English Vocab III
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- sessile
-
adj.
1. Botany. Stalkless and attached directly at the base
2. Zoology. Permanently attached or fixed; immobile; not free-moving - milquetoast
- n. a timid, weak, or unassertive person
- paean
-
n. a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph
encomium: formal expression of high praise - simian
- adj. Relating to, characteristic of, or resembling an ape or a monkey
- peripatetic
-
adj.
1. Walking about or from place to place; traveling on foot.
2. Of or relating to the philosophy or teaching methods of Aristotle, who conducted discussions while walking about in the Lyceum of ancient Athens. - bole
- n. the trunk of a tree
- rakish
-
adj.
1. Nautical. Having a trim, streamlined appearance:
2. Dashingly or sportingly stylish; jaunty. - prole
-
n. : a member of the working class (not necessarily employed)
[syn: proletarian, worker] - insouciance
-
n.
Blithe lack of concern; nonchalance, lighthearted
n : the cheerful feeling you have when nothing is troubling you [syn: carefreeness, lightheartedness, lightsomeness] - blithe
-
adj. Carefree and lighthearted; casual
Lacking due concern - sonorous
-
adj.
1. Having or producing sound, esp. a full, deep, or rich sound.
2. Impressive in style of speech - jingle
-
v.
1. To make a tinkling() or ringing metallic sound, as a small bell.
2. To have the catchy sound of a simple, repetitious rhyme or doggerel (Crudely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature.). - doggerel
- n. Crudely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature.
- cognate
-
n.
1. Related by blood; having a common ancestor.
2. Related in origin, as certain words in genetically related languages descended from the same ancestral root; for example, English name and Latin nmen from Indo-European *n-men-.
3. Related or analogous in nature, character, or function - unprepossessing
- adj. Not overtly impressive; unremarkable; nondescript:
- dossier
- n. A collection of papers giving detailed information about a particular person or subject.
- mum
- adj. Not verbalizing; silent.
- tousle
-
(tou'zəl, -səl)
v. To disarrange or rumple; dishevel. - torchere
- n. A usually tall floor lamp with a bowl-shaped part that diffuses the light or directs it upward.
- cryptic
-
adj.
1. mysterious in meaning; puzzling; ambiguous:
a cryptic message.
2. abrupt; terse; short:
a cryptic note.
3. secret; occult:
a cryptic writing.
4. Using code or cipher. - strident
- adj. Loud, harsh, grating, or shrill; discordant; vociferous.
- jackeroo
- n. A young man living as an apprentice on a sheep station, or otherwise engaged in acquainting himself with colonial life. [Colloq., Australia]
- gumption
-
n.
1. Boldness of enterprise; initiative or aggressiveness.
2. Guts; spunk(); mettle()
3. Common sense. - palimony
- n. An allowance for support made under court order and given usually by one person to his or her former lover or live-in companion after they have separated.
- baroque
-
n .
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a style in art and architecture developed in Italy and spread through Europe from the early 1600s to 1750, emphasizing dramatic, often strained effect and typified by bold, curving forms, elaborate ornamentation, and overall balance of disparate parts; characterized by free and sculptural use of the classical orders and ornament, by forms in elevation and plan suggesting movement, and by dramatic effect in which architecture, painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts often worked to combined effect.
2. extravagantly ornate, florid(), and convoluted in character or style, esp. something in bad taste
the baroque prose of the novel's more lurid (shocking) passages.
3. irregular in shape: baroque pearls. - arcane
- adj. Known or understood by only a few: mysterious
- logorrhea
- adj. Excessive use of words.
- crane
-
v. intransitive
1. To stretch one's neck toward something for a better view.
2. To be irresolute; hesitate. - loathe
-
v. to dislike greatly
abhor
abominate - mortify
-
v.
1. To cause to experience shame, humiliation, or wounded pride; humiliate.
2. To discipline (one's body and physical appetites) by self-denial or self-inflicted privation. - winnow
-
v. To examine closely and separate the good from the bad;
sift; extract (as in wheat from the chaff) - gewgaw
- n. a showy trifle; a trinket; a bauble
- clerestory
-
n .
1. The upper part of the nave, transepts, and choir of a church, containing windows.
2. An upper portion of a wall containing windows for supplying natural light to a building. - refectory
- n. A room where meals are served, especially in a college or other institution.
- doppelganger
- n. a ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts its fleshly counterpart.
- scintillating
-
v.
1. To throw off sparks; to sparkle or shine; flash.
2. To be animated and brilliant: - cantillate.
- v. To chant or recite (a liturgical text) in a musical monotone
- lilt
-
n.
1. A cheerful or lively manner of speaking, in which the pitch of the voice varies pleasantly.
2. A light, happy tune or song.
3. A light or resilient manner of moving or walking. - privation
-
n.
1. Lack of the basic necessities or comforts of life.
2. An act, condition, or result of deprivation or loss. - hark
- v. to listen attentively
- hark back
- v. To return to a previous point or circumstance, as in a narrative.
- steely
-
adj.
1. Made of steel.
2. Resembling steel, as in color or hardness - laud
-
n.
1. Praise; glorification.
2. A hymn or song of praise. - pearlescent
- adj. Having a pearly luster or gloss.
- aural
- adj. Characterized by or relating to an aura.
- aspergillum
- n. An instrument, such as a brush or a perforated container, used for sprinkling holy water.
- yawn
-
v.
1. To open the mouth wide with a deep inhalation, usually involuntarily from drowsiness, fatigue, or boredom.
2. To open wide; gape: - stodgy
-
adj.
1. Dull, unimaginative, tediously commonplace; boring
a stodgy Victorian novel
2. Unduly formal or traditional; prim () or pompous; stuffy:
a stodgy old businessman
3. Indigestible and starchy; heavy: stodgy food.
4. Solidly built; stocky;
stodgy athelete - petulant
-
adj.
moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, esp. over some trifling annoyance
a petulant toss of the head
"an incorrigibly fractious young man";
syn: cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peevish, peckish, pettish, testy, tetchy, techy - baleful
-
adj.
1. Portending evil; ominous; sinister.
2. Harmful or malignant in intent or effect. - prodigious
-
adj.
1. Impressively great in size, force, or extent; enormous:
2. Extraordinary; marvelous: - flagrant
- adj. Conspicuously bad, offensive, or reprehensible; blatant
- auteur
- n. A filmmaker, usually a director, who exercises creative control over his or her works and has a strong personal style.
- subtext
-
n.
1. The implicit meaning or theme of a literary text.
2. The underlying personality of a dramatic character as implied or indicated by a script or text and interpreted by an actor in performance. - demur
-
v.
1. To voice opposition; object:
2. To delay. - penchant
- n. A definite liking; a strong inclination; predilection.
- mewl
- v. To cry weakly; whimper.
- hale
- adj. Free from infirmity or illness; sound; healthy.
- roil
-
v.
1. To make (a liquid) muddy or cloudy by stirring up sediment.
2. To displease or disturb; vex: - tendril
-
n. A twisting, threadlike structure
a strand of hair
a twining plant, such as a grape or cucumber, grasps an object or a plant for support. - fallow
-
adj.
1. Plowed but left unseeded during a growing season:
2. Characterized by inactivity: - smite
-
v.
1. To strike,damage and destroy
2. To afflict:
3. To afflict retributively; chasten() or chastise.()
4. To affect sharply with great feeling: - acolyte
-
n.
1. One who assists the celebrant in the performance of liturgical rites.
2. A devoted follower or attendant. - feral
-
adj.
1.a. Existing in a wild or untamed state.
1.b. Having returned to an untamed state from domestication.
2. Of or suggestive of a wild animal; savage: - rueful
-
adj.
1. Inspiring pity or compassion.
2. Causing, feeling, or expressing sorrow or regret. - imp
-
n.
1. A mischievous child.
2. A small demon. - provocateur
- n : a secret agent who incites suspected persons to commit illegal acts
- tallow
-
n.
1. Hard fat obtained from parts of the bodies of cattle, sheep, or horses, and used in foodstuffs or to make candles, leather dressing, soap, and lubricants.
2. Any of various similar fats, such as those obtained from plants. - ethereal
-
adj.
1. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
ethereal spirit
2. Highly refined; delicate; airy.
ethereal Irish lace
3. Of the celestial spheres; heavenly.
ethereal realm of the zodiac
4. Not of this world; spiritual.
ethereal powers bless an old house - ebullient
-
adj.
1. Zestfully enthusiastic.
2. Boiling or seeming to boil; bubbling. - accretion
- n. Growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion.
- abet
-
v.
To approve, encourage, support, urge and help an action or plan of action. - inscrutable
- adj. Difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable; mysterious.
- plight
- n. A situation, especially a bad or unfortunate one; predicament.
- muss
- v. To make messy or untidy; rumple.
- flinty
-
adj 1: showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings;
"the child's misery would move even the most obdurate heart" [syn: obdurate, stony]
2: having austere inflexibility;
"granitic morality"; "his unyielding mouth and glassy eyes"- Marchette Chute [syn: granitic, unyielding] - supplicate
-
v.
To ask for humbly or earnestly, as by praying;
To humbly entreat; to beseech. - vex
-
v.
1. To annoy, as with petty importunities; bother; to torment; trouble; distress; plague; worry.
Fear of poverty vexes many.
2. To debate or discuss (a question, for example) at great length.
Years ago I vexed the presence of god with my old roommate, Jay Rhee.
3. to disturb by motion; stir up; toss about.
As we began kyaking the paddles vexed the sendiment making the otherwise clear water cloudy.
4. To afflict with physical pain
Doctors in the civil war vexed their amputees when they amputated appendages despite the lack of morphine. consumed. - austere
-
adj.
1. Severe or stern in disposition; somber and grave
2. Severe or strict in discipline; ascetic:
3. Severe or strict in appearance; having no adornment or ornamentation; bare: - beseech
-
v.
To request earnestly; beg for; implore - shrill
-
adj.
1. Having or producting a high-pitched and piercing in tone or sound:
2. Sharp or keen to the senses; harshly vivid: - vociferous
-
adj.
conspicuously and offensively loud
Syn: blatent, boisterous, strident, clamorous - vehement
-
adj.
1. Characterized by forcefulness of expression or intensity of emotion or conviction; fervid; intense; strong
a vehement speech; a vehement denial
Marked by great energy or exertion; strenuous:
vehement clapping.
2. characterized by rancor or anger; violent
vehement gang conflicts - spunk
-
n.
1. The courage to carry on. Spirit; pluck (Resourceful courage and daring in the face of difficulties); mettle ()
2. Punk (Dry decayed wood) ,
touchwood (decayed wood used for tinder), or
tinder (Readily combustible material, such as dry twigs, used to kindle fires). - pluck
-
n.
1. Resourceful courage and daring in the face of difficulties; spirit
2. The heart, liver, windpipe, and lungs of a slaughtered animal
3. The act of plucking - punk
-
n.
1. Dry decayed wood, used as tinder.
spunk
touchwood
tinder
2. Any of various substances that smolder when ignited, used to light fireworks.
3. Chinese incense. - occult
-
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or dealing with supernatural influences, agencies, or phenomena.
2. Beyond the realm of human comprehension; inscrutable.
3. Available only to the initiate; secret: mysterious.
4. Hidden from view; concealed.
5. Medicine. Not accompanied by readily detectable signs or symptoms. Detectable only by microscopic examination or chemical analysis, as a minute blood sample. - discordant
-
adj.
1. Not being in accord; conflicting.
2. Disagreeable in sound; harsh or dissonant. - impenetrable
-
adj.
1. Impossible to penetrate or enter:
2. Impossible to understand; incomprehensible:
3. Impervious to sentiment or argument: - entreat
-
v.
v : ask for or request earnestly;
"The prophet bid all people to become good persons"
[syn: bid, beseech, adjure, press, conjure] - ascetic
-
n.
one who renounces material comforts and leads a life of austere self-discipline, especially as an act of religious devotion. - tinder
- n. Readily combustible material, such as dry twigs, used to kindle fires.
- rumple
-
v.
To wrinkle or form into folds or creases. - dishevel
-
v.
1. To disarrange the hair or clothing
2. To throw into disorder. - adjure
-
v.
1. To command solemnly, as under oath; enjoin ()
“adjuring her in the name of God to declare the truth†(Increase Mather).
2. To appeal to or entreat earnestly.
The jury asked for instructions from the judge. - conjure
-
v.
1.a. To summon (a devil or spirit) by magical or supernatural power.
1.b. To influence or effect by or as if by magic:
2. To call or bring to mind; evoke; to imagine; picture: - peevish
-
adj.
1. irascible: cross(), querulous(), fretful(), vexed, discontent
a peevish youngster
[syn: cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peckish, pettish, petulant, testy, tetchy, techy
2. showing annoyance, irritation, or bad mood:
a peevish reply
a peevish frown
3. perverse or obstinate; contrary or stubborn - reprehensible
-
adj.
Deserving rebuke or censure; blameworthy - importunate
-
adj.
urgent or persistent in solicitation, especially annoyingly so; troublesome; annoying:
importunate demands for attention from the children - keen
-
adj.
1. Having a fine, sharp cutting edge or point.
2. Having or marked by intellectual quickness and acuity; sharp.
3. Acutely sensitive:
4. Sharp; vivid; strong: Intense; piercing:
5. Ardent; enthusiastic:
6. Eagerly desirous:
7. Slang. Great; splendid; fine: - valor
-
n .
Courage and boldness, as in battle; bravery. - pretentious
-
adj.
1. Claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit, especially when unjustified.
2. Making or marked by an extravagant outward show; ostentatious; showy. - fervid
-
adj.
1. Marked by great passion or zeal; heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm, etc.: a fervid orator.
2. Extremely hot; burning. - prim
-
adj.
1. formally precise or proper, as persons or behavior; stiffly neat; prudish ()
2. Neat and trim;
a prim hedgerow - enjoin
-
v.
1.To direct or impose with authority and emphasis.
2. To prohibit or forbid. - fractious
-
adj.
1. Inclined to make trouble; unruly.
2. Having a peevish nature; cranky. - querulous
-
adj.
adj : habitually complaining;
"a whining child"
[syn: fretful, whiney, whining(a), whiny] - tawdry
-
adj.
1. Gaudy() and cheap in nature or appearance.
2. Shameful or indecent () - gaudy
-
adj.
Showy in a tasteless or vulgar way.