Vocab 9, 10 and Word Parts

heretic (noun)

A rebel; a person who holds unpopular or unaccepted beliefs; dissenter; nonconformist People who believed that the world was round, not flat, were once considered lunatics or heretics.

edifice (noun)

A structure; a building, especially of a large, imposing size On the college's hundredth anniversary, a plaque was put up in honor of the architect who had designed its first edifice, now the administration building.

infraction (noun)

A violation; a breaking of a law or rule "In my class, there will be no texting or other cell-phone use," said the instructor. "Any infraction of this rule will lead to a lower grade."

ver

True; real A verdict should be an honest statement of how members of the jury have judged a case.

recluse (noun)

a hermit; a person who leads a solitary life; someone who withdraws from others While she was suffering from depression, Linda became a recluse, rarely leaving her home and not wanted to see even her closest friends.

-ism

a set of beliefs; doctrine; system; practice of William Pen came to America in the 1600s to establish the principles of his religion, Quakerism.

diatribe (noun)

a verbal attack; a bitter, abusively critical speech or piece of writing; denunciation A reporter covering a preacher's sermon sat through an hour-long diatribe about wickedness. He later wrote, "Mr. Blank spoke on sin. He was against it."

accolade (noun)

an expression of approval; praise Many people rushed out to try the new Thai restaurant on Wayne Avenue after it received an accolade in a newspaper review.

blasphemy (noun)

an insult to something holy; disrespect toward something sacred or important; irreverence Some of the world's greatest thinkers, such as Copernicus, have been accused of blasphemy because their ideas challenged the teachings of the church.

bibl-, biblio-

book The first book printed from a movable type was the Gutenberg Bible.

censure (noun)

disapproval; blame; a rebuke After Aaron got his ear pierced, he had to deal not only with his father's censure, but also his grandfather's sarcastic remarks and icy stares.

pan-

entire; all Some people turn to drugs in hopes of finding a pancrea, a remedy for all the problems in their lives.

prim, prime

first (in order or importance) "Prime" beef is the highest-quality cut. Unfortunately, it's also the highest in fat and in price.

enmity (noun)

hostility; hatred After their divorce, Han tried not to feel enmity toward his ex-wife. He knew that anger and bitterness would be bad for their children.

profane (adj)

lacking reverence; showing disrespect or contempt for sacred things; irreverent Karen refuses to use profane language. She says "Oh my gosh" instead of "Oh my God."

fid

loyalty; trust; faith From the viewpoint of a particular religion, an infidel is a person who does not believe in that faith.

nov

original; new; fresh Anaya is an innovative cook, always thinking of creative, unusual combinations, like sweet potatoes and oranges.

gravity (noun)

seriousness; severity; weighty importance The anxious parents waited in the emergency room to learn the gravity of their son's condition.

rect

straight; right The pool, a large rectangle, was surrounded by bushes in rows as straight as the sides of the pool itself.

languish (verb)

to do poorly; to lose strength; fail in health; be weak Children who languish in institutions, such as orphanages, often improve dramatically when they are adopted into loving homes.

garner (verb)

to gather; to collect Once a year, the company president sends around a questionnaire to garner ideas from the employees about how to improve workplace conditions.

renounce (verb)

to give up; to reject; cast off; disown Great-Uncle Abe was a member of the Communist Party when he was a young man, but soon decided to renounce communism and became a Republican.

peruse (verb)

to inspect; to examine; read with great care To peruse a train timetable, with its tiny type and tinier footnotes, you need good eyesight and plenty of patience.

assuage (verb)

to make less severe; to relieve My brother's apology helped to assuage my anger at him.

incite (verb)

to urge on; to stir up The smell of blood in the water can incite sharks to attack.

sym-, syn-

together; with A syndrome is a collection of symptoms that normally accompany a particular disease.

cacophony (noun)

unpleasant noise; harsh, discordant sounds When we listen to the cacophony of orchestra members tuning their instruments, it is hard to believe that they will soon produce a beautiful symphony.

somber (adj)

very serious; solemn; sad and depressing; melancholy When I saw the doctor's somber expression, I was afraid she had bad news for me.

a-, an-

without; lacking; not Harold is completely apolitical. He never votes and never even seems to know who the candidates are.

erroneous (adj)

wrong; mistaken; in error May first-graders have the erroneous idea that their teacher lives at the school.