abate (a bate')
Make
less; die
down.
Example: The city passed a law to
abate the noise coming from factories.
abducted
Kidnapped;
carried away
a person by force.
abet (a
bet')
Assist; help out, especially in doing
something
bad.
Example: Nixon had a staff to
abet his crimes.
abide (a byd')
Tolerate;
stand. In archaic usage, abide means to
live
there, and the home where one abides is called an
abode.
abolish
Wipe out by decree;
annul.
abroad (a brod')
Outside
of your
own country.
abrogate (ab' ro
gate)
Cancel by
an official act.
abscond (ab skond')
Run
off with
the money.
absent
Not there;
missing.
absolute
Pure;
total.
absurd (ab serd')
Makes
no sense;
stupid; goofy.
abundant
Plentiful;
there's
lots of it.
abuse (ab yous')
Noun.
Bad
treatment. As a verb, abuse is pronounced
(ab
youz').
access
Permission to
visit;
admittance.
account
Story.
accounting
What
happened to
the money. People who can understand such statements are
called
accountants.
accuse (ak yuze')
Blame;
say
someone did something bad.
acknowledge
Recognize; admit
to be true.
acquaintance
Someone you
know slightly, less than a friend.
acquire (a
qwire')
Get.
acquitted
Found to be
not
guilty of the crime charged.
adept (a dept')
Good at
something;
skilled.
adhere (ad here')
Stick
to.
adjacent (a jay'
sent)
Next to
each other; contiguous.
adjust (a
just')
Improve; change;
fix.
admit
Allow; confess to
be
true.
adorn (a dorn')
Decorate;
dress
up.
adversary (ad' ver
sary)
Enemy;
opponent.
adversity
When the
going gets
tough.
advocated
Spoke in
favor
of.
affability (af a bil' i
ty)
Genteel good humor; jolly but not overbearing behavior.
The
fine line between affability (which is pleasant)
and
jocularity (which is irritating) is most important
to
discover.
affection
Kind
feelings.
affinity (a fin' i
ty)
Attraction.
afford
Give.
Example: The judge afforded him
an
opportunity to tell his side of the story.
Afford also means to be able
to
spend. Example: Most college students can't
afford to spend more than $500 a month on rent.
affront (a
frunt')
Defiant
insult.
aggravate (ag' ra
vate)
Make
worse, or more serious.
Example: Bill
Clinton
aggravated his crimes by his efforts to silence his
accusers.
aggressor
The one who
starts
the fight.
aghast (a
gast')
Extremely
astonished and horrified; a state of bewilderment usually expressed
with
open mouth and bugged eyes.
agitated
Disturbed;
stirred
up.
agonize over
Be
in fearful
suspense.
agreeable
Friendly;
in
harmony.
alacrity (a lak' ri
ty)
Willingness and enthusiasm; energetic
joy.
all-out
A major effort,
using all
available resources.
allays (a layz')
Tones
down;
softens.
allegiance
Being a
friend or
ally; loyalty.
alliance (a ly'
ans)
Partnership; coalition; team. A relationship based on
mutual
commitments to defend each other's interests. An
ally
(al' eye) is your partner in this relationship.
aloof (a loof')
Like you
aren't
interested in being there; superior and detached in attitude, like a
cat
more than like a dog.
altar
Raised place for
performing
ritual killings.
ambiguous (am big' yoo
us)
Vague; unclear because it could mean two
things.
An ambiguity (am big yoo' i ty) is vague spot
in a
text.
ambitious (am bish'
us)
Greedy;
hungry for more power.
ambivalence (am biv' a
lence)
The state of not being able to decide if you like it more
than you
hate it.
ambush (am'
bush)
Surprise attack
out of hiding.
anarchy (an' er
ky)
Nobody's in
charge; freedom for the criminals.
ancestors
Forefathers; prior
generations of your family.
animus (an' i
mus)
Strong dislike;
hostile attitude.
annotated (an' o ta
ted)
With
additional notes to the text, such as this edition of Plutarch's
Lives. Example: Annotated
statutes are
printed laws supplemented with references to related judicial
decisions.
annulled (a
nuld')
Cancelled;
made as if it never happened.
anomalous (a nom' a
lus)
Out of
place; shouldn't be there. An anomaly is
something
anomalous, i.e. something you don't expect to find
there.
antagonist (an tag' o
nist)
Opponent; enemy.
anti- (an' ty)
Against;
opposed
to.
anxious (ank'
shus)
Worried;
filled with anxiety.
ape
Verb.
Imitate
without understanding, the way monkeys do.
apologize (a pol' o
gize)
Say
that you are sorry for what you have done; offer excuses for
errors.
appease (a peez')
Give
them what
they want so they will stop making trouble.
aptitude (ap' ti
tude)
Promise;
probability of success at learning.
arbitrarily (ar bi
trer' i
ly)
For no good reason; from a whim of power.
arbitrate (ar' bi trate)
Verb.
Decide a dispute by a third party, whose decision
the
disputants agree to follow. This third party is called the
arbitrator, and the dispute resolution process is
called
arbitration.
arch-enemy
Worst
enemy;
nemesis.
archer
Soldier who
shoots
arrows.
arete (ah' re
tay)
Arete,
in English, means something like "virtue" and "excellence" and all
of the
qualities that together make up good character. The knightly
code of
chivalry is similar to the Greek idea of
arete, but
to the Greeks the concept had more metaphysical
significance.
arguably (ar' gyu a bly)
It would
not be
unreasonable to think so; a good advocate could think up some
plausible
argument to support this position; unbiased and reasonable people
would not
laugh if you said this.
aristocracy (ar is
tok' ra
see)
The ruling class, or, as a political system, "rule of the
best" (its
literal meaning in Greek). Who these "best" are is usually
determined
by which family they happen to be born in.
arrange
Set up;
organize.
arrest (a
rest')
Stop.
arrogant (ar' o
gant)
Pushy;
bossy. The opposite of humble.
art
A body of technical
knowledge or
skill. Note that the term is not limited to painting or
sculpture,
which is properly called "fine art."
artificial
Not
natural; done
by means of technology.
artisan (ar' ti
zan)
One who
makes beautiful things, for example, a jeweler or a craftsman in
wood.
ashamed (a
shaymd')
Embarrassed;
wish you were dead.
Example: The fact that
he was
not ashamed proved that he had no sense of honor,
and
therefore could not be trusted with the office of President.
assailant (a say'
lant)
Attacker; one who is trying to harm somebody.
assassinate (a sas' in
ate)
Murder a public official.
assault
Attack.
Example: The crime of assault is
complete even
if no blow is struck (that's battery), so long as the victim was
scared by
the attack.
assemble
Gather
together.
assume
Suppose that it's
true.
assurance (a shur'
ance)
Guarantee; confidence.
astonishing (as ton'
ish
ing)
Incredible; amazing.
at stake
Up for
grabs; the
prize for the winner; at risk.
atrocity (a tross' si
ty)
Cruel
and violent act; an outrage. Atrocious (a
tro' shus)
means outrageously bad. Example: His table
manners are
atrocious.
attain
Achieve.
attendant
Servant.
attribute (at' tri
bute)
Noun.
A quality or characteristic. Note the
difference
in how this word is pronounced from when it is used as a verb.
attribute (a
trib' ute)
Verb.
Say it came from that
source.
Example:
The painting was attributed to Rembrandt.
attrition
Loss in
numbers.
Example: The attrition
rate for
first year law students is 35%.
auctioned
Sold to the
highest
bidder at an auction, or public bidding procedure.
austere (os
teer')
Spartan;
serious and disciplined; not ornamented; not luxurious. The
quality of
being austere is called austerity
(os ter'
i ty).
authority
The power
and right
to command.
avenge (a venge')
Get
even for;
take revenge.
avoid
Steer clear of;
dodge;
evade.
awed (awd)
Impressed
extremely, to the point of amazement. You are
awed by
something awesome.
awkward (ok' werd)
Not
graceful;
embarrassing; clumsy.
100
back out
Withdraw
from a
commitment; retreat.
Example: When prices rose,
they tried
to back out of the deal.
backed up
by
Supported
by.
backing
Supporting; on
the side
of.
ballast (bal'
est)
Additional
weight in the bottom of a ship, put there for the purpose of
lowering its
center of gravity, thereby preventing the ship from tipping
over.
ban
Prohibit.
banish
Order someone to
leave and
not ever come back.
bankrupt
When your
debts exceed
your assets; broke.
banquet (bank'
wet)
Dinner party
for a large group.
barbarian (bar bay' ri
en)
To
the Greeks, only Greece had civilization worthy of the name and
people
worthy of the system, therefore all foreigners who had made it past
being
savages were considered barbarians, even if they were
technologically
advanced. Barbarians, such as the Persians, were considered
laughably
crude and gaudy.
bargain (bar'
gen)
Deal;
contract. Your part of the bargain is what
you are
committed to doing under the terms of the contract.
barren
Not fertile;
nothing grows
there.
barricade
Defensive
barrier;
wall against the enemy.
bear fruit
Produce
results.
bear the
brunt
Take most
of the load.
bear with
Endure;
tolerate.
beat to the
punch
Strike first; launch a pre-emptive attack.
beat up
Hit
repeatedly.
begrudge (be
gruj')
Give
unwillingly.
behold (be hold')
Look
at.
belittle (be lit'
tel)
Denigrate
another person's abilities; criticize; run down.
benefit
Verb.
Get
something good.
betray (be tray')
Turn
against. Betrayal is when a person you think
is a
friend acts as your enemy behind your back.
bewitch
Cast a spell
on;
influence by magic.
bitter
Resentful;
harsh.
bizarre (be
zar')
Weird; very
odd.
blockade
When you
prevent
transportation in or out.
blundered
Made a bad
mistake.
boast
Brag.
body politic (pol'
i
tic)
The politically active population, in general.
bold
Audacious;
daring.
bombastic
Grand and
loud but
empty. Bombast is called "bullshit" in
colloquial
American English.
booty
Loot; plunder;
ill-gotten
gains.
boss around
Give
orders
because you are intoxicated with authority.
bothering
Annoying;
pestering;
being a nuisance.
braggadocio (brag a
do' si
o)
Bragging.
breeds
Produces, as a
parent.
Breeding is the education of a
person in
the social graces by the example of his family.
Ill-bred means that you have bad manners, and
therefore
your parents are presumably bumpkins
too.
brevity
Briefness;
using few
words to express your thought.
Example:
Brevity is the soul of wit.
brittle
Easily cracked;
not
tough.
broke
off
Stopped.
Example: After
she
broke off their engagement, she returned his
ring.
brother-in-law
The brother
of your wife or husband.
brusque
Abrupt and
blunt, not
wasting time with courtesies and formalities.
buffoon (buff
oon')
Jolly
clown.
bumpkin
Person who is
ignorant of
manners and style; redneck.
bungled
Badly done;
inept.
burdened
Loaded
down.
by means
of
Through; using.
 =
;
46
cadre (cad' re)
A group
of future
leaders; hard core of an organization.
call off
Cancel a
planned
event.
calm down
Pacify;
mellow out;
chill.
came to
pass
Turned out;
happened as an expected result.
candid (can'
did)
Honest;
unbiased.
Example: After his comically insincere
address
on national TV, the American people suspected that Bill Clinton was
not
candid with the grand jury either.
capable
Gets things
done.
capacity
What you are
capable
of; how much you can do.
Also capacity
means
one's legal power, as opposed to personal power.
Example: Mr. Smith signed the promissory note in his
capacity as President of ABC Corporation, and he
signed
individually as well at the request of the bank.
capital
crime
Punishable
by death.
caprice (ca
preece')
Fickleness;
unsteady affection; foolish whimsy.
capture
Catch.
As a
noun, capture means being caught.
casual (cas' yu el)
Not
nervous,
tense, or strict. Nonchalant (non shal ont').
casualties
Those who
are hurt
or killed.
catastrophic (cat as
tro'
fic)
Very, very bad news. A catastrophe
(cat as'
tro fee) is bigger than a disaster or a calamity.
catch up
Overtake;
close the
lead; come from behind.
cavalry (cav' al
ry)
Soldiers who
ride on horses.
Centaur (sen'
tar)
Mythical
creature that is half horse and half man.
champion
One who
fights on
behalf of another. This term comes from the days when lawsuits
were
decided by combat, and weak litigants were permitted to substitute a
champion for themselves. Note that in
contemporary
American English, champion also means the winner of
a
tournament.
chaos (kay'
os)
Disorganization; a
state of total disorder; absolute randomness.
characteristics
(kar' ak ter
iss" tix)
Features; what you notice as distinctive=
about someone or something.
charge
Running at the
enemy;
assault.
charge
with
Accuse of; put
a burden on.
chasm (kaz' um)
Deep
crack in the
ground.
chaste (rhymes with
past)
Clean;
refraining from sexual contact.
chauvinism (sho' vin is
m)
Pride in your group identity.
cheered them
up
Made
them happier.
chronicle (kron' i
cul)
Report
of events.
circumstances (sir'
cum stan
ses)
The world around you.
civil
rights
Freedoms and
powers; what you can lawfully do in the society.
Note
that
civil rights does not mean preferential treatment
based on
your race or gender -- that is called "affirmative action."
client
One who engages
the
services of a professional.
cloy
Bore the
taste.
Example: Her relentless chatter soon began
to
cloy, and he looked for some excuse to leave.
cluster
Bunch or
group.
cold
war
Hostilities, but no
all-out war.
colleagues (col'
eegs)
Co-workers; associates.
commend
Praise.
commissioned
Formally gave
the job.
common
sense
What you
would expect anyone to know.
commonwealth (com'
mon
welth)
A social organization where each participant has a share
in the
governing power, like a corporation.
compassion
Sympathy;
pity;
kind spirit.
compel (com pel')
To
force; make
someone do something.
competent (com' pe
tant)
Can do
the job; capable.
compile
Assemble data
or
documents into a record or book.
complying
with
Going
along with; doing what they want.
composure
Calmness;
emotional
balance.
compound
Verb.
Add to, make worse.
As an adjective,
compound means added on.
Compound
interest is added to the principal of a debt, either daily or
annually, as
it accrues. A compound fracture is a broken
bone that
pierces the skin.
compulsion
Pressure;
the
opposite of persuasion; being compelled. When you are
compelled to do something, you're not happy about
it but
you go ahead and get it done.
comrades (com'
radz)
Fellow
soldiers; buddies.
conceal (con
seel')
Hide.
conceited
Deluded by
a high
opinion of yourself; pretending to be cool.
conceivable
What
you can
think of if you really try. "Every conceivable comfort " means
that
all possible efforts were made to provide the very best
accommodations.
consensus
Agreement;
common
will.
Example: The strength of the Japanese
management style is the emphasis on consensus
building,
rather than autocratic edicts from the big boss.
Note that
the
common mistake "consensus of opinion" is redundant.
concerted
effort
Everybody is working as a team to accomplish
a
task.
concession
Something
given
reluctantly.
concluded
Finished.
Example: The school year concluded
in
June.
Concluded, in a different context,
also
means decided after thinking about it a while.
Example:
The company concluded that the exposure from
harassment and discrimination lawsuits outweighed any benefit from
making
its product in the USA.
condemn
Express
abhorrence;
damn.
condemned (con demd')
Past Participle, used as an Adjective.
Doomed; facing a bad
future.
confederation
Loose
alliance.
confer (con
fer')
Consult;
talk.
confide
Trust; give
secret
information.
confine
Limit.
confirm
Establish the
truth of;
make more firm the opinion.
confiscation (con fis
ka'
shun)
Seizure of property by the government.
conflict (con' flict)
Noun.
Fight. Used as a verb, the accent is on the
second
syllable.
conform (con form')
Do
like
everybody else does.
confrontation
Showdown;
potential fight.
congregate (con' gre
gate)
Get
together as friends.
conscience (con'
shens)
Moral
sense; what you know from inside.
consent (con
sent')
Permit or
permission.
consequences (con' sa
quen
ses)
Results that follow from an action.
consisting
of
Made up
of.
consolidate
Bring
together
and organize; make sure of.
conspire
Plan together
to do
something evil.
constitution
Agreed plan of
government.
construe (con
stroo')
Figure out
the meaning of writings or actions; interpret.
consul
Rome elected two
co-presidents each year, called consuls.
consult
with
Plan together
with; seek counsel from.
contemporaries
Those who
are alive when you are.
contempt (con
tempt')
Disdain;
scorn; an attitude of disrespect.
Contemptible means
worthy of contempt.
contention
Argument,
disagreement, competition.
contentment
Satisfaction;
peaceful spirit.
continually
From
time to
time, but not every moment.
Note
the
important difference between continually and
continuously, which means without a break.
continue
Go on; keep
going.
continuous (con tin' yu
us)
Without a break.
contrary to (con'
tra
ry)
Against; opposite to.
contrast (con' trast)
Noun.
Difference; oppositeness.
Used as a verb,
the
accent is on the second syllable.
contrive
Accomplish
with some
ingenuity.
convene
Call together
for a
meeting.
conviction
Being
convinced;
what you believe.
corpse
Dead body.
corroborate (co rob'
or
ate)
Support the testimony of a witness with other evidence, such
as the
testimony of other witnesses or physical evidence.
corrupt
Immoral;
changed for the
worse.
Example: Rust is
corrupt
iron, just as possessiveness is corrupt love.
Corruption is particularly concerned with the
taking
of bribes, or payoffs of various kinds to circumvent the civil or
moral
law. For the definitive treatment of this most interesting and
relevant subject, see Bribes by John T.
Noonan,
Jr. [Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit]
(University of California Press 1987).
counsel (kown'
sel)
Advice;
guidance.
count on
Rely on;
depend on;
have faith in.
counterfeit (cown' ter
fit)
Fake; not what it is purported
to
be.
coup (coo)
Takeover of
government by
force.
courteous (ker' te
us)
Well-mannered; polite; considerate and graceful in
conversation and
behavior. Courtesy (ker' te see) is the
quality of
being courteous.
courtesan
Female
entertainer;
high-class prostitute.
cover
Hide; conceal;
distract
attention from.
cowardice
Being too
afraid to
act properly.
Example:
"Cowards
die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death
but
once." -- Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act
2, Scene
2.
credibility
Believability;
reputation for telling the truth.
creditor
One who money
is owed
to.
credulity (cre du' li
tee)
Willingness to believe in what you're told.
crisis (kry'
sis)
Important
moment; time to worry a lot. The plural is
crises
(kry' seez).
crusade
Holy war;
campaign for a
good cause.
cuckold (cuk'
old)
Husband of an
unfaithful wife.
cue (kyew)
Signal for an
actor to say
or do something.
cunning
Slyness;
craftiness;
guile.
curry
favor
Ingratiate;
suck up; brown nose.
custodians
Those who
take care
of something given to them by another.
customary
According
to custom;
what's usually done.
109
daunt
Discourage.
debacle (de bok'
ul)
Big defeat;
screw-up.
debate (de
bate')
Contest of
arguments.
debauch (de
bawch')
Orgy;
excessive party.
debris (dey bree')
The
broken
pieces.
deceit
Intentionally
giving the
wrong idea. Deception is what is done by
deceit.
decline to
Say no
to some
proposed action; turn down an offer.
decree (da
cree')
Official public
statement of new rules.
decrepit (de crep'
it)
Worn out
and falling apart.
deduced (de
duced')
Figured out;
drew the logical conclusion.
defaulted (de fal'
ted)
Failed
to meet a promise.
This term is
typically used
to describe the failure of a borrower to pay back a loan. The
loan
goes into default when the payments are past
due.
The promise to pay is made with a promissory note, which must
state the
amount and a certain date for payment. Without the certain
date, it is
only an IOU.
defective (de fek'
tive)
Something's wrong with it; badly made. If it's
defective, it has a defect (dee'
fect).
defer (de
fer')
To defer
to someone means to acknowledge the superior right or
ability of
another person to take action. To defer some
action
means to put it off until later.
defy (de fy')
Challenge
the power
of.
dejected
Bummed out;
extremely
discouraged.
deliberate (de lib' er
et)
Carefully considered; cautious.
Used as a verb, to
deliberate (de lib' er ate) means to think about
something.
delusion
False
perception;
hallucination; mirage.
demagogue
Public
speaker that
can arouse a crowd.
demeanor (de mean'
er)
How you
carry yourself; attitude.
democracy
Rule of the
people
(its literal meaning in Greek). Not Plutarch's recommended
form of
government: see the Fable of the
Snake in
the life of Agis.
demolish
Destroy
completely and
systematically.
demoralized
Discouraged; have
lost their morale (mo rall'), or fighting
spirit.
dense
Thick; lots of them
in a
small space.
deplore
Be extremely
unhappy
about.
Example: Her family
deplored his atrocious table manners.
deposed
Removed from
high office;
impeached.
depression
Sadness
to the
point of paralysis.
deprive (de
pryv')
Prevent from
having.
deride
Taunt; speak
scornfully to
someone.
descend (de send')
Come
down.
To be a
descendant means
that you are related by blood to someone who has died, i.e. you are
descended from him.
desert (de zert')
Walk
out;
abandon.
desolate (dess' o
let)
Ruined
and deserted; empty place.
desperation
The
state of
being desperate, or having the recklessness of despair.
Example: "The majority of men live lives of quiet
desperation," said Thoreau in
Walden.
despise
View with
extreme disgust
and contempt.
despot (dez' pot)
Cruel
and
capricious ruler.
detection
Being
caught;
discovery.
detest (de test')
Really
hate a
lot.
detour (dee'
toor)
Change in
path.
detractors
Critics;
jeerleaders; those who say bad things about you.
devout (de vowt')
Pious;
very
religious.
dictator
Ruler with
unlimited
power. A boss who is extremely arbitrary in
his management style.
dignity
Quiet
confidence and
pride; the demeanor
that
goes with high rank.
dilemma
You have two
choices, and
neither one is good.
diligent (dil' e
jent)
Hard-working.
diminish (dim in'
ish)
Lessen;
reduce.
diplomacy
Politeness
and
guile.
disarray (dis a
ray')
Disorganization; a messed up
state.
Example: The
Americans were in disarray over the wisdom of
supporting
Clinton's new war.
discipline (dis' i
plin)
Inner
control.
disclaim (dis
claim')
Deny that
it's yours.
A
disclaimer of
warranties is frequently found on used cars, so that the salesman
can claim
you agreed to buy the car whether it runs or not.
discontent (dis con
tent')
Unhappiness; the state of not being contented.
discourse (dis'
course)
Speech;
skill at talking.
disdained (dis
daynd')
Rejected; declined with contempt.
disguise (dis
kies')
False
appearance; camouflage.
disgust (dis
gust')
Distaste;
abhorrence.
dishearten
Discourage; bum
out.
dismayed
Afraid and
shocked.
disown (dis own')
Say
he's not one
of us.
disparage
Talk about
how bad
someone is.
dispute
Noun.
Quarrel;
argument over something.
dissent
Disagreement;
contrary
opinion.
dissipate (dis' i
pate)
Weaken
by scattering.
dissuade (dis
wayd')
Talk out
of; opposite of persuade, which is to talk into.
distinct (dis
tinct')
Not mixed
up but different and separate; easy to see.
distinction
Standing out from
the crowd; fame.
distinctive
Characteristic
and tending to identify.
Example: She could
tell
who sent her the note by the distinctive
handwriting.
distract (dis
tract')
Divert
attention.
divert
Cause to move in
a
different direction; turn aside.
divine (de
vine')
Heavenly.
do away with
Get
rid of;
remove.
doctrine (doc'
trin)
System of
teachings.
dominate
Control by
superior
strength.
dominion
Being the
boss.
dose (rhymes with
close)
Quantity of
medicine taken.
double-agent
Spy
who has
been turned. You think he's your spy, by the enemy has made
him work
for them.
dowry
Price paid to a
husband by
the father of the bride to marry her.
drafted
Compelled to be
soldiers.
dread (dred)
Fear.
drone
Useless
male.
This term is from
entomology.
In the world of bees, where the queen and all of the workers are
female, a
few drones are permitted to exist as consorts for
the
queen.
drought (drowt)
When
the land
dries up for lack of rain.
due
process
Notice of the
intended action of the government and the opportunity to be heard
concerning
this intended action. "Due process" is a term
of art
in constitutional law, and it comprises the two elements of notice
and
opportunity to be heard.
 =
;
79
eager (ee' ger, with a
hard g, as
in good)
Fired up; really wanting to.
easy-going
Pleasant
and
calm.
Example: Television viewers still
enjoy
easy-going Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry.
eccentric
Off-center;
odd;
weird in an amusing way.
effective
Capable;
competent;
it works.
effeminate
Weak and
foolish.
elan (ey lan')
Vigor and
style. A French concept, with no English
equivalent.
elated
Extremely
happy.
eligible (el' i ji
bul)
Qualified; fit to be chosen.
elite (e leet')
Belonging
to a
chosen group of individuals much better than average.
eloquence (el' o
quence)
Beautiful speaking.
embark
Get on a ship for
a
trip.
embezzle
Steal while
you are in
a position of trust.
emphatic (em fat'
ik)
Vehement;
strongly worded; emotional.
encounter
Meet; run
into.
encumbered
You can't
move
easily because of all the stuff you are carrying.
endear
Make loved.
endorsement
Support,
recommendation, backing.
endure
Suffer patiently
until the
end.
enfranchise (en fran'
chize)
Give the right to vote.
Example:
He
argued that the decline and fall of the United States began with the
enfranchisement of women by the 19th Amendment to
the U.S.
Constitution in 1920.
enhance
Make
better.
enlisting
Signing up;
recruiting.
en masse
(on
moss')
All together in a compact group.
enrage (en rage')
Make
very
angry.
enthusiasm
Working
hard and
happy.
entourage (on' tu
raj)
The
crowd that accompanies a big shot.
envoy (on'
voy)
Messenger; person
sent on official business.
envy
Want to change places
with
someone.
essential (es sen'
chul)
Very
important.
estranged
Not
speaking to each
other.
eternal
Lasts
forever.
ethic
Moral system; code
of
behavior.
eunuch (yoo'
nuk)
Castrated
male slave. Eunuchs were extensively used in
the
ancient world as bureaucrats. Wealth was their compensation
for the
loss of their balls.
euphemism (yoo' fem is
m)
Nice
way to say it.
Example: The "political
correctness"
movement has made sensitivity into a joke by
ridiculous euphemisms.
evade
Sneak past.
eventually (e ven' chwa
ly)
Happens later, as expected.
evidence (e' vi
dence)
Facts
tending to prove the truth of an assertion.
evident
Can be
seen.
exaggerate
Hype;
make to
appear bigger than what is real.
Example:
It was
plain to the jury that the plaintiff was
exaggerating her
injury in the hope of getting rich.
exasperated (eg zas'
per a
ted)
Fed up; angry and impatient.
excessive (ek ses'
ive)
Too
much.
exempted
Don't have to
do what
everyone else has to.
An
exemption is a waiver of a requirement.
exert (eg zert')
Project
one's
power; exercise.
exhaustion (eg zaws'
chun)
Tiredness; weariness; emptiness.
exhort (eg zort')
Loudly
encourage
someone.
exile
Noun.
Absence from
your native country, against your will.
A
person in
this condition is called an exile.
expel (ex pel')
Kick out;
send
away.
Expulsion is the
act of
expelling.
expenditure (ex pen'
di
chur)
When you spend money on something, you make an
expenditure.
expertise (ex per
tees')
Knowledge of an expert.
expired
Time has run
out.
exploit (ex' ployt)
Noun.
Heroic deed.
This word has very
different
meanings when used as a noun and as a verb. The verb
exploit (ex ployt') means to make use of in a
greedy
way.
expressly
Clearly
stated, in
writing or otherwise.
exquisite
Very, very
nice.
extemporaneous
Composed on
the spot; not made up beforehand.
extirpate (ex' tir
pate)
Root
out; completely remove all vestiges of something bad.
extort (ex tort')
Compel
to pay by
threats. Extortion is a crime.
extraordinary (ex
tror' di na
ry)
Highly unusual.
extravagance (ex tra'
va
gance)
Excessiveness; immodesty; bad taste.
exult (eg zult')
Feel
proud openly.
 =
;
58
fable
Instructive tale,
with
animals as the characters.
faction
Group within a
larger
group.
faked out
Deceived
by a
feint.
familiarity (fa mil' i
a" ri
ty)
Knowledge from seeing something a lot.
famine (fam' in)
When
there is not
enough food, and people starve.
fatigue (fa
teeg')
Tiredness from
hard work.
favor
Preference;
benefit.
Example: Most of the directors are in
favor
of the proposal.
Example: The
judge
decided in her favor.
Example: He
did her a favor.
fawning
Giving
excessive
affection.
feasting
Eating
abundantly.
feeble
Weak.
feigning (fay'
ning)
Pretending.
feud (fyood)
Long quarrel
between
families.
fickle
Not constant;
disloyal.
figure out
Find
the answer
to a puzzle or a question.
finance (fi' nance)
verb
Pay the costs of
something.
Financial (fi nan' shul) means having to do with
money,
such as the financial statements of a
business.
Financing is the process of putting money into an
enterprise.
find fault
with
Disapprove of; criticize; nit-pick.
finish off
Put the
final
touches on a victory.
first-hand
By
personal
experience, rather than the experience of others.
first pick
First
choice;
priority in choosing.
flank
The end of a line
of
troops.
To outflank the enemy line
means
getting around them.
flatly
Absolutely and
bluntly;
with no attempt to sugar-coat the message.
flee
Fly; run away;
escape.
flight
Fleeing; running
away.
flotilla
Group of
warships, less
than a fleet.
flourish (fler'
ish)
Be healthy and grow.
flunky
A person who is
obedient to
the point of absurdity and shame.
following
About to be
stated.
foment
Stir up; incite;
make
trouble.
for the sake
of
For the
intended benefit of.
A
succinct
definition of this common phrase in English is beyond my
power. Study
the example of its use in the text, and elsewhere.
ford
Cross a stream of
water on
foot, by wading through it.
foreclose
Stop; wipe
out;
prevent.
In real estate law,
foreclosure occurs when a creditor who has not been
paid
legally stops the ownership interest of the debtor in some
property.
foregoing (for go'
ing)
What
has already been stated in the document.
forewarned (for
warned')
Knew
what was about to happen.
forsake
Give up;
abandon.
fortify
Construct to
make
stronger against attack. Fortifications are
what is
built.
fortitude
Toughness.
foundation
Base;
what provides
stability for a building.
fragile
Easy to
break.
fragments
Broken
pieces.
fragrance
Pleasant
smell;
odor.
frame
Verb.
Shape;
construct a plan.
Example: The
writers of the Constitution are referred to collectively as "the
Framers."
frame of
mind
Attitude;
general feeling about things.
frank
Truthful and to the
point;
honest.
frankincense
Nuggets of sap
from a certain Arabian bush, burned to produce a dense and fragrant
smoke.
frantic
In a big hurry,
with
anxiety; freaking out.
fraud
A material
misrepresentation
made with the intent to induce reliance on it. A deliberate
lie to
cheat someone.
frenzy
Strong
passion.
frivolous (friv' o
lus)
Silly;
a waste of time.
frolic
Party of the
light-hearted.
front man
One who
has only
apparent authority; puppet; figurehead.
Example: Many became convinced that Bill Clinton was
merely a
front man for some sinister forces.
frowning
The opposite
of
smiling.
frugal
Extremely
reluctant about
spending money. This is the nice way to say it.
Frugality is the quality of being
frugal.
frustrated
Things
are not
going according to plan; disappointed and angry.
fugitives
People that
are
running away from something.
full-scale
Not
miniature, but
the real size of the thing.
full-time
Not
part-time.
If you do something
full-time, it's
your usual business. A part-time job is something you do for
only a
few hours.
fundamental
Basic.
furnish
Provide; give
something
necessary.
fury (fyu' ry)
Anger.
futile (few' til)
Bound
to fail;
hopeless; useless.
60
garrison (ga' ri
son)
The
soldiers who are controlling a place.
gesticulate (jes tik'
u
late)
Make excited gestures, or expressive body movements, along
with or
in lieu of speech.
get away
Leave;
extricate
one's self from a bad situation.
To
get
away with something is to escape punishment for it.
get back
Return.
get the
chance
Have the
opportunity.
get the
point
Understand.
get out of
Not
have to do
it.
get over
Pass
through to the
end of something bad.
Example: I
can't play tennis until I get over my sprained
ankle.
get rid
of
Eliminate.
get tired
of
Lose your
interest in.
give up
Quit.
glutton
A person who
eats too
much.
go along
with
Indulge;
consent; follow.
go back
Return.
go crazy
Freak out;
become
like an insane person.
going on
Proceeding;
taking
place; happening.
golden age
A time
long ago
when things were much better. This refers to the first age
after the
creation of man, in Greek mythology. After the golden age came
the
silver age, then the bronze age, and finally the iron age.
Maybe now
it's the plastic age. See note 8
to the Life
of Aristides.
good
faith
Sincerity and
honesty in a deal.
good
sense
Wisdom.
good will
Affection
and
respect.
gourmet (gor mey')
A
person who
is an expert in food.
graft
When an official
takes
bribes.
gratify
Please;
satisfy.
gravity
Seriousness;
calm
dignity.
This word comes from the Latin
word
gravitas (grah' vi tahs), which is today a
term of
art in politics, meaning the quality that command attention without
effort. In the Hippie Era, such a dude was said to be
heavy.
grief
(greef)
Sadness.
grievance
Complaint
about bad
conduct.
groundless
Having no
support
in reality.
groveling
Crawling on
the
ground in an exaggerated display of fear and subjection.
grudge
Animosity;
resentment;
score to settle.
grudgingly
Unwillingly and
with feelings of resentment.
guarantee (gar an
tee')
Make
sure.
guile (gyle, with a hard
g, as in
good)
Sneaky tricks; craftiness.
gymnopaediae
Dance of
the naked girls.
33
had in
store
Held for the
future.
hag
Ugly woman.
halt
Stop.
harass (ha
rass')
Bother; annoy;
bug.
hardship
Unpleasant
situation.
Example: Camping involves
hardships such as bugs, cold, bad food, etc., yet
some
people like it.
harmony (har' mo
ni)
Smooth and
friendly cooperation.
haughty (haw'
ty)
Disagreeably
proud; stuck-up.
have a hard
time
When
it's difficult to do something.
hearing (hee'
ring)
Chance to
talk to the judge.
hegemony (he gem' o
ny)
Dominating influence.
heir (ayr)
Someone who
inherits.
help it
Prevent
it.
Example: Because he's blind, he can't
help
it if he runs into things.
herald
One who announces
some
news.
hereditary (her ed' it
ary)
Passed on in the genes, so you're born with it.
hermit
Lives alone and
has no
interest in meeting people.
hoard (rhymes with
board)
Stash;
some cache of goods or cash that has been stored.
hold a
grudge
Stay angry
with someone.
hoplite
An armored
Greek
soldier. The panoply of a hoplite comprised a helmet with face
guards,
armor for the chest and back, greaves to protect the shins, a spear,
and a
sword. Hoplites were used for close fighting in
formation.
hostage
Prisoner kept
to make
sure a bargain is kept.
hostile (hos'
tyle)
Unfriendly.
The process of unfriendly relations
is called
hostilities.
humble (hum'
bul)
Modest; not
trying to impress anybody.
humiliation
Disgrace; shame
because of your circumstances.
hypocrite (hip' o
krit)
Someone
who pretends to be good, but acts otherwise; one who fakes good
faith.
For examples, read what Jesus said about the
Jews and
lawyers of his day (cf. Matthew 23:13-33).
23
ignore (ig nore')
Pay no
attention; disregard.
Ignorant (ig' nor ant) means that no attention has
been
paid to something, so you don't know anything about it.
illiterate
Can't
read or
write.
illusion
Wrong belief
from
mistaken perception.
imbecile (im' be
sil)
Fool with
a weak mind, but not as stupid as an idiot.
imitate (im' i
tate)
Copy;
mimic.
immense (im ens')
Too
big to
measure; huge.
immune (im yune')
Can't
be harmed;
safe from some danger.
impaired
Weakened;
obstructed.
impart
Give; transfer
to.
impartial
Fair; not
favoring
either side in a dispute; the ideal of a judge.
impassive
Can't tell
what he's
feeling; stone-faced.
impeachment
Being
fired from
high office because of misconduct.
impending
About to
happen.
imperative (im per' a
tiv)
Necessary and in the nature of a command; no argument for or
against
is needed or invited.
imperialism
Building an
empire; asserting control outside your own country. This
word
connotes a reckless ambition to expand control. Example:
Bill
Gates, Hitler, and Napoleon made the same mistake:
imperialism.
imperious
Bossy;
seems to enjoy
giving commands and acting like someone important.
implicate (im' pli
cate)
Put
blame on because of their involvement.
Example:
Several lawyers at the White House were implicated
in the
cover-up scandal.
implied
Following as a
reasonable
conclusion from words or conduct, although not clearly
expressed.
Implicit rather than explicit.
implore
Ask
passionately;
beg.
impudent (im' pyu
dent)
Sassy;
disrespectful; bratty.
impulse (im'
pulse)
Sudden change
in momentum; push; whim.
impunity (im pyu' ni
ty)
No
punishment.
in charge
of
Responsible
for.
in favor of
Likes
the
idea.
Example: Both the Republican and
Democratic
parties seem to be in favor of bigger, meaner, and
more
intrusive government.
in spite
of
Despite;
notwithstanding.
Example: In spite
of his inferiority in size, David defeated Goliath.
in the
interest of both
parties
Both sides in the negotiation will benefit
by
this.
in the
way
Adjective.
An impediment; a nuisance; an
obstruction.
inauspicious (in aw
spish'
us)
Unlucky looking; off to a bad start.
incapable
Can't do
it.
incident
Event;
something that
happens.
incite (in site')
Talk
into taking
bad action.
incompetence
Being
unable to
do a job right.
inconsistent
Contradictory;
no steady truth.
Example: Clinton's
inconsistent explanations led the Americans to
doubt his
character and fitness to command them.
incredible
Hard to
believe.
indefatigable (in de
fa' ti ga
bul)
Doesn't get tired.
indemnity (in dem' ni
tee)
Paying for the harm done; insulating against loss.
Frequently
contracts will provide for one party to indemnify
the other
in the event of disputes raised by third parties by paying the legal
fees
and any judgment.
indicate
Give a sign;
signal.
indictment (in dite'
ment)
Formal accusation of a felony, or serious crime, by a grand
jury. To be indicted (in di' ted) in the
United
States is big-time trouble.
indignant
Angry,
highly
offended.
indignity
Insulting
situation.
indirect
Not direct;
roundabout;
circuitous.
indiscreet (in dis
creet')
Prone to scandal; careless about keeping secrets.
indispensable
Can't get
along without it; necessary; critical.
induce
Cause to act.
indulge
Pamper; permit
another to
do what pleases them.
inept (in ept')
No skill;
awkward
and clumsy.
inevitable (in ev' i ta
bul)
Can't avoid it; has to happen.
infantry (in' fan
try)
Soldiers
who walk; foot-soldiers.
infect
Spread disease
into.
inferiority (in fe ri
o' ri
ty)
Being less than; the opposite of superiority.
infested
Were present
as pests,
like roaches in a house.
infiltrate (in' fil
trate)
Sneak your forces in.
influence (in' flu
ence)
Ability to shape behavior by suggestion.
Example: The Hollywood elite has deliberately
misused the
power of television to influence the public.
infuriated
Made very
angry.
ingenious (in gee' ni
us)
Clever; showing ingenuity; smart.
ingratiate (in gray'
she
ate)
Make yourself popular; suck up.
ingratitude
Not
being
properly grateful for benefits received.
inhabitant
Someone
who lives
there.
inherit
Get after
someone dies
because you are an heir.
initial (i nish'
al)
First; at
the beginning.
injustice
The
opposite of
justice; unfairness; partiality.
innate (in ate')
Born
with it.
in on it
Privy; to
be a
participant in a project or the sharer of a secret.
inquire
Ask;
investigate.
insatiable (in say' sha
bul)
Can't get enough.
inscription
Writing
carved
in.
insignia (in sig' ni
a)
Symbols
and marks of rank, such as the stars on the shoulders of a general,
or the
eagle with arrows on the podium of the President.
insignificant
Not
important; small.
insinuated (in sin' yu
a
ted)
Hinted in a sly way; snuck in the suggestion.
insolent (in' so
lent)
Contemptuous and insulting; arrogantly rude.
inspire
The meaning of
this word
is best approached by examining its etymology: in (in) spire
(breath) -- so
inspire means to put in a breath, or catch a spirit.
instigator (in' sti ga
tor)
Trouble-maker; one who incites another to take bad
action.
instituted
Established; put in
place some system.
intact (in tact')
Not
broken;
whole.
integrity (in teg' ri
tee)
True
spirit; honesty; honor.
intention
Aim;
purpose.
Something that is intended to happen is
intentional, or on purpose, and it is therefore not
an
accident.
intercede (in ter
seed')
Plead
on behalf of someone in trouble.
internal
On the
inside.
Internal is the opposite of
external,
which means on the outside.
interrogation
Question and
answer session.
intervene
To step in
between
disputants, like a referee in a boxing match.
intimidation
Making afraid;
terrorism.
intoxication
Poisoning of
the mind; giddiness.
intricate
Complex and
full of
small detail.
intrinsic
value
What
it's worth as raw materials.
The
intrinsic value of a coin is what the metal is
worth,
regardless of what is stamped on it.
introduce
Put in;
bring up for
consideration.
inveterate (in vet' er
et)
Stubborn in bad behavior.
invincible
Can't be
defeated.
involved
Mixed up
with; part
of.
ironic
Showing
irony, or a joke of fate. For an example of
irony, study the text in the Life of Philopoemen:
what
happened to him was what he had just finished criticizing in another
--
becoming a prisoner of war. It would not be a case of
irony if Philopoemen had said nothing.
irrelevant (ir rel' e
vant)
Doesn't matter; beside the point.
irresistible
Can't
resist
it; there's no stopping it.
irritate
Bother;
annoy; bug.
92
jeopardy (jep' ar
dy)
Risk of
loss; danger.
jolly
Appears to be
having a good
time.
judicious (joo dish'
us)
Wise;
smart and not excessive.
juncture
Critical
point in
time.
just
In tune with the
truth; honest
and fair.
just in
time
Almost too
late.
 =
;
6
keep a
lookout
Be on
guard against intruders; watch out for trouble.
kidded
Made the subject
of a joke;
teased. Kidding is a flexible term in
English,
meaning teasing or misleading for the purpose of humor, such as
unkind
people do to children (kids).
kinship
Relation by
blood.
Your kin are your relatives.
kiss of
death
Refers to
when the false friend Judas kissed Jesus to identify him to the Jews
who
were trying to arrest him.
4
labyrinth (lab' er
inth)
Maze;
place with complicated pathways so you easily get lost there.
This
term derives from the palace built by Daedelus for King Minos of
Crete.
lame
Limping; crippled in
the
leg.
lamentation
Expressions of
grief and sorrow.
lampoon (lam
poon')
Ridicule;
make fun of, especially by ridiculous imitation.
landslide
Large
majority in a
vote.
lapse
Slip up; break in
good
conduct.
larceny
Stealing or
cheating.
lavish
Extravagant;
profuse; way
too much.
lax
Careless; loose.
leaven the lump
(le' ven,
rhymes with heaven)
Yeast makes bubbles in bread, in a
process
called leavening. A little yeast mixed in a lump of dough
rapidly
multiplies and leavens the lump.
legacy (leg' a
si)
Inheritance;
what is passed down from generation to generation.
lenience (lee' ni
ence)
Toleration; easy-goingness.
Example:
Children grow up to be violent underachievers because irritable
parents show
too little lenience for childish exploration.
liberal
Foolishly
generous; not
strict; not frugal; not prudent.
liberated
Freed.
license
Permission or
permissiveness. License is used pejoratively
to
describe a disordered state of society where anything goes.
lieutenant (loo ten'
ant)
Assistant.
litigation (li ti ga'
shun)
Court battles; lawsuits.
live up to
Act
according to
a certain standard.
loath (rhymes with
both)
Reluctant;
disinclined.
A related word is the verb
loathe (rhymes with clothe), which means to hate
and have
disgust for.
long odds
Small
probabilities
of winning. Odds are the probability that a
particular event will occur.
looks
Appearance.
looting
Theft on a
large scale;
stealing by a mob.
loyal
A true friend.
23
made up
Compensated;
supplied to fill a deficiency.
magnify
Make to appear
bigger.
magnitude
Size.
majesty (ma' jes
ty)
Kingly
conduct; strength and beauty and dignity; grandeur.
major (may'
jer)
Relatively large;
the opposite of minor.
malcontent (accent
on first
syllable)
Not happy about anything; always complaining.
malice (mal' iss)
Evil
intentions;
hate; desire to harm. Malicious (ma lish' us)
means
done with an attitude of malice.
man of his
word
Trustworthy man, whose promises can be relied
on.
maneuver (ma noo'
ver)
Move your
forces around.
martyr (mar' ter)
One
who suffers
punishment for his beliefs.
massacre (mass' a
ker)
Mass
killing.
masterpiece (mas' ter
peese)
In the guild system of feudal Europe, skill in crafts was
recognized at three levels: apprentice (learning the basics);
journeyman
(knows the basics); and master (really good at it). To qualify
for
recognition as a master, a journeyman had to produce a work so good
that it
could be admired by masters. This work was his
masterpiece.
meager
There's not much
there;
inadequate.
Example: A medal was a
meager reward for his heroism.
means
Procedure or device
used to
accomplish something.
Example: The
battlecry of
evil is: "The ends justify the means."
mediate
Help to resolve
a
dispute.
melee (may' lay)
Confused
battle.
menial (mee' ni
al)
Servile;
suitable for those who do boring work.
merit
Verb.
Deserve.
merits
Strengths and
weaknesses.
mercenary
Motivated
by money;
hired soldier.
The difference between a
soldier and a
mercenary is that the soldier fights for a cause,
while a
mercenary fights for money. No equivalent
distinction has been drawn for lawyers, however.
meticulously (me tik'
u lus
ly)
With great precision and attention to detail.
minor
The opposite of
major;
small.
misery (miz' er
ee)
Unhappiness
and discomfort.
misfortune
Bad luck;
a time of
trouble.
misgivings
Doubts
and second
thoughts.
mission
A project of
importance
given to you by high authority.
mobile (mo' bul)
Easily
movable.
mocking
Making fun
of.
moderate (mod' er
et)
Not
extreme; temperate.
modest
Not bragging;
shy.
momentum
Mass times
velocity. A moving object has momentum, which
is its
tendency to keep going in the same direction at the same speed.
monarchy (mon' ar
ky)
Government
by one person.
mood
Emotional state.
morality
Behavior in
harmony
with laws of spiritual cause and effect.
mortal
One who is
subject to
death; as an adjective, mortal means fatal, or
causing
death.
mortgage (mor' gaj)
A
security
interest in property, for a debt. For example, to build a
house, the
landowner borrows money from a bank, and the bank gets a
mortgage on the house and the land, so if the debt
is not
paid, the bank gets both.
motion
Proposal for a
formal
decision.
motivate
Build
enthusiasm; make
someone willing to do something.
motive
A reason for
doing
something.
move out
March on an
objective.
multitude
Large
crowd.
mutiny
When the crew
refuses to
follow the captain; disobedience of a group to lawful authority.
mutual (mew' chu al)
In
agreement;
reciprocal.
myrrh (mur)
Fragrant
resin from a
desert shrub, burned as incense.
44
naive (ny eve')
Ignorant
and
trusting, like a child.
natives
Born there.
nausea (naw' ze
a)
Feeling you get
before you vomit; disgust.
neglected (ne glek'
ted)
Forgot
about; paid no attention to.
negligent (neg' li
gent)
Not
paying attention; careless.
The concept
of
negligence is the foundation of tort law, and
accusations
of lack of due care consume billions of man-hours in the United
States.
negotiate (ne go' she
ate)
Try
to make a deal; bargain.
niggard
Cheapskate;
stingy
person.
nimble
Fast and
agile.
noble
Not corruptible;
aristocratic; high-minded.
Nobility is a difficult concept to explain to Americans in
the late
20th century, when the party line is that everyone is at least as
sordid and
corrupt as our President. Look it up in the dictionary and
meditate on
it.
nominated
Offered as
a
candidate for office; proposed a person for election.
notorious (no tor' i
us)
Well
known to be bad.
Note the difference between
notorious and famous.
11
oasis
Spring in the
middle of the
desert.
oath
Promise
before God
as witness and guarantor.
When
witnesses are
called in court to testify, they do so under oath,
so if
they lie, it is a felony called perjury. This is punishable by
severe
penalties in the criminal law, and presumably by God as well.
obedience
Following
orders.
obedience
Following
orders.
objected (ob jek'
ted)
Protested; said no to what was happening.
objective (ob jek'
tiv)
Noun
Goal; what you intend to accomplish.
Used as
an adjective, objective means unbiased, fair, based
on the
facts.
obliged (o
blyjd')
Under an
obligation, or duty to do something.
obliterated (o blit'
er a
ted)
Completely destroyed; wiped out.
obscure
Difficult to
interpret.
observe
Pay attention
to, and try
to obey.
occupations
Jobs;
usual
work.
occupied
Put a
military force
there to control the place.
odds
Probability of
success.
offends
Insults;
grosses out;
makes angry.
offset
Balance out;
counter.
oligarchy (o' li gar
ky)
Government by a few.
The
alternatives
are anarchy (no government at all) and monarchy (government by
one).
omen
Cause for
superstitious
speculation; signal of good or bad things about to happen.
on board
Present on
a
ship.
on the lookout
for
Looking for.
Example:
Our
company is on the lookout for acquisitions in the
area of
consumer electronics.
on the
run
Fleeing;
retreating as fast as possible.
Having
the
enemy on the run means that the battle is going in
your
favor.
on the verge
of
Close
to.
onerous (own' er
us)
Heavy;
burdensome.
Example: The congressman
objected to
the onerous demands of the federal government for
paperwork
on small business.
onslaught (on'
slawt)
Attack.
opponent
Competitor;
enemy;
antagonist.
oppress (o
press')
Treat your
people badly. Oppression is
oppressive government.
oracle
Spirit that
reliably
forecasts the future.
Plutarch was for
many
years one of the two priests serving the Delphic oracle in the
temple of
Apollo.
oration
Formal public
speech,
usually long.
Perhaps the most famous
example
is Antony's funeral oration in Shakespeare's play,
Julius Caesar. An
orator
(o' ra ter) is one who gives an oration.
oratory
Public
speaking.
ordeal (or deal')
Long
and
unpleasant experience.
order of
battle
How you
arrange your forces; formation; setup.
oscillated (os' il a
ted)
Went
from one extreme to another, like a vibrating string.
ostentatious
Showing off in
a vulgar way.
ostensibly (os ten' si
bly)
Not really, but pretending to be the reason.
ostracize (os' tra
size)
Banish; exclude.
Ostracism was a procedure in Athens whereby anyone
deemed
too dangerous to keep in the city was banished by popular vote in a
secret
ballot. Its purpose was to prevent one man from becoming too
powerful
and beginning a tyranny.
outrage
Indignation;
being
extremely offended and angry.
outcome
Result.
outdo (owt do')
Perform
better than
another.
outnumbered (owt num'
berd)
At a disadvantage, numerically.
ovation
Loud
applause.
A standing ovation is where
the
audience stands up while it applauds.
overbearing
Too
bossy;
domineering.
overcome
Conquer;
defeat;
beat.
overpower
Too much to
handle.
overrule
Cancel
because the boss
says no.
overwhelm
Overpower;
blow away.
44
pacified
Calmed down;
tranquilized.
pageant (pa'
jent)
Spectacular
production, such as a parade or a beauty contest.
paid him back in
kind
Did to him what he was guilty of.
paralyzed (pa' ra
lyzed)
Unable
to move.
paramount (pa' ra
mount)
Greatest; most important.
parasite
Organism that
feeds on
another without killing it, like leeches, ticks, and fleas.
Figuratively, it means people who occupy the
position
of ticks on society.
pardon
Let off the hook;
exonerate; excuse; absolve.
parsimonious (par si
mo' ni
us)
Cheap; hates to spend money.
partisan (par' ti
zan)
Fighter
for a political party.
Used as an
adjective,
partisan means not candid
because
blinded by politics.
partition
Division of
space.
pass on
Tell;
transfer.
patron
One who gives
money;
sponsor.
pay
attention
Notice; be
alert; concentrate.
payroll
List of
employees; people
who get a regular payment for services.
peltast
A lightly armed
Greek
soldier, who usually carried a small shield, a sword, and a javelin,
bow, or
sling. The peltast was not covered with body
armor
like a hoplite,
and
therefore was useful only in fighting from a distance.
penalty (pen' al
ty)
Punishment.
persistence (per sis'
tence)
Refusing to quit; keeping at a task until it's done.
persona
Mask; public
image.
personify
Be the
living
embodiment of.
persuade
Talk into;
convince.
pertaining
to
Concerning;
relating to.
pertinent (per' ti
nent)
To the
point; very relevant.
pervade (per
vade')
Spread all
through, like water in a sponge.
perverse (per
verse')
Stubbornly
contrary; determined to do the opposite of what's expected.
pervert (per vert')
Verb.
To distort or twist into something wrong.
Example: Spin doctors pervert
the
truth.
petty
Small; trivial;
worthy of a
small-minded person.
phalanx (fay'
lanx)
Dense
formation of tightly linked and heavily armored soldiers, several
rows deep,
with their spears projecting forward between them.
Figuratively, any
formidable array.
phantom (fan'
tom)
Ghost.
pick out
Select.
picked men
Elite;
those
selected by merit to form a special group.
pilfering
Stealing
little
bits.
pillaging
Robbing by
a
conquering army, usually with killing.
pilot (pi' lot)
One who
makes sure
the ship doesn't crash. This word now is mostly used for the
commander
of an airplane.
piracy (py' ra
see)
Robbery at
sea; what pirates do.
placate (play'
cate)
Give a
little something to keep them quiet for a while.
plague (playg)
Mass
outbreak of
serious desease.
playwright
One who
writes
plays.
plea
Prayer.
pleading
Giving
reasons for
getting favorable treatment.
The papers
submitted by the parties to a lawsuit and stating the merits of the
case,
pro or con, are called pleadings. Papers that
pertain
to requested action by the judge are called
motions.
plot
Evil plan.
plundering
Looting.
pointed
out
Directed
attention to; what you do when you point your finger at something so
that
someone else will notice it.
policy (pol' i
cy)
Rules.
pomp
Spectacle in
ceremonies.
Example: The pomp of an English
coronation ceremony is very impressive.
populace (pop' u
less)
People in
a place.
portents (por'
tents)
Signs of
the future.
postpone (post
pone')
Put off
until later.
potion
A medicinal
brew.
poverty (pov' er
ty)
Being poor;
lack of money.
precede (pre seed')
Go
before.
precedent (press' i
dent)
Model
for future decisions.
Example: Roe v.
Wade is a precedent for deciding
cases where
the right of privacy in abortion is involved.
predicament (pre dik'
a
ment)
Trouble; tight spot.
predictable (pre dik'
ta
bul)
You can tell what they will probably do.
prefer (pre fer')
Like
better.
preferential
treatment
Being treated better than others.
prejudice
To have a
strong bias
for or against something; mind is made up already, before hearing
the
evidence.
Example: Most people are
prejudiced against spiders, although some keep them
as
pets.
preoccupied (pre oc' u
pied)
Distracted; all attention focussed on some worry.
prestige (pres
teej')
Good
reputation; authority
earned from good conduct.
presume (pre
zyume')
Suppose,
assume.
Also, in another context,
presume means to behave with unjustifiable
forwardness.
pretense (pree'
tense)
Pretending; fake reasons.
pretension
Putting
on airs;
pretending to be superior.
pretext (pree' text)
A
fake
reason for doing something.
prevail (pre
vail')
Win; come out
on top.
prey
Victim; what a
predator
hunts.
prince
Son of a
king.
principal
Main;
biggest.
Note the difference between principal and
principle. Although both are pronounced the
same
(homonyms) they have completely different meanings.
privately
Not
publicly; done by
people on their own, and not as part of a group effort.
privilege (priv'
lej)
Something
you are allowed to do as a favor.
pro and con
For
and
against.
proceeds (pro'
seeds)
Money from
the sale.
procrastinate (pro
kras' ti
nate)
Put things off; neglect to take care of business
promptly.
profligate (prof' li
gat)
Wastefully extravagant.
prohibit
Forbid; order
not to do
something.
prolix (pro lix')
Talks
too
much.
Prolixity (pro lix' i ty) is the
quality of
being a blabbermouth. Example: If brevity is
the soul
of wit, prolixity must be the soul of
stupidity.
prominent (prom' i
nent)
Famous; distinguished; great.
promulgated (prom' ul
ga
ted)
Issued as a law.
propensity (pro pen' si
ty)
Tendency; habit.
proposal
Suggested
course of
action.
proposition
A
proposed rule
or deal.
prospect (pross'
pect)
What's in
view for the future.
prosper (pross' per)
Be
successful.
provisions
Supplies.
provoke (pro
voke')
Cause to
react.
Provocative (pro vok' a tive)
means
tending to cause to react. Example: A red flag
is said
to be provocative to a bull.
prosecute (pross' e
cute)
Go
after; continue a project.
prosperity (pross per'
i
ty)
Wealth; being well-off; good fortune.
prowess (prow'
ess)
Skill
and strength; effectiveness of a fighter.
prudent
Cautiously
wise; using
good judgment; checking things out a lot beforehand.
Prudence is the quality of being
prudent. Antonym: rash.
purported (per por'
ted)
Pretended by an express claim to be; passed off
as.
Example: American carmakers offer cars
purported to be made in the USA, but which are made
mostly
of imported components.
pursuit (per
sute')
Chasing
after.
put off
Postpone;
delay.
Example: He was sorry that he
put
off doing his homework until the weekend.
Also, to put someone off
means to
give them some excuse for delay.
put up
with
Endure; stand;
tolerate; suffer.
pyre
Stack of wood for
cremation, or
burning a body to ashes. 92
quarrel
Fight; dispute;
argument.
quota (kwo' ta)
Required
number to
have or produce.
Example: The associate at the law
firm
had a quota of 165 billable hours each month, so he
became
accustomed to cheating and lying and became a partner.
2
rabble
Crowd.
rally
Psych up; stop
defeated
troops from fleeing.
rampage (ram'
page)
Angrily
romp.
rancor (rank' or)
Bad
will; hate;
spite.
rash
Reckless; too bold;
not
prudent.
ratify
Affirm;
specifically
approve; okay; make what another has done into your own act.
reaffirm
Affirm
again.
To affirm a position means
to
declare publicly that you agree. If a judicial decision is
appealed to
a higher court, and the higher court agrees with the lower court,
the
decision is affirmed.
rebelled (re
beld')
Refused to
follow orders.
A
rebellion is
when a large group refuses to accept the authority of the purported
leaders.
reciprocate (re sip'
ro
cate)
Do the same in return.
reckless (rek'
less)
Careless;
thoughtless; extremely negligent; like a child or a fool.
reconcile (rek' on
sile)
Make
friends again; restore good relations.
recruited (re cru'
ted)
Gathered people into a group.
refinement
Absence
of
pollution; spirituality.
reforms
Changes for the
better;
improvements in government.
Martin
Luther was
disgusted by the Catholic practice of selling tickets to Heaven, so
he
started the Reformation, which was the beginning of
the
Protestant churches.
refrain
from
Keep from
doing.
refuge (ref' uge)
Safe
place;
sanctuary.
regime (re
zheem')
Period of rule;
administration.
regret (re gret')
Be
sorry.
As a noun, regret means being sorry.
reinforcements
More people
to help.
rejoice
Be happy;
celebrate with
joy.
relatively (rel' a tiv
ly)
in
comparison.
relent (re lent')
Ease
up; cease
giving trouble.
relic (rell' ik)
What
remains; holy
object.
relish
Enjoy a lot.
reluctant
Don't want
to do
it.
remnant (rem' nant)
A
small part
that's left over; scrap.
remorse (re
morse')
Being sorry;
regret and shame.
rendered (ren'
derd)
Done;
caused to be.
rendezvous (ron' de
voo)
Place
to meet, or the meeting itself.
reparations
Payment
to cover
the damages from your action.
repealed
Abrogated;
cancelled
out by another law.
repent (re pent')
Be
sorry for the
past; take a new attitude for the future.
reprimand (rep' ri
mand)
Unkind
words from a boss; a scolding, or rebuke.
reputation
Opinion
generally
held about someone.
resemblance (re zem'
blance)
Looking like.
resented (re zen'
ted)
Took
offense at; considered an insult.
reservations
Doubts and
fears about a proposal.
reserved (re
zervd')
Aloof;
distant;
quiet.
resist (re
zist')
Oppose; act
against.
resolute (res' o
lute)
Firmly
determined.
Resolution is
the quality of being resolute.
Example:
"And thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied
over
with the pale cast of thought, and enterprises of great pith and
moment,
with this regard, their currents turn awry, and lose the name of
action." -- Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act
3,
Scene 1.
resolve (re
zolv')
Settle;
finally decide.
resort to
Finally
have to use
this.
Example: When the police got no
answer to
their knock on the door, they resorted to a
battering ram
to enter the house and execute the search warrant.
restrained
Held
back; kept
under control.
restraint
Being
cool.
The concept of self-restraint
(sophrosyne in
Greek) is key to understanding the ethos and aesthetic of ancient
Greece.
resume (re zoom')
Start
again.
retaliate (re tal' e
ate)
Hit
back; take revenge.
retinue (ret' in
oo)
Group of
followers.
reverence (rev' er
ence)
Affectionate respect.
revile (re vyle')
Scold;
criticize
harshly; indulge in name-calling.
revive (re vyve')
Bring
to life
again; wake up.
revoked (re vokd')
Took
back;
repealed; cancelled.
revolt
Turn against the
leader;
mutiny.
rhetoric (ret' er
ik)
The art of
verbal persuasion.
rhetorical
question
(re tor' i cal)
A question that has an obvious answer, asked
merely to
get the listener to respond.
An
irritating
habit in ordinary conversation, and a cause for suspicion when used
by
salesmen and politicians.
ridicule (rid' i
cule)
Making
fun of somebody.
rift
Split;
antagonism.
A rift is to society as a
fault line
is to geology.
right
away
Immediately;
without wasting any more time.
ringleader
Boss of
criminals;
chief crook.
riot (ry' ot)
Destructive
crowd.
risking
Taking a
risk, or chance.
ritual
Ceremonial
procedure.
rival
Competitor in love
or
ambition.
rout (rowt)
Complete
defeat.
routine (roo
teen')
Usual;
nothing special.
rudder
The movable blade
at the
back that steers a boat.
rumor
Alleged news.
run out
Have no
more. If
you run out of money, you are broke.
rustic (russ'
tik)
Simple and
country-style.
68
sabotage (sa' bo
taj)
Sneaky
damage intentionally done. A French concept.
sack
Loot, burn, and
kill.
sacred (say' cred)
Holy;
property
of God.
sacrifice
Ritual
killing of an
animal to please the gods.
sacrilege (sak' re
lij)
Impiety; disrespect of religion; misuse of a religious space
or
object. If you commit a sacrilege, you are
sacrilegious (sak re lij' us).
safe-house
Place to
hide.
sage
Wise.
sally
Attack out of a
fortified
position.
sanctuary
A safe
place.
satrap
A hereditary
ruler of a
large region in the Persian empire, similar in rank to a duke in the
European feudal system.
savage
Brutal and mean;
scarcely
human.
scandal
Something for
a decent
person to be ashamed of.
scolded
Rebuked; told
off in a
long-winded way.
scorned
Looked at with
contempt.
scout
Look over.
scrutiny (screw' ti
ny)
Careful
examination; checking out.
seceded (see see'
ded)
Left the
group.
second
guess
Have doubts
about what you have decided.
sector
Zone; area of
responsibility.
Example: The distinction is
often
made between the private sector (business) and the
public
sector (government).
secure
Safe; to make
safe.
seething
Just about to
boil.
semblance
Appearance.
serene (se reen')
No
worries; easy
in manner.
series (see' rees)
A
number of
similar things arranged in order; sequence.
setback
Defeat,
reversal, or
check.
settle
down
Relax.
severe (se
veer')
Serious;
grave; harsh. Severity (se ver' i ty) is how
severe it is.
sham
Fake.
shipwrecked
Survivors whose
ship has sunk.
show off
Display
proudly.
showdown
Decisive
confrontation.
This term comes
from poker,
when the last players left show their cards to determine who takes
the
pot.
shrewd
Not apparently a
fool.
shun
Avoid with care;
refuse to have
anything to do with.
shut up
Stop
talking.
side-by-side
Next
to each
other in a line.
sincere (sin
sere')
Meaning what
you say; honest.
singled
out
Chosen from
among many others.
skirmish
Small
fight.
slacken
Loosen;
diminish.
slander
False statement
made to
injure someone's reputation.
slight
Noun.
Insulting lack of respect.
sloth
Laziness; torpor;
inactivity.
smoldering
No
flames, but
almost burning.
smug
Thinking that you're
not a
fool.
snickering
Secret
laughter.
sniping (sny'
ping)
Shooting from
a safe distance; being a critic.
so long
as
Provided that; on
the condition that.
sober
Serious; not dizzy
with any
excitement.
sole (rhymes with
bowl)
One and
only.
solemn (sol' um)
Not
light and
cheerful, but important and serious.
Solemnity (so
lem' ni ty) is the quality of being solemn.
solicit (so lis'
it)
Ask
for.
Solicitation is
the act
of asking for something.
solitude (sol' i
tude)
Being
alone; loneliness.
soothe
Calm; quiet down;
ease the
pain.
sophist (so'
fist)
Person who
uses specious
arguments.
Sophistry
is the
black art of confusing the truth.
sorcerer (sor' ser
er)
Evil
magician; caster of spells.
The black
art
practiced by the sorcerer is called
sorcery.
sordid (sor'
did)
Showing a
disgustingly bad character; abnormally materialistic.
sovereign power
(sov'
ren)
Being a king; supreme power in government, which is not
subject to
any other authority.
Sovereignty (sov' ren tee) is the status of absolute power.
In the words of Lord Acton: "Power corrupts, and absolute
power
corrupts absolutely." See the life of Alexander.
sowing
Planting
seeds.
spawned
Produced in a large
number, as
fish spawn eggs.
spearheaded
Led
into action,
like the head of a spear leads the shaft. The head provides
the
hardness and sharpness to create an opening, and the shaft provides
the mass
to assure penetration. This is commonly used macho
management
lingo.
specious (spee'
shus)
Attempting
to confuse the truth; made in bad faith.
Example:
She made the specious argument that all sex is
harassment
because of the historical dominance of the male.
spectator
One who
watches an
event.
spite
Mean spirit;
hatefulness.
splendid
Beautiful in
a strong
way.
spoil
Noun.
What the
winner collects on the battlefield after a battle.
spurious (spyu' ri
us)
Not
genuine; fake.
spurned
Rejected in
anger.
squalid
Gross, messy
and
disgusting.
squeamish
Reluctant
to do it
because it's disgusting or wrong.
staggering
Moving
with erratic
steps, as if heavily loaded.
stagnation
A state
of dullness
and lack of progress. Stagnant water isn't
flowing,
and a stagnant economy is not growing.
stall
Cause delay on
purpose.
stamina (stam' i
na)
Endurance;
the ability to work without getting tired.
stamped
out
Eliminated
completely.
stampede (stam
pede')
Panic of a
herd.
start out
Begin a
journey.
stay put
Don't
move.
steadfast (sted'
fast)
Firm and
unyielding.
steady (ste' dy)
Not
changing;
firm; reliable.
"Going
steady" means having a usual companion of the
opposite
sex.
stealthily (stel' thi
ly)
Without attracting attention; sneakily.
stern
Serious;
grumpy.
stewardship
Taking
care of
the property of others.
stimulate
Excite;
arouse.
stir up
Arouse;
incite.
stoned
To be killed by
rocks
thrown by a crowd.
stood their
ground
Didn't back down but defended their
position.
stragglers
Those who
fall
behind or otherwise lose contact with the main body of a group.
straight
Consecutive;
without a
break.
stratagem (stra' ta
gem)
Trick;
ploy; ruse.
strategic (stra tee'
jik)
Pertaining to strategy, or the larger plans
of a
war.
Tactics are the techniques of
battle.
strenuous (stren' yu
us)
With a
lot of effort and hard work.
strife
Angry words and
fighting.
stupefied
Made
stupid; spaced
out; numbed by shock or amazement.
subjugate (sub' ju
gate)
Bring
under control; tame.
submit (sub mit')
Give
in;
surrender.
subordinated (sub or'
di na
ted)
Made secondary in rank.
Example: A
subordinated debenture is a debt that will be paid
after
the senior debt is paid in full.
subservient
Like a
servant;
serving from a position of inferiority.
subtle (sut' l)
Hard to
detect;
not obvious; cunning; wily.
subvert (sub
vert')
Undermine, or
weaken in a sneaky way.
Example:
Subversive people subvert an organization
by
creating bad feelings like resentment and suspicion.
succession (suk sess'
shun)
The order in which power passes. For example, in the
United
States government, the presidential succession
goes:
President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, President pro
tempore of
the Senate, Secretary of State, and then other cabinet
officers. A
person succeeds to an office automatically when the
previous occupant dies or retires. The one who steps into the
vacated
position is the successor.
suffer
Endure; have a
bad
time.
sufficient
Enough.
summon
Command to
come.
sumptuous (sum' chu
us)
Luxurious; very comfortable.
superflous (su per' flu
us)
Not needed; extra and useless.
superiority (su pee ri
o' ri
ty)
Being better by comparison. The opposite of
inferiority.
superstition (su per
stish'
un)
False beliefs, arising from misunderstanding of cause and
effect.
Example: Perhaps the most peculiar
superstition in modern times is the Cargo Cult of
the
Trobriand Islands, who believed that they could bring cargo planes
back to a
deserted airstrip by imitating the actions they had observed done by
the
ground crew.
suppress (sup
ress')
Check; keep
under control.
supreme (su
preem')
Highest;
ultimate.
surety (shu' re
tee)
Person who
must pay a debt if the debtor defaults, or fails to pay the creditor
according to the promissory note; guarantor.
surplus (ser'
plus)
Excess; the
amount that is more than what is needed.
suspected
Doubted;
thought to
be guilty.
suspended
Interrupted; put off
until later.
sycophant (sy' co
fant)
Yes
man; toady; suck up; snitch and flatterer.
115
tacit (tass'
it)
Unspoken, but
understood.
tact
Diplomacy,
politeness,
intelligent conduct.
tactics
Techniques of
battle.
tainted
Infected;
rotten.
take advantage
of
Use.
take care of
Do
what is
necessary in that regard.
take charge
Be
the
boss.
take him
along
Allow him
to accompany you; bring him along; not leave him behind.
take it easy
Go
at a slow
pace; relax; goof off.
take over
Assume
control;
take charge.
A
takeover is a
change in control. A hostile takeover in the
business world is when management is replaced by the voting power
of
unwelcome new shareholders.
talent
6000 drachmas,
approximately a day's pay for 6000 laborers, or 20 years of wages
for one.
A brick of gold, slightly bigger than a common construction
brick,
and weighing approximately 51 pounds. The amount of gold that
a bearer
can carry on a long journey.
talk out
of
Convince not to
do. This is the opposite of talk into,
which
means persuade to do something.
tame
Docile; not wild;
safe to be
around.
task
A project or job to
be
done.
tastes
Preferences.
Someone who puts ketchup on ice cream is said
to have
bad taste in food. Someone who likes Bach is
said to
have good taste in music.
taunt (tawnt)
Insulting
and defiant
remark or behavior, typically made with the intention of provoking a
fight.
temperament (tem' pra
ment)
General disposition of a person.
temperance
Moderation; the
quality of not getting carried away by pleasure or emotion.
tendency (ten' den
see)
What you
usually do.
Example: He has a
tendency to blame others for his troubles.
tenure (ten' yer)
Time
that you
can hold an office.
Example: Federal judges
in the
United States have life tenure to insulate them
from
political pressures.
terminate
End.
terms
The details of a
deal.
terrain (ter ayn')
The
lay of the
land.
terror
Extreme fear.
thrive
Prosper;
flourish; grow and
be happy.
thwart
Put obstacles in
the way
of; frustrate.
timid (tim' id) [first
syllable
rhymes with him]
Very cautious; too scared to act; fearful.
tinker
Fix, construct,
or repair
in a small way.
tirade (ty' rade)
Angry
speech.
to the effect
that
Meaning to give the impression that; suggesting
that.
to the
point
Getting at
the important features of a problem, instead of blabbering about
things that
don't matter.
toady (toe' di)
A
flattering leech;
suck-up; sycophant.
toast
Short statement
before a
drink. A custom of unknown origin.
toil (toyl)
Hard and
boring
work.
tolerate
Endure
patiently.
Tolerable means that you can stand it.
tombs (toomz)
Places for
the
dead.
took
note
Noticed.
took on
Confronted;
challenged;
selected as an opponent or a task.
tormentor
Torturer;
one who is
causing you pain and/or trouble.
track down
Find by
patient
effort.
trappings
Clothes and
other
marks of rank.
treachery (trech' er
y)
Back-stabbing; disloyalty; deceit; false friendship.
treason
Selling out
your country;
disloyalty.
treaty
Contract between
sovereigns; deal between states.
tribute
Taxes; payment
of
respect.
tried
Put through the
judicial
process.
trivial
Not
important.
troops
Soldiers.
truce
When the fighting
stops for a
while, by agreement.
trustee (trus
tee')
Someone who
administers something for the benefit of another, called the
beneficiary.
The trustee has legal title, but beneficial
ownership is in the beneficiary, so the trustee has
a
fiduciary duty to take good care and not to treat it as his
own. The
legal arrangement is called a trust.
try to
Attempt
to.
In modern American English, try
to is the preferred form for expressing an attempt to do
something.
Example: He tried to make
an
appointment for next Tuesday, but the dentist was not available.
tumult
Boiling with
trouble.
turbulence
Turmoil;
a term
used in fluid mechanics to denote when a fluid flows in highly
disorganized
motion, like a river rapids.
turf
Zone of control;
domain.
turmoil (tur'
moyl)
Trouble and
confusion.
turn down
Refuse;
decline.
turn out to
be
It's
impossible to give a brief definition of this phrase, which is
commonly used
in American English. It is best learned by studying some
examples: That investment turned out to
be a
winner. That President turned out to be a
crook. We thought it was a pool of water, but it
turned out to
be a mirage.
turn over
Surrender
control
or possession; give up.
Example: Vince
Foster's
lawyer refused to turn over some notes of an
interview
before Foster's death.
tyrant (ty' rant)
Boss
who rules
by fear.
Government of this style is
called
tyranny (tir' a nee). Typically, the
tyrant is fearful himself, and uses a squad of
assassins to
silence or kill anyone who opposes him. See the life of Dion,
note 6. Dionysius of
Syracuse was
perhaps the most famous tyrant of the ancient
world.
59
ulterior
motive
Secret
reason for doing something; hidden agenda.
ultimatum (ul ti may'
tum)
Final warning before war.
unanimous (yu nan' i
mus)
Everyone feels the same way about it; all votes are for
it.
unbiased (un by'
est)
Unprejudiced; open minded..
Example: If
the jury
is unbiased, the scales of justice are equally
balanced at
the beginning of the trial.
undermine
Subvert;
work against
in a sneaky way.
This term is from the
ancient
technique of siegecraft where tunnels were dug under walls and then
the
tunnel supports were burned to cause the walls to collapse.
undue (un doo')
Not
justified by
the circumstances.
unfamiliar
Don't
know about
it.
unison (yu' ni
zon)
Cooperation of
all together.
unprecedented (un
press' i den
ted)
Never happened before.
unruly (un roo'
ly)
Disobedient
and troublesome.
unscrupulous
Mean;
without
conscience or humanity; doesn't care how other people are hurt by
his career
of greed and power.
up to
In the process of
doing.
uproar (up' roar)
Noise;
commotion.
urgent
Very important to
act
immediately.
usury (yoo' ser y)
Using
interest
on debts to take over property. Usury
connotes an
unusually high rate of interest, e.g. loan sharking.
15
vagabond (vag' a
bond)
Wandering
bum.
vague (vayg)
Not
clear.
vain (vayn)
Foolish;
unrealistic. In vain means futile.
valor
Value in battle;
courage and
skill.
vanity
Foolish notions
of selfish
pride.
vehement (vee' a
ment)
Angry and
emphatic.
vendetta (ven det'
a)
Persistent
persecution; a feud, or stubborn grudge fight.
venture
Speculative
project.
A joint
venture is a
contractual arrangement between two companies whereby they agree to
share
the costs and profits of a particular project, without binding
themselves to
a complete merger or partnership.
vested
interest
Investment; there's something in it for
you, so you
are not objective because what happens affects you personally.
vetted
When a person or
a
proposition is checked out and debated before being submitted for
consideration to a decision-maker.
vicariously
liable
You get blamed for what someone else
does.
For example, the company has to pay for what
its
employee did. This doctrine of vicarious
liability
is the reason that there are so many lawsuits in America, because
lawyers
would not pay to create the trouble unless they had rich defendants
to
extort money from.
vice
Harmful habit.
vicious (vish'
us)
Intending to
hurt; mean.
vicissitudes (va sis'
a
tudes)
Ups and downs; changes of Fortune.
victor
The one who wins
the fight
or athletic contest.
vigor
Energy and
strength.
villain (vil' un)
The
bad guy;
evil person.
vituperation (vy tu'
per a"
shun)
Spiteful, intemperate language; name-calling.
volume
Amount;
loudness.
voluntary (vol' un ta
ry)
Not
forced; done of your own free will. When you do something
voluntarily (vol un tar' i ly) nobody is forcing
you to do
it.
 =
;
21
war-monger
One who
is trying
to promote a war.
watchword
To identify
soldiers
on your side as they approach your lines in the dark, a watchword is issued by the
commander and
learned by the sentries.
well-to-do
Rich.
whim
Sudden impulse.
whimsical
Unpredictable;
changing for no apparent reason.
wicker
Woven of flexible
sticks.
widespread
Found all
over.
willing
Voluntary; done
according
to one's own will, and not under compulsion.
wise
Smart in a
fundamental way;
having deep judgment.
wit
Intelligent humor.
withstand
Be OK after
it
happens.
witness
Verb.
See, and say you saw.
Example: We
need two people to witness this will in order to
make it
valid. Used as a noun, a witness is one
who says
that he saw something.
worked up
Aroused
to an
emotional fever.
wound up (wownd
up')
Resulted;
turned out to be the consequence.
Example:
Alexander the Great wound up losing all of his
friends when
he made himself a god.
wreath (reeth)
Circular
braid of
leaves, used to crown the winners of events at the ancient Olympic
games and
other games in Greece. The intention was to show that human
glory is
as temporary as these leaves.
 =
;
15
zeal
Enthusiasm;
willingness.
 =
;
1065