vocab for ap3
Physiologist (fiz-e-al-e-hist) 0
A biologist who deals with the functions of vital processes of living organisms. Origin: It comes from the Greek physis ("nature") and logos ("discourse"). Ex: After working with laboratory mice, I decided to become a physiologist.
Cabal (ka-bel') 0
A clique; a small group joined in a secret intrigue; a conspiracy. Origin: This French word was formed from the initials of Charles II's minsters; cabal ultimately derives from the Hebrew word qabbalah, which referred to a mystical interpretation of the Scriptures. Ex: The cabal met to formulate plans for the overthrow of the Bolivian government.
Imbroglio (im-brol-yo) -
A confused or difficult situation; a confused heap or tangle. Origin: The original Latin word describes the situation best (in broglio) Ex: The derelict sat beside the imbroglio comprised of all his meager belongings.
Cassandra (ke-san-dre) 0
A daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy who had the gift of prophecy but was cursed by Apollo so that her prophecies, though true, were fated never to be believed; one who prophesies doom or disaster. Origin: The Trojans though Cassandra was insane and disregarded her predictions. Among those were the revelation that Troy would be destroyed if Paris went to Sparta, and that there were armed Greeks in the Wooden Horse. If either of those prophecies had been heeded, Troy would have been saved. Ex: The general said, "If we remain militarily strong, we need not to be concerned with the Cassandras who see only tragedy."
Caste (kast) 0
A distinct social class or system. Origin: Hindu society is traditionally divided into four major hereditary castes, each class separated from the others by restrictions in marriage and occupation. Ex: Satindra was a member of the untouchable caste.
Pharyngologist (far-in-gal-e-jist) 0
A doctor who specializes in disease of the pharynx, the cavity of the alimentary canal leading from the mouth and nasal passages to the larynx and esophagus. Ex: I laughingly accused the pharynologist of putting his foot in his mouth.
Alienist (al-yen-ist) 0
A doctor who specializes in mental disease. Origin: Alienation, referring to mental derangement or insanity, comes from the word, aliento ("seperation"). The qustion, "Have you taken leave of your senses?" shows the relationship to alienist. Ex: The defense lawyer hired an alienist to testify to his client's insanity.
Dermatologist (dur-me-tal-e-jist) 0
A doctor who specializes in skin problems. Origin: From the Greek derma ("skin"). Your epidermis is your outer layer of skin. Ex: Dr. Zweben chose to be a dermatologist because patients rarely die of their skin ailments.
Ophthalmologist (af-thal-mal-e-jist) 0
A doctor who treats eyes and their diseases. Origin: From the Greek ophthalmos ("eye"). Oculist is a synonym for ophthalmologist. An optometrist prescribes eyeglasses; an optician makes or sells eyeglasses. Ex: It took an ophthalmologist to discover that Aunt Rose had a detached retina.
Bacchanal (bak-e-n'l) 0
A follower of Bacchus (Greek, Dionysus), the god of wine; a drunken reveler; an orgy. Origin: Early Greek drama developed in connection with the festival honoring this god. Ex: The bacchanal lasted into the late hours of the night.
Crecendo (kre-shen-do) 0
A gradual increase in the volume or intensity of sound; a music passage played in crescendo. Ex: The gale reached its crescendo at dawn.
Cortege (kor-tezh) 0
A group of attendants accompanying a person; a ceremonial procession. Origin: It is not surprising that cortege is related to court, a place where followers and ceremonies abound. Ex: The funeral cortege of the Spanish dictator is said to have stretched for two miles.
Hierarchy (jo-a-rar-ke) +
A group of persons or things arranged in order rank, or grade; a system of church government by clergymen in graded ranks. Origin: The Greek word hierarkhen meant "high priest." From there it was a small step to the designation of the entire church leadership as a hierarchy. With the loss of temporal power by the church after the Middle Ages, the word now refers to any arrangement by authority or position. Ex: The political hierarchy in our country begins with the voter in the polling booth.
Graphologist (gra-fal-e-jist) 0
A handwriting analyst. Origin: In Greek, graphos means "to write." Graphologists are often hired as entertainers today, analyzing the handwriting of guests at a party and describing their character traits and aptitudes. Ex: Because my handwriting tends to slope upward, graphologists say I'm an optimist.
Echelon (esh-a-lan) +
A level of command or authority or rank; a steplike formation of ships, troops, or planes. Origin: Coming to English through several languages, the word echelon has descended a ladder starting with the Latin word scale, which indeed means ladder, and explains why we still "scale a ladder." Ex: The command echelon was unaware that the fighting troops were being attacked.
Odyssey (ad-i-se) 0
A long series of wanderings, especially when filled with notable experiences or hardships. Origin: The Odyssey, called "the greatest tale of all time," is the second epic of Homer. It can recounts the wanderings and adventures of Odysseus after the fall of Troy, and his eventual return home to his faithful wife Penelope. Ex: My travels last summer were so extensive and exciting I am thinking of writing my own odyssey.
Phoenix (fe-niks) +
A person or thing of peerless beauty or excellence; a person or thing that has become renewed or restored after suffering calamity or apparent annihilation. Origin: The phoenix was a mythical bird of great beauty, fabled to love 600 years in the Arabian desert, to burn itself on a funeral pyre, and to rise from ts ashes to live through another cycle. It is an emblem of immortality. Ex: We seldom reflect upon our phoenix-like ability to wake each day refreshed and imbued with new energy.
Extrovert (eks-tre-vurt) +
A person who is active and expressive; a person who is outgoing. Origin: The opposite is introvert. Ex: Following his psychoanalysis, my withdrawn, shy brother became an extrovert.
Charlatan (shar-le-ten) -
A quack; one who is not what he claims to be. Ex: I looked him up on Google to make sure he wasn't a charlatan.
Rapprochement (re-prosh-man) +
A reestablishing of cordial relations. Origin: If there is to be an end to war, people and nations must learn to meet each other, to approach each other on common grounds. That is what this word implies, a coming together in friendship and trust. Ex: Doctor Welby attempted to bring about a rapprochement between mother and son.
Detente (da-tant) +
A relaxing or easing, especially of international tension. Origin: After the Cold War years following World War II, the U.S. embarked on a policy of closer ties with Russia; hence was born the policy of detente. Ex: With the help of the United Nations, the two belligerent countries reached a detente.
Virago (ve-ra-go) -
A scold; a noisy, tyrannizing woman. Ex: Quiet and demure, Janet turned out to be a genuine virago after the marriage.
Esprit de corps (es-pre-de-kor) +
A sense of union and of common interests and responsibilities. Origin: The French expression literally means "spirit of feeling as one body." It implies not only a camaraderie but a sense of pride or honor shared by those involved in an undertaking. Ex: Their coach established an esprit de corps that was powerful enough to catapult the team to the Rose Bowl.
Salvo (sal-vo) 0
A simultaneous discharge of firearms; a sudden outburst of cheers or the like. Origin: It is not surprising to find that words like salutation, salutary, salve, and salvation are related to salvo since the Latin salve, and salvus, form the ancestry of both strands of meaning. Ex: The new play received salvos of praise from the leading critics.
Entomologist (en-te-mal-e-jist) 0
A specialist in the study of insects. Origin: In Greek, enotmos means "cut up." Insects' bodies appear to be divided into sections or "cut up." Ex: My professor invited an entomologist to lecture on :Roaches I Have Known."
Limbo (limb-o) -
A state of neglect; an intermediate place. Origin: Souls that are kept from heaven through circumstance such as a lack of baptism are said to be in limbo. Ex: Hal's application to Yale was in limbo because it was incomplete.
Falsetto (fol-set-o) 0
A typically male singing voice, marked by artificially produced tones in an upper register that go beyond the voice's normal range. Ex: The thief, speaking in falsetto, was able to convince the maid to open the door.
Fortissimo (for-tis-a-mo) 0
A very loud passage, sound or tone. Origin: The word is also used as an adverb. Ex: The "1812 Overture" ends with a fortissimo of crashing cymbals, rolling drums and roaring cannons.
Pyrrhic victory (pir-ik) 0
A victory that is exceptionally costly. Origin: Pyrrhus defeated the Romans in 279 B.X. but his losses were a terribly heavy. Ex: The workers seemed to triumph at the end of the strike but it was a Pyrrhic victory.
Cornucopia (kor-ne-ko-pe-e) +
Abundance; horn of plenty. Origin: Named after the horn of the goat Amalthea that suckled the infant Zeus, the horn is always full of food and drink in endless supply. Ex: The people of the Third World still look for a cornucopia of riches that will end hunger and suffering in their lands.
Nemesis (nem-e-sis) -
Agent of retribution. Origin: In Greek mythology, the goddess Nemesis punished pretentiousness with her sword and avenging wings. Ex. No matter how great a team we fielded, little Calhoun Tech always proved to be our nemesis.
Adonis (a-dan-is) +
An exceptionally handsome young man; a plant with solitary red or yellow flowers. Origin: Adonis was beloved by both Aphroite, the goddess of love and Persephone, the queen of the dead. He was killed by a boar in a hunting expedition and from his life's blood sprang up a crimson flower. Ex: Brad Pitt was considered an Adonis of the film world.
Cosmetologist (kaz-me-tal-e-jist) 0
An expert in cosmetics. Origin: When a woman applies cosmetics she is putting herself in order. The Latin word cosmos means order in the sense of an orderly universe. Since such order was equated with beauty, when a cosmetologist helps to apply makeup, she is maintaining the classical connection between the two. Ex: Our school hired a cosmetologist to teach the girls how to look beautiful.
Lapidary (lap-e-der-e) 0
An expert in precious stones. Origin: Julius Caesar used the word lapis when he meant stone. Lapidaries cut, polish, and engrave stones. Ex: After the lapidary had washed the mud off the stone, he realized its true value.
Ornithologist (or-ne-thal-e-jist) 0
An expert in the branch of zoology dealing with birds. Origin: It is from the Greek Ornis ("bird"). Ex: The museum of Natural History hired an ornithologist to supervise their bird displays.
Spoonerism (spoon-er-ism) 0
An unintentional exchange of sounds. Origin: Reverend Spooner of New College, Oxford, occasionally twisted his words around when he got excited so that "conquering kings" came out as "kinkering congs." Ex: My cousin collects spoonerisms that he hears on the radio, and he hopes to publish them.
Palladium (pe-la-de-em) +
Anything believed to provide protection or safety; a safeguard or guarantee of the integrity of social institutions. Origin: Palladion was the fabled statue of Pallas Athena that assured the safety of Troy as long as it remained within the city. Ex: The Bill of Rights is the palladium of American civil liberties.
Bumptious (bump-shes) -
Arrogant; disagreeably conceited. Ex: My uncle's bumptious personality has caused him to be fired from several good jobs.
Anthropomorphism (an-thre-pe-mor-fiz-m) 0
Attributing human shape to gods, objects, animals. Origin: The Greek anthropo is a combining form that means "man" or "human." Ex: In a fit of anthropomorphism, the poet called his cat his bride.
Bilious (bil-yes) -
Bad-tempered; bitter. Origin: It comes from the French word bilis (bale"), the fluid secreted by the liver. Ex: Twenty years in his company's complaint department gave Ted a bilious attitude toward the public.
Philippic (fl0lip-ik) -
Bitter verbal attack. Origin: Philip II of Macedon wanted to make Greece into a monarchy. He was opposed by the great orator, Demosthenes, who denounced Philip in devastating speeches that come to be know as philippics. Ex: My philippic against higher taxes was reported on the local radio station.
Vendetta (ven-det-e) -
Blood feud; a prolonged feud marked by bitter hostility. Origin: This is the Italian word for revenge and is related to vindicate, our meaning for which is "to avenge." Ex: John finally fulfilled his long term Vendetta on Jack.
Protean (prot-e-an) -
Changeable; taking on different forms. Origin: In Greek mythology, Proteus was a sea god who could change his appearance at will. Ex: I resent your protean propensity for changing your mind whenever you feel like it.
Authoritarian (e-thor-e-ter-i-en) 0
Characterized by unquestioning obedience to authority. Origin: An authoritarian figure is one who rejects individual freedom of judgement and action. Ex: The principal reason for Donna's anger was her father's authoritarian stance.
Tawdry (to-dre) -
Cheap; gaudy; showy. Origin: This word can be traced to St, Audrey, Scarves called "St. Audrey's laces" were sold in England where the local people changed the pronunciation to tawdry. The quality of the scarves, which at first was good, deteriorated when they were mass produced for the peasant trade. Ex: Marlene's tawdry taste in clothing was an embarrassment to her boyfriend.
Camaraderie (kam-a-rad-ar-e) +
Comradeship; good fellowship Origin: Two soldiers sharing the same room usually developed a loyal and warm friendship. The Communist Party adopted the word comrade to denote a fellow member. Ex: A beautiful camaraderie developed among the actors in the cast of Cats.
Clandestine (klan-destin) 0
Concealed, secret. Ex: FBI agents were taping the proceedings of the clandestine meeting.
Erotic (i-rat-ik) 0
Concerning sexual love and desire amatory. Origin: Eros was the Greek god of love. Ex: Erotic literature is no longer subject to the censor's pen.
Debonair (deb-a-ner') +
Courteous, gracios and having a sophisticated charm; suave; urbane Origin: In Old French the words were de bon aire ("of a good race or bread"). Ex: Uncle Edward, with his top hat at a jaunty angle, was the model of a debonair gentleman.
Craven (kra-ven) 0
Cowardly. Ex: Even the most craven animal will turn courageous when its young are threatened.
Captious (kap-shes) 0
Critical; quick to find fault; quibbling. Ex: The gardeners hate to work for Mrs. Lyons because of her captious eye.
Contrite (ken-trit) 0
Crushed in spirit by a feeling of guilt. Ex: Because Judge Dooly believed that the prisoner was contrite, he gave him a light sentence.
Baleful (bal-fel) -
Deadly; sinister. Ex: I saw the baleful look on the gang leader's face, and I knew we were in for trouble.
Procrustean (pro-krus-te-en) +
Designed to secure conformity; drastic. Origin: An ancient Greek robber named Procrustes tied his victims to a bed and then, to make them fit the bed, stretched the short one and hacked off the limbs of the taller ones. Ex: Your procrustean attitude does not allow for disagreement.
Aberrant (a-ber-ent) 0
Deviating from what is normal or typical. Origin: It comes from the Latin aberrare ("to go astray"). Ex: For two months the prison psychologists studied the murderer's aberrant behavior.
Iridescent (ir-i-des-end) 0
Displaying lustrous colors like those of the rainbow. Origin: Iris was a messenger of the gods and regarded as the goddess of the rainbow. Ex: The fashion show featured an iridescent display of color in the most modern styles.
Internist (in-tur-nist) 0
Doctor who specializes internal medicine. Origin: In Latin, lnternus means "inward." Internists are noted as diagnosticians, not surgeons. Ex: The internist in our medical group is loath to prescribe drugs.
Narcissism (nar-si-siz-m) -
Excessive admiration of oneself; egocentrism. Origin: Narcissus was a youth who, having spurned the love of Echo, feel in love with his own image reflected in a pool, and after wasting away from unsatisfied desire was transformed into the flower that bears his name. The plant, incidentally, has narcotic effects (from the Greek narke, "numbness"). Ex: Psychoanalysts consider narcissism an infantile level of personality development.
Cupidity (kyoo-pid-i-te) -
Excessive desire for wealth. Origin: In Roman mythology Cupid was the god of love, represented by a winged boy with a bow and arrow. It has come to mean "avarice." Ex: The company president was accused of cupidity that led to outright theft.
Avaricious (av-e-rish'es) -
Excessively greedy. Ex: The avaricious broker was prosecuted by the attorney general.
Convivial (ken-viv-e-al) +
Festive; sociable. Ex: All of the shoppers contributed to the convivial atmosphere at the mall.
Dyspeptic (dis-pep'-tik) -
Grouchy; gloomy; a person who suffers from dyspepsia or indigestion. Ex: Eric's dyspeptic analysis of our chances for success was discouraging.
Largo (lar-go) 0
In a slow, solemn manner (a direction in music); a slow, broad movement. Ex: The music depicting the army's retreat was played in largo.
Bravura (bra-vyoor-e) +
In music, a florid passage requiring great skill and spirit in the performer; a display of faring; a brilliant performance. Ex: Verdi is noted for his stunning bravuras.
Genealogy (je-ne-al-a-je) +
Lineage; science of family descent. Origin: Thought our hereditary character is transmitted through genes in our chromosomes, that does not assure us that our genealogy has provided us with the most desirable traits. Much can and does happy as the generations pass. Ex: The young African-America man proudly displayed his genealogical chart, which linked him with African royalty.
Euthanasia (yoo-the-na-zhea) -
Method of caused death painlessly; mercy killing. Origin: In Greek, it means "happy death." Ex: I spoke against euthanasia in our classroom debate on mercy killing.
Beadle (be-dl) 0
Minor official. Origin: Beadle comes from an Old French word that meant "messenger"--a man who proceed a procession. The functionary carrying a mace (symbolic club) at the head of a university procession is a beadle. Ex: Mr. Bumble in Dickens' Oliver Twist is the most famous beadle in literature.
Archetype (ar-ke-tip) 0
Model; original pattern; prototype. Origin: One meaning of the Greek prefix arch is "main" or "chief." Ex: The brothers hated Joseph because he was constantly being held up to them as the archetype of juvenile perfection.
Staccato (sta-ka-to) +
Music performed with a crisp, sharp attack to simulate rests between successive tones; composed of abrupt, distinct, emphatic parts or sounds. Origin: This word is from the Old French word destachier and is contrasted with legato. Ex: From the distance, we heard the staccato beat of rain on a tin roof.
Psychic (si-kik) +
Of the psyche or mind; beyond natural or known physical processes. Origin: All of our words that begin with psych come from the Greek psychikos ("of the soul"). Ex: The jury wanted hard facts, not so-called psychic evidence.
Maverick (mav-er-ik) 0
One who acts independently. Origin: Samuel Maverick was a Texas rancher who refused to brand his cattle as others were doing. Ex: When you defend unpopular causes, you get the reputation of being a maverick.
Jingoist (jin-go-ist) -
One who boasts about his patriotism and favors a warlike foreign policy. Origin: In, 1877, British Prime Minister Disraeli sent the fleet to Gallipoli to show up the Russians. A singer wrote a ditty called "By Jingo" in honor of that action. Ex: The senator lost because his constituents rejected his jingoistic policies.
Sybarite (sib-e-rit) +
One who is fond of luxury and soft living. Origin: Sybaris was a fabulously wealthy Italian city, symbolic of the good life. Ex: Rudy was criticized for living as a sybarite while others of his family were starving.
Philanderer (fi-lan-der-er) -
One who makes love insincerely; one who engages in passing love affairs. Origin: The world comes from the Greek philandros ("man-loving") but gained its current usage because many English playwrights gave the name to their romantic leads. Ex: When Mrs. Greene wanted to find out if her husband was a philanderer, she hired a detective.
Osteopath (as-te-e-path) -
One who treats ailments by placing pressure on bones and nerves. Origin: From the Greek osteo ("bone") and pathos ("suffering"). Ex: Uncle Henry always said that an osteopath was a respectable chiropractor.
Olympian (o-lim'pe-en) 0
Pertaining to the twelve gods of the ancient Greek pantheon whose abode was Mt. Olympus; majestic; incomparable superior; pertaining to the Olympic games. Origin: Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece, is located in northern Greece (macedonia). It is sometimes used synonymously with "Heaven" or "the Sky." Ex: A turn of the road brought us to a landscape of Olympian beauty.
Lothaio (lo-ther-e-o) -
Rake; seducer; lower; player. Origin: Lathario was an amorous character in an eighteenth-century play. The Fair Penitent. Ex: The aging playboy thought of himself as a sophisticated lothario.
Quixotic (kwik-sat-ik) +
Romantically idealistic; impractical. Origin: The Spanish novelist, Cervantes, brought this word into our language when he wrote Don Quixote. His hero went forth foolishly to tilt against windmills and help the downtrodden. Ex: The City Planning Commission's ideas were labeled quixotic by the skeptical editors.
Churlish (churl-ish) -
Rude; surly. Origin: This adjective comes from "churl," the old word for a peasant. Ex: Harry's allowance was cute off by his parents as punishment for his churlish table manners.
Lachrymose (lak'-ra-mos) 0
Sad; mournful; inclined to shed many tears. Ex: Most television soap operas have lachrymose themes.
Aamiemsos (e-man-yoo-wen-sis) 0
Secretary; one who copies something. Origin: It comes from the Latin manus ("hand") and ensis ("relating to"). In ancient times a scribe was known as an amanuensis. Ex: My secretary likes to tease people by telling them she is a professional amanuensis.
Adagio (a-da-jo) 0
Slowly, in music. Origin: The plural, adajois, refers to a slow movement in music or a slow ballet dance requiring skillful balancing. Ex: The second movement of the symphony was played in adagio tempo.
Saturnine (sat-er-nin) -
Sluggish; gloomy; grave. Origin: The planet Saturn is so far from the sun that it was thought of as cold and dismal. Ex: Uncle Dave's constant saturnine expression drove my lively Ant Pearl up the wall.
Acidulous (a-sij-oo-les) -
Somewhat acid or sour. Ex:Joan's father took an acidulous view of her plans to get married.
Aegis (e-jis) +
Sponsorship, protection. Origin: In Greek mythology the aegis was the shield of Zeus, lent to him by Athena. Ex: The science fair was staged under the aegis of Microsoft.
Solecism (sal-e-sizm) -
Substandard use of words; violation of good manners. Origin: This word derives from the Greek inhabitants of the colony of Soloi who used a slangy dialect. Ex: There are some word forms that my teacher rejects as solecisms but I feel are acceptable.
Elite (i-le't) +
The best or most skilled members of of a given social group. Origin: The word is related to elect and suggests that some people are born with "a silver spoon in their mouth" or, at least, are entitled to special privileges. Ex: The elite of the city teams vied for the honor of being chosen to travel to Cuba.
Epidemiology (ep-e-de-me-al-e-je) 0
The branch of medicine that investigates the causes and controls of epidemics. Origin: This word is composed of two Greek roots meaning "among the people." Ex: We turned to epidermiology to find the cause of the Legionnaries' disease.
Liaison (le-a-zan) +
The contact maintained between military of naval units in order to understake concerted action; a similar connection between the units of any organization; an illicit relationship between a man and a woman. Origin: The word is a cousin to ligature, a connection on the physical level similar to the connection made on an informational level by a liaison. Ex: The elected sophomore served as a liaison between the council and his class.
Contralto (ker-tral-to) 0
The lowest female voice or part, between a soprano and a tenor; a woman having such a voice. Ex: The famous singer had a rich and powerful contralto voice.
Hydra (hi-dra) -
The nine-headed serpent slain by Hercules; a persistent or many-sided problem that presents new obstacles as soon as old ones are solved. Origin: The hydra had to be slain by Hercules as one of his Twelve Labors. This monster grew two heads fro each one cut off. Hercules finally destroyed the hydra by cauterizing the necks as he cut off the heads. Ex: Economists are struggling to solve the hydra-headed problems of inflation without crating the evils of recession.
Arpeggio (arpej-e-o, pej-o) +
The playing of the tones of chord in rapid succession rather than simultaneously. Ex: The sound of the arpeggio simulates the music of a harp.
Catharsis (ke-thar-sis) +
The relieveing of the emotions by art; the alleviation of fears by bringing them to consciousness. Origin: This Greek word has played an important role in theater, as well as in psychiatry. Ex: After the emotional catharsis, my psychiatrist felt that I was cured.
Demography (di-mag-re-fe) 0
The science of vital statistics, as of births, daths, population, etc. Origin: It comes from the Greek root demos ("the people") and graph ("to write"). Ex: We applied demography to help win our case with the Housing Commission.
Libretto (li-bret-o) 0
The text of an opera or other dramatic musical work. Origin: It is the Italian diminutive of libro. Ex: In the most famous team that produced light opera, Gilbert wrote the librettos and Sullivan the music.
Hobnob (hab-nab) +
To associate on very friendly terms. Origin: The title of the novel To Have and Have Not is an exact translation of the original meaning of hobnob. This word was formed by a combination of the Old English words habban and navan. The modern meaning suggests the egalitarian idea of friendship not based on one's possessions. Ex: Juanita's vivacious temperament allowed her to hobnob with people in all walks of life.
Herculean (hur-kye-le-en, hur-kyoo-le-an) +
Tremendously difficult or demanding; resembling Hercules in size, power, or courage. Origin: Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmene who won immortality by performing Twelve Labors demanded by the jealous Hera. Ex: Digging the tunnel was a herculean task.
Ecumenical (ek-yoo-men-i-k'l) +
Universal; general; fostering Christian unity throughout the world. Origin: The idea of ecumenism, as well as the spirit of brotherhood, was fostered by the far-reaching policies of Pope John XXIII. Ex: The influence of Pope John's ecumenical pronouncements is still being felt today.
Bellicose (bel-e-kos) -
Warlike; of a quarrelsome nature. Ex: Although our landlord sometimes sounds bellicose, he is actually very soft-hearted.
Complaisant (kem-pla'z'nt) +
Willing to please; tending to consent to others' wishes. Ex: Every employee at the state agency acts in an admirable, complaisant way.
