Vocab Units 1-3

Ambiguity

Ambiguity

The quality of being open to multiple interpretations.

Ambiguous

Open to more than one interpretation.

Ambivalent

Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Ambivalence

Simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (such as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action.

Ambitious

Having a strong desire for success or achievement.

Ambition

The desire for success or achievement.

Ambience

The character and atmosphere of a place.

Fortitude

Courage in pain or adversity.

Fortify

To strengthen or secure something; to give physical strength, courage, or endurance to something.

Fortification

A defensive wall or other reinforcement built to strengthen a place against attack.

Fortress

A military stronghold, especially a strongly fortified town.

Comfort

(n) A state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint; (v) to provide ease or freedom from pain or constraint.

Effort

A vigorous or determined attempt.

Reinforcement

The action or process of strengthening.

Reinforce

To strengthen by additional assistance, material, or support.

Iterate

To perform repeatedly.

Iteration

The repetition of a process or utterance.

Iterative

Relating to or involving iteration, especially of a mathematical or computational process.

Reiteration

The action of repeating something, typically for emphasis or clarity.

Attempt

(n) An act of trying to achieve or accomplish something, typically one that is unsuccessful or not certain to succeed; (v) to make an effort to accomplish or achieve something.

Intention

A thing intended; an aim or plan.

Tentative

Not certain or fixed; provisional.

Contention

Rivalry, competition, debate, or disagreement.

Contend

To engage in a rivalry, competition, debate, or disagreement.

Detention

The action of detaining someone or the state of being detained in official custody.

Verbatim

Adverb, Adjective - In exactly the same words as were used originally.

Proverb

A short, well-known pithy saying, stating a general truth or piece of advice.

Verbiage

Speech or writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions.

Verve

Vigor and spirit or enthusiasm.

Adverb

A word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group.

Verbose

Using or expressed in more words than are needed.

Verbalize

Express (ideas or feelings) in words, especially by speaking out loud.

Verbal

Relating to or in the form of words.

Root "Bene" Meaning:

Good, Well, Honorable

Root "Feas" Meaning:

To make, Do, Perform

Root "Pervius" Meaning:

Passable, Accessible

Root "Gress" Meaning:

Step

Root "Scrut" Meaning:

To Search, Examine

Root "Pris" Meaning:

Take

Benevolent

(a) Well meaning and kindly.

Benevolence

(n) The quality of being well meaning; kindness.

Benefit

(n) An advantage or profit gained from something; (v) to provide an advantage or profit

Benediction

(n) The utterance or bestowing of a blessing, especially at the end of a religious service.

Benefactor

(n) A person who gives money or other help to a person or cause.

Beneficiary

(n) A person who derives advantage from something, especially a trust, will, or life insurance policy.

Beneficence

(n) The doing of good; active goodness or kindness; charity.

Feasible

(a) Possible to do easily or conveniently.

Malfeasance

(n) Wrongdoing, especially by a public official.

Infeasible

(a) Not possible to do easily or conveniently; impracticable.

Pervious

(a) Accessible; permeable, allowing water, gas, or other substances to pass through.

Impervious

(a) Inaccessible; not allowing passage through; not capable of being damaged, affected, or disturbed

Pervade

(v) (Especially of a smell) spread through and be perceived in every part of

Pervasion

(n) The process of spreading through and being present throughout something.

Pervasive

(a) (Especially of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people.

Retrogress

(v) Go back to an earlier state, typically a worse one.

Congress

(n) The act of coming together or meeting; a national legislative body, especially that of the US.

Ingress

(n) The action or fact of going in or entering.

Egress

(n) The action of going out of or leaving a place.

Progress

(n) Forward or onward movement toward a destination.

Transgress

(v) To infringe or go beyond the bounds of (a moral principle or other established standard of behavior).

Transgression

(n) The act of infringing or going beyond the bounds of something

Digress

(v) To leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing.

Regress

(v) To return to a former or less developed state

Regression

(n) The act of returning to a former or less developed state.

Scrutinize

(v) Examine or inspect closely and thoroughly.

Scrutiny

(n) Critical observation or examination.

Scrutable

(a) Capable of being understood through study and observation; comprehensible.

Inscrutable

(a) Impossible to understand or interpret.

Scrutineer

(n) A person who examines votes at an election.

Reprisal

(n) An act of retaliation.

Reprise

(n) a repeated performance, recurrence, or renewal of something; (v) to repeat the performance, points, or stages of something

Misprision

(n) The deliberate concealment of one's knowledge of a treasonable act or a felony.

Comprise

(v) To consist of; be made up of

Apprehend

(v) To arrest (someone) for a crime.

Reprehensible

(a) Deserving censure or condemnation.

Root "Curr" Meaning:

To Run, Proceed

Root "Perpetuus" Meaning:

Continuous, Unceasing

Root "Punire" Meaning:

To Punish

Root "Rectus" Meaning:

Right, Straight

Root "Clemens" Meaning:

Calm, Gentleness, Mercy

Root "Negligere" Meaning:

To Disregard, To Neglect

Cursory

Hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed.

Concur

Be of the same opinion; To agree.

Curriculum

The subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college.

Curtail

Reduce in extent or quantity; impose a restriction on.

Incursion

An invasion or attack, especially a sudden or brief one.

Perpetual

Never ending or changing.

Perpetuate

Make (something, typically an undesirable situation or an unfounded belief) continue indefinitely.

Perpetuity

A bond or other security with no fixed maturity date.

Perpetual motion

Motion that continues indefinitely without any external source of energy.

Perpetually

In a way that never ends or changes; constantly.

Punish

Inflict a penalty or sanction on (someone) as retribution for an offense, especially a transgression of a legal or moral code.

Punishment

The infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense.

Impunity

Exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.

Expiate

Atone for (guilt or sin).

Redress

Remedy or set right (an undesirable or unfair situation).

Rectify

Put (something) right; correct.

Erect

Construct (a building, wall, or other upright structure).

Correct

Free from error; in accordance with fact or truth.

Direct

Extending or moving from one place to another by the shortest way without changing direction or stopping.