English Vocab Tools A B abashed indicates a state of embarrasment, put to shame abate to lessen or diminish, a storm that blows over abates abdicate to step down or give something up, the king abdicates his throne aberrant uncharacteristic or unuaual behavior abominate to loathe, hate, or detest abrasive a substance that can be used for polishing, irritating or annoying abrogate when a law is abrogated it is apealed conundrum a puzzle or riddle copious plentiful or abundant corollary natural consequence or inevitable result foment to instigat or promote, in a sense to get something going, usually in a bad way foray a sudden raid for plunder hubris arrogance, insolent pride, excessive pride hyperbole extravagant exageration iconoclast someone who challenges accepted beliefs juxtapose placing things side by side so people will notice them karma fate or destiny, what you have done in one life will decide what happens to you keen to wail or cry, weep loudly, scream in dispair, verb precipitous very steep prate to babble or talk too much precipitate head long, hastey, quick, sudden molt to shed the outer covering, snakes molt morass a marsh or bogg, anything that holds you down motif the theme of a work of art, the main idea dolt block headed, numbskull, nit wit dormant temporarily inactive dossier records, documents, backround information absinant self denile, self control abstemious moderate, describes moderation, within reasonable limits abstruse ulclear, confusing difficult to understand guise assemblence or assumed appearannce. (The guise of expertise) gossamer ant thin delicate fabric. (the gossamer dress) gadfly and pest or someone who annoys macrocosm the whole of something, the world around us, the entire universe microcosm a miniature world (the nation is the macrocosm for the family but the microcosm of the world) placid calm, serene, sorrowful (placid people are not easily upset) plaintive sorrowful, sad, melancholy (the movie was plaintive) petulant impatient, easily annoyed, proned to irritation over little things fallow , dormant, inactive, umproductive (land left plowed but not rejected is said to be fallow) falter to waiver or stumble fecund productive or fertile (parents are fecund if they have many kids) patrician aristocrat, high born, wealthy pedestrian commonplace, dull, unimaginative peripheral not realivant, off to the side, has nothing to do with languish to droop, to take on a mealancholy air, to suffer neglect, to pine, to be neglected, miserable (a rejected lover languishes) lithe flexible, agile, quick, supple (Lindsay is lithe) limpid clear, serene (associated with pools) (one can see to the bottom of a limpid pool) bestowed to present of confer, to give something to someone, (usually has upon after) brook to tolerate something (used in the negative) (I brook Lauren's rude interuptions in class.) banal anything commonplace or uninspired, unoriginal (political speeches are banal) emblazon to adorn (richly), to decorate (brilliantly) enmity hostility ephemeral short lived, soon over and done with waft travel or carry lightly through to air (the smell of coffee wafts through the air) slake to quench and type of desire (I slake my thirst with water) prodigal extravegant or wasteful, lavish, abundant (a prodigal supply of goods) indigent needy indigenous native indolent lazy, slothful rapt focused or absorbed in something (adjective) tenet a belief, an opinion held as true temerity reckless lack of fear, stupidly daring (noun)