Vocabulary Workshop Level H Review Units 1-3

adjunct

(n.) something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential; an assistant or helper; a valuable quality or characteristic

bellwether

(n.) a leader, as in a desperate or violent undertaking; an indicator of trends

caterwaul

(v.) to howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel; (n.) a harsh or noisy cry; a racket

chimerical

(adj.) absurd; wildly fantastic; impossible

effete

(adj.) lacking in wholesome vigor or energy; worn out or exhausted; sterile or unable to produce; out-of-date

fait accompli

(n.) an accomplished and presumably irreversible deed, fact, or action

hidebound

(adj.) narrow-minded and rigid, especially in opinions or prejudices; stubbornly and unthinkingly conservative

hierarchy

(n.) any system of things or people arranged or graded one above another in order of rank, wealth, class, etc.

laissez-faire

(adj.) a philosophy or practice characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from direction or interference, especially with individual freedom of choice and action

liturgy

(n.) a religious service or rite; the form of a ritual or other act of public worship

morass

(n.) a patch of low, soft, wet ground; a swamp; a confusing situation in which one is entrapped, as in quicksand

noisome

(adj.) offensive or disgusting; foul smelling; harmful or injurious

oblivious

(adj.) forgetful; unaware

poltroon

(n.) a base coward

proselyte

(n.) a convert, a disciple

quasi

(adj.) resembling but not actually being; seemingly but not actually or completely

raillery

(n.) good-humored ridicule; teasing

ribald

(adj.) irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language

supine

(adj.) lying flat on ones back; listless or lethargic; apathetic or passive

vignette

(n.) a short story, description, or sketch; a picture or illustration with edges that gradually shade off; a decorative design on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter

Aegis

(n.) protection; patronage; sponsorship.

Apprise

(v.) to inform of; to make aware of by giving oral or written notice.

Bibulous

(adj.) fond of or inclined to drink; absorbent.

Claque

(n.) a group of people hired to applaud a performer or a performance; enthusiastic or fawning admirers; an opera hat

Deracinate

(v.) to pull up by the roots; to root out, uproot, or dislocate; to eliminate all traces of.

Eleemosynary

(adj.) charitable; dependent upon or supported by charity; derived from or provided by charity.

Indigenous

(adj.) originating in the country or region where found, native; inborn; inherent

Lachrymose

(adj.) given to tears or weeping; causing to shed tears; mournful; lugubrious.

Lexicon

(n.) a dictionary of a language; the special vocabulary of a person, group, or subject; a compendium.

Melee

(n.) a confused struggle; a violent free-for-all; a tumultuous mingling.

Microcosm

(n.) a miniature world or universe; a group or system viewed as the model of a larger group or system.

Minuscule

(adj.) very small, tiny. (n.) a lowercase letter.

Obfuscate

(v.) to darken or obscure; to confuse or bewilder.

Paternalism

(n.) the policy or practice of treating or governing people in the manner of a father dealing with his children.

Polarize

(v.) to cause to concentrate around two conflicting or contrasting positions; to cause light to vibrate in a pattern.

Purview

(n.) the range, extent, or scope of something; in law, the scope or limit of what is provided in a statute.

Sanguine

(adj.) having a ruddy complexion; of a naturally cheerful, confident, or optimistic outlook.

Solecism

(n.) a substandard or ungrammatical usage; a breach of etiquette; any impropriety or mistake.

Vassal

(n.) a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he or she owes allegiance; a subordinate or dependent; a servant. (adj.) subservient

Verismilitude

(n.) the quality of appearing to be true, real, likely or probable.

Ancillary

(n.) subordinate or supplementary

Bowdlerize

(v.) to remove material considered offensive (from a book, play, film, etc)

Condescend

(v.) to come down or stoop voluntarily to a lower level; to speak to reporters

Cozen

(v.) to trick; to cheat or swindle

Enclave

(n.) an enclosed district, region, or area inhabited by a particular group of people or having a special character

Forte

(n.) a person's strong point; what a person does best

Gratis

(adj.) free; (adv.) without charge

Icon

(n.) a representation or image of a sacred personage, often considered sacred itself; an image or picture; a symbol; a graphic symbol on a computer monitor display; an object of blind devotion

Interstice

(n.) a small, narrow space between things or parts of things

Macrocosm

(n.) the universe considered as a whole; the entire complex structure of something

Mountebank

(n.) a trickster or swindler; a charlatan

Paean

(n.) a song of praise, joy, or triumph

Persiflage

(n.) lighthearted joking, talking, or writing

Plethora

(n.) overfullness; superabundance; superfluity

Pragmatic

(adj.) concerned with practical considerations or value; dealing with actions and results rather than with abstract theory; stiff in one's opinions

Quizzical

(adj.) puzzled; mocking; odd; equivocal

Rapacity

(n.) inordinate greed; the disposition to obtain one's desires by force, extortion, or plunder

Schism

(n.) a formal split within a religious organization; any division or separation of a group or organization into hostile factions

Therapeutic

(adj.) having the power to heal or cure; beneficial

Virtuoso

(n.) a brilliant performer; a person with masterly skill or technique; (adj.) masterly or brilliant