Vocabulary Flashcards: Definitions of Zeal, Spurn, Prime, and More

zeal

a feeling of strong eagerness

spurn

reject with contempt

prime

of or relating to the first or originating agent

(v.) to prepare and to perform

luxuriate

enjoy to excess

revile

spread negative information about

mantic

resembling or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy

brunt

the main part, especially of a force or shock

cortege

the group following and attending to some important person

rout

an overwhelming defeat

suborn

incite to commit a crime or an evil deed

clairvoyant

someone who can perceive things not present to the senses

sanctimonious

excessively or hypocritically pious

pious

having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity

maraud

raid and rove in search of plunder

fathom

a linear unit of measurement for water depth

(v.) to penetrate the truth of.

qualm

uneasiness about the fitness of an action

curry

a South Asian dish flavored with a spice mixture

(v.) to seek to advance oneself through flattery or fawning

hearsay

gossip passed around by word of mouth

Hamartia

a tragic flaw or error in judgment leading to the hero's downfall.

Anagnorisis

the moment of recognition or discovery

Peripeteia

a sudden reversal of fortune or circumstances.

Hubris

excessive pride or arrogance

Eleos

pity

Phobos

fear experienced by the audience, paired with eleos, leading to catharsis.

Mimesis

imitation of real life in art or literature.

Catharsis

emotional cleansing or release felt by the audience after the tragedy.

Stichomythia

rapid exchange of single lines of dialogue between characters, often tense or argumentative.

perquisite

an incidental benefit for certain types of employment

consecrate

give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause

blithe

carefree and happy and lighthearted

jostling

the act of jostling (forcing your way by pushing)

impasse

a situation in which no progress can be made

metonymy

a figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely related.
e.g., “Hollywood is full of rumors” describes the movie industry, not the city.

synecdoche

also a metonymy. a figure of speech where the part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.
      e.g. “The US won the gold medal” refers to a particular individual or team that won, not the entire United States.