AP Lang - Educated Vocab #1

Tincture

A liquid medicine made by soaking herbs in alcohol. Tara’s mother used herbal tinctures instead of doctors or hospitals.

Palliative

Relieving pain or suffering without curing the cause. Her mother offered palliative treatments instead of medical care after injuries.

Caveat

A warning or condition that limits an agreement or statement. There was a caveat to her freedom: she could never question her father.

Imperious

Arrogant and commanding, expecting obedience from others. Her father’s impetuous tone silenced disagreement in the household.

Irreproachable

Beyond criticism; impossible to blame. Her mother was seen as irreproachable, even when she ignored her children’s pain.

Subvert

To undermine or weaken authority, ideas, or systems. Education helped Tara subvert her family’s beliefs about the outside world.

Jaundiced

Biased or prejudiced; showing bitterness or distrust. She developed a jaundiced view of her childhood after recognizing the abuse.

Jocular

Playful or joking in tone or manner. His jocular comments masked the tension inside the family.

Panache

Confident and stylish flair: dramatic confidence. She spoke with panache when finally telling her story beyond the mountain.

Lucid

Clear and easy to understand; mentally clear. Her writing became lucid as she reflected on her past experiences in school.

Inscrutable

Impossible to understand or interpret; mysterious. Her father’s expression was inscrutable, hiding his true feelings from everyone.

Sacrilege

Disrespect or violation of something sacred. Tara felt her father saw going to school as a sacrilege against their beliefs.

Sorrel

A reddish-brown color; also a type of horse with this color. The sorrel horse grazed quietly outside the family’s mountain homestead.

Extrude

To force or push something out, often in a shape. The metal was extruded into long rods for the workshop.

Tumid

Swollen or bloated; also can mean pompous or overblown in style. Her timid emotions made it hard to speak clearly about her past.

Impassive

Showing no emotion; expressionless or unaffected. Her father remained impassive, even as arguments erupted around him.

Frivolous

Not serious; silly or unimportant. Her father dismissed school as frivolous, believing only work on the farm mattered.

Supplication

A humble request or plea, often to a higher authority. Tara’s quiet supplication for help went unheard in her strict household.

Parse

To examine or break something down into parts, often for understanding. She tried to parse her father’s words, searching for hidden meaning.

Torrid

Extremely hot, passionate, or intense. The torrid summer made working in the fields nearly unbearable.