Vocab Unit 3- AP Lang

Ancillary

subordinate or supplementary

Bowdlerize

to remove material considered offensive (from a play, film, etc.)

Condescend

to come down or stoop voluntarily to a lower level; to deal with people in a patronizing manner

Cozen

to trick, to cheat or swindle

Enclave

an enclosed district, region, or area inhabited by a particular group of people or having a special character

Forte

a person’s strong point; what a person does best

Gratis

free, without charge

Icon

a representation or image of a sacred personage, often considered sacred itself; an image or picture; a symbol; a graphic symbol on a computer monitor display; an object of blind devotion

Interstice

a small, narrow space between things or parts of things

Macrocosm

the universe considered as a whole; the entire complex structure of something

Mountebank

a trickster or swindler; a charlatan

Paean

a song of praise, joy, or triumph

Persiflage

lighthearted joking, talk, or writing

Plethora

over-fullness, superabundance; superfluity

Pragmatic

concerned with practical considerations or values; dealing with actions and results rather than with abstract theory; stiff in one’s opinions

Quizzical

puzzled; mocking; odd; equivocal

Rapacity

inordinate greed; the disposition to obtain one’s desires by force, extortion, or plunder

Schism

a formal split within a religious organization; any division or separation of a group or organization into hostile factions

Therapeutic

having the power to heal or cure; beneficial

Vituoso

a brilliant performer; a person with mastery skill or technique; masterly or brilliant