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75 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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abrasion
a bra sion |
n. a wearing away or rubbing away by friction; a scraped or worn area
adj. casuign waer by rubbing; harsh or rough in manner, irritating |
This protective coating helps prevent abrasion of the floor tiles.
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clad
clad |
adj. clothed or covered
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Clad in a black rubber suti, the driver jumped from the side of the rescue boat.
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corroborate
co rro bor ate |
v. to provide evidence to make more certain; to confirm
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Because he was standing at the stoplight when the accident occurred, Harry could corroborate the driver's statement.
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cursory
cur so ry |
adj. done in a hurry and with little attention to detail
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Sherlock Holmes made a cursory search of the bedroom before going into the dining room to question the family.
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dehydrate
de hy drate |
v. to remove the water from; to become dry or to lose water from
n. the state of being dehydrated |
The processing plant dehydrates vegatables before that are used in the popular soups sold in our grocery store.
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derive
de rive |
v. to take or recieve from a source, to obtain through reasoning
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After practicing so diligently, Hugh derived great satisfaction from the enthusiastic applause following his preformance.
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electrify
e lec tri fy |
v. to wire or equip with electric power; to trill or shock
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Brian Boitano's performance, which included a layback spin and several perfectly executed triple axels, electrified the audiance.
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endeavor
en deav or |
v. to attempt earnestly
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The person we spoke to at the embassy said she woudld endeavor to find the papers we needed.
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gingerly
gin ger ly |
adj. cautious; very carefyl; with extreme car or concern
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Mr. Wu made a gingerly attempt to bring the disputing parties together.
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grimace
grim ace |
v. to make a face expresing feeling of pain disgust or contempt
n. a facial expression that seems to express pain, contempt, or disguist |
While the doctor described the series of painful tests she would need, Cheryl grimaced only once.
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gruesome
grue some |
adj. causing shock or horror
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Not until years later did the gruesome details of the soccer players survival become known.
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inventory
in ven tor y |
n. a list of possessions or good on hand; the stock of goods on hand
v. to make a complete list of |
At least once a year, the parmacist inventories the stock.
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simulate
sim u late |
v. to take on the qualities of another; to imitate; to pretend
adj. made to look genuine while being artifical n. an imitation of a possible situation |
AstroTurf simulates real grass.
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succumb
su ccumb |
v. to give up or give into; to yeild; to cease to exist; to die
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Smallpox was so pervasive in the 18th century that many people succumbed.
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surmise
sur mise |
v. to suppose something without sufficient evidence
n. a guess |
Helosie surmised that her visitors were late because of the traffic ftom the airport.
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anonymous
a non y mous |
adj. of an unknown source or unrevealed name
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It is frustrating to be unavle to thank the person who gave you this anonymous donation to our library fund.
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anthology
an thol o gy |
n. a collecion of various writings, such as songs, stories, or poems
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This anthology of science-ficion stories include some by Ray Bradbury, Julian May, and Ursual Le Guin.
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conjecture
con jec ture |
n. a conclusion based on guesswork or insuffienct evidence
v. to form an opinion while lakcing suffcient evidence |
Dad's conjecture that the derelict building whouldbe a problem proved to be correct when it caught on fire.
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disposition
dis po sit ion |
n. a person's usual mood; tempermant; regular tendency or inclination
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Roberto's disposition to argue about everything can sometimes get him into trouble.
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encompass
en com pass |
v. to enclose or encircle; to include
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Except for one narrow pass, moutains encompass the village of Neudorf on all sides.
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extricate
ex tri kate |
v. to free froma difficult or tangled situation.
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Extricating our bags from the bus's crowded storage area was much simpler than we thought it would be.
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generation
gen er a tion |
n. one step in the line of descent of a family; all the people born and living about the same time; the average span of time betwee the birth of parents and their children.
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Within one generation this town became a city.
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guile
guile |
n. cunnig or deciet in dealing with others; trickery
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The Grimm brothers vividly described the wolf's guile toward Little Red Riding Hood.
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impearative
im per a tive |
adj. urgent; pressing; having the power or authority to command
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The lawyer made us understand why it is imperative that we find the missing papers before tommarrow.
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instill or instil
instil |
v. to introduce gradually in order to establish securely
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Juanita's love of animals instilled during the summer vacations spent at her uncles's house
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modify
mod i fy |
v. to make less extreme or servere; to make changes in; in grammar, to limit or restrict in meaning
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Congress may modify some portions of the welfare reform law they just approved.
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recur
re cur |
v. to come up again or to happain again; to come to mind again
n. the act of recurring |
Engineers hope that the new dam will prevent a recurrence of flooding.
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pivot
piv ot |
n. a small bar or rod on which something else turns; a person or thinkg on which others depend
c. to trun on or as if on a pivot |
The gate swung shut easliy on its well-oiled pivot.
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prevalent
prev a lent |
adj. commonly occuring; widely accepted or practiced
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Both chicken pox and the flu were prevalent in the Edison Middle School last winter.
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spontaneous
spon ta ne ous |
adj. voluntary and unplanned; occurring or producing without human labor
n. the quality or condition of occurring in an unplanned way |
With an unexpected spontaneity, Isabelle rose to embrace her friend.
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audacious
au dac ious |
adj. willing to tkae risk; daring; showing disrespect or a lack of courtesy
n. willingness to take risk by showing excessive boldness. |
Oliver Twist was the only boy with the audacity to ask for more food.
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confiscate
con fis cate |
v. to seize, by force if necessary; to take possession of.
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The Miami police confiscated the stolen paintings they found stored in a coset of the mansion.
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conscientious
con sci en tious |
adj. thorough; careful; honest; principled.
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Because of our conscientious
preperations, the science fair was enjoyable and informative for everyone. |
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depict
de pict |
to give a picture of; to describe
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Ann Petry's novel, The Street, depicts life in 1920s Harlem.
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embark
em bark |
v. to go on board a ship or airplane at the start of a voage; to start out; to begin
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Larry Bird embarked on his professional basketball career after finishing college.
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inkling
ink ling |
n . a slight suspicion; a vague idea
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As she opened the door, Shala had no inkling that her friends were hidden in the darkened room, waiting to shout surprise.
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lackadasical
lack a das ic al |
adj. showing little spirit or enthusiasm
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Whent the students came after school to work on their reports, the librarian was quite lackadasical about the no-talking rule.
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mutiny
mut iny |
n. deliberate refusal to obey orders given by those in command, especially by sailors
v. to rebel openly against a commander |
Captain Vere feared the sailors would mutiny him if he didn't discipline Billy Budd.
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pilfer
pil fer |
v. to steal repeatedly small amounts or things that are of little value
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Pip pilfered bread and other bits of food from his sister's kitchen to feed the man in hiding.
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profusion
pro fus ion |
n. a plentiful supply; agreat or generour amount
adj. given or occurring in generous amounts; abundent |
Daffodils frew in profusion along the riverbank.
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prudent
pru dent |
adj. very careful; showing judgement and wisom
n. the aboidane of risk |
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rankle
ran kle |
v. to cause continuing anger or iritation
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rebuke
re buke |
v. to criticize strongly; to reprimand
n. a sharp critisism |
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serene
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adj. calm and untroubled; peaceful
n. a calm and untroubled state |
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slovenly
slov en ly |
adj. untidy; carelessly done
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abject
ab ject |
adj. most miserable; wretched
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King Lears life changed from one of luxury and power to one of abject poverty and helplessness.
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advocate
ad vo cate |
v. to plead in favor of; to defen
n. one who argues for or defends a person, group, or idea |
This organization advocates the release of all people imprisoned for their believes.
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atrocity
a tro ci ty |
n. an act of great cruelty and wickedness
adj. very brutal; wicked; cruel; appalling bad; outrageous |
The owners of the kennel were prosectuted after reporters revealed that the animals lived under atrocious conditions.
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commemorate
co mmem or ate |
v. to serve as a memorial to; to remember in a solemn manner
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The tablet on the front of the house commemorates its importance as a station on the Underground Railroad.
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dialect
di a lect |
n. a form of a language spoken in a certain geographical region that has it's own grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary.
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A spanish speaking person from Madrid might not completely understand a dialect spoken in Cuba.
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dire
dire |
adj. having terrible consequences, urgent or desperate
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Pol Pots reign in Cambodia, which began in 1975, had a dire effect on the lives of most Cambodians.
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elite
el ite |
n. a group that enjoys superior status to others
adj. considered superior to others |
Many of Edith Whartons novels are set in the holmes of the social elite of New York City during the 1890s.
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enhance
en hance |
v. to make greater or better
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The greenhouse window in our new kitchen enhances the rooms light, airy feeling.
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flagrant
fla gr ant |
adj. clearly offensive or bad; conspicuously acting against what is right
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Trying to conceal the Watergate breakin was a flagrant abuse of presidential power.
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languish
lan gu ish |
v. to lose hop, strenght, or vitality because of neglect or bad condition
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mute
mute |
v. to softem or tone down the sound of
adj. not speaking or not able to speak; silent |
Julie remained must when the customs officer asked her name.
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raze
raze |
v. to level to the grounds; to destroy completely
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Just as the row of seventeeth-century building was about to be razed, the preseravation socitey requested a delay.
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reprisal
re pris al |
n. a retaliation for an injury
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turmoil
tur moi l |
n. the state of confusion or agitation
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wreak
wreak |
v. to bring about or conflict
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accede
ac cede |
v. to agree to; to consent to; after urging from another
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Myron acceded to the wishes of his colleagues when he stopped smoking in the office.
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affluent
aff lu ent |
adj. generously supplied with money or possessions; wealthy
n. wealth |
Mrs. Winn's affluence is due to oil being discovered on her land.
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arbitrary
ar bri trar y |
adj. determined by chance or whim rather than by reason or necessity
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Even though our choice of restaurant was aritrary, the food was delicious.
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artisan
art i san |
n. one able to do skilled work with the hands; a craftsperson
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Artisans working with leather, yarn, and clay displayed their products at the local crafts fair.
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dismantle
dis mant le |
v. to take apart
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Bert helped Matt dismantle the engine so they could begin work on the repair.
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immerse
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v. to cover with liquid; to completely engage the attention of
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The prepare the salad, Genevieve first blanched thee vegetables by immersing them in boiling water.
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irksome
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adj. annoying; tedious
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All the steps prelimnary to painteing the ceiling scraping, patching, and sanding, were irksome to Samantha who wanted to finish the job quickly.
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legacy
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n. money or property left to another in a will; something passed on
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Catholicism and the Spanish language are legacies of Spanish ruld in Guatemala.
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ostentatious
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adj. extravagantly showy or ornate
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The Amish shun ostentatious furnishings for their homes
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panorama
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n. a complete view of a surrounding area; a thorough presentation of a subject
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In one bedroom of the old mansion, the four walls had been painted with a lively panorama of Chesapeake Bay.
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philanthrophy
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n. the attempt to improe the well being of those in need by donating money or aid
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The philanthropy of the Tan family has provided the money for this cancer research center.
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prestige
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n. High standing
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prolific
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adj. abundantly productive
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reticent
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adj. inclined to keep ones thoughts and feelings to oneself
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tycoon
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n. a wealthy and powerful businessperson
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