Monday, September 17, 2012

Vocab #6


beatitude- Supreme blessedness
-Christ's first beatitude is to the poor in spirit.
bete noire- a detested person (disliked or avoided)

-It's gas-guzzling reputation had made it the bête noire of environmental Activicts.
bode- Be an omen of a particular outcome

-Their argument did not bode well for the future.
dank- Disagreeably damp, musty, and typically cold

-In the cellars we were sheltered from the tornado, but they were very dank and gloomy.
ecumenical- Promoting or relating to unity among the world's Christian churches
-Ecumenical pilgrimage now must also be between churches which are in mission together

fervid- Intensely enthusiastic or passionate
-His fervid speech opposed to child labor, touched the hearts of the listeners

fetid- Smelling extremely unpleasant
-His fetid odor made the entire class move to the other side of the classroom.

gargantuan- of great mass
-
The giant almost flattened the travelers with his gargantuan foot as he walked through the forest

heyday- The period of a person's or thing's greatest success or popularity
-
In later life, Elvis was overweight and drug addicted, but in his heyday he was healthy, talented and hugely popular

incubus- A cause of distress or anxiety like a nightmare
-
The guilt attacked her during her sleepless night like a relentlessincubus.

infrastructure- The basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation
-The infrastructure of a school consists of teachers, administration, and a school board.
inveigle- Persuade (someone) to do something by means of deception or flattery
-
The pretty woman was able to inveiglethe drunken man into buying her some chocolates and a free drink

kudos- Praise and honor received for an achievement-He gave kudos to her for her job well done.
lagniappe- Something given as a bonus or extra gift
-When going out to dinner, surprising her with a ring islagniappe. 

prolix- Using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy
-
All the cases give lengthy extracts from the judgments which, at first sight, may appear to be somewhat prolix.

protege- a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
-
The young scientist had done very well. He had been a protege of no less a person than Albert Einstein.

prototype- A first or preliminary model of something, esp. a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied
-
The inventor displayed his prototype to the potential buyers.

sycophant-  A person who acts obsequiously toward someone in order to gain advantage; a servile flatterer 
-
Hoping to get the best grade in class, thesycophant flattered his teacher with gifts and nice comments at every opportunity

tautology- The saying of the same thing twice in different words
-
Avoid tautology which is the needless repetition of the same idea.

truckle- Submit or behave obsequiously
-When you're having doubts, don'ttruckle to walk away.

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