Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Vocab
List 2
160
English
Graduate
01/28/2009

Additional English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
gallimaufry (n)
Definition
a hodgepodge, jumble, mixture of diverse things.
Term
incondite (a)
Definition
badly put together or crude. origin: in (bad) + condere (to put together)
Term
haptic (a)
Definition
relating to or based on the sensation of touch.
Term
lacuna (n)
Definition
a blank space or missing part, gap
Term
sidereal (a)
Definition
of, relating to stars or constellations
Term
risible (a)
Definition
comical, laughable; of or relating to laughter. risible muscles
Term
turophile (n)
Definition
a connoisseur of cheese
Term
scion (n)
Definition
descendant, child; a detached living portion of a plant joined to a stock in grafting
Term
paean (n)
Definition
a joyously exulted song or hymn of praise/tribute
Term
Brobdignagian (a)
Definition
of colossal proportions or extraordinary height. origin: Brobdignag, a country of giants in Gulliver's Travels
Term
abecedarian (a)
Definition
of or relating to the alphabet, alphabetically arranged
Term
paronomesia (a)
Definition
pun, the use of words similar in sound to achieve a specific effect like humor or dual-meaning. Greek: para (closely resembling) + onoma (name)
Term
woodnote (n)
Definition
natural, spontaneous verbal utterance; a wild or natural musical tone.
Term
ben trovato (a)
Definition
characteristic or appropriate even if not true
Term
putative (a)
Definition
commonly accepted or supposed, reputed. The putative boss of the mob
Term
algid (a)
Definition
chilly, cold
Term
piste (n)
Definition
a trail, esp downhill ski trail, the area used for fencing
Term
factotum (n)
Definition
an employee or assistant who serves in a wide range of capacities. origin: facere (to do) + totum (everything)
Term
festschrift (n)
Definition
a memorial or complimentary volume issued in honor of a scholar. German: fest (celebration) + schrift (publication)
Term
marterteral (a)
avuncular (a)
Definition
of or like an aunt.
or or like an uncle.
Term
arete (n)
Definition
a sharp-crested ridge of jagged mountains
Term
skepsis (n)
Definition
(broadly) a skeptical outlook or attitude, philosophic doubt to the objective reality of phenomena
Term
micawber (n)
Definition
one who is poor but lives in optimistic expectation of better fortune. Wilkins Micawber, a character in the Dickens novel David Copperfield
Term
jitney (n)
Definition
a nickel, a bus with a regular route and flexible schedule. comes from the original $.05 fare of such a bus
Term
retral (a)
Definition
at, near or toward the posterior, moving in a backward direction
Term
sobriquet (n)
Definition
a nickname, a descriptive name or epithet
Term
tumid (a)
Definition
protuberant, bulging, enlarged, marked by swelling
Term
pule (v)
Definition
to whine or whimper
Term
meed (n)
Definition
a fitting return or recompense
Term
oscitate (v)
Definition
to yawn or gape from drowsiness
Term
vitiate (v)
Definition
to reduce the value or impair the quality of, to corrupt morally or debase, to invalidate
Term
chiliad (n)
Definition
a group of a thousand, millenium
Term
aestival (a)
Definition
of or relating to the summer
Term
anomie (n)
Definition
social/personal instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values
Term
cheval-de-frise (n)
Definition
defense using a projecting line of spikes on top of a wall often strung with barbed wire
Term
pea-souper (n)
Definition
a heavy thick fog
Term
autochthonous (a)
Definition
indigenous, native. Greek: auto {same, self) + chthon (earth)
Term
jument (n)
Definition
a beast of burden
Term
aglet (n)
Definition
a tag on the end of cord, lace or ribbon to facilitate passing through eyelet holes
Term
bildungsroman (n)
Definition
a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character.
Term
comity (n)
Definition
friendly social atmosphere, social harmony (comity of nations); a loose widespread community based on common social institutions
Term
devil theory (n)
Definition
a theory of history which proposes that political and social crises arise from the deliberate actions of evil or misguided leaders rather than as a natural result of conditions
Term
embrocation (n)
Definition
a liniment or lotion, the act of moistening and rubbing part of the body with a liniment or lotion
Term
fug (n)
Definition
an odorous emanation, esp the stuffy atmosphere of a poorly ventilated space.
Term
gat (n)
Definition
a natural or artificial passage or channel
Term
hidrosis (n)
Definition
perspiration, excretion of sweat
Term
irenic (a)
Definition
favoring, conducive to or operating towards peace or conciliation
Term
jeremiad (n)
Definition
a prolonged lamentation or complaint
Term
kerf (n)
Definition
a slit/notch made by a saw
Term
legerity (n)
Definition
alert, facile quickness of mind or body
Term
marmoreal (a)
Definition
of, relating to, suggestive of marble or a marble statue, esp in coldness and aloofness
Term
naff (a)
Definition
unstylish
Term
oikology (n)
Definition
the study of housekeeping
Term
pessimal (a)
Definition
opposite of optimal, maximally bad
Term
quidam (n)
Definition
someone, an anonymous or unknown person
Term
sybaritic (a)
Definition
fulfilling gratification of the senses, luxurious, hedonistic. origin: notorious luxury of the Sybarites
Term
tyro (n)
Definition
a beginner in learning, a novice
Term
ullage (n)
Definition
the amount that a container lacks to be full, deficiency
Term
vigorish (n)
Definition
the charge taken by bookies/gambling houses on bets, interest paid to a moneylender
Term
writhen (a)
Definition
being twisted or contorted
Term
xanthochroi (n.pl)
Definition
white persons having light hair and fair skin
Term
yestreen (n)
Definition
last evening or last night
Term
zenana (n)
Definition
harem, seraglio
Term
gribble (n)
Definition
a small marine crustacean (isopod) that destroys submerged lumber
Term
pelf (n)
Definition
money, riches
Term
aeneous (a)
Definition
brassy or golden green in color
Term
forb (n)
Definition
herb other than grass
Term
eleemosynary (a)
Definition
of, relating to, or supported by charity
Term
foofaraw (n)
Definition
frills and fancy finery, disturbance over a trifle
Term
lanai (n)
Definition
porch, veranda
Term
shandrydan (n)
Definition
a rickety vehicle, a chaise with a hood
Term
tardigrade (a)
Definition
slow-paced or moving slowly; of or pertaining to the Tardigrada (an old classification including sloths, now one that comprises minute aqueous anthropods)
Term
ontic (a)
Definition
of or relating to having real being
Term
inchmeal (av)
Definition
little by little, gradually
Term
costermonger (n)
Definition
a hawker of food or vegetables. origin: costard (type of apple) + monger (seller)
Term
pilgarlic (n)
Definition
a bald-headed man; a man looked upon with humorous contempt or mock pity
Term
costard (n)
Definition
any of several large English apples
Term
nystagmus (n)
Definition
a rapid involuntary oscillation of the eyes that can be vertical, horizontal or torsional, as from dizziness or balance disorders. origin: grk nystagmos (drowsiness)
Term
torsion (n)
Definition
the act of twisting, the state of being twisted
Term
bathos (n)
Definition
in speech or in writing, a descent from the sublime to the commonplace, anticlimax; sentimentality or mawkishness
Term
dubiety (n)
Definition
a feeling of doubt. also dubiosity
Term
jactation (n)
Definition
boasting or bragging
Term
jactation (n)
Definition
boasting or bragging
Term
cullion (n)
Definition
a mean or base fellow. origin: middle english coillion (testicle)
Term
wallydrag (n)
Definition
a dwarfed, feebles animal or person (Scottish)
Term
wally (a)
Definition
fine, splendid (Scottish)
Term
literatim (av)
Definition
letter for letter, literally (verbatim: word for word)
Term
flaneur (n)
Definition
a loafer
Term
cuesta (n)
Definition
a hill or ridge with a steep face on one side and a gentle slope on the other.
Term
anodyne (a)
Definition
a drug that allays pain, serving to assuage pain, something that soothes, calms or comforts; not likely to offend or arouse tensions, bland/innocuous. origin: grk a (without) + odyne (pain)
Term
weazen (v)
Definition
to shrink or shrivel, to cause to shrink
Term
brumal (a)
Definition
wintery. originL ltn bruma (winter solstice)
Term
estaminet (n)
Definition
a cafe or coffeehouse (French)
Term
incarnadine (a)
Definition
of a fleshy-pink color; blood-red
Term
gork (n)
Definition
vegetable, in the sense of a person who is severely mentally or physically impaired.
Term
xanthous (a)
Definition
yellow or yellowish
Term
yoni (n)
yonic (a)
Definition
a representation of the external female genitals, regarded as the symbol of Shakti; the opposite of phallic
Term
demersal (a)
Definition
living near or sinking to the bottom of the sea
Term
anthemion (n)
Definition
a flat floral ornament, esp in relief sculpture or painting. origin: diminutive of anthos (flower)
Term
clapperclaw (v)
Definition
to claw with nails; to scold, revile
Term
kloof (n)
Definition
a deep glen, ravine (Afrikaans)
Term
pavid (a)
Definition
timid. origin: ltn pavidus (frightened)
Term
wyvern (n)
Definition
a mythical creature often depicted as a two legged dragon with a barbed tail
Term
flannelmouthed (a)
Definition
speaking indistinctly; speaking in a tricky or ingratiating way
Term
chondrule (n)
Definition
a granule of cosmic origin, found often in meteoric stones and sometimes in marine sediment. origin: grk chondros (grain)
Term
petitio principii (n)
Definition
false logic in which a premise is assumed to be true without proof or in which what is going to be proved is already implicitly taken for granted
Term
kyte (n)
Definition
belly, stomach (Scottish)
Term
pawky (a)
Definition
artfully shrewd; canny
Term
katzenjammer (n)
Definition
hangover; distress, depression; a discordant clamor. origin: german katzen (cats) + jammer (distress)
Term
catchpenny (a)
Definition
designed especially to appeal to the ignorant or unwary through sensationalism or cheapness
Term
quincunx (n)
Definition
(kwink-unks) an arrangement of five things with one at each corner, and one in the middle of a square or rectangle. origin: ltn "five twelfths"
Term
Rabelaisian (a)
Definition
of, relating to or characteristic of Rabelais, or his works; marked by gross, robust humor, extravagance or caricature, or bold naturalism
Term
cogent (a)
Definition
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason, conving; pertinent, relevant; having power to compel or restrain
Term
abulia (n)
Definition
abnormal lack of ability to act or make decisions
Term
roundkheel (n)
Definition
a pushover
Term
bruxism (n)
Definition
habitual, purposeless clenching and grinding of the teeth, especially during sleep. origin: grk bryx(is) (gnashing of the teeth)
Term
kempt (a)
Definition
neatly kept; trim; tidy
Term
aeolian (a)
Definition
of or relating to Aeolus, Greek god of the winds; giving forth or marked by a moaning or sighing sound or musical tone produced by, or as if by the wind
Term
chorine (n)
Definition
a chorus girl
Term
infrangible (a)
Definition
incapable of being broken or separated; inviolable
Term
patzer (n)
Definition
an inept chess player. origin: german patzer (bungler)
Term
mistigris (n)
Definition
in the game of poker, the extra card, or joker, which make have any value the holder wishes; a variation of poker (usually draw-poker) where the blank card or joker is played as a wild card in this manner. origin: french mistigri the knave of clubs, presumably played as a wild card in certain games
Term
misoneism (n)
Definition
hatred or fear of change or innovation
Term
discalceate (v)
discalceate (a)
Definition
to pull off shoes or sandals; barefoot or wearing only sandals (used of certain religious orders). origin: ltn dis + calceus (shoe)
Term
mimesis (n)
Definition
imitation, specifically in art and literation or in speech or behavior etc.
Term
pleonasm (n)
Definition
redundance of words in speaking or writing; the use of more words than necessary in expressing ideas
Term
bezoar (n)
Definition
a hard indigestible mass of material, such as hair, vegetable fibers found in the stomachs or intestines of some ruminant animals (wild goat, gazelle, llama, and sometimes humans; formerly regarded as an antidote for poisons and pestilential diseases, so also meaning any antidote or panacea. two kinds were particularly esteemed, the bezoar orientale of India, and the bezoar of occidentale of Peru. origin: persian pad (protecting)+ zahr (poison)
Term
occidental(a)
Definition
western
Term
ruminant (n)
ruminant (a)
Definition
hoofed mammal or cud-chewing quadraped, such as gazelle, cattle, camel, antelope, giraffe. chewing the cud/ruminating; contemplative or meditative. a ruminant scholar
Term
panacea (n)
Definition
cure-all, a remedy for all diseases; a solution to every problem. "his economic philosophy is a good one, but he tries to use it as a panacea"
Term
volacious (a)
Definition
fit to fly
Term
zeugma (n)
Definition
the use of a word to modify two or more words, usu. in such a manner that it applies to each word in a different sense or makes sense with only one. ex: she opened the door and her heart to the orphan.
Term
demiurgic (a)
Definition
of or pertaining to Demiurge or his work, creative. origin: ltn demiurgos (public or skilled worker) and grk demos (of the people) + urgos (worker)
Term
Demiurge (n)
Definition
name for the maker or creator of the world, later conceived by some as being subordinate to the Supreme Being, sometimes as the author of evil
Term
kakistocracy (n)
Definition
government by the worst people. origin: grk kakistos (worst) cratos (rule, sway, authority)
Term
mell (n)
Definition
honey
Term
petard (n)
Definition
a small bell-shaped bomb used to breach a gate or wall; a loud firecracker. origin: french petard (a fart)
Term
psilanthropy (n)
Definition
the doctrine that Jesus was merely a human being. origin: grk psilo (mere, bare) + anthro (man)
Term
embrangle (v)
Definition
to mix up in confusion, to bewilder
Term
Volapuk (n)
Definition
an artificial language invented about 1879 for proposed international use as an auxiliary language by JM Schleyer of Baden, Germany. origin: german vol (world, universe) + puk (language)
Term
clapter (n)
Definition
applause, the sound of clapping, or clap-like sounds
Term
Esperanto (n)
Definition
an artificial language for international (chiefly European) use, based on word bases common to the main European languages invented in 1887 by Dr. LL Zamenhof
Term
wamble (v)
Definition
to turn, twist, writhe, roll or wiggle about; to move unsteadily, to stagger or reel; a
Term
maven (n)
Definition
a person who has special knowledge or experience, an expert. origin: hebrew mebin (to understand)
Term
pulvinar (a)
Definition
of, relating to or like a pillow or pad, resembling a cushion or pillow
Term
digerati (pl.n)
Definition
persons knowledgeable about computers or technology
Term
exiguous (a)
Definition
small, slender; minute, diminutive
Term
prolegomenon (n)
prolegomena (pl.n)
Definition
an introductory discourse, especially a formal essay introducting a work of considerable length or complexity. (2) preliminary remarks or observations
Term
wapper jaw (n)
Definition
a misshapen or projecting underjaw
Term
pridian (a)
Definition
pertaining or belonging to the previous day
Term
synechdoche (n)
Definition
a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole. ten sail meaning ten ships
Term
metonymy (n)
Definition
the use of an object or concept for another which is related. the bottle for strong drink or scepter for sovereignty
Term
ABROGATE (v)
Definition
to put an end to. "what is common to each case is the abrogcation of responsible behavior which it implies"
Term
inveigh (v)
Definition
to protest strongly or attack vehemently with words. "However much he might inveigh against the corrupting influence of money, he would never have admitted for one moment that it could possibly corrupt him."
Term
threnody (n)
Definition
a poem, speech or song of lamentation, esp. for the dead, a dirge or funeral song. "His introdutory Satire, with its forgers, gigolos, informers and crooked advocates, is a threnody on the theme of collapsing social values."
Term
PERQUISITE
Definition
"Pity the poor rentier: robbed of his perquisites by clever foreigners, despised and humiliated by the upstart nouveaux riches who have replaced his traditional patrons both in the professions and at court, caught between the twin horrors of beggary and moral self-abasement."
Term
FLUX
abstemiousness (n)
Definition
sparing or moderate in drinking and eating. "He never loses an opportunity to contrast the thrift, abstemiousness, simplicity, patriotism and moral rectitude of the good old days with the selfish hedonism and social flux he sees all around him"
Term
rapacity (n)
Definition
inordinately greedy, predatory, extortionate. "snarling away at the mercenary rapacity or women"
Term
oblique (a)
Definition
indirect. "put the finger on a successful murderer, let alone an Imperial favourite, and you are liable to end as a human torch in the arena. Therefore the oblique approach must be cultivated... This disclaimer has produced a whole host of interpretations."
Term
INFLUX
Definition
"a vast and sudden influx of wealth had corrupted former standards of behavior and promoted reckless ambition"
Supporting users have an ad free experience!