Word list 13
Group 1
| Alleviated | made less severe [alleviation (n); alleviate (v)] |
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| Apostrophe | 1. punctuation mark; 2. appeal to someone not present (a figure of speech) |
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| Centurion | roman soldier (commander of a company of 100 soldiers) |
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| Emollient | softening (a); something which softens (n) |
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| Fusillade | long burst of gunfire |
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| Inerrancy | infallibility; inability to make mistakes [inerrant (a)] |
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| Mince | 1. chop into small pieces; 2. walk with tiny steps, 3. speak in an affected manner |
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| Palpate | medical term meaning to examine with the hands |
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| Platitude | unoriginal, obvious saying |
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| Quibble | 1. (v) to argue about minor matters; to play on words when finding fault; 2. (n) a minor verbal point in an argument |
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Group 2
| Apprehension | slight fear; sense of something unfavorable |
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| Conniving | cunning; scheming [connive (v)] |
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| Derision | mockery [deride (v)] |
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| Epigram | short, witty saying |
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| Lassitude | lack of energy; weariness |
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| Pedantic | over-insistent on matters of book-learning [pedant (n)] |
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| Phenomenology | branch of science concerned with things as they are perceived; not directly derived from theory |
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| Precipitate | 1. hurried (a); 2. insoluble product of a reaction in chemistry (n), 3. to instigate or speed up an action (v) |
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| Renege | go back on promise or retract statement |
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Group 3
| Armada | fleet of ships |
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| Dawdler | slow person who falls behind others [dawdle (v)] |
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| Dross | something worthless; impurities left after refining |
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| Expiate | atone; make amends for |
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| Hack | 1. chop roughly; 2. person who writes to earn money, 3. hired horse |
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| Prone | 1. vulnerable to; 2. horizontal |
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| Propensity | tendency; inclination |
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| Scabbard | cover for a sword |
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| Skiff | small boat |
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| Umbrage | 1. shadow; 2. offence; sense of injury |
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Group 4
| Dilettantism | dabbling esp. in the arts [dilettante (n) = person who dabbles] |
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| Enervate | weaken |
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| Malevolent | having evil intentions [malevolence(n)] |
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| Neophyte | new convert; tyro |
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| Panegyric | speech praising someone; laudatory words |
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| Presage | forewarn of; indicate |
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| Serration | jagged edge |
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| Slight | 1. minor (a); 2. perceived insult (v) and (n) |
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| Tare | 1. weed; 2. allowance made for container when weighing |
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| Unprepossessing | unattractive |
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Group 5
| Aberration | deviation from the normal |
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| Cant | insincere talk |
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| Disinter | dig up [opposite inter = bury] |
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| Façade | 1. front elevation of building, 2. false appearance or demeanor |
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| Impeding | hindering [impede (v); impediment (n)] |
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| Lacuna | gap; missing part [plural = lacunae] |
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| Monolithic | united in purpose; forming a single unit |
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| Pied | multicolored |
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| Roster | list of names |
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| Seemly | appropriate (of behavior); decorous |
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Group 6
| Analogue | 1. something similar; 2. output proportional to input (engineering) |
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| Coda | piece of music at the end of a musical work; finale; final part of document |
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| Commingle | mix |
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| Equivocal | ambiguous; open to interpretation [equivocate (v), equivocation (n)] |
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| Fallible | capable of making mistakes [fallibility (n)] |
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| Hallow | respect; worship |
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| Indigence | poverty |
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| Papyrus | material used for writing on before paper was invented |
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| Pique | 1. annoyance (n); 2. to stimulate interest; to annoy (v) |
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| Sap | 1. liquid inside plants (n); 2. to drain; to undermine (v); 3. a fool (n) |
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Group 7
| Arbitrator | mediator; person appointed to judge a dispute [arbitrate (v)] |
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| Descry | to see (esp. at a distance); catch sight of |
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| Facetious | not intended to be taken seriously |
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| Indecorous | unseemly; inappropriate (of behavior) |
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| Proliferate | grow and spread [proliferation (n)] |
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| Scotch (v) | to prevent; stop; disable |
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| Strut | 1. supporting rod (n); 2. to walk in an arrogant manner; show off (v) |
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| Toy (v) | to play with |
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| Usury | lending money at high interest rates |
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| Wag (n) | a witty person |
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Group 8
| Atavism | reappearance of ancestral traits; regression [atavistic (a)] |
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| Filibuster | delaying tactics |
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| Gambit | opening move; transaction |
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| Mitigation | making less severe [mitigate (v)] |
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| Obligate | compulsory |
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| Predilection | leaning; interest; talent |
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| Propitiate | appease; try to gain favor [propitiation (n)] |
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| Stanch | to stop |
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| Travesty | parody; ridiculous error |
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| Waft | drift smoothly (v); whiff; smell (n) |
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Group 9
| Forage | search for food |
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| Lumber | 1. walk in an ungainly way; 2. timber (wood) |
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| Muse | 1. think; meditate (v); 2. a source of inspiration (n) [in mythology, a goddess who gives inspiration] |
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| Prescience | foreknowledge |
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| Prune | 1. to trim; 2. a dried plum |
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| Ready | (used of wit) quick |
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| Resolve | firmness (n) |
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| Squalid | dirty and demeaning |
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| Sullied | made dirty or impure [opposite unsullied; sully (v)] |
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| Veneration | worship; respect [venerable (a), venerate (v)] |
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Group 10
| Demur | object; hesitate to accept |
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| Duplicity | cunning; deception; double dealing |
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| Exigency | urgent matter; pressing need |
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| Expostulate | offer strong objections; remonstrate |
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| Gossamer | delicate; filmy; like gauze |
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| Inefficacious | ineffective |
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| Pine | 1. type of evergreen tree; 2. grieve |
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| Prudish | narrow-minded; excessively concerned with morals [prudery (n), prude (n)] |
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| Quixotic | impractically idealistic |
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| Stipple | cover with dots of paint etc. |
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