English 2H-B: Final Vocab (copy)

CENTR

CENTR

center

CIRCUM

around

NOMEN or NOM

name

AMICUS or AMI

friend, love

VER

true

MORT

death

INTEGR

entire

MAL

bad, evil

PUG

fight

CAD, CAS, CID

fall

LUC, LUM

light

LOQUI

to speak

RID

laugh

GEST

carry, bring

VOC, VOK

voice

DOL

to feel pain, grieve, suffer

centrifugal

Physics: acting, moving, or pulling away from a center or axis;

Politics: tending to disperse political or administrative power away from a central authority

diverging, spreading, diffusive

circuitous

lengthy because very indirect; roundabout

roundabout, tortuous, labyrinthine

circumspect

taking into consideration all possible circumstances and consequences before acting

cautious, wary, guarded

besiege

to surround a city, building etc. to try and take control of it; to gather around someone in an aggressive way

blockade, surround, mob

submerge

to put under water or to cover with water; to suppress

inundate, deluge, swamp

jostle

to come in contact or into collision; to make one’s way by pushing and shoving

jolt, collide, bump into

modicum

a small portion or limited quantity

smidgen, fragment, iota

laconic

using very few words

brief, concise, terse

cumbersome

awkward to carry or handle because of weight, size, or shape

clumsy, unwieldy, inconvenient

cadaverous

looking very thin or pale; resembling a corpse

ashen, corpse-like, sallow

nonmenclature

a system of names assigned to objects or items in a particular science or art

classification, terminology, taxonomy

cognomen

a nickname or name that describes somebody, e.g. “Billy the Kid”; a surname or family name, especially the third name given to a citizen of ancient Rome, e.g. “Cicero” in “Marcus Tullius Cicero”

alias, moniker, nickname

nominal

acting or being something in name only, but not in reality; representing very little cost when compared with the actual value recieved

official, formal, titular

amicable

characterized by or done in friendliness, without anger or bad feelings

friendly, good-natured, cooperative

amity

friendliness and peaceful relations

harmony, companionship, goodwill

amorous

showing or feeling romantic love or sexual attraction

ardent, passionate, lustful

amiosity

a feeling or spirit of hostility and resentment

hatred, hostility, loathing

curtail

to reduce the length or duration of something

reduce, trim, lessen

obdurate

stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action; unmoved by pity or tender feelings

stubborn, obstinate, unyielding

tawdry

showy, but cheap and of poor quality

gaudy, flashy, loud

dilate

to become, or cause something to become, wider, larger, or stretched; to talk or write at great length

enlarge, widen, expand

prudent

having good sense in dealing with practical matters; using good judgment to consider likely consequences and act accordingly

wise, sensible, well advised

reticent

not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily

reserved, withdrawn, uncommunicative

impediment

an impairment, especially one affecting speech; something that hinders progress

obstruction, hindrance, obstacle

militant

extremely active in the defense or support of a cuase, often to the point of extremism

aggressive, fierce, combative

erratic

not predictable, regular, or consistent, especially in being likely to depart from expected standards at any time

unpredictable, variable, turbulent

qualm

a sudden feeling of uncertainty or apprehension, especially a misgiving about an action or conduct

anxiety, sudden uncertainty, second thoughts

verisimilitude

the appearance of being true or real; something that only appears to be true or real, e.g. a statement that is not supported by evidence

plausibility, lifelikeness, authenticity

veritable

being truly or very much so: a “veritable triumph": used to emphasize a figurative concept

authentic, genuine, real

veracity

the truth, accuracy, or precision of something; the truthfulness or honesty of somebody

truthfulness, accuracy, fidelity

verity

the quality of being true or real

accuracy, truth, actuality

mortician

Funeral director

embalmer, undertaker, funeral manager

mortuary

a room or building in which dead bodies are kept until they are buried or cremated

morgue, funeral home, funeral parlor

pulchritude

physical beauty

allure, elegance, beauty

indiscretion

lack of tact or good judgment; something said or done that is tactless or unwise

irresponsibility, incaution, imprudence

inveterate

fixed in a habit or practice, especially a bad one; firmly established and of long standing

ingrained, habitual, deep-seated

enigma

like a riddle; somebody or something that is not easily explained or understood

mystery, puzzle, paradox

patronize

to give money or support to someone or something; to talk to someone in a way that shows you believe you are more intelligent or better than other people

condescend, talk down to, look down on

guache

clumsy; lacking grace or tact in social situations

awkward, gawky, clumsy

impudent

showing a lack of respect and excessive boldness

impertinent, cocky, brazen

sanguine

cheerful and hopeful

optimistic, cheery, confident

abstruse

hard to understand

obscure, perplexing, incomprehensible

triumvirate

a group of three people who share a position or power

triad, trinity, trilogy

concise

Using as few words as possible to give the necessary information, or compressed in order to be brief.

pithy, succinct, brief

whet

1. To make a feeling, sense, or desire more keen or intense.

2. To sharpen the cutting edge or blade of a tool or weapon, usually by rubbing it on a stone.

sharpen, hone, file

chivalrous

1. courteous and considerate

2. relating to or reflecting the values of the medieval code of knighthood, especially courtesy, self-sacrifice, and a sense of fair play

courteous, respectful, gallant

pugilist

the practice, sport, or profession of boxing

fighter, boxer, contender

decadence

a process of decline or decay in a society, especially in its morals; a state of uninhibited immoral self-indulgence

decay, corruption, decline

coincide

to happen at or around the same time or to fall together at the same time

conjunction, accord, accompaniment

rendezvous

a meeting or appointment arranged for an agreed time and place

appointment, meeting, assignation

component

a part of something, usually of something bigger

ingredient, part, element

carrion

Dead and putrefying flesh; flesh unfit for food

remains, corpse, body

amiss

faulty, incorrect, inappropriate, or not as it should be

faulty, wrong, awry

tractable

Easily managed or controlled; willing to learn or be guided by another

malleable, compliant, obedient

menagerie

a varied mixture

exhibition, collection, assortment

snivel

To behave in a whining, tearful, or self-pitying way; to sniff repeatedly

whimper, whine, weep

epoch

a significant period in history or in somebody’s life

period of time, span, era

placid

peaceful; tending or appearing to be calm and not easily excited, upset, or disturbed

peaceful, tranquil, calm

ethnocentric

a belief or assumption of the superiority of the social or cultural group that a person belongs to

partiality, partisanship

elucidate

to explain or clarify something

explain, clarify, spell out

luminous

emitting or reflecting light; clear and easy to understand

brilliant, radiant, dazzling

obloquy

strong public criticism or verbal abuse; disgrace brought about by public abuse.

vilification, condemnation, criticism

eloquence

the ability to speak forcefully, expressively, and persuasively

fluency, expressiveness, articulateness

colloquial

appropriate to, used in, or characteristic of spoken language or of writing that is used to create the effect of conversation

informal, conversational, everyday

poignant

Evoking a keen sense of sadness/regret or just general feelings.

heartbreaking, sentimental, emotional

boorish

rough and bad-mannered; coarse

crude, vulgar, uncivilized

bereft

deprived of somebody or something loved or valued; lacking in something desirable or necessary

devoid, deprived, left without

atone

to make reparation for a sin or a mistake

apologize, redeem, reconcile

contest

to challenge or question something

litigate, dispute, oppose

flaccid

soft, limp, or lacking firmness; lacking energy, enthusiasm, or competence

flabby, nerveless, sapped

noxious

harmful to life or health, especially by being poisonous

deadly, toxic, corrupting

blatant

obtrusive and conspicuous in an offensive way, often intentionally

outright, shameless, impudent

ridicule

to reduce or dismiss the importance or quality of somebody or something in a contemptuous way

mockery, scorn, contempt

risible

completely unreasonable and not at all sensible or acceptable

ridiculous, laughable, absurd

congestion

a state of overcrowding in a street or other area, making movement slow or difficult

obstruction, blockage, overcrowding

incorrigible

impossible or very difficult to correct or reform; impossible or very difficult to control or keep in order

hopeless, incurable, habitual

ostentatious

marked by a vulgar display of wealth and success designed to impress people

flamboyant, flashy, showy

supplication

a humble and sincere appeal to somebody who has the power to grant a request

appeal, request, plea

larceny

The unlawful taking of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it permanently

burglary, theft, robbery

decorum

Propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance

respectability, demeanor, civility

titter

To laugh in a nervous, affected, or partly suppressed manner, to giggle or to snicker

chuckle, snicker, twitter

esocentric

Requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group difficult to understand

abstruse, obscure, abstract

entrenched

firmly held and hard to change

lodged, well-established, rooted

irrevocable

irreversible; impossible to revoke, undo, or change

unchangeable, final, irreversible