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32 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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vertigo |
: dizziness (especially by being in a very high place)
: a dizzy confused state of mind She cowered within the chair as one stricken with a vertigo. Latin vertigin-, vertigo,from vertere to turn. |
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contentious |
quarrelsome; causing quarrels
After a contentious debate, members of the committee finally voted to approve the funding.
In the perpetual skirmish between science and religion, biological evolution is a contentious battle ground. |
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supine |
: willing to be controlled by others : weak or passive ... a supine legislature that is afraid to take action...
: lying on the back : marked by lethargy
He was lying supine on the couch. |
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distrait
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/dɪˈstreɪ; French disˈtrɛ/
inattentive; preoccupied She rose a moment later, and stood, distrait, looking out across the sunlitworld. He grew more and more distrait as hours passed without confirmation that there were survivors of the plane crash >> hint (origin) |
Distrait is a somewhat literary word with an unusual history. Borrowed from Anglo-French, it was used in the 15th century in a sense very close to that of "distraught," which means "deeply agitated or troubled." (Both words are ultimately from the Latin adjective distractus.) Later, during the 18th century, "distrait" appears to have been borrowed again from French in a milder sense closer to "preoccupied" or "distracted." Another peculiarity of the word is that it tends to be treated in English as if it were still a French word: it has a feminine variant, "distraite," like a French adjective, and it is pronounced as if French. It can still suggest agitation, but not as strongly as "distraught"; more often it means simply "mentally remote." |
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diffidence |
shyness; lack of confidence
She was diffident about stating her opinion.
for someone who makes a living performing for other people, the actress is remarkably diffident in real life
… a boy of 8 or 13, gazing foursquare at the camera, diffident but showing off, petulant but vulnerable … |
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quibble
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to argue over insignificant and irrelevant details
He spent the entire evening quibbling about the historical inaccuracies in the television series on World War II. Don't quibble over who gets to sit in front. |
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torque
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a turning or twisting force; the moment of a force; the measure of a force's tendency to produce twisting or turning and rotation around an axis
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eulogy |
/ˈyu lə dʒi/
high praise, especially of a person who has recently died
He delivered a moving eulogy at his father's funeral. Several eulogies were given at the special assembly marking the retirement of the company's longtime president. |
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strut |
to swagger; display to impress others
They strut about as if they were nursing the little kings and queens of thefuture. : a long, thin piece of wood or metal used for support in a building, vehicle, etc.
: a proud and confident walk |
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singular
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: unique : an artist of singular attainments
: extraordinary; odd: on the way home we had a singular adventure |
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elysian |
/ɪˈlɪʒ ən/
blissful; delightful (elysian fields)
elysian peace the dream of retiring to a tropical isle and enjoying a life of elysian ease |
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remonstrate
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to object or protest
He got angry when I politely remonstrated with him about littering. |
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propriety |
correct conduct; fitness
They debated the propriety of the punishment that he was given.
When attending a wedding, there are certain proprieties that must be observed. |
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preempt |
: to prevent (something) from happening : to take the place of (something) : to be shown instead of (another television program) : to supersede; appropriate for oneself
The contract preempts lawsuits by the company's clients.
The special newscast preempted the usual television program. An effort to preempt inflation. |
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specious
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seeming to be logical and sound, but not really so
He justified his actions with specious reasoning. A specious argument that really does not stand up under close examination. |
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extemporaneous |
: made up or done without special preparation
an extemporaneous comment
: happening suddenly and often unexpectedly and usually without clearly known causes or relationships.
A great deal of criminal and delinquent behavior is…extemporaneous |
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stanch |
: to stop something (especially blood) from flowing
stanched her tears A neighbor tried in vain to stanch the bleeding with a towel. >> hint, origin |
The verb "stanch" has a lot in common with the adjective staunch, meaning "steadfast." Not only do both words derive from the Anglo-French word estancher (which has the same meaning as "stanch"), but the spelling "s-t-a-n-c-h" is sometimes used for the adjective, and the spelling "s-t-a-u-n-c-h" is sometimes used for the verb. Although both spelling variants have been in reputable use for centuries and both are perfectly standard for either the verb or adjective, "stanch" is the form used most often for the verb and "staunch" is the most common variant for the adjective. |
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mollify |
soothe
Krum was looking more and more suspicious.“I . . . I read it somewhere, I think,” said Harry. “In a—a fan magazine,” he improvised wildly and Krum looked mollified. |
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dearth
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scarcity
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dissident
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person who disagrees about belief, etc.
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founder
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to sink; fail; collapse
Her career foundered, and she moved from job to job for several years trying to save a foundering career. |
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satiate
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to satisfy
a long drink of water at last satiated my thirst |
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contumacious
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disobedient; rebellious
The judge threatened to charge the contumacious witness with contempt of court |
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execrable |
\ˈek-si-krə-bəl\
detestable; abhorrent; very bad
Living conditions in the slums were execrable.
Her execrable singing finally brought a complaint from the neighbors He or she who is cursed faces execrable conditions. Keep this in mind to remember that execrable is a descendant of the Latin verb exsecrari, meaning "to put under a curse." |
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simian |
apelike; relating to apes
When they appeared at the laboratory he was laughing immoderately, and Angel stood on one of the tables with a simian grin. |
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platonic
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spiritual; without sensual desire
theoretical; |
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compunction |
uneasiness caused by guilt
compunctions of conscience
He feels no compunction about his crimes. |
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thespian
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an actor or actress
Although she's “acted” in a couple of horror movies, I'd hardly call her one of our more promising thespians |
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petulant |
: having or showing the attitude of people who become angry and annoyed when they do not get what they want
Her tone was petulant and angry.
A petulant and fussy man who is always blaming everyone else for his problems |
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staunch (also stanch) |
: very devoted or loyal to a person, belief, or cause = steadfast
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steadfast |
: very devoted or loyal to a person, belief, or cause = staunch
: not subject to change.
The steadfast doctrine of original sin.
: firm in belief, determination, or adherence : loyal
Her followers have remained steadfast. |
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abhorrent |
: causing or deserving strong dislike or hatred
She finds violence in films abhorrent. not agreeable : contrary.
A notion abhorrent to their philosophy. |
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