Units 6 - 10 Vocabulary Eng 12 A

Flashcards covering vocabulary from Units 6 - 10 for English 12 A.

aberration

a departure from the usual course; a deviation; an abnormal development

adjudge

to decree or decide by law; to pass sentence

artifice

a skill; a clever device; a sly or artful trick; trickery

augury

the practice of foretelling the future from signs and omens; an omen or a sign

candor

openness; saying what one really thinks; frankness; impartiality

captivate

to catch the attention of, by beauty or excellence; to enchant; to fascinate; to charm; to attract

chicanery

the use of clever talk or trickery to deceive or evade

configuration

the position or arrangement of parts or elements of something; a shape; an outline

corroborate

to support or strengthen an idea or a statement; to attest to the truth of; to confirm

dearth

a scarcity, as of food; a lack; too small to supply of something

deduce

to infer by reasoning; to conclude from known facts and principles

diurnal

occurring every day; daily; occurring during the daytime

extant

still in existence; not extinct, lost, or destroyed

herculean

extremely demanding or difficult; requiring or having great courage or strength, like that possessed by Hercules

ludicrous

amusingly absurd; ridiculous

proponent

a person who supports a cause or idea; someone who makes a proposition; an advocate

refute

to prove that someone or something is false or incorrect; to disprove

retrospect

a contemplation or survey of things that happened in the past

salient

standing out; easily seen or noticed; conspicuous; noticeable; prominent

scrupulous

giving strict attention to what is right or proper; exact and careful

auspices

approval and support; patronage

austerity

severe simplicity; severity or appearance, attitude, or manner; harsh self-discipline; economy or thrift

calumny

a false statement made to injure someone's reputation; slander

clandestine

concealed, usually for a forbidden purpose; secret; covert

contingency

a possible happening; a chance event; something that depends on chance or uncertain conditions

dissent

to differ in opinion; to disagree; the refusal to conform to the beliefs of an established authority

foment

to foster trouble, rebellion, or strife; to stir up; to incite

hiatus

a space where something is missing; any break in continuity

impassive

not feeling or showing emotion

litigation

the carrying on of a lawsuit; a lawsuit

mollify

to soothe the temper of; to appease; to pacify

obese

extremely overweight

recant

to take back formally or publicly; to withdraw or retract an opinion expressed in the past

retaliate

to return an injury for an injury; to get even

saline

of or relating to salt; salty

sedentary

used to sitting much of the time; moving little and rarely; staying in one place

solicitous

showing concern or care; fearful or anxious about someone or something; anxiously worried; eager

temerity

reckless; boldness; rashness; foolhardiness

vestige

a slight remnant; a trace of something that no longer exists; a bit; a trace

vindicate

to clear of suspicion or blame; to justify or support

anarchy

the absence of government or law; political disorder

cadaverous

corpselike; pale and ghostly; thin and gaunt

cajole

to persuade by pleasant words; to coax with flattery and insincere talk; to wheedle

commodious

roomy; spacious

consign

to deliver; to deliver as goods to be sold; to send; to hand over

elocution

the art of public speaking; a style or manner of public speaking or reading

ethnology

the branch of anthropology that deals with various races of people, their origins, distribution, characteristics, and cultures

extricate

to release from entanglement or a difficulty; to set free

impair

to make worse; to damage or weaken

incorrigible

a person not capable of being reformed; incapable of being corrected or reformed; persistently bad

maim

to wound or injure seriously; to disable in some way; to mutilate; to cripple

menial

of or relating to low-level, humble work; suited to a servant; a domestic servant

nadir

the point in the celestial sphere directly below the observer and opposite the zenith; the lowest possible point

pestilence

a contagious and often fatal disease that spreads rapidly; an illness of epidemic proportions

rampant

growing without check or restraint; flourishing; widespread

restitution

the return of what has been lost or taken away; compensation for any loss or damage

strident

having or making a harsh sound; shrill

subversion

the overthrowing or undermining of something established, such as a government

virulent

very poisonous or harmful; deadly; intensely bitter or spiteful

abeyance

a temporary suspension of an activity; a state of being put aside for future action

chastise

to punish; to criticize severely; to scold

demagogue

a leader who stirs up people by appealing to their emotions; a rabble-rouser

deplore

to feel very sorry about; to regret deeply; to lament; to disapprove of

detriment

damage; harm; injury; anything that causes damage or injury

discrepancy

an inconsistency; a contradiction; a difference

emanate

to issue from; to originate from

harbinger

to announce; to indicate what will follow; a forerunner; a herald

homogeneous

of the same kind or nature; composed of similar or identical parts or elements; uniform

illicit

forbidden by law; improper; unauthorized

inscrutable

mysterious or obscure; hard to grasp; not easily understood

intercede

to plead, or petition, on another's behalf; to act as a mediator in a dispute

inundate

to cover by overflowing; to flood; to overwhelm (as if by a flood)

irrevocable

not capable of being retracted, recalled, or withdrawn; unalterable

obnoxious

very disagreeable; highly offensive; hateful

perfidious

deliberately faithless; treacherous

pervade

to extend all over; to spread or be diffused throughout

prevaricate

to tell a lie; to evade the truth

primordial

from earliest times; primitive; fundamental; original

sumptuous

costly; magnificent; luxurious; lavish

affront

an action or remark that causes outrage or offense

buffoon

a clown; a coarse, stupid person

capitulate

to end resistance, give up, surrender, throw in the towel

civility

polite and courteous behavior

connoisseur

an expert; one who is well qualified to pass critical judgments, especially in one of the fine arts

effusion

outpouring

exhilaration

a feeling of excitement, happiness, or elation

foibles

a minor weakness or failing of character

germane

relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

gregarious

outgoing; sociable

guffaw

a loud and boisterous laugh

indulgent

lenient; yielding to desire

magnanimous

generous

munificent

extremely generous, lavish

obsequious

marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons

patrimony

a family inheritance

precocious

showing unusually early development (especially in talents and mental capacity)

propitious

presenting favorable circumstances

punctilious

very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety

querulous

habitually complaining

residual

remaining; a remainder left over after the completion of a process