Vocabulary Study List

Flashcards covering the vocabulary terms, definitions, and concepts presented across the lecture pages.

Acculturation

The process of adopting or adapting to another culture.

Expedite

To make something happen more quickly or efficiently.

Expiate

To make amends for a wrongdoing or guilt.

Nominal

Existing in name only, or very small in amount.

Noncommittal

Not expressing a clear opinion or commitment.

Peculate

To steal or misuse money entrusted to one's care.

Sangfroid

Calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation.

Seditious

Encouraging rebellion against an established government or authority.

Vitriolic

Filled with bitter, harsh criticism or malice.

Wheedle

To persuade someone through flattery or coaxing.

Circuitous

Taking a long, indirect route or approach.

Tenuous

Weak, slight, or not strongly supported.

Proclivity

A natural tendency or inclination toward something.

Ascribe

To attribute something to a particular cause, source, or person.

Enjoin

To instruct or urge someone to do something; also, to prohibit by legal order.

Abominate

To hate or detest intensely.

Inadvertent

Unintentional; not done on purpose.

Acculturation (Fact)

It can happen through sustained contact between different cultural groups.

Acculturation (Synonyms)

Adaptation, assimilation

Acculturation (Antonyms)

Isolation, cultural separation

Expedite (Fact)

It comes from the Latin expedire, meaning 'to free' or 'make ready.'

Expedite (Synonyms)

Hasten, accelerate

Expedite (Antonyms)

Delay, hinder

Expiate (Fact)

It is often used in formal or literary contexts.

Expiate (Synonyms)

Atone, redeem

Expiate (Antonyms)

Compound, worsen

Nominal (Fact)

In grammar, it refers to a word or phrase functioning as a noun.

Nominal (Synonyms)

Titular, minimal

Nominal (Antonyms)

Actual, substantial

Noncommittal (Fact)

It can describe an intentionally vague answer.

Noncommittal (Synonyms)

Neutral, equivocal

Noncommittal (Antonyms)

Definite, committed

Peculate (Fact)

It is a formal word often associated with embezzlement.

Peculate (Synonyms)

Embezzle, misappropriate

Peculate (Antonyms)

Repay, restore

Sangfroid (Fact)

The word comes from French and literally means 'cold blood.'

Sangfroid (Synonyms)

Composure, poise

Sangfroid (Antonyms)

Panic, agitation

Seditious (Fact)

It is commonly used in legal and political contexts.

Seditious (Synonyms)

Rebellious, subversive

Seditious (Antonyms)

Loyal, supportive

Vitriolic (Fact)

The word derives from vitriol, an old name for certain sulfates and sulfuric acid.

Vitriolic (Synonyms)

Caustic, scathing

Vitriolic (Antonyms)

Kind, complimentary

Wheedle (Fact)

It often suggests that the persuasion is crafty or insincere.

Wheedle (Synonyms)

Cajole, coax

Wheedle (Antonyms)

Deter, dissuade

Circuitous (Fact)

It can describe either a physical route or a way of explaining something.

Circuitous (Synonyms)

Indirect, roundabout

Circuitous (Antonyms)

Direct, straightforward

Tenuous (Fact)

It can describe a fragile connection or an uncertain argument.

Tenuous (Synonyms)

Flimsy, weak

Tenuous (Antonyms)

Strong, substantial

Proclivity (Fact)

It usually refers to a recurring tendency, not a one-time choice.

Proclivity (Synonyms)

Tendency, inclination

Proclivity (Antonyms)

Aversion, disinclination

Ascribe (Fact)

It is often followed by the preposition 'to', as in attributing success to teamwork.

Ascribe (Synonyms)

Attribute, credit

Ascribe (Antonyms)

Disassociate, detach

Enjoin (Fact)

Depending on the context, it can mean either 'command' or 'forbid.'

Enjoin (Synonyms)

Command, exhort

Enjoin (Antonyms)

Permit, allow

Abominate (Fact)

It is a formal word and is less common in everyday conversation than 'hate.'

Abominate (Synonyms)

Loathe, despise

Abominate (Antonyms)

Adore, cherish

Inadvertent (Fact)

It often describes mistakes or actions made through carelessness.

Inadvertent (Synonyms)

Accidental, unintentional

Inadvertent (Antonyms)

Deliberate, intentional

Acculturation (Etymology)

Derived from Latin ad- ('to, toward') and cultūra ('cultivation, culture').

Expedite (Etymology)

Derived from Latin expedire ('to extricate, free'), from ex- ('out of') and pes, pedis ('foot').

Expiate (Etymology)

Derived from Latin expiare ('to atone for, purify'), from ex- ('thoroughly') and piare ('to appease, atone').

Nominal (Etymology)

Derived from Latin nominalis ('belonging to a name'), from nomen ('name').

Noncommittal (Etymology)

Formed from Latin committere ('to join, entrust, commit') with the negative prefix non-.

Peculate (Etymology)

Derived from Latin peculari ('to embezzle'), from peculium ('private property'), related to pecus ('cattle').

Sangfroid (Etymology)

Borrowed from French, literally meaning 'cold blood', from sang ('blood', from Latin sanguis) and froid ('cold', from Latin frigidus).

Seditious (Etymology)

Derived from Latin seditiosus, from seditio ('insurrection, discord'), from sed- ('apart, aside') and itio ('a going'), from ire ('to go').

Vitriolic (Etymology)

Derived from Medieval Latin vitriolum ('vitriol'), from Latin vitrum ('glass'), referencing the glassy appearance of sulfate minerals.

Wheedle (Etymology)

Likely derived from German wedeln ('to wag the tail, fawn') or seventeenth-century English colloquial dialect.

Circuitous (Etymology)

Derived from Medieval Latin circuitosus, from Latin circuitus ('a roundabout way'), from circum ('around') and ire ('to go').

Tenuous (Etymology)

Derived from Latin tenuis ('thin, slender, slight') and the suffix -ous.

Proclivity (Etymology)

Derived from Latin proclivitas ('inclination, propensity'), from proclivis ('sloping forward'), from pro- ('forward') and clivus ('slope').

Ascribe (Etymology)

Derived from Latin ascribere ('to write in, assign, attribute'), from ad- ('to') and scribere ('to write').

Enjoin (Etymology)

Derived through Old French enjoindre from Latin iniungere ('to attach, impose, bid'), from in- ('on, upon') and iungere ('to join').

Abominate (Etymology)

Derived from Latin abominari ('to turn away from as a bad omen, detest'), from ab- ('away, off') and omen, ominis ('omen').

Inadvertent (Etymology)

Derived from the prefix in- ('not') and Latin advertere ('to turn one's attention to'), from ad- ('toward') and vertere ('to turn').