McCarthy Vocab

abrogate

revoke formally

abutment

a masonry support that touches and directly receives thrust or pressure of an arch or bridge

accoutre

provide with military equipment

accoutred

provided with necessary articles of equipment for a specialized purpose (especially military)

acolyte

a devoted follower or assistant

adamantine

consisting of or having the hardness of adamant

adduce

advance evidence for

adobe

sun-dried brick used in hot dry climates

Anabaptism

a Protestant movement in the 16th century that believed in the primacy of the Bible, baptised only believers, not infants, and believed in complete separation of church and state

Anasazi

a Native American who lived in what is now southern Colorado and Utah and northern Arizona and New Mexico and who built cliff dwellings

anchorite

one retired from society for religious reasons

Apache

any member of Athapaskan tribes that migrated to the southwestern desert (from Arizona to Texas and south into Mexico); fought a losing battle from 1861 to 1886 with the United States and were resettled in Oklahoma

apostate

a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle

apposite

being of striking appropriateness and pertinence

arbor

a framework that supports climbing plants

argonaut

someone who sets off on a daring adventure

argosy

one or more large merchant ships

aspen

any of several trees of the genus Populus having leaves on flattened stalks so that they flutter in the lightest wind

asquint

(used especially of glances) directed to one side with or as if with doubt or suspicion or envy

astrolabe

instrument used to calculate positions of celestial bodies

atavistic

relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral

augury

an event indicating important things to come

baldric

a wide (ornamented) belt worn over the right shoulder to support a sword or bugle by the left hip

bedight

decorate

benighted

overtaken by darkness

berserker

one of the ancient Norse warriors legendary for working themselves into a frenzy before a battle and fighting with reckless savagery and insane fury

bipartisan

supported by both sides

bistre

a water-soluble brownish-yellow pigment made by boiling wood soot

bivouac

temporary living quarters built by the army for soldiers

bore

diameter of a tube or gun barrel

brimstone

an old name for sulfur

bruit

tell or spread rumors

buckshot

small lead shot for shotgun shells

buckskin

a soft yellowish suede leather originally from deerskin but now usually from sheepskin

bung

a plug used to close a hole in a barrel or flask

burro

small donkey used as a pack animal

buzzard

a vulture common in South America and the southern U.S.

carboy

a large bottle for holding corrosive liquids

carven

made for or formed by carving

cataclysm

a sudden violent change in the earth's surface

caul

the inner membrane of embryos in higher vertebrates

chaff

material consisting of seed coverings and pieces of stem

chamfer

(in carpentry) cut away (a right-angled edge or corner) to make a symmetrical sloping edge

changeling

a child secretly exchanged for another in infancy

chaparral

dense vegetation consisting of stunted trees or bushes

chary

cautiously or suspiciously reluctant to do something

chevron

V-shaped sleeve badge indicating military rank and service

cholla

arborescent cacti having very spiny cylindrical stem segments; southwestern United States and Mexico

clamor

utter or proclaim insistently and noisily

cognisance

having knowledge of

Comanche

a member of the Shoshonean people who formerly lived between Wyoming and the Mexican border but are now chiefly in Oklahoma

commissary

a retail store that sells equipment and provisions

congruence

agreement or harmony; compatibility.

conjectural

based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence

corbel

a triangular bracket of brick or stone

Coregonus

type genus of the Coregonidae: whitefishes

corral

a pen for cattle

crater

a depression formed by the impact of a meteorite or bomb

culverin

a medieval musket

defile

a narrow pass (especially one between mountains); (of troops) march in single file

diorama

a three-dimensional representation of a scene

diphtheria

acute contagious infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae; marked by the formation of a false membrane in the throat and other air passages causing difficulty in breathing

disenfranchise

deprive of voting rights

dosshouse

a cheap lodging house

dross

worthless or dangerous material that should be removed

egregious

conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible

egress

the action of going out of or leaving a place

elision

the omission of a sound or syllable when speaking (as in I'm, let's, e ' en ); an omission of a passage in a book, speech, or film; the process of joining together or merging things, especially abstract ideas

emigrate

leave one's country of residence for a new one

ennui

a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction; boredom

epithet

a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing; a disparaging or abusive word or phrase

esker

(geology) a long winding ridge of post glacial gravel and other sediment; deposited by meltwater from glaciers or ice sheets

exhortation

an address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something

expunge

erase or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant)

extant

still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost

extemporary

with little or no preparation or forethought

farrier

a person who shoes horses

ferric

of or relating to or containing iron

filibuster

a tactic for delaying legislation by making long speeches

firmament

the sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected

fontanel

a space between the bones of the skull in an infant or fetus, where ossification is not complete and the sutures not fully formed: the main one is between the frontal and parietal bones

ford

a shallow area in a stream that can be crossed

furlong

a unit of length equal to 220 yards

gamecock

a rooster bred and trained for cockfighting; someone who is a very fierce fighter

Geronimo

Apache chieftain who raided the white settlers in the Southwest as resistance to being confined to a reservation (1829-1909)

gibbous

(used of the moon) more than half full

Gorgon

(Greek mythology) any of three winged sister monsters and the mortal Medusa who had live snakes for hair; a glance at Medusa turned the beholder to stone

graven

cut into a desired shape

gypsum

a white or colorless mineral used in cements and plasters

harlequin

a clown or buffoon

immigrate

come into a new country and change residency

importunate

making persistent or urgent requests

incarnate

possessing or existing in bodily form

inimical

tending to obstruct or cause harm

laggard

someone who takes more time than necessary

lance

a long pointed rod used as a weapon

lope

run or move with a long bounding stride

lucent

glowing with light. 2. : marked by clarity or translucence

lucid

expressed clearly; easy to understand; bright or luminous

marionette

a figure operated from above with strings by a puppeteer