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English 2A Sullivan
literary terms and words from "30 days to a more perfect vocabulary," pages 220-232
270
English
10th Grade
01/27/2007

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Term
catacombs
Definition
an underground cemetery
Term
virtuoso
Definition
one skilled/having a taste for the fine arts
Term
impunity
Definition
freedom from punishment
Term
fettered
Definition
chained by the feet
Term
conoisseur
Definition
critic of the fine arts
Term
gait
Definition
"a sequence of foot movements, manner of walking"
Term
precluded
Definition
to make impossible
Term
retribution
Definition
"to get a reward, dispense punishment"
Term
afflicted
Definition
those who are affected
Term
explicit
Definition
"exact, precise"
Term
plot
Definition
the events of a story
Term
verbal irony
Definition
when someone makes an obviously false statement
Term
dramatic irony
Definition
when the reader knows something the character doesn't
Term
narrator
Definition
the person telling the story
Term
author
Definition
the writer of the poem/story
Term
protagonist
Definition
the character who has a problem
Term
mood
Definition
the general state of emotions
Term
point of view (POV)
Definition
the perspective of a character
Term
theme
Definition
the big idea behind the story
Term
miserly
Definition
marked by grasping meanness and penuriousness
Term
termagant
Definition
an overbearing or nagging woman
Term
vicarious
Definition
indirect participation or experience
Term
rationalize
Definition
to give justification to a discredible act
Term
gregarious
Definition
"social, likes to be with people, seen with a crowd"
Term
obsequious
Definition
those who follow submissively on others until they are offended
Term
maudlin
Definition
"super-sentimental, overdue emotion"
Term
ascetic
Definition
"self-punishment, denial, austerity"
Term
pander
Definition
using the lowest interests of the people to boost your own power
Term
sublimate
Definition
"to express primitive/sexual desires in constructive ways, unconsciously"
Term
wanton
Definition
"passionate, lewd, brutish, consequence-less "
Term
effete
Definition
worn out until it is incapable of producing good
Term
obstetrician
Definition
doctor for pregnant women
Term
pediatrician
Definition
doctor for children
Term
podiatrist
Definition
doctor for foot ailments
Term
osteopath
Definition
doctor for bone problems
Term
ophthalmologist
Definition
eye doctor/surgeon
Term
optometrist
Definition
doctor that corrects vision problems
Term
optician
Definition
eyeglass maker
Term
gynecologist
Definition
doctor of female matters
Term
dermatologist
Definition
doctor of the skin
Term
psychiatrist
Definition
"doctor of the brain, mental problems"
Term
orthodontist
Definition
doctor of tooth placement
Term
expiate
Definition
"to make amends for, to repent a sin"
Term
vegetate
Definition
live in a passive way
Term
mulct
Definition
deprive of possession injustly
Term
importune
Definition
"beg for ceaselessly, beseech, entreat"
Term
ostracize
Definition
exclude from public or private favor; ban
Term
procrastinate
Definition
put off until a future time; delay
Term
skintillate
Definition
sparkle with wit or humor
Term
rusticate
Definition
spend time in a country
Term
impute
Definition
"attribute an act or thought to someone, in a bad or accusatory sense"
Term
deprecate
Definition
disapprove of the actions of someone
Term
dominate
Definition
have control over
Term
facilitate
Definition
make easier
Term
emulate
Definition
follow the example of
Term
gesticulate
Definition
make gestures or motions to convey meanings
Term
recuperate
Definition
get better
Term
patronize
Definition
be condescending toward
Term
penalize
Definition
make pay a fine or suffer punishment
Term
dramatize
Definition
make vivid or moving
Term
immortalize
Definition
make live forever
Term
plagarize
Definition
appropriate and claim as one's own the literary work of another
Term
atheist
Definition
one who denies the existance of god
Term
agnostic
Definition
"one who says that there is no explanation for god or heaven, never will be"
Term
fatalist
Definition
"one who believes that everything is preconcieved, no coincedences"
Term
egoist
Definition
"one who is selfish, interested in personal gain and direct benefit"
Term
altruism
Definition
"one who is selfless, gives to others, thinks of others first"
Term
stoic
Definition
"one who is tough, meets well with adversity"
Term
chauvinistic
Definition
"believing a certain race, gender, country is worse/better than others"
Term
jingoist
Definition
one who believes that war is the ultimate answer to everything
Term
liberalism
Definition
believing in a rapidly changing government with fresh ideas
Term
conservative
Definition
"trusting in the well-trodden paths of life, traditional"
Term
epicurean
Definition
believing that life should only be filled with pleasure
Term
monogamy
Definition
marriage to one
Term
polygamy
Definition
marriage to many
Term
bigamy
Definition
marriage to two
Term
misogamy
Definition
hatred of marriage
Term
monotheism
Definition
believing in one god
Term
polytheism
Definition
believing in many gods
Term
bicuspid
Definition
two-pronged tooth
Term
polyglot
Definition
one who speaks more than one language
Term
misanthropy
Definition
hatred of man or mankind
Term
theology
Definition
study of religion and god
Term
philanthropy
Definition
love(r) of mankind
Term
anthropology
Definition
"study of man, science of human development"
Term
philology
Definition
study of language
Term
coquette
Definition
"flirtatious girl, promises much, delivers little"
Term
circe
Definition
girl who lures men to her destruction
Term
amazon
Definition
"tall, strapping, masculine woman"
Term
virago
Definition
"loud, turbulent, battle axe type woman"
Term
adonis
Definition
handsome man
Term
judas
Definition
one who sells his best friends out for money
Term
futilitarian
Definition
the pessimist who believes nothing will succeed
Term
vulgarian
Definition
"vulgar language, taste, manners"
Term
pedant
Definition
one who makes an unnecessary show of his learning
Term
esthete
Definition
"one who has fine taste, artistic flair"
Term
demagogue
Definition
appeals to the prejudices and hatreds of the population to raise his power
Term
martinet
Definition
"believes in discipline, form, etiquette"
Term
sycophant
Definition
"by insincere flattery, he tries to make rich people his friends"
Term
tyro
Definition
"the apprentice, the beginner in an art"
Term
clairvoyant
Definition
"he who claims to see things not visible to others, psychic"
Term
philatelist
Definition
collector of stamps
Term
numismatist
Definition
coin collector
Term
gourmet
Definition
"he who is knowledgeable in eating, drinking and excellent food"
Term
pyromaniac
Definition
compulsion with fire
Term
dipsomaniac
Definition
compulsion to drink
Term
megalomaniac
Definition
believes he is god
Term
monomaniac
Definition
unbalanced in one area
Term
kleptomaniac
Definition
compulsion to steal
Term
ceraunophobia
Definition
fear of thunder
Term
astraphobia
Definition
fear of lightning
Term
ophidiophobia
Definition
fear of snakes
Term
nyctophobia
Definition
fear of the dark
Term
acrophobia
Definition
fear of heights
Term
pyrophobia
Definition
fear of fire
Term
aquophobia
Definition
fear of water
Term
ailurophobia
Definition
fear of cats
Term
cynophobia
Definition
fear of dogs
Term
triskaidekaphobia
Definition
fear of the number 13
Term
claustrophobia
Definition
fear of closed spaces
Term
agoraphobia
Definition
fear of open spaces
Term
hypochondriac
Definition
complains about imaginary ills
Term
amnesiac
Definition
forgets everything
Term
somnambulist
Definition
sleepwalker
Term
insomniac
Definition
one who cant sleep
Term
manic-depressive
Definition
happy then sad mood without warning
Term
schizophrenic
Definition
believes that he is someone/somewhere he really isn't
Term
melancholic
Definition
seeks suicide
Term
paranoiac
Definition
believes everyone is against him
Term
nostalgia
Definition
wishes to return to the past
Term
satiated
Definition
"filled beyond natural desire, glutted"
Term
benevolence
Definition
desire for the welfare of others
Term
frustration
Definition
repeated failure to gain something desired
Term
lethargy
Definition
"state of indifference, lazy"
Term
enervated
Definition
exausted
Term
weltschmerz
Definition
world pain
Term
ennui
Definition
"filled with inertia, lazy"
Term
compunction
Definition
"qualms, guilt, regrets"
Term
antipathy
Definition
an instictive feeling of aversion or dislike
Term
supercillious
Definition
"believes he is superior over others, haughty"
Term
vindictive
Definition
"vengeful, seeks revenge, goes based on his own feelings towards justice"
Term
misogynist
Definition
hates women
Term
misanthrope
Definition
"hates people, society"
Term
entomology
Definition
study of insects
Term
suave
Definition
persuasive person
Term
phlegmatic
Definition
lacking in emotion
Term
erudite
Definition
book-learned
Term
punctillious
Definition
worry-wart
Term
indefatigable
Definition
tireless worker
Term
vapid
Definition
"boring, dull, lackluster"
Term
iconoclastic
Definition
critic of government
Term
puerile
Definition
"an adult on the outside, child on the inside"
Term
peccadillo
Definition
a slight sin
Term
penury
Definition
abject poverty
Term
imbroglio
Definition
a complicated and embarassing situation
Term
braggadocio
Definition
empty boasting
Term
panacea
Definition
cure-all for the world
Term
fiasco
Definition
a miserable and ridiculous failure
Term
idiosyncracy
Definition
a characteristic peculiarity
Term
anomaly
Definition
something irregular or inconsistent
Term
malinger
Definition
to feign sickness
Term
parvenu
Definition
one who flaunts newly acquired wealth
Term
chicanery
Definition
"mean, petty trickery"
Term
diction
Definition
word choice
Term
figurative language
Definition
language that evokes one or more of the senses
Term
controlling images
Definition
an image that runs throughout the entire work
Term
extended metaphor
Definition
"a metaphor over a number of lines used to make larger generalizations on life, usually comparing 2 unlike things"
Term
understatement
Definition
an important fact that is understressed
Term
hyperbole
Definition
a fact whose importance is exaggerated beyond merit
Term
synedoche
Definition
the individual representing the whole
Term
metonymy
Definition
the whole representing the individual
Term
symbolism
Definition
the use of concrete objects to express abstract ideas
Term
allusion
Definition
brief refrence to historical fact in a work
Term
alliteration
Definition
repitition of first consonant sounds
Term
slant rhyme
Definition
rhyme where words must be mispronounced to rhyme together
Term
internal rhyme
Definition
a set of words in one lne that rhyme together
Term
consonance
Definition
repitition of last consonant sounds
Term
assonance
Definition
repitition of vowel sounds
Term
rhyme scheme
Definition
"the order in which the lines of a poem rhyme together, usually represented by letters"
Term
bete noire
Definition
a particular object of hate or dread
Term
cadaverous
Definition
"pale, ghastly"
Term
carte blanche
Definition
unconditional permission or authority
Term
esoteric
Definition
confined to a select circle; known by a select few
Term
forte
Definition
one's strong point
Term
impasse
Definition
a blind alley; an insurmountable obstacle
Term
incongruous
Definition
inadaptable; out of place
Term
docile
Definition
tractable
Term
miscegenation
Definition
marriage of mixed races
Term
moribund
Definition
in a dying state
Term
nebulous
Definition
hazy; indistinct
Term
recrimation
Definition
changes retorted; abusive argument
Term
repercussion
Definition
reverberations
Term
scurrilous
Definition
grossly offensive or vulgar
Term
soporific
Definition
tending to cause sleep
Term
catholic
Definition
broad-minded in views or tastes
Term
chauvinist (2)
Definition
an exaggerated patriot
Term
defeatist
Definition
follows the policy or practice of admiting defeat too quickly
Term
dilettante
Definition
"one who follows the arts as a pastime, dabbles"
Term
epicurean (2)
Definition
striving for total and complete pleasure at all times
Term
parsimonious
Definition
unnecessarily frugal
Term
philistine
Definition
narrow-minded; opposed to progress and learning
Term
stoic
Definition
a person showing no emotion to pleasure or pain
Term
uxorious
Definition
foolishly and fervently dotes on his wife
Term
profligate
Definition
completely given up to dissipation; dissolute; wasteful
Term
coup de grace
Definition
final blow
Term
de trop
Definition
anyone who is in the way or not wanted
Term
double-entendre
Definition
a word or phrase that has two meanings; one of which is worse
Term
en rapport
Definition
in agreement
Term
espirit de corps
Definition
for the good of the whole
Term
par excellence
Definition
by excellence
Term
qui vive
Definition
"on guard, in tune with surroundings"
Term
potpourri
Definition
a heterogeneous mix of great variety
Term
faux pas
Definition
embarassing mistake
Term
savoir-faire
Definition
"perfectly poised, sophisticated"
Term
anticlimax
Definition
"a gradual or sudden decrease in the importance/impressiveness of what is said, opposite of climax"
Term
similie
Definition
a rhetorical expression expressing comparison or likeness
Term
analogous
Definition
partial agreement or resemblance between things somewhat different
Term
persiflage
Definition
"a light, flippant style of conversation or writing"
Term
cliché
Definition
"a stale, worn-out or sterotyped phrase either written or spoken"
Term
non sequitur
Definition
an inference or conclusion that does not follow the fact pattern
Term
ambiguity
Definition
"vagueness; indefiniteness, uncertainty"
Term
epigram
Definition
a pithy saying that crystallizes a witty thought
Term
euphemism
Definition
a pleasing expression used in place of one that is offensive
Term
redundancy
Definition
unnecessary repetition
Term
abstemious
Definition
sparing in the use of food and drink
Term
chimerical
Definition
fanciful
Term
facet
Definition
"side, aspect"
Term
fetish
Definition
object of worship
Term
maciavellian
Definition
politically cunning
Term
ochlocracy
Definition
mob rule
Term
omniscient
Definition
all knowing
Term
pariah
Definition
outcast
Term
peremptory
Definition
decisive and final
Term
poignant
Definition
painfully moving
Term
querulous
Definition
complaining; fretful
Term
specious
Definition
subtly false
Term
ubiquitous
Definition
found or existing everywhere
Term
unctuous
Definition
"bland and smugly smooth in pretense of concer, sincerity, or spirituality"
Term
vainglorious
Definition
boastful
Term
monograph
Definition
a treatise on one subject
Term
monologue
Definition
a speech uttered by one person
Term
monomania
Definition
mental derangement confined to one idea
Term
monoplane
Definition
an airplane with one pair of wings
Term
monopoly
Definition
exclusive possession or control of one thing
Term
monosyllable
Definition
a word of one syllable
Term
monotheism
Definition
belief in one God
Term
monotone
Definition
one unvarying tone
Term
monarchy
Definition
government in the hands of one ruler
Term
monastery
Definition
religious institution
Term
monk
Definition
solitary life
Term
bicycle
Definition
vehicle with two wheels
Term
biennial
Definition
occuring every two years
Term
bifocals
Definition
eyeglasses having two types of lenses
Term
bigamy
Definition
second marriage while the first one is still in effect
Term
bimonthly
Definition
every two months
Term
binoculars
Definition
something used for two eyes
Term
biped
Definition
an animal with two feet
Term
biscuit
Definition
something cooked twice; i.e. cracket
Term
bisect
Definition
to cut into two parts
Term
bivalve
Definition
a marine animal with two shells
Term
tricycle
Definition
a vehicle with three wheels
Term
trilinear
Definition
having three sides
Term
trilingual
Definition
"made up of, or pertaining to, three languages"
Term
trilogy
Definition
a series of three literary or musical compositions
Term
trimonthly
Definition
every three months
Term
trinity
Definition
"father, son, holy ghost "
Term
trio
Definition
three people who sing a song
Term
triple
Definition
consisting of three
Term
triplets
Definition
three children born simulataneously
Term
tripod
Definition
three-legged stand
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