GRE General Set 30
Terms
undefined, object
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- conception
- beginning; forming of an idea; fertilization; V. conceive: form an idea in the mind; devise; become pregnant; CF. inception
- rile
- irritate; vex; muddy
- animosity
- active enmity; strong hostility; [late Latin animositas, from animosus 'spirited,' from Latin animus 'spirit, mind.' The current sense dates from the early 17th cent.]
- connivance
- willingness to secretly allow or be involved in wrongdoing, esp. an immoral or illegal act : this infringement of the law had taken place with the ~ of officials. [from French connivence or Latin conniventia, from connivere 'shut the eyes (to)' (see connive ).]
- scrimmage
- disorderly fight between two or more people [alteration of dialect scrimish, variant of the noun skirmish .]
- cerebration
- thought; working of the brain
- hatch
- deck opening; lid covering a deck opening; V: emerge from an egg; produce (young) from an egg
- obstetrician
- physician specializing in delivery(assisting in giving birth) of babies; N. -ics; CF. midwife; [from modern Latin obstetricus for Latin obstetricius (based on obstetrix 'midwife' ), from obstare 'be present.']
- carillon
- a set of bells (often in a tower) capable of being played [from Old French quarregnon 'peal of four bells,' based on Latin quattuor 'four.']
- irreparable
- not able to be corrected or repaired; impossible to repair
- habitat
- natural home of a plant or animal; CF. habitation
- indissoluble
- permanent; impossible to dissolve or disintegrate
- herpetology
- the branch of zoology concerned with reptiles and amphibians. [ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from Greek herpeton 'reptile' (from herpein 'to creep' ) + -logy .]
- relent
- become less severe; give in(surrender); ADJ. relentless: unyielding; continuously severe
- overbearing
- bossy; domineering and arrogant; decisively important; Ex. ~ manner/importance; V. -: dominate
- conglomerate
- corporation made up of several different companies in diversified fields; mass of various material gathered together; rock consisting of small stones held together by clay; V. [from Latin conglomeratus, past participle of conglomerare, from con- 'together' + glomus, glomer- 'ball.' The geological sense dates from the early 19th cent.; the other noun senses are later.]
- egregious
- notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking [from Latin egregius 'illustrious,' literally 'standing out from the flock,' from ex- 'out' + grex, greg- 'flock.' The derogatory sense (late 16th cent.) probably arose as an ironical use.]
- improvident
- not having or showing foresight; spendthrift or thoughtless : ~ and undisciplined behavior. {one consequence of a healthy economy may be a generation of improvident youth spendthrift, thriftless, wasteful, prodigal, profligate, extravagant, lavish, free-spending, immoderate, excessive; imprudent, irresponsible, careless, reckless, heedless. antonym thrifty, conservative.}
- coterie
- a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, esp. one that is exclusive of other people : a ~ of friends and advisers. ; [ from French, earlier denoting an association of tenants, based on Middle Low German kote 'cote.']
- unconscionable
- unscrupulous; not guided by conscience; excessive; beyond reason; Ex. ~ demand
- quibble
- minor objection or complaint; V: raise minor objections; carp; cavil
- rave
- 1 talk wildly or incoherently, as if one were delirious or insane : Nancy's having hysterics and ~ing about a black ghost. ;overwhelmingly favorable review; V: talk wildly as if mad; Ex. raving lunatic
- feint
- trick; shift; sham blow; feigned attack to draw away defensive action; V.
- penetrate
- enter into; pierce; permeate; see through; grasp the inner significance of; *understand*
- metrical
- metric; written in the form of poetry; Ex. ~ translation of Homer
- posture
- assume an affected pose; act artificially; N: pose; attitude
- acclivity
- sharp upslope of a hill; OP. declivity
- prolixity
- tedious wordiness; verbosity; ADJ. prolix: wordy; verbose; diffuse
- synoptic
- providing a general overview; summary; N. synopsis
- opprobrium
- infamy; disgrace arising from shameful conduct; vilification(slander); scorn; contempt; Ex. ~ hurled against him; ADJ. -ious: expressing contempt; shameful or infamous
- anomalous
- abnormal; irregular
- idolatry
- worship of idols; excessive admiration or devotion; ADJ. -ous
- igneous
- produced by fire; of fire; volcanic; (of rocks) formed from lava; Ex. ~ meteorite [ from Latin igneus (from ignis 'fire' ) + -ous .]
- vigilante
- one who without authority assumes law enforcement powers; a member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate.
- oracular
- of an oracle; prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority; mysterious or ambiguous; hard to understand; N. oracle: wiser person; prophecy made by an oracle
- propitious
- giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorable : the timing for such a meeting seemed ~. See note at timely . ;• archaic favorably disposed toward someone : there were points on which they did not agree, moments in which she did not seem ~. [from Old French propicieus or Latin propitius 'favorable, gracious.']
- dowry
- money or property brought by a bride to her husband at marriage
- exuberance
- overflowing abundance; joyful enthusiasm; flamboyance; lavishness; ADJ. exuberant: high-spirited and lively; growing abundantly and strongly
- peddle
- travel about selling (wares); CF. foot
- ramble
- wander aimlessly (physically or mentally); digress
- flout
- reject; mock; show contempt for; scorn; Ex. ~ the rules
- attest
- testify; bear witness
- hubbub
- confused uproar; loud noise; din
- coeval
- having the same age or date of origin; contemporary : these lavas were ~ with the volcanic activity. [from late Latin coaevus, from co- 'jointly, in common' + Latin aevum 'age.']
- verdigris
- green coating or patina on copper which has been exposed to the weather; a bright bluish-green encrustation or patina formed on copper or brass by atmospheric oxidation, consisting of basic copper carbonate. ; [from Old French verte-gres, earlier vert de Grece 'green of Greece.']
- capsize
- (of a boat) turn over [perhaps based on Spanish capuzar 'sink (a ship) by the head,' from cabo 'head' + chapuzar 'to dive or duck.']
- exude
- flow out slowly; discharge (gradually); give forth; N. -ation
- adjure
- urge or request (someone) solemnly or earnestly to do something : I ~ you to tell me the truth. ; -ation
- jest
- playful remark or act; V. act or speak playfully
- clime
- a region considered with reference to its climate : the Continent and its sunnier ~s. [from late Latin clima 'zone' (see climate ).]
- quizzical
- curious; suggesting puzzlement (without saying); questioning; teasing; mocking; bantering; Ex. ~ glance
- derivative
- (typically of an artist or work of art) imitative of the work of another person, and usually disapproved of for that reason : an artist who is not in the slightest bit ~. ; • originating from, based on, or influenced by : Darwin's work is ~ of the moral philosophers. ; • [ attrib. ] (of a financial product) having a value deriving from an underlying variable asset : equity-based ~ products. ; n. something that is based on another source : a ~ of the system was chosen for the Marine Corps' V-22 tilt rotor aircraft. ; [from French dérivatif, -ive, from Latin derivativus, from derivare (see derive ).]
- dabble
- work at in a nonserious fashion; splash around; move noisily in a liquid
- ponderous
- having great weight; weighty; unwieldy; lacking lightness; dull; Ex. ponderous body/style of writing
- felicitous
- (of a word or remark) apt; suitably expressed; well chosen; • pleasing and fortunate : the view was the room's only ~ feature.
- indecision
- irresolution; inability to make up one's mind
- scuffle
- struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry; N. CF. ~ing twins ?
- senile
- (of a person) having or showing the weaknesses or diseases of old age, esp. a loss of mental faculties : she couldn't cope with her ~ husband. ; • (of a condition) characteristic of or caused by old age : ~ decay.
- medley
- a varied mixture of people or things; a miscellany : an interesting ~ of flavors. ; • a collection of songs or other musical items performed as a continuous piece : a ~ of Beatles songs. ; • a swimming race in which contestants swim sections in different strokes, either individually or in relay teams. ; [from Old French medlee, variant of meslee 'melee,' based on medieval Latin misculare 'to mix' ; compare with meddle .]
- astral
- relating to the stars
- [dele]actuarial
- calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics
- finish
- surface texture; completeness of execution
- antiseptic
- substance that prevents infection in a wound; ADJ.
- tarantula
- venomous spider; 1 a large hairy spider found chiefly in tropical and subtropical America, some kinds of which are able to catch small lizards, frogs, and birds. tarantula 1 • Family Theraphosidae, suborder Mygalomorphae: numerous species.
- lustrous
- shining; brilliant; Ex. ~ hair
- cant
- insincere speech or expression of piety; jargon of thieves; special words used by a particular group of people
- nonentity
- person of no importance; nonexistence
- irreproachable
- beyond reproach; blameless; impeccable; Ex. ~ conduct [from French irreprochable, from in- 'not' + reprochable (from reprocher 'to reproach' ).]
- portly
- stout; corpulent
- testy
- irritable; impatient and bad-tempered; short-tempered; N. -iness
- jab
- poke abruptly with something sharp; punch with short blows
- sap
- diminish; weaken; undermine the foundations of (a fortification); Ex. The element kryptonite ~ed his strength.
- buoyant
- able to float; cheerful and optimistic; N. -cy; Ex. -cy of wood/water/American market
- pomposity
- self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt(pompous person); ADJ. pompous: self-important
- moodiness
- fits of depression or gloom; ADJ. moody: given to changeable moods; subject to periods of depression; gloomy CF. mood: state of mind or emotion
- artless
- without guile; open and honest
- bewitch
- cast a spell over; captivate completely
- morose
- ill-humored; sullen; sullenly melancholy
- unceremonious
- not done politely without due formalities
- intervene
- come between; interfere; Ex. ~ed to prevent a fight; N. intervention
- libel
- defamatory written statement; act of writing something that smears a person's character; V. ADJ. libelous [via Old French from Latin libellus, diminutive of liber 'book.']
- sleight
- n. dexterity; CF. ~ of hand: legerdemain; quickness of the hands in doing tricks; {~ of hand manual dexterity, typically in performing tricks : a nifty bit of ~ of hand got the ashtray into the correct position. • skillful deception : this is financial ~ of hand of the worst sort. }
- smudge
- dirty mark with unclear edges made by rubbing; V.
- inherent
- firmly established by nature or habit; intrinsic
- humdrum
- dull; monotonous
- treatise
- article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly
- congruence
- correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship; CF. congruity
- wangle
- achieve by cleverness or trick; wiggle out; fake; Ex. She tried to ~ an invitation to the party.
- roseate
- rosy; optimistic; Ex. ~ views
- unexceptionable
- entirely acceptable; not offering any basis for criticism
- egotistical
- egotistic; excessively self-centered(egocentric); self-important; conceited
- exclaim
- cry out suddenly; N. exclamation; ADJ. exclamatory
- awl
- pointed tool used for piercing; a small pointed tool used for piercing holes, esp. in leather.
- exegesis
- explanation, especially of biblical(of the bible) passages; critical explanation or interpretation of a text, esp. of scripture : the task of biblical ~ | an ~ of Marx. ; [from Greek exēgēsis, from exēgeisthai 'interpret,' from ex- 'out of' + hēgeisthai 'to guide, lead.']
- solvent
- substance that dissolves another; ADJ: capable of dissolving another substance
- ordination
- ceremony conferring holy orders; ceremony of ordaining a priest
- retinue
- a group of advisers, assistants, or others accompanying an important person. ; [from Old French retenue, feminine past participle (used as a noun) of retenir 'keep back, retain.']
- halcyon
- calm; peaceful; Ex. ~ days
- creed
- system of religious or ethical belief
- swamp
- wetland; marsh; V: flood; overwhelm; drench in with liquid
- pedestal
- support or base as for a pillar or statue
- forthright
- straightforward; direct; frank
- retract
- withdraw; take back; draw back; Ex. ~ a statement/an offer/claws; N. -tion; CF. -tile
- molten
- melted; (esp. of materials with a high melting point, such as metal and glass) liquefied by heat. ; Ex. ~ lava
- mulct
- defraud a person of something; swindle; Ex. ~ the boy of his legacy
- fortitude
- courage in pain or adversity : she endured her illness with great ~. See note at courage .
- firebrand
- piece of burning wood; hothead; troublemaker; person who stirs up trouble
- cantata
- story set to music to be sung by a chorus (shorter than an oratorio)
- piscatorial
- pertaining to fishing; CF. Pisces
- antecede
- precede
- introvert
- a shy, reticent, and typically self-centered person. ; • Psychology a person predominantly concerned with their own thoughts and feelings rather than with external things. Compare with extrovert . ; [ from modern Latin introvertere, from intro- 'to the inside' + vertere 'to turn.' Its use as a term in psychology dates from the early 20th cent.]
- musty
- stale (in odor or taste); spoiled by age; CF. moist
- impregnable
- invulnerable; impossible to capture or enter by force; Ex. impregnable fort/argument; CF. take
- perjury
- false testimony while under oath; V. perjure oneself: testify falsely under oath
- annuity
- yearly allowance; a fixed sum of money paid to someone each year, typically for the rest of their life : he left her an ~ of $1,000 in his will. ; • a form of insurance or investment entitling the investor to a series of annual sums : [as adj. ] an ~ plan.
- contention
- assertion; claim; thesis; struggling; competition [from Latin contentio(n-), from contendere 'strive with' (see contend ).]
- stanch
- stop or check flow of blood; Ex. ~ the gushing wound
- expository
- explanatory; serving to explain; N. -ion: explaining; exhibition; [from Latin expositio(n-), from the verb exponere 'put out, exhibit, explain.']
- panache
- flair; manner of doing things without any difficulty (causing admiration); flamboyance; bunch of feathers (on a helmet); Ex. with great ~
- overblown
- inflated; exaggerated
- sidereal
- relating to stars; Ex. ~ day; of or with respect to the distant stars (i.e., the constellations or fixed stars, not the sun or planets).
- incipient
- beginning; in an early stage
- compliant
- readily acting in accordance with a rule, order, or the wishes or others; yielding; comforming to requirements
- controvert
- oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; contradict; ADJ. controversial; N. controversy
- embryonic
- undeveloped; rudimentary; N. embryo: organism in the early stage of development
- inquisitive
- eager for knowledge; unduly curious
- terminus
- last stop of railroad; end
- despondent
- without hope and courage; -cy; gloomy; N. despondency: loss of hope with gloom; dejection
- dote
- be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline; 1 ( dote on/upon) be extremely and uncritically fond of : she ~ed on her two young children | [as adj. ] ( doting) she was spoiled outrageously by her ~ing father. ;2 archaic be silly or feebleminded, esp. as a result of old age : the parson is now old and ~s.
- prostrate
- stretch out full on ground; make prostrate; enervate; Ex. ~ing illness; ADJ: lying face down; having lost all strength
- intimate
- v. hint; suggest; imply; ADJ: marked by close relationship; familiar; private; personal; Ex. ~ knowledge/thoughts in the diary; N: close friend or confidant; CF. -cy
- quicksilver
- the liquid metal mercury. ; • used in similes and metaphors to describe something that moves or changes very quickly, or that is difficult to hold or contain : his mood changed like ~.
- comeback
- 1 a return by a well-known person, esp. an entertainer or sports player, to the activity in which they have formerly been successful : the heavyweight champion is set to make his comeback | [as adj. ] his career died after a couple of ~ attempts. ; • a return to fashion of an item, activity, or style : stirrup pants have made a ~. ; 2 informal a quick reply to a critical remark. • the opportunity to seek redress : there's no ~ if he messes up your case.
- catechism
- • a series of fixed questions, answers, or precepts used for instruction in other situations. ; a summary of the principles of Christian religion in the form of questions and answers, used for the instruction of Christians. ; book for religious instruction in question-and-answer form; religious instruction by question and answer; V. -chize
- lout
- clumsy person; ADJ. loutish; CF. from countrysides ?; an uncouth or aggressive man or boy : drunken ~s.
- diorama
- life-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history; three-dimensional scene with modeled figures against a painted background; a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in miniature or as a large-scale museum exhibit.
- perspicacious
- (of someone) having insight; penetrating; astute; having a ready insight into and understanding of things : it offers quite a few facts to the ~ reporter. See note at keen . ; [from Latin perspicax, perspicac- 'seeing clearly' + -acious .]
- caprice
- whim; sudden change of mind without any real cause