AP Lang Vocab List 5

Auteur

NOUN, an artist (such as a musician or writer) whose style and practice are distinctive

Leitmotif

NOUN, a dominant recurring theme

Deus ex machina

NOUN, an unsolvable conflict or point of tension is suddenly resolved by the unexpected appearance of a person or thing

Pathos

NOUN, an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion

Rapport

NOUN, a friendly, harmonious relationship

Double entendre

NOUN, a word or expression capable of two interpretations (with one usually risqué)

Segue

VERB/NOUN, (to make) a transition made without pause or interruption

Plebeian

NOUN, one of the common people

Terra incognita

NOUN, Unknown territory (country or field of knowledge)

Tabula rasa

NOUN, something existing in its original pristine state

Savoir faire

NOUN, the ability to act or speak appropriately in social situations

Sine qua non

NOUN, something absolutely indispensable or essential

Roman a clef

NOUN, a novel in which real persons or actual events appear with invented names

Sonata

NOUN, an instrumental musical composition typically of three or four movements in contrasting forms and keys

Protégé

NOUN, a person under the care or training of someone influential especially for the furthering of his or her career

Raison d'être

NOUN, reason or justification for existence

Modus vivendi

NOUN, A way of living (M.O.);A practical compromise

Carpe diem

NOUN, the enjoyment of the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future

Vulpine

ADJECTIVE, of, relating to, or resembling a fox

Tempus fugit

LATIN PHRASE, time flies

Jejune

ADJECTIVE, devoid of significance or interest, dull

Proselytize

VERB, to induce someone to convert to one's faith

Acolyte

NOUN, a person who assists a member of the clergy in a liturgical service by performing minor duties, Follower

Ingenue

NOUN, a naive girl or young woman

Weltschmerz

NOUN, mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state

Atelier

NOUN, an artist's or designer's studio or workshop

Memento mori

NOUN, a reminder of mortality

Peccadillo

NOUN, a slight offense

Farrago

NOUN, a confused mixture, hodgepodge

Zeitgeist

NOUN, the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era