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Vocabulary Words for Senior English class

Terms

undefined, object
copy deck
ab-
away, from
ad-
to, toward
ambi-
both
an-
not, without
ante-
before
anti-
against
auto-
self
circum-
around
con-
with, together
contra/contro-
against
dis/dif-
apart, in different directions, not
eu-
good, well
e/ex-
out, out of, from
fore-
before
homo-
same
in-
in, into, against, not
inter-
between, among
intra/intro-
within
non-
not
ob-
against
omni-
all
pan-
all
para-
beside
per-
through, completely
peri-
around
post-
after, behind
pre-
before, in front of
pro-
forward
re-
back, again
retro-
backward
sub-
under
super-
above, over
sym/syn-
with, together
tele-
far off, across a distance
tran(s)-
across
anthrop-
human being
aud-
to hear
bell(i)-
war
brev-
short
bucol-
cow, cowherd
carn-
flesh
cede-
to go
cept/ceive/ceipt-
to hold, grasp, take
chron-
time
cog-
to know
culp-
guilt, blame
dic/dict-
to say
dox/doc/doct-
to teach/teaching
duc(t)-
to lead
dur-
hard
fac/fic/fact/fect-
to make, do
fer-
to carry
fin-
end
flat-
to blow
flu-
to throw
gam-
marriage
gen-
birth, origin
gno/kno-
to know/knowledge
grad/gred/gress-
step
greg-
flock or herd (of sheep)
ject-
to throw
lev-
to lift, rise
loc-
place
loqu/locut-
speech
luc/lum-
light
mal-
bad
morph-
shape
mort-
death
mut-
change
nov-
new
nym-
name
orth-
straight
pac-
peace
pel-
to force
pend-
to hang
petr-
rock
phil-
love
prot-
first
pug-
fight;fish
simil/simul-
same
spir-
breathe
tact-
touch
ten/tain/tent-
to hold
theo-
God
turb-
to agitate, shake
vac-
empty
ver-
true, truth
vinc/vict-
to win, conquer
viv-
life
volv-
to turn, roll
Empyrean (n)
an ideal place, state, or the highest state of heaven
from the root, empyros
originally, Heaven was a sphere of fire in Greek culture
Censorious (adj)
very critical; expressing censor; harshly judgmental
Latin censor "critic"
Recidivism (n)
a tendency to lapse into a previous behavior, especially a criminal one
french récidiviste
récidiver "to relapse"
Middle Latin recidivare
Latin recidivus
recidere "to fall back"
cadere "to fall"
Vernacular (n)
the standard native language of a country; a variety of language specific to a particular region or social class
1601
Etruscan verna "home-born slave, native"
Latin vernaculus "native, domestic"
Words that stem from the root "cadere"
caducous
caducity
cadaver
cadence
cascade
recidivism
Obstreperous (adj)
characterized by a great noise or outcry, especially in opposition; resisting control/management; unruly
ob- "against"
strepere "to make noise"
Insouciant (adj)
marked by blithe unconcern; nonchalant
1799
French in- "not"
se soucier "to care"
Latin solicitare "to agitate"
Abjure (v)
to renounce under oath or swear, to recant solemnly or repudiate, to give up
1430
Middle French abjurer "to deny"
Latin abjurare "to swear," related to the word for law
ab- "away from"
Caducous (adj)
shedding at an early state of development
Caducity (n)
1. the frailty of old age
2. the state of being perishable; impermanence
Defenestration (n)
the act of throwing someone/something out of a window
1620
Latin fenestra "window"
Greek phainein "to show"
invented for the Defenestration of Prague, May 21, 1618, in which 2 Catholic deputies to the Bohemian National Assembly and a secretary were tossed out a window of the castle of Hradshin into the moat by Protestant Radicals. It marked the start of the 30 years war.
Vituperate (v)
to rebuke or critisize harshly
1449
Latin vituperare "disparage"
vitium "fault, defect"
Fulminate (v)
1. to express vehement protest
2. to explode violently or flash like lightning
3. (of a disease or symptom) to develop suddenly and severely
1450 (the definition at this time was "to publish a thundering denunciation")
Latin fulminatus - p.p. of fulminare "to hurl lightning, to lighten"
fulmen "lightning"
fulgere "to shine, flash"
Effulgent (adj)
shining brilliantly
e/ex- "out, out of"
fulgere "to shine, flash"
Protean (adj)
readily able to change; versatile
From the Greek god Proteus, who could change into any form
Greek protos "first"
Ephemeral (adj)
lasting a short time, momentary, fleeting; living or lasting for only one day
1576
Greek ephemeros
epi- "on, upon"
hemera "day"
Doggerel (n)
crudely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous of burlesque nature
Middle English dogge "dog" - associated with poor and worhtless
It doesn't always refer to verse. It can refer to anything crudely or irregularly fashioned.
Clangor (n)
a clang or a loud racket
Latin clangere "resound, ring"
Greek klange "sharp sound"
Proto-Indo-European klang "to cry, soun
1593
"spondere"
to engage oneself, in the sense: to make an offering
Recondite (adj)
1. not easily understood, abstruse, ambiguous
2. concerned with or treating something obscure: recondite scholarship
3. concealed, hidden
Latin condere "to preserve, to put together"
re- "again"
Abrogate (v)
to abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority
1526
Latin abrogatus or abrogare "to annul, to repeal"
ab- "away"
rogare "to propose a law, request"
Hirsute (adj)
1. having rough or shaggy hair; hairy, shaggy
2. of or pertaining to hari; of the nature of or consisting of hair
1621
Latin hirsutus "rough, shaggy"
hirtus "shaggy"
Inculcate (v)
to endeavor to force (a thing) on the mind of another by emphatic admonition or by persistent repetition
1550
Latin inculcatus, inculcare "to stamp in with the heel, tread in, cram in, press in, impress upon the mind
calx "heel"
Bellicose (adj)
warlike in manner or temperament; pugnacious
1432
Latin bellicosus, from bellicus "of war," from bellum "war"
Bellona was the Roman goddess of war
Derelict (adj,n)
adj - in a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect
n - a destitute person; a ship or piece of property abandoned by its owner
1649
Latin derelictus, p.p. of dereliquere "abandon"
de- "entirely"
relinquere "leave behind"
1830 - dereliction "failure in duty"
Sedulous (adj)
hardworking, paying attention to details
Latin sedulus "attentive"
sedolo "without deception"
se- "without"
dolo "guile"
Sagacity (n)
wisdom, the quality of being sound in judgment
1548
Latin sagacitas "quickness of perception"
Nugatory (adj)
1. of little or no importance; trifling
2. having no force; invalid
Latin nugatorius, from nugator "trifler"
nugar "to trifle"
nugae "jokes"
Anathema (n)
a formal ban, curse, or excommunication; one that is greatly loathed or shunned
1526
Latin anathema "excommunicated person"
German anathema "a thing cursed"
Effrontery (n)
brazen boldness, presumptuousness
Latin effrons
ex - "out of"
frons "forehead"
Beguine (n)
a ballroom dance similar to the rumba, based on a dance of Martinique and St. Lucia
1483
Latin beguina "beggar"
beghard "male brotherhood"
French béguin "infatuation"
Enervate (v)
to weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of
1555 (figurative sense)
From Latin participle stem of enervare "to extract the sinews of or weaken"
e/ex- "out"
nervus "sinew"
Convivial (adj)
(of an atmosphere or event) friendly and lively; (of a person) cheerfully sociable
1668
Late Latin convivialis
Latin convivium "a feast"
convivere "to carouse together"
Incumbent (adj)
1. imposed as an obligation or duty; obligatory
2. lying, leaning, resting upon something else
3. currently holding a specified office
noun - a person who holds an office or ecclesiastical benefice
Latin incumbens "holder of a church position"
incumbere "to lean upon"
in- "on"
cumbere "to recline"
Dipsomania (n)
alcoholism
1843 "a morbid craving for alcohol"
Greek dipsa "thirst" + mania
the noun meaning "drunkard" is from 1858
slang shortening "Dipso" is from 1880
Ethereal (adj)
1.light, intangible, airy, delicate
2. celestial, heavenly
1598
Greek aitherios "upper air"
aither
Epicure (n)
1. a person with refined taste, especially in food and wine
2. a person devoted to sensuous pleasure and luxurious living
Middle English epicurean
Medieval Latin epicuris
Latin epicurus
Greek epikourous
Epicurus - Greek philosopher, founded a school devoted to his philosophy
antonym: ascetic
Polemic (n)
1. a controversial argument, one that refutes a specific argument
2. a person inclined to argument
1638
Greek polemikos "warlike"
polemos "war"
French polémique
Palimpsest (n)
1. a manuscript, typically of papyrus of parchment, that has been written on more than once, with the earlier writing incompletely erased, and often legible
2. an object place, or area (literature!) that reflects its history
Greek palin "again"
psen "to scrape"
Obfuscate (v)
to make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand
1536
Latin obfuscatus
obfuscare "to darken"
ob- "over"
fuscare "to make dark"
fuscus "dark"
Picayune (adj)
1. of little value or importance
2. petty, mean
1804
from Louisiana French picaillon or Provençal picaioun
name of a coin worth 5 cents
earlier the name of a small copper coin of Piedmont or Savoy
picaio "money" (uncertain origin)
Officious (adj)
eager to please, wanting to be kind and help others
1565
Latin officiosus "obliging, dutiful"
officium "duty, service"
Arbiter (n)
1. one chosen or appointed to judge or decide a disputed issue, an arbitrator
2. one who has power to judge or ordain at will
1502
Latin arbiter "one who goes somewhere as a witness or judge"
ad + baetere "to come, go"
Abject (adj)
awful, unpleasant, degrading
1430
Latin abjectus
ab + jacere "to throw"
Analysis (n)
the resolution of anything complex into simple elements
1581
ana- "up"
lysis "a loosening"
Deleterious (adj)
having a harmful effect, injurious
Greek deleterios, from deleter "destroyer"
deleisthai "to harm"
Legerdemain (n)
sleight of hand, a display of skill or deceitful cleverness
French légerdemain
léger "light"
main "hand"
Carrion (n)
the decaying flesh of dead animals
1225
from Anglo-French carogne
V.L. carona "carcass"
Latin caro "meat"
Expurgate (v)
to remove erroneous, vulgar, obscene, or objectionable material (from a book) before publication
Latin expurgare "to purify"
purgare "to cleanse"
"purge"
Pellucid (adj)
1. admitting the passage of light, transparent or translucent
2. transparently clear in style or meaning
Latin pellucidus "transparent"
pellucere, perlucere "to shine through"
per- "through" + lucere "to shine"
1619
Sycophant (n)
1. a person who flatters someone important in a servile way
2. one who flatters for self-gain
1575
Latin sycophanta "informer, talebearer, slanderer"
Greek sykophantes "one who shows the fig"
Insolvent (adj)
1. unable to meet debts or discharge liabilities; bankrupt
2. of or relating to bankrupt persons or entities
1591
Latin insolventem from in- "not" + solventem "paying"
Posthumous (adj)
after death
1608
Latin postumus "last-born"
post- "after" + humare "to bury"
originally meaning born after the death of the father
Evince (v)
to show or demonstrate clearly; manifest; "evince distaste by grimacing"
From Latin evincere "to prevail or prove"
"evict" also comes from this root
e- "out of" + vincere (vin "to conquer"
bene-
good
bibli(o)-
book
bio-
life
cardi-
heart
cent-
one hundred
cert-
to separate, distinguish
cid/cis-
to fall
cred-
to believe
graph-
writing
grav-
heavy
lat-
to bear, carry
migr-
to move (from one place to another)
mit/mis-
to send
nas/nat-
birth
oper-
to work
path-
to feel
phon-
sound
pol(is)-
city/state
poly-
many
port-
to carry
pseud-
false
scrib/script
to write
sec/sect-
to cut
sequ-
to follow
sen-
old
spect-
to look/see
struct-
to build
term-
end
the/thet-
to put, to place
val-
strong
ven/vent-
to come
verb-
word
vert/vers-
to turn
vid/vis-
to see
Inchoate (adj)
in an initial stage; imperfectly formed or developed
Latin inchoatus - incohare "to begin"
in "on" + cohum "strap fastened to the oxen's yoke"
Reticent (adj)
keeping to oneself; private; reserved
1603
re "again" + tacere "quiet"

Deck Info

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