| A | B |
|---|
| sedentary | settled; sitting a lot; not physically active |
| sediment | the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid |
| supersede | to displace in favor of another (to sit above in rank/precedence
) |
| assiduous | marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent application |
| insidious | treacherous; awaiting a chance to entrap; harmful but enticing & subtle |
| legible | readable |
| legend | story coming down from the past |
| legibility | ability to be read |
| equanimity | evenness of mind especially under stress |
| animosity | ill will or resentment |
| magnanimous | generous; having a lofty & courageous spirit |
| animadversion | criticism, disapproval |
| contorted | twisted as if in a violent manner |
| tortuous | winding; crooked; having lots of twists and turns |
| retort | a [usually sharp] answer or counterargument |
| distort | to twist out of true meaning or proportion |
| torturous | painful[ly difficult or slow] |
| homonym | words with same spelling & sound, different meanings |
| acronym | word formed from initials of other words |
| pseudonym | false name = pen name |
| anonymous | without a name |
| patronymic | name formed from fathers name (Agamemnon = Atreides) |
| anomaly | abnormality, exception to a rule |
| sanctity | holiness or inviolability |
| sacrosanct | inviolable; immune from criticism or violation |
| sanctuary | holy place; place of refuge |
| unsanctioned | without official permission |
| metamorphosis | change of form |
| metaphor | a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them |
| petrify | to turn to stone |
| petrology | study of origin & structure of rock |
| petroglyph | carving on a rock |
| miracle | outstanding or unusual event |
| mirage | illusion caused by light |
| mirabile dictu | wonderful to tell |
| admire | to regard with wonder and approval |
| manicure | treatment for hands/fingernails |
| manipulate | to control (by or as if by hand) |
| amanuensis | secretary who writes from dictation or copies manuscripts |
| legerdemain | sleight-of-hand (magical tricks) |
| rectitude | correctness; moral integrity |
| direct | to guide (verb); proceeding in a straight line without interruption (adj.) |
| rectilinear | straight-lined |
| rectangle | shape with right angles |
| revolve | to roll around an axis |
| convoluted | intricate; lit. having overlapping coils or folds |
| revolution | one act of revolving; OR the overthrow of a government |
| demigod | half god, half human |
| demitasse | small cup, esp. of black coffee |
| demisemiquaver | (music) a 32nd note |
| demimonde | a class of women on the fringes of respectable society supported by wealthy lovers; also, prostitutes or courtesans as a group |
| retrogress | to go backwards, esp. to a poorer condition; to relapse |
| retrospection | recalling past events |
| retrofit | to upgrade a device with new parts that were not available at the time of manufacture |
| sensation | feeling |
| sensory | related to the senses |
| extrasensory | outside the five senses |
| insensate | lacking sense or feeling |
| fortify | to make strong |
| rectify | to make right |
| reify | to regard as a material or concrete thing |
| transmogrify | to change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect |
| sanctify | to make holy, set apart for religious use |
| binocular | two-eyed |
| monocular | one-eyed |
| oculist | eye doctor |
| curator | one who cares for a museum |
| sinecure | paid position not involving work |
| secure | safe, free from worry/cares |
| ultramarine | vivid blue color or pigment |
| ultramundane | metaphysical; outside the material world |
| android | robot resembling a human |
| anthropoid | resembling mankind |
| asteroid | object resembling a star |
| xyloid | resembling wood |
| haploid | having a single set of chromosomes |
| gestation | duration of pregnancy |
| ingest | to take in food |
| congestion | concentration in a small place |
| adapt | to make fit, modify |
| aptitude | fitness, capacity, natural ability |
| maladapted | not adapted well |
| tactile | perceptible by touch |
| contact | touching, association, relationship |
| tact | ability to avoid offending others |
| intact | untouched, whole |
| vociferous | clamorous; noisy |
| sotto voce | in a low, soft voice so as not to be overheard |
| invocation | a prayer of entreaty (as at the beginning of a service of worship); a calling upon for authority or justification |
| convocation | meeting, assembly; a calling together |
| ridicule | to laugh at, to make fun of |
| derision | the act of ridiculing, laughing at contemptuously |
| risible | provoking laughter; funny |
