Vocab Quiz 181 - 216 prep

abomination

a thing that causes digest or hatred

benign

gentle and kindly

august

respected and impressive

connoisseur

an expert judge in manners of taste

estuary

the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream

crestfallen

sad and disappointed

lugubrious

looking or sounding sad and dismal

moribund

(of a person) at the point of death

pall

a dark cloud or covering of smoke, dust or similar matter

sepulcher

a small room or monument cut into a rock or built of stone where the dead is buried

alacrity

brisk and cheerful readiness.

cravat

a short, wide strip of fabric worn by men around the neck and tucked inside an open necked shirt

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.