Sat Spark Notes M

Front 1

maelstrom

Back 1

(n) destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects.

Hint 1

Little did the explorers know that as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat.

Front 2

magnanimous

Back 2

(adj) noble, generous

Hint 2

Althought I had already broken most of her dishes, Jacqueline was magnanimous enough to continue letting me use them.

Front 3

malediction

Back 3

(n) a curse

Hint 3

When I was arrested for speeding, I screamed maledictions against the policeman and the entire police department.

Front 4

malevolent

Back 4

(adj) wanting harm to befall others

Hint 4

The Malevolent old man sat in the park all day, tripping unsuspecting passerby with his cane.

Front 5

malleable

Back 5

(adj) capable of being shaped or transformed

Hint 5

Maximillian's political opinions were so malleable that anyone he talked to was able to change his mind instantly.

Front 6

mandate

Back 6

(n) an authoritative command

Hint 6

In the Old Testament, God mandates that no one should steal.

Front 7

manifest

Back 7

(adj) easily understandable, obvious
(v) to show plainly

Hint 7

When I wrote the wrong sum on the chalkboard, my mistake was so manifest that the entire class burst into laughter.

Front 8

manifold

Back 8

(adj) diverse, varied

Hint 8

The popularity of the Dante's Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work allows for manifold interpretations.

Front 9

maudlin

Back 9

(adj) weakly sentimental

Hint 9

Although many people enjoy romantic comedies, I usually find them maudlin and shallow.

Front 10

maverick

Back 10

(n) an independent, noncomformist person

Hint 10

Andreas is a read maverick and always does things his own way.

Front 11

mawkish

Back 11

(adj) characterized by sick sentimentality

Hint 11

Although some nineteenth century critics viewed Dicken's writing as mawkish, contemporary readers have found great emotional depth in his works.

Front 12

maxim

Back 12

(n) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct

Hint 12

Miss Manner's etiquette maxims are both entertaining and instuctional.

Front 13

meager

Back 13

(adj) deficient in size or quality

Hint 13

My meager portion of food did nothing to satisfy my appetite.

Front 14

medley

Back 14

(n) a mixture of differing things

Hint 14

Susannah's wardrobe contained an astonishing medley of colors, from olive green to fluorescent pink.

Front 15

mendacious

Back 15

(adj)

Front 16

mendacious

Back 16

(adj) having a lying false character

Hint 16

the mendacious content of the tabloid magazine is at least entertaining.

Front 17

mercurial

Back 17

(adj) characterized by rapid change or temporamentality

Hint 17

though he was widely respected for his mathematical proofs, the mercurial genius was impossible to live with.

Front 18

meritorious

Back 18

(adj) worthy of esteem or reward

Hint 18

Manfred was given the congressional medal of honor for his mertorious actions.

Front 19

metamorphosis

Back 19

(n) the change of form, shape, substance

Hint 19

Winnifred went to the gym for a year and underwent a metamporphisis from a waiflike girl to an athletic woman.

Front 20

meticulous

Back 20

(adj) extremely careful with details

Hint 20

The ornate needlework in the bride's gown was a product of meticulous handiwork.

Front 21

mitigate

Back 21

(v) to make less violent, alleviate

Hint 21

When I had an awful sore throat, only warm tea would mitigate the pain.

Front 22

moderate

Back 22

1.(adj) not extreme
2.(n) one who expresses moderate opinions

Hint 22

1.Luckily, the restaurant we chose had moderate prices; none of us have any money.
2.Because he found both the liberal and conservative proposals too excessive, Mr.Park sided with the moderates.

Front 23

modicum

Back 23

(n) a small amount of something

Hint 23

Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity, Henrietta announced her boss's affair in front of the entire office.

Front 24

modulate

Back 24

(v) to pass from one state to another, especially in music

Hint 24

The composer wrote a piece that modulated between minor and major keys.

Front 25

mollify

Back 25

(v) to soften in temper

Hint 25

The police officer mollified the angry woman by giving her a warning instead of a ticket.

Front 26

morass

Back 26

(n) a wet swampy bog; figuratively, something that traps and confuses.

Hint 26

When Theresa lost her job, she could not get out of her financial morass.

Front 27

mores

Back 27

(n) the moral attitudes and fixed customs of a group of people

Hint 27

Mores change over time; many things that were tolerated in 1975 are no longer seen as socially acceptable.

Front 28

morose

Back 28

(adj) gloomy or sullen

Hint 28

Jason's morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk to.

Front 29

multifarious

Back 29

(adj) having great diversity or variety

Hint 29

This Swiss Army knife has multifarious functions and capabilities. Among other things, it can act as a knife, a saw, a toothpick, and a slingshot.

Front 30

mundane

Back 30

(adj) concerned with the world rather than with heaven, commonplace

Hint 30

He is more concerned with the mundane issues of day-to-day life than with spiritual topics.

Front 31

munificence

Back 31

(n) a generosity in giving

Hint 31

The royal family's munificence made everyone else in their country wealthy.

Front 32

mutable

Back 32

(adj) able to change

Hint 32

Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.

Front 33

myriad

Back 33

(adj) consisting of a very great number

Hint 33

It was difficult to decide what to do Friday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.