vocab units 1-4

acquisitive

adj. able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property

arrogate

v. to claim or take without right

banal

adj. hackneyed, trite, commonplace

belabor

v. to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

carping

adj. tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way

coherent

adj. holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

congeal

v. to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

emulate

v. to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

encomium

n. a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

eschew

v. to avoid, shun, keep away from

germane

adj. relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

insatiable

adj. so great or demanding as not to be satisfied

intransigent

adj. refusing to compromise, irreconcilable

invidious

adj. offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

largesse

n. generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions

reconnaissance

n. a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination

substantiate

v. to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

taciturn

adj. habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

temporize

v. to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontations, or postpone a decision; to compromise

tenable

adj. capable of being held or defended

accost

v. to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

animadversion

n. a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval

avid

adj. desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager

brackish

adj. having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

celerity

n. swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

devious

adj. straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way

gambit

n. in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice for a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type

halcyon

n. a legendary bird identified with the king fisher; (adj) of or relating ot the halcyon; clam, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent

histrionic

adj. pertainig to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic

incendiary

adj. deliberatelky setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who cause strife

maelstrom

n. a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

myopic

adj. nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

overt

adj. open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

pejorative

adj. tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling

propriety

n. the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

sacrilege

n. improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

summarily

adv. without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

suppliant

adj. asking humply and earnestly (n) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor

talisman

n. an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

undulate

v. to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form

cavort

v. to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry

credence

n. belief, mental acceptance

decry

v. to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

dissemble

v. to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression

distraught

adj. very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict

eulogy

n. a formal statement of commendation; high praise

evince

v. to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke

exhume

v. to remove from a grave; to bring to light

feckless

adj. lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable

murky

adj. dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision

nefarious

adj. wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards

piquant

adj. stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative

primordial

adj. developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic

propinquity

n. nearness in place or time; kinship

unwonted

not usual or expected; not in character

substantive

adj. real, having solid basis; considerable in number or amount; meaningful and on topic

utopian

adj. founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical

verbiage

n. language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expressoin

verdant

adj. green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgment

viscous

adj. having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity

atrophy

n. the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; (v.) to waste away

bastion

n. a fortified place, stronghold

concord

n. a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant

consummate

adj. complete or perfect in the highest degree; (v.) to bring to a state of completion or perfection

disarray

n. disorder, confusion; (v.) to throw into disorder

exigency

n. urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressing need; an emergency

flotsam

n. floating debris; homeless, impoverished people

frenetic

adj. frenzied, highly agitated

glean

v. to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of gran left in a field by the reapers

grouse

n. a type of game bird; a compliant; (v.) to complain, grumble

incarcerate

v. to imprison, confine, jail

incumbent

adj. obligatory, required; (n.) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of

jocular

adj. humorous, jesting, jolly, joking

ludicrous

adj. ridiculous, laughable, absurd

mordant

adj. biting or caustic in though, manner, or style; sharply or bitterly harsh

nettle

n. a prickly or stinging plant; (v.) to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely

pecuniary

adj. consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money

pusillanimous

adj. contemptible cowardly or mean

recumbent

adj. in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting

stratagem

n. a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end