| Term | Definition |
|---|
| squalor | condition of being squalid; filth; degradation; dirty neglected state; ADJ. squalid: dirty; sordid; morally repulsive; Ex. squalid story |
| squeamish | easily shocked or sickened by unpleasant things; fastidious; Ex. A nurse should not be squeamish. |
| stickler | perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right |
| stricture | severe and adverse criticism; critical comments; limit or restriction |
| suborn | persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury); N. subornation |
| subsume | include (as a member of a group); encompass |
| syllogism | logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive or specious argument |
| takeoff | burlesque; act of leaving the ground |
| tarry | linger; delay in starting or going; dawdle |
| tedium | boredom; weariness; ADJ. tedious |
| temporize | gain time as by postponing an action; avoid committing oneself |
| tendentious | promoting a particular point of view; biased; having an aim; designed to further a cause; Ex. tendentious rather than truth-seeking; CF. tend: move in a certain direction |
| threadbare | worn through till the threads show; shabby and poor; hackneyed; Ex. threadbare excuses |
| throng | crowd (of people or things); V. |
| tiller | handle used to move boat's rudder (to steer) |
| timbre | quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument (which distinguishes it from others of the same pitch) |
| timorous | fearful; timid; demonstrating fear |
| titter | nervous giggle; nervous laugh; V. |
| titular | of a title; in name only; nominal; having the title of an office without the obligations; Ex. titular head of the company |
| token | outward sign; Ex. a token of our gratitude |
| tract | propaganda pamphlet (esp. by a religious or political group); expanse of land; region of indefinite size; system of related organs; Ex. digestive tract |
| traduce | expose to slander |
| tramp | walk with a heavy step; travel on foot; N: vagrant; one who travels aimlessly about; long walk; sound of heavy walking |
| transpire | (of a fact) become known; be revealed; happen; give off (watery waste matter) through pores |
| tremulous | trembling; wavering |
| tribune | official of ancient Rome elected by the plebians to protect their rights; protector of the people |
| tribute | tax levied by a ruler; payment made by one nation to another in acknowledgment of submission; mark of respect (such as praise or gift); Ex. pay tribute to |
| troth | pledge of good faith especially in betrothal; betrothal; Ex. by my troth |
| unguent | ointment |
| unregenerate | making no attempt to change one's bad practices |
| vicar | parish priest; representative |
| vigilante | one who without authority assumes law enforcement powers |
| vitiate | spoil the effect of; make inoperative; corrupt morally |
| vivisection | act of dissecting living animals |
| wangle | achieve by cleverness or trick; wiggle out; fake; Ex. She tried to wangle an invitation to the party. |
| warren | tunnels in which rabbits live; overcrowded living area; crowded conditions in which people live |
| waylay | ambush; lie in wait for and attack |
| weather | pass safely through (a storm or difficult period); endure the effects of weather or other forces |
| welter | wallow (as in mud or high seas); lie soaked (as in blood); Ex. The victims weltered in their blood. |
| wheedle | deceive, persuade, or obtain by flattery; cajole; coax; Ex. wheedle a promise out of her |
| whittle | pare; cut away thin bits (from wood); fashion in this way; reduce gradually; trim |
| wisp | faint streak (of smoke); small bunch (of hair); |
| wispy | thin; slight; barely discernible |
| wrangle | quarrel noisily; obtain through arguing; herd cattle; N. |
| wretch | miserable person; bad or despicable person; ADJ. wretched: miserable; bad; contemptible; vile |
| writhe | twist in coils; contort in pain |
| wrongheaded | stubbornly wrong |
| yen | strong desire; longing; urge; Ex. yen for travel |
| yoke | join together; unite; N: crossbar used to joining two draft animals |
| zany | comic; crazy; N: clown; comical person (given to outlandish behavior) |
| zest | outer skin of an orange used for giving a special taste to food; spice; interest; flavor; spirited enjoyment; Ex. add a certain zest to the affair; Ex. zest for life |
| palette | board on which painter mixes pigments(coloring matters) |
| panache | flair; manner of doing things without any difficulty (causing admiration); flamboyance; bunch of feathers (on a helmet); Ex. with great panache; |
| pare | cut away the outer covering or skin of (with a knife); trim; Ex. pare apples/expenses |
| parish | area in the care of a single priest and served by one main church |
| parley | conference (between opponents); CF. speak |
| paroxysm | fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage; sudden outburst |
| patrician | noble; aristocratic; N: person of high rank; aristocrat; CF. member of the governing classes in ancient Rome; CF. plebian |
| penology | study of prison management and criminal rehabilitation |
| penumbra | partial shadow (in an eclipse); CF. almost shadow |
| pertinacious | holding tenaciously to an action; stubborn; persistent |
| pharisaical | pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical |
| Philistine | narrow-minded person, uncultured and exclusively interested in material gain; uncultured person who is indifferent to artistic and cultural values; member of an ancient people in Palestine; OP. aesthete |
| pinnace | small boat |
| poultice | soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body |
| precept | practical rule guiding conduct; Ex. mother's precept |
| promulgate | announce; proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication |
| prong | pointed projecting part |
| prosody | art of versification; study of the metrical structure of verse |
| purport | intention; purpose; meaning; V: claim; profess; Ex. order which purports to be signed by the general |
| purported | alleged; claimed; reputed or rumored; Ex. purported Satanists |
| putative | supposed; reputed; generally regarded as such; Ex. putative father of the child |
| quail | cower; shrink back in fear; lose heart |
| quay | dock; wharf; pier; landing place (for boats) |
| quorum | minimal number of members necessary to conduct a meeting |
| quotidian | daily; commonplace; customary; Ex. quotidian routine |
| rabble | mob; noisy crowd |
| raffle | lottery; V: award as a prize in a raffle; Ex. raffle off a new car |
| reckon | count; calculate; regard as; think; suppose |
| refulgent | effulgent; brilliant; brightly shining; gleaming; Ex. refulgent moon |
| refurbish | renovate; make clean, bright, or fresh (make new) again; make bright by polishing; Ex. refurbish an old theater; CF. furbish: polish |
| regent | a person who governs in place of a ruler who is ill, absent, or still a child; ADJ. Ex. the Prince regent |
| remission | temporary moderation (of disease symptoms); remitting of a debt or punishment; cancelation of a debt; pardon; Ex. The disease went into remission; Ex. Christians pray for the remission of sins. |
| remit | transmit (money) in payment; free someone from a debt or punishment |
| remonstrate | protest; objection; V. remonstrate: say in protest |
| requiem | mass for the dead; dirge |
| requisition | formal demand or request; Ex. requisition for more computing equipment; V. |
| restitution | returning something (lost or stolen) to the rightful owner; reparation; indemnification; compensation for loss, damage, or injury |
| retinue | following; attendants |
| retiring | shy and reserved (of a person); modest; Ex. her retiring personality |
| retribution | deserved punishment for wrongdoing; punishment for offenses; compensation; vengeance; CF. pay back |
| rider | amendment or clause added to a legislative bill |
| rife | (of something bad) widespread; abundant; current |
| rig | arrangement of masts and sails; V: equip (a ship) with rigging; ADJ. rigging: ropes that hold up a ship's sails |
| rivulet | small stream; CF. rill < rivulet < river |
| rococo | ornate; highly decorated; N. CF. 18th century |
| roil | make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; disturb |
| romp | play or frolic boisterously; gambol; N. |
| rooster | cock; adult male chicken |
| rotunda | circular building or hall covered with a dome |
| roue | a debauched man, especially an elderly one. |
| rousing | lively; inducing excitement; stirring; V. rouse: waken; arouse from sleep or depression; excite; stir up |
| rubric | title or heading (in red print); directions for religious ceremony; protocol |
| ruffian | violent scoundrel; bully |
| runic | mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet; N. rune: one of the letters of an alphabet used by ancient Germanic peoples (cut on stone or wood); magic charm |
| sanctimonious | displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness; N. sanctimony: hypocritical piety |
| sardonic | scornfully mocking; disdainful; sarcastic; cynical; Ex. sardonic smile |
| saunter | stroll(go for a leisurely walk) slowly; N. |
| scotch | stamp out(put an end to); thwart; hinder; Ex. scotch the rumor; |
| scourge | lash; whip (formerly used for punishment); source of severe punishment; V: whip; afflict |
| scowl | frown angrily; N: angry frown |
| scrimmage | disorderly fight between two or more people |
| scurrilous | abusive; obscene; indecent; Ex. scurrilous remark |
| scuttle | sink (a ship) by cutting holes in the hull; scrap; discard; N: small hatch in a ship's deck or hull |
| secession | withdrawal; V. secede: withdraw formally from membership |
| sententious | pithy; terse; concise; aphoristic |
| sepulcher | tomb; V: place in a sepulcher; ADJ. sepulchral |
| servitude | slavery; compulsory labor imposed as a punishment |
| shack | crude cabin |
| sheaf | bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together |
| sibylline | prophetic; oracular; N. sibyl: woman prophet (in the ancient world) |
| sidereal | relating to stars; Ex. sidereal day |
| simper | smirk; smile in a silly way; smile affectedly |
| sinecure | well-paid position with little responsibility; CF. sine cure: without care; CF. San Serif |
| skiff | small light sailboat or rowboat |
| skinflint | miser; stingy person |
| skittish | inconstant; capricious; frivolous; not serious; Ex. charming but skittish young woman; CF. skit |
| skulk | move furtively and secretly; Ex. He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city. |
| slapdash | hasty and careless; haphazard; sloppy(carelessly done) |
| sledge | large sled drawn by work animals |
| sleek | smooth and shining (as from good health); V. |
| sleeper | one that achieves unexpected success; something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable |
| sleigh | large vehicle drawn by a horse over snow or ice |
| slink | move furtively; ADJ. slinky: stealthy; furtive; sneaky (as in ambush) |
| slipshod | slovenly; careless; sloppy; untidy; shabby; Ex. slipshod work |
| slough | (of a snake) shed or cast off (dead outer skin); N: outer layer that is shed |
| smattering | slight knowledge; small scattered number or amount; Ex. smattering of German |
| smirk | conceited smile; offensively self-satisfied smile (often at someone else's misfortune); V. |
| soliloquy | talking to oneself (esp. in a play); CF. monologue: soliloquy; long speech by one person (often monopolizing a conversation) |
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