Combo with Barrons 3500: A and 24 others

clientele

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

commensurate

ADJ. equal in extent. Your reward will be commensurate with your effort.

evince

V. show clearly. When he tried to answer the ques¬tions, he evinced his ignorance of the subject matter.

annul

v. make void. The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.

accretion

N. growth; increase. The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power.

advocate

V. urge; plead for. The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves. also N.

alloy

N. a mixture as of metals. Alloys of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal.

vent

N. a small opening; outlet. The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was clogged.

anthropologist

N. a student of the history and science of mankind. Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric man in this area.

empathy

N. ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc. What made Ann such a fine counselor was her empa¬thy, her ability to put herself in her client's place and feel his emotions as if they were her own. empathize,V.

caliber

N. ability; quality. Einstein's cleaning the black¬boards again? Albert, quit it! A man of your caliber shouldn't have to do such menial tasks.

elaboration

N. addition of details; intricacy. Tell what hap¬pened simply, without any elaboration. elaborate,V.

dissection

N. analysis; cutting apart in order to examine. The dissection of frogs in the laboratory is particularly unpleasant to some students.

wrath

N. anger; fury. She turned to him, full of wrath, and said, "What makes you think I'll accept lower pay for this job than you get?"

hierarchy

N. arrangement by rank or standing; authoritar¬ian body divided into ranks. To be low man on the totem pole is to have an inferior place in the hierarchy.

advent

N. arrival. Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them.

culvert

N. artificial channel for water. If we build a culvert under the road at this point, we will reduce the possibility of the road's being flooded during the rainy season.

escapism

N. avoiding reality by diverting oneself with amusements. Before you criticize her constant reading as mere escapism, note how greatly her vocabulary has improved since she began spending her days buried in books.

arousal

N. awakening; provocation (of a response). On arousal, Papa was always grumpy as a bear. The children tiptoed around the house, fearing they would arouse his anger by waking him up.

accolade

N. award of merit. In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.

equilibrium

N. balance. After the divorce, he needed some time to regain his equilibrium.

calligraphy

N. beautiful writing; excellent penmanship. As we examine ancient manuscripts, we become impressed with the calligraphy of the scribes.

novice

N. beginner. Even a novice at working with comput¬ers can install Barron's Computer Study Program for the SAT by following the easy steps outlined in the user's manual.

ennui

N. boredom. The monotonous routine of hospital life induced a feeling of ennui that made him moody and irritable.

valor

N. bravery. He received the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle.

contusion

N. bruise. Black and blue after her fall, Sue was treated for contusions and abrasions.

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.

grievance

N. cause of complaint. When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took her grievance to the union.

temperament

N. characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess. Although the twins look alike, they differ markedly in temperament: Todd is calm, but Rod is excitable.

quack

N. charlatan; impostor. Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he cannot cure you.

talisman

N. charm to bring good luck and avert misfortune. Joe believed the carved pendant he found in Vietnam served him as a talisman and brought him safely through the war.

amulet

N. charm; talisman. Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her.

alacrity

N. cheerful promptness. Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountains; they packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity.

bludgeon

N. club; heavy-headed weapon. Attacked by Dr. Moriarty, Holmes used his walking stick as a bludgeon to defend himself. "Watson," he said, "I fear I may have blud¬geoned Moriarty to death."

hue

N. color; aspect. The aviary contained birds of every possible hue.

epicure

N. connoisseur of food and drink. Epicures fre¬quent this restaurant because it features exotic wines and dishes. epicurean,ADJ.

gourmet

N. connoisseur of food and drink. The gourmet stated that this was the best onion soup she had ever tasted.

emendation

N. correction of errors; improvement. Please initial all the emendations you have made in this contract.

quay

N. dock; landing place. Because of the captain's carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.

liability

N. drawback; debts. Her lack of an extensive vocab¬ulary was a liability that she was eventually able to overcome.

effigy

N. dummy. The mob showed its irritation by hanging the judge in effigy.

gnome

N. dwarf; underground spirit. In medieval mythol¬ogy, gnomes were the special guardians and inhabitants of subterranean mines.

bulwark

N. earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends. The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion.

gusto

N. enjoyment; enthusiasm. He accepted the assignment with such gusto that I feel he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary.

devotee

N. enthusiastic follower. A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year.

gourmand

N. epicure; person who takes excessive plea¬sure in food and drink. Gourmands lack self-restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they eat far too much of it.

apparatus

N. equipment. Firefighters use specialized apparatus to fight fires.

egoism

N. excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in others. His egoism prevented him from seeing the needs of his col¬leagues.

tightwad

N. excessively frugal person; miser. Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the check.

ejaculation

N. exclamation. He could not repress an ejacu¬lation of surprise when he heard the news.

expatriate

N. exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land. Henry James was an American expatriate who settled in England.

egress

N. exit. Barnum's sign "To the Egress" fooled many people who thought they were going to see an animal and instead found themselves in the street.

legend

N. explanatory list of symbols on a map. The leg¬end at the bottom of the map made it clear which symbols stood for rest areas along the highway and which stood for public camp sites. (secondary meaning)

detonation

N. explosion. The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away.

eulogy

N. expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death. Instead of delivering a spoken eulogy at Genny's memorial service, Jeff sang a song he had written in her honor.

eloquence

N. expressiveness; persuasive speech. The crowds were stirred by Martin Luther King's eloquence. elo¬quent,ADJ.

cordon

N. extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress. The police cordon was so tight that the criminals could not leave the area. also V.

depravity

N. extreme corruption; wickedness. The deprav¬ity of Caligula's behavior came to sicken even those who had willingly participated in his earlier, comparatively inno¬cent orgies.

opulence

N. extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance. The glitter and opulence of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away. opulent,ADJ.

acrophobia

N. fear of heights. A born salesman, he could convince someone with a bad case of acrophobia to sign up for a life membership in a sky-diving club.

apprehension

N. fear. His nervous glances at the passersby on the deserted street revealed his apprehension.

euphoria

N. feeling of great happiness and well-being (sometimes exaggerated). Delighted with her SAT scores, sure that the university would accept her, Allison was filled with euphoria. euphoric,ADJ.

tantrum

N. fit of petulance; caprice. The child learned that he could have almost anything if he had a tantrum.

blandishment

N. flattery. Despite the salesperson's bland¬ishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.

quadruped

N. four-footed animal. Most mammals are quadrupeds.

chassis

N. framework and working parts of an automobile. Examining the car after the accident, the owner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the chassis was unharmed.

candor

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

latitude

N. freedom from narrow limitations. I think you have permitted your son too much latitude in this matter.

amity

N. friendship. Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity.

outskirts

N. fringes; outer borders. We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of a great city.

benefactor

N. gift giver; patron. Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him gifts.

camaraderie

N. good-fellowship. What he loved best about his job was the sense of camaraderie he and his co¬workers shared.

oligarchy

N. government by a privileged few. One small clique ran the student council: what had been intended as a democratic governing body had turned into an oligarchy.

theocracy

N. government run by religious leaders. Though some Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower favored the establish¬ment of a theocracy in New England, many of their fellow voyagers preferred a nonreligious form of government.

cupidity

N. greed. The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.

avarice

N. greediness for wealth. King Midas is a perfect example of avarice, for he was so greedy that he wished everything he touched would turn to gold.

entourage

N. group of attendants; retinue. Surrounded by the members of his entourage, the mayor hurried into city hall, shouting a brusque "No comment!" to the reporters lin¬ing the steps.

consonance

N. harmony; agreement. Her agitation seemed out of consonance with her usual calm.

ballast

N. heavy substance used to add stability or weight. The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an even keel. alsoV.

encomium

N. high praise; eulogy. Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his supporters, Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise.

virtuoso

N. highly skilled artist. The child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose violin performances thrilled millions. virtuosity, N.

coup

N. highly successful action; sudden attack. As the news of his coup spread throughout the Wall Street, his fellow brokers dropped by to congratulate him.

tenure

N. holding of an office; time during which such an office is held. He has permanent tenure in this position and cannot be fired.

hermitage

N. home of a hermit. Even in his remote her¬mitage he could not escape completely from the world.

domicile

N. home. Although his legal domicile was in New York City, his work kept him away from his residence for many years. alsoV.

waif

N. homeless child or animal. Although he already had eight cats, he could not resist adopting yet another feline waif.

nostalgia

N. homesickness; longing for the past. My grandfather seldom spoke of life in the old country; he had little patience with nostalgia. nostalgic,ADJ.

distinction

N. honor; contrast; discrimination. A holder of the Medal of Honor, George served with great distinction in World War II. He made a distinction, however, between World War II and Vietnam, which he considered an immoral conflict.

cornucopia

N. horn overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance. The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information, an inexhaustible source of knowledge for the entire family.

animus

N. hostile feeling or intent. The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.

circumlocution

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

contagion

N. infection. Fearing contagion, they took great steps to prevent the spread of the disease.

denizen

N. inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In The Untouchables, Eliot Ness fights AI Capone and the other denizens of Chicago's underworld. Ness's fight against cor¬ruption was the talk of all the denizens of the local bars.

query

N. inquiry; question. In her column "Ask Beth," the columnist invites young readers to send her their queries about life and love.

cant

N. insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves. Shocked by news of the minister's extramarital love affairs, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as mere cant. Cant is a form of hypocrisy: those who can, pray; those who cant, pretend.

affront

N. insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect. When Mrs. Proudie was not seated beside the Archdeacon at the head table, she took it as a personal affront and refused to speak to her hosts for a week. alsoV.

expletive

N. interjection; profane oath. The sergeant's remarks were filled with expletives that offended the new recruits.

anomaly

N. irregularity. A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.

blasphemy

N. irreverence; sacrilege; cursing. In my father's house, the Dodgers were the holiest of holies; to cheer for another team was to utter words of blasphemy. blasphemous,ADJ.

quarantine

N. isolation of person or ship to prevent spread of infection. We will have to place this house under quaran¬tine until we determine the exact nature of the disease. alsoV.

arbitrator

N. judge. Because the negotiating teams had been unable to reach a contract settlement, an outside arbi¬trator was called upon to mediate the dispute between union and management. arbitration, N.

hodgepodge

N. jumble; mixture of ill-suited elements. The reviewer roundly condemned the play as a hodgepodge of random and purposeless encounters carried out by a cast lacking any uniformity of accent or style.

abduction

N. kidnapping. The movie Ransom describes the attempts to rescue a multimillionaire's son after the child's abduction by kidnappers. abduct,V.

discrepancy

N. lack of consistency; difference. The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him.

bevy

N. large group. The movie actor was surrounded by a bevyof starlets.

caldron

N. large kettle. "Why, Mr. Crusoe," said the sav¬age heating the giant caldron, "we'd love to have you for dinner!"

agent

N. means or instrument; personal representative; per¬son acting in an official capacity. °I will be the agent of America's destruction," proclaimed the beady-eyed villain, whose agent had gotten him the role. With his face, he could never have played the part of the hero, a heroic F.B.I. agent.

automaton

N. mechanism that imitates actions of humans. Long before science fiction readers became aware of robots, writers were presenting stories of automatons who could outperform men.

antidote

N. medicine to counteract a poison or disease. When Marge's child accidentally swallowed some cleaning fluid, the local poison control hotline instructed Marge how to administer the antidote.

opiate

N. medicine to induce sleep or deaden pain; some¬thing that relieves emotions or causes inaction. To say that religion is the opiate of the people is to condemn religion as a drug that keeps the people quiet and submissive to those in power.

alchemy

N. medieval chemistry. The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy. alchemist, N.

drudgery

N. menial work. Cinderella's fairy godmother res¬cued her from a life of drudgery.

composure

N. mental calmness. Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.

delirium

N. mental disorder marked by confusion. In his delirium, the drunkard saw pink panthers and talking pigs. Perhaps he wasn't delirious: he might just have wandered into a movie.

acumen

N. mental keenness. His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.

Capacity

N. mental or physical ability; role; ability to accommodate. Mike had the capacity to handle several jobs at once. In his capacity as president of SelecTronics he marketed an electronic dictionary with a capacity of 200,000 words.

courier

N. messenger. The publisher sent a special courier to pick up the manuscript.

euphemism

N. mild expression in place of an unpleasant one. The expression "he passed away" is a euphemism for "he died."

leniency

N. mildness; permissiveness. Considering the gravity of the offense, we were surprised by the leniency of the sentence.

quibble

N. minor objection or complaint. Aside from a few hundred teensy-weensy quibbles about the set, the script, the actors, the director, the costumes, the lighting, and the props, the hypercritical critic loved the play. alsoV.

qualms

N. misgivings; uneasy fears, especially about mat¬ters of conscience. I have no qualms about giving this assignment to Helen; I know she will handle it admirably.

lull

N. moment of calm. Not wanting to get wet, they waited under the awning for a lull in the rain.

cloister

N. monastery or convent. The nuns lived a secluded life in the cloister.

hybrid

N. mongrel; mixed breed. Mendel's formula explains the appearance of hybrids and pure species in breeding. also ADJ.

gesticulation

N. motion; gesture. Operatic performers are trained to make exaggerated gesticulations because of the large auditoriums in which they appear.

amble

N. moving at an easy pace. When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble. alsoV.

brawn

N. muscular strength; sturdiness. It takes brawn to become a champion weightlifter. brawny,ADJ.

correlation

N. mutual relationship. He sought to determine the correlation that existed between ability in algebra and ability to interpret reading exercises. correlate, V., N.

appellation

N. name; title. Macbeth was startled when the witches greeted him with an incorrect appellation. Why did they call him Thane of Cawdor, he wondered, when the holder of that title still lived?

negligence

N. neglect; failure to take reasonable care. Tommy failed to put back the cover on the well after he fetched his pail of water; because of his negligence, Kitty fell in.

aerie

N. nest of a large bird of prey (eagle, hawk). The mother eagle swooped down on the unwitting rabbit and bore it off to her aerie high in the Rocky Mountains.

neologism

N. new or newly coined word or phrase. As we invent new techniques and professions, we must also Invent neologisms such as "microcomputer" and "astronaut" to describe them.

clamor

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

altercation

N. noisy quarrel; heated dispute. In that hot¬tempered household, no meal ever came to a peaceful con¬clusion; the inevitable altercation might even end in blows.

harangue

N. noisy speech. In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders. alsoV.

cipher

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

artifact

N. object made by human beings, either hand¬made or mass-produced. Archaeologists debated the sig¬nificance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor but came to no conclusion about the culture they rep¬resented.

liniment

N. ointment; lotion; salve. The trainer carefully applied the liniment to the quarterback's bruise, gently rub¬bing it into the skin.

augury

N. omen; prophecy. He interpreted the departure of the birds as an augury of evil. augur,V.

ellipsis

N. omission of words from a text. Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling modifier, as in the sentence "Once dressed, you should refrigerate the potato salad."

apologist

N. one who writes in defense of a cause or insti¬tution. Rather than act as an apologist for the current regime in Beijing and defend its brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to the West.

adversary

N. opponent. The young wrestler struggled to defeat his adversary.

converse

N. opposite. The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation.

converse

N. opposite. The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation. V. chat; talk informally. Eva was all ears while Lulu and Lola conversed. Wasn't it rude of her to eavesdrop on their conversation? conversation, N.

brooch

N. ornamental clasp. She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom.

upshot

N. outcome. The upshot of the rematch was that the former champion proved that he still possessed all the skills of his youth.

denouement

N. outcome; final development of the plot of a play. The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the mid¬dle of the first act.

amphitheater

N. oval building with tiers of seats. The spec¬tators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators.

genre

N. particular variety of art or literature. Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre.

accomplice

N. partner in crime. Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, he was arrested as an accomplice in the murder.

coalition

N. partnership; league; union. The Rainbow Coalition united people of all races in a common cause.

alimony

N. payment by a husband to his divorced wife (or vice versa). Mrs. Jones was awarded $200 monthly alimony by the court when she was divorced from her husband.

expenditure

N. payment or expense; output. When you are operating on an expense account, you must keep receipts for all your expenditures. If you don't save your receipts, you won't get repaid without the expenditure of a lot of energy arguing with the firm's accountants.

gentry

N. people of standing; class of people just below nobility. The local gentry did not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the community.

hypochondriac

N. person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness. The doctor prescribed chocolate pills for his patient who was a hypochondriac.

demagogue

N. person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader of people. He was accused of being a dema¬gogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.

numismatist

N. person who collects coins. The numisma¬tist had a splendid collection of antique coins.

heckler

N. person who harasses others. The heckler kept interrupting the speaker with rude remarks. heckle,V.

optimist

N. person who looks on the good side. The pes¬simist says the glass is half-empty; the optimist says it is half-full.

anarchist

N. person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority. Denying she was an anarchist, Katya maintained she wished only to make changes in our government, not to destroy it entirely. anarchy, N.

holster

N. pistol case. Even when he was not in uniform, he carried a holster and pistol under his arm.

aphorism

N. pithy maxim. An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific. "The proper study of mankind is man" is an aphorism. "There's no smoke without a fire" is an adage. aphoristic,ADJ.

asylum

N. place of refuge or shelter; protection. The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in a new land.

aplomb

N. poise; assurance. Gwen's aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she coolly picked up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace.

antecedents

N. preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background. Susi Bechhofer's ignorance of her Jewish background had its antecedents in the chaos of World War II. Smuggled out of Germany and adopted by a Christian family, she knew nothing of her birth and antecedents until she was reunited with her family in 1989.

nicety

N. precision; minute distinction. I cannot distinguish between such niceties of reasoning.

bluff

N. pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff. Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Helle¬spont was just a bluff; she was astounded when he dove from the high bluff into the waters below.

haughtiness

N. pride; arrogance. When she realized that Darcy believed himself too good to dance with his inferiors, Elizabeth took great offense at his haughtiness.

cavalcade

N. procession; parade. As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was a mot¬ley group.

wastrel

N. profligate. His neighbors denounced him as a wastrelwho had dissipated his inheritance.

decorum

N. propriety; orderliness and good taste in man¬ners. Even the best-mannered students have trouble behav¬ing with decorum on the last day of school. decorous,ADJ.

archetype

N. prototype; primitive pattern. The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now con¬nect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.

whiff

N. puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.); hint. The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind.

verity

N. quality of being true; lasting truth or principle. Did you question the verity of Kato Kaelin's testimony about what he heard the night Nicole Brown Simpson was slain? To the skeptic, everything was relative: there were no eter¬nal verities in which one could believe.

naiveté

N. quality of being unsophisticated; simplicity; art¬lessness; gullibility. Touched by the naivetd of sweet, con¬vent-trained Cosette, Marius pledges himself to protect her innocence. naive,ADJ.

hydrophobia

N. rabies; fear of water. A dog that bites a human being must be observed for symptoms of hydrophobia.

dais

N. raised platform for guests of honor. When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him.

ecstasy

N. rapture; joy; any overpowering emotion. When Allison received her long-hoped-for letter of acceptance from Harvard, she was in ecstasy. ecstatic,ADJ.

determination

N. resolve; measurement or calculation; decision. Nothing could shake his determination that his children would get the best education that money could buy. Thanks to my pocket calculator, my determination of the answer to the problem took only seconds of my time.

equestrian

N. rider on horseback. These paths in the park are reserved for equestrians and their steeds. alsoADJ.

entitlement

N. right to claim something; right to benefits. While Bill was entitled to use a company car while he worked for the firm, the company's lawyers questioned his entitlement to the vehicle once he'd quit his job.

dearth

N. scarcity. The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.

crypt

N. secret recess or vault, usually used for burial. Until recently, only bodies of rulers and leading statesmen were interred in this crypt.

collateral

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

aspirant

N. seeker after position or status. Although I am an aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses. alsoADJ.

excerpt

N. selected passage (written or musical). The cin¬ematic equivalent of an excerpt from a novel is a clip from a film. alsoV.

casualty

N. serious or fatal accident. The number of auto¬motive casualties on this holiday weekend was high.

gravity

N. seriousness. We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of the principal's expression. (sec¬ondary meaning) grave,ADJ.

vertigo

N. severe dizziness. When you test potential air¬plane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo, be sure to hand out air-sickness bags.

ordeal

N. severe trial or affliction. June was so painfully shy that it was an ordeal for her to speak up when the teacher called on her in class.

nuance

N. shade of difference in meaning or color; subtle distinction. Jody gazed at the Monet landscape for an hour, appreciating every subtle nuance of color in the painting.

effrontery

N. shameless boldness. She had the effrontery to insult the guest.

barb

N. sharp projection from fishhook, etc.; openly cut¬ting remark. If you were a politician, which would you pre¬fer, being caught on the barb of a fishhook or being subjected to malicious verbal barbs? Who can blame the president if he's happier fishing than back in the capitol lis¬tening to his critics' barbed remarks?

creed

N. system of religious or ethical belief. Any loyal American's creed must emphasize love of democracy.

carat

N. unit of weight for precious stones; measure of fineness of gold. He gave her a three-carat diamond mounted in an eighteen-carat gold band.

colossal

ADJ. huge. Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.

burly

ADJ. husky; muscular. The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease.

acrimonious

ADJ. bitter in words or manner. The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms. acri¬mony,

limber

ADJ. flexible. Hours of ballet classes kept him limber.

amiable

ADJ. agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly. In Little Women, Beth is the amiable daughter whose loving disposi¬tion endears her to all who know her.

adjacent

ADJ. adjoining; neighboring; close by. Philip's best friend Jason lived only four houses down the block, close but not immediately adjacent.

gustatory

ADJ. affecting the sense of taste. The Thai restaurant offered an unusual gustatory experience for those used to a bland cuisine.

harrowing

ADJ. agonizing; distressing; traumatic. At first the former prisoner did not wish to discuss his harrowing months of captivity as a political hostage.

winsome

ADJ. agreeable; gracious; engaging. By her win¬some manner, she made herself liked by everyone who met her.

obligatory

ADJ. binding; required. It is obligatory that books borrowed from the library be returned within two weeks.

anomalous

ADJ. abnormal; irregular. He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures which he despised.

abrogate

ADJ. abolish. He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

ample

ADJ. abundant. Bond had ample opportunity to escape. Why did he let us catch him?

bountiful

ADJ. abundant; graciously generous. Thanks to the good harvest, we had a bountiful supply of food and we could be as bountiful as we liked in distributing food to the needy.

luxuriant

ADJ. abundant; rich and splendid; fertile. Lady Godiva was completely covered by her luxuriant hair.

vituperative

ADJ. abusive; scolding. He became more vitu¬perative as he realized that we were not going to grant him his wish.

tawdry

ADJ. cheap and gaudy. He won a few tawdry trin¬kets in Coney Island.

apropos

PREP. with reference to; regarding. I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and perti¬nent. also ADJ. and ADV.

nauseate

V. cause to become sick; fill with disgust. The foul smells began to nauseate him.

descry

V. catch sight of. In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels.

acclimate

V. adjust to climate. One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travelers to acclimate them¬selves to their new and often strange environments.

gall

V. annoy; chafe. Their taunts galled him.

assail

V. assault. He was assailed with questions after his lecture.

decapitate

V. behead. They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her. "Off with her head!" cried the Duchess, eager to decapitate poor Alice.

disparage

V. belittle. A doting mother, Emma was more likely to praise her son's crude attempts at art than to dis¬parage them.

beleaguer

V. besiege or attack; harassed. The babysitter was surrounded by a crowd of unmanageable brats who relentlessly beleaguered her.

hurtle

V. crash; rush. The runaway train hurtled toward dis¬aster.

canvass

V. determine votes, etc. After canvassing the senti¬ments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the majority opinion of his district. also N.

loathe

V. detest. Booing and hissing, the audience showed how much they loathed the wicked villain.

quench

V. douse or extinguish; assuage or satisfy. No matter how much water the hiker drank, she could not quench her thirst.

elicit

V. draw out by discussion. The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot.

bedizen

V. dress with vulgar finery. The witch doctors were bedizened in all their gaudiest costumes.

quaff

V. drink with relish. As we quaffed our ale, we lis¬tened to the lively songs of the students in the tavern.

exorcise

V. drive out evil spirits. By incantation and prayer, the medicine man sought to exorcise the evil spirits which had taken possession of the young warrior.

desiccate

V. dry up. A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it.

erode

V. eat away. The limestone was eroded by the drip¬ping water until only a thin shell remained. erosion, N.

vent

V. express; utter. The angry teacher vented his wrath on his class.

lope

V. gallop slowly. As the horses loped along, we had an opportunity to admire the ever-changing scenery. loquacious ADJ. talkative. Though our daughter barely says a word to us these days, put a phone in her hand and see how loquacious she can be: our phone bills are out of sight! loquacity, N.

aggregate

V. gather; accumulate. Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers in so-called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time. aggrega¬tion, N.

garner

V. gather; store up. She hoped to garner the world's literature in one library.

bestow

V. give. He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.

loiter

V. hang around; linger. The policeman told him not to loiter in the alley.

beset

V. harass or trouble; hem in. Many vexing problems beset the American public school system. Sleeping Beauty's castle was beset on all sides by dense thickets that hid it from view.

apprise

V. inform. When he was apprised of the danger¬ous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.

disgruntle

V. make discontented. The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays.

disfigure

V. mar in beauty; spoil. An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face.

deface

V. mar; disfigure. If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.

array

V. marshal; draw up in order. His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him. also N.

bungle

V. mismanage; blunder. Don't botch this assign¬ment, Bumstead; if you bungle the job, you're fired!

hamper

V. obstruct. The new mother didn't realize how much the effort of caring for an infant would hamper her ability to keep an immaculate house.

acquire

V. obtain; get. Frederick Douglass was deter¬mined to acquire an education despite his master's efforts to prevent his doing so.

outwit

V. outsmart; trick. By disguising himself as an old woman, Holmes was able to outwit his pursuers and escape capture.

absolve

V. pardon (an offense). The father confessor absolved him of his sins. absolution, N.

cite

V. quote; command. She could cite passages in the Bible from memory. citation, N.

allude

V. refer indirectly. Try not to mention divorce in Jack's presence because he will think you are alluding to his marital problems with Jill.

chide

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

check

V. stop motion; 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." (sec¬ondary meaning)

deviate

V. turn away from (a principle, norm); depart; diverge. Richard never deviated from his daily routine: every day he set off for work at eight o'clock, had his sack lunch (peanut butter on whole wheat) at 12:15, and headed home at the stroke of five.

deify

V. turn into a god; idolize. Admire Elvis Presley all you want; just don't deify him.

clairvoyant

ADJ. N. having foresight; fortuneteller. Cassan¬dra's clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans. clairvoyance, N.

comatose

ADJ. a coma; extremely sleepy. The long¬winded orator soon had his audience in a comatose state.

covetous

ADJ. avaricious; eagerly desire of. The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates. covet, V.

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.

volatile

ADJ. changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly. The political climate today is extremely volatile: No one can predict what the electorate will do next. Maria Callas's tem¬per was extremely volatile: The only thing you could predict was that she was sure to blow up. Acetone is an extremely volatile liquid: It evaporates instantly.

generic

ADJ. characteristic of an entire class or species. Sue knew so many computer programmers who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she began to think that playing Dungeons & Dragons was a generic trait.

universal

ADJ. characterizing or affecting all; present every¬where. At first, no one shared Christopher's opinions; his the¬ory that the world was round was met with universal disdain.

engaging

ADJ. charming; attractive. Everyone liked Nancy's pleasant manners and engaging personality.

cardinal

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

vociferous

ADJ. clamorous; noisy. The crowd grew vocifer¬ous in its anger and threatened to take the law into its own hands.

gauche

ADJ. clumsy; coarse and uncouth. Compared to the sophisticated young ladies in their elegant gowns, tomboyish Jo felt gauche and out of place.

convoluted

ADJ. coiled around; involved; intricate. His argument was so convoluted that few of us could follow it intelligently.

convoluted

ADJ. coiled around; involved; intricate. The new tax regulations are so convoluted that even accountants have trouble following their twists and turns.

combustible

ADJ. easily burned. After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible materials be kept in safe containers, also N.

gullible

ADJ. easily deceived. Overly gullible people have only themselves to blame if they fall for con artists repeat¬edly. As the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

queasy

ADJ. easily nauseated; squeamish. Remember that great chase movie, the one with the carsick passenger? That's right: Queasy Rider!

conspicuous

ADJ. easily seen; noticeable; striking. Janet was conspicuous both for her red hair and for her height.

lucid

ADJ. easily understood; clear; intelligible. Ellen makes an excellent teacher: her explanations of technical points are lucid enough for a child to grasp.

accessible

ADJ. easy to approach; obtainable. We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.

corrosive

ADJ. eating away by chemicals or disease. Stain¬less steel is able to withstand the effects of corrosive chem¬icals. corrode,V.

omnivorous

ADJ. eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything. Some animals, including man, are omnivorous and eat both meat and vegetables; others are either carnivorous or herbivorous.

crotchety

ADJ. eccentric; whimscal. Although he was reputed to be a crotchety old man, I found his ideas substantially sound and sensible.

articulate

ADJ. effective; distinct. Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers. alsoV.

blatant

ADJ. flagrant; conspicuously obvious; loudly offen¬sive. To the unemployed youth from Dublin, the "No Irish Need Apply" placard in the shop window was a blatant mark of prejudice.

gaudy

ADJ. flashy; showy. The newest Trump skyscraper is typically gaudy, covered in gilded panels that gleam in the sun.

evanescent

ADJ. fleeting; vanishing. Brandon's satisfaction in his new job was evanescent, for he immediately began to notice its many drawbacks. evanescence, N.

lithe

ADJ. flexible; supple. Her figure was lithe and willowy.

untenable

ADJ. indefensible; not able to be maintained. Wayne is so contrary that, the more untenable a position is, the harder he'll try to defend it.

oblique

ADJ. indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpen¬dicular or from a straight line). Casting a quick, oblique glance at the reviewing stand, the sergeant ordered the company to march "Oblique Right."

unaccountable

ADJ. inexplicable; unreasonable or mysteri¬ous. I have taken an unaccountable dislike to my doctor: "I do not love thee, Doctor Fell. The reason why, I cannot tell."

demented

ADJ. insane. Doctor Demento was a lunatic radio personality who liked to act as if he were truly demented. If you're demented, your mental state is out of whack; in other words, you're wacky.

deranged

ADJ. insane. He had to be institutionalized because he was mentally deranged.

brazen

ADJ. insolent. Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.

ardent

ADJ. intense; passionate; zealous. Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause. ardor, N.

willful

ADJ. intentional; headstrong. Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly, her death was a case of deliberate, willful murder, not a crime of passion committed by a hasty, willful youth unable to foresee the conse¬quences of his deeds.

withdrawn

ADJ. introverted; remote. Rebuffed by his col¬leagues, the initially outgoing young researcher became increasingly withdrawn.

garbled

ADJ. mixed up; jumbled; distorted. A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message from one per¬son to another until, by the time it reaches the last player, the message is totally garbled.

unassuming

ADJ. modest. He is so unassuming that some people fail to realize how great a man he really is.

dapper

ADJ. neat and trim. In "The Odd Couple" TV show, Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.

extraneous

ADJ. not essential; superfluous. No wonder Ted can't think straight! His mind is so cluttered up with extraneous trivia, he can't concentrate on the essentials.

heedless

ADJ. not noticing; disregarding. He drove on, heedless of the danger warnings placed at the side of the road.

optional

ADJ. not obligatory; left to one's choice. Most col¬leges require applicants to submit SAT I scores; at some colleges, however, submitting SAT I scores is optional.

theoretical

ADJ. not practical or applied; hypothetical. Bob was better at applied engineering and computer program¬ming than he was at theoretical physics and math. While I can still think of some theoretical objections to your plan, you've convinced me of its basic soundness.

unrequited

ADJ. not reciprocated. Suffering the pangs of unrequited love, Olivia rebukes Cesario for his hardheart¬edness.

exempt

ADJ. not subject to a duty, obligation. Because of his flat feet, Foster was exempt from serving in the armed forces. alsoV.

unassailable

ADJ. not subject to question; not open to attack. Penelope's virtue was unassailable; while she waited for her husband to come back from the war, no other man had a chance.

nautical

ADJ. pertaining to ships or navigation. The Mar¬itime Museum contains many models of clipper ships, log¬books, anchors and many other items of a nautical nature.

graphic

ADJ. pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described. I was particularly impressed by the graphic pre¬sentation of the storm.

auroral

ADJ. pertaining to the aurora borealis. The auroral display was particularly spectacular that evening.

cerebral

ADJ. pertaining to the brain or intellect. The con¬tent of philosophical works is cerebral in nature and requires much thought.

ecclesiastic

ADJ. pertaining to the church. The minister donned his ecclesiastic garb and walked to the pulpit. also N.

lunar

ADJ. pertaining to the moon. Lunar craters can plainly seen with the aid of a small telescope.

tactile

ADJ. pertaining to the organs or sense of touch. His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity.

auditory

ADJ. pertaining to the sense of hearing. Audrey suf¬fered from auditory hallucinations: she thought Elvis was speaking to her from the Great Beyond.

Cosmic

ADJ. pertaining to the universe; vast. Cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they bombard the earth's atmosphere from outer space. COSMOS, N.

cosmic

ADJ. pertaining to the universe; vast. Cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they bombard the earth's atmosphere from outer space. cosmos, N.

aquatic

ADJ. pertaining to water. Paul enjoyed aquatic sports such as scuba diving and snorkeling.

buxom

ADJ. plump; vigorous; jolly. The soldiers remembered the buxom nurse who had always been so pleasant to them.

gruff

ADJ. rough-mannered. Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was always gentle with children.

circuitous

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

devious

ADJ. roundabout; erratic; not straightforward. The Joker's plan was so devious that it was only with great diffi¬culty we could follow its shifts and dodges.

abrasive

ADJ. rubbing away; tending to grind down. Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's patience. abrade,V.

crabbed

ADJ. sour; peevish. The crabbed old man was avoided by the children because he scolded them when they made noise.

commodious

ADJ. spacious and comfortable. After sleep¬ing in small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious.

capacious

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

dappled

ADJ. spotted. The sunlight filtering through the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.

viscous

ADJ. sticky; gluey. Melted tar is a viscous sub¬stance. Viscosity, N.

extant

ADJ. still in existence. Although the book is out of print, some copies are still extant. Unfortunately, all of them are in libraries or private collections; none are for sale.

tempestuous

ADJ. stormy; impassioned; violent. Racket¬throwing tennis star John McEnroe was famed for his dis¬plays of tempestuous temperament.

uncanny

ADJ. strange; mysterious. You have the uncanny knack of reading my innermost thoughts.

obdurate

ADJ. stubborn. He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our complaints.

uninhibited

ADJ. unrepressed. The congregation was shocked by her uninhibited laughter during the sermon.

disheveled

ADJ. untidy. Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.

apocryphal

ADJ. untrue; made up. To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.

grudging

ADJ. unwilling; reluctant; stingy. We received only grudging support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid.

distraught

ADJ. upset; distracted by anxiety. The dis¬traught parents frantically searched the ravine for their lost child.

nebulous

ADJ. vague; hazy; cloudy. After twenty years, she had only a nebulous memory of her grandmother's face.

wistful

ADJ. vaguely longing; sadly thoughtful. With a last wistful glance at the happy couples dancing in the hall, Sue headed back to her room to study for her exam.

execrable

ADJ. very bad. The anecdote was in such exe¬crable taste that it revolted the audience.

corpulent

ADJ. very fat. The corpulent man resolved to reduce. corpulence, N.

lofty

ADJ. very high. Though Barbara Jordan's fellow stu¬dents used to tease her about her lofty ambitions, she rose to hold one of the highest positions in the land.

crass

ADJ. very unrefined; grossly insensible. The film critic deplored the crass commercialism of movie-makers who abandon artistic standards in order to make a quick buck.

nefarious

ADJ. very wicked. The villain's crimes, though various, were one and all nefarious.

vital

ADJ. vibrant and lively; critical; living, breathing. The vital, highly energetic first aid instructor stressed that it was vital in examining accident victims to note their vital signs.

unbridled

ADJ. violent. She had a sudden fit of unbridled rage.

boisterous

ADJ. violent; rough; noisy. The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them.

nomadic

ADJ. wandering. Several nomadic tribes of Indi¬ans would hunt in this area each year.

bellicose

ADJ. warlike. His bellicose disposition alienated his friends.

languid

ADJ. weary; sluggish; listless. Her siege of illness left her languid and pallid.

eerie

ADJ. weird. In that eerie setting, it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings.

genteel

ADJ. well-bred; elegant. We are looking for a man with a genteel appearance who can inspire confidence by his cultivated manner.

hoary

ADJ. white with age. The man was hoary and wrin¬kled when he was 70.

navigable

ADJ. wide and deep enough to allow ships to pass through; able to be steered. So much sand had built up at the bottom of the canal that the waterway was barely navigable.

lurid

ADJ. wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome. Do the lurid cover stories in the Enquirer actually attract people to buy that trashy tabloid?

gusty

ADJ. windy. The gusty weather made sailing precarious.

hibernal

ADJ. wintry. Bears prepare for their long hibernal sleep by overeating.

astute

ADJ. wise; shrewd; keen. The painter was an astute observer, noticing every tiny detail of her model's appear¬ance and knowing exactly how important each one was.

askance

ADJ. with a sideways or indirect look. Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.

unique

ADJ. without an equal; single in kind. You have the unique distinction of being the only student whom I have had to fail in this course.

guileless

ADJ. without deceit. He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud.

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.

artless

ADJ. without guile; open and honest. Sophisticated and cynical, Jack could not believe Jill was as artless and naive as she appeared to be.

deadpan

ADJ. wooden; impersonal. We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.

verbose

ADJ. wordy. Someone mute can't talk; someone verbose can hardly stop talking.

decrepit

ADJ. worn out by age. The decrepit car blocked traffic on the highway.

threadbare

ADJ. worn through till the threads show; shabby and poor. The poor adjunct professor hid the threadbare spots on his jacket by sewing leather patches on his sleeves.

corrugated

ADJ. wrinkled; ridged. She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles from his corrugated brow.

amiss

ADJ. wrong; faulty. Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss. also ADV.

compliant

ADJ. yielding. Because Joel usually gave in and went along with whatever his friends desired, his mother worried that he might be too compliant.

verge

N. border; edge. Madame Curie knew she was on the verge of discovering the secrets of radioactive ele¬ments. alsoV.

dissolution

N. breaking of a union; decay; termination. Which caused King Lear more suffering: the dissolution of his kingdom into warring factions, or the dissolution of his aged, failing body?

charisma

N. divine gift; great popular charm or appeal of a political leader Political commentators have deplored the importance of a candidate's charisma in these days of tele¬vision campaigning.

canto

N. division of a long poem. Dante's poetic master¬piece The Divine Comedy is divided into cantos.

cardiologist

N. doctor specializing in the heart. When the pediatrician noticed Philip had a slight heart murmur, she referred him to a cardiologist for further tests.

tenet

N. doctrine; dogma. The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith.

bolt

N. door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric. The carpenter shut the workshop door, sliding the heavy metal bolt into place. He sorted through his toolbox for the nuts and bolts and nails he would need. Before he cut into the bolt of canvas, he measured how much fabric he would need.

duplicity

N. double-dealing; hypocrisy. When Tanya learned that Mark had been two-timing her, she was furious at his duplicity.

declivity

N. downward slope. The children loved to ski down the declivity.

economy

N. efficiency or conciseness in using something. Reading the epigrams of Pope, I admire the economy of his verse: in few words he conveys worlds of meaning. (sec¬ondary meaning)

exertion

N. effort; expenditure of much physical work. The exertion spent in unscrewing the rusty bolt left her exhausted.

component

N. element; ingredient. I wish all the compo¬nents of my stereo system were working at the same time.

apotheosis

N. elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something. The apotheosis of a Roman emperor was designed to insure his eternal greatness: people would worship at his altar forever. The hero of the musical How to Succeed in Business ... was the apotheosis of yuppieness: he was the perfect upwardly-bound young man on the make.

aviary

N. enclosure for birds. The aviary at the zoo held nearly 300 birds.

termination

N. end. Though the time for termination of the project was near, we still had a lot of work to finish before we shut up shop. terminate,V.

verve

N. enthusiasm; liveliness. She approached her stud¬ies with such verve that it was impossible for her to do poorly.

ovation

N. enthusiastic applause. When the popular tenor Placido Domingo came on stage in the first act of La Boheme, he was greeted by a tremendous ovation.

gamut

N. entire range. In this performance, the leading lady was able to demonstrate the complete gamut of her acting ability.

ambience

N. environment; atmosphere. She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience.

blunder

N. error. The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture. alsoV.

gist

N. essence. She was asked to give the gist of the essay in two sentences.

attribute

N. essential quality. His outstanding attribute was his kindness.

assessment

N. evaluation; judgment. Your SAT I score plays a part in the admission committee's assessment of you as an applicant.

hyperbole

N. exaggeration; overstatement. As far as I'm concerned, Apple's claims about the new computer are pure hyperbole: no machine is that good!

autopsy

N. examination of a dead body; post-mortem. The medical examiner ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death. alsoV.

audit

N. examination of accounts. When the bank examin¬ers arrived to hold their annual audit, they discovered the embezzlements of the chief cashier. alsoV.

exegesis

N. explanation; interpretation, especially of a bib¬lical text. The minister based her sermon on her exegesis of a difficult passage from the book of Job. exegetical,ADJ.

cordon

N. extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress. The police cordon was so tight that the criminals could not leave the area. alsoV.

claustrophobia

N. fear of being locked in. His fellow class¬mates laughed at his claustrophobia and often threatened to lock him in his room.

ewe

N. female sheep. The flock of sheep was made up of dozens of ewes, together with only a handful of rams.

dossier

N. file of documents on a subject. Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator, the FBI compiled a complete dossieron him.

aversion

N. firm dislike. Bert had an aversion to yuppies; Alex had an aversion to punks. Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.

tenacity

N. firmness; persistence. Jean Valjean could not believe the tenacity of Inspector Javert. Here all Valjean had done was to steal a loaf of bread, and the inspector had pursued him doggedly for twenty years!

aptitude

N. fitness; talent. The counselor gave him an apti¬tude test before advising him about the career he should follow.

armada

N. fleet of warships. Queen Elizabeth's navy defeated the mighty armada that threatened the English coast.

coquette

N. flirt. Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage, he called her a coquette. also V.

coquette

N. flirt. Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage, he called her a coquette. alsoV.

deluge

N. flood; rush. When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications.

endearment

N. fond statement. Your gifts and endear¬ments cannot make me forget your earlier insolence.

duress

N. forcible restraint, especially unlawfully. The hostages were held under duress until the prisoners' demands were met.

harbinger

N. forerunner. The crocus is an early harbinger of spring.

vanguard

N. forerunners; advance forces. We are the van¬guard of a tremendous army that is following us.

discourse

N. formal discussion; conversation. The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical dis¬course of Socrates and his followers. alsoV.

dissertation

N. formal essay. In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a candidate is fre¬quently required to prepare a dissertation on some schol¬arly subject.

citadel

N. fortress. The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel.

bastion

N. fortress; defense. The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerillas' raids. .

hiatus

N. gap; interruption in duration or continuity; pause. During the summer hiatus, many students try to earn enough money to pay their tuition for the next school year.

consensus

N. general agreement. Every time the garden club members had nearly reached a consensus about what to plant, Mistress Mary, quite contrary, disagreed.

largess

N. generous gift. Lady Bountiful distributed largess to the poor.

germinate

V. cause to sprout; sprout. After the seeds ger¬minate and develop their permanent leaves, the plants may be removed from the cold frames and transplanted to the garden.

engender

V. cause; produce. To receive praise for real accomplishments engenders self-confidence in a child.

generate

V. cause; produce; create. In his first days in office, President Clinton managed to generate a new mood of optimism; we just hoped he could generate some new jobs.

veer

V. change in direction. After what seemed an eter¬nity, the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.

degradation

N. humiliation; debasement; degeneration. Some secretaries object to fetching the boss a cup of cof¬fee because they resent the degradation of being made to do such lowly tasks. degrade,V.

limerick

N. humorous short verse. The limerick form is the best; its meter is pure anapest. A limerick's fun for most everyone, and the word may occur on your test.

drone

N. idle person; male bee. Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone.

enmity

N. ill will; hatred. At Camp David, President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that prevented the peaceful coexistence of Egypt and Israel.

grandeur

N. impressiveness; stateliness; majesty. No mat¬ter how often he hiked through the mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of the Sierra Nevada range.

nirvana

N. in Buddhist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of an imper¬sonal beatitude. Despite his desire to achieve nirvana, the young Buddhist found that even the buzzing of a fly could distract him from his meditation.

crescendo

N. increase in the volume or intensity, as in a musical passage; climax. The music suddenly shifted its mood, dramatically switching from a muted, contemplative passage to a crescendo with blaring trumpets and clashing cymbals.

nonchalance

N. indifference; lack of concern; composure. Cool, calm, and collected under fire, James Bond shows remarkable nonchalance in the face of danger.

allusion

N. indirect reference. When Amanda said to the ticket scalper, "One hundred bucks? What do you want, a pound of flesh?," she was making an allusion to Shake¬speare's Merchant of Venice.

opportunist

N. individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances. Joe is such an opportunist that he tripled the price of bottled water at his store as soon as the earthquake struck. Because it can break water pipes, an earthquake is, to most people, a disaster; to Joe, it was an opportunity.

effervescence

N. inner excitement or exuberance; bub¬bling from fermentation or carbonation. Nothing depressed Sue for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself. Soda that loses its effervescence goes flat. efferves¬cent, ADJ. effervesce,V.

epitaph

N. inscription in memory of a dead person. In his will, he dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tomb¬stone.

agenda

N. items of business at a meeting. We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting.

affiliation

N. joining; associating with. His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues.

conviction

N. judgment that sb. is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief. Even her conviction for murder did not shake Peter's conviction that Harriet was innocent of the crime.

conviction

N. judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief. Even her conviction for murder did not shake Peter's conviction that Harriet was innocent of the crime.

affinity

N. kinship. She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains.

cognizance

N. knowledge. During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the inter¬national situation.

apathy

N. lack of caring; indifference. A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote. apathetic,ADJ.

timidity

N. lack of self-confidence or courage. If you are to succeed as a salesman, you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure.

levity

N. lack of seriousness; lightness. Stop giggling and wriggling around in the pew: such levity is improper in church.

lassitude

N. languor; weariness. After a massage and a long soak in the hot tub, I gave in to my growing lassitude and lay down for a nap.

galleon

N. large sailing ship. The Spaniards pinned their hopes on the galleon, the large warship; the British, on the smaller and faster pinnace.

ossify

V. change or harden into bone. When he called his opponent a "bonehead," he implied that his adversary's brain had ossified to the point that he was incapable of clear thinking.

diva

N. operatic singer; prima donna. Although world famous as a diva, she did not indulge in fits of tempera¬ment. ..

aria

N. operatic solo. At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from Norma.

heresy

N. opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion con¬trary to accepted religion. Galileo's assertion that the earth moved around the sun directly contradicted the religious teachings of his day; as a result, he was tried for heresy. heretic, N.

censor

N. overseer of morals; person who reads to elimi¬nate inappropriate remarks. Soldiers dislike having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this pre¬caution. alsoV.

complicity

N. participation; involvement. You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your involvement immediately.

babble

V. chatter idly. The little girl babbled about her doll. also N.

epitome

N. perfect example or embodiment. Singing "I am the very model of a modern Major-General," in The Pirates of Penzance, Major-General Stanley proclaimed himself the epitome of an officer and a gentleman.

equinox

N. period of equal days and nights; the beginning of Spring and Autumn. The vernal equinox is usually marked by heavy rainstorms.

epoch

N. period of time. The glacial epoch lasted for thou¬sands of years.

connoisseur

N. person competent to act as a judge of art, etc.; a lover of an art. She had developed into a connoisseur of fine china.

beneficiary

N. person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will. In Scrooge's will, he made Tiny Tim his beneficiary. everything he left would go to young Tim.

extrovert

N. person interested mostly in external objects and actions. A good salesman is usually an extrovert, who likes to mingle with people.

nonentity

N. person of no importance; nonexistence. Because the two older princes dismissed their youngest brother as a nonentity, they did not realize that he was qui¬etly plotting to seize the throne.

tanner

N. person who turns animal hides into leather. Using a solution of tanbark, the tannertreated the cowhide, transforming it into supple leather.

cliché

N. phrase dulled in meaning by repetition. High school compositions are often marred by such clichés as "strong as an ox."

obstetrician

N. physician specializing in delivery of babies. In modern times, the delivery of children has passed from the midwife to the more scientifically trained obstetrician,

graft

N. piece of transplanted tissue; portion of plant inserted in another plant. After the fire, Greg required skin grafts to replace the badly damaged areas on his forearms. alsoV.

buccaneer

N. pirate. At Disneyland the Pirates of the Caribbean sing a song about their lives as bloody bucca¬neers.

venom

N. poison; hatred. Bitten by a rattlesnake on his ankle, the cowboy contortionist curled up like a pretzel and sucked the venom out of the wound.

vantage

N. position giving an advantage. They fired upon the enemy from behind trees, walls and any other point of vantage they could find.

affirmation

N. positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath. Despite Tom's affirmations of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.

efficacy

N. power to produce desired effect. The efficacy of this drug depends on the regularity of the dosage. effica¬cious,ADJ.

escapade

N. prank; flighty conduct. The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.

arrogance

N. pride; haughtiness. Convinced that Emma thought she was better than anyone else in the class, Ed rebuked her for her arrogance.

complacency

N. self-satisfaction; smugness. Full of com¬placency about his latest victories, he looked smugly at the row of trophies on his mantelpiece. complacent,ADJ.

vendor

N. seller. The fruit vendor sold her wares from a stall on the sidewalk.

hovel

N. shack; small, wretched house. He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a hovel.

cameo

N. shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film. Don't bother buying cameos from the street peddlers in Rome: the carvings they sell are clumsy jobs. Did you enjoy Bill Murray's cameo in Little Shop of Horrors? He was onscreen for only a minute, but he cracked me up.

luster

N. shine; gloss. The soft luster of the silk in the dim light was pleasing.

anecdote

N. short account of an amusing or interesting event. Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Reagan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished back¬grounds.

epilogue

N. short speech at conclusion of dramatic work. The audience was so disappointed in the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue.

catcall

N. shout of disapproval; boo. Every major league pitcher has off days during which he must learn to ignore the catcalls and angry hisses from the crowd.

analogy

N. similarity; parallelism. A well-known analogy compares the body's immune system with an army whose defending troops are the lymphocytes or white blood cells.

detraction

N. slandering; aspersion. He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader.

legerdemain

N. sleight of hand. The magician demon¬strated his renowned legerdemain.

catapult

N. slingshot; a hurling machine. Airplanes are sometimes launched from battleships by catapults. alsoV.

canter

N. slow gallop. Because the racehorse had outdis¬tanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won in a canter. alsoV.

craftiness

N. slyness; trickiness. In many Native American legends, the coyote is the clever trickster, the embodiment of craftiness. crafty, ADJ.

cubicle

N. small compartment partitioned off; small bedchamber. Hoping to personalize their workspace, the staff members decorated their tiny identical cubicles in markedly individual ways.

bungalow

N. small cottage. Every summer we rent a bun¬galow on Cape Cod for our vacation home. The rent is high, the roof is low-it's a basic bungalow.

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.

cabal

N. small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests. The cabal was defeated when their scheme was discovered.

asteroid

N. small planet. Asteroids have become common¬place to the readers of interstellar travel stories in science fiction magazines.

cascade

N. small waterfall. We were too tired to appreci¬ate the beauty of the many cascades because we had to detour around them to avoid being drenched by the water cascading down.

gorge

N. small, steep-walled canyon. The white-water raft¬ing guide warned us about the rapids farther downstream, where the river cut through a narrow gorge.

gaffe

N. social blunder. According to Miss Manners, to call your husband by your lover's name is worse than a mere gaffe; it is a tactical mistake.

convention

N. social or moral custom; established practice. Flying in the face of convention, George Sand shocked the society by taking lovers and wearing men's clothes.

convention

N. social or moral custom; established prac¬tice. Flying in the face of convention, George Sand shocked society by taking lovers and wearing men's clothes.

quagmire

N. soft wet boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself. Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire.

anathema

N. solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse. The Ayatolla Khomeini heaped anath¬ema upon "the Great Satan," that is, the United States. To the Ayatolla, America and the West were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing them in his dying words. anathematize,V.

awe

N. solemn wonder. The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.

dupe

N. someone easily fooled. While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool. alsoV.

nemesis

N. someone seeking revenge. Abandoned at sea in a small boat, the vengeful Captain Bligh vowed to be the nemesis of Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers.

ventriloquist

N. someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person or thing. This ventrilo¬quist does an act in which she has a conversation with a wooden dummy.

glutton

N. someone who eats too much. When Mother saw that Bobby had eaten all the cookies, she called him a little glutton. gluttonous,ADJ.

cozen

V. cheat; hoodwink; swindle. He was the kind of individual who would cozen his friends in a cheap card game but remain eminently ethical in all business dealings.

chortle

V. chuckle with delight. When she heard that her rival had just been jailed for embezzlement, she chortled with joy. She was not a nice lady.

underscore

V. emphasize. Addressing the jogging class, Kim underscored the importance to runners of good nutrition.

embed

V. enclose; place in something. Tales of actual his¬torical figures like King Alfred have become embedded in legends.

encipher

V. encode; convert a message into code. One of Bond's first lessons was how to encipher the messages he sent to Miss Moneypenny so that none of his other lady friends could decipher them.

weather

V. endure the effects of weather or other forces. He weathered the changes in his personal life with difficulty, as he had no one in whom to confide.

allure

V. entice; attract. Allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef. also N.

accoutre

V. equip. The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply. accoutre¬ments, N.

gloss over

V. explain away. No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not gloss over the fact that he had raised taxes after all.

belabor

V. explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; attack verbally. The debate coach warned her stu¬dent not to bore the audience by belaboring her point.

elucidate

V. explain; enlighten. He was called upon to elu¬cidate the disputed points in his article.

construe

V. explain; interpret. If I construe your remarks correctly, you disagree with the theory already advanced.

adjunct

N. something added on or attached (generally nonessential or inferior). Although I don't absolutely need a second computer, I plan to buy a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop model.

novelty

N. something new; newness. The computer is no longer a novelty at work; every desk in our office has one. novel,ADJ.

assumption

N. something taken for granted; taking over or taking possession of. The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her assump¬tion of power. assume,V.

deterrent

N. something that discourages; hindrance. Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers? deter,V.

linchpin

N. something that holds or links various parts together. The linchpin in the district attorney's case was a photograph showing the defendant shaking hands with the hired killer.

balm

N. something that relieves pain. Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.

anthem

N. song of praise or patriotism. Let us now all join in singing the national anthem.

emollient

N. soothing or softening remedy. The nurse applied an emollientto the inflamed area. alsoADJ.

wizardry

N. sorcery; magic. Merlin the Magician amazed the knights with his wizardry.

expertise

N. specialized knowledge; expert skill. Although she was knowledgeable in a number of fields, she was hired for her particular expertise in computer programming.

tempo

N. speed of music. I find the band's tempo too slow for such a lively dance.

celerity

N. speed; rapidity. Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his father's death.

doctrine

N. teachings, in general; particular principle (reli¬gious, legal, etc.) taught. He was so committed to the doc¬trines of his faith that he was unable to evaluate them impartially.

badinage

N. teasing conversation. Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badi¬nage.

bivouac

N. temporary encampment. While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars. alsoV.

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.

beseech

V. beg; plead with. The workaholic executive's wife beseeched him to spend more time with their son.

denigrate

V. blacken. All attempts to denigrate the charac¬ter of our late president have failed; the people still love him and cherish his memory.

censure

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

blanch

V. bleach; whiten. Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic.

bluster

V. blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully. "Let the stormy winds bluster," cried Jack, "we'll set sail tonight." Jill let Jack bluster. she wasn't going anywhere, no matter what he said.

abut

V. border upon; adjoin. Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.

nonplus

V. bring to halt by confusion; perplex. Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react.

amplify

V. broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger. Charlie Brown tried to amplify his remarks, but he was drowned out by jeers from the audience. Lucy was smarter: she used a loudspeaker to amplify her voice.

browbeat

V. bully; intimidate. Billy resisted Ted's attempts browbeat him into handing over his lunch money.

encumber

V. burden. Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage when they take short trips.

wheedle

V. cajole; coax; deceive by flattery. She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from her father.

convoke

V. call together. Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency. convocation, N.

convoke

V. call together. Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency. convocation, V.

allay

V. calm; pacify. The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been con¬trolled.

negate

V. cancel out; nullify; deny. A sudden surge of adrenalin can negate the effects of fatigue: there's nothing like a good shock to wake you up.

expunge

V. cancel; remove. If you behave, I will expunge this notation from your record.

countermand

V. cancel; revoke. The general countermanded the orders issued in his absence.

countermand

V. cancel; revoke. The general counter¬manded the orders issued in his absence.

enthrall

V. capture; enslave. From the moment he saw her picture, he was enthralled by her beauty.

leaven

V. cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven. As bread dough is leavened, it puffs up, expanding in volume.

dwarf

V. cause to seem small. The giant redwoods and high cliffs dwarfed the elegant Ahwahnee Hotel, making it appear a modest lodge rather than an imposing hostelry.

contraband

N. ADJ. illegal trade; smuggling. The Coast Guard tries to prevent traffic in contraband goods.

collusion

N. Conspiring in a fraudulent scheme. The swindlers were found guilty of collusion.

voyeur

N. Peeping Tom. Nancy called her brother a voyeur when she caught him aiming his binoculars at an upstairs window of the house of the newlyweds next door.

centurion

N. Roman army officer. Because he was in com¬mand of a company of one hundred soldiers, he was called a centurion.

espionage

N. Spying. In order to maintain its power, the government developed a system of espionage that pene¬trated every household.

quarry

N. Victim; object of a hunt. The police closed in on their quarry.

atlas

N. a bound volume of maps, charts, or tables. Embar¬rassed at being unable to distinguish Slovenia from Slova¬kia, George W. finally consulted an atlas.

arcade

N. a covered passageway, usually lined with shops. The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the winter rain.

grimace

N. a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc. Even though he remained silent, his grimace indicated his displeasure. alsoV.

legacy

N. a gift made by a will. Part of my legacy from my parents is an album of family photographs.

vagrant

N. a homeless wanderer. Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means of support, Martin feared he would be jailed as a vagrant. vagrancy, N.

ecologist

N. a person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment. The ecolo¬gist was concerned that the new dam would upset the nat¬ural balance of the creatures living in Glen Canyon.

arbiter

N. a person with power to decide a dispute; judge. As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.

apiary

N. a place where bees are kept. Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee.

counterpart

N. a thing that completes another; things very much alike. Night and day are counterparts, complementing one another.

aberrant

N. abnormal or deviant. Given the aberrant nature of the data, we doubted the validity of the entire experiment. also N.

lummox

N. big, clumsy, often stupid person. Because he was highly overweight and looked ungainly, John Candy often was cast as a slow-witted lummox.

acerbity

N. bitterness of speech and temper. The meeting of the United Nations General Assembly was marked with such acerbity that informed sources held out little hope of reaching any useful settlement of the problem. acerbic,ADJ.

gall

N. bitterness; nerve. The knowledge of his failure filled him with gall.

necromancy

N. black magic; dealings with the dead. The evil sorceror performed feats of necromancy, calling on the spirits of the dead to tell the future.

beatitude

N. blessedness; state of bliss. Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.

benediction

N. blessing. The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction.

boon

N. blessing; benefit. The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.

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.

hindrance

N. block; obstacle. Stalled cars along the high¬way are a hindrance to traffic that tow trucks should remove without delay. hinder,V.

vendetta

N. blood feud. The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta.

doldrums

N. blues; listlessness; slack period. Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over, she found herself in the doldrums.

braggart

N. boaster. Modest by nature, she was no brag¬gart, preferring to let her accomplishments speak for them¬selves.

guffaw

N. boisterous laughter. The loud guffaws that came from the closed room indicated that the members of the committee had not yet settled down to serious business. alsoV.

hilarity

N. boisterous mirth. This hilarity is improper on this solemn day of mourning.

temerity

N. boldness; rashness. Do you have the temerity to argue with me?

catechism

N. book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer. He taught by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer.

anthology

N. book of literary selections by various authors. This anthology of science fiction was compiled by the late Isaac Asimov. anthologize,V.

acknowledge

V. recognize; admit. Although I acknowl¬edge that the Beatles' tunes sound pretty dated today, I still prefer them to the "gangsta rap" songs my brothers play.

deplete

V. reduce; exhaust. We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements.

ascribe

V. refer; attribute; assign. I can ascribe no motive for her acts.

boycott

V. refrain from buying or using. To put pressure on grape growers to stop using pesticides that harmed the farm workers' health, Cesar Chavez called for consumers to boycott grapes.

daub

V. smear (as with paint). From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils. also N.

besmirch

V. soil, defile. The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society.

lull

V. soothe; cause one to relax one's guard; subside. The mother's gentle song lulled the child to sleep. Malcolm tried to come up with a plausible story to lull his mother's suspicions, but she didn't believe a word he said.

enunciate

V. speak distinctly. Stop mumbling! How will people understand you if you do not enunciate?

waffle

V. speak equivocally about an issue. When asked directly about the governor's involvement in the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary waffled, talking all around the issue.

expropriate

V. take possession of. He questioned the gov¬ernment's right to expropriate his land to create a wildlife preserve.

avenge

V. take vengeance for something (or on behalf of someone). Hamlet vowed he would avenge his father's mur¬der and punish Claudius for his horrible crime.

drone

V. talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee. On a gor¬geous day, who wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone ?

gouge

V. tear out. In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to gouge each other's eyes out.

tantalize

V. tease; torture with disappointment. Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it.

cow

V. terrorize; intimidate. The little boy was so cowed by the hulking bully that he gave up his lunch money without a word of protest.

attest

V. testify, bear witness. Having served as a member of the Grand Jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need of improvement.

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 become too thick.

cogitate

V. think over. Cogitate on this problem; the solu¬tion will come.

devise

V. think up; invent; plan. How clever he must be to have devised such a devious plan! What ingenious inven¬tions might he have devised if he had turned his mind to science and not to crime.

embroil

V. throw into confusion; involve in strife; entangle. He became embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.

list

V. tilt; lean over. That flagpole should be absolutely vertical; instead, it lists to one side. (secondary meaning)

enfranchise

V. to admit to the rights of citizenship (espe¬cially the right to vote). Although Blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right to vote until 1920.

harass

V. to annoy by repeated attacks. When he could not pay his bills as quickly as he had promised, he was harassed by his creditors.

commandeer

V. to draft for military purposes; to take for public use. The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest hospital.

nullify

V. to make invalid. Once the contract was nullified, it no longer had any legal force.

explicate

V. explain; interpret; clarify. Harry Levin expli¬cated James Joyce's often bewildering novels with such clarity that even Finnegan's Wake seemed comprehensible to his students.

debunk

V. expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc; ridicule. Pointing out that he consistently had voted against strengthening anti-pollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate's claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.

deprecate

V. express disapproval of; protest against; belit¬tle. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquain¬tances by their first names. deprecatory,ADJ.

gloat

V. express evil satisfaction; view malevolently. As you gloat over your ill-gotten wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded?

decry

V. express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.

bowdlerize

V. expurgate. After the film editors had bowd¬lerized the language in the script, the motion picture's rat¬ing was changed from "R" to "PG."

commiserate

V. feel or express pity or sympathy for. Her friends commiserated with the widow.

ascertain

V. find out for certain. Please ascertain her pre¬sent address.

levitate

V. float in the air (especially by magical means). As the magician passed his hands over the recumbent body of his assistant, she appeared to rise and levitate about three feet above the table.

bode

V. foreshadow; portend. The gloomy skies and the sulphurous odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who settled in the area.

granulate

V. form into grains. Sugar that has been granu¬lated dissolves more readily than lump sugar. granule, N.

extricate

V. free; disentangle. Icebreakers were needed to extricate the trapped whales from the icy floes that closed them in.

baffle

V. frustrate; perplex. The new code baffled the enemy agents.

orient

V. get one's bearings; adjust. Philip spent his first day in Denver orienting himself to the city.

burlesque

V. give an imitation that ridicules. In Spaceballs, Rick Moranis burlesques Darth Vader of Star Wars, outra¬geously parodying Vader's stiff walk and hollow voice.

defer

V. give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software, we must defer to Michael, our computer guru; he gets the final word. Michael, however, can defer these questions to no one; only he can decide.

waive

V. give up temporarily; yield. I will waive my rights in this matter in order to expedite our reaching a proper decision.

disembark

V. go ashore; unload cargo from a ship. Before the passengers could disembark, they had to pick up their passports from the ship's purser.

vouchsafe

V. grant; choose to give in reply; permit. Occa¬sionally the rock star would drift out onto the balcony and vouchsafe the crowd below a glimpse of her cele¬brated features. The professor vouchsafed not a word to the students' questions about what would be covered on the test.

narrative

ADJ. related to telling a story. A born teller of tales, Tillie Olsen used her impressive narrative skills to advantage in her story "I Stand Here Ironing." narrate,V.

obsessive

ADJ. related to thinking about something con¬stantly; preoccupying. Ballet, which had been a hobby, began to dominate his life: his love of dancing became obsessive. obsession, N.

thematic

ADJ. relating to a unifying motif or idea. Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple adventure story about whaling miss its underlying thematic import.

culinary

ADJ. relating to cooking. Many chefs attribute their culinary skill to the wise use of spices.

ethnic

ADJ. relating to races. Intolerance between ethnic groups is deplorable and usually is based on lack of infor¬mation.

climactic

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

averse

ADJ. reluctant; disinclined. The reporter was averse to revealing the sources of his information.

disconsolate

ADJ. sad. The death of his wife left him dis¬consolate.

estranged

ADJ. separated; alienated. The estranged wife sought a divorce. estrangement, N.

exemplary

ADJ. serving as a model; outstanding. At com¬mencement the dean praised Ellen for her exemplary behavior as class president.

ancillary

ADJ. serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary. In an ancillary capacity, Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplex¬ing case on his own. also N.

angular

ADJ. sharp-cornered; stiff in manner. Mr. Spock's features, though angular, were curiously attractive, in a Vul¬can way.

lustrous

ADJ. shining. Her large and lustrous eyes lent a touch of beauty to an otherwise plain face.

luminous

ADJ. shining; issuing light. The sun is a luminous body.

ephemeral

ADJ. short-lived; fleeting. The mayfly is an ephemeral creature: its adult life lasts little more than a day.

canny

ADJ. shrewd; thrifty. The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers.

headstrong

ADJ. stubborn; willful; unyielding. Because she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen for her, everyone scolded Minna and called her a foolish head¬strong girl.

asinine

ADJ. stupid. Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration.

hardy

ADJ. sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather. We asked the gardening expert to recommend particularly hardy plants that could withstand our harsh New England winters.

expedient

ADJ. suitable; practical; politic. A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical. expediency, N.

alimentary

ADJ. supplying nourishment. The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there. When asked for the name of the digestive tract, Sherlock Holmes replied, "Alimentary, my dear Watson."

vulnerable

ADJ. susceptible to wounds. His opponents could not harm Achilles, who was vulnerable only in his heel.

leery

ADJ. suspicious; cautious. Don't eat the sushi at this restaurant; I'm a bit leery about how fresh the raw fish is.

dulcet

ADJ. sweet sounding. The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by the roar of traffic passing our motel.

billowing

ADJ. swelling out in waves; surging. Standing over the air vent, Marilyn Monroe tried vainly to control her billowing skirts.

bloated

ADJ. swollen or puffed as with water or air. Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water.

evocative

ADJ. tending to call up (emotions, memories). Scent can be remarkably evocative: the aroma of pipe tobacco evokes the memory of my father; a whiff of talcum powder calls up images of my daughter as a child.

centripetal

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

histrionic

ADJ. theatrical. He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to play the role of Hamlet, histrionics, N.

abstract

ADJ. theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresenta¬tional. To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.

emaciated

ADJ. thin and wasted. His long period of starva¬tion had left him emaciated.

tenuous

ADJ. thin; rare; slim. The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties.

exhaustive

ADJ. thorough; comprehensive. We have made an exhaustive study of all published SAT tests and are happy to share our research with you.

explicit

ADJ. totally clear; definite; outspoken. Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied: be explicit about what's bugging you.

unsightly

ADJ. ugly. Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse, he occasionally became queasy when faced with a particularly unsightly injury.

doctrinaire

ADJ. unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding. Weng had hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China, but the repressive response of the doctri¬naire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy.

unprepossessing

ADJ. unattractive. During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance is unprepossessing.

bent

ADJ; N. determined; natural talent or inclination. Bent on advancing in the business world, the secretary-heroine of Working Girl has a true bent for high finance.

berserk

ADV. frenzied. Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room.

tedious

ADJ. boring; tiring. The repetitious nature of work on the assembly line made Martin's job very tedious. tedium, N.

overbearing

ADJ. bossy and arrogant; decisively impor¬tant. Certain of her own importance, and of the unimpor¬tance of everyone else, Lady Bracknell was intolerably overbearing in her manner. "In choosing a husband," she said, "good birth is of overbearing importance; compared to that, neither wealth nor talent signifies."

ambidextrous

ADJ. capable of using either hand with equal ease. A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous.

whimsical

ADJ. capricious; fanciful. In Mrs. Doubtfire, the hero is a playful, whimsical man who takes a notion to dress up as a woman so that he can look after his children, who are in the custody of his ex-wife. whimsy, N.

arbitrary

ADJ. capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical. Tom's arbitrary dismissal angered him; his boss had no rea¬son to fire him. He threw an arbitrary assortment of clothes into his suitcase and headed off, not caring where he went.

thrifty

ADJ. careful about money; economical. A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases.

offhand

ADJ. casual; done without prior thought. Expecting to be treated with due propriety by her hosts, Great-Aunt Maud was offended by their offhand manner.

analgesic

ADJ. causing insensitivity to pain. The analgesic qualities of this lotion will provide temporary relief.

booming

ADJ. deep and resonant; flourishing, thriving. "Who needs a microphone?" cried the mayor in his booming voice. Cheerfully he boomed out that, thanks to him, the city's economy was booming. boom,V.

crestfallen

ADJ. dejected; dispirited. We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his project; instead of being crestfallen, his was busily engaged in planning new activities.

worldly

ADJ. engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual. You must leave your worldly goods behind you when you go to meet your Maker.

astronomical

ADJ. enormously large or extensive. The gov¬ernment seems willing to spend astronomical sums on weapons development.

tantamount

ADJ. equivalent in effect or value. Though Rudy claimed his wife was off visiting friends, his shriek of horror when she walked into the room was tantamount to a confession that he believed she was dead.

carnal

ADJ. fleshly. Is the public more interested in carnal pleasures than in spiritual matters? Compare the number of people who read Playboy daily to the number of those who read the Bible or Koran every day.

cursive

ADJ. flowing, running. In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing, we separate the letters.

glib

ADJ. fluent; facile; slick. Keeping up a steady patter to entertain his customers, the kitchen gadget salesman was a glib speaker, never at a loss for a word.

voluble

ADJ. fluent; glib; talkative. The excessively voluble speaker suffers from logorrhea: he runs off at the mouth a lot!

witless

ADJ. foolish; idiotic. If Beavis is a half-wit, then Butthead is totally witless.

austere

ADJ. forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unor¬namented. The headmaster's austere demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited his study willingly. The room reflected the man, austere and bare, like a monk's cell, with no touches of luxury to moder¬ate its austerity.

contrived

ADJ. forced; artificial; not spontaneous. Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws, James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then retreated into silence.

aromatic

ADJ. fragrant. Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe.

grisly

ADJ. ghastly. She shuddered at the grisly sight.

arduous

ADJ. hard; strenuous. Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.

noxious

ADJ. harmful. We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.

tendentious

ADJ. having an aim; biased; designed to fur¬ther a cause. The editorials in this periodical are tenden¬tious rather than truth-seeking.

apolitical

ADJ. having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs. It was hard to remain apolitical during the Vietnam War; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to take political stands.

anachronistic

ADJ. having an error involving time in a story. The reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is anachronistic: clocks did not exist in Caesar's time. anachronism, N.

odorous

ADJ. having an odor. This variety of hybrid tea rose is more odorous than the one you have in your garden.

anthropomorphic

ADJ. having human form or characteris¬tics. Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomor¬phic characteristics. anthropomorphism, N.

anonymous

ADJ. having no name. She tried to ascertain the identity of the writer of the anonymous letter.

oblivious

ADJ. inattentive or unmindful; wholly absorbed. Deep in her book, Nancy was oblivious to the noisy squab¬bles of her brother and his friends.

exhilarating

ADJ. invigorating and refreshing; cheering. Though some of the hikers found tramping through the snow tiring, Jeffrey found the walk on the cold, crisp day exhilarating.

opalescent

ADJ. iridescent; lustrous. The oil slick on the water had an opalescent, rainbow-like sheen.

animated

ADJ. lively; spirited. Jim Carrey's facial expres¬sions are highly animated: when he played Ace Ventura, he looked practically rubber-faced.

valid

ADJ. logically convincing; sound; legally acceptable. You're going to have to come up with a better argument if you want to convince me that your reasoning is valid.

compensatory

ADJ. making up for; repaying. Can a com¬pensatory education program make up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years?

hulking

ADJ. massive; bulky; great in size. Despite his hulking build, the heavyweight boxing champion was sur¬prisingly light on his feet. hulk, N.

centigrade

ADJ. measure of temperature used widely in Europe. On the centigrade thermometer, the freezing point of water is zero degrees.

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.

officious

ADJ. meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services. Judy wanted to look over the new computer models on her own, but the officious salesman kept on butting in with "helpful" advice until she was ready to walk out of the store.

bourgeois

ADJ. middle class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional. Technically, anyone who belongs to the mid¬dle class is bourgeois, but, given the word's connotations, most people resent it if you call them that.

optimum

ADJ. most favorable. If you wait for the optimum moment to act, you may never begin your project. also N.

lugubrious

ADJ. mournful. The lugubrious howling of the dogs added to our sadness.

amorous

ADJ. moved by sexual love; loving. "Love them and leave them" was the motto of the amorous Don Juan.

undulating

ADJ. moving with a wavelike motion. The Hilo Hula Festival was an undulating sea of grass skirts.

concerted

ADJ. mutually agreed on; done together. All the Girl Scouts made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing. When the movie star appeared, his fans let out a concerted sigh.

cryptic

ADJ. mysterious; hidden; secret. Thoroughly baffled by Holmes's cryptic remarks, Watson wondered whether Holmes was intentionally concealinghis thoughts about the crime.

deft

ADJ. neat; skillful. The deft waiter uncorked the cham¬pagne without spilling a drop.

natty

ADJ. neatly or smartly dressed. Priding himself on being a natty dresser, the gangster Bugsy Siegel collected a wardrobe of imported suits and ties.

tautological

ADJ. needlessly repetitious. In the sentence "It was visible to the eye, " the phrase "to the eye" is tautological.

noncommittal

ADJ. neutral; unpledged; undecided. We were annoyed by his noncommittal reply for we had been led to expect definite assurances of his approval.

obsolete

ADJ. no longer useful; outmoded; antiquated. The invention of the pocket calculator made the slide rule used by generations of engineers obsolete.

amoral

ADJ. nonmoral. The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he cannot tell right from wrong. The immoral per¬son can tell right from wrong; he chooses to do something he knows is wrong.

evasive

ADJ. not frank; eluding. Your evasive answers con¬vinced the judge that you were withholding important evi¬dence. evade,V.

discordant

ADJ. not harmonious; conflicting. Nothing is quite so discordant as the sound of a junior high school orchestra tuning up.

asymmetric

ADJ. not identical on both sides of a dividing central line. Because one eyebrow was set markedly higher than the other, William's face had a particularly asymmetric appearance.

objective

ADJ. not influenced by emotions; fair. Even though he was her son, she tried to be objective about his behavior.

temporal

ADJ. not lasting forever; limited by time; secular. At onetime in our history, temporal rulers assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right.

exotic

ADJ. not native; strange. Because of his exotic headdress, he was followed in the streets by small children who laughed at his strange appearance.

atypical

ADJ. not normal. The child psychiatrist reassured Mrs. Keaton that playing doctor was not atypical behavior for a child of young Alex's age. "Yes," she replied, "but not charging for house calls!"

horticultural

ADJ. pertaining to cultivation of gardens. When he bought his house, he began to look for flowers and decorative shrubs, and began to read books dealing with horticultural matters.

thespian

ADJ. pertaining to drama. Her success in the school play convinced her she was destined for a thespian career. also N.

valedictory

ADJ. pertaining to farewell. I found the valedictory address too long; leave-taking should be brief.

germane

ADJ. pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand. The judge refused to allow the testimony to be heard by the jury because it was not germane to the case.

devout

ADJ. pious. The devout man prayed daily.

unequivocal

ADJ. plain; obvious; unmistakable. My answer to your proposal is an unequivocal and absolute "No."

euphonious

ADJ. pleasing in sound. Euphonious even when spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung. euphony. N.

luscious

ADJ. pleasing to taste or smell. The ripe peach was luscious.

copious

ADJ. plentiful. She had copious reasons for rejecting the proposal.

Copious

ADJ. plentiful. She had copious reasons for reject¬ing the proposal.

endemic

ADJ. prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country. This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the popula¬tion are at one time or another affected by it.

aseptic

ADJ. preventing infection; having a cleansing effect. Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced aseptic conditions.

visionary

ADJ. produced by imagination; fanciful; mystical. She was given to visionary schemes that never materialized. also N.

cognate

ADJ. related linguistically: allied by blood: similar or akin in nature. The English word "mother" is cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words "maternal" and "maternity." also N.

canine

ADJ. related to dogs; dog-like. Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost to outnumber the human population,

nuptial

ADJ. related to marriage. Reluctant to be married in a traditional setting, they decided to hold their nuptial cere¬mony at the carousel in Golden Gate Park.

decoy

N. lure or bait. The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. alsoV.

quorum

N. number of members necessary to conduct a meeting. The senator asked for a roll call to determine whether a quorum was present.

apostate

N. one who abandons his religious faith or politi¬cal beliefs. Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate. apostasy, N.

hedonist

N. one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life. A thoroughgoing hedonist, he considered only his own pleasure and ignored any claims others had on his money or time.

convert

N. one who has adopted a different religion or opinion. On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the virtues of American automobiles, he made few converts to his beliefs. also V.

convert

N. one who has adopted a different religion or opinion. On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the virtues of American automobiles, he made few converts to his beliefs. alsoV.

agnostic

N. one who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of a god or any ultimate reality. Agnostics say we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of god; we simply just can't know. alsoADJ.

liberator

N. one who sets free. Simon Bolivar, who led the South American colonies in their rebellion against Spanish rule, is known as the great liberator. liberate,V.

dermatologist

N. one who studies the skin and its diseases. I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne.

gambit

N. opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed. The player was afraid to accept his opponent's gambit because he feared a trap which as yet he could not see. gambol V. skip; leap playfully. Watching children gambol-ing in the park is a pleasant experience. also N.

aperture

N. opening; hole. She discovered a small aper¬ture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.

bureaucracy

N. over-regulated administrative system marked by red tape. The Internal Revenue Service is the ultimate bureaucracy. taxpayers wasted so much paper fill¬ing out IRS forms that the IRS bureaucrats printed up a new set of rules requiring taxpayers to comply with the Paper¬work Reduction Act.

exuberance

N. overflowing abundance; joyful enthusiasm; flamboyance; lavishness. I was bowled over by the exuber¬ance of Amy's welcome. What an enthusiastic greeting!

brochure

N. pamphlet. This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture.

larder

N. pantry; place where food is kept. The first thing Bill did on returning home from school was to check what snacks his mother had in the larder.

amnesty

N. pardon. When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.

vignette

N. picture; short literary sketch. The New Yorker published her latest vignette.

arboretum

N. place where different tree varieties are exhibited. Walking along the tree-lined paths of the arbore¬tum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine sycamores.

depredation

N. plundering. After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless.

elegy

N. poem or song expressing lamentation. On the death of Edward King, Milton composed the elegy "Lyci¬das." elegiacal,ADJ.

bard

N. poet. The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy.

viper

N. poisonous snake. The habitat of the horned viper, a particularly venomous snake, is in sandy regions like the Sahara or the Sinai peninsula.

verbiage

N. pompous array of words. After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered that the writer had said very little.

doggerel

N. poor verse. Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work, most of her writing is mere doggerel.

vogue

N. popular fashion. Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses.

archives

N. public records; place where public records are kept. These documents should be part of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the future.

orator

N. public speaker. The abolitionist Frederick Dou¬glass was a brilliant orator whose speeches brought home to his audience the evils of slavery.

catharsis

N. purging or cleansing of any passage of the body. Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts.

enigma

N. puzzle; mystery. "What do women want?" asked Dr. Sigmund Freud. Their behavior was an enigma to him.

clime

N. region; climate. His doctor advised him to move to a milder clime.

compunction

N. remorse. The judge was especially severe in his sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime.

alliteration

N. repetition of beginning sound in poetry. "The furrow followed free" is an example of alliteration.

contempt

N. scorn; disdain. The heavyweight boxer looked on ordinary people with contempt, scorning them as weaklings who couldn't hurt a fly. We thought it was contemptible of him to be contemptuous of people for being weak.

dregs

N. sediment; worthless residue. David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs.

asperity

N. sharpness (of temper). These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.

velocity

N. speed. The train went by at considerable velocity.

anonymity

N. state of being nameless; anonymousness. The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention him by name; the dean readily agreed to respect his anonymity.

embezzlement

N. stealing. The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds.

oaf

N. stupid, awkward person. "Watch what you're doing, you clumsy oaf!" Bill shouted at the waiter who had drenched him with iced coffee.

cuisine

N. style of cooking. French cuisine is noted for its use od sauces and wines.

antiseptic

N. substance that prevents infection. It is advis¬able to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant. alsoADJ.

litany

N. supplicatory prayer. On this solemn day, the con¬gregation responded to the prayers of the priest during the litany with fervor and intensity.

advocacy

N. support; active pleading on something's behalf. No threats could dissuade Bishop Desmond Tutu from his advocacy of the human rights of black South Africans.

abeyance

N. suspended action. The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

heyday

N. time of greatest success; prime. In their hey¬day, the San Francisco Forty-Niners won the Super Bowl two years running.

apprenticeship

N. time spent as a novice learning a trade from a skilled worker. As a child, Pip had thought it would be wonderful to work as Joe's apprentice; now he hated his apprenticeship and scorned the blacksmith's trade.

apex

N. tip; summit; climax. He was at the apex of his career: he had climbed to the top of the heap.

caption

N. title; chapter heading; text under illustration. The captions that accompany The Far Side cartoons are almost as funny as the pictures. alsoV.

quietude

N. tranquility. He was impressed by the air of qui¬etude and peace that pervaded the valley.

conspiracy

N. treacherous plot. Brutus and Cassius joined in the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar. conspire, V.

hoax

N. trick; practical joke. Embarrassed by the hoax, he reddened and left the room. alsoV.

chicanery

N. trickery; deception. Those sneaky lawyers misrepresented what occurred, made up all sorts of implau¬sible alternative scenarios to confuse the jurors, and in gen¬eral depended on chicanery to win the case.

bauble

N. trinket; trifle. The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag.

cataclysm

N. upheaval; deluge. A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all countries. cataclysmic,ADJ.

dormer

N. window projecting from roof. In remodeling the attic into a bedroom, we decided that we needed to put in dormers to provide sufficient ventilation for the new room.

choreography

N. art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances. Merce Cunningham has begun to use a computer in designing choreography. a software program allows him to compose arrangements of possible moves and immediately view them onscreen.

curmudgeon

N. churlish, miserly individual. Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and acts of charity that he secretly performed.

decomposition

N. decay. Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition, the police were able to identify the murdered man.

decadence

N. decay. The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.

astigmatism

N. eye defect that prevents proper focus. As soon as his parents discovered that the boy suffered from astigmatism, they took him to the optometrist for corrective glasses.

countenance

N. face. When Jose saw his newborn daugh¬ter, a proud smile spread across his countenance.

default

N. failure to act. When the visiting team failed to show up for the big game, they lost the game by default. When Jack failed to make the payments on his Jaguar, the dealership took back the car because he had defaulted on his debt.

equity

N. fairness; justice. Our courts guarantee equity to all.

delusion

N. false belief; hallucination. Don suffers from delusions of grandeur: he thinks he's a world-famous author when he's published just one paperback book.

ancestry

N. family descent. David can trace his ancestry as far back as the seventeenth century, when one of his ancestors was a court trumpeter somewhere in Germany. ancestral,ADJ.

clasp

N. fastening device; firm grip. When the clasp on Judy's bracelet broke, Fred repaired it, bending the hook back into shape. He then helped her slip on the bracelet, holding it firm in the sure clasp of his hand.

nepotism

N. favoritism (to a relative). John left his position with the company because he felt that advancement was based on nepotism rather than ability.

amputate

V. cut off part of body; prune. When the doctors had to amputate the young man's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of a limb keep him from participating in sports.

crop

V. cut off unwanted parts of a photograph; graze. With care, David cropped picture until its edges neatly framed the flock of sheep cropping the grass.

eclipse

V. darken; extinguish; surpass. The new stock market high eclipsed the previous record set in 1995.

obscure

V. darken; make unclear. At times he seemed purposely to obscure his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.

bolt

V. dash or dart off; fasten (a door); gobble down. Jack was set to bolt out the front door, but Jill bolted the door. "Eat your breakfast," she said, "don't bolt your food."

delude

V. deceive. His mistress may have deluded herself into believing that he would leave his wife and marry her.

accost

V. approach and speak first to a person. When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me.

converge

V. approach; tend to meet; come together. African- American men from all over the United States converged on Washington to take part in the historic Million Men march.

converge

V. approach; tend to meet; come together. African-American men from all over the United States con¬verged on Washington to take part in the historic Million Men march.

endorse

V. approve; support. Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the city council the mayor would endorse. (secondary meaning) endorsement, N.

countenance

V. approve; tolerate. He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part. N. face. When Jose saw his new born daughter, a proud smile spread across his countenance.

apprehend

V. arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive. The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long.

convene

V. assemble. Because much needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in special session by January 15.

dumbfound

V. astonish. Egbert's perfect 1600 on his SAT I exam dumbfounded his classmates, who had always found him to be perfectly dumb.

converse

V. chat; talk informally. Eva was all ears while Lulu and Lola conversed. Wasn't it rude of her to eavesdrop on their conversation? conversation, N.

clamber

V. climb by crawling. She clambered over the wall.

clench

V. close tightly; grasp. "Open wide," said the den¬tist, but Clint clenched his teeth even more tightly than before.

compress

V. close; squeeze; contract. She compressed the package under her arm.

array

V. clothe; adorn. She liked to watch her mother array herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening. also N.

cajole

V. coax; wheedle. Diane tried to cajole her father into letting her drive the family car. cajolery, N.

coalesce

V. combine; fuse. The brooks coalesce into one large river. When minor political parties coalesce, their coa¬lescence may create a major coalition.

grovel

V. crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate. Even though we have been defeated, we do not have to grovel before our conquerors.

excise

V. cut away; cut out. When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve its appear¬ance but also enhance its chances of bearing fruit. exci¬sion. N.

dismember

V. cut into small parts. When the Austrian Empire was dismembered, several new countries were established.

exhume

V. dig out of the ground; remove from the grave. Could evidence that might identify the serial killer have been buried with his victim? To answer this question, the police asked the authorities for permission to exhume the victim's body.

unearth

V. dig up. When they unearthed the city, the archeologists found many relics of an ancient civilization.

disinter

V. dig up; unearth. They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.

camouflage

V. disguise; conceal. In order to rescue Han Solo, Princess Leia camouflaged herself in the helmet and cloak of a space bandit.

dissemble

V. disguise; pretend. Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew he was there not to dance but to meet girls.

appall

V. dismay; shock. We were appalled by the horrify¬ing conditions in the city's jails.

discount

V. disregard; dismiss. Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.

delete

V. erase; strike out. Less is more: if you delete this paragraph, your whole essay will have greater appeal.

appraise

V. estimate value of. It is difficult to appraise the value of old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless. appraisal, N.

collate

V. examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order. They collated the newly found manuscripts to deter¬mine their age.

ostracize

V. exclude from public favor; ban. As soon as the newspapers carried the story of his connection with the criminals, his friends began to ostracize him. ostracism, N.

distend

V. expand; swell out. I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead.

oust

V. expel; drive out. The world wondered if Aquino would be able to oust Marcos from office. ouster, N.

quell

V. extinguish; put down; quiet. Miss Minchin's demeanor was so stern and forbidding that she could quell any unrest among her students with one intimidating glance.

distill

V. extract the essence; purify; refine. A moonshiner distills mash into whiskey; an epigrammatist distills thoughts into quips.

affix

V. fasten; attach; add on. First the registrar had to affix her signature to the license; then she had to affix her official seal.

beget

V. father; produce; give rise to. One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another.

balk

V. foil or thwart; stop short; refuse to go on. When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt. However, he balked at punishing them by shackling them to the walls of their cells.

extrude

V. force or push out. Much pressure is required to extrude these plastics.

equivocate

V. lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth. The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his remarks.

circumscribe

V. limit; confine. Although I do not wish to cir¬cumscribe your activities, I must insist that you complete this assignment before you start anything else.

gruel

V. liquid food made by boiling oatmeal, etc., in milk or water. Our daily allotment of gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable.

linger

V. loiter or dawdle; continue or persist. Hoping to see Juliet pass by, Romeo lingered outside the Capulet house for hours. Though Mother made stuffed cabbage on Monday, the smell lingered around the house for days.

dawdle

V. loiter; waste time. We have to meet a deadline so don't dawdle; just get down to work.

ogle

V. look at amorously; make eyes at. At the coffee house, Walter was too shy to ogle the pretty girls openly; instead, he peeked out at them from behind a rubber plant.

loll

V. lounge about. They lolled around in their chairs watching television.

caulk

V. make watertight by filling in cracks. Jack had to caulk the tiles in the shower stall to stop the leak into the basement below.

badger

V. pester; annoy. She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls.

antecede

V. precede. The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century.

thrive

V. prosper; flourish. Despite the impact of the reces¬sion on the restaurant trade, Philip's cafe thrived.

authenticate

V. prove genuine. An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation.

harbor

V. provide a refuge for; hide. The church harbored illegal aliens who were political refugees.

document

V. provide written evidence. She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm. also N.

chastise

V. punish. I must chastise you for this offense.

discomfit

V. put to rout; defeat; disconcert. This ruse will discomfitthe enemy. discomfiture, N. discomfited,ADJ.

entrance

V. put under a spell; carry away with emotion. Shafts of sunlight on a wall could entrance her and leave her spellbound.

grill

V. question severely. In violation of the Miranda law, the police grilled the suspect for several hours before read¬ing him his rights. (secondary meaning)

compute

V. reckon; calculate. He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate. computa¬tion, N.

debase

V. reduce in quality or value; lower in esteem; degrade. In The King and l, Anna refuses to kneel down and prostrate herself before the king, for she feels that to do so would debase her position, and she will not submit to such debasement.

withhold

V. refuse to give; hold back. The tenants decided to withhold a portion of the rent until the landlord kept his promise to renovate the building.

deplore

V. regret; disapprove of. Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.

exult

V. rejoice. We exulted when our team won the victory.

alleviate

V. relieve. This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs.

defuse

V. remove the fuse of a bomb; reduce or eliminate a threat. Police negotiators are trained to defuse danger¬ous situations by avoiding confrontational language and behavior.

dehydrate

V. remove water from; dry out. Running under a hot sun quickly dehydrates the body; joggers soon learn to carry water bottles and to drink from them frequently.

abjure

V. renounce upon oath. He abjured his allegiance to the king. abjuration, N.

abdicate

V. renounce; give up. When Edward VIII abdi¬cated the British throne to marry the woman he loved, he surprised the entire world.

chronicle

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

entail

V. require; necessitate; involve. Building a college¬level vocabulary will entail some work on your part.

begrudge

V. resent. I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings; they're a complete waste of time.

esteem

V. respect; value. Jill esteemed Jack's taste in music, but she deplored his taste in clothes.

divulge

V. reveal. No lover of gossip, Charlotte would never divulge anything that a friend told her in confidence.

venerate

V. revere. In Tibet today, the common people still venerate their traditional spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

lampoon

V. ridicule. This article lampoons the pretensions of some movie moguls. also N.

deride

V. ridicule; make fun of. The critics derided his pre¬tentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seri¬ously. derision, N.

tether

V. tie with a rope. Before we went to sleep, we teth¬ered the horses to prevent their wandering off during the night.

extort

V. wring from; get money by threats, etc. The black¬mailer extorted money from his victim.

embryonic

ADJ. undeveloped; rudimentary. The evil of class and race hatred must be eliminated while it is still in an embry¬onic state; otherwise, it may grow to dangerous proportions. emend V. correct; correct by a critic. The critic emended the book by selecting the passages which he thought most appropriate to the text.

disinterested

ADJ. unprejudiced. Given the judge's political ambitions and the lawyers' financial interest in the case, the only disinterested person in the courtroom may have been the court reporter.

wanton

ADJ. unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste. Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticized Sarah for her wanton expenditures. In response, Sarah accused Shel¬don of making an unfounded, wanton attack.

unconscionable

ADJ. unscrupulous; excessive. She found the loan shark's demands unconscionable and impossible to meet.

altruistic

ADJ. unselfishly generous; concerned for others. In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships for hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed. altruism, N.

wary

ADJ. very cautious. The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry.

haggard

ADJ. wasted away; gaunt. After his long illness, he was pale and haggard.

defeatist

ADJ. attitude of one who is ready to accept defeat as a natural outcome. If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed. also N.

bemused

ADJ. confused; lost in thought; preoccupied. Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face.

vitriolic

ADJ. corrosive; sarcastic. Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for.

grotesque

ADJ. fantastic; comically hideous. On Halloween people enjoy wearing grotesque costumes.

calorific

ADJ. heat-producing. Coal is much more calorific than green wood.

unerringly

ADJ. infallibly. My teacher unerringly pounced on the one typographical error in my essay.

conciliatory

ADJ. reconciling; soothing. She was still angry despite his conciliatory words. conciliate,V.

comprehensive

ADJ. thorough; inclusive. This book pro¬vides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT.

ominous

ADJ. threatening. Those clouds are ominous; they suggest a severe storm is on the way.

taut

ADJ. tight; ready. The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship.

compact

ADJ. tightly packed; firm; brief. His short, com¬pact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball.

opportune

ADJ. timely; well-chosen. Sally. looked at her father struggling to balance his checkbook; clearly this would not be an opportune moment to ask him for a raise in her allowance.

guise

N. appearance; costume. In the guise of a plumber, the detective investigated the murder case.

amnesia

N. loss of memory. Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself.

adapt

V. alter; modify. Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to a chang¬ing environment.

assay

V. analyze; evaluate. When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein. also N.

nettle

V. annoy; vex. Do not let him nettle you with his sar¬castic remarks.

loom

V. appear or take shape (usually in an enlarged or distorted form). The shadow of the gallows loomed threat¬eningly above the small boy.

diurnal

ADJ. daily. A farmer cannot neglect his diurnal tasks at any time; cows, for example, must be milked regularly.

humid

ADJ. damp. She could not stand the humid climate and moved to a drier area.

limpid

ADJ. clear. A limpid stream ran through his property.

homage

N. honor; tribute. In her speech she tried to pay homage to a great man.

acclaim

V. applaud; announce with great approval. The NBC sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat. also N.

arraign

V. charge in court; indict. After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court.

captivate

V. charm or enthrall. Bart and Lisa were capti¬vated by their new nanny's winning manner.

embellish

V. adorn; ornament. The costume designer embellished the leading lady's ball gown with yards and yards of ribbon and lace.

accede

V. agree. If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands.

assent

V. agree; accept. It gives me great pleasure to assentto your request.

defer

making plans until they hear from their draft boards. During the Vietnam War, many young men, hoping to be deferred, requested student deferments.

abase

V. lower; humiliate. Defeated, Queen Zenobia was forced to abase herself before the conquering Romans, who made her march in chains before the emperor in the procession celebrating his triumph. abasement, N.

adulterate

V. make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances. It is a crime to adulterate foods without inform¬ing the buyer; when consumers learned that Beech-Nut had adulterated their apple juice by mixing it with water, they protested vigorously.

actuate

V. motivate. I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily.

accelerate

V. move faster. In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.

addle

V. muddle; drive crazy; become rotten. This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone. addled,ADJ.

accommodate

V. oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt. Mitch always did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatives, from driving them to medical appointments to helping them with paperwork. (secondary meaning)

abstain

V. refrain; hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice. After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drink¬ing while he trained for the race. abstinence, N.

abbreviate

V. shorten. Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.

abusive

ADJ. coarsely insulting; physically harmful. An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physi¬cally.

acrid

ADJ. sharp; bitterly pungent. The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

adroit

ADJ. skillful. His adroit handling of the delicate situa¬tion pleased his employers.

acidulous

ADJ. slightly sour; sharp, caustic. James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.

abstemious

ADJ. sparing in eating and drinking; temper¬ate. Concerned whether her vegetarian son's abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him.

adverse

ADJ. unfavorable; hostile. The recession had a highly adverse effect on Father's investment portfolio: he lost so much money that he could no longer afford the but¬ler and the upstairs maid. adversity, N.

abortive

ADJ. unsuccessful; fruitless. Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully. abort,V.

acetic

ADJ. vinegary. The salad had an exceedingly acetic flavor.

abject

ADJ. wretched; lacking pride. On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in door¬ways to find shelter from the wind.

aboriginal

ADJ., N. being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native. Her studies of the primitive art forms of the aboriginal Indians were widely reported in the scientific journals. aborigines, N.

affidavit

N. written statement made under oath. The court refused to accept his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit.

abscond

V. depart secretly and hide. The teller who absconded with the bonds went uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on "America's Most Wanted."

abhor

V. detest; hate. She abhorred all forms of bigotry. abhorrence, N.

address

V. direct a speech to; deal with or discuss. Due to address the convention in July, Brown planned to address the issue of low-income housing in his speech.

abash

V. embarrass. He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.

accentuate

V. emphasize; stress. If you accentuate the pos¬itive and eliminate the negative, you may wind up with an overoptimistic view of the world.

adhere

V. stick fast. I will adhere to this opinion until proof that I am wrong is presented. adhesion, N.

abate

V. subside; decrease, lessen. Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate. abate¬ment, N.

admonish

V. warn; reprove. He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways. admonition, N.

abrade

V. wear away by friction; scrape; erode. The sharp rocks abraded the skin on her legs, so she put iodine on her abrasions.

comely

ADJ. attractive; agreeable. I would rather have a poor and comely wife than a rich and homely one.

wan

ADJ. having a pale or sickly color; pallid. Suckling asked, "Why so pale and wan, fond lover?"

erroneous

ADJ. mistaken; wrong. I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous.

derelict

ADJ. abandoned; negligent. The derelict craft was a menace to navigation. Whoever abandoned it in the mid¬dle of the harbor was derelict in living up to his responsibili¬ties as a boat owner. also N.

tangible

ADJ. able to be touched; real; palpable. Although Tom did not own a house, he had several tangible assets-a car, a television, a PC-that he could sell if he needed cash.

buoyant

ADJ. able to float; cheerful and optimistic. When the boat capsized, her buoyant life jacket kept Jody afloat. Scrambling back on board, she was still in a buoyant mood, certain that despite the delay she'd win the race.

amphibian

ADJ. able to live both on land and in water. Frogs are classified as amphibian. also N.

effectual

ADJ. able to produce a desired effect; valid. Medical researchers are concerned because of the devel¬opment of drug-resistant strains of bacteria; many once useful antibiotics are no longer effectual in curing bacterial infections.

discriminating

ADJ. able to see differences; prejudiced. A superb interpreter of Picasso, she was sufficiently discrimi¬nating to judge the most complex works of modern art. (secondary meaning) discrimination, N.

ambulatory

ADJ. able to walk; not bedridden. Juan was a highly ambulatory patient; not only did he refuse to be con¬fined to bed, but he insisted on riding his skateboard up and down the halls.

vicarious

ADJ. acting as a substitute; done by a deputy. Many people get a vicarious thrill at the movies by imagin¬ing they are the characters on the screen.

viscid

ADJ. adhesive; gluey. The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap.

contiguous

ADJ. adjacent to; touching upon. The two countries are contiguous for a few miles; then they are separated by the gulf.

desultory

ADJ. aimless; haphazard; digressing at random. In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him, reading was purposeful, not desultory.

attentive

ADJ. alert and watchful; considerate; thoughtful. Spellbound, the attentive audience watched the final game of the tennis match, never taking their eyes from the ball. A cold wind sprang up; Stan's attentive daughter slipped a sweater over his shoulders without distracting his attention from the game.

omniscient

ADJ. all-knowing. I do not pretend to be omni¬scient, but I am positive about this fact.

omnipotent

ADJ. all-powerful. The monarch regarded him¬self as omnipotent and responsible to no one for his acts.

equivocal

ADJ. ambiguous; intentionally misleading. Rejecting the candidate's equivocal comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue. equivocate,V.

licentious

ADJ. amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained. Unscrupulously seducing the daughter of his host, Don Juan felt no qualms about the immorality of his licentious behavior.

cherubic

ADJ. angelic; innocent-looking. With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly cherubic child.

vivacious

ADJ. animated; lively. She had always been viva¬cious and sparkling.

archaic

ADJ. antiquated. "Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.

antediluvian

ADJ. antiquated; extremely ancient. Looking at his great-aunt's antique furniture, which must have been clut¬tering up her attic since the time of Noah's flood, the young heir exclaimed, "Heavens! How positively antediluvian!"

aloof

ADJ. apart; reserved. Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

ostensible

ADJ. apparent; professed; pretended. Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products.

apposite

ADJ. appropriate; fitting. He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.

disputatious

ADJ. argumentative; fond of arguing. Con¬vinced he knew more than his lawyers, Alan was a disputa¬tious client, ready to argue about the best way to conduct the case. disputant, N.

graduated

ADJ. arranged by degrees (of height, difficulty, etc.). Margaret loved her graduated set of Russian hollow wooden dolls; she spent hours happily putting the smaller dolls into their larger counterparts.

ashen

ADJ. ash-colored. Her face was ashen with fear.

quiescent

ADJ. at rest; dormant; temporarily inactive. After the great eruption, fear of Mount Etna was great; people did not return to cultivate its rich hillside lands until the volcano had been quiescent for a full two years. quiescence, N.

heinous

ADJ. atrocious; hatefully bad. Hitler's heinous crimes will never be forgotten.

offensive

ADJ. attacking; insulting; distasteful. Getting into street brawls is no minor matter for professional boxers, who are required by law to restrict their offensive impulses to the ring.

ungainly

ADJ. awkward; clumsy; unwieldy. "If you want to know whether Nick's an ungainly dancer, check out my bruised feet," said Nora. Anyone who has ever tried to carry a bass fiddle knows it's an ungainly instrument.

unwieldy

ADJ. awkward; cumbersome; unmanageable. The large carton was so unwieldy that the movers had trou¬ble getting it up the stairs.

chaffing

ADJ. bantering; joking. Sometimes Chad's flip¬pant, chaffing remarks annoy us. Still, Chad's chaffing keeps us laughing. also N.

hypothetical

ADJ. based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed. Suppose you are accepted by Harvard, Stan¬ford, and Brown. Which one would you choose to attend? Remember, this is only a hypothetical situation. hypothesis, N.

empirical

ADJ. based on experience. He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on empirical data.

disparate

ADJ. basically different; unrelated. Unfortunately, Tony and Tina have disparate notions of marriage: Tony sees it as a carefree extended love affair, while Tina sees it as a solemn commitment to build a family and a home.

bestial

ADJ. beastlike; brutal. According to legend, the werewolf was able to abandon its human shape and take on a bestial form.

ubiquitous

ADJ. being everywhere; omnipresent. That Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" seemed ubiquitous; David heard the tune everywhere.

astringent

ADJ. binding; causing contraction. The astrin¬gent quality of the unsweetened lemon juice made swallow¬ing difficult. also N.

outlandish

ADJ. bizarre; peculiar; unconventional. The eccentric professor who engages in markedly outlandish behavior is a stock figure in novels with an academic setting.

unimpeachable

ADJ. blameless and exemplary. Her con¬duct in office was unimpeachable and her record is spotless.

hallowed

ADJ. blessed; consecrated. Although the dead girl's parents had never been active churchgoers, they insisted that their daughter be buried in hallowed ground.

gory

ADJ. bloody. The audience shuddered as they lis¬tened to the details of the gory massacre.

brusque

ADJ. blunt; abrupt. Was Bruce too brusque when he brushed off Bob's request with a curt "Not now!"?

obtuse

ADJ. blunt; stupid. What can you do with somebody who's so obtuse that he can't even tell that you're insulting him?

corporeal

ADJ. bodily; material. The doctor had no patience with spiritual matters: his job was to attend to his patients' corporeal problems, not to minister to their souls.

obstreperous

ADJ. boisterous; noisy. What do you do when an obstreperous horde of drunken policemen goes carous¬ing through your hotel, crashing into potted plants and singing vulgar songs?

venturesome

ADJ. bold. A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt. Annapurna.

dauntless

ADJ. bold. Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment.

churlish

ADJ. boorish; rude. Dismayed by his churlish map¬ners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.

blasé

ADJ. bored with pleasure or dissipation. Although Beth was as thrilled with the idea of a trip to Paris as her classmates were, she tried to act super cool and blasé, as if she'd been abroad hundreds of times.

concise

ADJ. brief and compact. When you define a new word, be concise: the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember.

laconic

ADJ. brief and to the point. Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types: strong men of few words.

catholic

ADJ. broadly sympathetic; liberal. He was extremely catholic in his taste and read everything he could find in the library.

voluminous

ADJ. bulky; large. A caftan is a voluminous garment; most people wearing one look as if they're draped in a small tent.

onerous

ADJ. burdensome. He asked for an assistant because his work load was too onerous.

caustic

ADJ. burning; sarcastically biting. The critic's caus¬tic remarks angered the hapless actors who were the sub¬jects of his sarcasm.

dispassionate

ADJ. calm; impartial. Known in the company for his cool judgment, Bill could impartially examine the causes of a problem, giving a dispassionate analysis of what had gone wrong, and go on to suggest how to correct the mess.

outspoken

ADJ. candid; blunt. The candidate was too out¬spoken to be a successful politician; he had not yet learned to weigh his words carefully.

venal

ADJ. capable of being bribed. The venal policeman cheerfully accepted the bribe offered him by the speeding motorist whom he had stopped.

tensile

ADJ. capable of being stretched. Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength of their ropes. tentative ADJ. hesitant; not fully worked out or developed; experimental; not definite or positive. Unsure of his wel¬come at the Christmas party, Scrooge took a tentative step into his nephew's drawing room.

cursory

ADJ. casual; hastily done. Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire's cause.

erotic

ADJ. pertaining to passionate love. The erotic pas¬sages in this novel should be removed as they are merely pornographic.

bleak

ADJ. cold or cheerless; unlikely to be favorable. The frigid, inhospitable Aleutian Islands are bleak military out¬posts. It's no wonder that soldiers assigned there have a bleak attitude toward their posting.

lateral

ADJ. coming from the side. In order to get good plant growth, the gardener must pinch off all lateral shoots.

hackneyed

ADJ. commonplace; trite. When the reviewer criticized the movie for its hackneyed plot, we agreed; we had seen similar stories hundreds of times before.

analogous

ADJ. comparable. She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.

consummate

ADJ. complete. I have never seen anyone who makes as many stupid errors as you do; what a consummate idiot you are! also V.

eclectic

ADJ. composed of elements drawn from dis¬parate sources. His style of interior decoration was eclec¬tic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods, strikingly juxtaposed to create a unique decor. eclecticism, N.

olfactory

ADJ. concerning the sense of smell. A wine taster must have a discriminating palate and a keen olfactory sense, for a good wine appeals both to the taste buds and to the nose.

terse

ADJ. concise; abrupt; pithy. There is a fine line between speech that is terse and to the point and speech that is too abrupt.

epistolary

ADJ. consisting of letters. Mark Harris's Wake Up, Stupid! is a modern epistolary novel that uses letters, telegrams, and newspaper clippings to tell the hero's story. The movie You've Got Mail tells a story using e-mail; does that make it an e-pistolary movie? epistle, N.

notable

ADJ. conspicuous; important; distinguished. Nor¬mally notable for his calm in the kitchen, today the head cook was shaking, for the notable chef Julia Child was com¬ing to dinner.

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. Katya argued her case with such cogency that the jury had to decide in favor of her client.

bogus

ADJ. counterfeit; not authentic. The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills.

Chivalrous

ADJ. courteous; faithful; brave. Chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds.

craven

ADJ. cowardly. Lillian's craven refusal to join the protest was criticized by her comrades, who had expected her to be brave enough to stand up for her beliefs.

bovine

ADJ. cowlike; placid and dull. Nothing excites Esther; even when she won the state lottery, she still pre¬served her air of bovine calm.

censorious

ADJ. critical. Censorious people delight in cast¬ing blame.

askew

ADJ. crookedly; slanted; at an angle. When he placed his hat askew upon his head, his observers laughed.

wily

ADJ. cunning; artful. She is as wily as a fox in avoiding trouble.

therapeutic

ADJ. curative. Now better known for its race¬track, Saratoga Springs first gained attention for the thera¬peutic qualities of its famous "healing waters." therapy, N.

aquiline

ADJ. curved, hooked. He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle.

convex

ADJ. curving outward. He polished the convex lens of his telescope.

hazardous

ADJ. d angerous. Your occupation is too haz¬ardous for insurance companies to consider your application.

dank

ADJ. damp. The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.

audacious

ADJ. daring; bold. Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death¬defying leap to freedom, escaping Darth Vader's troops. audacity, N.

opaque

ADJ. dark; not transparent. The opaque window shade kept the sunlight out of the room. opacity, N.

obscure

ADJ. dark; vague; unclear. Even after I read the poem a fourth time, its meaning was still obscure. obscu¬rity, N.

defunct

ADJ. dead; no longer in use or existence. The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corpo¬ration.

lethal

ADJ. deadly. It is unwise to leave lethal weapons where children may find them.

baleful

ADJ. deadly; having a malign influence; ominous. The fortune teller made baleful predictions of terrible things to come.

obituary

ADJ. death notice. I first learned of her death when I read the obituary column in the newspaper. also N.

belated

ADJ. delayed. He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just learned of her husband's untimely death.

calculated

ADJ. deliberately planned; likely. Lexy's choice of clothes to wear to the debate tournament was carefully calculated. Her conventional suit was one calculated to appeal to the conservative judges.

delectable

ADJ. delightful; delicious. We thanked our host for a most delectable meal.

laborious

ADJ. demanding much work or care; tedious. In putting together his dictionary of the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a laborious task.

atheistic

ADJ. denying the existence of God. His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers.

contingent

ADJ. depend on, conditional. Caroline's father informed her that any raise in her allowance was contingent on the quality of her final grades. contingency, N. groups that makes up part of a gathering. The NY contingent of delegates at the Democratic National Convention was a boisterous, sometimes rowdy lot.

despondent

ADJ. depressed; gloomy. To the dismay of his parents, William became seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan; they despaired of finding a cure for his gloom. despondency, N.

bereft

ADJ. deprived of; lacking; desolate because of a loss. The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds.

deducible

ADJ. derived by reasoning. If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible.

culpable

ADJ. deserving blame. Corrupt politicians who condone the activities of the gamblers are equally culpable.

venerable

ADJ. deserving high respect. We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to follow the advice of our venerable leader.

barren

ADJ. desolate; fruitless and unproductive; lacking. Looking out at the trackless, barren desert, Indiana Jones feared that his search for the missing expedition would prove barren.

dogged

ADJ. determined; stubborn. Les Miserables tells of Inspector Javert's long, dogged pursuit of the criminal Jean Valjean.

diabolical

ADJ. devilish. "What a fiend I am, to devise such a diabolical scheme to destroy Gotham City," chortled the Joker gleefully.

diverse

ADJ. differing in some characteristics; various. The professor suggested diverse ways of approaching the assignment and recommended that we choose one of them. diversity, N.

divergent

ADJ. differing; deviating. Since graduating from medical school, the two doctors have taken divergent paths, one going on to become a nationally prominent sur¬geon, the other dedicating himself to a small family practice in his home town. divergence, N.

discursive

ADJ. digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wan¬dered from topic to topic, we wondered what if any point there was to his discursive remarks.

assiduous

ADJ. diligent. He was assiduous, working at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his results. assiduity, N.

disjointed

ADJ. disconnected. His remarks were so dis¬jointed that we could not follow his reasoning.

cacophonous

ADJ. discordant; inharmonious. Do the stu¬dents in the orchestra enjoy the cacophonous sounds they make when they're tuning up? I don't know how they can stand the racket. cacophony, N.

downcast

ADJ. disheartened; sad. Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never downcast despite the difficulties she faced.

unkempt

ADJ. disheveled; uncared for in appearance. Jeremy hated his neighbor's unkempt lawn: he thought its neglected appearance had a detrimental effect on neigh¬borhood property values.

unruly

ADJ. disobedient; lawless. The only way to curb this unruly mob is to use tear gas.

dissident

ADJ. dissenting; rebellious. In the purge that fol¬lowed the student demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, the government hunted down the dissident students and their supporters. also N.

heterogeneous

ADJ. dissimilar; mixed. This year's entering class is a remarkably heterogeneous body: it includes stu¬dents from forty different states and twenty-six foreign countries, some the children of billionaires, others the off¬spring of welfare families. heterogenity, N.

cloying

ADJ. distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental. Disliking the cloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose to have homemade carrot cake at the reception. cloy,V.

unpalatable

ADJ. distasteful; disagreeable. "I refuse to swallow your conclusion," said she, finding his logic unpalatable.

nocturnal

ADJ. done at night. Mr. Jones obtained a watch¬dog to prevent the nocturnal raids on his chicken coops.

lethargic

ADJ. drowsy; dull. The stuffy room made her lethargic: she felt as if she was about to nod off.

bacchanalian

ADJ. drunken. Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy.

arid

ADJ. dry; barren. The cactus has adapted to survive in an arid environment.

vapid

ADJ. dull and unimaginative; insipid and flavorless. "Bor-ing!" said Jessica, as she suffered through yet another vapid lecture about Dead White Male Poets.

lackluster

ADJ. dull. We were disappointed by the lacklus¬ter performance.

drab

ADJ. dull; lacking color; cheerless. The Dutch woman's drab winter coat contrasted with the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore beneath it.

humdrum

ADJ. dull; monotonous. After his years of adven¬ture, he could not settle down to a humdrum existence.

terrestrial

ADJ. earthly (as opposed to celestial); pertaining to the land. In many science fiction films, alien invaders from outer space plan to destroy all terrestrial life.

brittle

ADJ. easily broken; difficult. My employer's self-con¬trol was as brittle as an egg-shell. Her brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her.

detached

ADJ. emotionally removed; calm and objective; physically unconnected. A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with his or her patients' personal lives. To a child growing up in an apart¬ment or a row house, to live in a detached house was an unattainable dream.

vacuous

ADJ. empty; inane. The vacuous remarks of the politician annoyed the audience, who had hoped to hear more than empty platitudes.

dynamic

ADJ. energetic; vigorously active. The dynamic aerobics instructor kept her students on the run; she was a little dynamo.

elusive

ADJ. evasive; baffling; hard to grasp. Trying to pin down exactly when the contractors would be finished remodeling the house, Nancy was frustrated by their elusive replies. elude,V.

biennial

ADJ. every two years. Seeing no need to meet more frequently, the group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones. Plants that bear flowers biennially are known as biennials.

exorbitant

ADJ. excessive. The people grumbled at his exor¬bitant prices but paid them because he had a monopoly.

hypercritical

ADJ. excessively exacting. You are hypercritical in your demands for perfection; we all make mistakes.

ornate

ADJ. excessively or elaborately decorated. With its elaborately carved, convoluted lines, furniture of the Baroque period was highly ornate.

egotistical

ADJ. excessively self-centered; self-important; conceited. Typical egotistical remark: "But enough of this chit-chat about you and your little problems. Let's talk about what's really important: Me!"

grueling

ADJ. exhausting. The marathon is a grueling race.

expository

ADJ. explanatory; serving to explain. The man¬ual that came with my VCR was no masterpiece of exposi¬tory prose: its explanations were so garbled that I couldn't even figure out how to rewind a tape. exposition, N.

derogatory

ADJ. expressing a low opinion. I resent your derogatory remarks.

extrinsic

ADJ. external; not essential; extraneous. A criti?cally acclaimed extrinsic feature of the Chrysler Building is its ornate spire. The judge would not admit the testimony, ruling that it was extrinsic to the matter at hand.

overwrought

ADJ. extremely agitated; hysterical. When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too overwrought to work and had to leave the office early.

exacting

ADJ. extremely demanding. Cleaning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an exacting task, one that demanded extremely meticulous care on the part of the restorers. exaction, N.

virulent

ADJ. extremely poisonous; hostile; bitter. Laid up with a virulent case of measles, Vera blamed her doctors because her recovery took so long. In fact, she became quite virulent on the subject of the quality of modern medical care.

destitute

ADJ. extremely poor. Because they had no health insurance, the father's costly illness left the family destitute.

draconian

ADJ. extremely severe. When the principal can¬celed the senior prom because some seniors had been late to school that week, we thought the draconian punish¬ment was far too harsh for such a minor violation of the rules.

lilliputian

ADJ. extremely small. Tiny and delicate, the model was built on a lilliputian scale. also N.

equitable

ADJ. fair; impartial. I am seeking an equitable solution to this dispute, one that will be fair and acceptable to both sides.

deciduous

ADJ. falling off as of leaves. The oak is a decid¬uous tree; in winter it looks quite bare.

conversant

ADJ. familiar with. The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence.

celebrated

ADJ. famous; well-known. Thanks to their race to break Roger Maris's home-run record, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire are two of America's most celebrated base¬ball players. celebrity, N.

bizarre

ADJ. fantastic; violently contrasting. The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed.

chimerical

ADJ. fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative. As everyone expected, Ted's chimerical scheme to make a fortune by raising ermines in his back yard proved a dismal failure.

obese

ADJ. fat. It is advisable that obese people try to lose weight.

auspicious

ADJ. favoring success. With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail. Thomas, however, had doubts about sailing: a paranoid, he became suspicious whenever conditions seemed auspicious.

visceral

ADJ. felt in one's inner organs. She disliked the vis¬ceral sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster.

convivial

ADJ. festive; gay; characterized by joviality. The convivial celebrators of the victory sang their college songs.

demoniac

ADJ. fiendish. The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture. demon, N.

definitive

ADJ. final; complete. Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator.

ultimate

ADJ. final; not susceptible to further analysis. Sci¬entists are searching for ultimate truths.

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.

arable

ADJ. fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New World, praising its vast acres of arable land ready for the plow.

vehement

ADJ. forceful; intensely emotional; with marked vigor. Alfred became so vehement in describing what was wrong with the Internal Revenue Service that he began jumping up and down and frothing at the mouth. vehemence, N.

venial

ADJ. forgivable; trivial. When Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister, he committed a venial offense.

amorphous

ADJ. formless; lacking shape or definition. As soon as we have decided on our itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still amorphous.

noisome

ADJ. foul-smelling; unwholesome. The noisome atmosphere downwind of the oil refinery not only stank, it damaged the lungs of everyone living in the area.

gratis

ADJ. free. The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of their products. alsoADJ.

querulous

ADJ. fretful; whining. Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act querulous if they miss their nap.

debonair

ADJ. friendly; aiming to please. The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner.

enterprising

ADJ. full of initiative. By coming up with fresh ways to market the company's products, Mike proved him¬self to be an enterprising businessman.

underlying

ADJ. fundamental; lying below. The underlying cause of the student riot was not the strict curfew rule but the moldy cafeteria food. Miss Marple seems a sweet little old lady at first, but there's an iron will underlying that soft and fluffy facade.

blithe

ADJ. gay; joyous; heedless. Shelley called the sky¬lark a "blithe spirit" because of its happy song.

benevolent

ADJ. generous; charitable. Mr. Fezziwig was a benevolent employer, who wished to make Christmas mer¬rier for young Scrooge and his other employees.

gratuitous

ADJ. given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for. Quit making gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion.

beatific

ADJ. giving bliss; blissful. The beatific smile on the child's face made us very happy.

unstinting

ADJ. giving generously; not holding back. The dean praised the donor of the new science building for her unstinting generosity.

bantering

ADJ. good-natured ridiculing. They resented his bantering remarks because they thought he was being sar¬castic.

cordial

ADJ. gracious; heartfelt. Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome and a hearty hug.

herbivorous

ADJ. grain-eating. Some herbivorous animals have two stomachs for digesting their food.

voluptuous

ADJ. gratifying the senses. The nobility during the Renaissance led voluptuous lives.

demure

ADJ. grave; serious; coy. She was demure and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.

avid

ADJ. greedy; eager for. He was avid for learning and read everything he could get. avidity, N.

verdant

ADJ. green; lush in vegetation. Monet's paintings of the verdant meadows were symphonies in green.

gruesome

ADJ. grisly; horrible. His face was the stuff of nightmares: all the children in the audience screamed when Freddy Kruger's gruesome countenance was flashed on the screen.

cumulative

ADJ. growing by addition. Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards, you will add new words to your vocabulary, one by one.

taciturn

ADJ. habitually silent; talking little. The stereotypi¬cal cowboy is a taciturn soul, answering lengthy questions with a "Yep" or "Nope."

banal

ADJ. hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking origi¬nality. The hack writer's worn-out clich6s made his comic sketch seem banal. He even resorted to the banality of hav¬ing someone slip on a banana peel!

esoteric

ADJ. hard to understand; known only to the cho¬sen few. The New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events: the implication is, if you are in the in-crowd, you'll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland, you won't.

callous

ADJ. hardened; unfeeling. He had worked in the hospital for so many years that he was callous to the suffer¬ing in the wards. callus, N.

deleterious

ADJ. harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health (and the Surgeon General cer¬tainly does), then quit!

detrimental

ADJ. harmful; damaging. The candidate's acceptance of major financial contributions from a well¬known racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign, for he lost the backing of many of his early grassroots sup¬porters. detriment, N.

compatible

ADJ. harmonious; in harmony with. They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling over unimportant matters. compatibility, N.

headlong

ADJ. hasty; rash. The slave seized the unex¬pected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom.

odious

ADJ. hateful; vile. Cinderella's ugly stepsisters had the odious habit of popping their zits in public.

concentric

ADJ. having a common center. The target was made of concentric circles.

decollete

ADJ. having a low-necked dress. Current fashion decrees that evening gowns be decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.

autocratic

ADJ. having absolute, unchecked power; dicta¬torial. Someone accustomed to exercising authority may become autocratic if his or her power is unchecked. Dicta¬tors by definition are autocrats. Bosses who dictate behav¬ior as well as letters can be autocrats too.

versatile

ADJ. having many talents; capable of working in many fields. She was a versatile athlete, earning varsity let¬ters in basketball, hockey, and track.

authoritative

ADJ. having the weight of authority; peremp¬tory and dictatorial. Impressed by the young researcher's well-documented presentation, we accepted her analysis of the experiment as authoritative.

Civil

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

cognitive

ADJ. having to do with knowing or perceiving; related to the mental processes. Though Jack was emotion¬ally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced intellectually.

celestial

ADJ. heavenly. She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter.

cumbersome

ADJ. heavey; hard to manage. He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels.

cumbersome

ADJ. heavy; hard to manage. He was bur¬dened down with cumbersome parcels.

communal

ADJ. held in common; of a group of people. When they were divorced, they had trouble dividing their communal property.

auxiliary

ADJ. helper, additional or subsidiary. To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power station. also N.

beneficial

ADJ. helpful; useful. Tiny Tim's cheerful good nature had a beneficial influence on Scrooge's once¬uncharitable disposition.

halting

ADJ. hesitant; faltering. Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words.

eminent

ADJ. high; lofty. After his appointment to this emi¬nent position, he seldom had time for his former friends.

glaring

ADJ. highly conspicuous; harshly bright. Glaring spelling or grammatical errors in your resume will unfavor¬ably impress potential employers.

baroque

ADJ. highly ornate. Accustomed to the severe lines of contemporary buildings, the architecture students found the flamboyance of baroque architecture amusing. They simply didn't go for baroque.

tenacious

ADJ. holding fast. I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on my arm.

concave

ADJ. hollow. The back-packers found partial shel¬ter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff.

ghastly

ADJ. horrible. The murdered man was a ghastly sight.

aghast

ADJ. horrified. He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host.

choleric

ADJ. hot-tempered. His flushed, angry face indi¬cated a choleric nature.

gargantuan

ADJ. huge; enormous. The gargantuan wrestler was terrified of mice.

quixotic

ADJ. idealistic but impractical. Constantly coming up with quixotic, unworkable schemes to save the world, Simon has his heart in the right place, but his head some¬where in the clouds.

cantankerous

ADJ. ill humored; irritable. Constantly com¬plaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a cantankerous patient.

evenhanded

ADJ. impartial; fair. Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment from their teachers, or, as recent studies suggest, do teachers pay more attention to male students than to females?

neutral

ADJ. impartial; not supporting one side over another. Reluctant to get mixed up in someone else's quar¬rel, Bobby tried to remain neutral, but eventually he had to take sides.

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.

august

ADJ. impressive; majestic. Visiting the palace at Versailles, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.

congruent

ADJ. in agreement; corresponding. In formulating a hypothasis, we must keep it congruent with what we know of the real world; it cannot disagree with our experience.

virtual

ADJ. in essence; for practical purposes. She is a vir¬tual financial wizard when it comes to money matters.

enamored

ADJ. in love. Narcissus became enamored of his own beauty.

nominal

ADJ. in name only; trifling. He offered to drive her to the airport for only a nominal fee.

Chaotic

ADJ. in utter disorder. He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs. chaos, N.

nascent

ADJ. incipient; coming into being. If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascent state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years.

unfathomable

ADJ. incomprehensible; impenetrable. Unable to get to the bottom of the mystery, Watson declared it was unfathomable.

unobtrusive

ADJ. inconspicuous; not blatant. Reluctant to attract notice, the governess took a chair in a far corner of the room and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.

bawdy

ADJ. indecent; obscene. Jack took offense at Jill's bawdy remarks. What kind of young man did she think he was?

eccentric

ADJ. irregular; odd; whimsical; bizarre. The comet veered dangerously close to the earth in its eccentric orbit. People came up with some eccentric ideas for deal¬ing with the emergency: someone even suggested tieing a knot in the comet's tail!

testy

ADJ. irritable; short-tempered. My advice is to avoid discussing this problem with him today as he is rather testy and may shout at you.

benign

ADJ. kindly; favorable; not malignant. Though her benign smile and gentle bearing made Miss Marple seem a sweet little old lady, in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewd observer of human nature. benignity, N.

disingenuous

ADJ. lacking genuine candor; insincere. Now that we know the mayor and his wife are engaged in a bitter divorce fight, we find their earlier remarks regretting their lack of time together remarkably disingenuous.

listless

ADJ. lacking in spirit or energy. We had expected him to be full of enthusiasm and were surprised by his list¬less attitude.

dispirited

ADJ. lacking in spirit. The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team, which had become dispirited at the loss of the star player.

lackadaisical

ADJ. lacking purpose or zest; halfhearted; languid. Because Gatsby had his mind more on his love life than on his finances, he did a very lackadaisical job of man¬aging his money.

devoid

ADJ. lacking. You may think her mind is a total void, but she's actually not devoid of intelligence. She just sounds like an airhead.

enduring

ADJ. lasting; surviving. Keats believed in the enduring power of great art, which would outlast its cre¬ators' brief lives.

ludicrous

ADJ. laughable; trifling. Let us be serious; this is not a ludicrous issue.

livid

ADJ. lead-colored; black and blue; enraged. His face was so livid with rage that we were afraid that he might have an attack of apoplexy.

gaunt

ADJ. lean and angular; barren. His once round face looked surprisingly gaunt after he had lost weight.

erudite

ADJ. learned; scholarly. Though his fellow students thought him erudite, Paul knew he would have to spend many years in serious study before he could consider him¬self a scholar.

lavish

ADJ. liberal; wasteful. The actor's lavish gifts pleased her. alsoV.

giddy

ADJ. light-hearted; dizzy. He felt his giddy youth was past.

ethereal

ADJ. light; heavenly; unusually refined. In Shake¬speare's The Tempest, the spirit Ariel is an ethereal crea¬ture, too airy and unearthly for our mortal world.

cadaverous

ADJ. like a corpse; pale. By his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the disease had ravaged him.

glacial

ADJ. like a glacier; extremely cold. Never a warm person, when offended John could seem positively glacial.

avuncular

ADJ. like an uncle. Avuncular pride did not pre¬vent him from noticing his nephew's shortcomings.

qualified

ADJ. limited; restricted. Unable to give the candi¬date full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement. (secondary meaning)

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.

outmoded

ADJ. longer stylish; old-fashioned. Uncon¬cerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed.

dissolute

ADJ. loose in morals. The dissolute life led by the ancient Romans is indeed shocking.

episodic

ADJ. loosely connected; divided into incidents. Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's Rainbow, John found the novel too episodic; he enjoyed individual pas¬sages, but had trouble following the work as a whole.

garrulous

ADJ. loquacious; wordy; talkative. My Uncle Henry can out-talk any three people I know. He is the most garrulous person in Cayuga County. garrulity, N.

tepid

ADJ. lukewarm. During the summer, I like to take a tepid bath, not a hot one.

lewd

ADJ. lustful. They found his lewd stories objectionable.

ductile

ADJ. malleable; flexible; pliable. Copper is an extremely ductile material: you can stretch it into the thinnest of wires, bend it, even wind it into loops.

anthropoid

ADJ. manlike. The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals. also N.

virile

ADJ. manly. I do not accept the premise that a man proves he's virile by being belligerent.

variegated

ADJ. many-colored. Without her glasses, Gretchen saw the fields of tulips as a variegated blur.

checkered

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

ceremonious

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

humane

ADJ. marked by kindness or consideration. It is ironic that the Humane Society sometimes must show its compassion toward mistreated animals by killing them to put them out of their misery.

balmy

ADJ. mild; fragrant. A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast.

waggish

ADJ. mischievous; humorous; tricky. He was a prankster who, unfortunately, often overlooked the damage he could cause with his waggish tricks. wag, N.

egregious

ADJ. notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking. She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said. Ed's housekeeping was egregious: he let his dirty dishes pile up so long that they were stuck together with last week's food.

unprecedented

ADJ. novel; unparalleled. For a first novel, Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind was an unprecedented success.

docile

ADJ. obedient; easily managed. As docile as he seems today, that old lion was once a ferocious, snarling beast. docility, N.

exceptionable

ADJ. objectionable. Do you find the punk rock band Green Day a highly exceptionable, thoroughly distasteful group, or do you think they are exceptionally tal¬ented performers?

enigmatic

ADJ. obscure; puzzling. Many have sought to fathom the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa.

quaint

ADJ. odd; old-fashioned; picturesque. Her quaint clothes and old-fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.

erratic

ADJ. odd; unpredictable. Investors become anxious when the stock market appears erratic.

homogeneous

ADJ. of the same kind. Because the student body at Elite Prep was so homogeneous, Sara and James decided to send their daughter to a school that offered greater cultural diversity. homogenize,V.

obnoxious

ADJ. offensive. I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.

cavalier

ADJ. offhand or casual; haughty. The disguised prince resented the cavalier way in which the palace guards treated him. How dared they handle a member of the royal family so unceremoniously!

Unctuous

ADJ. oily; bland; insincerely suave. Uriah Heep disguised his nefarious actions by unctuous protestations of his "humility."

antiquated

ADJ. old-fashioned; obsolete. Philip had grown so accustomed to editing his papers on word processors that he thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.

overt

ADJ. open to view. According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for treason.

dogmatic

ADJ. opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal. We tried to discourage Doug from being so dogmatic, but never could convince him that his opinions might be wrong.

conventional

ADJ. ordinary; typical. His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife's eccentric family.

conventional

ADJ. ordinary; typical. His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife's eccen¬tric family.

vindictive

ADJ. out for revenge; malicious. I think it's unwor¬thy of Martha to be so vindictive; she shouldn't stoop to such petty acts of revenge.

expansive

ADJ. outgoing and sociable; broad and exten¬sive; able to increase in size. Mr. Fezziwig was in an expan¬sive humor, cheerfully urging his guests to join in the Christmas feast. Looking down on his expansive paunch, he sighed: if his belly expanded any further, he'd need an expansive waistline for his pants.

uncouth

ADJ. outlandish; clumsy; boorish. Most biogra¬phers portray Lincoln as an uncouth and ungainly young man.

elliptical

ADJ. oval; ambiguous, either purposely or because key words have been left out. An elliptical billiard ball wobbles because it is not perfectly round; an elliptical remark baffles because it is not perfectly clear.

garish

ADJ. over-bright in color; gaudy. She wore a gaudy rhinestone necklace with an excessively garish gold lame dress.

elated

ADJ. overjoyed; in high spirits. Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie Blair was clearly elated by her fifth Olympic gold medal. elation, N.

compelling

ADJ. overpowering; irresistible in effect. The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but the defense attorney's compelling arguments for leniency won over the jury.

contrite

ADJ. penitent. Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence. contrition, N.

tangential

ADJ. peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing. Despite Clark's attempts to distract her with tan¬gential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main question: why couldn't he come out to dinner with Super¬man and her?

germinal

ADJ. pertaining to a germ; creative. Such an idea is germinal, I am certain that it will influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations.

colloquial

ADJ. pertaining to conversational or common speech. Some of the new, less formal reading passages on SAT I have a colloquial tone that is intended to make them more appealing to students.

thermal

ADJ. pertaining to heat. The natives discovered that the hot springs made excellent thermal baths and began to develop their community as a health resort. also N.

agrarian

ADJ. pertaining to land or its cultivation. The country is gradually losing its agrarian occupation and turn¬ing more and more to an industrial point of view.

linguistic

ADJ. pertaining to language. The modern tourist will encounter very little linguistic difficulty as English has become an almost universal language.

connubial

ADJ. pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state. In his telegram, he wished the newlyweds a lifetime of connubial bliss.

conjugal

ADJ. pertaining to marriage. Their dreams of conjugal bliss were shattered as soon as their temperaments clashed.

amicable

ADJ. politely friendly; not quarrelsome. Beth's sis¬ter Jo is the hot-tempered tomboy who has a hard time maintaining amicable relations with those around her. Jo's quarrel with her friend Laurie finally reaches an amicable settlement, but not because Jo turns amiable overnight.

grandiloquent

ADJ. pompous; bombastic; using high¬sounding language. The politician could never speak sim¬ply; she was always grandiloquent.

consequential

ADJ. pompous; important; self-important. Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a consequential air.

bombastic

ADJ. pompous; using inflated language. Puffed up with conceit, the orator spoke in such a bombastic man¬ner that we longed to deflate him. bombast, N.

latent

ADJ. potential but undeveloped; dormant; hidden. Polaroid pictures are popular at parties, because you can see the latent photographic image gradually appear before your eyes.

effusive

ADJ. pouring forth; gushing. Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began to irritate them. effu¬sion, N.

viable

ADJ. practical or workable; capable of maintaining life. That idea won't work. Let me see whether I can come up with a viable alternative.

ascetic

ADJ. practicing self-denial; austere. The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders. also N.

hypocritical

ADJ. pretending to be virtuous; deceiving. Believing Eddie to be interested only in his own advancement, Greg resented his hypocritical posing as a friend. hypocrisy, N.

grandiose

ADJ. pretentious; high-flown; ridiculously exag¬gerated; impressive. The aged matinee idol still had grandiose notions of his supposed importance in the the¬atrical world.

lachrymose

ADJ. producing tears. His voice has a lachry¬mose quality more appropriate to a funeral than a class reunion.

lucrative

ADJ. profitable. He turned his hobby into a lucra¬tive profession.

apocalyptic

ADJ. prophetic; pertaining to revelations. The crowd jeered at the street preacher's apocalyptic predictions of doom. The Apocalypse or Book of Revelations of Saint John prophesies the end of the world as we know it and fore¬tells marvels and prodigies that signal the coming doom.

oracular

ADJ. prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority; mysterious or ambiguous. Like many others who sought divine guidance from the oracle at Delphi, Oedipus could not understand the enigmatic oracularwarning he received.

circumspect

ADJ. prudent; cautious. Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect.

chaste

ADJ. pure. Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion. chastity, N.

contentious

ADJ. quarrelsome. Disagreeing violently with the referees' ruling, the coach became so contentious that they threw him out of the game.

belligerent

ADJ. quarrelsome. Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers. belligerence, N.

droll

ADJ. queer and amusing. He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining.

dubious

ADJ. questionable; filled with doubt. Many critics of SAT I contend the test is of dubious worth. Jay claimed he could get a perfect 1600 on SAT I, but Ellen was dubi¬ous: she knew he hadn't cracked a book in three years.

centrifugal

ADJ. radiating; departing from the center. Many automatic drying machines remove excess moisture from clothing by centrifugal force.

haphazard

ADJ. random; by chance. His haphazard read¬ing left him unacquainted with the authors of the books.

voracious

ADJ. ravenous. The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.

amenable

ADJ. readily managed; willing to be led. He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his inferiors.

anthropocentric

ADJ. regarding human beings as the cen¬ter of the universe. Without considering any evidence that might challenge his anthropocentric viewpoint, Hector cate¬gorically maintained that dolphins could not be as intelligent as men. anthropocentrism, N.

astral

ADJ. relating to the stars. She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope revealed.

loath

ADJ. reluctant; disinclined. Romeo and Juliet were both loath for him to go.

equine

ADJ. resembling a horse. His long, bony face had an equine look to it.

distant

ADJ. reserved or aloof; cold in manner. His distant greeting made me feel unwelcome from the start. (sec¬ondary meaning)

dutiful

ADJ. respectful; obedient. When Mother told Billy to kiss Great-Aunt Hattie, the boy obediently gave the old woman a dutiful peck on her cheek.

temperate

ADJ. restrained; self-controlled; moderate in respect to temperature. Try to be temperate in your eating this holiday season; if you control your appetite, you won't gain too much weight.

bristling

ADJ. rising like bristles; showing irritation. The dog stood there, bristling with anger.

bluff

ADJ. rough but good-natured. Jack had a bluff and¬hearty manner that belied his actual sensitivity; he never let people know how thin-skinned he really was.

boorish

ADJ. rude; clumsy; ungentlemanly. Natasha was embarrassed by her fellow spy's boorish behavior. "If you cannot act like a gentleman, Boris, go back to Russia: espi¬onage is no job for clumsy boors." boor, N.

bucolic

ADJ. rustic; pastoral. Filled with browsing cows and bleating sheep, the meadow was a charmingly bucolic sight.

conscientious

ADJ. scrupulous; careful. A conscientious editor, she checked every definition for its accuracy.

hermetic

ADJ. sealed by fusion so as to be airtight. After you sterilize the bandages, place them in a container and seal it with a hermetic seal to protect them from contamina¬tion by airborne bacteria.

clandestine

ADJ. secret. After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting.

covert

ADJ. secret; hidden; implied. Investigations of the Central Interlligence Agency and other secret service networks reveal that such covert operations can get out of control.

arcane

ADJ. secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround themselves with arcane ritu¬als and trappings to mystify outsiders. So do doctors. Con¬sider the arcane terminology they use and the impression they try to give that what is arcane to us is obvious to them.

bumptious

ADJ. self-assertive. His classmates called him a show-off because of his bumptious airs.

autonomous

ADJ. self-governing. Although the University of California at Berkeley is just one part of the state univer¬sity system, in many ways Cal Berkeley is autonomous, for it runs several programs that are not subject to outside con¬trol. autonomy, N.

discrete

ADJ. separate; unconnected. The universe is com¬posed of discrete bodies.

complementary

ADJ. serving to complete something. John and Lisa's skills are complementary. he's good at following a daily routine, while she's great at improvising and han¬dling emergencies. Together they make a great team.

ebullient

ADJ. showing excitement; overflowing with enthu¬siasm. Amy's ebullient nature could not be repressed; she' was always bubbling over with excitement. ebullience, N.

ostentatious

ADJ. showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention. Donald Trump's latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling palace in the East: it easily out¬glitters its competitors. ostentation, N.

coy

ADJ. shy; modest; coquettish. Reluctant to commit herself so early in the game, Kay was coy in her answers to Ken's offer.

comparable

ADJ. similar. People whose jobs are compara¬ble in difficulty should receive comparable pay.

ulterior

ADJ. situated beyond; unstated. You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it.

cynical

ADJ. skeptical or distrustful of human motives. Cynical from birth, Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift 'with no strings attached.' cynic, N.

cynical

ADJ. skeptical or distrustful of human motives. Cyn¬ical from birth, Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift "with no strings attached." cynic, N.

dexterous

ADJ. skillful. The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow him as he performed his tricks.

azure

ADJ. sky blue. Azure skies are indicative of good weather.

biased

ADJ. slanted; prejudiced. Because the judge played golf regularly with the district attorney's father, we feared he might be biased in the prosecution's favor. bias, N.

obsequious

ADJ. slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic. Helen liked to be served by people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her more than an excessively obsequious waiter or a fawning salesclerk.

dormant

ADJ. sleeping; lethargic; latent. At fifty her long¬dormant ambition to write flared up once more; within a year she had completed the first of her great historical novels.

hazy

ADJ. slightly obscure. In hazy weather, you cannot see the top of this mountain.

dowdy

ADJ. slovenly; untidy. She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a new fashionable wardrobe.

laggard

ADJ. slow; sluggish. The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders. lag, N.,V.

glossy

ADJ. smooth and shining. I want this photograph printed on glossy paper, not matte.

negligible

ADJ. so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may be easily disregarded. Because the damage to his car had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn't bother to report the matter to his insurance company.

gregarious

ADJ. sociable. Typically, partygoers are gregar¬ious; hermits are not.

bland

ADJ. soothing or mild; agreeable. Jill tried a bland ointment for her sunburn. However, when Jack absent¬mindedly patted her on the sunburned shoulder, she couldn't maintain a bland disposition.

cosmopolitan

ADJ. sophisticated. Her years in the capital had transformed her into a cosmopolitan woman highly aware of international affairs.

cosmopolitan

ADJ. sophisticated. Her years in the capitol had transformed her into a cosmopolitan young woman highly aware of international affairs.

doleful

ADJ. sorrowful. He found the doleful lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as he could.

obstinate

ADJ. stubborn; hard to control or treat. We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to change. Blackberry stickers are the most obstinate weeds I know: once established in a yard, they're extremely hard to root out. obstinacy, N.

urbane

ADJ. suave; refined; elegant. The courtier was urbane and sophisticated. urbanity, N.

authoritarian

ADJ. subordinating the individual to the state; completely dominating another's will. The leaders of the authoritarian regime ordered the suppression of the democ¬ratic protest movement. After years of submitting to the will of her authoritarian father, Elizabeth Barrett ran away from home with the poet Robert Browning.

blighted

ADJ. suffering from a disease; destroyed. The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

bilious

ADJ. suffering from indigestion; irritable. His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.

brindled

ADJ. tawny or grayish with streaks or spots. He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled, he had hoped for animals of a uniform color.

quizzical

ADJ. teasing; bantering; mocking; curious. When the skinny teenager tripped over his own feet stepping into the bullpen, Coach raised one quizzical eyebrow, shook his head, and said, "Okay, kid. You're here, let's see what you've got."

wispy

ADJ. thin; slight; barely discernible. Worried about preserving his few wispy tufts of hair, Walter carefully mas¬saged his scalp and applied hair restorer every night.

orthodox

ADJ. traditional; conservative in belief. Faced with a problem, he preferred to take an orthodox approach rather than shock anyone. orthodoxy, N.

equable

ADJ. tranquil; steady; uniform. After the hot sum¬mers and cold winters of New England, he found the cli¬mate of the West Indies equable and pleasant.

complaisant

ADJ. trying to please; obliging. The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner.

gnarled

ADJ. twisted. The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years and was mentioned in several deeds.

wry

ADJ. twisted; with a humorous twist. We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its wry wit.

bicameral

ADJ. two-chambered, as a legislative body. The United States Congress is a bicameral body.

unseemly

ADJ. unbecoming; indecent; in poor taste. When he put whoopie cushions on all the seats in the funeral par¬lor, his conduct was most unseemly.

ambiguous

ADJ. unclear or doubtful in meaning. His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take. ambiguity, N.

bohemian

ADJ. unconventional (in an artistic way). Gertrude Stein ran off to Paris to live an eccentric, bohemian life with her writer friends. Oakland was not bohemian: it was too bourgeois, too middle-class.

tacit

ADJ. understood; not put into words. We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake.

nondescript

ADJ. undistinctive; ordinary. The private detec¬tive was a short, nondescript fellow with no outstanding fea¬tures, the sort of person one would never notice in a crowd.

unintimidating

ADJ. unfrightening. Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Steve Young, he found the famous quarterback friendly and unintimidating.

unscathed

ADJ. unharmed. They prayed he would come back from the war unscathed.

unwitting

ADJ. unintentional; not knowing. She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers.

omnipresent

ADJ. universally present; ubiquitous. On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is omnipresent.

unwarranted

ADJ. unjustified; groundless; undeserved. Your assumption that I would accept your proposal is unwarranted, sir; I do not want to marry you at all. We could not understand Martin's unwarranted rudeness to his mother's guests.

boundless

ADJ. unlimited; vast. Mike's energy was bound¬less: the greater the challenge, the more vigorously he tack¬led the job.

celibate

ADJ. unmarried; abstaining from sexual inter¬course. The perennial bachelor vowed to remain celibate. celibacy, N.

derivative

ADJ. unoriginal; derived from another source. Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature,the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.

heterodox

ADJ. unorthodox; unconventional. To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not move, Galileo's the¬ory that the earth circled the sun was disturbingly heterodox.

desolate

ADJ. unpopulated. After six months in the crowded, bustling metropolis, David was so sick of people that he was ready to head for the most desolate patch of wilderness he could find.

capricious

ADJ. unpredictable; fickle. The storm was capri¬cious: it changed course constantly. Jill was capricious, too: she changed boyfriends almost as often as she changed clothes.

earthy

ADJ. unrefined; coarse. His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in his audience.

unmitigated

ADJ. unrelieved or immoderate; absolute. After four days of unmitigated heat, I was ready to collapse from heat prostration. The congresswoman's husband was an unmitigated jerk: not only did he abandon her, he took her campaign funds, too!

callow

ADJ. youthful; immature; inexperienced. As a fresh¬man, Jack was sure he was a man of the world; as a sopho¬more, he made fun of freshmen as callow youths. In both cases, his judgment showed just how callow he was.

gamely

ADV. bravely; with spirit. Because he had fought gamely against a much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the arena.

awry

ADV. distorted; crooked. He held his head awry, giv¬ing the impression that he had caught cold in his neck dur¬ing the night. alsoADJ.

asunder

ADV. into parts; apart A fierce quarrel split the partnership asunder: the two partners finally sundered their connections because their points of view were poles asunder.

aloft

ADV. upward. The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging. To get into a loft bed, you have to climb aloft.

gingerly

ADV. very carefully. To separate egg whites, first crack the egg gingerly.

verbatim

ADV. word for word. He repeated the message verbatim. alsoADJ.

humility

N. humbleness of spirit. He spoke with a humility and lack of pride that impressed his listeners.

consistency

N. absence of contradicitons; dependability; uniformity; degree of thickness. Holmes judged puddings and explanations on their consistency: he liked his puddings wihout lumps and his explanations without improbabilities.

anarchy

N. absence of governing body; state of disorder. The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy.

affluence

N. abundance; wealth. Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life.

chasm

N. abyss. They could not see the bottom of the chasm.

orientation

N. act of finding oneself in society. Freshman ori¬entation provides the incoming students with an opportunity to learn about their new environment and their place in it.

volition

N. act of making a conscious choice. She selected this dress of her own volition.

diversion

N. act of turning aside; pastime. After studying for several hours, he needed a diversion from work. divert,V.

animosity

N. active enmity. He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.

vigor

N. active strength. Although he was over seventy years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in his prime. vigor¬OUS,ADJ.

anguish

N. acute pain; extreme suffering. Visiting the site of the explosion, the governor wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.

catalyst

N. agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged. Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst.

emissary

N. agent; messenger. The secretary of state was sent as the president's special emissary to the conference on disarmament.

discomposure

N. agitation; loss of poise. Perpetually poised, Agent 007 never exhibited a moment's discompo¬sure.

covenant

N. agreement. We must comply with the terms of the covenant.

compact

N. agreement; contract. The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government.

concession

N. an act of yielding. Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain concessions.

alias

N. an assumed name. John Smith's alias was Bob Jones. also ADV.

vex

N. annoy; distress. Please try not to vex your mother; she is doing the best she can.

verisimilitude

N. appearance of truth; likelihood. Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable.

approbation

N. approval. She looked for some sign of approbation from her parents, hoping her good grades would please them.

diagnosis

N. art of identifying a disease; analysis of a con¬dition. In medical school Margaret developed her skill at diagnosis, learning how to read volumes from a rapid pulse or a hacking cough. diagnose, V.; diagnostic,ADJ.

connivance

N. assistance; pretense of ignorance of sth. wrong; permission to offend. With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher. connive, V.

bombardment

N. attack with missiles. The enemy bom¬bardment demolished the town. Members of the opposition party bombarded the prime minister with questions about the enemy attack.

aggressor

N. attacker. Before you punish both boys for fighting, see whether you can determine which one was the aggressor.

antipathy

N. aversion; dislike. Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife. Noise in any form is antipathetic to him. Among his other antipathies are honking cars, boom boxes, and heavy metal rock.

embargo

N. ban on commerce or other activity. As a result of the embargo, trade with the colonies was at a standstill.

barrage

N. barrier laid down by artillery fire. The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy cannons.

onset

N. beginning; attack. Caught unprepared by the sudden onset of the storm, we rushed around the house closing windows and bringing the garden furniture into shelter. Caught unprepared by the enemy onset, the troops scrambled to take shelter.

conception

N. beginning; forming of an idea. At the first conception of the work, he was consulted. conceive,V.

genesis

N. beginning; origin. Tracing the genesis of a fam¬ily is the theme of Roots.

demeanor

N. behavior; bearing. His sober demeanor qui¬eted the noisy revelers.

arrears

N. being in debt. He was in arrears with his pay¬ments on the car.

credulity

N. belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivete. Con artists take advantage of the credulity of inexperienced investors to swindle them out of their savings. credulous, ADJ.

credence

N. belief. Do not place any credence in his promises.

credibility

N. believability. Because the candidate had made some pretty unbelievable promises, we began to question the credibility of everything he said.

breach

N. breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap. Jill sued Jack for breach of promise, claiming he had broken his promise to marry her. They found a breach in the enemy's fortifications and penetrated their lines. alsoV.

glossary

N. brief explanation of words used in the text. I have found the glossary in this book very useful; it has elim¬inated many trips to the dictionary.

atrocity

N. brutal deed. In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies.

onus

N. burden; responsibility. The emperor was spared the onus of signing the surrender papers; instead, he rele¬gated the assignment to his generals.

entrepreneur

N. businessman; contractor. Opponents of our present tax program argue that it discourages entrepre¬neurs from trying new fields of business activity.

equanimity

N. calmness of temperament; composure. Even the inevitable strains of caring for an ailing mother did not disturb Bea's equanimity.

quiver

N. case for arrows. Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his quiver. (secondary meaning)

bane

N. cause of ruin; curse. Lucy's little brother was the bane of her existence: his attempts to make her life miser¬able worked so well that she could have poisoned him with ratsbane for having such a baneful effect.

luminary

N. celebrity; dignitary. A leading light of the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a theatrical luminary whose name lives on.

ordination

N. ceremony making someone a minister. At the young priest's ordination, the members of the congregation presented him with a set of vestments. ordain,V.

coronation

N. ceremony of crowning a queen or king. When the witches told Macbeth he would be king, they failed to warn him he would lose his crown soon after his coronation.

certitude

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

vicissitude

N. change of fortune. Humbled by life's vicissi¬tudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gar¬dener in the palace over which he had once ruled.

geniality

N. cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy. This restaurant is famous and popular because of the geniality of the proprietor who tries to make everyone happy.

curmudgeon

N. churlish, miserly individual. Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindness and acts of charity that he secretly performed.

contention

N. claim; thesis. It is our contention that, if you follow our tactics, you will boost your score on the SAT. contend, V.

talon

N. claw of bird. The falconer wore a leather gauntlet to avoid being clawed by the hawk's talons.

detergent

N. cleansing agent. Many new detergents have replaced soap.

buffoonery

N. clowning. In the Ace Ventura movies, Jim Carrey's buffoonery was hilarious: like Bozo the Clown, he's a natural buffoon.

lout

N. clumsy person. That awkward lout dropped my priceless vase!

Clump

N. cluster or close group (of bushes, trees); mass; sound of heavy treading. Hiding behind the clump of bushes, the fugitives waited for the heavy clump of the sol¬diers' feet to fade away.

agglomeration

N. collection; heap. It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had col¬lected on her trip.

lexicographer

N. compiler of a dictionary. The new dictio¬nary is the work of many lexicographers who spent years compiling and editing the work.

unanimity

N. complete agreement. We were surprised by the unanimity with which members of both parties accepted our proposals. unanimous,ADJ.

constraint

N. compulsion; repression of feelings. There was a feeling of constraint in the room because no one dared to criticize the speaker. constrain, V.

narcissist

N. conceited person; someone in love with his own image. A narcissist is her own best friend.

brevity

N. conciseness. Brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word.

anemia

N. condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles. The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia. anemic,ADJ.

discord

N. conflict; lack of harmony. Watching Tweedle¬dum battle Tweedledee, Alice wondered what had caused this pointless discord.

corollary

N. consequence; accompaniment. Brotherly love is a complex emotion, with sibling rivalry its natural corollary.

aftermath

N. consequences; outcome; upshot. People around the world wondered what the aftermath of China's violent suppression of the student protests would be.

liaison

N. contact keeping parts of an organization in com¬munication; go-between; secret love affair. As the liaison between the American and British forces during World War II, the colonel had to ease tensions between the leaders of the two armies. Romeo's romantic liaison with Juliet ended in tragedy.

antithesis

N. contrast; direct opposite of or to. This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.

ascendancy

N. controlling influence; domination. Leaders of religious cults maintain ascendancy over their followers by methods that can verge on brainwashing.

amenities

N. convenient features; courtesies. In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler-fax machines, modems, a health club-the hotel offers the ser¬vices of a butler versed in the social amenities.

cadaver

N. corpse. In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers.

deference

N. courteous regard for another's wish. In defer¬ence to the minister's request, please do not take pho¬tographs during the wedding service.

credo

N. creed. I believe we may best describe his credo by saying that it approximates the Golden Rule.

horde

N. crowd. Just before Christmas the stores are filled with hordes of shoppers.

throng

N. crowd. Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles. alsoV.

watershed

N. crucial dividing point. The invention of the personal computer proved a historic watershed, for it opened the way to today's Information Age.

crux

N. crucial point. This is the crux of the entire problem: everything enters on its being resolved.

elixir

N. cure-all; something invigorating. The news of her chance to go abroad acted on her like an elixir.

demise

N. death. Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed.

guile

N. deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning. lago uses considerable guile to trick Othello into believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful.

artifice

N. deception; trickery. The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effec¬tive than military might.

edict

N. decree (especially issued by a sovereign); official command. The emperor issued an edict decreeing that everyone should come see him model his magnificent new clothes.

ordinance

N. decree. Passing a red light is a violation of a city ordinance.

exploit

N. deed or action, particularly a brave deed. Raoul Wallenberg was noted for his exploits in rescuing Jews from Hitler's forces.

woe

N. deep, inconsolable grief; affliction; suffering. Pale and wan with grief, Wanda was bowed down beneath the burden of her woes.

libel

N. defamatory statement; act of writing something that smears a person's character. If Batman wrote that the Joker was a dirty, 'rotten, mass-murdering criminal, could the Joker sue Batman for libel?

extent

N. degree; magnitude; scope. What is the extentof the patient's injuries? If they are not too extensive, we can treat him on an outpatient basis.

hallucination

N. delusion. I think you were frightened by a hallucination you created in your own mind.

exodus

N. departure. The exodus from the hot and stuffy city was particularly noticeable on Friday evenings.

lineage

N. descent; ancestry. He traced his lineage back to Mayflower days.

defection

N. desertion. The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause.

carnage

N. destruction of life. The film The Killing Fields vividly depicts the carnage wreaked by Pol Pot's followers in Cambodia.

demolition

N. destruction. One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of trans¬portation by bombing of rail lines and terminals. demolish,V.

odium

N. detestation; hatefulness; disrepute. Prince Charming could not express the odium he felt toward Cin¬derella's stepsisters because of their mistreatment of poor Cinderella.

lexicon

N. dictionary. I cannot find this word in any lexicon in the library.

disparity

N. difference; condition of inequality. Their dis¬parity in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.

quandary

N. dilemma. When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Laura, she was in a quandary as to which school she should attend.

application

N. diligent attention. Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application to the task. apply, V. (secondary meaning)

beeline

N. direct, quick route. As soon as the movie was over, Jim made a beeline for the exit.

calamity

N. disaster; misery. As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken community.

dissonance

N. discord. Composer Charles Ives often used dissonance-clashing or unresolved chords-for special effects in his musical works.

virus

N. disease communicator. The doctors are looking for a specific medicine to control this virus.

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.

notoriety

N. disrepute; ill fame. To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for notoriety. notorious,ADJ.

girth

N. distance around something; circumference. It took an extra-large cummerbund to fit around Andrew Carnegie's considerable girth.

caricature

N. distortion; burlesque. The caricatures he drew always emphasized a personal weakness of the peo¬ple he burlesqued. alsoV.

apparition

N. ghost; phantom. On the castle battlements, an apparition materialized and spoke to Hamlet, warning him of his uncle's treachery. In Ghostbusters, hordes of apparitions materialized, only to be dematerialized by the specialized apparatus wielded by Bill Murray.

vampire

N. ghostly being that sucks the blood of the living. Children were afraid to go to sleep because of the many legends of vampires roaming at night.

objective

N. goal; aim. A degree in medicine was her ulti¬mate objective.

chalice

N. goblet; consecrated cup. In a small room adjoin¬ing the cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices made by the most famous European goldsmiths were on display.

bullion

N. gold and silver in the form of bars. Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox.

virtue

N. goodness, moral excellence; good quality. Virtue carried to extremes can turn into vice: humility, for example, can degenerate into servility and spinelessness.

attrition

N. gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment. In the 1960s urban churches suffered from attrition as members moved from the cities to the suburbs. Rather than fire staff members, church leaders followed a policy of attrition, allowing elderly workers to retire without replacing them.

encroachment

N. gradual intrusion. The encroachment of the factories upon the neighborhood lowered the value of the real estate.

Clout

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

avalanche

N. great mass of falling snow and ice. The park ranger warned the skiers to stay on the main trails, where they would be in no danger of being buried beneath a sud¬den avalanche.

host

N. great number; person entertaining guests; animal or plant from which a parasite gets its nourishment. You must attend to a host of details if you wish to succeed as host of a formal dinner party. Leeches are parasites that cling to their hosts and drink their hosts' blood.

cataract

N. great waterfall; eye abnormality. She gazed with awe at the mighty cataract known as Niagara Falls.

ensemble

N. group of (supporting) players; organic unity; costume. As a dancer with the Oakland Ballet, Benjamin enjoyed being part of the ensemble. Having acted with one another for well over a decade, the cast members have developed a true sense of ensemble: They work together seamlessly. Mitzi wore a charming two-piece ensemble designed by Donna Karan.

archipelago

N. group of closely located islands. When Gauguin looked at the map and saw the archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them.

grove

N. group of trees (smaller than a forest); orchard. To the child, the small grove of oaks was as vast as Sherwood Forest, in which he played that legendary hero, Robin Hood.

coterie

N. group that meets socially; select circle. After his book had been published, he was invited to join the literary coterie that lunched daily at the hotel.

coterie

N. group that meets socially; select circle. After his book has been published, he was invited to join the literary coterie that lunched daily at the hotel.

warranty

N. guarantee; assurance by seller. The pur¬chaser of this automobile is protected by the manufac¬turer's warranty that the company will replace any defective part for five years or 50,000 miles.

arroyo

N. gully. Until the heavy rains of the past spring, this arroyo had been a dry bed.

coiffure

N. hairstyle. You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the sixties many African¬Americans affirmed their racial heritage by wearing their hair in Afros.

gavel

N. hammerlike tool; mallet. "Sold!" cried the auction¬eer, banging her gavel on the table to indicate she'd accepted the final bid.

tiller

N. handle used to move boat's rudder (to steer). Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tiller at all times.

barricade

N. hastily put together defensive barrier; obsta¬cle. Marius and his fellow students hurriedly improvised a rough barricade to block police access to the students' quarter. Malcolm and his brothers barricaded themselves in their bedroom to keep their mother from seeing the hole in the bedroom floor. alsoV.

aristocracy

N. hereditary nobility; privileged class. Ameri¬cans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy. we say all men are created equal, but we describe particularly outstanding people as natural aristocrats.

cache

N. hiding place. The detectives followed the sus¬pect until he led them to the cache where he had stored his loot. He had cached the cash in a bag for trash: it was a hefty sum.

crest

N. highest point of a hill; foamy top of a wave. Fleeing the tidal wave, the islanders scrambled to reach the crest of Mount Lucinda. With relief, they watched the crest of the wave break well below their vantage point.

apogee

N. highest point. When the moon in its orbit is far¬thest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.

antagonism

N. hostility; active resistance. Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking to him. antagonistic,ADJ.

behemoth

N. huge creature; monstrous animal. Sports¬casters nicknamed the linebacker "The Behemoth."

enormity

N. hugeness (in a bad sense). He did not realize the enormity of his crime until he saw what suffering he had caused.

galaxy

N. large, isolated system of stars, such as the Milky Way; any collection of brilliant personalities. Science fiction stories speculate about the possible existence of life in other galaxies. The deaths of such famous actors as John Candy and George Burns tells us that the galaxy of Holly¬wood superstars is rapidly disappearing.

languor

N. lassitude; depression. His friends tried to over¬come the languor into which he had fallen by taking him to parties and to the theater.

litigation

N. lawsuit. Try to settle this amicably; I do not want to become involved in litigation. litigant, N.

duration

N. length of time something lasts. Because she wanted the children to make a good impression on the dinner guests, Mother promised them a treat if they'd behave for the duration of the meal.

anticlimax

N. letdown in thought or emotion. After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anti¬climax. anticlimactic,ADJ.

vernacular

N. living language; natural style. Cut out those old-fashioned thee's and thou's and write in the vernacular. alsoADJ.

chameleon

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

epic

N. long heroic poem, or similar work of art. Kuro¬sawa's film Seven Samurai is an epic portraying the strug¬gle of seven warriors to destroy a band of robbers. alsoADJ.

longevity

N. long life. When he reached ninety, the old man was proud of his longevity.

eon

N. long period of time; an age. It has taken eons for our civilization to develop.

odyssey

N. long, eventful journey. The refugee's journey from Cambodia was a terrifying odyssey.

aphasia

N. loss of speech due to injury or illness. After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could only mumble inco¬herently.

blare

N. loud, harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light. I don't know which is worse: the steady blare of a boom box deafening your ears or a sudden blare of flash¬bulbs dazzling your eyes.

clangor

N. loud, resounding noise. The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel.

nadir

N. lowest point. Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadir and would soon begin an upward surge.

allegiance

N. loyalty. Not even a term in prison could shake Lech Walesa's allegiance to Solidarity, the Polish trade union he had helped to found.

lechery

N. lustfulness; impurity in thought and deed. In his youth he led a life of lechery and debauchery; he did not mend his ways until middle age. lecherous,ADJ.

brunt

N. main impact or shock. Tom Sawyer claimed credit for painting the fence, but the brunt of the work fell on oth¬ers. However, he bore the brunt of Aunt Polly's complaints when the paint began to peel.

optician

N. maker and seller of eyeglasses. The patient took the prescription given him by his oculist} o the optician.

calumny

N. malicious misrepresentation; slander. He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.

gait

N. manner of walking or running; speed. The lame man walked with an uneven gait.

artisan

N. manually skilled worker; craftsman, as opposed to artist. A noted artisan, Arturo was known for the fine craftsmanship of his inlaid cabinets.

cartographer

N. map-maker. Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able to construct a map of his fictional world.

conglomeration

N. mass of material sticking together. In such a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was impossible to find a single area of analysis.

labyrinth

N. maze. Hiding from Indian Joe, Tom and Becky soon lost themselves in the labyrinth of secret underground caves. labyrinthine,ADJ.

denotation

N. meaning; distinguishing by name. A dictio¬nary will always give us the denotation of a word; fre¬quently, it will also give us the connotations. denote,V.

agility

N. nimbleness. The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience.

gibberish

N. nonsense; babbling. Did you hear that fool boy spouting gibberish about monsters from outer space? gibber,V.

drivel

N. nonsense; foolishness. Why do I have to spend my days listening to such idiotic drivel? Drivel is related to dribble: think of a dribbling, driveling idiot.

alcove

N. nook; small, recessed section of a room. Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an adequate breakfast nook for the young couple.

nutrient

N. nourishing substance. As a budding nutrition¬ist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain foods rich in important basic nutrients.

oblivion

N. obscurity; forgetfulness. After a decade of pop¬ularity, Hurston's works had fallen into oblivion; no one bothered to read them any more.

eccentricity

N. oddity; idiosyncrasy. Some of his friends tried to account for his rudeness to strangers as the eccen¬tricity of genius.

nihilist

N. one who believes traditional beliefs to be groundless and existence meaningless; absolute skeptic; revolutionary terrorist. In his final days, Hitler revealed him¬self a power-mad nihilist, ready to annihilate all of Western Europe, even to destroy Germany itself, in order that his will might prevail. The root of the word nihilist is nihil, Latin for nothing. nihilism, N.

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.

extrapolation

N. projection; conjecture. Based on their extrapolation from the results of the primaries on Super Tuesday, the networks predicted that Bob Dole would be the Republican candidate for the presidency. extrapolate,V.

assurance

N. promise or pledge; certainty; self-confi¬dence. When Guthrie gave Guinness his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance that Guinness felt relieved. assure,V.

discretion

N. prudence; ability to adjust actions to circum¬stances. Use your discretion in this matter and do not dis¬cuss it with anyone. discreet,ADJ.

quintessence

N. purest and highest embodiment. Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.

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.

beam

N. ray of light; long piece of metal or wood; course of a radio signal. V. smile radiantly. If a beam of light falls on you, it illuminates you; if a beam of iron falls on you, it elimi¬nates you. (No one feels like beaming when crushed by an iron beam.)

compliance

N. readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements. Bullheaded Bill was not noted for easy com¬pliance with the demands of others. As an architect, how¬ever, Bill recognized that his design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.

entity

N. real being. As soon as the Charter was adopted, the United Nations became an entity and had to be consid¬ered as a factor in world diplomacy.

comeuppance

N. rebuke; deserts. After his earlier rude¬ness, we were delighted to see him get his comeuppance.

neophyte

N. recent convert; beginner. This mountain slope contains slides that will challenge experts as well as neophytes.

log

N. record of a voyage or flight; record of day to day activities. "Flogged two seamen today for insubordination" wrote Captain Bligh in the Bounty's log. To see how much work I've accomplished recently, just take a look at the number of new files listed on my computer log.

genealogy

N. record of descent; lineage. He was proud of his genealogy and constantly referred to the achievements of his ancestors.

annals

N. records; history. In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.

defiance

N. refusal to yield; resistance. When John reached the "terrible two's," he responded to every parental request with howls of defiance. defy,V.

atavism

N. resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; deformity returning after passage of two or more generations. The doctors ascribed the child's deformity to an atavism.

cistern

N. reservoir or water tank. The farmers were able to withstand the dry season by using rainwater they had stored in an underground cistern.

cadence

N. rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat. Marching down the road, the troops sang out, follow¬ing the cadence set by the sergeant.

conundrum

N. riddle. During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children.

exposure

N. risk, particularly of being exposed to disease or to the elements; unmasking; act of laying something open. Exposure to sun and wind had dried out her hair and weathered her face. She looked so changed that she no longer feared exposure as the notorious Irene Adler, one¬time antagonist of Sherlock Holmes.

debris

N. rubble. A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, they were still carting away the debris.

uniformity

N. sameness; monotony. At Persons magazine, we strive for uniformity of style; as a result, all our writers wind up sounding exactly alike.

conservatory

N. school of the fine arts (esp. music or drama). A gifted violinist, Marya was selected to study at the consevatory.

ornithologist

N. scientific student of birds. Audubon's drawings of American bird life have been of interest not only to the ornithologists but also to the general public.

avocation

N. secondary or minor occupation. His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation.

cipher

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

Clip

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

axiom

N. self-evident truth requiring no proof. Before a student can begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain principles or axioms.

continence

N. self-restraint; sexual chastity. At the convent, Connie vowed to lead a life of continence. The question was, could Connie be content with always being continent?

dispatch

N. speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed. Young Napoleon defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to head¬quarters informing his commander of the great victory. alsoV.

Cleft

N. split. Trying for a fresh handhold, the mountain¬climber grasped the edge of a cleft in the sheer rockface. alsoADJ.

criterion

N. standard used in judging. What criterion did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner? criteria, pl.

deadlock

N. standstill; stalemate. Because negotiations had reached a deadlock, some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks. alsoV.

quirk

N. startling twist; caprice. By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.

bereavement

N. state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved. His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement.

decrepitude

N. state of collapse caused by illness or old age. I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged twenty years in six months.

affliction

N. state of distress; cause of suffering. Even in the midst of her affliction, Elizabeth tried to keep up the spirits of those around her.

cessation

N. stoppage. The airline's employees threat¬ened a cessation of all work if management failed to meet their demands. cease,V.

arsenal

N. storage place for military equipment. People are forbidden to smoke in the arsenal for fear that a stray spark might setoff the munitions stored there.

allegory

N. story in which characters are used as symbols; fable. Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of man's soul. allegorical,ADJ.

cantata

N. story set to music, to be sung by a chorus. The choral society sang the new cantata composed by its leader.

clapper

N. striker (tongue) of a bell. Wishing to be undis¬turbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf around the clapper to muffle the noise of its striking.

bigotry

N. stubborn intolerance. Brought up in a democra¬tic atmosphere, the student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by several of his classmates.

archaeology

N. study of artifacts and relics of early mankind. The professor of archaeology headed an expedi¬tion to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.

ornithology

N. study of birds. Audubon's studies of Ameri¬can birds greatly influenced the course of ornithology.

entomology

N. study of insects. Kent found entomology the most annoying part of his biology course; studying insects bugged him.

etymology

N. study of word parts. A knowledge of etymol¬ogy can help you on many English tests: if you know what the roots and prefixes mean, you can determine the mean¬ings of unfamiliar words.

dolt

N. stupid person. I thought I was talking to a mature audience; instead, I find myself addressing a pack of dolts and idiots.

anesthetic

N. substance that removes sensation with or with¬out loss of consciousness. His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep. anesthesia, N.

debacle

N. sudden downfall; complete disaster. In the Air¬plane movies, every flight turns into a debacle, with passen¬gers and crew members collapsing, engines falling apart, and carry-on baggage popping out of the overhead bins.

caprice

N. sudden, unexpected fancy; whim. On a caprice, Jack tried drag-racing, but paid the price-his father took his Chevy Caprice away from him.

connotation

N. suggested or implied meaning of an expression. Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use.

vertex

N. summit. Let us drop a perpendicular line from the vertex of the triangle to the base.

aureole

N. sun's corona; halo. Many medieval paintings depict saintly characters with aureoles around their heads.

curator

N. superintendent; manager. The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.

codicil

N. supplement to the body of a will. Miss Havisham kept her lawyers busy drawing up codicils to add to her already complicated will.

constituent

N. supporter. The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment failed to pass.

extradition

N. surrender of prisoner by one state to another. The lawyers opposed the extradition of their client on the grounds that for more than five years he had been a model citizen.

bravado

N. swagger; assumed air of defiance. The bravado of the young criminal disappeared when he was confronted by the victims of his brutal attack.

eddy

N. swirling current of water, air, etc. The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional eddy.

buffet

N. table with food set out for people to serve them¬selves; meal at which people help themselves to food that's been set out. Please convey the soufflé on the tray to the buffet. (Buffet rhymes with tray.)

quip

N. taunt. You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic comments. alsoV.

tarantula

N. venomous spider. We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula.

nomenclature

N. terminology; system of names. Sharon found Latin word parts useful in translating medical nomen¬clature: when her son had to have a bilateral myringotomy, she figured out that he just needed a hole in each of his eardrums to end the earaches he had.

terminology

N. terms used in a science or art. The special terminology developed by some authorities in the field has done more to confuse the layman than to enlighten him. terminus N. last stop of railroad. After we reached the rail¬road terminus, we continued our journey into the wilderness on saddle horses.

enclave

N. territory enclosed within an alien land. The Vati¬can is an independent enclave in Italy.

deposition

N. testimony under oath. He made his deposi¬tion in the judge's chamber.

libretto

N. text of an opera. The composer of an opera's music is remembered more frequently than the author of its libretto.

cynosure

N. the object of general attention. As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes.

ambivalence

N. the state of having contradictory or con¬flicting emotional attitudes. Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings. ambivalent,ADJ.

larceny

N. theft. Because of the prisoner's record, the dis¬trict attorney refused to reduce the charge from grand lar¬ceny to petty larceny.

veneer

N. thin layer; cover. Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication and failed to rec¬ognize his fundamental shallowness.

gentility

N. those of gentle birth; refinement. Her family was proud of its gentility and elegance.

cerebration

N. thought. Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration.

vise

N. tool for holding work in place. Before filing its edges, the locksmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.

laceration

N. torn, ragged wound. The stock car driver needed stitches to close up the lacerations he received in the car crash.

vestige

N. trace; remains. We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave. vestigial,ADJ.

barterer

N. trader. The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs. It seemed smarter to barter than to pay cash.

wake

N. trail of ship or other object through water; path of something that has gone before. The wake of the swan glid¬ing through the water glistened in the moonlight. Reporters and photographers converged on South Carolina in the wake of the hurricane that devastated much of the eastern seaboard.

veracity

N. truthfulness. Asserting his veracity, young George Washington proclaimed, "Father, I cannot tell a lie!"

welter

N. turmoil; bewildering jumble. The existing welter of overlapping federal and state programs cries out for immediate reform.

contortion

N. twisting; distortion. As the effect of the opiate wore away, the contortions of the patient became more violent and demostrated how much pain she was enduring.

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 run¬ning, or was he deliberately trying to seek her out? coinci¬dental,ADJ.

despot

N. tyrant; harsh, authoritarian ruler. How could a benevolent king turn overnight into a despot?

ethos

N. underlying character of a culture, group, etc. Seeing how tenderly ordinary Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how greatly children were valued in the Spanish ethos.

windfall

N. unexpected lucky event. This huge tax refund is quite a windfall.

hostility

N. unfriendliness; hatred. A child who has been the sole object of his parents' affection often feels hostility toward a new baby in the family, resenting the newcomer who has taken his place.

consolidation

N. unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger. The recent consolidation of several small airlines into one major company has left observers of the industry wondering whether room still exist for the 'little guy' in aviation. consolidate, V.

tautology

N. unnecessary repetition. "Joyful happiness" is an illustration of tautology.

disinclination

N. unwillingness. Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed

exigency

N. urgent situation. In this exigency, we must look for aid from our allies.

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.

colander

N. utensil with perforated bottom used for strain¬ing. Before serving the spaghetti, place it in a colander to drain it.

generality

N. vague statement. This report is filled with generalities; be more specific in your statements.

conceit

N. vanity or self-love; whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor. Although Jack was smug and puffed up with conceit, he was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of phrase.

diversity

N. variety; dissimilitude. The diversity of colleges in this country indicates that many levels of ability are being cared for.

conveyance

N. vehicle; transfer. During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances.

chagrin

N. vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride); disappointment. Embarrassed by his parents' shabby, working-class appearance, Doug felt their visit to his school would bring him nothing but chagrin. Someone filled with chagrin doesn't grin: he's too mortified.

throes

N. violent anguish. The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain.

vagabond

N. wanderer; tramp. In summer, college students wander the roads of Europe like carefree vagabonds. alsoADJ.

dross

N. waste matter; worthless impurities. Many meth¬ods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross.

atrophy

N. wasting away. Polio victims need physiother¬apy to prevent the atrophy of affected limbs. alsoV.

vigilance

N. watchfulness. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

chisel

N. wedgelike tool for cutting. With his hammer and chisel, the sculptor chipped away at the block of marble.

vortex

N. whirlwind; whirlpool; center of turbulence; predicament into which one is inexorably plunged. Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were car¬ried from Kansas to Oz.

breadth

N. width; extent. We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge.

orgy

N. wild, drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in a tendency. The Roman emperor's orgies were far wilder than the toga party in the movie Animal House. When her income tax refund check finally arrived, Sally indulged in an orgy of shopping.

gale

N. windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst (laughter, tears). The Weather Channel warned viewers about a rising gale, with winds of up to sixty miles per hour.

witticism

N. witty saying; wisecrack. I don't mean any criticism, but that last witticism totally hurt my feelings.

epigram

N. witty thought or saying, usually short. Poor Richard's epigrams made Benjamin Franklin famous.

epithet

N. word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing. So many kings of France were named Charles that you could tell them apart only by their epithets: Charles the Wise was someone far different from Charles the Fat.

collage

N. work of art put together from fragments. Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs all went into her collage.

opus

N. work. Although many critics hailed his Fifth Sym¬phony as his major work, he did not regard it as his major opus.

chaff

N. worthless products of an endeavor. When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.

context

N. writings preceding and following the passage quoted. Because these lines are taken out of context, they do not convey the massage the author intended.

annuity

N. yearly allowance. The annuity he setup with the insurance company supplements his social security bene¬fits so that he can live very comfortably without working.

cession

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

whelp

N. young wolf, dog, tiger, etc. This collie whelp won't do for breeding, but he'd make a fine pet.

debutante

N. young woman making formal entrance into society. As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.

assimilate

V. absorb; cause to become homogeneous. The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries will always be a source of pride to Americans. The immigrants eagerly assimilated new ideas and customs; they soaked them up, the way plants soak up water.

wean

V. accustom a baby to not nurse; give up a cher¬ished activity. He decided he would wean himself away from eating junk food and stick to fruits and vegetables.

attain

V. achieve or accomplish; gain. The scarecrow sought to attain one goal: he wished to obtain a brain.

appropriate

V. acquire; take possession of for one's own use. The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use.

exonerate

V. acquit; exculpate. The defense team fever¬ishly sought fresh evidence that might exonerate their client.

compromise

V. adjust or settle by making mutual conces¬sions; endanger the interests or reputation of. Sometimes the presence of a neutral third party can help adversaries compromise their differences. Unfortunately, you're not neu¬tral; therefore, your presence here compromises our chances of reaching an agreement. also N.

concede

V. admit; yield. Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused to concede that she was right.

espouse

V. adopt; support. She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause.

waylay

V. ambush; lie in wait. They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark alley going home.

countenance

V. approve; tolerate. He refused to counte¬nance such rude behavior on their part.

haggle

V. argue about prices. I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy because, whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper, I am never certain that I paid a fair price for the articles I purchased.

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.

attribute

V. ascribe; explain. I attribute her success in sci¬ence to the encouragement she received from her parents.

convene

V. assemble. Because much needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in special sessions by January 15.

compile

V. assemble; gather; accumulate. We planned to compile a list of the words most frequently used on SAT I examinations.

allocate

V. assign. Even though the Red Cross had allo¬cated a large sum for the relief of the sufferers of the disas¬ter, many people perished.

consort

V. associate with. We frequently judge people by the company with whom they consort. N.

append

V. attach. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have just created an appendix.

annex

V. attach; take possession of. Mexico objected to the United States' attempts to annex the territory that later became the state of Texas.

culminate

V. attain the highest point; climax. George Bush's years of service to the Republican Party culminated in his being chosen as the Republican candidate for the presidency. His subsequent inauguration as President of the United States marked the culmination of his political career.

engage

V. attract; hire; pledge oneself; confront. "Your case has engaged my interest, my lord," said Holmes. "You may engage my services."

temporize

V. avoid commiting oneself; gain time. I cannot permit you to temporize any longer; I must have a definite answer today.

eschew

V. avoid. Hoping to present himself to his girlfriend as a totally reformed character, he tried to eschew all the vices, especially chewing tobacco and drinking bathtub gin.

thwart

V. baffle; frustrate. He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his plans and prevent his success.

dote

V. be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline. Not only grandmothers bore you with stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the little rascals, too. Poor old Alf clearly doted: the senile old dotard was past it; in fact, he was in his dotage.

appreciate

V. be thankful for; increase in worth; be thor¬oughly conscious of. Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks gave her, which appreciated in value considerably over the years.

betray

V. be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwill¬ingly). The spy betrayed his country by selling military secrets to the enemy. When he was taken in for question¬ing, the tightness of his lips betrayed his fear of being caught.

betroth

V. become engaged to marry. The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any romance. betrothal, N.

degenerate

V. become worse; deteriorate. As the fight dragged on, the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet.

demystify

V. clarify; free from mystery or obscurity. Help¬ful doctors demystify medical procedures by describing them in everyday language, explaining that a myringotomy, for example, is an operation involving making a small hole in one's eardrum.

expurgate

V. clean; remove offensive parts of a book. The editors felt that certain passages in the book had to be expurgated before it could be used in the classroom.

exculpate

V. clear from blame. He was exculpated of the crime when the real criminal confessed.

vindicate

V. clear from blame; exonerate; justify or sup¬port. The lawyer's goal was to vindicate her client and prove him innocent on all charges. The critics' extremely favorable reviews vindicate my opinion that The Madness of King George is a brilliant movie.

amass

V. collect. The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible.

compound

V. combine; constitute; pay interest; increase. The makers of the popular cold remedy compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine. also N.

amalgamate

V. combine; unite in one body. The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

embark

V. commence; go on board a boat or airplane; begin a journey. In devoting herself to the study of gorillas, Dian Fossey embarked on a course of action that was to cost her her life.

annotate

V. comment; make explanatory notes. In the appendix to the novel, the editor sought to annotate many of the author's more esoteric references.

grouse

V. complain; fuss. Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of "mystery meat" and similar dormitory food.

complement

V. complete; consummate; make perfect. The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese. also N.

contract

V. compress or shrink; make a pledge; catch a disease. Warm metal expands; cold metal contracts.

denounce

V. condemn; criticize. The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust. denunciation, N.

deign

V. condescend; stoop. The celebrated fashion designer would not deign to speak to a mere seamstress; his overburdened assistant had to convey the master's wishes to the lowly workers assembling his great designs.

validate

V. confirm; ratify. I will not publish my findings until I validate my results.

corroborate

V. confirm; support. Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom's story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.

befuddle

V. confuse thoroughly. His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only in befuddling her further.

obfuscate

V. confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex. Was the president's spokesman trying to clarify the Whitewater mystery, or was he trying to obfus¬cate the issue so the voters would never figure out what went on?

disconcert

V. confuse; upset; embarrass. The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary.

anoint

V. consecrate. The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel.

deliberate

V. consider; ponder. Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she told them her decision,

taint

V. contaminate; cause to lose purity; modify with a trace of something bad. One speck of dirt on your utensils may contain enough germs to taint an entire batch of preserves.

vie

V. contend; compete. Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes.

belie

V. contradict; give a false impression. His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his inner sensitivity.

contravene

V. contradict; oppose; infringe on or transgress. Mr.Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elizabeth to contravene his will by eloping with Robert Browning.

amend

V. correct; change, generally for the better. Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States.

debauch

V. corrupt; seduce from virtue. Did Socrates' teachings lead the young men of Athens to be virtuous citi¬zens, or did they debauch the young men, causing them to question the customs of their fathers? Clearly, Socrates' philosophical talks were nothing like the wild debauchery of the toga parties in Animal House.

glaze

V. cover with a thin and shiny surface. The freezing rain glazed the streets and made driving hazardous. also N.

quail

V. cower; lose heart. The Cowardly Lion was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.

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.

exclaim

V. cry out suddenly. "Watson! Behind you!" Holmes exclaimed, seeing the assassin hurl himself on his friend.

hoodwink

V. deceive; delude. Having been hoodwinked once by the fast-talking salesman, he was extremely cau¬tious when he went to purchase a used car.

avow

V. declare openly. Lana avowed that she never meant to steal Debbie's boyfriend, but no one believed her avowal of innocence.

assert

V. declare or state with confidence; put oneself for¬ward boldly. Malcolm asserted that if Reese quit acting like a wimp and asserted himself a bit more, he'd improve his chances of getting a date. assertion, N.

embroider

V. decorate with needlework; ornament with fancy or fictitious details. For her mother's birthday, Beth embroidered a lovely design on a handkerchief. When asked what made her late getting home, Jo embroidered her account with tales of runaway horses and rescuing peo¬ple from a ditch. embroidery, N.

garnish

V. decorate. Parsley was used to garnish the boiled potato. also N.

wane

V. decrease in size or strength; draw gradually to an end. When lit, does a wax candle wane?

ordain

V. decree or command; grant holy orders; predes¬tine. The king ordained that no foreigner should be allowed to enter the city. The Bishop of Michigan ordained David a deacon in the Episcopal Church. The young lovers felt that fate had ordained their meeting.

consecrate

V. dedicate; sanctify. We shall consecrate our lives to this noble purpose.

discredit

V. defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve. The campaign was highly negative in tone; each candidate tried to discredit the other.

demean

V. degrade; humiliate. Standing on his dignity, he refused to demean himself by replying to the offensive letter. If you truly believed in the dignity of labor, you would not think it would demean you to work as a janitor.

defer

V. delay till later; exempt temporarily. In wartime, some young men immediately volunteer to serve; others

tarry

V. delay; dawdle. We can't tarry if we want to get to the airport on time.

consign

V. deliver officially; entrust; set apart. The court consigned the child to her paternal grandmother's care. consignment, N.

gainsay

V. deny. She was too honest to gainsay the truth of the report.

disenfranchise

V. deprive of a civil right. The imposition of the poll tax effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote.

corrode

V. destroy by chemical action. The girders supporting the bridge corroded so gradually that no one suspected any danger until the bridge suddenlly collapsed. corrosion, N. corrosive, ADJ.

corrode

V. destroy by chemical action. The girders support¬ing the bridge corroded so gradually that no one suspected any danger until the bridge suddenly collapsed. corrosion, N.

obliterate

V. destroy completely. The tidal wave obliterated several island villages,

defoliate

V. destroy leaves. In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands.

annihilate

V. destroy. The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.

depose

V. dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military govern¬ment.

quarry

V. dig into. They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside. also N.

delve

V. dig; investigate. Delving into old books and man¬uscripts is part of a researcher's job.

dissent

V. disagree. In the recent Supreme Court decision, Justice O'Connor dissented from the majority opinion. also N.

exude

V. discharge; give forth. We get maple syrup from the sap that exudes from the trees in early spring. exudation, N.

chasten

V. discipline; punish in order to correct. Whom God loves, God chastens.

dishearten

V. discourage; cause to lose courage or hope. His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened him.

dismay

V. discourage; frighten. The huge amount of work she had left to do dismayed her. also N.

descant

V. discuss fully. He was willing to descant upon any topic of conversation, even when he knew very little about the subject under discussion. also N.

bandy

V. discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heat¬edly. While the president was happy to bandy patriotic gen¬eralizations with anyone who would listen to him, he refused to bandy words with unfriendly reporters at the press con¬ference.

unravel

V. disentangle; solve. With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and baffling murder mysteries.

belittle

V. disparage or depreciate; put down. Parents should not belittle their children's early attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts. Barry was a put-down artist: he was a genius at belittling people and making them feel small.

disseminate

V. distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds). By their use of the Internet, propagandists have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe.

assuage

V. ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger). Jilted by Jane, Dick tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream. One gallon later, he had assuaged his appetite but not his grief.

browse

V. graze; skim or glance at casually. "How now, brown cow, browsing in the green, green grass." I remem¬ber lines of verse that I came across while browsing through the poetry section of the local bookstore.

lament

V. grieve; express sorrow. Even advocates of the war lamented the loss of so many lives in combat. lamenta¬tion, N.

burgeon

V. grow forth; send out buds. In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come.

hover

V. hang about; wait nearby. The police helicopter hovered above the accident.

bait

V. harass; tease. The school bully baited the smaller children, terrorizing them.

defame

V. harm someone's reputation; malign; slander. If you try to defame my good name, my lawyers will see you in court. If rival candidates persist in defaming one another, the voters may conclude that all politicians are crooks. defamation, N.

expedite

V. hasten. Because we are on a tight schedule, we hope you will be able to expedite the delivery of our order. The more expeditious your response is, the happier we'll be.

commemorate

V. honor the memory of. The statue of the Minute Man commemorates the valiant soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War.

embrace

V. hug; adopt or espouse; accept readily; encir¬cle; include. Clasping Maid Marian in his arms, Robin Hood embraced her lovingly. In joining the outlaws in Sherwood Forest, she had openly embraced their cause.

ape

V. imitate or mimic. He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of the whole school.

emulate

V. imitate; rival. In a brief essay, describe a person you admire, someone whose virtues you would like to emulate.

levy

V. impose (a fine); collect (a payment). Crying "No taxation without representation," the colonists demonstrated against England's power to levy taxes.

ameliorate

V. improve. Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.

comprise

V. include; consist of. If the District of Columbia were to be granted statehood, the United States of America would comprise fifty-one states, not just fifty.

aggrandize

V. increase or intensify. The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress.

augment

V. increase; add to. Armies augment their forces by calling up reinforcements; teachers augment their salaries by taking odd jobs.

wax

V. increase; grow. With proper handling, his fortunes waxed and he became rich.

enhance

V. increase; improve. You can enhance your chances of being admitted to the college of your choice by learning to write well; an excellent essay can enhance any application.

edify

V. instruct; correct morally. Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his audience, many of his listeners were amused rather than enlightened.

decipher

V. interpret secret code. Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decipher the scrambled message sent to him from the KGB.

daunt

V. intimidate; frighten. "Boast all you like of your prowess. Mere words cannot daunt me," the hero answered the villain.

broach

V. introduce; open up. Jack did not even try to broach the subject of religion with his in-laws. If you broach a touchy subject, it may cause a breach.

energize

V. invigorate; make forceful and active. Rather than exhausting Maggie, dancing energized her.

emanate

V. issue forth. A strong odor of sulphur emanated from the spring.

couple

V. join; unite. The Flying Karamazovs couple expert juggling and amateur joking in their nightclub act.

warrant

V. justify; authorize. Before the judge issues the injunction, you must convince her this action is warranted.

decimate

V. kill, usually one out of ten. We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.

bemoan

V. lament; express disapproval of. The widow bemoaned the death of her beloved husband. Although critics bemoaned the serious flaws in the author's novels, each year his latest book topped the best-seller list.

bequeath

V. leave to someone by a will; hand down. Though Maud had intended to bequeath the family home to her nephew, she died before changing her will. bequest, N.

depreciate

V. lessen in value. If you neglect this property, it will depreciate.

console

V. lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort. When her father died, Marius did his best to console Cosette.

bate

V. let down; restrain. Until it was time to open the pre¬sents, the children had to bate their curiosity. bated,ADJ.

unfetter

V. liberate; free from chains. Chained to the wall for months on end, the hostage despaired that he would ever be unfettered.

enumerate

V. list; mention one by one. Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumerated his many flaws.

despise

V. look on with scorn; regard as worthless or distasteful. Mr. Bond, I despise spies; I look down on them as mean, despicable, honorless men, whom I would wipe from the face of the earth with as little con¬cern as I would scrape dog droppings from the bottom of my shoe.

decelerate

V. slow down. Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly.

languish

V. lose animation; lose strength. Left at Miss Minchin's school for girls while her father went off to war, Sarah Crewe refused to languish; instead, she hid her grief and actively befriended her less fortunate classmates.

careen

V. lurch; sway from side to side. The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner.

entice

V. lure; attract; tempt. She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief.

bask

V. luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth. Basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep.

grate

V. make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred. The screams of the quarreling children grated on her nerves.

expiate

V. make amends for (a sin). He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.

atone

V. make amends for; pay for. He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime.

coin

V. make coins; 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.

cavil

V. make frivolous objections. It's fine when you make sensible criticisms, but it really bugs me when you cavil about unimportant details. also N.

alienate

V. make hostile; separate. Her attempts to alien¬ate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other.

burnish

V. make shiny by rubbing; polish. The maid bur¬nished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight.

attenuate

V. make thin; weaken. By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines.

disquiet

V. make uneasy or anxious. Holmes's absence for a day, slightly disquieted Watson; after a week with no word, however, Watson's uneasiness about his missing friend had grown into a deep fear for his safety. disquietude, N.

obviate

V. make unnecessary; get rid of. I hope this contri¬bution will obviate any need for further collections of funds.

exploit

V. make use of, sometimes unjustly. Cesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit migrant farmworkers in California. exploitation, N. exploitative,ADJ.

beguile

V. mislead or delude; pass time. With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con men beguiled Kyle into bet¬ting his allowance on the shell game. Broke, he beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire.

alloy

V. mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate. Our delight at the Yankees' victory was alloyed by our concern for Dwight Gooden, who injured his pitching arm in the game.

gibe

V. mock. As you gibe at their superstitious beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarly foolish thoughts?

temper

V. moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel). Not even her supervisor's grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm for her new job.

low

V. moo. From the hilltop, they could see the herd like ants in the distance; they could barely hear the cattle low.

bustle

V. move about energetically; teem. David and the children bustled about the house getting in each other's way as they tried to pack for the camping trip. The whole house bustled with activity.

lumber

V. move heavily or clumsily. Still somewhat torpid after its long hibernation, the bear lumbered through the woods.

waft

V. moved gently by wind or waves. Daydreaming, he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his window.

whinny

V. neigh like a horse. When he laughed through his nose, it sounded as if he whinnied.

nurture

V. nourish; educate; foster. The Head Start pro¬gram attempts to nurture pre-kindergarten children so that they will do well when they enter public school. also N.

demur

V. object (because of doubts, scruples); hesitate. When offered a post on the board of directors, David demurred: he had scruples about taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition to his other responsibilities.

engross

V. occupy fully. John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call.

tender

V. offer; extend. Although no formal charges had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt he should tender his resignation.

gape

V. open widely; stare open-mouthed. The huge pit gaped before him; if he stumbled, he would fall in. Slack¬jawed in wonder, Huck gaped at the huge stalactites hang¬ing down from the ceiling of the limestone cavern.

controvert

V. oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; contradict. The witness's testimony was so clear and her reputation for honesty so well-established that the defense attorney decided it was wiser to make no attempt to contro¬vertwhat she said.

controvert

V. oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; contradict. The witness's testimony was so cleat and her reputation for honesty so well-established that the defense attorney decided it was wiser to make no attempt to controvert what she said.

circumvent

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

glut

V. overstock; fill to excess. The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find purchasers for the excess articles they had produced. also N.

appease

V. pacify or soothe; relieve. Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offering him one toy after another, but he would not calm down until they appeased his hunger by giving him a bottle.

whittle

V. pare; cut off bits. As a present for Aunt Polly, Tom whittled some clothespins out of a chunk of wood.

heed

V. pay attention to; consider. We hope you heed our advice and get a good night's sleep before the test. also N.

defray

V. pay the costs of. Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education.

divine

V. perceive intuitively; foresee the future. Nothing infuriated Tom more than Aunt Polly's ability to divine when he was telling the truth.

embody

V. personify; make concrete; incorporate. Cheer¬ing on his rival Mark McGwire's efforts to break Roger Maris's home run record, Sammy Sosa embodied the spirit of true sportsmanship.

dissuade

V. persuade not to do; discourage. Since Tom could not dissuade Huck from running away from home, he decided to run away with him. dissuasion, N.

cull

V. pick out; reject. Every month the farmer culls the nonlaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher. also N.

entreat

V. plead; ask earnestly. She entreated her father to let her stay out till midnight.

enrapture

V. please intensely. The audience was enrap¬tured by the freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration.

gratify

V. please. Lori's parents were gratified by her suc¬cessful performance on the SAT.

despoil

V. plunder. If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside.

douse

V. plunge into water; drench; extinguish. They doused each other with hoses and water balloons.

contaminate

V. pollute. The sewage system of the city so contaminated the water that swimming was forbidden.

defile

V. pollute; profane. The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.

depict

V. portray. In this sensational exposé, the author depicts Beatle John Lennon as a drug-crazed neurotic. Do you question the accuracy of this depiction of Lennon?

delineate

V. portray; depict; sketch. Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austen delineates the character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his every move. delin¬eation, N.

laud

V. praise. The NFL lauded Boomer Esiason's efforts to raise money to combat cystic fibrosis. laudable, lauda¬tory,ADJ.

extol

V. praise; glorify. The president extolled the astro¬nauts, calling them the pioneers of the Space Age.

dissimulate

V. pretend; conceal by feigning. She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant attitude.

avert

V. prevent; turn away. She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.

desecrate

V. profane; violate the sanctity of. Shattering the altar and trampling the holy objects underfoot, the invaders desecrated the sanctuary.

wrench

V. pull; strain; twist. She wrenched free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap.

obtrude

V. push (oneself or one's ideas) forward or intrude; butt in; stick out or extrude. Because Fanny was reluctant to obtrude her opinions about child-raising upon her daughter-in-law, she kept a close watch on her tongue. obtrusive,ADJ.

dismiss

V. put away from consideration; reject. Believing in John's love for her, she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful. (secondary meaning)

execute

V. put into effect; carry out. The choreographer wanted to see how well she could execute a pirouette. (sec¬ondary meaning) execution, N.

verbalize

V. put into words. I know you don't like to talk about these things, but please try to verbalize your feelings.

don

V. put on. When Clark Kent has to don his Superman outfit, he changes clothes in a convenient phone booth.

bicker

V. quarrel. The children bickered morning, noon, and night, exasperating their parents.

lunge

V. quick forward dive or reach; thrust. The wide receiver lunged forward to grab the football. With his sword, Dartagnan lunged at his adversary.

exalt

V. raise in rank or dignity; praise. The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of knighthood by the queen.

ebb

V. recede; lessen. Sitting on the beach, Mrs. Dalloway watched the tide ebb: the waters receded, drawing away from her as she sat there all alone. also N.

dislodge

V. remove (forcibly). Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs, Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food caught in his throat.

desolate

V. rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake. The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and carrying off the harvest.

wallow

V. roll in; indulge in; become helpless. The hip¬popotamus loves to wallow in the mud.

efface

V. rub out. The coin had been handled so many times that its date had been effaced.

domineer

V. rule over tyrannically. Students prefer teach¬ers who guide, not ones who domineer.

disperse

V. scatter. The police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse the protesters. dispersion, N.

dispel

V. scatter; drive away; cause to vanish. The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.

berate

V. scold strongly. He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.

excoriate

V. scold with biting harshness; strip the skin off. Seeing the holes in Bill's new pants, his mother furiously excoriated him for ruining his good clothes. The tight, starched collar chafed and excoriated his neck, rubbing it raw.

glower

V. scowl. The angry boy glowered at his father.

doodle

V. scribble or draw aimlessly; waste time. Art's teachers scolded him when he doodled all over the margins of his papers.

anchor

V. secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place. We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place. anchorage, N.

aspire

V. seek to attain; long for. Because he aspired to a career in professional sports, Philip enrolled in a graduate program in sports management. aspiration, N.

usurp

V. seize another's power or rank. The revolution ended when the victorious rebel general succeeded in his attempt to usurp the throne.

exemplify

V. serve as an example of; embody. For a gen¬eration of balletgoers, Rudolf Nureyev exemplified the ideal of masculine grace.

table

V. set aside a resolution or proposal for future con¬sideration. Because we seem unable to agree on this issue at the moment, let us table the motion for now and come back to it at a later date.

emancipate

V. set free. At first, the attempts of the Aboli¬tionists to emancipate the slaves were unpopular in New England as well as in the South.

liquidate

V. settle accounts; clearup. He was able to liqui¬date all his debts in a short period of time.

ensconce

V. settle comfortably. Now that their children were ensconced safely in the private school, the jet-setting parents decided to leave for Europe.

upbraid

V. severely scold; reprimand. Not only did Miss Minchin upbraid Ermengarde for her disobedience, but she hung her up by her braids from a coat rack in the classroom. uproarious ADJ. marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy. The uproarious comedy hit Ace Ventura: Pet Detective starred Jim Carrey, whose comic mugging pro¬voked gales of uproarious laughter from audiences coast to coast.

hone

V. sharpen. To make shaving easier, he honed his razor with great care.

whet

V. sharpen; stimulate. The odors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served.

glimmer

V. shine erratically; twinkle. In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the cavern roof glim¬mered like distant stars,

curtail

V. shorten; reduce. When Herb asked Diane for a date, she said she was really sorry she couldn't go out with him, but her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life.

cringe

V. shrink back, as if in fear. The dog cringed, expecting a blow.

wince

V. shrink back; flinch. The screech of the chalk on the blackboard made her wince.

cower

V. shrink quivering, as from fear. The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room.

dwindle

V. shrink; reduce. The food in the life boat gradually dwindled away to nothing; in the end, they ate the ship's cook.

wither

V. shrivel; decay. Cut flowers are beautiful for a day, but all too soon they wither.

winnow

V. sift; separate good parts from bad. This test will winnow out the students who study from those who don't bother.

betoken

V. signify; indicate. The well-equipped docks, tall piles of cargo containers, and numerous vessels being loaded all betoken Oakland's importance as a port.

warble

V. sing; babble. Every morning the birds warbled outside her window. also N.

vilify

V. slander. Waging a highly negative campaign, the candidate attempted to vilify his opponent's reputation. vili¬fication, N.

buffet

V. slap; batter; knock about. To buffet something is to rough it up. (Buffet rhymes with Muffett.) Was Miss Muf¬fett buffeted by the crowd on the way to the buffet tray?

hibernate

V. sleep throughout the winter. Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate. hibernation, N.

cleave

V. split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to. With her heavy cleaver, Julia Child can cleave a whole roast duck in two. Soaked through, the soldier tugged at the uniform that cleaved annoyingly to his body. He would cleave to his post, come rain or shine.

deploy

V. spread out [troops] in an extended though shal¬low battle line. The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the enemy offensive.

dissipate

V. squander; waste; scatter. He is a fine artist, but I fear he may dissipate his gifts if he keeps wasting his time playing games.

withstand

V. stand up against; successfully resist. If you can withstand all the peer pressure in high school to cut classes and goof off, you should survive college just fine.

gawk

V. stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe. The country boy gawked at the skyscrapers and neon lights of the big city.

allege

V. state without proof. Although it is alleged that she has worked for the enemy, she denies the allegation and, legally, we can take no action against her without proof. allegation, N.

lurk

V. stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows."

cohere

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

galvanize

V. stimulate by shock; stir up; revitalize. News that the prince was almost at their door galvanized the ugly stepsisters into a frenzy of combing and primping.

agitate

V. stir up; disturb. Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.

hoard

V. stockpile; accumulate for future use. Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, many people are tempted to hoard food. also N.

arrest

V. stop or slow down; catch someone's attention. Slipping, the trapeze artist plunged from the heights until a safety net luckily arrested his fall. This near-disaster arrested the crowd's attention.

nip

V. stop something's growth or development; snip off; bite; make numb with cold. The twins were plotting mis¬chief, but Mother intervened and nipped that plan in the bud. The gardener nipped off a lovely rose and gave it to me. Last week a guard dog nipped the postman in the leg; this week the extreme chill nipped his fingers till he could barely hold the mail.

divest

V. strip; deprive. He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern. divestiture, N.

contend

V. struggle; compete; assert earnestly. Sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black athletes are exploited by some college recruiters.

gorge

V. stuff oneself. The gluttonous guest gorged him¬self with food as though he had not eaten for days.

conjure

V. summon a devil; practice magic; imagine or invent. Sorcerers conjure devils to appear. Magicians conjure white rabbits out of hats. Political candidates conjure up images of reformed cities and a world at peace.

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.

champion

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

buttress

V. support; prop up. The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case. also N.

bolster

V. support; reinforce. The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolstertheir arguments.

conjecture

V. surmise; guess. Although there was no official count, the organizers conjectured that more than 10,000 marchers took part in the March for Peace. also N.

outstrip

V. surpass; outdo. Jesse Owens easily out¬stripped his white competitors to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games.

disgorge

V. surrender something; eject; vomit. Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.

capitulate

V. surrender. The enemy was warned to capitu¬late or face annihilation.

besiege

V. surround with armed forces; harass (with requests). When the bandits besieged the village, the vil¬lagers holed up in the town hall and prepared to withstand a long siege. Members of the new administration were besieged with job applications from people who had worked on the campaign.

encompass

V. surround. Although we were encompassed by enemy forces, we were cheerful for we were well stocked and could withstand a siege until our allies joined us.

chisel

V. swindle or cheat; 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.

bilk

V. swindle; cheat. The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.

dismantle

V. take apart. When the show closed, they dis¬mantled the scenery before storing it.

lap

V. take in food or drink with one's tongue; splash gen¬tly. The kitten neatly lapped up her milk. The waves softly lapped against the pier.

doff

V. take off. A gentleman used to doff his hat to a lady.

unfrock

V. to strip a priest or minister of church authority. To disbar a lawyer, to unfrock a priest, to suspend a doctor's license to practice-these are extreme steps that the authorities should take only after careful considera¬tion.

coddle

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

lionize

V. treat as a celebrity. She enjoyed being lionized and adored by the public.

quiver

V. tremble; shake. The bird dog's nose twitched and his whiskers quivered as he strained eagerly against the leash. also N.

deflect

V. turn aside. His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.

vaporize

V. turn into vapor (steam, gas, fog, etc.). "Zap!" went Super Mario's atomic ray gun as he vaporized another deadly foe.

writhe

V. twist in coils; contort in pain. In Dances with Snakes, the snake dancer wriggled sinuously as her boa constrictor writhed around her torso.

distort

V. twist out of shape. It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of the riots because of the way some reporters distort and exaggerate the actual events. distor¬tion, N.

disengage

V. uncouple; separate; disconnect. A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate attempt to dis¬engage a railroad car from a moving train.

goad

V. urge on. He was goaded by his friends until he yielded to their wishes. also N.

exhort

V. urge. The evangelist exhorted all the sinners in his audience to reform. exhortation, N.

husband

V. use sparingly; conserve; save. Marathon run¬ners must husband their energy so that they can keep going for the entire distance.

blurt

V. utter impulsively. Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news.

diverge

V. vary; go in different directions from the same point. The spokes of the wheel diverge from the hub.

conveyance

V. vehicle; transfer. During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances.

exasperate

V. vex. Johnny often exasperates his mother with his pranks.

oscillate

V. vibrate pendulumlike; waver. It is interesting to note how public opinion oscillates between the extremes of optimism and pessimism.

disdain

V. view with scorn or contempt. In the film Funny Face, the bookish heroine disdained fashion models for their lack of intellectual interests. also N.

chafe

V. warm by rubbing; make sore (by rubbing). Chilled, he chafed his hands before the fire. The collar of his school uniform chafed Tom's neck, but not as much the school's strict rules chafed his spirit. also N.

brandish

V. wave around; flourish. Alarmed, Doctor Wat¬son wildly brandished his gun until Holmes told him to put the thing away before he shot himself.

vacillate

V. waver; fluctuate. Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated, saying now one, now the other. The big boss likes his people to be decisive: when he asks you for your opinion, whatever you do

enervate

V. weaken. She was slow to recover from her ill¬ness; even a short walk to the window would enervate her.

debilitate

V. weaken; enfeeble. Michael's severe bout of the flu debilitated him so much that he was too tired to go to work for a week.

extenuate

V. weaken; mitigate. It is easier for us to extenu¬ate our own shortcomings than those of others.

undermine

V. weaken; sap. The recent corruption scan¬dals have undermined many people's faith in the city government. The recent torrential rains have washed away much of the cliffside; the deluge threatens to under¬mine the pillars supporting several houses at the edge of the cliff.

bedraggle

V. wet thoroughly; stain with mud. We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing. bedraggled,ADJ.

dabble

V. work at in a non-serious fashion; splash around. The amateur painter dabbled at art, but seldom produced a finished piece. The children dabbled their hands in the bird bath, splashing one another gleefully.

collaborate

V. work together. Two writers collaborated in preparing this book.

exacerbate

V. worsen; embitter. The latest bombing exac¬erbated England's already existing bitterness against the IRA, causing the prime minister to break off the peace talks abruptly.

grapple

V. wrestle; come to grips with. He grappled with the burglar and overpowered him.

cede

V. yield (title, territory) to; surrender formally. Eventu¬ally the descendants of England's Henry II were forced to cede their French territories to the King of France.

adventitious

ADJ. accidental; casual. He found this adven¬titious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate.

accessory

N. additional object; useful but not essential thing. She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress. alsoADJ.

accord

N. agreement. She was in complete accord with the verdict.

addendum

N. an addition or supplement. As an adden¬dum to the minutes, let me point out that Susan moved to appoint Kathy and Arthur to the finance committee.

addiction

N. compulsive, habitual need. His addiction to drugs caused his friends much grief.

acquittal

N. deliverance from a charge. His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty. acquit,V.

abstinence

N. restraint from eating or drinking. The doctor recommended total abstinence from salted foods. abstain,V.

affected

ADJ. artificial; pretended; assumed in order to impress. His affected mannerisms-his "Harvard" accent, his air of boredom, his use of obscure foreign words¬bugged us: he acted as if he thought he was too good for his old high school friends. affectation, N.

abysmal

ADJ. bottomless. His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.

abridge

V. condense or shorten. Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel.

adorn

V. decorate. Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple. adornment, N.

abet

V. aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourage. She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

acquiesce

V. assent; agree without protesting. Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made. acquiescence, N.; acquiescent,ADJ.

absorb

V. assimilate or incorporate; suck or drink up; wholly engage. During the nineteenth century, America absorbed hordes of immigrants, turning them into productive citizens. Can Huggies diapers absorb more liquid than Pampers can? This question does not absorb me; instead, it bores me. absorption, N.

aesthetic

ADJ. artistic; dealing with or capable of apprecia¬tion of the beautiful. The beauty of Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Esther's aesthetic sense. aesthete, N.

actuarial

ADJ. calculating; pertaining to insurance statis¬tics. According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.

absolute

ADJ. complete; totally unlimited; certain. Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity.

abominable

ADJ. detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad. Mary liked John until she learned he was dating Susan; then she called him an abominable young man, with abominable taste in women.

affable

ADJ. easily approachable; warmly friendly. Accus¬tomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicholas was amazed at how affable his new employer was.

adept

ADJ. expert at. She was adept at the fine art of irritat¬ing people. also N.

adamant

ADJ. hard; inflexible. Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his determination to pun¬ish the criminals who destroyed his family. adamancy, N.

abstruse

ADJ. obscure; profound; difficult to understand. She carries around abstruse works of philosophy, not because she understands them but because she wants her friends to think she does.

abundant

ADJ. plentiful; possessing riches or resources. At his immigration interview, Ivan listed his abundant rea¬sons for coming to America: the hope of religious freedom, the prospect of employment, the promise of a more abun¬dant life.

acute

ADJ. quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe. The acute young doctor realized immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient's once acute hearing was due to a chronic illness, not an acute one.

academic

ADJ. related to a school; not practical or directly useful. The dean's talk about reforming the college admis¬sions system was only an academic discussion: we knew little, if anything, would change.

adversity

N. poverty; misfortune. We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

abnegation

N. repudiation; self-sacrifice. No act of abne¬gation was more pronounced than his refusal of any rewards for his discovery.

acoustics

N. science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in. Carnegie Hall is liked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics.

acclivity

N. sharp upslope of a hill. The car would not go up the acclivity in high gear.

acuity

N. sharpness. In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

adherent

N. supporter; follower. In the wake of the scan¬dal, the senator's one-time adherents quickly deserted him.

acme

N. top; pinnacle. His success in this role marked the acme of his career as an actor.

ablution

N. washing. His daily ablutions were accompa¬nied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."

admonition

N. warning. After the student protesters repeatedly rejected Chairman Deng's admonitions, the gov¬ernment issued an ultimatum: either the students would end the demonstration at once or the soldiers would fire on the crowd.

adage

N. wise saying; proverb. There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

abyss

N. enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit. Darth Vader seized the evil emperor and hurled him down into the abyss,

adulation

N. flattery; admiration. The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes men. adulate,V.

abolish

V. cancel; put an end to. The president of the col¬lege refused to abolish the physical education requirement. abolition, N.

accrue

V. come about by addition. You must pay the inter¬est that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum. accrual, N.