Term 2 Words

empirical (a)

based on testing or experience

(document the … data from their experiments).

redux (a)

brought back - used postpositively

(April felt like winter …)

pundit (n)

1: a learned person, teacher

2: a person who gives opinions in an authoritative manner, especially through mass media: critic

(a thumbs up from computer industry …s)

mettlesome (a)

full of vigor and stamina, spirited

(the experienced rider had no trouble handling the… horse)

convivial (a)

relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company

(a … evening at the yacht club)

ephemeral (a)

lasting a very short time

(the pop star’s fame turned out to be…)

truncate (v)

to shorten by cutting off

(many statements were …d in the document)

venerate (v)

1: regard with respect

2: to honor with a ritual act

(Emergency responders are venerated)

quibble (v)

1:to evade the point of an argument with trivial objections, bicker

2: to subject to minor objections

(quibbled about the speech)

deleterious (a)

harmful, often subtly or unexpected

(a deleterious effect on sleep)

roister (v)

to engage in noisy revelry (partying), carouse (drinking party)

(Fans roistered after the championship)

pseudonym (n)

a fictitious name, usually a pen name

(the pseudonym of Jack the Ripper)

ulterior (a)

1: going beyond what’s openly said or shown

2: further, future, or more distant, or situated on the farther side

(Peter has ulterior motives)

arbitrary (a)

1: based on random choice or personal whim

2: based on or determined by individual preference or convenience rather than by necessity

(a completely arbitrary decision)

threshold (n)

1: the sill of a door, entrance, a point of beginning

2: the point at which a physical or mental effect begins to be produced

(rises above a certain threshold)

catercorner (adv or adj)

in a diagonal or oblique position

(the cafe is catercorner to the spa)

rescind (v)

repeal, cancel, annul

(the company later rescinded its offer of employment)

cataract (n)

1: a clouding of the lens

2: waterfall

(which can prevent cataracts caused by UV)

pinchbeck (n)

1:an alloy of copper and zinc, imitating gold

2: something counterfeit

(that is just a pinchbeck)

reciprocate (v)

1: to give and take mutually

2: to return

(I was thinking how to reciprocate the favor)b

baksheesh (n)

a payment to expedite service

(that little baksheesh you slipped the host)

nebula (n)

clouds of gas or dust in space - or galaxy

(the nebula is gorgeous but hazy)

de rigueur (a)

prescribed or required by fashion or etiquette, proper

(colourful frames are de rigueur right now)

zenith (n)

1: the point above someone

2: culminating point, acme

(awarded at the zenith of her writing career)

thaumaturgy (n)

the performance of miracles, magic

(a woman who uses thaumaturgy)

sanction (v)

1: to make valid or binding

2: to give approval or consent to

(were not sanctioned by the film’s producer)

prudent (a)

1: marked by wisdom

2: cautious or frugal

(a prudent investment strategy)

callow (a)

lacking adult sophistication, immature

(Callow new hires should heed advice)

effigy (n)

an image or representation of a person - usually a crude figure of a hated person

(A giant effigy is set ablaze at the Burning Man festival)

veld (n)

a grassland in southern Africa, with scattered shrubs or trees

(a fruit that grows in the veld)

duende (n)

the power to attract through charm

(the magician had the duende to keep the audience rapt)

proficient (a)

well advanced in a skill

(she is proficient in two foreign languages)

urbane (a)

notably polite or polished in matter

(an urbane young artist)

splenetic (a)

marked by bad temper, malevolence, or spite

(the urbane young artist was now seen as splenetic)

emigrate (v)

to leave one’s place of residence or country to live somewhere else

(the family emigrated from Uganda to the US)

depone (v)

to assert under oath: testify

(…deponed that the defendant showed signs of intoxication)

yellow-dog (a)

1: mean, contemptible

2: of relating to opposition to trade unionism or labor union

(the workers were all bound under yellow-dog agreements)

pristine (a)

1: original

2: not spoiled or corrupted, fresh and clean as if new

(all sneakers are in pristine condition)

eleemosynary (a)

relating to or supported by charity

(portion of their income for eleemosynary causes)

star-chamber (a)

characterized by secrecy and often being irresponsibly arbitrary and oppressive.

(criticized for allowing star-chamber proceedings with no oversight)

egregious (a)

conspicuously bad, flagrant

(an egregious breach of theater etiquette to use your phone)

caustic (a)

1: capable of destroying through chemical action, corrosive

2: marked with incisive sarcasm

(the comic brings caustic humor to his show)

unbeknownst (a)

1: happening without the knowledge of someone specified

2: not well-known, unknown

(unbeknownst to me, my mother was planning a party)

docile (a)

1: easily taught

2: easily managed, tractable

(guests can swim with the docile dolphins)

lorn (a)

desolate, forsaken

(a bit unsettling seeing the like lost in lone, lorn decay)

critique (n)

an estimate of a thing or situation with a view to determine its nature and conformity

(an unsolicited manuscript for critique)

enclave (n)

a distinct territorial, cultural or social unit enclosed within foreign territory

(the small middle-class enclave, just north of the city)

fidelity (n)

1: the quality or state of being faithful

2: accuracy

(the movie maintains fidelity to the spirit of the book)

riddle (n)

1: puzzling question posed as a problem to be solved

2: someone difficult to understand

(“What is harder to catch the faster you run?, your breath”

aegis (n)

1: protection

2: control or guidance

(protected under the aegis of the law)

elegiac (a)

relating to or suggesting an elegy (poem or song expressing grief or sorrow)

(The editorial was an elegant, elegiac, lament.)

equality (n)

1: having the same rights

2: a statement that two expressions are equal, equation

(housing polity is ground zero for racial equality)

sidereal (a)

relating to stars or constellation, astral

(the length of a sidereal day on Earth is 24 hours)

beatific (a)

1: possessing a state of utmost bliss

2: having a blissful appearance

(a beatific smile spread across Grandmother’s face)

plaintiff (n)

a person who brings a legal action

(the jury found for the plaintiff)

disheveled (a)

marked by disorder or disarray

(his disheveled hair and untidy appearance)

capricious (a)

governed or characterized by caprice: impulsive, unpredictable

(the stock market is as capricious as the weather)

swole (a)

extremely muscular from bodybuilding exercises

(shed pounds and get swole)

diapause (n)

a period of physiologically enforced dormancy between periods of activity

(insects most often enter diapause when they are pupae)

Stygian (a)

1: relating to the river Styx

2: extremely dark, glooming or forbidding

(plunged into stygian darkness)

cavil (v)

to raise trivial and frivolous objection

(it may seem petty to cavil at minor flaws)

belvedere (n)

a structure designed to command a view

(joined their hosts in the belvedere to watch the sunset)

pluvial (a)

relating to rain, characterised by abundant rain, resulting from rain

(the pluvial climate of England)

interloper (n)

one that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity

(Selim felt like an interloper in the forest world)

solipsism (n)

a theory holding that the self is the only existent thing, extreme egocentricism

(the solipsism born of social distancing)

fiery (a)

1: marked by fire, using fire, flammable

2: hot

3: red

4: with emotion

(a fiery pep talk)

abandon (n)

a thorough yielding to natural impulses, especially enthusiasm

(dance with complete abandon)

rebuff (n)

to reject or criticize sharply, snub

(it was immediately rebuffed)

emollient (n)

something that softens or soothes

(workers rely on emollients to avoid having dry skin)

greasy spoon (n)

a dingy small cheap restaurant

(met at a classic greasy spoon)

quantal (a)

having to experimental alternatives (dead or alive, all or none)

or, relating to a quantum or to quanta

(quantal dose-response experiments technobabble)

welkin (n)

1a: the vault of the sky, firmament

b: the celestial abode of the gods, heaven

2: the upper atmosphere

(clouds rolled across the welkin)

rationale (n)

1: an explanation of controlling principles of opinion, belief, etc.

2: an underlying reason, basis

(That rationale is rooted in sociology)

translucent (a)

1: Letting light go through

2: free from disguise or falseness

(the onion is translucent and lightly golden)

debunk (v)

to expose the sham or falseness of

(addressed the media to debunk the rumour)

perceptible (a)

capable of being perceived, especially by the senses

(perceptible to the untrained ear)

gumption (n)

1: enterprise, initiative

2: (dialetical) common sense

(The chef had the gumption to quit)

replete (a)

1: abundantly provided or filled

2: abundantly fed, fat

3: comlete

(the show is replete with jaw-dropping vistas)

cybrarian (n)

a person whose job is to find, collect and manage info on the World Wide Web

(The cybrarian created digital portals for database research)

embonpoint (n)

plumpness of a person, stoutness

(The judge was a man of stately embonpoint)

dander (n)

1: dandruff (specifically, minute scales of hair, feather, skin that could be allergenic)

2: anger, temper

(That sort of arrogance really gets my dander up!)

sound (a)

1: free from injury or defect

2: solid, firm

3: free from error

4: undisturbed

5: showing good judgement

(that sounds like too man definitons )

augur (v)

1: to foretell with omens

2: to give promise of, presage

(the program augurs an increase in sales)

cosplay (n)

the activity of dressing up as a character from a work of fiction

(costumes for cosplay can be bought at a store online, but the most interesting ones are handmade)