Transcript 1. abjure 1. abjure transitive verb Past participle and past tense: abjured Present participle: abjuring Third person singular present tense: abjures.

1. abjure
1. abjure
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: abjured
Present participle: abjuring
Third person singular present tense: abjures
1. abjure
1. To recant solemnly; renounce or
repudiate: “But this rough magic I here
abjure” (William Shakespeare, The
Tempest).
2. To renounce under oath; forswear: The
defendant abjured his previous testimony.
1. abjure
Related Words:
noun- abjuration
noun- abjurer
2. abrogate
2. abrogate
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: abrogated
Present participle: abrogating
Third person singular present tense:
abrogates
2. abrogate
To abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by
authority: “In 1982, we were told that this
amendment meant that our existing Aboriginal
and treaty rights were now part of the supreme
law of the land, and could notbe abrogated or
denied by any government” (Matthew CoonCome, Native Americas)
Related Words:
noun- abrogation
3. abstemious
n
n
n
n
n
n
3. abstemious
adjective
1. Eating and drinking in moderation: “Mr. Brooke was
an abstemious man, and to drink a second glass of
sherry quickly at no great interval from the first was a
surprise to his system” (George Eliot, Middlemarch)
2. Characterized by abstinence or moderation: The
hermit led an abstemious way of life.
Related Words:
adverb- abstemiously
noun- abstemiousness
4. acumen
n
n
n
4. acumen
Noun
Quickness and keenness of judgement or insight: “No,
no, my dear Watson! With all due respect for your
natural acumen, I do not think that you are quite a
match for the worthy doctor” (Arthur Conan Doyle, The
Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter”
5. antebellum
5. antebellum
n
n
Adjective
Belonging to the period before a war, especially the
American Civil War: While vacationing in Georgia, we
took a tour of a stately antebellum house.
6. auspicious
n
n
n
n
n
n
6. auspicious
Adjective
1. Attended by favorable circumstances; propitious: My boss was
in a good mood, so I thought it was an auspicious time to ask for
a raise.
2. Marked by success, prosperous: The auspicious fundraiser
allowed the charity to donate hundreds of toys to the orphanage.
Related Words:
adverb- auspiciously
noun- auspiciousness
7. belie
7. belie
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: belied
Present participle: belying
Third person singular present tense: belies
7. belie
1. To give a false representation to; misrepresent: “He
spoke roughly in order to belie his air of gentility” (James
Joyce, Dubliners).
2. To show to be false, contradict: Their laughter belied
their outward anger.
Related Word-noun- belier
8. bellicose
8. bellicose
adjective
Warlike or hostile in manner or temperament: The nations
exchanged bellicose rhetoric over the border dispute.
Related words:
adverb- bellicosely
noun- bellicosity
noun- bellicoseness
9. bowdlerize
9. bowdlerize
Transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: bowdlerized
Present participle: bowderlizing
Third person person singular present tense: bowderlizes
To remove material that is considered objectionable or offensive (from
a book, for example); expurgate: The publisher bowdlerized the
bawdy 18th century play for family audiences.
Related words:
noun- bowdlerism
noun- bowdlerization
noun- bowdlerizer
10. chicanery
10. chicanery
noun
Deception by trickery or sophistry: “The successful man… who has
risen by conscienceless swindling of his neighbors, by deceit and
chicanery, by unscrupulous boldness and unscrupulous cunning,
stands toward society as a dangerous wild beast.” (Theodore
Roosevelt, The Strenuous Life).
11. chromosome
11. chromosome
noun
1. A threadlike linear strand of DNA and associated proteins in the
nucleus of eukaryotic cells that carries the genes and functions in
the transmission of hereditary information: Chromosomes occur in
pairs in all of the cells of eukaryotes except the reproductive cells.
2. A circular strand of DNA in bacteria that contains the hereditary
information of the cell
Related words:
adjective- chromosomal
adjective- chromosomic
12. churlish
12. churlish
adjective
1. Of, like, or befitting a churl; boorish or vulgar.
2. Having a bad dispostition; surly: “He is as valiant as the lion, churlish
as the bear” (William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida).
Related Words:
adverb- churlishly
noun- churlishness
13. circumlocution
13. circumlocution
noun
1. The use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect language: “There lives no man who at
some period has not been tormented, for example by an earnest desire to tantalize a
listener by circumlocution” (Edgar Allan Poe, The Imp of the Perverse).
2. Evasiveness in speech or writing
3. A roundabout expression: “At such time as” is a circumlocution for the word “when.”
Related Word:
adjective- circumlocutory
14. circumnavigate
14. circumnavigate
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: circumnavigated
Present participle: circumnavigating
Third person singular present tense: circumnavigates
1. To proceed completely around: “The whale he had struck must also
have been on its travels; no doubt it had thrice circumnavigated
the globe” (Herman Melville, Moby Dick).
2. To go around; circumvent: I circumnavigated the downtown traffic by
taking side streets on the west side of town
RELATED WORDS:
noun- circumnavigation
noun- circumnavigator
15. deciduous
15. deciduous
Adjective
1. Shedding or losing foliage at the end of the growing season:
“Orange-picking begins in December at overlaps the pruning of the
deciduous orchards” (Mark Austin, Art Influence in the West).
2. Falling of or shed at a specific season or stage of growth: Male deer
have deciduous antlers.
3. Not lasting; ephemeral.
RELATED WORDS:
adverb- deciduously
noun- deciduousness
16. deleterious
16. deleterious
Adjective
Having a harmful effect; injurious: “I will follow that system of regimen
which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the
benefit of my patients, and I abstain from whatever is deleterious
and mischievous” (Hippocratic Oath).
RELATED WORDS:
adverb- deleteriously
noun- deleteriousness
17. diffident
n
n
n
n
n
17. diffident
adjective
Lacking or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid:
“He was too diffident to do justice to himself; but when his
shyness was overcome his behaviour gave every indication of an
open affectionate heart” (Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility)
Related word:
adverb- diffidently
18. enervate
n
n
n
n
18. enervate
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: enervated
Present participle: enervating
Third person singular present tense: enervates
n
To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: “What is the
nature of the luxury which enervates and destroys nations?”
(Henry David Thoreau, Walden).
n
RELATED WORDS:
noun- enervation
adjective- enervative
noun- enervator
n
n
n
19. enfranchise
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
19. enfranchise
Transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: enfranchised
Present participle: enfranchising
Third person singular present tense: enfranchises
1. To endow with the rights of citizenship, especially the right to
vote: Many people who were enfranchised were nonetheless
unable to vote because of onerous poll taxes.
2. To free, as from slavery or bondage.
Related words:
noun- enfranchisement
20. epiphany
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
20. epiphany
Noun
plural- epiphanies
1. Epiphany a. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the
divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi. b.
January 6, on which date this feast is traditionally observed.
2. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.
3. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something; a
revelation: “I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would
change the way I viewed myself” (Frank Maier, Newsweek).
Related words:
adjective- epiphanic
21. equinox
n
n
n
n
n
n
21. equinox
noun
plural- equinoxes
1. Either of the two times during a year when the sun crosses the
celestial equator and when the length of day and night ar
approximately equal: The vernal equinox occurs on March 20 or
21, and the autumnal equinox occurs on September 22 or 23.
2. Either of two points on the celestial sphere at which the ecliptic
intersects the celestial equator.
RELATED WORD:
adjective: equinoctial
22. Euro
or euro
22. Euro
n
n
n
noun
Plural: Euros
The basic unit of currency among members of the
European Monetary Union: Italy and France are two
countries that have adopted the Euro.
23. evanescent
n
n
n
n
n
23. evanescent
adjective
Vanishing or likely to vanish like a vapor: “Most certainly I shall find this
thought a horrible vision- a maddening, but evanescent dream” (Mary
Wollstonecraft Shelley, The Last Man).
Related Words:
verb- evanesce
adverb- evanescently
24. expurgate
n
n
n
n
24. expurgate
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: expurgated
Present participle: expurgating
Third person singular present tense: expurgates
n
To remove erroneous, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable
material from (a book, for example) before publication: The R-rated
movie was expurgated before it was shown on network television.
n
RELATED WORDS:
noun- expurgation
noun- expurgator
n
n
25. facetious
n
n
n
n
n
25. facetious
adjective
Playfully jocular; humorous: The employee’s facetious remarks were not
appreciated during the meeting.
RELATED WORDS:
adverb- facetiously
noun- facetiousness
26. fatuous
n
26. fatuous
adjective
n
Foolish or silly, especially in a smug or self-satisfied way: “‘Don’t
you like the poor lonely bachelor?’ he yammered in a fatuous
way” (Sinclair Lewis, Main Street).
n
Related Words:
adverb- fatuously
noun- fatuousness
n
n
27. feckless
27. feckless
n
n
n
n
n
n
adjective
1. Lacking purpose or vitality; feebleor ineffective: “She glowered at the
rows of feckless bodies that lay sprawled in the chairs” (Willa Cather,
The Song of the Lark).
2. Careless and irresponsible: The feckless student turned in yet another
late paper.
Related Words:
adverb- fecklessly
noun- fecklessness
28. fiduciary
n
n
n
28. fiduciary
adjective
1a. Of or relating to a holding of something in rust for another. b. Of or
being a trustee or trusteeship. c. Held in trust.
2. Of or consisting of legal tender, especially paper currency, authorized
by a government but not based on or convertible into gold or silver.
n
noun
Plural- fiduciaries
One, such as a company director, that has a special relation of trust,
confidence, or responsibility in certain obligations to others.
29. filibuster
n
n
n
29. filibuster
Noun
1a. The use of obstructionist tactics, especially
prolonged speechmaking, for the purpose of delaying
legislative action. b. An instance of the use of such
tactics: The senator’s filibuster lasted over 24 hours.
2. An adventurer who engages in a private military
action in a foreign country.
n
n
n
n
n
n
29. filibuster
Verb
Past participle and past tense: filibustered
Present participle: filibustering
Third person singular present tense: filibusters
Intransitive: 1. To use obstructionist tactics in a legislative body.
2. To take part in a private military action in a foreign country.
n
Transitive: To use a filibuster against (a legislative measure, for
example).
n
Related wordnoun- filibusterer
n
30. gamete
n
n
30. gamete
Noun
A reproductive cell having the haploid number of chromosomes,
especially a mature sperm or egg capable of fusing with a gamete of the
opposite sex to produce a fertilized egg.
31. gauche
31. gauche
Adjective
Lacking grace or social polish; awkward or tactless: “A good man often
appears gauche simply because he does not take advantage of the
myriad mean little chances of making himself look stylish” (Iris Murdoch,
The Black Prince).
Related WordsAdverb- gauchely
Noun- gaucheness
32. gerrymander
n
n
n
n
32. gerrymander
Transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: gerrymandered
Present participle: gerrymandering
Third person singular present tense: gerrymanders
n
To divide (a geographic area) into voting districts so as to give unfair
advantage to one party in elections.
n
Noun
n
1. The act, process, or an instance or gerrymandering.
2. A district or configuration of districts differing widely in size or
population because of gerrymandering.
n
33. hegemony
33. hegemony
Noun
Plural- hegemonies
The predominant influence of a state, region, or group, over others:
The hegemony of communism in Eastern Europe crumbled in the
late 1980s.
Related Wordsadjective- hegemonic
noun and adjective- hegemonist
34. hemoglobin
34. hemoglobin
Noun
The iron-containing pigment in red blood cells of vertabrates,
consisting of of about 6 percent heme and 94 percent globin. In
vertabrates, hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the
tissues of the body and carries carbon dioxide from the tissues to
the lungs.
35. homogenous
35. homogenous
Adjective
1.
2.
3.
4.
1. Uniform in structure or composition: “Although the Vietnamese
in America were at first a homogenous group, in the course of five
separate waves of immigration they have encompassed a diverse
cross-section of Vietnamese society” (Lowell Weis, Atlantic
Monthly).
2. Of the same or similar nature or kind.
3. Mathmatics. Consisting of terms of the same degree of
elements of the same dimension.
Related Words:
adverb- homogenously
noun- homogeneousness
36. hubris
36. hubris
Noun
Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance: “There is no safety in
unlimited technological hubris” (McGeorge Bundy, New York
Times Magazine).
Related Words:
adjective: hubristic
adverb: hubristically
37. hypotenuse
37. hypotenuse
Noun
The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle: “You cannot write a
textbook of geometry without reference to a hypotenuse and
triangles and a rectangular parallelepiped. You simply have to
learn what those words mean or do without mathematics”
(Hendrick Van Loon, The Story of Mankind).
38. impeach
38. impeach
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: impeached
Present participle: impeaching
Third person singular present tense: impeaches
1a. To make an accusation against (a person). b. To charge (a public official)
with improper conduct in office before a proper tribunal: The House of
Representatives impeached Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in
1998. Neither was convicted.
2. To challenge the validity of; try to discredit: The lawyer impeached the
witness’s credibility with a string of damaging questions.
RELATED WORDS:
adjective- impeachable
noun- impeachment
39. incognito
39. incognito
Adjective and adverb
With one’s identity disguised or concealed: The spy traveled incognito
into enemy territory.
Noun
Plural: incognitos
The identity assumed by a person whose actual identity is disguised or
concealed.
40. incontrovertible
40. incontrovertible
Adjective
Impossible to dispute; unquestionable: The lawyer presented
incontrovertible proof or her client’s innocence.
Related wordsnoun- incontrovertibility
adverb- incontrovertibly