Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
131 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
abacus
|
a tablet placed horizontally on top of the capital of a column as an aid in supporting the architrave
|
|
abdication
|
a formal resignation and renunciation of powers
|
|
aberration
|
a disorder in one's mental state
state or condition markedly different from the norm |
|
abeyance
|
temporary cessation or suspension
|
|
abjure
|
formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
|
|
abraded
|
having the skin scraped off
|
|
abscond
|
run away, usually includes taking something or somebody along
|
|
abrogate
|
revoke formally
|
|
abtruse
|
difficult to penetrate
|
|
abut
|
lie adjacent to or share a boundry
|
|
acarpous
|
producing no fruit
|
|
accretion
|
increase by growth or addition
|
|
adamant
|
very hard native crystalline carbon valued as a gem
|
|
adhesion
|
faithful support for a religion, cause, etc.
abnormal union of bodily tissues |
|
adjacent
|
near or close to, but not touching
|
|
adorn
|
furnish with power or authority
|
|
affinity
|
kinship by marriage or adoption
|
|
ail
|
aromatic bulb used as seasoning
|
|
alacrity
|
liveliness and eagerness
|
|
alientate
|
transfer property or ownership
|
|
alloy
|
the state of impairing the quality or reducing the value of something
lower in value by increasing the base-metal content |
|
ameliorate
|
get better
|
|
amortize
|
liquidate gradually
|
|
antithetical
|
sharply contrasted in character or purpose
|
|
apartheid
|
social policy or racial segregation involving discrimination against non-whites
|
|
aplomb
|
great coolness and composure under strain
|
|
apostate
|
a disloyal person who betrays or deserts cause, religion, friend, etc
|
|
apotheosis
|
the elevation of a person
model of excellence or perfection of a kind |
|
apprehensive
|
quick to understand
|
|
apprise
|
increase the value of
make aware of |
|
appropriate
|
give or assign a share of money or time to a particular person or cause
take possession of by force |
|
apropos
|
of an appropriate or pertinent nature
by the way |
|
arabesque
|
an ornament that interlaces simulated foliage in an intricate design
position in ballet dance |
|
arboreal
|
inhabiting or frequenting trees
resembling a tree in structure |
|
argot
|
a characteristic language of a particular group
|
|
articulate
|
provide with a joint
consisting of segments held together by joints |
|
ascend
|
go back in order of genealogical succession
|
|
ascendancy
|
the state that exists when one person or group has power over another
|
|
ascetic
|
practices self denial as a spiritual discipline
|
|
ascribe
|
attribute or credit to
|
|
asperity
|
harshness of manner
something hard to endure |
|
aspersion
|
the act of sprinkling water as in baptism
a disparaging remark |
|
assiduous
|
marked by care and persistent effort
|
|
assuage
|
provide physical relief from pain, thirst, etc.
to be more favorably inclined, gain the good will of |
|
assumption
|
the act of taking possession of or power over something
|
|
astringent
|
sour or bitter in taste
|
|
astute
|
marked by practical intelligence
|
|
attenuate
|
become weaker
|
|
audacious
|
disposed to venture or take risks
unrestrained by convention or propriety |
|
augury
|
an event that is experienced as indicating important things to come
|
|
august
|
profoundly honored
of or befitting a lord |
|
auspice
|
a favorable omen
|
|
auspicious
|
attended by favorable circumstances
|
|
austere
|
practicing great self-denial
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor severely simple |
|
aver
|
to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
report or maintain |
|
baleful
|
threatening evil or tragic developments
deadly or sinister |
|
balk
|
one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress refuse to comply |
|
banal
|
obvious and dull
repeated too often |
|
beatify
|
declare a dead person to be blessed, first step to sainthood
to fill with sublime emotion |
|
bedizen
|
dress up garishly
|
|
belie
|
represent falsely
|
|
bellicose
|
having or showing a ready disposition to fight
|
|
bend
|
diagonal line traversing a shield from the upper right corner to the lower left
|
|
bereft
|
sorrowful through loss or deprivation
|
|
bilge
|
where the sides of the vessel curve in to form the bottom
cause to leak |
|
blandishment
|
the act of urging by means of teasing or flattery
|
|
blandness
|
the trait of exhibiting no embarrassment or concern
smooth and gracious in manner |
|
blithe
|
carefree and happy, lacking concern
|
|
bolster
|
a pillow that is often put across a bed underneath the regular pillows
|
|
brass
|
impudent aggressiveness
the persons who make up a body for the purpose of administering something |
|
brazen
|
made of or resembling glass
|
|
brook
|
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
|
|
burgeon
|
grow and flourish
|
|
burnish
|
the property of being smooth and shiny
|
|
bust
|
an occasion for excessive eating and drinking
|
|
cabal
|
a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act, especially a political plot
a clique that seeks power secretly |
|
cadge
|
obtain or seek to obtain by cadging or wheedling
|
|
calipers
|
an instrument for measuring the distance between two points
|
|
calumniate
|
charge falsely or with malicious intent, attack the good name and reputation of
|
|
calumny
|
an abusive attack on a person's character
|
|
canvass
|
an inquiry into public opinion conducted by interviewing a random sample of people
|
|
capricious
|
determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity or reason
|
|
castigate
|
censure serverly
|
|
catalyst
|
a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected
|
|
caustic
|
any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue
harsh or corrosive in tone |
|
censure
|
harsh criticism or disapproval
the state of being excommunicated rebuke formally |
|
centurion
|
leader of 100 soldiers
|
|
chary
|
characterized by great cautiousness and wariness
|
|
chisel
|
deprive somebody of something by deceit
|
|
churl
|
a bad tempered person
a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend a crude uncouth, ill bred person lacking refinement |
|
cloture
|
a rule for limiting or ending debate in a deliberative body
terminate debate by calling for a vote |
|
coax
|
a transmission line for high-frequency signals
|
|
coddle
|
cook in nearly boiling water
|
|
codicil
|
a supplement to a will, a testamentary instrument intended to alter an already executed will
|
|
coeval
|
a person of nearly the same age as another
of the same period |
|
cogent
|
powerfully persuasive
|
|
cogitate
|
use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions or solutions
consider carefully and deeply |
|
collusion
|
secret agreement
|
|
commend
|
give in to change
|
|
complaisance
|
a disposistion or tendancy to yeild to the will of others
|
|
compunction
|
a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed
|
|
concord
|
the determination of grammatical inflection on the basis of word relationships
|
|
concur
|
to happen simultaneously
|
|
condone
|
excuse, overlook or make allowances for
|
|
conjoin
|
to make come together
|
|
connotation
|
an idea that is implied or suggested
|
|
console
|
housing for electronic instruments
an ornamental scroll-shaped bracket |
|
consternation
|
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
|
|
contemn
|
look down on with disdain
|
|
contentious
|
having or showing a ready disposistion to fight
involving or likely to cause controversy inclination to dispute, even to engage in law suits |
|
contiguous
|
very close or connected in space or time
|
|
contrite
|
feeling regret for a fault or offense
|
|
contumacious
|
willfully obstinate, stubbornly disobedient
|
|
conundrum
|
a difficult problem
|
|
convoluted
|
highly involved or intricate
|
|
cord
|
a unit of amount of wood cut for burning
|
|
cordon
|
adornment consisting of an ornamental ribbon or cord
cord or ribbon work as an insignia of honor or rank |
|
corporeal
|
having material or physical form or substance
affecting or characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit |
|
corroboration
|
confirmation that some fact or statement is true
|
|
countenance
|
the apperance conveyed by a person's face
formal and explicit approval |
|
countervail
|
oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions
|
|
covert
|
a flock of coots
|
|
craven
|
an abject coward
|
|
crease
|
Malayan dagger with a wavy blade
|
|
credulity
|
tendency to believe readily
|
|
credulous
|
disposed to believe on little evidence
showing a lack of judgment or experience |
|
crush
|
a leather that has had its grain pattern accentuated
|
|
cumbersome
|
not elegant or graceful in expression
|
|
curmudgeon
|
a crusty, irascible, cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas
|
|
cursory
|
hasty and without attention to detail
|
|
dart
|
a tapered tuck made in dressmaking
|