GRE General Set 31
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- hurtle
- crash; rush; move with great speed; Ex. ~ing runaway train
- ungainly
- (of someone) awkward in movement; clumsy; (of something) unwieldy; Ex. ~ dancer/instrument
- perversion
- corruption; turning from right to wrong; the alteration of something from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended : the ~ of Marxist theory to justify Soviet policymaking | a scandalous ~ of the law. [ from Latin perversio(n-), from the verb pervertere 'turn around' (see pervert ).]
- zest
- outer skin of an orange used for giving a special taste to food; spice; interest; flavor; spirited enjoyment; Ex. add a certain ~ to the affair; Ex. ~ for life
- incisive
- (appreciatively) cutting; sharp; Ex. incisive remarks; V. incise: make a cut into
- effectual
- able to produce a desired effect; valid
- quadruped
- four-footed animal; ADJ. CF. biped
- clot
- half-solid lump formed from a liquid (or blood); V.
- saccharine
- cloying sweet; characteristic of sugar or saccharin
- natation
- swimming
- loiter
- hang about/around; stand idly about; linger
- caulk
- make watertight (by blocking up cracks as in a ship)
- supposition
- assumption; hypothesis; surmise; V. suppose
- sinuous
- twisting; winding; bending in and out; not morally honest
- virile
- manly; having masculine spirit or strength; full of strength [from French viril or Latin virilis, from vir 'man.']
- ooze
- (of a thick liquid) pass or flow slowly; N: mud or thick liquid as at the bottom of a river
- jaded
- tired or uninterested by surfeit; fatigued; surfeited; worn out; wearied; Ex. ~ appetite
- pinnacle
- peak; highest point; acme; Ex. ~ of fame
- revile
- attack with abusive language; vilify(slander) [from Old French reviler, based on vil 'vile.']
- viand
- food; CF. live [from Old French viande 'food,' from an alteration of Latin vivenda, neuter plural gerundive of vivere 'to live.']
- glow
- shine brightly without a flame (as of eyes or metals); show redness and heat (in the face) after hard work or because of strong feelings; N: light produced by a heated body; brilliance of a color
- domicile
- home; V. ADJ. ~ed: having one's ~; Ex. He is ~ in Britain.
- unregenerate
- making no attempt to change one's bad practices
- elixir
- cure-all; panacea; something invigorating [via medieval Latin from Arabic al-'iksīr, from al 'the' + 'iksīr from Greek xērion 'powder for drying wounds' (from xēros 'dry' ).]
- chide
- scold; rebuke (someone who has done wrong)
- threadbare
- worn through till the threads show; shabby and poor; hackneyed; Ex. ~ excuses
- toady
- servile flatterer; yes man; sycophant; V: be a ~ to; fawn
- blanch
- bleach; whiten; make white or pale [from Old French blanchir, from blanc 'white,' ultimately of Germanic origin.]
- impersonal
- not being a person; not showing personal feelings; Ex. ~ force/manner/organization
- expurgate
- clean; remove offensive parts of a book
- stipple
- paint or draw with dots or short strokes [from Dutch stippelen, frequentative of stippen 'to prick,' from stip 'a point.']
- ecliptic
- path of the sun and the planets [via Latin from Greek ekleiptikos, from ekleipein 'fail to appear' (see eclipse ).]
- loom
- appear or take shape (usually in an enlarged, indistinct, or distorted form); Ex. The shadow of the gallows ~ed threateningly. N: apparatus for making thread into cloth
- incongruity
- lack of harmony; absurdity; ADJ. incongruous: lacking in harmony; inappropriate
- latitude
- freedom from narrow limitations [Latin latitudo 'breadth,' from latus 'broad.']
- protract
- prolong; lengthen in time; draw out
- effeminate
- having womanly traits
- ward
- administrative division of a city; division in a hospital or prison; incompetent person placed under the protection of a guardian; V: guard; ward off: avert
- headfirst
- moving with the head leading; headlong
- discombobulated
- discomposed; confused
- tract
- propaganda pamphlet (esp. by a religious or political group); expanse of land; region of indefinite size; system of related organs; Ex. digestive ~
- artifice
- deception; trickery
- transcribe
- copy; write a copy of; N. transcription
- roue
- lecherous man;a debauched man; [French, literally 'broken on a wheel,' referring to the instrument of torture thought to be deserved by such a person.]
- taciturn
- habitually silent; talking little
- malodorous
- foul-smelling
- winnow
- sift; separate the chaff from grain by blowing; separate good parts from bad; CF. wind
- anvil
- iron block used in hammering out metals [Old English anfilte, from the Germanic base of on + a verbal stem meaning 'beat.']
- alluvium
- a deposit of clay, silt, sand, and gravel left by flowing streams in a river valley or delta, typically producing fertile soil. [ Latin, neuter of alluvius 'washed against,' from ad- 'toward' + luere 'to wash.']
- deference
- courteous regard for another's wish; courteous yielding to another's wish or opinion (showing respect); ADJ. ~tial; OP. effrontery
- visage
- face; appearance, the appearance conveyed by a person's face
- statutory
- created by statute or legislative action; regulated by statute; Ex. ~ age limit
- haggard
- wasted away; gaunt; Ex. ~ faces of the rescued miners [ from French hagard; perhaps related to hedge ; later influenced by hag 1 .]
- physiological
- pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms; N. physiology
- sardonic
- scornfully mocking; disdainful; sarcastic; cynical; Ex. ~ smile
- expiate
- make amends for (a sin) [(in the sense [end (rage, sorrow, etc.) by suffering it to the full] ): from Latin expiat- 'appeased by sacrifice,' from the verb expiare, from ex- 'out' + piare (from pius 'pious' ).]
- mauve
- pale purple
- preamble
- introductory statement
- deadpan
- wooden; impassive; with no show of feeling; with an expressionless face
- comatose
- in a coma; extremely sleepy
- inquisitor
- questioner (especially harsh); investigator; person making an inquisition
- sherbet
- a frozen dessert made with fruit juice added to milk or cream, egg white, or gelatin.
- pessimism
- belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess; tendency to take the gloomiest possible view of a situation; ADJ. pessimistic
- provident
- providing for future needs; displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies; OP. improvident
- stodgy
- dull; stuffy; boringly conservative; Ex. ~ book
- credential
- evidence concerning one's authority; written proof of a person's position; Ex. The new ambassador presented his ~s to the court.
- perquisite
- (perk) any gain above stipulated salary; Ex. ~s such as free meals and a car
- judiciary
- judicial branch of government
- tenure
- holding of an office or real estate; time during which such an office is held
- propulsive
- driving forward; N. propulsion
- loath
- reluctant; unwilling; disinclined; Ex. Romeo and Juliet were both ~ for him to go.
- circlet
- small ring; band of gold, silver, jewel, etc. (worn on the head, arms, or neck as decoration)
- amulet
- charm; talisman; an object worn believed to protect against evil, bad luck [unknown origin]
- disparate
- basically different; impossible to compare; unrelated [from Latin disparatus 'separated,' from the verb disparare, from dis- 'apart' + parare 'to prepare' ; influenced in sense by Latin dispar 'unequal.']
- pillory
- a wooden framework with holes for the head and hands, in which an offender was imprisoned and exposed to public abuse.; put (someone) in the ~. ; verb. • figurative attack or ridicule publicly : he found himself ~ by members of his own party. ; [from Old French pilori, probably from Provençal espilori (associated by some with a Catalan word meaning 'peephole,' of uncertain origin).]
- accretion
- growth or increase in size by gradual addition; growth; increase; increase by natural growth; Ex. towers and other ~s of the castle; V. accrete
- gull
- trick; deceive; hoodwink; N: person who is easily tricked; dupe
- quay
- dock; wharf; pier; landing place (for boats)
- fleck
- spot; mark with ~s; N: small mark or spot
- entree
- entrance; a way in; right to enter; main dish of a meal; Ex. ~ into the exclusive circle
- gustatory
- affecting or relating to the sense of taste ex. ~ delights
- pilfer
- steal things of small value; filch; snitch
- gratuitous
- given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for; done without good reason; Ex. ~ comment
- carnal
- fleshly; sensual; concerning the desires of the body
- epilogue
- short speech at conclusion of dramatic work
- foible
- small weakness of character; slight fault; CF. feeble
- engage
- attract; employ; hire; pledge oneself; confront; fight; enter into confliction; interlock; lock together; participate; N. engagement: agreement to marry; arrangement to meet someone or to do something; battle
- soothsayer
- one who foretells the future [sooth: (archaic) truth]
- carousal
- drunken revel; V. carouse
- contagion
- infection (by contact); ADJ. -ious; CF. infectious: that can be passed by infection in the air
- troth
- pledge of good faith especially in betrothal; betrothal; Ex. by my ~
- cabal
- small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
- foist
- insert improperly; impose upon another by coercion; palm off; pass off as genuine or worthy; CF. fist
- irascible
- irritable; easily angered
- solder
- repair or make whole by using a metal alloy; N: metal alloy (usually tin and lead) used in the molten state to join metallic parts
- nubile
- marriageable; of marriageable age; CF. connubial
- rotunda
- circular building or hall covered with a dome
- chorus
- phrase repeated throughout a song or poem
- effluvium
- noxious(harmful) smell [from Latin, from effluere 'flow out.']
- thrall
- slave; bondage; slavery; Ex. Her beauty held him in ~; CF. en-
- monogram
- design composed of one or more initials of a name; a motif of two or more letters, typically a person's initials, usually interwoven or otherwise combined in a decorative design, used as a logo or to identify a personal possession. V.
- cavalier
- casual and offhand; arrogant showing a lack of proper concern; offhand : Anne was irritated by his ~ attitude.;; N: knight [based on Latin caballus 'horse' : Compare with caballero and chevalier .]
- droll
- queer and amusing, comical in an odd or whimsical manner [from French drôle, perhaps from Middle Dutch drolle 'imp, goblin.']
- unwarranted
- unjustified; having no justification; groundless; baseless; undeserved
- char
- make or become black by burning; reduce or be reduced to carbon or charcoal(black substance made by burning wood) by incomplete combustion
- bouillon
- clear beef (or meat) soup [French, literally 'liquid in which something has boiled' .]
- mendacious
- lying; habitually dishonest; N. mendacity
- insolence
- impudent disrespect; haughtiness; ADJ. -ent; CF. haughty + rude [ from Latin insolent- 'immoderate, unaccustomed, arrogant,' from in- 'not' + solent- 'being accustomed' (from the verb solere).]
- opportune
- timely; well-chosen
- crust
- hard outer covering (as of earth or snow) v. form into a hard outer layer
- estimable
- (of a person) worthy of esteem; admirable; deserving esteem; possible to estimate
- percussion
- striking one object against another sharply; Ex. ~ instrument; N: striking together of two bodies; sound caused by ~
- inured
- accustomed; hardened; Ex. ~ to the Alaskan cold; V. inure: make used to something undesirable; harden; CF. unfeeling [from an Anglo-Norman French phrase meaning 'in use or practice,' from en 'in' + Old French euvre 'work' (from Latin opera).]
- aggrandize
- make greater; increase in power, wealth, rank, or honor; N. aggrandizement
- abortive
- unsuccessful; fruitless [failing to produce the intended result : she made two ~ attempts at suicide.]
- subterfuge
- stratagem(deceptive scheme); pretense; evasion; Ex. resort to a harmless ~
- embellish
- adorn; ornament; enhance as a story (by adding fictitious details)
- dolorous
- sorrowful; N. dolor
- cavil
- quibble; make frivolous objections; find fault unnecessarily [from Latin cavillari, from cavilla 'mockery.']
- abominable
- detestable; extremely unpleasant
- milieu
- social environment; means of expression; Ex. feel out of one's ~; Ex. His proper ~ is watercolor.
- amenable
- obedient; compliant; readily managed; responsive; willing to be led; answerable or accountable legally; responsible; able to be tested by; Ex. ~ to sensible suggestions; Ex. He is very ~; Ex. ~ to the usual tests
- elegy
- poem or song expressing lamentation (for the dead); ADJ. elegiacal, elegiac [from French élégie, or via Latin, from Greek elegeia, from elegos 'mournful poem.']
- tribunal
- court of justice [ from Latin tribunal 'raised platform provided for magistrates' seats,' from tribunus (see tribune 1 ).]
- endearment
- fond word or act; expression of affection
- dormer
- window projecting upright from roof; CF. sleeping room
- sublimate
- refine; purify; replace (natural urges) with socially acceptable activities; change between a solid state and a gaseous state [from Latin sublimat- 'raised up,' from the verb sublimare.]
- pestle
- tool for mashing or grinding substances in a hard bowl or mortar
- vagrant
- homeless wanderer
- ichthyology
- study of fish; CF. ichthyo-: fish
- redolent
- odorous; fragrant; suggestive (of an odor); Ex. ~ of onions/mystery [ from Old French, or from Latin redolent- 'giving out a strong smell,' from re(d)- 'back, again' + olere 'to smell.']
- drivel
- nonsense; foolishness; V: talk nonsense
- colossus
- gigantic statue; person or thing of great size or importance
- resplendent
- brilliant; splendid in appearance; dazzling; glorious [from Latin resplendent- 'shining out,' from the verb resplendere, from re- (expressing intensive force) + splendere 'to glitter.']
- bountiful
- generous; graciously generous; showing bounty
- pulchritude
- beauty; comeliness; ADJ. -dinous [from Latin pulchritudo, from pulcher, pulchr- 'beautiful.']
- windfall
- fallen fruit; unexpected lucky event
- irreconcilable
- impossible to reconcile; incompatible; not able to be resolved
- disengage
- uncouple; separate; disconnect; stop fighting; OP. engage
- douse
- pour a liquid over; drench : he ~ the car with gasoline and set it on fire.; • extinguish (a fire or light) : stewards appeared and the fire was ~ed | figurative nothing could ~ her sudden euphoria.
- interregnum
- period between two successive reigns or governments [from Latin, from inter- 'between' + regnum 'reign.']
- deciduous
- falling off at a specific season or stage of growth as of leaves; Ex. ~ tree/teeth [from Latin deciduus (from decidere 'fall down or off' ) + -ous .]
- proscenium
- part of stage in front of curtain; front arch of a stage
- swarthy
- (of a skin or complexion) dark; dusky; Ex. ~ Italian ?
- remission
- temporary moderation (of disease symptoms); remitting of a debt or punishment; cancelation of a debt; pardon; Ex. The disease went into remission; Ex. Christians pray for the ~ of sins.
- defeatist
- resigned to defeat or failure; accepting defeat or failure as a natural outcome; N. CF. defeatism
- spatula
- broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing
- recital
- act of reciting publicly; detailed account; performance of music or dance (by a solo performer)
- primal
- first in rank or importance; being first in time; original; Ex. man's ~ innocence
- pedigree
- ancestry; lineage [from Anglo-Norman French pé de grue 'crane's foot,' a mark used to denote succession in pedigrees.]
- endemic
- prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country; peculiar to a particular region or people; CF. pandemic
- dyspeptic
- suffering from indigestion; N. dyspepsia: indigestion; difficulty in digesting food; of or having indigestion or consequent irritability or depression.
- bellicose
- warlike
- nonplus
- surprise and confuse (someone) so much that they are unsure how to react : Diane was ~ed by such an odd question. n. va state of being surprised and confused in this way.
- mutinous
- unruly; rebellious; Ex. ~ teenagers; N. mutiny: open rebellion; CF. mutineer
- flippant
- lacking proper seriousness; Ex. ~remarks about death; N. -cy
- seismic
- pertaining to earthquakes
- bowdlerize
- To remove material that is considered offensive or objectionable from (a book, for example).; expurgate; CF. Thomas Bowdler
- connubial
- pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state [from Latin connubialis, from connubium 'marriage,' from con- 'with' + nubere 'marry.']