The Norton Sampler Lexicon
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- impunity
- exemption from punishment
- mirth
- amusement esp. as expressed in laughter
- indefinitely
- for an unlimited or unspecific amount of time
- ideologically
- such a body of doctrine, myth, etc., with reference to some political and social plan, as that of fascism, along with the devices for putting it into operation.
- equivocal
- allowing the possibility of several different meanings, as a word or phrase, esp. with intent to deceive or misguide; susceptible of double interpretation; deliberately ambiguous
- enmity
- The condition of being an enemy; a state of mutual hostility
- declivity
- Downward slope or inclination
- efflorescence
- A development like that of blossom; an abundant or ostentatious growth; the 'flower' of age, etc.
- affluent
- having an abundance of wealth, property, or other material goods; prosperous; rich
- gauze
- a surgical dressing of loosely woven cotton
- understatement
- the opposite of intentional exaggeration
- pun
- the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words.
- crux
- a vital, basic, decisive, or pivotal point
- satire
- the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly
- transient
- lasting only for a short amount of time
- conflagration
- an extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property
- folly
- lack of good sense; foolishness
- redoubtable
- formidable, esp. as an opponent
- uncanny
- having or seeming to have a supernatural or inexplicable basis; beyond the ordinary or normal; extraordinary
- courtesan
- a prostitute, esp. one with wealthy or upper-class clients
- improvident
- not having or showing foresight
- temperate
- showing moderation or self-restraint
- implore
- to beg urgently or piteously, as for aid or mercy; beseech; entreat
- soliloquy
- an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself or is disregardful of or oblivious to any hearers present
- qualitative
- pertaining to or concerned with quality or qualities.
- heroine
- a woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for her brave deeds and noble qualities
- anecdote
- a short account of a particular incident or event of an interesting or amusing nature, often biographical.
- tumult
- commotion of a multitude, usually with confused speech or uproar; public disturbance; disorderly or riotous proceeding.
- discourse
- written or spoken communication or debate
- bazaar
- A shop or a part of a store in which miscellaneous articles are sold.
- Alas
- used as an exclamation to express sorrow, grief, pity, concern, or apprehension of evil
- bastion
- A projecting part of a fortification, consisting of an earthwork, faced with brick or stone, or of a mass of masonry, in the form of an irregular pentagon, having its base in the main line, or at an angle, of the fortification
- heretical
- Of or pertaining to heresy or heretics; of the nature of heresy.
- aside
- a part of an actor's lines supposedly not heard by others on the stage and intended only for the audience.
- onomatopoeia
- the formation of a word, as cuckoo or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.
- palatable
- acceptable or agreeable to the mind or feelings
- allude
- to refer casually or indirectly
- impend
- be about to happen
- palate
- the sense of taste
- solace
- Comfort, consolation; alleviation of sorrow, distress, or discomfort.
- peregrination
- journey
- exhortation
- an utterance, discourse, or address conveying urgent advice or recommendations
- inoculate
- to imbue (a person), as with ideas
- methodology
- a system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity
- complacent
- pleased, esp. with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect
- proliferate
- to increase rapidly in numbers; multiply
- tawdry
- showy but cheap and of poor quality; unpleasant
- surrogate
- to put into the place of another as a successor, substitute, or deputy; substitute for another.
- decorous
- Characterized by outward conformity to the recognized standard of propriety and good taste in manners, behaviour, etc.
- amalgam
- a mixture or blend
- euphemism
- the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.
- adroit
- cleverly skillful, resourceful, or ingenious
- parenteral
- taken into the body in a manner other than through the digestive canal
- leery
- wary; suspicious
- mutiny
- revolt or rebellion against constituted authority, esp. by sailors against their officers.
- authentic
- not false or copied; genuine
- genial
- friendly and cheerful
- ebullience
- An issuing forth in agitation, like boiling water; overflow; enthusiasm, extravagance.
- oracle
- a shrine or place at which such responses were given; a person who delivers authoritative, wise, or highly regarded and influential pronouncements.
- precarious
- dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; unstable; insecure
- decorum
- That which is proper, suitable, seemly, befitting, becoming; fitness, propriety, congruity. a. esp. in dramatic, literary, or artistic composition
- mantra
- A commonly repeated word or phrase, usually for memorization.
- antagonist
- a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another; opponent; adversary
- hegemony
- leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a confederation.
- docent
- a person who is a knowledgeable guide, esp. one who conducts visitors through a museum and delivers a commentary on the exhibitions
- quantitative
- of or pertaining to the describing or measuring of quantity.
- furtively
- taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret
- insouciance
- lack of care or concern; indifference
- traverse
- to pass or move over, along, or through.
- epicenter
- a focal point, as of activity
- thwart
- To prevent the occurrence, realization, or attainment of
- renegade
- a person who deserts a party or cause for another.
- etymology
- an account of the history of a particular word or element of a word.
- plumes
- A structure or form that is like a long feather
- loafer
- lazy person
- vicissitudes
- The fact of change or mutation taking place in a particular thing or within a certain sphere; the uncertain changing or mutability of something.
- rivulets
- A small brook or stream; a streamlet
- innocuous
- harmless; innoxious
- vigor
- energetic activity; energy; intensity
- idiosyncrasies
- a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual.
- inscrutable
- That cannot be searched into or found out by searching; impenetrable or unfathomable to investigation; quite unintelligible, entirely mysterious.
- sociology
- the study of development, structure, and functioning of human society
- flailed
- To beat or strike; or to wave or swing vigorously
- derivation
- a set of forms, including the initial form, intermediate forms, and final form, showing the successive stages in the generation of a sentence as the rules of a generative grammar are applied to it.
- tacit
- Unspoken, unvoiced; silent, emitting no sound; noiseless, wordless; implied or inferred
- tarmac
- for surfacing roads, airport runways, parking areas, etc.
- leery
- cautious or wary due to realistic suspicions
- explicate
- to make plain or clear; explain; interpret.
- scrupulous
- having or showing a strict regard for what one considers right; principled.