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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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despoil
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plunder
If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside. |
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magisterial
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authoritative; imperious;
The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a magisterial tone of voice. |
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lofty
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very high
They used to tease him about his lofty ambitions. |
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premonitory
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serving to warn
You should have visited a doctor as soon as you felt these premonitory chest pains. |
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statutory
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created by statute or legislative action
The judicial courts review and try statutory crimes. |
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grotesque
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fantastic; comically hideous;
On Halloween people enjoy wearing groteque costumes. |
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purge
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clean by removing impurities; clear of changes;
If you are to be purged of the charge of contempt of Congress, you must be willing to answer the questions previously asked. |
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authenticate
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prove genuine
An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation. |
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comport
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bear one's self; behave;
He comported himself with great dignity. |
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espionage
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spying
In order to maintain its power, the government developed a system of espionage that penetrated every hosehold. |
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incubate
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hatch; scheme ;
Inasmuch as our supply of electricity is cut off, we shall have to rely on the hens to incubate these eggs. |
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theoretical
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not practical or applied; hypothetical;
Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and math. |
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desiccate
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dry up
A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it. |
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pellmell
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in confusion; disorderly;
The excited students dashed pellmell into the stadium to celebrate the victory. |
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seismic
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pertaining to earthquakes
The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic disturbances. |
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waft
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moved gently by wind or waves
Daydreaming, he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his window. |
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bizarre
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fantastic; violently contrasting;
The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed. |
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gregarious
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sociable
Typically, party-throwers are gregarious; hermits are not. |
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pungency
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sharpness; stinging quality ;
The pungency of the cigarette smoke made me cough. |
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dupe
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someone easily fooled
While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool. |
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hue
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color; aspect;
The aviary contained birds of every possible hue. |
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modicum
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limited quantity
Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious. |
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millenium
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thousand-year period; period of happiness and prosperity;
I do not expect the milennium to come during my lifetime. |
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testator
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maker of a will
The attorney called in his secretary and his partner to witness the signature of the testator. |
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derivative
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unoriginal; obtained from another source;
Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice. |
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uniformity
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sameness; consistency; monotony
After a while, the uniformity of TV situation comedies becomes boring. |
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aspiration
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noble ambition
Youth's aspirations should be as lofty as the stars. |
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cursory
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casual; hastily done;
A cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson; a more extensive study should be undertaken. |
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bifurcated
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divided into two branches; forked;
With a bifurcated branch and a piece of elastic rubber, he made a crude but effective slingshot. |
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rigor
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severity
Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters. |
