Vocabulary Practice - Set 5

allocate

Definition- To set apart or designate for a special purpose; to distribute. Synonym- allot, assign, issue, award, grant Antonym- freehold, misallocate, deallocate Part of Speech- Verb Root/Prefix/Suffix- from medieval Latin allocat-, from the verb allocare 'place, allow, credit', from Latin ad- 'to' + locare. Sentence- Money from the sale of the house was allocated to each of the children.

jocular

Definition- fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful. synonym- humorous, funny, witty, comic Antonym- solemn, serious, earnest Part of Speech- Adjective Root/Prefix/Suffix- Latin jocularis, from joculus, diminutive of jocus (see joke). Sentence- She sounded in a jocular mood.

salutation

Definiton- A gesture or utterance made as a greeting or acknowledgment of another's arrival or departure. Synonym- greeting, salute, address, hail, welcome Antonym- farwell, goodbye, neglect Part of Speech- noun Root/Prefix/Suffix- from salutare 'pay one's respects to' Sentence- We greeted them but no one returned our salutations.

cordial

Definiton- Warm and friendly Synonym- friendly, warm, pleasant, fond Antonym- unfriendly, unfond Part of Speech- adjective Root/Prefix/Suffix- Cordial shares the Latin root cor with concord (meaning "harmony") and discord (meaning "conflict"). Cor means "heart." Sentence- The atmosphere was cordial and relaxed.

Bamboozle

Definiton- fool or cheat (someone) Synonym- trick, decieve, delube, fool Antonym- be honest Part of Speech- Verb Root/Prefix/Suffix-"Bamboozle" derives from "bamboo," suggesting that hiding the truth is like concealing something behind a bamboo curtain. Sentence- He bamboozled Mercer into defeat.

Esoteric

Defintion- (adj.) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret. Synonym- abstruse, recondite Antonym- simple, familiar Part of Speech- adjective Root/Prefix/Suffix- "belonging to an inner circle". Sentence- He has an esoteric collection of old toys and games.

germinate

Defintion- (of a seed or spore) begin to grow and put out shoots after a period of dormancy. Synonym- sprout, shoot, shoot up, bud Antonym- die, wither, decay Part of Speech- verb Root/Prefix/Suffix- from Latin germinat- 'sprouted forth, budded', from the verb germinare, from germen, germin- 'sprout, seed'. Sentence- Some seed varieties germinate fast, so check every day or so.

Nefarious

Defintion- (typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal. Synonym- Wicked, evil, sinful, Criminal Antonym- good, admirable Part of Speech- Adjective Root/Prefix/Suffix-Latin adjective nefarius and the Latin noun nefas, which means "crime." Nefas is a combination of ne- ("not") and fas, meaning "right" or "divine law." Sentence- He could have been there only for a very obvious nefarious purpose.

Nullify

Defintion- (v.) to make of no value or consequence, cancel, wipe out. Synonym- annul, void, invalidate Antonym- ratify, validate, confirm Part of Speech- verb Root/Prefix/Suffix- from Late Latin nullificare "to esteem lightly, despise," literally "to make nothing," from Latin nullus "not any". Sentence- The law has been nullified by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Adjourn

Defintion- (v.) to stop proceedings temporarily; move to another place. Synonym- withdraw, retire, retreat Antonym- advance, carry out, continue Part of Speech- verb Root/Prefix/Suffix- (in the sense 'summon someone to appear on a particular day'): from Old French ajorner, from the phrase a jorn (nome ) 'to an (appointed) day'. Sentence- The meeting was adjourned until December 4.

Martyr

Defintion- A person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs. Synonym- put to death, kill, burn, martyrize Antonym- recreant Part of Speech- noun Root/Prefix/Suffix- Greek word martur, which means "witness"; the suffix -dom means "state or condition." Sentence- Jennifer responded with anger and played the martyr role.

bellicose

Defintion- Demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight. Synonym- aggresive, hostile, threatening Antonym- peace Part of Speech- adjectve Root/Prefix/Suffix- Latin bellicōsus "warlike, fond of war," ultimately from the noun bellum "war, warfare" and the adjective suffix -ōsus "full of, abounding in." Sentence- The mayor appeared in a bellicose mood as he stamped on the platform and squared up to his rival.

Partisan

Defintion- Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause. Synonym- supporter, follower, devotee, champion Antonym- impartial, unsupportive, unbiased Part of Speech- noun Root/Prefix/Suffix- partezan or partigiano, "member of a faction," with its root of parte, "part or party." Sentence- I see no reason why we should be partisans upon one side or the other.

Perturb

Defintion- Make (someone) anxious or unsettled. Synonym- worry, upset, unsettle, disturb, concern, trouble Antonym- reassure, calm, composed Part of Speech- verb Root/Prefix/Suffix- directly from Latin perturbare "to confuse, disorder, disturb," especially of states of the mind. Sentence- She was so perturbed that she forgot to say goodbye.

Sophomoric

Defintion- Relating to or characteristic of a sophomore. Synonym- young, naive, inmature Antonym- experienced, expert, knowledge proffesional Part of Speech- adjective Root/Prefix/Suffix- "It comes from the Greek word 'sophos,' meaning clever or wise and the word 'moros,' meaning foolish. Sentence- His behavior at the party was sophomoric.

Harrowing

Defintion- acutely distressing Synonym- distress, trouble, grieve, afflict Antonym- calm, comfort, heartening Part of Speech- adjective Root/Prefix/Suffix- from Old Norse herfi ; obscurely related to Dutch hark 'rake'. Sentence- A harrowing film about racism and violence.

comprehensive

Defintion- covering or including everything. Synonym- complete, incude Antonym- noncomprehensive, uncomplete Part of Speech- adjective Root/Prefix/Suffix- Comprehensive is from Latin comprehensivus, from comprehensus, the source of English comprehend. Sentence- The Rough Guide to Nepal is a comprehensive guide to the region.

capricious

Defintion- given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior. Synonym- fickle, inconstant, changeable, variable Antonym- stable, consistent Part of Speech- adjective Root/Prefix/Suffix- capricious is the noun caprice, which means "a whim' or "sudden change of mind". Sentence- It's terrible to feel our livelihood hinges on a capricious boss.

Diversion

Defintion- something that turns your attention off of what you are thinking about. Synonym- rerouting, redirection, degression Antonym- aggrement, direct, staightforward Part of Speech- noun Root/Prefix/Suffix- Diverting stems from the verb divert, or "distract," from its Latin root, divertere, "to turn in different directions." Sentence- He created a diversion while his partner stole her pocketbook.

Endeavor

Defintion- try hard to do or achieve something. Synonym- try, attempt, venture, undertake, aspire Antonym- laziness, idolence, unaspire Part of Speech- verb Root/Prefix/Suffix- The verb is from Middle English endeveren ("to make an effort"); the noun is from Middle English endevour, from the verb. Sentence- He is endeavoring to help the Third World.