Full Gre Word List M Through Z

Front 1

macabre

Back 1

adj. gruesome; grisly. The city morgue is a macabre spot for the uninitiated.

Front 2

mace

Back 2

n. ceremonial staff; clublike medieval weapon. The Grand Marshal of the parade raised his mace to signal that it was time for the procession to begin.

Front 3

macerate

Back 3

v. soften by soaking in liquid; waste away. The strawberries had been soaking in the champagne for so long that they had begun to macerate: they literally fell apart at the touch of a spoon.

Front 4

Machiavellian

Back 4

adj. crafty; double-dealing. I do not think he will be a good ambassador because he is not accustomed to the Machiavellian maneuverings of foreign diplomats.

Front 5

machinations

Back 5

n. evil schemes or plots. Fortunately, Batman saw through the wily machinations of the Riddler and saved Gotham City from destruction by the forces of evil.

Front 6

maculated

Back 6

adj. spotted; stained. Instead of writing that Gorbachev had a birthmark on his forehead, the pompous young poet sang of the former premier's maculated brow.

Front 7

madrigal

Back 7

n. pastoral song. Her program of folk songs included several madrigals that she sang to the accompaniment of a lute.

Front 8

maelstrom

Back 8

n. whirlpool. The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.

Front 9

magisterial

Back 9

adj. authoritative; imperious. The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a magisterial tone of voice.

Front 10

■magnanimity

Back 10

n. generosity. Noted for his magnanimity, philanthropist Eugene Lang donated millions to charity. magnanimous, ADJ.

Front 11

magnate

Back 11

n. person of prominence or influence. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Annie Dillard was surrounded by the mansions of the great steel and coal magnates who set their mark on that city.

Front 12

magniloquent

Back 12

adj. boastful, pompous. In their stories of the trial, the reporters ridiculed the magniloquent speeches of the defense attorney.

Front 13

magnitude

Back 13

n. greatness; extent. It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime.

Front 14

maim

Back 14

v. mutilate; injure. The hospital could not take care of all who had been mangled or maimed in the railroad accident.

Front 15

maladroit

Back 15

adj. clumsy; bungling. "Oh! My stupid tongue!" exclaimed Jane, embarrassed at having said anything so maladroit.

Front 16

malady

Back 16

n. illness. A mysterious malady swept the country, filling doctors' offices with feverish, purple-spotted patients.

Front 17

malaise

Back 17

n. uneasiness; vague feeling of ill health. Feeling slightly queasy before going onstage, Carol realized that this touch of malaise was merely stage fright.

Front 18

malapropism

Back 18

n. comic misuse of a word. When Mrs. Malaprop criticizes Lydia for being "as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile," she confuses "allegory" and "alligator" in a typical malapropism.

Front 19

malcontent

Back 19

n. person dissatisfied with- existing state of affairs. He was one of the few malcontents in Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the presidential program. also ADJ.

Front 20

malediction

Back 20

n. curse. When the magic mirror revealed that Snow White was still alive, the wicked queen cried out in rage and uttered dreadful maledictions.

Front 21

malefactor

Back 21

n. evildoer; criminal. Mighty Mouse will save the day, hunting down malefactors and rescuing innocent mice from peril.

Front 22

malevolent

Back 22

adj. wishing evil. lago is a malevolent villain who takes pleasure in ruining Othello. malevolence, N.

Front 23

malfeasance

Back 23

n. wrongdoing. The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's malfeasance until after he had spent most of the money he had embezzled.

Front 24

malicious

Back 24

adj. hateful; spiteful. Jealous of Cinderella's beauty, her malicious stepsisters expressed their spite by forcing her to do menial tasks. malice, N.

Front 25

malign

Back 25

v. speak evil of; bad-mouth; defame. Putting her hands over her ears, Rose refused to listen to Betty malign her friend Susan.

Front 26

malignant

Back 26

adj. injurious; tending to cause death; aggressively malevolent. Though many tumors are benign, some are malignant, growing out of control and endangering the life of the patient. malignancy, N.

Front 27

■malingerer

Back 27

n. one who feigns illness to escape duty. The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work. malinger, v.

Front 28

■malleable

Back 28

adj. capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable. Gold is a malleable metal, easily shaped into bracelets and rings. Fagin hoped Oliver was a malleable lad, easily shaped into a thief.

Front 29

malodorous

Back 29

adj. foul-smelling. The compost heap was most malodorous in summer.

Front 30

mammal

Back 30

n. vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young. Many people regard the whale as a fish and do not realize that it is a mammal.

Front 31

mammoth

Back 31

adj. gigantic; enormous. To try to memorize every word on this vocabulary list would be a mammoth undertaking; take on projects that are more manageable in size.

Front 32

manacle

Back 32

v. restrain; handcuff. The police immediately manacled the prisoner so he could not escape. also N.

Front 33

mandate

Back 33

n. order; charge. In his inaugural address, the president stated that he had a mandate from the people to seek an end to social evils such as poverty and poor housing. also v.

Front 34

mandatory

Back 34

adj. obligatory. These instructions are mandatory; any violation will be severely punished.

Front 35

mangy

Back 35

adj. shabby; wretched. We finally threw out the mangy rug that the dog had destroyed.

Front 36

maniacal

Back 36

adj. raging mad; insane. Though Mr. Rochester had locked his mad wife in the attic, he could still hear her maniacal laughter echoing throughout the house. maniac, N.

Front 37

manifest

Back 37

adj. evident; visible; obvious. Digby's embarrassment when he met Madonna was manifest: his ears turned bright pink, he kept scuffing one shoe in the dirt, and he couldn't look her in the eye.

Front 38

manifestation

Back 38

n. outward demonstration; indication. Mozart's early attraction to the harpsichord was the first manifestation of his pronounced musical bent.

Front 39

manifesto

Back 39

n. declaration; statement of policy. The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism.

Front 40

manifold

Back 40

adj. numerous; varied. I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your manifold kindnesses.

Front 41

manipulate

Back 41

v. operate with one's hands; control or play upon (people, forces, etc.) artfully. Jim Henson understood how to manipulate the Muppets. Madonna understands how to manipulate publicity (and men).

Front 42

mannered

Back 42

adj. affected; not natural. Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a mannered, artificial way of speech.

Front 43

manumit

Back 43

v. emancipate; free from bondage. Enlightened slave owners were willing to manumit their slaves and thus put an end to the evil of slavery in the country.

Front 44

marital

Back 44

adj. pertaining to marriage. After the publication of his book on marital affairs, he was often consulted by married people on the verge of divorce.

Front 45

maritime

Back 45

adj. bordering on the sea; nautical. The Maritime Provinces depend on the sea for their wealth.

Front 46

marked

Back 46

adj. noticeable; targeted for vengeance. He walked with a marked limp, a souvenir of an old IRA attack. As British ambassador, he knew he was a marked man.

Front 47

marred

Back 47

adj. damaged; disfigured. She had to refinish the marred surface of the table. mar, v.

Front 48

marshal

Back 48

v. put in order. At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts before addressing their audience.

Front 49

marsupial

Back 49

n. one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch. The most common marsupial in North America is the opossum.

Front 50

martial

Back 50

adj. warlike. The sound of martial music inspired the young cadet with dreams of military glory.

Front 51

martinet

Back 51

n. No talking at meals! No mingling with the servants! Miss Minchin was a martinet who insisted that the schoolgirls in her charge observe each regulation to the letter.

Front 52

martyr

Back 52

n. one who voluntarily suffers death for his or her religion or cause; great sufferer. By burning her at the stake, the English made Joan of Arc a martyr for her faith. Mother played the martyr by staying home to clean the house while the rest of the family went off to the beach.

Front 53

masochist

Back 53

n. person who enjoys his own pain. The masochist begs, "Hit me." The sadist smiles and says, "I won't."

Front 54

masticate

Back 54

v. chew. We must masticate our food carefully and slowly in order to avoid digestive disorders.

Front 55

materialism

Back 55

n. preoccupation with physical comforts and things. By its nature, materialism is opposed to idealism, for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the body, the idealist emphasizes the needs of the soul.

Front 56

maternal

Back 56

adj. motherly. Many animals display maternal instincts only while their offspring are young and helpless. maternity, N.

Front 57

matriarch

Back 57

n. woman who rules a family or larger social group. The matriarch ruled her gypsy tribe with a firm hand.

Front 58

matriculate

Back 58

v. enroll (in college or graduate school). Incoming students formally matriculate at our college in a special ceremony during which they sign the official register of students.

Front 59

matrix

Back 59

n. point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die. Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of Western civilization.

Front 60

maudlin

Back 60

adj. effusively sentimental. Whenever a particularly maudlin tearjerker was playing at the movies, Marvin would embarrass himself by weeping copiously.

Front 61

maul

Back 61

v. handle roughly. The rock star was mauled by his overexcited fans.

Front 62

mausoleum

Back 62

n. monumental tomb. His body was placed in the family mausoleum.

Front 63

mauve

Back 63

adj. pale purple. The mauve tint in the lilac bush was another indication that spring had finally arrived.

Front 64

■maverick

Back 64

n. rebel; nonconformist. To the masculine literary establishment, George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking cigars was clearly a maverick who fought her proper womanly role.

Front 65

mawkish

Back 65

adj. mushy and gushy; icky-sticky sentimental; maudlin. Whenever Gigi and her boyfriend would sigh and get all lovey-dovey, her little brother would shout, "Yuck!" protesting their mawkish behavior.

Front 66

maxim

Back 66

n. proverb; a truth pithily stated. Aesop's fables illustrate moral maxims.

Front 67

mayhem

Back 67

n. injury to body. The riot was marked not only by mayhem, with its attendant loss of life and limb, but also by arson and pillage.

Front 68

meager

Back 68

adj. scanty; inadequate. Still hungry after his meager serving of porridge, Oliver Twist asked for a second helping.

Front 69

mealymouthed

Back 69

adj. indirect in speech; hypocritical; evasive. Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked, Jack made a few mealymouthed comments and tried to change the subject.

Front 70

meander

Back 70

v. wind or turn in its course. Needing to stay close to a source of water, he followed every twist and turn of the stream as it meandered through the countryside.

Front 71

meddlesome

Back 71

adj. interfering. He felt his marriage was suffering because of his meddlesome mother-in-law.

Front 72

mediate

Back 72

v. settle a dispute through the services of an outsider. King Solomon was asked to mediate a dispute between two women, each of whom claimed to be the mother of the same child.

Front 73

mediocre

Back 73

adj. ordinary; commonplace. We were disappointed because he gave a rather mediocre performance in this role.

Front 74

meditation

Back 74

n. reflection; thought. She reached her decision only after much meditation.

Front 75

medium

Back 75

n. element that is a creature's natural environment; nutrient setting in which microorganisms are cultivated. We watched the dolphins sporting in the sea and marveled at their grace in their proper medium. The bacteriologist carefully observed the microorganisms' rapid growth in the culture medium.

Front 76

medium

Back 76

n. appropriate occupation or means of expression; channel of communication; compromise. Film was Anna's medium: she expressed herself through her cinematography. However, she never watched television, claiming she despised the medium. For Anna, it was all or nothing: she could never strike a happy medium.

Front 77

medley

Back 77

n. mixture. To avoid boring dancers by playing any one tune for too long, bands may combine three or four tunes into a medley.

Front 78

meek

Back 78

adj. submissive; patient and long-suffering. Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor.

Front 79

megalomania

Back 79

n. mania for doing grandiose things. Developers who spend millions trying to build the world's tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania.

Front 80

melancholy

Back 80

adj. gloomy; morose; blue. To Eugene, stuck in his small town, a train whistle was a melancholy sound, for it made him think of all the places he would never get to see.

Front 81

melee

Back 81

n. fight. The captain tried to ascertain the cause of the melee that had broken out among the crew members.

Front 82

mellifluous

Back 82

adj. sweetly or smoothly flowing; melodious. Italian is a mellifluous language, especially suited to being sung.

Front 83

memento

Back 83

n. token; reminder. Take this book as a memento of your visit.

Front 84

memorialize

Back 84

v. commemorate. Let us memorialize his great contribution by dedicating this library in his honor.

Front 85

menagerie

Back 85

n. collection of wild animals. Whenever the children run wild around the house, Mom shouts, "Calm down! I'm not running a menagerie!"

Front 86

■mendacious

Back 86

adj. lying; habitually dishonest. Distrusting Huck from the start, Miss Watson assumed he was mendacious and refused to believe a word he said. mendacity, N.

Front 87

mendicant

Back 87

n. beggar. "0 noble sir, give alms to the poor," cried Aladdin, playing the mendicant. mendicancy, N.

Front 88

menial

Back 88

adj. suitable for servants; lowly; mean. Her wicked stepmother forced Cinderella to do menial tasks around the house while her ugly stepsisters lolled around painting their toenails. also N.

Front 89

mentor

Back 89

n. counselor; teacher. During this very trying period, she could not have had a better mentor, for the teacher was sympathetic and understanding.

Front 90

mercantile

Back 90

adj. concerning trade. I am more interested in the opportunities available in the mercantile field than I am in those in the legal profession.

Front 91

mercenary

Back 91

adj. motivated solely by money or gain. "I'm not in this war because I get my kicks waving flags," said the mercenary soldier. "I'm in it for the dough." also N.

Front 92

mercurial

Back 92

adj. capricious; changing; fickle. Quick as quicksilver to change, he was mercurial in nature and therefore unreliable.

Front 93

meretricious

Back 93

adj. flashy; tawdry. Her jewels were inexpensive but not meretricious.

Front 94

merger

Back 94

n. combination (of two business corporations). When the firm's president married the director of financial planning, the office joke was that it wasn't a marriage, it was a merger.

Front 95

mesmerize

Back 95

v. hypnotize. The incessant drone seemed to mesmerize him and place him in a trance.

Front 96

metallurgical

Back 96

adj. pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores. During the course of his metallurgical research, the scientist developed a steel alloy of tremendous strength.

Front 97

■metamorphosis

Back 97

n. change of form. The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly is typical of many such changes in animal life. metamorphose, v.

Front 98

metaphor

Back 98

n. implied comparison. "He soared like an eagle" is an example of a simile; "He is an eagle in flight," a metaphor.

Front 99

metaphysical

Back 99

adj. pertaining to speculative philosophy. The modern poets have gone back to the fanciful poems of the metaphysical poets of the seventeenth century for many of their images. metaphysics, N.

Front 100

mete

Back 100

v. measure; distribute. He tried to be impartial in his efforts to mete out justice.

Front 101

meteoric

Back 101

adj. swift; momentarily brilliant. We all wondered at his meteoric rise to fame.

Front 102

methodical

Back 102

adj. systematic. An accountant must be methodical and maintain order among his financial records.

Front 103

■meticulous

Back 103

adj. excessively careful; painstaking; scrupulous. Martha Stewart was a meticulous housekeeper, fussing about each and every detail that went into making up her perfect home.

Front 104

metropolis

Back 104

n. large city. Every evening this terminal is filled with the thousands of commuters who are going from this metropolis to their homes in the suburbs.

Front 105

mettle

Back 105

n. courage; spirit. When challenged by the other horses in the race, the thoroughbred proved its mettle by its determination to hold the lead. mettlesome, ADJ.

Front 106

miasma

Back 106

n. swamp gas; heavy, vaporous atmosphere, often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive corrupting influence. The smog hung over Victorian London like a dark cloud; noisome, reeking of decay, it was a visible miasma.

Front 107

microcosm

Back 107

n. small world; the world in miniature. The village community that Jane Austen depicts serves as a microcosm of English society in her time, for in this small world we see all the social classes meeting and mingling.

Front 108

migrant

Back 108

adj. changing its habitat; wandering. These migrant birds return every spring. also N.

Front 109

migratory

Back 109

adj. wandering. The return of the migratory birds to the northern sections of this country is a harbinger of spring.

Front 110

milieu

Back 110

n. environment; means of expression. Surrounded by smooth preppies and arty bohemians, the country boy from Smalltown, USA, felt out of his milieu. Although he has produced excellent oil paintings and lithographs, his proper milieu is watercolor.

Front 111

militant

Back 111

adj. combative; bellicose. Although at this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one could usually find him adopting a more militant attitude. also N.

Front 112

militate

Back 112

v. work against. Your record of lateness and absence will militate against your chances of promotion.

Front 113

millennium

Back 113

n. thousand-year period; period of happiness and prosperity. I do not expect the millennium to come during my lifetime.

Front 114

mimicry

Back 114

n. imitation. Her gift for mimicry was so great that her friends said that she should be in the theater.

Front 115

minatory

Back 115

adj. menacing; threatening. Jabbing a minatory forefinger at Dorothy, the Wicked Witch cried, "I'll get you, and your little dog, too!"

Front 116

mincing

Back 116

adj. affectedly dainty. Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps.

Front 117

minion

Back 117

n. a servile dependent. He was always accompanied by several of his minions because he enjoyed their subservience and flattery.

Front 118

minuscule

Back 118

adj. extremely small. Why should I involve myself with a project with so minuscule a chance for success?

Front 119

minute

Back 119

adj. extremely small. The twins resembled one another closely; only minute differences set them apart.

Front 120

minutiae

Back 120

n. petty details. She would have liked to ignore the minutiae of daily living.

Front 121

mirage

Back 121

n. unreal reflection; optical illusion. The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in the desert.

Front 122

mire

Back 122

v. entangle; stick in swampy ground. Their rear wheels became mired in mud. also N.

Front 123

mirth

Back 123

n. merriment; laughter. Sober Malvolio found Sir Toby's mirth improper.

Front 124

misadventure

Back 124

n. mischance; ill luck. The young explorer met death by misadventure.

Front 125

■misanthrope

Back 125

n. one who hates mankind. In Gulliver's Travels, Swift portrays human beings as vile, degraded beasts; for this reason, various critics consider him a misanthrope. misanthropic, ADJ.

Front 126

misapprehension

Back 126

n. error; misunderstanding. To avoid misapprehension, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given.

Front 127

miscellany

Back 127

n. mixture of writings on various subjects. This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century prose and poetry.

Front 128

mischance

Back 128

n. ill luck. By mischance, he lost his week's salary.

Front 129

misconstrue

Back 129

v. interpret incorrectly; misjudge. She took the passage seriously rather than humorously because she misconstrued the author's ironic tone.

Front 130

miscreant

Back 130

n. wretch; villain. His kindness to the miscreant amazed all of us who had expected to hear severe punishment pronounced.

Front 131

misdemeanor

Back 131

n. minor crime. The culprit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor rather than face trial for a felony.

Front 132

miserly

Back 132

adj. stingy; mean. Transformed by his vision on Christmas Eve, mean old Scrooge ceased being miserly and became a generous, kind old man. miser, N.

Front 133

misgivings

Back 133

n. doubts. Hamlet described his misgivings to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes despite his foreboding of evil.

Front 134

mishap

Back 134

n. accident. With a little care you could have avoided this mishap.

Front 135

misnomer

Back 135

n. wrong name; incorrect designation. His tyrannical conduct proved to all that his nickname, King Eric the Just, was a misnomer.

Front 136

misogamy

Back 136

n. hatred of marriage. He remained a bachelor not because of misogamy but because of ill fate: his fiancée died before the wedding.

Front 137

misogynist

Back 137

n. hater of women. She accused him of being a misogynist because he had been a bachelor all his life.

Front 138

missile

Back 138

n. object to be thrown or projected. After carefully folding his book report into a paper airplane, Beavis threw the missile across the classroom at Butthead. Rocket scientists are building guided missiles; Beavis and Butthead can barely make unguided ones.

Front 139

missive

Back 139

n. letter. The ambassador received a missive from the Secretary of State.

Front 140

mite

Back 140

n. very small object or creature; small coin. Gnats are annoying mites that sting.

Front 141

■mitigate

Back 141

v. appease; moderate. Nothing Jason did could mitigate Medea's anger; she refused to forgive him for betraying her.

Front 142

mnemonic

Back 142

adj. pertaining to memory. She used mnemonic tricks to master new words.

Front 143

mobile

Back 143

adj. movable; not fixed. The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross visited our neighborhood today. mobility, N.

Front 144

mock

Back 144

v. ridicule; imitate, often in derision. It is unkind to mock anyone; it is stupid to mock anyone significantly bigger than you. mockery, N.

Front 145

mode

Back 145

n. prevailing style; manner; way of doing something. The rock star had to have her hair done in the latest mode: frizzed, with occasional moussed spikes for variety. Henry plans to adopt a simpler mode of life: he is going to become a mushroom hunter and live off the land.

Front 146

modicum

Back 146

n. limited quantity. Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious.

Front 147

modish

Back 147

adj. fashionable. She always discarded all garments that were no longer modish.

Front 148

modulate

Back 148

v. tone down in intensity; regulate; change from one key to another. Always singing at the top of her lungs, the budding Brunhilde never learned to modulate her voice. modulation, N.

Front 149

mogul

Back 149

n. powerful person. The oil moguls made great profits when the price of gasoline rose.

Front 150

molecule

Back 150

n. the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance that has all the properties of that substance. In chemistry, we study how atoms and molecules react to form new substances.

Front 151

■mollify

Back 151

v. soothe. The airline customer service representative tried to mollify the angry passenger by offering her a seat in first class.

Front 152

mollycoddle

Back 152

v. pamper; indulge excessively. Don't mollycoddle the boy, Maud! You'll spoil him.

Front 153

molt

Back 153

v. shed or cast off hair or feathers. When Molly's canary molted, he shed feathers all over the house.

Front 154

molten

Back 154

adj. melted. The city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic ash rather than by molten lava flowing from Mount Vesuvius.

Front 155

momentous

Back 155

adj. very important. When Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium, they had no idea of the momentous impact their discovery would have upon society.

Front 156

momentum

Back 156

n. quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus. The car lost momentum as it tried to ascend the steep hill.

Front 157

monarchy

Back 157

n. government under a single ruler. Though England today is a monarchy, there is some question whether it will be one in 20 years, given the present discontent at the prospect of Prince Charles as king.

Front 158

monastic

Back 158

adj. related to, monks or monasteries; removed from worldly concerns. Withdrawing from the world, Thomas Merton joined a contemplative religious order and adopted the monastic life.

Front 159

monetary

Back 159

adj. pertaining to money. Jane held the family purse strings: she made all monetary decisions affecting the household.

Front 160

monochromatic

Back 160

adj. having only one color. Most people who are color blind actually can distinguish several colors; some, however, have a truly monochromatic view of a world all in shades of gray.

Front 161

monolithic

Back 161

adj. solidly uniform; unyielding. Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a monolithic front.

Front 162

monotheism

Back 162

n. belief in one God. Abraham was the first to proclaim his belief in monotheism.

Front 163

monotony

Back 163

n. sameness leading to boredom. What could be more deadly dull than the monotony of punching numbers into a computer hour after hour? monotonous, ADJ.

Front 164

monumental

Back 164

adj. massive. Writing a dictionary is a monumental task.

Front 165

moodiness

Back 165

n. fits of depression or gloom. We could not discover the cause of her recurrent moodiness.

Front 166

moratorium

Back 166

n. legal delay of payment. If we declare a moratorium and delay collection of debts for six months, I am sure the farmers will be able to meet their bills.

Front 167

morbid

Back 167

adj. given to unwholesome thought; moody; characteristic of disease. People who come to disaster sites just to peer at the grisly wreckage are indulging their morbid curiosity. morbidity, N.

Front 168

mordant

Back 168

adj. biting; sarcastic; stinging. Actors feared the critic's mordant pen.

Front 169

mores

Back 169

n. conventions; moral standards; customs. In America, Benazir Bhutto dressed as Western women did; in Pakistan, however, she followed the mores of her people, dressing in traditional veil and robes.

Front 170

moribund

Back 170

adj. dying. Hearst took a moribund, failing weekly newspaper and transformed it into one of the liveliest, most profitable daily papers around.

Front 171

■morose

Back 171

adj. ill-humored; sullen; melancholy. Forced to take early retirement, Bill acted morose for months; then, all of a sudden, he shook off his gloom and was his usual cheerful self.

Front 172

mortician

Back 172

n. undertaker. The mortician prepared the corpse for burial.

Front 173

mortify

Back 173

v. humiliate; punish the flesh. She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears.

Front 174

mosaic

Back 174

n. picture made of small, colorful inlaid tiles. The mayor compared the city to a beautiful mosaic made up of people of every race and religion on earth. also ADJ.

Front 175

mote

Back 175

n. small speck. The tiniest mote in the eye is very painful.

Front 176

motif

Back 176

n. theme. This simple motif runs throughout the score.

Front 177

motility

Back 177

n. ability to move spontaneously. Certain organisms exhibit remarkable motility; motile spores, for example, may travel for miles before coming to rest. motile, ADJ.

Front 178

motley

Back 178

adj. multicolored; mixed. The jester wore a motley tunic, red and green and blue and gold all patched together haphazardly. Captain Ahab had gathered a motley crew to sail the vessel: old sea dogs and runaway boys, pillars of the church and drunkards, even a tattooed islander who terrified the rest of the crew.

Front 179

mottled

Back 179

adj. blotched in coloring; spotted. When old Falstaff blushed, his face became mottled, all pink and purple and red.

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mountebank

Back 180

n. charlatan; boastful pretender. The patent medicine man was a mountebank.

Front 181

muddle

Back 181

v. confuse; mix up. Her thoughts were muddled and chaotic. also N.

Front 182

muggy

Back 182

adj. warm and damp. August in New York City is often muggy.

Front 183

mulct

Back 183

v. defraud a person of something. The lawyer was accused of trying to mulct the boy of his legacy.

Front 184

multifarious

Back 184

adj. varied; greatly diversified. A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.

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multiform

Back 185

adj. having many forms. Snowflakes are multiform but always hexagonal.

Front 186

multilingual

Back 186

adj. having many languages. Because they are bordered by so many countries, the Swiss people are multilingual.

Front 187

multiplicity

Back 187

n. state of being numerous. She was appalled by the multiplicity of details she had to complete before setting out on her mission.

Front 188

■mundane

Back 188

adj. worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday. Uninterested in philosophical or spiritual discussions, Tom talked only of mundane matters such as the daily weather forecast or the latest basketball results.

Front 189

munificent

Back 189

adj. very generous. Shamelessly fawning over a particularly generous donor, the dean kept referring to her as "our munificent benefactor." munificence, N.

Front 190

mural

Back 190

n. wall painting. The walls of the Chicano Community Center are covered with murals painted in the style of Diego Rivera, the great Mexican artist.

Front 191

murky

Back 191

adj. dark and gloomy; thick with fog; vague. The murky depths of the swamp were so dark that you couldn't tell the vines and branches from the snakes. murkiness, N.

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muse

Back 192

v. ponder. For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thoughts soon changed as he recalled his own personal problems. also N.

Front 193

musky

Back 193

adj. having the odor of musk. She left a trace of musky perfume behind her.

Front 194

muster

Back 194

v. gather; assemble. Washington mustered his forces at Trenton.

Front 195

musty

Back 195

adj. stale; spoiled by age. The attic was dark and musty.

Front 196

mutability

Back 196

n. ability to change in form; fickleness. Going from rags to riches, and then back to rags again, the bankrupt financier was a victim of the mutability of fortune. mutable, ADJ.

Front 197

muted

Back 197

adj. silent; muffled; toned down. Thanks to the thick, sound-absorbing walls of the cathedral, only muted traffic noise reached the worshippers within. mute, v., N.

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mutilate

Back 198

v. maim. The torturer threatened to mutilate his victim.

Front 199

mutinous

Back 199

adj. unruly; rebellious. The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew. mutiny, N.

Front 200

myopic

Back 200

adj. nearsighted; lacking foresight. Stumbling into doors despite the coke-bottle lenses on his glasses, the nearsighted Mr. Magoo is markedly myopic. In playing all summer long and failing to store up food for winter, the grasshopper in Aesop's fable was myopic as well. myopia, N.

Front 201

myriad

Back 201

n. very large number. Myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every twilight. also ADJ.

Front 202

nadir

Back 202

n. lowest point. Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadir and would soon begin an upward surge.

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naiveté

Back 203

n. quality of being unsophisticated; simplicity; artlessness; gullibility. Touched by the naiveté of sweet, convent-trained Cosette, Marius pledges himself to protect her innocence. naive, ADJ.

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narcissist

Back 204

n. conceited person. A narcissist is his own best friend.

Front 205

narrative

Back 205

adj. related to telling a story. A born teller of tales, Olsen used her impressive narrative skills to advantage in her story "I Stand Here Ironing." also

Front 206

nascent

Back 206

adj. incipient; coming into being. If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascent state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years.

Front 207

natation

Back 207

n. swimming. The Red Cross emphasizes the need for courses in natation.

Front 208

natty

Back 208

adj. neatly or smartly dressed. Priding himself on being a natty dresser, the gangster Bugsy Siegel collected a wardrobe of imported suits and ties.

Front 209

nauseate

Back 209

v. cause to become sick; fill with disgust. The foul smells began to nauseate her.

Front 210

nautical

Back 210

adj. pertaining to ships or navigation. The Maritime Museum contains models of clipper ships, logbooks, anchors, and many other items of a nautical nature.

Front 211

navigable

Back 211

adj. wide and deep enough to allow ships to pass through; able to be steered. So much sand had built up at the bottom of the canal that the waterway was barely navigable.

Front 212

nebulous

Back 212

adj. vague; hazy; cloudy. Phil and Dave tried to come up with a clear, intelligible business plan, not some hazy, nebulous proposal.

Front 213

necromancy

Back 213

n. black magic; dealings with the dead. The evil sorcerer performed feats of necromancy, calling on the spirits of the dead to tell the future. necromancer, N.

Front 214

nefarious

Back 214

adj. very wicked. The villain's crimes, though various, were one and all nefarious.

Front 215

■negate

Back 215

v. cancel out; nullify; deny. A sudden surge of adrenalin can negate the effects of fatigue: there's nothing like a good shock to wake you up. negation, N.

Front 216

negligence

Back 216

n. neglect; failure to take reasonable care. Tommy failed to put back the cover on the well after he fetched his pail of water; because of his negligence, Kitty fell in. negligent, ADJ.

Front 217

negligible

Back 217

adj. so small, trifling, or unimportant as to be easily disregarded. Because the damage to his car had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn't bother to report the matter to his insurance company.

Front 218

nemesis

Back 218

n. someone seeking revenge. Abandoned at sea in a small boat, the vengeful Captain Bligh vowed to be the nemesis of Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers.

Front 219

neologism

Back 219

n. new or newly coined word or phrase. As we invent new techniques and professions, we must also invent neologisms such as "microcomputer" and "astronaut" to describe them.

Front 220

■neophyte

Back 220

n. recent convert; beginner. This mountain slope contains slides that will challenge experts as well as neophytes.

Front 221

nepotism

Back 221

n. favoritism (to a relative). John left his position with the company because he felt that advancement was based on nepotism rather than ability.

Front 222

nether

Back 222

adj. lower. Tradition locates hell in the nether regions.

Front 223

nettle

Back 223

v. annoy; vex. Do not let her nettle you with her sarcastic remarks.

Front 224

nexus

Back 224

n. connection. I fail to see the nexus that binds these two widely separated events.

Front 225

nib

Back 225

n. beak; pen point. The nibs of fountain pens often become clotted and corroded.

Front 226

nicety

Back 226

n. precision; minute distinction. I cannot distinguish between such niceties of reasoning. nice,

Front 227

niggardly

Back 227

adj. meanly stingy; parsimonious. The niggardly pittance the widow receives from the government cannot keep her from poverty.

Front 228

niggle

Back 228

v. spend too much time on minor points; carp. Let's not niggle over details. niggling, ADJ.

Front 229

nihilist

Back 229

n. one who considers traditional beliefs to be groundless and existence meaningless; absolute skeptic; revolutionary terrorist. In his final days, Hitler revealed himself a power-mad nihilist, ready to annihilate all of Western Europe, even to destroy Germany itself, in order that his will might prevail. The root of the word nihilist is nihil, Latin for "nothing." nihilism, N.

Front 230

nip

Back 230

v. stop something's growth or development; snip off; bite; make numb with cold. The twins were plotting mischief, but Mother intervened and nipped their plan in the bud, The gardener nipped off a lovely rose and gave it to me. Last week a guard dog nipped the postman in the leg; this week the extreme chill nipped his fingers till he could barely hold the mail.

Front 231

nirvana

Back 231

n. in Buddhist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of an impersonal beatitude. Despite his desire to achieve nirvana, the young Buddhist found that even the buzzing of a fly could distract him from his meditation.

Front 232

nocturnal

Back 232

adj. done at night. Mr. Jones obtained a watchdog to prevent the nocturnal raids on his chicken coops.

Front 233

noisome

Back 233

adj. foul-smelling; unwholesome. The noisome atmosphere downwind of the oil refinery not only stank but also damaged the lungs of everyone living in the area.

Front 234

nomadic

Back 234

adj. wandering. Several nomadic tribes of Indians would hunt in this area each year. nomad, N.

Front 235

nomenclature

Back 235

n. terminology; system of names. Sharon found Latin word parts useful in translating medical nomenclature: when her son had to have a bilateral myringotomy, she figured out that he needed a hole in each of his eardrums to end his earaches.

Front 236

nominal

Back 236

adj. in name only; trifling. He offered to drive her to the airport for only a nominal fee.

Front 237

nonchalance

Back 237

n. indifference; lack of concern; composure. Cool, calm, and collected under fire, James Bond shows remarkable nonchalance in the face of danger. nonchalant, ADJ.

Front 238

noncommittal

Back 238

adj. neutral; unpledged; undecided. We were annoyed by his noncommittal reply for we had been led to expect definite assurances of his approval.

Front 239

nondescript

Back 239

adj. undistinctive; ordinary. The private detective was a short, nondescript fellow with no outstanding features, the sort of person one would never notice in a crowd.

Front 240

nonentity

Back 240

n. person of no importance; nonexistence. Because the two older princes dismissed their youngest brother as a nonentity, they did not realize that he was quietly plotting to seize the throne.

Front 241

nonplus

Back 241

v. bring to a halt by confusion; perplex. Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react.

Front 242

nostalgia

Back 242

n. homesickness; longing for the past. My grandfather seldom spoke of life in the old country; he had little patience with nostalgia. nostalgic, ADJ.

Front 243

nostrum

Back 243

n. questionable medicine. No quack selling nostrums is going to cheat me.

Front 244

notable

Back 244

adj. conspicuous; important; distinguished. Normally notable for his calm in the kitchen, today the head cook was shaking, for the notable chef Julia Child was coming to dinner. also N.

Front 245

notoriety

Back 245

n. disrepute; ill fame. To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for notoriety. notorious, ADJ.

Front 246

novelty

Back 246

n. something new; newness. The computer is no longer a novelty around the office. novel, ADJ.

Front 247

novice

Back 247

n. beginner. Even a novice at working with computers can install Barron's Computer Study Program for the GRE by following the easy steps outlined in the user's manual.

Front 248

noxious

Back 248

adj. harmful. We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.

Front 249

nuance

Back 249

n. shade of difference in meaning or color; subtle distinction. Jody gazed at the Monet landscape for an hour, appreciating every subtle nuance of color in the painting.

Front 250

nubile

Back 250

adj. marriageable. Mrs. Bennet, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, was worried about finding suitable husbands for her five nubile daughters.

Front 251

nugatory

Back 251

adj. futile; worthless. This agreement is nugatory for no court will enforce it.

Front 252

nullify

Back 252

v. to make invalid. Once the contract was nullified, it no longer had any legal force.

Front 253

numismatist

Back 253

n. person who collects coins. The numismatist had a splendid collection of antique coins.

Front 254

nuptial

Back 254

adj. related to marriage. Reluctant to be married in a traditional setting, they decided to hold their nuptial ceremony at the carousel in Golden Gate Park. nuptials,

Front 255

nurture

Back 255

v. nourish; educate; foster. The Head Start program attempts to nurture prekindergarten children so that they will do well when they enter public school. also N.

Front 256

nutrient

Back 256

n. nourishing substance. As a budding nutritionist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain foods rich in important basic nutrients. also ADJ.

Front 257

oaf

Back 257

n. stupid, awkward person. "Watch what you're doing, you clumsy oaf!" Bill shouted at the waiter who had drenched him with iced coffee.

Front 258

■obdurate

Back 258

adj. stubborn. He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our complaints.

Front 259

obeisance

Back 259

n. bow. She made an obeisance as the king and queen entered the room.

Front 260

obelisk

Back 260

n. tall column tapering and ending in a pyramid. Cleopatra's Needle is an obelisk in New York City's Central Park.

Front 261

obese

Back 261

adj. excessively fat. It is advisable that obese people try to lose weight. obesity, N.

Front 262

obfuscate

Back 262

v. confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex. Was the president's spokesman trying to clarify the Whitewater mystery, or was he trying to obfuscate the issue so the voters would never figure out what went on?

Front 263

obituary

Back 263

n. death notice. I first learned of her death when I read the obituary in the newspaper. also ADJ.

Front 264

objective

Back 264

adj. not influenced by emotions; fair. Even though he was her son, she tried to be objective about his behavior.

Front 265

objective

Back 265

n. goal; aim. A degree in medicine was her ultimate objective.

Front 266

obligatory

Back 266

adj. binding; required. It is obligatory that books borrowed from the library be returned within two weeks.

Front 267

oblique

Back 267

adj. indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line). Casting a quick, oblique glance at the reviewing stand, the sergeant ordered the company to march "Oblique Right."

Front 268

obliterate

Back 268

v. destroy completely. The tidal wave obliterated several island villages.

Front 269

oblivion

Back 269

n. obscurity; forgetfulness. After a decade of popularity, Hurston's works had fallen into oblivion; no one bothered to read them any more.

Front 270

oblivious

Back 270

adj. inattentive or unmindful; wholly absorbed. Deep in her book, Nancy was oblivious to the noisy squabbles of her brother and his friends.

Front 271

obloquy

Back 271

n. slander; disgrace; infamy. I resent the obloquy that you are casting upon my reputation.

Front 272

obnoxious

Back 272

adj. offensive. I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.

Front 273

obscure

Back 273

adj. dark; vague; unclear. Even after I read the poem a fourth time, its meaning was still obscure. obscurity, N.

Front 274

obscure

Back 274

v. darken; make unclear. At times he seemed purposely to obscure his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.

Front 275

■obsequious

Back 275

adj. slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic. Helen valued people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her more than an excessively obsequious waiter or a fawning salesclerk.

Front 276

obsequy

Back 276

n. funeral ceremony. Hundreds paid their last respects at his obsequies.

Front 277

obsessive

Back 277

adj. related to thinking about something constantly; preoccupying. Ballet, which had been a hobby, began to dominate his life: his love of dancing became obsessive. obsession, N.

Front 278

obsidian

Back 278

n. black volcanic rock. The deposits of obsidian on the mountain slopes were an indication that the volcano had erupted in ancient times.

Front 279

obsolete

Back 279

adj. outmoded. "Hip" is an obsolete expression; it went out with love beads and tie-dye shirts.

Front 280

obstetrician

Back 280

n. physician specializing in delivery of babies. Unlike midwives, who care for women giving birth at home, obstetricians generally work in a hospital setting.

Front 281

obstinate

Back 281

adj. stubborn; hard to control or treat. We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to change. Blackberry stickers are the most obstinate weeds I know: once established in a yard, they're extremely hard to root out. obstinacy, N.

Front 282

obstreperous

Back 282

adj. boisterous; noisy. What do you do when an obstreperous horde of drunken policemen carouses through your hotel, crashing into potted plants and singing vulgar songs?

Front 283

obtrude

Back 283

v. push (oneself or one's ideas) forward or intrude; butt in; stick out or extrude. Because Fanny was reluctant to obtrude her opinions about child-raising upon her daughter-in-law, she kept a close watch on her tongue. obtrusive,

Front 284

obtuse

Back 284

adj. blunt; stupid. What can you do with somebody who's so obtuse that he can't even tell that you're insulting him?

Front 285

■obviate

Back 285

v. make unnecessary; get rid of. I hope this contribution will obviate any need for further collections of funds.

Front 286

Occident

Back 286

n. the West. It will take time for the Occident to understand the ways and customs of the Orient.

Front 287

■occlude

Back 287

v. shut; close. A blood clot occluded an artery to the heart. occlusion, N.

Front 288

Occult

Back 288

adj. mysterious; secret; supernatural. The occult rites of the organization were revealed only to members. also N.

Front 289

Oculist

Back 289

n. physician who specializes in treatment of the eyes. In many states, an oculist is the only one who may apply medicinal drops to the eyes for the purpose of examining them.

Front 290

odious

Back 290

adj. hateful; vile. Cinderella's ugly stepsisters had the odious habit of popping their zits in public.

Front 291

odium

Back 291

n. detestation; hatefulness; disrepute. Prince Charming could not express the odium he felt toward Cinderella's stepsisters because of their mistreatment of poor Cinderella.

Front 292

odoriferous

Back 292

adj. giving off an odor. The odoriferous spices stimulated her jaded appetite.

Front 293

odorous

Back 293

adj. having an odor. This variety of hybrid tea rose is more odorous than the one you have in your garden.

Front 294

odyssey

Back 294

n. long, eventful journey. The refugee's journey from Cambodia was a terrifying odyssey.

Front 295

offensive

Back 295

adj. attacking; insulting; distasteful. Getting into street brawls is no minor offense for professional boxers, who are required by law to restrict their offensive impulses to the ring.

Front 296

offhand

Back 296

adj. casual; done without prior thought. Expecting to be treated with due propriety by her hosts, Great-Aunt Maud was offended by their offhand manner.

Front 297

■officious

Back 297

adj. meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services. After her long flight, Jill just wanted to nap, but the officious bellboy was intent on showing her all the special features of the deluxe suite.

Front 298

ogle

Back 298

v. look at amorously; make eyes at. At the coffee house, Walter was too shy to ogle the pretty girls openly; instead, he peeked out at them from behind a rubber plant.

Front 299

olfactory

Back 299

adj. concerning the sense of smell. A wine taster must have a discriminating palate and a keen olfactory sense, for a good wine appeals both to the taste buds and to the nose.

Front 300

oligarchy

Back 300

n. government by a privileged few. One small clique ran the student council: what had been intended as a democratic governing body had turned into an oligarchy.

Front 301

ominous

Back 301

adj. threatening. Those clouds are ominous; they suggest that a severe storm is on the way.

Front 302

omnipotent

Back 302

adj. all-powerful. The monarch regarded himself as omnipotent and responsible to no one for his acts.

Front 303

omnipresent

Back 303

adj. universally present; ubiquitous. On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is omnipresent.

Front 304

omniscient

Back 304

adj. all-knowing. I do not pretend to be omniscient, but I am positive about this fact.

Front 305

omnivorous

Back 305

adj. eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything. Some animals, including humans, are omnivorous and eat both meat and vegetables; others are either carnivorous or herbivorous.

Front 306

■onerous

Back 306

adj. burdensome. She asked for an assistant because her work load was too onerous.

Front 307

onomatopoeia

Back 307

n. words formed in imitation of natural sounds. Words like "rustle" and "gargle" are illustrations of onomatopoeia.

Front 308

onslaught

Back 308

n. vicious assault. We suffered many casualties during the unexpected onslaught of the enemy troops.

Front 309

onus

Back 309

n. burden; responsibility. The emperor was spared the onus of signing the surrender papers; instead, he relegated the assignment to his generals.

Front 310

opalescent

Back 310

adj. iridescent; lustrous. The oil slick on the water had an opalescent, rainbowlike sheen. opalescence, N.

Front 311

opaque

Back 311

adj. dark; not transparent. The opaque window shade kept the sunlight out of the room. opacity, N.

Front 312

opiate

Back 312

n. medicine to induce sleep or deaden pain; something that relieves emotions or causes inaction. To say that religion is the opiate of the people is to condemn religion as a drug that keeps the people quiet and submissive to those in power.

Front 313

opportune

Back 313

adj. timely; well-chosen. Cher looked at her father struggling to balance his checkbook; clearly this would not be an opportune moment to ask him for an increase in her allowance.

Front 314

opportunist

Back 314

n. individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances. Forget about ethics! He's such an opportunist that he'll vote in favor of any deal that will give him a break.

Front 315

■opprobrium

Back 315

n. infamy; vilification. He refused to defend himself against the slander and opprobrium hurled against him by the newspapers; he preferred to rely on his record.

Front 316

optician

Back 316

n. maker and seller of eyeglasses. The patient took the prescription given him by his oculist to the optician.

Front 317

optimist

Back 317

n. person who looks on the bright side. The pessimist says the glass is half-empty; the optimist says it is half-full.

Front 318

optimum

Back 318

adj. most favorable. If you wait for the optimum moment to act, you may never begin your project. also N.

Front 319

optional

Back 319

adj. not compulsory; left to one's choice. I was impressed by the range of optional accessories for my microcomputer that were available. option, N.

Front 320

optometrist

Back 320

n. one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects. Although an optometrist is qualified to treat many eye disorders, she may not use medicines or surgery in her examinations.

Front 321

opulence

Back 321

n. extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance. The glitter and opulence of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away. opulent, ADJ.

Front 322

opus

Back 322

n. work. Although many critics hailed his Fifth Symphony, he did not regard it as his major opus.

Front 323

oracular

Back 323

adj. prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority; mysterious or ambiguous. Like many others who sought divine guidance from the oracle at Delphi, Oedipus could not understand the enigmatic oracular warning he received. oracle, N.

Front 324

orator

Back 324

n. public speaker. The abolitionist Frederick Douglass was a brilliant orator whose speeches brought home to his audience the evils of slavery.

Front 325

oratorio

Back 325

n. dramatic poem set to music. The Glee Club decided to present an oratorio during their recital.

Front 326

ordain

Back 326

v. decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine. The king ordained that no foreigner should be allowed to enter the city.' The Bishop of Michigan ordained David a deacon in the Episcopal Church. The young lovers felt that fate had ordained their meeting.

Front 327

ordeal

Back 327

n. severe trial or affliction. June was so painfully shy that it was an ordeal for her to speak up when the teacher called on her in class.

Front 328

ordinance

Back 328

n. decree. Passing a red light is a violation of a city ordinance.

Front 329

ordination

Back 329

n. ceremony conferring holy orders. The candidate for ordination had to meet with the bishop and the diocesan officers before being judged ready to be ordained a deacon. ordain, v.

Front 330

orgy

Back 330

n. wild, drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence. The Roman emperor's orgies were far wilder than the toga party in the movie Animal House. When her income tax refund check finally arrived, Sally indulged in an orgy of shopping.

Front 331

orient

Back 331

v. get one's bearings; adjust. Philip spent his first day in Denver orienting himself to the city.

Front 332

orientation

Back 332

n. act of finding oneself in society. Freshman orientation provides the incoming students with an opportunity to learn about their new environment and their place in it.

Front 333

orifice

Back 333

n. mouthlike opening; small opening. The Howe Caverns were discovered when someone observed that a cold wind was issuing from an orifice in the hillside.

Front 334

ornate

Back 334

adj. excessively or elaborately decorated. With its elaborately carved, convoluted lines, furniture of the Baroque period was highly ornate.

Front 335

ornithologist

Back 335

n. scientific student of birds. Audubon's drawings of American bird life have been of interest not only to ornithologists but also to the general public.

Front 336

orthodox

Back 336

adj. traditional; conservative in belief. Faced with a problem, she preferred to take an orthodox approach rather than shock anyone. orthodoxy, N.

Front 337

orthography

Back 337

n. correct spelling. Many of us find English orthography difficult to master because so many of our words are not written phonetically.

Front 338

■oscillate

Back 338

v. vibrate pendulumlike; waver. It is interesting to note how public opinion oscillates between the extremes of optimism and pessimism.

Front 339

osseous

Back 339

adj. made of bone; bony. The hollow "soft spot" found at the top of the infant's skull gradually closes as new osseous tissue fills in the gap.

Front 340

ossify

Back 340

v. change or harden into bone. When he called his opponent a "bonehead," he implied that his adversary's brain had ossified and that he was not capable of clear thinking.

Front 341

ostensible

Back 341

adj. apparent; professed; pretended. Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products.

Front 342

■ostentatious

Back 342

adj. showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention. Trump's latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling palace in the East: it easily out-glitters its competitors. ostentation, N.

Front 343

ostracize

Back 343

v. exclude from public favor; ban. As soon as the newspapers carried the story of his connection with the criminals, his friends began to ostracize him. ostracism, N.

Front 344

oust

Back 344

v. expel; drive out. The world wondered if Aquino would be able to oust Marcos from office.

Front 345

outlandish

Back 345

adj. bizarre; peculiar; unconventional. The eccentric professor who engages in markedly outlandish behavior is a stock figure in novels with an academic setting.

Front 346

outmoded

Back 346

adj. no longer stylish; old-fashioned. Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed.

Front 347

outskirts

Back 347

n. fringes; outer borders. Living on the outskirts of Boston, Sarah sometimes felt as if she were cut off from the cultural heart of the city.

Front 348

outspoken

Back 348

adj. candid; blunt. The candidate was too outspoken to be a successful politician; he had not yet learned to weigh his words carefully.

Front 349

outstrip

Back 349

v. surpass; outdo. Jesse Owens easily outstripped his competitors to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games.

Front 350

outwit

Back 350

v. outsmart; trick. By disguising himself as an old woman, Holmes was able to outwit his pursuers and escape capture.

Front 351

ovation

Back 351

n. enthusiastic applause. When Placido Domingo came on stage in the first act of La Bohéme, he was greeted by a tremendous ovation.

Front 352

overbearing

Back 352

adj. bossy; arrogant; decisively important. Certain of her own importance and of the unimportance of everyone else, Lady Bracknell was intolerably overbearing in manner. "In choosing a husband," she said, "good birth is of overbearing importance; compared to that, neither wealth nor talent signifies."

Front 353

overt

Back 353

adj. open to view. According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for treason.

Front 354

overweening

Back 354

adj. presumptuous; arrogant. His overweening pride in his accomplishments was not justified.

Front 355

overwrought

Back 355

adj. extremely agitated; hysterical. When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too overwrought to work and had to leave the office early.

Front 356

ovoid

Back 356

adj. egg-shaped. At Easter she had to cut out hundreds of brightly colored ovoid shapes.

Front 357

pachyderm

Back 357

n. thick-skinned animal. The elephant is probably the best-known pachyderm.

Front 358

pacifist

Back 358

n. one opposed to force; antimilitarist. During the war, pacifists, though they refused to bear arms, served in the front lines as ambulance drivers and medical corpsmen. also

Front 359

pacify

Back 359

v. soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue. Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them.

Front 360

paean

Back 360

n. song of praise or joy. Paeans celebrating the victory filled the air.

Front 361

painstaking

Back 361

adj. showing hard work; taking great care. The new high-frequency word list is the result of painstaking efforts on the part of our research staff.

Front 362

palatable

Back 362

adj. agreeable; pleasing to the taste. Neither Jack's underbaked opinions nor his overcooked casseroles were palatable to me.

Front 363

palate

Back 363

n. roof of the mouth; sense of taste. When you sound out the letter "d," your tongue curves up to touch the edge of your palate. When Alice was sick, her mother made special meals to tempt her palate.

Front 364

palatial

Back 364

adj. magnificent. He proudly showed us through his palatial home.

Front 365

paleontology

Back 365

n. study of prehistoric life. The professor of paleontology had a superb collection of fossils.

Front 366

palette

Back 366

n. board on which a painter mixes pigments. At the present time, art supply stores are selling a paper palette that may be discarded after use.

Front 367

palimpsest

Back 367

n. parchment used for second time after original writing has been erased. Using chemical reagents, scientists have been able to restore the original writings on many palimpsests.

Front 368

pall

Back 368

v. grow tiresome. The study of word lists can eventually pall and put one to sleep.

Front 369

pallet

Back 369

n. small, poor bed. The weary traveler went to sleep on his straw pallet.

Front 370

palliate

Back 370

v. ease pain; make less severe or offensive. If we cannot cure this disease at present, we can, at least, try to palliate the symptoms. palliation, N.

Front 371

pallid

Back 371

adj. pale; wan. Because his occupation required that he work at night and sleep during the day, he had an exceptionally pallid complexion.

Front 372

palpable

Back 372

adj. tangible; easily, perceptible. I cannot understand how you could overlook such a palpable blunder.

Front 373

palpitate

Back 373

v. throb; flutter. As she became excited, her heart began to palpitate more and more erratically.

Front 374

paltry

Back 374

adj. insignificant; petty; trifling. "One hundred dollars for a genuine imitation Rolex watch! Lady, this is a paltry sum to pay for such a high-class piece of jewelry."

Front 375

pan

Back 375

v. criticize harshly. Hoping for a rave review of his new show, the playwright was miserable when the critics panned it unanimously.

Front 376

panacea

Back 376

n. cure-all; remedy for all diseases. There is no easy panacea that will solve our complicated international situation.

Front 377

panache

Back 377

n. flair; flamboyance. Many performers imitate Noel Coward, but few have his panache and sense of style.

Front 378

pandemic

Back 378

adj. widespread; affecting the majority of people. They feared the AIDS epidemic would soon reach pandemic proportions.

Front 379

pandemonium

Back 379

n. wild tumult. When the ships collided in the harbor, pandemonium broke out among the passengers.

Front 380

pander

Back 380

v. cater to the low desires of others. The reviewer accused the makers of Lethal Weapon of pandering to the masses' taste for violence.

Front 381

panegyric

Back 381

n. formal praise. Blushing at all the praise heaped upon him by the speakers, the modest hero said, "I don't deserve such panegyrics."

Front 382

panoramic

Back 382

adj. denoting an unobstructed and comprehensive view. On a clear day, from the top of the Empire State Building you can get a panoramic view of New York City and neighboring stretches of New Jersey and Long Island. panorama, N.

Front 383

pantomime

Back 383

n. acting without dialogue. Because he worked in pantomime, the clown could be understood wherever he appeared. also v.

Front 384

papyrus

Back 384

n. ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant. The ancient Egyptians were among the first to write on papyrus.

Front 385

parable

Back 385

n. short, simple story teaching a moral. Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this parable teaches.

Front 386

paradigm

Back 386

n. model; example; pattern. Pavlov's experiment in which he trains a dog to salivate on hearing a bell is a paradigm of the conditioned-response experiment in behavioral psychology. paradigmatic, ADJ.

Front 387

paradox

Back 387

n. something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually correct. Richard presents a bit of a paradox, for he is a card-carrying member of both the National Rifle Association and the relatively pacifist American Civil Liberties Union. paradoxical, ADJ.

Front 388

■paragon

Back 388

n. model of perfection. Her fellow students disliked Lavinia because Miss Minchin always pointed her out as a paragon of virtue.

Front 389

parallelism

Back 389

n. state of being parallel; similarity. Although the twins were separated at birth and grew up in different adoptive families, a striking parallelism exists between their lives.

Front 390

parameter

Back 390

n. limit; independent variable. We need to define the parameters of the problem.

Front 391

paramount

Back 391

adj. foremost in importance; supreme. Proper nutrition and hygiene are of paramount importance in adolescent development and growth.

Front 392

paramour

Back 392

n. illicit lover. She sought a divorce on the grounds that her husband had a paramour in another town.

Front 393

paranoia

Back 393

n. psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution. Suffering from paranoia, he claimed everyone was out to get him. Ironically, his claim was accurate; even paranoids have enemies. paranoid, paranoiac,

Front 394

paraphernalia

Back 394

n. equipment; odds and ends. Her desk was cluttered with paper, pen, ink, dictionary and other paraphernalia of the writing craft.

Front 395

paraphrase

Back 395

v. restate a passage in one's own words while retaining thought of author. In 250 words or less, paraphrase this article. also N.

Front 396

parasite

Back 396

n. animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant. The tapeworm is an example of the kind of parasite that may infest the human body.

Front 397

parched

Back 397

adj. extremely dry; very thirsty. The parched desert landscape seemed hostile to life.

Front 398

pariah

Back 398

n. social outcast. If everyone ostracized singer Mariah Carey, would she then be Mariah the pariah?

Front 399

parity

Back 399

n. equality; close resemblance. I find your analogy inaccurate because I do not see the parity between the two illustrations.

Front 400

parlance

Back 400

n. language; idiom. All this legal parlance confuses me; I need an interpreter.

Front 401

parley

Back 401

n. conference. The peace parley has not produced the anticipated truce. also v.

Front 402

parochial

Back 402

adj. narrow in outlook; provincial; related to parishes. Although Jane Austen writes novels set in small rural communities, her concerns are universal, not parochial.

Front 403

parody

Back 403

n. humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty. The show Forbidden Broadway presents parodies spoofing the year's new productions playing on Broadway. also v.

Front 404

paroxysm

Back 404

n. fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage. When he heard of his son's misdeeds, he was seized by a paroxysm of rage.

Front 405

parquet

Back 405

n. floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosaic-like pattern. In laying the floor, the carpenters combined redwood and oak in an elegant parquet.

Front 406

parry

Back 406

v. ward off a blow; deflect. Unwilling to injure his opponent in such a pointless clash, Dartagnan simply tried to parry his rival's thrusts. What fun it was to watch Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy parry each other's verbal thrusts in their classic screwball comedies! also N.

Front 407

parsimony

Back 407

n. stinginess; excessive frugality. Silas Marner's parsimony did not allow him to indulge in any luxuries. parsimonious, ADJ.

Front 408

partial

Back 408

adj. incomplete; having a liking for something. In this issue we have published only a partial list of contributors because we lack space to acknowledge everyone. I am extremely partial to chocolate eclairs. partiality, N.

Front 409

partiality

Back 409

n. inclination; bias. As a judge, not only must I be unbiased, but I must also avoid any evidence of partiality when I award the prize.

Front 410

■partisan

Back 410

adj. one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party. Rather than joining forces to solve our nation's problems, the Democrats and Republicans spend their time on partisan struggles. also N.

Front 411

partition

Back 411

v. divide into parts. Before their second daughter was born, Jason and Lizzie decided each child needed a room of her own, and so they partitioned a large bedroom into two small but separate rooms. also N.

Front 412

passé

Back 412

adj. old-fashioned; past the prime. Her style is passé and reminiscent of the Victorian era.

Front 413

passive

Back 413

adj. not active; acted upon. Mahatma Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program of passive resistance as he felt that it was more effective than violence and acts of terrorism.

Front 414

pastiche

Back 414

n. imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing. We cannot even say that her music is a pastiche of this or that composer; it is, rather, reminiscent of many musicians.

Front 415

pastoral

Back 415

adj. rural. In these stories of pastoral life, we find an understanding of the daily tasks of country folk.

Front 416

patent

Back 416

adj. open for the public to read; obvious. It was patent to everyone that the witness spoke the truth.

Front 417

pathetic

Back 417

adj. causing sadness, compassion, pity; touching. Everyone in the auditorium was weeping by the time she finished her pathetic tale about the orphaned boy.

Front 418

■pathological

Back 418

adj. pertaining to disease. As we study the pathological aspects of this disease, we must not overlook the psychological elements.

Front 419

pathos

Back 419

n. tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings. The quiet tone of pathos that ran through the novel never degenerated into the maudlin or the overly sentimental.

Front 420

patina

Back 420

n. green crust on old bronze works; tone slowly taken by varnished painting. Judging by the patina on this bronze statue, we can conclude that this is the work of a medieval artist.

Front 421

patois

Back 421

n. local or provincial dialect. His years of study of the language at the university did not enable him to understand the patois of the natives.

Front 422

patriarch

Back 422

n. father and ruler of a family or tribe. In many primitive tribes, the leader and lawmaker was the patriarch.

Front 423

patrician

Back 423

adj. noble; aristocratic. We greatly admired her well-bred, patrician elegance. also N.

Front 424

patronize

Back 424

v. support; act superior toward; be a customer of. Penniless artists hope to find some wealthy art lover who will patronize them. If some condescending wine steward patronized me because he saw I knew nothing about fine wine, I'd refuse to patronize his restaurant.

Front 425

■paucity

Back 425

n. scarcity. They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate.

Front 426

pauper

Back 426

n. very poor person. Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income, she was by no means a pauper.

Front 427

peccadillo

Back 427

n. slight offense. Whenever Huck swiped a cookie from the jar, Miss Watson reacted as if he were guilty of armed robbery, not of some mere peccadillo.

Front 428

pecuniary

Back 428

adj. pertaining to money. Seldom earning enough to cover their expenses, folk-dance teachers work because they love dancing, not because they expect any pecuniary reward.

Front 429

pedagogue

Back 429

n. teacher. He could never be a stuffy pedagogue,: his classes were always lively and filled with humor.

Front 430

pedagogy

Back 430

n. teaching; art of education. Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her innovations in pedagogy, it took years before her teaching techniques became common practice in American schools.

Front 431

pedant

Back 431

n. scholar who overemphasizes book learning or technicalities. Her insistence that the book be memorized marked the teacher as a pedant rather than a scholar.

Front 432

■pedantic

Back 432

adj. showing off learning; bookish. Leavening her decisions with humorous, down-to-earth anecdotes, Judge Judy was not at all the pedantic legal scholar. pedantry, N.

Front 433

pedestrian

Back 433

adj. ordinary; unimaginative. Unintentionally boring, he wrote page after page of pedestrian prose.

Front 434

pediatrician

Back 434

n. physician specializing in children's diseases. The family doctor advised the parents to consult a pediatrician about their child's ailment.

Front 435

peerless

Back 435

adj. having no equal; incomparable. The reigning operatic tenor of his generation, to his admirers Luciano Pavarotti was peerless: no one could compare with him.

Front 436

pejorative

Back 436

adj. negative in connotation; having a belittling effect. Instead of criticizing Clinton's policies, the Republicans made pejorative remarks about his character.

Front 437

pell-mell

Back 437

adv. in confusion; disorderly. The excited students dashed pell-mell into the stadium to celebrate the victory.

Front 438

pellucid

Back 438

adj. transparent; limpid; easy to understand. After reading these stogy philosophers, I find his pellucid style very enjoyable.

Front 439

penance

Back 439

n. self-imposed punishment for sin, The Ancient Mariner said, "I have penance done and penance more will do," to atone for the sin of killing the albatross.

Front 440

■penchant

Back 440

n. strong inclination; liking. Dave has a penchant for taking risks: one semester he went steady with three girls, two of whom were stars on the school karate team.

Front 441

pendant

Back 441

adj. hanging down from something. Her pendant earrings glistened in the light.

Front 442

pendant

Back 442

n. ornament (hanging from a necklace, etc.). The grateful team presented the coach with a silver chain and pendant engraved with the school's motto.

Front 443

pendulous

Back 443

adj. hanging, suspended. The pendulous chandeliers swayed in the breeze as if they were about to fall from the ceiling.

Front 444

penitent

Back 444

adj. repentant. When he realized the enormity of his crime, he became remorseful and penitent. also N.

Front 445

pensive

Back 445

adj. dreamily thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness; contemplative. The pensive lover gazed at the portrait of his beloved and sighed deeply.

Front 446

penumbra

Back 446

n. partial shadow (in an eclipse). During an eclipse, we can see an area of total darkness and a lighter area, which is the penumbra.

Front 447

■penury

Back 447

n. severe poverty; stinginess. When his pension fund failed, George feared he would end his days in penury. He became such a penny-pincher that he turned into a closefisted, penurious miser.

Front 448

peon

Back 448

n. landless agricultural worker; bond servant. The land reformers sought to liberate the peons and establish them as independent farmers. peonage, N.

Front 449

perceptive

Back 449

adj. insightful; aware; wise. Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic, she had her blind spots: she could never see flaws in the work of her friends.

Front 450

percussion

Back 450

adj. striking one object against another sharply. The drum is a percussion instrument. also N.

Front 451

perdition

Back 451

n. damnation; complete ruin. Praying for salvation, young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal perdition.

Front 452

peregrination

Back 452

n. journey. Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from Tijuana to Timbuktu.

Front 453

peremptory

Back 453

adj. demanding and leaving no choice. From Jack's peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in.

Front 454

■perennial

Back 454

n. something long-lasting. These plants are hardy perennials and will bloom for many years. also ADJ.

Front 455

■perfidious

Back 455

adj. treacherous; disloyal. When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend. perfidy, N.

Front 456

perforate

Back 456

v. pierce; put a hole through. Before you can open the aspirin bottle, you must first perforate the plastic safety seal that covers the cap.

Front 457

■perfunctory

Back 457

adj. superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm. The auditor's perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors.

Front 458

perigee

Back 458

n. point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth. The rocket which was designed to take photographs of the moon was launched as the moon approached its perigee.

Front 459

perimeter

Back 459

n. outer boundary. To find the perimeter of any quadrilateral, we add the lengths of the four sides.

Front 460

peripatetic

Back 460

adj. walking about; moving. The peripatetic school of philosophy derives its name from the fact that Aristotle walked with his pupils while discussing philosophy with them.

Front 461

peripheral

Back 461

adj. marginal; outer. We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of a great city.

Front 462

periphery

Back 462

n. edge, especially of a round surface. He sensed that there was something just beyond the periphery of his vision.

Front 463

perjury

Back 463

n. false testimony while under oath. Rather than lie under oath and perhaps be indicted for perjury, the witness chose to take the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer any questions on the grounds that he might incriminate himself.

Front 464

■permeable

Back 464

adj. penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through. If your jogging clothes weren't made out of permeable fabric, you'd drown in your own sweat (figuratively speaking). permeate, v.

Front 465

pernicious

Back 465

adj. very destructive. The Athenians argued that Socrates's teachings had a pernicious effect on young and susceptible minds; therefore, they condemned him to death.

Front 466

peroration

Back 466

n. conclusion of an oration. The peroration was largely hortatory and brought the audience to its feet clamoring for action at its close.

Front 467

perpetrate

Back 467

v. commit an offense. Oniy an insane person could perpetrate such a horrible crime.

Front 468

perpetual

Back 468

adj. everlasting. Ponce de Leon hoped to find the legendary fountain of perpetual youth.

Front 469

perpetuate

Back 469

v. make something last; preserve from extinction. Some critics attack The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because they believe Twain's book perpetuates a false image of blacks in this country. perpetuity, N.

Front 470

perquisite

Back 470

n. any gain above stipulated salary. The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than the salary indicates.

Front 471

personable

Back 471

adj. attractive. The individual I am seeking to fill this position must be personable since he or she will be representing us before the public.

Front 472

perspicacious

Back 472

adj. having insight; penetrating; astute. The brilliant lawyer was known for his perspicacious deductions.

Front 473

perspicuity

Back 473

n. clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity. One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author; her meaning is always clear.

Front 474

perspicuous

Back 474

adj. plainly expressed. Her perspicuous comments eliminated all possibility of misinterpretation.

Front 475

pert

Back 475

adj. impertinent; forward. I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology.

Front 476

pertinacious

Back 476

adj. stubborn; persistent. She is bound to succeed because her pertinacious nature will not permit her to quit.

Front 477

pertinent

Back 477

adj. suitable; to the point. The lawyer wanted to know all the pertinent details.

Front 478

perturb

Back 478

v. disturb greatly. The thought that electricity might be leaking out of the empty light-bulb sockets perturbed my aunt so much that at night she crept about the house screwing fresh bulbs in the vacant spots. perturbation, N.

Front 479

peruse

Back 479

v. read with care. After the conflagration that burned down her house, Joan closely perused her home insurance policy to discover exactly what benefits her coverage provided. perusal, N.

Front 480

■pervasive

Back 480

adj. spread throughout. Despite airing them for several hours, she could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothballs that clung to them. pervade, v.

Front 481

perverse

Back 481

adj. stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and unacceptable. When Jack was in a perverse mood, he would do the opposite of whatever Jill asked him. When Hannibal Lecter was in a perverse mood, he ate the flesh of his victims. perversity, N.

Front 482

perversion

Back 482

n. corruption; turning from right to wrong. Inasmuch as he had no motive for his crimes, we could not understand his perversion.

Front 483

pessimism

Back 483

n. belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess. Considering how well you have done in the course so far, you have no real reason for such pessimism about your final grade. pessimistic, ADJ.

Front 484

pestilential

Back 484

adj. causing plague; baneful. People were afraid to explore the pestilential swamp. pestilence, N.

Front 485

pestle

Back 485

n. tool for mashing or grinding substances in a hard bowl. From the way in which the elderly pharmacist pounded the drug with his pestle, young George could tell that his employer was agitated about something.

Front 486

petrify

Back 486

v. turn to stone. His sudden and unexpected appearance seemed to petrify her.

Front 487

petty

Back 487

adj. trivial; unimportant; very small. She had no major complaints to make about his work, only a few petty quibbles that were almost too minor to state.

Front 488

petulant

Back 488

adj. touchy; peevish. If you'd had hardly any sleep for three nights and people kept on phoning and waking you up, you'd sound petulant, too. petulance, N.

Front 489

pharisaical

Back 489

adj. pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical. Walter Lippmann has pointed out that moralists who do not attempt to explain the moral code they advocate are often regarded as pharisaical and ignored.

Front 490

philanderer

Back 490

n. faithless lover; flirt. Swearing he had never so much as looked at another woman, Jack assured Jill he was no philanderer.

Front 491

philanthropist

Back 491

n. lover of mankind; doer of good. In his role as philanthropist and public benefactor, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., donated millions to charity; as an individual, however, he was a tight-fisted old man.

Front 492

philatelist

Back 492

n. stamp-collector. When she heard the value of the Penny Black stamp, Phyllis was inspired to become a philatelist.

Front 493

philistine

Back 493

n. narrow-minded person, uncultured and exclusively interested in material gain. We need more men and women of culture and enlightenment; we have too many philistines among us.

Front 494

philology

Back 494

n. study of language. The professor of philology advocated the use of Esperanto as an international language.

Front 495

■phlegmatic

Back 495

adj. calm; not easily disturbed. The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person, unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies.

Front 496

phobia

Back 496

n. morbid fear. Her fear of flying was more than mere nervousness; it was a real phobia.

Front 497

phoenix

Back 497

n. symbol of immortality or rebirth. Like the legendary phoenix rising from its ashes, the city of San Francisco rose again after its destruction during the 1906 earthquake.

Front 498

phylum

Back 498

n. major classification, second to kingdom, of plants and animals; division. In sorting out her hundreds of packets of seeds, Katya decided to file them by phylum.

Front 499

physiognomy

Back 499

n. face. He prided himself on his ability to analyze a person's character by studying his physiognomy.

Front 500

physiological

Back 500

adj. pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms. To understand this disease fully, we must examine not only its physiological aspects but also its psychological elements.

Front 501

piebald

Back 501

adj. of different colors; mottled; spotted. You should be able to identify Polka Dot in this race; he is the only piebald horse running.

Front 502

piecemeal

Back 502

adv. one part at a time; gradually. Tolstoy's War and Peace is too huge to finish in one sitting; I'll have to read it piecemeal.

Front 503

pied

Back 503

adj. variegated; multicolored. The Pied Piper of Hamelin got his name from the multicolored clothing he wore.

Front 504

■piety

Back 504

n. devoutness; reverence for God. Living her life in prayer and good works, Mother Teresa exemplified the true spirit of piety. pious, ADJ.

Front 505

pigment

Back 505

n. coloring matter. Van Gogh mixed various pigments with linseed oil to create his paints.

Front 506

pillage

Back 506

v. plunder. The enemy pillaged the quiet village and left it in ruins. also N.

Front 507

pillory

Back 507

v. punish by placing in a wooden frame; subject to criticism and ridicule. Even though he was mocked and pilloried, he maintained that he was correct in his beliefs. also N.

Front 508

pine

Back 508

v. languish, decline; long for; yearn. Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff but loving grandfather.

Front 509

pinion

Back 509

v. restrain. They pinioned his arms against his body but left his legs free so that he could move about. also N.

Front 510

pinnacle

Back 510

n. peak. We could see the morning sunlight illuminate the pinnacle while the rest of the mountain lay in shadow.

Front 511

pious

Back 511

adj. devout; religious. The challenge for church people today is how to be pious in the best sense, that is, to be devout without becoming hypocritical or sanctimonious. piety, N.

Front 512

piquant

Back 512

adj. pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating. The piquant sauce added to our enjoyment of the meal. piquancy, N.

Front 513

pique

Back 513

n. irritation; resentment. She showed her pique at her loss by refusing to appear with the other contestants at the end of the competition.

Front 514

pique

Back 514

v. provoke or arouse; annoy. "I know something you don't know," said Lucy, trying to pique Ethel's interest.

Front 515

piscatorial

Back 515

adj. pertaining to fishing. He spent many happy hours at the lake in his piscatorial activities.

Front 516

pitfall

Back 516

n. hidden danger; concealed trap. The preacher warned his flock to beware the pitfall of excessive pride, for pride brought on the angels' fall.

Front 517

pith

Back 517

n. core or marrow; essence; substance. In preparing a pineapple for the table, first slice it in half and remove the woody central pith.

Front 518

pithy

Back 518

adj. concise; meaningful; substantial; meaty. While other girls might have gone on and on about how uncool Elton was, Cher summed it up in one pithy remark: "He's bogus!"

Front 519

pittance

Back 519

n. a small allowance or wage. He could not live on the pittance he received as a pension and had to look for an additional source of revenue.

Front 520

pivotal

Back 520

adj. central; critical. De Klerk's decision to set Nelson Mandela free was pivotal; without Mandela's release, there was no possibility that the African National Congress would entertain talks with the South African government.

Front 521

■placate

Back 521

v. pacify; conciliate. The store manager tried to placate the angry customer, offering to replace the damaged merchandise or to give back her money.

Front 522

placebo

Back 522

n. harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill. In a controlled experiment, fifty volunteers were given erythromycin tablets; the control group received only placebos.

Front 523

placid

Back 523

adj. peaceful; calm. After his vacation in this placid section, he felt soothed and rested.

Front 524

plagiarize

Back 524

v. steal another's ideas and pass them off as one's own. The teacher could tell that the student had plagiarized parts of his essay; she recognized whole paragraphs straight from Barron's Book Notes. plagiarism, N.

Front 525

plaintive

Back 525

adj. mournful. The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call.

Front 526

plait

Back 526

v. braid; intertwine. The maypole dancers plaited bright green ribbons in their hair. also N.

Front 527

■plasticity

Back 527

n. ability to be molded. When clay dries out, it loses its plasticity and becomes less malleable.

Front 528

■platitude

Back 528

n. trite remark; commonplace statement. In giving advice to his son, old Polonius expressed himself only in platitudes; every word out of his mouth was a truism.

Front 529

platonic

Back 529

adj. purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire. Accused of impropriety in his dealings with female students, the professor maintained he had only a platonic interest in the women involved.

Front 530

plaudit

Back 530

n. enthusiastic approval; round of applause. The theatrical company reprinted the plaudits of the critics in its advertisements. plauditory, ADJ.

Front 531

plausible

Back 531

adj. having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious. Your mother made you stay home from school because she needed you to program the VCR? I'm sorry, you'll have to come up with a more plausible excuse than that.

Front 532

plebeian

Back 532

adj. common; pertaining to the common people. His speeches were aimed at the plebeian minds and emotions; they disgusted the more refined.

Front 533

plenary

Back 533

adj. complete; full. The union leader was given plenary power to negotiate a new contract with the employers.

Front 534

plenitude

Back 534

n. abundance; completeness. Looking in the pantry, we admired the plenitude of fruits and pickles we had preserved during the summer.

Front 535

■plethora

Back 535

n. excess; overabundance. She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings.

Front 536

pliable

Back 536

adj. flexible; yielding; adaptable. In remodeling the bathroom, we replaced all the old, rigid lead pipes with new, pliable copper tubing.

Front 537

pliant

Back 537

adj. flexible; easily influenced. Pinocchio's disposition was pliant; he was like putty in his tempters' hands.

Front 538

plight

Back 538

n. condition, state (especially a bad state or condition); predicament. Loggers, unmoved by the plight of the spotted owl, plan to keep on felling trees whether or not they ruin the bird's habitat.

Front 539

pluck

Back 539

n. courage. Even the adversaries of young Indiana Jones were impressed by the boy's pluck in trying to rescue the archeological treasure they had stolen.

Front 540

plumage

Back 540

n. feathers of a bird. Bird watchers identify different species of birds by their characteristic songs and distinctive plumage.

Front 541

plumb

Back 541

v. examine critically in order to understand; measure depth (by sounding). Try as he would, Watson could never fully plumb the depths of Holmes's thought processes.

Front 542

plumb

Back 542

adj. vertical. Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable to drop a plumb line from the ceiling as a guide. also N.

Front 543

■plummet

Back 543

v. fall sharply. Stock prices plummeted as Wall Street reacted to the rise in interest rates.

Front 544

plutocracy

Back 544

n. society ruled by the wealthy. From the way the government caters to the rich, you might think our society is a plutocracy rather than a democracy.

Front 545

podiatrist

Back 545

n. doctor who treats ailments of the feet. He consulted a podiatrist about his fallen arches.

Front 546

podium

Back 546

n. pedestal; raised platform. The audience applauded as the conductor made her way to the podium.

Front 547

poignancy

Back 547

n. quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion. Watching the tearful reunion of the long-separated mother and child, the social worker was touched by the poignancy of the scene. poignant, ADJ.

Front 548

polarize

Back 548

v. split into opposite extremes or camps. The abortion issue has polarized the country into pro-choice and anti-abortion camps.

Front 549

polemic

Back 549

n. controversy; argument in support of point of view. Her essays were, for the main part, polemics for the party's policy.

Front 550

polemical

Back 550

adj. aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious. Lexy was a master of polemical rhetoric; she should have worn a T-shirt with the slogan "Born to Debate."

Front 551

politic

Back 551

adj. expedient; prudent; well devised. Even though he was disappointed, he did not think it politic to refuse this offer.

Front 552

polity

Back 552

n. form of government of nation or state. Our polity should be devoted to the concept that the government should strive for the good of all citizens.

Front 553

polygamist

Back 553

n. one who has more than one spouse at a time. He was arrested as a polygamist when his two wives filed complaints about him.

Front 554

polyglot

Back 554

adj. speaking several languages. New York City is a polyglot community because of the thousands of immigrants who settle there.

Front 555

pomposity

Back 555

n. self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt. Although the commencement speaker had some good things to say, we had to laugh at his pomposity and general air of parading his own dignity. pompous, ADJ.

Front 556

ponderous

Back 556

adj. weighty; unwieldy. His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.

Front 557

pontifical

Back 557

adj. pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious. From the very beginning of his ministry it was clear from his pontifical pronouncements that John was destined for a high pontifical office.

Front 558

pore

Back 558

v. study industriously; ponder; scrutinize. Determined to become a physician, Beth spends hours poring over her anatomy text.

Front 559

■porous

Back 559

adj. full of pores; like a sieve. Dancers like to wear porous clothing because it allows the ready passage of water and air.

Front 560

portend

Back 560

v. foretell; presage. The king did not know what these omens might portend and asked his soothsayers to interpret them.

Front 561

portent

Back 561

n. sign; omen; forewarning. He regarded the black cloud as a portent of evil.

Front 562

portly

Back 562

adj. stout; corpulent. The salesclerk tactfully referred to the overweight customer as portly rather than fat.

Front 563

poseur

Back 563

n. person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others. Some thought Dali was a brilliant painter; others dismissed him as a poseur.

Front 564

posterity

Back 564

n. descendants; future generations. We hope to leave a better world to posterity.

Front 565

posthumous

Back 565

adj. after death (as of child born after father's death or book published after author's death). The critics ignored his works during his lifetime; it was only after the posthumous publication of his last novel that they recognized his great talent.

Front 566

postulate

Back 566

n. self-evident truth. We must accept these statements as postulates before pursuing our discussions any further. also v.

Front 567

posture

Back 567

v. assume an affected pose; act artificially. No matter how much Arnold boasted or postured, I could not believe he was as important as he pretended to be.

Front 568

potable

Back 568

adj. suitable for drinking. The recent drought in the Middle Atlantic States has emphasized the need for extensive research in ways of making sea water potable. also N.

Front 569

potent

Back 569

adj. powerful; persuasive; greatly influential. Looking at the expiration date on the cough syrup bottle, we wondered whether the medication would still be potent. potency, N.

Front 570

potentate

Back 570

n. monarch; sovereign. The potentate spent more time at Monte Carlo than he did at home on his throne.

Front 571

potential

Back 571

adj. expressing possibility; latent. This juvenile delinquent is a potential murderer. also N.

Front 572

potion

Back 572

n. dose (of liquid). Tristan and Isolde drink a love potion in the first act of the opera.

Front 573

potpourri

Back 573

n. heterogeneous mixture; medley. The folk singer offered a potpourri of songs from many lands.

Front 574

poultice

Back 574

n. soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body. She was advised to apply a flaxseed poultice to the inflammation.

Front 575

practicable

Back 575

adj. feasible. The board of directors decided that the plan was practicable and agreed to undertake the project.

Front 576

practical

Back 576

adj. based on experience; useful. He was a practical man, opposed to theory.

Front 577

■pragmatic

Back 577

adj. practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of something. This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational French class.

Front 578

pragmatist

Back 578

n. practical person. No pragmatist enjoys becoming involved in a game that he can never win.

Front 579

prate

Back 579

v. speak foolishly; boast idly. Let us not prate about our qualities; rather, let our virtues speak for themselves.

Front 580

prattle

Back 580

v. babble. Baby John prattled on and on about the cats and his ball and the Cookie Monster. also N.

Front 581

■preamble

Back 581

n. introductory statement. In the Preamble to the Constitution, the purpose of the document is set forth.

Front 582

■precarious

Back 582

adj. uncertain; risky. Saying the stock was currently overpriced and would be a precarious investment, the broker advised her client against purchasing it.

Front 583

precedent

Back 583

n. something preceding in time that may be used as an authority or guide for future action; an earlier occurrence. The law professor asked Jill to state which famous case served as a precedent for the court's decision in Brown II. precede, v.

Front 584

precedent

Back 584

adj. preceding in time, rank, etc. Our discussions, precedent to this event, certainly did not give you any reason to believe that we would adopt your proposal.

Front 585

precept

Back 585

n. practical rule guiding conduct. "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a worthwhile precept.

Front 586

precipice

Back 586

n. cliff; dangerous position. Suddenly Indiana Jones found himself dangling from the edge of a precipice.

Front 587

precipitant

Back 587

n. something that causes a substance in a chemical solution to separate out in solid form. Solvents by definition dissolve; precipitants, however, cause solids to precipitate or form. precipitate, v.

Front 588

■precipitate

Back 588

adj. rash; premature; hasty; sudden. Though I was angry enough to resign on the spot, I had enough sense to keep myself from quitting a job in such a precipitate fashion.

Front 589

precipitate

Back 589

v. throw headlong; hasten. The removal of American political support appeared to have precipitated the downfall of the Marcos regime.

Front 590

precipitous

Back 590

adj. steep; overhasty. This hill is difficult to climb because it is so precipitous; one slip, and our descent will be precipitous as well.

Front 591

précis

Back 591

n. concise summing up of main points. Before making her presentation at the conference, Ellen wrote a neat précis of the major elements she would cover.

Front 592

precise

Back 592

adj. exact. If you don't give me precise directions and a map, I'll never find your place.

Front 593

preclude

Back 593

v. make impossible; eliminate. The fact that the band was already booked to play in Hollywood on New Year's Eve precluded their accepting the offer of a New Year's Eve gig in London.

Front 594

precocious

Back 594

adj. advanced in development. Listening to the grown-up way the child discussed serious topics, we couldn't help remarking how precocious she was. precocity, N.

Front 595

■precursor

Back 595

n. forerunner. Though Gray and Burns share many traits with the Romantic poets who followed them, most critics consider them precursors of the Romantic Movement, not true Romantics.

Front 596

predator

Back 596

n. creature that seizes and devours another animal; person who robs or exploits others. Not just cats, but a wide variety of predators—owls, hawks, weasels, foxes—catch mice for dinner. A carnivore is by definition predatory, for he preys on weaker creatures. predation, N.

Front 597

predecessor

Back 597

n. former occupant of a post. I hope I can live up to the fine example set by my late predecessor in this office.

Front 598

predetermine

Back 598

v. predestine; settle or decide beforehand; influence markedly. Romeo and Juliet believed that Fate had predetermined their meeting. Bea gathered estimates from caterers, florists, and stationers so that she could predetermine the costs of holding a catered buffet. Philip's love of athletics predetermined his choice of a career in sports marketing.

Front 599

predicament

Back 599

n. tricky or dangerous situation; dilemma. Tied to the railroad tracks by the villain, Pauline strained against her bonds. How would she escape from this terrible predicament?

Front 600

predilection

Back 600

n. partiality; preference. Although the artist used various media from time to time, she had a predilection for watercolors.

Front 601

predispose

Back 601

v. give an inclination toward; make susceptible to. Oleg's love of dressing up his big sister's Barbie doll may have predisposed him to become a fashion designer. Genetic influences apparently predispose people to certain forms of cancer. predisposition, N.

Front 602

preeminent

Back 602

adj. outstanding; superior. The king traveled to Boston because he wanted the preeminent surgeon in the field to perform the operation.

Front 603

preempt

Back 603

v. head off; forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself; supplant. Hoping to preempt any attempts by the opposition to make educational reform a hot political issue, the candidate set out her own plan to revitalize the public schools. preemptive, ADJ.

Front 604

preen

Back 604

v. make oneself tidy in appearance; feel self-satisfaction. As Kitty preened before the mirror, carefully smoothing her shining hair, she couldn't help preening herself on her good looks.

Front 605

prefatory

Back 605

adj. introductory. The chairman made a few prefatory remarks before he called on the first speaker.

Front 606

prehensile

Back 606

adj. capable of grasping or holding. Monkeys use not only their arms and legs but also their prehensile tails in traveling through the trees.

Front 607

prelate

Back 607

n. church dignitary. The archbishop of Moscow and other high-ranking prelates visited the Russian Orthodox seminary.

Front 608

prelude

Back 608

n. introduction; forerunner. I am afraid that this border raid is the prelude to more serious attacks.

Front 609

premeditate

Back 609

v. plan in advance. She had premeditated the murder for months, reading about common poisons and buying weed killer that contained arsenic.

Front 610

premise

Back 610

n. assumption; postulate. On the premise that there's no fool like an old fool, P. T. Barnum hired a 90year-old clown for his circus.

Front 611

premonition

Back 611

n. forewarning. We ignored these premonitions of disaster because they appeared to be based on childish fears.

Front 612

premonitory

Back 612

adj. serving to warn. You should have visited a doctor as soon as you felt these premonitory chest pains.

Front 613

preponderance

Back 613

n. superiority of power, quantity, etc. The rebels sought to overcome the preponderance of strength of the government forces by engaging in guerrilla tactics. preponderate,

Front 614

preposterous

Back 614

adj. absurd; ridiculous. When the candidate tried to downplay his youthful experiments with marijuana by saying he hadn't inhaled, we all thought, "What a preposterous excuse!"

Front 615

prerogative

Back 615

n. privilege; unquestionable right. The President cannot levy taxes; that is the prerogative of the legislative branch of government.

Front 616

presage

Back 616

v. foretell. The vultures flying overhead presaged the discovery of the corpse in the desert.

Front 617

prescience

Back 617

n. ability to foretell the future. Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take prescience for me to foresee problems in our future trade relations with Japan.

Front 618

presentiment

Back 618

n. feeling something will happen; anticipatory fear; premonition. Saying goodbye at the airport, Jack had a sudden presentiment that this was the last time he would see Jill.

Front 619

prestige

Back 619

n. impression produced by achievements or reputation. Many students want to go to Harvard University, not for the education offered, but for the prestige of Harvard's name. prestigious, ADJ.

Front 620

■presumptuous

Back 620

adj. arrogant; taking liberties. It seems presumptuous for one so relatively new to the field to challenge the conclusions of its leading experts. presumption, N.

Front 621

pretentious

Back 621

adj. ostentatious; pompous; making unjustified claims; overambitious. The other prize winner isn't wearing her medal; isn't it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours?

Front 622

preternatural

Back 622

adj. beyond that which is normal in nature. John's mother's total ability to tell when he was lying struck him as almost preternatural.

Front 623

pretext

Back 623

n. excuse. She looked for a good pretext to get out of paying a visit to her aunt.

Front 624

prevail

Back 624

v. induce; triumph over. He tried to prevail on her to type his essay for him.

Front 625

prevalent

Back 625

adj. widespread; generally accepted. A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the America of his day.

Front 626

■prevaricate

Back 626

v. lie. Some people believe that to prevaricate in a good cause is justifiable and regard the statement as a "white lie."

Front 627

prey

Back 627

n. target of a hunt; victim. In Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons has as his prey not wild beasts but wild plants. also v.

Front 628

prim

Back 628

adj. very precise and formal; exceedingly proper. Many people commented on the contrast between the prim attire of the young lady and the inappropriate clothing worn by her escort.

Front 629

primogeniture

Back 629

n. seniority by birth. By virtue of primogeniture, in some cultures the first-born child has many privileges denied his brothers and sisters.

Front 630

primordial

Back 630

adj. existing at the beginning (of time); rudimentary. The Neanderthal Man is one of our primordial ancestors.

Front 631

primp

Back 631

v. groom oneself with care; adorn oneself. The groom stood by idly while his nervous bride-to-be primped one last time before the mirror.

Front 632

■pristine

Back 632

adj. characteristic of earlier times; primitive, unspoiled. This area has been preserved in all its pristine wildness.

Front 633

privation

Back 633

n. hardship; want. In his youth, he knew hunger and privation.

Front 634

privy

Back 634

adj. secret; hidden; not public. We do not care for privy chamber government.

Front 635

probe

Back 635

v. explore with tools. The surgeon probed the wound for foreign matter before suturing it. also N.

Front 636

■probity

Back 636

n. uprightness; incorruptibility. Everyone took his probity for granted; his defalcations, therefore, shocked us all.

Front 637

■problematic

Back 637

adj. doubtful; unsettled; questionable; perplexing. Given the way building costs have exceeded estimates for the job, whether the arena will ever be completed is problematic.

Front 638

proclivity

Back 638

n. inclination; natural tendency. Watching the two-year-old voluntarily put away his toys, I was amazed by his proclivity for neatness.

Front 639

procrastinate

Back 639

v. postpone; delay or put off. Looking at four years of receipts and checks he still had to sort through, Bob was truly sorry he had procrastinated for so long and had not finished filing his taxes long ago.

Front 640

procurement

Back 640

n. obtaining. The personnel department handles the procurement of new employees.

Front 641

prod

Back 641

v. poke; stir up; urge. If you prod him hard enough, he'll eventually clean his room.

Front 642

■prodigal

Back 642

adj. wasteful; reckless with money. Don't be so prodigal spending my money; when you've earned some money, you can waste as much of it as you want! also N.

Front 643

prodigious

Back 643

adj. marvelous; enormous. Watching the champion weight lifter heave the weighty barbell to shoulder height and then boost it overhead, we marveled at his prodigious strength.

Front 644

prodigy

Back 644

n. highly gifted child; marvel. Menuhin was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin when he was barely eight years old.

Front 645

profane

Back 645

v. violate; desecrate; treat unworthily. The members of the mysterious Far Eastern cult sought to kill the British explorer because he had profaned the sanctity of their holy goblet by using it as an ashtray. also ADJ.

Front 646

profligate

Back 646

adj. dissipated; wasteful; wildly immoral. Although surrounded by wild and profligate companions, she managed to retain some sense of decency. also

Front 647

■profound

Back 647

adj. deep; not superficial; complete. Freud's remarkable insights into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor him as a profound thinker. profundity, N.

Front 648

profusion

Back 648

n. overabundance; lavish expenditure; excess. Freddy was so overwhelmed by the profusion of choices on the menu that he knocked over his wine glass and soaked his host. He made profuse apologies to his host, the waiter, the busboy, the people at the next table, and the man in the men's room giving out paper towels.

Front 649

progenitor

Back 649

n. ancestor. The Roth family, whose progenitors emigrated from Germany early in the nineteenth century, settled in Peru, Illinois.

Front 650

progeny

Back 650

n. children; offspring. He was proud of his progeny but regarded George as the most promising of all his children.

Front 651

prognosis

Back 651

n. forecasted course of a disease; prediction. If the doctor's prognosis is correct, the patient will be in a coma for at least twenty-four hours.

Front 652

prognosticate

Back 652

v. predict. I prognosticate disaster unless we change our wasteful ways.

Front 653

■prohibitive

Back 653

adj. tending to prevent the purchase or use of something; inclined to prevent or forbid. Susie wanted to buy a new Volvo but had to settle for a used Dodge because the new car's price was prohibitive. prohibition, N.

Front 654

projectile

Back 654

n. missile. Man has always hurled projectiles at his enemy whether in the form of stones or of highly explosive shells.

Front 655

proletarian

Back 655

n. member of the working class; blue collar guy. "Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains" is addressed to proletarians, not preppies. also

Front 656

■proliferate

Back 656

v. grow rapidly; spread; multiply. Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage countless get-rich-quick schemes to proliferate. proliferation, N.

Front 657

prolific

Back 657

adj. abundantly fruitful. She was a prolific writer who produced as many as three books a year.

Front 658

prolixity

Back 658

n. tedious wordiness; verbosity. A writer who suffers from prolixity tells his readers everything they never wanted to know about his subject (or were too bored to ask). prolix, ADJ.

Front 659

prologue

Back 659

n. introduction (to a poem or play). In the prologue to Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare introduces the audience to the feud between the Montagues and the Capu lets.

Front 660

prolong

Back 660

v. extend; draw out; lengthen. In their determination to discover ways to prolong human life, doctors fail to take into account that longer lives are not always happier ones.

Front 661

prominent

Back 661

adj. conspicuous; notable; protruding. Have you ever noticed that Prince Charles's prominent ears make him resemble the big-eared character in Mad comics?

Front 662

promiscuous

Back 662

adj. mixed indiscriminately; haphazard; irregular, particularly sexually. In the opera La Boheme, we get a picture of the promiscuous life led by the young artists of Paris. promiscuity, N.

Front 663

promontory

Back 663

n. headland. They erected a lighthouse on the promontory to warn approaching ships of their nearness to the shore.

Front 664

promote

Back 664

v. help to flourish; advance in rank; publicize. Founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman ceaselessly promotes the welfare of young people everywhere.

Front 665

prompt

Back 665

v. cause; provoke; provide a cue for an actor. Whatever prompted you to ask for such a big piece of cake when you're on a diet?

Front 666

promulgate

Back 666

v. proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication. When Moses came down from the mountaintop prepared to promulgate God's commandments, he was appalled to discover his followers worshipping a golden calf.

Front 667

prone

Back 667

adj. inclined to; prostrate. She was prone to sudden fits of anger during which she would lie prone on the floor, screaming and kicking her heels.

Front 668

propagate

Back 668

v. multiply; spread. Since bacteria propagate more quickly in unsanitary environments, it is important to keep hospital rooms clean.

Front 669

propellant

Back 669

n. substance that propels or drives forward. The development of our missile program has forced our scientists to seek more powerful propellants. also ADJ.

Front 670

■propensity

Back 670

n. natural inclination. Convinced of his own talent, Sol has an unfortunate propensity to belittle the talents of others.

Front 671

prophetic

Back 671

adj. having to do with predicting the future. In interpreting Pharaoh's prophetic dream, Joseph said that the seven fat cows eaten by the seven lean cows represented seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. prophecy, N.

Front 672

prophylactic

Back 672

adj. used to prevent disease. Despite all prophylactic measures introduced by the authorities, the epidemic raged until cool weather set in. prophylaxis, N.

Front 673

propinquity

Back 673

n. nearness; kinship. Their relationship could not be explained as being based on mere propinquity. They were more than relatives; they were true friends.

Front 674

■propitiate

Back 674

v. appease. The natives offered sacrifices to propitiate the gods.

Front 675

propitious

Back 675

adj. favorable; fortunate; advantageous. Chloe consulted her horoscope to see whether Tuesday would be a propitious day to dump her boyfriend.

Front 676

proponent

Back 676

n. supporter; backer; opposite of opponent. In the Senate, proponents of the universal health care measure lobbied to gain additional support for the controversial legislation.

Front 677

propound

Back 677

v. put forth for analysis. In your discussion, you have propounded several questions; let us consider each one separately.

Front 678

■propriety

Back 678

n. fitness; correct conduct. Miss Manners counsels her readers so that they may behave with propriety in any social situation and not embarrass themselves.

Front 679

propulsive

Back 679

adj. driving forward. The jet plane has a greater propulsive power than the engine-driven plane.

Front 680

prosaic

Back 680

adj. dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual. Though the ad writers had come up with a highly creative campaign to publicize the company's newest product, the head office rejected it for a more prosaic, down-to-earth approach.

Front 681

proscenium

Back 681

n. part of stage in front of curtain. In the theater-in-the-round there can be no proscenium or proscenium arch. also ADJ.

Front 682

■proscribe

Back 682

v. ostracize; banish; outlaw. Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus proscribed all those who had conspired against Julius Caesar.

Front 683

proselytize

Back 683

v. induce someone to convert to a religion or belief. In these interfaith meetings, there must be no attempt to proselytize; we must respect all points of view.

Front 684

prosody

Back 684

n. the art of versification. This book on prosody contains a rhyming dictionary as well as samples of the various verse forms.

Front 685

prosperity

Back 685

n. good fortune; financial success; physical well-being. Promising to stay together "for richer, for poorer," the newlyweds vowed to be true to one another in prosperity and hardship alike.

Front 686

prostrate

Back 686

v. stretch out full on ground. He prostrated himself before the idol. also ADJ.

Front 687

protean

Back 687

adj. versatile; able to take on many forms. A remarkably protean actor, Alec Guinness could take on any role.

Front 688

protégé

Back 688

n. person receiving protection and support from a patron. Born with an independent spirit, Cyrano de Bergerac refused to be a protégé of Cardinal Richelieu.

Front 689

protocol

Back 689

n. diplomatic etiquette. We must run this state dinner according to protocol if we are to avoid offending any of our guests.

Front 690

prototype

Back 690

n. original work used as a model by others. The crude typewriter on display in this museum is the prototype of the elaborate machines in use today.

Front 691

protract

Back 691

v. prolong. Seeking to delay the union members' vote, the management team tried to protract the negotiations endlessly, but the union representatives saw through their strategy.

Front 692

protrude

Back 692

v. stick out. His fingers protruded from the holes in his gloves.

Front 693

protuberance

Back 693

n. protrusion; bulge. A ganglionic cyst is a fluid-filled tumor (generally benign) that develops near a joint membrane or tendon sheath, and that bulges beneath the skin, forming a protuberance.

Front 694

provenance

Back 694

n. origin or source of something. I am not interested in its provenance; I am more concerned with its usefulness than with its source.

Front 695

provender

Back 695

n. dry food; fodder. I am not afraid of a severe winter because I have stored a large quantity of provender for the cattle.

Front 696

provident

Back 696

adj. displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies. In his usual provident manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss.

Front 697

provincial

Back 697

adj. pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated. As provincial governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's law in his remote corner of Canada. Caught up in local problems, out of touch with London news, he became sadly provincial.

Front 698

provisional

Back 698

adj. tentative. Kim's acceptance as an American Express cardholder was provisional: before issuing her a card, American Express wanted to check her employment record and credit history.

Front 699

proviso

Back 699

n. stipulation. I am ready to accept your proposal with the proviso that you meet your obligations within the next two weeks.

Front 700

provocative

Back 700

adj. arousing anger or interest; annoying. In a typically provocative act, the bully kicked sand into the weaker man's face. provoke,

Front 701

prowess

Back 701

n. extraordinary ability; military bravery. Performing triple axels and double lutzes at the age of six, the young figure skater was world famous for her prowess on the ice.

Front 702

proximity

Back 702

n. nearness. Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them.

Front 703

proxy

Back 703

n. authorized agent. Please act as my proxy and vote for this slate of candidates in my absence.

Front 704

prude

Back 704

n. excessively modest or proper person. The X-rated film was definitely not for prudes.

Front 705

prudent

Back 705

adj. cautious; careful. A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is greedy. prudence, N.

Front 706

prune

Back 706

v. cut away; trim. With the help of her editor, she was able to prune her manuscript into publishable form.

Front 707

prurient

Back 707

adj. having or causing lustful thoughts and desires. Aroused by his prurient impulses, the dirty old man leered at the sweet young thing and offered to give her a sample of his "prowess"; his prurience appalled her.

Front 708

pry

Back 708

v. inquire impertinently; use leverage to raise or open something. Though Nora claimed she didn't mean to pry, everyone knew she was just plain nosy. With a crowbar Long John Silver pried up the lid of the treasure chest.

Front 709

pseudonym

Back 709

n. pen name. Samuel Clemens' pseudonym was Mark Twain.

Front 710

psyche

Back 710

n. soul; mind. It is difficult to delve into the psyche of a human being.

Front 711

psychiatrist

Back 711

n. a doctor who treats mental diseases. A psychiatrist often needs long conferences with his patient before a diagnosis can be made.

Front 712

psychopathic

Back 712

adj. pertaining to mental derangement. The psychopathic patient suffers more frequently from a disorder of the nervous system than from a diseased brain.

Hint 712

None

Front 713

psychosis

Back 713

n. mental disorder. We must endeavor to find an outlet for the patient's repressed desires if we hope to combat this psychosis. psychotic, ADJ.

Front 714

pterodactyl

Back 714

n. extinct flying reptile. The remains of pterodactyls indicate that these flying reptiles had a wingspan of as much as twenty feet.

Front 715

puerile

Back 715

adj. childish. His puerile pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends.

Front 716

pugilist

Back 716

n. boxer. The famous pugilist Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali.

Front 717

pugnacity

Back 717

n. combativeness; disposition to fight. "Put up your dukes!" he cried, making a fist to show his pugnacity. pugnacious, ADJ.

Front 718

puissant

Back 718

adj. powerful; strong; potent. We must keep his friendship for he will make a puissant ally.

Front 719

pulchritude

Back 719

n. beauty; comeliness. I do not envy the judges who have to select this year's Miss America from this collection of female pulchritude.

Front 720

pulmonary

Back 720

adj. pertaining to the lungs. In his researches on pulmonary diseases, he discovered many facts about the lungs of animals and human beings.

Front 721

pulsate

Back 721

v. throb. We could see the blood vessels in his temple pulsate as he became more angry.

Front 722

pulverize

Back 722

v. crush or grind into very small particles. Before sprinkling the dried herbs into the stew, Michael first pulverized them into a fine powder.

Front 723

pummel

Back 723

v. beat or pound with fists. Swinging wildly, Pammy pummeled her brother around the head and shoulders.

Front 724

punctilious

Back 724

adj. stressing niceties of conduct or form; minutely attentive (perhaps too much so) to fine points. Percy is punctilious about observing the rules of etiquette whenever Miss Manners invites him to stay. punctiliousness, N.

Front 725

pundit

Back 725

n. authority on a subject; learned person; expert. Some authors who write about the GRE as if they are pundits actually know very little about the test.

Front 726

■pungent

Back 726

adj. stinging; sharp in taste or smell; caustic. The pungent odor of ripe Limburger cheese appealed to Simone but made Stanley gag. pungency, N.

Front 727

punitive

Back 727

adj. punishing. He asked for punitive measures against the offender.

Front 728

puny

Back 728

adj. insignificant; tiny; weak. Our puny efforts to stop the flood were futile.

Front 729

purchase

Back 729

n. firm grasp or footing. The mountaineer struggled to get a proper purchase on the slippery rock.

Front 730

purgatory

Back 730

n. place of spiritual expiation. In this purgatory, he could expect no help from his comrades.

Front 731

purge

Back 731

v. remove or get rid of something unwanted; free from blame or guilt; cleanse or purify. The Communist government purged the party to get rid of members suspected of capitalist sympathies, sending those believed to be disloyal to labor camps in Siberia. also N.

Front 732

purport

Back 732

n. intention; meaning. If the purport of your speech was to arouse the rabble, you succeeded admirably. also v.

Front 733

purported

Back 733

adj. alleged; claimed; reputed or rumored. The purported Satanists sacrificing live roosters in the park turned out to be a party of Shriners holding a chicken barbecue.

Front 734

purse

Back 734

v. pucker; contract into wrinkles. Miss Watson pursed her lips to show her disapproval of Huck's bedraggled appearance.

Front 735

purveyor

Back 735

n. furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer. As purveyor of rare wines and viands, he traveled through France and Italy every year in search of new products to sell.

Front 736

pusillanimous

Back 736

adj. cowardly; fainthearted. You should be ashamed of your pusillanimous conduct during this dispute. pusillanimity, N.

Front 737

putative

Back 737

adj. supposed; reputed. Although there are some doubts, the putative author of this work is Massinger.

Front 738

putrid

Back 738

adj. foul; rotten; decayed. When the doctor removed the bandages, the putrid smell indicated that the wound had turned gangrenous. putrescence, putrefaction, N.

Front 739

pylon

Back 739

n. marking post to guide aviators; steel tower supporting cables or telephone lines. Amelia Earhart carefully banked her airplane as she followed the line of pylons set up to mark the course of the Great Plane Race.

Front 740

pyromaniac

Back 740

n. person with an insane desire to set things on fire. The detectives searched the area for the pyromaniac who had set these costly fires.

Front 741

quack

Back 741

n. charlatan; impostor. Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he cannot cure you.

Front 742

quadruped

Back 742

n. four-footed animal. Most mammals are quadrupeds.

Front 743

quaff

Back 743

v. drink with relish. As we quaffed our ale, we listened to the gay songs of the students in the tavern.

Front 744

quagmire

Back 744

n. soft, wet, boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself. Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire.

Front 745

quail

Back 745

v. cower; lose heart. He was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.

Front 746

quaint

Back 746

adj. odd; old-fashioned; picturesque. Her quaint clothes and old-fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.

Front 747

■qualified

Back 747

adj. limited; restricted. Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement. (secondary meaning)

Front 748

qualms

Back 748

n. misgivings; uneasy fears, especially about matters of conscience. I have no qualms about giving this assignment to Helen; I know she will handle it admirably.

Front 749

quandary

Back 749

n. dilemma. When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Laura, she was in a quandary as to which school she should attend.

Front 750

quarantine

Back 750

n. isolation of a person, place, or ship to prevent spread of infection. We will have to place this house under quarantine until we determine the exact nature of the disease. also v.

Front 751

quarry

Back 751

n. victim; object of a hunt. The police closed in on their quarry.

Front 752

quarry

Back 752

v. dig into. They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside.

Front 753

quash

Back 753

v. subdue; crush; squash. The authorities acted quickly to quash the student rebellion, sending in tanks to cow the demonstrators.

Front 754

quay

Back 754

n. dock; landing place. Because of the captain's carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.

Front 755

queasy

Back 755

adj. easily nauseated; squeamish. Remember that great chase movie, the one with the carsick passenger? That's right: Queasy Rider!

Front 756

quell

Back 756

v. extinguish; put down; quiet. Miss Minchin's demeanor was so stern and forbidding that she could quell any unrest among her students with one intimidating glance.

Front 757

quench

Back 757

v. douse or extinguish; assuage or satisfy. What's the favorite song of the Fire Department? "Baby, Quench My Fire!" After Bob ate the heavily salted popcorn, he had to drink a pitcherful of water to quench his thirst.

Front 758

querulous

Back 758

adj. fretful; whining. Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act querulous if they miss their nap.

Front 759

query

Back 759

n. inquiry; question. In her column "Ask Beth," the columnist invites young readers to send their queries about life and love to her. also v.

Front 760

queue

Back 760

n. line. They stood patiently in the queue outside the movie theatre.

Front 761

■quibble

Back 761

n. minor objection or complaint. Aside from a few hundred teensy-weensy quibbles about the set, the script, the actors, the director, the costumes, the lighting, and the props, the hypercritical critic loved the play. also v.

Front 762

■quiescent

Back 762

adj. at rest; dormant; temporarily inactive. After the devastating eruption, fear of Mount Etna was great; people did not return to cultivate its rich hillside lands until the volcano had been quiescent for a full two years. quiescence, N.

Front 763

quietude

Back 763

n. tranquility. He was impressed by the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the valley.

Front 764

quintessence

Back 764

n. purest and highest embodiment. Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.

Front 765

quip

Back 765

n. taunt. You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic comments. also v.

Front 766

quirk

Back 766

n. startling twist; caprice, By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.

Front 767

quisling

Back 767

n. traitor who aids invaders. In his conquest of Europe, Hitler was aided by the quislings who betrayed their own people and served in the puppet governments established by the Nazis.

Front 768

quiver

Back 768

n. case for arrows. Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his quiver. (secondary meaning)

Front 769

quiver

Back 769

v. tremble; shake. The bird dog's nose twitched and his whiskers quivered as he strained eagerly against the leash. also N.

Front 770

quixotic

Back 770

adj. idealistic but impractical. Constantly coming up with quixotic, unworkable schemes to save the world, Simon has his heart in the right place, but his head is somewhere off in the clouds.

Front 771

quizzical

Back 771

adj. teasing; bantering; mocking; curious. When the skinny teenager tripped over his own feet stepping into the bullpen, Coach raised one quizzical eyebrow, shook his head, and said, "Okay, kid. You're here; let's see what you've got."

Front 772

quorum

Back 772

n. number of members necessary to conduct a meeting. The senator asked for a roll call to determine whether a quorum was present.

Front 773

quotidian

Back 773

adj. daily; commonplace; customary. To Philip, each new day of his internship was filled with excitement; he could not dismiss his rounds as merely quotidian routine.

Front 774

rabid

Back 774

adj. like a fanatic; furious. He was a rabid follower of the Dodgers and watched them play whenever he could go to the ballpark.

Front 775

raconteur

Back 775

n. story-teller. My father was a gifted raconteur with an unlimited supply of anecdotes.

Front 776

ragamuffin

Back 776

n. person wearing tattered clothes. He felt sorry for the ragamuffin who was begging for food and gave him money to buy a meal.

Front 777

rail

Back 777

v. scold; rant. You may rail at him all you want; you will never change him.

Front 778

raiment

Back 778

n. clothing. "How can I go to the ball?" asked Cinderella. "I have no raiment fit to wear."

Front 779

rakish

Back 779

adj. stylish; sporty. He wore his hat at a rakish and jaunty angle.

Front 780

rally

Back 780

v. call up or summon (forces, vital powers, etc.); revive or recuperate. Washington quickly rallied his troops to fight off the British attack. The patient had been sinking throughout the night, but at dawn she rallied and made a complete recovery. also N.

Front 781

ramble

Back 781

v. wander aimlessly (physically or mentally). Listening to the teacher ramble, Judy wondered whether he'd ever get to his point, also N.

Front 782

ramification

Back 782

n. branching out; subdivision. We must examine all the ramifications of this problem.

Front 783

ramify

Back 783

v. divide into branches or subdivisions. When the plant begins to ramify, it is advisable to nip off most of the new branches.

Front 784

ramp

Back 784

n. slope; inclined plane. The house was built with ramps instead of stairs in order to enable the man in the wheelchair to move easily from room to room and floor to floor.

Front 785

rampant

Back 785

adj. growing in profusion; unrestrained. The rampant weeds in the garden choked the asters and marigolds until the flowers died. rampancy, N.

Front 786

rampart

Back 786

n. defensive mound of earth. "From the ramparts we watched" as the fighting continued.

Front 787

ramshackle

Back 787

adj. rickety; falling apart. The boys propped up the ramshackle clubhouse with a couple of boards.

Front 788

rancid

Back 788

adj. having the odor of stale fat. A rancid odor filled the ship's galley and nauseated the crew.

Front 789

rancor

Back 789

n. bitterness; hatred. Thirty years after the war, she could not let go of the past but was still consumed with rancor against the foe. rancorous, ADJ.

Front 790

random

Back 790

adj. without definite purpose, plan, or aim; haphazard. Although the sponsor of the raffle claimed all winners were chosen at random, people had their suspicions when the grand prize went to the sponsor's brother-in-law.

Front 791

rankle

Back 791

v. irritate; fester. The memory of having been jilted rankled him for years.

Front 792

rant

Back 792

v. rave; talk excitedly; scold; make a grandiloquent speech. When he heard that I'd totaled the family car, Dad began to rant at me like a complete madman.

Front 793

rapacious

Back 793

adj. excessively grasping; plundering. Hawks and other rapacious birds prey on a variety of small animals.

Front 794

rapport

Back 794

n. emotional closeness; harmony. In team teaching, it is important that all teachers in the group have good rapport with one another.

Front 795

rapt

Back 795

adj. absorbed; enchanted. Caught up in the wonder of the storyteller's tale, the rapt listeners sat motionless, hanging on his every word.

Front 796

■rarefied

Back 796

adj. made less dense [of a gas]. The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the rarefied atmosphere. rarefy,

Front 797

raspy

Back 797

adj. grating; harsh. The sergeant's raspy voice grated on the recruits' ears.

Front 798

ratify

Back 798

v. approve formally; confirm; verify. Party leaders doubted that they had enough votes in both houses of Congress to ratify the constitutional amendment.

Front 799

ratiocination

Back 799

n. reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises. While Watson was a man of average intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for ratiocination made him a superb detective.

Front 800

rationale

Back 800

n. fundamental reason or justification; grounds for an action. Her need for a vehicle large enough to accommodate five children and a Saint Bernard was Judy's rationale for buying a minivan.

Front 801

rationalize

Back 801

v. give a plausible reason for an action in place of a true, less admirable one; offer an excuse. When David refused gabby Gabrielle a ride to the dance because, he said, he had no room in the car, he was rationalizing; actually, he couldn't stand being cooped up in a car with anyone who talked as much as she did. rationalization, N.

Front 802

raucous

Back 802

adj. harsh and shrill; disorderly and boisterous. The raucous crowd of New Year's Eve revelers grew progressively noisier as midnight drew near.

Front 803

ravage

Back 803

v. plunder; despoil. The marauding army ravaged the countryside.

Front 804

rave

Back 804

n. overwhelmingly favorable review. Though critic John Simon seldom has a good word to say about contemporary plays, his review of All in the Timing was a total rave.

Front 805

ravel

Back 805

v. fall apart into tangles; unravel or untwist; entangle. A single thread pulled loose, and the entire scarf started to ravel.

Front 806

ravenous

Back 806

adj. extremely hungry. The ravenous dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food.

Front 807

ravine

Back 807

n. narrow valley with steep sides. Steeper than a gully, less precipitous than a canyon, a ravine is, like them, the product of years of erosion.

Front 808

raze

Back 808

v. destroy completely. Spelling matters: to raise a building is to put it up; to raze a building is to tear it down.

Front 809

reactionary

Back 809

adj. opposing progress; politically ultraconservative. Opposing the use of English in worship services, reactionary forces in the church fought to reinstate the mass in Latin. also N.

Front 810

realm

Back 810

n. kingdom; field or sphere. In the animal realm, the lion is the king of beasts.

Front 811

reaper

Back 811

n. one who harvests grain. Death, the Grim Reaper, cuts down mortal men and women, just as a farmer cuts down the ripened grain.

Front 812

rebate

Back 812

n. discount, We offer a rebate of ten percent to those who pay cash.

Front 813

rebuff

Back 813

v. snub; beat back. She rebuffed his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed. also N.

Front 814

rebuke

Back 814

v. scold harshly; criticize severely. No matter how sharply Miss Watson rebuked Huck for his misconduct, he never talked back but just stood there like a stump. also N.

Front 815

rebus

Back 815

n. puzzle in which pictures stand for words. A coven of witches beside a tree is a possible rebus for the town Coventry.

Front 816

rebuttal

Back 816

n. refutation; response with contrary evidence. The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure that she could answer his arguments in her rebuttal.

Front 817

■recalcitrant

Back 817

adj. obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly. Which animal do you think is more recalcitrant, a pig or a mule?

Front 818

■recant

Back 818

v. disclaim or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly confess error. Hoping to make Joan of Arc recant her sworn testimony, her English captors tried to convince her that her visions had been sent to her by the Devil.

Front 819

recapitulate

Back 819

v. summarize. Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.

Front 820

recast

Back 820

v. reconstruct (a sentence, story, etc.); fashion again. Let me recast this sentence in terms your feeble brain can grasp: in words of one syllable, you are a fool.

Front 821

receptive

Back 821

adj. quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions, etc. Adventure-loving Huck Finn proved a receptive audience for Tom's tales of buried treasure and piracy.

Front 822

recession

Back 822

n. withdrawal; retreat; time of low economic activity. The slow recession of the flood waters created problems for the crews working to restore power to the area.

Front 823

recidivism

Back 823

n. habitual return to crime. Prison reformers in the United States are disturbed by the high rate of recidivism; the number of persons serving second and third terms indicates the failure of the prisons to rehabilitate the inmates.

Front 824

recipient

Back 824

n. receiver. Although he had been the recipient of many favors, he was not grateful to his benefactor.

Front 825

reciprocal

Back 825

adj. mutual; exchangeable; interacting. The two nations signed a reciprocal trade agreement.

Front 826

reciprocate

Back 826

v. repay in kind. If they attack us, we shall be compelled to reciprocate and bomb their territory. reciprocity, N.

Front 827

■recluse

Back 827

n. hermit; loner. Disappointed in love, Miss Emily became a recluse; she shut herself away in her empty mansion and refused to see another living soul. reclusive, ADJ.

Front 828

reconcile

Back 828

v. correct inconsistencies; become friendly after a quarrel. Every time we try to reconcile our checkbook with the bank statement, we quarrel. However, despite these monthly lovers' quarrels, we always manage to reconcile.

Front 829

■recondite

Back 829

adj. abstruse; profound; secret. He read many recondite books in order to obtain the material for his scholarly thesis.

Front 830

reconnaissance

Back 830

n. survey of enemy by soldiers; reconnoitering. If you encounter any enemy soldiers during your reconnaissance, capture them for questioning.

Front 831

recount

Back 831

v. narrate or tell; count over again. About to recount the latest adventure of Sherlock Holmes, Watson lost track of exactly how many cases Holmes had solved and refused to begin his tale until he'd recounted them one by one.

Front 832

recourse

Back 832

n. resorting to help when in trouble. The boy's only recourse was to appeal to his father for aid.

Front 833

recrimination

Back 833

n. countercharges. Loud and angry recriminations were her answer to his accusations.

Front 834

rectify

Back 834

v. set right; correct. You had better send a check to rectify your account before American Express cancels your credit card.

Front 835

rectitude

Back 835

n. uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgment. The Eagle Scout was a model of rectitude; smugness was the only flaw he needed to correct.

Front 836

recumbent

Back 836

adj. reclining; lying down completely or in part. The command "AT EASE" does not permit you to take a recumbent position.

Front 837

recuperate

Back 837

v. recover. The doctors were worried because the patient did not recuperate as rapidly as they had expected.

Front 838

recurrent

Back 838

adj. occurring again and again. These recurrent attacks disturbed us and we consulted a physician.

Front 839

redolent

Back 839

adj. fragrant; odorous; suggestive of an odor. Even though it is February, the air is redolent of spring.

Front 840

redoubtable

Back 840

adj. formidable; causing fear. During the Cold War period, neighboring countries tried not to offend the Russians because they could be redoubtable foes.

Front 841

redress

Back 841

n. remedy; compensation. Do you mean to tell me that I can get no redress for my injuries? also v.

Front 842

redundant

Back 842

adj. superfluous; repetitious; excessively wordy. The bottle of wine I brought to Bob's party was certainly redundant. how was Ito know Bob owned a winery? In your essay, you repeat several points unnecessarily; try to avoid redundancy in the future.

Front 843

reek

Back 843

v. emit (odor). The room reeked with stale tobacco smoke. also N.

Front 844

refectory

Back 844

n. dining hall. In this huge refectory, we can feed the entire student body at one sitting.

Front 845

refraction

Back 845

n. bending of a ray of light. When you look at a stick inserted in water, it looks bent because of the refraction of the light by the water.

Front 846

■refractory

Back 846

adj. stubborn; unmanageable. The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey.

Front 847

refrain

Back 847

v. abstain from; resist.

Front 848

refulgent

Back 848

adj. brightly shining; gleaming. The squire polished the knight's armor until it gleamed in the light like the refulgent moon.

Front 849

refurbish

Back 849

v. renovate; make bright by polishing. The flood left a deposit of mud on everything; it was necessary to refurbish our belongings.

Front 850

■refute

Back 850

v. disprove. The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the false testimony of the prosecution's only witness. refutation, N.

Front 851

regal

Back 851

adj. royal. Prince Albert had a regal manner.

Front 852

regale

Back 852

v. entertain. John regaled us with tales of his adventures in Africa.

Front 853

regatta

Back 853

n. boat or yacht race. Many boating enthusiasts followed the regatta in their own yachts.

Front 854

regeneration

Back 854

n. spiritual rebirth. Modern penologists strive for the regeneration of the prisoners.

Front 855

regicide

Back 855

n. murder of a king or queen. The beheading of Mary Queen of Scots was an act of regicide.

Front 856

regime

Back 856

n. method or system of government. When a Frenchman mentions the Old Regime, he refers to the government existing before the revolution.

Front 857

regimen

Back 857

n. prescribed diet and habits. I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.

Front 858

rehabilitate

Back 858

v. restore to proper condition. We must rehabilitate those whom we send to prison.

Front 859

reimburse

Back 859

v. repay. Let me know what you have spent and I will reimburse you.

Front 860

reiterate

Back 860

v. repeat. She reiterated the warning to make sure everyone understood it.

Front 861

rejoinder

Back 861

n. retort; comeback; reply. When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick rejoinder.

Front 862

rejuvenate

Back 862

v. make young again. The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged and weary.

Front 863

■relegate

Back 863

v. banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign. After Ralph dropped his second tray of drinks that week, the manager swiftly relegated him to a minor post cleaning up behind the bar.

Front 864

relent

Back 864

v. give in. When her stern father would not relent and allow her to marry Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with her suitor. relentless, ADJ.

Front 865

relevant

Back 865

adj. pertinent; referring to the case in hand. Teri was impressed by how relevant Virginia Woolf's remarks were to her as a woman writer; it was as if Woolf had been writing with Teri's situation in mind. relevance,

Front 866

relic

Back 866

n. surviving remnant; memento. Egypt's Department of Antiquities prohibits tourists from taking mummies and other ancient relics out of the country. Mike keeps his photos of his trip to Egypt in a box with other relics of his travels.

Front 867

relinquish

Back 867

v. give up something with reluctance; yield. Once you get used to fringe benefits like expense-account meals and a company car, it's very hard to relinquish them.

Front 868

relish

Back 868

v. savor; enjoy. Watching Peter enthusiastically chow down, I thought, "Now there's a man who relishes a good dinner!" also N.

Front 869

remediable

Back 869

adj. reparable. Let us be grateful that the damage is remediable,

Front 870

reminiscence

Back 870

n. recollection. Her reminiscences of her experiences are so fascinating that she ought to write a book.

Front 871

remiss

Back 871

adj. negligent. When the prisoner escaped, the guard was accused of being remiss in his duty.

Front 872

remission

Back 872

n. temporary moderation of disease symptoms; cancellation of a debt; forgiveness or pardon. Though Senator Tsongas had been treated for cancer, his symptoms were in remission, and he was considered fit to handle the strains of a presidential race.

Front 873

remnant

Back 873

n. remainder. I suggest that you wait until the store places the remnants of these goods on sale.

Front 874

remonstrance

Back 874

n. protest; objection. The authorities were deaf to the pastor's remonstrances about the lack of police protection in the area. remonstrate, v.

Front 875

remorse

Back 875

n. guilt; self-reproach. The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.

Front 876

remunerative

Back 876

adj. compensating; rewarding. I find my new work so remunerative that I may not return to my previous employment. remuneration, N.

Front 877

rend

Back 877

v. split; tear apart. In his grief, he tried to rend his garments. rent, N.

Front 878

render

Back 878

v. deliver; provide; represent. He rendered aid to the needy and indigent.

Front 879

rendezvous

Back 879

n. meeting place. The two fleets met at the rendezvous at the appointed time. also v.

Front 880

rendition

Back 880

n. translation; artistic interpretation of a song, etc. The audience cheered enthusiastically as she completed her rendition of the aria.

Front 881

renegade

Back 881

n. deserter; traitor. Because he had abandoned his post and joined forces with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the hero of Dances with Wolves a renegade. also ADJ.

Front 882

renege

Back 882

v. deny; go back on. He reneged on paying off his debt.

Front 883

renounce

Back 883

v. abandon; disown; repudiate. Even though she knew she would be burned at the stake as a witch, Joan of Arc refused to renounce her belief that her voices came from God. renunciation, N.

Front 884

renovate

Back 884

v. restore to good condition; renew. They claim that they can renovate worn shoes so that they look like new ones.

Front 885

renown

Back 885

n. fame. For many years an unheralded researcher, Barbara McClintock gained international renown when she won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. renowned, ADJ.

Front 886

rent

Back 886

n. rip; split. Kit did an excellent job of mending the rent in the lining of her coat. rend, v.

Front 887

reparable

Back 887

adj. capable of being repaired. Fortunately, the damages we suffered in the accident were reparable and our car looks brand new.

Front 888

reparation

Back 888

n. amends; compensation. At the peace conference, the defeated country promised to pay reparations to the victors.

Front 889

repartee

Back 889

n. clever reply. He was famous for his witty repartee and his sarcasm.

Front 890

repast

Back 890

n. meal; feast; banquet. The caterers prepared a delicious repast for Fred and Judy's wedding day.

Front 891

repeal

Back 891

v. revoke; annul. What would the effect on our society be if we decriminalized drug use by repealing the laws against the possession and sale of narcotics?

Front 892

repel

Back 892

v. drive away; disgust. At first, the Beast's ferocious appearance repelled Beauty, but she came to love the tender heart hidden behind that beastly exterior.

Front 893

repellent

Back 893

adj. driving away; unattractive. Mosquitoes find the odor so repellent that they leave any spot where this liquid has been sprayed. also N.

Front 894

repercussion

Back 894

n. rebound; reverberation; reaction. I am afraid that this event will have serious repercussions.

Front 895

repertoire

Back 895

n. list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present. The opera company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.

Front 896

repine

Back 896

v. fret; complain. There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.

Front 897

replenish

Back 897

v. fill up again. Before she could take another backpacking trip, Carla had to replenish her stock of freeze-dried foods.

Front 898

replete

Back 898

adj. filled to the brim or to the point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied. The movie star's memoir was replete with juicy details about the love life of half of Hollywood.

Front 899

replica

Back 899

n. copy. Are you going to hang this replica of the Declaration of Independence in the classroom or in the auditorium?

Front 900

replicate

Back 900

v. reproduce; duplicate. Because he had always wanted a palace, Donald decided to replicate the Taj Mahal in miniature on his estate.

Front 901

repository

Back 901

n. storehouse. Libraries are repositories of the world's best thoughts.

Front 902

reprehensible

Back 902

adj. deserving blame, Shocked by the viciousness of the bombing, politicians of every party uniformly condemned the terrorists' reprehensible deed.

Front 903

repress

Back 903

v. restrain; crush; oppress. Anne's parents tried to curb her impetuosity without repressing her boundless high spirits.

Front 904

reprieve

Back 904

n. temporary stay. During the twenty-four-hour reprieve, the lawyers sought to make the stay of execution permanent. also v.

Front 905

reprimand

Back 905

v. reprove severely; rebuke. Every time Ermengarde made a mistake in class, she was afraid that Miss Minchin would reprimand her and tell her father how badly, she was doing in school, also N.

Front 906

reprisal

Back 906

n. retaliation. I am confident that we are ready for any reprisals the enemy may undertake.

Front 907

reprise

Back 907

n. musical repetition; repeat performance; recurrent action. We enjoyed the soprano's solo in Act I so much that we were delighted by its reprise in the finale. At Waterloo, it was not the effect of any one skirmish that exhausted Colonel Audley; rather, it was the cumulative effect of the constant reprises that left him spent.

Front 908

■reproach

Back 908

v. express disapproval or disappointment. He never could do anything wrong without imagining how the look on his mother's face would reproach him afterwards. also

Front 909

■reprobate

Back 909

n. person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency. I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.

Front 910

reprobation

Back 910

n. severe disapproval. The students showed their reprobation of his act by refusing to talk with him.

Front 911

reprove

Back 911

v. censure; rebuke. Though Aunt Bea at times would reprove Opie for inattention in church, she believed he was at heart a God-fearing lad. reproof, N.

Front 912

■repudiate

Back 912

v. disown; disavow. On separating from Tony, Tina announced that she would repudiate all debts incurred by her soon-to-be ex-husband.

Front 913

repugnance

Back 913

n. loathing. She looked at the snake with repugnance.

Front 914

repulsion

Back 914

n. distaste; act of driving back. Hating bloodshed, she viewed war with repulsion. Even defensive battles distressed her, for the repulsion of enemy forces is never accomplished bloodlessly. repulse, v.

Front 915

reputable

Back 915

adj. respectable. If you want to buy antiques, look for a reputable dealer; far too many dealers today pass off fakes as genuine antiques.

Front 916

reputed

Back 916

adj. supposed. He is the reputed father of the child. repute,

Front 917

requiem

Back 917

n. mass for the dead; dirge. They played Mozart's Requiem at the funeral.

Front 918

requisite

Back 918

n. necessary requirement. Many colleges state that a student must offer three years of a language as a requisite for admission.

Front 919

requite

Back 919

v. repay; revenge. The wretch requited his benefactors by betraying them.

Front 920

■rescind

Back 920

v. cancel. Because of the public outcry against the new taxes, the senator proposed a bill to rescind the unpopular financial measure.

Front 921

resentment

Back 921

n. indignation; bitterness; displeasure. Not wanting to appear a sore loser, Bill tried to hide his resentment of Barry's success.

Front 922

reserve

Back 922

n. self-control; formal but distant manner. Although some girls were attracted by Mark's reserve, Judy was put off by it, for she felt his aloofness indicated a lack of openness. reserved, ADJ.

Front 923

residue

Back 923

n. remainder; balance. In his will, he requested that after payment of debts, taxes, and funeral expenses, the residue be given to his wife.

Front 924

resignation

Back 924

n. patient submissiveness; statement that one is quitting a job. If Bob Cratchit had not accepted Scrooge's bullying with timid resignation; he might have gotten up the nerve to hand in his resignation. resigned, ADJ.

Front 925

resilient

Back 925

adj. elastic; having the power of springing back. Highly resilient, steel makes excellent bedsprings. resilience, N.

Front 926

■resolution

Back 926

n. determination. Nothing could shake his resolution to succeed despite all difficulties. resolute, ADJ.

Front 927

■resolve

Back 927

n. determination; firmness of purpose. How dare you question my resolve to take up sky-diving! Of course I haven't changed my mind! also v.

Front 928

resolve

Back 928

v. decide; settle; solve. Holmes resolved to travel to Bohemia to resolve the dispute between Irene Adler and the King.

Front 929

resonant

Back 929

adj. echoing; resounding; deep and full in sound. The deep, resonant voice of the actor James Earl Jones makes him particularly effective when he appears on stage.

Front 930

respiration

Back 930

n. breathing; exhalation. The doctor found that the patient's years of smoking had adversely affected both his lung capacity and his rate of respiration.

Front 931

respite

Back 931

n. interval of relief; time for rest; delay in punishment. For David, the two weeks vacationing in New Zealand were a delightful respite from the pressures of his job.

Front 932

resplendent

Back 932

adj. dazzling; glorious; brilliant. While all the adults were commenting how glorious the emperor looked in his resplendent new clothes, one little boy was heard to say, "But he's naked!"

Front 933

responsiveness

Back 933

n. state of reacting readily to appeals, orders, etc. The audience cheered and applauded, delighting the performers by its responsiveness.

Front 934

restitution

Back 934

n. reparation; indemnification. He offered to make restitution for the window broken by his son.

Front 935

restive

Back 935

adj. restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control. Waiting impatiently in line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow restive and start to fidget.

Front 936

restraint

Back 936

n. moderation or self-control; controlling force; restriction. Show some restraint, young lady! Three desserts is quite enough!

Front 937

resumption

Back 937

n. taking up again; recommencement. During the summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the resumption of classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure. resume, v.

Front 938

resurge

Back 938

v. rise again; flow to and fro. It was startling to see the spirit of nationalism resurge as the Soviet Union disintegrated into a loose federation of ethnic and national groups. resurgence,

Front 939

resuscitate

Back 939

v. revive. The lifeguard tried to resuscitate the drowned child by applying artificial respiration.

Front 940

retain

Back 940

v. keep; employ. Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new manager to head his reelection campaign.

Front 941

retaliation

Back 941

v. repayment in kind (usually for bad treatment). Because everyone knew the Princeton band had stolen Brown's mascot, the whole Princeton student body expected some sort of retaliation from Brown. retaliate, v.

Front 942

retentive

Back 942

adj. holding; having a good memory. The pupil did not need to spend much time in study as he had a retentive mind.

Front 943

■reticent

Back 943

adj. reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence. Fearing his competitors might get advance word about his plans from talkative staff members, Hughes preferred reticent employees to loquacious ones. reticence, N.

Front 944

retinue

Back 944

n. following; attendants. The queen's retinue followed her down the aisle.

Front 945

retiring

Back 945

adj. modest; shy. Given Susan's retiring personality, no one expected her to take up public speaking; surprisingly enough, she became a star of the school debate team.

Front 946

retort

Back 946

n. quick, sharp reply. Even when it was advisable for her to keep her mouth shut, she was always ready with a retort. also v.

Front 947

retract

Back 947

v. withdraw; take back. When I saw how Fred and his fraternity brothers had' trashed the frat house, I decided to retract my offer to let them use our summer cottage for the weekend. retraction, N.

Front 948

retrench

Back 948

v. cut down; economize. If they were to be able to send their children to college, they would have to retrench.

Front 949

retribution

Back 949

n. vengeance; compensation; punishment for offenses. The evangelist maintained that an angry deity would exact retribution from the sinners.

Front 950

retrieve

Back 950

v. recover; find and bring in. The dog was intelligent and quickly learned to retrieve the game killed by the hunter. retrieval, N.

Front 951

retroactive

Back 951

adj. taking effect before its enactment (as a law) or imposition (as a tax). Because the new pension law was retroactive to the first of the year, even though Martha had retired in February she was eligible for the pension.

Front 952

retrograde

Back 952

v. go backwards; degenerate. Instead of advancing, our civilization seems to have retrograded in ethics and culture. also ADJ.

Front 953

retrospective

Back 953

adj. looking back on the past. The Museum of Graphic Arts is holding a retrospective showing of the paintings of Michael Whelan over the past two decades. also

Front 954

revelry

Back 954

n. boisterous merrymaking. New Year's Eve is a night of revelry.,

Front 955

reverberate

Back 955

v. echo; resound. The entire valley reverberated with the sound of the church bells.

Front 956

■reverent

Back 956

adj. respectful; worshipful. Though I bow my head in church and recite the prayers, sometimes I don't feel properly reverent. revere,

Front 957

reverie

Back 957

n. daydream; musing. She was awakened from her reverie by the teacher's question.

Front 958

revert

Back 958

v. relapse; backslide; turn back to. Most of the time Andy seemed sensitive and mature, but occasionally he would revert to his smart-alecky, macho, adolescent self. reversion, N.

Front 959

revile

Back 959

v. attack with abusive language; vilify. Though most of his contemporaries reviled Captain Kidd as a notorious, bloody-handed pirate, some of his fellow merchant-captains believed him innocent of his alleged crimes.

Front 960

revoke

Back 960

v. cancel; retract. Repeat offenders who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol face having their driver's licenses permanently revoked. revocation, N.

Front 961

revulsion

Back 961

n. sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction. Many people in this country who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what Hitler and Mussolini were trying to do.

Front 962

rhapsodize

Back 962

v. to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner. She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and rhapsodized about it for weeks.

Front 963

rhetoric

Back 963

n. art of effective communication; insincere or grandiloquent language. All writers, by necessity, must be skilled in rhetoric. rhetorical, ADJ.

Front 964

ribald

Back 964

adj. wanton; profane. He sang a ribald song that offended many of the more prudish listeners. ribaldry, N.

Front 965

riddle

Back 965

v. pierce with holes; permeate or spread throughout. With his machine gun, Tracy riddled the car with bullets till it looked like a slice of Swiss cheese. During the proofreaders' strike, the newspaper was riddled with typos.

Front 966

rider

Back 966

n. amendment or clause added to a legislative bill. Senator Foghorn said he would support Senator Filibuster's tax reform bill only if Filibuster agreed to add an antipollution rider to the bill.

Front 967

rife

Back 967

adj. abundant; current. In the face of the many rumors of scandal, which are rife at the moment, it is best to remain silent.

Front 968

rift

Back 968

n. opening; break. The plane was lost in the stormy sky until the pilot saw the city through a rift in the clouds.

Front 969

rig

Back 969

v. fix or manipulate. The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff the ballot boxes with ballots marked in his candidate's favor.

Front 970

rigid

Back 970

adj. stiff and unyielding; strict; hard and unbending. By living with a man to whom she was not married, George Eliot broke Victorian society's most rigid rule of respectable behavior.

Front 971

rigor

Back 971

n. severity. Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters.

Front 972

rile

Back 972

v. vex; irritate; muddy. Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile.

Front 973

riveting

Back 973

adj. absorbing; engrossing. The reviewer described Byatt's novel Possession as a riveting tale: absorbed in the story, she had finished it in a single evening.

Front 974

rivulet

Back 974

n. small stream. As the rains continued, the trickle of water running down the hillside grew into a rivulet that threatened to wash away a portion of the slope.

Front 975

robust

Back 975

adj. vigorous; strong. After pumping iron and taking karate for six months, the little old lady was far more robust in health and could break a plank with her fist.

Front 976

rococo

Back 976

adj. ornate; highly decorated. The rococo style in furniture and architecture, marked by scrollwork and excessive decoration, flourished during the middle of the eighteenth century.

Front 977

roil

Back 977

v. to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; to disturb. Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you'll destroy the flavor.

Front 978

roseate

Back 978

adj. rosy; optimistic. I am afraid you will have to alter your roseate views in the light of the distressing news that has just arrived.

Front 979

roster

Back 979

n. list. They print the roster of players in the season's program.

Front 980

rostrum

Back 980

n. platform for speech-making; pulpit. The crowd murmured angrily and indicated that they did not care to listen to the speaker who was approaching the rostrum.

Front 981

rote

Back 981

n. repetition. He recited the passage by rote and gave no indication he understood what he was saying. also ADJ.

Front 982

rotunda

Back 982

n. circular building or hall covered with a dome. His body lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol.

Front 983

rotundity

Back 983

n. roundness; sonorousness of speech. Washington Irving emphasized the rotundity of the governor by describing his height and circumference.

Front 984

rousing

Back 984

adj. lively; stirring. "And now, let's have a rousing welcome for TV's own Rosie O'Donnell, who'll lead us in a rousing rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'"

Front 985

rout

Back 985

v. stampede; drive out. The reinforcements were able to rout the enemy. also N.

Front 986

rubble

Back 986

n. fragments. Ten years after World War II, some of the rubble left by enemy bombings could still be seen.

Front 987

rubric

Back 987

n. title or heading (in red print); directions for religious ceremony; protocol. In ordaining the new priests, the bishop carefully observed all the rubrics for the ordination service.

Front 988

ruddy

Back 988

adj. reddish; healthy-looking. Santa Claus's ruddy cheeks nicely complement Rudolph the Reindeer's bright red nose.

Front 989

rudimentary

Back 989

adj. not developed; elementary; crude. Although my grandmother's English vocabulary was limited to a few rudimentary phrases, she always could make herself understood.

Front 990

rue

Back 990

v. regret; lament; mourn. Tina rued the night she met Tony and wondered how she ever fell for such a jerk. also

Front 991

ruffian

Back 991

n. bully; scoundrel. The ruffians threw stones at the police.

Front 992

ruminate

Back 992

v. chew over and over (mentally or, like cows, physically); mull over; ponder. Unable to digest quickly the baffling events of the day, Reuben ruminated about them till four in the morning.

Front 993

rummage

Back 993

v. ransack; thoroughly search. When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found many souvenirs of our childhood days. also N.

Front 994

runic

Back 994

adj. mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet. Tolkien's use of Old English words and inscriptions in the runic alphabet give The Lord of the Rings its atmosphere of antiquity.

Front 995

ruse

Back 995

n. trick; stratagem. You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ruse.

Front 996

rustic

Back 996

adj. pertaining to country people; uncouth. The backwoodsman looked out of place in his rustic attire.

Front 997

rusticate

Back 997

v. banish to the country; dwell in the country. I like city life so much that I can never understand how people can rusticate in the suburbs.

Front 998

ruthless

Back 998

adj. pitiless; cruel. Captain Hook was a dangerous, ruthless villain who would stop at nothing to destroy Peter Pan.

Front 999

saboteur

Back 999

n. one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property. Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the Nazi army.

Front 1000

saccharine

Back 1000

adj. cloyingly sweet. She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile.

Front 1001

sacrilegious

Back 1001

adj. desecrating; profane. His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.

Front 1002

sacrosanct

Back 1002

adj. most sacred; inviolable. The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the company.

Front 1003

sadistic

Back 1003

adj. inclined to cruelty. If we are to improve conditions in this prison, we must first get rid of the sadistic warden. sadism, N.

Front 1004

saga

Back 1004

n. Scandinavian myth; any legend. This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it.

Front 1005

sagacious

Back 1005

adj. perceptive; shrewd; having insight. My father was a sagacious judge of character: he could spot a phony a mile away. sagacity, N.

Front 1006

■sage

Back 1006

n. person celebrated for wisdom. Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary sage. also ADJ.

Front 1007

salacious

Back 1007

adj. lascivious; lustful. Chaucer's monk is not pious but salacious, a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.

Front 1008

salient

Back 1008

adj. prominent. One of the salient features of that newspaper is its excellent editorial page.

Front 1009

saline

Back 1009

adj. salty. The slightly saline taste of this mineral water is pleasant.

Front 1010

sallow

Back 1010

adj. yellowish; sickly in color. We were disturbed by her sallow complexion, which was due to jaundice.

Front 1011

■salubrious

Back 1011

adj. healthful. Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of the country during the months of August and September.

Front 1012

salutary

Back 1012

adj. tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome. The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.

Front 1013

salvage

Back 1013

v. rescue from loss. All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed. also N.

Front 1014

sanctimonious

Back 1014

adj. displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness. You do not have to be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout.

Front 1015

■sanction

Back 1015

v. approve; ratify. Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.

Front 1016

sanctuary

Back 1016

n. refuge; shelter; shrine; holy place. The tiny attic was Helen's sanctuary to which she fled when she had to get away from her bickering parents and brothers.

Front 1017

sanguinary

Back 1017

adj. bloody. The battle of Iwo Jima was unexpectedly sanguinary, with many casualties.

Front 1018

sanguine

Back 1018

adj. cheerful; hopeful. Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome; something could go wrong.

Front 1019

sap

Back 1019

v. diminish; undermine. The element kryptonite had an unhealthy effect on Superman: it sapped his strength.

Front 1020

sarcasm

Back 1020

n. scornful remark; stinging rebuke. Though Ralph pretended to ignore the mocking comments of his supposed friends, their sarcasm wounded him deeply. sarcastic, ADJ.

Front 1021

sardonic

Back 1021

adj. disdainful; sarcastic; cynical. The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some people as amusing and others as rude.

Front 1022

sartorial

Back 1022

adj. pertaining to tailors. He was as famous for the sartorial splendor of his attire as he was for his acting.

Front 1023

sate

Back 1023

v. satisfy to the full; cloy. Its hunger sated, the lion dozed.

Front 1024

satellite

Back 1024

n. small body revolving around a larger one. During the first few years of the Space Age, hundreds of satellites were launched by Russia and the United States.

Front 1025

■satiate

Back 1025

v. satisfy fully. Having stuffed themselves with goodies until they were satiated, the guests were so full they were ready for a nap. satiety, N.

Front 1026

satire

Back 1026

n. form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly. Gulliver's Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking human folly.

Front 1027

satirical

Back 1027

adj. mocking. The humor of cartoonist Gary Trudeau often is satirical; through the comments of the Doonesbury characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly.

Front 1028

■saturate

Back 1028

v. soak thoroughly. Thorough watering is the key to lawn care: you must saturate your new lawn well to encourage its growth.

Front 1029

saturnine

Back 1029

adj. gloomy. Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.

Front 1030

satyr

Back 1030

n. half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus, portrayed as wanton and cunning. He was like a satyr in his lustful conduct.

Front 1031

saunter

Back 1031

v. stroll slowly. As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers.

Front 1032

savant

Back 1032

n. scholar. Our faculty includes many world-famous savants.

Front 1033

■savor

Back 1033

v. enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality. Relishing his triumph, Costner especially savored the chagrin of the critics who had predicted his failure.

Front 1034

savory

Back 1034

adj. tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable. Julia Child's recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.

Front 1035

scabbard

Back 1035

n. case for a sword blade; sheath. The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his sword before slipping it back into the scabbard.

Front 1036

scad

Back 1036

n. a great quantity. Refusing Dave's offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, "No, thanks; I've got scads of clothes."

Front 1037

scaffold

Back 1037

n. temporary platform for workers; bracing framework; platform for execution. Before painting the house, the workers put up a scaffold to allow them to work on the second story.

Front 1038

scale

Back 1038

v. climb up; ascend. To locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to scale an exceptionally rickety ladder.

Front 1039

scanty

Back 1039

adj. meager; insufficient. Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.

Front 1040

scapegoat

Back 1040

n. someone who bears the blame for others. After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.

Front 1041

scavenge

Back 1041

v. hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food. If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto wreckers' yards. scavenger, N.

Front 1042

scenario

Back 1042

n. plot outline; screenplay; opera libretto. Scaramouche startled the other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their customary scenario and began to improvise.

Hint 1042

None

Front 1043

schematic

Back 1043

adj. relating to an outline or diagram; using a system of symbols. In working out the solution to an analytical logic question, you may find it helpful to construct a simple schematic diagram illustrating the relationships between the items of information given in the question. schema, N.

Front 1044

schism

Back 1044

n. division; split. Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.

Front 1045

scintilla

Back 1045

n. shred; least bit. You have not produced a scintilla of evidence to support your argument.

Front 1046

scintillate

Back 1046

v. sparkle; flash. I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversation scintillates.

Front 1047

scoff

Back 1047

v. mock; ridicule. He scoffed at dentists until he had his first toothache.

Front 1048

scotch

Back 1048

v. stamp out; thwart; hinder. Heather tried to scotch the rumor that she had stolen her best friend's fiancé.

Front 1049

scourge

Back 1049

n. lash; whip; severe punishment. They feared the plague and regarded it as a deadly scourge. also v.

Front 1050

scruple

Back 1050

v. fret about; hesitate, for ethical reasons. Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary. also N.

Front 1051

scrupulous

Back 1051

adj. conscientious; extremely thorough. Though Alfred is scrupulous in fulfilling his duties at work, he is less conscientious about his obligations to his family and friends.

Front 1052

scrutinize

Back 1052

v. examine closely and critically. Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the private's uniform.

Front 1053

scuffle

Back 1053

v. struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry. The twins briefly scuffled, wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled, "Let go of my Gameboy!" they scuffled off down the hall.

Front 1054

scurrilous

Back 1054

adj. obscene; indecent. Your scurrilous remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue.

Front 1055

scurry

Back 1055

v. move briskly. The White Rabbit had to scurry to get to his appointment on time.

Front 1056

scurvy

Back 1056

adj. despicable; contemptible. Peter Pan sneered at Captain Hook and his scurvy crew.

Front 1057

scuttle

Back 1057

v. sink. The sailors decided to scuttle their vessel rather than surrender it to the enemy.

Front 1058

seamy

Back 1058

adj. sordid; unwholesome. In The Godfather, Michael Corleone is unwilling to expose his wife and children to the seamy side of his life as the son of a Mafia don.

Front 1059

sear

Back 1059

v. char or burn; brand. Accidentally brushing against the hot grill, she seared her hand badly.

Front 1060

seasoned

Back 1060

adj. experienced. Though pleased with her new batch of rookies, the basketball coach wished she had a few more seasoned players on the team.

Front 1061

secession

Back 1061

n. withdrawal. The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration. secede, v.

Front 1062

seclusion

Back 1062

n. isolation; solitude. One moment she loved crowds; the next, she sought seclusion.

Front 1063

■secrete

Back 1063

v. hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism. The pack rat secretes odds and ends in its nest; the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans.

Front 1064

sect

Back 1064

n. separate religious body; faction. As university chaplain, she sought to address universal religious issues and not limit herself to the concerns of any one sect. sectarian, ADJ.

Front 1065

secular

Back 1065

adj. worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal. The church leaders decided not to interfere in secular matters.

Front 1066

sedate

Back 1066

adj. composed; grave. The parents were worried because they felt their son was too quiet and sedate.

Front 1067

sedentary

Back 1067

adj. requiring sitting. Sitting all day at the computer, Sharon grew to resent the sedentary nature of her job.

Front 1068

sedition

Back 1068

n. resistance to authority; insubordination. Her words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of sedition.

Front 1069

sedulous

Back 1069

adj. diligent. The young woman was so sedulous that she received a commendation for her hard work. sedulity, N.

Front 1070

seedy

Back 1070

adj. run-down; decrepit; disreputable. I would rather stay in dormitory lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy downtown hotel.

Front 1071

seemly

Back 1071

adj. proper; appropriate. Lady Bracknell did not think it was seemly for Ernest to lack a proper family: no baby abandoned on a doorstep could grow up to marry her daughter.

Front 1072

seep

Back 1072

v. ooze; trickle. During the rainstorm, water seeped through the crack in the basement wall and damaged the floor boards. seepage, N.

Front 1073

seethe

Back 1073

v. be disturbed; boil. The nation was seething with discontent as the noblemen continued their arrogant ways.

Front 1074

seine

Back 1074

n. net for catching fish. When the shad run during the spring, you may see fishermen with seines along the banks of our coastal rivers.

Front 1075

seismic

Back 1075

adj. pertaining to earthquakes. The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic disturbances.

Front 1076

semblance

Back 1076

n. outward appearance; guise. Although this book has a semblance of wisdom and scholarship, a careful examination will reveal many errors and omissions.

Front 1077

seminal

Back 1077

adj. germinal; influencing future developments; related to seed or semen. Although Freud has generally been regarded as a seminal thinker who shaped the course of psychology, his psychoanalytic methods have come under attack recently.

Front 1078

seminary

Back 1078

n. school for training future ministers; secondary school, especially for young women. Sure of his priestly vocation, Terrence planned to pursue his theological training at the local Roman Catholic seminary.

Front 1079

senility

Back 1079

n. old age; feeblemindedness of old age. Most of the decisions are being made by the junior members of the company because of the senility of the president. senile, ADJ.

Front 1080

sensitization

Back 1080

n. process of being made sensitive or acutely responsive to an external agent or substance. The paint fumes triggered a bad allergic response in Vicky; even now, her extreme sensitization to these chemicals causes her to faint whenever she is around wet paint.

Front 1081

sensual

Back 1081

adj. devoted to the pleasures of the senses; carnal; voluptuous. I cannot understand what caused him to drop his sensual way of life and become so ascetic.

Front 1082

sensuous

Back 1082

adj. pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses. She was stimulated by the sights, sounds, and smells about her; she was enjoying her sensuous experience.

Front 1083

sententious

Back 1083

adj. terse; concise; aphoristic. After reading so many redundant speeches, I find his sententious style particularly pleasing.

Front 1084

sentient

Back 1084

adj. capable of sensation; aware; sensitive. In the science fiction story, the hero had to discover a way to prove that the rocklike extraterrestrial creature was actually a sentient, intelligent creature. sentience, N.

Front 1085

sentinel

Back 1085

n. sentry; lookout. Though camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting sentinels around the encampment.

Front 1086

septic

Back 1086

adj. putrid; producing putrefaction. The hospital was in such a filthy state that we were afraid that many of the patients would suffer from septic poisoning. sepsis, N.

Front 1087

sepulcher

Back 1087

n. tomb. Annabel Lee was buried in a sepulcher by the sea.

Front 1088

sequester

Back 1088

v. isolate; retire from public life; segregate; seclude. To prevent the jurors from hearing news broadcasts about the case, the judge decided to sequester the jury.

Front 1089

sere

Back 1089

adj. parched; dry. After the unseasonably dry winter the Berkeley hills looked dusty and sere.

Front 1090

serendipity

Back 1090

n. gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck. Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity: Newton was not sitting there thinking about gravity when the apple dropped on his head.

Front 1091

serenity

Back 1091

n. calmness, placidity. The serenity of the sleepy town was shattered by a tremendous explosion.

Front 1092

serpentine

Back 1092

adj. winding; twisting. The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine road.

Front 1093

serrated

Back 1093

adj. having a sawtoothed edge. The beech tree is one of many plants that have serrated leaves.

Front 1094

servile

Back 1094

adj. slavish; cringing. Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heep was a servile creature. servility, N.

Front 1095

servitude

Back 1095

n. slavery; compulsory labor. Born a slave, Douglass resented his life of servitude and plotted to escape to the North.

Front 1096

sever

Back 1096

v. cut; separate. Dr. Guillotin invented a machine that could neatly sever an aristocratic head from its equally aristocratic body. Unfortunately, he couldn't collect any severance pay.

Front 1097

severity

Back 1097

n. harshness; intensity; sternness; austerity. The severity of Jane's migraine attack was so great that she took to her bed for a week. severe, ADJ.

Front 1098

sextant

Back 1098

n. navigation tool used to determine a ship's latitude and longitude. Given a clear night, with the aid of his sextant and compass he could keep the ship safely on course.

Front 1099

shackle

Back 1099

v. chain; fetter. The criminal's ankles were shackled to prevent his escape. also N.

Front 1100

sham

Back 1100

v. pretend. She shammed sickness to get out of going to school. also N.

Front 1101

shambles

Back 1101

n. wreck; mess. After the hurricane, the Carolina coast was a shambles. After the New Year's Eve party, the host's apartment was a shambles.

Front 1102

■shard

Back 1102

n. fragment, generally of pottery. The archaeologist assigned several students the task of reassembling earthenware vessels from the shards he had brought back from the expedition.

Front 1103

shaving

Back 1103

n. very thin piece, usually of wood. As the carpenter pared away the edge of the board with his plane, a small pile of shavings began to accumulate on the floor.

Front 1104

sheaf

Back 1104

n. bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together. The lawyer picked up a sheaf of papers as she rose to question the witness.

Front 1105

sheathe

Back 1105

v. place into a case. As soon as he recognized the approaching men, he sheathed his dagger and hailed them as friends.

Front 1106

sherbet

Back 1106

n. flavored dessert ice. I prefer raspberry sherbet to ice cream since it is less fattening.

Front 1107

shimmer

Back 1107

v. glimmer intermittently. The moonlight shimmered on the water as the moon broke through the clouds for a moment. also N.

Front 1108

shirk

Back 1108

v. avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger. Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never shirk any responsibility.

Front 1109

shoddy

Back 1109

adj. sham; not genuine; inferior. You will never get the public to buy such shoddy material.

Front 1110

shrew

Back 1110

n. scolding woman. No one wanted to marry Shakespeare's Kate because she was a shrew.

Front 1111

shun

Back 1111

v. keep away from. Cherishing his solitude, the recluse shunned the company of other human beings.

Front 1112

shunt

Back 1112

v. turn aside; divert; sidetrack. If the switchman failed to shunt the Silver Streak onto a side track, the train would plow right into Union Station.

Front 1113

shyster

Back 1113

n. lawyer using questionable methods. On L.A. Law, respectable attorney Brackman was horrified to learn that his newly discovered half brother was a cheap shyster.

Front 1114

sibling

Back 1114

n. brother or sister. We may not enjoy being siblings, but we cannot forget that we still belong to the same family.

Front 1115

sibylline

Back 1115

adj. prophetic; oracular. Until their destruction by fire in 83 B.C., the sibylline books were often consulted by the Romans.

Front 1116

sidereal

Back 1116

adj. relating to the stars. Although hampered by optical and mechanical flaws, the orbiting Hubble space telescope has relayed extraordinary images of distant sidereal bodies.

Front 1117

silt

Back 1117

n. sediment deposited by running water. The harbor channel must be dredged annually to remove the silt.

Front 1118

simian

Back 1118

adj. monkeylike. Lemurs are nocturnal mammals and have many simian characteristics, although they are less intelligent than monkeys.

Front 1119

simile

Back 1119

n. comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as. "My love is like a red, red rose" is a simile.

Front 1120

simper

Back 1120

v. smirk; smile affectedly. Complimented on her appearance, Stella self-consciously simpered.

Front 1121

simplistic

Back 1121

adj. oversimplified. Though Jack's solution dealt adequately with one aspect of the problem, it was simplistic in failing to consider various complicating factors that might arise.

Front 1122

simulate

Back 1122

v. feign. She simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for her crime.

Front 1123

sinecure

Back 1123

n. well-paid position with little responsibility. My job is no sinecure; I work long hours and have much responsibility.

Front 1124

sinewy

Back 1124

adj. tough; strong and firm. The steak was too sinewy to chew.

Front 1125

singular

Back 1125

adj. unique; extraordinary; odd. Though the young man tried to understand Father William's singular behavior, he still found it odd that the old man incessantly stood on his head.

Front 1126

sinister

Back 1126

adj. evil. We must defeat the sinister forces that seek our downfall.

Front 1127

sinuous

Back 1127

adj. winding; bending in and out; not morally honest. The snake moved in a sinuous manner.

Front 1128

■skeptic

Back 1128

n. doubter; person who suspends judgment until having examined the evidence supporting a point of view. I am a skeptic about the new health plan; I want some proof that it can work. skeptical,

Front 1129

skiff

Back 1129

n. small, light sailboat or rowboat. Tom dreamed of owning an ocean-going yacht but had to settle for a skiff he could sail in the bay.

Front 1130

skimp

Back 1130

v. provide scantily; live very economically. They were forced to skimp on necessities in order to make their limited supplies last the winter.

Front 1131

skinflint

Back 1131

n. stingy person; miser. Scrooge was an ungenerous old skinflint until he reformed his ways and became a notable philanthropist.

Front 1132

skirmish

Back 1132

n. minor fight. Custer's troops expected they might run into a skirmish or two on maneuvers; they did not expect to face a major battle. also v.

Front 1133

skittish

Back 1133

adj. lively; frisky. She is as skittish as a kitten playing with a piece of string.

Front 1134

skulduggery

Back 1134

n. dishonest behavior. The investigation into municipal corruption turned up new instances of skulduggery daily.

Front 1135

skulk

Back 1135

v. move furtively and secretly. He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former friends.

Front 1136

slacken

Back 1136

v. slow up; loosen. As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.

Front 1137

slag

Back 1137

n. residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter. The blast furnace had a special opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag.

Front 1138

slake

Back 1138

v. quench; sate. When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our thirst.

Front 1139

slander

Back 1139

n. defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements. Considering the negative comments politicians make about each other, it's a wonder that more of them aren't sued for slander. also

Front 1140

slapdash

Back 1140

adj. haphazard; careless; sloppy. From the number of typos and misspellings I've found in it, it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a remarkably slapdash fashion.

Front 1141

sleazy

Back 1141

adj. flimsy; unsubstantial. This is a sleazy fabric; it will not wear well.

Front 1142

sleeper

Back 1142

n. something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable. Unnoticed by the critics at its publication, the eventual Pulitzer Prize winner was a classic sleeper.

Front 1143

sleight

Back 1143

n. dexterity. The magician amazed the audience with his sleight of hand.

Front 1144

slew

Back 1144

n. large quantity or number. Although Ellen had checked off a number of items on her "To Do" list, she still had a whole slew of errands left.

Front 1145

slight

Back 1145

n. insult to one's dignity; snub. Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or imaginary slights. also v.

Front 1146

slipshod

Back 1146

adj. untidy or slovenly; shabby. As a master craftsman, the carpenter prided himself on never doing slipshod work.

Front 1147

slither

Back 1147

v. slip or slide. During the recent ice storm, many people slithered down this hill as they walked to the station.

Front 1148

sloth

Back 1148

n. slow-moving tree-dwelling mammal. Note how well the somewhat greenish coat of the sloth enables it to blend in with its arboreal surroundings. (secondary meaning)

Front 1149

slothful

Back 1149

adj. lazy. The British word "layabout" is a splendid descriptive term for someone slothful: What did the lazy bum do? He lay about the house all day. sloth, N.

Front 1150

slough

Back 1150

v. cast off. Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin. also N.

Front 1151

slovenly

Back 1151

adj. untidy; careless in work habits. Unshaven, sitting around in his bathrobe all afternoon, Gus didn't care about the slovenly appearance he presented. sloven, N.

Front 1152

sluggard

Back 1152

n. lazy person. "You are a sluggard, a drone, a parasite," the angry father shouted at his lazy son.

Front 1153

sluggish

Back 1153

adj. slow; lazy; lethargic. After two nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and incapable of exertion.

Front 1154

sluice

Back 1154

n. artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water. In times of drought, this sluice enables farmers to obtain water for irrigation.

Front 1155

slur

Back 1155

n. insult to one's character or reputation; slander. Polls revealed that the front-runner's standing had been damaged by the slurs and innuendoes circulated by his opponent's staff. (secondary meaning) also v.

Front 1156

slur

Back 1156

v. speak indistinctly; mumble. When Sol has too much to drink, he starts to slur his words: "Washamatter? Cansh you undershtand what I shay?"

Front 1157

smattering

Back 1157

n. slight knowledge. I don't know whether it is better to be ignorant of a subject or to have a mere smattering of information about it.

Front 1158

smelt

Back 1158

v. melt or blend ores, changing their chemical composition. The furnaceman smelts tin with copper to create a special alloy used in making bells.

Front 1159

smirk

Back 1159

n. conceited smile. Wipe that smirk off your face! also v.

Front 1160

smolder

Back 1160

v. burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment. The rags smoldered for hours before they burst into flame.

Front 1161

snicker

Back 1161

n. half-stifled laugh. The boy could not suppress a snicker when the teacher sat on the tack. also v.

Front 1162

snivel

Back 1162

v. run at the nose; snuffle; whine. Don't you come sniveling to me complaining about your big brother.

Front 1163

sobriety

Back 1163

n. moderation (especially regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness. Neither falling-down drunks nor stand-up comics are noted for sobriety. sober, ADJ.

Front 1164

sodden

Back 1164

adj. soaked; dull, as if from drink. He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry.

Front 1165

sojourn

Back 1165

n. temporary stay. After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long for the colder climate of his native New England home.

Front 1166

solace

Back 1166

n. comfort in trouble. I hope you will find solace in the thought that all of us share your loss.

Front 1167

solder

Back 1167

v. repair or make whole by using a metal alloy. The plumber fixed the leak in the pipes by soldering a couple of joints from which water had been oozing.

Front 1168

solecism

Back 1168

n. construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically. I must give this paper a failing mark because it contains many solecisms.

Front 1169

solemnity

Back 1169

n. seriousness; gravity. The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the solemnity of the marriage service.

Front 1170

solicit

Back 1170

v. request earnestly; seek. Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass, the mayor telephoned all the members of the city council to solicit their votes.

Front 1171

■solicitous

Back 1171

adj. worried, concerned. The employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees as replacements were difficult to get. solicitude, N.

Front 1172

soliloquy

Back 1172

n. talking to oneself. The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character's innermost thoughts and emotions.

Front 1173

solitude

Back 1173

n. state of being alone; seclusion. Much depends on how much you like your own company. What to one person seems fearful isolation to another is blessed solitude. solitary, ADJ.

Front 1174

solstice

Back 1174

n. point at which the sun is farthest from the equator. The winter solstice usually occurs on December 21.

Front 1175

soluble

Back 1175

adj. able to be dissolved; able to be worked out. Sugar is soluble in water; put a sugar cube in water and it will quickly dissolve. Because the test-maker had left out some necessary data, the problem was not soluble.

Front 1176

solvent

Back 1176

adj. able to pay all debts. By dint of very frugal living, he was finally able to become solvent and avoid bankruptcy proceedings. solvency, N.

Front 1177

solvent

Back 1177

n. substance that dissolves another. Dip a cube of sugar into a cup of water; note how the water acts as a solvent, causing the cube to break down.

Front 1178

somatic

Back 1178

adj. pertaining to the body; physical. Why do you ignore the spiritual aspects and emphasize only the corporeal and the somatic ones?

Front 1179

somber

Back 1179

adj. gloomy; depressing. From the doctor's grim expression, I could tell he had somber news.

Front 1180

somnambulist

Back 1180

n. sleepwalker. The most famous somnambulist in literature is Lady Macbeth; her monologue in the sleepwalking scene is one of the highlights of Shakespeare's play.

Front 1181

somnolent

Back 1181

adj. half asleep. The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all somnolent and indifferent to the speaker. somnolence, N.

Front 1182

sonorous

Back 1182

adj. resonant. His sonorous voice resounded through the hall.

Front 1183

sophist

Back 1183

n. teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning. You are using all the devices of a sophist in trying to prove your case; your argument is specious.

Front 1184

sophisticated

Back 1184

adj. worldly wise and urbane; complex. When Sophy makes wisecracks, she thinks she sounds sophisticated, but instead she sounds sophomoric. The IBM laptop with the butterfly keyboard and the built-in FAX modem is a pretty sophisticated machine. sophistication, N.

Front 1185

sophistry

Back 1185

n. seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning. Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of sophistries.

Front 1186

sophomoric

Back 1186

adj. immature; half-baked, like a sophomore. Even if you're only a freshman, it's no compliment to be told your humor is sophomoric. The humor in Dumb and Dumber is sophomoric at best.

Front 1187

■soporific

Back 1187

adj. sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness. Professor Pringle's lectures were so soporific that even he fell asleep in class. also N.

Front 1188

sordid

Back 1188

adj. filthy; base; vile. The social worker was angered by the sordid housing provided for the homeless.

Front 1189

spangle

Back 1189

n. small metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation. The thousands of spangles on her dress sparkled in the glare of the stage lights.

Front 1190

sparse

Back 1190

adj. not thick; thinly scattered; scanty. No matter how carefully Albert combed his hair to make it appear as full as possible, it still looked sparse.

Front 1191

spartan

Back 1191

adj. lacking luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined. Looking over the bare, unheated room with its hard cot, he wondered what he was doing in such spar-tan quarters. Only his spartan sense of duty kept him at his post.

Front 1192

spasmodic

Back 1192

adj. fitful; periodic. The spasmodic coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers.

Front 1193

spat

Back 1193

n. squabble; minor dispute. What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a full-blown argument.

Front 1194

spate

Back 1194

n. sudden flood. I am worried about the possibility of a spate if the rains do not diminish soon.

Front 1195

spatial

Back 1195

adj. relating to space. Certain exercises test your sense of spatial relations by asking you to identify two views of an object seen from different points in space.

Front 1196

spatula

Back 1196

n. broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing. The manufacturers of this frying pan recommend the use of a rubber spatula to avoid scratching the specially treated surface.

Front 1197

spawn

Back 1197

v. lay eggs. Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to spawn in their native streams. also N.

Front 1198

■specious

Back 1198

adj. seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally). To claim that, because houses and birds both have wings, both can fly is extremely specious reasoning.

Front 1199

spectral

Back 1199

adj. ghostly. We were frightened by the spectral glow that filled the room.

Front 1200

■spectrum

Back 1200

n. colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism. The visible portion of the spectrum includes red at one end and violet at the other.

Front 1201

spendthrift

Back 1201

n. someone who wastes money. Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop.

Front 1202

sphinx-like

Back 1202

adj. enigmatic; mysterious. The Mona Lisa's sphinx-like expression has puzzled art lovers for centuries.

Front 1203

splice

Back 1203

v. fasten together; unite. Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line them up evenly. also N.

Front 1204

spontaneity

Back 1204

n. lack of premeditation; naturalness; freedom from constraint. The cast overrehearsed the play so much that the eventual performance lacked any spontaneity. spontaneous, ADJ.

Front 1205

spoonerism

Back 1205

n. accidental transposition of sounds in successive words. When the radio announcer introduced the President as Hoobert Herver, he was guilty of a spoonerism.

Front 1206

■sporadic

Back 1206

adj. occurring irregularly. Although you can still hear sporadic outbursts of laughter and singing outside, the big Halloween parade has passed; the party's over till next year.

Front 1207

sportive

Back 1207

adj. playful. Such a sportive attitude is surprising in a person as serious as you usually are.

Front 1208

spruce

Back 1208

adj. neat and trim. Every button buttoned, tie firmly in place, young Alex Keaton looked spruce and tidy for his job interview at the bank. also v.

Front 1209

spry

Back 1209

adj. vigorously active; nimble. She was eighty years old, yet still spry and alert.

Front 1210

spurious

Back 1210

adj. false; counterfeit; forged; illogical. The hero of Jonathan Gash's mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the reader advice on how to tell spurious antiques from the real thing.

Front 1211

spurn

Back 1211

v. reject; scorn. The heroine spurned the villain's advances.

Front 1212

squabble

Back 1212

n. minor quarrel; bickering. Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents know when to interfere and when to let the children work things out on their own.

Front 1213

squalor

Back 1213

n. filth; degradation; dirty, neglected state. Rusted, broken-down cars in the yard, trash piled on the porch, tar paper peeling from the roof—the shack was the picture of squalor. squalid, ADJ.

Front 1214

squander

Back 1214

v. waste. If you squander your allowance on candy and comic books, you won't have any money left to buy the new box of crayons you want.

Front 1215

squat

Back 1215

adj. stocky; short and thick. Tolkien's hobbits are somewhat squat, sturdy little creatures, fond of good ale, good music, and good food.

Front 1216

staccato

Back 1216

adj. played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt, sharp sound. His staccato speech reminded one of the sound of a machine gun.

Front 1217

stagnant

Back 1217

adj. motionless; stale; dull. Mosquitoes commonly breed in ponds of stagnant water. Mike's career was stagnant; it wasn't going anywhere, and neither was he! stagnate, v.

Front 1218

staid

Back 1218

adj. sober; sedate. Her conduct during the funeral ceremony was staid and solemn.

Front 1219

stalemate

Back 1219

n. deadlock. Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate; neither side is willing to budge from previously stated positions.

Front 1220

stalwart

Back 1220

adj. strong, brawny; steadfast. His consistent support of the party has proved that he is a stalwart and loyal member. also N.

Front 1221

stamina

Back 1221

n. strength; staying power. I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the marathon race.

Front 1222

stanch

Back 1222

v. check flow of blood. It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we attend to the other injuries.

Front 1223

stanza

Back 1223

n. division of a poem. Do you know the last stanza of "The Star-Spangled Banner"?

Front 1224

static

Back 1224

adj. unchanging; lacking development. Why do you watch chess on TV? I like watching a game with action, not something static where nothing seems to be going on. stasis, N.

Front 1225

statute

Back 1225

n. law enacted by the legislature. The statute of limitations sets limits on how long you have to take legal action in specific cases.

Front 1226

statutory

Back 1226

adj. created by statute or legislative action. The judicial courts review and try statutory crimes.

Front 1227

steadfast

Back 1227

adj. loyal; unswerving. Penelope was steadfast in her affections, faithfully waiting for Ulysses to return from his wanderings.

Front 1228

stealth

Back 1228

n. slyness; sneakiness; secretiveness. Fearing detection by the sentries on duty, the scout inched his way toward the enemy camp with great stealth.

Front 1229

steep

Back 1229

v. soak; saturate. Be sure to steep the fabric in the dye bath for the full time prescribed.

Front 1230

stellar

Back 1230

adj. pertaining to the stars. He was the stellar attraction of the entire performance.

Front 1231

stem

Back 1231

v. check the flow. The paramedic used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the slashed artery.

Front 1232

stem from

Back 1232

v. arise from. Milton's problems in school stemmed from his poor study habits.

Front 1233

stentorian

Back 1233

adj. extremely loud. The town crier had a stentorian voice.

Front 1234

stereotype

Back 1234

n. fixed and unvarying representation; standardized mental picture, often reflecting prejudice. Critics object to the character of Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because he seems to reflect the stereotype of the happy, ignorant slave. also v.

Front 1235

stickler

Back 1235

n. perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right. The Internal Revenue Service agent was a stickler for accuracy; no approximations or rough estimates would satisfy him.

Front 1236

stifle

Back 1236

v. suppress; extinguish; inhibit. Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to stifle her yawns.

Front 1237

■stigma

Back 1237

n. token of disgrace; brand. I do not attach any stigma to the fact that you were accused of this crime; the fact that you were acquitted clears you completely. stigmatize, N.

Front 1238

stilted

Back 1238

adj. bombastic; stiffly pompous. His stilted rhetoric did not impress the college audience; they were immune to bombastic utterances.

Front 1239

■stint

Back 1239

v. be thrifty; set limits. "Spare no expense," the bride's father said, refusing to stint on the wedding arrangements.

Front 1240

stint

Back 1240

n. supply; allotted amount; assigned portion of work. She performed her daily stint cheerfully and willingly.

Front 1241

stipend

Back 1241

n. pay for services. There is a nominal stipend for this position.

Front 1242

stipple

Back 1242

v. paint or draw with dots. Seurat carefully stippled dabs of pure color on the canvas, juxtaposing dots of blue and yellow that the viewer's eye would interpret as green.

Front 1243

■stipulate

Back 1243

v. make express conditions, specify. Before agreeing to reduce American military forces in Europe, the president stipulated that NATO teams be allowed to inspect Russian bases.

Front 1244

stock

Back 1244

adj. typical; standard; kept regularly in supply. Victorian melodramas portrayed stock characters—the rich but wicked villain, the sweet young ingenue, the poor but honest young man—in exaggerated situations. Although the stationery store kept only stock sizes of paper on hand, the staff would special-order any items not regularly in stock.

Front 1245

stockade

Back 1245

n. wooden enclosure or pen; fixed line of posts used as defensive barrier. The Indians are coming! Quick! Round up the horses and drive them into the stockade.

Front 1246

stodgy

Back 1246

adj. stuffy; boringly conservative. For a young person, Winston seems remarkably stodgy: you'd expect someone his age to have a little more life.

Front 1247

stoic

Back 1247

adj. impassive; unmoved by joy or grief. I wasn't particularly stoic when I had my flu shot; I squealed like a stuck pig. also

Front 1248

stoke

Back 1248

v. stir up a fire; feed plentifully. As a Scout, Marisa learned how to light a fire, how to stoke it if it started to die down, and how to extinguish it completely.

Front 1249

■stolid

Back 1249

adj. dull; impassive. The earthquake shattered Stuart's usual stolid demeanor; trembling, he crouched on the no longer stable ground. stolidity, N.

Front 1250

stratagem

Back 1250

n. clever trick; deceptive scheme. What a gem of a stratagem! Watson, I have the perfect plan to trick Moriarty into revealing himself.

Front 1251

stratified

Back 1251

adj. divided into classes; arranged into strata. As the economic gap between the rich and the poor increased, Roman society grew increasingly stratified. stratify, v.

Front 1252

stratum

Back 1252

n. layer of earth's surface; layer of society. Unless we alleviate conditions in the lowest stratum of our society, we may expect grumbling and revolt. strata, PL.

Front 1253

strew

Back 1253

v. spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter. Preceding the bride to the altar, the flower girl will strew rose petals along the aisle.

Front 1254

■striated

Back 1254

adj. marked with parallel bands; grooved. The glacier left many striated rocks. striate, v.

Front 1255

stricture

Back 1255

n. critical comments; severe and adverse criticism. His strictures on the author's style are prejudiced and unwarranted.

Front 1256

strident

Back 1256

adj. loud and harsh; insistent. We could barely hear the speaker over the strident cries of the hecklers. stridency, N.

Front 1257

stringent

Back 1257

adj. binding; rigid. I think these regulations are too stringent.

Front 1258

■strut

Back 1258

n. pompous walk. His strut as he marched about the parade ground revealed him for what he was: a pompous buffoon. also v.

Front 1259

■strut

Back 1259

n. supporting bar. The engineer calculated that the strut supporting the rafter needed to be reinforced.

Front 1260

studied

Back 1260

adj. unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful. Given Jill's previous slights, Jack felt that the omission of his name from the guest list was a studied insult.

Front 1261

stultify

Back 1261

v. cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder. His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the menial labor had stultified his mind.

Front 1262

stupefy

Back 1262

v. make numb; stun; amaze. Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused to take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might stupefy her.

Front 1263

stupor

Back 1263

n. state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness. In his stupor, the addict was unaware of the events taking place around him.

Front 1264

stygian

Back 1264

adj. gloomy; hellish; deathly. Shielding the flickering candle from any threatening draft, Tom and Becky descended into the stygian darkness of the underground cavern. Stygian derives from Styx, the chief river in the subterranean land of the dead.

Front 1265

stymie

Back 1265

v. present an obstacle; stump. The detective was stymied by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation.

Front 1266

suavity

Back 1266

n. urbanity; polish. He is particularly good in roles that require suavity and sophistication. suave, ADJ.

Front 1267

subaltern

Back 1267

n. subordinate. The captain treated his subalterns as though they were children rather than commissioned officers.

Front 1268

subdued

Back 1268

adj. less intense; quieter. Bob liked the subdued lighting at the restaurant because he thought it was romantic. I just thought the place was dimly lit.

Front 1269

subjective

Back 1269

adj. occurring or taking place within the mind; unreal. Your analysis is highly subjective; you have permitted your emotions and your opinions to color your thinking.

Front 1270

subjugate

Back 1270

v. conquer; bring under control. It is not our aim to subjugate our foe; we are interested only in establishing peaceful relations.

Front 1271

sublimate

Back 1271

v. refine; purify. We must strive to sublimate these desires and emotions into worthwhile activities.

Front 1272

sublime

Back 1272

adj. exalted; noble and uplifting; utter. Lucy was in awe of Desi's sublime musicianship, while he was in awe of her sublime naiveté.

Front 1273

subliminal

Back 1273

adj. below the threshold. We may not be aware of the subliminal influences that affect our thinking.

Front 1274

submissive

Back 1274

adj. yielding; timid. When he refused to permit Elizabeth to marry her poet, Mr. Barrett expected her to be properly submissive; instead, she eloped with the guy!

Front 1275

subordinate

Back 1275

adj. occupying a lower rank; inferior; submissive. Bishop Proudie's wife expected the subordinate clergy to behave with great deference to the wife of their superior. also N.

Front 1276

suborn

Back 1276

v. persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury). In The Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to suborn the witnesses against Don Michael Corleone.

Front 1277

■subpoena

Back 1277

n. writ summoning a witness to appear. The prosecutor's office was ready to serve a subpoena on the reluctant witness. also v.

Front 1278

subsequent

Back 1278

adj. following; later. In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more difficult problems.

Front 1279

subservient

Back 1279

adj. behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious. She was proud and dignified; she refused to be subservient to anyone. subservience, N.

Front 1280

■subside

Back 1280

v. settle down; descend; grow quiet. The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.

Front 1281

subsidiary

Back 1281

adj. subordinate; secondary. This information may be used as subsidiary evidence but is not sufficient by itself to prove your argument. also N.

Front 1282

subsidy

Back 1282

n. direct financial aid by government, etc. Without this subsidy, American ship operators would not be able to compete in world markets.

Front 1283

subsistence

Back 1283

n. existence; means of support; livelihood. In those days of inflated prices, my salary provided a mere subsistence.

Front 1284

substantial

Back 1284

adj. ample; solid; essential or fundamental. The generous scholarship represented a substantial sum of money. If you don't eat a more substantial dinner, you'll be hungry later on.

Front 1285

■substantiate

Back 1285

v. establish by evidence; verify; support. These endorsements from satisfied customers substantiate our claim that Barron's How to Prepare for the GRE is the best GRE-prep book on the market.

Front 1286

substantive

Back 1286

adj. essential; pertaining to the substance. Although the delegates were aware of the importance of the problem, they could not agree on the substantive issues.

Front 1287

subsume

Back 1287

v. include; encompass. Does the general theory of relativity contradict Newtonian physics, or is Newton's law of gravity subsumed into Einstein's larger scheme?

Front 1288

subterfuge

Back 1288

n. pretense; evasion. As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a subterfuge, we withdrew our endorsement of your candidacy.

Front 1289

subtlety

Back 1289

n. perceptiveness; ingenuity; delicacy. Never obvious, she expressed herself with such subtlety that her remarks went right over the heads of most of her audience. subtle, ADJ.

Front 1290

subversive

Back 1290

adj. tending to overthrow; destructive. At first glance, the notion that Styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound than paper cups strikes most environmentalists as subversive.

Front 1291

succinct

Back 1291

adj. brief; terse; compact. Don't bore your audience with excess verbiage: be succinct.

Front 1292

succor

Back 1292

v. aid; assist; comfort. If you believe that con man has come here to succor you in your hour of need, you're even a bigger sucker than I thought. also N.

Front 1293

succulent

Back 1293

adj. juicy; full of richness. To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those from California. also N.

Front 1294

succumb

Back 1294

v. yield; give in; die. I succumb to temptation whenever it comes my way.

Front 1295

suffragist

Back 1295

n. advocate of voting rights (for women). In recognition of her efforts to win the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar honoring the suffragist Susan B. Anthony.

Front 1296

suffuse

Back 1296

v. spread over. A blush suffused her cheeks when we teased her about her love affair.

Front 1297

sully

Back 1297

v. tarnish; soil. He felt that it was beneath his dignity to sully his hands in such menial labor.

Front 1298

sultry

Back 1298

adj. sweltering. He could not adjust himself to the sultry climate of the tropics.

Front 1299

summation

Back 1299

n. act of finding the total; summary. In his summation, the lawyer emphasized the testimony given by the two witnesses.

Front 1300

sumptuous

Back 1300

adj. lavish; rich. I cannot recall when I have had such a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast.

Front 1301

sunder

Back 1301

v. separate; part. Northern and southern Ireland are politically and religiously sundered.

Front 1302

sundry

Back 1302

adj. various; several. My suspicions were aroused when I read sundry items in the newspapers about your behavior.

Front 1303

superannuated

Back 1303

adj. retired or disqualified because of age. Don't call me superannuated; I can still perform a good day's work!

Front 1304

supercilious

Back 1304

adj. arrogant; condescending; patronizing. The supercilious headwaiter sneered at customers who he thought did not fit the image of a restaurant catering to an ultrafashionable crowd.

Front 1305

supererogatory

Back 1305

adj. superfluous; more than needed or demanded. We have more than enough witnesses to corroborate your statement; to present any more would be supererogatory.

Front 1306

superficial

Back 1306

adj. trivial; shallow. Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, I cannot give you more than a passing grade.

Front 1307

superfluous

Back 1307

adj. excessive; overabundant, unnecessary. Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report; just give me the bare facts. superfluity, N.

Front 1308

superimpose

Back 1308

v. place over something else. Your attempt to superimpose another agency in this field will merely increase the bureaucratic nature of our government.

Front 1309

supernumerary

Back 1309

n. person or thing in excess of what is necessary; extra. His first appearance on the stage was as a supernumerary in a Shakespearean tragedy.

Front 1310

■supersede

Back 1310

v. cause to be set aside; replace; make obsolete. Bulk mailing postal regulation 326D supersedes bulk mailing postal regulation 326C. If, in bundling your bulk mailing, you follow regulation 326C, your bulk mailing will be returned. supersession, N.

Front 1311

supine

Back 1311

adj. lying on back. The defeated pugilist lay supine on the canvas.

Front 1312

supplant

Back 1312

v. replace; usurp. Did the other woman actually supplant Princess Diana in Prince Charles's affections, or did Charles never love Diana at all? Bolingbroke, later to be known as King Henry IV, fought to supplant his cousin, Richard III, as King of England.

Front 1313

supple

Back 1313

adj. flexible; pliant. Years of yoga exercises made Grace's body supple.

Front 1314

suppliant

Back 1314

adj. entreating; beseeching. Unable to resist the dog's suppliant whimpering, he gave it some food. also N.

Front 1315

supplicate

Back 1315

v. petition humbly; pray to grant a favor. We supplicate Your Majesty to grant him amnesty.

Front 1316

■supposition

Back 1316

n. hypothesis; surmise. I based my decision to confide in him on the supposition that he would be discreet. suppose, v.

Front 1317

supposititious

Back 1317

adj. assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical. I find no similarity between your supposititious illustration and the problem we are facing.

Front 1318

suppress

Back 1318

v. stifle; overwhelm; subdue; inhibit. Too polite to laugh in anyone's face, Roy did his best to suppress his amusement at Ed's inane remark.

Front 1319

surfeit

Back 1319

v. satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything. Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited with an overabundance of holiday treats. also N.

Front 1320

surly

Back 1320

adj. rude; cross. Because of his surly attitude, many people avoided his company.

Front 1321

surmise

Back 1321

v. guess. I surmise that he will be late for this meeting. also N.

Front 1322

surmount

Back 1322

v. overcome. I know you can surmount any difficulties that may stand in the way of your getting an education.

Front 1323

surpass

Back 1323

v. exceed. Her SAT scores surpassed our expectations.

Front 1324

surreptitious

Back 1324

adj. secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden. Hoping to discover where his mom had hidden the Christmas presents, Timmy took a surreptitious peek into the master bedroom closet.

Front 1325

surrogate

Back 1325

n. substitute. For a fatherless child, a male teacher may become a father surrogate.

Front 1326

surveillance

Back 1326

n. watching; guarding. The FBI kept the house under constant surveillance in the hope of capturing all the criminals at one time.

Front 1327

susceptible

Back 1327

adj. impressionable: easily influenced: having little resistance, as to a disease; receptive to. Said the patent medicine man to his very susceptible customer: "Buy this new miracle drug, and you will no longer be susceptible to the common cold." susceptibility, N.

Front 1328

sustain

Back 1328

v. experience; support; nourish. He sustained such a severe injury that the doctors feared he would be unable to work to sustain his growing family.

Front 1329

sustenance

Back 1329

n. means of support, food, nourishment. In the tropics, the natives find sustenance easy to obtain because of all the fruit trees.

Front 1330

suture

Back 1330

n. stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing. We will remove the sutures as soon as the wound heals. also v.

Front 1331

swarthy

Back 1331

adj. dark; dusky. Despite the stereotype, not all Italians are swarthy; many are fair and blond.

Front 1332

swathe

Back 1332

v. wrap around; bandage. When I visited him in the hospital, I found him swathed in bandages.

Front 1333

swelter

Back 1333

v. be oppressed by heat. I am going to buy an air conditioning unit for my apartment as I do not intend to swelter through another hot and humid summer.

Front 1334

swerve

Back 1334

v. deviate; turn aside sharply. The car swerved wildly as the driver struggled to regain control of the wheel.

Front 1335

swill

Back 1335

v. drink greedily. Singing "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum," Long John Silver and his fellow pirates swilled their grog.

Front 1336

swindler

Back 1336

n. cheat. She was gullible and trusting, an easy victim for the first swindler who came along.

Front 1337

sybarite

Back 1337

n. lover of luxury. Rich people are not always sybarites; some of them have little taste for a life of luxury.

Front 1338

sycophant

Back 1338

n. servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes man. Fed up with the toadies and brownnosers who made up his entourage, the star cried, "Get out, all of you! I'm sick of sycophants!" sycophantic, ADJ.

Front 1339

syllogism

Back 1339

n. logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive or specious argument. There must be a fallacy in this syllogism; I cannot accept its conclusion.

Front 1340

sylvan

Back 1340

adj. pertaining to the woods; rustic. His paintings of nymphs in sylvan backgrounds were criticized as oversentimental.

Front 1341

symbiosis

Back 1341

n. interdependent relationship (between groups, species), often mutually beneficial. Both the crocodile bird and the crocodile derive benefit from their symbiosis; pecking away at food particles embedded in the crocodile's teeth, the bird derives nourishment; the crocodile, meanwhile, derives proper dental hygiene. symbiotic, ADJ.

Front 1342

symmetry

Back 1342

n. arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity. By definition, something lopsided lacks symmetry. symmetrical, ADJ.

Front 1343

synchronous

Back 1343

adj. similarly timed; simultaneous with. We have many examples of scientists in different parts of the world who have made synchronous discoveries.

Front 1344

synoptic

Back 1344

adj. providing a general overview; summary. The professor turned to the latest issue of Dissertation Abstracts for a synoptic account of what was new in the field. synopsis, N.

Front 1345

synthesis

Back 1345

n. combining parts into a whole. Now that we have succeeded in isolating this drug, our next problem is to plan its synthesis in the laboratory. syntheses, PL., synthesize, v.

Front 1346

synthetic

Back 1346

adj. artificial; resulting from synthesis. During the twentieth century, many synthetic products have replaced their natural counterparts. also N.

Front 1347

■tacit

Back 1347

adj. understood; not put into words. We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake.

Front 1348

taciturn

Back 1348

adj. habitually silent; talking little. The stereotypical cowboy is a taciturn soul, answering lengthy questions with a "Yep" or "Nope."

Front 1349

tactile

Back 1349

adj. pertaining to the organs or sense of touch. His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity.

Front 1350

taint

Back 1350

v. contaminate; cause to lose purity; modify with a trace of something bad. One speck of dirt on your utensils may contain enough germs to taint an entire batch of preserves. also N.

Front 1351

talisman

Back 1351

n. charm. She wore the talisman to ward off evil.

Front 1352

talon

Back 1352

n. claw of bird. The falconer wore a leather gauntlet to avoid being clawed by the hawk's talons.

Front 1353

■tangential

Back 1353

adj. peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing. Despite Clark's attempts to distract her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main question: Why couldn't he come out to dinner with Superman and her?

Front 1354

tangible

Back 1354

adj. able to be touched; real; palpable. Although Tom did not own a house, he had several tangible assets—a car, a television, a PC—that he could sell if he needed cash.

Front 1355

tanner

Back 1355

n. person who turns animal hides into leather. Using a solution of tanbark, the tanner treated the cowhide, transforming it into supple leather.

Front 1356

tantalize

Back 1356

v. tease; torture with disappointment. Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it.

Front 1357

tantamount

Back 1357

adj. equivalent in effect or value. Because so few Southern blacks could afford to pay the poll tax, the imposition of this tax on prospective voters was tantamount to disenfranchisement for black voters.

Front 1358

tantrum

Back 1358

n. fit of petulance; caprice. The child learned that he could have almost anything if he went into tantrums.

Front 1359

taper

Back 1359

n. candle. She lit the taper on the windowsill.

Front 1360

tarantula

Back 1360

n. venomous spider. We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula.

Front 1361

tarry

Back 1361

v. delay; dawdle. We can't tarry if we want to get to the airport on time.

Front 1362

tatty

Back 1362

adj. worn and shabby; bedraggled. Cinderella's stepsisters sneered at her in her frayed apron and tatty old gown.

Front 1363

taut

Back 1363

adj. tight; ready. The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship.

Front 1364

tautological

Back 1364

adj. needlessly repetitious. In the sentence "It was visible to the eye," the phrase "to the eye" is tautological. tautology, N.

Front 1365

tawdry

Back 1365

adj. cheap and gaudy. He won a few tawdry trinkets at Coney Island.

Front 1366

taxonomist

Back 1366

n. specialist in classifying (animals, etc.). Dental patterns often enable the taxonomist to distinguish members of one rodent species from those of another.

Front 1367

tedium

Back 1367

n. boredom; weariness. We hope this new Game Boy will help you overcome the tedium of your stay in the hospital. tedious, ADJ.

Front 1368

teetotalism

Back 1368

n. practice of abstaining totally from alcoholic drinks. Though the doctor warned Bert to cut down his booze intake, she didn't insist that he practice teetotalism. teetotaler, N.

Front 1369

temerity

Back 1369

n. boldness; rashness. Do you have the temerity to argue with me?

Front 1370

temper

Back 1370

v. moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel). Not even her supervisor's grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm for her new job.

Front 1371

temperament

Back 1371

n. characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess. Although the twins look alike, they differ markedly in temperament: Tod is calm, but Rod is excitable.

Front 1372

temperate

Back 1372

adj. restrained; self-controlled; moderate in respect to temperature. Try to be temperate in your eating this holiday season; if you control your appetite, you won't gain too much weight. Goldilocks found San Francisco's temperate climate neither too hot nor too cold but just right.

Hint 1372

None

Front 1373

tempestuous

Back 1373

adj. stormy; impassioned; violent. Racket-throwing tennis star John McEnroe was famed for his displays of tempestuous temperament.

Front 1374

tempo

Back 1374

n. speed of music. I find the band's tempo too slow for such a lively dance.

Front 1375

temporal

Back 1375

adj. not lasting forever; limited by time; secular. At one time in our history, temporal rulers assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right.

Front 1376

temporize

Back 1376

v. act evasively to gain time; avoid committing oneself. Ordered by King John to drive Robin Hood out of Sherwood Forest, the sheriff temporized, hoping to put off any confrontation with the outlaw band.

Front 1377

tenacious

Back 1377

adj. holding fast. I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on my arm.

Front 1378

tenacity

Back 1378

n. firmness; persistence. Jean Valjean could not believe the tenacity of Inspector Javert. Here all Valjean had done was to steal a loaf of bread, and the inspector had pursued him doggedly for 20 years!

Front 1379

tendentious

Back 1379

adj. having an aim; biased; designed to further a cause. The editorials in this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking.

Front 1380

tender

Back 1380

v. offer; extend. Although no formal charges had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt he should tender his resignation.

Front 1381

tenet

Back 1381

n. doctrine; dogma. The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith.

Front 1382

tensile

Back 1382

adj. capable of being stretched. Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength of their ropes.

Front 1383

tentative

Back 1383

adj. hesitant; not fully worked out or developed; experimental; not definite or positive. Unsure of his welcome at the Christmas party, Scrooge took a tentative step into his nephew's drawing room.

Front 1384

■tenuous

Back 1384

adj. thin; rare; slim. The allegiance of our allies is held by such tenuous ties that we have little hope they will remain loyal.

Front 1385

tenure

Back 1385

n. holding of an office; time during which such an office is held. A special recall election put an end to Gray Davis's tenure in office as governor of California.

Front 1386

tepid

Back 1386

adj. lukewarm. To avoid scalding the baby, make sure the bath water is tepid, not hot.

Front 1387

termination

Back 1387

n. end. Though the time for termination of the project was near, we still had a lot of work to finish before we shut up shop. terminate, v.

Front 1388

terminology

Back 1388

n. terms used in a science or art. The special terminology developed by some authorities in the field has done more to confuse laypersons than to enlighten them.

Front 1389

terminus

Back 1389

n. last stop of railroad. After we reached the railroad terminus, we continued our journey into the wilderness on saddle horses.

Front 1390

terrestrial

Back 1390

adj. on or relating to the earth. We have been able to explore the terrestrial regions much more thoroughly than the aquatic or celestial regions.

Front 1391

terse

Back 1391

adj. concise; abrupt; pithy. There is a fine line between speech that is terse and to the point and speech that is too abrupt.

Front 1392

tertiary

Back 1392

adj. third. He is so thorough that he analyzes tertiary causes where other writers are content with primary and secondary reasons.

Front 1393

tesselated

Back 1393

adj. inlaid; mosaic. I recall seeing a table with a tesselated top of bits of stone and glass in a very interesting pattern.

Front 1394

testator

Back 1394

n. maker of a will. The attorney called in his secretary and his partner to witness the signature of the testator.

Front 1395

testy

Back 1395

adj. irritable; short-tempered. My advice is to avoid discussing this problem with her today as she is rather testy and may shout at you. testiness, N.

Front 1396

tether

Back 1396

v. tie with a rope. Before we went to sleep, we tethered the horses to prevent their wandering off during the night.

Front 1397

thematic

Back 1397

adj. relating to a unifying motif or idea. Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple adventure story about whaling miss its underlying thematic import.

Front 1398

theocracy

Back 1398

n. government run by religious leaders. Though some Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England, many of their fellow voyagers preferred a nonreligious form of government.

Front 1399

theoretical

Back 1399

adj. not practical or applied; hypothetical. Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and math. While I can still think of some theoretical objections to your plan, you've convinced me of its basic soundness.

Front 1400

therapeutic

Back 1400

adj. curative. Now better known for its racetrack, Saratoga Springs first gained attention for the therapeutic qualities of its famous "healing waters."

Front 1401

thermal

Back 1401

adj. pertaining to heat. The natives discovered that the hot springs gave excellent thermal baths and began to develop their community as a health resort. also N.

Front 1402

thespian

Back 1402

adj. pertaining to drama. Her success in the school play convinced her she was destined for a thespian career. also N.

Front 1403

thrall

Back 1403

n. slave; bondage. The captured soldier was held in thrall by the conquering army.

Front 1404

threadbare

Back 1404

adj. worn through till the threads show; shabby and poor. The poorly paid adjunct professor hid the threadbare spots on his jacket by sewing leather patches on his sleeves.

Front 1405

thrifty

Back 1405

adj. careful about money; economical. A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases.

Front 1406

thrive

Back 1406

v. prosper; flourish. Despite the impact of the recession on the restaurant trade, Philip's cafe thrived.

Front 1407

throes

Back 1407

n. violent anguish. The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain.

Front 1408

throng

Back 1408

n. crowd. Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles. also v.

Front 1409

throttle

Back 1409

v. strangle. The criminal tried to throttle the old man with his bare hands.

Front 1410

thwart

Back 1410

v. baffle; frustrate. He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his plans and prevent his success.

Front 1411

tightwad

Back 1411

n. excessively frugal person; miser. Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the check.

Front 1412

tiller

Back 1412

n. handle used to move boat's rudder (to steer). Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tiller at all times.

Front 1413

timbre

Back 1413

n. quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument. We identify the instrument producing a musical sound by its timbre.

Front 1414

timidity

Back 1414

n. lack of self-confidence or courage. If you are to succeed as a salesperson, you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure.

Front 1415

timorous

Back 1415

adj. fearful; demonstrating fear. Her timorous manner betrayed the anxiety she felt at the moment.

Front 1416

tipple

Back 1416

v. drink (alcoholic beverages) frequently. He found that his most enjoyable evenings occurred when he tippled with his friends at the local pub. N.

Front 1417

■tirade

Back 1417

n. extended scolding; denunciation; harangue. Every time the boss holds a meeting, he goes into a lengthy tirade, scolding us for everything from tardiness to padding our expenses.

Front 1418

titanic

Back 1418

adj. gigantic. Titanic waves beat against the majestic S.S. Titanic, driving it against the concealed iceberg. titan, N.

Front 1419

tithe

Back 1419

n. tax of one-tenth. Because he was an agnostic, he refused to pay his tithes to the clergy. also v.

Front 1420

titillate

Back 1420

v. tickle. I am here not to titillate my audience but to enlighten it.

Front 1421

title

Back 1421

n. right or claim to possession; mark of rank; name (of a book, film, etc.). Though the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer held title to the family estate, he still retained his title as head of one of England's oldest families.

Front 1422

titter

Back 1422

n. nervous laugh. Her aunt's constant titter nearly drove her mad. also v.

Front 1423

titular

Back 1423

adj. having the title of an office without the obligations. Although he was the titular head of the company, the real decisions were made by his general manager.

Front 1424

toady

Back 1424

n. servile flatterer; yes man. Never tell the boss anything he doesn't wish to hear: he doesn't want an independent adviser, he just wants a toady. also v.

Front 1425

toga

Back 1425

n. Roman outer robe. Marc Antony pointed to the slashes in Caesar's toga.

Front 1426

tome

Back 1426

n. large volume. She spent much time in the libraries poring over ancient tomes.

Front 1427

tonsure

Back 1427

n. shaving of the head, especially by person entering religious orders. His tonsure, even more than his monastic garb, indicated that he was a member of the religious order.

Front 1428

topography

Back 1428

n. physical features of a region. Before the generals gave the order to attack, they ordered a complete study of the topography of the region.

Front 1429

■torpor

Back 1429

n. lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy. Throughout the winter, nothing aroused the bear from his torpor. he would not emerge from hibernation until spring. torpid, ADJ.

Front 1430

torque

Back 1430

n. twisting force; force producing rotation. With her wrench she applied sufficient torque to the nut to loosen it.

Front 1431

torrent

Back 1431

n. rushing stream; flood. Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water ran downhill in torrents. torrential, ADJ.

Front 1432

torrid

Back 1432

adj. passionate; hot or scorching. The novels published by Harlequin Romances feature torrid love affairs, some set in torrid climates.

Front 1433

torso

Back 1433

n. trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk. This torso, found in the ruins of Pompeii, is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples.

Front 1434

■tortuous

Back 1434

adj. winding; full of curves. Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it.

Front 1435

totter

Back 1435

v. move unsteadily; sway, as if about to fall. On unsteady feet, the drunk tottered down the hill to the nearest bar.

Front 1436

touchstone

Back 1436

n. stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion. What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person?

Front 1437

touchy

Back 1437

adj. sensitive; irascible. Do not discuss his acne with Archy; he is very touchy about it.

Front 1438

tout

Back 1438

v. publicize; praise excessively. I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds that turned out to be a bad investment.

Front 1439

toxic

Back 1439

adj. poisonous. We must seek an antidote for whatever toxic substance he has eaten. toxicity, N.

Front 1440

tract

Back 1440

n. pamphlet; a region of indefinite size. The King granted William Penn a tract of land in the New World.

Front 1441

■tractable

Back 1441

adj. docile; easily managed. Although Susan seemed a tractable young woman, she had a stubborn streak of independence that occasionally led her to defy the powers-that-be when she felt they were in the wrong. tractability, N.

Front 1442

traduce

Back 1442

v. expose to slander. His opponents tried to traduce the candidate's reputation by spreading rumors about his past.

Front 1443

trajectory

Back 1443

n. path taken by a projectile. The police tried to locate the spot from which the assassin had fired the fatal shot by tracing the trajectory of the bullet.

Front 1444

tranquillity

Back 1444

n. calmness; peace. After the commotion and excitement of the city, I appreciate the tranquillity of these fields and forests.

Front 1445

transcendent

Back 1445

adj. surpassing; exceeding ordinary limits; superior. Standing on the hillside watching the sunset through the Golden Gate was a transcendent experience for Lise: the sight was so beautiful it surpassed her wildest dreams. transcend,

Front 1446

transcribe

Back 1446

v. copy. When you transcribe your notes, please send a copy to Mr. Smith and keep the original for our files. transcription, N.

Front 1447

transfigure

Back 1447

v. transform outwardly, usually for the better; change in form or aspect. Elizabeth Barrett's love for Robert Browning transfigured her poetry as well as transforming her life. Bely's poetic novel, Peterburg, is a travel fantasy set within a city that is both real and transfigured into a myth.

Front 1448

■transgression

Back 1448

n. violation of a law; sin. Although Widow Douglass was willing to overlook Huck's minor transgressions, Miss Watson refused to forgive and forget.

Front 1449

transient

Back 1449

adj. momentary; temporary; staying for a short time. Lexy's joy at finding the perfect Christmas gift for Phil was transient; she still had to find presents for the cousins and Uncle Bob. Located near the airport, this hotel caters to the largely transient trade. also N.

Front 1450

transition

Back 1450

n. going from one state of action to another. During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off.

Front 1451

transitory

Back 1451

adj. impermanent; fleeting. Fame is transitory: today's rising star is all too soon tomorrow's washed-up has-been. transitoriness, N.

Front 1452

translucent

Back 1452

adj. partly transparent. We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.

Front 1453

transmute

Back 1453

v. change; convert to something different. He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities.

Front 1454

transparent

Back 1454

adj. easily detected; permitting light to pass through freely. John's pride in his son is transparent; no one who sees the two of them together can miss it. transparency, N.

Front 1455

transpire

Back 1455

v. be revealed; happen. When Austen writes the sentence "It had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him," her meaning is not that the debts had just been incurred, but that the shocking news had just leaked out.

Front 1456

transport

Back 1456

n. strong emotion. Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in transports of joy over a vivid sunset, at another moment .in transports of grief over a dying bird. also v.

Front 1457

trappings

Back 1457

n. outward decorations; ornaments. He loved the trappings of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet.

Front 1458

traumatic

Back 1458

adj. pertaining to an injury caused by violence. In his nightmares, he kept on recalling the traumatic experience of being wounded in battle. trauma, N.

Front 1459

travail

Back 1459

n. painful physical or mental labor; drudgery; torment. Like every other recent law school graduate she knew, Shelby hated the seemingly endless travail of cramming for the bar exam.

Front 1460

traverse

Back 1460

v. go through or across. When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.

Front 1461

travesty

Back 1461

n. harshly distorted imitation; parody; debased likeness. Phillips's translation of Don Quixote is so inadequate and clumsy that it seems a travesty of the original.

Front 1462

treatise

Back 1462

n. article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly. He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree.

Front 1463

trek

Back 1463

n. travel; journey. The tribe made their trek further north that summer in search of game. also v.

Front 1464

tremor

Back 1464

n. trembling; slight quiver. She had a nervous tremor in her right hand.

Front 1465

tremulous

Back 1465

adj. trembling; wavering. She was tremulous more from excitement than from fear.

Front 1466

trenchant

Back 1466

adj. forceful and vigorous; cutting. With his trenchant wit, reviewer Frank Rich cut straight to the heart of the matter, panning a truly dreadful play.

Front 1467

trepidation

Back 1467

n. fear; nervous apprehension. As she entered the office of the dean of admissions, Sharon felt some trepidation about how she would do in her interview.

Front 1468

tribulation

Back 1468

n. distress; suffering. After all the trials and tribulations we have gone through, we need this rest.

Front 1469

tribunal

Back 1469

n. court of justice. The decision of the tribunal was final and the prisoner was sentenced to death.

Front 1470

tribute

Back 1470

n. tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect. The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot.

Front 1471

trident

Back 1471

n. three-pronged spear. Neptune is usually depicted as rising from the sea, carrying his trident on his shoylder.

Front 1472

trifling

Back 1472

adj. trivial; unimportant. Why bother going to see a doctor for such a trifling, everyday cold? trifle, N.

Front 1473

trigger

Back 1473

v. set off. John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you'll trigger an explosion.

Front 1474

trilogy

Back 1474

n. group of three works. Having read the first two volumes of Philip Pullman's trilogy, Alison could hardly wait to read volume three.

Front 1475

trinket

Back 1475

n. knickknack; bauble. Whenever she traveled abroad, Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs.

Front 1476

trite

Back 1476

adj. hackneyed; commonplace. The trite and predictable situations in many television programs turn off many viewers, who, in turn, turn off their sets.

Front 1477

trivia

Back 1477

n. trifles; unimportant matters. Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivia.

Front 1478

troth

Back 1478

n. pledge of good faith especially in betrothal. He gave her his troth and vowed to cherish her always.

Front 1479

trough

Back 1479

n. container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle, etc.). The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board, coasting along in the trough between two waves.

Front 1480

■truculence

Back 1480

n. aggressiveness; ferocity. Tynan's reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and general tone of truculence. truculent, ADJ.

Front 1481

truism

Back 1481

n. self-evident truth. Many a truism is summed up in a proverb; for example, "Marry in haste, repent at leisure."

Front 1482

truncate

Back 1482

v. cut the top off. The top of the cone that has been truncated in a plane parallel to its base is a circle.

Front 1483

tryst

Back 1483

n. meeting. The lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger. also v.

Front 1484

tumid

Back 1484

adj. swollen; pompous; bombastic. I especially dislike his tumid style; I prefer writing that is less swollen and bombastic.

Front 1485

tumult

Back 1485

n. commotion; riot; noise. She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob.

Front 1486

tundra

Back 1486

n. rolling, treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America. Despite the cold, many geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra.

Front 1487

turbid

Back 1487

adj. muddy; having the sediment disturbed. The water was turbid after the children had waded through it.

Front 1488

turbulence

Back 1488

n. state of violent agitation. Warned of approaching turbulence in the atmosphere, the pilot told the passengers to fasten their seat belts.

Front 1489

tureen

Back 1489

n. deep dish for serving soup. The waiters brought the soup to the tables in silver tureens.

Front 1490

turgid

Back 1490

adj. swollen; distended. The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the countryside.

Front 1491

turmoil

Back 1491

n. great commotion and confusion. Lydia running off with a soldier! Mother fainting at the news! The Bennet household was in turmoil.

Front 1492

turncoat

Back 1492

n. traitor. The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a turncoat.

Front 1493

turpitude

Back 1493

n. depravity. A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude.

Front 1494

tutelage

Back 1494

n. guardianship; training. Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument, she made rapid progress as a virtuoso.

Front 1495

tutelary

Back 1495

adj. protective; pertaining to a guardianship. I am acting in my tutelary capacity when I refuse to grant you permission to leave the campus.

Front 1496

tycoon

Back 1496

n. wealthy leader. John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon.

Front 1497

typhoon

Back 1497

n. tropical hurricane or cyclone. If you liked Twister, you'll love Typhoon!

Front 1498

tyranny

Back 1498

n. oppression; cruel government. Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his entire life.

Front 1499

tyro

Back 1499

n. beginner; novice. For a mere tyro, you have produced some marvelous results.

Front 1500

ubiquitous

Back 1500

adj. being everywhere; omnipresent. That Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" seemed ubiquitous: Justin heard the tune everywhere he went. ubiquity, N.

Front 1501

ulterior

Back 1501

adj. situated beyond; unstated and often questionable. You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it.

Front 1502

ultimate

Back 1502

adj. final; not susceptible to further analysis. Scientists are searching for the ultimate truths.

Front 1503

ultimatum

Back 1503

n. last demand; warning. Since they have ignored our ultimatum, our only recourse is to declare war.

Front 1504

umbrage

Back 1504

n. resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult. She took umbrage at his remarks and stormed away in a huff.

Front 1505

unaccountable

Back 1505

adj. inexplicable; unreasonable or mysterious. I have taken an unaccountable dislike to my doctor: "I do not love thee, Doctor Fell. The reason why, I cannot tell."

Front 1506

unanimity

Back 1506

n. complete agreement. We were surprised by the unanimity with which our proposals were accepted by the different groups. unanimous, ADJ.

Front 1507

unassailable

Back 1507

adj. not subject to question; not open to attack. Penelope's virtue was unassailable; while she waited for her husband to come back from the war, no other guy had a chance.

Front 1508

unassuaged

Back 1508

adj. unsatisfied; not soothed. Her anger is unassuaged by your apology.

Front 1509

unassuming

Back 1509

adj. modest. He is so unassuming that some people fail to realize how great a man he really is.

Front 1510

unbridled

Back 1510

adj. violent. She had a sudden fit of unbridled rage.

Front 1511

uncanny

Back 1511

adj. strange; mysterious. You have the uncanny knack of reading my innermost thoughts.

Front 1512

unconscionable

Back 1512

adj. unscrupulous; excessive. She found the loan shark's demands unconscionable and impossible to meet.

Front 1513

uncouth

Back 1513

adj. outlandish; clumsy; boorish. Most biographers portray Lincoln as an uncouth and ungainly young man.

Front 1514

unction

Back 1514

n. the act of anointing with oil. The anointing with oil of a person near death is called extreme unction.

Front 1515

unctuous

Back 1515

adj. oily; bland; insincerely suave. Uriah Heep disguised his nefarious actions by unctuous protestations of his "humility."

Front 1516

underlying

Back 1516

adj. fundamental; lying below. The underlying cause of the student riot was not the strict curfew rule but the moldy cafeteria food. Miss Marple seems a sweet little old lady at first, but an iron will underlies that soft and fluffy facade.

Front 1517

undermine

Back 1517

v. weaken; sap. The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people's faith in the city government.

Front 1518

underscore

Back 1518

v. emphasize. Addressing the jogging class, Kim underscored the importance to runners of good nutrition.

Front 1519

undulating

Back 1519

adj. moving with a wavelike motion. The Hilo Hula Festival featured an undulating sea of grass skirts.

Front 1520

unearth

Back 1520

v. dig up. When they unearthed the city, the archeologists found many relics of an ancient civilization.

Front 1521

unearthly

Back 1521

adj. not earthly; weird. There is an unearthly atmosphere in her work that amazes the casual observer.

Front 1522

unequivocal

Back 1522

adj. plain; obvious. My answer to your proposal is an unequivocal and absolute "No."

Front 1523

unerringly

Back 1523

adv. infallibly. My teacher unerringly pounced on the one typographical error in my essay.

Front 1524

unexceptionable

Back 1524

adj. not offering any basis for criticism; entirely acceptable. Objecting to Jack's lack of a respectable family background, Lady Bracknell declared that Cecily could marry only a man of unexceptionable lineage and character.

Front 1525

unfaltering

Back 1525

adj. steadfast. She approached the guillotine with unfaltering steps.

Front 1526

unfeigned

Back 1526

adj. genuine; real. She turned so pale that I am sure her surprise was unfeigned.

Front 1527

unfettered

Back 1527

adj. liberated; freed from chains. Chained to the wall for months on end, the hostage despaired that he would ever be unfettered. unfetter, v.

Front 1528

unfledged

Back 1528

adj. immature. It is hard for an unfledged writer to find a sympathetic publisher.

Front 1529

unfrock

Back 1529

v. to strip a priest or minister of church authority. To disbar a lawyer, to unfrock a priest, to suspend a doctor's license to practic6---these are extreme steps that the authorities should take only after careful consideration.

Front 1530

ungainly

Back 1530

adj. awkward; clumsy; unwieldy. "If you want to know whether Nick's an ungainly dancer, check out my bruised feet," said Nora. Anyone who has ever tried to carry a bass fiddle knows it's an ungainly instrument.

Front 1531

unguent

Back 1531

n. ointment. Apply this unguent to the sore muscles before retiring.

Front 1532

uniformity

Back 1532

n. sameness; monotony. At Persons magazine, we strive for uniformity of style; as a result, all our writers wind up sounding exactly alike. uniform, ADJ.

Front 1533

unilateral

Back 1533

adj. one-sided. This legislation is unilateral since it binds only one party in the controversy.

Front 1534

unimpeachable

Back 1534

adj. blameless and exemplary. Her conduct in office was unimpeachable and her record is spotless.

Front 1535

uninhibited

Back 1535

adj. unrepressed. The congregation was shocked by her uninhibited laughter during the sermon.

Front 1536

unintimidating

Back 1536

adj. unfrightening. Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Joe Montana, he found the world-famous quarterback friendly and unintimidating.

Front 1537

unique

Back 1537

adj. without an equal: single in kind. You have the unique distinction of being the first student whom I have had to fail in this course.

Front 1538

unison

Back 1538

n. unity of pitch; complete accord. The choir sang in unison.

Front 1539

universal

Back 1539

adj. characterizing or affecting all; present everywhere. At first, no one shared Christopher's opinions; his theory that the world was round was met with universal disdain.

Front 1540

unkempt

Back 1540

adj. disheveled; uncared for in appearance. Jeremy hated his neighbor's unkempt lawn: he thought its neglected appearance had a detrimental effect on neighborhood property values.

Front 1541

unmitigated

Back 1541

adj. unrelieved or immoderate; absolute. After four days of unmitigated heat, I was ready to collapse from heat prostration. The congresswoman's husband was an unmitigated jerk: not only did he abandon her, but also he took her campaign funds!

Front 1542

unobtrusive

Back 1542

adj. inconspicuous; not blatant. Reluctant to attract notice, the governess took a chair in a far corner of the room and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.

Front 1543

unpalatable

Back 1543

adj. distasteful; disagreeable. "I refuse to swallow your conclusion," she said, finding his logic unpalatable.

Front 1544

unprecedented

Back 1544

adj. novel; unparalleled. For a first novel, Margaret Mitchell's book Gone with the Wind was an unprecedented success.

Front 1545

unprepossessing

Back 1545

adj. unattractive. During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance is unprepossessing.

Front 1546

unravel

Back 1546

v. disentangle; solve. With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and baffling murder mysteries.

Front 1547

unrequited

Back 1547

adj. not reciprocated. Suffering the pangs of unrequited love, Olivia rebukes Cesario for his hardheartedness.

Front 1548

unruly

Back 1548

adj. disobedient; lawless. The only way to curb this unruly mob is to use tear gas.

Front 1549

unsavory

Back 1549

adj. distasteful; morally offensive. People with unsavory reputations should not be allowed to work with young children.

Front 1550

unscathed

Back 1550

adj. unharmed. They prayed he would come back from the war unscathed.

Front 1551

unseemly

Back 1551

adj. unbecoming; indecent; in poor taste. When Seymour put whoopee cushions on all the seats in the funeral parlor, his conduct was most unseemly.

Front 1552

unsightly

Back 1552

adj. ugly. Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse, he occasionally became queasy when faced with a particularly unsightly injury.

Front 1553

unsullied

Back 1553

adj. untarnished. I am happy that my reputation is unsullied.

Front 1554

untenable

Back 1554

adj. indefensible; not able to be maintained. Wayne is so contrary that, the more untenable a position is, the harder he'll try to defend it.

Front 1555

untoward

Back 1555

adj. unfortunate or unlucky; adverse; unexpected. Trying to sneak out of the house, Huck had a most untoward encounter with Miss Watson, who thwarted his escape.

Front 1556

untrammeled

Back 1556

adj. without limits or restrictions; unrestrained. The first principle of a free society is an untrammeled flow of words in an open forum. The free-spirited young radical led an unconventional life, untrammeled by rigid norms of ideological orthodoxy.

Front 1557

unwarranted

Back 1557

adj. unjustified; groundless; undeserved. Your assumption that I would accept your proposal is unwarranted, sir; I do not want to marry you at all. We could not understand Martin's unwarranted rudeness to his mother's guests.

Front 1558

unwieldy

Back 1558

adj. awkward; cumbersome; unmanageable. The large carton was so unwieldy that the movers had trouble getting it up the stairs.

Front 1559

unwitting

Back 1559

adj. unintentional; not knowing. She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers.

Front 1560

unwonted

Back 1560

adj. unaccustomed. He hesitated to assume the unwonted role of master of ceremonies at the dinner.

Front 1561

upbraid

Back 1561

v. severely scold; reprimand. Not only did Miss Minchin upbraid Ermengarde for her disobedience, but also she hung her up by her braids from a coatrack in the classroom.

Front 1562

uproarious

Back 1562

adj. marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy. The uproarious comedy hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starred Jim Carrey, whose comic mugging provoked gales of uproarious laughter from audiences coast to coast.

Front 1563

upshot

Back 1563

n. outcome. The upshot of the rematch was that the former champion proved that he still possessed all the skills of his youth.

Front 1564

urbane

Back 1564

adj. suave; refined; elegant. The courtier was urbane and sophisticated. urbanity, N.

Front 1565

urchin

Back 1565

n. mischievous child (usually a boy). Get out! This store is no place for grubby urchins!

Front 1566

ursine

Back 1566

adj. bearlike; pertaining to a bear. Because of its ursine appearance, the great panda has been identified with the bears; actually, it is closely related to the raccoon.

Front 1567

usurp

Back 1567

v. seize another's power or rank. The revolution ended when the victorious rebel general succeeded in his attempt to usurp the throne. usurpation, N.

Hint 1567

None

Front 1568

usury

Back 1568

n. lending money at illegal rates of interest. The loan shark was found guilty of usury.

Front 1569

utopia

Back 1569

n. ideal place, state, or society. Fed up with this imperfect universe, Don would have liked to run off to Shangri-la or some other imaginary utopia. utopian, ADJ.

Front 1570

uxorious

Back 1570

adj. excessively devoted to one's wife. His friends laughed at him because he was so uxorious and submissive to his wife's desires.

Front 1571

■vacillate

Back 1571

v. waver; fluctuate. Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated, saying now one, now the other. vacillation, N.

Front 1572

vacuous

Back 1572

adj. empty; lacking in ideas; stupid. The candidate's vacuous remarks annoyed the audience, who had hoped to hear more than empty platitudes. vacuity, N.

Front 1573

vagabond

Back 1573

n. wanderer; tramp. In summer, college students wander the roads of Europe like carefree vagabonds. also ADJ.

Front 1574

vagary

Back 1574

n. caprice; whim. She followed every vagary of fashion.

Front 1575

vagrant

Back 1575

adj. stray; random. He tried to study, but could not collect his vagrant thoughts.

Front 1576

vagrant

Back 1576

n. homeless wanderer. Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means of support, Martin feared he would be jailed as a vagrant. vagrancy, N.

Front 1577

vainglorious

Back 1577

adj. boastful; excessively conceited. She was a vainglorious and arrogant individual.

Front 1578

valedictory

Back 1578

adj. pertaining to farewell. I found the valedictory address too long; leave-taking should be brief. also N.

Front 1579

valid

Back 1579

adj. logically convincing; sound; legally acceptable. You're going to have to come up with a better argument if you want to convince me that your reasoning is valid.

Front 1580

validate

Back 1580

v. confirm; ratify. I will not publish my findings until I validate my results.

Front 1581

valor

Back 1581

n. bravery. He received the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle.

Front 1582

vampire

Back 1582

n. ghostly being that sucks the blood of the living. Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampires.

Front 1583

vanguard

Back 1583

n. forerunners; advance forces. We are the vanguard of a tremendous army that is following us.

Front 1584

vantage

Back 1584

n. position giving an advantage. They fired upon the enemy from behind trees, walls and any other point of vantage they could find.

Front 1585

vapid

Back 1585

adj. dull and unimaginative; insipid and flavorless. "Bor-ing!" said Cher, as she suffered through yet another vapid lecture about Dead White Male Poets.

Front 1586

vaporize

Back 1586

v. turn into vapor (steam, gas, fog, etc.). "Zap!" went Super Mario's atomic ray gun as he vaporized another deadly foe.

Front 1587

variegated

Back 1587

adj. many-colored. Without her glasses, Gretchen saw the fields of tulips as a variegated blur.

Front 1588

vassal

Back 1588

n. in feudalism, one who held land of a superior lord. The lord demanded that his vassals contribute more to his military campaign.

Front 1589

vaunted

Back 1589

adj. boasted; bragged; highly publicized. This much vaunted project proved a disappointment when it collapsed.

Front 1590

veer

Back 1590

v. change in direction. After what seemed an eternity, the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.

Front 1591

vegetate

Back 1591

v. live in a monotonous way. I do not understand how you can vegetate in this quiet village after the adventurous life you have led.

Front 1592

vehement

Back 1592

adj. forceful; intensely emotional; with marked vigor. Alfred became so vehement in describing what was wrong with the Internal Revenue Service that he began jumping up and down and gesticulating wildly. vehemence, N.

Front 1593

velocity

Back 1593

n. speed. The train went by at considerable velocity.

Front 1594

venal

Back 1594

adj. capable of being bribed. The venal policeman accepted the bribe offered him by the speeding motorist whom he had stopped.

Front 1595

vendetta

Back 1595

n. blood feud. The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta.

Front 1596

vendor

Back 1596

n. seller. The fruit vendor sold her wares from a stall on the sidewalk.

Front 1597

veneer

Back 1597

n. thin layer; cover. Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication and failed to recognize his fundamental shallowness.

Front 1598

venerable

Back 1598

adj. deserving high respect. We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to follow the advice of our venerable leader.

Front 1599

■venerate

Back 1599

v. revere. In Tibet today, the common people still venerate their traditional spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Front 1600

venial

Back 1600

adj. forgivable; trivial. When Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister, he committed a venial offense.

Front 1601

venison

Back 1601

n. the meat of a deer. The hunters dined on venison.

Front 1602

venom

Back 1602

n. poison; hatred. Bitten on his ankle by a venomous snake, the cowboy contortionist curled up like a pretzel and sucked the venom out of the wound.

Front 1603

vent

Back 1603

n. small opening; outlet. The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was clogged.

Front 1604

vent

Back 1604

v. express; utter. He vented his wrath on his class.

Front 1605

ventral

Back 1605

adj. abdominal. We shall now examine the ventral plates of this serpent, not the dorsal side.

Front 1606

ventriloquist

Back 1606

n. someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person or thing. This ventriloquist does an act in which she has a conversation with a wooden dummy.

Front 1607

venture

Back 1607

v. risk; dare; undertake a risk. Fearing to distress the actors, the timorous reviewer never ventured to criticize a performance in harsh terms. also N.

Front 1608

venturesome

Back 1608

adj. bold. A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt. Annapurna.

Front 1609

venue

Back 1609

n. location. The attorney asked for a change of venue; he thought his client would do better if the trial were held in a less conservative county.

Front 1610

■veracious

Back 1610

adj. truthful. I can recommend him for this position because I have always found him veracious and reliable. veracity, N.

Front 1611

veracity

Back 1611

n. truthfulness. Trying to prove Hill a liar, Senator Spector repeatedly questioned her veracity. veracious, ADJ.

Front 1612

verbalize

Back 1612

v. put into words. I know you don't like to talk about these things, but please try to verbalize your feelings.

Front 1613

verbatim

Back 1613

adv. word for word. He repeated the message verbatim. also ADJ.

Front 1614

verbiage

Back 1614

n. pompous array of words. After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered that the writer had said very little.

Front 1615

■verbose

Back 1615

adj. wordy. We had to make some major cuts in Senator Foghorn's speech because it was far too verbose. verbosity, N.

Front 1616

verdant

Back 1616

adj. green; lush in vegetation. Monet's paintings of the verdant meadows were symphonies in green.

Front 1617

verdigris

Back 1617

n. green coating on copper that has been exposed to the weather. Despite all attempts to protect the statue from the elements, it became coated with verdigris.

Front 1618

verge

Back 1618

n. border; edge. Madame Curie knew she was on the verge of discovering the secrets of radioactive elements. also v.

Front 1619

verisimilar

Back 1619

adj. probable or likely; having the appearance of truth. Something verisimilar is very similar to the truth, or at least seems to be.

Front 1620

verisimilitude

Back 1620

n. appearance of truth; likelihood. Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable.

Front 1621

veritable

Back 1621

adj. actual; being truly so; not false or imaginary. At his computer, Pavel is a veritable wizard, creating graphic effects that seem magical to programmers less skilled than he.

Front 1622

verity

Back 1622

n. quality of being true; lasting truth or principle. Do you question the verity of Kato Kaelin's testimony about what he heard the night Nicole Brown Simpson was slain? To the skeptic, everything was relative: there were no eternal verities in which one could believe.

Front 1623

vernacular

Back 1623

n. living language; natural style. Cut out those old-fashioned "thee's" and "thou's" and write in the vernacular. also ADJ.

Front 1624

vernal

Back 1624

adj. pertaining to spring. We may expect vernal showers all during the month of April.

Front 1625

versatile

Back 1625

adj. having many talents; capable of working in many fields. She was a versatile athlete, earning varsity letters in basketball, hockey, and track. versatility, N.

Front 1626

vertex

Back 1626

n. summit. Let us drop a perpendicular line from the vertex of the triangle to the base. vertices, PL.

Front 1627

vertigo

Back 1627

n. severe dizziness. When you test potential plane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo, be sure to hand out airsick bags.

Front 1628

verve

Back 1628

n. enthusiasm; liveliness. She approached her studies with such verve that it was impossible for her to do poorly.

Front 1629

vestige

Back 1629

n. trace; remains. We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave.

Front 1630

vex

Back 1630

n. annoy; distress. Please try not to vex your mother; she is doing the best she can.

Front 1631

■viable

Back 1631

adj. practical or workable; capable of maintaining life. The plan to build a new baseball stadium, though missing a few details, is viable and stands a good chance of winning popular support.

Front 1632

viand

Back 1632

n. food. There was a variety of viands at the feast.

Front 1633

vicarious

Back 1633

adj. acting as a substitute; done by a deputy. Many people get a vicarious thrill at the movies by imagining they are the characters on the screen.

Front 1634

vicissitude

Back 1634

n. change of fortune. Humbled by life's vicissitudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over which he had once ruled.

Front 1635

victuals

Back 1635

n. food. I am very happy to be able to provide you with these victuals; I know you are hungry.

Front 1636

vie

Back 1636

v. contend; compete. Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes.

Front 1637

vigilant

Back 1637

adj. watchfully awake; alert to spot danger. From the battlement, the vigilant sentry kept his eyes open for any sign of enemy troops approaching. vigilance, N.

Front 1638

vigor

Back 1638

n. active strength. Although he was over seventy years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in his prime. vigorous, ADJ.

Front 1639

vignette

Back 1639

n. picture; short literary sketch. The New Yorker published her latest vignette.

Front 1640

vilify

Back 1640

v. slander. Waging a highly negative campaign, the candidate attempted to vilify his opponent's reputation. vilification, N.

Front 1641

vindicate

Back 1641

v. clear from blame; exonerate; justify or support. The lawyer's goal was to vindicate her client and prove him innocent on all charges. The critics' extremely favorable reviews vindicate my opinion that The Madness of King George is a brilliant movie.

Front 1642

vindictive

Back 1642

adj. out for revenge; malicious. Divorce sometimes brings out a vindictive streak in people; when Tony told Tina he was getting a divorce, she poured green Jell-O into his aquarium and turned his tropical fish into dessert.

Front 1643

vintner

Back 1643

n. winemaker; seller of wine. The poet wondered what the vintners could buy that would be half as precious as the wine they sold.

Front 1644

viper

Back 1644

n. poisonous snake. The habitat of the horned viper, a particularly venomous snake, is in sandy regions like the Sahara or the Sinai peninsula.

Front 1645

virile

Back 1645

adj. manly. I do not accept the premise that a man is virile only when he is belligerent.

Front 1646

virtual

Back 1646

adj. in essence; for practical purposes. She is a virtual financial wizard when it comes to money matters.

Front 1647

virtue

Back 1647

n. goodness; moral excellence; good quality. A virtue carried to extremes can turn into something resembling vice; humility, for example, can degenerate into servility and spinelessness.

Front 1648

virtuoso

Back 1648

n. highly skilled artist. The child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose virtuosity on the violin thrilled millions. virtuosity, N.

Front 1649

virulent

Back 1649

adj. extremely poisonous; hostile; bitter. Laid up with a virulent case of measles, Vera blamed her doctors because her recovery took so long. In fact, she became quite virulent on the subject of the quality of modern medical care, virulence, N.

Front 1650

virus

Back 1650

n. disease communicator, The doctors are looking for a specific medicine to control this virus.

Front 1651

visage

Back 1651

n. face; appearance. The stern visage of the judge indicated that she had decided to impose a severe penalty.

Front 1652

visceral

Back 1652

adj. felt in one's inner organs. She disliked the visceral sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster.

Front 1653

viscid

Back 1653

adj. adhesive; gluey. The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap.

Front 1654

■viscous

Back 1654

adj. sticky, gluey. Melted tar is a viscous substance. viscosity, N.

Front 1655

vise

Back 1655

n. tool for holding work in place. Before filing its edges, the keysmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.

Front 1656

visionary

Back 1656

adj. produced by imagination; fanciful; mystical. She was given to visionary schemes that never materialized. also N.

Front 1657

vital

Back 1657

adj. vibrant and lively; critical; living; breathing. The vital, highly energetic first aid instructor stressed that it was vital in examining accident victims to note their vital signs.

Front 1658

vitiate

Back 1658

v. spoil the effect of; make inoperative. Fraud will vitiate the contract.

Front 1659

vitreous

Back 1659

adj. pertaining to or resembling glass. Although this plastic has many vitreous qualities such as transparency, it is unbreakable.

Front 1660

vitriolic

Back 1660

adj. corrosive; sarcastic. Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for.

Front 1661

■vituperative

Back 1661

adj. abusive; scolding. He became more vituperative as he realized that we were not going to grant him his wish.

Front 1662

vivacious

Back 1662

adj. lively or animated; sprightly. She had always been vivacious and sparkling.

Front 1663

vivisection

Back 1663

n. act of dissecting living animals. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opposed vivisection and deplored the practice of using animals in scientific experiments.

Front 1664

vixen

Back 1664

n. female fox; ill-tempered woman. Aware that she was right once again, he lost his temper and called her a shrew and a vixen.

Front 1665

vociferous

Back 1665

adj. clamorous; noisy. The crowd grew vociferous in its anger and threatened to take the law into its own hands.

Front 1666

vogue

Back 1666

n. popular fashion. Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses.

Front 1667

■volatile

Back 1667

adj. changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly. The political climate today is extremely volatile: no one can predict what the electorate will do next. Maria Callas's temper was extremely volatile: the only thing you could predict was that she would blow up. Acetone is an extremely volatile liquid: it evaporates instantly. volatility, N.

Front 1668

volition

Back 1668

n. act of making a conscious choice. She selected this dress of her own volition.

Front 1669

voluble

Back 1669

adj. fluent; glib; talkative. An excessively voluble speaker suffers from logorrhea: he continually runs off at the mouth! volubility, N.

Front 1670

voluminous

Back 1670

adj. bulky; large. A caftan is a voluminous garment; the average person wearing one looks as if he or she is draped in a small tent.

Front 1671

voracious

Back 1671

adj. ravenous. The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.

Front 1672

vortex

Back 1672

n. whirlwind; whirlpool; center of turbulence; predicament into which one is inexorably plunged. Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were carried from Kansas to Oz.

Front 1673

vouchsafe

Back 1673

v. grant condescendingly; guarantee. I can safely vouchsafe you fair return on your investment.

Front 1674

voyeur

Back 1674

n. Peeping Tom. Jill called Jack a voyeur when she caught him aiming his binoculars at a bedroom window of the house next door.

Front 1675

vulnerable

Back 1675

adj. susceptible to wounds. His opponents could not harm Achilles, who was vulnerable only in his heel. vulnerability, N.

Front 1676

vulpine

Back 1676

adj. like a fox; crafty. She disliked his sly ways, but granted him a certain vulpine intelligence.

Front 1677

waffle

Back 1677

v. speak equivocally about an issue. When asked directly about the governor's involvement in the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary waffled, talking all around the issue.

Front 1678

waft

Back 1678

v. moved gently by wind or waves. Daydreaming, he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his window.

Front 1679

waggish

Back 1679

adj. mischievous; humorous; tricky. He was a prankster who, unfortunately, often overlooked the damage he could cause with his waggish tricks. wag, N.

Front 1680

waif

Back 1680

n. homeless child or animal. Although he already had eight cats, he could not resist adopting yet another feline waif.

Front 1681

waive

Back 1681

v. give up temporarily; yield. I will waive my rights in this matter in order to expedite our reaching a proper decision.

Front 1682

wake

Back 1682

n. trail of ship or other object through water; path of something that has gone before. The wake of the swan gliding through the water glistened in the moonlight. Reporters and photographers converged on South Carolina in the wake of the hurricane that devastated much of the eastern seaboard.

Front 1683

wallow

Back 1683

v. roll in; indulge in; become helpless. The hippopotamus loves to wallow in the mud.

Front 1684

wan

Back 1684

adj. having a pale or sickly color; pallid. Suckling asked, "Why so pale and wan, fond lover?"

Front 1685

wanderlust

Back 1685

n. strong longing to travel. Don't set your heart on a traveling man. He's got too much wanderlust to settle down.

Front 1686

wane

Back 1686

v. decrease in size or strength; draw gradually to an end. To wane is the opposite of to wax or increase in size. When lit, does a wax candle wane?

Front 1687

wangle

Back 1687

v. wiggle out; fake. She tried to wangle an invitation to the party.

Front 1688

wanton

Back 1688

adj. unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste. Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticized Sarah for her wanton expenditures. In response, Sara accused Sheldon of making an unfounded, wanton attack.

Front 1689

warble

Back 1689

v. sing; babble. Every morning the birds warbled outside her window. also N.

Front 1690

■warranted

Back 1690

adj. justified; authorized. Before the judge issues the injunction, you must convince her this action is warranted.

Front 1691

warranty

Back 1691

n. guarantee; assurance by seller. The purchaser of this automobile is protected by the manufacturer's warranty that he will replace any defective part for five years or 50,000 miles.

Front 1692

warren

Back 1692

n. tunnels in which rabbits live; crowded conditions in which people live. The tenement was a veritable warren, packed with people too poor to live elsewhere.

Front 1693

■wary

Back 1693

adj. very cautious. The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry.

Front 1694

wastrel

Back 1694

n. profligate. He was denounced as a wastrel who had dissipated his inheritance.

Front 1695

wax

Back 1695

v. increase; grow. With proper handling, her fortunes waxed and she became rich.

Front 1696

waylay

Back 1696

v. ambush; lie in wait. They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark alley going home.

Front 1697

wean

Back 1697

v. accustom a baby not to nurse; give up a cherished activity. He decided he would wean himself away from eating junk food and stick to fruits and vegetables.

Front 1698

weather

Back 1698

v. endure the effects of weather or other forces. He weathered the changes in his personal life with difficulty, as he had no one in whom to confide.

Front 1699

welt

Back 1699

n. mark from a beating or whipping. The evidence of child abuse was very clear; Jennifer's small body was covered with welts and bruises.

Front 1700

■welter

Back 1700

n. turmoil; bewildering jumble. The existing welter of overlapping federal and state proclaims cries out for immediate reform.

Front 1701

welter

Back 1701

v. wallow. At the height of the battle, the casualties were so numerous that the victims weltered in their blood while waiting for medical attention.

Front 1702

wheedle

Back 1702

v. cajole; coax; deceive by flattery. She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from her father.

Front 1703

whelp

Back 1703

n. young wolf, dog, tiger, etc. This collie whelp won't do for breeding, but he'd make a fine pet.

Front 1704

whet

Back 1704

v. sharpen; stimulate. The odors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served.

Front 1705

whiff

Back 1705

n. puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.); hint. The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind.

Front 1706

■whimsical

Back 1706

n. capricious; fanciful. In Mrs. Doubtfire, the hero is a playful, whimsical man who takes a notion to dress up as a woman so that he can look after his children, who are in the custody of his ex-wife. whimsy, N.

Front 1707

whinny

Back 1707

v. neigh like a horse. When he laughed through his nose, it sounded as if he whinnied.

Front 1708

whit

Back 1708

n. smallest speck. There is not a whit of intelligence or understanding in your observations.

Front 1709

whittle

Back 1709

v. pare; cut off bits. As a present for Aunt Polly, Tom whittled some clothespins out of a chunk of wood.

Front 1710

whorl

Back 1710

n. ring of leaves around stem; ring. Identification by fingerprints is based on the difference in shape and number of the whorls on the fingers.

Front 1711

willful

Back 1711

adj. intentional; headstrong. Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly, her death was a case of deliberate, willful murder, not a crime of passion committed by a hasty, willful youth unable to foresee the consequences of his deeds.

Front 1712

wily

Back 1712

adj. cunning; artful. She is as wily as a fox in avoiding trouble.

Front 1713

wince

Back 1713

v. shrink back; flinch. The screech of the chalk on the blackboard made her wince.

Front 1714

windfall

Back 1714

n. fallen fruit; unexpected lucky event. This huge tax refund is quite a windfall.

Front 1715

winnow

Back 1715

v. sift; separate good parts from bad. This test will winnow out the students who study from those who don't bother.

Front 1716

winsome

Back 1716

adj. agreeable; gracious; engaging. By her winsome manner, she made herself liked by everyone who met her.

Front 1717

wispy

Back 1717

adj. thin; slight; barely discernible. Worried about preserving his few wispy tufts of hair, Walter carefully massaged his scalp and applied hair restorer every night.

Front 1718

wistful

Back 1718

adj. vaguely longing; sadly pensive. With a last wistful glance at the happy couples dancing in the hall, Sue headed back to her room to study for her exam.

Front 1719

withdrawn

Back 1719

adj. introverted; remote. Rebuffed by his colleagues, the initially outgoing young researcher became increasingly withdrawn.

Front 1720

wither

Back 1720

v. shrivel; decay. Cut flowers are beautiful for a day, but al! too soon they wither.

Front 1721

withhold

Back 1721

v. refuse to give; hold back. The tenants decided to withhold a portion of the rent until the landlord kept his promise to renovate the building.

Front 1722

withstand

Back 1722

v. stand up against; successfully resist. If you can withstand all the peer pressure in high school to cut classes and goof off, you should survive college in fine shape.

Front 1723

witless

Back 1723

adj. foolish; idiotic. If Beavis is a half-wit, then Butthead is totally witless.

Front 1724

witticism

Back 1724

n. witty saying; wisecrack. I don't mean any criticism, but your last supposed witticism really hurt my feelings.

Front 1725

wizardry

Back 1725

n. sorcery; magic. Merlin amazed the knights with his wizardry.

Front 1726

wizened

Back 1726

adj. withered; shriveled. The wizened old man in the home for the aged was still active and energetic.

Front 1727

woe

Back 1727

n. deep, inconsolable grief; affliction; suffering. Pale and wan with grief, Wanda was bowed down beneath the burden of her woes.

Front 1728

wont

Back 1728

n. custom; habitual procedure. As was her wont, she jogged two miles every morning before going to work.

Front 1729

worldly

Back 1729

adj. engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual. You must leave your worldly goods behind you when you go to meet your Maker.

Front 1730

wrangle

Back 1730

v. quarrel; obtain through arguing; herd cattle. They wrangled over their inheritance.

Front 1731

wrath

Back 1731

n. anger; fury. She turned to him, full of wrath, and said, "What makes you think I'll accept lower pay for this job than you get?"

Front 1732

wreak

Back 1732

v. inflict. I am afraid he will wreak his vengeance on the innocent as well as the guilty.

Front 1733

wrench

Back 1733

v. pull; strain; twist. She wrenched free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap.

Front 1734

wrest

Back 1734

v. pull away; take by violence. With only ten seconds left to play, our team wrested victory from their grasp.

Front 1735

writ

Back 1735

n. written command issued by a court. The hero of Leonard's novel is a process server who invents unorthodox ways of serving writs on reluctant parties.

Front 1736

writhe

Back 1736

v. twist in coils; contort in pain. In Dances with Snakes, the snake dancer wriggled sinuously as her boa constrictor writhed around her torso.

Front 1737

wry

Back 1737

adj. twisted; with a humorous twist. We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its wry wit.

Front 1738

xenophobia

Back 1738

n. fear or hatred of foreigners. When the refugee arrived in America, he was unprepared for the xenophobia he found there.

Front 1739

yen

Back 1739

n. longing; urge. She had a yen to get away and live Dn her own for a while.

Front 1740

yeoman

Back 1740

n. man owning small estate; middle-class farmer. It was not the aristocrat but the yeoman who determined the nation's policies.

Front 1741

yield

Back 1741

n. amount produced; crop; income on investment. An experienced farmer can estimate the annual yield of his acres with surprising accuracy. also v.

Front 1742

yield

Back 1742

v. give in; surrender. The wounded knight refused to yield to his foe.

Front 1743

yoke

Back 1743

v. join together, unite. I don't wish to be yoked to him in marriage, as if we were cattle pulling a plow. also N.

Front 1744

yokel

Back 1744

n. country bumpkin. At school, his classmates regarded him as a yokel and laughed at his rustic mannerisms.

Front 1745

yore

Back 1745

n. time past. She dreamed of the elegant homes of yore, but gave no thought to their inelegant plumbing.

Front 1746

zany

Back 1746

adj. crazy; comic. I can watch the Marx brothers' zany antics for hours.

Front 1747

zeal

Back 1747

n. eager enthusiasm. Wang's zeal was contagious; soon all his fellow students were busily making posters, inspired by his ardent enthusiasm for the cause. zealous, ADJ.

Front 1748

■zealot

Back 1748

n. fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal. Though Glenn was devout, he was no zealot; he never tried to force his religious beliefs on his friends.

Front 1749

zenith

Back 1749

n. point directly overhead in the sky; summit. When the sun was at its zenith, the glare was not as strong as at sunrise and sunset.

Front 1750

zephyr

Back 1750

n. gentle breeze; west wind. When these zephyrs blow, it is good to be in an open boat under a full sail.

Front 1751

phenomena

Back 1751

N, PL. observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation. We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments. phenomenon, SING.

Front 1752

shrewd

Back 1752

ADJ, clever; astute. A shrewd investor, she took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the stock market.