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21 Cards in this Set
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abrogate |
v. abolish. The king intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor. |
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abscission |
n. removal by cutting off, as in surgery; separation. Gas gangrene spreads so swiftly and is so potentially deadly that doctors advise abscission of the gangrenous tissue. When a flower or leaf separates naturally from the parent plant, this process is called abscission or leaf fall. |
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abscond |
v. depart secretly and hide. The teller who absconded with the bonds went uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on America's Most Wanted. |
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absolute |
adj. complete; totally unlimited; certain. Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity. |
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absolve |
v. pardon (an offense). The father confessor absolved him of his sins. absolution, N. |
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abstain |
v. refrain; withhold from participation. After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race. |
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abstemious |
adj. sparing in eating and drinking; temperate. Concerned whether her vegetarian son's abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him. |
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abut |
v. border upon; adjoin. Where our estates abut, we must build a fence. |
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abysmal |
adj. bottomless. His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance. |
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accede |
v. agree. If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands. |
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acclivity |
n. sharp upslope of a hill. The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear. |
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accolade |
n. award of merit. In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade. |
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accost |
v. approach and speak first to a person. When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me. |
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accoutre |
v. equip. The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply. accoutrement, N. |
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accretion |
n. growth; increase. Over the years Bob put or weight; because of this accretion of flesh, he went from size M to size XL. accrete, v. |
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accrue |
v. come about by addition. You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum. accrual, N. |
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acquiesce |
v. assent; agree passively. Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made. acquiescence, N.; acquiescent, ADJ. |
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acquittal |
n. deliverance from a charge. His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. acquit, v. |
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acrophobia |
n. fear of heights. A born salesman, he could convince someone with a bad case of acrophobia to sign up for a life membership in a sky-diving club. |
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actuarial |
adj. calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics. According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago. |
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actuate |
v. motivate. I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily. |
