100 Words

abjure

(verb) to recant solemnly; renounce or repudiate

abrogate

(verb) to abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority

abstemious

(adj) eating or drinking in moderation

acumen

(noun) quickness and keenness or judgment or insight

antebellum

(adj) belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War

auspicious

(adj) attended by favorable circumstances; propitious; marked by success; prosperous

belie

(verb) to give a false representation to; misrepresent

bellicose

(adj) warlike or hostile in manner or temperament

bowdlerize

(verb) to remove material considered improper or offensive (from a text)

chicanery

(noun) the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose

chromosome

(noun) a threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes

churlish

(adj) mean in a mean-spirited or surly way

circumlocution

(noun) the use of many words when fewer would do

circumnavigate

(verb) to proceed complete around

deciduous

(adj) (of a tree or shrub) shedding its leaves annually

deleterious

(adj) causing harm or damage

diffident

(adj) modest or shy due to a lack of self confidence

enervate

(verb) to cause someone to feel drained or energy or vitality; weaken

enfranchise

(verb) to give someone the right to vote to; to free, as from slavery or bondage

epiphany

(noun) a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something; a revelation

equinox

(noun) either of the two times during a year when the sun crosses the celestial equator and when the length of day and night are approximately equal

euro

(noun) the basic unit of currency among members of the European Monetary Union

evanescent

(adj) vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor

expurgate

(verb) remove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable (from a book or account)

facetious

(adj) treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant

fatuous

(adj) foolish or silly, especially in a smug or self-satisfied way

feckless

(adj) lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible

fiduciary

(adj) involving a trust; having to do with money

filibuster

(noun) the use of obstructionist tactics to delay legislative action in the Senate

gamete

(noun) a reproductive cell having the haploid number of chromosomes, especially a mature sperm or egg capable of fusing with a gamete of the opposite sex to produce a fertilized egg

gauche

(adj) lacking grace or social polish; awkward or tactless

gerrymander

(verb) to manipulate the boundaries (of an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class

hegemony

(noun) leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others

hemoglobin

(noun) the iron-containing pigment in red blood cells; carries oxygen from lungs to tissues and carries carbon dioxide from tissues to lungs

homogeneous

(adj) uniform in structure or composition; of the same or similar nature or kind

hubris

(noun) overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance

hypotenuse

(noun) the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle

impeach

(verb) to make an accusation against; to charge (a public official) with improper conduct in office before a proper tribunal

incognito

(adj) with one’s identity disguised or concealed; (adv) in a way that conceals one’s identity

incontrovertible

(adj) impossible to dispute; unquestionable

inculcate

(verb) to instill (an attitude, idea, or habit) by persistent instruction

infrastructure

(noun) the basic system or underlying structure of an organization

interpolate

(verb) to insert or produce between other elements or parts

irony

(noun) to use words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning

jejune

(adj) not interesting; dull

kinetic

(adj) of, relating to, or produced by motion

kowtow

(verb) to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in expression of deep respect, worship, or submission, as part of Chinese custom; to show servile deference

laissez-faire

(noun) an economic doctrine that opposes governmental regulation of or interference in commerce beyond minimum necessary for free enterprise system to operate according to its own economic law

lexicon

(noun) the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge; a dictionary

loquacious

(adj) very talkative

lugubrious

(adj) mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree

metamorphosis

(noun) a marked change ina appearance, character, condition, or function; a transformation

mitosis

(noun) the process in cell division by which the nucleus divides

moiety

(noun) a half; a part, portion, or share

nanotechnology

(noun) the science and technology of building devices, such as electronic circuits from individual atoms and molecules

nihilism

(noun) an extreme form of skepticism that denies that existence is real

nomenclature

(noun) a system of names used in an art or science

nonsectarian

(adj) not limited to or associated with a particular religious denomination

notarize

(verb) to certify or attest to (the validity of a signature on a document) as a notary public

obsequious

(adj) full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning

oligarchy

(noun) a state governed by a few persons

omnipotent

(adj) having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force; all-powerful

orthography

(noun) the conventional spelling system of a language

oxidize

(verb) to combine with oxygen; make into an oxide

parabola

(noun) symmetrical open plane curve formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane parallel to its side

paradigm

(noun) a pattern or model; a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline

parameter

(noun) a factor that determines a range of variations; a boundary

pecuniary

(adj) of or relating to money

photosynthesis

(noun) the process by which green plants and certain other organisms synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source

plagiarize

(verb) to use and pass of the ideas or writings of another as one’s own

plasma

(noun) the clear yellowish liquid portion of blood

polymer

(noun) a substance that has a molecular structure consisting chiefly or entirely of a large number of similar units bonded together

precipitous

(adj) resembling a precipice; extremely steep

quasar

(noun) an extremely distant celestial object with extremely high power output

quotidian

(adj) commonplace or ordinary

recapitulate

(verb) to summarize and state again the main points of

reciprocal

(adj) experienced on both sides; interchangeable, complementary

reparation

(noun) the act or process of making amends for a wrong

respiration

(noun) the act or process of inhaling and exhaling; breathing

sanguine

(adj) cheerfully confident; optimistic

soliloquy

(noun) a dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself

subjugate

(verb) to bring uder control; to conquer

suffragist

(noun) an advocate of the extension of political voting rights, especially to women

supercilious

(adj) feeling or showing haughty disdain

tautology

(noun) needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy

taxonomy

(noun) the classification of organisms in an ordered system that indicates natural relationships

techtonic

(adj) of or relating to the forces involved in forming geological features (e.g. mountains and continents)

tempestuous

(adj) relating to, or resembling a tempest; stormy, turbulent, violent, tumultuous

thermodynamics

(noun) the branch of physics that deals with the relationships and conversions between heat and other forms of energy

totalitarian

(adj) relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state

unctuous

(adj) characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness

usurp

(verb) to seize and hold (the power or rights of another, for example) by force and without legal authority

vacuous

(adj) lacking intelligence, stupid

vehement

(adj) forceful or intense in expression, emotion, or conviction; fervid

vortex

(noun) a spiral motion of fluid that sucks everything near it toward its center

winnow

(verb) to examine closely in order to separate the good from the bad; sift

wrought

(adj) put together; created

xenophobe

(noun) a person who fears or hates anything that is strange or foreign

yeoman

(noun) an attendant, servant, or lesser official in a royal or noble household

ziggurat

(noun) a tiered pyramid