Sadlier-Oxford Level H Unit 1-3

forte

(n.) a person's strong point; what a person does best

liturgy

(n.) a religious service or rite; the form of a ritual or other act of public worship

icon

(n.) a representation or image of a sacred personage, often considered sacred itself; an image or picture; a symbol; a graphic symbol on a computer monitor display; an object of blind devotion

vignette

(n.) a short description or sketch; a picture or illustration with edges that gradually shade off; a decorative design on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter

interstice

(n.) a small, narrow space between things or parts of things

Solecism

(n.) a substandard or ungrammatical usage; a breach of etiquette; any impropriety or mistake

mountebank

(n.) a trickster or swindler; a charlatan

fait accompli

(n.) an accomplished and presumably irreversible deed, fact, or action

enclave

(n.) an enclosed district, region, or area inhabited by a particular group of people or having a special character

hierarchy

(n.) any system of things or people arranged or graded one above another in order of rank, wealth, class, etc.

raillery

(n.) good-humored ridicule; teasing

rapacity

(n.) inordinate greed; the disposition to obtain one's desires by force, extortion, or plunder

persiflage

(n.) lighthearted joking, talk, or writing

plethora

(n.) overfullness; superabundance; superfluity

Aegis

(n.) protection; patronage; sponsorship

mirage

(n.) something illusory, without substance, or without a basis in reality; an illusion

Purview

(n.) the range, extent, or scope of something; in law, the scope or limit of what is provided in a statute

condescend

(v.) to come down or stoop voluntarily to a lower level; to deal with people in a patronizing manner

Obfuscate

(v.) to darken or obscure; to confuse or bewilder

caterwaul

(v.) to howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel; (n.) a harsh or noisy cry; a racket

Apprise

(v.) to inform of; to make aware of by giving oral or written notice

Deracinate

(v.) to pull up by the roots; to root out, uproot, or dislocate; to eliminate all traces of

bowdlerize

(v.) to remove material considered offensive (from a book, play, film, etc.)

chimerical

(adj.) absurd; wildly fantastic; impossible

Eleemosynary

(adj.) charitable; dependent upon or supported by charity; derived from or provided by charity

pragmatic

(adj.) concerned with practical considerations or values; dealing with actions and results rather than with abstract theory; stiff in one's opinions

Bibulous

(adj.) fond of or inclined to drink; absorbent

oblivious

(adj.) forgetful; unaware

gratis

(adj.) free; (adv.) without charge

Lachrymose

(adj.) given to tears or weeping; causing to shed tears; mournful, lugubrious

Sanguine

(adj.) having a ruddy complexion; of a naturally cheerful, confident, or optimistic outlook

therapeutic

(adj.) having the power to heal or cure; beneficial

ribald

(adj.) irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language

effete

(adj.) lacking in wholesome vigor or energy; worn-out or exhausted; sterile or unable to produce; out of date

supine

(adj.) lying flat on one's back; listless or lethargic; apathetic or passive

hidebound

(adj.) narrow-minded and rigid, especially in opinions or prejudices; stubbornly and unthinkingly conservative

noisome

(adj.) offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious

Indigenous

(adj.) originating in the country or region where found, native; inborn; inherent

ancillary

(adj.) subordinate or supplementary

Minuscule

(adj.) very small, tiny; (n.) a lowercase letter

poltroon

(n.) a base coward

virtuoso

(n.) a brilliant performer; a person with masterly skill or technique; (adj.) masterly or brilliant

quizzical

(adj.) puzzled; mocking; odd; equivocal

quasi

(adj.) resembling but not actually being; seemingly but not actually or completely

Melee

(n.) a confused struggle; a violent free-for-all; a tumultuous mingling.

proselyte

(n.) a convert; a disciple

Lexicon

(n.) a dictionary of a language; the special vocabulary of a person, group, or subject; a compendium

schism

(n.) a formal split with a religious organization; any division or separation of a group or organization into hostile factions

Claque

(n.) a group of people hired to applaud a performer or performance; enthusiastic or fawning admirers; an opera hat

microcosm

(n.) a miniature world or universe; a group or system viewed as the model of a larger group or system.

morass

(n.) a patch of low, soft, wet ground; a swamp; a confusing situation in which one is entrapped, as in quicksand

Vassal

(n.) a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he or she owes allegiance; a subordinate or dependent; a servant; (adj.) subservient

paean

(n.) a song of praise, a joy, or triumph

adjunct

(n.) something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential; an assistant or helper; a valuable quality or characteristic. (adj.) added or connected in a subordinate capacity; attached to a faculty or staff in an auxiliary capacity

bellwether

(n.) the male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse; a leader, as in desperate or violent undertaking; an indicator of trends.

Paternalism

(n.) the policy or practice of treating or governing people in the manner of a father dealing with his children

Verisimilitude

(n.) the quality of appearing to be true, real, likely, or probable

macrocosm

(n.) the universe considered as a whole; the entire complex structure of something

Polarize

(v.) to cause or concentrate around two conflicting or contrasting positions; to cause light to vibrate in a pattern.

cozen

(v.) to trick; to cheat or swindle