vocab lesson 15

entice

entice

to lead on by arousing hope or desire

lure

to tempt by offering a reward (person or animal)

coax

to gently/persistently persuade to do something

inveigle

persuade (to do something) through deception or flattery

beguile

to charm or enchant (sometimes deceptive)

repel

drive (attack or attacker) back/away

repulse

drive back (attack or attacking enemy) by force

entreat

to ask or petition earnestly; to beg

implore

to beg desperately

beseech

ask urgently/fervently to do something

importune

to harass (someone) persistently for or to do something

envisage

to form a mental picture; to imagine

epithet

• word used to describe or characterize someone or something; adjective

• word of abuse or contempt

appellation

a name or title

moniker

a name

badmouth someone

to talk bad about someone

mudslinging

insulting/accusing someone to ruin someone’s reputation

equanimity

calmness and even temper

composure

state of being calm and in control

placidity

peacefulness

serenity

state of being calm/peaceful/untroubled

imperturbability

incapable of being upset or agitated

unflappability

not easily upset or confused; calm in a crisis

fretfulness

an irritable or anxious feeling; a bad mood

hysteria

uncontrollable emotion or excitement

equitable

fair or just

evenhanded

fair in treatment or judgment

erudite

knowledgeable

profound

having great knowledge and/or insight

a savant

very learned or talented person

highbrow

scholarly, refined in taste; intellectual

lowbrow

not highly intellectual or cultured

a walking encyclopedia

knowledgeable person of facts or words

esoteric

understood by or intended for only a select few

occult

supernatural, magical, phenomena

arcane

understood by few; mysterious or secret

unfathomable

impossible to understand or explore

cryptic

mysterious or obscure

inscrutable

impossible to understand or interpret

exoteric

intended for or likely to be understood by general public

not for public consumption

not to be made public

ethical

relating to moral principles

virtuous

having or showing high moral standards

upright

strictly honorable or honest

principled

knowing between right and wrong and acting in accordance with it

unscrupulous

having or showing no moral principles; unfair, dishonest

ethnic

social group with those of common cultural background in a population → EX: ethnic groups = ‘races’

euphemism

an indirect, less offensive way of saying something

exacerbate

to worsen the situation; to irritate or make bitter

aggravate

to make (a problem/injury) worse

temper

to neutralize or counterbalance somthing

mitigate

make less severe or painful

mollify

relieve someone’s anger or anxiety

allay

diminish; put at rest

assuage

to make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense

palliate

make (a disease or its symptoms) less severe without removing the cause

add fuel to the fire

to worsen a conflict or difficult situation

stoke the flames

to poke or stir up; add fuel to the fire

add insult to the injury

act in a way that worsens a bad or displeasing situation

exalt

raise in power, position, rank, etc

ennoble

give someone a noble rank or title

debase

reduced in quality or value

degrade

treat or regard (someone) with contempt or disrespect

abase

to behave in a belittling/degrading manner

exemplary

serving as a model, illustration; worthy of imitation

paragon

person or thing seen as a perfect example; model

epitome

a person or thing that’s a perfect example

prototype

first, preliminary model of something

ne plus ultra

perfect most extreme example; ultimate model

beau ideal

perfect model at highest possible excellence

exigency

state of urgency demanding immediate attention

prefix → e, ex, ec

• out (of)

• away (from)

root → fac, fin, fact, fect

‘do’ or ‘make’

suffix → -fy

gives a sense of action or performance

ornithology

study of birds

theology

study of God and religious belief

ecology

study of how living things interact with each other and their environment

terminology

terms used with a specific subject, profession, etc

archeology

study of past human life through remains

paleontology

study of fossils and plants

psychology

study of the human mind and its effect on behavior

sociology

study of human society

astrology

study of stars and their impact on humans (ex: zodiacs)

pathology

science that reveals causes and effects of diseases; study of disease

trilogy

three related novels, plays, films, etc

geology

study of the earth

anthropology

study of humans and their development

tautology

repetition of words

ophthalmology

study of the eye

entomology

study of insects

osteology

study of bones

tetralogy

four related literary works

chronology

arrangement of events or dates in order of their occurrence