November 2004 Vocab

Front 1

verb

1 : shelter; conceal
*2 : establish; settle

Back 1

ensconce

Front 2

verb

*1 : to examine closely and minutely
2 : to make a scrutiny

Back 2

scrutinize

Hint 2

from the Latin verb "scrutari" (meaning "to search" or "to examine"), which in turn probably comes from "scruta" (meaning "trash," or more specifically "a mixture of worthwhile articles and trash").

Front 3

noun

*1 : evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement : equivocation
2 : desertion of a cause, position, party, or faith

Back 3

tergiversation

Hint 3

The Latin verb "tergiversari" means "to show reluctance," and it comes from the combination of "tergum," meaning "back," and "versare," meaning "to turn."

Front 4

noun

: keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination especially in practical matters

Back 4

acumen

Hint 4

traces to the verb "acuere," which means "to sharpen" and which derives from "acus," the Latin word for "needle."

Front 5

noun

*1 : an exhibition or display of optical effects and illusions
2 a : a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined b : a scene that constantly changes
3 : a bizarre or fantastic combination, collection, or assemblage

Back 5

phantasmagoria

Hint 5

traced back to Latin "phantasma" ("a product of fantasy") and ultimately to Greek "phantazein," which means "to present to the mind."

Front 6

adjective

1 : hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of self-confidence
*2 : reserved, unassertive

Back 6

diffident

Hint 6

opposite of confident; trace to the Latin verb "fidere," which means "to trust." and the prefix "dis-," meaning "the absence of,"

Front 7

noun

: glowing and warmly enthusiastic praise; also : an expression of this

Back 7

encomium

Hint 7

Greek formed this particular expression of praise and named it an "enkōmion," from their terms "en," meaning "in," and "kōmos," meaning "celebration."

Front 8

adjective

1 : firmly established by long persistence
*2 : confirmed in a habit : habitual

Back 8

inveterate

Hint 8

ultimately comes from Latin "vetus," which means "old," and which led to the Latin verb "inveterare" ("to age").

Front 9

noun

1 : a seal used especially as a mark of official approval
*2 : a feature or quality conferring prestige; also : prestige

Back 9

cachet

Hint 9

from the Middle French verb "cacher," meaning "to press" or "to hide."

Front 10

noun

: a fitting return or recompense

Back 10

meed

Hint 10

appeared in the Old English classic Beowulf; Old English form, "mēd"

Front 11

adjective

: refusing to submit to authority

Back 11

recusant

Hint 11

from the Latin verb "recusare," meaning "reject" or "oppose."

Front 12

verb

1 : to make confused : puzzle, bewilder
2 : to occupy the attention of : distract, absorb
*3 : to cause to have feelings of wry or tolerant amusement

Back 12

bemuse

Hint 12

originally referred to being inspired by or devoted to one of the Muses; however it was misinterpreted by many in a poem by the British poet Alexander Pope

Front 13

noun

: an organism that lives under extreme environmental conditions (as in a hot spring or ice cap)

Back 13

extremophile

Hint 13

comes from combination of "extreme" and the Greek work for "love;" usually refers to Archaebacteria that can stand very high or low temps

Front 14

verb

1 : to give a false appearance of : induce as a false impression
*2 : to assert as if true : pretend

Back 14

feign

Hint 14

Latin ancestor: the verb "fingere," which also means "to shape." related to word "figure" and "fiction"

Front 15

noun

: divination by the appearance or motion of liquids (as water)

Back 15

hydromancy

Hint 15

to derive ultimately from the Greek words for "water" ("hydōr") and "divination" ("manteia")

Front 16

adjective

*1 : including a multitude of individuals : populous
2 : existing in a great multitude
3 : existing in or consisting of innumerable elements or aspects

Back 16

multitudinous

Hint 16

from Latin "multus," meaning "many."

Front 17

adjective

: frenzied, frantic

Back 17

frenetic

Hint 17

comes from Greek "phrenitis," a term describing an inflammation of the brain. "Phrān" is the Greek word for "mind," a root you will recognize in "schizophrenic." closely related to "frantic"

Front 18

noun

: a shelter occupied during the winter by a dormant animal

Back 18

hibernaculum

Hint 18

come from Latin "hibernare," meaning "to pass the winter."

Front 19

noun

: a period of physiologically enforced dormancy between periods of activity

Back 19

diapause

Hint 19

from the Greek word "diapausis," meaning "pause," may have been coined by the entomologist William Wheeler in 1893.

Front 20

verb

1 : to reduce the violence of (a disease); also : to ease (symptoms) without curing the underlying disease
*2 : to cover by excuses and apologies
3 : to moderate the intensity of

Back 20

palliate

Front 21

noun

1: syndicated material supplied especially to weekly newspapers in matrix or plate form
*2: standardized, formulaic, or hackneyed language

Back 21

boilerplate