Webster essential vocabulary_9 doc

QUICK REVIEW #114 Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing. 314 Essential Vocabulary 1. obsolete 2. occult 3. odious 4. odium 5. oligarchy 6. opaque 7. opprobrium 8. orb 9. overt 10. parody 11. parse 12. pastoral 13. patron a. caricature b. obscure c. manifest d. sphere e. rural f. esoteric g. analyze h. sponsor i. aristocracy j. hateful k. infamy l. hatred m. passé peccadillo (PEK uh DIL oh) n. a minor or slight sin; a small fault or misdeed • Mark’s roving eye was a peccadillo that Noreen did not care to put up with, so she dumped him. • Treating as a peccadillo a child’s taking a candy bar from a store without paying is as good as encouraging the child to go on to larger crimes. pedantry (PED in tree) n. 1. petty insistence on exact adherence to minor arbi- trary points of learning; 2. ostentatious demonstrations of knowledge • Mrs. Higgins, true to her pedantry, insists that each of her students learn Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” word for word. • Bert, in his pedantry, never missed an opportunity to use a five-syllable word when a two-syllable one would have done the job. pedestrian (pi DES tree in) adj. 1. walking; done on foot; 2. of or for a walker; 3. lacking interest; ordinary; dull —n. a walker • Special Walk/Don’t Walk signs are growing more popular for the benefit of pedestrian citizens. • The UN ambassador’s speech was very pedestrian and lulled half its listeners into a daze. • City drivers need to keep an eye out for pedestrians crossing the street. [-ly adv.] [Syn. ordinary] 32_571656 ch27.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 314 peripatetic (PER i puh TET ik) adj. moving about from place to place; itinerant • Peripatetic movie critics might move from theater to theater and check out the comfort of the seats as well as what’s on the screen. • A nomad lives a peripatetic existence. [-ally adv.] [Syn. itinerant] perish (PER ish) vt. 1. to be destroyed or wiped out; 2. to die; disappear • Many people perished in the floods of 2004. • As it passed over the horizon, the sun perished from view. • Do not perish the thought of adding every one of these words to your vocabulary. [-ed, -ing] [Syn. disappear, die] perjury (POER joer ee) n. lying under oath; failing to tell the truth under formal oath (to a court of law) • Perjury is a crime that is committed more frequently than those who commit it are prosecuted. • Witnesses who refused to say anything in court cannot be accused of perjury. permeable (POER mee i bl) adj. capable of being passed through by fluids (liquids and gases) • Cell membranes are permeable so that dissolved nutrients can pass through them. • The most common permeable item in households today is the coffee filter. [permeably adv.] perturb (poer TOERB) vt. 1. to annoy, alarm, or upset; 2. to cause confusion or disorder; unsettle (Imperturbable means not capable of being disturbed.) • Francesco is perturbed when he thinks someone is hurting an animal. • Many people are perturbed by the sight of blood. • Shouting fire in a crowded theater might perturb the audience enough to cause a riot and so is illegal. [-ed, -ing] [Syn. disturb] pervade (poer VAYD) vt. to be prevalent or widespread • A feeling of relief pervaded the community after hearing the news that the little girl had been rescued from the shaft. • A case of blight pervaded the Irish potato crop at one time and caused wide- spread famine. [-d, pervading] philistine (FIL is teen) adj. 1. uncultured and smugly conventional —n 1. small-town people; locals 2. (P) the name of the ancient people who often fought with the Israelites of biblical times, and among whose number was Goliath • The diva’s response to a request that she perform a certain number was a philistine, “I sang that yesterday.” • Students in a college town often refer to the townspeople as philistines. • Delilah was the Philistine woman who was responsible for Samson’s haircut. O – P: GRE Words 315 32_571656 ch27.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 315 photosynthesis (foh toh SIN thi sis) n. the chemical process by which a green plant combines water and carbon dioxide in the presence of sunlight to form sugars • Photosynthesis is the process by which a green plant manufactures its own food. • Chloroplasts contain the green substance, chlorophyll, which must be present for photosynthesis to occur. placate (PLAY kayt) vt. to stop from being angry; to appease; pacify • Hailee needed to be placated after Sebastian ran off with her toy. • Neville Chamberlain’s big mistake was trying to placate Hitler by allowing him to march into Austria. [-d, placating] [Syn. pacify] QUICK REVIEW #115 Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing. 316 Essential Vocabulary 1. peccadillo 2. pedantry 3. pedestrian 4. peripatetic 5. perish 6. perjury 7. permeable 8. perturb 9. pervade 10. philistine 11. photosynthesis 12. placate a process b. uncultured c. disappear d. spread e. disturb f. pacify g. pettiness h. itinerant i. misdeed j. false testimony k. ordinary l. passable placid (PLAS id) adj. peaceful; undisturbed; tranquil; calm • The sea was placid following the passage of the violent storm. • A good businessman always keeps a placid demeanor while around customers. [-ly adv.] [Syn. calm] plaintive (PLAYN tiv) adj. sorrowful; mournful; expressing sorrow or melan- choly; sad • Laurie felt very plaintive after the loss of her pet parakeet. • Robbie was plaintive after he struck out, making the final out of the game. [-ly adv.] [Syn. sad] 32_571656 ch27.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 316 plethora (PLE thir uh) n. an overabundance or excess; the state of being too full •A plethora of suds filled the tub to overflowing. •A plethora of customers tried to get World Series tickets, and most of them had to be turned away. pluck (PLUHK) n. courage to meet difficulties or danger; fortitude —vt. to pull out or pick (feathers, hairs, and so on) • Lieutenant Rigers had the pluck to lead his platoon into battle at the head of the column. • Eugine showed his pluck by continuing to hunt for survivors in 20-foot surf. • Butchers used to pluck chickens by hand, but today a machine does it better. [-ed, -ing] [Syn. fortitude] plummet (PLUH mit) vi. to plunge; to fall straight downward • When the skydiver jumped from the plane, he plummeted some 2,000 feet before his parachute opened. • An airplane’s wings provide lift that keeps it from plummeting to the ground. • A high diver plummets from the board until the water breaks his or her fall. [-ed, -ing] [Syn. plunge] plutocratic (PLOO toh KRAT ik) adj. of the wealthy, especially those whose wealth carries with it great power and influence (Plutocracy is government by the wealthy.) • Many plutocratic families had acquired their wealth by the 1920s. • Among America’s plutocratic family names are Carnegie, Ford, Kennedy, and Rockefeller. [-ally adv., plutocracy, plutocrat n.] polarity (puh LAR i tee) adj. 1. having the tendency to align along the lines of the earth’s magnetic field; 2. having a magnetic attraction; 3. the condition of being divided into two opposing groups; 4. the tendency to have a strong positive or negative attitude toward some reference point (like the positive and negative electrodes of a battery) • The polarity of a magnet can be determined by the way its poles line up when allowed to swing freely. • Magnetic polarity can also be determined by approaching one end with a magnet of known polarity. • Republicans in the House often show their polarity by voting as a block against bills the Democrats support, and vice versa. • In a closed DC circuit, electrons flow from the cathode (the end with nega- tive polarity) toward the anode. [polarities pl.] [Syn. alignment] O – P: GRE Words 317 32_571656 ch27.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 317 polemic (poh LEM ik) adj. 1. of or concerning dispute; controversial; 2. argu- mentative; disputatious • Polemic persons often enjoy becoming members of a debating team. • Some of the great polemics of the western plains concerned property borders. • The border polemics usually concerned water rights but occasionally dealt with mineral rights. [-ally adv.] poseur (poh ZOER) n. a person who affects attitudes or manners for the benefit of others; an actor; pretender •A poseur might deliberately affect the manner of another or might do so naturally. • Impersonators and impressionists are deliberate poseurs. • Sometimes a poseur affects an attitude of concern just for the benefit of a judge or jury. pottery (PAH toer ee) n. objects made from clay by a potter; urns, bowls, dishes, and so on made of clay and hardened by heat in a kiln; earthenware • Some of our best knowledge of ancient civilizations comes from having unearthed their pottery. • Most dishes are made of pottery. • Terra-cotta pottery is commonly used for household plants, although plastic is also frequently used. [Syn. earthenware] precipitation (pree SIP i TAY shun) n. 1. rash haste; impetuousness; 2. the bringing about of something suddenly; acceleration; 3. snow, rain, sleet, hail, and so on • The precipitation of a conflict is rarely a cause to celebrate. • Driving too fast might be the precipitation for a high-speed accident. • In the winter, frozen precipitation might fall from the sky. [precipitate vt.] preempt (pree EMPT) vt. 1. to seize before anyone else can; 2. to replace a previously scheduled program (on TV or radio) • A municipal government can preempt someone’s property for public use. • A news bulletin or presidential address sometimes preempts scheduled programming. [-ed, -ing] 318 Essential Vocabulary 32_571656 ch27.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 318 QUICK REVIEW #116 Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing. O – P: GRE Words 319 1. placid 2. plaintive 3. plethora 4. pluck 5. plummet 6. plutocratic 7. polarity 8. polemic 9. poseur 10. pottery 11. precipitation 12. preempt a. actor b. alignment c. seize first d. argumentative e. impetuousness f. earthenware g. overabundance h. plunge i. sad j. fortitude k. calm l. powerful prejudice (PREJ uh dis) vt. 1. to have or show bias; 2. to cause harm by prejudg- ing —n. 1. an opinion or judgment formed before knowing the facts; preconceived idea either favorable or unfavorable; 2. an irrational dislike or hatred, suspicion, or intolerance of a certain race, creed, ethnic group, and so on • Most children have a prejudice for carrots and cucumbers. • It is wrong to prejudice a jury before they fairly try a case. • One might be prejudiced for or against something. • Racial prejudice has been responsible for many hate crimes in the world and in American history. [-d, prejudicing] [Syn. partiality] premeditated (pree MED i TAYT id) adj. thought out, schemed, or planned beforehand • First-degree muder is also known as premeditated homicide. • The furnishing of a house should be premeditated, or it could turn out to be a disaster. [-ly adv.] [Syn. preplanned] presage (PRES ij for n. or v., pree SAYJ or pri SAYJ for v.) n. 1. a sign or a warning of an event in the future; augury; omen; 2. a foreboding —vt. 1. to give warning of; portend; 2. to have a foreboding or presentiment; 3. to predict • Many believe that a comet is a presage of disaster. • Most people have an occasional presage of something to come. • Some people consult psychics to presage their futures. • Nostradamus is credited by some as having presaged many events, includ- ing the huge success of this book. [-d, presaging] [Syn. omen] 32_571656 ch27.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 319 prescience (PREESH uhns) n. to have an apparent knowledge of events before they occur; foreknowledge • Prescience is not unlike having a presage, except that it is a complete fore- knowledge rather than just a sign. • Admiral Yamamoto is credited with prescience of Japan’s defeat if it attacked America. • Alexander the Great was supposed to have had prescience that he would live a glorious but short life. [prescient adj., presciently adv.] [Syn. foreknowledge] pressure (PRESH er) n. 1. a pressing, squeezing, compressing, or being pressed; 2. compelling influence; demanding force; 3. (physics) force per unit of surface area • Pressure is usually used to squeeze the extra water from a sponge mop. • Automobile salesmen are infamous for pressuring customers to buy right away. • In physics, one foot-pound is the amount of pressure it takes to raise one pound one foot. prevaricate (pri VAR i kayt) vi. to equivocate; to evade the truth; lie • Prevaricating while under oath is a classy definition of perjury. • Sometimes people prevaricate to be polite because nobody asks “How do I look?” expecting to be told “Terrible!” [-d, prevaricating, prevarication n.] [Syn. lie] primacy (PRY mi see) n. 1. the state of being first in order, time, rank, and so on; 2. the office or authority of a church primate • A five-star general has primacy of rank in the U.S. Army. • The winner of a race is the contestant with primacy reaching the finish line. • The number one has primacy among counting numbers. proliferate (proh LIF er ayt) vt. 1. to reproduce new parts in quick succession; 2. to create or produce in large numbers • A pair of rabbits tends to proliferate at a very rapid pace. • During a fad, a particular item (such as the Hula Hoop ® ) proliferates in short order and then, just as suddenly, stops. • The U.S. fighter plane proliferated during the Second World War as a result of the strength of American industry. [-d, -proliferating] prolixity (proh LIKS i tee) n. tending to use more words than are necessary; long-windedness; verbosity • Cuba’s Fidel Castro has always been known for his prolixity, with an aver- age speech running about four hours. • Brevity is a characteristic of wit; prolixity is not. [prolix adj., prolixly adv.] 320 Essential Vocabulary 32_571656 ch27.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 320 propel (pruh PEL) vt. to push; drive; impel onward • Jet engines propel most of today’s commercial aircraft. • Propellers propel most boats through the water. (Coincidence? We think not!) • Thomas Edison was propelled to fame by his inventions, including the elec- tric lightbulb. [-led, -ling] [Syn. push] propitiate (pruh PISH ee ayt) vt. to cause to be favorably inclined; to win over; to appease; pacify; regain the goodwill of • Lincoln planned the Reconstruction to propitiate the people of the former Confederacy. • The clothing store manager gave Gail a partial refund to propitiate her and win her furture business. [-d, propitiating, propitiatory n.] [Syn. pacify] protracted (proh TRAK tid) adj. lengthy; drawn out; extended • The Civil War, which everyone expected to be brief, lasted for a protracted period of time. • Most new car purchases spread payments over a protracted number of months. • When asked why he had not brought home the groceries, Jack gave his wife, Jill, a protracted response. [-ly adv.] [Syn. extended] pundit (PUN dit) n. a person who professes to have a great deal of learning on a subject; a supposed or self-supposed authority on something • Before buying golf clubs, it makes sense to consult a golf club pundit. • Readers of consumer magazines believe themselves to be pundits on refrigerators. • Political commentators profess to be pundits on politics. [Syn. maven] pungency (PUN jin see) n. a strong, sharp taste and/or smell; acridness • Certain peppers, such as the poblano, are noted for their pungency. • The pungency of an onion is enough to bring tears to the eyes of the person slicing it—and not for sentimental reasons. [pungent adj., pungently adv.] [Syn. acridness] O – P: GRE Words 321 32_571656 ch27.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 321 QUICK REVIEW #117 Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing. 322 Essential Vocabulary 1. prejudice 2. premeditated 3. presage 4. prescience 5. pressure 6. prevaricate 7. primacy 8. proliferate 9. prolixity 10. propel 11. propitiate 12. protracted 13. pundit 14. pungency a. foreknowledge b. lie c. verbosity d. extended e. swarm f. pacify g. push h. maven i. partiality j. force k. preplanned l. first m. omen n. acridness 32_571656 ch27.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 322 Q – R quaff (KWAHF) vt. to drink deeply with gusto —n. 1. the act of quaffing; 2. the drink that is quaffed • Quaffing beer while eating pizza is a well-established sport in some households. • Harry quaffed his brew from a frozen mug. • Sally stopped into the tavern for a pint of quaff. [-ed, -ing] quiescent (kwee ES int) adj. quiet and still; inactive • After hours of standing uncovered, a carbonated drink loses its fizz and becomes quiescent. •A quiescent pond is a good place to look for tadpoles. [-ly adv.] [Syn. latent] quixotic (kwik SOT ik) adj. foolishly idealistic; visionary; impractical • Tilting at windmills is the ultimate in quixotic behavior. • Some say that draft-card burning is a quixotic act, while others call it heroic. [-ly adv.] [Syn. impractical] raconteur (RAK ahn TUR) n. a person who is very skilled at telling stories • Aesop was a raconteur whose fables always ended in a moral. • Hans Christian Anderson was a Danish raconteur of great skill. radiate (RAY dee ayt) vt. 1. to send out rays of heat, light, and so on; 2. to spread out in rays; 3. to branch out from a center as spokes; 4. to spread happiness and good fortune • In a hot-water or steam heating system, heat radiates outward from a (what else?) radiator. • As light radiates outward from its source, its intensity diminishes. • Spokes radiate outward from the hub of a bicycle wheel. • It’s the job of grandparents to radiate love and presents and to shower them on their grandchildren. [-d, radiating] rapacious (ruh PAY shis) adj. 1. using force to conquer; looting; 2. taking all one can get; voracious; 3. predacious • Genghis Khan’s Golden Horde had a reputation, well deserved or not, for being rapacious. • Lumbermen have been rapacious with the tropical rain forests of South America. • The cross-country railroad builders were rapacious toward the herds of American bison. [-ly adv.] 323 33_571656 ch28.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 323 [...]...324 Essential Vocabulary rationale (RA shuh NAL) n 1 the fundamental reasons or logical basis for something; 2 a statement of the reasons for something’s being done or having been done • The rationale for... rather late in history because of the refractory nature of the metal’s ore • Botanists have worked for decades to produce refractory strains of corn and tomatoes [refractorily adv., refractoriness n.] 326 Essential Vocabulary relapse (ri LAPS for v., REE laps for n.) vi 1 to fall back into bad habits or evil ways; 2 to have a recurrence of a disease one had recovered from or was in the process of recovering... colorless glass cut to look like a diamond • Rhinestones were first created in Germany’s Rhine Valley • Since their creation, rhinestones have been popular in costume jewelry [Syn fake gem, glass] 328 Essential Vocabulary rigid (RI jid) adj 1 not flexible; unbending; stiff; 2 severe; exacting; strict • Steel beams are rigid, which is why they are used in construction • Orthodox religions tend to be... hot solder is applied • A Western Union splice is the most elegant as well as the strongest wire splice • A square knot is a very effective way to splice two ropes together [-d, splicing] [Syn join] 332 Essential Vocabulary spontaneity (SPAHN ti NEE i tee) n 1 acting spontaneously; 2 doing things on the spur of the moment without external incitement; acting with self-motivation • By definition, spontaneity... stockade fences of today are not actually stockades because only occasional posts are driven into the ground stolid (STAHL id) adj showing little or no emotional reaction; impassive • A stolid expression is essential to being a successful poker player • One who is stolid all the time is very little fun to be around [-ly adv.] [Syn impassive] subliminal (suhb LIM in il) adj beneath the level of consciousness,... • One of the most insidious uses of such messages is in subliminal advertising, where one’s unconscious is deliberately bombarded in an effort to make that person buy a certain product [-ly adv.] 334 Essential Vocabulary substantive (SUB stin tiv or sub STAN tiv) adj 1 considerable in amount or quantity; 2 having real existence; actual; 3 of or relating to legal rights, as distinguished from procedural... roh) n a beginner at learning to do something • Those just learning to play the game of golf are referred to as tyros • One can be experienced at something and still do it like a tyro [Syn amateur] 338 Essential Vocabulary unfeigned (uhn FAYND) adj not feigned; not made up; genuine; actual; real • Martha’s disbelief at being found guilty was unfeigned • Harold’s unfeigned vision problems were questioned... veneered with plastic for appearance and washability • Mahogany and oak veneers are both popular in furniture manufacturing • Francine has a veneer of culture, despite her lack of formal education 339 340 Essential Vocabulary verbosity (ver BAHS i tee) n wordiness; long-windedness; having an excess of words • The professor’s verbosity made it difficult for some of his students to decide what was important... 9 d 2 f 6 b 10 e 3 a 7 j 11 c 4 k 8 l 12 g 1 f 5 l 9 c 2 h 6 i 10 g 3 j 7 k 11 d 4 a 8 e 12 b 1 e 5 j 9 d 2 i 6 b 10 c 3 a 7 h 11 g 4 l 8 k 12 f Quick Review #2 Quick Review #3 Quick Review #4 345 346 Essential Vocabulary Quick Review #5 1 f 5 i 9 c 2 j 6 k 10 g 3 l 7 b 11 e 4 a 8 d 12 h 1 h 5 k 9 c 2 j 6 a 10 d 3 e 7 i 11 g 4 l 8 f 12 b 1 g 5 i 9 d 2 j 6 h 10 c 3 l 7 k 11 f 4 a 8 e 12 b Quick Review... k 11 e 2 m 7 b 12 f 3 j 8 h 13 d 4 l 9 a 14 i 5 g 10 c Quick Review #13 1 g 7 b 13 m 2 i 8 d 14 o 3 l 9 e 15 n 4 j 10 f 16 p 5 a 11 h 6 k 12 c Quick Review #14 1 b 4 c 7 e 2 h 5 a 8 g 3 d 6 f 347 348 Essential Vocabulary Quick Review #15 1 i 5 c 9 d 2 g 6 j 10 b 3 k 7 l 11 a 4 h 8 e 12 f 1 k 5 h 9 a 2 i 6 l 10 f 3 g 7 b 11 e 4 j 8 d 12 c 1 i 5 j 9 c 2 k 6 b 10 g 3 h 7 l 11 f 4 a 8 e 12 d 1 i 5 g 9 . that means most nearly the same thing. 314 Essential Vocabulary 1. obsolete 2. occult 3. odious 4. odium 5. oligarchy 6. opaque 7. opprobrium 8. orb 9. overt 10. parody 11. parse 12. pastoral 13 means most nearly the same thing. 316 Essential Vocabulary 1. peccadillo 2. pedantry 3. pedestrian 4. peripatetic 5. perish 6. perjury 7. permeable 8. perturb 9. pervade 10. philistine 11. photosynthesis 12 most nearly the same thing. 322 Essential Vocabulary 1. prejudice 2. premeditated 3. presage 4. prescience 5. pressure 6. prevaricate 7. primacy 8. proliferate 9. prolixity 10. propel 11. propitiate 12.