The Joy of Vocabulary 1-10
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- duplicity
- n. double-dealing; hypocrytical deception
- bibliomania
- n. craze for acquiring books, especially rare ones
- ad infinitum
- adv. endlessly; forever; without limit (latin)
- initiative
- n. ability to begin and follow through without being urged; enterprise
- seclusion
- n. condition of being withdrawn in a place hard to reach; solitude
- centenarian
- n. one who is 100 or older
- intramural
- adj. within the walls or boundaries of a school, university, etc.
- tercentennial
- n. 300th anniversary
- decathlon
- n. track and field contest consisting of 10 events
- refractory
- adj. hard to control; resisting authority; unruly; obstinate
- venial
- adj. forgivable; pardonable; excusable
- de rigueur
- adj. socailly obligatory; required by custom, etiquette, or fashion; proper (french)
- faux pas
- n. error; social blunder; tactless act (french)
- hyposensitize
- v. make less sensative
- persona non grata
- n. person who is unwelcome; unacceptable person (latin)
- decimate
- v. destroy 10% or more of a poulation
- slatternly
- adj. dirty; untidy; slovenly
- gingivitis
- n. inflammation of the gums
- pyromaniac
- n. person having an insane impulse to start fires
- sayonara
- farewell; good-bye (japanese)
- latent
- adj. present though invisible and inactive; potential
- monorail
- railway whose cars are supported on or under a single rail
- subterfuge
- n. trick or plan to conceal one's true objective; strategem; deception
- feign
- v. make a false show of; pretend; simulate; conterfeit
- extraterrestrial
- adj. originating or existing outside the earth or its atmosphere
- sesquicentennial
- n. 150th anniversary
- polyglot
- n. person who speaks or writes several languages
- dichotomy
- n. division in two; split
- mania
- n. exaggerated enthusiasm; craze; mad impulse
- bagatelle
- n. trifle; something of little value or importance
- arthritis
- n. inflamation of the joints
- octogenarian
- n. person in his or her 80's
- unique
- adj. being the only one of its kind; highly unusual
- carditis
- n. inflamation of the heart
- brace
- n. two of a kind; pair; couple
- interpersonal
- adj. between persons
- monologue
- lengthy talk by 1 person
- shalom
- interj. "peace"; term of greeting farewell (hebrew)
- anonymous
- adj. supplied or written by one whose name is not known or is withheld
- intracoastal
- adj. within and close to the coast
- abscond
- v. depart secretly and hide, especially to avoid prosecution
- multicultural
- adj. reflecting many different cultures
- au revoir
- interj. till we see each other again; good bye (french)
- non compos mentis
- adj. not sound of mind; not mentally competant to handle one's affairs (latin)
- penchant
- n. strong leaning; fondness; liking
- alias
- n. assumed name
- cache
- n. safe place for hiding and storing treasure, supplies, etc.
- fortnight
- n. period of 14 days; 2 weeks
- finale
- n. last scene or act; conclusion; end
- transitory
- adj. lasting a short time only; temporary; short-lived
- ultimate
- adj. last in progression; final; highest possible
- monosyllabic
- adj. having only 1 syllable
- treble
- v. multiply by 3; tripple
- septuagenarian
- n. person in his or her 70's
- non sequitur
- n. conclusion that does not logicaly follow from what has just been said (latin)
- peritonitis
- n. inflammation of the peritoneum, the membrane lining the abdominal cavity
- intermarriage
- n. marriage between persons of different religions, races, castes, etc.
- hypothermia
- n. subnormal body temperature
- insidious
- adj. lying in wait to entrap; crafty; treacherous
- intraorganizational
- adj. within an organization
- sexagenarian
- n. person in his or her 60's
- garrulous
- adj. talking too much about unimportant things; loquacious; talkative
- claustrophobia
- n. dread of being in closed or narrow spaces
- centennial
- n. 100th anniversary
- coup de grace
- n. decisive finishing blow
- honcho
- n. person in charge; leader; chief; boss (japanese)
- canard
- n. false, deliberately made-up report or story
- forbearance
- n. self-control; patience
- hoi polloi
- n. the many; masses; common people (greek)
- interlinear
- adj. inserted between lines already written or printed
- exacerbate
- v. make more severe or violent; aggravate
- quadrennial
- n. occuring or being done every 4 years
- genesis
- n. origin; coming into being
- hypoglycemic
- adj. afflicted with an abnormally low concentration of sugar in the blood
- appendicitis
- n. inflamation of the appendix
- interregional
- adj. between regions
- hepatitis
- n. inflammation of the liver
- cryptic
- adj. having or appearing to have a hidden meaning; baffling; mysterious
- tithe
- n. one-tenth; 10th part of a person's income paid as a contribution or tax to support a religious establishment
- subaqueous
- adj. underwater
- audiophile
- n. one especially interested in high-fidelity sound reproduction
- gastritis
- n. inflamation of the stomach
- tyro
- n. beginner in learning something; novice; neophyte
- unisex
- adj. not distinguishable as male or female; designed for both sexes
- multinational
- adj. having subsidaries or operations in several countries
- intradepartmental
- adj. within a department
- penultimate
- adj. next to the last
- brouhaha
- n. noisy stir; hubbub; uproar; hullabaloo; commotion (french)
- dipsomaniac
- n. person with an uncontrollable craving for alcoholic beverages
- ersatz
- adj. being an inferior substitute or imitation; artificial; synthetic (german)
- interdenominational
- adj. between, among, or shared by different religions
- arrivederci
- interj. till we see each other again; good bye (italian)
- subcutaneous
- adj. being living or introduced beneath the skin
- phlebitis
- n. inflammation of a vein
- laryngitis
- n. inflamation of the larynx, or voice box
- acrophobia
- n. fear of heights
- covert
- adj. covered over; secret; surreptitious
- veracity
- n. truthfulness; honesty
- extralegal
- adj. beyond the jurisdiction of the law; not regulated by law
- score
- n. group of 20; 20
- xenophobia
- n. unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers
- monotonous
- adj. tiresome because of lack of variety
- superficial
- adj. over or on the surface only; not profound or thorough
- sublethal
- adj. not quite lethal; insufficient to cause death
- sinusitis
- n. inflammation of the sinuses, hollow cavities connected by passageways to the nose
- multimedia
- adj. involving a combination of media such as TV, radio, and newspapers
- entre nous
- adv. between us; confidentially (french)
- unanimous
- adj. being of one and the same opinion; showing complete agreement
- infinite
- adj. endless; without boundaries or limits; exceedingly great
- hypersensative
- adj. abnormally sensative
- polytheistic
- adj. believing in more than 1 god
- dermatitis
- n. inflamation of the skin
- hypercritical
- adj. excessively fault finding; captious
- extraneous
- adj. coming from the outside; not an essential part; irrelevant
- colitis
- n. inflammation of the colon
- multifaceted
- adj. having many aspects
- bibliophile
- n. person who loves or collects books
- baker's dozen
- n. 13
- otitis
- n. inflammation of the ear
- inchoate
- adj. just begun; only partly in existence; incomplete
- extramarital
- adj. involving a sexual relationship outside of one's marriage
- triumvirate
- n. ruling body of 3; troika
- maiden
- adj. first; earliest
- reconcile
- v. 1- to make friendly again 2- settle; adjust
- debut
- n. first public appearance
- monomania
- n. derangement of the mind on one subject only
- ad hominem
- adj. appealing to a listener's or reader's prejudices rather than to reason (latin)
- postmortem
- n. "following the death"; detailed evaluation of some event just completed (latin)
- monograph
- n. learned treaise on a particular subject; scholarly article
- phile
- suffix meaning lover; admirer
- auf Wiedersehen
- interj. till we see each other again; good bye (german)
- submarginal
- adj. below minimum standards; inadequate for some end; unproductive
- kleptomaniac
- n. one who has a persistent neurotic impulse to steal, though not in need
- preamble
- n. preliminary statement or event; introduction
- kudos
- n. praise for an achievement; glory; fame (greek)
- swan song
- n. farewell appearance; final creative work or performance
- agoraphobia
- n. fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas
- multilateral
- adj. having many sides; participated in by more than 2 participants
- terminal
- adj. coming at the end; ending in death
- ad nauseam
- adv. to a sickening degree (latin)
- salaam
- v. bow very low, placing the right palm on the forehead (arabic)
- premiere
- n. first performance
- extramural
- adj. outside the walls or boundaries of a school, unniversity, etc.
- rudiment
- n. first principle that must be learned; fundamental (usually plural)
- balletomania
- n. extreme enthusiasm for ballet
- hyperacidity
- n. excessive acidity, especially in the stomach
- nephritis
- n. inflammation of the kidneys
- chutzpah
- n. supreme self-confidence; shameless audacity; nerve; brazenness (hebrew)
- neuritis
- n. inflammation of a nerve
- interdependent
- adj. dependent on one another; mutually dependent
- con
- v. swindle, after first gaining the confidence of the victim; trick; coax
- encephalitis
- n. inflammation of the brain
- in medias res
- adv. in the middle of things, rather than at the beginnig (latin)
- suborn
- v. induce someone to testify falsely
- impersonate
- v. pretend to be some other person; assume the character of
- demise
- n. cessation of existence; death
- quadruped
- n. four-footed animal
- supererogatory
- adj. beyond the requirements of duty; performed to an extent not demanded
- polytechnic
- adj. providing instruction in many technical arts and applied sciences
- facade
- n. false front; artificial or superficial appearance
- hyperactive
- adj. excessively active
- uniform
- adj. always the same; not varying in form, degree, or manner
- hypertension
- n. abnormally high blood pressure
- hypodermic
- n. small syringe with a hollow needle for making injections beneath the skin
- decade
- n. period of 10 years
- polygamist
- n. person married to 2 or more mates at the same time
- moment
- n. importance; consequence
- megalomania
- n. mental disorder characterized by fantasies of grandeur power, wealth, etc.
- alfresco
- adv. in the open air, outdoors (italian)
- interurban
- adj. between cities or towns
- supernatural
- adj. beyond what is natural or observable; not explainable by the laws of nature
- supersonic
- adj. having a speed beyond that of sound
- plurality
- n. victor's margin over the runner-up when no candidate has a majority of the votes
- cystitis
- n. inflamation of the urinary bladder
- phobia
- n. abnormal and persistent fear, dislike, or hatred
- lapse
- v. come to an end; become void
- photophillic
- adj. light-loving; requiring abundant light
- hypotension
- n. abnormally low blood pressure
- ultimatum
- n. final, uncompromising demand or offer, leading to serious consequences if rejected
- photophobic
- adj. shunning light; light-hating
- photophobia
- n. painful sensativity to light
- subservient
- adj. useful in an "under," or subordinate, capacity; excessively submissive
- fathom
- n. measure of water depth equaling 6 feet
- intracity
- adj. within a city
- collusion
- n. secret agreement for a deceitful purpose; conspiracy
- bibliophobe
- n. a person with a hatred, fear, or mistrust of books
- bursitis
- n. inflammation of a sac, especially of the shoulder or elbow
- intravenous
- adj. within or entering by way of the veins
- interracial
- adj. between, among, or involving people of different races
- polymath
- n. person of great and diversified learning
- connive
- v. cooperate secretly with someone for a deceitful purpose; conspire
- bicentennial
- n. 200th anniversary
- unicameral
- adj. consisting of or having more than one legislative chamber
- antepenultimate
- adj. coming immediately before the next to last
- extrasensory
- adj. outside the ordinary senses; not limited to sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell
- bronchitis
- n. inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes, which convey air into the lungs
- supernumerary
- adj. exceeding the standard or prescribed number; extra
- nonagenarian
- n. person in his or her 90's
- pentagon
- n. plane figure of 5 sides and 5 angles
- hemophilliac
- n. person afflicted with a tendency to bleed excessively from minor cuts; bleeder
- millennium
- n. 1000 years; 1000th anniversary
- malingerer
- v. pretend to be ill or incapacitated so as to avoid work or duty