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Vocab Word Lists 1-3

Terms

undefined, object
copy deck
Aardvark
def-animal that in the Earth for termites and ants

syn-Earth pig/anteater

ety-Dutch aard"earth" vark"pig"
abacus
def-Manual computing device consisting of a frame holding parallel bars and counter

syn-none

ety-Greek abak"counter"
Matthew Brady
Amiercan pioneer photographer, was appointed official Union photographer of the Civil War in 1861
circumlocution
def- a round about way of speaking

syn- none

ety- Latin circum"round" loqui"speak"
Dark Horse
def- One who acheives unexpected support and success as a political candidate

syn-underdog or unknown

ety- from a movie by American writers
ecumenical
def- Of or relating world wide christian church.

syn- none

ety- Greek oikkoumen"inhabited world" and oikous"house"
greenhouse effect
Earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation, caused by the presence in the atmosphere of gasses such as CO2
inculcate
to impress uponthe mind of another by repitition;instill

ety- Latin inculcat"to force upon"
keelhauling
def- to rebuke harshly by dragging under the keel of the ship

ety- Dtuch halem"haul" kiel"keel of a ship"
lugubriously
def- mournful, dismal, or gloomy especially to an exaggerated degree

ety- Latin lugere"to mourn"
mumbo jumbo
def-incomprehensible language; gibberish or complicated obscure ritual

syn- gibberish, nonsense, drivel, rubbish

ety- Mandingo origin
prestissimo
def-In as fast a tempo as possible, used cheifly as a direction

ety- Italian presto"quick"
quindecennial
def-Ocurring or lasting 15 years

ety- Latin quindecim"fifteen"
Rasmussen's Laugh
def- A horrible ironic laughter over his dead son which never stopped

ety- Isylic legend
reparation
def- the act of making amends, repairing or compemsating

syn-Compensation, amends, reimbursement, recompense, restitution

ety- Old English reparacion
sternutation
def- act of sneezing or a sneeze

ety- Latin sterntutation "sneeze"
tautology
def- a statement that is necessarily true or a needless redundancy

ety- Greek tautologos"redundant
St. Elmo's Fire
def- Atmospheric electricity that usually appears in stormy weater around church spires, sailing masts, and airplane wings
whelp
def- Impudent young person. To give birth to puppies

ety- Old English hwlep
ziggurat
Temple of the ancient Assyrians and Babolonyians having the form of a terreced pyramid of successively receeding stories

ety- Akkadian zigguratee "temple tower"
abjure
def- Formally recounce something; to give up a previously held belief

syn- avoid, renounce, shun, give up, recant, repudiate

ety- Latin abjurare "deny under oath"
Buffalo Soldier
def- African American soldiers that served in the U.S army between the Civil War and WWI

ety- They principally fought Native Americans and their afros resembled hair on a buffalo's head
dystopia
def- Vision of a very bad place or a very bad place

ety- mid 20th century dys + utopia
El Nino
Change in Pacific currents ever 4-12 years and warms the western South American coast

ety- Spanish nino"Christ Child"
grimalkin
def- Old female cat or ill tempered old lady

syn- crone

ety- Late 16th century malkin"cat"
immolate
def- kill as a sacrifice or committ suicide as protest(particularly by burning)

syn-sacrifice, slaughter, kill

ety- Latin immolat"sacrifice"
lavaliere
def- Pendant on a chain worn around the neck
metronome
def- Device used to indicate a tempo by means of recurring signal

syn- alarm and timer

ety- Greek metron "measure" + nomos"rule
mystique
def- Special quality that makes someone appear power and/or mysterious

syn- mystery, aura, magic, charm, air of secrecy

ety- Greek Murtikos "initiated person"
Oligarchy
def- Government controlled by a few people

ety- Greek oligos"few" + arkia"government"
quotidian
Def- Done or experienced on a daily basis

syn- routinely and common

ety- Latin cotidie "everyday"
rutherfordium
def- A radioactive element produced artificially

ety- Mid 20th century named after Ernest Rutherford for his acheivment of splitting the atom
supercilious
def- full of competence and arrogance

syn- arrogant, condescending, disdainful, haughty, pompus, patronizing

ety- Latin supercilium "eyebrow"
thistle
def- A plant with prickly stems and leaves

ety- Germanic bistel"prickly" and national emblem of Scotland
umber
def- Pigment or dye made from soil that contains oxides of Fe and Mg

ety- Latin umbra "shadow"
unctuous
def- Attempting to charm someone in a smug or smooth way

syn- ingratiating, smug, phony, slimy

ety- Latin unguere "smear, anoint"
vanguard
def- Leading position of a movement, field, or cultural trend

syn- forefront, lead, head, precursor, forerunner

ety- French avant "before" garde "guard"
verdigris
def- Green or bluish depost of patina or copper carbonate

syn- rust, corrosion, tarnish

ety- French vert de grece "green of Greece"
whipping boy
def- Somebody who gets the blame for the wrongdoings of others

syn- scapegoat, fallman, victim, sucker

ety- Boy, educated with a prince, who would take the fall
Xerexe's tears
def- Persian general who wept about the thousands of men that would die in battle with the Greeks
abrogate
def- Do away with something; to end an agreement formally and publicly

syn- annul, void, retract, rescind,abolish

ety- Latin abrogat "repeal"
bellicose
def- Favoring or encouraging warlike behavior

syn- belligerent, aggressive, combative, confrontational

ety- Latin bellum "war"
cantankerous
def- Easily angered and difficult to get along with

syn- argumentative, quarrelsome, pugnacious

ety- Mid 18th century alteration of rancorous
dimity
def- Cotton fabric with a striped or checkered texture produced by weaving yarns of different thicknesses

ety- Greem dimitos "double threaded
exiguous
def- scanty or meager

ety- Latin exigere "weigh precisely, measure"
forebearance
def- patience, tolerance, or self control especially in not responding to provocation

syn- restraint, self control, moderation, patience
griffin
def- Mythological creature with the body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle

ety- Old French "griffum"
hypotenuse
def- The longest side of a right triangle which is oppsite the right angle

ety- Greek hypoteinousa "under the right angle"
Ishmael
def- Son of Abraham who was expelled into the desert after the birth of Isac and is the father of 12 tribes
Lusitania
def- British Ocean liner that was sunk by German U-Boats, in WWI, killing 127 Americans and bring the US into WWI
Nonsectarian
def- Not limited to a particular religous denomination
plagerize
To copy another preson's ideas or written work and claim it as original

syn- copy, steal, bootleg, pirate, imitate

ety- Latin plagerious "kidnap"
rutabaga
def- A large rounded yellowish rooted cooked as a vegetable

ety- Sweedish rotabagge "root"
Soliloquy
A section of a play in which one character speaks alone on stage

syn- monologue, oration, declamation

Latin- soliloquium "speaking alone"
touche
def- a word used to acknowledge a scoring hit in fencing

ety- French toucher "touch"
unsavory
def- Not pleasent or appealing; morally unacceptable

syn- distasteful, unpleassent, revolting, disgusting, nasty, seedy, sleazy,
vichyssoise
def- A creamy soup made from leeks, potatoes, onions, and served chilled

syn- bisuet, broth, bouillion

ety- Mid 20th century French vich "iced soup"
winnow
def- Separate husk from chaff by tossing corn in the air

syn- examine, inspect, pick over

ety- Old English winduian "wind"
whist
def- card game in which one team of two people try to get a majority of the tricks and the last card dealt is trump

ety- Mid 17th century
xylem
def- Woody supportive tissue that carries water from roots to stem and leaves

ety- Greek xulon "wood"

Deck Info

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