BARRON GRE WORDS
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- cabal
- n. secret political plot
- cache
- n. place for hiding food, treasure or weapons
- cacophonous
- (adj.) sounding jarring
- cacophony
- n. loud unpleasant mixture of discordant sounds
- cadaver
- n. dead body of a person; corpse ;
- cadaverous
- adj. looking like a corpse; very pale and gaunt ;
- cadence
- n. rhythm in sound
- cadet
- n. young person training to become a policeman or an officer in the armed forces
- cajole
- v. ~ sb(into/out of sth); ~ sb (into/out of doing sth) persuade sb (to do sth) by flattery or deceit; coax sb
- calamity
- n. serious misfortune or disaster
- calculated
- undertaken after considering the likelihood of success or failure
- caldron
- = cauldron
- caliber
- ability; capacity
- calligraphy
- n. beautiful handwriting
- callous
- adj. cruelly insensitive or unsympathetic
- callow
- adj. immature and inexperienced
- callus
- n. area of thick hardened skin
- calorific
- adj. of or producing heat
- calumny
- n. false statement about sb, made to damage his character
- camaraderie
- n. friendship and mutual trust; comradeship ;
- cameo
- n. small piece of hard stone with a raised design, esp one with two coloured layers so that the background is of a different colour from the design
- camp
- n. place where people (eg holiday-makers, Scouts or explorers) live temporarily in tents or huts
- canard
- n. false report or rumour
- candor
- unreserved, honest, or sincere expression:FORTHRIGHTNESS
- canine
- adj. of, like or relating to dogs
- canker
- n. disease that destroys the wood of plants and trees
- canny
- adj. shrewd and careful, esp in business matters
- cant
- n. insincere talk, esp about religion or morality; hypocrisy ;
- cantankerous
- adj. bad-tempered; quarrelsome ;
- cantata
- n. short musical work, often on a religious subject, sung by soloists and usu a choir, accompanied by an orchestra
- canter
- n. (of a horse) movement that is faster than a trot but slower than a gallop
- canto
- n. any of the main divisions of a long poem
- canvass
- v. ~ (for sth) go around an area asking (people) for (political support)
- capacious
- adj. that can hold much; roomy
- capacity
- n. ability to hold or contain sth
- capillary
- n. any of the very narrow blood vessels connecting arteries and veins in the body
- capitulate
- v. ~ surrender (to sb), esp on agreed conditions
- caprice
- n. sudden change in attitude or behaviour with no obvious cause; whim ;
- capricious
- adj. characterized by sudden changes in attitude or behaviour; unpredictable; impulsive
- capsize
- v. overturn or be overturned
- caption
- n. short title or heading of an article in a magazine, etc ,
- captious
- adj. fond of criticizingor raising objections about unimportant matters; quibbling ;
- carafe
- n. glass container in which wine or water are served at meals .
- carapace
- n. shell on the back of a tortoise or crustacean
- carat
- n. unit of weight (
- carcinogenic
- [ carcinogen: ] "carcino'genic adjective
- cardinal
- adj. most important; chief; fundamental
- cardiologist
- n.
- careen
- v. turn on its side (esp for cleaning or repairing)
- career
- n. profession or occupation with opportunities for advancement or promotion
- carefree
- adj. without responsibilities or worries; cheerful
- caricature
- n. picture,description or imitation of sb/sth that exaggerates certain characteristics in order to amuse or ridicule
- carillon
- n. set of bells sounded either from a keyboard or mechanically
- carnage
- n. killing of many people
- carnal
- adj. of the body; sexual or sensual
- carnivorous
- adj. flesh-eating
- carousal
- (noisy party with) drinking and merry-making
- carping
- adj. tending to make petty complaints; fault-finding
- carrion
- n. dead and decaying flesh
- cartographer
- n. person who draws maps and charts
- cascade
- n. waterfall, esp one of a series forming a large waterfall
- caste
- n. any of the hereditary Hindu social classes
- castigation
- severe punishment
- castrate
- v. remove the testicles of (a male animal or person); geld
- casual
- adj. happening by chance
- casualty
- n. person who is killed or injured in war or in an accident
- cataclysm
- n. sudden violentchange or disaster, eg a flood, an earthquake, a revolution or a war
- catalyst
- n. substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without itself changing
- catapult
- n. Y-shaped stick with a piece of elastic attached to it, used esp by children for shooting stones .
- cataract
- n. large steep waterfall
- catastrophe
- n. sudden great disaster or misfortune
- catcall
- n. shrill whistle expressing disapproval
- catechism
- n. summary of the principles of a religion in the form of questions and answers
- categorical
- adj. unconditional; absolute; explicit
- cater
- v. ~ (for sth/sb) provide food and services, esp at social functions
- catharsis
- n. (instance of the) release of strong feelings through the effect of art, esp drama
- cathartic
- adj. causing catharsis; purgative ; n. purgative drug
- catholic
- adj. = Roman Catholic (Roman)
- caucus
- n. (meeting of the) parliamentary members of a particular political party or any other legislature
- caulk
- v. make (esp a boat) watertight by filling the seams or joints with waterproof material
- causal
- adj. of or forming a cause; relating to cause and effect ;
- caustic
- adj. that can burn or destroy things by chemical action
- cauterize
- burn with hot iron or caustic
- cavalcade
- n. procession of people on horseback, in cars, etc
- cavalier
- n. Cavalier supporter of Charles I in the English Civil War
- cavil
- v. ~ (at sth) (fml ) make unnecessary complaints (about sth)
- cede
- v. ~ sth give up one's rights to or possession of sth
- celerity
- n. quickness
- celestial
- adj. of the sky
- celibate
- adj. remaining unmarried, esp for religious reasons
- cemetery
- n. area of land, not a churchyard, used for burying the dead ,
- censor
- n. person authorized toexamine books, films, plays, letters, etc and remove partswhich are considered indecent, offensive, politically unacceptable or a threat to security
- censorious
- adj. tending to find faults in people or things; severely critical ;
- censure
- v. ~ sb criticize sb severely; rebuke sb formally
- centaur
- n. one of a tribe of creatures with a man's head, arms and upper body on a horse's body and legs
- centigrade
- adj. of or using a temperature scale with the freezing-point of water at 0 and the boiling-point at 100
- centrifugal
- adj. moving away from the centre or axis
- centrifuge
- n. rotating machine using centrifugal force to separate substances, eg milk and cream
- centripetal
- adj. moving towards the centre or axis
- centurion
- n. officer commanding a unit of 100 soldiers
- cerebral
- adj. of the brain
- cerebration
- n. working of the brain; thinking ;
- ceremonious
- adj. full of ceremony; very formal ;
- certitude
- n. feeling of certainty; lack of doubt ;
- cessation
- n. action or act of ceasing; pause
- cession
- n. action of ceding sth, esp land or rights
- chafe
- v. ~ become irritated or impatient (because of sth)
- chaff
- n. outer covering of corn, etc, separated from the grain by threshing or winnowing
- chaffing
- (n.) banter; teasing
- chagrin
- n. feeling of disappointment or annoyance
- chalice
- n. large cup for holding wine, esp one from which consecrated wine is drunk at the Eucharist
- chameleon
- n. any of various types of small lizard that can change colour according to its surroundings
- champion
- n. person, team, animal or plant that has defeated or excelled all others in a competition
- championship
- n. contest to decide who is the champion
- chancellor
- n. head of government in Austria etc
- chant
- n. simple tune to which psalms or canticles are fitted by singing several syllables or words to the same note
- chaotic
- adj. in a state of chaos; completely disorganized
- chapel
- n. small building or room used for Christian worship, eg in a school, prison, large private house, etc
- chaperon
- n. older person, usu a woman, who looks after a girl or a young unmarried woman on social occasions
- chaplain
- n. clergyman attached to the chapel of a school, prison, etc, or serving in the armed forces
- char
- v. (cause sth to) become black by burning; scorch
- charisma
- n. power to inspire devotion and enthusiasm
- charlatan
- n. person who falsely claims to have special knowledge or skill, esp in medicine
- charm
- n. power of pleasing, fascinating or attracting people; attractiveness
- chary
- adj. ~ (of sth) cautious; wary
- chase
- v. ~ sb/sth run after in order to capture or overtake sb/sth
- chasm
- n. deep opening in the ground; abyss; gorge ;
- chassis
- n. framework on which the body and working parts of a vehicle, radio or television are built , ; .
- chaste
- adj. not having had sexual intercourse; virgin ;
- chasten
- v. punish in order to correct or improve; discipline ;
- chastise
- v. punish (sb) severely, esp by beating
- chauvinist
- n, adj displaying or feeling chauvinism
- check
- v. ~ (up) make sure of sth by examining or investigating it
- checkered
- adj. chequered
- cherubic
- adj. with a plump and innocent face
- chicanery
- n. use of clever but misleading talk in order to trick sb, esp in legal matters; dishonest practice
- chide
- v. ~ sb (for sth) (dated or fml ) rebuke; scold
- chimerical
- adj. unreal; fanciful
- chip
- n. thin piece cut or broken off from wood, stone, china, glass, etc
- chisel
- n. tool with a sharp cutting edge at the end, for shaping wood, stone or metal
- chivalrous
- adj. showing the qualities of a perfect knight
- choice
- n. ~ act of choosing between two or more possibilities
- choir
- n. organized group of singers, esp one that performs in church services
- choleric
- adj. easily angered; bad-tempered ;
- chore
- n. small routine task
- choreography
- n. steps for ballet and dancing on stage
- chortle
- n. loud chuckle of pleasure or amusement
- chorus
- n. group of singers; choir
- chronic
- adj. lasting for a long time; continually recurring
- chronicle
- n. record of historical events in the order in which they happened
- chuckle
- v. laugh quietly or to oneself
- churlish
- adj. It seems churlish to refuse such a generous offer
- ciliated
- having minute hairs
- cipher
- n. (method of) secret writing in which a set of letters or symbols is used to represent others; code
- circlet
- n. circular band, eg of precious metal, flowers, etc, worn round the head as an ornament
- circuit
- n. line, route or journey round a place
- circuitous
- adj. long and indirect; roundabout
- circumlocution
- n. use of many words to say sth that could be said in a few words
- circumscribe
- v. restrict (sth) within limits; confine
- circumspect
- adj. considering everything carefully before acting; cautious; wary ;
- circumvent
- v. find a way of overcoming or avoiding (sth)
- cistern
- an artificial reservoir (as an underground tank) for storing liquids and especially water (as rainwater)
- citadel
- fortress
- cite
- quote; commend
- civil
- adj. of or relating to the citizens of a country
- clairvoyant
- n, adj having such power
- clamber
- v. climb, esp with difficulty or effort, using the hands and feet
- clamor
- shout, complain with a lot of noise
- clandestine
- adj. done secretly; kept secret; surreptitious
- clangor
- make a loud resonant noise
- clap
- v. ~ sth (together) strike (the palms of one's hands) together
- clapper
- n. piece of metal, etc fixed loosely inside a bell and making it sound by striking the side
- clarion
- adj. loud, clear and rousing
- clasp
- n. device for fastening things together
- claustrophobia
- n. abnormal fear of being in an enclosed space
- clavicle
- n. collar-bone .
- cleave
- v. break or split, esp along a natural line
- cleft
- n. crack or split occurring naturally
- clemency
- n. mildness (esp of weather)
- cliche
- n. phrase or idea which is used so often that it has become stale or meaningless
- clientele
- n. customers or clients as a group
- climactic
- adj. forming a climax
- clime
- n. (arch or joc ) country; climate(1b)
- clip
- n. any of various wire or metal devices used for holding things together
- clipper
- n. clippers instrument for clipping nails, hair, hedges, etc
- clique
- n. small group of people, often with shared interests, who associate closely and exclude others from their group
- cloister
- n. covered passage around an open court or quadrangle, with a wall on the outer side and columns or arches on the inner side, esp within a convent or college, or attached to a cathedral
- clot
- n. half-solid lump formed from a liquid, eg from blood when it is exposed to the air
- clout
- n. heavy blow with the hand or a hard object
- clown
- n. comic entertainer who paints his face and dresses in a ridiculous way and performs funny or foolish tricks
- cloying
- adj. sickeningly sweet
- coagulate
- v. change from a liquid to a thick and semi-solid state; clot
- coalesce
- v. combine and form one group, substance, mass, etc
- coalition
- n. action of uniting into one body or group
- coax
- v. (~ sb sth) persuade sb gently or gradually
- coda
- n. final passage of a piece of music
- coddle
- v. treat with great care and tenderness
- codicil
- n. later addition to a will, esp one that changes part of it
- codify
- v. arrange (laws, rules, etc) systematically into a code(3a)
- coercion
- n. coercing or being coerced
- coeval
- adj. ~ (fml ) existing at the same time or having the same age as sb/sth else; contemporary ;
- cog
- each of a series of teeth on the edge of a wheel, that fit between those of a similar wheel, so that each wheel can cause the other one to move
- cogent
- adj. convincing; strong
- cogitate
- v. ~ sth (fml or joc ) think deeply about sth
- cognate
- adj. ~ (linguistics ) (of a word or language) having the same source or origin as another one
- cognitive
- adj. of or relating to cognition
- cognizance
- n. knowledge; awareness
- cohabit
- v. ~ (fml ) (usu of an unmarried couple) live together
- cohere
- v. stick together in a mass or group
- cohesion
- n. tendency to stick together; unity
- cohorts
- [ cohort: ] one of the ten units of between 300 and 600 men in an ancient Roman Legion
- coiffure
- n. way in which (esp a woman's) hair is arranged; hairstyle ;
- coin
- n. piece of metal used as money
- coincidence
- n. occurrence of similar events or circumstances at the same time by chance
- coincident
- adj. happening at the same time by chance
- colander
- n. metal or plastic bowl with many small holes in it, used to drain water from vegetables, etc, esp after cooking
- collaborate
- v. ~ (on sth) work together (with sb), esp to create or produce sth
- collage
- n. fixing pieces of paper, cloth, photographs, etc to a surface
- collate
- v. ~ A and B/~ A with B examine and compare in order to find the differences between them
- collateral
- adj. side by side; parallel ;
- collation
- n. action of collating
- collected
- adj. in control of oneself; calm
- colloquial
- adj. belonging to or suitable for normal conversation but not formal speech or writing
- colloquy
- n. conversation
- collusion
- n. ~ ~ (between sb and sb) (fml ) secret agreement or co-operation between two or more people with the aim of deceiving or cheating others
- colossal
- adj. very large; immense; huge
- colossus
- n. statue much larger than life size
- coma
- n. state of deep unconsciousness, usu lasting a long time and caused by severe injury or illness
- comatose
- adj. in a coma; deeply unconscious ;
- combustible
- adj. that can catch fire and burn easily
- comeback
- a return to a former position, status, etc.
- comely
- having a pleasing appearance:not homely or plain
- comestible
- something fit to be eaten
- comeuppance
- desert punishment
- comity
- friendly social atmosphere:social harmony
- commandeer
- v. take possession or control of forcibly or for official (esp military) purposes
- commemorate
- v. keep (a great person, event, etc) in people's memories
- commemorative
- adj. helping to commemorate
- commensurate
- adj~(fml ) in the right proportion (to sth); appropriate
- commiserate
- v. ~ (on/over sth) (fml ) feel, or say that one feels, sympathy
- commodious
- adj. having a lot of space available for use; roomy
- commonplace
- adj. ordinary; not interesting
- commonwealth
- n. independent State or community
- communal
- adj. for the use of all; shared
- commune
- v. ~ ~ (together) talk to sb intimately; feel close to sb/sth
- compact
- adj. closely packed together
- compartment
- n. any of the sections into which a larger area or enclosed space, esp a railway carriage, is divided
- compassion
- n. ~ pity for the sufferings of others, making one want to help them
- compatible
- adj. ~ (of people, ideas, arguments, principles, etc) suited; that can exist together
- compelling
- adj. extremely interesting and exciting, so that one has to pay attention