John Wiley And Sons Webster''s New World - Essential vocabulary_Q-R

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 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 building a bridge is to ford a stream or river. • Paying off the bonds that raised the money to build a bridge or road is the rationale for charging tolls to use it. • A modern recasting of the saying “the ends justify the means” might be “Just do it, whatever it is, and come up with your rationale later.” reagent (ree AY jint) n. a chemical substance used to detect the presence of another or to react so as to change one substance to another • The reagent on a piece of litmus paper turns from blue to red when an acid is present. • Luminol is a reagent that glows when it comes in contact with blood. recalcitrant (ri KAL si trint) adj. 1. refusing to obey authority, custom, and so on; defiant; 2. hard to handle; difficult —n. a person with the preceding qualities • Most of today’s criminals started out as yesterday’s recalcitrant children. • Recalcitrant Israelites rebelled against Rome in A . D . 67. • Many a recalcitrant has been sent to the principal’s office. [-ly adv., recalcitrance n.] [Syn. defiant] recede (ri SEED) vt. 1. to move back; draw away from; 2. to distance oneself from; 3. to slope backward; 4. to become less; diminish • Flood waters almost always recede. • Looking out the rear window of a car, you can watch landmarks recede into the distance. • Most men and women do not appreciate being the owners of a receding hairline. • During the Clinton administration, the national debt receded temporarily. [-d, receding] QUICK REVIEW #118 Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing. 324 Essential Vocabulary 1. quaff 2. quiescent 3. quixotic 4. raconteur 5. radiate 6. rapacious 7. rationale 8. reagent 9. recalcitrant 10. recede a. drink b. predatory c. withdraw d. spread out e. reasons f. defiant g. impractical h. chemical i. latent j. storyteller 33_571656 ch28.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 324 receptor (ri SEP toer) n. 1. a receiver; 2. a sense organ; a group of nerve endings specializing in receiving impulses • A radar antenna is both a sender for putting out radio waves and a receptor for receiving the signals when they bounce off something. • The nose contains the receptors for smell, while the taste buds are receptors on the tongue. • Rods and cones are light receptors on the retina of the eye. [Syn. receiver] recitation (RES i TAY shin) n. 1. a public speaking of some memorized verse or prose; 2. a gathering at which this occurs • Memorization and recitation of the works of Homer were the main pillars of a classical Greek education. • Many tickets were sold for tonight’s Keats’ recitation at the Town Hall. recluse (rik LOOS) n. one who lives a life of solitude and seclusion by choice • Howard Hughes chose to spend the last years of his life as a recluse. •A recluse can be considered an antisocial individual. [reclusive adj., reclusively adv.] [Syn. hermit] recondite (REK uhn dyt) adj. very profound; beyond the grasp of a normal human mind; obscure; abstruse • Rocket science is as recondite as, well, rocket science. • Brain surgery is quite recondite but less so than rocket science. [-ly adv.] [Syn. abstruse] redemptive (ri DEMP tiv) adj. 1. serving to redeem or get back, as in trading paper money for silver or gold, or trading stamps; 2. serving to save one’s life or soul by the sacrifice of paying a ransom • Richard made a redemptive effort with his silver certificates but was told the time for cashing them in for metal had passed. • In the biblical narrative of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son Isaac, God provides a ram as a redemptive substitute for Isaac’s life. [-ly adv., redemption n.] refractory (ri FRAK toer ee) adj. 1. hard to handle; stubborn (said about an animal or person); 2. heat resistant; hard to work or melt (said about metal ore); 3. resistant to disease • A mule is a very refractory animal and must be handled with care. • The iron age came about 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.] Q – R: GRE Words 325 33_571656 ch28.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 325 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 from —n. a falling back into • It is easy for seemingly reformed criminals to relapse into their evil ways. • Just when Gloria seemed to be getting better, she relapsed into her illness. • Ralph was expected to return to work shortly, but that was before his relapse. [-d, relapsing] relentless (ri LENT lis) adj. 1. not easing up or slackening; pitiless; harsh; 2. persistent; unremitting • Sir Edwin Hillary was relentless in his attempt to be the first westerner to reach Mt. Everest’s peak. • The hurricane’s winds were relentless as they damaged many buildings in the Carolinas. [-ly adv.] [Syn. pitiless] reparation (REP oer AY shuhn) n. 1. a making of amends for some wrong or injury; 2. compensation paid by one country to another to make up for having warred against them; 3. repairing of damage • The embezzler was ordered by the court to pay reparations to the persons he had swindled. • After World War I, Germany was required to pay reparations to her former enemies, which sent her economy into total ruin. • Barney brought his torn trousers to the tailor for reparation. [Syn. compensation] repress (ri PRES) vt. 1. to hold down or keep back; restrain; 2. to subdue or put down; 3. to control so strictly as to prevent natural development or expression (as a child) • It is sometimes difficult to repress a yawn, especially when someone else yawns first. • Stalin repressed almost all his country’s people but especially the minorities. • By repressing a child, one can prevent his or her developing into a healthy individual. [-ed, -ing] [Syn. subdue] repulse (ri PULS) vt. 1. to repel or drive back; 2. to repel with coldness and lack of courtesy; 3. to disgust and repel; to be disgusting • The colonel left a rear guard to repulse any attempt to surprise his army from behind. • The new neighbor repulsed any attempt on the part of the older residents to welcome him and his family. • Jennifer was repulsed by the bowl of roasted grasshoppers that Allen placed on the picnic table. [-d, repulsing] [Syn. repel] 326 Essential Vocabulary 33_571656 ch28.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 326 resilient (ri ZIL yint) adj. 1. bouncing back from adversity; 2. springing back into shape after having been distorted; 3. recovering strength, spirit, and good humor • Gary showed that he was resilient by hitting a home run after striking out three consecutive times. • Foam rubber is a very resilient material, and cushions made from it retain their shape after being sat on hundreds of times. • Ursala showed that she was resilient by joking with the paramedics only moments after they pulled her from the rubble of the collapsed building. [-ly adv., resilience n.] [Syn. elastic] QUICK REVIEW #119 Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing. Q – R: GRE Words 327 1. receptor 2. recitation 3. recluse 4. recondite 5. redemptive 6. refractory 7. relapse 8. relentless 9. reparation 10. repress 11. repulse 12. resilient a. repel b. compensation c. rescuing d. receiver e. subdue f. pitiless g. elastic h. fall back i. abstruse j. gathering k. difficult l. hermit resolve (ri ZOLV) vt. 1. to break up into constituent parts; to analyze; 2. to change; 3. to cause; 4. to show the solution —n. firmness of purpose; determination • A prism can resolve white light into the colors of a rainbow. • The two sides tried for weeks to resolve their dispute. • Einstein resolved the relationship between energy and matter. • Edward expressed his resolve to find a solution. [-d, resolving] [Syn. decide] rhinestone (RYN stohn) n. a piece of 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] 33_571656 ch28.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 327 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 rigid in their interpretation of the right way to live and worship. • The rules for raising children should be consistent but not really rigid. [-ly adv., -ity n.] [Syn. unbending] rivet (RI vit) n. 1. a metal bolt with a head on one end (which is heated and put through holes and then flattened on its straight end by hammering), used to fasten metal girders or plates together; 2. something similar used to reinforce seams on work clothes —vt. 1. to fasten with rivets; 2. to hold or fix (one’s attention, eyes, and so on) • Rivets are used to fasten steel beams together and to fasten an airplane’s skin to its frame. • Rivets are often used on blue jeans and coveralls. • When parts are riveted together, they can’t be loosened the way they can when screws are used. • Roxane’s eyes were riveted by the sight of the jumbo jet coming in for a landing. [-ed, -ing] rudder (RUHD er) n. 1. a flat board fixed to the back of a boat or ship and used to steer; 2. a movable attachment to the vertical stabilizer of an aircraft; 3. a guide or control •A rudder seems to be a very effective way to steer a boat; it has been on every watercraft except small, rowed boats since ancient times. • An airplane’s rudder is almost always the rearmost part of the craft. • The White House often tries to act as a rudder for public opinion. ruminate (ROO min ayt) vt. 1. to chew cud, like a cow or other ruminant; 2. to think over; consider; meditate • Cattle, antelope, deer, buffalo, and giraffes all ruminate. • Jerri ruminated over the job offer made to her by a competing company. • Ian ruminated over which of the three universities’ offers of admission he was going to accept. [-d, ruminating] [Syn. meditate] ruthless (ROOTH lis) adj. having no pity; pitiless; cruel • Atilla the Hun was ruthless toward his opponents. • Neil used to go out with a girl named Ruth, but since she ruthlessly left him, he’s been Ruthless. • Organized crime is looking for ruthless persons to work as enforcers. [-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. cruel] 328 Essential Vocabulary 33_571656 ch28.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 328 QUICK REVIEW #120 Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing. Q – R: GRE Words 329 1. resolve 2. rhinestone 3. rigid 4. rivet 5. rudder 6. ruminate 7. ruthless a. cruel b. guide c. decide d. unbending e. hold f. glass g. meditate 33_571656 ch28.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 329 S salutary (SAL yoo TER ee) adj. 1. conducive to or promoting good health; 2. serving a good purpose in some way; beneficial • Regular exercise has a salutary effect on one’s health. • Over the years, the use of new materials in running shoes has had a salutary effect on the speed of sprinters. [salutarily adv.] [Syn. beneficial] schematic (ski MAT ik) n. a drawing of an architect’s plan (blueprint) or a drawing to show the layout of something, such as electrical wiring • Schematic diagrams of a car’s wiring are in every automobile’s service manual. • An architect’s version of a schematic is usually drawn in white on a blue background and is known as a blueprint. scrutiny (SKROO tin ee) n. 1. close examination; close inspection; 2. a long, continuous watch; surveillance • Legislative bodies should always be under the scrutiny of the electorate. • After extensive scrutiny of the pros and cons, the New Jersey Nets’ new owners decided to move the team to Brooklyn, New York. • For decades, U.S. satellites and spy planes kept the Soviet Union under scrutiny. sedulous (SEJ oo lis) adj. 1. working steadily and hard; diligent; 2. persistent • Mack was sedulous in his studies of Elizabethan poetry. • Jeannie was sedulous in making sure that she got the best interest rate available. [-ly adv.] [Syn. busy] sermon (SOER min) n. 1. a speech given as instruction on religious subject mat- ter or morality by a clergyman during a religious service; 2. any speech on behav- ior, especially a long-winded, boring one • The subject of many a sermon has been that fools rush in where angels fear to tread. • It is not unusual for the giver of a sermon to be referred to as preachy. sextant (SEKS tint) n. a navigational instrument used at sea to find the position of a ship by sighting the horizon and a known star • Navigators have used sextants to guide ships since the second half of the eighteenth century. • The sextant is named for its shape, which is a pie-shaped sixth of a circle. shard (SHAHRD) n. 1. a broken fragment of pottery or glass; 2. (zoology) a hard covering such as a shell, plate, or scale • Shards of broken pottery can be packed into the bottom of a flowerpot to provide drainage for plants. 330 34_571656 ch29.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 330 • While a shard is the zoological term for a hard shell or scale, it is not often used in this manner. • In ancient Greece, shards of pottery were known as ostra, and if enough people wrote a man’s name on ostra, he was ostracized—made to depart from the city-state. signatory (SIG nuh TAW ree) n. a signer; one who signed an agreement, treaty, contract, and so on • John Hancock was the first signatory of the Declaration of Independence. •A signatory to a contract accepts responsibility for fulfilling that contract. [signatories pl.] [Syn. endorser] smelt (SMELT) vt. 1. to heat or fuse ore; to refine; 2. to separate impurities from metal by heating it —n. small silver-colored food fish found in northern lakes and seas • When tin and copper are smelted together in the proper proportions, bronze is the result. • Steel is a product of smelting, where certain impurities are deliberately added to give the finished product desirable qualities. • I ate some delicious fried smelts with cocktail sauce last night as an appetizer. [-ed, -ing] [Syn. refine] sobriety (suh BRY i tee) n. 1. the state of being temperate and not overindulging, especially in alcoholic drinks; soberness; 2. seriousness • If a car is being driven erratically, it might be pulled over and the driver given a sobriety test. • During the Cuban missile crisis of the early 1960s, the entire world recog- nized the sobriety of the situation. sordid (SAWR did) adj. dirty; filthy; wretched; base; ignoble; mean • Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was sordid. • Sordid behavior was customary in the cow towns of the Old West, where debauchery was the norm. [-ly adv.] [Syn. base] splice (SPLYS) vt. to join pieces together by weaving or intertwining (as with ropes, wires, and so on) • In a pigtail splice, the bare ends of two wires are twisted together, and then 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] S: GRE Words 331 34_571656 ch29.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 331 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 is incapable of being planned. • Spontaneity must come from within oneself, and some people have it, while others are afraid of it. squander (SKWAHN doer) vt. to waste; to spend or use wastefully • Norma squandered her money on a CD because she could not wait two days for it to go on sale. • Jimmy Carter’s administration refused to squander billions of dollars on the B-1 bomber program. [-ed, -ing] [Syn. waste] QUICK REVIEW #121 Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing. 332 Essential Vocabulary 1. salutary 2. schematic 3. scrutiny 4. sedulous 5. sermon 6. sextant 7. shard 8. signatory 9. smelt 10. sobriety 11. sordid 12. splice 13. spontaneity 14. squander a. waste b. join c. speech d. self-motivated e. instrument f. surveillance g. plan h. endorser i. seriousness j. fragment k. base l. refine m. busy n. beneficial 34_571656 ch29.qxd 11/10/04 12:45 PM Page 332 [...]... Tacit reasons are not tangible reasons, and vice versa • A second baseman and a shortstop have a tacit understanding of who is to cover second base in case of a ground ball • It is illegal for a politician to accept money in exchange for a political favor, but it’s hard to prove guilt when the agreement is tacit [-ly adv.] [Syn implied] tangible (TAN ji buhl) adj 1 that can be touched; 2 real and able... unavailable • E-Bay provides a department-store experience in virtual shopping [-ly adv., -ity n.] viscid (VIS id) adj 1 having a cohesive, sticky, liquid consistency; viscous; 2 covered by a viscid substance • Chocolate syrup is a viscid substance • When Jack picked up the jar and felt the viscid texture on his hand, it took a moment for him to figure out that the honey had leaked [-ly adv.] [Syn... 1 readily bribable or corruptible; 2 characterized by bribery or corruption • The judge did not appear to be at all venal, and this was backed up when Don’s under-the-table offer landed Don in jail • The mayor and the council struck a venal bargain on the award of the contract [-ly adv.] veneer (ven EAR) vt 1 to cover with a thin layer of more costly material; 2 to cause to have a superficially attractive... Silver tarnishes in air and always looks dull if left unpolished • Tarnishing someone’s character without valid reason constitutes the crime of libel • Polishing metal removes tarnish from it [-ed, -ing] taxonomy (tak SAH nuh mee) n the science of classifying plants and animals by their likenesses to one another, beginning with the most general relationships and getting more and more specific (The classifications,... capital punishment law instituting drawing and quartering, any opposing legislator could prove that such a law is subsumed by the Constitution’s prohibition of cruel or unusual punishment [-d, subsuming] summarily (suh MER i lee) adv 1 promptly and without formality; expeditious; 2 hastily and arbitrarily • The libel case was dismissed by the court summarily • Randy summarily jumped to the conclusion... 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 and what was not... 1 to waver; to sway back and forth; to fluctuate or oscillate; 2 to waver in attitude; show indecision • It is not unusual for one’s position on an issue to vacillate as more and better information becomes available • Homer and Marge often vacillate on where to go for their summer vacation [-d, vacillating, vacillation n.] [Syn fluctuate] vagrant (VAY grint) n a person who wanders around without a regular... treasure trove of World s Fair memorabilia in her attic and basement • Victor prepared a veritable smorgasbord of meats and cheeses for his guests [veritably adv.] [Syn virtual] vindictive (vin DIK tiv) adj 1 seeking revenge; in the spirit of revenge; 2 acting to seek vengeance • The judge tried not to be vindictive in deciding the felon’s sentence • Because Sean had suffered defeat at the hands of his opponent... transmutation of uranium into plutonium is a by-product of some nuclear reactors • We now know, through modern chemistry, that the transmutation of lead into gold is impossible • A caterpillar’s transmutation into a butterfly is known as “metamorphosis.” [Syn transformation] tritium (TRI tee uhm) n an isotope of hydrogen with atomic weight 3 and a 12.5-year half-life, used in thermonuclear bombs • Tritium... description of his working conditions and his boss • When Harold spoke to Maude, he was very angry and did so in a vituperative manner [-ly adv.] [Syn scolding] wistful (WIST ful) adj expressing or showing vague yearnings; longing thoughtfully • Lloyd was wistful for the days when he didn’t have to work for a living • Liza had wistful feelings for her childhood home in Iowa [-ly adv.] [Syn yearning] V – Z: . 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. Organized crime is looking for ruthless persons to work as enforcers. [-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. cruel] 328 Essential Vocabulary 33_571656 ch28.qxd 11/10/04