vocab

candor N. frankness; open honesty. Jack can carry candor too far: when he told Jill his honest opinion of her, she nearly slapped his face. candid, ADJ. cantankerous ADJ. ill humored; irritable

capacious ADJ. spacious. In the capacious rotunda of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their train.

capacity N. (1) greatest amount or number that something can hold; (2) amount that something can produce; (3) power to understand or to perform; (4) specified position. This thermos container has a one-liter capacity. Management has come up with a plan to double the factory's automobile production capacity. I wish I had the mental capacity to understand Einstein's theory of relativity. Rima traveled to Japan in her capacity as director of the Country Dance & Song Society. syner

capricious ADJ. unpredictable; fickle; fanciful. The storm was capricious: it changed course constantly. caprice, N.

caption N. title; chapter heading; text under illustra-tion. The captions that accompany The Far Side cartoons are almost as funny as the pictures. also v. captivate v. charm or enthrall. Bart and Lisa were captivated by their new nanny's winning manner.

cardinal AdJ. chief. If you want to increase your word power, the cardinal rule of vocabulary-building is to

caricature N. exaggerated picture or description; dis-tortion. The cartoonist's caricature of President Bush grossly exaggerated the size of the president's ears. also v.

carnivorous ADJ. meat-eating. The lion's a carnivorous beast. A hunk of meat makes up his feast. A cow is not a carnivore. She likes the taste of grain, not gore.

carping ADJ. finding fault. A carping critic is a nit-picker: he loves to point out flaws. If you don't like this definition, feel free to carp.

castigate v. criticize severely; punish. When the teacher threatened that she would castigate the mischievous boys if they didn't behave, they shaped up in a hurry.

casualty N. serious or fatal accident. The number of automotive casualties on this holiday weekend was high.

cataclysm N. Violent upheaval; deluge. The Russian Revolution was a political and social cataclysm that overturned czarist society, cataclysmic, ADJ.

catalyst N. agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged.

catastrophe N. calamity; disaster. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a catastrophe that destroyed most of the city. A similar earthquake striking today could have even more catastrophic results.

categorical ADJ. without exceptions; unqualified; absolute. Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, he finally had to qualify his categorical denial: he was "hardly ever" sick at sea.

cater to v. supply something desired (whether good or bad). The chef was happy to cater to the tastes of his highly sophisticated clientele. Critics condemned the movie industry for catering to the public's ever-increasing appetite for violence.

catharsis N. Release of repressed emotional tensions. She blurted out her feelings but felt no catharsis, no flood of relief; instead, she merely felt embarrassed at having made a scene.

catholic ADJ. wide-ranging in interests. Her musical tastes are surprisingly catholic: she enjoys everything from the Anonymous Four to Lady Gaga.

caucus N. private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy. At the opening of Congress, the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the Majority Leader of the House and the Party Whip.

causal ADJ. implying a cause-and-effect relationship. The psychologist maintained there was a causal relationship between the nature of one's early childhood experiences and one's adult personality. causality, N.

caustic ADJ. burning; sarcastically biting.

cavil v. make frivolous objections. It's fine when you wivor make sensible criticisms, but it really bugs me when you cavil about unimportant details. also N. fault cede v. yield (title, territory) to; surrender formally.

celebrated ADJ. famous; well-known. Neil deGrasse Tyson is a celebrated American astrophysicist and popularizer of science. Director of the Hayden Planetarium, he gained fame as host of the radio show Star Talk and the television show Cosmos. celebrity, N.

censor N. overseer of morals; person who reads to eliminate inappropriate remarks. Soldiers dislike having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution, also v.

censorious ADJ. critical. Censorious people delight in casting blame.

censure v. blame; criticize. The senator was censured for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress. also N.

centrifugal ADJ. radiating; departing from the center.

centripetal ADJ. tending toward the center. Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies to the earth's surface?

cerebral ADJ. pertaining to the brain or intellect. The heroes of Dumb and Dumber were poorly equipped for cerebral pursuits.

ceremonious ADJ. marked by formality. Ordinary dress would be inappropriate at so ceremonious an affair.

certitude N. certainty. Though there was no certitude of his getting the job, Lou thought he had a good chance of doing so.

cessation N. stoppage. The airline's employees threatened a cessation of all work if management failed to meet their demands. cease, v.

cession N. yielding to another; ceding. The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in this chapter.

chagrin N. vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride); disappointment.

chameleon N. lizard that changes color in different situations. Like the chameleon, he assumed the political thinking of every group he met.

champion V. support militantly. Martin Luther King, Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize because he championed the oppressed in their struggle for equality.

chaotic ADJ. in utter disorder. chaos, N.once called "the model of a charismatic leader."

charismatic ADJ. compellingly charming

charlatan N. quack; pretender to knowledge. When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her companions were indignant that they'd been duped by a charlatan.

chary ADJ. cautious; sparing or restrained about giving. A prudent, thrifty, New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary of paying people unnecessary compliments.

chasten v. discipline; punish in order to correct.

chastise. punish. "Spare the rod and spoil the child" was Miss Watson's motto: she relished whipping Huck with a birch rod to chastise him.

chauvinist N. blindly devoted patriot. A chauvinist cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be. Likewise, a male chauvinist cannot recognize his bias in favor of his own sex, no matter how flagrant that may be.

chauvinistic, ADJ. check v. (1) stop motion; (2) curb or restrain. Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's lunge at his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better check your temper."

checkered ADJ. marked by changes in fortune. During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses.

chicanery N. trickery; deception. Those sneaky lawyers misrepresented what occurred, made up all sorts of implausible alternative scenarios to confuse the jurors, and in general depended on chicanery to

chide v. scold. Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying.

chisel v. (1) swindle or cheat; (2) cut with a chisel. That crook chiseled me out of a hundred dollars when he sold me that "marble" statue he'd chiseled out of some cheap hunk of rock.

chivalrous ADJ. courteous; faithful; brave. Chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds. chronic ADJ. long established as a disease. The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas in his apartment.

chronicle v. report; record (in chronological order). The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities. also N.

cipher N. secret code. Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him in cipher.

cipher N. nonentity; worthless person or thing. She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him.

circuitous aDJ. roundabout. To avoid the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous route. circuit, N.

circumlocution N. indirect or roundabout expression. He was afraid to call a spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.

circumscribe v. limit; confine. School regulations circumscribed Elle's social life: she hated having to follow rules that limited her activities.

circumspect ADJ. prudent; cautious. As the trial date draws near, defendants and their lawyers become increasingly circumspect about their comments, for fear that reports of what they have said might prejudice the outcome.

circumvent v. outwit; baffle. In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting our major campaign.

cite v. (1) refer to or quote, especially to justify a posi-tion; (2) praise; (3) summon someone before a court. When asked to support her position on the need to vaccinate children against polio, Rosemary cited several reports of dangerous new outbreaks of this once nearly eliminated disease. The mayor cited the volunteers of Hook & Ladder Company 1 for their heroism in extinguishing the recent fire. Although Terry was cited for contempt of court, he never went to jail.

civil ADJ. (1) having to do with citizens or the state; (2) courteous and polite. Although Internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax cheats.

clamor N. noise. The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap. also v.

clemency N. disposition to be lenient; mildness, as of the weather. The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for her clemency toward first offenders. clench v. close tightly; grasp. "Open wide," said the dentist, but Clint clenched his teeth even more tightly than before.

cliché N. (1) phrase dulled in meaning by repetition; (2) trite theme. In writing your SAT essay, avoid using cliches like "sadder but wiser" and "old as the hills." Once a novel item on restaurant menus, blackened seafood dishes are now just another gastronomic cliché.

clientele N. body of customers. The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele.

climactic ADJ. relating to the highest point. When he reached the climactic portions of the book, he could not stop reading. climax, N.

clip N. section of filmed material. Phil's job at Fox Sports involved selecting clips of the day's sporting highlights for later broadcast. also v.

clique N. small exclusive group. Fitzgerald wished that he belonged to the clique of popular athletes and big men on campus who seemed to run Princeton's social life.

clout N. great influence (especially political or social). Gatsby wondered whether he had enough clout to be admitted to the exclusive club.

coagulate v. thicken; congeal; clot. Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to coagulate as it stands; therefore, do not overcook the pudding, lest it becomes too thick.

coalesce v. combine; fuse. The brooks coalesce into one large river. When minor political parties coalesce. their coalescence may create a major coalition. coalition N. partnership; league; union. The Rainbow Coalition united people of all races in a common cause.

coddle v. to treat gently. Don't coddle the children so much; they need a taste of discipline.

codify v. arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify. We need to take the varying rules and regulations of the different health agencies and codify them into a national health code.

coercion N. use of force to get someone to obey. The inquisitors used both physical and psychological coercion to force Joan of Arc to deny that her visions were sent by God. coerce, v.

cogent ADJ. convincing, It was inevitable that David chose to go to Harvard: he had several cogent reasons for doing so, including a full-tuition scholarship.

cogitate v. think over. Cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.

cognitive ADJ. having to do with knowing or perceiv-ing; related to the mental processes. Though Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced intel-lectually.

cognizance N. knowledge. During the election cam-paign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international situation.

cohere v. stick together. Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids.

cohesion N. tendency to keep together. A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the evil emperor, by means of lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the cohesion of the federation of free nations.

coin v. (1) make coins; (2) invent or fabricate. Mints coin good money; counterfeiters coin fakes. Slanderers coin nasty rumors; writers coin words. A neologism is an expression that's been newly coined. coincidence N. two or more things occurring at the same time by chance. Was it just a coincidence that John and she had chanced to meet at the market for three days running, or was he deliberately trying to seek her out? coincidental, ADJ.

collaborate v. work together. Three writers collaborated in preparing this book.

collateral N. security given for loan. The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by collateral.