| Term | Definition |
|---|
| apocryphal | adj: of questionable authorship or authenticity (apocryphal rumors). |
| foment | v: to promote the growth of; to incite; to stimulate or provokeNegative connotation. |
| protean | adj: readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings; exhibiting considerable variety or diversity (protean skill). (Like Mystique from XMen, or a person who is very skilled at many different things.) |
| inimitable | adj: defying imitation; matchless; unique; incomparable. |
| belie | v: to picture falsely; misrepresent; to be counter to; to contradict. Belie the argument. |
| expiate | v: (tr./intr.) to make amends or reparation for; to atone (expiate one's sins by acts of penance). |
| paroxysm | n: a sudden outburst of emotion or action (a paroxysm of laughter); a sudden attack or intensification of a disease; a spasm or fit; a convulsion. |
| promulgate | v: to make known (a decree) by public declaration; to announce officially; to put into effect by former public announcement. |
| philander | v: to carry on a sexual affair or many affairs, esp. with a frivolous or casual attitude (philanderer is the n). |
| incur | v: to acquire or come into (something usually undesirable); to sustain; to bring upon oneself. |
| exhume | v: to remove from a grave; disinter; to bring to light, especially after a period of obscurity; to unearth (exhumation is the n). |
| vituperative | adj: using, containing, or marked by harshly abusive censure. |
| vituperate | v: (tr.) to rebuke or criticize harshly or abusively; berate; scold; (intr.) to use harshly abusive language; to rail. |
| treatise | n: a systematic, usually extensive, written discourse on a topic. (Such as Raskolnikov's article on the two types of people.) |
| ungainly | adj: lacking grace or ease of movement or form; clumsy; difficult to move or use; unwieldyLike a dancer. |
| nominal | adj: of, resembling, relating to, or consisting of a name or names; existing in name only; titular; insignificantly small; trifling. (A nominal amount does not matter. Being the student body president is usually nominal.) |
| pillory | n: a wooden framework on a post, with holes for the head and hands, in which offenders were formerly locked to be exposed to public scorn as punishment. v: to ridicule and abuse; to put in a pillory as punishment. |
| cull | v: to pick out from others; to select; to gather or collect; to remove rejected members or parts from (a herd). n: something picked out from others, especially because of inferiority. |
| fodder | n: feed for livestock, especially material, as for artistic creation; a consumable, often inferior item or resource that is in demand and usually in abundant supply. |
| aplomb | n: self-confident assurance; composure; ease. |
| disingenuous | adj: not straightforward or candid; insincere; hypocritical. |
| invidious | adj: tending to rouse ill will, animosity, or resentment (invidious accusations); discriminatory; odious. |
| cataclysm | n: a violent upheaval that causes great destruction or brings about a fundamental change, a devastating flood (cataclysmic is the adj). |
| masochist | n: the turning of destructive tendencies upon oneself; the willingness to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences (masochist – n, masochistic is the adj). |
| consortium | n: an association or combination, as of business, in order to engage in a joint venture; a cooperative arrangement among groups or institutions. |
| emissary | n: an agent sent on a mission to represent or advance the interests of another. |
| harrowing | adj: extremely distressing; disturbing; tormenting; vexing. |
| nihilism | adj: an exreme form of skepticism that holds that or rejects all moral or religious values as baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated; the belief that destruction of existing political and social institutions is necessary for future improvement (nihilistic is the adj). |
| retinue | n: the retainers accompanying a high-ranking person; entourage. |
| quotidian | adj: everyday; commonplace; recurring daily; on a daily basis. |
| brio | n: vigor; vivacity; liveliness; exuberance. |
| secular | adj: worldly rather than spiritual; not bound by monastic restrictions, especially not belonging to a religious order; material. |
| fete | n: a festival or feast; an elaborate, often outdoor entertainment; gala; jamboree. v: to celebrate or honor with a festival, feast, or an elaborate entertainment; to pay honor to. |
| reprieve | v: to postpone or cancel the punishment of; to bring relief to. n: postponement or cancellation of a punishment; temporary relief, as from danger. |
| schmaltz | n: excessively sentimental art or music; maudlin sentimentality (schmaltzy is the adj). |
| fetid | adj: having an offensive odor; putrid; squalid; decaying. |
| unseemly | adj: not in accord with accepted standards of good taste; grossly improper; not suited to the circumstances; inappropriate. |
| dither | n: a state of indecisive agitation. v: to be nervously irresolute in acting or doing (dithering is the adj). |
| restive | adj: uneasily impatient under restriction, opposition, criticism, or delay; resisting control; refusing to move. (The crowd grew restive.) |
| queue | n: a line of waiting people or vehicles; a long braid of hair worn hanging down the back of the neck; a pigtail. |
| rube | n: an unsophisticated country person. |
| cogent | adj: appealing to the intellect or powers of reasoning; convincing; persuasive; influential (a cogent argument) (cogency is the n). |
| cognition | n: the mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment; that which comes to be known, through perception, reasoning, or intuition, knowledge. |
| cognitive | adj: having a basis in or reducible to empirical factual knowledge. |
| ineffable | adj: defying expression or description; indescribable; inexpressible, unspeakable, indefinable (an ineffable quality). |
| consummate | v: to bring to completion or fruition; to conclude; to fulfill. adj: complete or perfect in every aspect; supremely accomplished or skilled (a consummate politician). |
| inveigh | v: (against) to give vent to angry disapproval; to protest vehemently. |
| nadir | n: in astronomy, a point on the celestial scale directly below the observer, diametrically opposite the zenith; the lowest point. (The very bottom.) |
| sumptuous | adj: of a size or splendor suggesting great expense; lavish; luxurious; extravagant; opulent; plush. |
| arbiter | n: one chosen to judge or decide a disputed issue; an arbitrator; one who has the power to judge or ordain a will. |
| crony | n: a longtime close friend or companion. (Has a negative connotation.) |
| cronyism | n: favoritism shown to old friends without regard for their qualifications, as in political appointments to office. |
| promenade | n: a leisurely walk, especially one taken in a public place; a formal dance; a ball. v: to go on a leisurely walk. |
| posthumous | adj: occurring or continuing after one's death; published after a writer's death. |
| behoove | v: to be necessary or proper for (it behooves you to try). |
| graft | n: unscrupulous use of one's position for profit or advantages; extortion; money or an advantage gained by unscrupulous means. v: to join or unite closely (as in a plant, a transplant, or a custom). |
| venerate | v: to regard with respect, reverence, or heartfelt deference; to honor or idolize (veneration: n). |
| venerable | adj: commanding respect by virtue of age, dignity, character, or position; worthy of reverence, especially by religious or historical association. |
| unctuous | adj: characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness; having the quality or characteristics of oil; slippery. |
| obdurate | adj: hardened in wrongdoing or wickedness; stubbornly inpenitent; hardened against feeling; hardhearted; not giving in to persuasion; intractable; inflexible (an obdurate miser). |
| alcove | n: a recess or partly enclosed extension connected to or forming part of a room; a secluded structure, such as a bower, in a garden. (A Gazebo.) |
| baleful | adj: portending evil; ominous; harmful or malignant in intent or effect; that which is menacing or foreshadows evil; sinister (a baleful look). |
| placard | n: a sign or notice for display in a public place; a small cord or plaque, such as a nameplate on a door. |
| oblique | adj: having a slanting or sloping direction, course, or position; indirect or evasive; devious, misleading, or dishonest. |
| interloper | n: one who interferes with the affairs of others, often for selfish reasons; a meddler; one who intrudes in a place, situation, or activity. |
| amorphous | adj: lacking definite form; shapeless; of no particular type; anomalous; lacking organization; formless. |
| attrition | n: a rubbing away or wearing down by friction; a gradual, natural reduction in membership or personnel, as through retirement, resignation, or death. |
| roil | v: to make (a liquid) muddy or cloudy by stirring up sediment; to displease or disturb; to vex; to agitate. |
| prurient | adj: inordinately interested in matters of sex; lascivious; abusing or appealing to an inordinate interest in sex (prurience is the n). |
| mete out | v: to distribute by or as if by measure; allot (mete out punishment). |
| epigram | n: a short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation; a concise, clever, often paradoxical statement. |
| inception | n: the beginning of something, such as an undertaking; a commencement. |
| parse | v: to examine closely or subject to detailed analysis, especially by breaking into components; to make sense of; to comprehend. |
| recompense | v: to award compensation to; to remunerate. n: amends made for a loss; payment in return for something; remuneration; compensation. |
| proprietor | n: one who had legal title to something; an owner; manager. |
| proprietary | adj: exclusively owned; private. |
| effrontery | n: brazen boldness; presumptuousness; impudence. |
| fatuous | adj: vacuously, smugly, and unconsciously foolish; delusive; inane; unreal; absurd. |
| natty | adj: neat, trim, and smart; dapper (a natty dresser). |
| slattern | n: an untidy, dirty woman. |
| slatterny | adj: characteristic of or befitting a slattern; slovenly; untidy. |
| crass | adj: so crude and unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility; inane; asinine. |
| tractable | adj: easily managed or controlled; governable; easily handled or worked; malleable. |
| intractable | adj: difficult to manage or govern; stubborn; unruly; difficult to mold or manipulate. |
| accost | v: to approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand; to confront or detain. |
| voluble | adj: marked by a ready flow of speech; fluent. |
| obrogate | v: to abolish; do away with, or annul, especially by authority. |
| threshold | n: a piece of wood or stone beneath a door; a doorway; entrance; the place or point of beginning; the outset; the point that must be exceeding to begin producing a given effect or result to elicit a response. |
| parlay | v: to bet (an original wager and its winnings) on a subsequent event; to maneuver (an asset) to great advantage (He parlayed his small investment into a large fortune). |
| fissure | n: a long narrow opening; a crack or cleft; the process of splitting or separating; a division; a schism. |
| messianic | adj: of or relating to a messiah or savior. |
| repudiate | v: to reject the validity or authority of; to eject strongly as false or unjust; to refuse to recognize or pay; to disown (as in a child). |
| requisite | adj: required; essential. n: something that is indispensable; a requirement. |
| catatonia | n: an abnormal condition variously categorized by stupor, mania, and either rigidity or extreme flexibility of the limbs (catatonic is the adj). |
| chagrin | n: a keen feeling of mental unease caused by disappointment or failure; mortification; vexation. |
| rapprochement | n: a reestablishment of cordial relation; as between two countries; the state of reconciliation. |
| untoward | adj: not favorable; unpropitious; troublesome; adverse (an untoward incident); hard to guide or control; unruly; improper; unseemly (untoward advances). |
| ineluctable | adj: not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable. |
| vis a vis | prep – face to face with; opposite to; compared with; in relation to. n: one with the same functions or characteristics as another; a counterpart |
| macabre | adj: suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome. |
| raconteur | n: one who tells stories and anecdotes with skill and wit. |
| pontificate | v: (intr.) to express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way. |
| apotheosis | n: exaltation of divine rank or stature; deification; elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification; an exalted or glorified example (the apotheosis of courage). |
| florid | adj: flushed with rosy color; ruddy; very ornate; flowery; healthy; baroque; extravagant (doesn't directly describe a person). |
| dilatory | adj: intended to delay; tending to postpone or lacking promptness due to procrastination or indifference (dilatory in his work habits). |
| milk | v: to press out, drain off, or remove by or as if by milking; to obtain money or benefits from in order to achieve personal gain; exploit. |
| waft | v: to cause to go gently and smoothly through the air or over water; to drift. |
| beget | v: to father; sire; to cause to exist or occur; to produce (begot – past tense, begotten: past participle). |
| duress | n: constrain by threat; coercion (confessed under duress); in law, illegal coercion or forcible confinement. |
| vertigo | n: the sensation of dizziness; an instance of such a sensation; a confused, disoriented state of mind. |
| vertiginous | adj: turning about an axis; revolving or whirling; affected by or tending to produce vertigo; dizzy; inclined to change quickly; unstable. |
| fetish | n: an object that is believed to have magical or spiritual powers, especially one associated with animistic or shamanistic religious practices; an object or unreasonably excessive attention or reverence; an abnormally obsessive preoccupation or attachment; a fixation. |
| du jour | adj: prepared for a given day; most recent; current. |
| grandiloquence | n: pompous or bombastic speech or expression (grandiloquent is the adj). |
| dulcet | adj: pleasing to the ear; melodious; having a soothing, agreeable quality. |
| abridge | v: to reduce the length of (a written text); condense; to cut short; curtail (abridgment is the n). |
| parry | v: to deflect or ward off; to evade or avoid with skill. |
| indolent | adj: habitually idle; disliking or avoiding work; lazy, sluggish; listless, slothful (indolence is the n). |
| egregious | adj: outstandingly bad; flagrant (as in a mistake or error). |
| rhapsody | n: exalted or excessively enthusiastic expression of feeling in speech or writing; a literary work written in an impassioned style; a state of elated bliss; ecstasy; in music, a usually instrumental composition of irregular form that often incorporates improvisation. |
| rhapsodize | v: to express oneself in an immoderately enthusiastic manner; to recite (something) in the manner of a rhapsody (rhapsodic is the adj). |
| aegis | n: (pronounced eejiss) protection; patronage; support or guidance; sponsorship. |
| animus | n: a hostile feeling; animosity; ill-will; an attitude that informs one's actions; disposition. |
| celerity | n: haste, swiftness of movement; rapidity; alacrity; speed. |
| blanch | v: to turn pale; to cause to turn white or lose color. |
| jejune | adj: insipid; juvenile; dull, lacking interest; unsophisticated; immature. |
| cabal | n: a secret group of conspirators; a clique; a faction; a sect. |
| canard | n: an unfounded or false, deliberately misleading story; a hoax; a ruse or fraud. |
| effete | adj: exhausted; lacking vitality; lethargic; weary; marked by self-indulgence; triviality or decadence. |
| hoary | adj: gray or white with age; ancient; stale; old. |
| baroque | adj: extravagant or bizarre, especially in ornamentation; elaborately, boldly, or flamboyantly decorative. |
| munificent | adj: generous; magnanimous; charitable; upright (munificence is the n). |
| élan | n: (aylon) enthusiastic vigor or liveliness; vivacity; distinctively elegant style or flair. |
| adjure | v: to command or urge solemnly and earnestly; to entreat. |
| adjuration | n: an earnest or solemn appeal. |
| percipience | n: keen perception. |
| percipient | adj: having the power to perceive keenly and readily. |
| martinet | n: one who adheres strictly to rules; a disciplinarian or despot. |
| apostasy | n: abandonment of a loyalty or religion. |
| apostate | n: one who has abandoned one's beliefs, such as one's religion, political affiliation, or a cause. |
| oeuvre | n: (pronounced oovruh) a work of art; the sum of the lifework of an artist, writer, or composer; opus. |
| veracity | n: adherence to the truth; truthfulness; accuracy or precision. |
| veracious | adj: truthful; honest; accurate; precise. |
| codicil | n: an addition, appendix, or supplement, usually to a will. |
| approbate | n: an expression of warm approval; praise; official approval. |
| Byzantine | adj: relating to the Byzantine Empire or the Eastern Orthodox Church. |
| prescience | n: knowledge of actions or events before they occur; foresight (prescient is the adj). |
| quintessential | adj: being the most typical. |
| quintessence | n: the pure, highly concentrated essence of a thing; the purest or most typical instance (the quintessence of kindness). |
| jettison | v: to cast overboard or off; to discard (something) as unwanted or burdensome. |
| astringent | adj: in medicine, tending to draw together or construct body tissues; styptic. adj: sharp and penetrating; pungent or severe (astringent remarks). |
| predicate | v: to base or establish a statement or action (I predicated the facts); to carry the connotation of; to imply; to proclaim; declare or assert as an attribute or quality of something (his sermon predicated that materialism is a form of greed). |
| predilection | n: a partiality or disposition in favor of something; a preference, a bias, a leaning, a penchant, a proclivity, or a propensity. |
| arrant | adj: completely such; thoroughgoing (an arrant fool, the arrant luxury of the cruise ship). |
| errant | adj: roving, especially in search of adventure (knight's errant); wandering outside the established limits (errant lambs); aimless or irregular in motion (an errant afternoon breeze). |
| conundrum | n: a riddle in which a fanciful question is answered by a pun; a paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma. |
| lope | v: to run or ride at a steady, easy gait; to stride. |
| desiccate | v: to dry out; to preserve (as in foods) by removing the moisture. |
| desiccated | adj: dry, parched, lifeless; dehydrated. |
| chary | adj: careful, cautious, wary; circumspect. |
| plenary | adj: complete in all respects; unlimited or full (a diplomat with plenary powers); fully attended by all qualified members (a plenary session of the council). |
| diurnal | adj: (the opposite of nocturnal) occurring during the day, happening every day; daily. |
| éclat | n: a dazzling success; acclaim; great brilliance. |
| extirpate | v: to rip up by the roots; to abolish, annihilate, destroy, eradicate, exterminate, or extinguish; to remove by surgery (extirpate drug use) (extirpative – adj, exterpation: n). |
| perfidy | n: deliberate breach of faith; calculated violation of trust; treachery. |
| perfidious | adj: treacherous, traitorous, or untrustworthy; disloyal; deceitful. |
| bathos | n: an abrupt, unintended transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect; an anticlimax. |
| bathetic | adj: excessively or insincerely emotional or sentimental; maudlin, mawkish, soppy, schmaltzy, mushy. |
| ennui | n: (pronounced onwee) listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom. |
| fusillade | n: a rapid outburst; spray of gunfire fired simultaneously or in rapid succession; a barrage, as of insults. |
| perquisite | n: a privilege or perk that goes along with a job; gratuity; benefit; advantage. |
| inure | v: to habituate to something undesirable, especially by prolonged subjection; to get used to; to accustom (she inured herself to their insults). |
| fey | adj: having or displaying an other-worldly, magical, or fairylike aspect or quality (a fey look); having visionary power; clairvoyant. |
| turbid | adj: having sediment or foreign particles stirred up or suspended; muddy; heavy, dark, or dense, as a smoke or fog. |
| sententious | adj: terse or energetic in expression; pithy; abounding in aphorisms; given to pompous moralizing. |
| probity | n : honesty; uprightness; integrity; decency; virtue |
| piquant | adj : (pronounced pe-kant) pleasantly pungent or tart in taste; spicy; appealingly provocative (a piquant wit) adj : charming, interesting, or attractive (a piquant face) (piquancy - n) |
| sobriquet | n : a nickname; an assumed name |
| invective | n : denunciatory or abusive language; vituperation; reproachful and/or abusive use of profanity |
| treacle | n : a medicinal compound formally used as an antidote for poison; cloying speech or sentiment |
| treacly | adj : cloyingly sweet or sentimental |
| seminal | adj : of, relating to, or having the power to originate; creative; highly influential in an original way (a seminal figure in impressionism); constituting or providing a basis for further development (a seminal idea) |
| mordant | adj : bitingly sarcastic; incisive and trenchant; acerbic; harsh; penetrating (having to do with written or oral communication) |
| perspicacity | n : acuteness of perception, discernment, or understanding |
| perspicacious | adj : having or showing penetrating mental discernment; intelligently clear-sighted or perceptive |
| ostensible | adj : representing or appearing as such; ostensive; professed; seeming (his ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity) (ostensibly – adj) |
| hubris | n : (pronounced hyoo-bris) overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance; haughtiness; egotism |
| parsimony | n : unusual or excessive frugality; stinginess; thriftiness |
| parsimonious | adj : excessively sparing or frugal; cheap, miserly |
| ecumenical | adj : of worldwide scope or applicability; universal adj : of or relating to the worldwide Christian church; concerned with establishing or promoting unity among churches and religions |
| dichotomy | n : division into two usually contradictory parts or opinions (dichotomy of someone's character) (dichotomous – adj) |
| supercilious | adj : feeling or showing haughty disdain; arrogant; condescending; excessively proud |
| lugubrious | adj : mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree; doleful, somber |
| doughty | adj : (pronounced DOW-tee) marked by stouthearted courage; brave |
| propitious | adj : presenting favorable circumstances; auspicious, kindly, gracious |
| penury | n : extreme want/poverty; destitution; extreme dearth; barrenness; insufficiency; indigence (penurious – adj) |
| sardonic | adj : scornfully or cynically mocking; sarcastic; satirical; mordant |
| callow | adj : lacking adult maturity or experience; immature |
| fallow | adj : plowed but left unseeded during a growing season (a fallow field); characterized by inactivity (a fallow gold market) |
| travail | n : work, especially when arduous; toil; tribulations or agony; anguish (v : (intr) to work strenuously; to toil) |
| peripatetic | adj : walking about or from place to place; traveling on foot; wandering; itinerant |
| augur | n : a seer or prophet; a soothsayer v : (tr) to predict, especially from signs or omens; to foretell; to serve as an omen of (trends that augur change in society) v : (intr) to make predictions from signs or omens; to be a sign or omen (a smooth dress rehearsal augurs well for the play) |
| argot | n : (are-go) a specialized vocabulary or set of idioms used by a particular group, especially criminals; jargon; dialect |
| excoriate | v : to tear or wear off the skin of; to abrade; to censure strongly or denounce (excoriating – adj) |
| proclivity | n : (to or for) a natural prosperity or inclination; predisposition; tendency; penchant |
| inbroglio | n : (pronounced im-broel-yo) a difficult or intricate situation; an entanglement; a confused or complicated disagreement; a confused heap; a tangle |
| nefarious | adj : infamous by way of being extremely wicked; despicable; reprehensible |
| avatar | n : the incarnation of a Hindu deity, especially Vishnu, in human or animal form; an embodiment; as of a quality or concept; an archetype |
| impinge | v : (intr) to collide or strike (sound waves impinge on the eardrum); to encroach; intrude; trespass (don't impinge on my privacy) v : (tr) to encroach upon (without impinging the liberties of our society) |
| ephemeral | adj : lasting for a markedly brief time; living or lasting only for a day; transient; temporary |
| aspersion | n : an unfavorable or damaging remark; slander; the act of defaming or slandering |
| attenuate | v : to make slender, fine, or small (the drought attenuated the men); to reduce in force, value, degree, or amount; weaken (the medicine attenuated the fever's effect) (attenuating – adj) |
| tendentious | adj : marked by a strong implicit point of view; partisan (a tendentious account of the recent election) |
| temporal | adj : of, relating to, or limited by time; of or relating to the material world; lasting for only a time; not eternal; passing |
| palliate | v : to make (an offense or crime) seem less serious; extenuate; to make less severe or intense; mitigate; to relieve the symptoms of a disease or disorder |
| palliative | adj : tending or serving to palliate; relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disorder without effecting a cure; analgesic |
| scurrilous | adj : given to the use of vulgar, coarse, or abusive accusations expressed in defamation or libelous language |
| cavalcade | n : a procession of riders or horse-drawn carriages; a ceremonial procession or display; a succession, series or cluster (a cavalcade of stars) |
| dilettante | n : a dabbler in an art or a field of knowledge (connotes lacking professional skill; a lover of the fine arts; a connoisseur |
| morass | n : an area of low-lying soggy ground; something that hinders, engulfs, or overwhelms; a quagmire |
| progeny | n : one bord of, begotten by, or derived from another; an offspring or a descendant; a scion; a result of a creative effort; a product |
| vernacular | n : the standard native language of a country or locality; dialect; the everyday language spoken by a people as distinguished from literary language; the idiom of a trade or profession |
| empirical | adj : relying or derived from observation or experiment; verifiable or provable by means of observations or experiment (empirical evidence) |
| ethereal | adj : light and insubstantial; intangible; highly refined; delicate; heavenly; spiritual |
| fealty | the fidelity owed by a vassal to his feudal lord; faithfulness; allegiance; loyalty |
| prevaricate | v : to stray from or evade the truth; equivocate; to dither or stall (prevaricator/prevarication : n) |
| churl | n : a rude, boorish person; a miserly person; a medieval English peasant (a free person of the lowest class) |
| churlish | adj : boorish and vulgar; having a bad disposition; surly |
| flippant | adj : marked by disrespectful levity or casualness; pert; frivolous; glib |
| cipher | n : one having no influence or value; a nonentity; an empty vessel; the mathematical symbol for zero |
| vouchsafe | v : to condescend; to grant or bestow (a privilege); to deign |
| nostrum | n : a medicine whose effectiveness is unproved and who ingredients are usually secret; a quack remedy n : a favorite but untested remedy for problems or evils |
| plangent | adj : loud and resounding (plangent bells); expressing or suggesting sadness; plaintive (the plangent sounds of a guitar) |
| aggregate | adj : constituting or amounting to a whole; total; (aggregate sales) n : a total considered with reference to its constituent parts; a gross amount v : to gather into a mass, sum, or whole; to amount to or total |
| paean to | n : (pronounced pee-an) a song of joyful praise or exultation; a fervent expression of joy or phrase (the art was a paean to paganism) |
| salacious | adj : appealing to or stimulating sexual desire; lascivious; lustful; bawdy (the media played up the scandal's salacious details) |
| non sequitur | n : an inference or conclusion that does not follow from the premises or evidence; a statement that does not follow logically from what preceded |
| doctrinaire | adj/n : of, relating to, or characteristic of a person; inflexibility attached to a practice or theory without regard to its practicality, and implies imposing that will on others |
| chimera | n : an organism consisting of two or more tissues of different genetic compositions, produced as a result of transplant, grafting, or genetic engineering n : in Greek mythology, a fire-breathing she-monster usually represented as a composite of a lion, goat, and serpent; a fanciful mental illusion or fabrication |
| sojourn | v: to reside or stay temporarily n : a temporary; a brief period of residence |
| parapet | n : a low protective wall or railing along the edge of a raised structure, such as a roof or balcony; an embankment protecting soldiers from enemy fire; a bulwark |
| phlegmatic | adj : having or suggesting a calm, sluggish, temperament; unemotional, apathetic |
| sophistry | n : a plausible but misleading or fallacious argument (sophist – n) |
| sophistic | adj : apparently sound but really fallacious; specious (sophistic refutations) |
| Ignominy | n- great personal dishonor on humiliations; shameful or disgraceful action, conduct, or character |
| Ignominious | adj.- marked by shame or disgrace; deserving disgrace or shame; despicable; degrading; debasing |
| Soignée | adj.- showing sophisticated elegance; fashionable; well-groomed; polished |
| Staid | adj.- characterized by a sedate dignity and often a strait-laced sense or propriety; serious; sober; fixed; permanent |
| Reckon | n- to count, compute, or calculate; to consider as being; to regard |
| Alacrity | n- cheerful willingness, eagerness, speed or quickness; celerity |
| Reckoning | n- the act of counting or computing; an itemized bill or statement of a sum due; a settlement of accounts |
| Encroach | v -to take another's possessions or rights gradually or stealthily; to advance beyond proper or former limits |
| Vintage | n- the yield of wine or grapes from a vineyard during one season adj.- characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; classic; of the most distinctive; of the best |
| Blandish | v- to coax by flattery of wheedling; to cajole Blandishment- n |
| Vaunt | v -to boast, crow, or brag; suggesting ostentatiousness n - a boastful remark; speech of extravagant, self-praise |
| Stipend | n- a fixed regular payment, such as a salary for services rendered |
| Sultry | adj.- very humid and hot; expressing or arousing desire; extremely hot, torrid |
| Beset | v- to attack from all sides; to trouble persistently; harass; beleaguer; to hem in; surround; to stud, as with jewels |
| Doyenne | n- a woman who is the eldest/senior member of a group |
| Behest | n- an authoritative command; an urgent request |
| Pithy | adj.- precisely meaningful; forceful and brief; terse; curt; succinct |
| Motley | adj.- having elements of great variety or incongruity; heterogenous; miscellaneous; having many colors; variegated (A motley tunic) |
| Dastardly | adj.- cowardly and malicious; base; dishonorable; reprehensible |
| Pyrrhic victory | n- a victory that is offset by staggering losses |
| Scoff | v- to mock at or treat with derision (slang) to eat (food) quickly and greedily (intr.) to show or express derision or scorn |
| Scofflaw | n- one who habitually violates the law or fails to answer court summonses |
| Grist | n- grain or a quantity for grinding; ground grain |
| Grist for the Mill | idiom- something that can be used to an advantage |
| Enamor | v- to inspire with love; to captivate the affections of |
| Purport | v- to have or present the often false appearance of being or intending; to profess; to have the intention of doing n- the intention, purpose, or meaning presented |
| Purported | adj.- assumed to be such; supposed; ostensible; alleged |
| Veritable | adj.- being truly so called; real or genuine; authentic; absolute |
| Besot | v- to muddle or stupefy, as with alcohol or infatuation |
| Effulgent | adj.- shining brilliantly; resplendent; bright |
| Effulgence | n- brilliant radiance |
| Quarry | n- a hunted animal; a prey; hunted animal considered as a group; game; an object of pursuit |
| Indomitable | adj.- incapable of being overcome or subdued; unconquerable; resolute; doughty |
| Viscous | adj.- having relatively high resistance to flow; stick; viscid; thick and adhesive (used of a liquid) |
| Concoct | v- to prepare by mixing ingredients; to devise; using skill and intelligence; contrive |
| Nullify | v- to invalidate; to counteract the force or effectiveness of |
| Null | adj.- having no legal force; invalid; of no consequence, effect, or value; insignificant; amounting to nothing |
| Immaterial | adj.- of no importance or relevance; inconsequential having no material body or form |
| Malaise | n- a vague feeling of bodily discomfort; a general sense of unease or depression |
| Discern | v- to perceive something obscure or concealed; to detect; to discriminate |
| Discerning | adj.- astute, perceptive |
| Discernible | adj.- perceptible; distinguishable |
| Discernment | n- keenness of insight and judgement |
| Serpentine | adj.- of or resembling a serpent in form or movement; sinuous; subtly, sly and tempting; circuitous; indirect |
| Convoluted | adj.- having numerous overlapping coils or folds; overly complicated, intricate, or elaborate; tortuous |
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