October 2004 Vocab

Front 1

noun

*1 : connection, link; also : a causal link
2 : a connected group or series
3 : center, focu

Back 1

nexus

Hint 1

from "nectere," a Latin verb meaning "to bind."

Front 2

adjective

1 a : hard to accomplish or achieve : difficult *b: marked by great labor or effort : strenuous
2 : hard to climb : steep

Back 2

arduous

Front 3

noun:

a long detailed account

Back 3

saga

Front 4

adjective

1 : full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy; also : inspiring such yearning
*2 : musingly sad : pensive

Back 4

wistful

Hint 4

comes from a combination of "wishful" and "wistly," a now obsolete word meaning "intently."

Front 5

noun

: a timid, meek, or ineffectual person

Back 5

nebbish

Hint 5

derives from the Yiddish "nebekh," meaning "poor" or "unfortunate."

Front 6

verb

*1 : to give off or reflect light in bright beams or flashes : sparkle
2 : to be brilliant or showy in technique or style

Back 6

coruscate

Front 7

noun

: a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true; especially : one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession

Back 7

tenet

Hint 7

"tenerē" ("to hold") in Latin rootwise; think of a sect of a Church; many other words come from "tenerē" such as "obtain" or "contain" or "tenable"*

Front 8

noun

*1 : deception by artful subterfuge or sophistry : trickery
2 : a piece of sharp practice (as at law) : trick

Back 8

chicanery (shih-Kay-nuh-ree

Front 9

verb

*1 : to coax with flattery : cajole
2 : to act or speak in a flattering or coaxing manner

Back 9

blandish

Hint 9

"blandus," a Latin word meaning "mild" or "flattering."

Front 10

adjective

: of or relating to knowledge or knowing : cognitive

Back 10

epistemic

Hint 10

from the verb "epistanai," meaning "to know or understand," a word formed from the prefix "epi-" (meaning "upon" or "attached to") and "histanai" (meaning "to cause to stand")

Front 11

to walk around a place

Back 11

perambulation

Front 12

noun:
a frequented place

Back 12

perlieu

Front 13

adjective

: traveling from place to place; especially : covering a circuit

Back 13

itinerant

Hint 13

In Latin, "iter" means "way" or "journey." parent of the Late Latin verb "itinerari," meaning "to journey." * "ir" means to go in Spanish

Front 14

verb

*1 : satisfy, quench
2 : to cause (as lime) to heat and crumble by treatment with water : hydrate

Back 14

slake

Front 15

noun

1 : a large ship; especially : a large merchant ship
*2 : a rich supply

Back 15

argosy

Front 16

adjective

1 : having death as a subject : comprising or including a personalized representation of death
*2 : dwelling on the gruesome
3 : tending to produce horror in a beholder

Back 16

macabre (like masacre)

Front 17

noun

1 a : calm expression b : mental composure c : look, expression
*2 : face, visage; especially : the face as an indication of mood, emotion, or character
3 : bearing or expression that offers approval or sanction : moral support

Back 17

countenance

Hint 17

"continēre," a verb meaning "to hold together," "to hold in," or "to contain."

Front 18

adjective

: lying above or upon : overlying

Back 18

superjacent

Hint 18

like "adjacent" both have "jacere" which means "to lie" in Latin except "super" means "over/above" so.... subjacent means "lying below", etc...

Front 19

noun

1 : joint, connection
*2 : a critical time or state of affairs

Back 19

juncture

Hint 19

from Latin "jungere" meaning "to join" * Spanish = "juntos" means "together"

Front 20

adjective

: timorous, fearful

Back 20

trepid (verb: trepidate means to tremble with fear)

Hint 20

from Latin "trepidus," meaning "alarmed" or "agitiated"

Front 21

verb

: to enroll as a member of a body and especially of a college or university

Back 21

matriculate

Hint 21

related to the Late Latin "matricula," which means "public roll or register" also think of "alma mater" or "fostering mother"

Front 22

noun

1 : the state of forgetting or having forgotten or of being unaware or unconscious
*2 : the condition or state of being forgotten or unknown

Back 22

oblivion

Hint 22

think of Spanish word "olvidar" which means "to forget"; orginally from the Latin "oblivisci," which means "to forget."

Front 23

adjective

: existing or present on all sides : encompassing

Back 23

ambient

Hint 23

to the Latin verb "ambire," meaning "to go around," the grandparent of our English word.