unit 11 vocab definitions

gothic

(adj.) characterized by or emphasizing a gloomy setting and grotesque or violent events; sucha literary or artistic style; a type of medieval architecture

quixotic

(adj.) extravagantly or romantically idealistic; visionary without regard to practical considerations

parlous

(adj.) full of danger or risk, perilous

effusive

(adj.) highly demonstrative; unrestrained

lugubrious

(adj.) sad, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree

consensus

(n.) a collective or general argreement of opinion, feeling, or thinking

metamorphosis

(n.) a complete trasformation, as if by magic

impasse

(n.) a dead end; a position form which there is no escape; a problem to which there is no solution

bravado

(n.) a display of false or assumed courage

dichotomy

(n.) a divistion into two contradictory or mutually exclusive parts; a branching or forking in a na ancestral line

euphoria

(n.) a feeling of great happiness or well-being, often with no objective basis

punctilio

(n.) a minute detail of conduct or procedure; an instant of time

raconteur

(n.) a person who tells stories and anecdotes with great skill

vendetta

(n.) a prolonged feud, often between two families, characterized by retaliatory acts fo revenge; any act motivated by vengencies

mystique

(n.) an aura or attitude fo mystery or veneration surrounding something or someone

sine qua non

(n.) an essential or indispensable element or condition

non sequitur

(n.) an inference or conclusion that does not follow logically from the facts or premises

apostate

(n.) one who forsakes his or her religion, party, or cause

quagmire

(n.) soft, soggy mud or slush; a difficult or entrapping situation

constrict

(v.) to make smaller or narrower, draw together, squeeze; to stop or casue to falter