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Devil in the White City Vocabulary
All the weird and complicated words in this wonderful book
53
English
11th Grade
02/12/2012

Additional English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term

 

Ambient

Definition
in the immediately surrounding area
Term

 

Anathema

Definition
somebody or something that is greatly disliked or detested and is therefore shunned
Term

 

Annexation

Definition
to take over territory and incorporate it into another political entity
Term

 

Antebellum

Definition
belonging or relating to the time before the Civil War
Term

 

Appropriation

Definition
a sum of money that has been set aside from a budget
Term

 

Ardor

Definition
great passion, enthusiasm, or eagerness
Term

 

Articulating

Definition
the cleaning of skeletons to remove all connecting tissue
Term

 

Asbestos

Definition
a fibrous, carcinogenic mineral formerly used for its heat resistance
Term

 

Balustrade

Definition
a decorative railing together with its supporting balusters, often used at the front of a parapet or gallery
Term

 

Brobdingnag

Definition
a fictional land in Jonathan Swift's satirical novel Gulliver's Travels occupied by giants
Term

 

cairns

Definition
piles of stones
Term
caissons
Definition
a bottomless watertight chamber filled with compressed air
Term
calumny
Definition
a slanderous statement or false accusation
Term

 

Commesurately

Definition
of the same  size or extent
Term

 

Contingent

Definition
dependent on or resulting from a future and as yet unknown event
Term

 

Couched

Definition
to express something using a particular style or choice of words
Term

 

Dotage

Definition
lack of strength or concentration believed to be a characteristic of old age
Term

 

Draconian

Definition
unjustly harsh or severe
Term

 

Duplicity

Definition
the fact of being deceptive, dishonest, or misleading
Term

 

Endemic

Definition
characteristics of a particular place, or among a particular group, or area of interest
Term
 
Excelsior
Definition
fine wood shavings used for stuffing, packing, etc.
Term

 

Galvanize

Definition
to stimulate somebody or something into great activity
Term

 

Garner

Definition
to earn or acquire something by effort
Term

 

Hinterland

Definition
a region that is remote from cities or other cultural influence
Term

 

Hobble

Definition
to put restrictions on somebody or something to slow or prevent progress
Term

 

Imbroglio

Definition
a confusing, messy, or complicated situation, especially one that involves disagreement or intrigue
Term
 
Ineluctable
Definition

 

inescapable

Term

 

Linden

Definition
a deciduous hardwood tree with heart-shaped leaves
Term

 

Macadam

Definition
a smooth hard road surface made from small pieces of stone, usually mixed with tar or asphalt, in compressed layers
Term

 

Miasma

Definition
a harmful or poisonous emanation, especially one caused by burning or decaying organic matter
Term

 

Mica

Definition
a shiny mineral belonging to a group having varying compositions
Term

 

Minaret

Definition
a tall slender tower attached to a mosque
Term

 

Niggling

Definition
too preocupied with details
Term

 

Obstreporous

Definition
noisily and aggressively boisterous
Term

 

Offal

Definition
the edible, mainly internal organs of an animal
Term

 

Pedimentia

Definition
low gables, typically triangular with a horizontal cornice and raking cornices
Term

 

Phaeton

Definition
a small light four-wheeled carriage, usually with two seats and usually drawn by two horses
Term

 

Preternaturally

Definition
exceeding what is normal in nature
Term

 

Prolific

Definition
present in large numbers, or containing large numbers of quantities of something
Term

 

Prosaic

Definition
not having any features that are interesting or imaginative
Term

 

Psychotropic

Definition
describes drugs that are capable of affecting the mind e.g. those used to treat psychiatric disorders
Term

 

Replevin

Definition
a nact or writ to recover goods by somebody who claims to own them
Term

 

sang-froid

Definition
self-possession or calmness, especially in a dangerous or stressful situation
Term

 

Shunt

Definition
the act of a locomotive pushing railroad vehicles in the process of sorting them
Term

 

Sirocco

Definition
a hot dusty humid southeast wind
Term

 

Snipping

Definition
to criticize someone
Term

 

Somnolent

Definition
feeling sleepy or tending to fall asleep
Term

 

Stave

Definition
to strike something such as a door or a rib and make it break inward
Term

 

Tartar

Definition
an unpleasant person who is often angry or violent, usually someone in a position of power
Term

 

Titillate

Definition
to excite
Term

 

Viscera

Definition
the internal organs of the body, especially those of the abdomen such as the intestines
Term

 

Votary

Definition
a dedicated follower of something such as a religion or cause
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