Wordly Wise Lessons 5 - 8

Front 1

archaic

Back 1

related or belonging to an earlier time

Front 2

carouse

Back 2

to take part in noisy, often drunken, merrymaking

Front 3

chicanery

Back 3

clever deception through the use of misleading or confusing words or acts

Front 4

contentious

Back 4

causing or marked by argument or conflict

Front 5

dissemble

Back 5

to conceal with an intent to deceive

Front 6

egregous

Back 6

conspicuously bad; flagrant

Front 7

execrate

Back 7

to utterly abhor; to denounce as detestable

Front 8

fealty

Back 8

faithfulness; allegiance

Front 9

microcosm

Back 9

a small system that operates or develops likea larger system; a miniature world

Front 10

paroxysm

Back 10

a sudden, violent, and uncontrollable action or occurrence

Front 11

pecuniary

Back 11

having to do with money

Front 12

rectitude

Back 12

high moral character

Front 13

stratagem

Back 13

a clever scheme for gaining an end

Front 14

stultify

Back 14

to render useless or ineffectual; to weaken

Front 15

vendetta

Back 15

a blood feud; a prolonged and bitter feud

Front 16

actuate

Back 16

1. to cause to put into mechanical motion
2. to cause to take action

Front 17

brackish

Back 17

1. made up of a mixture of fresh water and seawater; salty water
2. having an unpleasant taste

Front 18

cognitive

Back 18

relating to mental processes such as awareness, remembering, and reasoning

Front 19

dissertation

Back 19

a lengthy, usually written discussion of a topic, often for a college or university degree

Front 20

dolorous

Back 20

causig or marked by pain, misery, or sorrow

Front 21

endemic

Back 21

widespread or peculiar to a certain place or among a certain people

Front 22

fecund

Back 22

1. producing or capable of producing many offspring
2. intellectually or artistically productive; creative

Front 23

genealogy

Back 23

the history of a family and how its members are related to one another; also the study of such family histories

Front 24

inebriated

Back 24

deprived of good sense and judgement; especially as the result of imbibing alcohol

Front 25

insidious

Back 25

1. seemingly harmless while actually being dangerous; treacherous or deceptive
2. spreading harmfully in a subtle or gradual way

Front 26

interloper

Back 26

one who intrudes on or interferes in the affairs of others

Front 27

precursor

Back 27

a person or thing that comes before and indicates the approach of another; a forerunner

Front 28

presentiment

Back 28

a feeling that something is about to occur

Front 29

ramification

Back 29

an outgrowth of a simple idea or plan; a resulting development or consequence

Front 30

torpor

Back 30

a state of mental or physical sluggishness or inactivity

Front 31

abjure

Back 31

to renounce formally

Front 32

amorphous

Back 32

without a definite shape, boundary, or character

Front 33

animus

Back 33

1. an attitude or spirit within a person that strongly influences him or her
2. deep-seated ill will

Front 34

dichotomy

Back 34

division into two distinct parts or groups

Front 35

exemplar

Back 35

an example or model, especially an ideal one

Front 36

herculean

Back 36

of extraordinary size, power, or difficulty

Front 37

inchoate

Back 37

not fully formed or realized

Front 38

invidious

Back 38

likely to cause resentment or animosity

Front 39

melange

Back 39

a mixture of dissimilar materials

Front 40

nefarious

Back 40

very wicked

Front 41

nihilism

Back 41

a viewpoint that denies any meaning of life

Front 42

ratify

Back 42

to approve, confirm, or verify

Front 43

subsume

Back 43

to encompass in a larger or more comprehensive group; to include

Front 44

variegated

Back 44

varied as to form, type, or color

Front 45

vitiate

Back 45

to impair or weaken

Front 46

aborigine

Back 46

an original inhabitant, especially one displaced by later settlers

Front 47

abrogate

Back 47

to put an end to; to abolish or repeal

Front 48

appurtenance

Back 48

an item of equipment; an accessory

Front 49

bivouac

Back 49

1. a temporary camp or shelter
2. to stay in such a camp

Front 50

cetacean

Back 50

a member of the order of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises

Front 51

decry

Back 51

to criticize strongly; to denounce

Front 52

desuetude

Back 52

a state of disuse

Front 53

leviathan

Back 53

anything that is of enormous size

Front 54

mawkish

Back 54

1. excessively sentimental
2. having an unpleasant, sikly sweet taste

Front 55

misapprehend

Back 55

to fail to understand correctly

Front 56

parochial

Back 56

1. limited or narrow in scope or outlook
2. of or related to a church parish

Front 57

purvey

Back 57

to be in the business of supplying goods, especially good or provisions, for use

Front 58

recourse

Back 58

1. a turning to someone or something for aid
2. a source of help or support

Front 59

replete

Back 59

well supplied; full

Front 60

waive

Back 60

to give up as a right; to forgo