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GRE Hit Parade, Group 2 (2009)
Princeton Review's
54
General Vocab
Graduate
02/23/2009

Additional General Vocab Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
abscond
Definition

to depart cladestinely; to steal off and hide

 

1565, from L. abscondere "to hide, conceal," from ab(s)- "away" + condere "put together, store," from com- "together" + dere "put," from PIE *dhe- "to put, place, make" (see factitious). The notion is of "to hide oneself," esp. to escape debt or the law. 

Term
ameliorate
Definition
to make better or more tolerable
Term
arduous
Definition
strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort
Term
ascetic
Definition

one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion

 

Synonym: abstainer 

Term
austere
Definition

without adornment; severely simple

 

similar-sounding synonyms: "stark" and "sterile"

Term
axiom
Definition
a universally recognized principle
Term
axiomatic
Definition
taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth
Term
bucolic
Definition

rustic and pastorale; characteristic of rural areas and their habitats

 

the "co" is of the same origin as "cow"... this derives from an original meaning of "pertaining to cowherders". 

Term
canonical
Definition
following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards
Term
contentious
Definition
argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
Term
convoluted
Definition
complex or complicated
Term
culpable
Definition
deserving blame
Term
disabuse
Definition
to undecieve; to set right
Term
eclectic
Definition
composed of elements drawn from various sources
Term
effrontery
Definition

extreme boldness; presumptuousness

 

front -> forehead/brow -> forward -> bold

 

reminiscent of "headstrong". 

Term
ephemeral
Definition

brief; fleeting

 

hemer is a day... this means "lasting but a day". 

Term
erudite
Definition

very learned; scholarly

 

based upon rude (meaning rough or unrefined).  This means "not unrefined".

Term
eulogy
Definition
speech honoring the dead
Term
extemporaneous
Definition

improvised; done without preparation

 

temporal is related to time... this means done at the moment in time 

Term
facetious
Definition
playful; humorous
Term
fulminate
Definition
to loudly attack or denounce
Term
hyperbole
Definition
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
Term
lucid
Definition

clear; easily understood

 

think of luc (light) - casting a light on a something. 

Term
oscillation
Definition
the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady rhythm
Term
paean
Definition

a song of hymn of praise or thanksgiving

 

[Latin paeān, hymn of thanksgiving, often addressed to Apollo, from Greek paiān, from Paiā, a title of Apollo.] 

Term
penurious
Definition

penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous

 

sounds like penny-pinching 

Term
perfidy
Definition

intentional breach of faith; treachery

 

per is through... fidy is faith... "through faith" 

Term
pernicious
Definition

extremely harmful; potentially causing death

 

from nex, meaning death... think of noxious 

Term
perspicacious
Definition

acutely perceptive; having keen discernment

 

related to perspective (also to spectacle)... means to "see through".

Term
pious
Definition
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
Term
precipitate (adjective)
Definition

acting with excessive haste or impulse

 

praeceps means "steep" (think precipitous)... this is therefore akin to rushing "headlong down a steep slope".

Term
precipitate (verb)
Definition
to cause or happen before anticipated or required
Term
precursor
Definition
one that precedes and indicates or announces another
Term
predilection
Definition
a disposition in favor of something; preference
Term
prolific
Definition

producing large amounts or volumes; productive

 

related to proletariats, an old term for the productive workers of society (considered lower-class). 

Term
qualms
Definition
misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy
Term
quiescence
Definition

stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest

 

shares root with quiet

Term
recant
Definition
to retract, esp. a previously held belief
Term
redoubtable
Definition

awe-inspiring; worthy of honor

 

doubt originally meant "to fear"... this therefore meant "worthy of fear", which later lead to "worthy of respect."

Term
reticent
Definition

quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings

 

related to tacit, meaning "silent"... think of taciturn, which means "inclined to silence... reserved".

Term
satire
Definition
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
Term
sordid
Definition
characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul
Term
squalid
Definition
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
Term
squander
Definition
to waste by spending or using irresponsibly
Term
stoic
Definition
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
Term
stymie
Definition
to block, thwart
Term
supplant
Definition
to take the place of; supersede
Term
synthesis
Definition
the combination of parts to make a whole
Term
torpid
Definition
lethargic; sluggish; dormant
Term
torque
Definition
a force that causes rotation
Term
ubiquitous
Definition
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
Term
veracity
Definition

truthfulness; honesty

 

(think of ver, as in verify or veritable)

Term
vilify
Definition
to defame; to characterize harshly
Term
virulent
Definition
extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic
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