Semester 1 Final Vocab List
Terms
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- Evanescent
- Adjective- vanishing; fading away; fleeting. tending to become imperceptible; scarcely perceptible.
- Hiatus
- Noun- a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc; a missing part; gap or lacuna; any gap or opening; Grammar, Prosody. the coming together, with or without break or slight pause, and without contraction, of two vowels in successive words or syllables, as in see easily; Anatomy. a natural fissure, cleft, or foramen in a bone or other structure.
- Equivocate
- Verb- to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead; prevaricate or hedge
- Acrimonious
- Adjective- caustic, stinging, or bitter in nature
- Epiphany
- Proper Noun- A festival in Christianity celebrating the visit of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus. Epiphany means "a showing forth" — in this case a showing forth of Jesus to the Gentiles.
- Ameliorate
- Verb- to make or become better, more bearable, improve
- fusty
- adj- having a stale smell; moldy; musty; old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like; stubbornly conservative or old-fashioned; fogeyish
- guile
- adj- insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity.
- Arcane
- Adjective- known or understood by very few, mysterious
- Cogent
- Adjective- convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation; telling; to the point; relevant; pertinent
- Allegory
- Plural Noun- a represention of something nonphysical (abstract) with something else or something physical
- gauche
- adj- lacking social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness; awkward; crude; tactless
- fecundity
- adj- capacity, esp. in female animals, of producing young in great numbers; fruitfulness or fertility, as of the earth; the capacity of abundant production
- Autodidact
- Noun- a person who has learned a subject without formal education
- gossamer
- adj- a fine, filmy cobweb seen on grass or bushes or floating in the air in calm weather, esp. in autumn; a thread or a web of this substance; an extremely delicate variety of gauze, used esp. for veils; a thin, waterproof outer garment, esp. for women]
- Efficacy
- Noun- capacity for producing a desired result or effect; effectiveness
- gerrymander
- noun/verb- the dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible;
- Iconoclast
- Noun- a breaker or destroyer of images, esp. those set up for religious veneration; a person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditional institutions, etc., as being based on error or superstition.
- Capacious
- Adjective- capable of holding much; spacious or roomy
- Epigrammatic
- Adjective- of or like an epigram; terse and ingenious in expression. containing or favoring the use of epigrams.
- Antebellum
- Adjective- before or existing before war
- Interpolate
- Verb- to introduce (something additional or extraneous) between other things or parts; interject; interpose; intercalate; Mathematics. to insert, estimate, or find an intermediate term in (a sequence); to alter (a text) by the insertion of new matter, esp. deceptively or without authorization; to insert (new or spurious matter) in this manner. *Verb sans Object*- to make an interpolation.
- fractious
- adj- refractory or unruly; readily angered; peevish; irritable; quarrelsome
- Inveigle
- Verb- to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk or inducements (usually fol. by into); to acquire, win, or obtain by beguiling talk or methods (usually fol. by from or away).
- Caveat
- Noun- a warning or caution; admonition; a legal notice to a court or public officer to suspend a certain proceeding until the notifier is given a hearing
- factious
- adj- dissenting (especially dissenting with the majority opinion);Of, relating to, produced by, or characterized by internal dissension
- Homogenous
- Adjective- corresponding in structure because of a common origin.
- Belie
- Verb- to show to be false; contradict; to misrepresent; to act unworthily according to the standards of (a tradition, one's ancestry, one's faith, etc.); to lie about; slander
- Addle
- Verb- to make or become confused
- Hubris
- Noun- excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance.
- Alacrity
- Noun- promptness, willingness, briskness
- Axiomatic
- Adjective- pertaining to or of the force of an axiom; self-evident
- Auspicious
- Adjective- promising success, propitous, opportune
- Abjure
- Verb- to renounce, give up or retract
- Disapprobation
- Noun- disapproval; condemnation
- Hegemony
- Noun- leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a confederation; leadership; predominance; (esp. among smaller nations) aggression or expansionism by large nations in an effort to achieve world domination.
- Inculcate
- Verb- to implant by repeated statement or admonition; teach persistently and earnestly; to cause or influence (someone) to accept an idea or feeling
- Insouciant
- Adjective- free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; nonchalant.
- Epiphany
- Noun- an appearance or manifestation, esp. of a deity. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.
- Circumlocution
- Noun- a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea; a roundabout expression
- factitious
- adj- not spontaneous or natural; artificial; contrived; made or manufactured
- Excogitate
- Verb- to think out; devise; invent. to study intently and carefully in order to grasp or comprehend fully.
- Aphorism
- Noun- a terse saying embodying a general truth
- feckless
- adj- ineffective; incompetent; futile; having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy
- Enfranchise
- Verb- to grant a franchise to; admit to citizenship, esp. to the right of voting. to endow (a city, constituency, etc.) with municipal or parliamentary rights. to set free; liberate, as from slavery.
- facetious
- adj- not meant to be taken seriously or literally; amusing; humorous; lacking serious intent; concerned with something nonessential, amusing, or frivolous
- Attenuate
- Verb- to weaken or reduce in force
- Eruct
- Verb- to belch forth, as gas from the stomach. to emit or issue violently, as matter from a volcano.
- Desultory
- Adjective- wavering, unsteady; erratic
- Deleterious
- Adjective- injurious to health; harmful; injurious
- Incontrovertible
- Adjective- not controvertible; not open to question or dispute; indisputable.
- forensic
- adj- pertaining to, connected with, or used in courts of law or public discussion and debate; adapted or suited to argumentation; rhetorical; the art or study of argumentation and formal debate
- Halcyon
- Adjective- calm; peaceful; tranquil; rich; wealthy; prosperous; happy; joyful; carefree; a mythical bird, usually identified with the kingfisher, said to breed about the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea, and to have the power of charming winds and waves into calmness; any of various kingfishers, esp. of the genus Halcyon; (initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. Alcyone (def. 2)
- Erudite
- Adjective- characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly
- Incognito
- Adjective- having one's identity concealed, as under an assumed name, esp. to avoid notice or formal attentions. *Adverb*- With the real identity concealed. *Noun*- a person who is incognito; the state of being incognito; the disguise or character assumed by an incognito.
- Anachronism
- Noun- something out of its place in time
- Interloper
- Noun- One that interferes with the affairs of others, often for selfish reasons; a meddler; One that intrudes in a place, situation, or activity.
- Confabulate
- Verb- to converse informally; chat; to engage in confabulation
- Churlish
- Adjective- like a churl; boorish; rude; of a churl; peasantlike; nigg*rdly; mean; difficult to work or deal with, as soil.
- Antediluvian
- Adjective- before the biblical flood
- Abrogate
- Verb- to abolish by formal or official means
- filibuster
- noun- an irregular military adventurer, esp. one who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution; the use of obstructive tactics (such as exceptionally long speeches) by a member of a legislative assembly to prevent the adoption of a measure generally favored or to force a decision against the will of the majority; to impede (legislation) by irregular or obstructive tactics, esp. by making long speeches
- Ecdysiast
- Noun- H.L. Mencken's invented proper word for "strip-tease artist," 1940, from Gk. ekdysis "a stripping or casting off" (used scientifically with ref. to serpents shedding skin or crustacea molting), from ekdyein "to put off" (contrasted with endyo "to put on"), from ex- + dyo "sink, plunge, enter."
- Enervate
- Verb- to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken.
- Bilious
- Adjective- pertaining to bile or to an excess secretion of bile; suffering from, caused by, or attended by trouble with the bile or liver; extremely unpleasant or distastefulpeevish; irritable; cranky;
- Diffident
- Adjective- lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy; restrained or reserved in manner, conduct, etc; distrustful
- Expurgate
- Verb- to amend by removing words, passages, etc., deemed offensive or objectionable. to purge or cleanse of moral offensiveness.
- Asperity
- Plural Noun- harshness or sharpness of tone; rough or harsh
- Ersatz
- Adjective- substitute, artificial and often inferior; using substitute components
- Aesthetic
- Adjective- having a sense of the beautiful, loving beauty.
- glossolalia
- noun- incomprehensible speech in an imaginary language, sometimes occurring in a trance state, an episode of religious ecstasy, or schizophrenia
- fiduciary
- noun- a person to whom property or power is entrusted for the benefit of another; of, based on, or in the nature of trust and confidence, as in public affairs
- fatuous
- adj- foolish or inane, esp. in an unconscious, complacent manner; unreal; illusory
- Expiate
- Verb- to atone for; make amends or reparation for
- Invidious
- Adjective- calculated to create ill will or resentment or give offense; hateful; offensively or unfairly discriminating; injurious; causing or tending to cause animosity, resentment, or envy.
- Abstemious
- Adjective- sparing or moderate in eating or drinking
- Acumen
- Noun- keen insight, shrewdness
- Chicanery
- Noun- trickery or deception by quibbling or sophistry; a quibble or subterfuge used to trick, deceive, or evade.
- Bowdlerize
- Verb- to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
- Bellicose
- Adjective- inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious.
- Excoriate
- Verb- to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally. to strip off or remove the skin from:
- Inchoate
- Adjective- not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary; just begun; incipient; not organized; lacking order.
- Cant
- Noun- the characteristic or secret language of a particular group