 | Term | Definition |
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gadfly |
animal-biting fly; irritating person |
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gaffe |
social blunder |
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gainsay |
deny |
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gait |
manner of walking or running; speed |
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galaxy |
large isolated system of stars, such as the Milky Way; collection of brilliant personalities |
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gale |
windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst ; Ex. gale of laughter |
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gall |
annoy; exasperate; chafe; N: skin sore caused by rubbing ; exasperation |
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gall |
bitterness of feeling; nerve; effrontery; CF. gall bladder |
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galleon |
large three-masted sailing ship |
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galvanize |
stimulate or shock by an electric current; stimulate by shock; shock into action; stir up; coat with rust-resistant zinc by using electricity |
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gambit |
opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed; action made to produce a future advantage |
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gambol |
romp; skip about; leap about playfully; frolic; N. |
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gamely |
in a spirited manner; with courage; Ex. fight gamely against a superior boxer; ADJ. game |
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gamut |
entire range |
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gape |
open widely; open the mouth wide; stare wonderingly with the mouth open; CF. agape |
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garbled |
mixed up; jumbled; distorted; V. garble: mix up or distort to such an extent as to make misleading or unintelligible |
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gargantuan |
huge; enormous; gigantic; CF. the hero of Gargantua and Pantagruel |
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gargoyle |
waterspout carved in grotesque figures on a building |
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garish |
overbright in color; unpleasantly bright; gaudy |
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garner |
gather; store up; amass |
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garnish |
decorate; add a garnish to; decorate with small items such as lemon slices; N. |
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garrulous |
loquacious; wordy; talkative; N. garrulity |
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gastronomy |
art and science of preparing and serving good food; CF. gastronome |
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gauche |
clumsy ; coarse and uncouth |
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gaudy |
flashy; showy |
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gaunt |
lean and angular; thin and bony; emaciated; barren |
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gavel |
hammerlike tool; mallet used by a presiding officer or an auctioneer; V. |
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gawk |
stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe |
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gazette |
official periodical publication; newspaper |
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genealogy |
record of descent; lineage; ancestry; study of ancestry |
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generality |
vague statement; general statement which is not detailed; quality of being general; greater part; most; Ex. generality of people |
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generate |
cause; produce; create |
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generic |
characteristic of an entire class or species; of a genus |
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genesis |
beginning; origin |
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geniality |
cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy; ADJ. genial: cheerful and good-tempered |
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genre |
particular variety of art or literature |
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genteel |
well-bred; elegant; striving to convey an appearance of refinement; Ex. genteel poverty |
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gentility |
those of gentle birth; high social class; refinement; quality of being genteel |
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gentry |
people of standing; people of good family or high social position; class of people just below nobility |
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genuflect |
bend the knee as in worship |
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germane |
pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand; appropriate |
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germinal |
pertaining to a germ; creative; Ex. germinal idea |
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germinate |
cause to sprout; sprout |
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gerontocracy |
government ruled by old people |
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gerrymander |
change voting district lines in order to favor a political party; N. CF. Elbridge Gerry + mander |
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gestate |
evolve as in prenatal growth; N. gestation: period of development from conception until birth |
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gesticulation |
motion; gesture; V. gesticulate: make gestures |
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ghastly |
horrible; terrifying; resembling ghosts; CF. aghast |
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gibberish |
nonsense; nonsensical or unintelligible talk or writing; babbling |
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gibe |
mock; make jeering remarks; N: jeering remarks |
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giddy |
light-hearted; not serious; frivolous; dizzy; causing dizziness; Ex. giddy youth; Ex. giddy climb/height |
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gingerly |
very carefully; ADJ. |
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girth |
distance around something; circumference |
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gist |
essence; main point; substance |
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glacial |
like a glacier; of an ice age; extremely cold; Ex. glacial epoch; CF. iceberg |
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glaring |
highly conspicuous; harshly bright; shining intensely and blindingly |
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glaze |
cover with a thin and shiny surface; apply a glaze to; N: thin, smooth, shiny coating ; Ex. unglazed pottery |
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glean |
gather leavings; gather grain left behind by reapers; gather bit by bit often with difficulty |
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glib |
fluent ; facile; slick |
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glimmer |
shine erratically; twinkle; N: dim or unsteady light; faint indication; Ex. glimmer of hope |
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gloat |
express evil satisfaction; look at or think about with evil satisfaction; view malevolently; Ex. The thief gloated over the stolen jewels. |
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glossary |
brief explanation of words used in the text |
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glossy |
smooth and shining; N. gloss: shiny brightness on a surface; superficially attractive appearance; Ex. gloss of good manners |
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gloss_over |
explain away with the intention of deceiving or hiding faults |
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glower |
scowl; glare; look or stare angrily |
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glut |
overstock; fill beyond capacity ; fill to excess; N: oversupply |
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glutinous |
sticky; viscous; gluey |
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glutton |
someone who eats too much; ADJ. gluttonous: given to gluttony; greedy; CF. gluttony: habit of eating too much |
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gnarled |
twisted |
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gnome |
dwarf; underground spirit who guards treasure hoards |
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goad |
urge on; drive with a goad; cause to do something by continued annoyance; Ex. They goaded him into doing it by saying he was a coward; N: sharp-pointed stick for driving cattle; stimulus; CF. annoy continually |
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gorge |
narrow canyon; steep rocky cleft; ravine |
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gorge |
stuff oneself ; glut; CF. gorgeous: dazzlingly beautiful |
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gory |
bloody; N. gore: blood |
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gossamer |
sheer; very light; like cobwebs; N: soft and sheer fabric; cobweb |
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gouge |
tear out; cut out ; Ex. gouge his eyes out; N: chisel for cutting out hollow areas in wood |
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gouge |
overcharge ; extort from; Ex. gouge the public; CF. usury |
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gourmand |
epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink |
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gourmet |
connoisseur of food and drink; epicure |
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graduated |
arranged by degrees |
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granary |
storehouse for grain |
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grandeur |
impressiveness; stateliness; majesty |
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grandiloquent |
using high sounding or important-sounding language; pompous; bombastic |
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grandiose |
affectedly grand; pretentious; high-flown; ridiculously exaggerated; impressive; great in size or scope; grand; Ex. grandiose ideas |
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granulate |
form into grains or granules; N. granule: grain or particle |
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graphic |
pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described |
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grapple |
wrestle; come to grips with; take hold of and struggle with; Ex. grapple with the burglar |
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grate |
make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred by rubbing against a rough surface; Ex. grated cheese N: framework of metal bars to hold fuel in a fireplace |
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gratify |
please; satisfy; Ex. gratify a desire |
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gratis |
free; without charge; ADJ. |
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gratuitous |
given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for; done without good reason; Ex. gratuitous comment |
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gratuity |
tip |
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gravity |
seriousness; ADJ. grave |
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gregarious |
sociable; tending to form a group |
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grievance |
cause of complaint; complaint |
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grill |
question severely; cook on a grill; broil; N: cooking surface of parallel metal bars |
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grimace |
facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc; V. |
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grisly |
ghastly; horrifying; Ex. grisly remains of the bodies |
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grotesque |
fantastic; comically hideous; strange and unnatural |
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grotto |
small cavern |
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grouse |
complain; fuss; grumble; grouch; N: plump chickenlike game bird |
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grovel |
crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate; behave in a servile manner |
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grudging |
unwilling; reluctant; stingy |
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gruel |
thin liquid porridge |
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grueling |
exhausting; Ex. grueling marathon race |
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gruesome |
grisly; horrible |
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gruff |
rough-mannered; rough; hoarse |
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guffaw |
boisterous laughter; V. |
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guile |
deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning; Ex. persuade her by guile |
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guileless |
without deceit |
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guise |
outward appearance; costume; Ex. in a new guise |
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gull |
trick; deceive; hoodwink; N: person who is easily tricked; dupe |
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gullible |
easily deceived |
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gustatory |
affecting or relating to the sense of taste |
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gusto |
eager enjoyment; zest; enthusiasm |
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gusty |
windy |
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guy |
cable or chain attached to something that needs to be braced or steadied; CF. guide |
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gyroscope |
apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc. |
