UIL Spelling 08-09
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- anaclisis
- Psychological dependence on others.
- antechamber
- A smaller room serving as an entryway into a larger room.
- athenaeum, atheneum
- An institution, such as a literary club or scientific academy, for the promotion of learning.
- Ankara
- The capital of Turkey, in the west-central part of the country at an elevation of about 915 m. An important commercial center from ancient times until the late 19th century, the city declined until it replaced Istanbul as the capital in 1923. Population: 1,877,755.
- aurochs
- An extinct wild ox of Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, believed to be the ancestor of domestic cattle.
- attorney general, Attorney General
- The chief law officer and legal counsel of the government of a state or nation.
- accelerant
- A substance, such as a petroleum distillate, that is used as a catalyst, as in the spreading of an intentionally set fire.
- adhesion
- 1. The act or state of adhering. 2. Attachment or devotion; loyalty. 3. Assent or agreement to join. 4. Medicine- A condition in which bodily tissues that are normally separate grow together. 5. Physics- The physical attraction or joining of two substances, especially the macroscopically observable attraction of dissimilar substances. 6. Medicine- A fibrous band of scar tissue that binds together normally separate anatomical structures.
- armadillos-Plural form of armadillo
- Any of several omnivorous, burrowing, edentate mammals, native to southern North America and South America and characterized by an armorlike covering, consisting of jointed, bony plates.
- anadromous
- Migrating up rivers from the sea to breed in fresh water. Used of fish.
- asyndeton
- The ommission of conjunctions from constructions in which they would normally be used.
- aphasia
- Partial or total loss of the ability to articulate ideas or comprehend spoken or written language, resulting from damage to the brain caused by injury or disease.
- almandine
- A deep violet-red garnet, FeAl2Si3O12, found in metamorphic rocks and used as a gemstone.
- appendices-Plural of appendix
- 1. An appendage. 2. A collection of supplementary material, usually at the end of a book.
- Amerasian
- A person of American and Asian descent, especially one whose mother is Asian and whose father is American.
- allegation
- 1. Something alleged; an assertion. 2. The act of alleging. 3. A statement asserting something without proof. 4. Law- An assertion made by a party that must be proved or supported with evidence.
- asquint
- With a sidelong glance.
- agoraphobia
- An abnormal fear of open or public places.
- annelid
- Any of various worms or wormlike animals of the phylum Annelida, characterized by an elongated, cylindrical, segmented body and including the earthworm and leech.
- aposematic coloration
- The conspicuously recognizable markings of an animal, such as a skiunk, that serve to warn off potential predators.
- ambiversion
- A personality trait inluding the qualities of both introversion and extroversion.
- aerialist
- An acrobat who performs in the air, as on a trapeze or tightrope.
- Angelus, angelus
- A devotional prayer at morning, noon and night to commemorate the Annunciation. 2. A bell rung as a call to recite this prayer.
- ambergris
- A waxy, grayish substance formed in the intestines of sperm whales and found floating at sea or washed ashore. It is added to perfumes to slow down the rate of evaporation.
- acrodont
- Having teeth attached to the edge of the jawbone without sockets.
- apostasy
- Abandonment of one's religious faith, a political party, one's principles, or a cause.
- amicus curiae
- Law- A party that is not involved in a particular litigation but that is allowed by the court to advise it on a matter of law directly affecting the litigation.
- amendatory
- Serving or tending to amend; corrective.
- abysmal
- 1. Resembling an abyss in depth; unfathomable. 2. Very profound; limitliss. 3. Very bad.
- apodal
- Having no limbs, feet, or footlike appendages.
- antiterrorist
- Intended to prevent or counteract terrorism; counterterror.
- amputee
- A person who has had one or more limbs removed by amputation.
- architectonics
- 1. The science of architecture. 2. Structural design. 3. The scientific systematization of knowlege.
- arrearage
- The state of being behind in the fulfillment of obligations or of being overdue in payment.
- artificer
- 1. A skilled worker; a craftperson. 2. One that contrives, devises, or constructs something.
- alumni
- A male graduate or former student of a school, college, or university.
- accreditation
- The act of accrediting or the state of being accredited, especially the granting of approval to an institution of learning by an official review board after the school has met specific requirements.
- apperception
- 1. Conscious perception with full awareness. 2. The process of understanding by which newly observed qualities of an object are related to past experience.
- afflatus
- A strong creative impulse; divine inspiration
- Appalachia
- A region of the eastern United States including the Appalachian Mountains.
- adipose tissue
- A connective tissue that contains stored cellular fat.
- andouille
- A spicy smoked sausage made with pork and garlic, used especially in Cajun cooking.
- absenteeism
- 1. Habitual filure to appear especially for work or other regular duty. 2. The rate of occurrence of habitual absence from work or duty.
- antiphlogistic
- Reducing inflammation or fever; anti-inflammatory.
- anorectic
- 1. Marked by loss of apetite. 2. Suppressing or causing loss of appetite. 3. Of or affected with anorexia nervosa.
- albinos- Plural form of albino.
- A person or an animal lacking normal pigmentation, with the result being that the skin and hair are abnormally white or milky and the eyes have a pink or blue iris and a deep-red pupil. 2. A plant that lacks chlorophyll.
- Addison's disease
- A disease caused by partial or total failure of adrenocortical function, which is characterized by a bronzelike pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes, anemia, weakness, and low blood pressure.
- Arthurian
- Of or relating to King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
- arable
- Fit for cultivation, as by plowing.
- argillaceous
- Containing, made of, or resembling clay; clayey.
- asthenosphere
- A zone of the earth's mantle that lies beneath the lithosphere and consists of several hundred kilometers of deformable rock.
- albatross
- 1. Any of several large, web-footed birds constituting the family Diomedeidae, chiefly of the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, and having a hooked beak and long, narrow wings. 2. A constant, worrisome burden; an obstacle to success.
- assuasive
- Soothing; calming.
- allocution
- A formal and authoritative speech; an address.
- amorphous
- 1. Lacking definite form; shapeless. 2. Of no particular type; anomalous. 3. Lacking organization; formless. 4. Lacking distinct crystalline structure.
- apotheosize
- To glorify; exalt.
- antiballistic missile
- A defensive missile designed to intercept and destroy a ballistic missile in flight. Also called ABM.
- anapest
- 1. A metrical foot composed of two short syllables followed by one long one, as in the word seventeen. 2. A line of verse using this meter.
- ancillary
- 1. Subordinate. 2. Auxiliary; helping.
- aggiornamento
- The process of bringing an institution or organization up to date; modernization.
- agraphia
- A disorder marked by loss of the ability to write.
- atonic
- 1. Not accented. 2. Pathology- Relating to, caused by, or exhibiting lack of muscle tone.
- amblyopia
- Dimness of vision, especially when occurring in one eye without apparent physical defect or disease. Also called lazy eye.
- adsorbent
- Capable of adsorption. noun- An adsorptive material, such as activated charcoal.
- artiodactyl
- Any of the various hoofed mammals of the order Artiodactyla, that have an even number of toes, usually two or sometimes four, on each foot.
- Armenia
- A country of Asia Minor south of Georgia. Formerly a kingdom that extended into northeast Turkey and northwest Iran, it was probably the first state to adopt Christianity as a national religion. Acquired by Russia from Persia in 1828, Armenia became a Soviet republic in 1921 and was a constituent republic from 1936 to 1991. Yerevan is the capital. Population: 3,317,000.
- apocalypticism
- Belief in apocalyptic prophecies, especially regarding the imminent destruction of the world and the foundation of a new world order as a result of the triumph of good over evil.
- Abbevillian
- Of or relating to the earliest Paleolithic archaeological sites in Europe, characterized by bifacial stone hand axes.
- amontillado
- A pale dry sherry.
- acetaminophen
- A crystalline compound, C8H9NO2, used in chemical synthesis and in medicine to relieve pain and reduce fever.
- autecology
- The branch of ecology that deals with the biological relationship between an individual organism or an individual species and its environment.
- Andalusia
- A region of southern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Atlantic Ocean. The area contains magnificent Moorish architecture, including the historic towns of Seville, Granada, and Cordoba.
- angina
- 1. Angina pectoris. 2. A condition, such as severe sore throat, in which spasmodic attacks of suffocating pain occur.
- algor mortis
- The cooling of the body that follows death.
- absurdity- Noun form of absurd.
- Absurd- 1. Ridiculously incongruous or unreasonable. 2. Of, relating to, or manifesting the view that there is no order or value in human life or in the universe. 3. Or or relating to absurdism or the absurd. noun- The condition or state in which human beings exist in a meaningless, irrational universe wherein people's lives have no purpose or meaning.
- admonitory
- Expressing admonition
- Aeolian harp
- An instrument consisting of an open box over which are stretched strings that sound when the wind passes over them. Also called wind harp.
- aggregate
- 1. Constituting or amounting to a whole; total. 2. Botany- Crowded or massed into a dense cluster. 3. Composed of a mixture of minerals separable by mechanical means.
- arteriosclerosis
- A chronic disease in which thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the arterial walls result in impaired blood circulation.
- assonance
- Resemblance of sound, especially of the vowel sounds in words.
- assailant
- A person who attacks another.
- aluminiferous
- Containing or yielding aluminum, alumina, or alum.
- atavistic
- The reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence, usually caused by the chance of recombination of genes.
- Adonis, adonis
- 1. Greek Mythology- A strikingly beautiful youth loved by Aphrodite. 2. A very handsome young man.
- absolve
- 1.To pronounce clear of guilt or blame. 2. To relieve of a requirement or an obligation. 3a. To grant a remission of sin to. b. to bardon or remit (a sin).
- agrostology
- The study of grasses.
- afebrile
- Having no fever.
- antebellum
- Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War.
- anadiplosis
- Rhetorical repetition at the beginning of a phrase of the word or words with which the previous phrase ended.
- amphora
- A two-handled jar with a narrow neck used by the ancient Greeks and Romans to carry wine or oil.
- acrid
- 1. Unpleasantly sharp, pungent, or bitter to the taste or smell. 2. Caustic in language or tone.
- acholia
- A decrease in or an absence of bile secretion.
- answerable
- Subject to being called to answer; accountable.
- animadversion
- 1. Strong criticism. 2. A critical or censorious remark.
- anthracosis
- Pneumoconiosis caused by the long-term inhalation of coal dust.
- algicide
- A substance used to kill or inhibit the growth of algae.
- appurtenance
- Something added to another, more important thing; an appendage.
- arachnoid
- 1. Anatomy- Of or relating to a delicate membrane enclosing the spinal cord and brain. 2. Of, relating to, or resembling arachnids. 3. Covered with or consisting of thin, soft, entangled hairs or fibers resembling those of a cobweb or spiders web.
- autobahn
- An expressway in Germany and German-speaking countries.
- ankh
- An ansate cross.
- aspartame
- An artificial sweetener, C14H18N2O5, formed from aspartic acid.
- ad infinitum
- To infinity; having no end.
- ancien regime
- 1. The political and social system that existed in France before the Revolution of 1789. 2. A sociopolitical or other system that no longer exists.
- apotropaic
- Intended to ward off evil.
- artiste
- A public performer or entertainer, especially a singer or dancer.
- altruism
- Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness.
- anaerobe
- An organism, such as a bacterium, that can live in the absence of atmospheric oxygen.
- abrogate
- To abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority
- annihilate
- 1. To destroy completely. 2. To nullify or render void; abolish. Physics- To participate in annihilation, as do an electron and a positron.
- articulation
- The act of vocal expression; utterance or enunciation.
- acrophobia
- An abnormal fear of high places.
- absolution
- The formal remission of sin imparted by a priest, as in the sacrament of penance.
- apodictic
- Necessarily or demonstrably true; incontrovertible.
- astringency
- Tending to draw together or constrict tissues. 2. Sharp and penetrating; pungent or severe.
- alderman
- 1. A member of the municipal legislative body in a town or city in many jurisdiction. 2. A member of the higher branch of the municipal or borough council in England and Ireland before 1974.
- azimuth
- The horizontal angular distance from a reference direction, usually the northern point of the horizon, to the point where a vertical circle through a celestial body intersects the horizon, usually measured clockwise.
- admixture
- 1. The act of mixing or mingling. 21. Something that is produced by mixing; a mixture. 3. Something added in mixing.
- aqueduct
- A pipe or channel designed to transport water from a remote source, usually by gravity. 2. A bridgelike structure supporting a conduit or canal passing over a river or low ground.
- alchemist
- A practitioner of alchemy.
- actuaries- Plural form of actuary.
- A statician who computes insurance risks and premiums.
- appendage
- Something added or attached to an entity of greater importance or size; an adjunct.
- anabatic
- Of or relating to rising wind currents.
- archaic smile
- A representation of the human mouth with slightly upturned corners, characteristic of early Greek sculpture produced before the fifth century B.C.
- arboretum
- A place where an extensive variety of woody plants are cultivated for scientific, education, and ornamental purposes.
- antibiotically- Adverb form of antibiotic
- A substance, such as penicillin or streptomycin, produced by or derived from certain fungi, bacteria, and other organisms, that can destroy or inhibit the growth of other microorganisms. Antibiotics are widely used in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
- archivist
- One who is in charge of archives.
- alcoholism
- 1. The compulsive consumption of and psychophysiological dependence on alcoholic beverages. 2. A chronic, progressive pathological condition, mainly affecting the nervous and digestive systems, caused by the excessive and habitual consumption of alcohol. 3. Temporary mental disturbance and muscular incoordination caused by excessive consumption of alcohol.
- Antietam
- A creek of north-central Maryland emptying into the Potomac River. The bloody and inconclusive Civil War Battle of Antietam was fought along its banks on September 17, 1862.
- autistic
- Abnormal introversion and egocentricity; acceptance of fantasy rather than reality.
- axiomatic
- Of, relating to, or resembling an axiom; self-evident.
- abrachia
- Congenital absence of the arms.
- aerosol
- 1. A gaseous suspension of fine solid or liquid particles. 2. A substance, such as paint, a detergent, or an insecticide, packaged under pressure with a gaseous propellant for release as a spray of fine particles.
- aiguille
- 1. A sharp, pointed mountain peak. 2. A needle-shaped drill for boring holes in rock or masonry.
- acupuncture
- A technique, as for relieving pain or inducing regional anesthesia, in which thin needles are inserted into the body at specific points.
- archaeology
- The systematic recovery and study of material evidence, such as graves, buildings, tools, and pottery, remaining from past human life and culture.
- albedo
- The fraction of incident electromagnetic radiation reflected by a surface, especially of a celestial body.