Wordly Wise
8 • Lesson 1 Word List
(adj) 1. Having a strong desire for, to the point of greed.
Avid for the attention of their babysitter, the children shouted and tumbled about on the floor.
2. Eager; enthusiastic.
Kiara is an avid skateboarder who spends each weekend at the park.
(adj) Abrupt in manner or speech; gruff.
The coach's brusque speech at halftime showed how unhappy he was with the players.
brusqueness (n) The quality or state of being brusque.
With a brusqueness unlike her, Melanie ended the phone conversation.
(adj) Short and to the point.
"No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service" is a concise way of explaining a dress code.
(v) To cause a lowering of self-esteem; to lower in reputation or character.
don't demean yourself by trying to act like those bullies.
demeaning (adj) Degrading.
June felt that being scolded in front of her friends was demeaning.
(adj) Deserving contempt or scorn.
Stealing from the class treasury was a despicable thing to do.
(v) To try to equal; to imitate.
musicians around the world have tried to emulate Louis Armstrong's soulful trumpet playing.
(v) 1. To call forth; to produce.
The mayor's appeal for volunteers to clean up the park evoked a huge response from people in my neighborhood.
2. To bring to mind, often by suggestion.
The tinkling notes from the music box evoked for me the carefree joys of childhood.
evocative (adj) Creating something again, especially through the imagination.
The costumes and music of the firm were evocative of Paris in the 1920s.
(adj) Very painful.
The ointment soothed the excruciating burn on Dalip's arm.
(v) 1. To install in office with a formal ceremony.
Presidents of the United States are inaugurated in January following the November election.
2. To begin officially or mark the opening of.
On Tuesday, Mayor Ovalles inaugurated a new program to help the homeless.
inauguration (n) The act of installing in office.
Governor Maitland was at her desk within hours of her inauguration.
(v) To spread throughout.
Laughter pervades the house whenever Aunt Sara visits us.
pervasive (adj) Spreading throughout.
Long after the fire was extinguished, the pervasive odor of smoke remained in every room.
(n) An owner of a store or other business.
The proprietors of the downtown shops planned a sidewalk sale for the first weekend in June.
(n) A fictitious name used by an author; a pen name.
Female British authors of the nineteenth century often had to use a male pseudonym in order to get their books published.
(v) 1. To reject bluntly.
Our teacher rebuffed all our requests to change the deadline for the project.
2. To drive back.
Although the men in the Alamo were determined to rebuff Santa Anna's forces, in the end they were defeated.
(n) 1. A blunt rejection.
Caroline's offer to Frida to patch up their quarrel met with a rebuff.
2. An abrupt setback in progress.
After a storm delayed their start, the climbers experienced another rebuff when a rock slide shut down one of the trails.
(adj) 1. Capable of recovering quickly from misfortune.
After she lost her job, my mom was so resilient, she went out and found another one.
2. Returning quickly to an original shape or condition.
A wool sweater is more resilient after washing than a cotton one.
resilience (n) 1. The ability to recover.
Stefano showed great resilience after he caught the flu.
2. The ability to spring back.
Tennis balls lose resilience after three or four sets of vigorous play.
(adj) 1. Chaotic; unruly.
my brother and I tried our best to stay calm during the turbulent period of our parents' divorce.
2. Stormy; tempestuous.
Such a turbulent sea prevented all boats from leaving the harbor.
turbulence (n) 1. Great disturbance or agitation.
The turbulence of the 1960s included peace marches, civil rights protests, and assassinations.
2. Rapid changes in wind speed and direction in the atmosphere.
The "Fasten Your Seatbelts" sign flashed on when the plane encountered turbulence.
8 • Lesson 2 Word List
(n) 1. A wearing away or rubbing away by friction.
This protective coating helps prevent abrasion of the floor tiles.
2. A scraped or worn area.
Natalie's fall during the basketball game resulted in an abrasion on her knee.
abrasive (adj) 1. Causing wear by rubbing.
don't use this abrasive cleaner on the vinyl bathtub because it will scratch the surface.
2. Harsh or rough in manner; irritating.
The bus driver's abrasive tone made the excited children 'settle down in their seats.
(adj) Clothed or covered.
Clad in a black rubber suit, the diver jumped from the side of the rescue boat.
(v) To provide evidence to make more certain; to confirms.
Because he was standing at the stoplight when the accident occurred, Javier could corroborate the driver's statement.
(adj) Done in a hurry and with little attention to detail.
Sherlock Holmes made a cursory search of the bedroom before going into the dining room to question the family.
(v) 1. To remove the water from.
We use the oven to dehydrate apples, and then we add the dried fruit to our homemade granola.
2. To cause to lose bodily fluids.
The hot, dry desert air dehydrated the hikers, who had not brought enough water.
dehydration (n) The state of being dehydrated.
Dehydration from the drought has caused the plants to wilt.
(v) 1. To take or receive from a source.
After practicing so diligently, Hugo derived great satisfaction from the enthusiastic applause following his performance.
2. To obtain through reasoning.
We derived the answer to the question by applying logic.
(v) 1. To wire or equip with electric power.
As the population of India grows, the government is working hard to make sure all areas of the country are electrified.
2. To thrill or shock.
Marissa's skating performance, which included a layback spin and several perfectly executed triple axels, electrified the audience.
(v) To attempt earnestly.
The person we spoke to at the school office said she would endeavor to find the papers we needed.
(n) A serious, earnest effort toward a goal.
Arthur's endeavor to score twenty points a game throughout the season was a success.
(adj) Cautious; very careful.
Mr. Wu made a gingerly attempt to finish the science experiment without spilling the liquid.
(adv) Extremely cautiously.
Ella ran her tongue gingerly over where her wisdom tooth had been extracted.
(v) To make a face expressing feelings of pain, disgust, or contempt.
Hana grimaced when her computer froze and she realized she'd lost her book report.
(n) A facial expression that seems to express pain, contempt, or disgust.
A grimace crossed his face when he twisted his ankle on the sidewalk.
(adj) Causing horror or disgust.
The book told the gruesome details of living in Europe during the time of the Black Plague.
(n) 1. A list of possessions or goods on hand.
Before buying school supplies for the coming year, we make an inventory of all the supplies we already have.
2. The stock of goods on hand.
The store's Inventory of sheets and blankets was very low after the winter sale.
(v) To make a complete list of.
Once a year, the librarian inventories books and software in the resource center.
(v) 1. To take on the qualities of another; to imitate.
AstroTurf simulates real grass.
2. To pretend.
Although Riana simulated friendship, I wondered if she just wanted to copy my homework.
simulated (adj) Made to look genuine while being artificial.
Simulated leather looks and feels like the real thing.
simulation (n) An imitation of a possible situation.
The simulation of an explosion gave the emergency crews a chance to practice rescue procedures.
(v) 1. To give up or give in to; to yield.
After twenty-four hours on their feet, the relief workers succumbed to exhaustion, falling soundly asleep on their cots.
2. To cease to exist; to die.
Smallpox was so pervasive in the eighteenth century that many people succumbed.
(v) To suppose something without sufficient evidence.
Heloise surmised that her visitors were late because of traffic.
(n) A guess.
My surmise is that they are planning a surprise party for my birthday.
8 • Lesson 3 Word List
(adj) Of an unknown source or unrevealed name.
We wish we could thank the person who gave this anonymous donation to our library fund.
(n) A collection of various writings, such as songs, stories, or poems.
This anthology of science-fiction stories includes some by Ray Bradbury, Julian May, and Ursula Le Guin.
(n) A conclusion based on guesswork or insufficient evidence.
Dad's conjecture that the derelict building would be a problem proved to be correct when it caught on fire.
(v) To form an opinion while lacking sufficient evidence.
The fire chief conjectured that oily rags may have been the cause of the fire.
(n) 1. A person's usual mood; temperament.
People enjoy Alice's company because of her sunny disposition.
2. A regular tendency or inclination.
Roberto's disposition to argue about everything can sometimes get him into trouble.
(v) 1. To enclose or encircle.
Except for one narrow pass, mountains encompass the village of Neudorf on all sides.
2. To include.
Our studies this year encompass science, math, social studies, and English.
(v) To free from a difficult or tangled situation.
Extricating our bags from the bus's crowded storage area was much simpler than we thought it would be.
(n) 1. onestep in the line of descent of a family.
Four generations were represented at Naomi's family reunion last summer.
2. All the people born and living about the same time.
my grandfather's generation lived through the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War.
3. The average span of time between the birth of parents and their children.
Within one generation this town became a city.
(n) Cunning or deceit in dealing with others; trickery.
The Grim brothers vividly described the wolf's guile toward Little Red Riding Hood.
(adj) 1. Urgent; pressing.
It is imperative that I finish this English assignment before tomorrow's deadline.
2. Having the power or authority to command.
Because of the imperative tone of the letter, Ida began immediately to reply.
(v) To introduce gradually in order to establish securely.
Juanita's love of animals was instilled in her during the summer vacations spent at her uncle's farm as a child.
(v) 1. To make less extreme or severe.
My parents agreed to modify my weekend curfew after I promised to study Monday through Thursday evenings.
2. To make changes in.
The teenagers modified their language when they tutored young children after school.
3. In grammar, to limit or restrict in meaning.
In the phrase the black chair, the adjective black modifies the noun chair.
(n) 1. A small bar or rod on which something else turns.
The gate swung shut easily on its well-oiled pivot.
2. A person or thing on which others depend.
The quarterback is the pivot of a team's offense.
(v) To turn on or as if on a pivot.
A weathervane pivots when the wind changes direction.
pivotal (adj) Vitally important; significant.
The first human landing on Mars will be a pivotal event in the history of space exploration.
(adj) Commonly occurring; widely accepted or practiced.
Both chicken pox and the flu were prevalent in Edison Middle School last winter.
(v) 1. To come up again or to happen again.
The same musical themes recur throughout all the movies in the series.
2. To come to mind again.
The events of the night of the concert recurred to Maddox many times during the next few weeks.
recurrence (n) The act of recurring.
Engineers hope that the new dam will prevent a recurrence of flooding.
(adj) 1. Voluntary and unplanned.
The crowd burst into a spontaneous chant of "Go! Go! Go!" as the first two runners neared the finish line.
2. Occurring or produced without human labor.
my abuelo thought the spontaneous appearance of the tomato plants was because of seeds dropped by birds.
spontaneity (n) The quality or condition of occurring in an unplanned way.
With unexpected spontaneity, Isabelle rose to embrace her friend.
8 • Lesson 4 Word List
(v) To shrink from in disgust; to detest.
We abhor cruelty in all its forms.
abhorrent (adj) Disgusting; causing loathing.
Any form of discrimination is abhorrent to decent people.
(adj) Pleasant; approachable; gracious.
Maribel's affable manner brought her many friends.
affability (n) Friendliness of manner.
The counselor welcomed the young campers with such affability that no one felt homesick.
(adv) In a wrong or imperfect way.
don't take amiss my suggestion for improving your drawing.
(adj) Out of order; wrong.
Although the door was wide open when we got home late, nothing seemed amiss at first.
(adj) Depressed from loss of hope or confidence; utterly discouraged.
I was completely despondent that our dog had run away.
(v) To ask earnestly; to beg.
"Please, please, let me have a lizard," Augustin entreated his parents. "I promise to take care of it!"
entreaty (n) A plea or earnest request.
The umpire ignored the coach's entreaties to reverse the call.
(v) 1. To stay in one's mind continually.
Even though I heard the song a year ago, the music continues to haunt me.
2. To visit frequently.
Jeremy haunted the mall, hoping to catch a glimpse of his old friend.
3. To appear in the form of a ghost.
The Headless Horseman haunted the hollow where Ichabod Crane rode his horse.
(v) 1. To drive or to propel.
A raging current impelled their raft downstream toward the waterfall.
2. To urge or drive by force or moral pressure.
Hatred of slavery impelled Harriet Tubman to return repeatedly to the South to help other enslaved people escape.
(adj) Endless; seeming to be without end.
We had an interminable wait at the amusement park entrance because of the enormous crowds trying to get in.
(adj) Quick-tempered; irritable.
My grandfather looked kindly, but he was really quite irascible.
(adj) 1. Intense; deeply felt.
Parents who had been separated from their children at the beginning of the war felt profound joy when they were reunited in the refugee camp.
2. Having understanding or knowledge that goes beneath the surface, beyond the obvious.
Profound insights from Thoreau and Gandhi influenced Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideas about nonviolent protest.
(n) A person who lives apart from society and often alone.
Ahmed became a recluse when he was trying to finish writing his book, refusing to leave his apartment for days on end.
reclusive (adj) Withdrawn from society.
Our neighbors are so reclusive that we hardly see them from one year to the next.
(v) To be repeated as in a series of echoes or vibrations.
We loved to hear our shouts reverberate as we ran through the old tunnel.
(adj) Having wisdom and good judgment.
Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack offered sage advice to the colonists.
(n) 1. A person known for wisdom and good judgment.
When I need advice, I consult my grandmother, the family sage.
2. An aromatic grayish-green plant used in cooking.
Sage and onion are essential ingredients for a good turkey stuffing.
(n) A long, angry speech.
We lost interest in Marni's endless tirades about how people disrespected her.
(adj) 1. Marked by trembling or shaking.
The little girl tried to look brave when she fell and scraped her knee, but her tremulous lower lip betrayed her.
2. Timid or fearful.
In a tremulous voice, Alejandro told us how he had lost our money.