Wordly Wise: Book 9; Lesson 6-10

indolent

lazy

Erudite

learned.

sumptuous

luxurious.

secular

worldly

facet

Any of the many small, flat surfaces on a precious stone made by cutting.

injunction

An order.

ingrate

An ungrateful person.

Aptitude

A natural talent.

Prodigy

A person who shows remarkable talent at an early age.

Crusade

A prolonged, impassioned struggle for what is believed to be a just cause.

Pariah

A social outcast.

motif

A theme or idea in a work of art or literature that is developed or repeated.

Myriad

A very large number.

Boon

A welcome gift or blessing.

Demeanor

Behavior

Practicable

Capable of being done

Adroit

Clever at dealing with difficult situations

moribund

Close to death

exorbitant

Exceeding normal bounds

Tacit

Expressed without words

amorous

Expressing love

Magnanimous

Generous

fateful

Having great consequences.

Beneficiary

One who benefits

Protege

One whose training or career is helped along by another.

Militant

Ready to fight

Raucous

Rough and unpleasant to the ear.

voluble

Talkative.

Inception

The beginning of an action or process.

expostulate

To argue earnestly in an attempt to dissuade or show strong disapproval.

Solicit

To ask for in a formal way.

cleave

To cling to or be faithful to.

Garner

To collect or gather

Amputate

To cut off a body part especially by surgery.

appraise

To estimate the value of

Lapse

To fall or slip from a certain level of conduct or accomplishment.

censure

To find fault with.

Induct

To install in office

Affront

To insult or to offend deliberately

Incapacitate

To make helpless or incapable.

divulge

To make known something secret

depreciate

To make or become less in value.

Remunerate

To pay or reward.

belittle

To present or speak of as unimportant or of little value.

subsidize

To support by giving financial aid.

Trite

Used so much that it is no longer fresh or new.

Gratis

Without payment

Avocation

a hobby.

contemporary

a person living during the same period as another

despot

a ruler with absolute power

quandary

a state of perplexity or doubt

facsimile

an exact copy

impediment

an obstacle

Definitive

conclusive.

strife

conflict or struggle

voracious

desiring and eating a large amount of food

nondescript

hard to describe because of a lack of distinctive qualities or features

callow

immature

impervious

incapable of being penetrated

synthetic

not naturally produced

cynical

skeptical

antiquity

the ancient world

allure

the power to attract or charm.

deem

to believe.

transmute

to change the form or appearance of.

scrutinize

to examine with great care.

scintillate

to flash or sparkle, lively and witty.

wane

to get smaller, dimmer, or weak

repose

to lie at rest

impoverish

to make poor

enunciate

to pronounce clearly

venerate

to show great respect for

Commiserate

to sympathize.

speculate

to think about or make guesses

sagacious

wise