| Term | Definition |
|---|
| parrot | to blindly repeat or copy |
| insolvent | unable to pay debts as they become due |
| ornithology | the study of birds |
| abstract | without reference to specific instance or concrete existence; theoretical; to remove |
| misnomer | a name wrongly applied to a person or object |
| captivate | to capture the attention or affection of, as by beauty, excellence, etc. |
| recess | a small area in which the wall is set further back |
| authenticate | to establish as genuine |
| gaffe | a clumsy social error |
| beholden | obliged |
| drab | dull or dreary; monotonous |
| precipitant | rushing headlong; rash |
| vernal | relating to spring |
| doleful | mournful; gloomy |
| beckon | to signal or summon, as by nodding or waving |
| junta | a group of military officers ruling a country after seizing power |
| ewe | a female sheep, esp when full grown |
| strenuous | involving great effort |
| anchor | to keep from drifting; to hold or become stable |
| fealty | loyalty;fidelity |
| glut | oversupply |
| bombast | pompous speech |
| ensemble | a group, esp. of performers, working as a unified whole |
| cabal | a small group of secret plotters, i.e., against a government or authority |
| masochist | one who gets pleasure from being physically or emotionally abused |
| archaeology | the recovery and study of material evidence from the past |
| parched | very thirsty; dried up because of the heat |
| skirmish | a minor conflict |
| choreography | the art of creating dances |
| doldrums | an area in the ocean of calm winds; a state of boredom or listlessness |
| lewd | preoccupied with sex and sexual desire |
| loiter | to stand about without purpose; to delay |
| behoove | to be necessary or proper for |
| incarnate | in human form and shape |
| dilute | to lessen the concentration, force, or purity of by adding something |
| reap | to harvest; to obtain as the result of effort |
| salvo | a simultaneous discharge or release, as of weapons |
| sheer | complete; thin and transparent |
| scoundrel | a dishonest person; a villain |
| despot | a ruler with absolute power; a person who wields power oppressively |
| curtain | to cut short, abbreviate |
| smorgasbord | a buffet meal with a variety of dishes; a varied collection |
| pronounced | strongly marked; clearly indicated |
| exhilarate | to refresh or stimulate |
| ply | to use diligently; to engage in; to continue supplying |
| dossier | group of documents |
| welter | a confused mass or jumble |
| homely | unattractive, plain looking |
| cow | to frighten with threats or a show of force |
| shrapnel | fragments from a bomb |
| bureaucracy | a group of officials and administrators, esp. of a government |
| peccadillo | a minor sin |
| privation | lack of basic necessities |
| sentient | capable of feeling; conscious |
| leaning | a preference or inclination |
| gruff | rough; harsh |
| comely | attractive or pleasing in appearance; pretty; handsome |
| luscious | having a pleasant taste or smell; richly appealing to the senses |
| exposition | a statement intended to give background information or to explain something difficult |
| susceptible | easily influenced; vulnerable |
| séance | a meeting of people to receive messages from the spirit world |
| forbidding | disagreeable; menacing |
| celibate | abstaining from sexual activity |
| obloquy | strongly disapproving language |
| begrudge | envy; to resent someone else's enjoyment and success |
| fait accompli | an accomplished, presumably irreversible, deed |
| keepsake | a memento; something kept as a reminder |
| trample | to beat down with the feet |
| immolate | to sacrifice; to kill or destroy |
| gestate | evolve, as in prenatal growth |
| singular | very rare; remarkable |
| arbiter | a person selected to judge a dispute |
| veteran | one who is well experienced in some occupation |
| zoology | the study of animals |
| analgesic | a medication that relieves pain |
| demented | insane; crazy |
| hangar | a structure used for housing aircraft |
| equilibrium | a state of balance or equality between opposing forces |
| bilious | bad-tempered; cross |
| larceny | theft, esp. of personal property |
| grievance | a cause or reason for protest |
| molt | to shed and otuer covering, such as feathers or skin |
| panorama | a broad view; comprehensive survey |
| ad hoc | for a specific purpose and no other; improvised |
| jar | to make a harsh sound; to shake by sudden impact |
| abdomen | the part of the body between the chest and the pelvis; the belly |
| ghoul | one who takes pleasure in horrible things; a legendary creature that feeds on corpses |
| superlative | excellent; of the highest quality |
| constrain | to keep within close bounds; to force |
| embitter | to make bitter; to cause resentment |
| staunch | strongly loyal |
| quack | an untrained person who pretends to be a physician and dispenses medical advice and treatment |
| chauvinism | unreasoning and boastful devotion to one's country or sex |
| prophylactic | acting to pretend something, esp. disease |
| pectoral | of or located in or on the chest or breast |
| warp | to distort, as a twist or bend |
| kiosk | a small booth from which tickets or newspapers are sold; a column-like structure for posting notices |
| agreeable | pleasing or pleasant; willing or ready to consent |
| concordance | an index of significant words and the phrases containing them in a book |
| thicket | a dense growth of shrubs or underbrush |
| nexus | a connection or intersection |
| svelte | slender and graceful in outline |
| fray | a fight or brawl |
| curmudgeon | an ill-tempered person |
| leonine | authoritative; commanding; like a lion |
| flounce | to move in a lively or bouncy manner |
| jingle | a song or poem with a simple, obvious, repetitive rhythm |
| prude | one who is overly concerned with propriety or modesty |
| ration | a fixed portion, esp. of food, given to persons in military service or to civilians in times of scarcity |
| lachrymose | causing tears; weeping or inclined to weep |
| subsume | to include as part of a larger group |
| visage | facial features or expression |
| sarcophagus | stone coffin or tomb, esp. one exposed to view |
| stevedore | one who works loading and unloading ships |
| cognizant | fully informed |
| pseudonym | a fictitious name assumed by an author |
| melodramatic | exaggeratedly emotional or sentimental |
| bane | deadly harm or ruin |
| bluff | rough and blunt, but not unkind, in manner |
| expend | to pay out or use up |
| couch | to phrase in a particular way |
| nudge | a gentle push; to push gently |
| incorporate | to include as a part; to combine into one body |
| sect | a small group, esp. religious, united by a specific set of beliefs |
| oust | to eject or expel |
| sensate | having physical perception |
| rationalize | to come up with self-satisfying but incorrect excuses |
| brood | to be deep in thought; to think over moodily and at length |
| despoil | to deprive something of value |
| exiguous | scanty; meager; small; slender |
| mature | fully developed; full-grown; responsible |
| matrimony | the act or state of being married |
| vituperative | harshly critical |
| rococo | elaborate or overdone |
| amicable | showing friendliness or good will |
| famine | extreme and general scarcity of food |
| blasphemy | an act that shows contempt for God or religious matters |
| contract | to reduce in size by drawing together |
| platitude | a commonplace remark delivered as if it were important |
| jaunty | having a happy self-confidence |
| calibrate | to adjust systematically |
| plastic | capable of being shaped or molded; easily influenced |
| lacuna | an empty space or missing portion |
| artisan | a worker trained or skilled in some manual trade |
| proletariat | the working class |
| lycanthrope | a werewolf |
| novel | strikingly new |
| provincial | limited in perspective; unsophisticated |
| effectual | able to produce the desired result |
| pertinacious | stubbornly maintaining a belief |
| eerie | causing inexplicable fear or uneasiness, oft. because of an apparently supernatural origin |
| eviscerate | to take out the entrails of; to remove the vital essence |
| lassitude | a feeling of weakness |
| vortex | a flow of fluid around an axis, like a whirlpool |
| collude | to plot secretly for a deceitful or illegal purpose |
| flounder | to proceed with clumsiness and confusion |
| mentor | a counselor or teacher |
| tinder | dry grass or twigs used to start a fire |
| adolescent | relating to the time between childhood and adulthood |
| balm | anything healing or soothing |
| fauna | animals as a group, esp. of a specified region or time |
| natal | relating to birth |
| condone | to pardon or overlook voluntarily |
| nugatory | having no importance; invalid |
| flourish | to blossom; to grow vigorously; prosper |
| incorporeal | lacking material substance |
| taunt | to bother; to tease; to ridicule |
| anthropocentric | interpreting everything in terms of human experience and values |
| amenity | pleasantness; something increasing comfort |
| heritage | soemthing immaterial, such as a custom, passed from one generation to another |
| vim | energy; enthusiasm |
| err | to make a mistake |
| avatar | an embodiment, as of a quality or concept |
| acronym | a word created by initials |
| diverse | of different kind; varied |
| ecclesiastical | relating to the church |
| bazaar | a market consisting of a street lined with shops; a place where miscellaneous items are sold |
| pulverize | to crush; to grind into powder or dust |
| traffic | to conduct trade |
| cadence | a rhythmic beat |
| emancipate | to give freedom, to set loose |
| authoritative | of acknowledged accuracy or excellence; highly reliable |
| stanza | an arrangement of lines, often of a fixed pattern, forming a division of a poem |
| fashion | to make |
| liniment | a medicinal fluid rubbed on the skin to soothe pain or relieve stiffness |
| document | to support with written evidence |
| deciduous | shedding or disappearing at the end of a season |
| mire | a swamp or bog |
| douse | to wet thoroughly |
| incantation | a formula of words intended to produce a magical effect |
| atrium | a rectangular open area in a building, often with a skylight |
| horticulture | the science of gardening and planting |
| exigent | requiring immediate action |
| testy | irritable; touchy |
| bristle | to react in an angry or offended manner |
| mien | bearing or manner, esp. as revealing one's inner state of mind |
| pallet | a narrow, hard bed or straw-filled mattress |
| repent | to feel remorse for a past action |
| adventitious | added from outside; accidental |
| dearth | scarcity or lack |
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