; unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
The new employee doled out unctuous praise to his unappreciative boss in a futile hope to gain his approval.

Front 29

Eclectic

Back 29

adj. selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles; composed of elements drawn from various sources
The collection of poems was an eclectic mix of various authors who wrote in drastically different styles.