2nd Semester Vocab

Adept

(adj.) thoroughly skiled; (n.) an expert

Aspire

(v.) to have ambitious hopes or plans, strive toward a higher goal, desire earnestly; to ascend

Bleak

(adj.) bare, dreary, dismal

Chide

(v.) to blame; scold

Despicable

(adj.) worthy of scorn, comtemptible

Diminutive

(adj.) small, smaller than most others of the same type

Emancipate

(v.) to free from slavery; to release or liberate

Erroneous

(adj.) incorrect, containing mistakes

Exploit

(v.) to make use of, develop; to make improper use of for personal profit; (n.) a feat, deed

Extemporaneous

(adj.) made or delivered on the spur of the moment

Impair

(v.) to make imperfect, damage, harm

Invicible

(adj.) not able to be defeated, unbeatable

Languid

(adj.) drooping; without energy, sluggish

Mire

(n.) mud; wet, swampy ground; a tough situation; (v.) to get stuck

Obtrusive

(adj.) foward; undesirable prominent; thrust out

Preamble

(n.) an introduction to a speech or piece of writing

Render

(v.) to cause to become; to perform; to deliver oficially; to process, extract

Rugged

(adj.) rough, irregular; severe, stern; strong; stormy

Skeptical

(adj.) inclined to doubt; slow to accept something as true

Slipshod

(adj.) untidy in dress, personal habits, etc.; careless, sloppy

Brevity

(n.) shortness

Comport

(v.) to conduct or bear oneself, behave; to be in agreement

Concise

(adj.) expressing much in a few words

Demure

(adj.) sober or serious in manner, modest

Depreciation

(n.) a lessing in value; a belittling

Deteriorate

(v.) to lower in quality or value; to wear away

Divulge

(v.) to tell, reveal; to make public

Enlightened

(adj.) free from ignorance and false ideas; possessing sound understanding

Forestall

(v.) to prevent by acting first

Garble

(v.) to distort in such a way as to make unitelligible

Proponent

(n.) one who puts foward a proposal; one who supports a cause or belief

Quaver

(v.) to shake, tremble; to trill

Recoil

(v.) to spring back, shrink; (n.) the act of springing back

Recoup

(v.) to make up for, regain

Reek

(n.) an unpleasant smell; (v.) to give off unpleasant smells; to give a strong impression

Relentless

(adj.) Unyielding, harsh, without pity

Rivulet

(n.) a small stream

Squander

(v.) to spend foolishly, waste

Staccato

(adj.) detached or disconnected in sound or style

Statute

(n.) a law

Appreciable

(adj.) sufficient to be noticed or measured

Autocratic

(adj.) absolute in power or authority

Blanch

(v.) to remove the color from; to make or turn pale; to parboil

Blasphemy

(n.) an act, utterance, or writing showing contempt for something sacred

Brawny

(adj.) strong, muscular

Concerted

(adj.) planned or performed in cooperation with others

Contend

(v.) to fight, struggle; to compete; to argue

Humane

(adj.) kind, merciful

Illustrious

(adj.) very famous, distinguished

Intolerable

(adj.) unbearable

Irreverent

(adj.) disrespectful

Laborious

(adj.) not easy, requiring hard work; hardworking

Lithe

(adj.) bending easily, limber

Maltreat

(v.) to abuse, use roughly or crudely

Ponder

(v.) to consider carefully, reflect on

Subversive

(adj.) intended to undermine or overthrow; (n.) one who advocates or attempts to undermine a political system

Synthetic

(adj.) made or put together by people; (n.) something artificial

Temperate

(adj.) mild, moderate

Venomous

(adj.) poisonous, spiteful, mean

Wily

(adj.) sly, shrewd, cunning

Ad infinitum

(adv.) endlessly

Apportion

(v.) to divide and give out in shares

Bona fide

(adj.) genuine; sincere

Bouyant

(adj.) able to float easily; able to hold things up; cheerful, hopeful

Clique

(n.) a small, exclusive group of people

Concede

(v.) to admit as true; to yield, submit

Congenial

(adj.) getting on well with others; agreeable, pleasant

Lofty

(adj.) very high; noble

Migration

(n.) a movement from one country or region to another

Percieve

(v.) to be aware of through the sense, observe; to gras mentally

Perverse

(adj.) inclined to go against what is expected; stubborn; turned away from wht is good and proper

Prelude

(n.) an introduction; that which comes before or leads off

Rancid

(adj.) stale, spoiled

Rustic

(adj.) country-like; simple, plain; awkward; (n.) one who live in the country

Sever

(v.) to separate, divide into parts

Sordid

(adj.) wretchedly poor; run-down; mean or selfish

Untenable

(adj.) not capable of being held or defended; impossible to maintain

Versatile

(adj.) able to do many things well; capable of many uses

Vindicate

(v.) to clear from hint or charge of wrongdoing; to defend successfully against opposition; to justify

Wane

(v.) to lose size, strength, or power

Annex

(v.) to add to, attach; to incorporate; (n.) an attatchment or addition

Cleave

(v.) to cut or split open; to cling to

Cordial

(adj.) in a friendly manner, hearty; cheery; (n.) a liqueur

Cornerstone

(n.) the starting point of a building; a fundamental principle or element

Debacle

(n.) an overwhleming defeat, rout; a complete collapse or failure

Devitalize

(v.) to make weak or lifeless

Embroil

(v.) to invlove ina conflict or difficulty; to throw into confusion

Exonerate

(v.) to clear from a charge or accusation

Glib

(adj.) ready and fluent in speech; thoughtless, insincere

Haphazard

(adj.) by chance, not planned; lacking order

Improvise

(v.) to compose or perform without preparation; to construct from available materials

Incite

(v.) to rouse, stir up, urge on

Influx

(n.) a coming in, inflow

Pallor

(n.) an extreme or unnatural paleness

Pedigree

(n.) a list of ancestors, family tree; the history or origins of something

Precipitous

(adj.) very steep

Profuse

(adj.) very abundant; given or flowing freely

Reconcile

(v.) to restore to friendship; to settle; to resign (oneself)

Shackle

(v.) to put into chains; (n., usually pl.) a chain, fetter

Threadbare

(adj.) shabby, old and worn