Vocab PowerPlus Lesson 12-14

Badinage

Playful, teasing talk

Debauchery

Corruption; Self-indulgence

Necromancy

Magic, especially that practiced by a witch

Blandishment

Flattery

Fastidious

Hard to please; Fussy

Halcyon

Calm; Pleasant

Malapropism

A word humorously misused

Garner

To gather; To acquire

Kismet

Destiny; Fate; Fortune (one’s lot in life)

Hegira

Flight; Escape

Paradigm

A model; An example

Ambiance

The mood or quality of

Regress

To move backward

Bilious

Bad tempered; Cross

Gumption

Courage and initiative; Common sense

Salutary

Healthful; Wholesome

Empathy

An understanding of another’s feelings

Redundant

Repetitious; Using more words than is needed

Impinge

To encroach; To trespass

Brevity

Briefness; A short duration

Nirvana

A condition of great peace or happiness

Animosity

Hatred

Despicable

Contemptible; Hateful

Harlequin

A clown

Savant

A person of extensive learning; An eminent scholar

Obsequious

Excessively submissive or overly attentive

Offal

Garbage; Waste parts

Hoi Polloi

The common people; The masses

Lascivious

Lustful or lewd

Cataract

A large waterfall

Recoil

To retreat; To draw back

Orthography

Correct spelling

Endemic

Confined to a particular country or area

Aggrandize

1. To increase the range of; To expand

2. To make appear larger

Saturnine

Gloomy; Sluggish

Paleontology

A science dealing with prehistoric life through the study of fossils

Shibboleth

A word or pronunciation that distinguishes someone as of a particular group

Bombast

Impressive but meaningless language

Panache

Self-confidence; A showy manner

Mendacious

Lying; False; Deceitful

Obviate

To prevent; To get around

Paroxysm

A sudden outburst; A fit

Deign

To lower oneself before an inferior

Flaunt

To show off

Elicit

To draw forth; To call forth