GRE Word List 14

Abrasion	1. damage to skin caused by scraping; 2. process of scraping or rubbing [abrade (v)]
Adumbrate	outline; indicate
Cognitive	concerned with thinking or perceiving [cognition (n)]
Deign	condescend
Fervid	passionate
Gall	1. bitterness (bad feeling); 2. confidence; 3. abnormal growth on a plant
Levee	1. raised bank of a river; 2. morning reception held by a monarch
Preternatural	unnatural; abnormal
Quell	suppress
Score (n)	written form of music

Abut	to adjoin
Consternation	worry and concern
Gavel	judge’s hammer
Lien	right to sell property held as a security; legal hold on job etc.
Parenthesis	remarks deviating from the main point [parentheses are round brackets in punctuation]
Sinewy	vigorous; having well-developed muscles [a sinew is a tendon]
Steep (v)	to soak in water
Tamp	to plug; press loose matter down tightly (e.g. pack explosives into a hole)
Venturing	1. hazarding; risking; putting forward; 2. going somewhere [venturesome means courageous or willing to take risks]
Wry	1. twisted or bent to one side; 2. dryly humorous

Arduous	hard
Decimated	kill or destroy a large part of (originally one tenth)
Fledge	1. grow feathers; 2. leave nest [fledgling (n) = an inexperienced person or a baby bird]
Gouge	cut or dig out
Picayune	insignificant; of little value
Riveting	fascinating [to rivet literally means to fix metal plates using metal pins]
Soliloquy	solo speech
Supplicant	person who requests or begs for something [supplicate (v)]
Transcendental	supernatural; going beyond normal experience [transcendent (a)]
Veritable	true; genuine [verity (n)]

Condescension	talking down to someone [condescending (a)]
Divest	remove; take off
Eddy	circular current
Epaulet	shoulder decoration
Fallacy	wrong idea [fallacious (a)]
Fringe	1. decorative border with tassels (n); 2. to form an edge (v)
Leaven	to make light; modify; cause bread to rise using yeast etc.
Patronize	1. to talk down to; condescend; 2. to be a customer of
Prominent	1. eminent; 2. protruding; 3. obvious
Statute	law [statutory (a)]

Antipathy	hatred
Aver	affirm
Expatiate	speak or write at great length
Flag (v)	1. to lose energy; 2. to signal
Flail	1. tool used to thresh grain; 2. to thresh (separate grain from chaff); 3. to wave arms about wildly
Indicted	accused (of crime)
Loll	laze around; hang out (when used of the tongue)
Malign	slander
Secure (v)	1. to fix firmly; 2. to obtain
Talon	long pointed nail or claw

Abeyance	state of inactivity; disuse
Disarm	1. take away weapons; 2. win over to one’s side [disarming (a)]
Elaborate	1. complex and detailed (a); 2. to expand on (v)
Foment	1. stir up; 2. bathe with hot liquids (medical)
Jockeying	maneuvering; struggling to get ahead of others [jockey (v)]
Minutiae	small details
Rue	regret [rueful (a)]
Somatic	concerned with the body
Stinting	holding back; limiting the supply (of supplies/money etc.) [stint (v)]
Temperate	moderate

Allure	1. attraction (n); 2. to attract (v)
Caulk	treat with substance such as tar to make water-tight
Conscript	1. person enlisted compulsorily into the armed forces; 2. (v) to enlist compulsorily
Desultory	aimless; inconsistent in effort
Elegy	poem concerned with death; praise of a dead person
Fallow	uncultivated
Forbearing	tolerant [forbear (v); forbearance (n)]
Hegemony	political domination; complete authority
Improbity	lack of honesty or integrity
Qualm	hesitation or fear

Assay	1. try; 2. assess purity
Chauvinist	someone excessively patriotic [chauvinism (n)]
Discrete	separate; discontinuous (not to be confused with discreet - prudent; diplomatic]
Enlist	1. sign up for the army; 2. obtain
Fabricated	made up; false; manufactured [fabricate (v); fabrication(n)]
Fulminate	1. attack loudly in words; denounce thunderously; 2. explode noisily
Hawser	thick rope or cable
Jibe	agree with; complement; match up with (in British usage jibe means mock)
Peer	1. an equal; 2. to stare at; 3. nobleman
Stickler	one who is strict about rules or details

Cloture	closure; terminating a debate by voting
Congruent	matching [congruency (n)]
Dally	waste time; flirt
Dissemble	avoid the truth
Dote	be excessively fond of [doting (a)]
Errant	1. wandering; 2. wrong; 3. straying from accepted standards
Fervent	passionate
Stomach (v)	to tolerate
Synapse	junction between two nerve cells
Undercutting	offering a lower price; undermining

Arson	deliberate, criminal starting of fires
Carrion	dead flesh; carcasses
Intelligible	can be understood
Ironclad	cannot be altered; firm
Lint	fluff; soft material used to cover wounds
Pretension	assumed attitude of superiority; arrogance
Pundit	expert
Pyre	ceremonial fire
Sate	satisfy
Syncopation	type of musical rhythm with missed beats

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