GRE General Set 10
Terms
undefined, object
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- quirk
- sudden sharp turn or twist; startling twist; caprice; idiosyncrasy; peculiarity of behavior; Ex. by a ~ of fate
- complementary
- serving to complete something; 1. Forming or serving as a complement; completing.; 2. Supplying mutual needs or offsetting mutual lacks.;
- cataclysm
- deluge; upheaval; earthquake; violent and sudden event or change; [from Latin cataclysmos, deluge, from Greek kataklusmos, from katakluzein, to inundate : kata-, intensive pref.; see cata- + kluzein, to wash away.]
- licentious
- amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained
- behoove
- (behove) be suited to; be incumbent upon; be right and necessary; Ex. It ~s one to do.; To be necessary or proper for: It ~es you at least to try.
- physiognomy
- face (as showing the character and the mind); art of judging human character from facial features; [from Late Latin physiognōmia, from Greek phusiognōmiā, variant of phusiognōmoniā : phusio-, physio- + gnōmōn, gnōmon-, interpreter.]
- protuberance
- protrusion; swelling; bulge; Something, such as a bulge, knob, or swelling, that protrudes.; The condition of being -rant.
- shift
- change position or place; exchange (one thing) for another; change in direction or position; Ex. shift the stolen goods; N. group of workers which takes turns with other groups; working period of such a group
- prosperous
- successful; rich; affluent; well-to-do; well-off
- mingle
- mix together in close association
- gaffe
- social blunder; A clumsy social error; a faux pas: "The excursion had in his eyes been a monstrous ~, a breach of sensibility and good taste" (Mary McCarthy).;
- terse
- concise; abrupt; pithy
- discomfit
- frustrate; put to rout; defeat; disconcert; embarrass; perturb [(from Latin cōnficere, to prepare; see comfit).]
- lien
- legal claim or right on a property; The right to take and hold or sell the property of a debtor as security or payment for a debt or duty.; [French, tie, bond, from Old French, constraint, from Latin ligāmen, bond, from ligāre, to bind.]
- rankle
- irritate; fester; annoy
- toxic
- poisonous; N. -city
- aspersion
- slanderous remark; Ex. cast ~ on; An unfavorable or damaging remark; slander: Don't cast ~s on my honesty.; The act of defaming or slandering.;
- cross
- bad-tempered; showing ill-humor; angry
- expound
- explain; # To give a detailed statement of; set forth: expounded the intricacies of the new tax law.; To explain in detail; elucidate: The speaker expounded the approach of positive thinking. See synonyms at explain.[Middle English expounden, from Anglo-Norman espoundre, from Latin expōnere : ex-, ex- + pōnere, to place.]
- self-indulgence
- excessive indulgence of one's own desire
- enumerate
- list; mention one by one
- pundit
- authority on a subject; expert; learned person
- abjure
- renounce upon oath; To recant solemnly; renounce or repudiate: "For nearly 21 years after his resignation as Prime Minister in 1963, he ~ed all titles, preferring to remain just plain 'Mr.'" (Time).; To renounce under oath; forswear.
- mangy
- shabby; wretched; suffering from mange; of bad appearance
- provocative
- arousing anger or sexual interest; annoying; Ex. ~ in tight jeans; V. -voke: incite to anger; cause (an unpleasant action or feeling); N. -cation
- badger
- pester; annoy continually with demands; persuade by asking again and again; Ex. The children ~ed me into taking them into the cinema; N: a kind of mountain animal
- lofty
- very high
- rotund
- Rounded in figure; plump. See synonyms at fat.; sonorous in speech; Having a full, rich sound; sonorous. n. -dity or -ness
- jingoist
- extremely aggressive and militant patriot; warlike chauvinist; N. -ism: extreme nationalism; Extreme nationalism characterized especially by a belligerent foreign policy; chauvinistic patriotism.
- hazard
- venture; put in danger; risk; Ex. ~ a guess; N: possible source of danger; [Middle English hasard, dice game, from Old French, possibly from Old Spanish azar, possibly from Arabic az-zahr, the gaming die : al-, the + zahr, gaming die.]
- myopic
- nearsighted; lacking foresight; N. -pia
- rumble
- make or move with a deep rolling sound (as thunder or stomach); Slang. To engage in a gang fight.;
- inopportune
- untimely; inappropriate or ill-timed; poorly chosen; Inappropriate or ill-timed; not opportune.
- chassis
- framework and working parts of an automobile; framework to which components are attached
- jetsam
- things thrown from a ship (to lighten the ship); [From earlier jetson, alteration of Middle English jetteson, a throwing overboard. See jettison.]
- vintner
- wine merchant; winemaker; seller of wine; [from Latin vīnētum, vineyard, from vīnum, wine.]
- condign
- adequate; (of punishment) severe and well deserved; [from Latin condignus : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + dignus, worthy.]
- aquiline
- curved; hooked; of or like an eagle; Ex. ~ nose; [Latin aquilīnus, from aquila, eagle.]
- factious
- inclined to form factions; causing dissension
- mordant
- biting; sarcastic; stinging; (apprec.) incisive; cutting; Ex. ~ pen/wit; [French, from Old French, present participle of mordre, to bite, from Vulgar Latin *mordere, from Latin mordēre.]
- apotheosis
- elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something; [Late Latin apotheōsis, from Greek, from apotheoun, to deify : apo-, change; see apo- + theos, god.]
- sojourn
- temporary stay; V: stay for a time
- accrue
- come to one as a gain; accumulate over time; come about by addition; Ex. benefits that ~ from scientific research; Ex. interest ~ing in a bank account; N. -ral
- sinecure
- well-paid position with little responsibility; CF. sine cure: without care; CF. San Serif[Latin sine, without + Latin cūrā, ablative of cūra, care; see cure.]
- fret
- be annoyed or vexed; Ex. fret over your poor grades; N: irritation of mind; ADJ. -ful
- ape
- imitate or mimic (a person's behavior or manner)
- indeterminate
- uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite
- pinnace
- small boat [French pinace, from Old French, probably from Old Spanish pinaza, from pino, pine tree, boat, from Latin pīnus.]
- render
- give; deliver; provide; represent in verbal or artistic form; depict; perform; make; translate; Ex. ~ the song beautifully
- tarry
- linger; delay in starting or going; dawdle; To delay or be late in going, coming, or doing. See synonyms at stay1.; 2. To wait.; 3. To remain or stay temporarily, as in a place; sojourn.
- stratagem
- deceptive scheme; clever trick; A military maneuver designed to deceive or surprise an enemy.; # A clever, often underhanded scheme for achieving an objective. See synonyms at wile.; [from Latin stratēgēma, from Greek, from stratēgein, to be a general, from stratēgos, general : stratos, army + agein, to lead.]
- homily
- sermon; tedious moralizing lecture; serious warning; ADJ. -letic
- deft
- neat; skillful
- galley
- low ship with sails (rowed along by slaves)
- estranged
- separated; alienated; V. estrange: alienate (people in a family); N. -ment
- dauntless
- bold; fearless
- divest
- strip (as of clothes); deprive (as of rights); dispossess; N. divestiture(divestment)
- congruent
- in agreement; harmonious; corresponding; coinciding exactly; CF. congruous [from Latin congruēns, congruent-, present participle of congruere, to agree.]
- decrepitude
- state of collapse or weakness caused by illness or old age; The quality or condition of being weakened, worn out, impaired, or broken down by old age, illness, or hard use.; adj. -pit. 1 : wasted and weakened by or as if by the infirmities of old age; 2 a : impaired by use or wear : WORN-OUT b : fallen into ruin or disrepair; 3 : DILAPIDATED, RUN-DOWN
- nemesis
- someone seeking revenge; source of downfall or ruin; CF. Nemesis; 2 plural nem·e·ses /-"sEz/ a : one that inflicts retribution or vengeance b : a formidable and usually victorious rival or opponent; 3 plural -eses a : an act or effect of retribution b : BANE 2
- bequeath
- leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his will; N. -quest
- ravenous
- extremely hungry; voracious; Rapacious; predatory.; Greedy for gratification: ~ for power. See synonyms at voracious.; [Middle English, from Old French ravineux, from raviner, to take by force, from Vulgar Latin *rapīnāre, from Latin rapīna, plunder. See rapine.]
- bombast
- grandiloquent, pompous speech; [Alteration of obsolete bombace, cotton padding, from Old French, from Medieval Latin bombax, bombac-, cotton. See bombazine.]
- philology
- study of language or words [from Latin philo-, philo- + logos, reason, speech; see -logy.]
- ejaculation
- exclamation; abrupt ejection (to discharge sperm); A sudden short exclamation, especially a brief pious utterance or prayer. V. ejaculate
- squat
- short and thick; stocky; Ex. ugly squat tower; V. N.
- obtuse
- blunt; not sharp; stupid; slow in understanding
- chameleon
- lizard that changes color in different situations [Middle English camelioun, from Latin chamaeleōn, from Greek khamaileōn : khamai, on the ground + leōn, lion (loan translation of Akkadian nēš qaqqari, ground lion, lizard); see lion.]
- maudlin
- effusively sentimental; Effusively or tearfully sentimental: "displayed an almost ~ concern for the welfare of animals" (Aldous Huxley). See synonyms at sentimental.; [Alteration of (MARY) MAGDALENE, who was frequently depicted as a tearful penitent.]
- eloquence
- expressiveness; persuasive speech; ADJ. eloquent: movingly expressive; expressing ideas well so that the hearers can be influeneced
- decadence
- decay; fall to a lower level (of morality, civilization, or art); ADJ. -dent
- brawny
- muscular; having well-developed muscles
- earmark
- set aside (money or time) for a particular purpose; To reserve or set aside for a particular purpose. See synonyms at allocate.; To mark in an identifying or distinctive way.; To mark the ear of (a domestic animal) for identification.
- buffet
- strike forcefully; slap; batter; knock out; To hit or beat, especially repeatedly.; To strike against forcefully; batter: winds that ~ed the tent. See synonyms at beat.; # To drive or force with or as if with repeated blows: was buffeted about from job to job by the vagaries of the economy.; To force (one's way) with difficulty.; N: table with food set out for people to server themselves; meal at which people help themselves to food that's been set
- detrimental
- harmful; damaging; N. -ment
- congenial
- pleasant; friendly; in agreement with one's tastes and nature; Ex. ~ weather
- unaccountable
- unexplicable; impossible to account for; unreasonable or mysterious
- vendetta
- blood feud (esp. between two families); [Italian, from Latin vindicta, revenge. See vindictive.]
- fussy
- fastidious; finicky; easily upset; Easily upset; given to bouts of ill temper: a ~ baby.
- seemly
- (of behavior) proper; appropriate; [Middle English semely, from Old Norse sœmiligr, from sœmr, fitting.]
- arrogance
- pride; haughtiness; ADJ. arrogant: unpleasantly self-important (with a strong confidence in one's own importance and a lack of respect for other people)
- alcove
- nook; recess; A recess or partly enclosed extension connected to or forming part of a room.;
- franchise
- right or privilege granted by authority; right to vote; license to sell a product in a particular territory[Middle English fraunchise, from Old French franchise, from franche, feminine of franc, free, exempt. See frank1.]
- privation
- lack of the basic necessities or comforts of life; hardship; want; CF. deprive; [from Latin prīvātiō, prīvātiōn-, from prīvātus, past participle of prīvāre, to deprive. See private.]
- rustle
- make slight sounds like silk moving or being rubbed together; To forage food.; To steal livestock, especially cattle.; # To obtain by ~ing: ~ed up some food in the kitchen.
- anesthetic
- substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness; N. anesthesia; [From Greek anaisthētos, without feeling : an-, without; see a-1 + aisthētos, perceptible (from aisthanesthai, to feel; see anesthesia).]
- fanciful
- whimsical; visionary; imaginary; produced by imagination; Ex. ~ scheme
- commune
- small (often rural) community whose members share work and income; V: exchange thoughts or feelings; Ex. ~ with nature
- inundate
- flood; overflow; submerge; cover completely; Ex. ~ed with work; [Latin inundāre, inundāt- : in-, in; see in-2 + undāre, to surge (from unda, wave).]
- surfeit
- satiate; feed or supply to excess; stuff; indulge to excess in anything; N: -ing; excessive amount; Ex. ~ of food
- memorialize
- To provide a memorial for; commemorate.;To present a memorial to; petition.
- undertaker
- funeral director; one whose business is to arrange burials
- extradition
- surrender of prisoner by one state to another; Ex. ~ treaty; Legal surrender of a fugitive to the jurisdiction of another state, country, or government for trial. V. -te [French : Latin ex-, ex- + Latin trāditiō, trāditiōn-, a handing over; see tradition.]
- tortuous
- winding; full of curves; Ex. ~ mountain road; Having or marked by repeated turns or bends; winding or twisting: a ~ road thro ugh the mountains.; Not straightforward; circuitous; devious: a ~ plot; ~ reasoning.; # Highly involved; complex: ~ legal procedures.;[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin tortuōsus, from tortus, a twisting, from past participle of torquēre, to twist.]
- odorous
- having an odor
- recapitulate
- summarize; # To repeat in concise form.; [Latin recapitulāre, recapitulāt- : re-, re- + capitulum, main point, heading, diminutive of caput, capit-, head.]
- oscillate
- vibrate pendulumlike; waver
- labyrinth
- maze