Vocabulary Flashcards

Front 1

zeitgeist

Back 1

–noun German.
the spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time.

Front 2

glib

Back 2

–adjective, glib·ber, glib·best.
1. readily fluent, often thoughtlessly, superficially, or insincerely so: a glib talker; glib answers.
2. easy or unconstrained, as actions or manners.

Front 3

denouement (day-new-mon)

Back 3

–noun
1. the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.
2. the place in the plot at which this occurs.
3. the outcome or resolution of a doubtful series of occurrences.

Front 4

firmament

Back 4

–noun
the vault of heaven; sky.

Front 5

financier (fin-uhn-seer)

Back 5

–noun
1. a person skilled or engaged in managing large financial operations, whether public or corporate.
–verb (used with object)
2. to finance.
–verb (used without object)
3. to act as a financier.

Front 6

excoriate

Back 6

–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.
1. to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally: He was excoriated for his mistakes.
2. to strip off or remove the skin from: Her palms were excoriated by the hard labor of shoveling.

Front 7

FUBAR

Back 7

(military term)
–adjective Slang.
not working; completely messed up; bungled; confused.
"Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition"

Front 8

petulant

Back 8

–adjective
moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, esp. over some trifling annoyance: a petulant toss of the head.

Front 9

imperative

Back 9

–adjective
1. absolutely necessary or required; unavoidable: It is imperative that we leave.
2. of the nature of or expressing a command; commanding.
3. Grammar. noting or pertaining to the mood of the verb used in commands, requests, etc., as in Listen! Go! Compare indicative (def. 2), subjunctive (def. 1).
–noun
4. a command.
5. something that demands attention or action; an unavoidable obligation or requirement; necessity: It is an imperative that we help defend friendly nations.
6. Grammar.
a. the imperative mood.
b. a verb in this mood.
7. an obligatory statement, principle, or the like.

Front 10

defuse

Back 10

–verb (used with object)
1. to remove the fuze from (a bomb, mine, etc.).
2. to make less dangerous, tense, or embarrassing: to defuse a potentially ugly situation.
–verb (used without object)
3. to grow less dangerous; weaken.

Front 11

limerence

Back 11

Limerence, as posited by psychologist Dorothy Tennov, is an involuntary cognitive and emotional state in which a person feels an intense romantic desire for another person (the limerent object). Limerence can often be what is meant when one expresses "having a crush" on (or infatuation with) someone else although limerence, unlike a crush, can last months, years or even a lifetime.

Front 12

egregious

Back 12

–adjective
1. extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant: an egregious mistake; an egregious liar.
2. Archaic. distinguished or eminent.

Front 13

curtail

Back 13

–verb (used with object)
to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish.

Front 14

bevy

Back 14

–noun, plural bev·ies.
1. a group of birds, as larks or quail, or animals, as roebuck, in close association.
2. a large group or collection: a bevy of boisterous sailors.

Front 15

indolence

Back 15

in·do·lence (ĭn'də-ləns) Pronunciation Key
n. Habitual laziness; sloth. (the quality of being indolent)

Front 16

apocryphal

Back 16

–adjective
1. of doubtful authorship or authenticity.
2. Ecclesiastical.
a. (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the Apocrypha.
b. of doubtful sanction; uncanonical.
3. false; spurious: He told an apocryphal story about the sword, but the truth was later revealed.

Front 17

spurious

Back 17

adjective
1. not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit.
2. Biology. (of two or more parts, plants, etc.) having a similar appearance but a different structure.
3. of illegitimate birth; bastard.

Front 18

ostensible

Back 18

–adjective
1. outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended: an ostensible cheerfulness concealing sadness.
2. apparent, evident, or conspicuous: the ostensible truth of their theories.

Front 19

arrant

Back 19

–adjective
1. downright; thorough; unmitigated; notorious: an arrant fool.
2. wandering; errant.

Front 20

de rigeur

Back 20

if something is de rigeur, it is necessary if you want to be thought fashionable or if you want to follow a custom. Leather jackets and jeans are still de rigeur for hard rock fans.