Vocabulary Words

Front 1

deprecate

Back 1

deprecate \DEP-rih-kayt\, transitive verb:
1. [Archaic] To pray against, as an evil; to seek to avert by prayer.
2. To disapprove of strongly.
3. To belittle; to depreciate.

Front 2

umbrage

Back 2

umbrage \UHM-brij\, noun:
1. Shade; shadow; hence, something that affords a shade, as a screen of trees or foliage.
2. a. A vague or indistinct indication or suggestion; a hint.
3. b. Reason for doubt; suspicion.
4. Suspicion of injury or wrong; offense; resentment.

Front 3

incipient

Back 3

incipient \in-SIP-ee-uhnt\, adjective:
Beginning to exist or appear.

Front 4

pugnacious

Back 4

pugnacious \puhg-NAY-shuhs\, adjective:
Inclined to fight; combative; quarrelsome.

Front 5

capitulate

Back 5

capitulate \kuh-PICH-uh-layt\, intransitive verb:
To surrender under agreed conditions.

Front 6

susurrus

Back 6

susurrus \su-SUHR-uhs\, noun:
A whispering or rustling sound; a murmur.

Front 7

thaumaturgy

Back 7

thaumaturgy \THAW-muh-tuhr-jee\, noun:
The performance of miracles or magic.

Front 8

capacious

Back 8

capacious \kuh-PAY-shuhs\, adjective:
Able to contain much; roomy; spacious.

Front 9

glower

Back 9

glower \GLAU-uhr\, intransitive verb:
1. To look or stare angrily or with a scowl.

noun:
1. An angry or scowling look or stare.

Front 10

canorous

Back 10

canorous \kuh-NOR-us; KAN-or-uhs\, adjective:
Richly melodious; pleasant sounding; musical.

Front 11

repast

Back 11

repast \rih-PAST\, noun:
Something taken as food; a meal.

Front 12

spoonerism

Back 12

spoonerism \SPOO-nuh-riz-uhm\, noun:
The transposition of usually initial sounds in a pair of words.

Front 13

tenebrous

Back 13

tenebrous \TEN-uh-bruhs\, adjective:
Dark; gloomy.

Front 14

nescience

Back 14

nescience \NESH-uhn(t)s; NESH-ee-uhn(t)s\, noun:
Lack of knowledge or awareness; ignorance.

Front 15

effulgence

Back 15

effulgence \i-FUL-juhn(t)s\, noun:
The state of being bright and radiant; splendor; brilliance.

Front 16

assuage

Back 16

assuage \uh-SWAYJ\, verb:
1. To make milder or less severe; to reduce the intensity of; to ease; to relieve.
2. To appease; to satisfy.
3. To soothe or calm; to pacify.

Front 17

exiguity

Back 17

exiguity \ek-suh-GYOO-uht-ee\, noun:
Scantiness; smallness; thinness;the quality of being meager.
--EXIGUOUS, adjective

Front 18

seriatim

Back 18

seriatim \sir-ee-AY-tim; -AT-im\, adverb:
In a series; one after another.

Front 19

tmesis

Back 19

tmesis \TMEE-sis\, noun:
In grammar and rhetoric, the separation of the parts of a compound word, now generally done for humorous effect; for example, "what place soever" instead of "whatsoever place," or "abso-bloody-lutely."

Front 20

chthonic

Back 20

chthonic \THONE-ik\, adjective:
Dwelling in or under the earth; also, pertaining to the underworld

Front 21

objurgate

Back 21

objurgate \OB-juhr-gayt\, transitive verb:
To express strong disapproval of; to criticize severely

Front 22

plethora

Back 22

plethora \PLETH-uh-ruh\, noun:
1. An abnormal bodily condition characterized by an excessive amount of blood in the system.
2. Excess; superabundance.

Front 23

lissom

Back 23

lissom \LISS-uhm\, adjective;
also lissome:
1. Limber; supple; flexible.
2. Light and quick in action; nimble; agile; active.

Front 24

badinage

Back 24

badinage \bad-n-AHZH\, noun:
Light, playful talk; banter.

Front 25

emollient

Back 25

emollient \ih-MOL-yuhnt\, adjective:

1. softening or soothing
2. something that softens or soothes

Front 26

ascetic

Back 26

[uh-set-ik] noun 1. a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.
2. a person who leads an austerely simple life, esp. one who abstains from the normal pleasures of life or denies himself or herself material satisfaction.
3. (in the early Christian church) a monk; hermit.
–adjective Also, as⋅cet⋅i⋅cal. 4. pertaining to asceticism.
5. rigorously abstinent; austere: an ascetic existence.
6. exceedingly strict or severe in religious exercises or self-mortification.

Front 27

prevaricate

Back 27

[pri-var-i-keyt] verb (used without object),
to speak falsely or misleadingly; deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression; lie.

Front 28

attenuate

Back 28

[v. uh-ten-yoo-eyt; adj. uh-ten-yoo-it, -eyt] adjective
–verb (used with object) 1. to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value: to attenuate desire.
2. to make thin; make slender or fine.
3. Bacteriology, Immunology. to render less virulent, as a strain of pathogenic virus or bacterium.
4. Electronics. to decrease the amplitude of (an electronic signal).
–verb (used without object) 5. to become thin or fine; lessen.
–adjective 6. weakened; diminishing.
7. Botany. tapering gradually to a narrow extremity.

Front 29

asseverate

Back 29

[uh-sev-uh-reyt] verb (used with object)
to declare earnestly or solemnly; affirm positively; aver.

Front 30

apocryphal

Back 30

[uh-pok-ruh-fuhl]
–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 31

boor

Back 31

a rude person

Front 32

exigent

Back 32

urgent

Front 33

blithe

Back 33

[blahyth, blahyth], adj.
1. joyous, merry, or gay in disposition; glad; cheerful: Everyone loved her for her blithe spirit.
2. without thought or regard; carefree; heedless: a blithe indifference to anyone's feelings.

Front 34

equivocate

Back 34

[i-kwiv-uh-keyt]
–verb (used without object), to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead; prevaricate or hedge: When asked directly for his position on disarmament, the candidate only equivocated.

Front 35

obviate

Back 35

[ob-vee-eyt]
–verb (used with object) to anticipate and prevent or eliminate (difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective measures; render unnecessary: to obviate the risk of serious injury.

Front 36

emollient

Back 36

emollient \ih-MOL-yuhnt\, adjective:

1. softening or soothing
2. something that softens or soothes

Front 37

elocution

Back 37

elocution \el-uh-KYOO-shuhn\, noun:

the art of speaking or reading clearly in public, including gestures, pronunciation, and tones