GRE 6
Terms
undefined, object
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- analgesic
- causing insensitivity to pain
- escutcheon
- ceremonial shield with a coat of arms
- punk
- dry, decayed wood that can be used as tinder; spunk
- lout
- rough, rude man
- freebooter
- pirate or plunderer who makes war in order to grow rich
- collier
- one that produces charcoal; a coal miner; a ship for transporting coal
- zeitgeist
- the spirit of an age; the general trend of thought or feeling of a time
- airy
- having plenty of fresh air moving about; well-ventilated; high in the air; lofty; immaterial; unreal
- ambulatory
- walking; able to walk
- uproarious
- very noisy; hilarious
- intestate
- not having made a will before death
- vaunt
- to speak vaingloriously of; boast of; (n.) extravagant self-praise
- fraught
- filled (with something unpleasant); full
- troglodyte
- a prehistoric cave dweller; a person living in seclusion; an animal living underground
- pertinacious
- holding tenaciously to an action; stubborn; persistent
- horse
- latitudes of calm
- atavism
- reversion to an earlier type; throwback
- contumely
- (n.) harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt
- homespun
- hand woven
- deprecatory
- expressing disapproval, protest, or depreciation; apologetic
- acidulous
- rather sharp or bitter in taste or manner
- tuber
- fleshy, swollen underground stem (such as the potato)
- accoutre
- to equip or outfit, esp. with military clothes, equipment, etc
- vitreous
- of or pertaining to glass
- plaintive
- expressing sorrow
- connivance
- pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance
- urchin
- mischievous boy
- bodacious
- thorough; blatant; unmistakable; bold and audacious; remarkable, outstanding
- portend
- be a sign or warning of (something in the future); foreshadow
- Pharisee
- member of ancient Jewish group that believed itself very holy; hypocritical self-righteous person
- patrimony
- property inherited from a father
- megalomania
- mania for doing grandiose things; mental disorder with delusions of wealth and importance
- tertiary
- third
- habiliments
- clothes; the special dress or garb associated with an occasion or office
- acetic
- vinegary
- ascendancy
- controlling influence
- cortege
- a train of attendants : retinue; a procession; a funeral procession
- militate
- work against
- impolitic
- unwise; not expedient
- plurality
- a majority
- skinflint
- miser; stingy person
- sinewy
- tough; strong and firm; muscular
- philistine
- a smug ignorant person; one who lacks knowledge
- temporal
- of this earth; of this world
- acclivity
- sharp upslope of a hill
- poltroon
- coward
- sap
- excavate the earth beneath
- prate
- to talk long and idly; chatter
- effluvium
- noxious, harmful smell
- elixir
- cure-all; panacea; something invigorating
- aerate
- To supply with air or expose to the circulation of air
- minaret
- a tall slender tower of a mosque having one or more balconies from which the summons to prayer is cried by the muezzin
- franchise
- right or privilege granted by authority; right to vote
- lagniappe
- trifling present given to a customer
- consort
- keep company
- talisman
- object giving supernatural powers to its bearer
- recusant
- refusing to obey official rules/official religious beliefs
- scintillating
- animated, vivacious; effervescent; witty; brilliantly clever
- puckish
- impish; whimsical
- slag
- waste matter; dross
- hauteur
- haughtiness
- climacteric
- important stage in a human life when changes take place in the body
- lubricious
- showing too great an interest in sex (in an unpleasant way)
- impeccable
- not capable of sin
- fritter
- waste (time or money on unimportant things)
- mottled
- marked with patches of different colours without a regular pattern
- halal
- meat prepared according to Muslim law
- consternation
- great shock; dismay (not confusion)
- lariat
- a long light rope (as of hemp or leather) used with a running noose to catch livestock or with or without the noose to tether grazing animals; lasso
- carmine
- a rich crimson or scarlet lake (lacquer) made from cochineal; a vivid red
- ploughshare
- a sharp steel wedge that cuts loose the top layer of soil
- integument
- outer covering (such as a shell, the skin of a fruit)
- ascetic
- practicing self-denial; avoiding sensual pleasures and comforts
- empyrean
- the highest heaven; (adj:) heavenly, celestial
- corsair
- pirate; esp. a privateer of the Barbary Coast
- epicene
- belonging to, or partaking of the characteristics of, both sexes; effeminate
- tocsin
- (bell rung as a) warning signal
- auberge
- a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers; inn; lodge
- unprepossessing
- unattractive
- lissome
- nimble; active; lithe; supple; flexible
- igneous
- produced by fire; volcanic
- impeach
- charge (a public official) with a crime while in office; raise doubts about
- matrix
- point of origin; array of numbers; mold or die
- timbre
- distinctive quality of sound produced by an instrument or voice
- elysian
- relating to paradise; blissful
- odium
- general or widespread hatred or disgust felt towards a person or his actions
- frangible
- easily breakable
- hireling
- one who serves for hire (used contemptuously)
- untoward
- unexpected and adverse; unlucky
- scarify
- make small cuts on (skin); break up and loosen the surface (of a road or field) with a pointed tool
- synoptic
- presenting or taking the same point of view
- desideratum
- something desired as essential
- lathe
- a machine for use in working wood, metal, etc., that holds the material and rotates it about a horizontal axis against a tool that shapes it
- vixen
- a female fox
- fresco
- painting on wet plaster
- striated
- furrowed; striped; streaked
- hibernal
- wintry; of or like winter
- sternum
- breastbone
- hieroglyphic
- picture writing
- deracinate
- pull up by the roots; isolate a person from her native culture or environment
- potboiler
- a literary or artistic work of poor quality, produced quickly for profit
- plume
- to feel complacent satisfaction with (oneself); (of a bird) to preen
- viand
- food
- lapidary
- worker in precious stones
- missal
- a book of prayers or devotions
- reticulated
- covered with a net-like pattern of lines
- earmark
- set aside (money or time) for a particular purpose
- perquisite
- any gain above stipulated salary
- fractious
- unruly; peevish; cranky
- concordat
- formal agreement
- vouchsafe
- guarantee
- shrimpy
- puny; tiny
- integument
- a covering, external coating, or skin
- recondition
- repair
- gibbous
- convex at both edges (like a more than half-full moon); humpbacked
- elysium
- place or condition of bliss
- concourse
- a place where crowds come together
- annuity
- yearly allowance
- intransigent
- refusing to agree or compromise; uncompromising; inflexible
- fumigate
- disinfect by means of fumes; clear of harmful stuff with smoke or gas
- renegade
- a deserter; a traitor
- coruscate
- sparkle; flash
- capitation
- tax paid at the same amount for each person
- impalpable
- imperceptible (not easily understood); intangible
- mulish
- unreasonably and inflexibly obstinate
- fracas
- brawl in which a number of people take part; melee
- nucleate
- to form into a nucleus; cluster
- anathema
- solemn curse; someone or thing regarded as a curse
- prospectus
- printed statement describing the advantages of a college or a new business
- actuary
- expert who calculates insurance risks and premiums
- apocrypha
- writings or statements of dubious authenticity
- brassy
- brazen; bold; loud; noisy; clamorous
- picaresque
- telling the story of the adventures of a character of whom one disapproves (but who is not really wicked); roguish
- penumbra
- partial shadow (in an eclipse)
- soi-disant
- self-styled; so-called
- anaerobic
- living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen
- sine qua non
- an indispensable thing
- sobriquet
- nickname
- reactionary
- extremely conservative; far-right
- cerebrate
- use the mind; think
- sarcophagous
- decorated stone box for a dead body
- saber
- a heavy, one-edged sword
- consolidation
- unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger
- taxonomy
- the science or technique of classification
- cocker
- treat with excessive indulgence; cosset; coddle; mollycoddle; spoil; indulge
- simper
- smirk; smile in a silly way; smile affectedly
- purview
- range of operation, one's concern, knowledge; scope
- purlieu
- a frequently visited place; haunt
- shuck
- husk; pod; outer covering (as of an oyster)
- conservatory
- school or fine arts; glass-enclosed area
- amok
- in a state of rage
- effulgent
- shining brightly; brilliant
- perforce
- of necessity; necessarily; by force of circumstance
- actuarial
- calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics
- threnody
- funeral song for the dead
- verdigris
- a green patina that forms on copper or brass or bronze that has been exposed to the air or water for long periods of time
- fealty
- loyalty
- immolate
- offer or kill as a sacrifice (by fire)
- trencherman
- a person who eats a lot
- offish
- somewhat cold and reserved; standoffish
- agrarian
- pertaining to land and its cultivation
- meliorism
- the belief that society has an innate tendency toward improvement and that this tendency may be furthered through conscious human effort
- riven
- (adj.) split violently apart
- metrical
- metric; written in the form of poetry
- meridian
- highest point reached by the sun; highest point
- alcove
- nook, recess
- mauve
- pale purple
- perspicuity
- clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity
- hoary
- frosty; white with age
- spoliation
- violent spoiling or destruction
- aquifer
- a water-bearing stratum of permeable rock, sand, or gravel
- po-faced
- having an overly serious demeanor or attitude; humorless
- alluvial
- of soil deposits left by running water
- purloin
- to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust
- aphorism
- a short wise saying; a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment
- adipose
- fatty; consisting of, resembling, or relating to fat
- tarry
- linger
- convalesce
- to recover health and strength after illness; make progress toward recovery of health
- apoplectic
- greatly agitated
- anomie
- a state or condition of individuals or society characterized by a breakdown or absence of social norms and values, as in the case of uprooted people
- alimentary
- supplying nourishment
- acarpous
- effete, no longer fertile, worn out
- cochineal
- a red dye consisting of the dried bodies of insects
- tessellated
- mosaic, inlaid
- vulpine
- like a fox; crafty
- condign
- adequate (of punishment); severe and well deserved
- quick
- the vital or most important part; the tender, sensitive living flesh of the human body, esp. under the nails
- efface
- rub out; remove the surface of
- titular
- of a title; in name only
- mannered
- having an unnatural style of speaking, writing, etc; affected
- egress
- opening for going out; exit
- pratfall
- a fall in which one lands on the arse; a humiliating blunder or defeat
- waggle
- move back and forth
- trope
- figurative use of a word
- animadversion
- critical remark
- treacle
- molasses; contrived or unrestrained sentimentality
- skiff
- small, light sailboat or rowboat
- husband
- use sparingly; conserve; save
- dasheen
- taro; a tuber of the Caribbean
- nosegay
- small bunch of flowers (usually to be carried or worn on a dress)
- strophe
- (in modern poetry) any separate section or extended movement in a poem, distinguished from a stanza in that it does not follow a regularly repeated pattern
- casuistry
- false but clever argumentation
- conduit
- passageway for fluids
- pettifog
- to bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters; to practice chicanery
- idyll
- short poem idealizing country life; simple, happy period of life (in the country)
- sinecure
- well-paid position with little responsibility
- proboscis
- long lose or long tubelike part of the mouth
- perdition
- damnation; complete ruination; hell
- orotund
- full and strong in sound
- frieze
- ornamental horizontal band on a wall
- impious
- irreverent
- orthography
- (study or system of) spelling
- nave
- long central part of a church often between two aisles
- consequential
- self-important; significant; following as a result
- hothead
- a person who does things without thinking; a violent, passionate person
- fusillade
- simultaneous firing or outburst (of missiles; questions, etc.)
- demode
- out of fashion; ex; old-fashioned; outmoded; passe; passee
- claptrap
- pretentious but insincere or empty language; any artifice or expedient for winning applause or impressing the public
- raillery
- good natured joking; banter
- tawny
- brownish yellow
- tonsure
- shaving of the head
- demesne
- the legal possession of land as one's own
- hummock
- small hill; hillock
- aseptic
- preventing infection; having a cleansing effect
- husbandry
- frugality; thrift; agriculture; farming
- vignette
- short literary sketch
- adjure
- entreat earnestly
- flashpoint
- a critical moment when action erupts
- mincing
- affectedly dainty, nice, or elegant
- unguent
- ointment
- epiphenomenon
- a secondary symptom or complication arising during the course of a disease
- camphor
- a substance in medicine as a counter-irritant for infections and in the treatment of pain and itching
- temperament
- characteristic frame of mind, disposition; emotional excess
- imperious
- domineering; too commanding; haughty
- maven
- one who is experienced or knowledgeable; expert
- bamboozle
- conceal one's true motives from especially by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end
- mercenary
- working or serving for money; venal
- hortatory
- encouraging; exhortive; marked by exhortation
- sloe
- shrub bearing dark purple fruit
- lean
- producing little; barren
- askance
- with a sideways or indirect look (with disapproval)
- orison
- prayer
- sash
- the wooden frame of a window
- mercantile
- concerning trade or merchants
- peon
- landless agricultural worker; bonded servant
- adventitious
- accidental; casual
- acerbic
- having sour or bitter taste or character
- mite
- very small or modest contribution or offering
- proctor
- person who makes sure students don't cheat in an exam
- sledge
- large sled drawn by work animals
- supernal
- heavenly
- recumbent
- leaning; lying down
- effete
- having lost one's original power; worn out; exhausted
- armistice
- cease-fire; truce
- heterogeneous
- originating outside of the body; composed of parts of different kinds; having widely dissimilar elements or constituents
- catalepsy
- a physical condition characterized by suspension of sensation, muscular rigidity, fixity of posture, and often by loss of contact with environment
- skirmish
- minor fight; minor battle in a war
- penology
- the study of prison management and criminal rehabilitation
- interdict
- prohibit, forbid the use of, restrain a person from doing something
- riposte
- a quick and witty reply, often unfriendly
- anneal
- make tough by cooling slowly after heating
- skulk
- move furtively and secretly
- consonance
- harmony; agreement
- adjutant
- army officer responsible for administrative work in a battalion
- elegy
- poem or song expressing lamentation
- imbue
- saturate; soak thoroughly; fill (someone with feelings, ex.)
- concameration
- an arch or vault
- ichthyology
- the study of fish
- transfigure
- to give an exalted meaning or glorified appearance to
- spume
- foam; light white air-filled mass on the top of a liquid
- lope
- (of an animal) move easily and swiftly; gallop slowly
- russet
- of a reddish-brown or golden-brown color
- lucubrate
- write or study laboriously
- filament
- a very fine thread or threadlike structure
- conclave
- private secret meeting
- amity
- friendship; peaceful relations between nations
- mote
- small particle, usu of dust; speck
- casement
- a window sash opening on hinges that are generally attached to the upright side of its frame; a casing, or covering
- apophasis
- allusion to something by denying that it will be mentioned
- fusty
- (of a room) having an unpleasant smell from being shut up for a long time
- attrition
- rubbing away by friction; gradual decrease in numbers or strength; wearing away through harassment
- choleric
- easily moved to often unreasonable or excessive anger : hot-tempered
- hull
- husk; dry outer covering of a seed; frame of a ship
- torrid
- hot and scorching; passionate
- podiatry
- the medical care and treatment of the human foot
- cephalous
- connected with the head
- skulduggery
- dishonest behavior or action
- sinuous
- twisting; winding; not morally honest
- missive
- written message; letter
- apostrophe
- a digression in the form of an address to someone not present, or to a personified object or idea, as "O Death, where is thy sting?"
- adjuration
- solemn urging
- achromatic
- designating color perceived to have zero saturation and therefore no hue, such as neutral grays, white, or black
- adactylia
- congenital absence of fingers and/or toes
- tantamount
- equivalent in effect or value
- trumpery
- something decorative or attractive but with very little use
- requiem
- the Mass celebrated for the repose of the souls of the dead; a plainsong setting for this Mass
- slaver
- slobber; drool
- concomitant
- existing or happening together with something else
- artifice
- deception; trickery
- bethink
- to think; consider; resolve (used reflexively)
- anathematize
- declare to be evil
- mealymouthed
- indirect in speech (when something unpleasant must be said); hypocritical; evasive
- asperity
- sharpness; roughness; severity
- draught
- a serving of drink; a current of air; a dose of liquid medicine
- buskin
- a laced boot reaching halfway or more to the knee; a tragedy resembling ancient Greek drama
- petrous
- like a rock, hard, stony
- rapier
- a slender sword
- recrudesce
- (of a sore, disease, etc.) renew activity, break out again
- consanguinity
- kinship; relation by birth
- unwonted
- unaccustomed, unusual
- paregoric
- a tincture of opium used chiefly to stop diarrhea in children.; any soothing medicine; anodyne
- facile
- expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively; fluent; silver; silver-tongued; smooth-spoken
- fructify
- bear fruit
- brass monkey
- something solid that can only be affected by extremes
- prelate
- high-ranking clergyman, e.g. a bishop or an archbishop
- gage
- place a bet on; stake
- mawkish
- mushy and gushy icky-sticky sentimental
- metallurgy
- science that deals with extracting metals from ores
- chiromancy
- palmistry
- impetus
- the act of applying force suddenly
- ecclesiastic
- pertaining to the church
- dishabille
- the state of being negligently dressed
- pendulous
- hanging; suspended
- phalanx
- group of men packed together (for attack or defense)
- pediment
- three-sided piece of stone placed above the entrance to a building
- humus
- substance or rich soil formed by decaying vegetable matter
- metaphysics
- branch of philosophy that examines the nature of reality