Miscellaneous Word List 1901-2000

Front 1

decollete

Back 1

adj. leaving the neck and shoulders uncovered; cut low in the neck, or low-neck, as a dress

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demotic

Back 2

adj. of or relating to the common people; popular

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dormer

Back 3

n. a window set vertically into a small gable projecting from a sloping roof

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doggerel

Back 4

n. cruddely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature

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effluvium

Back 5

n. a usually invisible emanation or exhaltation, as of vapor or gas; an impalpable emanation; an aura

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endue

Back 6

v. to provide with a quality or trait; endow

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epaulet

Back 7

n. a shoulder ornament, especially a fringed strap worn on military uniforms

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equable

Back 8

adj. unvarying; steady; free from extremes; serene; not easily disturbed

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hackles

Back 9

n. the erectile hairs along the back of the neck of an animal, especially of a dog

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hibernal

Back 10

adj. of or relating to winter

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immure

Back 11

v. to confine within walls; imprison; to entomb

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impuissance

Back 12

n. lack of power of effectiveness; weakness

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indemnify

Back 13

v. to protect against damage, los, or injury; insure; to make compensation for damage

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jocose

Back 14

adj. given to joking; merry; humorous

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lancet

Back 15

n. a surgical knife with a short, wide, pointed double edge blade, used especially for making punctures and small incisions

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libertine

Back 16

n. one who acts without moral restraint; dissolute; one who defies established precepts; a freethinker

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ligneous

Back 17

adj. consisting of or having the texture or appearance of wood; woody

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litotes

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n. a figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite (This is no small problem)

Front 19

lode

Back 19

n. a vein of mineral ore deposited bewteen clearly demarcated layers of rock

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mauve

Back 20

n. a moderate grayish violet to moderate reddish purple

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mealymouthed

Back 21

adj. hesitant to state facts or opinions simply and directly as from timidity or hypocrisy

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misogamy

Back 22

n. hatred of marriage

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modish

Back 23

adj. being in or conforming to the prevailing or current fashion; stylish

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motility

Back 24

adj. moving or having the power to move spontaneously

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niggle

Back 25

v. to be preoccupied with triffles or petty details; to find fault constantly and trivially; carp

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numismatist

Back 26

n. the study or collection of money, coins, and often medals

Front 27

orthography

Back 27

n. a method of representing a language or the sounds of language by written symbols; spelling; the art of correct spelling

Front 28

palimpsest

Back 28

n. a manuscript, typically of papyrus or parchment, that has been written on more than once with the earlier writing completely erased

Front 29

pall

Back 29

n. (1) a coffin, especially one being carried to a grave or tomb; a covering that darkens or obscures (2) a gloomy effect or atmosphere

Front 30

parquet

Back 30

n. a floor covering of pieces of hardwood fitted in a decorative pattern

Front 31

patois

Back 31

n. the special jargon of a group; a regional dialect, especially one without a literary tradition

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perdition

Back 32

n. eternal damnation; hell

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perigee

Back 33

n. the point in any orbit nearest to the body being orbited

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pharisaical

Back 34

adj. hypocritically self-righteous and condemnatory; excessively and hypocritically pious; a sickening sanctimony

Front 35

poseur

Back 35

n. one who affects a particular atrribute, attitude, or identity to impress others

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defalcation

Back 36

v. to misue funds; embezzle

Front 37

proscenium

Back 37

n. the area of a modern theater that is located between the curtain and the orchestra; the stage itself

Front 38

quisling

Back 38

n. a traitor who serves as the puppet of the enemy occupying his or her country

Front 39

ramify

Back 39

v. to have complicating consequences or outgrowths; to divide in cause or extend in branches or subordinate branchlike parts

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rife

Back 40

adj. in widespread existence; increasingly prevalent; abundant

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runic

Back 41

adj. relating to runes, the oldest german language know in existence from the 3rd to the 6th century

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scotch

Back 42

v. (1) to put to an abrupt end (2) to injure so as to render harmless (3) to cut or score

Front 43

sinecure

Back 43

n. a position that requires little or no work but provides a salary

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skulduggery

Back 44

n. underhand dealing; trickery

Front 45

slag

Back 45

n. the vitreous mass left as a residue by the smelting of metallic ore

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tessellate

Back 46

v. to fit together or form into mosaic pattern, as by using small qures of stone or glass

Front 47

tonsure

Back 47

n. the act of shaving the head or part of the head, especially as a preliminary to becoming a monk

Front 48

torque

Back 48

n. the moment of a force; the measure of a force's tendency to produce torsion or rotation about an axis

Front 49

tyro

Back 49

n. a beginner in learning something

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unprepossessing

Back 50

adj. not overtly impressive; unremarkable; nondescript

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ventral

Back 51

adj. related or situated on or close to the abdomen

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veracious

Back 52

adj. honest; truthful; accurate; precise

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verdigris

Back 53

n. a green patina or crust of copper sulfate on copper, brass, and bronze exposed to air or seawater for long periods of time

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verisimilar

Back 54

adj. appearing to be true or real; probable

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vernal

Back 55

adj. relating to the spring; fresh and young; youthful

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viand

Back 56

n. a very choice or delicious dish

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vitreous

Back 57

adj. relating to or resembly the nature of glass; glassy

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wangle

Back 58

v. to extricate from difficulty; to achieve by contrivance; to manipulate fraudulently

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wastrel

Back 59

n. one who wastes, especially one who wastes money; a profligate; an idler or a loafer

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yokel

Back 60

n. a rustic; a bumpkin

Front 61

zephyr

Back 61

n. something that is airy, insubstantial, or passing

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perambulate

Back 62

v. to travel over for the purpose of surveying or inspecting; to walk about; to roam

Front 63

koan

Back 63

n. a puzzling, often paradoxical statement or story

Front 64

mondegreen

Back 64

n. a word or phrase resulting from a misinterpretation of a word or phrase that has been heard

Front 65

folderol

Back 65

n. foolishness; nonsense

Front 66

hypothecate

Back 66

v. (1) to pledge as security or collateral for a debt without transfer of title or possession; to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds (2) to allocate the revenue raised by a tax for a specified purpose

Front 67

aubade

Back 67

n. a song or a poem greeting the dawn; also a composition suggestive of morning

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blarney

Back 68

n. smooth flattery talk; deceptive nonsense

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conurbation

Back 69

n. a predominantly urban region including adjacent towns and suburbs; a metropolitan area

Front 70

philematology

Back 70

n. the study of kissing

Front 71

pablum

Back 71

n. something (a writing or a speech) that is trite, insipid, or simplistic

Front 72

neurasthenia

Back 72

n. a psychological disorder characterized by chronic fatigue and weakness, loss of memory, and generalized aches and pains, though to result from exhaustion of the nervous system

Front 73

sachet

Back 73

n. a small bag, case, or pad containing perfuming powder or the like, placed among handkerchiefs to impart a pleasant smell

Front 74

fatidic

Back 74

adj. of or charatized by prophecy; prophetic

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eclat

Back 75

n. (1) brilliancy of success or effort; splendor; brilliant show; striking effect; glory; renown (2) demonstration of admiration and approbation; applause

Front 76

cadaster

Back 76

n. a public record, survey, or map of the value, extent, and ownership of land as a basis of taxation

Front 77

lucre

Back 77

n. monetary gain; profit; riches; money--often in a bad sense

Front 78

grok

Back 78

v. to understand, especially in a profound and intimate way; to be one with even in a strange land

Front 79

megrim

Back 79

n. (1) migraine (2) a fancy; a whim

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gunsel

Back 80

n. a hoodlum or other criminal, especially one who carries a gun

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semiotic

Back 81

adj. relating to signs and symbols, of relations between symbols and other matter, such as language, politics, family, etc

Front 82

tansmogrify

Back 82

v. to change into a different shape or to transform, often with bizarre or humorous effect

Front 83

scapegrace

Back 83

n. a reckless, unprincipled person; one who is wild and recless; a rascal; a scoundrel

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wastrel

Back 84

n. a person who wastes, especially one who squanders money; a spendthrift; an idler, a loader; a good-for-nothing

Front 85

scatological

Back 85

n. obscene language or literature, especially that dealing pruriently or humorously with excrement and excretory functions

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covey

Back 86

n. a small group, as of persons

Front 87

quisling

Back 87

n. someone who colloborates with an enemy occupying his or her country; a traitor

Front 88

doula

Back 88

n. a woman who assists during childbirth labor and provides support to the mother, her child and the family after childbirth

Front 89

crestfallen

Back 89

adj. despirited and depressed; dejected

Front 90

omnific

Back 90

adj. creating all things; having unlimited powers of creation

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jnana

Back 91

n. absolute knowledge acquired through mediation and study as a means of reaching brahman; a state of awareness independent of conceptual thought

Front 92

iatrogenic

Back 92

adj. a malady induced inadvertently by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures

Front 93

perpend

Back 93

v. to ponder; deliberate; to be attentive; reflect

Front 94

chevron

Back 94

n. a badge consisting of stripes meeting at an angle, worn on the sleeve by noncomissionsed officers, as an indication of rank, service, or the like

Front 95

muliebrity

Back 95

n. the state of being a woman

Front 96

malapert

Back 96

adj. unbecomingly bold or saucy

Front 97

afterclap

Back 97

n. an unexpected, often unpleasant sequel to a matter that had been considered closed

Front 98

sawyer

Back 98

n. one that is employed in sawing wood

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eidetic

Back 99

adj. pertaining to visual imagery vividly experienced and readily reproducible with great accuracy and in great detail; marked by extraordinarily accurate and exacting recall especially of visual images

Front 100

kibitz

Back 100

v. to chat; to converse; to look on and offer unwanted., usually meddlesome advise to others