VOCAB #6

1. obsequious: obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree

• Private schools have a reputation of having multiple obsequious students.

2. beatitude: supreme blessedness

• Her beauty was viewed as beatitude.

3. bete noire: a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads

• Math analysis is a common bête noire among high school students.

4. bode: to announce beforehand, or predict

• This does not bode well for you.

5. dank: disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold

• The cave was excessively dank after the recent storms along the coast.

6. ecumenical: representing a number of different Christian churches; nondenominational

• Some families choose to be ecumenical and even non-practicing.  

7. fervid: intensely enthusiastic or passionate, to an excessive degree

• I have a fervid desire to download the new Drake album.

8. fetid: smelling extremely unpleasant

• The cheese factory was fetid.

9. gargantuan: enormous

• I had a gargantuan bruise on my shin after my soccer game.

10. heyday: the period of a person's or thing's greatest success, popularity, or power

• Sammie Sweetheart from Jersey Shore has long since passed her heyday.

11. inveigle: persuade to do something by means of flattery or deception

• It wasn't hard for that girl to inveigle more money out of her adoring parents.

12. kudos: praise and honor received for an achievement

• Kudos to anyone who understands AP Statistics.

13. lagniappe: something given as a bonus or extra gift

• We received a lagniappe on our last vocab test for drawing a doodle.

14. prolix: using or containing too many words, tediously lengthy

• This vocab assignment is a bit prolix if you get what I mean.

15. protégé: a person who is guided by an older and more experienced person

• The Karate Kid was a protégé to that old guy.

16. prototype: a first model of something

• Apple often creates prototypes of new technology.

17. sycophant: a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain an advantage

• Sometimes a teacher's favorite student can appear as a sycophant to their peers.

18. tautology: the saying of the same thing twice in different words

• Emerson uses tautology to help us "understand" concepts.

19. truckle: to submit or behave obediently

• Many people are forced to truckle beneath the power of forceful governments.

20. incubus: something that causes somebody much worry or anxiety

• Homework is a definite incubus to students.

21. infrastructure: basic organization, structure, set up

• The engineer designed the infrastructure for the new library.

22. accolade: (n) public recognition, tribute, praise

• The Lincoln monument is an accolade.

23. acerbity: (n) bitterness

• I tend to speak with too much acerbity when I'm tired.

24. attrition: (n) gradual reduction in the size of a work force

• Companies often undergo attrition when their stock reduces in value.

25. bromide: (n) saying that lacks originality

• Raining cats and dogs is a bromide.

26. chauvinist: (n) somebody with a sense of superiority, sexist, homophobe

•  Romney.

27. chronic: (adj) long-lasting, continuing, ever present

•  I have a chronic knee injury.

28. expound: (v) expand on, explain, talk about

• I'm going to need you to expound upon that topic.

29. factionalism: (n) existence of groups within a larger group.

• Many sci-fi books experiment with factionalism.

30. immaculate: (adj) perfect, spotlessly clean

• My room has never been immaculate.

31. imprecation: (n) curse, swearword, expletive

•  Rap music is filled with imprecations.

32. ineluctable: (adj) not to be avoided, inevitable

• Growing older is ineluctable.

33. mercurial: (adj) lively and unpredictable

• Adam Sandler is a highly mercurial actor.

34. palliate:(v) alleviate symptons, cure, heal, treat

• Doctors are trained to palliate all different illnesses and injuries.

35. protocol: (n) a set of guidelines or rules

• There is a specific protocol for every professional job.

36. resplendent:(adj) dazzling, impressive, splendid

• Waterfalls are a resplendent part of nature.

37. stigmatize: (v) label as socially undesirable

• Many cancer organizations have stigmatized smoking in public due to second hand smoke.

38. sub rosa: (adv) secretly or privately

• They decided it was best to handle the situation sub rosa.

39. vainglory: (n) excessive pride, boastfulness in personal ability

• Beowulf expressed a bit of vainglory while speaking to Unferth.

40. vestige: (n) a trace or sign of something that is no longer present.

• There was a vestige of the woman's bold perfume in the air.

41. volition: (n) choice, wish, decision

• My mother did not agree with my final volition because she deemed it irresponsible.