AP English 11 Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions from Advanced Placement English 11 lecture notes.

abdicate

Give up power.

abeyance

Temporary suspension.

abscond

Escape, especially to avoid the law.

accede

Agree, assent.

accessory

Something that is added for convenience or show. In law, a person who aids in a crime even though he is not at the scene.

accost

To speak to first, address, greet.

acquisition

The act of gaining possession: the things gained or acquired.

acrimonious

Sarcastic, sharp.

adjudge

Determined by legal process.

adjure

To appeal to earnestly.

aegis

Protecting influence or power, sponsorship.

aesthetic

Concerning response to beauty in art or nature, artistic.

allay

Calm, soothe.

amorphous

Without shape or structure, formless.

antipathy

Negative feeling.

antipodes

On the opposite side of the earth.

apostasy

The act or condition of falling away from religious faith.

apposite

Appropriate, fitting.

archive

A place for storing documents.

ascertain

Find out, determine.

ascetic

One who leads a self-denying life; a hermit, a recluse.

ascribe

To attribute (to).

asperity

Harshness or bitterness.

auspices

Omen, sign, patronage.

austerity

Strictness or severity.

autonomy

The power or right of self-government.

biennial

Occurring every second year. As a noun: Event occurring once in two years.

bucolic

Pertaining to or characteristic of shepherds or herdsmen; pastoral; rustic.

cabal

An intrigue or plot.

calumny

A false and malicious accusation; slander.

capricious

Fickle; whimsical.

cataclysm

Any violent disturbance such as war, an earthquake, a flood.

cavil

To raise trivial objections.

chicanery

Trickery.

chimerical

Fantastic; visionary.

cognizant

Having knowledge; aware.

collateral

Security pledge for a loan or obligation.

complaisance

Desire to please.

compunction

Sense of guilt or remorse.

coterie

A group of people who surround or follow a celebrity.

conjecture

To conclude or suppose from incomplete evidence; to guess; to infer.

conjugal

Pertaining to marriage or the relation of husband and wife.

consanguinity

Related by blood.

contravene

To come into conflict with: run counter to.

contumely

Insulting rudeness of speech or manner; an insult; an insulting act.

conversant

Well acquainted or familiar, as by study.

cosmic

Of or relating to the universe; limitless; vast.

cosmopolitan

Common to all the world; free from local attachments or prejudices.

couplet

In a poem, two successive lines that rhyme.

covet

To desire eagerly; to long for.

credible

Capable of being believed; reliable.

credulous

Tending to believe too easily; believing too readily.

cryptic

Secret; mysterious; hidden; having a hidden meaning.

decorum

Whatever is suitable or proper; good taste in behavior, speech, and dress.

deduction

A subtraction; the sum or amount being subtracted; in logic, reasoning from a known principle to an unknown one.

defection

Abandonment of loyalty, duty or principle; desertion.

demure

Sober; serious; modest; coy.

denizen

An inhabitant or occupant.

derive

To get or receive (from a source); to get by reasoning; deduce or infer.

derogatory

Tending to lessen; belittling.

desiccate

To dry completely.

desist

To cease; stop; abstain.

deteriorate

To become worse, lower in quality or value.

detriment

Damage; injury; harm.

devoid

Completely without; empty or destitute (of).

differentiate

To constitute a difference in or between; to perceive or express the difference in.

dilatory

Inclined to delay; slow or late in doing things.

dirge

Song of grief or mourning.

disburse

To pay out; expend.

discursive

Wandering from one topic to another: rambling: digressive.

disparity

Inequality; unlikeness.

dissent

To disagree; to think differently; to refuse to accept the doctrines and forms of an established church.

diurnal

Daily: happening each day; of the day as opposed to nocturnal.

divulge

Make public; disclose; reveal.

doggerel

Trivial verse, usually comic.

dogma

A doctrine or belief: a positive, arrogant assertion of opinion.

drastic

Severe; extreme.

dupe

A person easily tricked or fooled.

duress

Imprisonment: coercion or compulsion.

dynamic

Energetic; vigorous; forceful.

effete

Worn out; exhausted; sterile.

eject

To throw out or force out.

elegant

Marked by grace and refinement.

elite

The choicest part, as of a particular social group.

elixer

A sweetened alcoholic medicinal preparation; a cure all.

elocution

The art of public speaking; a manner of speaking.

elude

To avoid or escape.

emissary

A person sent on a mission, especially a secret agent, to advance certain interests.

emolument

Salary or fee.

empirical

Based upon direct experience or observation alone.

enormity

The quality of being outrageous: atrocity.

entomologist

One who studies insects scientifically.

environment

The sum of conditions that effect the existence and the development of an individual or a group.

ephemeral

Lasting but a short time.

epicurean

Of, relating to, luxurious living and a discriminating pleasing of the senses.

equanimity

Evenness of mind and temper: calmness.

eschew

Shun: avoid.

essence

The real nature of a thing. The distinctive quality or qualities of something.

eugenics

The science of improving human qualities through influencing hereditary factors.

eulogy

A speech of praise.