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Vocab Word Lists 10-12

Terms

undefined, object
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Susan B. Anthony
Women's Rights leader in the 19th and early 20th century who fought for women's suffrage; one of the leading American Feminists
Bipolar Disorder
Psychiatric disorder characterized by extreme mood swings, i.e. depression to euphoria
Chicanery
Deception or trickery, especially by manipulating language
Donner Pass
Pass in the Sierra Nevada in Northeast California named for the Donner Party of migrants who resorted cannibalism after being trapped in the mountains
Deleterious
Having a harmful effect on someone or something
Fauvism
Pre 20th century art movement in painting, marked by bold distorted forms and vivid colors
hegira
Mass departure or emigration; Flight of Muhammed to Medina from Mecca
Incontrovertible
Certain, undeniable, and not open to question
Joie de Vivre
Energy and love of life
Keystone State
Pennsylvania, because it was the central state of the Union
Laissez faire
The capitalists principle that the economy works best with no government interference or regulation
lugubrious
Extremely morunful, sad, or gloomy especially to an exaggerated degree
miasma
Harmful or poisonous fumes caused by burning or decaying matter
okra
A green seed pod cooked and eaten as a vegetable
pecuniary
Of money or relating money; requiring payment of money
quince
An apple shaped yellow fruit only edible when cooked
quinsy
Severe inflammation of the threat near the tonsils
spigot
indoor faucet
xenophobe
Person who is afraid of foreigners or foreign customs
zeugma
Construction in which a word is applied to two different situations that are not the same
aperture
An adjustible opening in a camera that allows light to pass through a lens
bocce/bocci/boccie
Italian game similar to lawn bowling
Demosthenes
Greek orator whose reputation is based on Phillipes, a series of orations exhorting Athens against Phillip of Macedon
Elysium
In Green mythology, the home of the blessed after death
Gibraltar
British dependency south of Spain, which occuppies the strategic position at the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea
iridescent
Having rainbow colors that appear to move as the angle changes
jodhpurs
Riding breeches that are wide at the hips and narrow at the calves with reinforced patches at the knee and thigh
menorah
Ceremonial candleholder consisting of a central stem surrounded by eight curved branches, used in the Jewish temple and as the emblem of Judaism
Joyce Carol Oates
American writer whose works deail with love and violence in American society
passion play
Play that details the suffering and crucifixtion of Jesus Christ
Sir Walter Raleigh
British Pirate executed by James I who made the last smoke famous; he also helped colonize Virginia and introduce tobacco to Europe
saffron
Deep orange colored stigmas of a type of crocus sometimes ground powder
spoonerism
Accidental transposition of initial consonant sounds or parts of words
tangerine
Citrus fruit with easily peeled orange skin and a sweet taste
vehement
Expressed or showing conviction or intense feelings
War of Jenkins' Ear
Struggle between Spain and England resulting in involvement in the of the Austrian War of Succession
Xanthippe
Wife of Socrates
Yggdrasil
In Norse mythology; Great Ash tree that overshadows the world linking Heaven, Earth, and Hell together
"You're pulling my leg"
Play a joke or tease
zob
Game played by British Naval officers to determine who bought drinks
arras
A tapestry used as a hanging screen
beignet
Small pice of seafood covered in batter and deep fried
Caliban
The slave in the Tempest
dingo
Australian wild dog with a reddish brown coat
Flying Dutchman
Spectral ship that appears in storms off of the Cape of Good Hope
hardtack
Hard unsalted bread or biscuit formerly eaten aboard ships as a military ration
jonquil
Variety of Narcissus
Kow tow
To kneel and touch forehead to the ground as a sign of deep respect
macadam
Smooth hard road surface made from small pieces of crushed stone
otorhinolaryngologist
ear, nose, and throat doctor
plankton
Mass of tiny animals and plants floating in the sea eaten by fish
quintessence
The purest most perfect example of something
reggae
Popular music originally from Jamaca
salmonellosis
Food poisoning caused by infection with salmonella
thersitical
Book that lists words, synonyms and antonyms
virago
Offensive term implying that a woman is violent in her temperment and behavior
wall-eyed
One or both eyes has an unusually large white part
xyst
Long walkway with a roof supported by pillars
Yersinia pestis
a bacteria that causes the Black Plague
zyzzyva
Any various of tropical American weavils of the genes zyzzyva

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