how to think like leonardo da vinci vocab

Smorgasbord

an often large heterogeneous mixture

Laden

carrying a load or burden

Resinous (adjective)

any of various products made from a natural resin or a natural polymer

Acrid

sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor: irritating

Canine

of or resembling that of a dog

Gustatory

relating to or associated with eating or the sense of taste

Perspicacity (noun)

of acute mental vision or discernment: keen

Quintessence

the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form

Volatile

characterized by or subject to rapid or unexpected change

Gossamer (noun and adjective)

something light, delicate, or insubstantial

Deluge

an overwhelming amount or number

Regale

to entertain sumptuously: feast with delicacies

Interrogative

having the form or force of a question

Exquisite

marked by flawless craftsmanship or by beautiful, ingenious, delicate, or elaborate execution

Revery

the condition of being lost in thought

Evocation

the act or fact of evoking: summoning

Uncanny

seeming to have a supernatural character or origin: eerie, mysterious

Maniacal

characterized by ungovernable excitement or frenzy: frantic

Stature

natural height (as of a person) in an upright position

Prudent

marked by wisdom or judiciousness

Mental scheme

describes a pattern of thought or behavior that organizes categories of information and the relationships among them

indispensable

not subject to being set aside or neglected

Adept

thoroughly proficient: expert

Enamoured

affected by strong feelings of love, admiration, or fascination

Predicated

affirm, declared

Blasphemous

impiously irreverent: profane

implicate

to bring into intimate or incriminating connection

beset

trouble, harass

beleaguered

suffering or being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment

internecine

of, relating to, or involving conflict within a group

cortical

involving or resulting from the action or condition of the cerebral cortex

strife

bitter sometimes violent conflict or dissension

extraneous

having no relevance

vivify

to impart vitality or vividness to

cogent

appealing forcibly to the mind or reason: convincing

vitality

power of enduring

equanimity

evenness of mind especially under stress

delineate

to describe, portray, or set forth with accuracy or in detail

exacerbate

to make more violent, bitter, or severe

dull

tedious, uninteresting

enthuse

to express with enthusiasm

quirk

a peculiar trait, idiosyncrasy

contortion

to twist in a violent manner

draperies

hangings of heavy fabric for use as a curtain

conjuring

to summon by or as if by invocation or incantation

comparative

one that compares with another especially on equal footing: rival

reminiscence

recall to mind of a long-forgotten experience or fact

seismic

having a strong or widespread impact, earthshaking

upheaval

extreme agitation or disorder: radical change

maladies

an unwholesome or disordered condition

phantasmagoria

a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined

luscious

richly luxurious or appealing to the senses

enthralled

to hold spellbound: charm

confluence

a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point

repentance

the action or process of repenting especially for misdeeds or moral shortcomings

interim

an intervening time: interval

accentuate

to make (something) more prominent or noticeable: accent, emphasize

boon

a timely benefit: blessing

penance

an act of self-abasement, mortification, or devotion performed to show sorrow or repentance for sin

squander

to lose (something, such as an advantage or opportunity) through negligence or inaction

reprove

to express disapproval of: censure

frisson

a brief moment of emotional excitement: shudder, thrill

squall

to cry out raucously: scream

redolent

exuding fragrance: aromatic

desirous

impelled or governed by desire

ingenious

having or showing an unusual aptitude for discovering, inventing, or contriving

gradation

a series forming successive stages

soupcon

a little bit: trace

trove

a valuable collection: treasure

conviction

a strong persuasion or belief

nuance

a subtle nicety

dynamism

a theory that all phenomena (such as matter or motion) can be explained as manifestations of force

visceral

not intellectual: instinctive, unreasoning

luscious

sexually attractive: seductive, sexy

perplex

to make unable to grasp something clearly or to think logically and decisively about something

easel

a frame for supporting something (such as an artist’s canvas)

bulbous

resembling a bulb especially roundness

aquiline

curving like an eagle’s beak

simian

of, relating to, or resembling monkeys or apes

metallurgist

the science and technology of metals

self-abasement

a humiliation of oneself: the act of behaving in a way that makes one seem lower or less deserving of respect