| A | B |
|---|
| abeyance | n. a temp suspension of activity |
| abrogate | v. to repeal, to set aside, to nullify |
| abscond | v. to leave quickly and secretively |
| abstinence | n.voluntarily refraining from eating vertain foods or drink, or from doing something pleasant but not good for you |
| abstruse | adj. hard to understand or grasp |
| accolade | n. award or honor, high praise |
| acquit | v.to find not guilty, to conduct oneself |
| adjure | v. to command or urge solemnly and earnestly |
| adumbrate | v. to suggest partly to give a hint of things to come, to foreshadow vaguely |
| aegis | n.protection, patronage |
| aggrieve | v. to distress, to mistreat |
| akimbo | adj. hands on hips, figuratively something slightly out of balance |
| alacrity | cheerful readiness, liveliness or egerness |
| alchemy | n/ a process or transformation that seemingly magical |
| accouterments | n. personal clothing, accessories, or equipment |
| ambulatory | able to walk or move about |
| ameliorate | v to make better, to ease or improve |
| anathema | n something tor someone loathed or intensely disliked |
| ancillary | adj subsidiary, subordinate |
| anomie | n instability caused by an erosion of values or lack of prpose |
| antipodal | adj situated on opposite sides of the or or beain exactly oposite |
| apochryphal | flase, spruious, of doubtful origin |
| apogee | n the point at which an orbiting object is farthest from what is being orbited, or the apex of smtg |
| apoplexy | n a stroke resulting from loss of blood to the brain, becoming so angry as to be on the verge of exploding |
| apostasy | n abandonment of loyalty or religion |
| arbiter | n a judge, one who decides |
| ascetic | adj. hermitlike, self denial, austere |
| assiduous | adj hardworking, busy, diligent |
| assignation | n, a secret mtg, a ryst, or something assigned |
| bacchanal | n. a drunken reveler or orgy |
| bandy | v to toss back and forth |
| bathos | n a transition from the illustrious to the commonplace, overdone, pahtos, triteness |
| behemoth | something that is enormous |
| belie | v to run counter to, to show something flase |
| besmirch | to stain or soil |
| bilious | adj ill tempered, cranky, angry |
| bivouac | n a temporary encampment |
| bon vivant | n someone who enjoys luurious living |
| bowdlerize | v to censor prudishly, to rewrite crudely |
| brook | v to tolerate, to put up with something |
| bumptious | adj puyshy, conceited, noisily self-assertive |
| byzantine | adj expremely intricate or complicated in structure |
| cabal | n a secret group of conspirators, a clique |
| cachet | n a mark of distinction, a quality that "says" prestige |
| calumny | n slander, deliberate false statements |
| capricious | adj whimsical, fanciful, impulsive |
| castigate | v to punish, chastise, criticize severely |
| cataclysm | n a violent upheaval, and earthqake, flood |
| cavil | v to quibble, to raise trivial objections |
| chary | adj careful, cautious, wary |
| chicanery | n deception of trickery |
| chimerical | adj wildly fancifu, absurd |
| circumlocution | n wordy language, an indirect roundabout expression |
| clout | n influence, a forceful blow |
| cogitate | v to ponder over, meediate, to think |
| comport | to behave |
| compunction | n remorse reeling uneasy after having done smtg |
| concomitant | adj accompanying, attending, going along with |
| conflagration | n a large disastrous fire |
| contentious | adj argumentative over a point, quarrelsome |
| cortege | n a procession, a group of attendants |
| coterie | n an intimate group of pple with a common interest |
| covet | v to wish for with envry |
| debacle | n a disaster or violent breakdown |
| decimate | v to kill or destroy a large part of |
| deleterious | adj harmful |
| depredate | v to prey upon, to plunder with violence if necessary |
| descry | v to discern, to see something, to catch sight of |
| desiccate | v to dry out |
| determinism | n a philosophy that says things are detemined in ways that are out of human hands |
| diaspora | n the breaking up of the Jewish community in the 6th century where they were exiled fom Israel, any dispersion of a pple w/a common origin |
| dichotomy | n division into two often contradictory parts |
| dilettante | n a dabbler, someone with a superficial knowledge (usually of the arts) |
| discomfit | v. to confuse, deceive |
| disquiet | v to make uneasy |
| dissipate | v to break up, to squander, to indulge excessively in sensual pleasure |
| diurnal | adj occurring during the day, happens every day |
| doff | v to take off (usually clothing) as a sign of greeting |
| doggerel | n comic, sometimes crude, informal verse |
| dossier | n. a file of documents, letters and records |
| draconian | adj severe, exceedingly harsh |
| dulcet | adj having a nice, agreeable, melodious sound |
| effete | adj exhausted, lost vitally, overrefined |
| elan | n vigor, distinctive, elegant style |
| elliptical | adj oval, ovscure in expression |
| encomium | n a eulogy or expression of high praise |
| endemic | adj native, belonging to a specific region |
| enervate | v. to weaken , to sap the strength |
| ennui | boredom, listlessness, lack of interest |
| ensconce | v. to settle in snugly, to hide in a secure place |
| ersatz | adj an inferior substitute |
| erudite | adj scholarly, deeply learned, well read |
| espy | v to glipse, to descry, to cath sight of |
| ethnocentric | adj the belief in the superioirity of ones race or ethnic group |
| evansescent | adj vanishing, happening for the briefest moment |
| exemplar | n an excellent model, a typical example |
| exigent | adj urgent, demands promp action |
| extirpate | v to rip up by the roots to abolish, to annihilate |
| facetious | adj humorous, joking in a somwhat inappropriate or clumsy manner |
| fauna | n animals |
| feckless | adj lacking responsibility, ineffetive |
| fecund | adj fertile productive, fruitful |
| feral | adj wild, like a wild animal, savage |
| fetter | v. to impeded, restrain, hamper |
| fey | adj otherworldly, magical, "touched" |
| flagellate | v to whip, or to punish as if by whipping |
| foment | v to stir up, incite |
| forswear | v retract, renounce or recant |
| fusillade | n a rapid outburst, spray of gunfire |
| gainsay | v to deny, to speak or act against |
| gamin | n a street urchin, a slim girl with impish charm |
| garrulous | adj talkative |
| gerrymander | v to divide into electrion districts to gain political advantage |
| gestalt | n a structure whose parts cannot stand alone |
| gesticulate | v to gesture, especially when speaking |
| gird | v to invest with authority, to brace |
| habeas corpus | n an order for a prisoner to stand before a judge to determine the legaliy of his sentence |
| halitosis | n bad breath |
| hidebound | adj excessively rigid, dry and stiff, inflexible |
| histronic | adj overly dramatic, theatrical, deliverately affected |
| hoary | gray or white w/age, ancient, stale |
| homeopathy | n. a system of natural healing |
| husbandry | n the judicious used of resources, livestock farming |
| ignominious | adj disgraceful and dishonorable |
| imbroglio | n a difficult and confused situation, a complicated disagreement |
| impecunious | adj without money, penniless |
| impervious | adj dos not allow something to pass through, impenetrable |
| impugn | v to attack the integrity of smtg |
| inchoate | adj just beginning, not organized or orderly, incomplte |
| iniquitous | adj evil unjust |
| insouciant | adj nonchalant, lighthearted, unconcerned |
| interregnum | n the period between two successive governments,. a pause in a continuing series |
| intransigent | adj uncompromising, stubborn |
| inveterate | adj habitual, deeply rooted or established |
| implacable | adj not capable of being appeased or mollified |
| irascible | adj hot tempered, cranky |
| itinerant | adj moving from place toplace |
| juggernaut | n a massive unstoppable object |
| junta | a small group that rules a country after a coup d'etat |
| largess | n a generous giving of gifts, philanthropy |
| lassitude | n a weariness, listlessnes, a state of tlethargy |
| leitmotif | n a dominiant or recurring theme |
| levee | n an emnbamkment designed to prevent a river from flooding |
| libation | n a pouring of liquid of a liquid for a religious ceremony, a drink |
| libidinous | adj lustful, lascivious |
| lope | v to run at a steady, easy pace |
| macerate | v to soften by soaking, to cause to wate away |
| machination | n schemign activity for an evil purpose |
| malapropism | n the humorous misuse of a word that sounds very much like the word intended |
| malfeasance | n an illegal act especially by a public official |
| martinet | n one who adheres strickly to rules |
| matriculate | v to enroll, most particularly in college |
| maudlin | adj overly sentimental |
| mellifluous | adj sweetly flowing |
| mendacious | adj dishonest, deceitful |
| mercurial | adj emotionally unpredictable, give to rapid changes in mood |
| miasma | n a poisonous swamp vapor, a harmful influence or atmosphere |
| milieu | environment, surroundings |
| mirthful | n merry gleeful |
| mordant | adj bitingly sarcastic, incisive, caustic in manner |
| moribund | adj being in a dyring or decaying condition |
| muckrake | v to expose political misconduct |
| munificent | adj generous |
| myopia | n nearsightedness, lacking foresight |
| nabob | n wealthy, influential person |
| nascent | adj coming into existance, being born |
| neophyte | n a beginner a novice |
| nepotism | n showing favoritism to friends or family, as in granting positions in jobs or politics |
| niggardly | adj stingy, small in a mean way |
| nihilism | n the belief that there are no values or morals in the universe, that existence is senseless or useless |
| nirvana | n blissful, painless state, a supreme happiness according to Buddhism when the soul is no loger in need of purification of hatred deceit etc |
| noisome | adj harmful unwholesome stinking putrid |
| nonplus | v to bewilder, puzzle |
| obdurate | adj stubborn |
| obsequious | adj fawning, subservient, servile |
| oeuvre | a work of art, the sum of an artists work |
| officious | unnecessarily helpful, meddlesome, interfering |
| omniscient | adj all knowing, infinite awareness |
| omniverous | adj eating or absorbing everything, feeding on both animal and vegge substances |
| onerous | adj burdensome, oppressive, troublesome |
| onus | burden, blame, obligation |
| opprobrious | adj damning, extremely critical, disgraceful |
| opus | n a creative work, musical composition |
| oscillate | v. to swing back and forth |
| ossify | v to become ridgid, to be come set in one's ways |
| palliate | v. to hide the seriousness of something wth excuses or apologies, to ease without curing |
| pallid | adj lacking color, wan |
| panacea | n. a remedy that cures everything |
| panegyric | lofty praise, eulogistic writing |
| paradigm | a model or example |
| parsimonius | adj stingy |
| patina | n. surface discoloration caused by age and oxidation, a superficial covering or exterior |
| patois | n. a language used by a particular population that differs from standard speech |
| penultimate | adj next to last |
| penury | n extreme poverty |
| peregrination | n an expedition, wandering |
| perfidious | adj faithless, untrustworthy |
| perfuctory | adj careless, unenthusiastic, done merely as a duty |
| perorate | to make a long formal speech, to sum up in a speech |
| perquisite | n a privilege or perk that goes along with a job |
| perspicacious | adj shrewd astute, showing strong powers of discernment |
| petulant | adj cranky, ill tempered, irritable peevish |
| phantasm | n. an apparition, phantom |
| philistine | n a smugly insensitive and ignorant person who has no knowledge of intellectual or artistic subjects |
| phlegmatic | adj calm, indifferent, not easily aroused |
| piquant | adj pungent, charmlingly provocative |
| placebo | n a fake meication |
| plebeian | n common, vulgar, low class |
| pluralism | n. a society in which distinct groups function together, but retain their identities |
| portent | n an omen, a sign of something coming, a foreshadowing |
| pregnant | adj highly significant, overflowing, rich in significance |
| prepossess | v. to cause to be preoccupied, to influence, positively, in advance |
| prescient | adj having foresight |
| prevaricate | v. to deviate from the truth |
| privation | n. lack of comforts, poverty, a state of being deprived |
| probity | n honesty, uprightness |
| profligate | adj corrupt, degenerate, wildly extravagant |
| propinquity | adj nearness in place or time, kinship |
| protean | adj readily assuming different shapes or characters |
| provenance | n origin, source, rpoof of past ownership |
| prowess | n exceptional skill or strength, military valor |
| prurient | adj lascivious, have lustful thoughts or desires |
| puissance | adj power strength |
| punctilious | adj meticulously attentitive to detail, exacting |
| putrefy | v. to rot |
| quiescence | n state of rest or inactivity |
| raffish | adj jaunty, sporty, disreputable, vulgar, characterized by a careless unconventionality |
| rapprochement | n. a re-establishment of good relations |
| rarefied | adj esorteric, interesting to only a few |
| recalcitrant | adj stubbornly defiant and resistant of authority |
| recidivism | n the act of repeating an offense |
| recondite | adj hard to understand, abstruse, over ones head |
| redoubtable | adj formidable, fearsome, deserving of respect |
| remuneration | n. payment, recompense |
| repartee | n a quick, witty reply, spirited conversation |
| reprobate | n a morally unprincipled person, a scoundrel |
| reticent | adj restrained, reluctant, uncommunicative |
| ribald | adj vulgar or indecent language |
| rife | adj widespread, abounding, occurring, frequently |
| rout | v. to put to flight, to scatter, to cause a huge defeat |
| rubric | heading, title category |
| ruminate | v to muse upon` |
| sagacious | adj wise, shrewd |
| sallow | adj a sickly, freenish yellow tone |
| sally | n a rushing attack, witty repartee, a brief excursion |
| salubrious | adj favorable to health |
| sangfroid | n extraordinary composure in the face of danger |
| sartorial | adj relation to dress or fashion |
| saturnine | adj sullen gloomy, depressed |
| savant | n a scholar, a very knowledgeable person |
| scofflaw | n. one who is continually breaking the law |
| scotch | v to put an end to |
| secrete | v. to give off, to conceal |
| sententious | adj preachy, pomous, using wise sayings excessively |
| shibboleth | n. a distinctive word or behabior that typifies a group, a slogan |
| simper | to smile foolishly |
| sine qua non | something that is an essential condition of |
| sinuous | winding, having many curves |
| slatternly | adj squalid, a slovenly woman |
| somnolent | adj drowsy, sleepy |
| spate | n a sudden outburst |
| spelunker | n a cave explorer |
| stalwart | adj unwavering, robust, sturdily built |
| straited | marked with lines or grooves |
| sturm and drang | n turmoil |
| sui generis | unique, of its own kind |
| spercilious | arrogant, overbearingk, condescending |
| surreptitious | sneaky, secret |
| sycophant | a flatterer, a self-serving yes man |
| syllogism | a process of deduction |
| sylvan | forestlike, wooded |
| synergy | n the combined force of two distinct elements that is mrore pwrful than each alone |
| temerity | adj boldness, rashnesss, audacity |
| temporize | v to compromise, to draw something out in order to gain time |
| tendentious | adj advancing a point of view, biased |
| timorous | adj rearful, easiliy frightened |
| titular | in title only |
| tony | adj fashionable, trendy, aristocratic |
| toothsome | adj tasty, sexually active, luscious |
| trice | n a moment, a short period of time |
| truculent | adj hostile, aggressive, savage |
| umbrage | n displeasure or resentment, shade |
| undulate | v to move smoothly in a wavelike manner |
| usury | lending money at a high interest rate (n) |
| vacuous | adj empty, lacking intelligence |
| vagary | n whim, an unpredictable action |
| vainglorious | adj boastful pompous |
| veneer | n facade, coating, outward appearance |
| venerate | v, to honor, to worship, to respect |
| varacious | adj truthful, honest |
| verdant | covered with green plants, leafy |
| vicarious | adj acting for another, sharing in an experience of another through the imagination |
| viscosity | adj a think or sticky consistency of a liquid |
| vitriolic | adj corrosive, biting, bitterly scathing |
| wastrel | n someone who wastes, a spendthrift |
| wizened | adj shriveled, withered |
| wont | custom, habit |
| zaftig | adj full figured, plump |
| zeitgeist | n the mood or spirit of the times |
| zephyr | n a gnetle breeze |
