Tess Of The D'urbervilles Vocabulary

Front 1

emolument

Back 1

profit, salary, or fees from office or employment; compensation for services: Tips are an emolument in addition to wages.

Front 2

expostulate

Back 2

to reason earnestly with someone against something that person intends to do or has done; remonstrate: His father expostulated with him about the evils of gambling.

Front 3

tractable

Back 3

easily managed or controlled; docile

Front 4

undulation

Back 4

a wavelike motion.

Front 5

declivity

Back 5

a downward slope

Front 6

raillery

Back 6

1. good-humored ridicule; banter.
2. a bantering remark.

Front 7

nettle

Back 7

to irritate

to sting (as a needle does)

Front 8

tramp(ing)

Back 8

to tread or walk with a firm, heavy, resounding step.

Front 9

vacillating

Back 9

1. not resolute; wavering; indecisive; hesitating: an ineffectual, vacillating person.
2. oscillating; swaying; fluctuating: a vacillating indicator.

Front 10

mien

Back 10

air, bearing, or demeanor, as showing character, feeling, etc.: a man of noble mien.
(pronounced MEEN)

Front 11

damask

Back 11

To decorate (metal) with wavy patterns of inlay or etching.
5. made of or resembling damask: damask cloth.
6. of the pink color of the damask rose.
(pronounced DAM-ask)

Front 12

akimbo

Back 12

with hand on hip and elbow bent outward

Front 13

Praxitelean

Back 13

Praxiteles: a Greek sculptor.

Front 14

rotundity

Back 14

1. the condition or quality of roundness or plumpness, as of an object or person.
2. fullness, as in tone or speech.
3. a full or rounded tone, phrase, or the like: oratorical rotundities.

Front 15

vituperation

Back 15

verbal abuse or castigation; violent denunciation or condemnation.

Front 16

animus

Back 16

strong dislike or enmity; hostile attitude; animosity.

Front 17

laconically

Back 17

using few words; expressing much in few words; concise: a laconic reply.

Front 18

propinquity

Back 18

nearness in place; proximity.

Front 19

meretricious

Back 19

1. alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions; tawdry.
2. based on pretense, deception, or insincerity.
3. pertaining to or characteristic of a prostitute.

Front 20

attenuate

Back 20

1. to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value: to attenuate desire.
2. to make thin; make slender or fine.

Front 21

accretion

Back 21

1. an increase by natural growth or by gradual external addition; growth in size or extent.
2. the result of this process.

Front 22

quiescent

Back 22

being at rest; quiet; still; inactive or motionless: a quiescent mind.

(pronounced kwee-ES-uhnt)

Front 23

antipathy

Back 23

opposed, averse, or contrary; having or showing antipathy:

Front 24

concatenation

Back 24

to link together; unite in a series or chain.
linked together, as in a chain.

Front 25

remunerative

Back 25

profitable: remunerative work.

Front 26

lurid

Back 26

gruesome; horrible; revolting
terrible in intensity, fierce passion, or unrestraint

Front 27

ebullient

Back 27

overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited

Front 28

spurious

Back 28

not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit.

Front 29

threadbare

Back 29

1. having the nap worn off so as to lay bare the threads of the warp and woof, as a fabric, garment, etc.
2. wearing threadbare clothes; shabby or poor: a threadbare old man.
3. meager, scanty, or poor: a threadbare emotional life.
4. hackneyed; trite; ineffectively stale: threadbare arguments.

Front 30

modish

Back 30

in the current fashion; stylish.

Front 31

askance

Back 31

1. with suspicion, mistrust, or disapproval: He looked askance at my offer.
2. with a side glance; sidewise; obliquely.

Front 32

enervate

Back 32

to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken.

Front 33

obsequious

Back 33

obedient; dutiful.
characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning: an obsequious bow.

Front 34

diurnal

Back 34

1. of or pertaining to a day or each day; daily.
2. of or belonging to the daytime (opposed to nocturnal ).

Front 35

dun

Back 35

to make repeated and insistent demands upon, esp. for the payment of a debt.
n. a demand for payment, esp. a written one.

Front 36

prosaic

Back 36

commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative: a prosaic mind.

Front 37

reticent

Back 37

1. disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved.
2. reluctant or restrained.

Front 38

noctambulism

Back 38

sleepwalking

Front 39

sojourn

Back 39

a temporary stay: during his sojourn in Paris.
to stay for a time in a place; live temporarily

Front 40

reconnoiter

Back 40

to make a reconnaissance.

Front 41

fervid

Back 41

1. heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm, etc.: a fervid orator.
2. burning; glowing; intensely hot.

Front 42

nadir

Back 42

the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair.
(opposite of zenith)

Front 43

multifarious

Back 43

numerous and varied; greatly diverse or manifold
having many different parts, elements, forms, etc.

Front 44

superadd

Back 44

to add over and above; join as a further addition; add besides.

Front 45

drachm

Back 45

a dram in apothecaries' and troy weights, and sometimes in avoirdupois weights.

Front 46

precipitancy

Back 46

headlong or rash haste.
precipitancies, hasty or rash acts.

Front 47

temerarious

Back 47

reckless; rash.

Front 48

cumbrous

Back 48

cumbersome. burdensome; troublesome.

Front 49

louvred

Back 49

(louver) any of a series of narrow openings framed at their longer edges with slanting, overlapping fins or slats, adjustable for admitting light and air while shutting out rain.

Front 50

lineaments

Back 50

1. Often, lineaments. a feature or detail of a face, body, or figure, considered with respect to its outline or contour: His fine lineaments made him the very image of his father.
2. Usually, lineaments. distinguishing features; distinctive characteristics: the lineaments of sincere repentance.

Front 51

harridan

Back 51

a scolding, vicious woman; hag; shrew.

Front 52

incongruous

Back 52

(pronounced in-KONG-gru-ous)
1. out of keeping or place; inappropriate; unbecoming: an incongruous effect; incongruous behavior.
2. not harmonious in character; inconsonant; lacking harmony of parts: an incongruous mixture of architectural styles.
3. inconsistent: actions that were incongruous with their professed principles.

Front 53

prepossess

Back 53

to prejudice or bias, esp. favorably.

Front 54

andiron

Back 54

one of a pair of metal stands, usually of iron or brass, for holding logs in a fireplace.

Front 55

auricular

Back 55

1. of or pertaining to the ear or to the sense of hearing; aural.
2. perceived by or addressed to the ear; made in private: an auricular confession.
3. dependent on hearing; understood or known by hearing: auricular evidence.
4. shaped like an ear; auriculate.
5. Anatomy. pertaining to an auricle of the heart.

Front 56

purblind

Back 56

1. nearly or partially blind; dim-sighted.
2. slow or deficient in understanding, imagination, or vision.

Front 57

effete

Back 57

1. lacking in wholesome vigor; degenerate; decadent: an effete, overrefined society.
2. exhausted of vigor or energy; worn out: an effete political force.
3. unable to produce; sterile.

Front 58

dimity

Back 58

a thin cotton fabric, white, dyed, or printed, woven with a stripe or check of heavier yarn.

Front 59

trow

Back 59

to believe, think, or suppose.

Front 60

phlegmatic

Back 60

1. not easily excited to action or display of emotion; apathetic; sluggish.
2. self-possessed, calm, or composed.

Front 61

circumspect

Back 61

1. watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent: circumspect behavior.
2. well-considered: circumspect ambition.

Front 62

sheaf

Back 62

–noun
1. one of the bundles in which cereal plants, as wheat, rye, etc., are bound after reaping.
2. any bundle, cluster, or collection: a sheaf of papers.
–verb (used with object)
3. to bind (something) into a sheaf or sheaves.

Front 63

convolvulus

Back 63

any plant belonging to the genus Convolvulus, of the morning glory family, comprising twining or prostrate plants having trumpet-shaped flowers.

Front 64

pollard

Back 64

1. a tree cut back nearly to the trunk, so as to produce a dense mass of branches.
2. an animal, as a stag, ox, or sheep, having no horns.
3. to convert into a pollard.

Front 65

sally

Back 65

–noun
1. a sortie of troops from a besieged place upon an enemy.
2. a sudden rushing forth or activity.
3. an excursion or trip, usually off the main course.
4. an outburst or flight of passion, fancy, etc.: a sally of anger.
5. a clever, witty, or fanciful remark.

–verb (used without object)
7. to make a sally, as a body of troops from a besieged place.
8. to set out on a side trip or excursion.
9. to set out briskly or energetically.
10. (of things) to issue forth.

Front 66

blandishment(s)

Back 66

Often, blandishments. something, as an action or speech, that tends to flatter, coax, entice, etc.: Our blandishments left him unmoved. We succumbed to the blandishments of tropical living.

Front 67

candour

Back 67

1. the state or quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness: The candor of the speech impressed the audience.
2. freedom from bias; fairness; impartiality: to consider an issue with candor.

Front 68

tutelary

Back 68

having the position of guardian or protector of a person, place, or thing: tutelary saint.
(pronounced TOOT-l-er-ee)

Front 69

roguish

Back 69

1. pertaining to, characteristic of, or acting like a rogue; knavish or rascally.
2. playfully mischievous: a roguish smile.

Front 70

tremulous

Back 70

timid; timorous; fearful.
vibratory, shaking, or quivering.

Front 71

intrepid

Back 71

resolutely fearless; dauntless: an intrepid explorer.

Front 72

supernumerary

Back 72

1. being in excess of the usual, proper, or prescribed number; additional; extra.
2. associated with a regular body or staff as an assistant or substitute in case of necessity.

Front 73

habiliments

Back 73

clothes or clothing.

Front 74

disabuse

Back 74

to free (a person) from deception or error.

Front 75

lucubration

Back 75

1. laborious work, study, thought, etc., esp. at night.
2. the result of such activity, as a learned speech or dissertation.

Front 76

infelicitous

Back 76

1. inapt, inappropriate, or awkward; malapropos: an infelicitous remark.
2. not felicitous, happy, or fortunate; unhappy.

Front 77

rove

Back 77

to wander about without definite destination; move hither and thither at random, esp. over a wide area.

Front 78

purling

Back 78

(to purl)
1. to knit with a reverse stitch.
2. to finish with loops or a looped edging.

Front 79

weir

Back 79

1. a small dam in a river or stream.
2. a fence, as of brush or narrow boards, or a net set in a stream, channel, etc., for catching fish.

Front 80

sward

Back 80

the grassy surface of land; turf.

Front 81

alluvial

Back 81

pertaining to alluvium:
1. a deposit of sand, mud, etc., formed by flowing water.
2. the sedimentary matter deposited thus within recent times, esp. in the valleys of large rivers.

Front 82

springe

Back 82

a snare for catching small game.