Monday, September 9, 2013

Vocabulary #4

1. Accolade- (n) award, honor 
The play received accolades from the press.

2. Acerbity- (n) sourness, with roughness orastringency of taste
Her acerbity was shown through the sharpness of her eyes.

3. Attrition- (n) reduction or decrease in numbers,size, or strength 
-Our club has had ahigh rate of attrition because so many members have moved away.

4. Bromide- (n) person who is platitudinous and boring; trite saying
-Some bromide about the literary life being as unfair as the normal one may have to do.

5. Chauvinist- (n) person who is aggressively and blindly patriotic, especially one devoted to military glory
-My male coworkers are all chauvinists who feel that a woman should stay at home, have children, and certainly not manage a Fortune 500 company.

6. Chronic- (adj) constant; habitual; inveterate; having long had a disease 
-They may become chronic with serious loss of blood.

7. Expound- (v) to explain; to interpret
-An idea first expounded by darwin in on the origin of species.

8. Factionalism- (adj) of a faction or factions; self-interested
-I answered that both groups were suffering from serious defects and advised him to take measures to liquidate factionalism.

9. Immaculate- (adj) free from spot or stain; free from moral blemish; pure; free from fault
-Well, you don't have to keep your house looking immaculate all the time, just in case someone turns up to view.

10. Imprecation- (n) the act of imprecations; cursing
-The great joy of the moment, however, is dancing to music instead of the sound of my own breathing and muttered imprecations.

11. Ineluctable- (adj) incapable of being evaded; inescapable 
-Ineluctable sense of dynamics, which means also his structural control of each work.

12. Mercurial- (adj) changeable; animated; lively
-Mercurial barometer reveals a number of interesting changes.

13. Palliate- (v) to relieve or lessen without curing; alleviate; to try and conceal the gravity if excuses, apologies 
-The primary goal is to help the patient and cure or palliate the disease.

14. Protocol- (n) a supplementary international agreement; the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality 
-We currently have several security protocols in place to insure that any sensitive company information is protected.

15. Resplendent- (adj) shining brilliantly; gleaming; splendid
-She looked resplendent in her wedding dress.

16. Stigmatize- (v) to set some mark of disgrace; to mark with a stigma or brand.
-People stigmatize the word "tutor." 

17. Sub Rosa- (n) confidentially; secretly; privately
-The meeting was held sub rosa, due to the sensitive nature of its content

18. Vainglory- (n) excessive elation or pride over one's own achievements, abilities; boastful vanity
-He did not hesitate to flaunt his great personal vainglory in public.

19. Vestige- (n) a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that us no longer present or in existence
-The mummy had decomposed so badly that only vestiges of the cotton gauze could be seen.

20. Volition- (n) the act of willing, or choosing, or resolving; exercise of willing; a choice of decision made by the will
-He decided to enter rehab of his own free volition.

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