Units 7+8

Front 1

Austere

Back 1

(adj.):
severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain.
During Puritan times, citizens of Salem dressed in a very austere way.

Front 2

Concoct

Back 2

(v):
to prepare by combining ingredients; to devise, invent, fabricate, contrive
In order to win the cooking contest, I had to concoct a recipe that was out of this world.
Bill Belichick and his coaching staff concocted a plan to stop the Seahawks’ final drive.

Front 3

Crass

Back 3

(adj.):
coarse, unfeeling; stupid
Her crass comments were hurtful and inappropriate.

Front 4

Desecrate

Back 4

(v):
to commit sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute

The churchgoers were dismayed by the desecration that occurred by vandals over the weekend.

Front 5

Inconsequential

Back 5

(adj):
trifling, unimportant

Because the SATs have so many questions, getting one question wrong is inconsequential.

Front 6

Infraction

Back 6

(n):
a breaking of a law or obligation
Driving too fast is a punishable infraction.

Front 7

Mitigate

Back 7

(v):
to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity
I promised my parents I would be home early in order to mitigate their worries.

Front 8

Pillage

Back 8

(v):
to rob of goods by open force (as in war), plunder
The pirates pillaged the town of all its eye-patches and parrots.

Front 9

Restitution

Back 9

(n):
the act of restoring someone or something to the rightful owner or to a former state of position.
After the car accident, my insurance company sought restitution from the other driver.

Front 10

Vulnerable

Back 10

(adj):
open to attack, capable of being wounded or damaged, unprotected
Because babies are vulnerable, they need to be under the care of an adult at all times.

Front 11

Consternation

Back 11

(noun): a sudden, alarming amazement or dread that results in utter confusion; dismay
The fire alarm was so shocking it caused consternation and nobody knew what to do.

Front 12

Corpulent

Back 12

adj. large or bulky of body; portly; stout; fat.

The corpulent piglet was given a membership to the gym for his birthday.

Front 13

Disavow

Back 13

(verb) to disclaim knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for; disown; repudiate:

He disavowed the remark that had been attributed to him.

Front 14

Dispassionate

Back 14

(adjective) free from or unaffected by passion; devoid of personal feeling or bias; impartial; calm
While individual moments are unbearably poignant, others seem oddly dispassionate.

Front 15

Dissension

Back 15

noun 1.) strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord.
2.) difference in sentiment or opinion; disagreement
The members who chose him cited the tension and dissension he was causing.

Front 16

Gauntlet

Back 16

(noun) 1. a medieval glove 2. a great challenge

The medieval king handed out gauntlets to his greatest warriors.

We had to pass the gauntlet in order to make it to the finals.

Front 17

Hypothetical

Back 17

(adj.): assumed by hypothesis, not well supported

His hypothetical question turned out to be correct; the 6’ 6” man did play basketball in high school.

Front 18

Relegate

Back 18

(v): To send or consign to an inferior position, place, or condition.
The man relegated to a small hut in the woods from his gigantic mansion on the beach.

Front 19

Subservient

Back 19

(adj.): subordinate in capacity or role; submissively obedient
Emerson and Thoreau urge their followers to avoid subservience and conformity; be your own person!

Front 20

Susceptible

Back 20

(adj.) : open to; easily influenced; lacking in resistance
His poor diet and sleep made him susceptible to sickness.