Vocab level H- Chapter 1-6
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120 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 adjunct | something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential; an assistant or helper; a valuable quality or characteristic; added or connected in a subordinate capacity; attached to a faculty or staff in an auxiliary capacity |
| bellwether | the male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse; a leader, as in a desperate or violent undertaking; an indicator of trends |
| caterwaul | to howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel; a harsh or noisy cry; a racket |
| chimerical | absurd; wildly fantastic; impossible |
| effete | lacking in wholesome vigor or energy; worn-out or exhausted; sterile or unable to produce; out-of-date |
| fait accompli | an accomplished and presumably irreversible deed, fact, or action |
| hidebound | narrow-minded and rigid, especially in opinions or prejudices; stubbornly and unthinkingly conservative |
| hierarchy | any system of things or people arranged or graded one above another in order of rank, wealth, class, etc. |
| liturgy | a religious service or rite; the form of a ritual or other act of public worship |
| mirage | something illusory, without substance, or without a basis in reality; an illusion |
| morass | a patch of low, soft, wet ground; a swamp; a confusing situation in which one is entrapped, as in quicksand |
| noisome | offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious |
| oblivious | forgetful; unaware |
| poltroon | a base coward |
| proselyte | a convert; a disciple |
| quasi | resembling but not actually being; seemingly but not actually or completely |
| raillery | good-humored ridicule; teasing |
| ribald | irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language |
| supine | lying flat on one's back; listless or lethargic; apathetic or passive |
| vignette | a short description or sketch; a picture or illustration with edges that gradually shade off; a decorative design on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter |
| aegis | protection; patronage; sponsorship |
| apprise | to inform of; to make aware of by giving oral or written notice |
| bibulous | fond of or inclined to drink; absorbent |
| claque | a group of people hired to applaud a performer or performance; enthusiastic or fawning admirers; an opera hat |
| deracinate | to pull up by the roots; to root out, uproot, or dislocate; to eliminate all traces of |
| eleemosynary | charitable; dependent upon or supported by charity; derived from or provided by charity |
| indigenous | originating in the country or region where found, native; inborn; inherent |
| lachrymose | given to tears or weeping; causing to shed tears; mournful, lugubrious |
| lexicon | a dictionary of a language; the special vocabulary of a person, group, or subject; a compendium |
| melee | a confused struggle; a violent free-for-all; a tumultuous mingling |
| microcosm | a miniature world or universe; a group or system viewed as the model of a larger group or system |
| minuscule | very small, tiny; a lowercase letter |
| obfuscate | to darken or obscure; to confuse or bewilder |
| paternalism | the policy or practice of treating or governing people in the manner of a father dealing with his children |
| polarize | to cause to concentrate around two conflicting or contrasting positions; to cause light to vibrate in a pattern |
| purview | the range, extent, or scope of something; in law, the scope or limit of what is provided in a statute |
| sanguine | having a ruddy complexion; of a naturally cheerful, confident, or optimistic outlook |
| solecism | a substandard or ungrammatical usage; a breach of etiquette; any impropriety or mistake |
| vassal | a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he or she owes allegiance; a subordinate or dependent; a servant |
| verisimilitude | the quality of appearing to be true, real, likely, or probable |
| ancillary | subordinate or supplementary |
| bowdlerize | to remove material considered offensive (from a book, play, film, etc.) |
| condescend | to come down or stoop voluntarily to a lower level; to deal with people in a patronizing manner |
| cozen | to trick; to cheat or swindle |
| enclave | an enclosed district, region, or area inhabited by a particular group of people or having a special character |
| forte | a person's strong point; what a person does best |
| gratis | free; without charge |
| icon | a representation or image of a sacred personage, often considered sacred itself; an image or picture; a symbol; a graphic symbol on a computer monitor display; an object of blind devotion |
| interstice | a small, narrow space between things or parts of things |
| macrocosm | the universe considered as a whole; the entire complex structure of something |
| mountebank | a trickster or swindler; a charlatan |
| paean | a song of praise, joy, or triumph |
| persiflage | lighthearted joking, talk, or writing |
| plethora | overfullness; superabundance; superfluity |
| pragmatic | concerned with practical considerations or values; dealing with actions and results rather than with abstract theory; stiff in one's opinions |
| quizzical | puzzled; mocking; odd; equivocal |
| rapacity | inordinate greed; the disposition to obtain one's desires by force, extortion, or plunder |
| schism | a formal split within a religious organization; any division or separation of a group or organization into hostile factions |
| theraputic | having the power to heal or cure; beneficial |
| virtuoso | a brilliant performer; a person with masterly skill or technique; masterly or brilliant |
| affinity | a natural attraction to a person, thing, or activity; a relationship, connection |
| bilious | peevish or irritable; sickeningly unpleasant |
| cognate | closely related in origin, essential nature, or function; such a person or thing |
| corollary | a proposition that follows from one already proven; a natural consequence or result; resultant or consequent |
| cul-de-sac | a blind alley or dead-end street; any situation in which further progress is impossible; an impasse |
| derring-do | valor or heroism; daring deeds or exploits(often used to poke fun at false heroics) |
| divination | the art or act of predicting the future or discovering hidden knowledge |
| elixir | a potion once thought capable of curing all ills and maintaining life indefinitely; a panacea; a sweet liquid used as a vehicle in medicines |
| folderol | foolish talk, ideas, or procedures; nonsense; a trifle |
| gamut | an entire range or series |
| hoi polloi | the common people, the masses |
| ineffable | not expressible in words; too great or too sacred to be uttered |
| lucubration | laborious study or thought, especially at night; the result of such work |
| mnemonic | relating to or designed to assist the memory; a device to aid the memory |
| obloquy | public abuse indicating strong disapproval or censure; the disgrace resulting from such treatment |
| parameter | a determining or characteristic element; a factor that shapes the total outcome; a limit, boundary |
| pundit | a learned person; one who gives authoritative opinions |
| risible | pertaining to laughter; able or inclined to laugh; laughable |
| symptomatic | typical or characteristic; being or concerned with a symptom of a disease |
| volte face | an about-face; a complete reversal |
| aficionado | an enthusiastic and usually expert follower or fan |
| browbeat | to intimidate by a stern or overbearing manner; to bully |
| commensurate | equal in size, extent, duration, or importance; proportionate; measurable by the same standards |
| diaphanous | very sheer and light; almost completely transparent |
| emolument | profit derived from an office or position or from employment; a fee or salary |
| foray | a quick raid, especially for plunder; a venture into some field of endeavor; to make such a raid |
| genre | a type, class, or variety, especially a distinctive category of literary composition; a style of painting in which everyday scenes are realistically depicted |
| homily | a sermon stressing moral principles; a tedious moralizing lecture or discourse |
| immure | to enclose or confine within walls; to imprison; to seclude or isolate |
| insouciant | blithely indifferent or unconcerned; carefree; happy-go-lucky |
| matrix | a mold; the surrounding situation or environment |
| obsequies | funeral rites or ceremonies |
| panache | a confident and stylish manner, dash; a strikingly elaborate or colorful display |
| persona | a character in a novel or play; the outward character or role that a person assumes |
| philippic | a bitter verbal attack |
| prurient | having lustful desires or interests; tending to arouse sexual desires |
| sacrosanct | very sacred or holy; inviolable; set apart or immune from questioning or attack |
| systemic | of or pertaining to the entire body; relating to a system or systems |
| tendentious | intended to promote a particular point of view, doctrine, or cause; biased or partisan |
| vicissitude | a change, variation, or alteration; successive or changing phases or conditions |
| abortive | failing to accomplish an intended aim or purpose; only partially or imperfectly developed |
| bruit | to spread news, reports, or unsubstantiated rumors |
| contumelious | insolent or rude in speech or behavior; insultingly abusive; humiliating |
| dictum | a short saying; an authoritative statement |
| ensconce | to settle comfortably and firmly in position; to put or hide in a safe place |
| iconoclastic | attacking or seeking to overthrow popular or traditional beliefs, ideas, or institutions |
| in medias res | in or into the middle of a plot; into the middle of things |
| internecine | mutually destructive; characterized by great slaughter and bloodshed |
| maladroit | lacking skill or dexterity; lacking tact, perception, or judgment |
| maudlin | excessively or effusively sentimental |
| modulate | to change or vary the intensity or pitch; to temper or soften; to regulate, adjust |
| portentous | foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder or awe; self-consciously weighty, pompous |
| prescience | knowledge of events or actions before they happen; foresight |
| quid pro quo | something given in exchange or return for something else |
| salubrious | conducive to health or well-being; wholesome |
| saturnalian | characterized by riotous or unrestrained revelry or licentiousness |
| touchstone | a means of testing worth or genuineness |
| traumatic | so shocking to the emotions as to cause lasting and substantial psychological damage |
| vitiate | to weaken, debase, or corrupt; to impair the quality or value of |
| waggish | fond of making jokes; characteristic of a joker; playfully humorous or droll |
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