AP Lit WOD midterm Tri 2

Prevaricate (v)

to deviate from the truth; equivocate

Basically —> to “beat around the bush” or avoid the truth

Braggadocio (n)

  boastful or arrogant behavior

Castigate (v)

• to reprimand (punishment, reproof, or criticism) someone severally 

Flummox (v)

• perplex (someone) greatly; bewilder: CONFUSE

Innocuous (adj)

• producing no injury: harmless ( not likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility: inoffensive, insipid)

Usufruct (n)

• the legal right of using and enjoying the fruits or profits of something belonging to another (the right to use or enjoy something)

Quondam (adj)

• that once was; former

Rostrum (n)

•  a raised platform on which a person stands to make a public speech, receive an award or medal, play music, or conduct an orchestra.

Carillon (n)

•  a set of bells in a tower, played using a keyboard or by an automatic mechanism similar to a piano roll.

Ekphrasis (n)

• a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art

Tenebrous (adj)

• shut off from the light; dark, murky;: hard to understand; obscure; causing gloom

Chimerical (adj)

• existing only as the product of unchecked imagination; fantastically visionary or improbable; given to fantastic schemes

  Basically —> ideas/plans that are more of fantasies than achievable realities

Festoon (n/v)

•  N: a decorative chain or strip hanging between two points; a carved, molded, or painted ornament representing a decorative chain

• V: to hang or form festoons on; to shape into festoons

Basically—> like a garland

Acerbic (adj)

• sharply or bitingly critical, sarcastic, or ironic in temper, mood, or tone

Basically —> harsh or corrosive in tone

Perspicacious (adj)

• of acute mental vision or discernment; keen

Basically —> being very good at noticing/understanding things fast and clearly

Felicitous (adj)

• very well suited or expressed; apt; pleasant, delightful

Cogitation (n)

• the act of cogitating; meditation; the capacity to think or reflect; a single thought

Postprandial (adj)

• occurring after a meal

Encomium (n)

• glowing and warmly enthusiastic praise; speech; eulogy 

Umbrage (n)

•  a feeling of pique or resentment at some often fancied slight or insult; shady branches, foliage; shade, shadow; an indistinct indication; vague suggestion; hint; a reason for doubt; suspicion

  Basically —> Offense/annoyance

Abeyance (n)

• suspension; a state of temporary inactivity; a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested

Harbinger (n/v)

• N: something that foreshadows a future event; something that gives an anticipatory sign of what is to come; one that initiates a major change; a person or thing that originates or helps open up a new activity, method, or technology; pioneer

• V: to give a warning or prediction of 

Debenture

• a corporate security other than an equity security; a bond backed by the general credit of the issuer rather than a specific lien on particular assets

Basically —> a type of loan companies used to borrow money from people/investors and isn’t backed up by things like property or equipment.

Litigious (adj)

• disputatious, contentious; prone to engage in lawsuits; subject to litigation

Basically —> someone who is likely to take legal action such as suing even for small issues