Vocabulary Workshop: Unit 1 – De*nitions

Flashcards covering Unit 1 vocabulary terms with concise definitions.

adjunct

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

bellwether

a leader or indicator; the male sheep that leads a flock to the slaughterhouse; one that signals trends.

caterwaul

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

chimerical

absurd; wildly fantastical; impossible.

effete

lacking vigor; worn-out or exhausted; sterile or unable to produce; out-of-date.

fait accompli

an accomplished and irreversible deed, fact, or action.

hidebound

narrow-minded and rigid; stubbornly conservative.

hierarchy

a system of ranked groups or a graded order of authority or importance.

laissez-faire

a philosophy of noninterference; a hands-off approach.

liturgy

a religious service or rite; the form of public worship.

morass

a swamp or bog; a confusing or tangled situation.

noisome

offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious.

oblivious

forgetful; unaware.

poltroon

a base coward.

proselyte

a convert or a disciple.

quasi

resembling but not actually being; seemingly but not actually.

raillery

good-humored ridicule; teasing.

ribald

coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language.

supine

lying on the back; passive or inert.

vignette

a short descriptive scene or sketch; a brief literary or pictorial sketch.