[Link].

net

ESSENTIAL GRE VOCABULARY

1,423 words

Each with a definition, etymology, and usage sentence

iPod or iPhone version

[Link]

3 out of the 4 types of verbal questions on the GRE are vocabulary intensive. If you get an antonym
question, and you don't know the word that is given, you are, to put it bluntly, screwed. Knowing the
definitions of the words, both in the question and in the answer choices, is the most important factor to
getting analogy, sentence completion, and antonym questions right.

To memorize a word, you essentially build a bridge between the word itself and the definition of the
word. The easiest way to do so is to create an associative story between the word and its meaning.

For example, the word STOLID sounds similar to "Stalin". Stalin killed a lot of people. About 6 to 8
million during the great famine of 1932-1933, and about 1 million during the Great Terror of 1937-
1938. In order to be a mass murderer on that scale, you can't feel very much. And STOLID in fact
means "showing little emotion".

Therefore, when memorizing these words, get creative, and remember to think of associations between
the word itself and the definition. You want to think of a story or image that will lead you from the
word to the definition.

This is why it's a good idea to learn roots. Often, the definition of the word is linked closely to its its
root, and if you know the root it's easy to remember the meaning of the word. For example, an
IMPEDIMENT is an obstruction, something in the way. The root is PED, or foot, and the prefix is IM,
which usually means "in" or "to put in". So, IMPEDIMENT = IM + PEDiment, or, "to put something in
someone's feet". If you put something in someone's feet, you trip them up, or in other words you get in
their way and obstruct them.

To download these 1,423 words as flashcards for your iPod or iPhone, click HERE.

For more GRE or GMAT study aids, please visit [Link]

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ESSENTIAL GRE VOCABULARY - SET 1

WORD DEFINITION USAGE SENTENCE ETYMOLOGY

1 Abacus A frame with beads Some old people know from L. abacus, from
or balls that can be how to use an abacus Gk. abax, "counting
slid on wires or in better than they do a table"
slots, for doing or calculator.
teaching arithmetic.

2 Adulteration To make impure by Drug dealers often from L. adulterare, "to

adding extraneous, adulterate their drugs corrupt, debauch,"
improper, or inferior by putting in harmful from ad- "to"+
ingredients. chemicals such as alterare, "to alter"
bleach, rat poison, and (see alter)
so on.

3 Apprehensive Anxious or fearful Because of the bad from L. apprehendere,

about the future; economic situation, "to take hold of,
uneasy. Mike was grasp," from ad- "to" +
apprehensive that he prehendere "to seize"
might lose his job. (see prehensile).

4 Astute Having or showing a Laura was an astute from L. astutus,

clever or shrewd poker player; she "crafty," from astus
mind; cunning; constantly won large "guile, cunning,“ of
crafty; wily. amounts of money. uncertain origin.

5 Barrage A heavy, prolonged The candidate faced a from Fr. barr(er), “to
attack of words, barrage of tough block, to bar”, (see
blows, bullets, etc. questions during the barrier)
election.

6 Blandishment A flattering or Her blandishments from Fr. blandir, " to

ingratiating act or had a very strong flatter," from L.
remark, etc. meant effect on him. blandiri, "to flatter,"
to persuade: usually from blandus, "mild,
used in pl. smooth" (see bland).

7 Burnish To make or become Jack's new car was so from Fr. burnir, "to
shiny by rubbing; burnished you could make brown/bright,
polish. use it as a mirror. polish," from brun "
brown, polished"

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8 Chisel To cheat or He chiseled me out of from L. caesus,

swindle(someone). fifty dollars. participle of caedere,
"to cut" (see
concise).

9 Complacent Satisfied, affable; The team got too from L. complacere

esp., self-satisfied, complacent after their "be very pleasing".
or smug. early victories and so (see pleasant)
was stunned by an
upset late in the
series.

10 Contiguous In physical contact; The 48 contiguous from L. contigus,

touching along all or states make up most "bordering upon,"
most of one side. of the land mass of the from base of
Near, next, or USA. contingere, "to touch
adjacent. upon" (see contact).

11 Cupidity Strong desire, esp. Bob's cupidity drove from L. cupiditas,

for wealth; avarice; him to make some "passionate desire, "
greed. very risky bets in the from cupidus "eager,
stock market. passionate,” (see
Cupid, Roman god
of love)

12 Denounce To accuse publicly; The director from L. denuntiare,

inform against. To denounced his own from de-"down" +
condemn strongly movie after he saw nuntiare, "proclaim,
as evil. how it had been announce," from
changed by the studio. nuntius "messenger"
(see announcement)

13 Dilatory Causing or tending Joan's dilatory tactics from L. dilatus,

to cause delay; didn't work and she serving as participle
meant to gain time, lost the bet. of differe, "delay" (see
defer action, etc. defer).

14 Divergence Separating or The feud caused a from L. divergere, "go

branching off. bitter divergence in different directions,"
Becoming different between the two sides from dis-"apart" +
in form or kind. of the family. vergere "to bend,
turn" (see verge)

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15 Effluvia A disagreeable or The effluvia from the from L. effluentem "a

noxious vapor or hospital ward almost flowing out," from ex-
odor. made Jerry sick. “out” + fluere, “to flow”
(see fluent)

16 Engender To bring into being; Pity engendered love. from L. ingenerare,

bring about; cause; from in- "in" +
produce. generare, "beget,
create." (see
generate)

17 Errant Roving or His errant ways finally from L. iterare, from

wandering, esp. in made Jackie leave L. iter "journey, way,"
search of adventure; him. from the root ire "to
itinerant. go" (see itinerary)

18 Expedient Useful for effecting The most expedient from L. expedire

a desired result; solution is often the "make fit or ready,
suited to the best. prepare," lit. "free the
circumstances or feet from fetters,"
the occasion; hence "liberate from
advantageous; difficulties," from ex-
convenient. "out" + pedis "fetter,
chain for the feet,"
related to pedis "foot"
(see pedal)

19 Feckless Weak; ineffective. Jim's feckless flailing from Scot. feck,

only made the other "effect, value, vigor,"
boxer laugh. shortened form of
effect (see effect)

20 Flaunt To exhibit Eric flaunted his new Perhaps a variant of

ostentatiously or apartment to his flout or vaunt.
shamelessly. friends once he
finished decorating it.

21 Fortuitous Bringing, or Through fortuitous from. L. Fortuitus,

happening by good circumstances, Martha from forte "by
luck; fortunate. managed to make the chance," of fors
plane on time. "chance." (see
fortune)

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22 Glib Speaking or spoken The glib salesman had Possibly shortening of

in a smooth, fluent, a very convincing obsolete glibbery
easy manner, often smile. "slippery," from Low
in a way that is too Ger. glibberig
smooth and easy to
be convincing.

23 Harbinger A person or thing The falling leaves are from O. Fr. herbergier
that comes before to a harbinger of winter. "provide lodging,"
announce or give an (see harbor)
indication of what
follows; herald.

24 Iconoclastic Individualistic, William Blake was an from Late Gk.

nonconforming, iconoclast who eikonoklastes, from
dissident, irreverent. criticized the rich and eikon "image"
powerful of his time. +klastes "breaker,"
(see clash)

25 Impetuous Done suddenly with Nick's impetuous from L. impetus

little thought; rash; decision to move to "attack, assault,
impulsive. Costa Rica cost him onset, impulse,
dearly later on. violence, vigor, force,
passion," from in-
"into" + petere "aim
for, rush at" (see
petition)

26 Indulgent Kind or lenient, Grandparents are from L. indulgentia

often to excess. often indulgent of their "complaisance,
grandchildren. fondness, remission,"
from indulgere "be
kind, yield" (see
indulge)

27 Interim The period of time The interim agreement from L. interim "in the
between; meantime. was eventually meantime," originally
discarded. "in the midst of that,"
from inter- "between"
+ im, ancient adv.
from stem of pronoun
is "this, that." (see
interval)

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28 Jibe To be in harmony, These two fingerprints of unknown origin,

agreement, or jibe with one another. perhaps a figurative
accord. extension of earlier jib
"shift a sail or boom"
(see jib), or a
phonetic variant of
chime, as if meaning
"to chime in with, to
be in harmony."

29 Lugubrious Very sad or Mill's lugubrious from L. lugubris

mournful, esp. in a expression made it "mournful, pertaining
way that seems clear he was really to mourning,” from
exaggerated or sad. lugere "to mourn"
ridiculous.

30 Mettle Quality of character If you don't have the Variant spelling of

or temperament; mettle, don't play the metal, "stuff of which
high spirit; courage. game. a person is made."

31 Nice Showing or The difference from L. nescius

indicating very small between the forgery "ignorant," lit. "not-
differences; and the authentic knowing," from ne-
minutely accurate, painting was so nice, "not" (see un-) + stem
as instruments. few people could see of scire "to know."
it. (see science)

32 Opprobrium Reproachful Her teenage from L. opprobare "to

contempt for pregnancy brought reproach, taunt," from
something regarded opprobrium to her ob "against" +
as inferior. household. probrum "reproach,
infamy." (see
disapprove)

33 Pedantic Overly concerned The pedantic teacher from L. paedagogus

with minute details was more concerned "slave who escorted
or formalisms. with how neat the children to school and
students' handwriting generally supervised
was, than with how them," later "a
much they knew. teacher," from Gk.
pais "child" (see
pedo-) + agogos
"leader," from agein
"to lead" (see act)

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34 Philander To engage lightly in Wayne's wife finally from Gk. adj.

passing love affairs; got fed up with his philandros "with love
make love philandering. for people," perhaps
insincerely; said of a mistaken as meaning
man "a loving man," from
phill- "loving" + andr-,
"man." (see android)

35 Polyglot Speaking or writing Because she was from Gk. polyglottos

several languages. raised abroad by "speaking many
parents who were languages," lit.
translators, Lisa turned "many-tongued, "
into a veritable from polys "many"
polyglot. (see poly-) + glotta,
"language," lit.
"tongue." (see
glossary)

36 Prodigious Wonderful, His prodigious talent from L. prodigiosus

amazing. Of great for acting was obvious "strange, wonderful,
size, power , extent. for everyone to see. marvelous,” (see
prodigy).

37 Pusillanimous Timid, cowardly, or The pusillanimous from L. pusillis "very

irresolute; general had never won weak, little" + animus
fainthearted. a battle. "spirit, courage."

38 Recidivism Habitual or chronic There is a very high From recidivist, one

relapse, or tendency danger of recidivism who recidivates, from
to relapse, esp. into among drug addicts. L. recidivus, falling
crime or antisocial back, from recidere,
behavior. to fall back : re-,
“back” + cadere, “to
fall” (see cadence)

39 Rent Torn. The rent tablecloth from L. rendere "to

began to serve as a render" (see render).
dishrag.

40 Salient Standing out from We tend to remember from L. salientem,

the rest; noticeable; only the most salient participle of saliere "to
conspicuous ; facts about a situation. leap" used here
prominent. figuratively to mean
“leaps out at you”
(see somersault)

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41 Severance Breaking off, as of a They severed their from O. Fr. sevrance,

friendship. relationship once he from sevrer (see
discovered the letters sever). Meaning
from her ex-boyfriend. "discharge from
employment
contract."

42 Sophistry Unsound or The lawyer's sophistry from Gk. sophos

misleading, but was not enough to free "wise, clever," of
clever, plausible, his client. unknown origin (see
and subtle argument philosopher)
or reasoning.

43 Stride To walk with long With great strides, O.E. stridan "to
steps, esp. in a John caught up to his straddle," from Ger.
vigorous or mother. streit "fight,
swaggering manner. contention, combat,"
from O. N. striðr
"strong, hard,
stubborn, severe" The
Eng. usage might be
the effort involved in
making long strides,
striving forward.

44 Sustain To keep in The only thing that from [Link]. sustenir

existence; keep up; sustained him was the "hold up, endure,"
maintain. To thought that he might from L. sustinere
strengthen the see his pet turtle "hold up, support,
spirits, courage, etc. again. endure," from sub "up
of; comfort; buoy up; from below" + tenere
encourage "to hold" (see tenet)

45 Torment To cause great Tormented by from [Link]. tourment

physical pain or nightmares, the soldier (11c.), from L.
mental anguish. finally decided to go tourmentum "twisted
see a psychiatrist. sling, rack,” related to
torquere "to twist"
(see thwart).

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46 Undulate To cause to move The boat undulated on from [Link],

in waves. the open sea. from L. undulatus
"wavy, undulated,"
from undula
"wavelet," dim. of L.
unda "wave" (see
water).

47 Vigilant Staying watchful A vigilant dog guarded from L vigilare “to be

and alert to danger the factory at night. watchful”. (see vigil)
or trouble.

48 Whimsical Oddly out of the They took a whimsical of unknown origin;

ordinary; fanciful; walk down to the river. perhaps from
freakish. scandinavian

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49 Abrasion A wearing away by The Grand Canyon from L. abrasus, pp.

rubbing or scraping was actually formed by of abradere, from ab-
as of rock by wind, a very long process of "off" + radere "to
water, etc.. abrasion. scrape" (see erase)

50 Amalgamate To join together into If the two companies, from L. amalgama,

one; unite; combine. amalgamate, the new "alloy of mercury
entity will have a (esp. with gold or
monopoly in the field. silver)," an alchemists'
word, it may have
come via Arabic al-
malgham.

51 Ardor Emotional warmth; Although they had from L. ardere "to

passion. broken up a year ago, burn" (see ardent)
his ardor for her never
cooled.

52 Avant-garde The leaders in new Often, an avant-garde from Fr. "advance

or unconventional movement in art, like guard." Used in Eng.
movements, esp. in the Impressionists in 15c.-18c. in a literal,
the arts; vanguard. the mid 19th century, will military sense.
not be immediately
understood by the public.

53 Belittle To make seem little, To encourage Americanism; be- +

less important, etc.; someone, it's little
speak slightingly of; important not to belittle
depreciate. their initial efforts.

54 Boisterous Rough and stormy; After the bars close, all From Anglo-Fr.
turbulent. the boisterous patrons bustous "rough,"
spill out onto the perhaps from O. Fr.
sidewalk. boitous "noisy," or
[Link]. boisteus
"curved, lame;" origin
obscure. (see beast)

55 Canine Of or like a dog. His canine expression from L. caninus "of

frightened her. the dog,"

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56 Coalition A combination; At the start of the most from L. coalitus

union. recent war in Iraq, the "fellowship," orignally
U.S. led a coalition of participle of L.
more than 40 countries coalescere (see
who supported an coalesce)
invasion of Iraq.

57 Concord Agreement; The fact that both of from L. concordia

harmony. them liked old movies "agreement, union,"
helped create concord from concors "of the
in their relationship. same mind," lit.
"hearts together,"
from com- "together"
+ cor "heart" (see
concur)

58 Cordon To encircle or shut The crime scene was from [Link]. cordon
(off) with a line or cordoned off with "ribbon," dim. of O. Fr.
circle of police, bright yellow tape. corde "cord" (see
soldiers, forts, ships, cord).
etc.

59 Decant To pour from one Sometimes it's useful from Fr. decanter,
container into to decant a bottle of from M.L. decanthare,
another. wine into a carafe in from canthus "corner,
order to let it breathe. lip of a jug,"

60 Derogatory Tending to lessen or Julia became upset from L. derogare

impair; detracting. after she heard Mary's "detract from, " also
derogatory comments. "repeal partly," from
de-"away" + rogar
"ask, question,
purpose" (see
interrogate)

61 Disdain To regard or treat as The king had nothing from O. Fr.

unworthy or beneath but disdain for the desdeignier, from des-
one's dignity; court jester. "do the opposite of" +
specif., to refuse or designier "treat as
reject with aloof worthy" (see deign)
contempt or scorn.

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62 Dote To be excessively or Timmy's grandmother from M.L.G doten "be

foolishly fond of used to dote on him foolish," of unknown
someone or constantly when he origin. Dotage, lit.
something. was a little child. "the state of one who
dotes," first recorded
c. 1390 for "senility."

63 Eloquence Speech or writing Barbara was from L. eloquentia,

that is vivid, forceful, thoroughly charmed by from eloquentem
fluent, graceful, and Michael's grace and (nom. eloquens), prp.
persuasive. eloquence. of eloqui "speak out,"
from ex- "out" + loqui
"speak."

64 Entangle Catch, as in a net, He didn't want to from L. in- "in, into."

vine, etc., so that become entangled in nasalized variant of
escape is difficult; the situation, so he tagilen "to involve in a
ensnare. passed by the people difficult situation,
without saying a word. entangle"

65 Euthanasia Act or practice of Euthanasia is illegal in from Gk. euthanasia

causing death most countries, "an easy or happy
painlessly, so as to although some doctors death," from eu-
end suffering. support a patient's "good" + thanatos
right to end his or her "death."
suffering with dignity.

66 Extenuate To lessen or seem Because of the from L. extenuat-,

to lessen the extenuating stem of extenuare
seriousness of (an circumstances, the "lessen," from ex-
offense, guilt, etc.) judge decided to let "out" + tenuare "make
by giving excuses. the man off with a thin," from tenuis
warning. "thin" (see thin)

67 Fertilize To make fertile; Sam was an eco- from L. fertilis

make fruitful or conscious farmer; he "bearing in
productive; enrich. never bought any abundance, fruitful,
chemical fertilizers. productive," from ferre
"to bear" (see infer)

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68 Florid Flushed with red or His style of writing was from L. floridus
pink; rosy; ruddy: characterized by "flowery, blooming,"
said of the intricately long, florid from flos "flower" (see
complexion. sentences. flower)

69 Friction A rubbing, esp. of Early humans used the from L. frictionem "a
one object against friction created by rubbing, rubbing
another. rubbing sticks together down," from fricare "to
to create fire. rub."

70 Gregarious Fond of the Jake was the most from L. gregarius,

company of others: gregarious guy on his from grex "flock, herd"
sociable. floor, and therefore his (see congregation)
dorm room always had
lots of people hanging
out in it.

71 Hermetic Hard to understand; Sometime Jane from Gk. Hermes, god

obscure thought that all she did of science and art
for a living was study
useless, hermetic
literature.

72 Illusory Producing, based His illusory hopes from L. illusionem "a

on, or having the dashed, Nick fell into a mocking, jesting,
nature of illusion. deep depression. irony," from illudere
"mock at," lit. "to play
with," from in- "at" +
ludere "to play" (see
ludicrous)

73 Impolitic Unwise; injudicious; Martin realized that it from politic (adj.,)

inexpedient. would be impolitic to modeled on Aristotle's
mention just now the politika "affairs of
fact that he had lost state”
his job earlier that day.

74 Infuse To put (a quality , John's memories of from L. infundere "to

idea, etc.) into, as if Barcelona were pour into," from in-
by pouring; instill; infused with a feeling "in" + fundere "pour,
impart. of happiness. spread" (see fund)

75 Introvert To direct (one's Sarah was anything from L. intro- "inward"

interest, mind, or but introverted, she + vertere "to turn"
attention) upon was probably friends (see versus)
oneself; introspect. with everybody in her
school.

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76 Lassitude A state or feeling of After dinner, an from L. lassitudinem

being tired and unshakeable lassitude "faintness,
listless; weariness; took over Greg's body. weariness," from
languor. lassus "faint, tired,
weary," (see late)

77 Malign To speak evil of I won't let you malign from L. malignus

defame; slander; my father like that for "wicked, bad-
traduce. no reason! natured," from male
"badly" + -gnus
“born,” from gignere
"to bear, beget," (see
genes)

78 Missile That which can be The Cuban missile from L. missile

thrown or shot, as crisis nearly started "weapon that can be
from a gun.. world war three. thrown," from mittere
"to send." (see
transmit)

79 Numbness Deadness, The queen drank the from O.E. niman "to
anesthesia, poison and soon take"
stupefaction, began to feel a
dullness, numbness spreading
insensitivity. throughout her body.

80 Overweening Arrogant; His overweening from O.E. ofer-

excessively proud. attitude cost him a lot wenian, from ofer +
of friends. "over"+ wenian (see
ween)

81 Perfidy The deliberate Martha felt that she from L. perfidia

breaking of faith; could never forgive her "falsehood,
betrayal of trust; friend's perfidy. treachery,” from
treachery. perfidus "faithless,"
from per "through"
(see per) + fidem,
"faith" (see faith)

82 Pith The essential part; John was known for O.E. pipa "pith of
substance; gist. his pithy movie plants," also
summaries. "essential part," from
W. Gmc.

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83 Precipitate To cause to happen It is thought that from L. præcipitare "to

before excepted, Lenin's actions throw or dive
warranted, needed, precipitated the headlong," from prae
or desired; to bring Russian civil war of the “before” + caput
on or hasten. twenties. “head” (see
precipitation)

84 Propinquity Nearness in time or Adam's mother didn't from L . propinquitas,

place. like his propinquity with "nearness, vicinity,"
the motorcycle gang. from propinquus
"near, neighboring,"
from prope "near"

85 Quiescent Quiet; still; inactive. The quiescent night from L. quies "rest,
was illuminated by the quiet" (see quiet)
moon.

86 Recuperate To get back, or Sick as he was, he from L recuperare

recover (losses, didn't go to work that "recover," from re-
health, etc.). day and instead “back” + capere “take”
recuperated at home. (see capture)

87 Resilience The ability to It was only after a from L resilire "to

recover the string of misfortunes rebound, recoil," from
strength, spirits, hit him that Jordan re- "back" + salire "to
good humor. discovered his own jump, leap" (see
resilience. salient, somersault)

88 Satiate To provide with The wedding feast was from L. satiare "fill full,
more than enough, enough to satiate even satisfy," (see satisfy)
so as to weary or the hungriest guest.
disgust; glut; surfeit.

89 Shunt To move or turn to After he revealed his perhaps from shunen

one side; turn aside inexperience, Marco "to shun"
or out of the way. was quickly shunted
by his boss to a less
important position.

90 Spurn To refuse or reject The beautiful woman from L. spernere, “to

with contempt or spurned the inept scorn” (see spur)
disdain; scorn. young man's proposal.

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91 Subsume To include within a Frank's department from L. subsumere "to

larger class, group, was soon to be take under," from L.
order, etc. subsumed into the sub "under” + sumere
new, larger department "to take." (see
of social science. consume)

92 Taunt To reproach in The wicked children from [Link]. tanter, "to

scornful or sarcastic knew they could safely tempt, try, provoke,"
language; jeer at: taunt the guard dog variant of tempter "to
mock. because it was try" (see tempt, or
chained up in the yard. attempt)

93 Travail Very hard work; toil. Kelly's travails began [Link]. travail "suffering
the moment she or painful effort,
missed her train. trouble" (see trouble)

94 Vagary An odd, eccentric, His son's vagaries from L. vagari "to

or unexpected finally caused Mel to wander, roam, be
action or bit of call a doctor. unsettled, spread
conduct. abroad" (see vague)

95 Volatile Likely to shift quickly The volatile situation from L. volare “to fly”
and unpredictably; only got worse
unstable; explosive.

96 Zealot A person who is Amy was a yoga from L. zelotes, "one

zealous, esp. to an zealot, she went to at who is a zealous
extreme degree; least three classes follower," from zelos
fanatic. every day. "zeal" (see zeal)

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97 Accolade Anything done or The professor earned from L. ad- "to" +

given as a sign of many accolades for his collum "neck" (see
great respect, cancer vaccine collar, column). The
approval, breakthroughs. original sense is of an
appreciation, etc. embrace about the
neck.

98 Annul To do away with; put Sarah and Julian had from L. annullare "to
an end to. their marriage annulled make to nothing,"
once they realized from L. ad- "to" +
they couldn't stand one nullus "nothing" (see
another. null, or annihilate)

99 Ascribe To assign He ascribed his great from L. ascribere "to

(something) to a height to the fact that write in, to add to in a
supposed cause; his mother fed him writing," from ad- "to"
impute; attribute. breast milk until he + scribere "to write"
was 9. (see script)

100 Bacchanalia An ancient Roman Jim's frat was known from L. bacchanalis
festival in honor of for it's enormous "having to do with
Bacchus. bacchanalias. Bacchus" (Gk.
Bakkhos), god of wine
and revelry.

101 Berate To scold or rebuke The teacher berated from [Link]. reter
severely. the student for bringing "accuse, blame,” from
in the assignment late. L. reputare (see
reputation)

102 Brindled Gray or tawny with Kally's favorite dog in from M.E brended
darker streaks or the pet shop was the (1430), from bren
spots. brindled one. "brown color" (13 c.),
noun made from
participle of brennen
"to burn" (see burn)

103 Cede To give up one's The general ceded from L. cedere "to
rights; surrender control of the town to yield," originally "to
formally. the enemy once he go, leave” (see
saw that it was useless proceed)
to fight any further.

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104 Colander A perforated pan, Mary's colander rarely from L. colare "to
usually bowl- saw any use, since strain"
shaped, for draining she constantly ate out.
off liquids, as in
washing vegetables.

105 Consequential Following as an Aaron knew he was from L. consequi "to

effect or inference. not a very follow after," from
consequential member com- "with" +sequi "to
of the team, but he still follow" (see sequel)
liked going to the
practices anyway.

106 Cower To crouch or huddle All the players from M.L.G. kuren "lie
up, as from fear or cowered before their in wait," or similar
cold. incredibly strict coach. Scand. words
meaning "to squat"
and "to doze." Thus
unrelated to coward.

107 Defunct No longer living or The now defunct from L. defunctus

existing; dead or marching band was "dead,” lit. "off-duty,"
extinct. once very popular on from de- "off,
campus. completely," + fungi
"perform or discharge
duty." (see function)

108 Detumescence A gradual shrinking After the parade, they from L detumescere
of a swelling, as, let the air out of the “to cease swelling,”
specif., an erection. balloons on the big from de- “down,
floats, and stood away” + tumescere
around watching the “to swell”. (see
detumescence before tumor)
packing everything up.

109 Dissemble To conceal under a He shed a false tear, from L. dissimulare

false appearance; dissembling his true "conceal, disguise,"
disguise. joy at being fired. from dis- "completely"
+ simulare "pretend,
simulate". (see
simulation)

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110 Dwarf To keep from The population of the from P. Gmc.

growing to full earth now dwarfs what *dweraz, from PIE
natural size. it was 50 years ago. *dhwergwhos
"something tiny."

111 Encomium A formal expression As an encomium to hs from Gk. enkomiom,

of high praise; father, Larry built a "laudatory (ode),
eulogy. statue of him in front of eulogy," from en- "in"
the house. + komos "banquet,
procession,
merrymaking." (see
commotion)

112 Equable Not varying or She was one of the from L. æquabilis
fluctuating much; most equable people "equal, consistent,
steady; uniform. he had ever seen, uniform," see equal
nothing could make
her upset.

113 Exegesis Explanation, critical The two scholars from Gk. exegeisthai
analysis, or almost came to blows "explain, interpret,"
interpretation of a over their differing from ex- out" +
word or literary exegesis of the text. hegeisthai "to lead,
passage. guide."

114 Facetious Joking or trying to “This is no time for from L. facetus “witty,
be jocular, esp. at facetious remarks,” elegant,” of unknown
an inappropriate said the police officer origin, perhaps
time. to his partner. related to facis
“torch."

115 Finesse Adroitness and With great finesse, from [Link]. finesse
delicacy of Laura was able to "fineness, subtlety,"
performance. persuade the waiter to from [Link]. fin "subtle,
transfer them to a delicate" (see fine)
better table.

116 Forbearance Self- control; patient Kevin was well known from O.E. forberan
restraint. for his forbearance, in from for + bear “to
fact, his steely bear, to endure” (see
willpower was admired bear)
by all who knew him.

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117 Garment To cover with a New York city was from [Link]. garnement,
garment; clothe. once the center of the from garnir "fit out,
garment industry in provide, adorn" (see
America. garnish)

118 Gull A person easily The car salesman from Brythonic Celtic,
cheated or tricked; knew a gull when he cf. Welsh gwylan
dupe. saw one. "gull," Cornish guilan,
Breton goelann

119 Hone To sharpen, as with He honed his skills by from M.E. "whetstone"
a whetstone. practicing every day in
the gym.

120 Impecunious Having no money; Nikki's extravagant from in- "not" + L.

poor; penniless youth led her to an pecuniosus "rich,"
insolvent, destitute. impecunious life later from pecunia "money,
on. property."

121 Indefatigable That which cannot She was an from L. in- "not" +
be tired out; not indefatigable champion defatigare "to tire out,"
yielding to fatigue; of human rights. from de- "utterly,
untiring. down, away" +
fatigare "to weary."
(see fatigue)

122 Inordinate Disordered; not Owen and Shelley from L. inordinatus

regulated. agreed that they would "unordered," from in-
not pay such an "not" + ordinatus,
inordinate price for a participle of ordinare
microwave. "to set in order" (see
order)

123 Ire Anger; wrath. After the deal fell from L. ira “anger.”
through, all the (see irate)
employees tried to
avoid the boss so as to
avoid his ire.

124 Lien Right to dispose of A lien makes a from L. ligamen

property; hold on bondholder's claim "bond," from ligare "to
property; charge more secure. bind, tie." (see
security on property. ligament)

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125 Meddlesome Interfering or Joanna was upset that from O. Fr. medler,
inclined to interfere. her meddlesome variant of mesler, from
mother in law was L. miscere "to mix"
coming with them on (see mix). Meaning
the trip. "to concern oneself"

126 Mutability Liable or subject to The mutability of his from L. mutare "to
change or alteration. opinions made change." (see
everyone realize that mutant)
he wasn't very
consistent.

127 Obtrusive Inclined to offer or Gary thought his new from L. obtrus “thrust
force (oneself, one's house was perfect, forward”, from ob
opinions, etc.) upon except for his “toward” + trudere “to
others unasked or obtrusive neighbors push” (see intrude)
unwanted. who dropped by every
day without asking.

128 Panegyric A formal speech or Betty's panegyric on from L. panegyricus

piece of writing the school principal "public eulogy," from
praising a person or that had just passed Gk. panegyris “public
event. away was very well assembly in honor of
received. a god," from pan-
"all".

129 Perquisite Something The pay was not so from L. perquirere "to
additional to regular large, but there were seek, ask for," from
profit or pay. many perquisites. per- "thoroughly" +
quærere "to seek"
(see query)

130 Pliant Easily bent; pliable. Christian's brother was from O. Fr. pliant
quite pliant and would "bending", participle
usually do whatever of plier "to bend" (see
Christian asked him. pliers)

131 Preternatural Differing from or She had a from L. præter

beyond what is preternatural ability to "beyond" (see
normally found in or guess what other preterite) + natura
expected from people wanted. "nature"
nature; abnormal.

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132 Prudence Careful With some prudence from L. prudentia

management; and luck, we will be "foresight, sagacity,"
foresight. able to save enough contraction of
money for the trip. providentia "foresight"
(see providence)

133 Rancorous Bitter, long-lasting Because of their from L. rancorem

resentment; deep rancorous breakup, "rancidness, grudge,
seated ill will. Adam and Dawn didn't bitterness," from
speak for the next rancere "to stink" (see
couple of years. rancid)

134 Reiterate To repeat Let me reiterate, from L. reiterare "to

(something done or unless you come to repeat," from re-
said); say or do every class this "again" + iterare "to
again or repeatedly. semester, you will get repeat," from iterum
a failing grade. "again."

135 Rift To burst open; split. They both agreed that from a Scand. source,
their different political "breach"
views would not cause
a rift between them.

136 Seal To grant, assign, or She sealed the from L. sigillum "small
designate with a envelope by dripping picture, engraved
seal, pledge, etc. some wax from her figure, seal," dim. of
candle. signum "mark, token"
(see sign)

137 Soar To rise above the The myth of Icarus is from O. Fr. essorer
usual or ordinary supposed to teach us "fly up, soar," from L.
level or bounds; be not to soar too close to exaurare "rise into the
elevated. the sun. air," from ex- "out" +
aura "breeze, air."

138 Sting To cause sharp, He was so confident, O.E stingan "to prick
sudden , smarting the other student's with a small point"
pain to. insults didn't sting him from Gk. stokhos
one little bit. "pointed stake"

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139 Superimpose To put, lay, or stack In an archelogical site, from L.

on top of something different time periods superimponere from
else. are often super- + imponere “to
superimposed on top place upon," from in-
of one another. "into" + poser "put,
place." (see impose,
position)

140 Tenacious Holding fast; The bulldog is a dog from L. tenacitas "the
characterized by known for its tenacious act of holding fast,"
keeping a firm hold. grip. from tenax "tough,
holding fast," from
tenere "to hold" (see
tenet)

141 Turgid Swollen; distended. Few people liked 1620, from L. turgidus
Nathan's turgid prose "swollen, inflated,"
because they felt he from turgere "to
used a lot of big words swell."
to say almost nothing
at all.

142 Veneer To give a The rented tuxedo earlier fineering,

superficially gave him a veneer of faneering, from [Link].
attractive respectability. fournir “to furnish.”
appearance to. (see furniture)

143 Warp The state or fact of Don't warp my words, from O.E. wearp, from
being so distorted; a you know very well root werp from base
mental twist, quirk, that's not what I mean! wer "to turn, bend"
aberration, or bias. (see versus)

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144 Abate To make less in Her anger abated once from L. ad "to" +
amount, degree, her son explained why battuere "to beat"
force, etc. he was late. (see beat)

145 Affinity Close relationship; They had an affinity for from L. affinis
connection. one another from the "adjacent," from ad-
first moment they met. "to" + finis "a border,
an end."

146 Apprise To inform or notify. He apprised his coach from Fr. appris, pp. of
of his intention to leave apprendre "to inform,
the team. teach," lit. "to lay hold
of.” (see apprehend)

147 Atonement The act of atoning. At times, Robert felt from L. adunare
that that there could "unite," from ad- "to,
never be any at" + unum "one."
atonement for what
had happenned to him
during the war.

148 Barren Not bringing useful Hank was surprised from [Link]. baraigne
results; that he had sold his "barren," of obscure
unproductive; barren field for such a derivation
unprofitable. large amount of
money.

149 Bland Pleasantly smooth The movie is bland from lt. blando
in manner; suave. and boring, I don't "delicate," or [Link].
recommend it at all. bland "flattering," both
from L. blandus "mild,
smooth.”

150 Bust To burst or break. Many people went variant of burst (see
bust during the Great burst)
Depression.

151 Churl A surly, ill- bred I won't say he's a O.E. ceorl "peasant,
person; boor. churl, but he's freeman, man without
definitely an rank."
unpleasant person.

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152 Complaisance Willingness to At times, her unending from Fr. complaire

please; disposition complaisance made "acquiesce to please,"
to be obliging and him feel like it was from L. complacere
agreeable; affability. unfair that he should "be very pleasing".
make all the decisions. (see pleasant)

153 Contrite Feeling contrition; The parole board felt from L. contritus, lit.
repentant. that the criminal was "worn out, ground to
not contrite enough, pieces," from L.
and therefore refused conterere "to grind,"
to grant him parole. from com- "together"
+ terere "to rub." (see
trite [overused,
lacking originality])

154 Curriculum A fixed series of Frank felt that the from L. curriculum
studies required, as school's curriculum "course, racing
in a college, for would not be rigorous chariot," from currere
graduation, enough for his gifted “to run” (see current)
qualification in a daughter.
major field of study.

155 Dent An appreciable Buying this car won't M.E. dint, sense of
effect, often a even make a dent in "indentation"
lessening or our savings!
adverse effect.

156 Dirge A slow, sad song, Because of his from L. dirige "direct"
poem, or musical melancholy nature, imperative of dirigere
composition Bob was good at "to direct”
expressing grief or composing dirges.
mourning; lament.

157 Diverse Different; dissimilar. The diverse student from L. diversus

body of her university "turned different
appealed to Heather. ways," from di “aside”
+ vertere “to turn”
(see versus)

158 Effrontery Unashamed She was surprised at from L. ex- "out" +

boldness; such shameles frontem "forehead"
impudence; effrontery. (see front)
audacity;
presumption.

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159 Engrave To cut or incise He engraved his and from en- + obsolete
letters, designs, etc. Anna's name on the verb grave "carve."
in or on (a surface). cherry tree in her (see engraving)
father's yard.

160 Erratic Having no fixed Tom's erratic behavior from L. errare "to
course or purpose; was the first sign of his wander, err" (see err)
irregular; random; Alzheimer's.
wandering.

161 Expedite To speed up or For a fee, the lawyer from L. expedire

make easy the claimed that he could "make fit or ready,
progress or action expedite the prepare" from ex “out”
of; hasten; facilitate. immigration process. + ped “foot”, literally
remove from the feet,
or get out of the way
(see expedition)

162 Fecund Fruitful or fertile; His fecund mind was from L. fecundus
productive; prolific. always full of ideas. "fruitful, fertile”

163 Flaw A break, scratch, There was only one from O.N. flaga "stone
crack, etc. that flaw in their plan, and slab, flake" (see
spoils something; that was that none of flagstone)
blemish. them knew how to
drive.

164 Foster To bring up with Her parents realized O.E. fostrian "to
care; rear. early on that they supply with food,
should foster her talent nourish, support,"
for acting. from fostor "food,
nourishment," from
root foth/fod (see
food)

165 Gloat To gaze or think with Gerry couldn't help but from O.N. glotta
exultation or gloat to his sister over "smile scornfully," or
malicious pleasure: the A he got in M.H.G. glotzen "to
often with “over”, as physics. stare, gloat."
in “gloat over”.

166 Harrow To cause mental Tina experienced the from O.E. hearwa,
distress to; torment; most harrowing 5 apparently related to
vex. minutes of her life O.N. harfr "harrow"
when her airplane
crashed into the river.

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167 Idiom The usual way in Often, subcultures from L..idioma "a
which the words of a have their own idiom. peculiarity in
particular language language," from GK.
are joined together idioma "peculiarity,
to express thought. peculiar phraseology,"
from idioumai "I make
my own," from idios
"personal, private"

168 Impiety Lack of respect or Henry showed such from L. impius from in
dutifulness. impiety to his “not” + pius “dutiful.”
grandparents, that the (see pious)
family refused to invite
him to the funeral.

169 Inebriated Drunk; intoxicated. At his prime, not even from L. inebriare "to
20 beers would get make drunk," from in-
Eric inebriated. "in" + ebriare "make
drunk," from ebrius
"drunk"

170 Interregnum Any break in a Patsy was from L, lit. "between-

series or in a conservative reign," from inter +
continuity: interval. throughout most of her regnum (see reign)
life, but in her 20s she
had a brief liberal
interregnum.

171 Jocular Joking; humorous; Kevin was Linda's from L. jocularis

full of fun. most jocular friend, he "funny, comic," from
took practically nothing joculus, diminutive of
seriously. jocus (see joke)

172 Lull To calm or soothe The lull in the storm Swed. lulla "to hum a
by gentle sound or gave the people time lullaby," Ger. lullen "to
motion. to drive away to safety. rock," (see lullaby)

173 Middling Of middle size, Wyatt realized he was from Scottish mydlyn,
quality, grade, etc.; only a middling talent from M.E. middle +
medium; ordinary; at badminton, but he suffix -ing. (see
mediocre. still loved the game middle)
anyway.

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174 Noisome Injurious to health; His noisome feet from noye "harm,
harmful. indicated that he misfortune,"
hadn't taken a shower shortened form of
in a long time. anoi "annoyance"
from [Link]. anoier,
(see annoy)

175 Ossify To change or Over time, their from L. os "bone"

develop into bone. relationship ossified (see osteoporosis)
into what it is now.

176 Pedestrian Lacking interest or The more he wrote in from L. pedester

imagination; his journal, the more (sense contrasted
prosaic; ordinary his style developed with equester “on
and dull: said of a from something horseback"), from
literary style, a pedestrian to pedes "one who goes
speech, etc. something profound. on foot," from pes
"foot" (see pedal)

177 Philistine A person regarded Kim was afraid that from Ger. Philister
as smugly narrow she would be "enemy of God's
and conventional in considered a philistine, word," lit. "Philistine,"
views and tastes. so she spent half an
hour each day reading
up on the latest
cultural trends.

178 Ponderous Very heavy, The renowned author's from L. ponderosus

awkward or first short stories "of great weight," from
unwieldy. seemed to him pondus "weight" (see
ponderous and pound)
amateurish.

179 Profane To treat sacred Arthur's family was from L. profanus

things with very religious and "unholy, not
irreverence or didn't like his atheist consecrated," " from
contempt; ways because they felt pro- "before" + fano,
desecrate. he profaned what they "temple."
thought was important.

180 Putrid Decomposed, rotten By the time they found from L. putris "rotten,
and foul-smelling. the corpse, it had crumbling," related to
become quite putrid. putere "to stink," (see
pus)

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181 Reciprocity Reciprocal state or Reciprocity is the basis from L. reciprocus,

relationship; mutual of Kant's system of from re- “back” + pro-
action, dependence, ethics. “forward”
etc.

182 Repast A quantity of food The impressive repast from L. repastus

provided for one was arranged in honor "meal," from. re-
occasion of eating. of Jake's safe return "repeatedly" +
from the war. pascere "to graze."

183 Salubrious Promoting health or Most yoga centers from L. salubris

welfare; wholesome advertise yoga's "promoting health,
etc. salubriious effects. healthful," from salus
"welfare, health" (see
salute)

184 Shaft A long, slender part It wasn't until he got from [Link]. skaftaz,
or object. home that Perry participle of PIE base
realized he had been (s)kep- "to cut, to
shafted by the scrape."
computer salesman.

185 Sophomoric Of like, or I didn't like his stand from Gk. sophos
characteristic of up act, his jokes were "wise" + moros
sophomores, who too sophomoric and "foolish, dull." (see
are often regarded not very insightful. sophistry, moron)
as self-assured,
opinionated, though
immature.

186 Strident Harsh-sounding; Eileen ignored her from L. stridere "utter

shrill; grating. mother's strident an inarticulate sound,
warnings about grate, screech"
Vincent, because she
knew her mother was
a bit paranoid.

187 Sycophant A person who seeks They used to be called from L. sycophanta,
favor by flattering sycophants, but now from Gk.
people of wealth or we just call them suck- sykophantes,
influence; parasite; ups. originally "one who
toady. shows the fig, " from
sykon "fig" + phanein
"to show."

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188 Torpid Slow and dull; The flu had turned the from L. torpidus
apathetic. once high energy "benumbed,” from
office into a crew of torpere "be numb or
torpid zombies. stiff" (see torpedo)

189 Unencumbered Not burdened with Most people dream of from [Link]. encombrer
cares or living an "to block up,” from L.L
responsibilities, unencumbered life incombrare, from in-
"living an such as yours. "in" + combrus
unencumbered life." "barricade, obstacle,"
probably from L.
cumulus "heap." (see
accumulate)

190 Vigorous Living or growing His vigorous workout from [Link]. vigeur from
with full vital regimen kept him L vigor foce, energy,
strength strong; looking youthful even equiv. to vigere to be
robust. into his old age. lively. (see
invigorate)

191 Wince To shrink or draw The French from Fr. wenchier (in
back slightly, usually Resistance soldier was O. Fr. guenchir “to
with a grimace, as in so brave that he didn't turn aside, avoid")
pain, even wince under
embarrassment, Gestapo torture.
alarm, etc.

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192 Abrogate To cancel or repeal The new mayor from L. abrogare "to
by authority; annul. abrogated all the laws annul, repeal (a law).
that the previous from ab- "away" +
mayor had passed. rogare "propose a
law, request". L.
rogatio from rogare
"to ask" (see
interrogate)

193 Ambidextrous Able to use both Not many people are from L. ambidexter, lit.
hands with equal naturally "right-handed on both
ease. ambidextrous, sides," from ambi-
although some have "both" + dexter "right-
trained themselves to handed." (see
use both their right and dexterity)
left hands equally well.

194 Arduous Difficult to do; Even though it was an from Gk. ortho-, stem
laborious; onerous. arduous decision to of orthos "straight,
make, Samantha true, correct, regular”
realized that she would (see hard)
be better of if she left
Charlie.

195 Avarice Too great a desire to In the fable, king from L. avaritia
have wealth; Midas' avarice is what "greed," from avarus
cupidity. leads to his eventual "greedy," adj. form of
downfall. avere "crave, long
for."

196 Bellicose Of a quarrelsome or The two countries from L. bellicosus,

hostile nature; eager were bellicose from bellicus "of war,"
to fight or quarrel: neighbors that from bellum "war."
warlike. constantly threatened Bellona was the name
one another. of the Roman
goddess of war. (see
antebellum)

197 Bolster To prop up as with a He tried to bolster his O.E. bolster

bolster; support, sagging approval "something stuffed so
strengthen, or ratings by introducing that it swells up,"
reinforce. yet another tax cut. especially "long,
stuffed pillow," from
PIE bhelgh- "to swell"
(see belly)

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198 Canvass To examine or The campaign workers from canvas and

discuss in detail; canvassed the entire probably meaning,
look over carefully. county in order to see originally, "to toss in a
whether their canvas sheet"
candidate had support
there.

199 Coax To induce or try to She tried to coax her use of cokes fool
induce to do child out of bed with (now obs.), perh. var.
something. some candy. of coxcomb.

200 Concur To occur at the They concurred that it from L. concurrere "to
same time; happen would be best to buy run together," from
together; coincide. the house in the com- "together" +
suburbs. currere "to run" (see
current)

201 Corporeal Of a material nature; Most schools no from L. corpusculum,

perceptible by the longer practice dim. of corpus "body"
senses; tangible. corporeal punishment. (see corpse)

202 Decorous Characterized by or His decorous response from L. decor "beauty,

showing decorum, did not offend anyone. elegance," from
propriety, good decere (see
taste, etc. decorate)

203 Descry To catch sight of; Mindy descried two from L. describere
discern (distant or horses far off in the “write down” from de
obscure objects). distance. “down” + scribe
“write” (see describe)

204 Disencumber To relieve of a When a mafioso says from Mfr.

burden; free from a “I've got a stone in my desencombrer, from
hindrance or shoe,” it means they dis- “not” + encombrer
annoyance. want to be “to encumber”, from
disencumbered of the latin cumulo
someone. “heap”. (see
accumulate)

205 Drone An idle person who Sometimes, Louie felt from Swedish drona
lives by the work of like a drone in the “to drowse”
others; parasite; corporation he worked
loafer. for.

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206 Emaciate To cause to become The prisoners went on from L. emaciare

abnormally lean; a hunger striked, and "make lean, waste
cause to lose much by the end of two away," from ex- "out"
flesh or weight, as weeks had become + macies "leanness,"
by starvation or totally emaciated. from macer "thin"
disease.

207 Entreat To ask earnestly; I entreat you tell me from Anglo-Fr.

beg; beseech; what's the matter. entretier, from [Link].
implore. entraiter, from en-
"make" + traiter
"treat." Meaning "to
beseech, implore".
(see treaty)

208 Evaluate To find the value or Karl had never bought from Fr. evaluation,
amount of. a diamond ring before, from evaluer "to find
so he didn't know how the value of," from ex-
to properly evaluate "out" + value (see
one. value)

209 Extinct Having died down or The dodo went extinct from L. extinctus,
burned out. because humans participle of
found that it was very extinguere (see
easy to hunt. extinguish)

210 Fervid Hot; glowing. The senator's fervid from L. fervidus

speech roused many "glowing, burning,
people to action. vehement," from
fervere "to boil, glow"
(see fervor)

211 Flout To mock or scoff at; Because the gangster from [Link]. fluyten "to
show scorn or was so feared, he play the flute," also "to
contempt for. could flout many of the jeer".
town's laws.

212 Fringe A part considered to Fannie worked her from L. frimbia, from
be peripheral, way from the fringes of L. fimbriæ(pl.) "fibers,
extreme, or minor in show business to fame threads, fringe," of
relation to the main and stardom. uncertain origin.
part.

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213 Grievance A circumstance The townsfolk brought O. Fr. grever (see

thought to be unjust their list of grievances grief). Meaning "be
or injurious and to Dr. Frankenstein's very sad, lament" +
ground for complaint castle. ance.
or resentment.

214 Heterodox Departing from or Her heterodox from Gk. heterodoxos,

opposed to the interpretations of from heteros "the
usual beliefs or Shakespeare almost other" + doxa
established caused her to lose her "opinion." (see
doctrines, esp. in job at the university. orthodox)
religion; inclining
toward heresy;
unorthodox.

215 Imbroglio An involved and The police were called from lt. imbroglio,
confusing situation; in to resolve the from imbrogliare
state of confusion imbroglio that was "confuse, tangle,"
and complication. going on outside the from in- "in" +
bar. brogliare "embroil,"
probably from [Link].
brouiller "confuse".

216 Importune To trouble with Quit importuning me from L. importunus

requests or with your impossible "unfit, troublesome,"
demands; urge or demands. originally "having no
entreat persistently harbor" (i.e. "difficult
or repeatedly. to access"), from in-
"not" + portus "harbor"
(see port)

217 Ingenuous Frank; open; candid. Bobby felt that he from L. ingenuitas
could trust Dawn, due "condition of a free-
to her ingenous born man, noble-
nature. mindedness," from
ingenuus, from in “in”
+ genus “birth, race,
stock” (see genes)

218 Inundate To cover or engulf Because of the storm, L inundare “to flood,
with a flood; deluge. the town was overflow”, from in- “in”
inundated by the rising + unda “wave” (see
river waters. undulate)

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219 Latent Present but invisible He didn't discover his from L. latentem,
or inactive; lying latent talent for participle of latere "to
hidden and dancing until almost lie hidden"
undeveloped within the end of college.
a person or thing, as
a quality or power.

220 Malinger To pretend to be ill As a child, Joey from Fr. malingrer "to
or otherwise quickly learned to suffer," perhaps also
incapacitated in malinger whenever "pretend to be ill,"
order to escape duty there was a big school from malingre "ailing,
or work; shirk. project due that he sickly," possibly a
hadn't finished. blend of mingre
"sickly, miserable" and
malade "ill." (see
malady)

221 Mitigate To make or become Due to the mitigating from L. mitigare

milder, less severe, circumstances, the "make mild or gentle,"
less rigorous, or judge let the man off from mitis "gentle,
less painful; to with a warning. soft" + agere "do,
moderate. make, act" (see act)

222 Obdurate Not easily moved to Because the criminal from L. obduratus
pity or sympathy; seemed so obdurate, "hardened," from ob
hardhearted. the judge gave him the "against" + durare
maximum sentence. "harden, render hard”,
from durus "hard"
(see endure)

223 Overwhelm To make helpless, Overwhelmed by all from over + M. E.

as with greater force his schoolwork, Patrick whelmen "to turn
or deep emotion; asked his professor for upside down" (see
overcome; crush. an extension. whelm)

224 Perfunctory Done without care The family's dinners from L. perfungi
or interest or merely were far from "discharge, get
as a form or routine; perfunctory, because through," from per-
superficial. dinner was the only "through" + fungi"
time during the day perform" (see
that everyone could function)
get together and so
they all considered it a
special time.

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225 Pivotal On which something The pivotal point in the from [Link]. pivot
turns or depends; prosecution's "hinge, pivot" (12c.),
central, crucial, argument was that the of uncertain origin.
critical, etc. defendant did not have
an alibi.

226 Preclude To make impossible, The fact that he was a From L. præcludere
esp. in advance; spy precluded him "to close, shut off,
shut out; prevent. from telling his wife impede," from L. præ-
what he did. "before, ahead" +
claudere "to shut"
(see close)

227 Propitiate To cause to become We will try to propitiate from L. propitius

favorably inclined; the gods with a "favorable, gracious,
win or regain the sacrifice. kind," from pro-
good will of. "forward" + petere "go
to" (see petition)

228 Quirk An evasion, He loved everything connected to Ger.

subterfuge, or about her, even her quer (see queer)
quibble. quirks.

229 Redeem To buy back. She tried to redeem from L. redimere "to
herself in his eyes by redeem, buy back,"
going back to college. from re- "back" +
emere "to take, buy,
gain, procure" (see
exempt)

230 Resolve To change or They resolved not to from L. resolvere "to

transform: used speak of the dead loosen, undo, settle,"
reflexively. kittens anymore. from re-, intensive
prefix, + solvere
"loosen" (see solve)

231 Saturnine Sluggish, morose, Yvonne's saturnine lit. "born under the
or taciturn. disposition did not influence of the planet
make her the life of the Saturn," from M.E.
party anywhere. Saturne (see Saturn)

232 Sidestep To avoid by, or as They narrowly from side (adj.) + step
by, stepping aside; sidestepped trouble by (n.)
dodge. deciding not to steal
the bus after all.

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233 Squalid Foul or unclean, After losing his job, from L. squalidus
esp. as the result of William found himself "rough, coated with
neglect or living in squalid dirt, filthy," related to
unsanitary conditions. squalus "filth,"
conditions. squalus "filthy," from
squalare "be covered
with a rough, scaly
layer, be coated with
dirt, be filthy," (see
scaly)

234 Succor To give assistance The crippled veteran from L. succurrere

to in time of need or demanded succor from "run to help," from sub
distress; help; aid; the government. "up to" + currere "to
relieve. run" (see current)

235 Taut Showing strain; Her taut smile from O.E. teon "to
tense, a taut smile. revealed that actually pull, drag," from
she wasn't enjoying [Link]. tugn, from PIE
herself as much as deuk- "to lead" (see
she would have liked duke)
people to believe.

236 Trenchant Forceful; vigorous; The lawyer's trenchant from [Link]. trenchier
effective a trenchant arguments swayed the "to cut" (see trench)
argument. jury.

237 Vain Having no real value His attempt to win her from [Link]. vein
or significance; back was in vain, since "worthless," from L.
worthless, empty, she had already vanus "idle, empty,"
idle, hollow. moved on and found (see vanity)
someone else that was
more interesting and
much wealthier.

238 Volubility Characterized by a Quinn is one of my from L. volubilis, “that

ready and most voluble friends; which turns easily,
continuous flow of he doesn't shut up. flowing,” from volu-,
words; fluent; glib; base of volvere “to
talkative. turn”

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239 Zenith The highest point; The sun reaches it's L. semita "sidetrack,
peak, top, pinnacle, zenith in the middle of side path" (notion of
summit. the day. "thing going off to the
side"), from se-
"apart" + mita, "to
change" (see mutant)

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240 Accretion Growth in size, esp. Ellen built her fortune from L. accretionem
by addition or not in one single from ad- "to" +
accumulation. stroke, but by slow crescere "grow" (see
accretion. crescendo)

241 Anticlimax A sudden drop from Most people didn't like from L. climax from
the dignified or the movie because the Gk. klimax
important in thought. ending was so "propositions rising in
anticlimactic. effectiveness," lit.
"ladder," from base of
klinein "to slope," anti-
from Gk. anti "against,
opposite.” (see
climax)

242 Asperity Roughness or Known for her fearful from L. asperitas

harshness, as of asperity, the principal "roughness," from
surface, sound, was actually quite kind asper "rough," of
weather, etc. or of once you go to know unknown origin.
circumstances. her.

243 Baleful Harmful or Ivan gave his sister O.E. bealu-full, from
threatening harm or such a baleful look bealu "evil, malice,
evil; ominous; when he realized that misery"
deadly. she had been telling
their parents about his
pot smoking.

244 Bereft Deprived, robbed, or After her husband O.E. bereafian "rob,"
devoid, as of life, died, Lauren felt bereft from be + reafian
hope, or happiness. of hope that she would "rob, plunder," (see
find someone else ruffian)
again.

245 Brisk Quick in manner or Her brisk manner Scot. bruisk, probably
movement: invigorated the people an alteration of Fr.
energetic. around her. brusque (see
brusque)

246 Censure Condemning as Frank was strongly from L. censura

wrong; strong censured for not "judgment" (see
disapproval. locking the zoo up censor). From the
properly. Roman magistrate
who took censuses
and oversaw public
morals.

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247 Collaborate To work together, The two authors from L. collaborare

esp. in some decided to collaborate "work with," from
literary, artistic, or on their next work. com- "with" + labore
scientific "to work." (see labor)
undertaking.

248 Consolation Comfort received in Zoey's parents couldn't from L. solari "to
times of get her a puppy for console, soothe,"
disappointment. Christmas, but as from PIE base sel- "of
consolation, they good mood, to favor"
bought her an ant (see solace)
farm.

249 Craven Very cowardly; Boasting words often from [Link]. cravanter,
abjectly afraid. hide a craven soul. “crush, overwhelm”,
from L. crepare,
“burst, crack” (see
crack)

250 Defy To resist or oppose She defied her parents from L. dis- "away" +
boldly or openly. by going to the dance fidus "faithful."
with Chris. Meaning shifted in the
14c. from "be disloyal"
to "challenge."

251 Deviance Differing from a Deviance from from L. phrase de via,

norm or from the accepted Party rules from de "off" + via
accepted standards was harshly punished "way." (see deviate)
of a society. in the early Soviet
Union.

252 Disseminate To scatter far and One of the jobs of a from L. disseminare,
wide; spread spy is to disseminate from dis- " every
abroad, as if false information. direction" + seminare
sowing; promulgate "to plant, propagate,"
widely. from semen "seed"
(see semen)

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253 Dynamo A forceful, dynamic Barry was not just a short for Ger.
person. dentist, he was a dynamoelektrishemas
dynamo of energy and chine, coined 1867 by
movement. its inventor, Ger.
electrical engineer
Werner Siemans
(1816-92), from Gk.
dynamis "power."
(see dynamite)

254 Encroachment The act of entering The gang war started from [Link]. encrochier
gradually or silently when one gang felt "seize, fasten on,
upon the rights or that the other gang perch," lit. "to catch
possessions of had encroached too with a hook," from en-
another; unlawful much on its territory. "in" + croc "hook,"
intrusion. from O.N. krokr
"hook."

255 Equanimity The quality of Euquanimity can be from æquus "even" +

remaining calm and achieved through daily animus "mind, spirit."
undisturbed; meditation. (see animate)
evenness of mind or
temper; composure.

256 Exert To put forth or use Remember, this is just from L. exerere
energetically; put the dress rehearsal, so "thrust out, put forth,
into action or use. don't exert yourself too "from ex- "out" +
hard. serere "attach, join"
(see series)

257 Facile Not hard to do or His facile responses from L. facilis "easy to
achieve; easy. began to annoy the do" and, of persons,
professor, who wanted "pliant, courteous,"
her students to think from facere "to do"
before they made (see fact)
comments.

258 Finical Too particular or Nick thought his perhaps from fine
exacting; overly grandmother was too (adj.) + -ical as in
dainty or fastidious; finical, and was cynical, ironical.
fussy. annoyed whenever
she wanted him to
clean something up.

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259 Ford A shallow place in a They decided to ford from L. portus

stream, river, etc., the river at the next "harbor,” originally
where one can suitable place. "entrance, passage;"
cross by wading. (see port)

260 Garner To gather up and She garnered great from [Link]. gernier,
store. praise for her metathesized variant
involvement in the of grenier
charitable efforts. "storehouse, garret,"
from L. granarium
(see granary)

261 Gullible Easily cheated or Gloria was so trusting from [Link]. goule, from
tricked; credulous. that her friends found L. gula "throat," (see
her to be almost gullet), perhaps
gullible. related to swallow.

262 Hoodwink To mislead or Michael was a con "to blindfold," from

confuse by trickery; artist, he made his hood + wink;
dupe. living by hoodwinking
other people.

263 Impede To bar or hinder the Everyone agreed that from L.

progress of; obstruct the detective's impedimentem
or delay. romantic involvement "hindrance," from in-
with the witness would "in" + pes (gen. pedis)
only impede the "foot." Literally “in the
investigation. way of someone's
feet.” (see pedestal)

264 Indelible That which cannot The year he spent in from L. indelebilis
be erased, blotted Barcelona had made "indelible,
out, eliminated, etc.; an indelible mark on imperishable," from
permanent; lasting. him. in- "not" + delebilis
"able to be
destroyed," from
delere "destroy, blot
out" (see delete)

265 Inscrutable That which cannot Her intentions were from L.L. inscrutabilis,
be easily completely inscrutable from in- "not" +
understood; to him, and therefore scrutari "examine,
completely obscure he could never figure ransack" (see
or mysterious. out exactly what it is scrutinize)
that she wanted.

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266 Iridescent Having or showing The peacock's from L. iris "rainbow"

changes in color; an iridescent feathers are (see iris)
interplay of often a sign of beauty
rainbowlike colors, or vanity.
as when seen from
different angles.

267 Limn To portray in words; The poet limned out hs from L. luminare
describe. feelings in his many "illuminate, burnish,"
poems. from lumen "radiant
energy, light." (see
illuminate)

268 Mellifluous Sounding sweet and The mellifluous sounds from L. mellifluus
smooth; honeyed. of nature were an "flowing with (or as if
inspiration for some of with) honey," from L.
the romantic mel "honey" + -fluus
composers. "flowing," from fluere
"to flow" (see fluent,
melody)

269 Myriad Of an indefinitely The reason you got an from L. myrias "ten
large number; F on your term paper thousand," from Gk.
countless; is because there were myrias "ten
innumerable. a myriad problems thousand," from
with it. myrios "innumerable,
countless"

270 Obviate To do away with or He obviated the need from L. obviare "act
prevent by effective for surgery by eating contrary to, go
measures: make right and exercising. against," from L.
unnecessary. obvius "that is in the
way, that moves
against" from ob
“against” + via “way”
(see obvious)

271 Paradigm An overall concept We no longer believe from Gk. Paradeigma

accepted by most that the earth is the "pattern, model," from
people in an center of the universe, paradeiknynai
intellectual and in fact, major "exhibit, represent,"
community. scientific paradigms lit. "show side by
change every 50 to side," from para-
100 years. "beside" + deiknynai
"to show".

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272 Persevere To continue in some Despite the initial from L. persevereus

effort, course of setbacks, Mary "very strict, earnest,"
action, etc. in spite perservered and from per- "very" +
of difficulty, eventually earned a severus "strict" (see
opposition. spot on the team. severe)

273 Plod To walk or move He was a plodding, Of uncertain origin,

heavily and calculating man. perhaps imitative of
laboriously; trudge. the sound of walking
heavily or slowly.
Plodding "diligent and
dull".

274 Prevalent Widely existing. The prevalent notion from L. prævalere "to
that teas and chicken be more able" from
soups can cure the prae “before” + valere
common cold is not “have power” (see
quite correct. prevail)

275 Prudish Like or Her prudish aunt from [Link]. preude

characteristic of a would not let her out of "good, virtuous,
prude; too modest the house in such a modest," perhaps
or proper. short skirt. from preudefemme "a
discreet, modest
woman," from O. Fr.
prou de femme, fem.
equivalent of prud-
homme "a brave
man".

276 Rant To talk or say in a Melissa tried to avoid from Du. randten "talk
loud, wild, listening to talk radio foolishly, rave," of
extravagant way; during her morning unknown origin.
declaim violently; commute because she
rave. felt that it was just a lot
of uninformed ranting.

277 Rejuvenate To make young Many products sold from re- "again" + L.
again; restore to online make almost juvenis (see young,
youthful vigor, unbelievable claims juvenile)
appearance. that they will be able to
rejuvenate the people
that buy them.

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278 Rivet To fasten or secure Their attention was from [Link]. rivet,
firmly. riveted by the possibly from [Link].
speaker's stories of the wriven "turn, grind."
Spanish Civil War.

279 Secular Of or relating to Even though he was a from L. sæcularis

worldly things as monk, Ivan still "worldly, of an age,
distinguished from enjoyed many secular occuring once in an
things relating to activities, such as age”
church and religion. drinking and watching
soccer games.

280 Sober Temperate in any Her sober judgment from [Link]. sobre, from
way; not extreme or was that the horse L. sobrius "not drunk,
extravagant. would never race temperate," from se-
again. "without" + ebrius
"drunk," (see
inebriate)

281 Stingy Giving or spending Otto was surprised to possibly a dialectal

grudgingly or only have gotten such an alteration of earlier
through necessity; expensive Christmas stingy "biting, sharp,
mean; miserly. present from his stingy stinging".
uncle.

282 Supernumerary That exceeds or is Once he had from L. super

beyond the regular transferred the music numerum, “beyond
or prescribed to his computer, the the number”, from
number; extra. cds became super, “beyond, over”
supernumerary. + numerum, “number”
(see number)

283 Tenuous Slender or fine, as a The tenuous evidence from L. tenuis "thin,"
fiber. was not enough to (see thin)
convict Mark.

284 Turmoil Tumult; commotion; The announcement perhaps an alteration

uproar; confusion. that everyone would of M. Fr. tremouille
have to retake the test "mill hopper," in
through the whole reference to the
class into turmoil. hopper's constant
motion to and fro.

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285 Veneration A feeling of deep Sonya had great from L. venerari "to
respect and veneration for her worship, revere," from
reverence. grandparents, who had venus, "beauty, love,
basically raised her desire" (see Venus)
when her parents
weren't around.

286 Warrant To give (someone) His prank wasn't from [Link]. warant
authorization or serious enough to ([Link]. guarant), from
sanction to do warrant the Frankish warand
something. suspension that he (from O.H.G. weren
was given. "to authorize, warrant,
"Ger. gewähren "to
grant"). (see grant)

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287 Abdication The act of a person Because he did not Latin abdicare,
or branch of marry royalty but abdicat-, “to
government rather a commoner, disclaim” : ab-, “away”
abandoning an the prince had to + dicare, “to
office, privileges, or abdicate his throne. proclaim”; (see
duties to which he dictate)
or she is entitled or
possesses by law.

288 Aggravate To make worse; Don't pick at your from L. aggravare

make more wound, that will just "make heavier," from
burdensome, aggravate it. ad- "to" + gravare
troublesome etc. "weigh down," from
gravis "heavy" (see
grave)

289 Approbation Approval, sanction, The movie met with from L. approbare
or commendation. great approbation from ad- "to" +
wherever it was probare "to try, test
screened. something (to find if it
is good)," from probus
"honest, genuine"
(see prove)

290 Attenuate To make slender or His love for her was L. attenuare "to make
thin. attenuated by his fear thin," from a- "to" +
of becoming to close. tenuare "make thin,"
from tenuis "thin" (see
thin)

291 Bask To warm oneself The child basked in from O.N. baðask
pleasantly, as in the the glow of her reflex. of baða "bathe"
sunlight. parents' approval. (see bathe)

292 Blatant Disagreeably loud His blatant disregard from L. blatire "to
or boisterous; for the safety of those babble." (see
clamorous. who worked with him blather)
eventually led to his
being fired.

293 Cabal A small group of The government was from Fr. cabal
persons joined in a overthrown by a cabal "intrigue, society,"
secret, often of conspirators. originally "mystical
political, intrigue; interpretation of the
junta. Old Testament," from
M.L. cabbala (see
cabbala)

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294 Cite To quote (a Manny loved to cite from L. citare "to

passage, book, Shakespeare at every cause to move,
speech, writer, etc.). appropriate situation. arouse, summon,
urge, call"

295 Comply To act in Julia was stuck, she from L. complere "to
accordance (with a had no choice but to fill up," from com,
request, order, rule, comply with the police. “with” + plere, “to fill”
etc.). (see complete)

296 Contumacious Obstinately resisting The contumacious from L. contumax,

authority; student was eventually “unyielding, stubborn,”
insubordinate; expelled. perhaps from con,
disobedient. “with” + tumere, “to
swell”

297 Cursory Hastily, often A cursory look through from L. cursor

superficially, done; the records revealed "runner," from
performed rapidly that the senator had cursum, participle of
with little attention to voted with his party currere "to run" (see
detail. nearly every time. current)

298 Deplete To make less by Unless we figure from L. deplere "to

gradually using up something out quickly, empty," lit."to un-fill,”
(resources, funds, we will be in a lot of from de- "off, away" +
strength, etc.). trouble once reserves plere "to fill" (see
of oil are depleted. complete)

299 Disabuse To rid of false ideas. She disabused him of F désabuser. See dis,
the notion that they “away from”, + L.
were in an open abusus, "use up," also
relationship. "misuse," from ab-
"away" + uti "use"
(see use)

300 Divest To strip of clothing, During the 1980s, from [Link]. desvestir,
equipment, etc. many companies from des- "away" +
divested from South vestir "to clothe." (see
Africa because of the vest)
racist policies of that
country.

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301 Egregious Outstanding for Drafting an unproven from L. egregius, from

undesirable high school player was the phrase ex grege
qualities; the most egregious "rising above the
remarkably bad; mistake that the flock," from ex "out of"
flagrant. executive made. + grege, of grex
"herd, flock." (see
congregation)

302 Engrossing Taking one's entire The book was so from [Link]. en gros "in
attention; very engrossing that Nick bulk, in a large
interesting; didn't even notice that quantity, at
absorbing. he was on the wrong wholesale,” as
bus until he got to the opposed to en detail.
last stop. see (gross national
product)

303 Erudite Having or showing a Gary's grandfather from L. erudire

wide knowledge was a remarkably "instruct," from ex-
gained from erudite man, despite "out" + rudis
reading; learned; the fact that he never "unskilled, rude." (see
scholarly. finished high school. rude)

304 Expiation Compensation for a Colin built a hospital from L. expiare "make
wrong; the act of for his old amends,” from ex-
atoning for a sin or neighborhood as an "completely" + piare
wrongdoing. act of expiation. "propitiate, appease,"
from pius "faithful,
loyal, devout." (see
pious)

305 Feint A false show; sham. The basketball player from Fr. feinte "a feint,
feinted left, went right, sham," from O. Fr.
and then dunked the feint, originally fem.
ball. participle of feindre
(see feign)

306 Flax Any of a genus Flax seeds are used to from P. Gmc. base
(Linum) of the flax make an oil well known fleh-, corresponding
family the fiber of for its nutritional value. to PIE plek- "to
this plant, weave, plait" (see ply,
manufactured into pliers)
linen yarn.

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307 Fractious Hard to manage; The fractious from fraction in an

unruly; rebellious; classroom could only obsolete sense of
refractory. be handled by the "brawling, discord" + -
strictest teacher in the ous;
school.

308 Glut To eat like a glutton; The previous year's from L. gluttire
overindulge. good weather caused "swallow, gulp down,"
a glut in the wine from PIE base glu- "to
market. swallow" (see
polyglot, glossary,
gullet)

309 Harry To raid, esp. The army was O.E. hergian "make
repeatedly, and constantly harried by war, lay waste,
ravage or rob; guerrila fighters as ravage, plunder," the
pillage; plunder. they made their way word used in the
through the country. "Anglo- Saxon
Chronicle" for what
the Vikings did to
England, from PIE
root koro- "war" (see
war)

310 Idiosyncrasy The temperament or Her idiosyncrasies only from Gk.

mental constitution made her all the more Idiosynkrasia "a
peculiar to a person endearing to him. peculiar
or group. temperament," from
idios "one's own" (see
idiom) + synkrasis
"temperament,
mixture of personal
characteristics," from
syn "together" +
krasis "mixture.". (see
synthesis)

311 Impinge To strike, hit, or Everyone felt that the from L. impingere
dash. new law impinged on "drive into, strike
the people's freedom against," from in- "in"
of speech. + pangere "to fix,
fasten." Sense of
"encroach, infringe".

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312 Ineffable Too overwhelming At some point, James from L. ineffabilis

to be expressed or realized that his "unutterable," from in-
described in words; philosophy books "not" + effabilis
inexpressible. would not reveal to "speakable," from
him the ineffable effari "utter," from ex-
mysteries of life. "out" + fari "speak"
(see fame)

313 Intersperse To scatter among Interspersed among from L. interspergere,

other things; put the demonstrators from inter- "between"
here and there or at were spies from the + spargere "to
intervals. police and the secret scatter" (see sparse)
service.

314 Judicious Having, applying, or Everyone came to him from L. judicium,

showing sound to resolve their “judgment” (see
judgment; wise and disputes because he judge)
careful. was known as a very
judicious man.

315 Luminary A body that gives off Stella was considered L. luminare "light,
light, such as the one of the luminaries torch, lamp, heavenly
sun or moon. in her field. body," lit. "that which
gives light," from L.
lumen "light." (see
illuminate)

316 Minatory Menacing; The campers were from O. Fr. menace,

threatening. unnerved by the from L. minacia
minatory sounds "threat, menace,"
coming from the (see menacing)
woods.

317 Nominal Very small Because they were from L. nominalis

compared to usual friends, she sold him "pertaining to a name
expectations; slight. her guitar for a or names," from
nominal price. nomen "name," (see
name)

318 Ostensible Apparent; seeming; The ostensible reason from L. ostendere "to
professed. for the cancellation show," from ob "in
was that the star front of" + tendere "to
actress was sick with stretch" (see thin)
the flu, but really she
was on her way to
rehab.

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319 Pellucid Transparent or George Orwell is from L. pellucidus

translucent; clear . known for his pellucid "transparent." from
style of writing. pellucere "shine
through," from per-
"through" + lucere "to
shine" (see light)

320 Phlegmatic Hard to rouse to Harry was the from L. phlegmaticus,

action, sluggish, phlegmatic type, he from Gk.
dull; apathetic. was known for his low- phlegmatikos
energy approach to "abounding in
life. phlegm" (see
phlegm)

321 Portent Something that Looking back from L. portentum "a

warns of an event afterwards, Cindy sign, omen," from
about to occur, esp. wondered how she portentus, (see
an unfortunate failed to see all the portend)
event; omen. portents of the
breakup.

322 Profligate Immoral and Because he was from L. profligare "to

shameless. profligate in his youth, cast down, defet,
Tom had very little ruin," from pro-
money saved up for "down, forth" + fligere
his old age. "to strike" (see afflict)

323 Pyre A pile or heap of The ancient Greeks from L pyra, from Gk.
wood or other used to build funeral pyra "a hearth, funeral
combustible pyres for their fallen pyre," from pyr "fire,"
material. warriors. (see fire)

324 Recital A telling of facts, The recital was a huge from L. recitare "read
events, etc. in detail. success and a lot of aloud, repeat from
money was raised for memory," from re-
charity. "back again" citare "to
summon" (see cite)

325 Repine To feel or express To get over a probably from re-,

unhappiness or depression it's intensive prefix, +
discontent; important to be active pine "yearn." (see
complain; fret. and not just to sit in pain)
your bed and repine all
day.

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326 Salutary Promoting or One glass of wine a from L. salutaris

conducive to some day with dinner has "healthful," from salus
good purpose. been shown to have "good health" (see
salutary effects. salute)

327 Shallow Lacking depth of Jean stopped reading from O.E. sceald (see
character, intellect, her town's newspaper shoal)
or meaning; because she felt that
superficial. it's explanations of
world events had
become too shallow.

328 Soporific Causing or tending The old professor's from L. sopor "deep
to cause sleep. lectures were so sleep," from a
soporific, that by the causative form of the
end of each class most PIE base swep- "to
of the class was sleep"
snoring.

329 Strut To walk in a vain, She strutted in the bar perhaps from strut(v.),
stiff, swaggering like she owned the or a cognate word in
manner. place. O.N. or Low Ger;
ultimately from P.
Gmc. "strutoz-, from
root strut-

330 Synopsis A statement giving a Because he didn't from L. synopsis "a

brief, general review have time to read the synopsis," from Gk.
or condensation; book, Hank instead synopsis "general
summary. found a synopsis of it view," from
online. syn-"together" +
optikos “of or having
to do with sight” (see
optics)

331 Tortuous Not straightforward; Some people thought From L. tortuosus "full
devious; specif., that the philosopher's of twists, winding,"
deceitful or tricky. reasoning was from tortus “a twisting,
tortuous because he winding," from stem of
needed to hide the fact torquere "to twist,
that he had very little wring, distort" (see
to say. thwart)

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332 Unfeigned Not feigned; Gina could tell that her from un- "not" + pp. of
sincere; genuine. sister's joy at seeing feign. from [Link].
her was unfeigned. feign-, pres. stem of
feindre "pretend,
shirk," from L. fingere
"devise, fabricate"
(see fiction)

333 Vilify To use abusive or If the story leaked out, from L. vilificare "to
slanderous the senator was afraid make cheap or base,”
language about or that the newspapers from L. vilis “cheap,
of; calumniate; would thoroughly vilify base" (see vile) +
revile; defame. him. root of facere "to
make" (see fact)

334 Winnow To analyze or They winnowed O.E windwian, from

examine carefully in through many wind "air in motion"
order to separate candidates until they see L. vannus
the various finally settled on the "winnowing fan." (see
elements;sift. perfect replacement wind)
for their lead actor.

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335 Abscond To go away hastily He absconded during from L. abscondere

and secretly; run the night, because he "to hide, conceal,"
away and hide, esp. realized he would from ab(s)- "away"+
in order to escape never get a fair trial. condere "put together,
the law. store," from com-
"together" + dere "put"

336 Ambiguous Having two or more The lawyer advised from L. ambiguus
possible meanings. Steve not to sign the "having double
contract because it meaning, shifting,
was too ambiguously changeable, doubtful,"
worded. adj. derived from
ambigere "to dispute
about," lit. . "to
wander,” from ambi-
"about" agrere "drive,
lead, act." (see act)

337 Argot The specialized The friends had from Fr. argot(17c.)
vocabulary and developed their own "the jargon of Paris
idioms of those in private argot by the rogues and thieves,"
the same work, way end of high school. earlier "the company
of life, etc., as the of beggars"
language used by
computer hackers.

338 Aver To declare to be She averred that she from [Link]. averer
true; state positively; had seen him outside "verify," from L.
affirm. the bar on the night of adverare "make true,
the murder. prove to be true,”
from L. ad- "to" +
verus "true" (see
verify)

339 Belligerent Showing a Two such belligerent from L. belligerare "to

readiness to fight or people should never wage war," from
quarrel. have become bellum "war" + gerere
roommates. "to wage." from
Bellona, “Roman
goddess of war. (see
antebellum,
bellicose)

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340 Bombastic Using or Nobody liked to listen from [Link]. bombace,

characterized by to Jim's bombastic from L. bambax
high-sounding but speeches. "cotton," from Gk.
unimportant or pambax, from Persian
meaningless pambak "cotton."
language; pompous;
grandiloquent.

341 Capitulate To give up (to an Once his queen was from Fr. capituler,(in
enemy) or taken, Karl was forced the sense of parley,
prearranged to capitulate to his draw up terms) from
conditions; opponent. L. capitulare, “draw up
surrender under headings”, from
conditionally. L. capitulum,
diminutive of caput,
“head” (see chapter)

342 Coddle To treat (an invalid , Mia's parents felt that from L. calidium
baby, etc.) tenderly. her grandparents "warm drink," neut. of
coddled her too much. calidus "hot," from
calere "be warm" (see
calorie)

343 Condense To make more The most popular from L. condensare

dense or compact; program for "to make dense," from
reduce the volume condensing files so com- intensive prefix
of; compress that they can be easily + densare "make
sent over the internet thick," from densus
is probably Winzip. "dense." (see dense)

344 Correlate To establish a The basis of the from [Link].

mutual relationship scientific method is Corrélation, from
or connection finding a correlation com-"together" +
between two things. between two variables. relation (see relation)

345 Decorum Propriety and good He was afraid to take from L. neuter of
taste in behavior his drunkard brother to decorus "fit, proper,"
dress, etc. a party that required a from decor (see
great deal of decorum. decorate)

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346 Desiccant Used as a drying Silica gel is one of the from L désiccare, “to
agent, drying. most commonly used dry up”
dessicants in
packaging.

347 Disheveled Disarranged and A disheveled and from [Link].

untidy; tousled; smelly man greeted descheveler, based
rumpled: said of Andrew at the door. on chevel, “hair”, from
hair, clothing, etc. L. capillus, original
sense of “having the
hair uncovered”

348 Drowsy Half-asleep; sleepy. Still drowsy from her from O.E. drusian
nap, Betty didn't "sink," also "become
recognize the person low, slow, or inactive"
who she was talking to (related to dreosan "to
on the phone. fall"), from [Link].
drus-(see dreary)

349 Emanate To come forth; The weak light from L. emanat,

issue, as from a emanating from the “flowed out, from the
source. light bulb wasn't verb emanare, from
enough to read by. ex “out” + manare, “to
flow”

350 Enzyme Any of various Violet was sick from Gk. enzymos
proteins, formed in because she lacked a "leavened," from
plant and animal certain enzyme that en-"in" +zyme
cells or made helps break down "leaven."
synthetically, that protein.
act as organic
catalysts.

351 Evaporate A become vapor; Once the seawater from L. evaporare,

pass off in the form evaporated, only salt from ex, “out of” +
of vapor. was left. vapor, “steam, vapor”
(see vapor)

352 Extirpate To pull up by the The only way to from L. exstirpare,

roots; root out. extirpate the from ex, “out” + stirps,
cockroaches from the “a stem”
apartment was to call
the exterminator.

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353 Fervor Intense heat. The opera star was from L. fervor "a
popular because she boiling, violent heat,
sang with such fervor. passion," from fervere
"to boil" (see brew)

354 Fluster To make or become Because he hadn't from a Scand. Source

confused, nervous, done the homework, (see Icel. flaustr
or befuddled. Mark became flustered "bustle,” flaustra "to
when the teacher bustle"). Originally “to
called on him. excite,” especially
with drink; sense of
"to flurry, confuse"

355 Froward Not easily The froward child was O.E formweard
controlled; punished by being "turned from or away,"
stubbornly willful. sent to bed wthout any from + -weard.
supper. Opposite of toward.
(see from)

356 Grievous Causing grief. Such a grievous from [Link]. grevance,

betrayal was hard to from grever, originally
understand. was "injury;" (see
grief, grieve)

357 Heterogeneous Differing or opposite The friends were quite from Gk.
in structure, quality, a heterogeneous heterogenes, from
etc.; dissimilar; group, they all came heteros "different" +
incongruous; from different genos "kind, gender,
foreign. backgrounds. race stock" (see
genes)

358 Immaculate Perfectly clean; Her immaculate book from L. immaculatus

without spot or report earned Rebecca "unstained," from in-
stain; unsoiled. an A+. "not" + maculatus
"spotted, defiled," pp.
of maculare "to spot,"
from macula "spot,
blemish." (see
macula)

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359 Imprecation The act of The superstitious man from L. imprecatus,

imprecating evil, etc. was spooked by the pp. of imprecari
on someone. witch's imprecations. "invoke, pray," from in
- "within" + precari "to
pray, ask beg
request." (see pray,
deprecate)

360 Ingest To take (food, drugs, They thought that he from L. ingestus, pp.
etc.) into the body. committed suicide by of ingerere "to carry
ingesting too many into, put into," from in-
sleeping pills. "into" + gerere "to
carry." (see
gestation)

361 Inured To habituate to By now, she was from in ure "in

something inured to the coach's practice," from
undesirable, insults. obsolete ure "work,
especially by practice, exercise,
prolonged use," probably from
subjection; [Link]. uevre, oeuvre
accustom. "work" (see work)

362 Laudatory Expressing praise; Jim wasn't expecting from L. laudatorius,

eulogistic; such a laudatory from laudat “praised”,
commendatory. review of his book of from the verb laudare
poems. (see laud, applaud)

363 Malleable Capable of being The new recruits were from L. malleus
changed, molded, much more malleable "hammer" (see
trained, etc; than they realized, in mallet)
adaptable. fact, within 8 weeks
the drill sergeant had
changed them from
soft civilians into mean
fighting machines.

364 Moderation Avoidance of Fiona drank only in from L moderari, “to

excesses or moderation, never regulate”, related to
extremes. more than one or two modus, “measure”
glasses of wine a day. (see modesty)

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365 Obfuscate To cloud over: Don't try to obfuscate from L. obfuscatus,

obscure: make dark the issue with your pp. of obfuscare "to
or unclear. jargon! darken," from ob
"over" + fuscare "to
make dark," from
fuscus "dark."

366 Paean A song of joy , The poem was a from L. paean "hymn
triumph, praise, etc. paean to the French of deliverance," from
Revolution. GK. Paian "hymn to
Apollo," from Paian, a
name of the god.

367 Perilous Involving peril or Eric's grandmother from [Link] perillous (Fr
risk; dangerous. grew up during the périlleux) "dangerous,
perilous days of World hazardous," from L.
War Two. periculosus, from
periculum
"dangerous" (see
peril)

368 Placate To stop from being He tried to placate his from L. placatus, pp.
angry; appease. daughter with of placare "to calm,
promises of appease," related to
Disneyland. placere (see please)

369 Precursory Serving as a Steve shortened his from L. præcursor

precursor, or acceptance speech by "forerunner," from
harbinger; indicating getting rid of all the præcursus, pp. of
something to follow. precursory remarks. præcurrere, from
præ- "before" +
currere "to run" (see
current)

370 Propitious Favorably inclined The fact that she gave from L. propitiare
or disposed; him her phone number "render favorable,"
gracious. was a propitious sign, from propitius
thought Gary. "favorable, gracious,
kind," from pro-
"forward" + petere "go
to" (see petition)

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371 Quixotic Extravagantly Let's not set quixotic from Don Quixote,
chivalrous or goals for ourselves, romantic, impractical
foolishly idealistic. instead, let's shoot for hero of Cervantes'
something practical. satirical novel "Don
Quixote de la
Mancha"

372 Redemptive Serving to redeem. The book had a very from L. redimere "to
redemptive effect on redeem, buy back,"
Luann. from re- "back" +
emere "to take, buy,
gain, procure" (see
exempt)

373 Resort To turn to and We must not resort to from [Link]. resortir,
adopt, for use, help, violence, no matter from re, “again” +
or support. how great the sortir, “come or go
temptation. out.” The sense
“place frequently
visited is from the
18c.

374 Savant A learned person; Many considered Julia from Fr. savant "a
eminent scholar. a savant in the field of learned man," noun
dog breeding. use of adj. savant
"learned, knowing,"
former prp. of savoir
"to know," (see
sapient, sophist)

375 Sinecure Any office or Kianna's job required from L. benificium

position providing so little work and paid sine cura "benefice
an income or other so well that one could without care" (of
advantage but almost consider it a souls), from L. sine
requiring little or no sinecure. "without" + cura,
work. "care"

376 Squander To spend or use Unfortunately, he of unknown origin;

wastefully or squandered his Shakespeare used it
extravagantly. inheritance on cheap 1593 in "Merchant of
booze and flashy cars. Venice" with a sense
of "to be scattered
over a wide area.

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377 Suffice To be enough; be For Arturo, the jog to from L. sufficere

sufficient or the bus stop sufficed "supply, suffice," from
adequate. to show him that he sub "up to" + root of
was badly out of facere "to make" (see
shape. fact)

378 Tautology Needless repetition Although the argument from L. tautologia

of an idea in a seemed sound, in "representation of the
different word, actuality it was just a same thing,” from
phrase, or sentence; tautology. tauto "the same" +
redundancy. -logos "saying,"
related to legein "to
say" (see lecture)

379 Trend To have a general The trend among small O.E. trendan,
tendency: said of businesses these days “revolve, rotate”, of
events, conditions, is to utilize the internet Germanic origin.
opinions etc. as much as possible.

380 Valiant Full of or Her valiant knight in from [Link]. vailant,

characterized by shining armor turned based on L. valere,
valor or courage; out to be a meek “be strong” (see
brave. accountant from New valor, value)
Jersey.

381 Voluble Characterized by a Her voluble friend was from L. volubilis, “that
great flow of words; never invited to any which turns easily,
talking much and parties because she flowing,” equiv. to
easily; talkative, never let anyone get a volu-, base of volvere,
glib, etc. word in. “to turn” (see
revolve)

382 Zephyr The west wind, a Lisa walked through from Gk. Zephyros
gentle breeze. the field, a zephyr "the west wind"
gently playing with her (sometimes
hair. personified as a god),
probably related to
zophos "the west, the
dark region, darkness,
gloom."

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383 Acquiesce To agree or consent He acquiesced from L. acquiescere

quietly without fearfully to all of the "remain at rest," thus
protest, but without kidnapper's demands. "be satisfied with,"
enthusiasm. from ad- "to" +
quiescere "to become
quiet," (see quiet)

384 Antidote A remedy to They raced to find the from L. antidotum,

counteract a poison antidote in time. from Gk. antidoton
"given as a remedy,”
lit. "given against,"
from anti- "against" +
didonai "to give" (see
dose)

385 Aspersion The act of defaming. Xavier was a bitter old from L. aspergere "to
man who cast sprinkle on," from ad-
aspersions on "to" + spargere
everything and "sprinkle, strew" (see
everyone. sparse)

386 Balk To obstruct or He balked at paying O.E balca "ridge,"

thwart; foil. such a large sum for a from or influenced by
chessboard. O.N. balkr "ridge of
land"

387 Besmirch To make dirty; soil. The young man [Link]. esmorcher "to
besmirched the family torture," perhaps also
name by running off "befoul, stain," from
with a married woman. es- "out" + morcher
"to bite," from L.
morsus, pp. of
mordere "to bite" (see
smart, morsel)

388 Brisket The breast of an They serve the best [Link]. bruschet, with
animal. brisket in town over identical sense of the
here. Eng. word, or from
O.N. brjosk "gristle"
(related to brjost
"breast").

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389 Census An official, usually The latest census from L. census,

periodic, count of indicates that more originally pp. of
population and a than 50% of the censere "to assess"
recording of population of the USA (see censorship)
economic status, is female.
age sex, etc.

390 Colloquial Having to do with or Jim liked to get his hair from L colloquium
like conversation. cut at the barber's on "conference,
the corner because the conversation," from
barber was full of com- "together" +
funny, colloquial loqui "speak." (see
expressions. eloquent)

391 Console To make feel less The little child was from L. consolari
sad or disappointed; difficult to console after "offer solace," from
comfort. its puppy ran away. com- intensive prefix
+ solari "to comfort"
(see solace)

392 Crease A line, mark, or Even though his shirt probably a variant of
ridge made by was spotless, Louie crest
folding and pressing still looked sloppily
cloth, paper, etc. dressed because he
had forgot to iron it,
and there were lots of
creases.

393 Degrade To lower in rank or Dawn felt that such a from des- "down" + L.
status, as in job was degrading and gradus "step" (see
punishing; demote. beneath her. gradient)

394 Dexterity Skill in using one's When they are very from L dexter, “on the
hands or body; young, children have right”, from M.E.
adroitness. very little dexterity with dester, “right hand”
a knife and fork.

395 Dissent To differ in belief or He kept his dissent to from L dissentire

opinion; disagree. himself because it "differ in sentiments,"
seemed dangerous to from dis- differently +
hold unpopular views. sentire "to feel, think."
(see sentiment)

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396 Earthenware The coarser sort of The archeological dig O.E eorðe "ground,
containers, uncovered some very soil, dry land," also
tableware, etc. interesting used (along with
made of baked clay. earthenware. middangeard) for "the
(material) world" (see
earth)

397 Encumbrance Hindrance; Although her kids liked from L.L. incombrare,
obstruction; burden. the pet dog, Lorna felt from in- "in" +
that it was nothing but combrus "barricade,
an encumbrance, obstacle," probably
probably because she from L. cumulus
was the one that had "heap." (see
to feed and walk it. accumulate)

398 Equilibrium A state of balance or After meditating, Kitt from L. æquilibrium,

equality between usually felt a from æquus "equal" +
opposing forces. revitalizing sense of libra "a balnce, scale,
equilibrium. plummet," (see
equal)

399 Exertion The act, fact, or Without much exertion, from L. exertus,
process of exerting; Zeke was able to win "thrust out, put forth,”
active use of the race. from ex- "out" +
strength, power. serere "attach, join"
(see series)

400 Facilitate To make easy or The invention of the from L. facilis "easy to
easier. printing press do" and, of persons,
facilitated the spread "pliant, courteous,"
of knowledge. from facere "to do"
(see fact)

401 Finicky Too particular or Herbert was a finicky from finical "too
exacting; overly eater, he didn't like particular" (1592),
dainty or fastidious; anything that had the perhaps from fine
fussy. color green in it. (adj.) (see fine)

402 Forerunner A person sent Usually, a gray cloudy from fore + runner.
before or going sky is a forerunner of M.E. rendition of L.
before to announce rain. præcursor (see
or prepare the way before)
for another or for
something to follow;
herald.

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403 Garnish A decoration; She garnished the from [Link]. garniss-,

ornament. steak with some stem of garnir
cilantro. "provide, furnish,
defend"

404 Gush To flow out suddenly Julian gushed about O.N gusa "to gush,
and plentifully; pour the fantastic new spurt," (see geyser)
out; spout. movie he had just
seen.

405 Hortatory Serving to Her hortatory speech from L. hortari

encourage or urge speech convinced "exhort, encourage,"
to good deeds. almost all of her intens. of horiri "urge,
friends to work in the incite, encourage,"
soup kitchen that (see exhort)
Thanksgiving.

406 Impediment Anything that The only impediment from L. impedire

impedes. that remained was "impede," lit. "to
deciding how to split shackle the feet,"
the profits. from in- "in" + pes
"foot." (see
expedient, expedite)

407 Indelicate Not delicate; coarse; As usual, his rude and "offensive to
crude; rough; esp., indelicate cousin got propriety," from in-
lacking, or offensive. both of them kicked "not" + delicate (see
out of the party. delicate, delicious)

408 Insensible Lacking sensation, Bob's insensible from L. insensibilis

not intelligible. remark was not "that canot be felt,"
understood by anyone from in- "not" +
else at the meeting. sensibilis, from sentire
"to feel." (see
sentiment)

409 Irksome That which tends to By the time Fred of uncertain origin,
irk; tiresome or caught the irksome perhaps related to
annoying. mosquito, he felt as if O.N. yrkja “work”, or
he was covered in Germanic erken, “to
bites. disgust”

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410 Limp To move or proceed After twisting his ankle of uncertain origin,
unevenly, jerkily, or in the basketball perhapsOE
laboriously, because game, Nick limped lemphealt, “limping”
of being impaired, back home. (see halt)
defective, damaged,
etc.

411 Mendacious Not truthful; lying or Yolanda suspected from L. mendacium "a
false. that the new secretary lie," related to menda
was being mendacious "fault, defect,
about her work carelessness in
experience. writing". (see amend)

412 Nadir The lowest point. The nadir of David's from Arabic nazir
life came in a brief two "opposite to," in nazir
month period when his as-samt, lit. "opposite
wife left him, he got of the zenith," (see
fired, he lost the lease zenith)
on his apartment, and
his dog died.

413 Occlude To close, shut, or The new building from L. occludere

stop up. occluded the windows "shut up, close up,"
of the small house at from ob "against, up"
it's base. + claudere "to shut,
close" (see close)

414 Parenthesis An additional word, Writers often put their from Gk. parenthesis,
clause, etc. placed character's less lit. "a putting in
as an explanation or important thoughts in a beside," from
comment within an parenthesis within a parentithenai "put in
already complete sentence (because beside," from para-
sentence. that makes it seem like "beside" + en- "in" +
something tacked on tithenai "put, place,"
at the end). (see thesis)

415 Personable Having a pleasing Sam found his new from L. persona
appearance and boss to be personable "human being,"
personality; and so didn't feel so originally "character in
attractive. anxious about his new a drama, mask,"
job anymore. possibly borrowed
from Etruscan phersu
"mask."

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416 Pluck To pull off or out; Due to her from L. pilare "pull out
pick. extraordinary singing hair," from pilus "hair,"
ability, Gina was (see depilation)
plucked from obscurity
and thrust into the
limelight at an early
age.

417 Prevaricate To turn aside from, Beatrice was known from L. praevaricari,
or evade, the truth; never to prevaricate, “to straddle
equivocate. she always gave as something,” (of an
honest a response as advocate) “collude
she could. with an opponent's
advocate,” equiv,to
prae-”pre-” + varicare,
“straddle” (see vary)

418 Prune To cut out or get rid During the tryouts, the from [Link]. proignier,
of as being team was pruned from “cut back vines,
unnecessary. 50 people initally down prune,” possibly
to 12 at the end. based on L. rotundus,
“round” (see round,
rotund)

419 Rapacious Taking by force; The rapacious judge from L. rapacitatem

plundering. was finally indicted for "greediness," from
bribery. rapax "grasping,
plundering," from
rapere "seize" (see
rapid)

420 Relapse To slip or fall back Drug addicts that don't from L. relapsus, "slip
into a former wish to relapse into back," from re- "back"
condition, esp. after their former habits find + labi "to slip" (see
improvement or that AA meetings help lapse)
seeming a good deal.
improvement.

421 Roll call The reading aloud The invitation list to the from [Link]. rolle, from
of a roll, or list of wedding looked like a M.L. rotulus "a roll of
names, as to check roll call of many of the paper," from L. rotula
attendance. day's famous "small wheel," dim. of
Hollywood stars. rote "wheel." + call

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422 Sedulous Working hard and She was a sedulous from L. sedulus
steadily; diligent. student who always "attentive,
got great grades. painstaking," probably
from sedulo (adv.)
"sincerely, diligently,"
from sedolo "without
deception or guile,"
from se- "without,
apart" (see secret) +
dolus "deception,
guile," (see zealous)

423 Sodden Filled with moisture; After the flood, the from O.E. soden,
soaked through. room was sodden with strong pp. of seopan
water from the river. "to cook, boil" (see
seethe). Originally
"boiled."

424 Stint To restrict or limit to His brief stint in jail from O.E, styntan "to
a certain quantity, only made him a more blunt, make dull,"
number, share, or effective drug dealer. from [Link].
allotment, often stuntijanan, (see
small or scanty. stunt)

425 Supersede To remove or cause Hopefully, electric cars from L. supersedere

to be removed so as will soon supersede "sit on top of, stay
to make way for gasoline powered clear of, abstain from,
another; supplant. cars. forbear, refrain from,"
from super "above"
(see super) + sedere
"to sit" (see
sedentary)

426 Terse Brief or concise to Jamie did not find from L. tersus "wiped
the point of Matt's terse response off, clean, neat," from
rudeness; curt. to be very helpful. pp. of tergere "to rub,
polish, wipe." (see
detergent)

427 Turpitude Baseness; vileness; The novel was a from [Link]. turpitude,
depravity. chronicle of the from L. turpitudinem,
turpitude and excess "baseness," from
of the 1980s. turpis "vile, ugly, base,
shameful"

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428 Veracity Habitual His veracity was called from Fr. véracité, from
truthfulness; into question when it M.L. veracitatem
honesty. was discovered that he "truthfulness," from L.
had plagiarized part of verax, "truthful," from
the script. verus "true" (see
verify).

429 Wary Cautious; on one's Ezra was at first wary from O.E. waer
guard. of walking through the "prudent, aware, alert,
unfamiliar wary," (see aware)
neighborhood at night,
but once he became
acquainted with it, he
felt much more safe.

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430 Abdomen The part of the body Harry Houdini died from L., perhaps from
cavity from the from a punch to the abdere "conceal," with
thorax to the pelvic abdomen that he a sense of
girdle, containing wasn't adequately "concealment of the
the digestive prepared for. viscera"
organs.

431 Agile Quick and easy of Years of ninjutsu L agilis, equiv to ag-
movement; deft and training had turned (base of agere, “to
active. Jorge into an agile do”) + -ile, expressing
martial artist. capability. (see act)

432 Appropriate To take for one's The poet felt that the from L. appropriatus
own or exclusive rock group had “made one's own”,
use. unlawfully appropriated from ad, “to” +
his lyrics. proprius, “own,
proper” (see
property)

433 Audacious Bold or daring; The escape plan is so from L. audacis gen.
fearless. audacious, it just might of audax "brave," but
work. more often "bold" in a
bad sense, from
audere "to dare, be
bold." (see dare)

434 Bastion Any fortified place; For some people, the from [Link]. bastillon,
strong defense or big city is a bastion of dim of [Link]. bastille
bulwark: often used freedom, while for "fortress, tower," (see
figuratively. others it's a bastion of Bastille)
sin.

435 Blemish To mar, as by some The only thing that from [Link]. blemiss-
flaw or fault; spoil blemished their day at "to turn pale,"
the perfection of. the amusement park extended stem of
was the fact that they blemir, blesmir "to
didn't win any prizes. injure, make pale,"

436 Cacophony Harsh, jarring Sue couldn't handle from Gk. kakophonos
sound; dissonance. the cacophony of the "harsh sounding,"
cafeteria so she often from kakos "bad, evil"
ate outside in the hall. + phone "voice" (see
telephone)

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437 Clamor A loud outcry; Every year around from O. Fr. clamour,
uproar. wintertime, the town's from L. clamor "a
residents clamor for shout," from clamare
more frequent bus "to cry out" (see
service. claim)

438 Compound To make by You shouldn't from [Link].

combining parts or compound a mistake compon(d)re
elements. by lying about it. "arrange, direct," from
L. componere "to put
together" (see
composite,
compose)

439 Conundrum A riddle whose Bert was truly puzzled of unknown origin,
answer contains a by the latest perhaps Oxford
pun (Ex.: "what’s the conundrum that Mark University slang for
difference between presented to him. “pedant," also "whim,"
a jeweler and a etc., later (1790)
jailer?" "One sells "riddle, puzzle,"
watches and the
other watches
cells.')

440 Curtail To cut short; reduce; The power outage in from [Link]. courtault
abridge. the theater curtailed "made short," from
that night's court "short," from L.
performance. curtus (see curt)

441 Deposition A deposing or being The deposition of the from [Link]. deposer,
deposed; removal key witness was one from de- "down" +
from office or of the most important poser "put, place"
position of power. parts of the trial. (see pose)

442 Disallow To refuse to allow; Dancing was from L. dis- "apart,",

reject as untrue, disallowed in the bar, "do the opposite of"
invalid, or illegal. because it did not (e.g. disagree).
have a cabaret
license.

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443 Divulge To make known; Despite the threat of from L. divulgare

disclose; reveal. torture, the spy "publish, make
refused to divulge any common," from dis-
classified information. "apart" + vulgare
"make common
property," from vulgus
"common people."
(see folk, vulgar)

444 Egress The act of going out There was only one from L. egressus,
or forth; emergence. egress for the entire from egredi "go out,"
auditorium. from ex- "out" +
-gredi, form of gradi
"step, go." (se
regression)

445 Engulf To swallow up; The crowd engulfed from en- "make, put
overwhelm. the speaker once he in" + gulf, from L.L
got off the stage. colfos, from Gk.
kolpos "bay, gulf,"
(see gulf)

446 Escalate To grow or increase Nobody wanted the from [Link]., where it
rapidly, often to the conflict to escalate, but meant "an assault
point of becoming neither side refused to with ladders on a
unmanageable, as budge. fortification" (from L.
prices or wages. scala "ladder") (see
scale (v.))

447 Exploit A bold or daring The company denied from L. explicitum "a
feat. that it was exploiting thing settled, ended,
workers in its overseas displayed," and
factories. therefore a success.
neut. of explicitus, pp.
of explicare "unfold"
(see employ)

448 Felicitous Used or expressed Richie's felicitious from L. felicitatem

in a way suitable to remarks summed up (nom. felicitas)
the occasion; aptly the situation perfectly. "happiness," from felix
chosen; appropriate; (gen. felicis) "happy,
apt. fortunate," from L.
base fe-, "to suck,
suckle, produce,
yield" (see fecund)

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449 Fledge Having the plumage The training course from W. Gmc. fluggja-
or feathers over, Vince emerged (see fly)
necessary for flight. as a fully fledged
accountant.

450 Fragile Easily broken, His fragile ice from L. fragilitatem,

damaged, or sculpture had to be brittleness," from
destroyed. carried to the wedding fragilis "brittle, easily
in a specially broken," from root of
refrigirated van. frangere "to break"
(see fragment)

451 Gnaw To consume; wear The dog gnawed on O.E. gnagan, a

away; corrode. the bone for hours. common Gmc. word
(cf. O.S. gnagan,
O.N. gnaga, [Link].
knagen, Ger. nagen),
probably imitative.

452 Harsh Unpleasantly crude, Greenland's harsh from M.L.G. harsch,

abrupt, or strained climate may surprise “rough”, literally
so as to be some people who think “hairy”, from haer,
offensive to the that a country with the “hair,” (see hair)
mind or feelings. word “green” in its
name should be more
lush.

453 Idolatrous Having or showing Karen was such a fan from L. idololatria
excessive of Brad Pitt that she (Tertullian), from Gk.
admiration or had an almost eidololatria "worship
devotion. idolatrous relationship of idols," from eidolon
to him. "image" + latreia
"worship, service."
(see idol)

454 Implacable That which cannot The implacable wrath from L. implacabilis
be appeased or of Genghis Khan "unappeasable," from
pacified; relentless; caused many people in- "not" + placabilis
inexorable. people to quake in fear "easily appeased"
when they heard his (see placate, please)
name.

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455 Ineluctable Not to be avoided or Mike's fate was from L. ineluctabilis

escaped; certain; ineluctable and there "unavoidable,
inevitable. was nothing he could inevitable," from in-
do to change it. "not" + eluctari "to
struggle out of," from
ex- "out" + luctari "to
struggle." (see
reluctant)

456 Intervene To come between The United Nations from L. intercedere

as an influence, as intervened in the "intervene, go
in order to modify, country's civil war between," from inter-
settle, or hinder when too many "between" + cedere
some action, civilians began to "go" (see cede)
argument, etc. suffer.

457 Knit To join together; The tragic events knit O.E. cnyttan "to tie
unite closely and the family close with a knot, bind,
firmly. together. fasten"

458 Luminous Clear; readily Moira was considered from L. luminosus

understood. one of the luminous "shining, full of light,"
poets of her from lumen "light,"
generation. related to lucere "to
shine" (see light)

459 Mince To express or do Don't mince your from L. minutiæ

with affected words, spit it out and "small bits," from L.
elegance or tell me exactly what minutus "small" (see
daintiness. you mean! minute)

460 Nonchalant Without warmth or The soldiers were from Fr. nonchaloir
enthusiasm; not amazed by their "be indifferent to,
showing interest. sergeant's nonchalant have no concern for" ,
attitude while they from non- "not” +
were under fire. chaloir "have concern
for," ult. from L calere
"be hot" (see calorie)

461 Ostentation Showy display, as of Dirk decided not to buy from L. ostentationem
wealth or the most expensive "vain display," from
knowledge; watch because he ostendere, from ob,
pretentiousness. didn't want to be “in view of” + tendere,
accused of “to stretch” (see
ostentation. ostensible).

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462 Penchant A strong liking or Gloria had a penchant from Fr. pencher "to
fondness; for finishing other incline," from L.
inclination; taste. people's sentences. pendicare, a
frequentative formed
from L. pendere "to
hang" (see pendant)

463 Picaresque Of, like, or having to “Moll Flanders” is one from Sp. picaresco
do with sharp-witted of the better known "roguish," from picaro
vagabonds or picaresque novels. "rogue,” possibly from
rogues. picar "to pierce," from
L. piccare (see pike)

464 Poseur A person who Everyone thought Neil from Fr. poseur, from
assumes attitudes was a poseur because verb poser "affect an
or manners merely he pretended he attitude or pose," from
for their effect upon affected a British [Link]. poser "to put or
others. accent and pretended place" (see pose)
he was British when
he really wasn't.

465 Profundity Depth, esp. great The author's new from. L. profundus
depth. novel is not very good, "deep, bottomless,
but occasionally shows vast," also "obscure,
great profundity. profound," from pro-
"forth" + fundus
"bottom" (see
foundation)

466 Quack Any person who During the nineteenth short for quacksalver,
pretends to have century, before there from Du. Kwaksalver,
knowledge or skill were stricter lit."hawker of salve,"
that he or she does regulations in place, from [Link] quacken
not have in a many quacks posed as "to brag, boast," lit. "to
particular field; legitimate doctors and croak"
charlatan. sold fake medicines.

467 Recluse Shut away from the Towards the end of his from L. recludere "to
world; secluded; life, Howard Hughes shut up, enclose",
solitary. became a recluse. from L. re-, intensive
prefix + claudere "to
shut" (see close)

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468 Reproach To accuse of and The parents from L. re- "opposite

blame for a fault so reproached the child of" + prope "near."
as to make feel for not telling them (see reprobate)
ashamed; rebuke. sooner about the fight
at school.

469 Sanctimony Pretended, affected, When the scandal from L. sanctimonia

or hypocritical broke, the public "holiness,
religious devotion, realized just how full of virtuousness,” from
righteousness, etc. sanctimony the sanctus "holy" (see
religious leader had saint)
been.

470 Shard A fragment or Shards from cooking from [Link]. skardas,

broken piece, esp. pots found at the a pp. from the root of
of pottery. archeological dig O.E. sceran "to cut"
proved conclusively (see shear)
that there had once
been an ancient city
there.

471 Sordid Squalid; For almost two weeks, from L. sordidus

depressingly all the newspapers "dirty," from sordere
wretched. wrote only about the "be dirty, be shabby,"
sordid details of the related to sordes "dirt"
murder.

472 Stygian Infernal or hellish. James went to work in from L. Stygius, from
the Stygian depths of Gk. Stygios, from
the mine every day. Styx, the Gk. river of
the Underworld.

473 Taciturn Almost always silent It was very difficult to from L. taciturnitatem
; not liking to talk; start a conversation "a being or keeping
uncommunicative. with the taciturn young silent," from taciturnus
woman. "disposed to be
silent,” from tacitus
"silent" (see tacit,
reticent)

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474 Tout To praise or The aspiring 1700, thieves' cant,

recommend highly; photographer touted "to act as a lookout,
puff. his services at every spy on," from M.E.
possible opportunity. tuten "to peep, peer,"
probably from a
variant of O.E. totian
"to stick out, peep,
peer"

475 Unmitigated Not lessened or Despite all the from L. mitigatus, pp.
erased. planning that went into of mitigare "make mild
it, the school's end of or gentle," ult. from
the year dance was an mitis "gentle, soft" +
unmitigated disaster. root of agere "do,
make, act" (see act)

476 Vindictive Revengeful in spirit; Nora was not 1616, from L. vindicta
inclined to seek particularly vindictive, "revenge" (see
vengeance. but this time she swore vindication)
she was going to get
her friend back for the
prank he pulled on her.

477 Winsome Attractive in a His winsome attitude [Link]

sweet, engaging won him many friends "agreeable, pleasant,"
way; charming. during his travels from wynn "pleasure,
through Europe. delight" (see win)

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478 Abstruse Hard to understand Philosophy can be a from L. abstrusus, pp.

because of being very abstruse subject. of abstrudere
extremely complex. "conceal," lit. "to
thrust away," from ab-
"away" + trudere "to
thrust, push" (see
thrust)

479 Ambivalent Uncertain, Jonas thought that if from L. ambi- "both" +

irresolute, of two he was still this valentia "strength,"
minds, conflicted. ambivalent about the from prp. of valere "be
trip, perhaps he strong" (see valiant)
shouldn't go after all.

480 Arrant Complete, utter. That's an arrant lie, from [Link], from L.
your honor! iter "journey, way,"
from root of ire "to go"
(see ion); related to
O. Fr. errant, pp. of
errer (see err)

481 Aversion An intense or Jill's aversion to from L. avertere "to

definite dislike; brocolli was well turn away," from ab-
antipathy; known, so her friends "from, away" + vertere
repugnance. never served her "to turn" (see versus,
anything with that convert)
particular vegetable.

482 Bemoan To moan about or Instead of bemoaning from O.E mænan

deplore (a loss, your fate, why don't "complain, moan,"
grief, etc.); lament. you go and try to (see moan)
change it!

483 Boorish Like or Derek's boorish from L. bovis, gen. of

characteristic of a comments were bos "cow, ox." (see
boor; rude; unusual because he beef, bovine)
awkward; ill- normally was very
mannered. polite.

484 Capricious Tending to change The board decided to from Fr. caprice
abruptly and without remove Eric from his "whim," from It.
apparent reason; position as CEO capriccio "whim," orig.
erratic; flighty. because he was "a shivering,"
becoming increasingly
capricious.

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485 Coerce To restrain or The other students from L. coercere "to

constrain by force, coerced Matt into control, restrain." from
esp. by legal joining the play against com- "together" +
authority; curb. his wishes, because arcere "to enclose,
he was such a talented confine, contain, ward
actor. off"

486 Condone To forgive, pardon, I'm sorry, but your from L. condonare "to
or overlook (an crime is something give up, remit," from
offense). that I just can't com- intensive prefix
condone. + donare "to give."
originally a legal term.
(see donate)

487 Corroborate To strengthen or The doctor's testimony from L. corroborat,

support with other corroborated the “strengthened”, from
evidence; make defendant's story. the verb corroborare,
more certain, from cor, “together” +
confirm, make roborare, from robur,
robust. “strength” (see
robust)

488 Decree To officially order, The king decreed that from L. decretum,
decide, or appoint. from that day on, only neut. of decretus, pp.
foreigners were of decernere "to
allowed to wear decree, decide,
beards. pronounce a
decision," from de- +
cernere "to separate"
(see discern)

489 Desiccate To dry completely. Prunes are really just from L désiccant-, s.
desiccated plums. of désiccāns, prp. of
désiccāre “to dry up.”

490 Disingenuous Not straightforward; His disingenuous "lacking in candor,"

not candid or frank; remarks hid the fact from dis- "opposite of"
insincere. that he was actually (see dis-) + ingenuus,
quite aware of what from in, “in” + gen,
was going on. “beget, produce,” (see
genes), meaning
“with the virtues of
freeborn people, of
noble character,
frank.”

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491 Dubious Causing doubt; Sarah was dubious from L. dubiosus

ambiguous; vague. about the prospects of "doubtful," from
Harry's business, but dubium "doubt,"
invested in him neuter of dubius
anyway because he "doubtful," from duo
was a friend. "two," in the sense of
"of two minds,
undecided between
two thinngs." (see
dual, two)

492 Embellish To decorate or Henry embellished his from [Link]. embelliss-,

improve by adding account of the time he pp. stem of embellir
detail; ornament; lived in Paris until it "make beautiful,
adorn. sounded much more ornament," from L.
interesting than it bellus “handsome”.
actually was. (see belle epoque)

493 Ephemeral Lasting only one The beauty of a flower from Gk. ephemeros
day. is ephemeral, it's not "lasting only one day,"
like the beauty of a from epi "on" +
painting or sculpture. hemerai, "day,"

494 Evince To show plainly; The comedian's jokes from L. evincere

indicate; make evinced his deep "conquer, elicit by
manifest; esp., to understanding of argument, prove,"
show that one has human relationships. from ex- "out" +
(a specified quality, vincere "overcome"
feeling, etc.) (see victor)

495 Extol To praise highly; Polly extolled the new from L. extollere, from
laud. book by Roberto ex- "up" + tollere "to
Bolano and told raise," (see Atlas, the
everyone she knew to Bearer of Heaven)
go read it.

496 Fetid Having a bad smell, The fetid swamp next from L. fetidus
as of decay; putrid, to the factory had once "stinking," from fetere
rank, foul, stinking. been a beautiful lake. "have a bad smell,
stink." Perhaps
connected with fimus
"dung," or with fumus
"smoke" (see fumes)

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497 Flux A flowing or flow, the After the elections, the from L. fluxus, pp. of
flowing in of the tide. country was in a fluere "to flow" (see
serious state of flux. fluent) Originally
"excessive flow"

498 Frugal Not wasteful; not Sam Walton was from L. frugalis, from
spending freely or extremely frugal, that's undeclined adj. frugi
unnecessarily; why he became as rich "economical, useful,
thrifty; economical. as he did. proper," originally of
frux "fruit, profit,
value," related to
fructus (see fruit)

499 Grimace A twisting or The chef didn't need to from [Link]. grimuche,
distortion of the ask if Dara liked the possibily from same
face, as in new dish, Dara's P. Gmc. root as grim,
expressing pain, grimace told him all he (see grim, grime)
contempt, disgust, needed to know.
etc.

500 Hew To chop or cut with The bench was made from ME hewen, OE
an ax, knife, etc.; from roughly hewn héawan; akin to
hack; gash. wood. haggle, (see haggle)

501 Immerse To plunge, drop, or He was so immersed from L. mergere "to

dip into or as if into in the book that he dip” (see submerge)
a liquid, esp. so as didn't realize that he
to cover completely. had missed his stop.

502 Impromptu Without preparation They threw an from L. in promptu "in

or advance thought; impromptu party to readiness," from in
offhand. celebrate her return "in" + promptus
from the war. "readiness," from pro-
"before, forward, for"
+ emere "to obtain"
(see exempt)

503 Ingratiate To make Frank tried to from L. in gratiam "for

acceptable; esp., to ingratiate himself with the favor of," from in-
bring (oneself) into the new principal by "in” + gratia “favor,
another's favor or telling him all the juicy grace." (see grateful)
good graces by gossip about the other
conscious effort. teachers.

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504 Invective Inveighing; using, The main character in from L. invectivus

inclined to use, or the movie became well "abusive," pp. of
characterized by known for his steady invehi "to attack with
strong verbal abuse. stream of invective. words" from in-
"against" + vehere "to
carry" (see vehicle)

505 Lavish Very generous or They lavished from laver "to wash,"
liberal in giving or attention on their only from L. lavare "to
spending, often child. wash" (see lavatory,
extravagantly so; laundry)
prodigal.

506 Manacle A handcuff; fetter or The convicts were from L. manicula

shackle for the manacled together "handle," lit. "little
hand. before being put on hand," dim. of
the bus bound for manicæ "long sleeves
upstate. of a tunic," from
manus "hand" (see
manual)

507 Mollify To soothe the His explanations failed from L. mollificare

temper of; pacify; mollify her or make her "make soft,” from
appease less angry with him. mollificus
"softening,"from L.
mollis "soft" + root of
facere (see
emollient)

508 Oblique Evasive, Because it was written from L. obliquus

disingenuous, during a time of "slanting, sidelong,
underhanded. political repression, the indirect," from ob
play made only an "against" + root of
oblique reference to licinus "bent upward,"
the dictator's cruelty. (see limb)

509 Palate The roof of the This way of preparing from L. palatum "roof
mouth. fish may not suit your of the mouth,"
palate, but it's very perhaps of Etruscan
popular in Spain. origin.

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510 Peripatetic Walking and moving His peripatetic lifestyle from L. peripateticus
about; not staying in gave him a lot of "pertaining to the
one place; itinerant. stories that he could disciples or
tell his kids in his old philosophy of
age. Aristotle," from Gk.
peripatetikos "given to
walking about" from
peripatein, from peri-
"around" + patein "to
walk." (see
perimeter)

511 Placebo Something said or Unbeknownst to the from L. placebo "I

done to win the patient, the doctors shall please," future
favor of another. had actually given him indic. of placere "to
a placebo, and not the please" (see please)
actual medicine.

512 Predilection A preconceived John's predilection for from L. prae- "before"

liking; partiality or organic food was just a + diligere "choose,
preference. part of his generally love" (see diligent)
healthy lifestyle.

513 Prosaic Commonplace, dull Tina felt that her friend from M.L. prosaicus
and ordinary. had no business "in prose", from L.
writing a memoir prosa "prose" (see
because his life so far prose)
had been extremely
prosaic.

514 Quotidian Daily; recurring Jane's quotidian from L. quotidianus

every day. commute never "daily," from L. quotus
contained any "how many, which in
surprises, it was order or number" +
always the same day dies "day" (see daily)
after day.

515 Redoubtable Formidable; The engineer's from [Link]. redoutable,

fearsome; redoubtable reputation from redouter "to
commanding preceded him. dread," from re-,
respect. intensive prefix +
douter "be afraid of"
(see doubt)

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516 Resplendent Shining brightly; full Mary looked from L.

of splendor; resplendent in her resplendentem,
dazzling; splendid. prom dress. "brilliant, radiant," prp.
of resplendere "to
glitter, shine," from
re-, intensive prefix, +
splendere "to shine,"
(see splendid)

517 Savor To enjoy with He savored each bite from L. saporem

appreciation; dwell of the meal as if it "taste, flavor," related
on with delight. were his last. to sapere "to have a
flavor" (see insipid)

518 Sinuous Bending, winding, or It was easy to get lost from L. sinuosus "full
curving in and out; on the sinuous road to of folds or bendings,"
wavy; serpentine. the hidden beach. from sinus "curve,
fold, bend." (see
insinuate)

519 Stalwart Strong and well- She was a stalwart O.E. stælwierðe
built. friend who never "good, serviceable,"
deserted others in their probably a contracted
time of need. compound of staðol
"foundation, support"
+ wierðe "good,
excellent” (see
worthy)

520 Suffuse To overspread so as When Eric lifted the from L. suffusionem

to fill with a glow, curtains, the room "a pouring over," from
color, fluid, etc,: said became suffused with suffundere "pour
of light, air, etc. moonlight. upon, overspread,
suffuse," from sub
"under" + fundere "to
pour" (see fund)

521 Tawdry Cheap and showy; Terry liked shopping at short for (Sain)t
gaudy; sleazy. second hand stores, Audrey lace, i.e., neck
even though lace bought at St.
sometimes the Audrey's Fair in Ely,
selection was a bit England; so called
tawdry. after St. Audrey

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522 Trepidation Tremulous or The sailors viewed the from L. trepidationem,

trembling gathering storm clouds "agitation, alarm,
movement; quaking; with trepidation. trembling," noun of
tremor. action from trepidare
"to tremble, hurry,"
from trepidus
"alarmed, scared,"
related to trem- (see
tremble)

523 Valorous Having or showing Despite his valorous from [Link]. valour
valor; courageous; conduct on the "strength, value,
brave. battlefield, the soldier valor," from L.
never received any valorem "value,
medals. worth," from L. valere
"be worth, be strong"
(see valiant)

524 Voluminous Of great volume; At the photo shoot, the from L. volumen (gen.
large; bulky; full. photographer decided voluminis) "roll (as of
that the model's hair a manuscript), coil,
needed to be more wreath," from volvere
voluminous. "to turn around, roll"
(see revolve)

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525 Acquisition An acquiring or The company's new from L. acquisitionem,

being acquired. acquisition promised from stem of
tremendous profits. acquirere "get in
addition," from ad-
"extra" +quærere "to
seek to obtain" (see
acquire).

526 Antithetical Directly opposed or It was difficult to see from Gk. antithetikos,
contrasted; how the married from antithetos
opposite. couple was still "placed in opposition,"
together, since so from antithesis (see
many of the husband's thesis)
views were antithetical
to his wife's.

527 Assail To attack physically Gabby assailed her from L. adsalire "to
and violently; father's prejudices with leap at," from L. ad-
assault. carefully chosen "at' + salire "to leap"
arguments and (see somersault)
reasons.

528 Ballast Anything giving The guitar was Kyle's from M.E. bar "bare"
stability and ballast in his life. (in this case "mere") +
firmness to last "a load, burden"
character, human
relations, etc.

529 Bewilder To confuse There was a from be- "thoroughly"

hopelessly, as by bewildering amount of + archaic wilder "lead
something ice cream flavors to astray, lure into the
complicated or choose from. wilds," probably a
involved; befuddle. back- formation or
wilderness.

530 Brittle Easily broken or Don't skate on the lake O.E. bryttian "to break
shattered because now, the ice is too to pieces," from
hard and inflexible. brittle. [Link]. Stem brutilo-
"break."

531 Centurion The commanding A centurion was an from L., Roman army
officer of an ancient important position in officer, head of a
Roman century. the Roman army. centuria "group of one
hundered," from
centum "hundred"
(see century)

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532 Collusion A secret agreement The government from L. collusionem

for fraudulent or convicted the two "act of colluding,"
illegal purposes; companies of collusion from colludere, from
conspiracy. that had resulted in com- "together" +
extremely high prices ludere "to play," from
for consumers. ludus "game" (see
ludicrous)

533 Conspicuous Easy to see or He wasn't able to hide from L. conspicuus

perceive; obvious. well in the crowd "open to view," from
because of his conspicere "to look at,
conspicuous red hair. observe," from com,
an intensive prefix +
specere “to view” (see
spectacles)

534 Credence Belief, esp. in the Don't give much from L. credentum
reports or testimony credence to his report, (nom. credens), pp. of
of another. he was drunk when he credere "believe,
claimed he saw the trust." (see
flying saucer. credentials)

535 Delineate To trace the outline In his short stories, from L. delineare,
of; sketch out. Johann was able to from de- "completely"
delineate in just a few + lineare "draw lines,"
pages some very from linea "line." (see
profound and complex line)
characters.

536 Diaphanous So fine or gauzy in The fashion designer's from Gk. diaphanes,
texture as to be new diaphanous from dia- "through" +
transparent or dresses were a hit on phainein "to show."
translucent the runway. (see epiphany)
diaphanous cloth.

537 Dissipation A wasting or The entire inheritance from L. dissipare

squandering. was lost due to the "disperse, squander,
dissipation of the two disintegrate," from
heirs. dis- "apart" + supare
"to throw, scatter."

538 Ebullience High spirits; Hilda's ebullience was from L. ebullire "to
exhilaration; infectious, pretty soon spout out, burst out,"
exuberance. everyone was feeling from ex- "out" + bullire
good. "to bubble" (see boil)

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539 Endearing Inspiring love or Louie's endearing from en- "make, put
affection. smile and sense of in" + dear.
humor made him
popular with his
neighbors.

540 Equine Of, like, or Tom's long face and from L. equinus, from
characteristic of large teeth gave him a equus "horse," from
horses. very equine PIE base ekwos
appearance. "horse" (see
equestrian)

541 Exhaustive Leaving nothing out; Even though the from L. exhaustus, pp.
covering every search was exhaurie "draw off,
possible detail; exhaustive, they still take away, use up,"
thorough. couldn't find the from ex- "off" +
passport anywhere. haurire "to draw up"

542 Fallacious Containing a fallacy; Sam joined an from L. fallacia

erroneous. amateur debate team "deception," from
so that he could learn fallax "deceptive,"
to reason and spot from fallere "to
fallacious reasoning deceive." (see false)
better.

543 Finite Having measurable The planet's resources from L. finire "to limit,
or definable limits; are finite, we can't just set bounds, end,"
not infinite. keep using stuff up from finis (see finish)
and throwing it away.

544 Forestall To prevent or hinder Some research shows O.E. foresteall "an
by doing something that doing crossword ambush, a
ahead of time. puzzles daily may waylaying," from fore
forestall Alzheimer's "before" + steall
disease. "standing position"
(see stall)

545 Garrulity Excessive Pat's garrulity from L. garrulus

talkativeness;. sometimes prevented "talkative," from
loquaciousness, her from truly listening garrire "to chatter,"
wordinrss, verbosity, to people. from PIE base
effusion. gar-/ger- "to cry"

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546 Gust A sudden, strong The gust of wind from O.N. gustr "a
rush of air or wind. knocked Jean's hat cold blast of wind,"
into the river. related to gjosa, “to
gush” (see gush)

547 Hospitable Friendly, kind and His hostel had the from L. hospitari "be a
solicitous toward reputation of being the guest," from hospes
guests. most hospitable one in "guest" (see host,
town. hospital)

548 Impending About to happen; Darryl's impending Fr. pendant "during,"

imminent, graduation brought lit. "hanging," prp. of
imminently much joy to his pendere "to hang, to
threatening or parents. suspend" (see
menacing. suspend)

549 Indemnify To protect against or The policy doesn't from L. indemnitatem

keep free from loss, specify the amount of "security for damage,"
damage, etc; insure. insurance you can buy from L. indemnis
in order to indemnify "unhurt, undamaged,"
yourself in the event of from in- "not" +
a loss. damnum "damage",
(see damage)

550 Insinuate To introduce Are you insinuating from L. insinuare

gradually, indirectly, that I don't do my "bring in by windings
and artfully. share of the and curvings, wind
housework? one's way into," from
in- "in" + sinuare "to
wind, bend, curve,"
(see sinuous)

551 Irrelevant Not relevant; not Although your story is L. relevare "to lessen,
pertinent; not to the interesting, it is lighten" (see relieve)
point; not relating to irrelevant to our
the subject. current discussion.

552 Lithe Bending easily; The lithe dancer from Ger. lind, “soft,
flexible; supple; practiced for hours gentle”
limber; lissome. every day to keep her
body in shape.

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553 Mendacity Untruthfulness. Robert was amazed by from L. mendacium "a

the mendacity of the lie," from mendax,
store clerk. "lying, deceitful,"
related to menda
"fault, defect,
carelessness in
writing" (see amend)

554 Nascent Beginning to form, A nascent from L. nascentum,

start, grow, or environmental prp. of nasci "to be
develop; said of movement began to born" (see nation,
ideas; cultures, etc. form in the town after innate)
the company built a
nuclear power plant
near it.

555 Occult To hide or become Mark decided he from L. occulere

hidden from view. wanted to learn black "cover over, conceal,"
magic after reading a from ob "over" +
book on the occult. celare "to hide," (see
cell)

556 Pariah Any person Floyd became the from Port. paria or
despised or rejected school's pariah once directly from Tamil
by others; outcast. everyone discovered paraiyar, "drummer,”
how he had ratted since at festivals, that
everyone out to the was the hereditary
teachers. duty of members of
the largest of the
lower castes of
southern India.

557 Perspicacity Keenness of mental Known for her from L. perspicacitas

perception and perspicacity, Mindy "sharp-sightedness,
understanding; was often asked discernment," from
discernment; advice by her friends. from perspicere "look
penetration. through" (see
perspective,
spectacles)

558 Plumb To discover the facts His poetry plumbs the from L. plumba,
or contents of; depths of human "lead,” the metal, of
fathom; solve; emotions. unknown origin,
understand. related to Gk.
molybdos "lead" (see
plumber)

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559 Prim Stiffly formal, Sylvia didn't like from L. primus "first,
precise, moral, etc.; staying with her aunt finest" (see prime)
proper; demure. because she was superl. of Old [Link]
much more prim than "before," from PIE
Sylvia's parents. base per- "beyond,"
pro-"before" (see
precondition,
predate...)

560 Pry To draw forth or They were finally able ME pryen, prien,
obtain with difficulty. to pry open the lid on unknown origin
the jar after much
effort.

561 Rarefy To make or become When she began to from L. rarefacere

thin, or less dense. date the rock star, Amy "make rare," from
joined the rarefied rarus "rare, thin" (see
world of celebrities. rare) + facere "to
make" (see fact)

562 Relinquish To give up; He relinquished all from [Link]. relaisser

abandon. hope of winning her "to relinquish, quit, let
back after their last go, leave behind,"
argument. variant of relacher
"release, relax," from
L. relaxare (see
relax)

563 Rope To fasten, tie, or They roped their from Du. reep "rope,"
confine with or as customers in with a
with a rope. brilliant marketing
campaign.

564 Seminal Of essential The composer's from L. seminalis,

importance. seminal work was from semen "seed"
inspired by his trip to (see semen)
Japan.

565 Soggy Saturated with Ian's shoes had holes perhaps from dialectal
moisture or liquid; in them, he could tell sog "bog, swamp"
soaked. by how soggy his
socks were after he
walked in the rain.

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566 Stipple To cover or mark Some Impressionist from Du. stippelen "to
with dots or quick painters painted only make points," freq. of
dabs; fleck. by using the stippling stippen "to prick,
technique. speckle," from stip "a
point" (see stick)

567 Supine Mentally or morally The population was from L. supinus

inactive; sluggish; supine in the face of "turned or thrown
listless; passive. the government's backwards, inactive,
repression. indolent," related to
sub "under."

568 Theocracy Government by a Switzerland was a from Gk. theokratia

person or persons strict theocracy several "the rule of God", from
claiming to rule with hundred years ago. theos "god" + krattos
divine authority. "a rule, regime,
strength" (see
democracy)

569 Tyro A beginner in Their team was made from L. tyro, variant of
learning something; up mainly of rookies L. tiro "young soldier,
novice. and tyros. recruit, beginner," of
unknown origin.

570 Verbiage An excess of words After cutting out all the from Fr. verbiage
beyond those verbiage, Chris "wordiness," from
needed to express whittled his paper [Link] verbier "to
concisely what is down to six pages. chatter," from [Link].
meant; wordiness. verbe "word," from L.
verbum "word" (see
verb)

571 Wastrel A person who Unlike her brother who from waste (v.) with
wastes; esp., a was a wastrel, Britney pejorative suffix (see
spendthrift. saved her money and mongrel, scoundrel)
spent very little.

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572 Aberration A departure from The actor's poor from L. aberrationem,

what is right, true, performance was an from aberrare "go
correct, etc. aberration from his astray," from ab-
otherwise excellent "away" + errare "to
work. wander" (see error)

573 Ail To cause pain or She usually cured all OE eglan, “to afflict:
distress; trouble. that ailed her with deriv. of egle “painful”
some whiskey. (see ailment)

574 Apropos At the right time; Thia's comment was from Fr. à propos "to
opportune. very apropos. the purpose," from
propos "purpose,
plan," from L.
proponere, “to set
forth, propose”, (see
purpose)

575 Augury Divination from In a previous life, from L. augos

omens. Nathan was a witch "increase," and is
doctor who practiced related to augere
augury. "increase" (see
augment)

576 Bawdy Characteristic of a The recording from O Fr. baud "gay,

bawd; indecent or company didn't want to licentious", from [Link].
humorously coarse; release the band's bauderie "boldness."
lewd. album because they (see bold)
felt the lyrics were too
bawdy.

577 Blithe Showing a cheerful, She showed blithe O.E. blipe "joyous,
carefree disposition; indifference to the kind," from [Link].
lighthearted. negative reviews of "blithiz "gentle, kind"
her movie.

578 Cadge To beg or get by Right after graduating from ME caggen “to
begging; sponge. from college, survived tie”, of uncert. origin
by cadging from his
friends while working
on his novel.

579 Cleanse To make clean, Priya felt that the yoga O.E. clæne
pure, etc; to purge. retreat had been a "clean,pure," (see
very cleansing cleanse)
experience.

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580 Comprise To include; contain. The album was from [Link].

comprised of 2 hits comprendre "to
and ten terrible songs. contain, comprise,"
from L.
comprehendere (see
comprehend)

581 Conveyance To take from one They conveyed the from L. com-
place to another; refugees across the "together" + via "way,
transport. river in camouflage road." It was an
boats. euphemism for "steal"
(see convey)

582 Cynical Believing that There's no need to be from Gk. Kynikos, lit
people are cynical Andy, some "dog-like," from kyon
motivated in all their people do things "dog." Supposedly
actions only by without hidden from the sneering
selfishness motives. sarcasm of the
philosophers, but
more likely from
Kynosarge "Grey
Dog."

583 Deprave To lead into bad When he drank, Eric from L. depravare
habits; make became a depraved, "corrupt," from de-
morally bad; corrupt; but funny, maniac. "completely" + pravus
pervert. "crooked." (see
perverse)

584 Discern To separate (a Karim had no trouble from L. discernere,

thing) mentally from discerning who his from dis- "off, away" +
another or others; friends were and who cernere "distinguish,
recognize as weren't. separate, sift" (see
separate or discrete)
different.

585 Doctrinaire A person who The doctrinaire Marxist from L. doctrina

dogmatically seeks refused to listen to any "teaching, body of
to apply theories type of rational teachings, learnings,"
regardless of the argument. from doctor "teacher"
practical problem (see doctor,
involved. doctrine)

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586 Elaborate Worked out Errol's elaborate prank from L.

carefully; developed required a lot of elaborationem, from
in great detail. planning, but it was elaborare "work out,
worth it. produce by labor,"
from ex- "out" +
laborare "to labor."
(see labor)

587 Enigma A perplexing, Katy was still an from L. ænigma

usually ambiguous, enigma to Nick, "riddle," from Gk.
statement; riddle, despite the fact that he ainigma, from ainos
matter, or person. had known for her "fable, riddle," of
years. uncertain origin.

588 Esoteric Intended for or Teresa had studied from Gk. esoterikos
understood by only esoteric subjects in "belonging to an inner
a chosen few, as an school and now circle," from esotero,
inner group. couldn't find a job. comparative of eso
"within," opposite of
exo, “without.”

589 Expostulate To reason with a Matt expostulated with from L. expostulare

person earnestly, Kumiko for hours and "to demand urgently,
objecting to that finally got her to agree remonstrate," from
person's actions or that Godfather Three ex- intensive prefix +
intentions; was not such a great postulare "to
remonstrate. movie. demand." (see
postulate)

590 Felon A person guilty of a Because Rudy was the from L. fel "gall,
major crime; only felon in Sammy's poison," on the notion
criminal. circle of friends, he of "one full of
had the most bitterness." (see gall)
interesting stories.

591 Fleece The wooly covering Jerry had a sneaking from W. Gmc. flusaz,
of a sheep or goat. suspicion that the taxi probably from PIE
driver had fleeced him plus- (related to L.
out of a ton of money. pluma "feather,
down,") (see
plumage)

592 Fragrant Having a pleasant The room had a from L. fragrare "emit
odor; sweet- fragrant smell which (a sweet) odor," (see
smelling. was due to all the fragrance)
flowers in it.

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593 Goad To prod into action; Tim and Victoria were O.E. gad "spearhead"
urge on. goaded into giving
money to charity by
the pictures of the
starving kids on the
TV.

594 Haughty Having or showing Julia became very from M.E. haute "high
great pride in haughty once she got in one's own
oneself and disdain, the volleyball estimation", from
contempt, or scorn scholarship. [Link]. haut "high," from
for others; proud; L. altus, (see height)
arrogant;
supercilious.

595 Idolatry Excessive devotion His obsession with from L. idololatria,

to or reverence for Dustin Hoffman from Gk. eidololatria
some person or bordered on idolatry. "worship of idols,"
thing. from eidolon "image"
+ latreia "worship,
service." (see idol)

596 Implausible Not plausible; not The police officers from L. plausibilis
having the found the drunk man's "deserving applause,
appearance of truth story highly acceptable," from pp.
or credibility. implausible. stem of plaudere "to
applaud" (see
applause, plaudit)

597 Inept Not suitable to the The candidate's inept from L ineptus
purpose; unfit. response to the "unsuitable, improper,
question probably cost tactless," from in-
him the election. aptus "apt" (see apt)

598 Intractable Hard to manage; Jordan's donkey was from L. intractabilis

unruly or stubborn. one intractable ass. "not to be handled,"
from in- "not” +
tractabilis, from
tractare, “to handle”
(see traction)

599 Labyrinthine Of or constituting a The video game was from L. labyrinthus,

labyrinth. truly labyrinthine, one from Gk. labyrinthos
could play it for weeks "maze, large building
and weeks. with intricate
passages," (see
labyrinth)

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600 Lustrous Having luster; Her lustrous career from L. lustrare

shining ; bright; took of after she "spread light over,
glorious. starred in the Al brighten, illumine,"
Pacino movie. related to lucere
"shine," lux "light"
(see illustrate)

601 Misanthrope A person who hates From his lyrics you from Gk.
or distrusts all could tell that the misanthropos "hating
people. singer was a true mankind," from misein
misanthrope. "to hate" + anthropos
"man." (see
misogyny)

602 Nonplussed Utterly perplexed; Although it was a from L. nōn plūs lit.,
completely puzzled. simple question, Rob not more, no further,
became completely i.e., a state in which
nonplussed. nothing more can be
done.

603 Ostentatious Pretentious, showy, Selene didn't like the from L. ostentationem
pompous. party because of the "vain display," from
host's ostentatious ostentare "to display,"
display of wealth. from ob, “in view of” +
tendere, “to stretch”
(see thin)

604 Penitent Truly sorry for Vicky's father saw that from L. pænitentia
having sinned or she was truly penitent "repentance," from
done wrong and for drinking his last pænitentum
willing to atone; beer. "penitent," prp. of
contrite. pænitere "cause or
feel regret," (see
penitentiary)

605 Pied Covered with Although the pied form of M.E. noun pie
patches or spots of horse was more "magpie" (see
two or more colors; expensive, Jebediah magpie)
piebald; variegated. decided to buy it
anyway.

606 Posture The position or A person's posture from Fr. poseur, from
carriage of the body when speaking can tell verb poser "affect an
in standing or one a lot about that attitude or pose," from
sitting; bearing. person's true thoughts. [Link]. poser "to put or
place" (see pose)

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607 Proliferate To reproduce in The cockroaches from L. proles

quick succession. proliferated in the "offspring" (see
apartment while the prolific) + ferre "to
couple was on bear" (see transfer).
vacation because they
had left a lot of food
uncovered.

608 Quaff to drink deeply in a He quaffed his thirst at from Low Ger.
hearty or thirsty the first bar he could quassen "to
way. find. overindulge (in food
and drink)," with -ss-
misread as -ff-.

609 Recompense To repay (a person, The authorities from L recompensare,

etc); reward. recompensed the from L. re- "again" +
woman for the compensare "balance
information she out," lit. "weigh
provided. together” (see
compensate)

610 Reprobate To disapprove of Javier avoided that bar from L. re- "opposite
strongly; condemn. because only of reversal of previous
reprobates hung out condition" + probare
there. "prove to be worthy"
(see probation)

611 Sanction To ratify or confirm. The president from L. sanctionem

sanctioned the "act of decreeing or
bombardment because ordaining," also
he felt that was the "decree, ordinance,"
only way to keep his from sancire "to
country safe. decree, confirm, ratify,
make sacred" (see
saint)

612 Sheath A covering or She sheathed her [Link]. schede, Du.

receptacle sword once the man schede, (see shed
resembling this, as identified himself. (v.))
the membrane
around a muscle, a
leaf base etc.

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613 Spear To pierce or stab Lynn felt as if her from [Link]. speri
with something brother's cruel words from PIE base sper-
pointed. had speared her "spear, pole"
through the heart.

614 Stymie To prevent or hinder The math problem from Scottish stymie
the progress of. stymied almost "person who sees
everyone in the class. poorly," from stime
"the least bit"

615 Talon The claw of a bird of The owl swooped from [Link]. talon "heel
prey; a human down and grabbed the or hinder part of the
finger or hand when mouse in it's talons. foot of a beast, or of a
like a claw in man, or of a shoe,"
appearance. from L. talus. "ankle"

616 Toy To play or trifle (with Don't toy with my from ME toye
a thing, an idea, feelings, tell me “dalliance”; of obscure
etc.) honestly what you origin
think.

617 Unscathed Not injured or Not many fighter pilots from un, “not” +
harmed. got through the war scathe, from O.N.
unscathed. skada “to hurt, injure”
(see scar)

618 Virago A quarrelsome, Tom wasn't certain from L. vir "man" (see
shrewish woman. exactly when his virile)
girlfriend had become
such a virago.

619 Wont Accustomed; in the She was wont to read from O.E. wunod, "to
habit of doing the newspaper during dwell, be
something. breakfast. accustomed," from
[Link]. wun- "to be
content, to rejoice"
(see win)

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620 Abundant Very plentiful; more The garden produced L abundant-

than sufficient; an abundant amount “overflowing”, from
ample. of tomatoes that year. und, “wave” (see
undulate, abound)

621 Ameliorate To make better or Most of the people from O. Fr. ameillorer,
more tolerable. supported the from à "to" + mellior
revolution because "to better," from L.
they thought it would meliorare “improve,”
ameliorate their from L. melior "better"
unbearable situation.

622 Arrogance The quality or state His arrogance was a from L. arrogant,
of being arrogant; major turn off for her. “claiming for oneself”,
overbearing pride or from the verb
self- importance. arrogare, from ad, “to”
+ rogare, “ask”, (see
interrogate)

623 Aviary A large cage or Bonnie liked visiting from L. aviarium

building for keeping her uncle because of "place in which birds
many birds. the colorful birds he are kept," neut. of
kept in his aviary. aviarius "of birds,"
from avis "bird," (see
aviation)

624 Bent An inclination; He had a bent for past participle of

tendency. making people laugh, bend, from O.E.
and so decided to bendan, “put in
become a comedian. bonds”, of Germanic
origin, related to band
(see bend)

625 Braid To interweave three As a young boy, Martin from O.E. bregdan "to
or more strands of used to love braiding move quickly"
(hair, straw, etc.) his mother's hair as
she told him stories.

626 Castigate To punish or rebuke The dean castigated in from L. castigare "to
severely, esp. by front of the entire purify, chastise," from
harsh public assembly the students castus "pure" (see
criticism. who had written the caste, chaste) +
grafitti on the school's agere "to do."
walls.

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627 Coeval Of the same age or Michealangelo and Da L.L coævus, from L.
period; Vinci were coevals, but com- "equal" +ævum
contemporary. they were not friendly "an age."
towards one another.

628 Congeal To thicken; The milk congealed from L. congelare "to

coagulate; jell. after it was left outside freeze together," from
the fridge overnight. com- "together" +
gelare "to freeze,"
from gelu "frost, ice."
(see gelatin)

629 Countenance The look on a No one could tell by from L. continentia

person's face that his countenance "restraint," lit. "way
shows one's nature whether he believed one contains oneself,"
or feelings. the story or not. from continere (see
contain)

630 Decry To speak out The human rights from [Link]. descrier
against strongly and lawyer decried his "cry out, announce,"
openly; denounce. country's use of secret from de- "down, out"
prisons. + crier "to cry." (see
cry)

631 Desuetude The condition of not Although vinyl albums from L. desuetudo
being used or have mostly fallen into "disuse," from
practiced any more; desuetude, they desuescere "become
disuse. enjoyed a brief revival unaccustomed to,"
recently. from de- "away, from"
+ suescere "become
used to"

632 Disinter To bring (something The judge ordered that from Fr. désenterrer,
hidden) to light. the body be disinterred from dés- "dis-" +
so that DNA evidence enterrer "to inter, to
could be gathered. put in the earth" (see
inter)

633 Ductile That can be Vlad shaped the from L. ductilis "that
stretched, drawn, or ductile piece of copper may be led or drawn,"
hammered thin into a bowl. from ducere "to lead"
without breaking; (see duke)
not brittle: said of
metals

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634 Embezzle To steal(money, etc. Susan's father was from Anglo-Fr.

entrusted to one's accused of embezzling embesiler "to steal,
care). from his company, but cause to disappear",
he was eventually from [Link]. besillier
cleared of all charges. "torment, destroy,
gouge," of uncertain
origin.

635 Epicure A person who Melody's friend Zoe from L. Epicurus, from
enjoys and has a was a true epicure Gk. Epicouros, an
discriminating taste who always knew Athenian philosopher
for fine foods and where the best who taught that
drinks restaurants were. pleasure is the
highest good.

636 Evoke To draw forth or The images of the war from L. evocationem
elicit (a particular evoked worldwide from evocare "call
mental image, protest and anger out, rouse, summon,”
reaction, etc.) against the aggressor. from ex- "out" +
vocare "to call" (see
voice)

637 Extort To get (money, etc.) Frank complained to L extortus, ptp. of

from someone by the police that he felt extorquére, equiv. to
violence, threats, that some criminals ex- “out” + torquére to
misuse of authority, were trying to extort twist. (see contort)
etc. money from him.

638 Fetter To bind with fetters; Fettered together, the O.E. feter "chain or
shackle; chain. slaves suffered horribly shackle for the feet,"
in their voyage across from PIE root ped-
the ocean. "foot" (see foot)

639 Foible A small weakness; One of her few foibles from Fr. foible (adj.)
slight frailty in was that she was a "weak," from [Link].
character. messy eater in bed. foible "feeble,"
dissimilated from L.
flebilis (see feeble)

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640 Frustrate To cause to have no The cold Russian from L. frustratus, pp.
effect; bring to winter frustrated of frustrari "to
nothing; counteract. Germany's war plans deceive, disappoint,
in World War Two. frustrate," from frustra
(adv.) "in vain, in
error," related to fraus
"injury, harm." (see
fraud)

641 Grind To crush into bits or Between work and L. frendere "to gnash
fine particles school, Larry felt the teeth," Gk.
between two hard extremely ground Khondros "corn,
surfaces; pulverize. down. grain," Lith. grendu "to
scrape, scratch"

642 Hirsute Hairy, shaggy, Cro-Magnon men and from L. hirsutus

bristly. women must have "rough, shaggy,"
been a hirsute bunch, related to hirtus
since none of them "shaggy," and
had any razors. possibly to horrere "to
bristle with fear."

643 Imminent Likely to happen The family was in from L. imminere "to
without delay; imminent danger of overhang, impend, be
impending. being evicted from near," from in- "into" +
their apartment. minere "jut out,"
related to monos "hill"
(see mount)

644 Imprudent Not prudent; without Fred stopped his L imprudent-

thought of the imprudent spending “unforeseeing, rash.”
consequences; once his daughter was from in, “not” +
lacking in judgment born. prudent, contraction
or caution; rash; of provident,
indiscreet. “foreseeing, attending
to”. (see provide)

645 Inherent Existing in someone Double meanings and from L. inhærere "be
or something as a ambiguity are inherent closely connected
natural and in Leonard Cohen's with, adhere to," from
inseparable quality, lyrics. in- "in" + hærere "to
characteristic, or stick" (see
right; innate; basic; hesitation)
inborn.

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646 Inveigh To make a violent The candidate from L. invehi "to

verbal attack; talk or inveighed against his attack with words,"
write bitterly opponent's tax originally "carry
(against); rail policies. oneself against," from
against. in- “against" + vehere
"to carry" (see
vehicle)

647 Leakage An act or instance of Due to the leakage, from [Link]. leken "to
leaking; a leak. the ship had to be drip, to leak," (see
fixed once it reached lack)
the harbor.

648 Martial Showing a Bruce had studied the from L. martialis "of
readiness or martial arts since he Mars or war," from
eagerness to fight; was a very little child. Mars Roman god of
warlike. war. (see martial
arts)

649 Molt To cast or shed Eric saw the discarded from L. mutare "to
(feathers, skin, etc.) snake skin and change" (see mutant).
in the process of realized that the snake
renewal. in his garden must be
molting.

650 Oblivious Forgetful: usually Tony was listening so from L. oblivionem

used with “of”, as in intently to the new "forgetfulness," from
“oblivious of”. album that he was oblivisci "forget,"
oblivious of everything originally "even out,
around him. smooth over," from ob
"over" + root of levis
"smooth." (see
oblivion)

651 Palatial Of, suitable for, or After Nina got her from L. palatium (see
like a palace. promotion, the entire palace)
family moved to a
palatial new
apartment.

652 Perish To be destroyed, The neighbor watered from L. perire "to be

ruined, or wiped their plants while they lost, perish," lit. "to go
out. were on vacation so through," from per-
that the plants wouldn't "through, completely,
perish in their to destruction" + ire
absence. "to go."

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653 Plaintive Expressing sorrow Her plaintive cry could from [Link]. plaintif
or melancholy; be heard all night. "complaining," from
mournful; sad. pleint (see
complaint)

654 Predominate To have In the dark ages, from L. præ- "before"

ascendancy, ignorance and + dominari "to rule"
authority, or superstition (see dominate)
dominating predominated over
influence (over science and rational
others); hold sway. thought.

655 Proscribe To banish; exile. The new law from L. proscribere

proscribed drinking "publish in writing",
alcohol on the street. from pro- "before" +
scribere "to write"
(see script)

656 Rabble A noisy, disorderly The rabble made its M.E. rablen “speak in
crowd; mob. way to the courthouse a rapid, confused
to demand the release manner," probably
of the accused man. imitative of hurry and
confusion (see,
[Link], Low
Ger. rabbeln "to
chatter").

657 Refine To make fine or He refined his from re-, intensive

pure; free from technique until he prefix + obs. fine(v.)
impurities. could make almost "make fine," from fine.
90% of his free throws. (see fine)

658 Restive Nervous or The restive dog kept from [Link]. restif
impatient under tugging at the leash. "motionless," from
pressure or rester "to remain"
restraint. (see rest)

659 Sawdust Small particles of The air in the lumber from saw + dust
wood produced in yard was filled with
sawing. sawdust.

660 Skiff Any of various Lisa liked floating from It. schifo "little
small, light, open along in her skiff, boat," (see ship)
boats propelled by watching the stars in
oars, motor, or sail. the night sky.

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661 Stanch To stop the flow of The first thing the from [Link]. estanchier
blood or other liquid doctors tried to do "cause to cease
from (a wound, leak, when the patient came flowing, stop, hinder,"
etc.). into the E.R. was from L. stancare,
stanch the blood prehaps contracted
coming from his from stagnicare, from
wound. L. stagnum "pond,
pool" (see stagnant)

662 Sullied To become soiled, Please don't let the probably from [Link].
dirty, or tarnished. family name be sullied souiller, from [Link].
like that. souillier "make dirty"

663 Tease To reveal, extract, Maury's teasing finally from ME tesen (v.),
obtain; to tantalize. crossed the line and from OE tæsan to
his young cousin pull, tear, comb, from
began to cry. MLG tesen, OHG
zeisan to pluck.

664 Trifling Frivolous; shallow; The change from the from [Link]. trufle, by-
fickle. purchase was so form of trufe, “deceit”,
trifling that Lucy didn't origin unknown
even bother to take it.

665 Vanquish To overcome (a Joe decided to from [Link]. venquis

feeling, condition, vanquish his fear of and vencus from
etc.); suppress. heights by going sky- veintre "defeat," from
diving. L. vincere "defeat"
(see victor)

666 Vulpine Of, resembling, or Mary played the from L. vulpinus "of or
characteristic of a scheming, vulpine pertaining to a fox,"
fox. waitress on the show, from vulpes, earlier
and she ultimately volpes, "fox," of
became the most unknown origin.
popular character.

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667 Abhor To shrink from in The monks abhorred from L. abhorrere

disgust, hatred, etc., violence and were firm "shrink back in terror,"
detest. pacifists. from ab- "away" +
horrere "tremble at,
shudder," (see
horror)

668 Alienate To make unfriendly; The DJ thought that from L. alienare "to
estrange. heavy metal was just make another's,
music for alienated estrange," from
teenagers. alienus "of or
belonging to another
person or place," from
alius "(an)other" (see
alias)

669 Arabesque A complex and Ellen liked the from It. arabesco,
elaborate decorative wallpaper in the “Arab” with reference
design. apartment because of to the designs in
its arabesque patterns. Moorish architecture.
(see Arab)

670 Auspice An omen, esp. a The town's film festival from L auspicium,
favorable one. was organized under from auspex,
the auspices of the "observer of birds,"
municipal government. from awi- "bird" +
spek- "to see." (see
aviary, spectacles)

671 Beatify To make blissfully The decision to beatify from L. beatificare

happy. the deceased bishop "make happy, make
was taken by the blessed," from L.
Pope. beatus "supremely
happy, blessed" (see
beat generation)

672 Blueprint Any exact or The thieves thoroughly from the original
detailed plan or studied the blueprint of process in which
outline. the bank's security prints were composed
system before they of white lines on a
attempted their blue ground or of blue
robbery. lines on a white
ground

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673 Calipers Any of various Hugo bought a pair of an alteration of

calibrated calipers in order to caliber, from the
instruments for measure his body fat French calibre, from
measuring index. Italian calibro (see
thicknesses or calibrate)
distances between
surfaces.

674 Cling To hold fast by or as Frieda couldn't shake from O.E. clingan
by embracing, off the grashopper that "hold fast, congeal,
entwining, or was clinging onto her shrivel," shifting 13c.
sticking; adhere. finger. to "adhere, stick
together," (see
clench)

675 Concave Hollow and curved As the table aged, it from L. concavus
like the inside of a became concave in "hollow," from com-
bowl. shape. intensive prefix +
cavus "hollow" (see
cave)

676 Convoke To call together for a The lead singer from L convocāre,
meeting; summon to convoked an from con, “together” +
assemble; convene. emergency meeting of vocare, “call” (see
the band. voice)

677 Daunt To make Despite its daunting from L. domitare, freq.

discouraged; height, Anna decided of domare "to tame"
intimidate; to climb the tree in her (see tame)
dishearten. friend's backyard.

678 Depredation The act or an The army committed from L. deprædari "to
instance of robbing, terrible acts of pillage," from de-
plundering, or laying depradation as it made "thoroughly" +
waste. its way through enemy prædari "to plunder,"
territory. lit. "to make prey of,"
from præda "prey."
(see prey)

679 Disconcert To frustrate (plans, It was impossible to from [Link].

etc.). disconcert Ross during disconcerter,
a game, he was the “confused, from dis,
best quarterback the “do the opposite of” +
school had ever had. concerter, “bring into
agreement”, (see
concert)

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680 Dogmatic Inclined to lay down Her dogmatic stances from Gk dogmatikós,
principles as made her a difficult from dogma, “opinion,
incontrovertibly true. person to live with. tenet, that which one
this is true, from
dokein, “to seem
good”, (see decent)

681 Elation A feeling of exultant One could see the from L. elationem,
joy or pride; high runner's elation on her from elatus
spirits. face as she crossed "elevated," from ex-
the finish line first. "out" + ferre "carry"
(see transfer)

682 Ennui Weariness and Ford always suffered from [Link]. enui
dissatisfaction from boredom and "annoyance," back-
resulting from ennui during the long, formation from envier
inactivity or lack of cold, and dark winter (see annoy)
interest. months.

683 Ethereal Of or like the ether, The composer was from L aether, “the
or upper regions of mainly known for his upper pure, bright air”
space. beautiful, ethereal extended sense of
piano pieces. “light, airy" (see air)

684 Exscind To cut out; excise; Troy was later L exscindere to

extirpate. exscinded out of the destroy, tear away,
photo digitally. equiv. to ex- “out of”+
scindere, “to cut, tear”
(see incision)

685 Ferment A state of The city was in a state from L. fermentum

excitement or of ferment that was "substance causing
agitation. due to the fermentation, leaven,"
revolutionary grafitti from root of fervere
that kept popping up "to boil, seethe" (see
mysteriously. brew)

686 Fleeting Passing swiftly; not He felt that his youth from O.E. fleotende
lasting. had been fleeting and "floating,drifting," later
that he didn't have "flying, moving
much to show for it. swiftly," (see float)

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687 Frantic Wild with anger, After a frantic search from O Fr. frenetique,
pain, worry, etc.; for the keys, he was from Gk. phrenetikos,
frenzied. forced to conclude that from phrenitis
he had forgotten them. “delirium”, from phren,
“mind”, (see
phrenology)

688 Gouge To scoop out; dig or In most legal martial from L. gubia,
force out. arts matches, eye alteration of gulbia
gouging is not allowed. "hollow beveled
chisel,"

689 Hedonist A person whose life A hedonist in his from Gk. hedonikos
is devoted to the youth, Roger had tired "pleasurable,” from
pursuit of pleasure of that life by the time hedone "pleasure,"
and self- he was 30 and related to hedys
gratification. became a priest. "sweet"

690 Igneous Of , containing, or Igneous rock is from L. igneus "of fire,

having the nature of incredibly fertile. fiery, from ignis "fire,”
fire; fiery. (see ignite)

691 Implicit Suggested or Although she didn't from L. implicitus,

understood though say anything directly later variant of
not plainly her implicit criticism of implicatus, (see
expressed; implied. her boss got her into implicate)
trouble at work.

692 Infertile Not fertile; not If two different species from L. fertilis
productive; barren. produce offspring, that "bearing in
offspring will usually be abundance, fruitful,
infertile. productive," from ferre
"to bear" (see
transfer) + in- from L.
in- "not,"

693 Intransigence The trait of being Later on in life, she from L. in, “not” +
intransigent; came to realize that transigere, “come to
stubbornly refusing her intransigence had an understanding”
to compromise. cost her some good (see transaction).
friendships. From the Spanish los
intransigentes, a
name adopted by the
extreme republicans
in the Cortes, 1873-
74.

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694 Lackluster lacking brightness; The lackluster [Link]. lak "deficiency,

dull. performance by the fault," + luster, “light.”
actors was one of the Lackluster first
reasons why the movie attested 1600 in
failed at the box office. Shakespeare's "As
You Like It." (see
illustrate)

695 Machination An artful or secret The machinations of from L.

plot or scheme, esp. the duke eventually machinationem
one with evil intent. resulted in him being "device, contrivance,"
crowned king. from machinari,
"contrive, plot," (see
machine)

696 Misconstrue To construe Please don't from mis, “bad,

wrongly; misconstrue what I wrong” + construe,
misinterpret; was trying to say, I “relate grammatically”
misunderstand. didn't mean to suggest (see construct)
that you owe me
money.

697 Notion A mental image; The notion that there from L. notionem
general idea. should be international "concept," from notus,
law is a relatively pp. of noscere "come
recent one. to know" (see know)

698 Ostrich A person who tries He's a real ostrich, he from L. avis "bird" +
to avoid difficult or wouldn't even stand up strouthos melage, “big
dangerous to the waiter when he sparrow”
situations by brought the wrong
refusing to confront wine.
them.

699 Peregrination Travel from one Meaghan remembered from peregre

place to another, her twenties as a time "abroad," properly
esp. on foot. of peregrinations. "that found outside
Roman territory," from
per-(q.v.) + agri, loc.
of ager "field, territory,
land, country". (see
agriculture)

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700 Pious Seemingly virtuous; Lisa's pious parents from L. pius "dutiful,
affecting virtue wanted to send her to kind, devout,"
hypocritically. a religious school. perhaps related to L.
purus "pure, clean"
(see pure)

701 Poverty The condition or According to some from L. paupertatem,

quality of being researchers, 1 out of 2 "poverty," from pauper
poor; indigence; children in the world (see poor).
need. live in poverty.

702 Promulgate To publish or make The new law was from L. promulgare
known officially. promulgated over the "make publicly
radio and TV. known," perhaps from
provulgare, from pro-
"forth" + vulgare
"make public,
publish," (see
divulge)

703 Qualm A sudden, brief He had no qualms from O.E. cwealm

feeling of sickness, about eating worms for ([Link]) "death,
faintness, or a bet. disaster, plague,"
nausea. utcualm (Anglian)
"utter destruction,"
related to cwellan "to
kill," cwelan "to die"
(see quell, kill)

704 Recondite Beyond the grasp of Albert's movie tried to from L. recondere
the ordinary mind or make his professor's "store away," from re-
understanding; recondite philosophy "away" + condere "to
profound. more understandable store, hide, put
to ordinary people. together," from con-
"together" + -dere "to
put, place." (see
contain)

705 Repudiate To refuse to have After the scandal, the from L. repudiatus,
anything to do with; politicians from his pp. of repudiare "to
disown or cast off party were quick to divorce or reject,"
publicly. repudiate Henry. from repudium
"divorce, rejection,"
from re- "back, away"
+ pudium, probably
related to pes-/ped-
"foot."

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706 Sanity Soundness of mind; They began to doubt from L. sanitas

mental health. her sanity after she "health, sanity," from
started talking to sanus "healthy, sane."
people who weren't Meaning "soundness
there. of mind”.

707 Shove To push or thrust, as Shoving his way Ger. schieben "to
along a surface. through the crowd, push, thrust," (see
Jules managed to scuffle, shuffle,
catch the train. shovel)

708 Splenetic Bad-tempered, The splenetic child from L. splen,

irritable, peevish, was a nightmare to “spleen”. Regarded in
spiteful, etc. babysit. medieval physiology
as the seat of morose
feelings and bad
temper. Hence fig.
sense of "violent ill-
temper"

709 Sublime Noble; exalted; Rita felt that she had from L. sublimis
majestic. just spent a sublime "uplifted, high, lofty,"
couple of hours at the possibly originally
opera. "sloping up to the
lintel," from sub "up
to" + limen "lintel."

710 Tamper To interfere with or The sign clearly said figurative use of
meddle with, esp. so that it was forbidden to tamper "to work in
as to damage, tamper with the clay, [Link] as to mix
corrupt, etc. machinery. it thoroughly,"
probably originally a
variant of temper.

711 Traduce To say untrue or Karen was upset that from L. traducere
malicious things the magazine article "change over,
about; defame; had so obviously tried convert," originally
slander; vilify. to traduce her "lead along or across,
character. transfer,'' from trans-
“across” + ducere “to
lead” (see duke)

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712 Upbraid To rebuke severely Dirk upbraided his son from O.E. upbregdan
or bitterly; censure for taking the car “bring forth as a
sharply. without permission. ground for censure,"
from up "up" +
bregdan "move
quickly, intertwine"
(see braid)

713 Viscid Having a cohesive The viscid honey from L. viscidus, from
and sticky fluid dripped from the L. viscum "mistletoe,
consistency; beehive. birdlime" (see
viscous. viscous)

714 Xenophobia Fear or hatred of Xenophobia is usually from Greek xénos,

strangers or rampant during times “foreign” + phobos,
foreigners or of of war. “fear”. (see phobia)
anything foreign or
strange.

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715 Adamant Too hard to be She was adamant that from L. adamantem
broken. she had seen a ghost. "unbreakable,", from
a-"not" + daman "to
conquer, to tame"
(see tame,
dominate)

716 Apartheid The official policy (c. Apartheid officially from Fr. àpart; (see
1950-91) of strict ended in South Africa apart) + suffix -heid,
racial segregation in 1994. cognate of Eng.
and discrimination -hood.
against nonwhites
practiced in South
Africa.

717 Asset Exchange value. One of Bruce Lee's from L. ad- "to" + satis
chief assets as a "enough." Beginning
fighter was his as a legal term,
phenomenal speed. "sufficient estate".
(see satisfy)

718 Balloon To cause to swell The country's debt from Fr. ballon,
like a balloon; ballooned as it altered from It.
inflate. imported more than it pallone "large ball,",
exported. "to blow, swell", (see
ball)

719 Biased Having or showing One could easily tell from [Link]. biais “slant,
bias or prejudice; that the news report oblique”, origin
not objective. was biased because it uncertain.
interviewed no one
from the other side.

720 Broach To start a discussion He tried to broach the from fiugrative use of
of; bring up; subject as carefully as the literal meaning “to
introduce. he could. pierce”, from [Link].
broche "spit for
roasting, awl," from L.
brocca "pointed tool"

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721 Chagrin A feeling of Much to Darla's from Fr. chagrin,

embarrassment and chagrin, the fact that literally “rough skin”,
annoyance because she was late meant origin uncertain.
one has failed or they couldn't shoot that
been disappointed; day.
mortification.

722 Combustion Violent excitement The internal from L.

or agitation; tumult. combustion engine is combustionem, from
one of the most comburere "to burn,"
important inventions in from com- intens.
history. prefix + burere, faulty
sep. of amburere "to
burn around," (see
burn)

723 Consternation Great fear or shock The Stock Market from L.

that makes one feel Crash of 1929 caused consternationem,
helpless or great consternation for from consternare "lay
bewildered. a lot of people. prostrate, terrify" from
com- intensive prefix
+ sternare "throw
down."

724 Credulity A tendency to The con artist preyed from L. credulus, from
believe too readily, on the credulity of credere "to believe."
esp. with little or no other people. (see credibility)
proof; lack of doubt.

725 Deluge A heavy rainfall. A deluge of immigrants from L. diluvium, from

to the town caused diluere "wash away,"
racial tension to from dis- "away" +
increase. -luere, from lavere "to
wash" (see lavatory,
laundry)

726 Diatribe A bitter, abusive, The newspaper called from Gk. Diatribe
criticism or his new work a diatribe "discourse, study," lit.
denunciation. against mindless "a wearing away (of
sitcoms. time)," from dia-
"away, through" (see
diaphanous) + tribein
"to wear, rub."

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727 Dissolution A breaking up or The dissolution of the from L. dissolutio,

into parts; partnership was from the verb
disintegration. inevitable once the dissolvere, from dis,
business went “apart” + solvere,
bankrupt. “loosen or solve” (see
dissolve, solution)

728 Ebullient Bubbling; boiling. Maki's ebullient spirit from L. ebullientem,

soon cheered prp. of ebullire "to
everyone up. spout out, burst out,"
from ex- "out” + bullire
"to bubble" (see boil)

729 Endearment An endearing or The couple had many from en- "make, put
being endeared; terms of endearment in" + dear. Hence,
affection. for one another. endearment, "act of
making dear."

730 Equipoise Equal distribution of The equipoise of from of L. æquus

weight; state of power shifted in 1917 "equal, even." +
balance, or when the USA entered poise, from [Link]. pois,
equilibrium. World War One. peis, from an
alteration of latin
pensum, “weight, from
the verb pendere,
“weigh” (see ponder).

731 Exhort To urge earnestly by Joe exhorted his from L.

advice, warning, etc. friends to come to exhortationem, noun
(to do what is proper volunteer with him. of action from
or required); exhortari, from ex-
admonish strongly. "thoroughly" + hortari
"encourage, urge"
(see hortatory)

732 Fallacy Aptness to mislead; The fallacy in his from L. fallacia

deceptive or argument was obvious "deception," from
delusive quality. to anyone who listened fallax "deceptive,"
carefully. from fallere "deceive."
(see false)

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733 Firebrand A piece of burning The authorities made O.E. fyr, from P. Gmc.
wood. an attempt to arrest fuir, + O.E. brand,
the firebrand, but he from [Link]. brandaz,
escaped with the from base bran-
support of the crowd. /bren- (see burn)

734 Forfeit Something that one Because of your drunk from [Link]. forfait
loses or has to give driving, you have to "crime," originally pp.
up because of some forfeit your license for of forfaire
crime, fault, or a period of time. "transgress," from for-
neglect of duty. "outside, beyond," +
faire "to do", from L.
facere; (see fact)

735 Garrulous Talking much or too Steve was the most , from L. garrulus
much, esp, about garrulous freshman in "talkative," from
unimportant things; the dorm, something garrire "to chatter,"
loquacious. which helped him both from PIE base
make and lose friends. gar-/ger- "to cry," (see
cry)

736 Hack To chop or cut They hacked at the O.N. höggva "to hack,
crudely, roughly. tree in the yard until hew," from PIE kau-
they were able to chop "to hew, strike." (see
it down. hew)

737 Hubris Wanton insolence or His hubris eventually from Gk. hybris
arrogance resulting led to his downfall. "wanton violence,
from excessive insolence, outrage,"
pride or passion. originally
"presumption toward
the gods," of unknown
origin.

738 Impenitent Without regret, Although the parents from L. pænitentia

shame, or remorse; scolded the child and "repentance," from
unrepentant. explained why he pænitere "cause or
shouldn't throw his feel regret," (see
food, he was repentant,
impenitent. penitentiary) + im-
variant of in- before
-b-, -m-,-p-, in the
sense of "not". (see
impossible)

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739 Indigent In poverty; poor; The charity was set up from L indigent-, from
needy; destitute. for the indigent of indigere, “to need,
refugees. lack, be poor,” from
indi, “into”, + egere,
“to need”

740 Insipid Lacking flavor or Charles thought the from L. inspidus

zest; not tasty. director's new movie "tasteless," from L. in-
was rather insipid. "not" + sapidus
"tasty," from sapere
"have a taste" (also
"be wise"). (see
sapient)

741 Irresolute Not resolute; The irresolute woman from L. in, “not”,(see
wavering in couldn't decide which irresponsible)
decision, purpose, job offer to take. +resolvere "to loosen,
or opinion; undo, settle," from re-,
indecisive; intensive prefix, +
vacillating. solvere "loosen" (see
solve)

742 Loll To lean or lounge The friends went to the [Link]. lollen "to doze,
about in a relaxed or park for a picnic and mumble," somehow
lazy manner. spent the day lolling on imitative of rocking or
the grass. swinging.

743 Mendicant A beggar; person The bus station always from L. mendicantem,
who begs for alms. had a group of "beggar," from
mendicants camped mendicare "to beg,"
out near it. from mendicus
"beggar," originally
"cripple", from
mendum, “fault”. (see
amend)

744 Nebulous Unclear; vague; His nebulous plan did from L. nebulosus
indefinite. not inspire the other "cloudy, misty, foggy,"
members of his group. from nebula (see
nebula)

745 Odious Arousing or A lot of people think from L. odiosus

deserving hatred or that cockroaches are "hateful," from odium
loathing; disgusting; most odious insects on "hatred", from the
offensive. the planet. verb stem od, “hate”
(see odium, hate)

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746 Parsimonious Unwilling to spend June's parsimonious from L. parsimonia

money or resources; parents nevertheless "sparingness,
frugal, stingy. gave her a large frugality," from
allowance. parcere "to spare,
save" + -monia, suffix
signifying action or
condition.

747 Pertain To belong; be I'm sorry, but your from L. pertinere "to
connected to or comment doesn't reach, strech, relate,
associated with; be pertain at all to the have reference to,"
a part, accessory, issue we're discussing. from per- "through" +
etc. tenere "to hold" (see
tenet)

748 Plummet To fall or drop After the pilot ejected from [Link]. plomet,
straight downward; from the fighter jet, it dim. of plom
plunge. plummeted straight "sounding lead" (see
down. plumb)

749 Pristine Still pure; The pristine nature of from L. pristinus

uncorrupted ; the campsite was a joy "former," from pri
unspoiled. to all who camped "before." Meaning
there. "unspoiled,untouched,
pure, primitive and
undeveloped"

750 Pugnacious Eager and ready to Katie was usually quite from L. pugnax, from
fight; quarrelsome; calm, but as soon as pugnare, “to fight”,
combative. she started drinking, from pugnus, “fist”
she became extremely (see pugilist)
pugnacious.

751 Raucous Hoarse; rough- The raucous fans did from L. raucus
sounding a raucous their best to unnerve "hoarse,” related to
shout. the opposing team. ravus "hoarse," L.
racco "a roar."

752 Reluctant Opposed in mind; Tim was reluctant to from obsolete verb
unwilling; leave Europe because reluct "to struggle or
disinclined. his trip had been so rebel against", from L.
fun. reluctari "to struggle
against," from re-
"against" + luctari "to
struggle."

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753 Rotund Round or rounded Jon exercised because from L. rotundus

out; plump or stout. he didn't want to end "round, circular, like a
up like his rotund wheel," from rota
parents. "wheel" (see
rotation)

754 Sententious Expressing much in Nick looked from L. sententiosus

a few words; short everywhere for the "full of meaning,
and pithy; pointed. book of sententious pithy," from sententia
proverbs. "opinion, maxim" (see
sentence)

755 Solicitous Showing care, Being solicitous from L. sollicitus

attention, or towards your students "restless, uneasy,
concern. is one of the qualities careful" (see solicit)
of a good teacher.

756 Stipulate To include The contract stipulated from L. stipulat,

specifically in the that the artist had to “demanded as a
terms of an write at least four formal promise”, from
agreement, albums for the record the verb stipulari, “to
contract, etc.; company. demand” (see
arrange definitely. stipulation)

757 Suppliant Asking humbly; The suppliant tenants from [Link]. suppliant,
supplicating; convinced their from supplier "to
entreating. landlord to let them plead humbly, entreat,
pay that month's rent a beg, pray," from L.
little late. supplicare "beg,
beseech" from sub,
“from below” +
placere, “propitiate”
(see please)

758 Thrift Careful Mary learned the art of from M.E. thriven "to
management of thrift from her parents. thrive" (see thrive),
one's money or possibly infl. by O.N.
resources; prift, variant of prif
economy; frugality. "prosperity," from
prifask "to thrive."

759 Ulterior Intentionally hidden. He had ulterior from L. ulterior "more

motives for distant, further,"
volunteering at the comparative of ulter
soup kitchen. "beyond" (see ultra)

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760 Verisimilitude The appearance of Before the middle of from Fr. verisimilitude,
being true or real. the nineteenth century, from L. verisimilitudo
a painting would have "likeness to truth,"
been judged in part on from verus "true" (see
its verisimilitude. verify) + similis "like,
similar" (see similar)

761 Wax (verb) To grow gradually The lunar month is from OE weaxan, to
larger, more based on the waxing grow, akin to Ger
numerous, etc.; and waning of the wachsen, relatd to L
increase in strength, moon. augere, GR auxein, to
intensity, volume. increase. (see
augment)

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762 Abeyance Temporary The construction of the from [Link]. abeance

suspension, as of dam was in abeyance "aspiration, desire,"
an activity or until more money noun of condition of
function. could be found. abeer "aspire after,
gape", from L. batare
"to yawn, gape".

763 Alacrity Eager willingness or Gloria's parents were from L. alacritatem,

readiness, often surprised that she did "liveliness," from
manifested by quick, her chores with such alacer, "cheerful,
lively action. alacrity. brisk, lively;" cognate
with Goth. aljan
"zeal,"

764 Apt Suited to its Everyone felt that the L aptus “fastened,
purpose; epitath on David's fitted, fitting,
appropriate; fitting. gravestone was very appropriate”, from
apt. apere, “fasten” (see
apply)

765 August Inspiring awe and Due to a number of from L. augustus,

reverence; imposing groundbreaking “consecrated,
and magnificent. articles, Philip had venerable”, sixth
become an august month of the Roman
journalist by the end of calendar, named for
his career. emperor Augustus
Cæsar, lit. "Venerable
Cæsar"

766 Bazaar A market or street of Kelly and Ned enjoyed from It. bazarra, from
shops and stalls haggling in the bazaar Pers, bazar (Pahlavi
esp. in Middle during their trip to vacar) "a market."
Eastern countries. Marrakech.

767 Bludgeon To strike with or as Millie didn't want to be from [Link]. bougeon,
with a bludgeon. bludgeoned into doing dim. of bouge "a
the Playboy shoot if club.", of unknown
she didn't want to. origin.

768 Calligraphy Beautiful Venn always felt that from Gk. kaligraphia,
handwriting, esp. as penmanship and from kallos "beauty" +
an art. calligraphy should be graphein "to write"
taught in school. (see graph)

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769 Cleave To split; separate; 1. The knife cleaved 1. from O.E. cleofan,
fall apart. the orange into two of Germanic origin,
equal portions. 2. The related to Dutch
pages of the magazine klieven, and German
cleaved together after klieben
Bobby spilled milk on 2.
them. from O.E. clifian, from
[Link]. klibajanan,
from PIE gloi- "to
stick." (see clay,
climb)

770 Compunction A sharp feeling of Victor felt no from L. compunctus,

uneasiness brought compunction for never [Link] compungere "to
on by a sense of learning to write severely prick, sting,"
guilt; remorse. cursive. from com- intensive
prefix + pugere "to
prick." (see point,
puncture)

771 Conviction A strong belief. His conviction was that from L. convictus, pp.
spas were just a waste of convincere (see
of time. convince)

772 Dart To move swiftly; The zebra darted from O. [Link], from
spring or start through the plains in [Link], darothuz,
suddenly and run its effort to elude the source of O.E. daroð.
swiftly. tigers. Verb meaning "to
move like a dart"

773 Deprecate To feel and express Chloe felt that her from L. deprecat,
disapproval of; parents were “prayed against (as
plead against. deprecating her being evil)”, from the
decision to be a verb deprecari, from
housewife instead of a de, expressing
lawyer. reversal, + precari
“pray” (see
imprecate)

774 Discomfit To frustrate the Edgar was slightly from [Link]. desconfit,
plans or discomfited by his pp. of desconfire "to
expectations of. sister's antics. defeat, destroy," from
des- "not" + conficere
"put together”, (see
confection)

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775 Doggerel Trivial, awkward, Hubert's first attempts the root word
often comic verse at poetry were nothing probably from dog.
characterized by a but doggerel.
monotonous rhythm.

776 Elate To raise the spirits The detective was from L. elatus
of; make very proud, elated when he finally "elevated," pp. of
happy, or joyful. solved the mystery. efferre, from ex- "out"
+ ferre "carry" (see
transfer)

777 Enmity The bitter attitude or The argument from [Link]. enemistie,
feelings of an happened so long ago, from L. inimicitatem
enemy or of mutual that both of them have from L. inimicitia
enemies; hostility; forgotten the original "enmity, hostility,"
antagonism. cause of their enmity. from inimicus "enemy"
from, in, “not” +
amicus, “friend” (see
enemy)

778 Espouse To give in marriage. Many people espouse from L. sponsalia,

the idea that one neut. pl. of sponsalis
should be presumed "of a betrothal," from
innocent until found sponsa "spouse."
guilty. Espouse is from
1435; extended sense
of "adopt, embrace"
(see spouse,
sponsor)

779 Expurgate To remove The final edit from L. purgare

passages expurgated many of "cleanse, purify," from
considered obscene the movie's sex Old L. purigare, from
or otherwise scenes that had been purus "pure" (see
objectionable from in the original edit. pure) + root of agere
(a book, etc.). "to drive, make" (see
act)

780 Feral Untamed; wild. Bill kept a feral dog in from L. fera, in phrase
his yard to scare off fera bestia "wild
burglars. beast," from ferus
"wild" (see fierce)

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781 Fleet Swift; rapid; speedy. The transportation O.E. fleot "ship,
company's fleet of floating vessel," from
trucks was among the fleotan "to float," from
fastest in the business. [Link]. fleut-, from
PIE base pleu- "to
flow, run, swim." (see
flow, float)

782 Franchise Any special right, McDonald's is perhaps from [Link]. franchise
privilege, or the most well known "freedom," from
exemption granted restaurant franchise in variant stem of franc
by the government. the world. "free” (see frank)

783 Gossamer A very thin, soft, The butterfly's apparently from gos
filmy cloth. gossamer wings are "goose" + sumer
very fragile. "summer" (related to
Swed. sommertrad
"summer thread").

784 Haven A port; harbor. During his time in from O.N. hofn, from
Paris, Marc considered Ger. Hafen, “harbor”,
the Louvre a haven perhaps from PIE
from his troubles. kap- "to sieze, hold
contain" (see have)

785 Idyll A short poem or Milton is best known from L. idyllium, from
prose work for “Paradise Lost”, but Gk. eidyllion "short,
describing a simple, he composed several descriptive poem of
peaceful scene of popular idylls in his life. rustic or pastoral
rural or pastoral life. type," lit. "a little
picture," dim. of eidos
“idol” (see idol)

786 Implicate To show to have a The president's chief from L. implicitus,

connection with a of staff was implicated later variant of
crime, fault, etc.; in the scandal. implicatus, pp. of
involve. implicare, from im, “in”
+ plicare, “to fold”
(see imply)

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787 Inexorable That cannot be The conductor was from L. inexorabilis

moved or influenced inexorable, Dina either "that which cannot be
by persuasion or had to pay the fair or moved by entreaty,"
entreaty; get off the train. from in- "not"
unrelenting. exorabilis "able to be
entreated," from
exorare "to prevail
upon," from ex- "out"
+ orare "pray". (see
oration)

788 Intransigent Refusing to The band fell apart from Fr. intransigeant,
compromise or because the drummer from Sp. los
come to an and the singer were intransigentes, lit. "not
agreement; very both extremely coming to an
stubborn. intransigent and could agreement," name for
never compromise on extreme republican
anything. party in Sp. Cortes
1873-4, from in- "not"
+ transigente
"compromising," from
L. transigentem , prp.
of transigere "come to
an agreement,
accomplish, to carry
through" (see
transact)

789 Lachrymose Inclined to shed Her lachrymose from L. lacrimosus

many tears; tearful. mother cried at literally "tearful, sorrowful,"
almost anything. from lacrima "tear," a
dialect-altered
borrowing of Gk.
dakryma "tear," from
dakryein "to shed
tears"

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790 Macabre Grim and horrible; The macabre murder from [Link]. (danse)
gruesome; ghastly. made the headlines for Macabré "(dance) of
a week straight. Death", perhaps from
Macabe, “a
Maccabee”, referring
to a miracle play
depicting the
slaughter of the
Maccabees.

791 Mischievous Incline to annoy or Dean was a from [Link]. meschief,

vex with playful mischievous child who verbal noun from
tricks; naughty. preferred playing tricks meschever "come or
on people to doing his bring to grief, be
homework. unfortunate", from
mes, “adversely” +
chever, “come to an
end”, from chef,
“head” (see chief)

792 Nostrum A patent medicine of Kevin's nostrums from L. nostrum

a kind sold with invariably failed to fix remedium "our
exaggerated claims; the problems they remedy," presumably
quack medicine. were intended for. that prepared by the
person offering it,
from L. nostrum, neut.
of noster "our," from
nos "we,"

793 Ostracize Banish, bar, The young man was from Gk. ostrakismos,
exclude, etc. by ostracized from his from ostrakizein "to
ostracism. village because he had ostracize," from
stolen money from the ostrakon "tile,
village church. potsherd," related to
osteon "bone,"
ostreion "oyster". In
ancient Greece,
voting to banish
unpopular citizens
was done on shells or
tiles.

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ESSENTIAL GRE VOCABULARY

794 Penury Lack of money, Gabriel was rescued from L. penuria "want,
property, or from his state of need," related to
necessities; extreme penury by the death of paene "scarcely."
poverty; destitution. a rich uncle.

795 Pinch To cause distress or Thelma felt that her from L. punctum
discomfort to. new shoes pinched "point", and piccare
her feet too much. "to pierce." (see
point, puncture)

796 Potent Having authority or The economist's book from L pontentem

power; mighty; was a potent argument "powerful," [Link]
influential. for less tariffs. potere "be powerful,"
from potis "powerful,
able, capable"
(cognate with Skt.
Patih "master,
husband,") (see
potential)

797 Prolix So wordy as to be Laura thought that the from L. prolixus

tiresome; verbose. author's new work was "extended," lit.
too prolix to deserve "poured out," from
the prizes it won. pro- "forth" + base of
liquere "to flow" (see
liquid)

798 Quail To draw back in The young recruits from [Link] quelen "to
fear; lose heart or quailed at the suffer, be ill," from
courage; cower. approaching enemy [Link]. kwel- "to die"
army. (see quell, kill)

799 Reconcile To make friendly Finn and Mick from L. reconcilare "to
again or win over to reconciled over a bring together again,"
a friendly attitude. friendly game of from re- again" +
chess. concilare "make
friendly" (see
conciliatory)

800 Reprove To speak to in Jackie reproved from [Link]

disapproval; rebuke. Carmine for his "disapprove, reject,
inflexibility. condemn" (see
reprobate)

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801 Sanguine Cheerful and The new discovery from L. sanguineus

confident; optimistic; created a sanguine "of blood," also
hopeful. mood in the lab. "bloody, bloodthirsty,"
from sanguis "blood"

802 Shoot (noun) The act of shooting. Pandas feed mainly on Du. schieten, Ger.
bamboo shoots. schieβen from PIE
base skeud- "to
shoot, to chase, to
throw, to project"

803 Specious Seeming to be Her specious from L. speciosus

good, sound, arguments managed "good-looking,
correct, logical, etc. to fool the jury. beautiful," from
without really being species "appearance"
so. (see species)

804 Subdue To make less The police managed to from L. subducere

intense; reduce; subdue the drugdealer "draw, lead away from
diminish; soften, when he tried to run below" (see seduce)
allay. from the scene of the
crime.

805 Tamp To pack firmly or Sue tamped down the "to fill (a hole
pound (down) by a dirt around the cactus containing an
series of blows or on her windowsill. explosive) with dirt or
taps. clay before blasting,”
a workmen's word,
perhaps a back-
formation from
tampion.

806 Tractable Easily managed, Chris prayed for a from L. tractabilis

taught, or controlled; class of tractable kids "that which may be
docile; complaint. this year. touched, handled, or
managed," from
tractare "to handle,
manage" (see treat)

807 Untoward Inappropriate, Because of his 1526, "not having

improper, unseemly, untoward comments, inclination" (to or for
etc. James only went on something), also
one date with Nina. "difficult to manage,
unruly," from un- "not"
+ toward.

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808 Visceral Intuitive, instinctive, For Gary, horror from L. viscus, “the
emotional, etc. movies were a visceral internal organs in the
rather than pleasure rather than body” (see
intellectual. an intellectual one. eviscerate)

809 Woo To try to get. After many months of from OE. wōgian,
wooing her, James whence wōgere
finally convinced Nina “wooer”; of unkn. orig.
to go on a date with
her.

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810 Abysmal Of or like an abyss; Despite of all the stars from L. abyssimus,
bottomless; who acted in it, the superl. of L. abyssus
unfathomable. movie was an abysmal (see abyss). from L.
failure. abyssus, from Gk.
abyssos "bottomless,”
from a- “without" +
byssos "bottom,"
related to bathos
"depth."

811 Amicable Characterized by Their breakup was from L. amicabilis, a

friendly goodwill; initially quite amicable. word in Roman law,
peaceable. from L. amicus
"friend," related to
amare "to love" (see
amiable)

812 Ascend To go up; move She ascended the from L. ascendere "to
upward; rise. ranks at her law firm climb up," from ad-
until finally she was "to" + scandere "to
made partner. climb." (see descend,
escalator)

813 Avow To declare openly or During the revolution, [Link]. avouer

admit frankly. many people were "acknowledge,
forced to avow their accept,” from L.
allegiance to the new advocare (see
rulers. advocate)

814 Benefactor A person who has Mike's benefactor from L. benefactor,

given help, esp. didn't know that Mike from L. phrase bene
financial help; actually spent the facere, from bene
patron. money that was sent "well" (see benefit) +
him not on art supplies facere "to do" (see
but on trips to Las fact)
Vegas.

815 Brash Hasty and reckless; The brash CEO originally [Link].;
rash; impetuous. angered most of the perhaps akin to
boardmembers and so Scottish brash
was quickly fired. "attack, assault"

816 Carnal In or of the flesh; 40 years ago, the from L. carnalis

bodily; material or movie would have "natural, of the same
worldly, not spiritual. been banned because blood," from L. carnis
of its carnal nature. "of the flesh," (see
carnival)

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817 Cogitate To think seriously They chose a quiet from L. cogitat,

and deeply (about) spot in the bar to “considered”, from the
ponder; meditate; cogitate on their verb cogitare, from
consider. problem. co, “together”, +
agitare, “turn over,
consider”. (see
agitation)

818 Conjoin To join together; He was a good from L. conjungere "to

unite; combine. basketball player join together," from
because he conjoined com- "together" +
talent with tireless jungere "join" (see
practice. junction, join)

819 Countermand To cancel or revoke The general from

(a command or countermanded his [Link]
order). earlier order to attack "reverse an order or
the plane. command," from
contre- "against" +
mander, from L.
mandare "to order"
(see mandate,
command).

820 Deference A yielding in opinion, Marcos showed great from L. deferre "carry
judgment, or deference to his away, transfer, grant;"
wishes. grandfather. modern sense is from
meaning "refer (a
matter) to someone,"
from de- “down,
away" + ferre "carry"
(see transfer)

821 Detach To unfasten or Some religions believe from [Link]. destachier,

separate and that at the moment of from des- "apart" +
remove; disconnect; death, the soul attachier "attach" (see
disengage. detaches from the attach)
body and flies up to
heaven.

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822 Dismal Causing gloom or What a dismal week, from [Link]. dis mals
misery; depressing. nothing went right! "(the) bad days," from
L. dies mali "evil or
unlucky days," from L.
dies "days" (see
diurnal), and mal,
“bad” (see malicious)

823 Dulcet Soothing or The opera star's dulcet from L. dulcis, “sweet”
pleasant to hear; voice drew many
sweet- sounding; crowds.
melodious.

824 Emergence The act or process The emergence of from L. emergere

of emerging. fascism in the 1930s "rise out or up," from
was caused partly by ex- "out" + mergere
the bad economic "to dip, sink" (see
conditions of that time. merge)

825 Epistle A letter, esp. a long, Yesterday, Clark from L. epistola

formal, instructive received the epistle "letter," from Gk.
letter. from Lara that he had epistole "message,
been expecting all letter," from epistellein
week. "send to," from epi-
"to" + stellein "send."

826 Excise A tax or duty on the Because of the excise from L. excis, “cut
manufacture, sale, taxes on cigarettes, out”, from the verb
or consumption of many people quit excidere, from ex,
various commodities smoking that year. “out of” + caedere, “to
within a country, cut” (see incision,
such as liquor, scissors, cut)
tobacco, etc.

827 Extrapolate To arrive at Extrapolating from from extra, “outside” +

(conclusions or what she had seen, a shortened form of
result) by Jenna concluded that interpolate, from L.
hypothesizing from her neighbors were interpolatus, pp. of
known facts or planning to move. interpolare "alter,
observations. freshen up, falsify,'
from inter- "up" +
polare, related to
polire "to smoothe,
polish." (see polish)

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828 Fidelity Faithful devotion to What Peter prized from L. fidelitatem,

duty or to one's most in his girlfriend "fidelity," from fidelis
obligations or vows; was her fidelity. "loyal, faithful" (see
loyalty; faithfulness. faith)

829 Foment To treat with warm The mine owner felt from L. fomentare,
water, medicated that the striking miners from L. fomentum
lotions, etc. fomented nothing but "warm application,
trouble. poultice," from fovere
"to warm, cherish,
encourage."

830 Fulsome Complimentary or The chef was from M.E. compound

flattering to an embarrassed by the of ful "full" + -som
excessive degree fulsome praise of the "some." Sense
critic who reviewed her evolved from
restaurant. "abundant, full" (see
full)

831 Grouse To complain; Quit your grousing and from [Link]. groucier
grumble. help me push this car! "to murmur, grumble,"
of imitative origin
(related to Gk. gru "a
grunt")

832 Hoax A trick or fraud, esp. The hoax was so well alt. of hocus "conjurer,
one meant as a planned that almost juggler" (1640), or
practical joke. everyone fell for it. directly from hocus-
pocus. (see hocus
pocus)

833 Immutable Never changing or They immutable laws from L. immutabilis

varying; of physics are just as "unchangeable," from
unchangeable. true now as they were in- “not” + mutabilis
a billion years ago. “changeable,” from
mutare "to change"
(see mutant)

834 Increment The fact of He increased the from [Link]

becoming greater or weight that he was "growth, increase,"
larger. bench pressing in from stem of
small increments. increscere "to grow in
or upon" (see
increase)

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835 Inimical Like an enemy; The president's from L. inimicus

hostile; unfriendly. advisers told him that "unfriendly, an
signing the treaty enemy", from in, “not”,
would be inimical to + amicus, “friend”
the country's interests. (see enemy)

836 Inveterate Firmly established He was an inveterate from L. inveteratus "of

over a long period; gambler, but long standing,
of long standing; fortunately he was chronic," pp. of
deep-rooted. pretty good. inveterare "become
old in," from in- "into"
+ veterare "to make
old," from vetus "old"
(see veteran)

837 Legerdemain Sleight of hand; skill The magician acquired from [Link]. léger de
of a stage magician. his legerdemain main "quick of hand,"
through many years of from léger "light" in
practice. weight, from L. levis
"light;" (see lift) +
main "hand", from L.
manus, (see manual)

838 Matriculation To admit or be Nick' parents gave him from L. matriculat,

admitted into a a present for his “enrolled”, from the
group, especially a successful verb matriculare, from
college or university. matriculation at matricula, “register”,
Columbia. diminutive of matrix,
from mater, “mother”

839 Morose Ill-tempered; Emily became morose from L. morosus

gloomy, sullen, etc. when the electricity "morose, peevish,
went out because she fastidious," from mos
couldn't watch her "habit, custom" (see
favorite sitcom. moral)

840 Obsequious Showing too great a The obsequious from L. obsequiosus

willingness to serve journalist wrote each "compliant, obedient,"
or obey; fawning. article keeping in mind from ob "after" +
what his editor liked sequi "follow" (see
and what he didn't. sequel)

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841 Pallid Faint in color; pale; When the doctor saw from L. pallidus
wan Jerry's pallid features, "pale," from root of
she realized he hadn't pallere "be pale" (see
quite recovered yet. pale)

842 Permeate To pass into or The spies permeated from L. permeare "to
through and affect the enemy country's pass through," from
every part of. secret police. per- "through" +
meare "to pass," from
PIE base mei-/moi-
"to change" (see
mutable)

843 Platitude A commonplace, The new history from Fr. platitude

flat, or dull quality, textbook contains "flatness, vapidness"
as in speech or nothing but platitudes from [Link]. plat "flat”
writing. and cliches in it's (see flat)
chapter on the Cold
War.

844 Prehensile Adapted for seizing Some monkeys have from L. prehensus,
or grasping, esp. by evolved with pp. of prehendere "to
wrapping or folding prehensile tails so that grasp, to seize," from
around something, they could swing præ- "before" +
as the tail of certain through trees more hendere, “to grasp”
monkeys. easily. (see apprehend)

845 Provenance Origin; derivation; The provenance of from L. provenire

source. that custom is "come forth,
unknown. organize," from pro-
"forth" + venire
"come." (see invent)

846 Radiant Filled with light; Luke's radiant face from L. radiantem
bright. showed just how "shining," prp. of
happy he was. radiare "to beam,
shine" (see radiation)

847 Refulgent Shining; radiant; Mary's refulgent smile from L. refelgentum,

glowing; put everyone at ease. prp. of refulgere "flash
resplendent. back, shine brilliantly,"
from re- "back" +
fulgere "to shine" (see
fulminate)

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848 Resuscitate To revive, esp. from The life guard from L.

apparent death or successfully resuscitationem, from
from resuscitated the child. L. resuscitatus, pp. of
unconsciousness. resuscitare "rouse
again, revive," from
re- "again" + suscitare
"to raise, revive," from
sub "(up from) under"
+ citare "to summon".

849 Scent To get a hint or After interviewing from L. sentire " to

liking of. many witnesses, the feel, perceive, sense"
detectives were able to (see sense)
pick up the criminal's
scent.

850 Slack Slow; idle; sluggish;, He was slack in his from [Link]. slakes,
loose; relaxed. duties, so they fired from PIE base (s)leg-
him. "to be slack" (see lax)

851 Stentorian Very loud Josh's stentorian voice from Stentor,

could be heard from legendary Gk. herald
one end of the field to in the Trojan War,
the other. whose voice
(described in the
"lliad") was as loud as
50 men. His name is
from Gk. stenein
"groan, moan,",
"thunder."

852 Sumptuous Involving great The sumptuous dinner from L. sumptuosus

expense; costly; impressed all the "costly, expensive,"
lavish. guests. from sumptus "cost,
expense," pp. of
sumere "spend,
consume, take," (see
consume)

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853 Teetotal Advocating, or Richard quit his reduplicated variation

pledged to, total teetotal lifestyle when of total, coined by R.
abstinence from he realized he was Turner, of Preston,
intoxicating drink. doing that just to feel England, in 1833, in a
superior to other speech advocating
people. total abstinence from
alcoholic drinks.

854 Truculence Fierce; cruel; The dictator's regime from L. truculentus,

savagely brutal. was characterized by from trux, truc, “fierce”
oppression and
truculence.

855 Vapor A gaseous There were many from Anglo-Fr. vapour,

substance hazardous vapors in from L. vaporem
suspended in the the factory, so workers "exhalation, steam,
air. were required to wear heat," (see vaporize)
masks.

856 Wag Move or cause to Yves earned the from ME waggen,

move rapidly to and reputation of being a from ON vaga “to
fro. wag in his first year of sway,” or vagga
high school. “cradle”

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857 Adhere To stick fast; stay The Johnson family L. adhærentem,

attached. adhered to its [Link] adhærere "stick
principles, no matter to," from ad- "to" +
what the hærere "to stick" (see
circumstances. hesitation)

858 Apathetic Having or showing Kris found it difficult to from L. apathia, from
little or no feeling or teach history to a apathes "without
emotion : spiritless. bunch of apathetic feeling," from a-
teenagers. "without " + pathos,
“feeling” (see
sympathy)

859 Assiduous Done with constant He practiced from L. assidere "to

and careful assiduously until he sit beside" (and thus
attention. could play the song. to assist in the office
of a judge), from
ad-"to" + sedere "to
sit." (see supersede)

860 Balm Any fragrant Reading Rilke's poetry from L. balsamum,

ointment or aromatic was a balm for his from Gk. balsamon
oil for healing or troubled soul. "balsam," from Heb.
anointing. basam "spice," (see
balsam)

861 Bigot A person who holds Stop being such a from [Link]. bigot, from
blindly and prejudiced bigot and [Link]., supposedly a
intolerantly to a try open your mind a derogatory name for
particular creed, little! Normans, from their
opinion etc. frequent use of O.E.
oath bi God.

862 Bromide A trite saying; No bromides would from Fr. brome, from
platitude, typically help her now, she Gk. bromos "stench."
intended to sooth or wanted to know the
placate. truth.

863 Chary Not taking chances; Tom was chary of O.E. cearig
careful; cautious. walking through his "sorrowful" (see
neighborhood late at care). Sense evolved
night. 16c. from "full of care"
to "careful."

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864 Commemorate To honor the The statue was from L.

memory of, as by a supposed to commemorationem,
ceremony. commemorate 200 from commemorare
years of democracy in "to call to mind," from
the country. com-intens. prefix +
memorare "to
remind,"(see
memory)

865 Constrict To make smaller or Frank felt that he was from L. constrictus,
narrower, esp. at being constricted to a pp. of constringere
one place, by few unappealing "compress" from com,
binding, squeezing, choices. “together” + stringere,
or shrinking; “to draw tight” (see
contract. constrain, restrict)

866 Credulous Tending to believe; The credulous man fell from L. credulus, from
too easily for the con artist's credere "to believe ."
convinced. trick. (see incredible)

867 Demagogue A person who tries Some people consider from Gk. demagogos
to stir up the people Hugo Chavez nothing "leader of the people,"
by appeals to but a demagogue. from demos "people"
emotion, prejudice, (see democracy) +
etc. in order to win agogos "leader," from
them over quickly agein "to lead" (see
and so gain power. act)

868 Dichotomy Division into two The dichotomy from Gk. Dichotomia
parts, groups, or between faith and "a cutting in half,"
classes, esp. when doubt is one of the from dicha "in two" +
these are sharply main themes of temnein "to cut" (see
distinguished or Dostoyevsky's novels. tome)
opposed.

869 Distend To stretch out. My granmdother from L. distendere "to

claims that drinking swell or stretch out,
water too quickly extend," from dis-
distends the belly. "apart” + tendere "to
stretch" (see thin)

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870 Ecumenical General or Miami hosted a large from L. oecumenicus

universal; esp., of or ecumenical "general, universal,"
concerning the conference last year. from Gk.
Christian church. oikoumenikos, from
oikoumene "the
inhabited world.”

871 Endemic Native to a In the Paris of from Gk. Endemos

particular country, Medieval times, "native," from en-"in"
nation ,or region: because of a lack of + demos "people,
said of plants proper sewage district" (see
,animals, and disposal, typhoid fever demotic).
sometimes customs, was endemic.
etc.

872 Equivocal That which can He did not appreciate from L.L.
have more then one her equivocal æquivocationem, from
interpretation. response because he æquivocus "of
didn't know what she identical sound," from
really wanted. L. æquus "equal" +
vocare "to call" (see
voice)

873 Exigency A situation calling The financial exigency from L. exigentia

for immediate action made it clear that she "urgency," from L.
or attention. had to get a second exigentem, from
job. exigere "to demand"
(see exact)

874 Fallow Left uncultivated or The farmer let part of from O.E. fealgian, “to
unplanted. his field lie fallow for a break up land for
year. sowing” (see plow)

875 Fission A splitting apart; The civil war caused a from L. fissionem, "a
division into parts. fission in the country. breaking up,
cleaving," from root of
findere "to split" (see
fissure)

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876 Forge To make something The friends decided to from L. fabrica

false or imitate forge the money they "workshop," from
something genuine needed in order to buy faber "workman in
for purposes of Christmas gifts for the hard materials,
deception or fraud. orphans. smith." Sense of "to
counterfeit" is in
Anglo-Fr. verb forger
"falsify," (see
fabricate)

877 Gaucherie Awkwardness; Before she could from Fr. gauche "left",
tactlessness. marry the king, they originally "awkward,
had to get rid of the awry," from [Link].
journalist's gaucheries. gauchir "turn
aside,swerve" (see
gauche)

878 Halcyon Tranquil, happy, Many people now look from L. halcyon, from
idyllic, usually with on the 90s as halcyon Gk. halkyon, variant
nostalgic reference days when the (perhaps a
to earlier times. economy was misspelling) of alkyon
booming. "kingfisher," from hals
"sea, salt" + kyon
"conceiving," prp. of
kyein "to conceive"

879 Hurdle A difficulty to be Jennifer overcame from O.E. hyrdel

overcome; obstacle. many hurdles before "frame of intertwined
she started her first twigs used as a
profitable business. temprorary barrier,"
dim. of hyrd "door,"

880 Imperative Absolutely It is imperative that from L. imperativus

necessary; urgent; you arrive here on "pertaining to a
compelling. time. command," pp. of
imperare "to
command, to
requistion," from in-
"in" + parare
"beget,bear"

881 Indigenous Existing, growing, or Horses are not from [Link] "a
produced naturally indigenous to North native," lit. "in-born
in a region or America, they were person," from Old L.
country. brought over from indu "in, within" +
Europe. gen-, root of gignere,
"beget," (see genes)

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882 Insolvent Not solvent; unable The company was from L. solventem,
to pay debts as they close to becoming prp. of solvere
become due; insolvent, but was "loosen, dissolve"
bankrupt. saved by an (see solve) + in- "not"
emergency loan. + L. solventem
"paying".

883 Irrevocable That cannot be He made an from L. irrevocabilis

revoked, recalled, or irrevocable decision to "that cannot be
undone; unalterable. give her possessions recalled," from in-
away and join a "not" + revocabilis
monastery. (see revoke)

884 Loquacious Very talkative; fond The loquacious L. loquax "talkative,"

of talking. bartender made from loqui "to speak,"
everyone in the bar of unknown origin.
feel at home. (see interlocutor)

885 Mercenary Working or done for Mercenary soldiers from L. mercenarius

payment only; fight only for money, "one who does
motivated by a but are usually as anything for pay," lit.
desire for money or dependable as soldiers "hired, paid," from
other gain; venal; that fight for other merces "pay, reward,
greedy. reasons. wages," from merx,
“wares, merchandise”
(see market,
merchandise)

886 Negligent Habitually failing to The negligent doctor from L. neglegentia

do the required would have injured "carelessness,
thing, neglectful. many of his patients heedlessness," from
had not his nurses neglegentem, prp. of
looked after them. neglegere "to
neglect". (see
neglect)

887 Odium Hatred, esp. of a The writer's from L. odium "ill-will,

person or thing controversial book hatred, offense,"
regarded as made him the target of related to odi "I hate",
loathsome. general odium. from PIE base od - "to
hate" (see hate)

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888 Partisan A person who takes Supposedly objective upper It. partezan
the part of or TV news shows are "member of a faction,
strongly supports becoming more and partner," from parte
one side, party, or more partisan. "part, party," (see
person. party, partner)

889 Pest A person or thing Sandy thought that from L. pestis "deadly
that causes trouble, Herbert was a major contagious disease."
annoyance, pest, because he was Meaning "noxious or
discomfort, etc.; always trying to copy troublesome person
nuisance. her homework. or thing" (see
pesticide)

890 Plunge To throw oneself, Laura plunged into her from L. plumbicare
dive, or rush, as into new job with "to heave the lead,"
water, a fight, etc. enthusiasm. from plumbum “lead"
(see plumb)

891 Prize (Verb) To value highly; The new recruit was from [Link]. pris, stem
esteem. prized for his athletic of preisier, “to praise,
ability. appraise,” (see
appraise)

892 Punch Forcefulness, The article packed a from [Link].

effectiveness, or lot of punch in just a ponchonner "to
pungency in content couple of short punch, prick, stamp,"
or appeal; power; paragraphs. from ponchon
zest. "pointed tool, piercing
weapon"

893 Reactionary A person or set of His reactionary views from Fr. réactionnaire
views opposing were unpopular in his (19c.), from réaction
political or social liberal home state. (see reaction), from
liberalization or re- "again, anew" +
reform. action, from stem of
agere "to do". (see
act)

894 Remiss Careless in The newspaper was from L. remissus, pp.

attending to a task; remiss in portraying of remittere "slacken,
lax in the the conflict so one- abate, let go" (see
performance of duty. sidedly. remit)

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895 Rubric Any heading, title, The document's rubric from [Link]. rubrique,
etc. as of a chapter explained well what its from L. rubrica "red
or section. purpose was. ochre, red coloring
matter," from ruber,
from PIE base rudhro-
(see red)

896 Sequence To arrange in a A sequence of from L. sequentem,

sequence; put in preventable mistakes prp. of sequi "to
order. almost caused the follow" (see sequel)
nuclear power plant to
shut down.

897 Solvent Something that Hydrochloric is a from L. solventem,

solves or explains. commonly used prp. of solvere
solvent. "loosen, dissolve"
(see solve)

898 Stoic One who is Her stoic acceptance from L. stoicus, from
indifferent to or free of her fate was GK. stoikos
from passion. remarkable. "pertaining to a
member of or the
teachings of the
school founded by
Zeno (c.334-c.262
B.C.E.), because the
school met at the
Stoa Poikille, or
Painted Porch.

899 Supplicate To ask for humbly Oliver supplicated the from L. supplicātus,
and earnestly, as by headmaster for a little ptp. of supplicāre, “to
prayer; petition more food. kneel, from supplex,
earnestly. “submissive,
suppliant” (see
supple)

900 Timid Easily frightened; He finally overcame from L. timidus

lacking self- his timid nature when "fearful," from timere
confidence; shy; he began to study the "to fear." (see
timorous. martial arts. timorous)

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901 Umbrage Offense or The duchess took from [Link]. ombrage

resentment. umbrage at the duke's "shade, shadow,"early
remarks. meaning was
“shadowy” outline,
which became
“ground for
suspicion”, and the
current meaning.

902 Veritable Being such Milton was a veritable from Anglo-Fr. and
practically or in encyclopedia of [Link]. veritable "true,"
effect. useless information. from verité + -able.
(see verify)

903 Weave To do weaving; The boxer dodged and from O.E wefan, of
make cloth. weaved throughout the Germanic origin
fight.

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904 Abut To end (on) or lean His backyard abutted from [Link]. abouter
(upon) at one end. the highway. "join end to end," from
à "to" + bout "end,"
(see butt)

905 Amendment The act of The country's from L. emendare "to

amending: a change constitution has correct, free from
made by correction, already had more than fault," from ex- "out" +
addition, or deletion. a dozen amendments. menda "fault,
blemish", (see
amend)

906 Articulate Expressing oneself Maybe one of the from L. articulatus, pp.
easily and clearly. points of education is of articulare "to
learning how to separate (meat) into
articulate your joints," also "to utter
thoughts and desires. distinctly," from
articulus, dim. of artus
"joint" (see article)

907 Avid Having an intense He was an avid from L. avidus

craving; greedy. mountain climber. "longing eagerly for,"
from avere "to desire
eagerly."

908 Benediction A blessing. The man gave his from L.

older daughter his benedictionem, noun
benediction shortly of action from
before he died. benedicere "to speak
well of, bless," from
bene "well" + dicere
"to speak" (see
diction)

909 Brandish To wave, shake, or The guards from [Link]. brandiss-,

exhibit in a brandished their stem of brandir "to
menacing, weapons as soon as flourish a sword," of
challenging, or they saw the people Frank. origin (see
exultant way; approaching them. brand).
flourish.

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910 Casual Happening by A casual encounter in from L. casus

chance; not a bookstore led to a "chance, "event" (see
planned; incidental; great friendship. case) Of persons, in
not serious. the sense of “not to
be depended on,
unmethodical"

911 Cogent Forceful and to the Her cogent arguments from L. cogentem
point, as a reason or convinced the jury. (nom. cogens), prp. of
argument; cogere "to curdle, to
compelling; compel, to collect,"
convincing. from com- "together"
+ agere "to drive"
(see act)

912 Congenital Existing as such at He had a congenital from L congenitus,

birth. heart defect which from con- “with” +
actually was not that geni-, from gignere to
serious at all. give birth (see genes)

913 Counterfeit Made in imitation of The police eventually from [Link]. contrefait
something genuine discovered who was "imitated," pp. of
so as to deceive or printing all that contrefaire "imitate,"
defraud. counterfeit money. from contre-"against"
+ faire "to make, to
do" (see fact)

914 Defer To put off until a Normally, if you defer from L. differre "set
future time; payment on money apart, put off, delay,"
postpone; delay. you owe, the interest also "be different,
on it increases. differ," from dis-
"apart" + ferre "carry"
(see transfer)

915 Desultory Lacking direct Karl spent most of his from L. desultorius,
relevance; random; twenties in desultory adj. form of desultur
incidental. travel around Europe. "hasty, casual,
superficial," from
desilire "jump down,"
from de- "down" +
salire "to jump, leap"
(see assault)

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916 Dislodge To force from a They tried to dislodge from [Link]. desloger
position or place the bullet from the "to leave or cause to
where lodged, wall, but it was buried leave a lodging
hiding, etc.; drive too deeply. place," from des- "do
out. the opposite of" +
loger (see lodge)

917 Dud A person or thing Robbie was surprised from OE dudde,

that fails or is that there were so “cloak, mantle,” by the
ineffectual. many duds in the early 19th century
packet of firecrackers meaning developed
he bought. into “person in ragged
clothing,” and then
“useless person or
thing” by the end of
the 19th century, and
finally “shell which
doesn't explode,”
during WWI.

918 Embryonic Of or like an Their embryonic from Gk. embryon, in

embryo. friendship later turned Homer, "young
into a very close bond. animal," later, "fruit of
the womb," lit. "that
which grows," from
en- "in" + bryein "to
swell, be full."

919 Epicurean Of Epicurus or his Martha thought her from L. Epicurus, from
philosophy. epicurean uncle was Gk. Epicouros, Greek
her most interesting philosopher who
family member. taught that pleasure is
the highest good, and
that the purpose of
philosophy was to
attain the happy,
tranquil, life.

920 Evolve To develop by Fossils can sometimes from L. evolvere

gradual changes; be a good record of "unroll," from ex- "out"
unfold. how certain animals + volvere "to roll" (see
evolved. revolution)

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921 Extralegal Outside of legal The policemen were from L. extra-

control or authority; accused of their “outside” + legalis
not regulated by extralegal tactics. "legal, pertaining to
law. the law," from lex
(gen. legis)" law (see
illegal)

922 Feud A bitter, protracted, The feud between the from Ofr. fede, from
and violent quarrel. two families was O.G. fehida
resolved when they sat "contention, quarrel,
down for a talk. feud," (see foe)

923 Foil To keep from being Ricky foiled his sister's from foilen "to spoil a
successful; thwart; plans by accident. trace or scent by
frustrate. running over it," from
[Link]. fouler "trample,"
from L. fullare "to
clean cloth" (by
treading on it), from L.
fullo "one who cleans
cloth, fuller," of
unknown origin. (see
foul)

924 Fulminate To explode with Henry fulminated from L. fulminatus, pp.

sudden violence; against the new taxes. of fulminare "hurl
detonate. lighting, lighten," from
fulmen "lightning,"
related to fulgere "to
shine, flash"

925 Groove A long, narrow, Jill felt that she had from O.N. grod "pit" or
furrow or hollow cut slipped into a groove [Link]. groeve "furrow,
in a surface. that she couldn't get ditch," (see grave)
out of.

926 Hoary White, gray, or The man's hoary beard rfom O.E. har "gray,
grayish-white. indicated his advanced venerable, old," the
age. connecting notion
being gray hair. Ger.
retains the word as a
title of respect, in
Herr.

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927 Immolate To sacrifice; esp. to The monk immolated from L. immolatus, pp.
offer or kill as a himself in order to of immolare "to
sacrifice. protest the Vietnam sacrifice," originally
War. "to sprinkle with
sacrificial meal," from
in- "upon" + mola
“meal," (see meal)

928 Incredulous Unwilling or unable She was incredulous from L. incredibilis

to believe; doubting; when he showed her "that which cannot be
skeptical. his high grade in math. believed," from in-
"not" + credibilis
"worthy of belief" (see
credit)

929 Inhibit To hold back or Feel free to say from L. inhibire,

keep some action, whatever you want, “hinder”, from in, “in”
feeling, etc.; check; don't inhibit yourself. + habere, “hold” (see
repress. exhibit)

930 Inveigle To lead on with The babysitter tried to from [Link]. aveugler
deception; entice or inveigle the kids into "delude, make blind,"
trick into doing or going to bed. from L. aboculus
giving something, "without sight, blind,"
going somewhere, from L. ab- "without" +
etc. oculus "eye."

931 Legacy Anything handed Racial problems in from L. legatus

down from, or as America can be seen "ambassador, envoy,"
from, an ancestor. as the legacy of many noun use of pp. of
years of slavery. legare "appoint by a
last will, send as a
legate" (see
delegate)

932 Massacre The indiscriminate, The massacre of from [Link]. macacre,

merciless killing of a civilians finally got the macecle
number of human UN to send "slaughterhouse,
beings. peacekeeping forces. butchery," perhaps
from L. macellum
"provisions store,
butcher shop."

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933 Morbid Gruesome; grisly; Edgar Allan Poe was from L. morbidus
horrible. one of the most morbid "diseased," from
of writers. morbus "sickness,
disease," from root of
mori "to die," (see
mortal)

934 Obloquy Verbal abuse of a Because of her from L. obloquium

person or thing; unpopular political "speaking against,
censure or views, the writer had to contradiction," from
vituperation, esp. endure years of ob "against" + loqui
when widespread or obloquy. "to speak," (see
general. loquacious)

935 Palliate To lessen the pain Going shopping only from L. palliatus, lit
or severity of palliated his loneliness, "cloaked," from pp. of
without actually but didn't actually palliare "cover with a
curing; alleviate; solve anything. cloak, conceal," from
ease. L. pallium "cloak".
(see pall)

936 Perjury The breaking of any Because she lied while from L. perjurium
oath or formal under oath, Rebecca "false oath," from
promise. was accused of perjurare "swear
perjury. falsely," from per-
"away, entirely" +
jurare "to swear" (see
jury)

937 Plaque Any thin, flat piece The plaque in the town from Fr. plaque, from
of metal, wood, etc., square [Link]., "metal
with a picture or commemorated those plate,coin," from
design in relief. who had died in the Dutch plak, “tablet”,
war. from plakken, “to
stick” (see placard)

938 Preempt To seize before He preempted any from L. praeemere,

anyone else can, criticism by laying out from prae, “in
excluding others; a very thorough plan advance” + emere, “to
appropriate that met all the buy” (see exempt)
beforehand. objections in advance.

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939 Protracted To draw out or The protracted from L. protractionem

lengthen in time; argument finally tired "a drawing out or
prolong. both sides out. lengthening," from pp.
stem of protrahere,
from pro- "forward" +
trahere "to draw" (see
contract (v.))

940 Raconteur A person skilled at Ruth's grandpa Wally from Fr. raconter "to
telling stories or was a great raconteur recount," from re- +
anecdotes. who could tell [Link]. aconter, from a-
interesting stories for "to" + conter "to tell"
hours. (see recount)

941 Refractory Hard to manage; They finally sold their from L. refractionem
stubborn; obstinate: refractory goat to the "a breaking up," from
said of a person or neighboring farm. L. refractus, pp. of
animal. refringere "to break
up," from re-"back" +
frangere "to break”
(see fracture)

942 Resurrect To raise from the Please don't resurrect from L.

dead or the grave; those old arguments, I resurrectionem "a
bring back to life. thought we've moved rising again from the
on. dead," from pp. stem
of L. resurgere "rise
again" (see
resurgent)

943 Scabbard A sheath for a sword Those who raise their from Anglo-Fr.
or the like. swords against the escauberc "sheath,
prince must throw their vagina" (13c.),
scabbards away. probably from Frank.
skar "blade" (see
scissors) + berg-
"protect".

944 Skit A short piece of Priya got a job writing from O.N. skjuta, “to
satirical or skits for the popular shoot”, with the
humorous writing. comedy show. meaning changed to
“short comedic
performance,” in the
early 19th century.

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945 Steep (verb) To soak in liquid, so You mustn't steep the uncertain origin,
as to soften, clean, teabag in the water too cognate with O.N.
extract the essence long, otherwise the tea steypa "to pour out,
of, etc. will be too bitter. throw"

946 Summarily In a prompt or direct The no-nonsense from L. summa

manner; lawyer summarily "whole, gist" (see
immediately; answered all the sum)
straightway. questions.

947 Tedious Full of tedium; long Bart found the lecture from L. tædiosus
or verbose and quite tedious. "wearisome, irksome"
wearisome; from L. tædium (see
tiresome; boring. tedium)

948 Trite Worn out by Her trite and cliched 1548, from L. tritus
constant use; no speeches were one of "worn, familiar," from
longer having the reasons why she pp. of terere "to rub,
freshness, wasn't elected. wear down" (see
originality, or contrite, detritus)
novelty; stale.

949 Vapid Tasteless; Gunther thought the from L. vapidus "flat,

flavorless; flat. party was boring insipid," lit. "that has
mainly because the exhaled its vapor,"
people were so vapid. related to vappa
"stale wine," and
probably to vapor
"vapor."

950 Waft To carry or propel The smell of grilled from M.L.G. wachter
(objects, sounds, hamburgers wafted "a guard," from
odors, etc.) lightly through the air. wachten "to guard,"
through the air or related to waken
over water. "rouse from sleep"
(see wake)

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951 Adhesion The act of sticking The main character's from L. adhærentem,
(to something) or adhesion to his prp. of adhærere
the state of being principles eventually "stick to," from ad-
stuck together. saved the day. "to" + hærere "to
stick" (see
hesitation)

952 Aplomb SeIf-possession; With great aplomb, from Fr. a plomb,

assurance; poise. Lexington nailed the “poised upright,
job interview. balanced, on the
plumb line”, from L.
plumbum, “lead
metal” (see plumb)

953 Assuage To lessen (pain, A night out with her from L. ad- "to" +
distress, etc.); allay. friend did much to suavis "sweet,
assuage Naomi's fears agreeable" (see
that the two were sweet). from L.
growing apart. suavis "sweet"

954 Banal Dull or stale His banal comments from Fr. banal, adj.
because of overuse; were mistaken for form of ban "decree,
trite; hackneyed; words of great legal control" (see
commonplace. wisdom. ban). Originally used
for compulsory feudal
service, which
everyone had to
serve.

955 Bifurcate Having two A road in a forest from L. bifurcatus,

branches or peaks; bifurcated, and I took from L. bi- “two” +
forked. the path less traveled. furca, “fork.”

956 Brook To put up with; The new boss brooked from O.E. bruccan
endure: usually in no criticism of her "use," from [Link].
the negative. decisions. bruk- "to make use of,
enjoy"

957 Chassis The part of a motor The car crash was not from Fr. châssis
vehicle that includes so serious, only the "frame," from L. capsa
the engine, the chassis was damaged, "box, case." (see
frame, suspension and that was just a case)
system, wheels, scratch.
steering
mechanism, etc.,
but not the body.

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958 Commend To put in the care of Sheila commended from L. commendare

another; entrust. her pets to the care of "to entrust to, praise,"
her neighbors while from com- intens.
she was away on prefix + mandare "to
vacation. commit to one's
charge" (see
mandate,
recommend)

959 Consummate To bring to They consummated from L.

completion or the deal over a dinner consummationem,
fulfillment; finish; at the steakhouse. from consummare "to
accomplish. sum up, finish," from
com- "together" +
summa "sum, total,"
from summus
"highest." (see
summit)

960 Crush To subdue or The rebellion was from [Link]. croisir "to
suppress by or as crushed by the gnash (teeth), crash,
by force; government. break," perhaps from
overwhelm. Frank. krostjan "to
gnash."

961 Demur To hesitate because The literary critic from L. demorari,

of one's doubts or demurred to review from de- + morari "to
objections; have such a piece of trash. delay," from mora "a
scruples; object. pause, delay." (see
moratorium)

962 Dictate To speak or read Whle Jamie dictated, from L. dictatus, pp.
(something) aloud the secretary wrote of dictare "say often,
for someone else to everything down. prescribe," freq. of
write down. dicere "tell, say" (see
diction)

963 Distinct Not alike; different. Although the two were from L. distinctionem,
twins, they were quite from stem of
distinct from one distinguere (see
another. distinguish)

964 Edacious Voracious; The edacious hyenas from L. edere, “eat”

consuming; waited for the lions to
devouring. have their fill before
eating from the
carcass.

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965 Endorse To give approval to; The senator endorsed from [Link]. endosser,
support; sanction. the bill wholeheartedly. lit. "to put on back,"
from en- "put on" +
dos "back," from L.
dossum, var. of
dorsum. Sense of
"confirm, approve".
(see dorsal)

966 Equivocate To use equivocal Luis tried to L. æquivocationem,

terms in order to equivocate his way out from æquivocus "of
deceive, mislead, of the situation. identical sound," from
hedge, etc.; be L. æquus "equal" +
deliberately vocare "to call" (see
ambiguous. voice)

967 Exonerate To relieve of (a duty, Twenty years after his from L. exoneratus,
obligation, etc.). death, the man was pp. of exonerare
finally exonerated of all "remove a burden,
wrongdoing. discharge," from ex-
"off" + onus "burden."
(see onus, onerous)

968 Fatuous Complacently stupid Maria felt that Nacho from L. fatuus
or inane; silly; had gone from an "foolish, insipid," (see
foolish. intelligent young man infatuate)
to a fatuous old fool.

969 Fixate To make or become The newspapers from L. fixus, pp. of

fixed. fixated on the scandal figere "to fix, fasten,"
almost to the exclusion
of all other stories.

970 Forgery The act or legal The museum did not from L. fabrica
offense of imitating want anyone to know "workshop," from
or counterfeiting that it's most famous faber "workman in
documents, piece was actually a hard materials,
signatures, works of forgery. smith." Sense of "to
art, etc. to deceive. counterfeit" is in
Anglo-Fr. verb forger
"falsify,"

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971 Germane Truly relevant; Her germane from [Link]. germain,

pertinent; to the comments showed from L. germanus, “of
point. that she had thought brothers and sisters”,
about the issue deeply. related to germen,
“sprout, bud” (see
germinate, germ)

972 Hallow To make hoIy or Many people consider related to halig "holy,"
sacred; sanctify; Ayers Rock in from [Link].
consecrate. Australia a hallowed
place.

973 Husk The dry, rough, or The husks of corn perhaps from [Link].
useless outside were ground up and huuskyn
covering of served to the pigs.
anything.

974 Imperious Overbearing, John's imperious from L. imperiosus

arrogant, manner ultimately cost "commanding, mighty,
domineering, etc. him his job. powerful," from
imperium "empire,
command" (see
emperor)

975 Indistinct Not seen, heard, or The figures in the from L. distinctionem,
perceived clearly; distance were from stem of
faint; dim; obscure. indistinct, Mandy distinguere (see
couldn't tell who or distinguish) + in,
what they were. “not”

976 Insouciant Calm and Her insouciant from Fr. insouciant,

untroubled; appearance was just a from in- "not" + se
carefree; indifferent. facade, really, Laura soucier "to care," from
was quite concerned. L. sollicitare "to
agitate"

977 Itinerant Traveling from place The itinerant salesman from L. itinerantem,
to place or on a had criscrossed the prp. of itinerare "to
circuit. country many times. travel," from L. iter
"journey," from ire
"go"

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978 Lubricant Reducing friction by Alcohol is sometimes from L. lubricare, “to

providing a smooth thought of as a social make slippery or
film as a covering lubricant. smooth”, from
over parts that move lubricus, “slippery”
against each other. (see lube)

979 Mercurial Having qualities Her mercurial nature from L. mercurialis,

suggestive of drove Adam crazy “relating to the god
mercury; quick, because he never Mercury”
quick-witted, knew what to expect.
volatile, changeable,
fickle, etc.

980 Neophyte One just beginning Hilda steadily from L. neophytus,

a new kind of life, progressed from from Gk. neophytos,
work, etc.; beginner; neophyte to expert in lit. "newly planted,"
novice. her field. from neos "new" + -
phytos "planted,"

981 Odor A smell, whether The unpleasant odor in from L. odorem (nom.
pleasant or his son's room was odor) "smell, scent,"
unpleasant; due to the fact that it
fragrance, stench, hadn't been cleaned in
etc. months.

982 Parvenu A person who has Over several from L. pervenire,

suddenly acquired generations, the from per- "through" +
wealth or power, Rothwells went from venire "to come" (see
esp. one who is not being a bunch of convene)
fully accepted parvenus to an
socially by the class established and
associated with the respected family.
higher position;
upstart.

983 Petrify To benumb or The bear petrified the from L. petra, “rock”
paralyze with little boy. (see petroleum)
astonishment,
horror, or other
strong emotion.

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984 Plutocracy Government by the Most people from Gk. ploutokratia

wealthy. instinctively don't like "rule or power of the
the idea of a wealthy or of wealth,"
plutocracy and prefer from ploutos "wealth"
living in a democracy. (see Pluto) + -kratia
"rule," (see
democracy)

985 Probity Uprightness in one's The doctor had a from L. probitatem

dealings; integrity. reputation for his "uprightness,
probity. honesty," from probus
"worthy, good" (see
prove)

986 Punctilious Very exact; The punctilious chef from It. puntiglioso,
scrupulous. made sure that he from puntiglio "fine
followed the recipe point," from L.
exactly. punctum "prick" (see
point, puncture)

987 Rebuff To refuse bluntly; Her advances were from It. ribuffare "to
snub. rebuffed by the check, chide, snide,"
quarterback. from ribuffo "a snub,"
from ri- "back" + buffo
"a puff," of imitative
origin

988 Remonstrate To say or plead in Jake remonstrated from L. remonstrat,

protest, objection, angrily with the police “demonstrated”, from
complaint, etc. officers that he hadn't remonstrare, from re,
gone over the speed expressing intensive
limit. force, + monstrare, “to
show”

989 Ruffian A brutal, violent, A ruffian since from It. ruffiano "a
lawless person; a childhood, Martha pander, pimp," of
tough or hoodlum. eventually wound up in uncertain origin,
jail. perhaps from a Gmc.
source related to
rough

990 Serrated Having a notched Please use the from L. serratus

edge or sawlike serrated knife to cut "notched like a saw,"
teeth, esp. for bread. from serra "saw"
cutting.

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991 Somatic Of the body, as The symptoms were from Fr. somatique,
distinguished from purely somatic in from Gk. somatikos
the soul, mind, or nature. "of the body," from
psyche; corporeal; soma "body." (see
physical. chromosome)

992 Stolid Having or showing His stolid demeanor from L. stolidus

little or no emotion made him seem very "insensible, dull,
or sensitivity; cold and emotionless. brutish," prop.
unexcitable; "unmovable," related
impassive. to stultus "fooIish"

993 Suppress To put down by The army managed to from L. suppressus,

force; subdue; quell; suppress the rebellion. pp. of supprimere
crush. "press down, stop,
check, stifle," from
sub "down, under" +
premere "push
against" (see press)

994 Timorous Full of or subject to The parents enrolled from L. timor "fear,"
fear; timid. their timorous child in from timere "to fear."
a dojo in order to help (see timid)
him gain some
confidence.

995 Uncouth Awkward; clumsy; Sheila thought that her from O.E. uncuð
ungainly. farmer cousin was "unknown, uncertain,
embarrassingly unfamiliar," from un-
uncouth. "not" + cuð "known,
well-known," pp. of
cunnan "to know"

996 Verve Vigor and energy, as The painting showed from Fr. verve,
in movement, that the artist had “enthusiasm,
portrayal, etc. great verve. especially if creative”,
from L. verba, “words”

997 Weigh To consider and Will weighed all his from O.E. wegan "find
choose carefully. options carefully the weight of, have
before making the weight, lift, carry"
decision.

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998 Abide To stand fast; If you can't abide by from O.E. abidan,
remain; go on being. my rules, then leave from a- on + bidan
my house! "bide, remain, wait,
dwell", (see bide)

999 Allegiance The obligation of Each soldier had to from Anglo-Fr.

support and loyalty swear allegiance to the legaunce "loyalty of a
to one’s ruler, country before he or liege-man to his lord,"
government, or she went into battle. from [Link]. legeance,
country. from liege (see liege)

1000 Arbitrate To give to an Ron was chosen to from L. arbiter "one

arbitrator to decide; arbitrate the who goes somewhere
settle by arbitration. disagreement. (as witness or judge),"
from ad- "to" +
baetere "to come, go"

1001 Auspicious Of good omen; The good weather was from L. auspex,
boding well for the an auspicious sign for "augur," lit. "one who
future; favorable; their trip. takes signs from the
propitious. flight of birds," from
avis, “birds” (see
aviation) + specere,
“to look” (see
spectacles)

1002 Bedizen To dress or decorate The dress was from be-, an

in a cheap, showy bedizened with intensifier, + dizen,
way. rhinestones. “deck out”, uncertain
origin, probably
Dutch.

1003 Blunt To make dull or Many years of use had uncertain origin,
insensitive. blunted the knife's perhaps from O.N.
sharp edge. blundra (see blunder)

1004 Calumniate To spread false and The website was from L calumnia,
harmful statements eventually shut down “slander, false
about; slander. because it calumniated accusation” (see
too many powerful challenge)
people.

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1005 Clot A soft lump of earth, Hemophilia is a from O.E. clott, akin
clay, etc.; clod. condition where your to Du. kloot "ball" (see
blood doesn't clot clod)
easily.

1006 Conceal To put out of sight; Monica and Chandler from L. concelare "to
hide. concealed their hide," from
relationship for as long com-"together" +
as they could. celare "to hide," (see
cell)

1007 Convoluted Extremely involved; Bobby thought that his from L. convolutus, pp
intricate; father's convoluted of convolvere, “roll
complicated. plan was sure to fail. together, intertwine”,
from con, “together” +
volvere, “to roll” (see
revolution)

1008 Dawdle To waste (time) in Instead of studying, a variant of daddle "to

trifling or by being Jessica dawdled away walk unsteadily." (see
slow; idle. the entire day. dally)

1009 Dereliction A neglect of, or The soldier was from L. derelictus, pp.
failure in, duty. charged with of dereliquere
dereliction of duty after "abandon," from de-
falling asleep at the "entirely" + relinquere
guardpost. "leave behind" (see
relinquish)

1010 Discountenance To make ashamed The model was not from [Link].
or embarrassed; discountenanced when descontenancer "to
disconcert. she stumbled on the abash," from des-
runway. "not-" + contenancer
(see countenance)

1011 Dogmatism Strong assertion of His dogmatism did not from L. dogmatismus,
opinion, usually allow him to come up from L. dogma,
without reference to with a solution to the “philosophical tenet”
evidence. problem.

1012 Electorate All those qualified to The electorate was from L. éléctor,
vote in an election. ready for a change. “chooser,” from
éligere, “to choose”
(see elect)

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1013 Enormity Enormous size or John wondered at the from L. enormis

extent; vastness. enormity of the "irregular,
universe. extraordinary, very
large," from ex- "out
of" + norma "rule,
norm" (see normal)

1014 Eulogy High praise; Alexis thought from Gk. eulogia

commendation. George's eulogy was "praise," from eu-
very moving. "well" (see joy) +
-logia "speaking,"
from logos "discourse,
word," (see lecture)

1015 Exsert To thrust out; He exserted his chest from L. exertus, pp. of
protrude; project. as he walked through exerere "thrust out,
the door. put forth," from ex-
"out" + serere "attach,
join" (see insert)

1016 Ferocity The state or quality The guard dogs were from L. ferocitatem
of being ferocious; well known for their "fierceness," from
fierceness, brutality. ferocity. ferocis, an oblique
case of ferox "fierce,
wild-looking," a
derivative of ferus
"wild" (see fierce)

1017 Flexibility Capable of being Doing yoga helps you from L flexibilis,
bent, usually without develop great “pliant, easily bent.”
breaking. flexibility. (see fIex)

1018 Frenetic Frantic; frenzied, The frenetic pace of from L. phreneticus

hectic, hyper. his job was too much "delirious," alteration
for Josh, so he quit of Gk. phrenitikos,
after a few weeks. from phrenitis
"frenzy," lit.
"inflammation of the
brain," from phren
"mind, reason" (see
phrenology)

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1019 Grace Beauty or charm of The ballet dancers from L. gratia

form, composition, performed the piece "pleasing quality,
movement, or with effortless grace. good will," from gratus
expression. "pleasing, agreeable,"
(see gratitude)

1020 Heed To pay close Take heed of what I from O.E. hedan "to
attention to; take am about to say: don't take care, attend,"
careful notice of. stay out later than 11.

1021 Ignoble Not noble in birth or Mark was ashamed of from L. ignobilis
position; of the his ignoble motives. "unknown,
common people. undistinguished, not
noble," from in- "not"
+ nobilis "noble,"

1022 Implode To cause to burst or The pressure of the a bursting inward,

collapse inward. water caused the 1877, modeled on
submarine to implode. explosion

1023 Inflammatory Rousing or likely to Inflammatory speech from L. inflammare "to

rouse excitement, is usually not protected set on fire, kindle,"
anger, violence, by the first from in- "in" +
rioting. amendment. flammare "to flame,"
(see flammable)

1024 Intrepid Not afraid; bold; The intrepid from L. intrepidus

fearless; dauntless; adventurer had been "unshaken,
very brave. all over the world. undaunted," from in-
"not" + trepidus
"alarmed." (see
trepidation)

1025 Laconic Brief or terse in Maya was especially from Gk. Lakonikos,
speech or laconic yesterday, she from Lakon "person
expression; using said at most a dozen from Lakonia," the
few words. words the whole day. district around Sparta
in southern Greece in
ancient times, whose
inhabitants were
famous for their
brevity of speech.

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1026 Maladroit Awkward; clumsy; It was incredible that from Fr. phrase à droit
bungling. such a maladroit "according to right,"
person could become from [Link]. à "to" +
such an expert juggler. droit "right," from L.
directum "right,
justice,"

1027 Miscreant An evil person; It seemed as if the from [Link]. mescreant,

criminal; villain. street fair brought from mes- "wrongly" +
together all the creant, prp. of creire
miscreants in the "believe," from L.
neighborhood. credere. (see
credible)

1028 Noxious Morally injurious; People that lived near from L. noxius
corrupting; the factory had to deal "hurtful, injurious,"
unwholesome. with its noxious fumes from noxa "injury,
constantly. hurt, damage entailing
liability",related to
nocere "to hurt", (see
innocent, or
nuisance)

1029 Outset A setting out; The problem seemed from out + set (v.).
beginning; start. complex at the outset, The earlier word for
but quickly became this was outsetting.
very simple.

1030 Peremptory That which cannot Teresa's peremptory from L. peremptorius

be denied, changed, tone signaled that she "destructive, decisive,
delayed, opposed, considered the final," from perimpere
etc. conversation over. "destroy, cut off," from
per- "away entirely, to
destruction" + emere
"to take"

1031 Piquant Exciting agreeable Lucia's restaurant from [Link]. prp. of

interest or curiosity; always offered an piquer "to prick, sting,
stimulating; assortment of piquant nettle" (see pike)
provocative. dishes.

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1032 Pragmatic Concerned with He was a pragmatic from L. pragmaticus

actual practice, politician who knew "skilled in business or
everyday affairs, not how to get things law," from Gk.
with theory or done. pragmatikos "versed
speculation; in business"
practical.

1033 Prone Lying flat or The new operating from L. pronus "bent
prostrate; in a systems were prone to forward, inclined to,"
horizontal position. crashing frequently. from adverbial form of
pro- "forward." (see
“pro vs con”)

1034 Quell To crush; subdue; The prime minister from O.E. cwellan "to
put an end to. called in the national kill, murder, execute,",
guard to quell the from root kwel-/kwal-
violent (see kill)
demonstrations.

1035 Reconnaissance An exploratory Several soldiers went from Fr.

survey or on the reconnaissance reconnaissance "act
examination, as in mission. of surveying," lit.
seeking out "recognition," from
information about [Link]. reconoissance
enemy positions or (see recognize)
installations.

1036 Repulsive Tending to repel The dog was very from L. repulsionem,
cute, except for its noun of action from
repulsive slobbering. repellere (see repel)

1037 Sap To undermine by The bombing gradually from Ital. zappa,

digging away the sapped the morale of “spade, spadework”
foundations; dig the city's inhabitants.
beneath.

1038 Shrewd Keen-witted, clever, Julia made a shrewd from shrewe "wicked
or sharp in practical decision when she man" (see shrew)
affairs; astute. bought that hybrid car.

1039 Splice To join or unite by Bruce Lee spliced from [Link]. splissen
weaving together together different "to splice"
the end strands. martial arts to create
something very
effective.

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1040 Submerge To cover over; The flood submerged from L. submergere

suppress; hide. many of the houses "to plunge under, sink,
under water. overwhelm," from sub
"under" + mergere "to
plunge, immerse"
(see immerse)

1041 Tangential Going off at a Although interesting, from L. tangentem,

tangent; diverging or Christina's point was prp. of tangere "to
digressing. tangential to the touch,"(see tangible)
discussion.

1042 Transgress To overstep or break Sergei could openly from [Link].

(a law, transgress the transgression, from L.
commandment, country's laws transgressionem L.
etc.). because he had "a going over," from
diplomatic immunity. transgressus, from
trans- "aoross" +
gradi "to walk, go"
(see digress)

1043 Urbane Polite and courteous Mycroft's urbane from [Link]. urbain,
in an smooth, manner and charm from L. urbanus
polished way; made him seem like "belonging to a city,"
refined. an attractive catch. also "citified, elegant"
(see urban)

1044 Vitiate To make imperfect, Many felt that allowing from L. vitiat,
faulty, or impure; professional athletes “impaired”, from the
spoil; corrupt. to compete vitiated the verb vitiare, from
spirit of the Olympics. vitium (see vice)

1045 Yarn Any fiber, as wool, It was an from O.E. gearn

silk, flax, cotton, unbelieveable, but "spun fiber"
nylon, glass, etc., very amusing yarn.
spun into strands for
weaving.

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1046 Acarpous Bearing no fruit; The acarpous tree was from Gk -karpos, adj.
sterile. now only fit to be deriv. of karpós, “fruit”
chopped into firewood.

1047 Amortize To put money aside It was a better choice from L. ad- "to" +
at intervals, as in a to amortize the loan mors "death" (see
sinking fund, for over a long period of mortal)
gradual payment of time.
(a debt, etc.) either
at or before
maturity.

1048 Ascent The act of The ascent up the from L. ascendere "to
ascending, rising, or mountain was actually climb up," from ad-"to"
climbing. easier than the + scandere "to climb."
descent. (see descent)

1049 Avuncular Of an uncle. Bob's avuncular from L. avunculus

manner made him "maternal uncle," dim.
popular with his of avus (see uncle)
students.

1050 Benevolence An inclination to do The benevolence of from L. benevolentia

good; kindliness. the aid organization "good feeling," from
provided food and bene "well" +
shelter for the volantem prp. of velle
refugees. "to wish" (see will)

1051 Brass Bold impudence; I can't believe she had from [Link]. brasa
effrontery. the brass to say that. "fire,"

1052 Catalyst A person or thing The factory accident from Gk. kata "down"
acting as the was a catalyst for + -lysis "a loosening"
stimulus in bringing making safety (see lose)
about or hastening a regulations more strict.
result.

1053 Cognition The process of His stroke fortunately from late ME

knowing in the did not impair any of cognicioun, from L
broadest sense, his faculties of cognōscere (see
including cognition. know)
perception, memory,
and judgment.

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1054 Connoisseur A person who has The connoisseur could from Fr. conoisseor "a
expert knowledge tell just from a sniff judge, one well-
and keen where a certain wine versed," from L.
discrimination in was from. cognoscere "to know,"
some field, esp. in from com- "with" +
the fine arts or in gnoscere "recognize"
matters of taste. (see notice, know)

1055 Countervail To make up for; The rookie's from L phrase contrā

compensate. inexperience valére, “to be of worth
countervailed his against (someone or
tremendous something).”
athleticism.

1056 Deferential Showing deference; The royal couple from L. deferre "carry
very respectful. received very away, transfer, grant;"
deferential treatment modern sense is from
from the hotel they meaning "refer (a
were staying in. matter) to someone,"
from de- "down,
away" + ferre "carry"
(see transfer)

1057 Deter To keep or In order to deter from L. deterrere,

discourage (a thieves from breaking from de- "away" +
person, group, or in, Peter put iron bars terrere "frighten." (see
nation) from doing on the windows. terrify)
something by
instilling fear,
anxiety, doubt.

1058 Disparage To Iower in esteem; Francis didn't let the from [Link].
discredit. kids in her class desparagier "reduce
disparage one another. in rank, degrade,"
originally "to cause to
marry unequally," and
thus by extension the
disgrace or dishonor
involved in this, from
des- "away" + parage
"rank, lineage"

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1059 Dupe A person easily Terry felt duped by the from Fr. dupe
tricked or fooled. telemarketer. "deceived person,"
from [Link]. duppe,
thieves' jargon,
probably from phrase
de huppe "of the
hoopoe," an
extravagantly crested
and reputedly stupid
bird.

1060 Emote To act in an Corinna thought the from L. emovere

emotional or movie was fine, except "move out, remove,
theatrical manner for the fact that the agitate," from ex-
while, or as though, actors emoted a little "out" + movere "to
playing a role in a too much. move" (see move)
drama: often used
humorously.

1061 Epithet An adjective, noun, "Egghead" is often an from Gk. epitheton,

or phrase, often epithet used for an from epi- "in addition"
specif. a intellectual. + tithenai "to put,"
disparaging one, (see thesis)
used to characterize
some person or
thing (Ex.:
"egghead" for an
intellectual).

1062 Excoriate To strip, scratch, or The television show from L. excoriatus, pp.
rub off the skin of; excoriate the of excoriare "flay, strip
flay, abrade, chafe, candidate's pick for off the hide," from L.
etc. vice president. ex- "off" + corium
"hide, skin."

1063 Extricable capable of being He found himself in a from L. extricatus, pp.

released from an not very extricable of extricare
entanglement or situation. "disentangle," from
difficulty. ex- "out of" + tricæ
(pl.) "perplexities,
hindrances," (see
intricate)

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1064 Fidget Make small The little child couldn't from M.E. fiken "to
movements, esp. of stop fidgeting at the fidget, hasten," from
the hands and feet, dinner table. O.N. fikjask "to desire
through eagerly"
nervousness or
impatience.

1065 Foppish Concerned with Although Mike's friend related to fob (v.) via
one's clothes and was a bit foppish, he Ger. foppen "jeer at,
appearance in an often had good advice. make a fool of" (see
excessive and fob )
affected way.

1066 Fusillade A simultaneous or The tanks were pelted from Fr. fusillade,
rapid and with a fusillade of from fusiller "to
continuous stones. shoot," from fusil
discharge of many "musket," because of
firearms. the fuses used in
early weaponry. (see
fuse)

1067 Grovel To lie prone or crawl He couldn't bring from O.N. grufe
in a prostrate himself to grovel "prone"
position, esp. before his boss.
abjectly.

1068 Hoi Polloi The common We're not sending our from Gk. hoi polloi
people; the masses: son to public school (pl.) "the people," lit.
usually patronizing with the hoi polloi! "the many" (pl. of
or contemptuous: polys) (see poly-)
sometimes
preceded by “the”.

1069 Impair To make worse, Kelly made up for her from L. in- "into" + L.
less, weaker, etc.; impaired vision by pejorare "make
damage; reduce. developing her other worse," from pejor
senses. "worse." (see
pejorative)

1070 Inculcate To impress upon the The school inculcated from L. inculcatus, pp.
mind by frequent in the children a sense of inculcare "force
repetition or of pride in the country. upon, stamp in," from
persistent urging. in- "in" + calcare "to
tread, press in," from
calx "heel." (see
recalcitrant)

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1071 Inimitable That which cannot She had an inimitable from L. inimitabilis
be imitated or soprano voice. "that cannot be
matched; too good imitated," from in-
to be equaled or "not" + imitabilis (see
copied. imitation).

1072 Involute Intricate; involved. The plot of the murder from L involūtus (ptp.
mystery was too of involvere to roll up,
involute to follow. wrap, cover), equiv. to
in- “in” + volū- variant
of volvere, “to roll”
(see involve)

1073 Libel Anything that gives He sued the from L. libellus "a little
an unflattering or newspaper for libel book, petition," dim. of
damaging picture of because of the article liber "book." (see
the subject with it had written about library)
which it is dealing. him.

1074 Mature Fully or highly The conductor's later, from L. maturare "to
developed, mature works are ripen," from maturus
perfected, worked considered his best. "ripe, timely, early,"
out, considered, etc. maybe related to
matins

1075 Mortuary Of or having to do The placed her from L. mortuus, pp.

with the burial of the remains in the of mori "to die" (see
dead. mortuary. mortal)

1076 Obsolete No longer in use or Computer technology from L obsolétus, ptp.

practice; discarded. becomes obsolete at a of obsoléscere, to fall
lightning pace these into disuse
days.

1077 Palpable Clear to the mind; There was an almost from L. palpabilis "that
obvious; evident; palpable sense of which may be
plain. relief when the storm touched or felt," from
passed. L. palpare "touch
gently, stroke" (see
feel)

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1078 Pernicious Causing great injury, Lady Macbeth's from L. perniciosus

destruction, or ruin; pernicious influence on "destructive," from
fatal; deadly. her husband is one of per- "completely" +
the themes of the play necis "violent death,
“Macbeth.” murder," related to
necare "to kill,"
nocere "to hurt, injure,
harm," (see noxious,
nuisance, necrosis)

1079 Plea An earnest and Rick's plea to hold the from [Link]. plait
urgent request; party outdoors was "lawsuit, decision,
appeal; entreaty. granted. decree," from L.
placitum "lawsuit," in
classical L., "opinion,
decree," lit. "that
which pleases, thing
which is agreed
upon," from placere
(see please)

1080 Premature Happening, done, Hubert realized that from L. præmaturus

arriving, or existing his celebration was "early ripe" or "too
before the proper or premature. early," from præ-
usual time; too "before" + maturus
early. "ripe, timely" (see
mature)

1081 Provident Providing for future Stella's years of living from L. providentem,
needs or events; on the street had prp. of providere "to
exercising or taught her to be foresee", from pro,
characterized by provident. “ahead” + videre, “to
foresight. see” (see provide)

1082 Raffish Having a carelessly The raffish young man from raff "people,"
unconventional style knew that his usually of a lower
or manner; rakish. appearance made him sort, probably from rif
stand out from others. and raf, "everyone,"
via Fr. or [Link]

1083 Regale To delight with They regaled their from Fr. régaler "to
something pleasing friends with stories entertain or feast,"
or amusing. from the trip. from [Link]. rigale, from
gale "merriment,"
from galer "make
merry"

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1084 Retard To hinder, delay, or At first, his shyness from L. retardare "to
slow the advance or retarded his progress make slow, delay,
progress of. in school. keep back, hinder,"
from re-, intensive
prefix, + tardare "to
slow" (see tardy)

1085 Scribble To write carelessly The poet scribbled from Du. schrabbelen,
or illegibly. some of his greatest frequentative of
poems on napkins schrabben "to
while eating in the scratch," (see
diner. scrape)

1086 Slake To quench or satisfy John slaked his thirst from O.E. slacian
(one's thirst). with a beer from the "slacken an effort,"
fridge. from slæc "lax" (see
slack)

1087 Stickler A person who insists Gary was a stickler for from O.E. stihan "to
on the strict the rules. arrange order," which
observance of is cognate with [Link].
something specified. stichten, Ger. stiften
"to found, establish,"

1088 Sundry Various; Behind the bed, there from [Link]. sunder
miscellaneous. were dolls, trucks, and (see asunder)
sundry other toys.

1089 Temerity Foolish or rash She didn't think he from L. temeritatem

boldness; would have the "blind chance,
foolhardiness; temerity to move to accident, rashness,"
recklessness. another country. from temere "by
chance, blindly,
casually, rashly,"
related to tenebrae
"darkness,"

1090 Trudge To walk, esp. Frank trudged to work to walk laboriously,

wearily or with a heavy heart. 1547, of unknown
Iaboriously. origin. The noun
meaning "an act of
trudging" is attested
from 1835.

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1091 Variegated Exhibiting different Although it was a little from L. variegat,

colors, esp. as unusual, Tom really “made varied”, from
irregular patches or liked his variegated the verb variegare,
streaks. coat. from varius, “diverse”

1092 Wage To engage in or America has been from [Link]. wagier,

carry on (a war, waging a war on drugs from wage (see
struggle, campaign, for years. wage). Meaning "to
etc.). carry on" (of war, etc.)

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1093 Adjacent Near or close (to The friends rented from L. adjacentem,
something); hotel rooms that were "lying at," prp. of
adjoining. adjacent to one adjacere "lie near,"
another. from ad- "to" + jacere
"to lie, rest,"

1094 Apostate One who has The church denounced from L. apostata, from
abandoned one's him as an apostate. apostenai "to defect,"
religious faith, a lit. "to stand off," from
political party, one's apo- "away from" +
principles, or a stenai "to stand."
cause.

1095 Assumption A thing that is You are making a from L assūmere, “to
accepted as true or major assumption in take to, adopt,” from
as certain to your argument. ad, “to” + sumere, “to
happen, without take” (see consume)
proof.

1096 Bandy To pass (gossip, They spent the from [Link]. bander,
rumor, etc.) about afternoon bandying from root of band.
freely and gossip around. The sense apparently
carelessly. evolved from "join
together to oppose,"
to opposition itself, to
"exchanging blows,"

1097 Bilge The bulge of a In the end, it turned from L. bulga "leather
barrel or cask. out that most of his sack," (see bulge)
promises had been
just a whole lot of
bilge.

1098 Bulwark A person or thing They supported the from [Link]. bulwerke
serving as a strong repressive dictator or M.H.G. bolwerc,
defense or because they felt he from bole "plank, tree
protection. was a bulwark against trunk" + werc "work."
Communism.

1099 Chasten To punish in order to Gloria chastened her from obsolete chaste
correct or make daughter for wearing (v.), c.1200, from
better; chastise. such a revealing [Link]. chastier (see
dress. chastize)

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1100 Commingle To mingle together; The blood of two M.E. myngen "to mix,"
intermix; blend. people commingling in from O.E. mengan
the same mosquito. (related to among)

1101 Consume To destroy, as by Ronald was consumed from L. consumere "to

fire; do away with. by his desire to climb use up, eat, waste,"
the mountain. from com- intensive
prefix + sumere "to
take," from sub-
"under" + emere "to
buy, take" (see
presume)

1102 Cryptic Having a hidden or No one could decipher from L. crypta "vault,
ambiguous what the cryptic cavern," from Gk.
meaning; message meant. krypte, fem. of kryptos
mysterious; baffling. "hidden," from
kryptein "to hide."

1103 Denigrate To blacken Wilma hadn't meant to from L. denigratus,

denigrate the janitor, pp. of denigrare "to
but obviously, he was blacken, defame,"
upset. from de- "completely"
+ nigr-, stem of niger
"black," of unknown
origin.

1104 Diffidence Lack of confidence Troy overcame his from L. diffidentia

in oneself, marked diffidence once he "want of confidence,"
by hesitation in joined the soccer from diffidere "to
asserting oneself; team. mistrust, lack
shyness. confidence," from dis-
"away" + fidere "to
trust" (see faith)

1105 Distorted Not truly or After the lecture, Fred from L. distortus, pp.
completely realized that he had of distorquere "to twist
representing the had a distorted view of different ways,
facts or reality. the situation. distort," from dis-
"completely" +
torquere "to twist"
(see thwart)

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1106 Eddy A contrary The leaves from the from Scot. ydy,
movement or trend, tree floated in the possibly from O.N. iða
limited in eddy. "whirlpool," and
importance or effect. related to the frequent
O.E. prefix ed- "again,
backwards,"

1107 Enduring Lasting; permanent; Joseph had never felt from L. indurare
durable. such enduring "make hard," in L.
happiness. "harden (the heart)
against," from in- "in"
+ durare "to harden,"
from durus "hard"
(see durable)

1108 Eradicate To tear out by the The exterminator's job from L. eradicat, “torn
roots; uproot. was to eradicate all the up by the roots”, from
cockroaches in the the verb eradicare,
house. from ex, “out of” +
radix, “root” (see
radical)

1109 Exoneration To clear, as of an Most people felt that from L. exoneratus,

accusation; free the criminal didn't pp. of exonerare
from guilt or blame; deserve the "remove a burden,
exculpate. exoneration he was discharge," from ex-
awarded. "off" + onus "burden."
(see onerous, onus)

1110 Faucet A device with a The plumber came to from L. faux, fauc-
hand-operated valve fix the broken faucet. "throat."
for regulating the
flow of a liquid from
a pipe, barrel, etc.

1111 Flaccid Hanging in Ioose When he saw his from L. flaccidus

foIds or wrinkles; flaccid skin in the "flabby," from fiaccus
soft and limp; flabby. mirror, Joe realized "flabby,"
that he needed to
exercise more.

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1112 Forswear To renounce on They all forswore from O.E. forswerian

oath; promise smoking for the next "swear falsely," also
earnestly to give up. two weeks. "abandon or renounce
on oath," from for-
"completely" +
swerian "to swear."

1113 Gild To make appear Rodrigo tried to gild from [Link].

bright and attractive. the situation, but his gulthianan, from
wife wasn't buying it. gulthan "gold." (see
gold)

1114 Hamper To keep from His studying was from German,

moving or acting hampered by his hemmen, “restrain”
freely; hinder; children's yelling.
impede; encumber.

1115 Hyperbole Exaggeration for People often said that from Gk. hyperbole
effect and not meant Maria was as strong "exaggeration,
to be taken literally as an ox, but that extravagance," from
(Ex: He's as strong wasn't literally true, it hyperballein "to throw
as an ox.) was just a hyperbole. over or beyond," from
hyper- "beyond" +
ballein "to throw."

1116 Impermeable Not permeable; not He had a very closed from L. impermeabilis,
permitting fluids to mind, impermeable to from in- "not" +
pass through it; new ideas. permeabilis, “to pass
impenetrable. through” (see
permeate)

1117 Indolence Habitual Iaziness; Nick couldn't stand his from L. in- "not" +
sloth. sister's indolence, he dolentem "grieving,"
wished she would get prp. of dolere "suffer
up and do something. pain." Sense of
"laziness" comes from
idea of “not going to
any pains”. (see
doleful)

1118 Insularity Of or pertaining to The community's from L. insularis, from

an island; detached; insularity meant that it L. insula "island". (see
standing alone; didn't really follow insulate)
isolated. many new trends from
the outside.

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1119 Itinerary Of or pertaining to According to their from L. iter, "journey,"

traveling, journeys, itinerary, they should from ire "go" (see
routes, or roads. have been to see the reiterate)
pyramids several days
ago.

1120 Lubricious Having a smooth or The church group from L. lubricatus, pp.
slippery quality. wanted the lubricious of lubricare "to make
billboards removed slippery or smooth,"
because of their from lubricus
sexual nature. "slippery." (see
lubricate)

1121 Meretricious Alluring by false, She was covered head from L. meretricius "of
showy charms; to toe in meretricious or pertaining to
attractive in a flashy trinkets. prostitutes," from
way; tawdry. meretrix, "prostitute,"
lit. "woman who earns
money," from merere,
"to earn, gain" (see
merit)

1122 Nepotism Favoritism shown to During the days of from L. nepotem,

relatives, esp. in communism, the only "grandson, nephew"
appointment to way to get a job was (see nephew)
desirable positions. through nepotism.

1123 Officious Offering The officious man from L. officiosus

unnecessary and didn't realize that his "dutiful," from officium
unwanted advice or help was not needed. "duty, service" (see
services; office)
meddlesome, esp.
in a highhanded or
overbearing way.

1124 Patron A person, usually a The king was the from L. patronus
wealthy and poet's main patron. "defender, protector,
influential one, who advocate," from pater,
sponsors and "father." Meaning "one
supports some who advances the
person, activity, cause" (see
institution. patronage)

1125 Petrify To make rigid, Sarah was petrified by from L. petra "rock" +
inflexible, or inert; the sight of the grizzly -ficare, from facere "to
harden or deaden. bear near their camp. make, do" (see fact)

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1126 Poignant Evoking pity or Jim thought the ending from [Link]. poignant,
compassion; was the most poignant prp. of poindre "to
emotionally touching moment in the film. prick, sting," from L.
or moving. pungere "to prick"
(see pungent)

1127 Proclivity A natural or habitual The child showed a from L. proclivitatem,

tendency or proclivity for pulling "a tendency,
inclination, esp. pranks, something his propensity," from
toward something parents didn't proclivis "prone to," lit.
discreditable. appreciate. "sloping," from pro-
"forward" + clivus "a
slope"

1128 Pundit A person who has or The pundits on the from Hindi payndit "a
professes to have news showed debated learned man, master,
great learning; all hour. teacher," from Skt.
actual or self- payndita-s "a learned
professed authority. man, scholar,"

1129 Recalcitrant Refusing to obey The mule became from L. recalcitrare "to
authority, custom, more and more kick back," from re-
regulation, etc.; recalcitrant as it got "back" + calcitrare, "to
stubbornly defiant. older and older. kick," from calx "heel."

1130 Render To give (up); Rita always tried to from L. reddere "give
surrender. render assistance to back, return, restore,"
those less fortunate from re- "back" + dare
than her. "to give" (see
rendition)

1131 Sacrosanct Very sacred, holy, or The right to own from L. sacrosanctus
inviolable. private property is a "protected by religious
sacrosanct right in the sanction," from sacro,
United States. "religious sanction" +
sanctus, pp. of
sancire "make
sacred" (see
sanctify)

1132 Serration A tooth or point of a The metal saw had from L. serratus
jagged, sawlike very many sharp "notched like a saw,"
edge or surface. serrations. from serra "saw,"

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1133 Sonorous Full, deep, or rich: Boris's sonorous bass from L. sonorus
said of sound. voice helped make him "resounding," from
a popular singer. sonor "sound, noise,"
from sonare "to
sound" (see sound)

1134 Stray To wander from a Don't stray too far from from L. via strata
given place, limited the hotel! "paved road" (see
area, direct course. street)

1135 Surfeit Too great an There was a surfeit of from [Link]. surfet
amount or supply; applications for the "excess," noun use of
excess. position. pp. of surfaire
"overdo," from sur-
"over" + faire "do,"
from L. facere "to
make" (see fact).

1136 Tolerable That which can be Billy was a tolerable from L. tolerabilis
tolerated or guitar player, but an "that which may be
endured. excellent songwriter. endured," from
tolerare "to tolerate"
(see extol)

1137 Unctuous Excessively or His unctuous manner "oily," from [Link].

ingratiatingly immediately creeped unctueus, from L.
flattering; oily. out Linda and her unctus "act of
friend. anointing," from pp.
stem of unguere "to
anoint" (see unguent)

1138 Vex To give trouble to, Raul's stomach had from L. vexare,
esp. in a petty or vexed him all day. “shake, disturb”
nagging way;
disturb, annoy,
irritate, etc.

1139 Welter Move in a turbulent Mathematics from [Link]. or M.L.G.

fashion. sometimes seems like welteren "to roll," (see
a welter of rules to revolt)
remember.

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1140 Abjure To give up (rights, Once she had read from L. abjurare "deny
allegiance, etc.) some history, Jill on oath," from
under oath; abjured her previous ab-"away" + jurare "to
renounce. bigotry. swear," related to jus,
"law" (see jurist)

1141 Alloy A substance that is The plane's wings are from L. alligare,
a mixture, as by made from a very light, compound of ad- "to"
fusion, of two or but very strong, metal + ligare "to bind" (see
more metals, or of a alloy. ligament)
metal and
something else.

1142 Arboreal Of or like a tree Monkeys are a very from L. arbor "tree," of
arboreal species. unknown origin

1143 Austere Having a severe or Floyd didn't like visiting from L. austerus "dry,
stern look, manner, his austere harsh, sour, tart," from
etc.; forbidding. grandparents. Gk. austeros "bitter,
harsh," related to
auos "dry."

1144 Beguile To mislead by The false from [Link]. guile, from

cheating or tricking; advertisement Frank. wigila "trick,
deceive. beguiled many people ruse" (see wile)
before it was banned.

1145 Boggle To be astonished or That you would even from M.E. bugge
overwhelmed when say something like that "specter" (among
trying to imagine boggles my other things,
something. imagination. supposed to scare
horses at night)

1146 Calumny A false and Despite all the from L. calumnia

malicious statement calumnies posted on "slander, false
meant to hurt the internet, the accusation," from
someone's politician was calvi "to trick,
reputation. reelected. deceive,"

1147 Cloture The parliamentary After much debate, the the Fr. word for "the
procedure by which Senate decided to action of closing,"
debate is closed invoke cloture. applied to debates in
and the measure the Fr. Assembly,
under discussion from Fr. clôture, from
put to an immediate [Link]. closture
vote.

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1148 Conceit An exaggerated Despite all her from L. concipere, "to

opinion of oneself, achievements, take in and hold,"
one's merits, etc.; Caroline was not from com- intensive
vanity. conceited at all. prefix + capere "to
take," (see capable)

1149 Cord To fasten, connect, The prisoners were from L. chorda "string,
or provide with a corded together before gut," from Gk. khorde
cord. being put in the bus. "string, catgut, chord,
cord,"

1150 Dearth Any scarcity or lack. After the attacks, there abstract n. formed
was a dearth of from root of O.E.
newspaper articles deore "precious,
critical of the costly" (see dear)
president.

1151 Derision Contempt or As a child, he suffered from L. derisionem,

ridicule; scorn, much derision noun of action from
mockery, disdain. because of his big, deridere "ridicule,"
thick, glasses. from de- "down" +
ridere "to laugh." (see
ridicule)

1152 Discourse Communication of They used to hold a L. discursus "a

ideas, information, discourse on a running about," in L.
etc., esp. by talking; different topic each "conversation," from
conversation. week. stem of discurrere
"run about," from dis-
"apart" + currere "to
run." (see
intercourse)

1153 Dolt A stupid, sIow-witted I gave him the keys, from O.E. dol "dull-
person; blockhead. but then the dolt witted, foolish," or
locked them in the car. from M.L.G. dul,
"slow-witted," (see
dull)

1154 Elegy A poem or song of Shelley's "Adonais" is from Gk. elegeia ode
lament and praise an example of a well "an elegaic song,"
for the dead, as known elegy. from elegos,
Shelley's "Adonais". “mournful poem”

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1155 Enormous Very great or The country's from L. enormis

abnormal size, bulk, enormous debt meant "irregular,
degree, etc. that government extraordinary, very
spending would have large," from ex- "out
to go down. of" + norma "rule,
norm" (see normal)

1156 Euphony The quality of Her poetry was full of from Gk. euphonia,
having a pleasing euphony, and from euphonos "well-
sound. therefore very sounding," from eu-
enjoyable to read "good" (see joy) +
aloud. phone "sound,
voice," (see
telephone)

1157 Extant Still existing; not Because of the fire, from L. extantem, prp.
extinct; not lost or many of the museum's of extare "stand out,
destroyed. paintings are no longer be visible, exist," from
extant. ex- "out" + stare "to
stand"

1158 Ferret To search for He tried to ferret out from [Link]. fuiret, dim.
persistently and the details from his of fuiron "weasel,
discover (facts, the cousins. ferret," lit. "thief," from
truth, etc.. L. furionem

1159 Flinch To draw back, as The boxer didn't even from [Link]. flenchir "to
from a blow, flinch when he was hit. bend," from Ger.
difficulty, etc. lenken "to bend, turn,
lead"

1160 Fresco The art or technique Some of the most from It. fresco "cool,
of painting with beautiful frescoes in fresh," (see fresh)
watercolors on wet the world are in Rome.
plaster.

1161 Grandiloquent Using high-flown, Everyone thought that from L. grandiloquus,

pompous, the grandiloquent “grand speaking”,
bombastic words mayor talked a lot but from grandis, “grand”
and expressions. got little done. + loqui, “speak” (see
eloquent)

1162 Heinous Outrageously evil or The heinous crimes from [Link]. haineus,
wicked; abominable. shocked the from haine "hatred,"
community. from hair "to hate,"

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1163 Ignominious Shameful; His once promising from L. ignominiosus,

dishonorable; career came to an "disgraceful,
disgraceful. ignominious end. shameful," from
ignominia, "loss of a
(good) name," from
in- "not" + nomen
"name." (see
nominal)

1164 Implosion A bursting inward The implosion in the a bursting inward,

stock market caused a 1877, modeled on
general recession. explosion

1165 Infraction A breaking of a law, She had several minor from L. infractionem,
pact, etc.; violation; infractions on her "a breaking," noun of
infringement. record, but nothing action from infrang-,
serious. stem of infringere
(see infringe).

1166 Intrigue To bring on or get by The poster intrigued from L. intricare

secret or her so much that she "entangle" (see
underhanded finally went to see the intricate)
plotting. movie.

1167 Lag To fall, move, or Try not to lag behind, Scand: perhaps
stay behind; Ioiter; we need to get there in related to Norw lagga,
linger. twenty minutes. “to go slowly”

1168 Malapropism Ludicrous misuse of One of the things from Fr. mal à propos
words, esp. through George W. Bush is "inopportunely,
confusion caused by known for are his inappropriately," lit.
resemblance in malapropisms. "badly for the
sound. purpose," from mal,
“ill” + proposer
"propose, purpose"

1169 Miser A greedy, stingy When the miser died, it from L. miser (adj.)
person who hoards turned out that he had "unhappy, wretched,"
money for its own millions in his bank (see miserable)
sake, even at the account.
expense of personal
comfort.

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1170 Nullify To make valueless The judge's decision from L. nullificare "to
or useless; bring to nullified the rulings of esteem lightly,
nothing. the lower court. despise, to make
nothing," from L.
nullus "not any" (see
null) + root of facere
"to make" (see fact)

1171 Overhaul to check thoroughly Wayne decided that from over + haul,
for needed repairs his computer needed a originally nautical,
complete overhaul. "pull rigging apart for
examination,"

1172 Perennial Lasting or Rachel sometimes from L. perennis

continuing for a long thought the conflict in "lasting through the
time. the Middle East was a year (or years)," from
perennial conflict that per- "through" +
would never end. annus "year" (see
annual)

1173 Pique To arouse His interest in the book from [Link]. pique "a
resentment in, as by was piqued by the prick, sting, irritation,"
slighting; ruffle the review he had read in from [Link]. (see pike )
pride of. the newspaper.

1174 Precarious Dependent upon For early homo from L. precarius

circumstances; sapiens, life was often "obtained by asking or
uncertain; insecure. quite precarious. praying," from prex,
"entreaty, prayer."

1175 Propagation A spreading, as of The propagation of the from L.

ideas, customs, etc. religion took place propagationem, from
over a long period of pro- "forth" + pag-,
time. root of pangere "to
fasten" (see pact)

1176 Querulous Inclined to find fault; Joe tried to avoid his from L. querulosus,
complaining. querulous neighbor as from L. quorulus "full
much as possible. of complaints,
complaining," from
queri "to complain."
(see query)

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1177 Recourse A turning or seeking Veronica had no from L. recursus

for aid, safety. recourse but to ask her "return, retreat," lit. "a
parents for a loan. running back," from
recurrere "run back,
return" (see recur)

1178 Requite To make return or The majority of love from M.E. re- "back" +
repayment (for a poems deal with a quite "clear, pay up"
benefit, service, an lover whose love is not (see quit)
injury, wrong.) requited.

1179 Sartorial Of or pertaining to His sartorial decisions from L. sartor "tailor,"

tailors or their trade. were superb. lit. "patcher, mender,"

1180 Shrill High pitched and The children's shrill from Low Ger. schrell,
piercing. yells finally drove the Ger. schrill "piercing,
babysitter insane. shrill"

1181 Sponge To remove or During his days as a from L. spongia "a

obliterate with or as starving writer, Henry sponge," also "sea
with a damp Miller perfected the art animal from which a
sponge. of sponging from sponge comes,"
others.

1182 Suborn Bribe or otherwise They suspected that from L. subornare

induce someone to he was trying to "suborn," originally
commit an unlawful suborn the witness. "equip," from sub
act sucha s perjury. "under, secretly" +
ornare "equip," (see
adorn)

1183 Tarnish To dull the luster of; The scandal tarnished from Old French
discolor, especially the principal's ternir, terniss-, “to
by exposure to air or reputation. dull,” from terne,
dirt. “dull,” of Germanic
origin.

1184 Transient Passing away with Jill hadn't realized that 1607, from L.
time; not fame was so transient. transiens "passing
permanent; over or away," prp. of
temporary; transire "cross over,
transitory. pass away," from
trans- "across" + ire
"to go." (see
transcontinental)

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1185 Uxorious Dotingly or Sam's poker buddies from L. uxorius “of or

irrationally fond of or accused him of being pertaining to a wife,"
submissive to one's uxorious. from uxor "wife," of
wife. unknown origin.

1186 Vituperate To speak abusively Brenda vituperated the from L. vituperat,

to or about; berate; cashier for giving her “censured,
revile. the wrong amount of disparaged”, from the
change back. verb vituperare, from
vitium, “fault” (see
vice) + parare,
“prepare” (see
prepare)

1187 Yen A strong longing or Mike had a real yen for from Chinese
desire. some pizza at that (Cantonese) yan
moment. "craving," or from a
Beijing dialect word
for "smoke."

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1188 Accentuate To pronounce or Anna's hat from L. accentus

mark with an accent accentuated her blue "song added to
or stress. eyes. speech," from ad- "to"
+ cantus "a singing,"
pp. of canere "to sing"
(see chant)

1189 Amplify To make larger or Lucy's book amplified from L. amplificare "to
stronger; increase the argument she had enlarge," from amplus
or extend (power, first made in a "large" + the root of
authority, noise magazine article. facere "make, do"
etc.). (see fact)

1190 Ascertain To find out with We need to ascertain from [Link]. acertener
certainty. whether it works "to assure," from a
before we put it on the "to" + certain "certain"
market. (see certain). from L.
certus "sure, fixed"

1191 Awry With a twist to a Something was awry from a- "on" + wry
side; not straight; with the situation, but
askew. Ian couldn't tell what.

1192 Benign Good-natured; The benign weather from L. benignus

kindly. meant that they could "good, kind," lit. "well
have the picnic they'd born," from bene
planned. "well" + gignere "to
bear, beget," (see
genus)

1193 Brazen Showing no shame; His brazen question from O.E. bræsen
bold; impudent. got him slapped. "made of brass," from
bræs "brass."

1194 Catharsis The purifying of the Going to the funeral from Gk. katharsis
emotions or provided Brandon with "purging, cleansing,"
relieving of the catharsis he from kathairein "to
emotional tensions, needed. purify, purge," from
esp. by art. katharsos "pure."

1195 Cognizant Having or showing I was not cognizant of from L. cognoscere,

knowledge, the law your honor. “get to know” (see
understanding, recognize,
realization, or cognition,
perception. connoisseur)

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1196 Connotation Something The song Little Red from L. com-

connoted; idea or Rooster was banned "together" + notare "to
notion suggested by because of the title's mark" (see note)
or associated with a connotations.
word, phrase, etc. in
addition to its
explicit meaning, or
denotation.

1197 Covert Concealed, hidden, As a spy, Jason had from [Link]. covert, pp.
disguised, or much experience with of covrir "to cover"
surreptitious. covert operations. (see cover)

1198 Defiance The act of open, The people showed from [Link]. defiance
bold resistance to their defiance by "challenge," from
authority or refusing to obey the defiant, prp. of defier
opposition. new law. (see defy)

1199 Determinate Having exact limits; There is no from L. determinatus,

definite; distinct; determinate “limited, determined”,
fixed. interpretation of the pp of determinare
painting. (see determine)

1200 Disparate Essentially not alike; The two disparate from L. disparatus,
distinct or different solutions to the pp. of disparare
in kind; unequal. problem were equally "divide, separate,"
successful. from dis- "apart" +
parare "get ready,
prepare" (see
prepare)

1201 Duplicity Hypocritical cunning Lorna was shocked by from L. duplicitatem

or deception; her husband's "doubleness," in L.
double-dealing. duplicity. "ambiguity," from
duplex "twofold." (see
double)

1202 Empirical Relying or based They made their from L. empiricus,

solely on decision based on from Gk. empeirikos
experiment and empirical evidence. "experienced," from
observation rather empeiria
than theory or the "experience," from
empirical method. empeiros "skilled,"
from en- "in" + peira
"trial, experiment."

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1203 Epitome A short statement of He was the epitome of from Gk. epitome
the main points of a the greedy Wall Street "abridgment," from
book, report, banker. epitemnein "cut short,
incident, etc.; abridge," from epi-
abstract; summary. "into" (see epilogue)
+ temnein "to cut."
(see lobotomy)

1204 Excoriate To censure or After the debate, most from L. excoriatus, pp.
criticize severely. news stations of excoriare "flay, strip
excoriated the off the hide," from L.
candidate for her lack ex- "off" + corium
of knowledge. "hide, skin."

1205 Extrovert Someone Ruth was an extrovert from L. extra "outside"

characterized by who made friends + vertere "to turn"
extroversion; a easily. (see versus)
person who is active
and expressive, or
other than
introspective.

1206 Figurehead A person put in a Most kings these days from L. figura, “a
position of are just figureheads shape, form, figure”
leadership because with little political
of name, rank, etc., power.
but having no real
power, authority, or
responsibility.

1207 Foray To raid for spoils; Their first foray into from [Link]. forrier,
plunder; pillage. business went much from forrer "to forage,"
better than they had related to fuerre
hoped. "fodder" (see forage)

1208 Gainsay To deny No one could gainsay from O.E. gegn-

Matt's point. "against" + say.
Solitary survival of a
once common prefix
which was used to
form such now-
obsolete compounds
as gain-taking "taking
back again," etc.

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1209 Guile Slyness and With great guile, from [Link]. guile, from
cunning in dealing Samantha managed to Frank. wigila "trick,
with others. infiltrate the drug gang. ruse" (see wile)

1210 Hollow Having an empty Somehow, the victory from [Link]. holhwo-,
space, or only air, felt hollow. related to hol "hole"
within it; having a (see hole)
cavity inside; not
solid.

1211 Impassive Not feeling pain; not The dancers felt that from L. passivus
liable to suffering; the crowd was "capable of feeling or
insensible. especially impassive suffering," from pass-,
that day. pp. stem of pati "to
suffer" (see passion)

1212 Incumbent Necessary for In American politics, it from L. incumbere

someone as a duty is usually difficult to "recline on, apply
or responsibility. unseat the incumbent. oneself to," from in-
"on" + -combere "lie
down" (see
succumb)

1213 Iniquity Gross injustice or All over the country, from L. iniquitatem
wickedness. people protested what "unequalness,
they thought was the injustice," noun of
iniquity of the verdict. quality from iniquus
"unjust, unequal,"
from in-"not" + æquus
"just, equal." (see
equal)

1214 Irascible Easily angered; Frank had finally from L. irascibilis,

quick-tempered. figured out how to from L. irasci "grow
handle his irascible angry," from ira
boss. "anger" (see ire)

1215 Liberality Absence of Connie's liberality and from L. Iiberalis

narrowness or openness to new "noble, generous," lit.
prejudice in thinking; experiences meant "pertaining to a free
broad-mindedness. that she learned new man," from liber "free"
things every day. (see liberate)

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1216 Maudlin Foolishly and He became from M.E. proper

tearfully or weakly embarrassingly name Maudelen, from
sentimental. maudlin when drunk. Magdalene, woman's
name, originally
surname of Mary, the
repentant sinner
forgiven by Jesus in
Luke vii.

1217 Multifarious Having many kinds They tried multifarious from L. multifarius
of parts or elements; approaches in their "manifold," from
of great variety; attempt to solve the multifariam "in many
diverse; manifold. problem. places or parts,"
perhaps originally,
from multi- "many" + -
fariam "parts," (see
nefarious)

1218 Obstreperous Noisy, boisterous, or The obstreperous from L. obstreperus

unruly, esp. in inmates started "clamorous," from
resisting or creating problems. obstrepere "drown
opposing. with noise, oppose
noisily," from ob
"against" + strepere
"make a noise"

1219 Palpitate To beat rapidly or Her heart palpitated as from L. palpitationem,

flutter: said esp. of he leaned in to kiss from palpitare "to
heart action that one her. throb, to flutter," from
is conscious of. palpare "touch gently,
stroke" (see feel)

1220 Peroration The concluding part The speaker's from L. perorationem,

of a speech, in peroration moved "the ending of a
which there is a many people to tears. speech or argument
summing up and of a case," from per-
emphatic "to the end" + orare
recapitulation. "to speak, plead" (see
oration)

1221 Plead To make an earnest Henry pleaded with his from L. placitum,
appeal; supplicate; kids not to make so “lawsuit” (see plea)
beg. much noise.

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1222 Preponderance The fact or quality of The country had clear from L. præponderare
being superior in military preponderance "outweigh," from præ-
weight, power, or over its neighbors. "before" + ponderare
numbers. "to weigh" (see
pound)

1223 Provisional Having the nature of Their agreement was from L. provisionem,
a temporary provisional, and would "foresight,
provision. be evaluated later on. preparation," from
providere "look
ahead", from pro-
"ahead" + videre "to
see" (see vision)

1224 Rail (verb) To utter bitter Tim railed against the from [Link]. raale,
complaint or inefficiency of the related to râler "to
vehement subway system. rattle," of unknown
denunciation. origin

1225 Regicide The killing of a Found guilty of formed from L. rex

monarch attempted regicide, the "king" on model of
man was executed. suicide

1226 Reticent Habitually silent or Suzan was reticent, from L. reticentia

uncommunicative. but not shy, she just "silence," from
liked to think deeply reticere "keep silent,"
about things. from re-, intensive
prefix, + tacere "be
silent" (see tact)

1227 Scurrilous Using indecent or The tabloid made from L. scurrilis

abusive language; some scurrilous claims "buffoonlike," from
coarse; vulgar; about the pop star. scurra "fashionable
foulmouthed. city idler," later
"buffoon."

1228 Slate To schedule or plan His appointment was from [Link]. esclate,
for a certain time. slated for next week. "split piece, splinter",
so called because the
rock splits easily into
thin plates.

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1229 Stigma Something that There is a certain from L. stigma, from

detracts from the stigma associated with Gk. stigma "mark,
character or working at that job. puncture," (see stick)
reputation of a
person, group, etc.;
mark of disgrace or
reproach.

1230 Supercilious Disdainful or Gloria didn't much like from L. supercilium

contemptuous; full her supercilious "haughty demeanor,
of or characterized neighbors. pride," lit. "eyebrow"
by pride or scorn; from super "above" +
haughty. cilium "eyelid," related
to celare "to cover,
hide,"

1231 Temperance Self-restraint in Dawn was a person of from L. temperantia

conduct, great temperance, she "moderation," from
expression,and always showed temperans, prp. of
indulgence of the impressive self- temperare "to
appetites discipline. moderate" (see
temper (v.))

1232 Turbid Thick, dense, or The turbid waters of from L. turbidus

dark, as clouds or the lake made it "muddy, full of
smoke. difficult to see what confusion," from
was at the bottom. turbare "to confuse,
bewilder," from turba
"turmoil, crowd" (see
turbine)

1233 Veer To change sides; His was so from [Link]. virer "to
shift, as from one inconsistent that his turn," perhaps from a
opinion or attitude to opinions constantly L. contraction of
another. veered from one vibrare "to shake."
extreme to the other.

1234 Wan Faint or weak in a Derek's wan from O.E. wann "dark,
way suggestive of complexion made it lacking luster," later
sickness or great obvious that he was "leaden, pale, gray,"
weariness, sadness, pretty sick. of uncertain origin.
etc. Perhaps related to
wane.

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1235 Admonitory Giving or conveying His mother's from L. admonit,

a warning or admonitory tone made “urged”, from
reprimand. it clear that she was admonére to remind,
serious. advise, warn (see
monitor)

1236 Apotheosis The act of raising a The movie was really from L. apotheosis,
person to the status just an apotheosis of from Gk. apotheosis,
of a god. Che Guevara. from apotheoun
"deify, make
(someone) a god,"
from apo- "change" +
theos "god." (see
theology)

1237 Asterisk A starlike sign (*) An asterisk usually from L. asteriscus,

used in printing to indicates that there is from Gk. asterikos
indicate footnote some extra information "little star," dim. of
references, that might be aster "star"
emissions, etc. interesting to the
reader.

1238 Bane The cause of He was the bane of from O.E. bana
distress, death, or her existence. "slayer, murderer,"
ruin.

1239 Bilk To cheat or swindle; The financier who had Origin obscure, "a
defraud. tried to bilk the city out word signifying
of millions was caught nothing,“ perhaps of
and tried. Arabic origin.

1240 Buoyant Light in spirits. Everyone left the party from Sp. boyante, prp.
in a buoyant mood. of boyar "to float,"
from boya “buoy,“
from Du. boei (see
buoy)

1241 Chastise to punish, esp. by Steve was chastised from L. castigare "to
beating by his parents for not punish," lit. "to make
telling them about his pure" (see castigate)
F in chemistry.

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1242 Commuter A person who The mayor promised a from L. commutare "to
travels regularly tax break to all often change, to
between a commuters. change altogether,"
residence and a from com- intensive
place of prefix + mutare "to
employment. change" (see
mutable)

1243 Contemn To treat or think of His contemn for his L contemnere, “to
with contempt; family's roots was despise, scorn,”
scorn. ultimately not very equiv. to con-
healthy. intensive prefix- +
temnere “to slight”
(see contempt)

1244 Cumbersome Hard to handle or Tina hadn't realized from [Link]. encombrer,
deal with as how cumbersome it from combre
because of size or would be to carry her “obstruction, barrier,“
weight; laptop to the beach. from L. comboros,
burdensome; “that which is carried
clumsy. together”. Sense of
“unwieldy, hard to
carry”, is from the
Middle Ages.

1245 Denizen An inhabitant or The bar's denizens from L. deintus, from

occupant. were a criminal lot. de- "from" + intus
“within."

1246 Diffident FuII of diffidence; Helga's husband was from L. diffident,

lacking self- a diffident and mousy “failing in trust”, from
confidence; timid; man. dis, “not”, + fidere, “to
shy. trust” (see faith)

1247 Distraught Extremely troubled; Distraught by the from L. distractus, pp.

mentally confused; plunge in the stock of distrahere "draw in
distracted; market, many people different directions,“
harassed. started selling their from dis- "away" +
stocks. trahere "to draw" (see
tract)

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1248 Effete No Ionger capable The stereotype of the from L. effetus

of producing; spent effete intellectual is a "unproductive, worn
and sterile. common one in out (with bearing
politics. offspring)" lit. "that
has given birth," from
ex- "out" + fetus
"childbearing,
offspring" (see fetus)

1249 Enervate To deprive of Billy felt completely from L. enervat,

strength, force, enervated by the long “weakened”, from ex,
vigor, etc.; weaken debate. “out of”, + nervus,
physically, mentally, “nerves, sinew” (see
or morally nerve)

1250 Erasure The act of erasing. Her erasure from the from L. erasus, pp. of
history books is eradere "scrape out,“
completely unfair. from ex- “out" +
radere "to scrape"
(see raze, razor)

1251 Exorbitant Going beyond what The company could from L. exorbitantem,
is reasonable, just, charge exorbitant prp. of exorbitare
proper, usual, etc.; prices because they "deviate, go out of the
excessive; held a monopoly. track," from ex- "out
extravagant: said of" + orbita "wheel
esp. of charges, track."
prices, etc.

1252 Fawn To try to gain favor The associates fawned from O.E. fagnian
by acting servilely; over the partners in "rejoice," from fægen
to cringe and flatter. the firm. "glad" (see fain)

1253 Flamboyant Flamelike or brilliant His flamboyant from Fr. flamboyant

in form or color. mannerisms made him "flaming, wavy," prp.
popular in his school. of flamboyer "to
flame,“ from [Link].
flamboier, from flambe
"flame." (see flame)

1254 Fortify To make strong or Drinking milk with from L. fortificare,

stronger; strengthen calcium helps fortify from L. fortis "strong"
physically, the bones. (see fort) + facere "to
emotionally. make" (see fact)

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1255 Gist The essence or Finn had totally missed from Anglo-Fr.
main point, as of an the gist of what I was legalese phrases,
article or argument. saying. especially cest action
gist "this action lies,"
meaning "this case is
sustainable by law,"

1256 Hapless Unfortunate; The hapless tourist got from O.N. happ
unlucky; Iuckless. food poisoning at the "chance, good luck," +
beginning of the trip. less, (see happ)

1257 Hypocrisy Pretending to be The governor's from L. hypocrisis,

what one is not, or hypocrisy was from Gk. hypokrisis
to feel what one exposed when his "acting on the stage,
does not feel; esp., affair became public pretense," from
a pretense of virtue, knowledge. hypokrinesthai "play a
piety, etc. part, pretend"

1258 Imperturbable That which cannot Her imperturbable from L. imperturbabilis

be disconcerted, manner instilled "that which cannot be
disturbed, or confidence in her disturbed", from in-
excited; impassive. teammates. "not" + perturbabilis,
from L. perturbare "to
confuse, disturb" (see
disturb, turbid)

1259 Indomitable Not easily Nature had given him from L. indomitabilis
discouraged, an indomitable spirit. "untameable," from in-
defeated, or "not" + L. domitare,
subdued. "to tame", from L.
domus, “house” (see
domesticate)

1260 Insurrection Rising up against The inserruction from L.

established turned into a full blown insurrectionem, "a
authority; rebellion; revolution, and rising up," from
revolt. eventually into a insurrectus, pp. of
change of government. insurgere "to rise up"
(see surge,
insurgent)

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1261 Jabber To speak or say The child jabbered from O.E. jablen,
quickly, incoherently, away to itself. javeren, jaberen,
or nonsensically; probably imitative.
chatter; gibber.

1262 Lucrative Producing wealth or His investment in the from L. lucrativus

profit; profitable; gold mine turned out to "gainful, profitable,"
remunerative. be very lucrative. from lucratus, pp. of
lucrari "to gain," from
lucrum "gain, profit."
(see lucre)

1263 Mesmerize To hypnotize; esp., The crowd was from Fr. mesmérisme,
to spellbind. mesmerized by the named for Franz
magician's tricks. Anton Mesmer (1734-
1815), Austrian
physician who
developed a theory of
animal magnetism
and a mysterious
body fluid which
allows one person to
hypnotize another.

1264 Nexus A connection, tie, or The nexus between from L. nexus, pp. of
link between big corporations and nectere "to bind," (see
individuals of a powerful politicians is connection)
group or members not often talked about
of a series. in the media.

1265 Omnipotent Having unlimited In ancient Egypt, the from L.

power or authority; pharaoh was omnipotentem, “all-
all-powerful considered powerful, almighty,“
omnipotent. from omnis "all" (see
omni-) + potens
“powerful” (see
potential)

1266 Paucity Fewness; small There was a paucity of from L. paucitatem,

number. food after the war. "fewness, scarcity,"
from paucus "few,
little," (see pauper)

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1267 Petrous Of or like rock; hard; His petrous demeanor from L. petrōsus,
stony. made it difficult to “rocky,” from petra,
figure out his true “rock”. (see petrify)
feelings.

1268 Poise To balance; keep The textbooks were from [Link]. peis,
steady. poised on top of her “weight”, from the
head. verb peser, “to weigh”,
from L. pensum,
“weight” (see
pensive, ponder)

1269 Procrastination To defer action; Because of his from L.

delay. procrastination, the procrastinationem "a
homework took him putting off," noun of
much longer than it action from
should have. procrastinare "put off
till tomorrow," from
pro- "forward" +
crastinus “belonging
to tomorrow," from
cras “tomorrow,"

1270 Pungency Acutely distressing The cheese was from L. pungentem,

to the feelings or considered a delicacy prp. of pungere "to
mind; poignant. because of its prick, pierce, sting,"
pungency. related to pugnus
"fist" (see
pugnacious)

1271 Recant To withdraw or Under the threat of from L. recantare

renounce (beliefs or torture and death, he "recall, revoke,“ from
statements formerly recanted his views on re- "back" + cantare
held), esp. in a astronomy. "to chant" (see chant)
formal or public
manner.

1272 Renovate To make fresh or They spent the entire from L. renovationem,
sound again, as summer renovating from renovatus, pp. of
though new; clean their house. renovare "renew,
up. restore," from re-
"again" + novare
"make new," from
novus "new" (see
innovate)

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1273 Sagacious Having or showing His sagacious advice from L. sagax, “wise”
keen perception or helped them with their (see sage)
discernment and difficult decision.
sound judgment.

1274 Servile Like or He showed them to from L. servilis "of a

characteristic of a their table with a slave, servile," from
slave; humbly servile smile. servus "slave" (see
yielding. servant)

1275 Soot To cover, soil, or Millie's dress was from [Link]. sotam
treat with soot. ruined when the soot "soot“
fell on it.

1276 Streak A strain, element, or He had a real mean from O.E. strica, of
tendency in streak when he got Germanic origin.
behavior, drunk.
temperament, etc.

1277 Surreptitious Done, gotten, made, The talks between the from L. surrepticius
etc. in a secret, two countries were "stolen, furtive,
stealthy way; carried on in a clandestine," from sub
clandestine. surreptitious manner. "from under" (hence,
“secretly") + rapere
"to snatch" (see
rapid)

1278 Tonic Mentally or morally The walk through the from Gk. tonikos "of
invigorating; woods had quite a stretching," from
stimulating. tonic effect on him. tonos "a stretching"
(see thin)

1279 Underbid To bid lower than In an attempt to get from under- + bid,
(another person); the contract, Jill's from ME bidden, from
bargain, negotiate. company underbid OE biddan, “to beg,
everyone else. ask”.

1280 Vicissitude Unpredictable The vicissitudes of life from L. vicissitudo,

changes or are what make it both from vicissim, “by
variations that keep exciting and turns”, from vic, “turn,
occurring in life, unpleasant. change”. (see
fortune, etc.; shifting vicarious)
circumstances; ups
and downs.

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1281 Wend To proceed or go on He wended his way from O.E. windan "to
(one's way). through the desert. turn, twist" (see
winding), from base
wand-, wend- "turn."

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1282 Abrade To scrape or rub off; The words on the from L. abradere "to
wear away by plaque were abraded scrape off" (see
scraping or rubbing. by the passage of abrasion), from L.
time. abrasus, pp. of
abradere, from ab-
"off" + radere "to
scrape" (see erase)

1283 Aloof At a distance but in Jeff was an aloof guy from M.E. loof
view; apart. who didn't have many "weather gage," also
friends. "windward direction,"
probably from Du. loef

1284 Ardent Warm or intense in His ardent declaration from L. ardentem,

feeling; passionate, of love fell on deaf prp. of ardere "to
ardent love. ears. burn,“ (see arson)

1285 Auxiliary Giving help or aid; The hospital had an from L. auxiliaris
assisting or auxiliary power source "helpful," from
supporting. in case the power went auxilium "aid, help,“
out in the city. related to auctus, pp.
of augere "to
increase" (see
augment)

1286 Belie To give a false idea The comedian's from O.E. beleogan
of; disguise or cynical jokes belied his "to deceive," from be-
misrepresent. essentially optimistic + lie "to lie, tell lies."
nature.

1287 Bogus Not genuine; I'm sorry, but your Americanism; orig. an
spurious. claim is totally bogus. apparatus for coining
false money; perh.
akin to bogey

1288 Candid Free from prejudice Their candid talk from L. candidum
or bias; fair; just; greatly helped resolve "white, pure, sincere,"
impartial. the argument. from candere "to
shine," (see candle)

1289 Coalesce To grow together, as The various small from L.L. coalitus
the halves of a movements coalesced "fellowship," originally
broken bone. into a formidable pp. of L. coalescere
opposition to the “come together” (see
regime. coalition)

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1290 Conciliatory Intended or likely to His concilliatory offer from L. conciliat,

placate or pacify. was accepted, and so “combined, gained”,
the disagreement from the verb
ended. conciliare, from
concilium (see
council)

1291 Cordial Sincere; deeply felt. Their cordial from L. cor "heart"
relationship had begun (see heart, courage)
way back in college.

1292 Debacle An overwhelming Many generals from [Link]. desbacler

defeat or rout. resigned after the "to unbar," from des-
military debacle. "off" + bacler "to bar"

1293 Derivative Using or taken from His derivative from L. derivare "to
other sources; not conclusions have been lead or draw off (a
original. disproved many years stream of water) from
ago anyway. its source," from
phrase de rivo (de
"from" + rivus
"stream").

1294 Discredit To reject as untrue; The presidential from dis- "opposite of"
disbelieve. candidate tried to + credit, “public
discredit his opponent acknowledgment or
by claiming that the praise”
opponent was “soft on
crime”.

1295 Dormant As if asleep; quiet; The virus lay dormant from L. dormire "to
still. for several months sleep," (see
before Hannah felt any dormitory)
symptoms.

1296 Elicit To draw forth; The comedian's joke from L. elicitus, pp. of
evoke. elicited a burst of elicere “draw forth,"
laughter from the from ex- "out" +
audience. -licere, "to entice."
(see illicit)

1297 Ensconce To place or settle The rabbit ensconced “to cover with a fort,”
comfortably, snugly, himself in his burrow. from en- "make, put
or securely. in" + sconce, "small
fortification, shelter,"

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1298 Euphoria A feeling of vigor, Her euphoria lasted from Gk. euphoria
well-being, or high throughout the day. "power of bearing
spirits. easily, fertility," from
euphoros, lit. "bearing
well," from eu- "well"
(see joy) + pherein
"to carry" (see
transfer)

1299 Extensive Having great extent; The professor had from L. extendere
covering a large extensive knowledge "stretch out," from ex-
area; vast. of ancient customs "out" + tendere "to
and traditions. stretch" (see thin)

1300 Fertile Producing Some of the most from L. fertilis

abundantly; rich in fertile land in the valley "bearing in
resources or was currently up for abundance, fruitful,
invention. grabs. productive," from ferre
"to bear" (see
transfer)

1301 Flippant Frivolous and Clark's flippant extended form of flip

disrespectful; saucy; response showed that (adj.) "glib"
impertinent. he didn't really care.

1302 Fret To irritate; vex; Nancy fretted whether from O.E. fretan "eat,
annoy; worry. her train would arrive devour" (in O.E., used
on time. of monsters and
Vikings; in M.E., used
of animals' eating)

1303 Grave Requiring serious Ricardo found himself from [Link]. graban
thought; important; in a very grave (see grief)
weighty, grave situation after his taxes
doubts. were audited.

1304 Heresy Any opinion (in Hundreds of years from Gk. hairesis,
philosophy, politics, ago, people were "choice”, from
etc.) opposed to burned at the stake for haireisthai, “choose”
official or heresy.
established views or
doctrines.

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1305 Illicit Not allowed by law, His illicit trade in from L. illicitus "not
custom, rule, etc.; diamonds was allowed, unlawful,
unlawful. dangerous, but illegal," from in- "not"
profitable. + licitus "lawful," pp.
of licere "to be
allowed."

1306 Imply To indicate indirectly I didn't mean to imply from L. implicare

or by allusion; hint; that you are "involve" (see
suggest; intimate. incompetent. implicate)

1307 Infuriate To cause to become The captain was from L. in furia "in a
very angry; enrage. infuriated that the fury,“ from furia,
sailors were so lazy. “rage” (see fury)

1308 Introspection Looking into one's As a result of much from L.

own mind, feelings, introspection, Jasmine introspectionem, from
etc.; observation realized she didn't intro- "inward" +
and analysis of really want to join the specere "to look at"
oneself. circus. (see scope,
spectacles)

1309 Lament To feel deep sorrow Rob lamented his from L. lamenta
or express it as by decision to quit “wailing, moaning,
weeping or wailing; smoking. weeping,"
mourn; grieve.

1310 Malevolence Malice; spitefulnees; There was a hint of from L. malevolentia,

ill will. malevolence in his from male, "badly" +
look. volentem, prp. of velle
"to wish" (see will)

1311 Misogyny Hatred, dislike, or Misogyny will not be from Gk. misogynia,
mistrust of women. tolerated on this from miso-, "hatred"
campus! (from misein "to hate")
+ gyne "woman" (see
queen)

1312 Numb Weakened in or The anesthetic caused from pp. of nimen "to
deprived of the Frieda's entire right take, seize," from
power of feeling or arm to go numb. O.E. niman "to take"
moving; benumbed; (see nimble)
deadened;
insensible.

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1313 Overt Not hidden; open; His statement was an from [Link]., past
observable; overt insult to anyone participle of ovrir, “to
apparent; manifest. from the East Coast. open”, from L. aperire
"to open, uncover"

1314 Perfidious Characterized by The perfidious friend from L. perfidus

perfidy; treacherous. betrayed those closest “faithless,“ from
to him for the sake of a phrase per fidem
promotion. decipere "to deceive
through trustingness,"
from per "through" +
fidem, "faith“ (see
faith)

1315 Pitfall An unsuspected She avoided the from pit + fall (v.).
difficulty, danger, or pitfalls more through Extended sense of
error that one may luck than through “any hidden danger"
fall into. anything else.

1316 Precept A commandment or The basic moral from L. præceptum

direction meant as a precept is to do unto "maxim, rule, order,"
rule of action or others as you would prop. neuter pp. of
conduct. have them do unto præcipere "give rules
you. to, order, advise," lit.
"take beforehand,"
from præ- "before" +
capere "to take" (see
capture)

1317 Propensity A natural inclination Sheila had a from L. propendere

or tendency; bent. propensity to question "incline to, hang
authority. forward, weigh over,"
from pro- "forward" +
pendere "hang“ (see
pendant)

1318 Quibble An evasion of the Let's not quibble over from L. quibus "by
main point as by the details. what (things)?,"
emphasizing some
petty detail; cavil.

1319 Recreancy CowardIy or craven. John's recreant from OF, prp. of

betrayal of the recreire “to yield in a
resistance made him contest,” from re-
very unpopular in his opposite + credere
town. “entrust”

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1320 Resigned Feeling or showing Resigned to his fate, from L. resignare "to
resignation; the man trudged to check off, cancel, give
submissive; yielding and from work each up," from re-
and uncomplaining. day. "opposite" + signare
"to make an entry in
an account book," lit.
"to mark" (see sign)

1321 Sate To satisfy to the full; His hunger sated, from M.E. saden
gratify completely. Kevin put the plates “become satiated,"
away and turned on from O.E. sadian "to
the TV. satiate,"

1322 Shun To keep away from; Everyone in school of uncertain origin; not
avoid scrupulously tended to shun the found in any other
or consistently. new kid because he language.
was so weird.

1323 Spurious Not true or genuine; Few believed Iliya's from L. spurius
false; counterfeit. spurious claim that he "illegitimate, false",
had invented the from spurius,
internet. "illegitimate child,"
probably from
Etruscan spural
"public."

1324 Subpoena To summon with Debbie missed work from L. sub "under" +
such an order. yesterday because poena, "penalty" (see
she was under penalty)
subpoena.

1325 Tarry To delay, linger, be You can go visit them, from L. tardare "to
tardy, etc. but try not to tarry delay," or O.E. tergan
because the last bus is "to vex, irritate."
at 2. Intrans. meaning "to
linger" (see tardy)

1326 Transitory Of a passing nature; He realized that his from [Link]. transitoire,
not enduring or feelings for her had from L. transitorius
permanent; been only transitory. "passing, transient,"
temporary, fleeting, from transitus
or ephemeral; "allowing passage
transient. through," pp. of
transire "go or cross
over" (see transient)

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1327 Vacillation A state of indecision Lily was not a decisive from L. vacillationem
or irresolution. person, everything she "a reeling, wavering,"
did was marked by a from pp. stem of
great deal of vacillare "sway to and
vacillation. fro."

1328 Vivacious Full of Iife and Mina was a vivacious from L. vivacitatem,
animation; Iively. woman who always "vital force, liveliness,"
seemed to be full of from vivax "lively,"
energy. also "long-lived," from
vivere "to live" (see
vital)

1329 Yeoman A freeholder of a Thomas Jefferson c.1300, "attendant in

class below the envisioned America as a noble household," of
gentry, who worked a nation of yeoman unknown origin,
his own land. farmers. perhaps a contraction
of O.E. iunge man
"young man"

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1330 Acclaim To greet with loud Their newest album from L. acclamare,
applause or earned a lot of critical from ad, “to” +
approval. acclaim. clamare, “to shout”
(see clamor)

1331 Animosity A feeling of strong Nick no longer felt any from L. animositatem,
dislike or hatred; ill animosity towards his from animosus "bold,
will; hostility. brother. spirited." Sense of
"hostile feeling" is first
recorded 1605, from a
secondary sense in L.
(see animus, animal)

1332 Ascetic Characterized by The monks lived a from Gk. asketikos

the practice of simple, ascetic "rigorously self-
severe self- lifestyle. disciplined," from
discipline and asketes "monk,
abstaining from all hermit," from askein
forms of indulgence. "to exercise, train"

1333 Axiom A statement One of the axioms of from Gk. axioma

universally accepted physics is that matter "authority," lit. "that
as true; maxim. can neither be created which is thought
nor destroyed. worthy or fit," from
axioun "to think
worthy,"

1334 Bequest The act of The museum received from be- + O.E. cwis,
bequeathing. the famous painting by cwiss "saying"
bequest.

1335 Breach To make a breach No army had been from O.E. bræc "a
in; break open or able to breach the breaking," from
through. city's defenses. brecan (see break)

1336 Caustic Cutting or sarcastic Anna's caustic from Gk. kaustikos

in utterance; biting. remarks were sharp, "capable of burning,"
but quite funny. from kaustos
combustible," from
kaiein, the Gk. word
for "to burn" (see
cauterize)

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1337 Coherent Sticking together; The defense's from L. cohærentem,

having cohesion. arguments were prp. of cohærere from
coherent and com- "together" +
convincing. hærere "to stick" (see
hesitation)

1338 Consent To agree (to do Owen had given his from L. consentire
something). consent for his music "feel together," from
to appear in the movie. com- "with" + sentire
"to feel." "Feeling
together," hence,
"agreeing, giving
permission" (see
sentiment)

1339 Covetous Greedy; avaricious. Their covetous from L. cupiditas

neighbor always "passionate desire,"
wanted what they had. from cupidus "very
desirous," from
cupere "long for,
desire." (see
cupidity)

1340 Deflect To turn or make go The politician was from L. deflectere "to
to one side; bend; skilled at deflecting bend aside or
swerve. questions from the downward," from de-
press. "away" + flectere "to
bend." (see reflect)

1341 Detraction A taking away so as The car's price is not a from L. detractionem,
to make something major detraction. from detrahere "take
seem less down, pull down,
impressive. disparage," from de-
"down" + trahere "to
pull" (see extract)

1342 Dispassionate Free from passion, A dispassionate review from dis- "the
emotion, or bias; of the facts will show opposite of" +
calm; impartial. that I am correct. passionate

1343 Duress Imprisonment. Bob was forced to sell from L. duritia

his house under "hardness," from
duress. durus "hard" (see
endure)

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1344 Encapsulate To enclose in or as if That article perfectly from en- "make, put
in a capsule. encapsulates my in" + capsulate (see
thoughts on the matter. capsule), from L.
capsula dim. of capsa
"box, case, chest."

1345 Epoch A point in time or a It was the epoch of from Gk. epokhe
precise date. exploration and "stoppage, fixed point
conquest. of time," from
epekhein "to pause,
take up a position,"
from epi- "on" +
ekhein "to hold."

1346 Exculpate To free from blame; The new DNA from L. ex culpa, from
declare or prove evidence exculpated ex "from" + culpa
guiltless. the man that had been "blame."
convicted of murder.

1347 Exuberance Filled with or Jane's exuberance from L. exuberantem

characterized by a irritated her hungover "overabundance," prp.
lively energy and husband. of exuberare "be
excitement. abundant, grow
luxuriously," from ex-
"thoroughly" +
uberare "be fruitful"

1348 Filial Of, suitable to, or Mark instilled in his from L. filius "son,"
due from a son or children a sense of filia "daughter," (see
daughter. fillial obedience. affiliation)

1349 Forbear To refrain or abstain Mike couldn't forbear from fore "before" +
from. from eating another be-er "one who
piece of candy. exists."

1350 Gambol To jump and skip They gamboled in the from L. gamba
about in play; frolic, sun. "horse's hock or leg,"
caper, romp. from Gk. kampe
"bend."

1351 Guileless Without guile; He was an essentially from [Link]. guile, from
candid; frank. honest, guileless Frank. wigila "trick,
person. ruse" (see wile)

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1352 Holster A pistol case, She could whip the from O.E. heolster,
usually of Ieather gun out of the holster earlier helustr
and attached to a faster than you could "concealment, hiding
belt, saddle, or blink. place"
shoulder strap.

1353 Impeccable Not liable to sin, Thia's taste in furniture from L. impeccabilis
incapable of was impeccable. "not liable to sin,"
wrongdoing. from in- "not" +
pecare "to sin," of
unknown origin.

1354 Incursion A running in or The UN denounced from L. incurrere,

coming in, esp. the rebel army's from in, “toward”, +
when undesired; incursion into the currere, “run” (see
inroad. peacekeeping zone. incur)

1355 Innocuous That which does not Her not so innocuous from L. innocuus
injure or harm; question sparked off a "harmless," from in-
harmless. debate. "not" + nocuus
"hurtful," from nocere
"to injure, harm," (see
innocent)

1356 Irate Angry; wrathful; The irate fans booed from L. iratus "angry,
incensed. the team. enraged, violent,
furious," pp. of irasci
"grow angry," from ira
"anger" (see ire)

1357 Libertine A person, esp. a Lord Byron is an from L. libertinus

man, who leads an example of a famous "member of a class of
unrestrained, libertine poet. freedmen," from
sexually immoral libertus "one's
life. freedmen," from liber
"free" (see liberate)

1358 Maverick A person who takes The presidential in allusion to Samuel

an independent candidate claimed he A. Maverick (1803-
stand, as in politics, was a maverick. 70), Texas cattle
from that of a party owner who was
or group. negligent in branding
his calves. Sense of
"individualist,
unconventional
person"

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1359 Mundane Commonplace, Leo liked his job, even from L. mundanus
everyday, ordinary, the boring and "belonging to the
etc. mundane details. world" (as distinct
from the Church),
from mundus
"universe, world," lit.
"clean, elegant" (see
mound)

1360 Obtain To get possession An original recording from L. obtinere "hold,

of, esp. by some of the band's first take hold of, acquire,"
effort; procure. album was difficult to from ob "to" (though
obtain. perhaps intensive in
this case) + tenere "to
hold" (see tenet).

1361 Panacea A supposed remedy Ian's grandmother from L. panacea, an

or medicine for all believed that green tea all-healing
diseases or ills; was a panacea. herb(variously
cure-all. identified), from Gk.
panakeia "cure-all,"
from panakes "all-
healing," from pan-
"all" + akos "cure"

1362 Perpetrate To do or perform No one believed that from L. perpetratus,

(something evil, the young child could pp. of perpetrare "to
criminal, or perpetrate such a perform, to
offensive); be guilty crime. accomplish," from
of. per- "completely" +
patrare "carry out,"
originally "bring into
existence," from pater
"father"

1363 Plethora The state of being There were a plethora from L. plethora, from
too full; of details to be taken Gk. plethore
overabundance; care of before they "fullness," from
excess. could buy the house. plethein "be full"

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1364 Presage To give a presage, The rise in from L. præsagium "a

or warning, of; unemployment foreboding," from
portend. presaged the coming præsagire "to
depression. perceive beforehand,
forebode," from præ-
"before" + sagus
"prophetic," related to
sagire "perceive" (see
sagacious, sage)

1365 Provoke To excite to some The movie provoked from L. provocare

action or feeling. negative reactions "call forth, challenge,"
from religious groups from pro- "forth" +
all over the country. vocare "to call" (see
voice)

1366 Ramify To divide or spread Kevin realized that the from L. ramus
out into branches or problem would only "branch" (related to
branchlike divisions. ramify if he didn't deal radix "root;" see
with it soon. radish) + root of
facere "to make" (see
fact)

1367 Rehabilitate To restore the good The aim of the prison from L.
name or reputation was not just to punish, rehabilitationem
of; reinstate in good but also to rehabilitate "restoration," from re-
repute. the criminals. "again" + habitare
"make fit," from L.
habilis "easily
managed, fit."

1368 Revere To regard with deep She greatly revered from L. reverentia
respect, love, and her parents. "awe, respect," from
awe; venerate. re-, intensive prefix, +
vereri "stand in awe
of, fear" (see wary)

1369 Scurvy Scurfy I can't stand him or his of Du. scheurbuik, Fr.
scurvy friend. scorbut "scurvy," the
disease characterized
by swollen and
bleeding gums,
prostration, etc

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1370 Sluggard A habitually lazy or Quit being a sluggard from M.E. sluggi
idle person. and get a job! "sluggish, indolent"

1371 Stigmatize to characterize or In colonial New from Gk. stigma

mark as disgraceful England, women were "mark, puncture,"
sometimes stigmatized (see stick)
as witches for no good
reason.

1372 Superfluous Being more than is Her suitcase was from L. superfluus
needed, useful, or heavy because she "unnecessary," lit.
wanted; surplus; had packed a lot of "overflowing," from
excessive. superfluous things in it. super, "over" (see
super-) + fluere "to
flow" (see fluent)

1373 Temperate Moderate in Wendy was a from L. temperatus

indulging the temperate drinker, she "restrained,
appetites; not self- never had more than a regulated," from pp. of
indulgent; glass of wine at dinner. temperare "to
abstemious. moderate, regulate"
(see temper)

1374 Turbulence Commotion or wild Nick's brother hated from [Link]. turbulent,
disorder. flying because the from L. turbulentus
turbulence terrified "full of commotion,
him. restless," from turba
"turmoil, crowd" (see
turbid)

1375 Venal That which can The venal official got from Fr. vénal, from L.
readily be bribed or rich quickly but venalis "that is for
corrupted. eventually wound up in sale," from venum "for
jail. sale" (see vendor)

1376 Warmonger A person or agency Hitler and other 1590, from war (n.) +
that advocates war warmonger Nazis monger. “dealer,
or tries to bring eventually led to the trader”, O.E. First
about a war. destruction of attested in Spenser's
Germany. "Faerie Queene"

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1377 Adorn To be an ornament Posters of his favorite from L. adornare

to; add beauty, band adorned his "equip, embellish,"
splendor, or dorm room. from ad- "to" + ornare
distinction. "prepare, furnish,
adorn, fit out," (see
ornament)

1378 Appease To pacify or quiet, Water is the best way [Link]. apeser "to
esp. by giving in to to appease thirst, pacify, appease," from
the demands of better than soda. the phrase a paisier
"bring to peace," from
a- "to" + pais, from L.
pacem "peace." (see
peace)

1379 Astringent That which The astringent critic from L. astringentum,

contracts body caused Mike to think prp. of astringere "to
tissue and checks twice next time. bind fast," from ad-
secretions, capillary "to" + stringere "draw
bleeding, etc. tight" (see constrain)

1380 Baneful Causing distress, Frank wished that he from OE bana,

death, or ruin; had never gone on “slayer”
deadly. that baneful trip.

1381 Blanch To make white; take Lily blanched at the from [Link]. blanchir "to
color out of. thought that she would whiten," from blanc
go to the prom alone. "white" (see blank)

1382 Burgeon To grow or develop American suburbs from [Link]. burjoner

rapidly; expand; burgeoned after World "to bud, sprout," from
proliferate; flourish. War Two. burjon "a bud," of
uncertain origin

1383 Chauvinist Zealous and His chauvinist attitudes from Fr. chauvinisme,
aggressive made it difficult to talk (named after N.
patriotism or blind to him. Chauvin, a soldier in
enthusiasm for Napoleon's army
military glory. noted for loud-
mouthed patriotism)

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1384 Compendium A summary or This notebook is a from L. compendere

abstract containing compendium of my "to weigh together,"
the essential knowledge on the from com- "together"
information in a brief subject. + pendere "to weigh"
form; concise but (see ponder)
comprehensive
treatise.

1385 Contentious Always ready to The contentious from L. contentionem,

argue; quarrelsome. athlete dispute the from stem of
referee's every call. contendere (see
contend)

1386 Curmudgeon A surly, ill- He wasn't really a from ME curre, appar.

mannered, bad- curmudgeon, just a shortened from
tempered person; lonely old man. curdogge. (see cur,
cantankerous fellow. “dog”)

1387 Denouement Any final revelation The play's from Fr. dénouement
or outcome. denouement was a "an untying" (of plot),
surprise to everyone. from dénouer "untie,"
from [Link]. desnouer,
from des- "un-, out" +
nouer "to tie, knot"

1388 Dilate To make wider or A cat's pupils dilate from L. dilatare "make
larger; cause to greatly in the dark, this wider, enlarge," from
expand or swell; is why they have good dis- "apart" + latus
stretch. night vision. "wide" (see latitude)

1389 Distress To cause sorrow, The rejection letter did from L. districtus, pp.
misery, or suffering not distress the young of distringere "draw
to; pain. man greatly. apart, hinder," from
dis- "apart" +
stringere "draw tight,
press together"

1390 Efficacy Power to produce Her efficacy was from L. efficacia, from
effects or intended greatly prized in her efficax, "effective,"
results; office. from efficere "work
effectiveness. out, accomplish" (see
effect)

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1391 Engaging Attractive; pleasant; The engaging young from [Link]. en gage
winning; charming. man had no trouble "under pledge," from
making friends. en "make" + gage
"pledge"

1392 Erode To eat into; wear Don't let inflation erode from L. erosionem,
away; disintegrate. your savings. from erodere "gnaw
away," from ex-
"away" + rodere
"gnaw" (see rodent)

1393 Expatiate To speak or write in The professor liked to from L. exspatiari, “to
great detail; expatiate on physics, move beyond one's
elaborate or enlarge which was his topic of usual bounds”, from
(on or upon) expertise. ex - “out, from” +
spatiari, “to walk”,
from spatium, “space”

1394 Febrile Of or characterized Uri's febrile illness from L. febris "a fever"
by fever; feverish. eventually went away (see fever)
after a diet of chicken
soup and tea.

1395 Flammable Easily set on fire; Dina told her husband from L. flammare "to
that which burns not to buy any set on fire" (see
readily or quickly. flammable toys. flame)

1396 Fortitude The strength to bear Clare's fortitude helped from L. fortitudo
misfortune, pain, her get through the "strength," from fortis
etc. calmly and Great Depression. "strong, brave" (see
patiently; firm fort)
courage.

1397 Glean To collect (grain). See if you can glean from L. glennare
any information about "make a collection”
the new boss that's
coming in.

1398 Harangue A long, blustering, Their landlord from [Link]. harangue,

noisy, or scolding constantly harangued from It. aringo "public
speech; tirade. them about their wild square, platform"
parties.

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1399 Iconoclast One who attacks Iconoclasts tend to be from Gk.

and seeks to punished during their eikonoklastes, from
destroy widely lives, but celebrated eikon "image" +
accepted ideas, afterwards. klastes "breaker,"
beliefs, etc. from klas- stem of
klan "to break."

1400 Impervious Incapable of being His mind was from L. impervius

passed through or completely closed and "that which cannot be
penetrated. impervious to any new passed through," from
ideas. in- "not" + pervius
"letting things
through," from per
"through" + via "road."
(see pervade)

1401 Indulge To gratify the wishes The friends indulged in from L. indulgentia
of; be very Ienient some video games "complaisance,
with; humor. after school. fondness, remission,"
from indulgere, “be
kind, yield”

1402 Interdict To prohibit (an The school will never from L. interdicere
action) or prohibit interdict the students "interpose by speech,
the use of (a thing). from bringing their own prohibit," from inter-
lunch. "between" + dicere "to
speak, to say" (see
diction)

1403 Jeopardize To put in jeopardy; Your reckless from L. jocus "jest" +

risk loss, damage. behaviour has parti, pp. of partir "to
jeopardized the divide" (see part)
mission!

1404 Luculent Clear to the The tutor's luculent from L lūculentus,

understanding; explanations helped “bright”, from lūc-,
lucid. the child greatly. “light“ (see lucid)

1405 Meticulous Extremely or Their meticulous from L. meticulosus

excessively careful search yielded some "fearful, timid," lit. "full
about details; new clues. of fear," from metus
scrupulous or "fear," of unknown
finicky. origin. Sense of
"fussy about details".

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1406 Nibble To take small, Owen wasn't hungry, from Low Ger. nibbeln
cautious, or gentle so he only nibbled at "to nibble, gnaw,"
bites. his food. related to M.L.G.
nibbelen

1407 Onerous Burdensome; Jeremy was given the from L. onerosus,

laborious. onerous task of telling from onus, "burden."
his son there is no (see onus,
Santa Claus. exonerate)

1408 Peccadillo A minor or petty sin; It was a slight from L. peccatum "a
slight fault. peccadillo that could sin, fault, error," from
be forgiven. neut. pp. of peccare
"to make a mistake,
sin," of unknown
origin.

1409 Petulant Impatient or irritable, The petulant child was from L. petulantem,
esp. ever petty a difficult one to deal "wanton, froward,
things; peevish. with. insolent," from the
root of petere "rush
at, seek" (see
petition)

1410 Polemical A controversial His polemical essays from Gk polemikós of

argument, as one were published only or for war, equiv. to
against some after his death. pólemos, “war”
opinion, doctrine,
etc.

1411 Prodigal Exceedingly or The prodigal amount from L. prodigus

recklessly wasteful. of food amazed all the "wasteful," from
guests. prodigere "drive away,
waste," from pro-
"forth" + agere "to
drive" (see act)

1412 Purvey To furnish or supply They made sure to from L. providere (see
(esp. food or purvey the ship with all provide), noun
provisions). the essentials before purveyor is from [Link].
they sailed out. porveour

1413 Recast To cast again or Because he got a from O.N. kasta "to
anew. bigger budget, the throw." (see cast (v.))
director decided to + re- from L. re-
recast the play. "again, back."

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ESSENTIAL GRE VOCABULARY

1414 Renowned Known or talked She was a renowned [Link]. renon, from
about by many scholar whose work renomer "make
people. had saved many lives. famous," from re-
"repeatedly" + nomer
"to name,"

1415 Salacious Lecherous; Iustful. Tell me everything, from L. salax, "lustful,"

and don't leave out probably originally
any salacious details. "fond of leaping," as
in a male animal
leaping on a female in
sexual advances,
from salire "to leap"
(see assault)

1416 Sever To separate (a part) They decided it would from Anglo-Fr.

from the whole, as be least complicated if severer, from [Link].
by cutting or the they severed their ties sevrer "to separate,"
like. completely. from L. seperare,
from L. separare
"separate"

1417 Sophisticated Highly complex, The room seemed full from L. sophisticus "of
refined, or of sophisticated people sophists," from Gk.
developed; who had refined and sophistikos "of or
characterized by expensive tastes. pertaining to a
advanced form, sophist," from
technique, etc. sophistes "a wise
man, master, teacher"
(see sophist)

1418 Striated Furrowed; striped; The striated riverbed from L striatus,

streaked. was bone dry. grooved, furrowed,
pp. of striare, to
groove, channel

1419 Susceptibility A susceptible A poor diet increases from L. suscipere,

temperament or susceptibility to “take up, sustain”,
disposition; capacity obesity. from sub, “from
for receiving below”, + capere,
impressions. “take” (see capture)

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[Link]

ESSENTIAL GRE VOCABULARY

1420 Topple To fall (over) The government "to tumble or roll

because or as if top- toppled after the about" (1542), from a
heavy, overbalance; massive inflation, and verb derived from top
totter. new elections had to
be called.

1421 Undermine To injure, weaken, He tried to undermine from under + mine (v.)
or impair, esp. by his ex-girlfirend's date. “lay explosives on or
subtle, stealthy, or just below the
insidious means. surface”

1422 Vigilance The quality or state The price of liberty is from L. vigilare, “to
of being vigilant; eternal vigilance. keep awake” (see
watchfulness, vigil)
alertness, acuity.

1423 Wheedle To influence or The homeless man to influence by

persuade (a person) tried to wheedle some flattery, perhaps
by flattery, soothing money out of Dom. connected with O.E.
words, coaxing, etc. wædlian "to beg"
(from wædl "poverty"),
or borrowed by Eng.
soldiers in the 17c.
German wars from
Ger. wedeln "wag the
tail," hence "fawn,
flatter"

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