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740 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abrogate
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v. abolish
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actuate
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v. motivate
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adjunct
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n. something (generally nonessential) added on or attached
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adjutant
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n. staff officer assisting the commander; assistant
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adventitious
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adj. accidental; casual
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advert (to)
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v. refer to
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aegis
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n. shield; defense
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aerie
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n. nest of a large bird of prey
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agog
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adj. highly excited; intensely curious
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alimentary
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adj. supplying nourishment
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alluvial
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adj. pertaining to soil deposits left by running water
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amalgamate
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v. combine; unite in one body
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amenable
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adj. readily managed or willing to be led; answerable or legally accountable
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analgesic
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adj. causing insensitivity to pain
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ancillary
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adj. serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary
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animadversion
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n. critical remark
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animus
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n. hostile feeling or intent
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anneal
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v. reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling
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anodyne
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n. drug that relieves pain; opiate
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aplomb
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n. poise; assurance
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apothegm
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n. pithy, compact saying
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appellation
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n. name; title
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apposite
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adj. appropriate; fitting
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apprise
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v. inform
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approbation
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n. approval
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appurtenances
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n. subordinate possessions
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argot
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n. slang
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array (v)
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v. marshal; draw up in order
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arrears
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n. being in debt
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aseptic
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adj. preventing infection; having a cleansing effect
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asperity
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n. sharpness (of temper)
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aspersion
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n. slanderous remark
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astringent
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adj. harsh or severe
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atavism
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n. resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; throwback
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attenuate
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v. make thinner; weaken or lessen (in density, force, degree)
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augury
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n. omen; prophecy
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avocation
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n. secondary occupation
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avuncular
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adj. like an uncle
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badinage
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n. teasing conversation
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ballast
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n. heavy substance used to add stability or weight
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bandy
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v. discuss lightly or glibly; exchange words heatedly
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bate
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v. let down; restrain (ex. bate your curiosity)
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bawdy
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adj. indecent; obscene
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beatific
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adj. showing or producing joy; blissful
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bedraggle
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v. wet thoroughly
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benison
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n. blessing
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besmirch
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v. soil; defile
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betoken
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v. signify; indicate
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bifurcate
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adj. divided into two branches; forked
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bilious
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adj. suffering from a liver complaint; peevishly ill-humored
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bilk
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v. swindle; cheat
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bivouac
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n. temporary encampment
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blandish
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v. cajole; coax with flattery
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blandishment
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n. flattery
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bombastic
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adj. pompous
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bowdlerize
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v. expurgate
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brindled
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adj. tawny or grayish with streaks or spots
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brook (v)
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v. tolerate; endure
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buffet (v)
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v. slap; rough up
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cabal
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n. group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
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callow
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adj. youthful; immature; inexperienced
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calumny
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n. slander; malicious misrepresentation
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canard
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n. false or unfounded story
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cant
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n. insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves
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cantankerous
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adj. ill-humored
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canto
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n. division of a long poem
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canvass
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v. determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.
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captious
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adj. fault-finding
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carapace
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n. shell covering the back (of a turtle, crab, etc.)
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carousal
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n. drunken revel
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castigation
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n. punishment
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cataclysm
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n. deluge; upheaval
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catechism
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n. book for religious instruction
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catholic
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adj. universal
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caulk
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v. to make watertight (by plugging seams)
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cauterize
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v. burn with hot iron or caustic
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cavalcade
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n. procession; parade
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cavil
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v. to make frivolous objections
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celerity
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n. speed; rapidity
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cerebration
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n. thought
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chaff
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n. worthless products of an endeavor
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chaffing
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v. bantering; joking
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chary
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adj. cautious
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chassis
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n. framework and working parts of an automobile
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chicanery
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n. trickery; deception
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chisel
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v. swindle or cheat
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choleric
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adj. hot-tempered
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churlish
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adj. boorish
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cipher
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n. nonentity; worthless being
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circumscribe
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v. limit narrowly; confine or restrict; define
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clarion
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adj. shrill; trumpet-like
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codicil
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n. supplement to the body of a will
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coeval
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adj. living at the same time as; contemporary
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cogent
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adj. convincing
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cognate
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adj. related; similar in nature
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colander
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n. utensil with perforated bottom used for straining
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collate
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v. examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order
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collation
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n. a light meal
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comestible
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n. something fit to be eaten
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comity
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n. courtesy; civility
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commensurate
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adj. corresponding in extent, degree, amount, etc.; proportionate
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commodious
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adj. spacious and comfortable
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compendium
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n. brief, comprehensive summary
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complaisant
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adj. trying to please
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comport
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v. bear one's self; behave
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compunction
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n. remorse
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concerted
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adj. mutually agreed upon; done together
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conclave
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n. private meeting
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concomitant
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n. that which accompanies
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condign
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adj. appropriate; deserved (almost always, in the sense of deservedly severe, as in condign punishment)
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conduit
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n. aqueduct
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conflagration
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n. great fire
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conflate
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v. meld or fuse; confuse; combine into one
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confluence
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n. flowing together; crowd
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congenital
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adj. existing at birth
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connivance
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n. pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend
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connubial
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adj. pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state
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consanguinity
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n. kinship
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consign
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v. deliver officially; entrust; set apart
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consonance
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n. harmony; agreement
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contiguous
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adj. adjacent to; touching upon
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continence
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n. self-restraint
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contingent
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n. group that makes up part of a gathering
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contravene
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v. contradict; oppose; infringe on or transgress
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controvert
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v. oppose with arguments; attempt to refute
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contumacious
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adj. disobedient; resisting authority
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conversant
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adj. familiar with
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convoke
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v. call together
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cordon
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n. extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress
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cornice
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n. projecting molding on building
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countermand
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v. cancel; revoke
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cull
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v. pick out; reject
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culvert
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n. artificial channel for water
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cupidity
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n. greed
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curmudgeon
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n. churlish, miserly person
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cynosure
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n. objective of general attention
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dais
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n. raised platform for guests of honor
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decant
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v. pour off gently (ex. wine)
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deciduous
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adj. falling off
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decollete
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adj. having a low-cut neckline
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defray
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v. provide for the payment of
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delusive
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adj. deceptive
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demagogue
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n. person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader
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denigrate
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v. blacken
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denizen
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inhabitant or resident
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deposition
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n. testimony under oath
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depredation
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n. plundering; exploitation
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descry
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v. catch sigh of
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dessicate
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v. dry up
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despoil
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v. strip of valuables; rob
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desuetude
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n. state of disuse
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desultory
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adj. random; haphazard
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diadem
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n. crown
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dialectical
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adj. relating to the art of debate
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diaphanous
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adj. sheer; transparent
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die
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n. device for stamping or impressing
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diffidence
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n. shyness
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dilatory
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adj. tending to delay
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dilettante
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n. aimless follower of the arts
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dint
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n. means; effort
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disabuse
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v. correct a false impression; undeceive
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disapprobation
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n. disapproval
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discomfit
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v. defeat; disconcert
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disconsolate
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adj. sad
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disgorge
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v. surrender something; eject; vomit
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disinter
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v. dig up; unearth
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dispatch
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n. speediness
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disport
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v. amuse
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disquisition
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n. a formal systematic inquiry; an explanation of the results of a formal inquiry
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dissemble
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v. disguise; pretend
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dissimulate
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v. pretend; conceal by feigning
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distend
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v. to stretch or expand out of shape
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distrait
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adj. inattentive; distracted, often by anxiety
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divest
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v. strip; deprive
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doctrinaire
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adj. unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding
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doff
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v. take off
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dolorous
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adj. sorrowful
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dormer
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n. window projecting from roof
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dotage
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n. senility
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dowdy
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adj. untidy
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dross
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n. waste matter; worthless impurities
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ductile
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adj. malleable, flexible
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dulcet
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adj. sweet-sounding
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ecclesiastic
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adj. pertaining to the church
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edify
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v. to instruct
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efface
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v. to rub out
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effete
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adj. lacking vigor; worn out; sterile
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effluvium
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n. noxious smell
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effrontery
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n. impudence; shameless boldness
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egress
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n. exit
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elysian
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adj. paradisical
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emend
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v. correct, usually a text
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emetic
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n. substance causing vomiting
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emollient
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adj. soothing
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emolument
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n. salary; compensation
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encomiastic
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adj. praising; eulogistic
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encomium
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n. high praise; eulogy
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endemic
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adj. prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area
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endue
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v. provide with some quality; endow
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enervate
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v. weaken
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enjoin
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v. command; order; forbid
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entomology
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n. study of insects
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entree
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n. entrance; a way in
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epaulet
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n. ornament worn on the shoulder of a uniform
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epigram
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n. witty thought or saying
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epistemologist
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n. philosopher who studies nature of knowledge
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equable
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adj. tranquil; uniform
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equanimity
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n. calmness of temperament; composure
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equipoise
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n. balance; equilibrium
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equivocal
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adj. ambiguous
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errant
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adj. wandering
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erudite
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adj. learned; scholarly
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eschew
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v. avoid
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essay
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v. make an attempt at
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estimable
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adj. worthy of esteem
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evince
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v. show clearly
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exceptionable
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adj. objectionable
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excoriate
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v. scold with biting harshness; strip the skin off
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exculpate
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v. clear from blame
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exegesis
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n. explanation, especially of biblical passages
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exigency
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n. urgent situation; pressing needs or demands; state of requiring immediate attention
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exiguous
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adv. small; minute
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expatiate
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v. talk at length about
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expiate
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v. make amends for a sin
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explicate
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v. explain
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expostulation
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n. protest; remonstrance
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expurgate
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v. clean; remove offensive parts
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extenuate
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v. weaken; mitigate
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extirpate
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v. root up
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facetious
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adj. joking
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facile
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adj. easily accomplished; ready or fluent; superficial (ex. a facile speaker)
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factitious
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adj. artificial
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factotum
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n. handyman
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fancier
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n. breeder of animals
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fastidious
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adj. difficult to please
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fatuous
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adj. brainless; silly
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febrile
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adj. feverish
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feckless
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adj. ineffective; careless and irresponsible
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fecundity
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n. fertility; fruitfulness
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felicitous
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adj. apt; suitably expressed
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fell (adj)
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adj. cruel; deadly
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fete
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v. honor at a festival
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fetid
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adj. malodorous; foul-smelling
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fiat
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n. command; authoritization
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filigree
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n. delicate, lacelike metalwork
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flag (v)
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v. droop; grow feeble
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fleece (v)
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v. rob
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floe
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n. mass of floating ice
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flout
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v. mock; reject; show contempt for
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fluted
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adj. having vertical parallel grooves (ex. pillar)
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foist
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v. insert improperly
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foment
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v. stir up; instigate
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forebears
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n. ancestors
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forestall
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v. prevent by taking action in advance
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founder
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v. fail completely; sink
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fractious
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adj. unruly; disobedient; irritable
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fritter
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v. waste
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froward
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adj. stubbornly contrary; obstinately disobedient
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fulminate
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v. denounce thunderously
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fulsome
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adj. disgustingly excessive
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functionary
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n. official
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fussilade
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n. simultaneous firing or outburst (ex. of missiles, questions)
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gainsay
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v. deny
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gall
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v. annoy; chafe
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gauche
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adj. clumsy; coarse and uncouth
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germane
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adv. relevant; pertinent
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gerontacracy
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n. government ruled by old people
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gibe
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v. mock
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glean
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v. gather left-overs
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glut
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v. overstock; fill to excess
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gratis
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adv. free (financially)
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grouse
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v. complain; fuss
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gull
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v. trick; hoodwink
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gustatory
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adj. affecting sense of taste
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hackles
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n. hair on back and neck
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halcyon
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adj. calm; peaceful
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harangue
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n. long, passionate, and vehement speech
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harry
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v. harass; annoy
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headlong
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adj. hasty; rash
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hortatory
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adj. encouraging; exhortatory
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hubbub
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n. confused uproar
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hubris
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n. excessive arrogance
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hummock
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n. small hill
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husband
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v. use sparingly; conserve
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iconoclastic
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adj. attacking cherished traditions
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igneous
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adj. produced by fire
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imbroglio
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n. complicated situation; painful or complex misunderstanding; entanglement; confused mass
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immolate
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v. offer as a sacrifice
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immure
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v. imprison
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impalpable
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adj. imperceptible
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impecunious
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adj. without money
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impenitent
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adj. not repentant
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imperious
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adj. domineering; haughty
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impinge
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v. infringe upon
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impolitic
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adj. not wise
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imponderable
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adj. weightless
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import (n)
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n. significance
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importunate
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adj. urging; demanding
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imprecation
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n. curse
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improvident
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adj. thriftless
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impugn
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v. dispute or contradict; gainsay (deny)
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impute
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v. attribute to
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inchoate
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adj. recently begun
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inclement
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adj. stormy; unkind
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incommodium
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adj. not spacious
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incontinent
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adj. lacking self-restraint
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incorporeal
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adj. lacking a physical body
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incrustration
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n. hard coating or crust
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indelible
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adj. not able to be erased
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indemnify
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v. make secure against loss; compensate for loss
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indigence
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n. poverty
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indigent
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adj. poor
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indite
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v. writer; compose
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indissoluble
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adj. permanent
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ineffable
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adj. unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech
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ineluctable
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adj. inevitable; not to be escaped
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inexorable
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adj. relentless; unyielding
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|
infirmity
|
n. weakness
|
|
|
ingenuous
|
adj. naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated
|
|
|
inimical
|
adj. unfriendly; hostile
|
|
|
iniquitous
|
adj. wicked; immoral
|
|
|
insidious
|
adj. treacherous
|
|
|
insipid
|
adj. dull
|
|
|
insouciant
|
adj. indifferent; without concern or care
|
|
|
insularity
|
n. narrow-mindedness; isolation
|
|
|
interdict
|
v. prohibit; forbid
|
|
|
interloper
|
n. intruder
|
|
|
internecine
|
adj. mutually destructive
|
|
|
interpolate
|
v. insert between
|
|
|
interregnum
|
n. period between two reigns
|
|
|
intractable
|
adj. unruly; stubborn; unyielding
|
|
|
intransigence
|
n. refusal of any compromise; stubbornness
|
|
|
inured
|
adj. accustomed; hardened
|
|
|
inveigh
|
v. denounce; utter censure or invective
|
|
|
inveigle
|
v. lead astray; wheedle
|
|
|
invidious
|
adj. designed to create ill will or envy
|
|
|
irresolute
|
adj. uncertain how to act; weak
|
|
|
irrevocable
|
adj. unalterable; irreversible
|
|
|
isthmus
|
n. narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of land
|
|
|
jaundiced
|
adj. prejudiced (envious, hostile, or resentful)
|
|
|
jaunt
|
n. trip; short journey
|
|
|
jettison
|
v. throw overboard
|
|
|
jibe
|
v. agree; be in harmony with
|
|
|
jocose
|
adj. given in to joking
|
|
|
juncture
|
n. crisis; joining point
|
|
|
junta
|
n. group of persons joined in political intrigue
|
|
|
jurisprudence
|
n. science of law
|
|
|
ken
|
n. range of knowledge
|
|
|
kismet
|
n. fate
|
|
|
knell
|
n. tolling of a bell, especially to indicate a funeral
|
|
|
labile
|
adj. likely to change; unstable
|
|
|
lackadaisacal
|
adj. half-hearted
|
|
|
laconic
|
adj. brief and to the point
|
|
|
lancet
|
n. small surgical tool for making incisions
|
|
|
larder
|
n. pantry
|
|
|
lascivious
|
adj. lustful
|
|
|
lassitude
|
n. languor; weariness
|
|
|
latitude
|
n. freedom from narrow limitations
|
|
|
legerdemain
|
n. sleight of hand
|
|
|
leonine
|
adj. like a lion
|
|
|
levity
|
adj. lack of seriousness or steadiness
|
|
|
libertine
|
n. debauched person
|
|
|
libidinous
|
adj. lustful
|
|
|
lien
|
n. legal claim on a property
|
|
|
limn
|
v. draw an outline
|
|
|
limpid
|
adj. clear (ex. water)
|
|
|
lineaments
|
n. features, especially of the face
|
|
|
list
|
v. tilt; lean over
|
|
|
litany
|
n. supplicatory (humble) prayer
|
|
|
lode
|
n. metal-bearing vein
|
|
|
litotes
|
adj. understatements for emphasis
|
|
|
loll
|
v. lounge around
|
|
|
lucre
|
n. money
|
|
|
lugubrious
|
adj. mournful
|
|
|
lurid
|
adj. wild; sensational
|
|
|
macerate
|
v. soften by soaking in liquid; waste away
|
|
|
maculated
|
adj. spotted; stained
|
|
|
madrigal
|
n. pastoral song
|
|
|
magisterial
|
adj. authoritative; imperious
|
|
|
magniloquent
|
adj. boastful; pompous
|
|
|
malapropism
|
n. comical misuse of a word
|
|
|
malediction
|
n. imprecation; curse
|
|
|
malfeasance
|
n. wrongdoing
|
|
|
manacle
|
n. restraint; handcuff
|
|
|
manumit
|
v. emancipate; free from bondage
|
|
|
maudlin
|
adj. effusively sentimental
|
|
|
mawkish
|
adj. maudlin; gushy and mushy
|
|
|
mealymouthed
|
adj. hypocritical
|
|
|
mellifluous
|
adj. sweetly or smoothly flowing
|
|
|
mendacious
|
adj. lying; habitually dishonest
|
|
|
meretricious
|
adj. flashy; tawdry
|
|
|
mete
|
v. measure; distribute
|
|
|
milieu
|
n. environment; means of expression
|
|
|
militate
|
v. work against
|
|
|
minatory
|
adj. menacing
|
|
|
misapprehension
|
n. error; misunderstanding
|
|
|
mischance
|
n. ill luck
|
|
|
misogamy
|
n. hatred of marriage
|
|
|
missive
|
n. letter
|
|
|
mode
|
n. prevailing style; manner
|
|
|
modulate
|
v. tone down in intensity
|
|
|
mollify
|
v. soothe
|
|
|
mollycoddle
|
v. to pamper
|
|
|
monolithic
|
adj. solidly uniform
|
|
|
moratorium
|
n. legal delay of payment
|
|
|
mordant
|
adj. biting; sarcastic
|
|
|
moribund
|
adj. dying
|
|
|
motility
|
n. ability to move spontaneously
|
|
|
mulct
|
v. defraud a person of something
|
|
|
munificent
|
adj. very generous
|
|
|
natation
|
n. swimming
|
|
|
nefarious
|
adj. wicked
|
|
|
nicety
|
n. detail; minute distinction
|
|
|
niggardly
|
adj. meanly stingy
|
|
|
noisome
|
adj. foul-smelling
|
|
|
nostrum
|
n. questionable medicine
|
|
|
nugatory
|
adj. worthless; futile
|
|
|
numismatist
|
n. person who collect coins
|
|
|
obdurate
|
adj. stubborn
|
|
|
obfuscate
|
v. confuse; muddle; cause confusion
|
|
|
oblique
|
adj. indirect; slanting
|
|
|
obloquy
|
n. slander; disgrace
|
|
|
obsidian
|
n. black volcanic rock
|
|
|
occlude
|
v. shut; close
|
|
|
oculist
|
n. physicist who specializes in treatment of the eyes
|
|
|
officious
|
adj. meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services
|
|
|
onerous
|
adj. burdensome
|
|
|
opprobrium
|
n. infamy; villification
|
|
|
opulence
|
n. extreme wealth
|
|
|
oracular
|
adj. prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority
|
|
|
opus
|
n. body of work
|
|
|
ordination
|
n. ceremony conferring holy orders
|
|
|
orthography
|
n. correct spelling
|
|
|
pachyderm
|
n. thick-skinned animal (ex. elephant)
|
|
|
pall
|
v. grow tiresome
|
|
|
palliate
|
v. make less severe or offensive
|
|
|
panegyric
|
n. formal praise
|
|
|
paradigm
|
n. model
|
|
|
parity
|
n. equality
|
|
|
parlance
|
n. language; idiom
|
|
|
parley
|
n. conference
|
|
|
paroxysm
|
n. fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage
|
|
|
parquet
|
n. floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosaic-like pattern
|
|
|
parry
|
v. ward off a blow
|
|
|
parsimony
|
n. stinginess
|
|
|
passe
|
adj. old-fashioned
|
|
|
pathological
|
adj. pertaining to disease
|
|
|
patina
|
n. green crust on old bronze works
|
|
|
patois
|
n. local or provincial dialect
|
|
|
peccadillo
|
n. slight offense
|
|
|
pecuniary
|
adj. pertaining to money
|
|
|
pejorative
|
adj. negative in connotation
|
|
|
pellucid
|
adj. transparent; limpid
|
|
|
penury
|
n. severe poverty
|
|
|
perdition
|
n. damnation
|
|
|
peregrination
|
n. journey
|
|
|
perfidious
|
adj. treacherous
|
|
|
perfunctory
|
adj. superficial; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm
|
|
|
perigree
|
n. point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth
|
|
|
peripatetic
|
adj. walking about; moving
|
|
|
pernicious
|
adj. very destructive
|
|
|
peroration
|
n. conclusion of an oration
|
|
|
perquisite
|
n. any gain above stipulated salary
|
|
|
perspicacious
|
adj. having insight; penetrating; astute
|
|
|
perspicuity
|
n. clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity
|
|
|
pert
|
adj. impertinent; forward
|
|
|
pestilential
|
adj. causing plague; baneful
|
|
|
pestle
|
n. tool for mashing substances in a bowl
|
|
|
pharisaical
|
adj. relating to Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous
|
|
|
philatelist
|
n. stamp-collector
|
|
|
philology
|
n. study of language
|
|
|
phlegmatic
|
adj. calm; not easily disturbed
|
|
|
physiognomy
|
n. face
|
|
|
piebald
|
adj. of different colors
|
|
|
pinion
|
v. restrain
|
|
|
piscatorial
|
adj. pertaining to fishing
|
|
|
pith
|
n. core or marrow
|
|
|
pithy
|
adj. concise; meaningful
|
|
|
plaintive
|
adj. mournful
|
|
|
plasticity
|
adj. ability to be molded
|
|
|
plaudit
|
n. enthusiastic approval
|
|
|
plebeian
|
adj. common; pertaining to the common people
|
|
|
plumb
|
v. examine critically in order to understand
|
|
|
plumb
|
adj. vertical
|
|
|
polemic
|
n. controversy; argument in support of point of view
|
|
|
pontifical
|
adj. pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious
|
|
|
polyglot
|
adj. speaking several languages
|
|
|
poseur
|
n. person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc. to impress others
|
|
|
postulate
|
n. self-evident truth; axiom
|
|
|
poultice
|
n. soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body
|
|
|
precept
|
n. practical rule guiding conduct
|
|
|
precipitous
|
adj. steep; overhasty
|
|
|
precis
|
n. concise summing of main points
|
|
|
predilection
|
n. partiality; preference
|
|
|
prefatory
|
adj. introductory
|
|
|
prehensile
|
adj. capable of grasping or holding
|
|
|
prelate
|
n. church dignitary
|
|
|
preponderance
|
n. superiority of power, quantity, etc.
|
|
|
prevaricate
|
v. lie
|
|
|
pristine
|
adj. unspoiled; pure; characteristic of earlier times
|
|
|
probity
|
n. uprightness
|
|
|
profligate
|
adj. dissipated; wasteful; wildly immoral
|
|
|
progenitor/progeny
|
n. ancestor/children
|
|
|
prognosticate
|
v. predict
|
|
|
prolixity
|
n. tedious wordiness; verbosity
|
|
|
promulgate
|
v. proclaim a doctrine or law
|
|
|
prophylactic
|
adj. used to prevent disease
|
|
|
propinquity
|
n. nearness; kinship
|
|
|
propitiate
|
v. appease
|
|
|
propitious
|
adj. favorable; fortunate
|
|
|
proscenium
|
n. part of stage in front of curtain
|
|
|
proscribe
|
v. ostracize; banish; outlaw
|
|
|
prosody
|
n. art of versification
|
|
|
protean
|
adj. versatile; able to take on many forms
|
|
|
proselytize
|
v. induce someone to convert to a religion or belief
|
|
|
protuberance
|
n. protrusion; bulge
|
|
|
provenance
|
n. origin or source of something
|
|
|
provender
|
n. dry food; fodder
|
|
|
proviso
|
n. stipulation
|
|
|
prurient
|
adj. having or causing lustful thoughts and desire
|
|
|
pugilist
|
n. boxer
|
|
|
pulchritude
|
n. beauty; comeliness
|
|
|
punctilious
|
adj. stressing niceties of conduct or form; minutely attentive to fine points
|
|
|
purveyor
|
n. furnisher of foodstuffs
|
|
|
putative
|
adj. supposed; reputed
|
|
|
pylon
|
n. marking post to guide aviators
|
|
|
quaff
|
v. drink with relish
|
|
|
quail
|
v. cower; lose heart
|
|
|
quarry
|
n. victim; object of a hunt
|
|
|
quay
|
n. dock; landing place
|
|
|
quiescent
|
adj. at rest; dormant; temporarily inactive
|
|
|
quisling
|
n. traitor who aids invaders
|
|
|
quorum
|
n. number of members necessary to conduct a meeting
|
|
|
raconteur
|
n. story-teller
|
|
|
ragamuffin
|
n. person weary shabby clothes
|
|
|
raiment
|
n. clothing
|
|
|
rakish
|
adj. stylish; sporty
|
|
|
ramification
|
n. branching out; subdivision
|
|
|
ramify
|
v. divide into branches
|
|
|
rampart
|
n. defensive mound of earth
|
|
|
rancor
|
n. bitterness
|
|
|
rankle
|
v. fester
|
|
|
rapacious
|
adj. excessively grasping; plundering
|
|
|
rarefied
|
adj. thinned; made less dense
|
|
|
ratiocination
|
n. reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises
|
|
|
rebus
|
n. puzzle in which pictures stand for words
|
|
|
recant
|
v.disclaim or disavow
|
|
|
recidivism
|
n. habitual return to crime
|
|
|
recondite
|
adj. abstruse; profound; secret
|
|
|
recourse
|
n. resorting to help when in trouble
|
|
|
recumbent
|
adj. reclining
|
|
|
redolent
|
adj. fragrant
|
|
|
refectory
|
n. dining hall
|
|
|
refractory
|
adj. stubborn; unmanageable
|
|
|
remiss
|
adj. negligible
|
|
|
renumerative
|
adj. compensating; rewarding
|
|
|
render
|
v. deliver
|
|
|
rent
|
v. rip; split
|
|
|
repast
|
n. meal
|
|
|
repine
|
v. fret; complain
|
|
|
repository
|
n. storehouse
|
|
|
reprieve
|
n. temporary stay
|
|
|
reprisal
|
n. retaliation
|
|
|
reprobate
|
n. person hardened by sin; devoid of a sense of decency
|
|
|
reprove
|
v. censure
|
|
|
requite
|
v. repay; revenge
|
|
|
restitution
|
n. reparation
|
|
|
restive
|
adj. restlessly impatient
|
|
|
retinue
|
n. following; attendants
|
|
|
retiring
|
adj. modest; shy
|
|
|
retrograde
|
v. go backwards; degenerate
|
|
|
ribald
|
adj. wanton; profane
|
|
|
rider
|
n. amendment or clause added to a legislative bill
|
|
|
roil
|
v. to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; to disturb
|
|
|
roseate
|
adj. rosy; optimistic
|
|
|
rostrum
|
n. platform for speech-making; pulpit
|
|
|
ruminate
|
v. chew over and over; mull over
|
|
|
ruse
|
n. trick; strategm
|
|
|
rusticate
|
v. banish to the country
|
|
|
salacious
|
adj. lascivious
|
|
|
salient
|
adj. prominent
|
|
|
sanguinary
|
adj. bloody
|
|
|
sartorial
|
adj. pertaining to tailors
|
|
|
savant
|
n. scholar
|
|
|
scad
|
n. great quantity
|
|
|
schematic
|
adj. relating to an outline or diagram
|
|
|
scintilla
|
n. shred; least bit
|
|
|
scotch
|
v. stamp out; thwart; hinder
|
|
|
scouge
|
n. lash; whip; severe punishment
|
|
|
scurrilous
|
adj. obscene; indecent
|
|
|
scuttle
|
v. sink
|
|
|
sedulous
|
adj. diligent
|
|
|
seminary
|
n. school for training future ministers
|
|
|
sententious
|
adj. terse; concise; aphoristic
|
|
|
septic
|
adj. putrid
|
|
|
sepulcher
|
n. tomb
|
|
|
sequester
|
v. isolate
|
|
|
serrated
|
adj. having a saw-toothed edge
|
|
|
sextant
|
n. navigation tool to calculate lat/longitude
|
|
|
sheaf
|
n. bundle of stalks of grain
|
|
|
shunt
|
v. turn aside; divert; sidetrack
|
|
|
shyster
|
n. lawyer using questionable methods
|
|
|
sibylline
|
adj. prophetic; oracular
|
|
|
sidereal
|
adj. relating to the stars
|
|
|
sinecure
|
n. well-paid position requiring little work
|
|
|
sinuous
|
adj. winding
|
|
|
skill
|
n. light sailboat
|
|
|
skinflint
|
n. stingy person; miser
|
|
|
skulduggery
|
n. dishonest behavior
|
|
|
slag
|
n. residue from smelling metal
|
|
|
sleight
|
n. dexterity
|
|
|
slough
|
v. cast off
|
|
|
slovenly
|
adj. untidy
|
|
|
sluice
|
n. artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water
|
|
|
sojourn
|
n. temporary stay
|
|
|
solder
|
v. repiaar using a metal alloy
|
|
|
solecism
|
construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically
|
|
|
solicitous
|
adj. worried, concerned
|
|
|
somatic
|
adj. related to the body
|
|
|
somnolent
|
adj. half asleep
|
|
|
spate
|
n. sudden flood
|
|
|
specious
|
adj. seemingly reasonable but incorrect
|
|
|
spoonerism
|
accidental transposition of sounds in successive words (ex. Hoobert Herver)
|
|
|
spurce
|
adj. neat and trim
|
|
|
staid
|
adj. sober; sedate
|
|
|
stanch
|
v. check flow of blood
|
|
|
stentorian
|
adj. extremely loud
|
|
|
stilted
|
adj. bombastic; pompous
|
|
|
stint
|
v. be thrifty; set limits
|
|
|
stipulate
|
v. make expressed conditions
|
|
|
stolid
|
adj. dull; impassive
|
|
|
stricture
|
n. critical comments
|
|
|
strident
|
adj. loud and harsh; insistet
|
|
|
strut
|
n. supporting bar
|
|
|
stultify
|
adj. to cause to become stupid
|
|
|
subaltern
|
n. subordinate
|
|
|
sublimate
|
v. refine; purify
|
|
|
suborn
|
adj. persuade to act unlawfully
|
|
|
subsume
|
v. include; emcompass
|
|
|
suffuse
|
v. spread over
|
|
|
sumptuous
|
adj. lavish; rich
|
|
|
sunder
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v. separate; part
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sundry
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adj. random; various
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supererogatory
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adj. superfluous; more than needed
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superannuated
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retired or disqualified because of age
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supine
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adj. lying on back
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suppliant
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adj. entreating; beseeching
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surfeit
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v. satiate
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swathe
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adj. wrap-around bandage
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syllogism
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n. logical formula consisting of a major/minor premise
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taper
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n. candlelight
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swarthy
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adj. dark; dusky
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supernumerary
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adj. person or thing in excess of what is necessary; extra
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supercilious
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adj. arrogant; condescending
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succor
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v. aid; assist; comfort
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sybarite
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n. lover of luxury
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tautological
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adj. needlessly repetitive
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teetolism
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n. practice of abstaining totally from alcoholic drinks
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temerity
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n. boldness; rashness
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temporal
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adj. not lasting forever
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temporize
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v. act evasively in order to gain time; avoid committing oneself
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tendentious
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adj. having an aim; biased; designed to further a cause
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tensile
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adj. capable of being stretched
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tesselated
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adj. inlaid; mosaic
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testator
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n. maker of a will
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thrall
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n. slave; bondage
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tiller
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n. handle used to move boat's rudder (to steer)
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timorous
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adj. fearful
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tipple
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v. drink
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titular
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adj. having the title of an office without the obligations
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tawdry
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adj. cheap and gaudy
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tonsure
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n. shaving of the head, especially by person entering religious orders
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torpor
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n. lethargy (adj = torpid)
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torrid
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adj. passionate
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touchstone
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n. criterion; stone used to test fineness of gold alloy
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tractable
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adj. docile; easily managed
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traduce
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v. expose to slander
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transitory
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adj. transient; momentary; fleeting
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trappings
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n. outward decorations; ornaments
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travail
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n. painful physical or mental labor
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trenchant
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adj. forceful and vigorous; cutting; deeply perceptive
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tribulation
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n. distress
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troth
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n. pledge of good faith especially in bethrothal
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truculence
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n. aggressiveness; ferocity
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tumid
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adj. swollen; pompous
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turbid
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adj. muddy; having the sediment disturbed
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tureen
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n. deep dish for serving soup
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turgid
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adj. swollen; distended
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turncoat
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n. traitor
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turpitude
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n. depravity
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tyro
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n. beginner; novice
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umbrage
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n. resentment; anger
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unction
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n. the act of anointing with oil
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unctuous
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adj. oily
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unequivocal
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adj. obvious; plain
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unguent
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n. ointment
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unprepossessing
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adj. unattractive
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untenable
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adj. indefensible; not able to be maintained
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untrammeled
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adj. without limits or restrictions
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unwonted
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adj. unaccustomed
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upshot
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n. outcome
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ursine
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adj. bearlike
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usury
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n. lending money at illegal rates of interest
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uxorious
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adj. excessively devoted to one's wife
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vagrant
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adj. stray; random
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valedictory
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adj. pertaining to farewell
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vanguard
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n. forerunners
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variegated
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adj. many-colored
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venal
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adj. capable of being bribed
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venial
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adj. forgivable; trivial
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veracious
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adj. truthful (n. veracity)
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verbiage
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n. pompous array of words
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verdigris
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n. green coating on copper that has been exposed to weather
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veritable
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adj. actual
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verity
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n. quality of being true
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verve
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n. enthusiasm
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viand
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n. food
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vicissitude
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n. change of fortune
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vintner
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n. winemaker
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viscid
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adj. adhesive; gluey
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vise
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n. tool for holding work in place
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vitiate
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v. spoil the effect of; make inoperative; void
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vitreous
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adj. pertaining to glass
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vituperative
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adj. abusive; scolding
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voluble
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adj. fluent; glib; talkative
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voracious
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adj. ravenous
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vouchsafe
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v. grant condescendingly; guarantee
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waif
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n. homeless child or animal
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wangle
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v. wiggle out; fake
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warren
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n. tunnels in which rabbits live
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wastrel
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n. profligate
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welter
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n. turmoil; bewildering jumble
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welter
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v. wallow
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whit
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n. smallest speck
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winnow
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v. sift; separate good parts from bad
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wizened
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adj. shriveled
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wont
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n. custom; habitual procedure
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wrangle
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v. quarrel; obtain through arguing
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yen
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n. longing; urge
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yokel
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n. country bumpkin
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