English Vocab Second Semester
Terms
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- Castigate
- To punish; to criticize severely; to chastise
- Luminary
- An object, such as the sun or moon, that gives light. A person who is outstanding in a particular field
- Accede
- To consent; to agree; to take office; to become a ruler
- Predatory
- Preying on other animals; plundering; exploiting or victimizig others
- Pugnacious
- Quarrelsome; eager for a fight
- Benign
- Kindly; mild and gentle in effect; not malignant, as a growth or tumor
- Impugn
- To oppose or attack as false; to seek to discredit
- Pungent
- Having a strong, biting taste or smell
- Apocalypse
- A prophetic disclosure or revelation, especially concerning a universal cataclysm; Any widespread destruction
- Aesthete
- A person who cultivates a superior appreciation of beauty, especially in the arts; often used to imply that the person's appreciation is excessive, affected or impractical
- Muster
- To assemble people, especially troops, for a specific purpose. To gather; to summon
- Expunge
- To omit; to delete; to obliterate
- Remonstrate
- To speak in protest or disapproval
- Denigrate
- To speak derogatively of someone's character or reputation; to defame; to disparage
- Casuistry
- The use of moral principles to reason out what is right or wrong in everday situations; subtle but misleading or false application of reasoning; a quibbling or evasive way of making difficult decisions
- Bonanza
- A rich mass of ore; an unexpected source of great wealth or luck; a windfall
- Recidivism
- A relapse into a former habit, especially criminal or antisocial behavior
- Chasten
- To seek to improve through punishment; to discipline
- Adumbrate
- To give a sketchy outline; to foreshadow indistinctly
- Depredation
- Destruction; plunder
- Elucidate
- To make clear or plain; to clarify
- Clavier
- A keyboard instrument, like a piano or harpsichord, with strings
- Luminescence
- Light emitted by means other than burning, such as chemical or biochemical action or radiation
- Candence
- A rhythmic flow of sound, as in poetry or oratory, or of movement, as in marching or dancing
- Aesthetic
- Pertaining to an appreciation of beauty
- Eugenics
- The study of improving a species, especially human beings, by genetic control such as discouraging the reproduction of individuals presumed to have undesirable innate traits and encouraging the reproduction of those with desirable traits
- Debonair
- Suave; urbane; nonchalant
- Lucent
- Shining; luminous; Permitting light to pass through; translucent
- Conclave
- A private,exclusive, or secret meeting
- Punctilious
- Precise; scrupulous; attentive to details, especially of etiquette
- Recluse
- Someone who lives alone and avoids company; a hermit
- Cartel
- An organization of firms in the same industry for the purpose of regulating production, pricing, and marketing of goods and decreasing competition by members; a coalition of political or special-interest groups to achieve a common cause; a bloc
- Lucid
- Clearly expressed; easy to understand; logical; rational; sane
- Intercede
- To act on another's behalf; to mediate in a dispute; to seek to reconcile differences
- Decadent
- Declining or decaying; a person who is decaying mentally or morally; A member of a group of nineteenth-century French and English artists who were inspired by artificial and morbid things
- Daunt
- To intimidate; to discourage or dishearten
- Beatific
- Demonstrating extreme joy or blessedness
- Abate
- To reduce in quantity or intensity; to subside; to diminish
- Pellucid
- Very clear, thus allowing a maximum of light to pass through; transparent; translucent. Very clear in meaning or style
- Benison
- A blessing or benediction
- Enclave
- A country entirely or mostly enclosed within the territory of another country; A district or group isolated or enclosed within a larger one
- Diatribe
- An abusive criticism or attack
- Occlusion
- Something that blocks; an obstruction
- Occident
- The parts of the world that lie west of Asia, especially the countries of Europe and the western hemisphere
- Euphony
- Pleasant sounds, especially in spoken language
- Umbrage
- Extreme offense; resentment
- Forte
- A person's strong point; the thing in which a person excels; in music, loudly; forcefully
- Belligerent
- A country or persons engaged in warfare or hostile action; behaving in a hostile or aggressive manner; engaged in combat
- Pallid
- Deficient in color; having an abnormally pale complexion; lacking color, vitality, or interest; dull
- Diametrical
- Pertaining to a diameter; Exactly or completely opposite
- Apostate
- A person who forsakes his or her own principles, religion, or allegiances
- Battery
- A beating or pounding, especially an unlawful beating, as in assault and battery; guns or heavy artillery; a group of similar things used together
- Battlement
- A defense wall with alternating high and low sections
- Cartographer
- A maker of maps or charts
- Beatitude
- Supreme blessedness; exalted happiness; A series of declarations about blessedness made by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount
- Indomitable
- Unconquerable
- Bona fide
- Authentic; genuine
- Bellicose
- Warlike; eager to fight
- Compunction
- Uneasiness caused by guilt; remorse; scruples
- Pall
- A cover for a coffin or tomb. A coffin, especially one with a body in it. Anything that covers, darkens, obscures, or makes gloomy. To become dull, tiresome, or lifeless.
- Diaspora
- Any group migration or flight from a country; The dispersion of the Jews from their homeland in the Middle East
- Benignant
- Beneficial; kindly
- Diadem
- A crown or headband worn as a sign of authority
- Palliate
- To make a situation, especially an offense, seem less serious;to make excuses for something or someone. To make less severe; to alleviate
- Pugilist
- A fistfighter, especially a professional boxer
- Euphemism
- The use of a neutral, mild, or vague word or phrase instead of a more explicit one that might offend
- Bon vivant
- A person who enjoys good food and drink and lives luxuriously
- Fortitude
- Courage in enduring pain or trouble
- Concession
- The act of granting or yielding; permission by authority for special use, especially the privilege of setting up a business in a certain place, or the place itself
- Apoplexy
- A stroke; a sudden loss of muscular control, sensation, or consciousness usually resulting from rupture or blockage of a blood vessel (often used hyperbolically to describe a state of extreme rage that produces exaggerated responses)
- Apocryphal
- False; counterfeit; doubtful, especially in authorship or authenticity
- Carte Blanche
- Unrestricted power to act at one's discretion; unconditional permission or authority
- Cede
- To yield or surrender rights or possessions, usually officially
- Necromancy
- The art of predicting events by allegedly communicating with the dead; Black magic; witchcraft; sorcery
- Boon
- Jolly; convivial; a benefit greatly enjoyed