Merriam-Webster's Unit 03

Front 1

ambiguous

Back 1

1) doubtful or uncertain especially from being obscure or indistinct 2) unclear in meaning because of being understood in more than one way

Front 2

ambient

Back 2

existing or present on all sides

Front 3

ambivalent

Back 3

1) holding opposite feelings at the same time toward someone or something 2) continually wavering between opposites and alternate courses of action

Front 4

ampitheatre

Back 4

an oval or circular building with an open area rigned by rising tiers of seats, used in ancient rome for contests and spectacles

Front 5

ephemeral

Back 5

lasting a very short time (day)

Front 6

epiphyte

Back 6

a plant that obtains its nutrients from the air and the rain and usually grows on another plant for support

Front 7

epitaph

Back 7

an inscription on a tombstone in memory of the person buried there

Front 8

epithet

Back 8

a word or phrase used positively or negatively that characterizes or describes a person or thing, added to or replacing a name

Front 9

ambi/amph

Back 9

around, on both sides

Front 10

ep/epi

Back 10

upon; above; over

Front 11

hypo/hyp

Back 11

under, below, deficient, usually medical

Front 12

hypochondriac

Back 12

A person unduly concerned with his health and often suffers delusions of physical disease

Front 13

hypocrisy

Back 13

the practice of pretending to be something one is not; insincerity

Front 14

hypothermia

Back 14

subnormal body temperature

Front 15

hypothetical

Back 15

based on assumption or guess made for the sake of an arguement to guide an investigation; imagined for purpose of example

Front 16

therm/thermo

Back 16

heat, temperature

Front 17

thermal

Back 17

caused by heat; designed to insulate in order to retain body heat

Front 18

thermocline

Back 18

the region in a bodu of water that divides the warmer oxygen rich surface layer from the colder oxygen poor deep water

Front 19

thermocouple

Back 19

a device for measruing temperature that makes use of the way metals respond to heat

Front 20

thermonuclear

Back 20

change in an atom's nucleus that requires a very high temperature, such as in a hydrogen bomb or in the sun

Front 21

poly

Back 21

many or multiple

Front 22

polychromatic

Back 22

showing a variety or a change in colors; multicolored

Front 23

polyglot

Back 23

one who can speak or write in several languages

Front 24

polymer

Back 24

a chemical compound formed by a reaction in which two or more molecules combine to form larger molecules with repeating structural units

Front 25

polyphony

Back 25

music consisting of two or more independent but harmonious melodies

Front 26

prim

Back 26

from "primus" meaning first

Front 27

primal

Back 27

original or priimitive; first in importance

Front 28

primiparous

Back 28

Pertaining to a woman who has given birth to her first child.

Front 29

primogeniture

Back 29

an exclusive right of inheritance belonging to the eldest son of a single set of parents

Front 30

primordial

Back 30

first created or developed;existing at the very beginning

Front 31

homo

Back 31

same, similar, alike

Front 32

homonym

Back 32

word that sounds like another but differs in meaning and spelling

Front 33

homogeneous

Back 33

of the same kind; uniform in composition throughout

Front 34

homologous

Back 34

having the same evolutionary origin but serving different functions

Front 35

homophone

Back 35

n. A word agreeing in sound with but different in meaning from another.

Front 36

dis

Back 36

apart, away, do the opposite of, expel

Front 37

diffraction

Back 37

the bending of a beam of light especially when it passes through a narrow opening or is reflected from a ruled surface; similar changes in other waves, such as sound waves

Front 38

dissension

Back 38

disagreement in opinion

Front 39

disseminate

Back 39

to spread widely as if by sowing seeds

Front 40

dissipate

Back 40

to cause to spread out to the point of vanishing; to spend foolishly/wastefully

Front 41

ad hoc

Back 41

for a specific purpose or situation

Front 42

ad hominem

Back 42

in an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. "to the man"

Front 43

alter ego

Back 43

a very close and trusted friend who seems almost a part of yourself; the opposite side of a personality

Front 44

de facto

Back 44

being such in practice or effect, although not formally recognized; actual

Front 45

de jure

Back 45

by right of law

Front 46

ex post facto

Back 46

done, made, or formulated after the fact

Front 47

modus vivendi

Back 47

A practical compromise or arrangement that is acceptable to all concerned; "a way of life" (vivir)

Front 48

modus operandi

Back 48

a usual way of doing something; "method of operating"