Print › GRE General Set 11

abode: dwelling place; home; # The act of abiding; a sojourn.
accessible: easy to approach; obtainable
acidulous: slightly sour (in taste or manner); sharp; caustic
acuity: sharpness (of mind or senses of sight or hearing) [ultimately from Latin acūtus, sharp. See acute.]
airy: of air; high in the air; lofty; immaterial; unreal
anathema: solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse; V. -tize [Late Latin anathemat-, anathema, from Greek, thing devoted to evil, curse, from anatithenai to set up, dedicate, from ana- + tithenai to place, set]
askance: with a sideways or indirect look (with disapproval or distruct); Ex. look ~ at
aspirant: seeker after position or status; One who aspires, as to advancement, honors, or a high position.;
avuncular: of or like an uncle [From Latin avunculus, maternal uncle.]
beholden: obligated; indebted; owing thanks; obliged or indebted from gratitude
benison: blessing [from Latin benedictiō, benedictiōn-, praising. See benediction.]
besmirch: soil; defile; make dirty; To stain; sully: a reputation that was ~ed by slander.; To make dirty; soil.
betroth: become engaged to marry; To promise to give in marriage: was ~ed to a member of the royal family.
bizarre: fantastic; violently contrasting; noticeably odd; strikingly unconventional [French, from Spanish bizarro, brave, probably from Basque bizar, beard.]
brave: face courageously; Ex. ~ the storm
brood: sit on in order to hatch; think deeply or worry anxiously; N: the young of certain animals; group of young birds hatched at one time
bulk: size or volume (esp. when very large); main part; Ex. The bulk of the work has already been done; ADJ. bulky: having great size
cardinal: chief; most important; N: priest; ~ number: number that shows quantity rather than order
catapult: slingshot; hurling machine; V: fire from ~
chaffing: bantering; joking
compendium: brief, comprehensive summary; A short, complete summary; an abstract.; A list or collection of various items. ADJ. compendious [Latin, a shortening, from compendere, to weigh together : com-, com- + pendere, to weigh.]
compliance: conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield; disposition to yield to others; V. comply
crabbed: sour; bad-tempered; peevish; difficult to read as handwriting
crochet: make (a piece of needlework) by looping thread with a hooked needle; N. CF. crotchet
dapper: neat and trim (in appearance); (of small men) neat in appearance and quick in movements; neat; spry; Very stylish in dress.
decimate: kill (usually one out of ten or every tenth man); destroy or kill a large part of; # To select by lot and kill one in every ten of.
despoil: plunder; sack; Ex. ~ the village [from Latin dēspoliāre : dē-, de- + spoliāre, to plunder (from spolium, booty).]
destitute: extremely poor; lacking means of subsistence; utterly lacking; devoid; Ex. ~ of any experience [from Latin dēstitūtus, past participle of dēstituere, to abandon : dē-, de- + statuere, to set.]
disclaim: disown; renounce claim to; deny; CF. disclaimer
disenfranchise: disfranchise; deprive of a civil right; OP. enfranchise
dispatch: speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed; V: send to a specified destination; finish promptly; kill
don: put on; OP. doff
dour: sullen; gloomy; stubborn
eclipse: darken; extinguish; outshine; surpass; cause an eclipse
elaboration: addition of details; intricacy
engross: occupy fully; absorb [from Medieval Latin ingrossāre : Latin in-, in; see en–1 + grossa, a copy in a large hand (from Late Latin grossus, thick).]
entomology: study of insects
excerpt: selected passage (written or musical) taken from a longer work; V.
exculpate: clear from blame or guilt
expatiate: talk at length; speak or write in detail; To speak or write at length: ~ed on the subject until everyone was bored.; To wander freely.; [Latin expatiārī, expatiāt- : ex-, ex- + spatiārī, to spread (from spatium, space).]
feral: (of an animal) not domestic; wild
filing: particle removed by a file
flay: strip off skin; plunder; remove the skin from; criticize harshly
flotsam: drifting wreckage; Wreckage or cargo that remains afloat after a ship has sunk.; Floating refuse or debris.; # Discarded odds and ends.; Vagrant, usually destitute people.
forebears: (forbears)ancestors
gerrymander: change voting district lines in order to favor a political party; To divide (a geographic area) into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections.; N. CF. Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander
grotesque: fantastic; comically hideous; strange and unnatural (causing fear or amusement)
grovel: crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate; behave in a servile manner
gusty: windy; Blowing in or marked by gusts: a ~ storm.; Characterized by sudden outbursts.
hilarity: boisterous mirth(merriment; laughter); ADJ. hilarious: full of laughter
homeostasis: tendency of a system or organism to maintain relative stability or internal equilibrium; CF. homeo-: constant; Ex. homeotherm; The ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes.
humane: marked by kindness or consideration; kind and compassionate; humanitarian
hygiene: science and practice of the promotion and preservation of health; ADJ. -nic: showing careful attention to cleanness (to prevent disease); Ex. ~ condition
implicate: incriminate; involve incriminatingly; show to be involved (in a crime); Ex. ~ someone in the crime [from Latin implicāre, implicāt-, to entangle, unite : in-, in; see in–2 + plicāre, to fold.]
inane: silly; senseless; Ex. ~ remarks; One that lacks sense or substance: interrupting with ~ comments; angry with my ~ roommate. N. -nity
incandescent: strikingly bright; shining with intense heat; emitting visible light when heated; Ex. ~ light bulb; CF. candle; Characterized by ardent emotion, intensity, or brilliance: an ~ performance.
indigence: Poverty; neediness.
indoctrinate: cause to accept a doctrine without questioning it; Ex. ~ed with mindless anti-communism
insolvent: bankrupt; lacking money to pay; N. -cy
intelligentsia: intellectuals; members of the educated elite (often used derogatorily) [Russian]
interstice: narrow space between things; A space, especially a small or narrow one, between things or parts: “There is a gleam of luminous gold, where the sinking western sun has found a first direct ~ in the clouds” (John Fowles).
invalid: one incapacitated(disabled) by a chronic illness; ADJ: incapacitated by illness; not valid; null; V: allow to leave (a military force) because of ill-health
inveigh: denounce; utter censure or invective; Ex. ~ against the evils of drink; To give vent to angry disapproval; protest vehemently.
jurisdiction: right and power to apply the law; authority
knead: mix; work dough; mix and work into a uniform mass (with the hands); Ex. ~ dough
lackadaisical: lacking interest or effort; lacking purpose or zest; lazy; halfhearted; languid; Lacking spirit, liveliness, or interest; languid: “There'll be no time to correct ~ driving techniques after trouble develops” (William J. Hampton).
lagoon: shallow body of water or lake near a sea; lake separated from a sea by sandbars or coral reefs; [French lagune and Italian laguna, both from Latin lacūna, pool, hollow, gap, from lacus, lake.]
lechery: gross lewdness; lustfulness; ADJ. -rous; N. -cher: ~ man
maniacal: raging mad; insane; N. maniac: insane person; CF. mania: disorder of the mind; intense enthusiasm
matinee: dramatic or musical performance given in the afternoon
molt: (moult) periodically shed or cast off hairs or feathers (for replacement by a new growth)
monograph: scholarly article; A scholarly piece of writing of essay or book length on a specific, often limited subject.
orgy: wild drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in an activity; Ex. ~ of shopping
orientation: act of finding oneself in society; orienting
palimpsest: parchment or piece of writing material used for second time after original w[Latin palimpsēstum, from Greek palimpsēston, neuter of palimpsēstos, scraped again : palin, again + psēn, to scrape.]as been erased; A manuscript, typically of papyrus or parchment, that has been written on more than once, with the earlier writing incompletely erased and often legible.;[Latin palimpsēstum, from Greek palimpsēston, neuter of palimpsēstos, scraped again : palin, again + psēn, to scrape.]
parley: conference (between opponents); negotiation, discussion between enemies; CF. speak [, from Late Latin parabolāre, from parabola, discourse. See parable.]
pastry: paste of flour and water (eaten when baked)
perturb: disturb greatly; # To throw into great confusion.; [from Latin perturbāre : per-, per- + turbāre, to throw into disorder (from turba, confusion, perhaps from Greek turbē).]
petulant: touchy; peevish; ill-tempered; [Latin petulāns, petulant-, insolent, from petere, to assail.]
philatelist: stamp-collector; N. philately: stamp collecting [French philatélie : Greek phil-, philo-, philo- + Greek ateleia, exemption from payment (because a postage stamp indicates prepayment of postage) (a-, without; see a–1 + telos, tax, charge).]
prate: talk idly; speak foolishly; boast idly; To talk idly and at length; chatter.
preternatural: beyond what is normal in nature; supernatural; Ex. ~ strength/forces [from Latin praeter nātūrām, beyond nature : praeter, beyond; see preterit + nātūra, nature; see nature.]
putative: supposed; reputed; generally regarded as such; Ex. ~ father of the child [from Late Latin putātīvus, from Latin putāre, to prune, think.]
rectitude: moral correctness; moral uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgment [from Late Latin rēctitūdō, from Latin rēctus, straight.]
resolve: decide; settle; solve; separate; make a determined decision; N. -lution
scrappy: quarrelsome; contentious; Full of fighting spirit.
sedate: composed (with no excitement); grave; V: administer a sedative to; CF. sedative
sleigh: large vehicle drawn by a horse over snow or ice
slink: move furtively; ADJ. -y: stealthy; furtive; sneaky (as in ambush); To move in a quiet furtive manner; sneak: ~ away ashamed; a cat ~ing through the grass toward its prey. v. To give birth to prematurely: The cow ~ed its calf.
sophomoric: immature; half-baked; like a sophomore
spry: (esp. of older people) vigorously active; nimble
spurious: false; counterfeit; forged; illogical; Ex. ~ arguments
sullen: silently showing ill humor or resentment; dark; gloomy
supererogatory: superfluous; more than needed or demanded
supplicant: one who supplicates; ADJ.
swear word: word considered offensive; Ex. ``bloody''
sycophant: servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes man; A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people.; ADJ. -tic; [Latin s[ymacr]cophanta, informer, slanderer, from Greek sūkophantēs, informer, from sūkon phainein, to show a fig (probably originally said of denouncers of theft or exportation of figs) : sūkon, fig + phainein, to show.]
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 ~ to
unprepossessing: unattractive Not overtly impressive; unremarkable; nondescript: an ~ little hotel.
vagrant: wandering from place to place; 1. One who wanders from place to place without a permanent home or a means of livelihood.; roving; stray; moving in a random fashion; Ex. ~ thoughts; N.
vainglorious: boastful; excessively conceited; N. -ry: great vanity
valediction: saying farewell; expression of leave-taking[[From Latin valedictus, past participle of valedīcere, to say farewell : valē, farewell; see vale2 + dīcere, to say.]
vaporize: turn into vapor (steam, gas, fog, etc.)
variegated: (esp. of a flower or leaf) many-colored
viscous: (of a liquid) thick and sticky; gluey; viscid; CF. consistency
voluminous: having great volume (as of a garment or container); bulky; large
welt: raised mark from a beating or whipping; A strip, as of leather or other material, stitched into a shoe between the sole and the upper.; A tape or covered cord sewn into a seam as reinforcement or trimming: a. A ridge or bump on the skin caused by a lash or blow or sometimes by an allergic reaction. b. A lash or blow producing such a mark.
whorl: ring of leaves around stem; ring; circular arrangement; Ex. ~s on the fingers [[Middle English whorle, alteration of whirle, whirl, from whirlen, to whirl. See whirl.]