vocab--word list

girisrinivas_p · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:41 pm Post subject: vocab--word list

201. appease pacify; soothe
We have discovered that, when we try to appease our enemies, we encourage them to make additional demands.

202. appellation name; title
He was amazed when the witches hailed him with his correct appellation.

203. append attach
I shall append this chart to my report.

204. application diligent attention; (secondary meaning) apply
Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application.

205. apposite appropriate; fitting
He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.

206. appraise estimate the value of
It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless.

207. appreciate be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of
Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks ave her, whose value appreciated considerably over the years.

208. apprehend arrest ( a criminal); dread; perceive
The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long.

209. apprehensive fearful; discerning
His apprehensive glances at the people who were walking in the street revealed his nervousness.

210. apprise inform
When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.

211. approbation approval
Wanting her parents' regard, she looked for some sign of their approbation.

212. appropriate acquire; take possession of for one's own use
The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use.

213. appurtenances subordinate possessions
He bought the estate and all its appurtenances.

214. apropos with reference to; regarding
I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and pertinent.

215. aptitude fitness; talent
The counselor evaluated his aptitudes before advising him about the career he should follow.

216. aquiline curved, hooked
He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle.

217. arable fit for plowing
The land was no longer arable; erosion had removed the valuable topsoil.

218. arbiter person with power to decide a matter in a dispute; judge
As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.

219. arbitrary unreasonable or capricious; tyrannical
The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some arbitrary calls.

220. arbitrate act as judge
She was called upon to arbitrate the dispute between the union and the management.

221. arboretum place where different varieties of trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited
Walking along the treelined paths of the arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine sycamores.

222. arcade a covered passageway, usually lined with shops
The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the winter rain.

223. arcane secret; mysterious
What was arcane to us was clear to the psychologist.

224. archaeology study of artifacts and relics of early mankind
The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.

225. archaic antiquated
"Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.

226. archetype prototype; primitive pattern
The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.

227. archipelago group of closely located islands
When he looked at the map and saw the archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them.

228. archives public records; place where public records are kept
These documents should be part of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the future.

229. ardor heat; passion; zeal
Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause.

230. arduous hard; strenuous
Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.

231. argot slang
In the argot of the underworld, she "was taken for a ride."

232. aria operatic solo
At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from Norma.

233. arid dry; barren
The cactus had adapted to survive in an arid environment.

234. aristocracy hereditary nobility; privileged class
Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy:

235. armada fleet of warships
Queen Elizabeth's navy was able to defeat the mighty armada that threatened the English coast.

236. aromatic fragrant
Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe.

237. arraign charge in court; indict
After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court.

238. array marshal; draw up in order
His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him.

239. array clothe; adorn
She liked to watch her motherarray herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening.

240. arrears being in debt
He was in arrears with his payments on the car.

241. arrogance pride, haughtiness
The arrogance of the nobility was resented by the middle class.

242. arroyo gully
Until the heavy rains of the past spring, this arroyo had been a dry bed.

243. articulate effective; distinct
Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers.

244. artifacts products of primitive culture
Archaeologists debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor and came to no conclusion.

245. artifice deception; trickery
The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effective than military might.

246. artisan a manually skilled worker
Artists and artisans alike are necessary to the development of a culture.

247. artless without guile; open and honest
Red Riding Hood's artless comment, "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" indicates the child's innocent surprises at her "grandmother's" changed appearance.

248. ascendancy controlling influence
President Marcos failed to maintain his ascendency over Philippines.

249. ascetic practicing self-denial; austere
The wealthy young man could not understand the ascetic life led by the monks.

250. asceticism doctrine of self-denial
We find asceticism practiced in many monastries.

251. ascribe refer; attribute; assign
I can ascribe no motive for her acts.

252. asceptic preventing infection; having a cleansing effect
Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced asceptic conditions.

253. ashen ash-colored; deadly pale
Her face was ashen with fear.

254. asinine stupid
Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration.

255. askance with a sideways or indirect look
Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.

256. askew crookedly; slanted; at an angle
When he placed his hat askew upon his head, his observers laughed.

257. asperity sharpness (of temper)
These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.

258. aspersion slanderous remark
Do not cast aspersions on her character.

259. aspirant seeker after position or status
Although I am as aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses.

260. aspiration noble ambition
Youth's aspirations should be as lofty as the stars.

261. assail assault
He was assailed with questions after his lecture.

262. assay analyze; evaluate
When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein.

263. assent agree; accept
It gives me great pleasure to assent to your request.

264. assert state strongly or positively; insist on or demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc).
When Jill asserted that nobody else in the junior class had such an early curfew, her parents Asserted themselves, telling her that if she didn't get home by nine o'clock she would be grounded for the week.

265. assessment estimation; appraisal
I would like to have your assessment of the situation in South Africa.

266. assiduous diligent
It took Rembrandt weeks of assiduous labor before he was satisfied with his portrait of his son.

267. assimilate absorb; cause to become homogenous
The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries will always be a source of pride.

268. assuage ease; lessen(pain)
Your messages of cheer should assuage her suffering.

269. assumption something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of
The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her Assumption of power.

270. assurance promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence
When Gutherie gave Guiness his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance that Guiness was convinced.

271. asteroid small planet
asteroids have become commonplace to the readers of interstellar travel stories in science fiction magazines.

272. astigmatism eye defect that prevents proper focus
As soon as his parents discovered that the boy suffered from astigmatism, they took him to the optometrist for corrective glasses.

273. astral relating to the stars
She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope revealed.

274. astringent binding; causing contraction; harsh or severe
The astringent quality of unsweetened lemon juice made swallowing difficult.

275. astronomical enormously large or extensive
The government seemed willing to spend astronomical sums on weapons development.

276. astute wise; shrewd
That was a very astute observation.

277. asunder into parts; apart
Their points of view are poles asunder.

278. asylum place of refuge or shelter; protection
The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in a new land.

279. asymmetric not identical on both sides of a dividing central line
Because one eyebrow was set markedly higher than the other, William's face had a particularly asymmetric appearance.

280. atavism resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; throwback
Martin seemed an atavism to his Tuscan ancestors who lavished great care on their small plots of soil.

281. atheistic denying the existence of God
His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers.

282. atone make amends for; pay for
He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime.

283. atrocity brutal deed
In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies.

284. atrophy wasting away
Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the atrophy of affected limbs.

285. attenuate make thin; weaken
By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines.

286. attest testify; bear witness
Having served as a member of a grand jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need of improvement.

287. attribute essential quality
His outstanding attribute was his kindness.

288. attribute ascribe; explain
I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents.

289. attrition gradual wearing down
They decided to wage a war of attrition rather than to rely on all-out attack.

290. audacious daring; bold
Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death-defying leap to freedom and escaped Darth Vader's troops.

291. audit examination of accounts
When the bank examiners arrived to hold their annual audit, they discovered the embezzlements of the chief cashier.

292. augment increase
How can we hope to augment our forces when our allies are deserting us?

293. augury omen; prophecy
He interpreted the departures of the birds as an augury of evil.

294. august impressive; majestic
Visiting the palace at Versailes, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.

295. aureole sun's corona; halo
Many medieval paintings depict saintly characters with aureols around their heads.

296. auroral pertaining to the aurora borealis
The auroral display was particularly spectacular that evening.

297. auspicious favoring success
With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail.

298. austere strict, stern
His austere demeanor prevented us from engaging in our usual frivolous activities.

299. austerity sternness; severity; lack of luxuries
The austerity and dignity of the court were maintained by the new justices, who were a strict and solemn group.

300. authenticate prove genuine
An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation.

301. authoritarian favoring or exercising total control; non-democratic
The people had no control over their destiny; they were forced to obey the dictates of the authoritarian regime.

302. authoritative having the weight of authority; dictatorial
We accepted her analysis of the situation as authoritative.

303. autocrat monarch with supreme power
He ran his office like an autocrat, giving no one else any authority.

304. automaton mechanism that imitates actions of humans
Long before science fiction readers became aware of robots, writers were creating stories of automation who could outperform humans.

305. autonomous self-governing
This island is a colony; however, in most matters, it is autonomous and receives no orders from the mother country.

306. autopsy examination of a dead body; postmortem
The medical examiner ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

307. auxiliary offering or providing help; additional or sub-sidiary
To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power station.

308. avarice greed for wealth
King Midas's avarice has been famous for centuries.

309. aver state confidently
I wish to aver that I am certain of success.

310. averse reluctant
He was averse to revealing the sources of his information.

311. aversion firm dislike
Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.

312. avert prevent; turn away
She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.

313. aviary enclosure for birds
The aviary at the zoo held nearly 300 birds.

314. avid greedy; eager for
He was avid for learning and read everything he could get.

315. avocation secondary or minor occupation
His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation.

316. avow declare openly
I must avow that I am innocent.

317. avuncular like an uncle
Avuncular pride did not prevent him from noticing his nephew's shortcomings.

318. awe solemn wonder
The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.

319. awl pointed tool used for piercing
She used an awl to punch additional holes in the leather belt she had bought.

320. awry distorted; crooked
He held his head awry, giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck during the night.

321. axiom self-evident truth requiring no proof
Before a student can begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain principles or axioms.

322. azure sky blue
azure skies are indicative of good weather.