Wordly Wise 3000 Book 12 Lessons 1-4

bibulous

adj. 1. Given to the consumption of alcoholic drinks. 2. Highly absorbent.

internecine

adj. 1. Marked by slaughter; mutually destructive. 2. Relating to conflict within a group.

obdurate

adj. 1. Resistant to persuasion; inflexible. 2. Persistent in wrongdoing. obduracy n.

empirical

adj. Based on experience or observation as opposed to theory; capable of being confirmed by observation.

putative

adj. Commonly accepted or supposed; assumed to exist.

sedulous

adj. Completed with careful perseverance; diligent.

beneficient

adj. Doing or producing good.

congenital

adj. Existing at or dating from birth; being an essential characteristic.

benighted

adj. Existing in a state of moral, cultural, or intellectual darkness; unenlightened.

trenchant

adj. Expressed with vigor and penetrating insight; keenly perceptive.

perennial

adj. Lasting indefinitely or recurring. n. A plant that lives three or more years.

covert

adj. Not openly acknowledged; secret.

ineluctable

adj. Not to be avoided or changed; inevitable.

quadrennial

adj. Occurring every four years.

ostensible

adj. Only seemingly so; apparent. ostensibly adv.

germane

adj. Pertinent and fitting.

laudable

adj. Praiseworthy.

risible

adj. Provoking or causing laughter.

ascetic

adj. Refraining from self-indulgence. n. A person who practices self-denial.

recalcitrant

adj. Unwilling to accept another's authority; stubbornly defiant. recalcitrance n.

antediluvian

adj. Very old or old-fashioned.

encomium

n. (plural: encomiums or encomia) An expression of warm and enthusiastic praise; a tribute.

doyen

n. 1. A senior member of a group, especially one who is highly respected. 2. The oldest example of a category. doyenne n. The female equivalent of doyen.

amalgam

n. 1. An alloy of mercury and other metals. 2. A mixture of different elements.

mandate

n. A clear command or instruction. v. To require or order.

aspersion

n. A defamatory expression; slander.

valedictory

n. A farewell address, especially one given at a graduation ceremony. adj. Of or relating to such a farewell address. valediction n.

demagogue

n. A leader who seeks power by appealing to people's emotions and prejudices and by making false claims and promises. demagoguery n.

élan

n. A lively spirit with a distinctive style.

nostrum

n. A medicine or remedy whose effectiveness has not been proven.

prototype

n. A person or thing that serves as an example of its kind; an original.

acolyte

n. A person who assists in some religious services by carrying out minor duties; one who attends or assists, a follower.

savant

n. A person with detailed knowledge in a specialized field.

utopia

n. A place or state of perfect social and political conditions. utopian adj.

apothegm

n. A short, instructive saying.

credo

n. A strongly held belief; a guide to one's action.

approbation

n. An expression of approval; praise.

indigence

n. An extreme level of poverty. indigent n. A person who is indigent. adj. Without means of support.

denizen

n. An inhabitant, resident, or frequenter of a place.

hiatus

n. An interruption or gap in space, continuity, or time.

prescience

n. Foresight; knowledge beforehand of events. prescient adj.

iconoclast

n. One who attacks established beliefs, customs, or institutions. iconoclastic adj.

charlatan

n. One who falsely claims knowledge or ability.

apothecary

n. One who prepares and sells ointments, drugs, and similar items for medicinal purposes.

coadjutor

n. One who works with another, usually in a subordinate position; an assistant.

flora

n. Plants considered as a group in a particular area or era.

protagonist

n. The chief character in a drama or story.

bourgeois

n. The middle class or a member of the middle class. adj. 1. Very concerned with middle-class values, such as respectability and material well being, with an inclination toward mediocrity. 2. Reflecting mediocrity.

invoke

v. 1. To appeal to earnestly. 2. To cite in justification.

imbibe

v. 1. To consume by drinking. 2. To absorb or take in mentally.

delineate

v. 1. To describe vividly and in detail. 2. To draw an outline of; to represent by drawing.

regurgitate

v. 1. To expel (partially digested food) from the stomach. 2. To repeat mindlessly what one has learned.

adumbrate

v. 1. To foreshadow in an indirect way. 2. To outline in a sketchy way; to partially disclose.

absolve

v. To clear guilt, or to free from a promise or a responsibility.

immure

v. To confine within or as if within walls; to imprison.

coalesce

v. To grow together; to unite to form a whole.

obviate

v. To prevent or make unnecessary; to get rid of.

declaim

v. To recite something in the style of a public speech; to speak in a loud, theatrical way.

expatiate

v. To speak or write about in great detail; to elaborate, usually used with 'on' or 'upon'.

eschew

v. To stay away from; to shun, especially on practical or moral grounds.