| A | B |
|---|
| to deride | (v) to laugh in scorn/contempt; to redicule; to mock*** Suzy derided Jane's belief in UFO's. |
| derisive | (adj) making fun of; mocking*** Jane was offended by Suzy's derisive comments. |
| derision | (n) redicule; mockery*** Hiliary's comments were met with derision. |
| aesthetic | (adj) pertaining to a sense of beauty *** Her main reason for getting braces was aesthetics. |
| inscrutable | (adj) incapable of being analyzed; mysterious *** His inscrutable smile made her suspicious. |
| cur | (n) mongrel dog, esp. useless/unfriendly one; mean/cowardly person *** Jimmy had to get a rabies shot after the cur bit him. |
| archaic | (adj) referring to words/language that were once common but now rarely used; ancient; no longer applicable *** Many historic documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, contain archaic words. |
| connotation | (n) The mental connections or associations sugguested by a word that go beyond its literal meaning or its dictionary definition. ***The word crowd has a more favorable connotation than the word mob. |
| denotation | (n) The exact meaning of a word; dictionary definition ***The denotation of the word 'home' is a place where you live. |
| idiom | (n) an expression that doesn't literally mean what it says *** The idiom "to give a ring" actually means to call on the phone. |
| jargon | (n) specialized technical vocab used by people in the same profession/fiels; confusing meaningless talk*** The doctor explained what she meant without the confusing medical jargon. |
| standard | (adj) conforming to established usage in speech/writing ***Correct use of standart english requires understanding of grammar and usage. |
| vernacular | (n) normal spoken language of a country/region; everyday speech ***Mark Twain is well known for his use of Southern vernacular. |
| boycott | (v) to take part in an orgainzed group refusal to use a product or service; (n) an organized group refusal ***A group of concerned people boycotted the store that sold pesticides. |
| galvanize | (v) stir to action/awareness; simulate or shock w/ electric current ***The speech galvanized the audience into donating money. |
| jovial | (adj) full of fun and good cheer; sociable |
| maverick | (n) person who refuses to go along with policies and views of his/her group; nonconformist; unbranded calf/colt; horse/steer that has escaped from the herd ***They called her a maverick after she criticized their new rules. |
| mentor | (n) person depended upon for wise advice and guidance; trusted counsler ***The pro-athlete was a mentor for the highschool football player. |
| nemesis | (n) someone who is the source of just punishment; punishment for wrong doing; unbeatable rival; person/thing that does one in ***Freezing weather was the nemesis of the invading army. |
| odyssey | (n) long,adventurous, wandering journey; intellectual/spiritual quest ***In the 19th centurary, explorers went on odysseys, hoping to discover unknown islands. |
| quixotic | (adj) full of impractical ideas; idealistic ***Ted's quixotic aunt encouraged him to quit his job and travel through Europe. |
| tantalize | (v) tease/torment by presenting something desirale while it is out of reach |
| bland | (adj)mild; soothing; dull; lacking in interest ***His chili was so bland, I had to add pepper to make it tasty. |
| culinary | (adj) pertaining to cooking or the kitchen ***By taking cooking classes, Joe improved his culinary skills. |
| delectable | (adj) greatly pleaseing, esp. to the sense to taste. delicious; delightful; ***The family enjoyed the delectable food while they were on their vacation. |
| epicure | (n) A person with refined tastes in food and drink. ***He is a notable epicure with a particular fondness for California wine. |
| quaff | (v) to drink heartily or deeply of. ***The girls quaffed root beer after their three mile run. |
| devious | (adj) done in an underhanded manner; tricky; shifty ***I don't trust that devious man; he never gives me a straight answer. |
| duplicity | (n) deliberate deception or trickery by speaking/acting two different ways concerning the same matter ***We discovered Mr Smith's duplicity too late; the "new" car that he had sold them was actually used. |
| fictitious | (adj)false: of fiction: imagionary, unreal ***The spy gave a fictitious chronology of his activities in the city. |
| guileless | (adj)free of slyness or craftiness; simple/innocent The children's guileless account of the incident was accepted as true. |
| guile | (n/adj) decietful/ cunning; crafty deception |
| masquerade | (intrans. v) to put on a deceptive appearance; wear a mask/ disguise (n) a dance/party at which masks are worn. ***The stoweaway masqueraded as part of the ship's crew. |
| overt | (adj) open and observable; apparent ***The cat hissed as the child made an overt attempt to grab it. |
| veracity | (n) devotion to truth; honesty ***The veracity of her testimony was supported by the other witness. |
| discernment | (n) keeness or sharpness in detecting, distinguishing, or selecting ***Despite the heavy fog, I was able to discern the outline of the house. ***The baseball player was compplimented for the discernment of the weaknesses of the opposing team. |
| envision | (trans. v) to picture in the mind ***Amy clearly envisioned what living in a foreign country would be like. |
| gape | (intrans. v) to stare in amazement with mouth open; open as a gap ***The tourists gaped at the Grand Canyon. |
| perceptive | (adj) having the ability to be keenly aware of things and situations; knowing. ***Her perceptive comments show that she has a good understanding of the story. |
| cosmopolitan | (adj) sophisticated in an international way ***With students from seventeen different countries, the school had a cosmopolitan atmosphere. |
| geopolitics | (n) the study of the relationship between geography and politics ***Someone doing work in geopolitics might study the relationship between oil production and per-capita income in certain nations. |
| impolitic | (adj) unwise; not exhibiting good judgement ***It is impolitic to insult those form whom you expect favors. |
| megalopolis | (n) a unified urban region comprising several large cities and their surrounding areas. ***The "San-San" megalopolis extends from San Diego to San Francisco, CA. |
| metropolitan | (adj) Pertaining to a major city ***The metropolis of phoenix attracts tourists during the winter because of it's warm weather. |
| urbane | (adj) Elegantly polite and sophisticated ***The urbane couples danced the mambo until dawn. |
| comprehensive | (adj) covering completely or broadly; inclusive ***He had a comprensive physical exam before teh season started. |
| dearth | (n) a scarcity or lack; inadaquate supply ***There is a dearth of information in teh library about ulexite. |
| deficient | (adj) lacking an essential quality or element; insuficient ***Scurvy results from a deficient amount of vitiman C. |
| deficit | (n) amount by which something falls short; shortage ***She discovered a deficit of cash in her tally. |
| exhaustive | (adj) testing all possibilities/considering all elements; through ***The students did an exhaustive study of the bible. |
| integral | (adj) essential or necessary for completness ***"I don't need your paltry offerings!" the dictator shouted. |
| plethora | (n) superabundance; excess ***She owns a plethora of hats |
| replenish | (t. v) to fill/make complete again; add a new supply to ***Alex replenished his dwindling supply of paper before printing the report. |
| scant | (adj) being just short of full measure ***There was scant space in the courtroom for all of the citizens. |
| conventional | (adj) customary; conforming to most standards ***The conventional telephone greeting in the US is "Hello." |
| idiosyncracy | (n) an unusual habit or mannerism of one person ***His idiosyncracy of tapping his fingers annoyed her. |
| precedent | (n) an action that can be used as an example for similar cases. ***"Roe vs. Wade" is a precedent for some abortion cases. |
| prevalent | (adj) widespread; commonly occuring; ***Polio is no longer prevalent in the US. |
| prosaic | (adj) ordinary; lacking in imagination ***THey were dissapointed by his prosaic speech. |
| singular | (adj) out of the ordinary; partictular ***His singular talent of solving difficult cases earned him fame. |
| ambiguous | (adj) having two or more possible meanings; unclear; vague ***His ambiguous answer caused his friends to question his true intentions. |
| baffle | (t. v) To cause uncertainty in; to puzzle ***The algebra problems baffled the students who were absent yesterday. |
| convoluted | (adj) coiled or twisted; complicated/intricate ***The convoluted lanes wind back and forth through the mountains |
| intricate | (adj) having a complicated structure; complex; hard to understand ***The spider spun an intricate pattern. |
| quandary | (n) a state of uncertainty or doubt ***She was ina quandary over what to buy Janie for her birthday. |
| tactic | (n) a method of achieving a goal ***The captain developed that tactic that helped win the game. |
| broach | (t. verb) to talk or write about for the first time; to bring up ***The ambassador broached the issue of nuclear war. |
| incipient | (adj) just beginning to exist/appear; in the early stages ***Chicken soup will cure an incipient cold |
| initiative | (n) The power, ability, or instinct to begin/follow through on a task/enterprise ***Under her own initiative, she developed a garbage-reduction program for the school. |
| novice | (n) A person new to a field/activity; beginner ***From the taste of his cake, we could tell that Brian was a novice baker. |
| cessation | (n) The act of ceasing/stopping; a halt; The cessation of the loud noise allowed Pam to continue studying |
| deter | (t. verb) To prevent/discourage from acting as by means of fear or doubt |
| hamper | (t. v) to prevent free movement, action, or progress; to limit (n) a basket w/ cover ***Tight shoes hampered his ability to dance. |
| preclude | (t. verb) to make impossible or unlikely ***Excessively hot temperatures preclude the possibility of life existing on Venus. |
| scuttle | (intrans. v) run hastily; scurry (t. v) to sink a sink by creating a hole (in it's hull); to abandon/destroy ***His refusal to leave scuttled the enemy's plans. |
| subside | (i. verb) To sink to a lower/more normal level; to become less active ***The flood waters subsided and the animals scuttled around the forest to find food. |
| thwart | (t.verb) prevent from taking place; fusturate/block |
| composite | (adj) put together from various parts; having factors; (n) something made up of various parts ***The computer creates composite portraits, combining the features of several people. |
| exponent | (n) Person who speaks for something a representative/interpreter of something; ***The movie star was the main exponent for the low-carb diet. |
| juxaposition | (n) placement side by side/close together to create an unusual effect, esp. in in comparision ***When the paintings were placed in juxaposition, it was easy to tell the imitation from the genuine one. |
| proposition | (n) A statement/plan suggested for acceptance; a proposal ***According to the GA, we are "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" |
| propound | (t.v) to offer/set forth for consideration ***He first propounded his theory in 1922. ***He was a proponent of the Cell THeory |
| repository | (n) a safe place to store things ***It was a repository for ancient artifacts. |
| supposition | (n) assumption ***His supposition that the class was easy was incorrect. |
| appreciable | (adj) able to be estimated/measured ***He spent an appreciable amount of time on his homework. |
| breadth | (n) TH edistance/dimension from side to side of something; width ***Discuss ideas in depth and breadth |
| copious | (adj) large in quantity; abundant; containing ample supply ***The good student took copious notes. |
| gargantuan | (adj) of immense size/volume; huge ***The gargantuan resturant could seat over 200 people. |
| innumerable | (adj) Too many to be counted/numbered ***The sky is filled with innumerable stars. |
| ven | come |
| convene | (i/t v) to come together *** they convened in PA to discuss their independence. |
| convent | (n) a place where religious people convene to live ***They opened a convent on Main Street. |
| convention | (n) A place where people convene; a meeting ***The internet convention was held by Morgan Stanley |
| com | together |
| contravene | (t v) to oppose; go against ***Because they contravened their commander's orders, they were arrested. |
| contra | against |
| NB | literal translation: Nota Bene, aka NOte well; take careful note of; |
| tend, tens | stretch |
| contend | (i/t v)to argue/assert; vie in contest ***He contended that taxes were too high. |
| contentious | (adj) argumentiative ***The contentious bully looked for a fight |
| tenuous | (Adj) Stretched thin; having little substance/merit ***I didn't believe his tenuous arguement. |
| mit, mis | send |
| missive | (n) a sent communication/letter ***The missive directed me to appear in court on Monday. |
| remit | (t.v) to send back, esp. as payment ***Please remit the payment ASAP. |
| intermittent | (adj) sent between intervals; periodic ***The intermittent letters kept htem in touch over the years. |
| re inter | back between |
| emissary | (n) one sent from anothe rplace to another as a representative ***He was an emissary to the UN for the US. |
| surfeit | (n) exces ***a --- of cookies. |
| e super mal pac | from beyond evil peace |
| maleficent | (adj) evil making/harmful ***the --- intentions |
| malefactor | (n) evil doer; one who has comitted a crime ***the --- was finally caught |
| pacify | (t.v) to make peaceful; bring/restore to state of peace ***--- the enraged ranchers |
| fac, fact, fect, fic | make/do |
| pacific | (adj) tending to make/preserve peace; mild ***---nature. He never argued |
| cur, curs | a running, course |
| cursory | (adj) in a flowing/running manner; hasty ***read her assignment in a --- manner |
| concur | (i.v) to agree ***---with his view that... |
| com | with |
| concurrent | (adj) running/occuring with something else ***sentenced to five--- life sentences |
| i.e e.g | that is for example |
| mort, mor | death |
| mortify | (t.v) to deaden, destroy; humiliate ***---their flesh (adj) was mortified (humiliated) |
| mortification | (n) act of deadening or destroy ***Engage in --- |
| moribund | (adj) aproaching death ***that industry is --- |
| ten, tain | hold |
| tenet | (n) a principle held by members of a group ***subscribe to the --- of the buddist religion |
| tenable | (adj) able to be held or defended *** you don't have a --- thesis |
| tenacity | (n) quality of holding onto tightly ***their --- paid off. |
| tenacious | (adj) holding onto tightly; persistent ***their --- efforts paid off |
