Quarter 1 Vocab

Autonomy

(noun) the right or condition of self-government; the capacity of an agent to act in accordance with objective morality rather than under the influence of desires

Biennial

(adj) taking place every other year; (especially of a plant) living or lasting for two years; (noun) a plant that takes two years to grow and die; an event celebrated or taking place every two years

Bucolic

(adj) relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life; (noun) a pastoral poem

Cessation

(noun) the fact or process of ending or being brought to an end

Collateral

(adj) additional but subordinate; secondary; descended from the same stock but by a different line; (noun) something pledged as security for repayment of a loan, to be forfeited in the event of a default; a person having the same descent in a family as another but by a different line

Complaisance

(noun) deference to the wishes of others; willing compliance

Deprecate

(verb) to express disapproval of; to disparage or belittle

Differentiate

(verb) recognize or ascertain what makes someone or something different; make or become different in the process of growth or development

Dilatory

(adj) slow to act; intended to cause delay

Epicurean

(noun) a disciple or student of the Greek philosopher Epicurus; (adj) of or concerning Epicurus or his ideas (materialism)

Equanimity

(noun) mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation

Menial

(adj) (of work) not requiring much skill and lacking prestige; (noun) a person with a menial job

Perspicuity

(noun) clearness or lucidity, as of a statement

Privation

(noun) a state in which things that are essential for human well-being are scarce or lacking; the loss or absence of a quality or attribute that is normally present

Proletarian

(adj) relating to the proletariat; (noun) a member of the proletariat; synonyms: plebeian, commoner

Quandary

(noun) a state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation; a difficult situation; a practical dilemma

Surreptitious

(adj) kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of

Synchronize

(verb) to cause to occur or operate at the same time or rate; to occur at the same time or rate; to adjust a clock or watch to show the same time as another

Vitiate

(verb) to spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of; to destroy or impair the legal validity of

Vituperate

(verb) to blame or insult someone in strong or violent language

Austere

(adj) severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance; having an extremely plain and simple style or appearance; having no comforts or luxuries; bare minimum; bare bones

Chimerical

(adj) (of a mythical animal) formed from parts of various animals; hoped for but illusory or impossible to achieve; mythical beast; product of a VERY active imagination

Cognizant

(adj) having knowledge or being aware of; aware (of something)

Commodious

(adj) (especially of furniture or a building) roomy and comfortable; convenient; open and spacious (relative)

Deride

(verb) express contempt for; ridicule; mocking; talking down to someone; belittle

Disburse

(verb) ay out (money from a fund); to distribute funds

Discursive

(adj) digressing from subject to subject; relating to discourse or modes of discourse; natural flow (especially of a conversation)

Environmental

(adj) relating to the natural world and the impact of human activity on its condition; relating to or arising from a person's surroundings

Ephemeral

(adj) lasting for a very short period of time; (noun) an ephemeral plant

Levity

(noun) humor or frivolity, especially the treatment of a serious matter with humor; silliness

Proffer

(verb) hold out (something) to someone for acceptance; offer; (noun) an offer or proposal

Prognostic

(adj) serving to predict the likely outcome of a disease or ailment; relating to a medical prognosis; (noun) an advance indication or portent of a future event

Recondite

(adj) (of a subject or knowledge) little known; hidden from sight but you can see it if you know where to look

Retroactive

(adj) (especially of legislation) taking effect from a date in the past; backwards active

Rotund

(adj) (of a person) plump; (of speech or literary style) indulging in grandiloquent expression; big and round; rollable

Syndicate

(noun) a group of individuals or organizations combined to promote some common interest; loosely connect group of business that work towards one thing; (verb) control or manage by a syndicate

Temerity

(noun) excessive confidence or boldness; audacity; balls

Tenable

(adj) able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection; (of an office, position, scholarship, etc.) able to be held or used; capable of being held

Virulent

(adj) (of a disease or poison) extremely severe or harmful in its effects; bitterly hostile; spreads like a virus; to describe the fast spread of a virus

Vivacious

(noun) attractively lively and animated; full of life; bouncy

Asperity

(noun) harshness of tone or manner; harsh qualities or conditions; a rough edge on a surface; roughness (literal or figurative)

Auspices

(noun) a divine or prophetic token; sponsorship (sent by someone to do something)

Castigate

(verb) to reprimand someone severely; to really tear into someone verbally; severe verbal beating

Cavil

(verb) to make petty or unnecessary objections; (noun) an objection seen as petty or unnecessary

Chicanery

(noun) the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose; trickery; nonsense

Delve

(verb)  to reach inside a receptacle and search for something; to investigate something

Diurnal

(adj) of or during the day; daily; opposite of nocturnal

Divulge

(verb) to make known (private or sensitive information); to reveal (secrets or information)

Enormity

(noun) the great or extreme scale, seriousness, or extent of something perceived as bad or morally wrong; a grave crime or sin; bigness

Entomology

(noun) the study of insects

Eschew

(verb) to deliberately avoid using; to abstain from; to stay away from something

Fecundity

(noun) fertility (typically of plants or crops); the ability to produce many new ideas

Foible

(noun) a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character; the weaker part of a sword blade, from the middle to the point; minor flaw

Parasitic

(adj) an organism living as a parasite; resulting from infestation by a parasite

Perfidious

(adj) deceitful and untrustworthy; disloyalty

Perfunctory

(adj) an action carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection; routine (typically of a boring manner)

Pseudonym

(noun) a fictitious name, especially one used by an author

Redundant

(adj) not or no longer needed or useful; able to be omitted without loss of meaning or function; no longer employed because there is no more work available; a backup

Rife

(adj) (especially of something undesirable or harmful) of common occurrence; widespread; an unchecked or widespread manner; full of

Sanguine

(adj) optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation; cheerful; happy; (noun) a blood-red color

Adjudge

(verb) consider or declare to be true; (in law) to award someone or condemn them; to render judgment

Adjure

(verb) urge or request someone solemnly or earnestly to do something; to fulfill an oath

Bona Fide

(adj) genuine; real; in good faith

Capricious

(adj) given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior; to do something in an impulsive or unpredictable way

Cataclysm

(noun) a large-scale and violent event in the natural world; a sudden violent upheaval, especially in a political or social context; a disaster/momentous destructive event

Disparity

(noun) an unfair difference in level or treatment; a difference that is bad

Dissent

(noun) the expression or holding of opinions at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially held; (verb) to hold or express opinions that are at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially expressed; to go against majority opinion

Emolument

(noun) a salary, fee, or profit from employment or office

Empirical

(adj) based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic; completely objective and non-debatable

Exhort

(verb) to strongly encourage or urge someone to do something

Expiate

(verb) to atone for guilt or sin; to end or do away with something, especially guilt

Facile

(adj) appearing neat and comprehensive only by ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial; easily achieved; effortless

Febrile

(adj) having or showing the symptoms of a fever; having or showing a great deal of nervous excitement or energy

Inviolable

(adj) unable to be broken, infringed, or dishonored; unable to be violated or changed

Nemesis

(noun) the inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall; a long-standing rival; an archenemy

Nonentity

(noun) a person or thing with no special or interesting qualities; an unimportant person or thing; nonexistence; something/someone that does not exist; of so little importance it does not exist

Persevere

(verb) to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success

Preclude

(verb) to prevent from happening; to make impossible; to rule something out in advance

Primordial

(adj) existing at or from the beginning of time; basic and fundamental; in the earliest stage of development; beyond ancient

Spurious

(adj) not being what it pretends to be; false or fake; illegitimate; of questionable quality; deceitful

Acquisition

(noun) an asset or object bought or obtained, typically by a library or museum; the learning or developing of a skill, habit, or quality; something you acquire (business); the act of getting something

Acrimonious

(adj) (typically of speech or a debate) angry and bitter; characterized by a nastiness and hatefulness

Atypical

(adj) not representative of a type, group, or class; just outside of normal

Coerce

(verb) to persuade (an unwilling person) to do something by using force or threats; to obtain (something) by using force or threats; convince someone to do something by threat of violence

Contravene

(verb) violate the prohibition or order of (a law, treaty, or code of conduct); conflict with a right, principle, etc, especially to its detriment; to act against

Contumely

(noun) insolent or insulting language or treatment; language someone uses when talking down to you

Elocution

(noun) the skill of clear and expressive speech; a particular style of speaking; public/formal speaking

Emissary

(noun) a person sent on a special mission, usually as a diplomatic representative; representative, not quite an ambassador but similar

Ineffectual

(adj) not producing any or the desired effect; lacking the ability or qualities to cope with a role or situation

Inveigh

(verb) to speak or write about something with great hostility; to protest or complain bitterly or vehemently

Plebiscite

(noun) the direct vote of all the members of an electorate on an important public question; a law enacted by the plebeians' assembly; true democracy, everyone votes on everything

Politic

(adj) (of an action) seeming sensible and judicious under the circumstances; smart way to act in public; polite

Prospective

(adj) expected or expecting to be something particular in the future; likely to happen at a future date; concerned with or applying to the future

Repartee

(adj) conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies; back-and-forth conversations with good comebacks

Replete

(adj) filled or well-supplied with something; very full of or sated by food; completely full of; well provided for

Sagacity

(noun) the quality of being intelligent or a wise person

Salient

(adj) most noticeable or important; pointing outward; relevant to an argument; advances an argument/conversation (noun) a piece of land or section of fortification that juts out to form an angle

Turpitude

(noun) depravity; wickedness; moral wickedness

Venal

(adj) showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery; able to be bought/bribed

Verify

(verb) make sure or demonstrate that something is true, accurate, or justified; to discover the truthfulness of something