vocabulary workshop level H unit 1-2

adjunct

(n.) something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential; an assistant or helper; a valuable quality or characteristic. (adj.) added or connected in a subordinate capacity; attached to a faculty or staff in an auxiliary capacity

bellwether

(n.) the male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse; a leader, as in desperate or violent undertaking; an indicator of trends.

caterwaul

(v.) to howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel; (n.) a harsh or noisy cry; a racket

chimerical

(adj.) absurd; wildly fantastic; impossible

effete

(adj.) lacking in wholesome vigor or energy; worn-out or exhausted; sterile or unable to produce; out of date

fait accompli

(n.) an accomplished and presumably irreversible deed, fact, or action

hidebound

(adj.) narrow-minded and rigid, especially in opinions or prejudices; stubbornly and unthinkingly conservative

hierarchy

(n.) any system of things or people arranged or graded one above another in order of rank, wealth, class, etc.

liturgy

(n.) a religious service or rite; the form of a ritual or other act of public worship

mirage

(n.) something illusory, without substance, or without a basis in reality; an illusion

morass

(n.) a patch of low, soft, wet ground; a swamp; a confusing situation in which one is entrapped, as in quicksand

noisome

(adj.) offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious

oblivious

(adj.) forgetful; unaware

poltroon

(n.) a base coward

proselyte

(n.) a convert; a disciple

quasi

(adj.) resembling but not actually being; seemingly but not actually or completely

raillery

(n.) good-humored ridicule; teasing

ribald

(adj.) irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language

supine

(adj.) lying flat on one's back; listless or lethargic; apathetic or passive

vignette

(n.) a short description or sketch; a picture or illustration with edges that gradually shade off; a decorative design on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter

aegis

protection, patronage, sponsorship

apprise

to inform of; to make aware of by giving oral or written notice

bibulous

found of or inclined to drink; absorbent

claque

a group of people hired to applaud a performer or performance; opera hat

deracinate

to pull up by the roots

eleemosynary

charitable; dependent upon charity

indigenous

native

lachrymose

given to tears or weeping; lugubrious

lexicon

dictionary of a language; a compendium

melee

confused struggled; violent free-for-all; a tumultuous mingling

microcosm

a mini world or universe

minuscule

small, tiny; lower case letter

obfuscate

darken or obscure; to confuse or bewilder

paternalism

policy of treating people in the manner of a father dealing with his children

polarize

to cause to concentrate around tow conflicting or contrasting positions

purview

range of something; in law, the scope of what is provided in a statute

sanguine

having a ruddy complexion; of a naturally cheerful outlook

solecism

a substandard or ungrammatical usage; a breach of etiquette; any impropriety or mistake

vassal

a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he/she owes allegiance; a subordinate; subservient

verisimilitude

the quality of appearing to be true, real, likely, or probable