Shared Flashcard Set

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unit 5
cards
20
English
12th Grade
02/23/2010

Additional English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
acuity - n.
(e kyu' e te)
Definition
sharpness (particularly of the mind or senses)

S: keenness, acuteness
A: dullness, obtuseness

The acuity of my hearing is increasing.
Term
delineate - v.
(di lin' e at)
Definition
to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially

S: depict, picture, render
A: ---

The artist will delineate the house.
Term
depraved - adj.
(di pravd')
Definition
marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principals

S: perverter, degenerate, vicious, corrupt
A: moral, virtuous, upright, uncorrupted

The depraved politician won the election by bribery.
Term
enervate - v.
(en' er vate)
Definition
to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring

S: impair, cripple, paralyze
A: invigorate, strengthen, buttress

The mans mind was enervated by the disease late in life.
Term
esoteric - adj.
(es e ter' ik)
Definition
intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret

S: occult, cryptic, arcane, recondite
A: accessible, comprehensible, intelligible

The society had many esoteric rites that were know by few.
Term
fecund - adj.
(fek' und)
Definition
fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive

S: fertile, teeming, prolific
A: infertile, barren, unproductive

Albert Einstein had a fecund mind.
Term
fiat - n.
(fe at)
Definition
an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of consciousness

S: edict, dictum, ukase
A: ---

The ruler introduced several new fiats.
Term
figment - n.
(fig' ment)
Definition
a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion

S: creation, invention, fancy
A: ---

The dragon was a figment of his imagination.
Term
garner - v.
(gar' ner)
Definition
to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store as for future use

S: collect, accumulate, accrue
A: scatter, squander, waste, dissipate

Arthur garnered the sword in the stone.
Term
hallow - v.
(hal' o)
Definition
to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; honor greatly, revere

S: venerate, bless
A: desecrate, defile, profane

The king hallowed the battlefield where the brave men died.
Term
idiosyncrasy - n.
(id e o sin' kre se)
Definition
a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify

S: eccentricity, quirk, acclaim
A: ---

Many grammatical things about the English language are idiosyncrasies.
Term
ignominy - n.
(ig' na min e)
Definition
shame and disgrace

S: dishonor, humiliation, disrepute, odium
A: honor, glory, acclaim

He went from glory to ignominy.
Term
mundane - adj.
(men dan')
Definition
earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material and concerned with what is ordinary

S: prosaic, humdrum, routine, sublunary
A: heavenly, unworldly, spiritual, transcendental

He left all of his mundane things to his brother after death.
Term
nuance - n.
(nu' ans)
Definition
a subtle or slight variation(as in color, meaning, quality), delicate gradation or shade of difference

S: shade, nicety, refinement
A: ---

The poet paid close attention to every nuance of meaning in the words he chose.
Term
overweening - adj.
(o ver we' ning)
Definition
conceited, presumptuous, excessive, immoderate

S: arrogant, unbridled, inflated
A: restrained, understated, modest, meek

The overweening confidence of the candidate led to his downfall.
Term
penchant - n.
(pen' chent)
Definition
a strong attraction or inclination

S: proclivity, propensity, predilection
A: disinclination, aversion

A teacher with a penchant for pointing out the obvious is bound to be boring.
Term
reputed - adj.
(ri pyut' id)
Definition
according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation; alleged

S: putative, reputable, supposed
A: proven, corroborated, authenticated

Although he is a reputed head of the crime syndicate, he has never spent time in jail.
Term
sophistry - n.
(saf' e stre)
Definition
reasoning that seems plausible bit is actually unsound; a fallacy

S: specious reasoning
A: ---

The clever sophistry of the salesman led the man to buy a new car.
Term
sumptuous - adj.
(semp' chu es)
Definition
costly, rich, magnificent

S: lavish, munificent, opulent, splendid
A: skimpy, meager, stingy, niggardly, spartan

The sumptuous feast was in honor of the king.
Term
ubiquitous - adj.
(yu bik' we tes)
Definition
present or existing everywhere

S: omnipresent, pervasive, universal
A: restricted, limited, rare, scarce

Christians believe God is ubiquitous.
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