summative vocab sem 2

accost

(v.) to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

avid

(adj.) desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager

brackish

(adj.) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

halcyon

(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent

incendiary

(adj.) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to sir up strife or rebellion; (n.) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife

talisman

(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

sacrilege

disrespect to something regarded as sacred

myopic

(adj.) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

pejorative

(adj.) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling

suppliant

(adj.) asking humbly and earnestly; (n.) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor

undulate

(v.) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form

maelstrom

(n.) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

summarily

(adv.) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

overt

(adj.) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

propriety

(n) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

insatiable

so great or demanding as not to be satisfied

belabor

(v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

tenable

capable of being held or defended

germane

(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

banal

so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring

substantiate

(v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

congeal

(v.) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

taciturn

(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

coherent

(adj.) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

emulate

to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model