Vocab Quiz 193 - 228 prep

emissary

a person sent on a special mission, usually as a diplomatic representative.

inscrutable

impossible to understand or interpret

lurid

very vivid in color, especially so as to create an unpleasantly harsh or unnatural effect.

morose

sullen and ill-tempered.

prevaricate

speak or act in an evasive way.

interminable

endless (often used hyperbolically)

propitiate

win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit or person) by doing something that pleases them.

abject

(of something bad) experienced or present to the maximum degree.

chaff

something comparatively worthless.

fusillade

a series of shots fired, or missiles thrown all at the same time or in quick succession.

harlequin

a mute character in traditional pantomime, typically masked and dressed in a diamond-patterned costume.

incontinent

lacking self-restraint; uncontrolled.

perdition

a state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation

recondite

not easily understood; abstrusive or obsecure

sagacious

having or showing keen discernment, sound judgement, and farsightedness; shrewd

scow

a large flatbottom boat with square ends, used chiefly for transporting freight.

abscond

to leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself; often to avoid arrest or prosecution.

fecund

capable of producing offspring or vegetation; fruitful

jocose

playful or humorous.

litany

a tedious recital or repetitive series; list.

motley

incongruously varied in appearance or character; disparate.

precipitous

dangerously high or steep

sarcophogus

a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece.

herald

a person or thing viewed as a sign that something is about to happen.

prima donna

a very tempermental person with an inflated view of their own talent or importance

nubble

a small knob or lump

tony

fashionable among wealthy or stylish people

saffron

an orange-yellow flavoring, food coloring, and dye made from the dried stigmas of a crocus (flower)

sinew

1. The parts of a strcutre, system, or thing that give it strength or bind it together
2. a piece of tough fibrous tissue uniting muscle to bone or bone to bone; a tendon or ligament.

haven

a place of safety or refuge.

creole

a person of mixed european and black descent, especially in the caribbean

coquettish

behaving in such a way as to suggest a playful, sexual attraction; flirtatious

uneqivocal

leaving no doubt; unambiguous

repugnance

intense disgust

quell

put an end to (a rebellion or other disorder), typically by use of force

pariah

an outcast