GRE Webster's New World Essential Vocabulary

A

abacus (AB i kuhs) n. a frame with beads on wires in rows of fives and twos separated by a “reckoning bar,” of Chinese origin

•   The abacus is one of the earliest arithmetic calculators.

•   Don’t confuse an abacus with the very similar Japanese soroban that has rows of beads split into fours and ones.

aberration (ab oer AY shin) n. 1. a departure from the normal; 2. a deviation from what is right or correct

•   Barbara’s taking the shortcut home was an aberration from her normal driv- ing pattern.

•   Jack was prone to mental aberrations that caused him to believe he was being persecuted.

abeyance (uh BAY ins) n. a temporary suspension or delay of a function or activity

•   The rainstorm caused the baseball game to be held in abeyance.

•   The judge decided to hold sentencing in abeyance until the convicted per- son’s counsel could arrange for character witnesses.

abjure (ab JOOR) vt. 1. to give up rights, allegiance, and so on under oath; to renounce; 2. to recant

•   By his divorce agreement, Ken abjured all rights to the family car.

•   On cross-examination, Doris abjured her previous testimony about having seen the burglar.

[-d, abjuring] [Syn. renounce]

abrade (uh BRAYD) vt. scrape; wear out by rubbing; rub off

•   Sally used a pumice stone to abrade the dead skin off her right foot.

•   Sanding is a good way to abrade rough spots off a piece of furniture before applying the finish.

•   Grinding wheels are used to abrade metal objects.

[-d, abrading] [Syn. scrape]

abrogate (AB ruh GAYT) vt. to repeal or cancel (by authority); annul

•   Only a court has the right to abrogate a wedding.

•   You may not abrogate your obligation to support your children unless a court rules so.

[-d, abrogating] [Syn. abolish]

accretion (uh KREE shin) n. 1. growth in size, especially by addition or accu- mulation of material; 2. accumulated matter

•   The accretion of sand brought in by the ocean has caused certain beaches to grow in size.

•   Regular brushing is needed to remove the accretion of plaque on one’s teeth.

[(to) accrete vi., vt.]

243

244     Essential Vocabulary

accumulate (uh KYOOM yoo LAYT) vt. to pile up; gather; form a heap

•   Over years of saving regularly, wealth accumulates.

•   Dirty laundry accumulates on the floor of any boy’s room.

•   In the autumn, leaves accumulate on the lawn in the temperate climate regions.

[-d, accumulating] [Syn. heap]

adjunct (AD junkt) n. 1. an addition; something secondary in importance; 2. a person who is a helper of another —adj. an assistant, such as an adjunct teacher, counselor, and so on

•   A police officer usually carries a second gun as an adjunct to his service weapon.

•   A pointer can be a useful adjunct at most slide shows.

•   An adjunct teacher is often found in a primary school classroom in addi- tion to the classroom teacher.

adrenaline (uh DREN uh lin) n. first appeared as a trademarked name coined by chemist J. Takamine, who isolated it in 1901; now the nontechnical name for epinephrine, a hormone produced by the inner cortex of the adrenal glands

•   Adrenaline causes the body’s functions to temporarily speed up.

•   The body is stimulated to produce adrenaline in response to perceived emergency situations.

adroit (uh DROYT) adj. skillful either mentally or physically; clever; expert at

•   Andy had become quite an adroit chess player by the time he was 17.

•   Gino was extremely adroit with a wheelbarrow full of wet concrete.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. dextrous]

adulterate (uh DUHL toer AYT) vt. to make impure; water down; to make inferior

•   Cream is adulterated with milk to make half-and-half.

•   Teachers often adulterate their criticism of pupils’ work so as not to over- whelm them.

•   Legislation can be so adulterated by amendments that it does not do what

it was originally intended to accomplish.

[-d, adulterating] [Syn. dilute]

A: GRE Words     245

QUICK REVIEW #87

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. abacus

2. aberration

3. abeyance

4. abjure

5. abrade

6. abrogate

7. accretion

8. accumulate

9. adjunct

10. adrenaline

11. adroit

12. adulterate

a. renounce b. abolish

c. addition d. dilute

e. heap

f. dextrous

g. epinephrine h. delay

i. calculator j. scrape

k. oddity l. pile

advocate (AD vuh KAYT for vt., AD vuh kit for n.) vt. to speak or write in favor of something —n. a person who pleads the case of another (for example, a lawyer)

or who supports a specific action

•   Fred wrote to advocate tax reform for the state.

•   Marsha advocates freedom for all to enjoy ice cream without increasing in size or weight.

•   Alice is Jose’s advocate in his suit against the city for overassessing the value of his property.

•   Noreen is an advocate for the rights of homeless people.

[-d, advocating] [Syn. support]

affinity (uh FIN i tee) n. 1. close relationship; connection; 2. similarity of struc- ture; 3. affection; liking for

•   Helen always felt a great affinity for Al.

•   Tuna and mayonnaise have a close affinity to one another.

•   Though they are all Romance languages, Italian has a greater affinity to

Spanish than to French.

affirm (uh FOERM) vt. 1. to declare to be true; assert the truth of; 2. to confirm;

uphold; ratify

•   Jerry came to Ann to affirm the validity of Laura’s tale.

•   The Senate affirmed the nomination of the secretary of state.

[-ed, -ing, -ation n.] [Syn. assert]

246     Essential Vocabulary

aggrandize (uh GRAN dyz) vt. 1. to make greater, richer, more powerful; 2. to

make seem richer

•   By certifying the landfill as a suitable building site, the county helped to further aggrandize its owner.

•   Although not earning a dollar from the transaction, its very happening

aggrandized Otto’s reputation.

[-d, aggrandizing] [Syn. enrich]

agronomy (uh GRAHN uh mee) n. management of farmland; the science of producing crops

•   For a farmer to get the most from his land, he needs to have some under- standing of agronomy.

•   Agronomy teaches that rotating crops allows the land to replenish its essen- tial nutrients after they’ve been used.

allegory (AL ig AWR ee) n. a story in which people, things, and ideas have hid- den meanings, often used as a way of teaching values

•   Aesop’s fables are probably the best-known allegories in all literature.

•   An allegory always has a message apart from its obvious one, which in

Aesop’s case is provided in the moral at the end.

[allegories pl.]

alleviate (uh LEEV ee AYT) vt. 1. to lighten; make less hard to bear; 2. to reduce or lessen pain

•   Lloyd took one of the boxes of books from Arlene to alleviate the load that she was carrying.

•   Tears often alleviate the burden of emotional stress.

[-d, alleviating] [Syn. reduce]

allocate (AL uh KAYT) vt. 1. to earmark or set aside for a specific purpose; 2. to distribute; mete out

•   The city allocated $200 million to improve mass-transit facilities.

•   Having collected hundreds of donated winter coats, it was now up to the lodge to allocate them among the less fortunate.

[-d, allocating] [Syn. allot]

alloy (uh LOY for vt., A loy for n.) vt. 1. to fuse two or more metals to form one that possesses new properties; 2. to reduce the pureness of a rare metal by fusing it with a less precious one —n. a metallic substance derived from the chemical fusion of two or more metals

•   Wrapping a strip of copper arround tin does not make an alloy; the tin and copper must be smelted at high heat to form the new metal, bronze.

•   Iron is alloyed with carbon and several other metals to produce steel.

•   Fourteen-karat gold is produced by alloying 24-karat pure gold with other metals.

[-ed, -ing]

A: GRE Words     247

amalgamate (uh MAL guh MAYT) vt. 1. to join together into one; to unite; to

combine; 2. to alloy into an amalgam (an alloy of mercury and another metal, used by dentists in fillings)

•   Many smaller companies were amalgamated to form some of today’s corpo- rate giants, such as General Electric and U.S. Steel.

•   Mercury and silver are amalgamated to form the amalgam that is losing popularity with dentists as a filling material.

[-d, amalgamating]

ameliorate (uh MEEL ee uh RAYT) vt. to make or become better; to improve

•   A visit by a professional cleaning service should ameliorate the mess in our living room.

•   The automobile company recalled all 2004 model cars to ameliorate the problem with the steering pump.

[-d, ameliorating] [Syn. improve]

QUICK REVIEW #88

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. advocate (vt.)

2. advocate (n.)

3. affinity

4. affirm

5. aggrandize

6. agronomy

7. allegory

8. alleviate

9. allocate

10. alloy

11. amalgamate

12. ameliorate

a. connection b. relieve

c. improve

d. symbolism e. distribute

f. unite

g. enrich h. fuse

i. support j. assert

k. farming l. supporter

amenable (uh MEN i bl or uh MEEN i bl) adj. 1. responsive; answerable to;

2. controllable; submissive

•   Would you be amenable to someone’s making you an offer for your car?

•   Pneumonia is amenable to treatment with antibiotics.

[amenably adv.] [Syn. obedient]

248     Essential Vocabulary

amortize (uh MAWR tyz) vt. 1. to put money aside at intervals to pay off a

debt either prior to or at maturity; 2. to prorate an expense over an interval (for tax purposes)

•   A mortgage is usually amortized over a period of 5 to 30 years, with 30

being the most common term.

•   An automobile purchased for business use must be amortized over 5 to 7

years rather than taken as a single deduction all at once.

[-d, -zing]

animosity (an i MAH sit ee) n. hostility; a feeling of strong ill will; dislike

•   There is a great deal of animosity between Boston Red Sox fans and New

York Yankee fans.

•   Veterans from Germany and America have met each other in the cemeter- ies of France to show that they have no animosity for each other left over from World War II.

[Syn. enmity]

annul (uh NUHL) vt. to nullify; void; cancel; put an end to; invalidate under the law

•   Only one amendment to the U.S. Constitution stands out as unique in that it annuls another.

•   Most contracts contain a paragraph listing the conditions under which it may be annulled.

[annulled, annulling] [Syn. abolish]

anomalous (uh NAM uh lis) adj. 1. deviating from the regular rule; strange;

abnormal; 2. being or seeming irregular; contradictory

•   It was the anomalous behavior of the planets Neptune and Uranus that led to astronomers discovering Pluto in 1930.

•   Observations of anomalous behavior of certain objects in the sky have led to reportings of UFO sightings.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. irregular]

antibody (AN ti BAH dee) n. a special protein produced by certain white blood cells to form immunity to certain antigens

•   Before the Salk vaccine stimulated the production of antibodies against it, polio was the most dreaded disease in the United States.

•   Each antibody produced by white blood cells is specific to a particular disease.

[antibodies pl.]

antipathy (an TIP ith ee) n. 1. a strong or deeply felt dislike; 2. the object of that dislike

•   It is rumored that dogs have a great antipathy for cats, yet Lois’s two dogs and three cats get along famously.

•   Jan’s new hairdo was the object of Kaj’s antipathy.

[Syn. aversion]

A: GRE Words     249

apprehension (AP ri HEN shin) n. 1. arrest or capture; 2. mental grasp (of);

3. anxiety; dread; 4. judgment; opinion

•   The bank robber’s apprehension was the number one priority of the Boston police.

•   Carl had no apprehension of the effort that had been put into writing the computer program.

•   Harvey looked forward to his day in court with considerable apprehension.

•   Apprehension is a very strange word, in my apprehension.

arabesque (a ruh BESK) n. 1. a complex decorative design found in Moorish architecture, with intertwined lines suggesting foliage, flowers, and so on; 2. a bal- let position in which one leg is extended straight back, one arm is stretched for- ward, and the other arm is stretched backward; 3. a light musical composition

•   Moorish architecture is distinguished by its arabesques, which might be carved into the stonework or might be in relief.

•   A ballet dancer’s arabesque is a pose that I would not have attempted even when I was 17 years old.

•   Pianists are likely to have encountered the arabesques of Robert Schumann.

arboreal (ahr BAW re uhl) adj. having to do with trees; living in trees or designed for trees

•   Most botanical gardens have their arboreal sections.

•   Tree sloths are among the arboreal creatures that like to just hang out.

[-ly adv.]

archaeology (ahr kee AHL ij ee) n. the scientific study of the past (especially of past civilizations and cultures through excavation of their cities, their artifacts, and so on)

•   Archaeology is responsible for most of what we know about the pharoahs of

Egypt.

•   Archaeology is relatively new in America, and yet it is amazing what it can tell us about the early inhabitants of the western United States.

[archaeological adj.]

archaic (ahr KAY ik) adj. 1. belonging to an earlier period; antiquated; 2. old fashioned; 3. no longer in use, except for special occasions

•   Oar-powered galleys were in fashion in ancient times, but today would be thought of as archaic.

•   Some would say that wearing a tie and jacket in the workplace is an archaic

custom.

•   The use of Latin in Catholic Church services has been ruled by Vatican II

to be archaic.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. old]

250     Essential Vocabulary

QUICK REVIEW #89

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. amenable

2. amortize

3. animosity

4. annul

5. anomalous

6. antibody

7. antipathy

8. apprehension

9. arabesque

10. arboreal

11. archaeology

12. archaic

a. ancient studies b. design

c. irregular d. obedient e. treelike

f. judgment g. old

h. aversion i. abolish

j. pay

k. protein l. enmity

ardor (AHR doer) n. 1. eagerness; enthusiasm; zeal; 2. warm passion; fire

•   Zelda embraced her new job as editor in chief with ardor.

•   The old-timer spoke with ardor as he recounted tales of the good old days in the 1970s.

[Syn. passion]

articulate (ahr TIK yoo LAYT for verb, ar TIK yi lit for adj.) vt. 1. to annunciate;

to speak; to put into spoken or written words; to express clearly; 2. to arrange in connected sequence —adj. 1. having parts connected by joints; 2. well spoken; able to speak; 3. clearly presented

•   It fell to Abraham Lincoln to articulate the needs and wishes of his constituents.

•   Many new automobiles have windshield-wiper arms that articulate to clean more of the windshield than the older ones.

•   Bones of human legs are articulated at the knees and at the ankles.

•   It is a plus in the business world if you are articulate.

•   Katherine’s presentation to the school board was very articulate.

[-d, articulating, -ness n.]

artifact (AHR ti FAKT) n. anything man-made (especially a primitive tool, vessel, or weapon)

•   Artifacts from the wreck of the Titanic are making their rounds of American and British museums.

•   The earliest artifacts to have survived to the present time are from the

Old Stone Age.

A: GRE Words     251

asperity (uhs PER it ee) n. roughness or harshness of surface, weather, sound, or

temperament

•   The asperity of the moon’s surface is approximated in Idaho’s Craters of the

Moon National Monument.

•   The area of the United States known as tornado alley is infamous for the

asperity of its summer weather.

[asperities pl.]

aspiration (AS pir AY shin) n. 1. a strong desire or ambition; 2. breathing in, as of dust or pollen into the lungs

•   It was always Henry’s aspiration to become a doctor.

•   It is essential to wear a mask when sanding to lessen the risk of dust

aspiration.

assail (uh SAYL) vt. 1. to attack physically, or with arguments; assault; 2. to begin working (on a task) with vigor

•   Joshua assailed the walls of Jericho with trumpets—or so the story goes.

•   The opposing party assailed the ruling party’s budget bill with alacrity.

•   Jason assailed the job of drywalling the bathroom with an energy his father lacked.

•   The sound from the boom box assailed Sally’s ears.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. attack]

assimilation (uh SIM il AY shin) n. the absorption and incorporation of one thing into another

•   It is up to our digestive tracts to perform assimilation of the nutrients from the food that we ingest.

•   Assimilation of diverse cultures is what has made the United States the melting pot of modern civilization.

[(to) assimilate vt.]

assuage (uh SWAYJ) vt. 1. to lessen; allay (for example, pain); 2. to calm; pacify

(for example, anger); 3. to relieve hunger or thirst

•   Take two aspirin or acetominophen if you are an adult and are seeking to

assuage the pain of a headache.

•   Checks arriving on time might help to assuage the dissatisfaction of the company’s laborers.

•   Take a canteen full of water with you on a hike to assuage the thirst that is bound to come.

[-d, assuaging] [Syn. relieve]

aver (uh VOER) vt. to declare to be true; affirm; state positively

•   A witness at a trial must aver that everything he or she will say will be true.

•   Don’t aver that Bob was where he says he was, unless you witnessed it yourself.

•   I aver that I am getting a headache.

[averred, averring] [Syn. assert]

252     Essential Vocabulary

QUICK REVIEW #90

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. ardor

2. articulate

3. artifact

4. asperity

5. aspiration

6. assail

7. assimilation

8. assuage

9. aver

a. incorporation b. ambition

c. relieve d. assert e. passion

f. primitive tool g. harshness

h. enunciate i. assault

B

baste (BAYST) vt. 1. to sew with long, loose stitches to keep a garment together prior to the actual final stitching; to tack; 2. to moisten meat while roasting with drippings, melted butter, and so on

•   Tailors baste a garment together to line everything up before they do the actual stitching of the finished item.

•   When cooking a turkey, it is customary to baste it every 20 minutes or so to keep it moist.

[-d, basting]

benevolent (bin EV il int) adj. inclined to do good or doing good; kindly;

charitable

•   John’s family had a history of being benevolent toward charities.

•   The March of Dimes counts on its reputation for contributions from

benevolent organizations and individuals.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. kind]

benign (bi NYN) adj. 1. good natured; favorable; beneficial; 2. noncancerous;

nonmalignant

•   Beatrice gave Roger a benign smile as she passed.

•   Vera was relieved to learn from her oncologist that the tumor was benign.

bigotry (BIG uh tree) adj. the behavior, attitudes, and beliefs of a prejudiced, intolerant person

•   Miguel demonstrated his bigotry by refusing to sit at a table with anyone who was not from Uruguay.

•   Belief in racial stereotypes is characteristic of bigotry.

[bigotries pl., bigot n.]

bland (BLAND) adj. 1. mild and soothing rather than harsh and grating; 2. without taste; flavorless; insipid; dull

•   Milk is a very bland drink when compared to orange or grapefruit juice.

•   Tex-Mex food is noted for the piquantness of its flavor and is anything but

bland.

[-ness n.] [Syn. smooth, tasteless]

boggle (BAHG il) vt. 1. to confuse or overwhelm; 2. to hesitate at (because of scruples)

•   Janice was boggled by the huge pile of papers that needed correcting.

•   Crossword puzzles often boggle the mind.

•   Eddie boggled at the idea of robbing a grocery store.

[-d, boggling]

253

254     Essential Vocabulary

bogus (BOH gis) adj. not real or genuine; spurious

•   Bogus Rolex watches are available on every street corner around Times

Square for $50 or less.

•   If someone offers you a diamond solitaire for about $100, there’s a good chance that it’s bogus.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. false]

boisterous (BOY stris) adj. 1. noisy and unruly; rowdy; 2. rough and stormy

•   Football crowds can get somewhat boisterous, especially when beer is being consumed.

•   Try to keep from being too boisterous when you play with your friends.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. vociferous]

bolster (BOHL stir) vt. to prop up or support; reinforce —n. 1. a long, narrow cushion; 2. any bolsterlike cushion or support

•   Diane’s family came to bolster her during her testimony.

•   Please put the bolsters back on the sofa.

•   Bolsters are used to cap the bearing part of a beam and extend its support outward.

[-ed, -ing]

bombast (BAHM bast) n. talk or writing that sounds very important but has no meaning; pompous language

•     “You make your bed right now or I’m not going to feed you for the next week” is either an example of bombast or an indication of child abuse.

•   Nikita Khrushchev’s “We shall bury you!” speech is a better-known exam- ple of bombast.

[-ic adj., -ically adv.]

boor (BOR) n. a rude, ill-mannered, or awkward person

•   Stop acting like a boor.

•   When Cindy turned her back on Rita and refused to acknowledge her greeting, she behaved boorishly.

[-ish adj., -ishly adv.]

bourgeois (BUR zhwah or bur ZHWAH) adj. conventional; middle class;

ordinary —n. 1. a shopkeeper or a businessman; 2. a member of the middle class

•   It is often considered an insult to call one’s beliefs bourgeois.

•   The bourgeois class, before the French Revolution of 1789, was the group of shopkeepers and self-employed persons between the aristocracy and the workers (or proletariat).

[-e fem., -ie n.]

brazen (BRAY zin) adj. 1. showing no shame; bold; impudent; 2. of brass; the color of brass

•   Custer’s attack at the Little Bighorn was brazen if not very smart.

•   Trumpets have a very piercing, brazen sound.

[-ly adv.]

B: GRE Words     255

broach (BROHCH) vt. 1. to start a discussion of; bring up; introduce; 2. to drill

a hole (in a cask); to tap (a keg) —n. a tool for drilling

•   Peggy broached the subject of going to the movies tomorrow evening.

•   Given how hot it had been all day, someone was bound to broach the idea of going swimming.

•   Tom broached the cask of root beer using a tool known (appropriately enough) as a broach.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. utter]

buoyant (BOY int) adj. 1. having or showing the ability to float; 2. having the ability to lift one’s spirits

•   A life vest makes one buoyant so that should you accidentally fall from a boat, you would float.

•   Spiritual songs are often buoyant, lifting one’s spirits.

[-ly adv., buoyancy n.]

burnish (BOER nish) vt. to make or become shiny by rubbing; polish —n. a gloss or a polished finish

•   Verna burnished the silverware in preparation for the big dinner.

•   After being polished, the mirror had a nice burnish.

[-ed, -ing]

QUICK REVIEW #91

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. baste

2. benevolent

3. benign

4. bigotry

5. bland

6. boggle

7. bogus

8. boisterous

9. bolster

10. bombast

11. boor

12. bourgeois

13. brazen

14. broach

15. buoyant

16. burnish

a. conventional b. pomposity

c. utter d. oaf

e. intolerance f. uplifting

g. impudent h. confuse

i. vociferous j. insipid

k. support l. false

m. tack n. polish o. kind

p. nonmalignant

C

cacophony (kuh KA fin ee) n. harsh, jarring sound; noise

•   A cacophony of automobile and truck horns greeted the ears of pedestrians walking by the traffic jam.

•   When the 35 members of the second-grade band began to play their instruments, the audience was greeted with a cacophony of screeches.

[cacophonous adj., cacophonously adv., cacophonies pl.]

cadge (KADZH) vt. to beg or to acquire as a result of begging; to sponge

•   Most children learn to cadge (or not to) at an early age.

•   Jason never cadged; he just asked for two of anything he wanted, figuring that his parents would compromise and get him one.

[-d, cadging]

calibrate (CAL ib RAYT) vt. to fix, check, or adjust the graduations of an instru- ment of measurement, such as a meter or scale

•   Most bathroom scales need to be calibrated by means of a knurled knob.

•   Instant-read meat thermometers can be calibrated by turning their dials.

[-d, calibrating]

caliper (KAL ip oer) n. 1. an instrument with two curved legs joined at one end by a rivet and used to measure thicknesses and diameters; 2. the part that presses against the spinning wheel in a bicycle brake or on a car’s disc brakes

•   By swinging the legs of a caliper apart and then bringing both tips to the opposite sides of a glass, the glass’s outside diameter can be measured.

•   Disk brakes bring a car to a stop by the calipers pressing their pads against the captive rotors.

camouflage (KAM uh FLAHZH) vt. to disguise a person or thing to conceal it

(from an enemy) —n. any such disguise or disguising

•   It is customary to camouflage soldiers and weapons to keep them hidden from the enemy.

•   Camouflage is worn by all U.S. soldiers and Marines under battlefield conditions.

[-d, camouflaging]

caustic (KAHS tik) adj. 1. able to eat away, burn, and destroy living tissue by chemical means; corrosive; 2. biting or sarcastic in wit; cutting type of humor or remark

•   Some acids are more caustic than others, and you don’t want to get them on your skin.

•   Sarcasm is caustic wit at its most virulent.

[-ally adv.] [Syn. corrosive, sarcastic]

256

C: GRE Words     257

cavalier (KAV uh LEAR) adj. 1. casual or unconcerned attitude; an indifference

to matters of concern or importance; 2. arrogant and haughty —n. 1. a knight or armed horseman; 2. a courteous, gallant gentleman

•   Barry had a cavalier attitude about his manners, and it would someday come back to haunt him.

•   Vaughn was so cavalier that most others felt he was looking down his nose at them.

•   Part of the outfit of a French cavalier was a wide-brimmed felt hat with an ostrich plume sticking out.

•   Cavaliers made a point of helping damsels in distress.

[-ly adv.]

charisma (kuh RIZ muh) n. a special quality or charm that encourages loyalty or devotion

•   Joan of Arc’s charisma is what made her soldiers follow her leadership.

•   A rock star or a movie star who has charisma attracts a large band of devotees.

[-tic adj., -tically adv.]

chary (CHAI ree) adj. 1. careful; cautious; 2. not giving freely; sparing

•   Tania was chary of hurting anyone’s feelings.

•   The cafeteria attendant was chary of the size of the portions she meted out.

[charily adv.] [Syn. wary]

chemical (KEM ik uhl) adj. 1. of or having something to do with chemistry;

2. made by or used by chemistry —n. 1. involving the use of alcohol and/or drugs;

2. any of the chemical elements or a compound thereof

•   Chemistry studies how chemicals interact or fail to interact.

•   A chemical reaction always occurs when an acid and a base are mixed together, with the resulting compounds being a salt and water.

•   It is essential that people avoid developing dependencies on chemicals.

•   If a chemical is an acid, its formula always contains an H (for hydrogen).

[-ly adv.]

churlish (CHOER lish) adj. 1. boorish; surly or mean; 2. peasantlike; ill man- nered; ill bred

•   It was Shirley’s churlish nature that kept everyone at a distance from her.

•   Evan was churlish, as if he’d been brought up in a barn.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. boorish]

258     Essential Vocabulary

QUICK REVIEW #92

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. cacophony

2. cadge

3. calibrate

4. caliper

5. camouflage

6. caustic

7. cavalier

8. charisma

9. chary

10. chemical

11. churlish

a. compound b. charm

c. measuring device d. cautious

e. indifferent f. boorish

g. beg

h. concealment i. adjust

j. noise

k. corrosive

circumspect (SIR kuhm SPEKT) adj. cautious; careful to consider all aspects

before judging, acting, or deciding

•   It is a good idea to be circumspect in selecting stocks to invest one’s money in.

•   Being circumspect before walking behind a horse is always a worthwhile undertaking.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. careful]

circumvent (SIR kuhm VENT) vt. 1. to go around; 2. to get the better of by cleverness or craftiness

•   Very frequently, people try to circumvent the need to pay sales tax by buying online.

•   Some landlords incorrectly think that if they lock tenants out, they can

circumvent the eviction process.

[-ed, -ing]

coagulant (koh AG yoo lint) n. something that causes a liquid to coagulate or become solid; solidifier (used especially when referring to blood)

•   Thrombin is an element in the blood that acts as a coagulant, changing fibrinogen into fibrin—the stuff clots are made of.

•   The coagulants that turn milk into cheese are bacteria.

•   Whipping is the coagulant that turns cream into butter.

coagulate (koh AG yoo layt) vi. to change from a liquid to a semisolid mass;

clot; curdle

•   Milk coagulates to form cheese.

•   Blood coagulates to form a scab, protecting the body from invasion by bacteria.

•   Cream, when churned enough, coagulates to form butter.

[-d, coagulating]

C: GRE Words     259

coddle (KAH dil) vt. 1. to treat tenderly; pamper; 2. to cook eggs in the shell

gently in not-quite-boiling water for two to three minutes

•   Babies must be coddled while they’re at the helpless stage.

•   My parents used to enjoy coddled eggs, which I could never understand because I found them runny and gross.

[-d, coddling] [Syn. pamper]

coerce (koh ERS) vt. 1. to persuade by use of force; 2. to persuade by use of threats, legal or otherwise; 3. to constrain by use or threat of force

•   The U.S. armed forces were used to coerce Iraq to leave Kuwait.

•   The Internal Revenue Service is expert at coercing delinquent taxpayers to part with their funds.

•   Police frequently find it necessary to coerce prisoners to come along with them.

[-d, coercing] [Syn. force]

cogent (KOH jint) adj. compelling; convincing and to the point (said of verbal means as distinguished from physical)

•   Ralph gave Alice several cogent reasons they should vacation at a mountain resort rather than at the beach.

•   Jackie’s arguments for using regular-grade gasoline rather than high test were particularly cogent, to the tune of 42 cents per gallon.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. valid]

cognitive (KAHG ni tiv) adj. 1. having to do with knowing in the broadest sense; 2. by means of perception, judgment, and conception

•   One’s cognitive skills tend to diminish somewhat with the onset of old age.

•   In judging a baking contest, one relies less on one’s cognitive faculties and more on one’s senses.

[-ly adv.]

cognizance (KAHG ni zins) n. 1. awareness of something; 2. knowledge perceiv- able by observation; 3. noticing or perception of

•   June had no cognizance of the fact that Frank was bringing a guest home to dinner.

•   Cognizance of the habits of the sperm whale has all been acquired by surveillance.

•   Before it jumped into his lap, Omar had had no cognizance of the cat’s being present in the room.

complement (KAHMP li mint) n. 1. that which completes or makes perfect;

2. the full amount; 3. either of two parts that complete each other

•   Butter and jam complement the flavor of a piece of toasted bread.

•   Georgia had a full complement of 10 fingers and 10 toes.

•   For a proper handshake, another person’s right hand is the perfect comple- ment to one’s own.

[Syn. completer]

260     Essential Vocabulary

component (kuhm POH nint) n. 1. a basic part of something; 2. any part of a

high-fidelity system (speaker, tuner, amplifier, and so on); 3. an element or ingredient

•   The engine is just one component of a complete automobile, albeit a very important one.

•   Stereo component systems are generally of higher quality than those that come all in one box.

•   Egg whites are a major component of lemon meringue pie.

[Syn. element]

conceivable (kuhn SEE vib il) adj. that can be imagined, thought of, or understood

•   Just a century ago, travel outside of earth’s atmosphere was conceivable only to science-fiction writers.

•   Our reliance on electricity has reached the point where life without it is barely conceivable.

[conceivably adv.] [Syn. imaginable]

QUICK REVIEW #93

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. circumspect

2. circumvent

3. coagulant

4. coagulate

5. coddle

6. coerce

7. cogent

8. cognitive

9. cognizance

10. complement

11. component

12. conceivable

a. solidify

b. imaginable c. knowing

d. completer e. awareness f. cautious

g. element h. bypass

i. valid

j. pamper k. force

l. clotter

concentrate (KAHN sin TRAYT) vt. 1. to collect and focus; 2. to increase in

strength or density —vi. same meanings as 1 and 2 —n. a liquid that has been made denser by removing some of its solvent

•   Concentrate your thoughts on improving your vocabulary.

•   Concentrate the orange juice for shipping purposes.

•   Sometimes it is hard to concentrate on a task.

C: GRE Words     261

•   The intensity of light concentrates as you get nearer to the source.

•   Grape juice can be made from grape concentrate.

[-d, concentrating]

concentration (KAHN sin TRAY shin) n. 1. fixed attention on some task; 2. the density of something

•   After you’ve graduated from school, you’ll want to turn your full concentra- tion to landing a job.

•   The concentration of orange juice in a frozen can is four times that of the juice we drink.

conciliatory (kuhn SIL ee uh TAW ree) adj. 1. trying to soothe anger; 2. gaining by friendly acts; making friendly

•   When Jack saw how angry the fall had made Jill, he made a conciliatory

attempt to calm her.

•   South Korea has made several conciliatory moves toward its neighbor to the north.

[conciliatorily adv.] [Syn. pacifying]

concur (kuhn KOER) vi. 1. to occur at the same time; coincide; 2. to act together;

3. to agree; to be in accord

•   The phases of the moon and the changes in the oceans’ tides have been known to concur.

•   Two persons must concur in the direction of their motion to operate a two- handled tree saw.

•   For the Supreme Court to come to a decision, five justices must concur.

[-red, -ring] [Syn. consent]

condone (kuhn DOHN) vt. to forgive, pardon, or overlook (a misdeed)

•   It is not easy to condone one’s cheating on an examination in mathematics class.

•   Hunting members of endangered species as trophies is a practice that cannot be condoned.

[-d, condoning]

consistent (kuhn SIS tint) adj. 1. in accord, agreement, or harmony; compatible;

2. always following the same principles

•   It was the Mikado’s aim to have the punishment be consistent with the crime.

•   In raising children, it is very important for parents to be consistent in their expectations.

[-ly adv.]

conspirator (kuhn SPEE rit er) n. one who conspires; one who acts with others to plan a crime

•   Cassius and Brutus were the two most famous conspirators in the assassina- tion of Julius Caesar.

•   Despite what the Warren Commission report says, most Americans are con- vinced that there were other conspirators beside Oswald in the assassination

of President Kennedy.

[Syn. plotter]

262     Essential Vocabulary

contemplative (kuhn TEM pli tiv) adj. 1. inclined to look at intently; inclined

to gaze at; 2. tending to study closely 3. being involved in a meditative religious order

•   Paul was very contemplative of the faces of the men in the lineup, seeking to pick out the killer.

•   Olga was contemplative of her geometry facts as she prepared for her final exam.

•   After joining a contemplative order of monks, Tom became known as

Brother Jerome.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. pensive]

contentious (kuhn TEN shis) adj. 1. always ready for an argument; quarrel- some; 2. likely to provoke a disagreement; provoking controversy

•   Defense attorneys tend to be contentious, which is what their clients are paying them for.

•   As election day approaches, politicians’ behavior grows more and more

contentious.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. belligerent]

contradiction (KAHN truh DIK shin) n. 1. in opposition to another position; a denial; 2. a condition in which things are contrary to each other; 3. having ele- ments that appear opposed to one another

•   According to Tom, Jerry’s account of the accident was a contradiction of the facts.

•   The history of Germany in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is a series of contradictions.

•   Racism is a contradiction to the principles expressed in the U.S. Constitution.

[Syn. denial]

conventional (kuhn VEN shuh nil) adj. 1. growing out of custom or normal usage; customary; 2. conforming to accepted standards, rather than natural;

3. non-nuclear

•   Saying please and thank you is just part of conventional, polite manners.

•   It is conventional to peel a banana before eating it.

•   Conventional weapons have become so dangerous that the use of nuclear weapons is overkill.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. customary]

convivial (kuhn VIV ee uhl) adj. 1. festive; 2. jovial; fond of having a good time; fond of eating, drinking, and good company

•   Most religions have some convivial holiday where celebrating is the rule.

•   A birthday is usually an occasion for a convivial time.

[-ity n.] [Syn. jovial]

C: GRE Words     263

QUICK REVIEW #94

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. concentrate

2. concentration

3. conciliatory

4. concur

5. condone

6. consistent

7. conspirator

8. contemplative

9. contentious

10. contradiction

11. conventional

12. convivial

a. belligerent b. customary c. plotter

d. denial e. pensive f. jovial

g. density h. forgive i. agree

j. focus

k. compatible l. pacifying

convoluted (KAHN vuh LOO tid) adj. 1. coiled or spiraled; 2. very involved;

complicated

•   Most hoses are convoluted for storage purposes.

•   A 20-mile-long convoluted unpaved highway climbs from the foot of Pike’s

Peak to its summit.

•   The series of alliances that led to the outbreak of World War I was very

convoluted.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. complicated]

copious (KO pee uhs) adj. 1. abundant; very plentiful; 2. wordy; using language to a great extent; 3. full of information

•   Always take copious notes during college lectures.

•   Fidel Castro’s speeches are always copious.

•   Copious information about careers is available in The Occupational Outlook

Handbook, published by the U.S. Department of Labor.

[Syn. plentiful, profuse]

corona (kuh ROH nuh) n. 1. a crown or tiara, or something resembling same;

2. a ring of light surrounding a bright object (like the sun’s corona); 3. an extra whorl of flower parts (as the cuplike shape in daffodils) formed between the inner petals and the stamens

•   A corona might grace a king’s head.

•   The sun’s corona makes a striking display when the sun’s disk is in total eclipse.

•   The corona of a daffodil is what gives this spring flower its unique shape.

264     Essential Vocabulary

correlate (KAW ril AYT) vt. to bring things into a mutual relation with each

other; to show the relationship between quantities —adj. closely related

•   One’s salary should correlate with the hours one works.

•   Sometimes it is difficult to correlate the amount of good someone does in the world with his or her reward.

[-d, correlating]

cosmos (KAHZ mohs) n. 1. the universe seen as an orderly, harmonious whole;

2. any complete and orderly system

•   Earth was once thought to be the center of the cosmos.

•   The periodic table contains the cosmos of chemical elements.

counterpoint (KOWN tir POYNT) n. 1. a melody played or sung against a different melody; 2. something set up to contrast with or counteract something else

•   Counterpoint melodies can be found in classical and popular musical compositions.

•   Political-opinion news shows often offer both a point and counterpoint

format to put forth both sides of an argument.

covert (koh VIRT) adj. concealed; disguised; hidden; surrreptitious

•   A submarine is a covert weapon by design.

•   Undercover organizations exist for covert operations.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. secret]

covetous (KUH vit uhs) adj. longing with envy for something belonging to another person

•   Mr. Jones was very covetous of Mr. Smith’s beautiful green lawn before he discovered it was AstroTurf.

•   Ginger was covetous of Mary Anne’s wavy hair.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. envious, greedy]

cower (KOW ir) vt. 1. to huddle up as from fear or cold; 2. to shrink with fear as

if avoiding someone’s anger or blows

•   The Green family cowered in the cold, waiting for the furnace to be repaired.

•   Lou Costello’s cowering awaiting Bud Abbott’s angry blows was quite a rou- tine, in light of the fact that straight man Abbott was actually Costello’s employee.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. cringe]

craven (KRAY vin) adj. deathly afraid of; very cowardly —n. a thorough coward

•   Lloyd had a craven attitude toward bears.

•   Some little children are craven about anything with four feet and fur.

•   Minnie was craven and would not leave her house.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. cowardly]

C: GRE Words     265

credence (KREE dins) n. belief (especially in the testimony or words of others)

•   The evidence gave Willis’s words credence.

•   The district attorney did not give credence to the street vendor’s words and wanted to see proof.

•   Most people do not give credence to UFO stories.

critique (kri TEEK) n. a critical analysis of something —vt. to analyze some- thing, such as a work of art, a book, and so on; to criticize

•   TV critics must produce several movie critiques per week.

•   Literature students are often asked to critique a work of poetry or prose.

•   Before one critiques anything, he or she should have some benchmark by which to judge.

[-d, critiquing] [Syn. criticize]

QUICK REVIEW #95

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. convoluted

2. copious

3. corona

4. correlate

5. cosmos

6. counterpoint

7. covert

8. covetous

9. cower

10. craven

11. credence

12. critique

a. greedy b. analyze c. contrast

d. cowardly e. cringe

f. belief

g. plentiful

h. mutually link i. secret

j. complicated k. universe

l. crown

cryptic (KRIP tik) adj. having a hidden or disguised meaning; ambiguous;

mysterious

•   The sphinx was famous in ancient times for asking cryptic riddles.

•   The oracle at Delphi gave cryptic prophecies that could be interpreted many different ways.

[-ally adv.] [Syn. obscure]

266     Essential Vocabulary

crystal (KRIS til) n. 1. a transparent mineral, especially quartz; 2. such a mineral

with a cut or naturally geometric pattern of facets; 3. the transparent covering of the face of a watch; 4. especially clear and briliant glassware

•   Crystals of carbon are the hardest known natural substance, also known as diamonds.

•   Quartz crystals occur in many different colors, with rose quartz being quite common.

•   Carlotta took her watch to the jeweler for a new crystal.

crystallize (KRIS til YZ) vt. 1. to take on a definite form; 2. to form crystals or crystal-like shapes; 3. to coat with sugar

•   It took a while for the plan to crystallize in Gail’s head.

•   When water vapor crystallizes it forms six-sided snowflakes.

•   Crystallized ginger is coated with sugar and is delicious but tangy.

[-d, crystallizing, crystallization n.]

culpability (KUHL puh BIL i tee) n. the responsibility for something’s happen- ing; the blame

•   The culpability for a rear-end collision always belongs to the rear car’s driver.

•   Despite having borrowed his father’s camera without asking permission, Irwin denied any culpability.

[Syn. blame]

cultivate (KUHL ti VAYT) vt. 1. to prepare soil for crop growing; 2. to grow

(plants, animals, and so on) from scratch; 3. to improve by training; 4. to develop

(a taste for)

•   The farmer cultivates with a plow before sowing the first seeds.

•   Bob cultivates flowers every year, starting them in pots in early May.

•   In medieval times, monks cultivated trees in the shape of candelabras.

•   A liking for caviar is a taste one must cultivate, as it is not a naturally appealing food.

[-d, cultivating]

curmudgeon (koer MUHJ in) n. an ill-mannered, bad-tempered person; a can- tankerous person

•   Nobody cared to argue with Mr. Jones because he had a reputation for being a curmudgeon.

•   Miss Smith was such a curmudgeon that it was no wonder she had remained unwed.

cursory (KOER sir ee) adj. with little attention to detail; done hastily

•   Rita took a cursory look at the right front bumper to see whether any damage had been done.

•   The doctor gave Ben a cursory examination before declaring him fit to return to work.

[cursorily adv.] [Syn. superficial]

C: GRE Words     267

QUICK REVIEW #96

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. cryptic

2. crystal

3. crystallize

4. culpability

5. cultivate

6. curmudgeon

7. cursory

a. cantankerous one b. blame

c. improve

d. superficial e. mineral

f. form

g. obscure

D

debilitating (di BIL i TAYT ing) adj. weakening; making weak and feeble;

ennervating

•   Lou Gehrig was a great baseball player before developing the debilitating

disease, ALS, which carries his name.

•   When Dylan was 2 years old, he developed a debilitating temper that caused him to bang his head on things.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. weakening]

decimate (DE sim ayt) vt. to kill or destroy a large part of the population

•   The city officials are hoping that by spraying in swamps they will be able to decimate the mosquito population.

•   Every seven years or so, locusts decimate the crops in some farm areas.

[-d, decimating]

defamation (DEF im AY shin) n. an injuring of someone’s character by making false statements about him or her; slandering; maligning

•   Defamation of character is an offense that one can sue for in a civil court.

•   The judge ruled that the false statements Girard made about Ruth consti- tuted defamation.

[Syn. slander]

deficiency (di FISH in see) n. the state of lacking in some essential quality or element; incompleteness; shortage; deficit

•   Mark’s intellectual deficiency leaves him two cans short of a six-pack.

•   When Violet bought the car, she found there was a deficiency in the rear seat belt.

[Syn. shortage]

degenerate (di JEN er it for adj. and n., di JEN er AYT for v.) adj. 1. sunken below a former normalcy of condition or character; 2. morally corrupt —n. a degenerate person, especially one who is sexually perverse —vi. to decline morally, culturally, and so on

•   Helen’s degenerate lifestyle was the result of a difficult childhood.

•   Does reading degenerate magazines corrupt one, or must one be degenerate

to buy such magazines?

•   Helen, mentioned above, is a degenerate.

•   As one ages, one’s sense of humor tends to degenerate, and the jokes get racier.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. depraved]

demise (dim YZ) vt. 1. to transfer an estate by lease (especially for a fixed amount of time); 2. to transfer sovereignty by abdication or death —n. 1. a transfer of an estate by lease (for a fixed term); 2. the transfer of sovereignty by death or abdicating; 3. death

•   “Demising an apartment” is not a phrase you’ll see or hear every day.

•   The “demise of a monarch” is a much more likely use of the word, even though there are few monarchs left today.

•   “Death” is the most commonly used meaning of the term, so let this be the demise of this discussion.

[-d, demising] [Syn. death]

268

D: GRE Words     269

demographic (DEM uh GRA fik) n. a vital statistic of human population, such

as age, income, sex, and so on, used mainly for marketing research

•   Demographics are a major concern to businesses.

•   Before McDonald’s picks a location for a restaurant, they need to know that the demographics are such that there are many young couples with children that have enough money to eat out a couple times a week.

denigrate (DEN ig RAYT) vt. 1. to blacken; 2. to defame; to disparage the char- acter of

•   During an election campaign, it has become customary for one candidate to attempt to denigrate the other’s reputation.

•   Negative advertising consists of denigrating one’s competitor’s product.

[-d, denigrating] [Syn. defame, disparage]

derelict (DER il ikt) adj. 1. deserted by the owner; forsaken; abandoned;

2. remiss in performance of duty; neglectful of duty; negligent —n. 1. an aban- doned property; 2. a destitute person with no home or job

•   The derelict boat bobbed up and down in the waves, just waiting to be swamped.

•   The reason the burglars gained access was because the gate guard was

derelict in his duty.

•   The derelict building was an eyesore and a haven for a swarm of rats.

•   It is not unusual to see a derelict sleeping in a cardboard hovel by the side of a building on the Bowery.

[-ion n.] [Syn. remiss, negligent]

desiccant (DES ik int) adj. drying —n. a substance that attracts water and is packed with some goods to prevent water from damaging them

•   Silica gel is a desiccant often packaged with pills in a plastic, ventilated tube so that water doesn’t damage the pills.

•   Desiccants are sometimes packed with clothing or paper goods in little cloth bags.

[Syn. dryer]

desiccate (DES ik ayt) vt. 1. to completely dry; 2. to preserve food by freeze- drying, or just drying it

•   Cranberries are completely washed and then dessicated before they are packaged for shipping.

•   Coffee dessicated by freeze-drying is as popular as the brewed type in most homes in the United States.

[-d, desiccating]

desultory (dis UHL ter ee) adj. 1. lacking connection; aimless; random; 2. lack- ing in relevance

•   The professor’s lecture seemed desultory, having no connection to anything the class was studying.

•   When Francine went to get her blood drawn for the test, the nurse’s asking her to step on the scale seemed to be desultory.

[Syn. random]

270     Essential Vocabulary

detest (di TEST) vt. to intensely dislike; to abhor; to hate

•   President George H. W. Bush shocked many growers when he announced that he detested broccoli.

•   Most people detest having to visit the dentist’s office.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. hate]

deuterium (doo TEAR ee uhm) n. an isotope of hydrogen (atomic weight of

2.014, symbol D) used in nuclear reactors

•   Deuterium oxide is known as heavy water.

•   Regular hydrogen has a single proton in its nucleus; deuterium’s nucleus has a proton and a neutron.

deviance (DEE vee ins) n. a turning away from what is usual or what is accepted as being normal

•   Pouring orange juice over your breakfast cereal would definitely be consid- ered a deviance from the norm.

•   Deviance is not necessarily a negative thing, as proven by the Wright broth- ers at Kitty Hawk in 1903.

[Syn. variance]

QUICK REVIEW #97

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. debilitating

2. decimate

3. defamation

4. deficiency

5. degenerate

6. demise

7. demographic

8. denigrate

9. derelict

10. desiccant

11. desiccate

12. desultory

13. detest

14. deuterium

15. deviance

a. hydrogen b. depraved c. preserve d. hate

e. slander f. variance g. statistic h. dryer

i. negligent j. death

k. random l. disparage

m. weakening n. shortage

o. destroy

D: GRE Words     271

diatribe (DY i TRYB) n. an abusive, bitter, ranting criticism or denouncing

•   Fidel Castro is renowned for his long diatribes against the U.S. government.

•   Diatribes tend to cause the listener to close his or her ears and mind after a short length of time.

[Syn. denunciation]

diffidence (DIF i dins) n. lack of self-confidence marked by hesitation in speech

•   Stuttering is often an expression of diffidence.

•   Diffidence in speech can often be overcome by overpreparing.

[Syn. shyness]

digress (di GRESS) vi. to momentarily or temporarily stray from the main subject

•   Max Schulman’s Dobie Gillis is famous for straying from his subject and then going back to it with the phrase “but I digress.”

•   While explaining to her class how to find the areas of different quadrilaterals, Mrs. Green digressed and told how much she had enjoyed that day’s lunch.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. deviate]

diminutive (di MIN yoo tiv) adj. small of stature; much smaller than average; tiny —n. 1. a very small person; 2. a word formed from another by adding a suffix indicating smallness

•   Gail was diminutive, with the top of her head barely reaching Michael’s chest.

•   The diminutive of kitchen is kitchenette.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. small]

dirge (DOERJ) n. a slow, sad, funereal hymn or poem expressing grief; a lament

•   Dirges are customary as part of certain religions’ funeral ceremonies.

•   An elegy is a type of dirge without music.

[Syn. lament]

disabuse (dis uh BYOOZ) vt. to get rid of false ideas; to set straight; to free from misconception

•   Part of growing up is to disabuse ourselves of the notion that whatever we need will be given to us.

•   It is just as important to disabuse ourselves of the idea that good deeds are always rewarded.

[-d, disabusing] [Syn. correct]

disburse (dis BOERS) vt. to pay out; to expend (a sum of money)

•   Inez disbursed $23.47 at the grocery store.

•   On payday, your employer disburses your salary in the form of a paycheck.

[-d, dispersing] [Syn. expend]

discontent (DIS cuhn TENT) n. a dissatisfaction with a person, thing, or state of affairs; a desire for something more or different —vt. to make discontent

•   Now is the winter of our discontent after having shoveled all that snow.

•   After 10 days of eating steak and potatoes, one becomes discontent with that diet.

272     Essential Vocabulary

disinter (dis in TER) vt. 1. to dig up from the grave; to exhume; 2. to bring to

light something that had been hidden

•   The medical examiner sometimes has to disinter a body from the grave in order to perform an autopsy on it.

•   It is only with the passage of time that the actual tape recordings of

Lyndon Johnson’s White House conversations were disinterred.

[-red, -ring] [Syn. exhume]

disinterestedness (dis IN trist id niss) n. a lack of caring, involvement, or concern

•   When asked whether she would like to go to the Dodgers game, Maria expressed a total disinterestedness.

•   Joel’s disinterestedness in getting his schoolwork done on time led to his failing grades.

[Syn. indifference]

disputatious (DIS pyoo TAY shis) adj. fond of arguing; contentious; eager to dispute

•   Allen’s disputatious nature made him a likely candidate for the debating team.

•   Whenever Daphne was accused of being disputatious, she would retort

“That’s debatable.”

[-ly adv.]

dissonance (DIS uh nins) n. 1. inharmonious sounds; chords containing clash- ing sounds; 2. a lack of harmony or agreement; discord; incongruity

•   If you want to learn the true meaning of dissonance, go listen to an ele- mentary school band concert.

•   The later works of Igor Stravinsky are famous for their deliberate use of

dissonance.

QUICK REVIEW #98

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. diatribe

2. diffidence

3. digress

4. diminutive

5. dirge

6. disabuse

7. disburse

8. discontent

9. disinter

10. disinterestedness

11. disputatious

12. dissonance

a. contentious

b. denunciation c. exhume

d. shyness

e. indifference f. discord

g. deviate h. correct i. lament

j. dissatisfaction k. small

l. expend

D: GRE Words     273

distillation (DIS til AY shin) n. 1. a process by which a liquid is vaporized, and

the vapor is cooled to form a purer or more highly concentrated substance; 2. a purifying or refining by distillation

•   Alcoholic spirits are removed from fermented mash by means of

distillation.

•   Distillation is used to separate gasoline from crude oil.

[Syn. concentration, purification]

diversity (di VERS i tee) n. the quality or state of being different or varied

•   The diversity of its people is thought to be one of the great strengths of the

United States.

•   An interesting menu in a restaurant should offer the customers a diversity

of choices.

[Syn. variety]

divest (di VEST) vt. 1. to strip of clothing or rank; 2. to get rid of unwanted things

•   For failing to follow orders, the sergeant was divested of his stripes.

•   Given the recent performance of the stock market, now seems like a pretty good time to divest your portfolio of poor performers.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. strip]

divulge (di VULJ) vt. to make known, disclose, reveal

•   You must promise never to divulge the location of the hidden treasure, or else!

•   Unless you pay to see my hand, I do not have to divulge which cards I was holding when I won that hand.

[-d, divulging] [Syn. reveal]

dogmatic (dawg MAT ik) adj. 1. of or like dogma; 2. accepted without proof;

3. stating an opinion with arrogance

•   In the early part of the twentieth century, the story about a young George

Washington chopping down a cherry tree was dogmatic.

•   The scientific community encourages its members to question everything and to avoid being dogmatic.

•   Dr. Jackson tends to be dogmatic when he hands out his diagnoses to the medical students.

[-ally adv.] [Syn. dictatorial]

dolt (DOHLT) n. stupid, slow-witted person; blockhead

•   The way that man slipped into the bus seat before the pregnant woman could take it marks him as a dolt.

•   Who but a dolt goes out of the house wearing his or her shoes on the wrong feet?

[-ish adj., -ishly adv., -ishness n.]

274     Essential Vocabulary

dormant (DAWR mint) adj. 1. asleep; 2. as if asleep; resting; 3. inactive;

inoperative

•   The night watchman was dormant on the job.

•   While the cat may appear dormant, it is aware of everything going on around it.

•   A dormant volcano might not have erupted in the last 100 years, yet it is still alive.

•   Most of the volcanoes in the Cascades are considered to be dormant.

[-ly adv., dormancy n.] [Syn. latent]

dross (DRAWSS) n. 1. a scum that forms on the surface of molten metal;

2. waste material; worthless stuff; rubbish

•   In a steel mill or foundry, dross ends up on the rubbish heap.

•   Good garage-sale shoppers learn to separate treasure from dross.

dubious (DOO bee is) adj. 1. causing doubt; vague; ambiguous; 2. of doubtful value; questionable; shady; 3. skeptical; hesitating

•   Valerie was rather dubious about whether she was coming to the basketball game.

•   That premium-brand watch being offered by the street salesperson for $30

is of dubious quality.

dynamo (DY ni MOH) n. 1. a forceful, energetic person; 2. an electrical generator

•   The chairman of the company was a human dynamo, constantly on the go.

•   In hydroelectric plants, falling water turns the dynamo that generates the electricity.

•   That weight lifter is strong as a dynamo.

dysfunctional (dis FUNK shi nuhl) adj. 1. unable to perform normally or properly; 2. showing impaired or abnormal psychosocial functioning

•   A person with dysfunctional kidneys has to make use of a dialysis machine.

•   Serial killers are among the most dysfunctional personalities in the world.

D: GRE Words     275

QUICK REVIEW #99

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. distillation

2. diversity

3. divest

4. divulge

5. dogmatic

6. dolt

7. dormant

8. dross

9. dubious

10. dynamo

11. dysfunctional

a. rubbish

b. purification c. generator

d. variety

e. abnormal f. latent

g. doubtful h. reveal

i. blockhead j. strip

k. dictatorial

E – F

edify (ED i FY) vt. to instruct so as to enlighten or improve morally, intellectually, or spiritually

•   It might edify you to know that by the time Mozart was 13, he had been appointed honorary concertmaster at the Court of Salzburg.

•   Watching how a building is constructed can be a very edifying experience

(no pun intended).

•   Edify means to build, but that usage is pretty much obsolete by now.

[edified, -ing, edification n.]

egalitarian (ee GAL i TER ee in) adj. advocating that people should all have equal social, economic, and political rights —n. one who so advocates

•   The so-called ERA, or Equal Rights Amendment, for women was supported by egalitarian groups.

•   Egalitarians supported the civil rights movement of the late 1960s.

elegy (EL i gee) n. 1. a song or poem of praise for the dead; 2. any mournful song or poem

•   Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is an elegy that laments the loss of ordinary people.

•   Shelly’s “Adonais” is an elegy mourning the death of John Keats.

elemental (EL im EN til) adj. 1. of or like natural forces; typical of the physical universe; 2. basic and powerful rather than subtle or refined; 3. of any of the four traditional elements (earth, air, fire, and water) traditionally thought to comprise

all things

•   It is elemental that satellites orbit their planets.

•   The force of an erupting volcano is elemental in its power.

•   Hunger is an elemental drive; the urge to be entertained is not.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. basic]

elucidate (il OO si DAYT) vt. to clear up (especially something abstract); to explain

•   Please elucidate on the subject of why you did not come home last night until after midnight.

•   Mrs. Jones would appreciate your elucidating on Einstein’s theory of relativ- ity so that it is clear to her whether you understand it.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. explain]

emaciate (im AY shee AYT) vt. to cause to grow excessively thin; to cause to waste away

•   Starvation emaciates the body.

•   People suffering from anorexia emaciate.

[-d, emaciating, emaciation n.] [Syn. thin, waste away]

276

E – F: GRE Words   277

emancipate (im AN si PAYT) vt. 1. to set free from bondage, slavery, serfdom,

and the like; 2. to free from control or restraint

•   Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 did not emancipate the slaves living in the Union, only those in the Confederacy, where he had no

power.

•   At age 18 in most states, a child can be emancipated from his or her parents’

control.

[-d, emancipating, emancipation n.] [Syn. free]

embezzle (em BEZ il) vt. to steal by fraud; to take money from someone on false pretense and then spend it on oneself

•   Several corporate executives spent the late 1990s embezzling their stockhold- ers’ money.

•   Con men are skilled in the art of embezzling.

[-d, embezzling, -ment, -r n.] [Syn. steal]

emit (ee MIT) vt. to send out; send forth; give off; utter; discharge

•   A transmitter’s antenna emits some kind of waves.

•   A speaker stands before an audience and emits words.

•   Old Faithful emits hot water at regular intervals.

[-ted, -ting] [Syn. discharge]

emollient (im AHL yint) adj. softening; soothing —n. a substance that has a softening effect when applied to the skin

•   Many medicinal preparations have an emollient effect.

•   Proper skin care requires replacing skin moisture every day by using

emollients.

encomium (in KOHM ee uhm) n. a formal expression of praise; a hymn or eulogy

•   “America the Beautiful” is an encomium to the natural beauty of the country.

•   “Adonais” is Shelly’s encomium to the poet John Keats.

[Syn. tribute]

enigmatic (EN ig MAT ik) adj. like a seemingly inexplicable matter (enigma);

perplexing; baffling

•   Lightning must have been very enigmatic to everyone living prior to the eighteenth century.

•   Traveling faster than the speed of light is the stuff of science fiction but is

enigmatic to today’s science.

[-ally adv.] [Syn. obscure]

enunciate (in UHN see AYT) vt. 1. to state in a systematic way; 2. to pronounce words clearly; 3. to announce

•   Einstein first enunciated his theory of relativity in 1905.

•   It is important to enunciate clearly to make your position understood by others.

•   Bob and Carol enunciated their engagement to each other.

[-d, enuciating] [Syn. utter]

278     Essential Vocabulary

enzyme (EN zym) n. any one of many proteins developed by plants and ani-

mals that act as catalysts in certain chemical reactions

•   Chlorophyll acts as an enzyme in green plants’ process of photosynthesis.

•   Pepsin and retsyn are two enzymes that aid in human digestion.

epicure (EP ik yur) n. a person who has an appreciation of fine food and drink, and enjoys consuming same

•   French cuisine has a great appeal to the epicure.

•   Snails, while a common delicacy in France, are the exclusive domain of the

epicure in this country.

•   Chinese, French, and Italian cuisines are no longer for the enjoyment of

American epicures only.

[Syn. gourmet, gastronome]

QUICK REVIEW #100

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. edify

2. egalitarian

3. elegy

4. elemental

5. elucidate

6. emaciate

7. emancipate

8. embezzle

9. emit

10. emollient

11. encomium

12. enigmatic

13. enunciate

14. enzyme

15. epicure

a. tribute

b. gourmet

c. moisturizer d. utter

e. obscure f. catalyst

g. waste away h. discharge

i. basic j. free k. steal

l. explain m. lament

n. equal rights advocate o. enlighten

epithet (EP i THET) n. 1. an often derogatory word or phrase used to character- ize someone; 2. a descriptive name or title (for example, Alexander the Great)

•   Egghead is an epithet for an intellectual person.

•   In King Ethelred the Unready’s name, “the Unready” is an epithet.

E – F: GRE Words   279

equable (EK wib il) adj. not varying very much; even tempered; serene; not

readily upset

•   Tropical climates are equable rather than seasonal.

•   It was strange to see George fly off the handle because he is usually quite

equable.

[equably adv., equability n.] [Syn. steady]

equivalence (ik WIV il ens) n. equality of value, meaning, force, grade, weight, and so on

•   The equivalence of 2.54 centimeters and 1 inch is a well-known relationship.

•   A generic drug has the chemical equivalence of its brand-name cousin at a lower price.

equivocal (ik WIV ik il) adj. 1. capable of being interpreted in more than one way; purposely vague; obscure; 2. uncertain; doubtful; 3. suspicious; questionable conduct

•   Almost every character in Lewis Carroll’s books is equivocal, except for

Alice.

•   The origin of the hamburger is equivocal, but everyone attributes the origin of the ice-cream cone to the St. Louis World’s Fair.

•   The shopkeeper called the police when he considered the behavior of the person hanging around outside his shop to be equivocal.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. obscure]

equivocate (ik WIV ik AYT) vi. mislead; hedge; deceive; be deliberately vague or ambiguous

•   Part of a defense attorney’s job is to equivocate, so as to leave the jury with

a reasonable doubt.

•   When the police are interviewing a suspect and he or she equivocates, they can be pretty sure they’ve found the right person.

[-d, equivocating] [Syn. lie]

erode (ir OHD) vt. 1. to wear away; eat into; disintegrate; 2. to cause to wear away; 3. to form by gradually wearing away

•   Anything that is continually rubbed against erodes.

•   Rain has eroded the rocks of Bryce Canyon, Utah, to make all the beautiful, statuesque formations.

•   The Grand Canyon is the result of rock being eroded over millions of years by the Colorado River.

[-d, eroding] [Syn. wear (away)]

erudition (ER yoo DISH in) n. learning acquired through scholarship (by read- ing and study)

•   Everything we know about ancient Greek civilization is the result of archaeology and erudition.

•   Erudition in some form continues throughout life for any intellectually curious person.

[Syn. information]

280     Essential Vocabulary

esoterica (ES oh TER ik uh) n. 1. things meant to be understood only by an

elite few; 2. confidential things

•   The Native American medicine man was responsible for passing down the

esoterica of his calling to the next generation.

•   Every religion has certain persons to whom are entrusted the esoterica of the group.

eulogy (YOO li jee) n. a speech or writing in praise of a person who has recently died, or a project that has been killed

•   It is customary for a eulogy to be given by one or more persons at a funeral service.

•   Traditionally, any ill traits of the deceased are not mentioned during a eulogy.

[Syn. tribute]

euphemism (YOO fi MIZ im) n. 1. a word or phrase that is less expressive sub- stituted for a more expressive one to lessen its impact (the remains rather than the corpse); 2. the use of such a word

•   The “dearly departed” is a euphemism for the “dead person.”

•   Many people speak in euphemisms, requiring the listeners to interpret what they are hearing.

[euphemistic adj., euphemistically adv.]

evolve (ee VOLV) vt., vi. 1. to develop by gradual change; unfold; 2. to change by evolution

•   A winning baseball team evolves as all the right players are assembled and become comfortable playing together.

•   Modern man is thought to have evolved from earlier species, such as

Cro-Magnon man.

[-d, evolving] [Syn. unfold]

excoriate (iks KAW ree ayt) vt. 1. to harshly denounce; 2. to rub off the skin of;

to abrade; to flay

•   Mr. Brown excoriated his class for having misbehaved on the class trip.

•   Jack excoriated his right elbow when he slid into second base.

[-d, excoriating, excoriation n.]

E – F: GRE Words   281

QUICK REVIEW #101

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. epithet

2. equable

3. equivalence

4. equivocal

5. equivocate

6. erode

7. erudition

8. esoterica

9. eulogy

10. euphemism

11. evolve

12. excoriate

a. unfold

b. information c. tribute

d. denounce

e. abstruse things f. expression

g. “the Bald”

h. lie

i. equality j. wear

k. obscure l. steady

exculpate (EKS kil PAYT) vt. to prove blameless; to declare guiltless

•   The fact that Inez was shown to have been out of town caused the judge to

exculpate her in the case of the missing bananas.

•   Mark was exculpated of the charges against him.

[-d, exculpating, exculpation n.] [Syn. to clear (of blame)]

exigent (EKS i jint) adj. 1. needing immediate looking into; urgent; critical;

2. needing more than reasonable attention; demanding

•   It is exigent that Diane return the poorly fitting blouse before the time allowed expires.

•   As Melissa found out, raising three small children at the same time is an

exigent task.

[-ly adv., exigency n.] [Syn. urgent]

extant (EKS tint) adj. still existing; not lost or destroyed; not extinct

•   Some are hopeful that finding Nessie, the so-called Loch Ness monster, will prove sea monsters extant.

•   The Cascade Mountains of Washington contain many extant volcanoes that are, for the most part, dormant.

[-ly adv.]

282     Essential Vocabulary

extraneous (eks TRAY nee is) adj. 1. not pertinent or relevant; 2. coming from

the outside; 3. not properly or truly belonging

•   When discussing whether something is or is not the right thing to do, the amount you’re willing to pay to have it done is extraneous.

•   The phases of the moon are extraneous to the seasons on earth.

•   When playing Chopin’s piano sonatas, the presence of a flute player is

extraneous.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. extrinsic]

extricable (EKS tri ki bil) adj. able to get out from; able to separate from; capa- ble of being disentangled

•   An egg yolk is easily extricable from a shelled egg—especially after the egg has been hard-boiled.

•   The painter’s having failed to deliver on his part of the contract made

Harvey extricable from it.

•   A single rubber band is usually quite extricable from a ball of rubber bands.

[extricably adv.] [Syn. escapable]

extrovert (EKS tra VOERT) n. an outgoing person; one who directs her atten- tion away from herself and toward others

•   Francesco is quite an extrovert for a six-year-old and spends much of his time thinking up ways to get those around him to laugh.

•   Extroverts are generally a good deal more animated than introverts—their opposites.

[extroversion n.] [Syn. outgoing]

facetious (fis EE shis) adj. joking or trying to be funny (especially at an inap- propriate time)

•   Being facetious is practically a full-time job for a punster.

•   Vicki told Bill, “Don’t think I’m being facetious when I tell you you’re my best friend, but I am.”

[-ly adv.] [Syn. witty]

facilitate (fa SIL i TAYT) vt. to make possible, or to make it easier to do something

•   The hardened tips on shoelaces greatly facilitate lacing shoes and boots.

•   Ramps being installed on most street corners facilitate getting on and off sidewalks for the handicapped.

[-d, facilitating] [Syn. ease]

faction (FAK shin) n. inside a larger organization, a group of people smaller than the whole working toward or aiming at one specific goal; partisan

•   When the school PTA met, one faction favored holding a Christmas party, while another was dead set against it.

•   Because it is a part of a larger whole, one can properly say that a faction is a fraction of a group.

feckless (FEK lis) adj. 1. weak; ineffective; 2. careless; irresponsible

•   Mary was feckless about bringing her umbrella to work, and she paid for it when the skies opened up.

E – F: GRE Words   283

•   Allowing a five-year-old to walk alone near a busy street can only be

described as feckless.

[-ly adv.]

felon (FEL in) n. a person guilty of a major crime (guilty of a felony, rather than

a misdemeanor); a criminal

•   Petty larceny is a misdemeanor, while grand larceny is a felony, and one who commits it is a felon.

•   The person who wrote the sentence “The boy felon his head” is not neces- sarily a felon.

•   Most prison residents in the United States are felons.

fidelity (fi DEL i tee) n. 1. faithfulness to one’s obligations; loyalty; 2. faithful to the story, the truth, the actual sound, and so on

•   When two people get married, each should expect the full fidelity of the other.

•   High fidelity is so named because it tries to be faithful to the sound of the concert hall.

•   When one reads a news story, it is only right to expect the reporter to show fidelity to the actual facts.

[Syn. allegiance]

QUICK REVIEW #102

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. exculpate

2. exigent

3. extant

4. extraneous

5. extricable

6. extrovert

7. facetious

8. facilitate

9. faction

10. feckless

11. felon

12. fidelity

a. ineffective b. escapable c. partisan

d. clear

e. criminal f. irrelevant

g. outgoing person h. urgent

i. witty

j. faithfulness k. ease

l. existing

284     Essential Vocabulary

finesse (fin ES) n. 1. the ability to handle delicate situations with skill; 2. cun-

ning; artfulness; craftiness —vt. 1. to bypass or evade an issue; 2. to manage or deal with using finesse

•   Walter handled the customer’s complaint with finesse.

•   Martha tried to finesse her way around the requirement that she had to have a driving permit before she could get her license.

•   It is a common play in a game of bridge for a player to finesse a lower value card past an opponent without losing it.

[-d, finessing]

fission (FISH in) n. a splitting apart; division into two or more parts

•   Some cells reproduce asexually by binary fission.

•   A fission of the nucleus of an atom releases considerable energy and is the principle on which the atomic bomb was based.

[-able adj.]

fissure (FISH yer) n. 1. a long, narrow, deep crack; 2. a dividing or breaking into parts

•   Fissures in mountains have been responsible for swallowing up more than one climber.

•   Glaciers usually fracture along fissures, causing huge icebergs to break off.

[Syn. crack]

fixate (FIX ayt) vt., vi. 1. to focus (the eyes) on an object; 2. to form a persistent attachment to some person or object

•   Someone who cannot fixate on an object that is distant is said to be myopic, or nearsighted.

•   When one person fixates on another person so that the attachment

becomes excessive, it is time for a psychological expert to be brought in for assistance.

[-d, fixating]

flag (FLAG) vi. 1. to become limp; droop; 2. to lose energy; wane; grow weak or tired

•   When a flower does not get enough water, it tends to flag but perks up again if watered in time.

•   After two hours watching the races, Ida’s interest began to flag.

[-ged, -ging]

flaw (FLAW) n. 1. a blemish or defect that spoils something’s appearance;

2. a defect, fault, or error —vi., vt. to make faulty

•   The dents in the fender were flaws in the automobile’s appearance.

•   A diamond that does not contain a flaw is a very rare (read that expensive)

thing.

•   Rubbed off patches of gold finish flawed the watchband’s appearance.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. defect]

E – F: GRE Words   285

flora (FLOR uh) n. the plants of a region, as distinguished from the animal life

(fauna)

•   The flora of the tropics are varied and colorful.

•   The further north one goes, the more bountiful the varieties of flora and fauna become, as long as you are south of the equator.

flourish (FLOER ish) vi. to grow vigorously; succeed; thrive; prosper —vt. to wave a sword, hand, or hat in the air as a mark of; brandish —n. a musical fanfare

•   Democracy, which had flourished for the citizens of ancient Athens, essen- tially disappeared until the end of the eighteeth century.

•   The actor bowed and flourished his hat in acknowledgement of the audi- ence’s applause.

•   Each time the president speaks at a formal event, a trumpet flourish pre- cedes his appearance; interestingly that piece is known as “Ruffles and Flourishes.”

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. prosper]

fluctuate (FLUHK tyoo ayt) vi. 1. to move back and forth or up and down; 2. to be continuously varying —vt. to cause to fluctuate

•   The ocean’s tides fluctuate with the effects from the pull of the sun and the moon.

•   The heights of the threads in a shag rug fluctuate, often in a discernible pattern.

•   Jan fluctuates the size of her weekly bank deposit according to the amount of tips she receives that week.

[-d, fluctuating] [Syn. vary]

flux (FLUHKS) n. 1. a continuous moving or change; 2. a material that keeps metals from oxidizing when they are soldered

•   Fashion is always in a state of flux.

•   Public opinion goes through flux along with the economy.

•   Before soldering copper pipes together, both surfaces to be joined must be roughed up and coated with flux paste.

foible (FOY bil) n. a small weakness of character; a small frailty

•   Being easily tempted is a foible many of us share.

•   One of Alessandra’s foibles is an inability to resist fresh whipped cream.

[Syn. fault]

foment (foh MENT) vt. to stir up (trouble); incite (to riot); instigate

•   One of President Eisenhower’s favorite words was foment as he talked of

North Korea’s fomenting a crisis by invading South Korea.

•   It has been often debated whether the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago were fomented by the demonstrators or by the Chicago Police Department.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. incite]

286     Essential Vocabulary

QUICK REVIEW #103

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. finesse

2. fission

3. fissure

4. fixate

5. flag

6. flaw

7. flora

8. flourish

9. fluctuate

10. flux

11. foible

12. foment

a. thrive b. incite

c. artfulness d. wane

e. change

f. separation g. defect

h. fault i. crack

j. plant life k. vary

l. focus

foreclosure (fawr KLOH zhyoer) n. the legal procedure for a mortgager to gain

possession of a property when the mortgagee has failed to keep up payments so that the property can be sold to cover the former’s expenses

•   The bank’s attorneys took foreclosure action because the borrower was in arrears on the monthly payments.

•   Foreclosure auctions, in which the foreclosed-on properties are sold to repay the mortgage holder, can be a source of real estate bargains.

[(to) foreclose vi., vt.]

foreignness (FAWR in nes) n. the quality of not naturally belonging; having the quality of being an outsider; strangeness

•   Invading microbes are usually attacked by the body’s defenses when their

foreignness is recognized.

•   Westerners’ ears have difficulty with the foreignness of Asian music.

[Syn. extrinsicness]

forestall (for STAWL) vt. 1. to prevent by performing some action in advance;

2. to hinder; obstruct

•   Paying the overdue mortgage forestalled the bank’s foreclosing on Ms. Green’s home.

•   Mr. Black obtained a restraining order to forestall his neighbor’s cutting down the cherry tree.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. prevent]

E – F: GRE Words   287

formidable (FAWR mid uh bil) adj. 1. causing fear; 2. difficult to overcome;

3. impressive

•   Gerald’s threat to sue was a formidable one as far as Bob was concerned.

•   Audrey found the obstacle course a formidable barrier.

•   Vance’s performance on the SAT was formidable indeed.

[formidably adv.]

fortuitous (for TOO i tus) adj. 1. occurring by accident; by chance; 2. lucky; by good fortune

•   Bill’s running into his future employer at the ballpark was just a fortuitous

occurrence.

•   How fortuitous that Hillary won the state lottery.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. accidental]

forum (FOR uhm) n. 1. the ancient Roman open marketplace; 2. a court of law;

tribunal; 3. an opportunity for open discussion

•   The Roman forum was a marketplace in which ideas as well as goods were exchanged.

•   A court of law serves as a forum in which justice is dispensed (not to be confused with “dispensed with”).

•   Often a televised debate serves as a forum for political candidates to present their ideas and to discuss their plans should they be elected.

fracas (FRAY kuhs) n. a noisy fight or loud quarrel; a brawl

•   The police had to come break up the fracas at the tavern last night.

•   When Mr. and Mrs. Unger get into one of their frequent shouting contests, the fracas disturbs the whole neighborhood.

frieze (FREEZ) n. a series of decorations, painted or sculpted, usually in a hori- zontal band

•   A series of high-relief sculptures forms a frieze decorating a fireplace mantle at the Vanderbilt home.

functionary (FUNK shin er ee) n. a person who performs a certain function, especially an official

•   A server in the cafeteria is a functionary, as is a janitor.

•   The keeper of public records is a functionary, whose function is, obviously, keeping public records.

fusion (FYOO zhin) n. 1. joining by melting together; fusing; 2. a joining as if by melting together (for example, two factions of a political party); 3. nuclear fusion

•   Welding is a practical form of fusion and is used to join the frames of cars and aircraft to their skins.

•   In times of war, it has been customary for a fusion of the political parties to occur so that the nation acts as one.

•   It is the aim of scientists to use nuclear energy formed by fusion (the principle of the H-bomb) for peaceful purposes.

288     Essential Vocabulary

QUICK REVIEW #104

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. foreclosure

2. foreignness

3. forestall

4. formidable

5. fortuitous

6. forum

7. fracas

8. frieze

9. functionary

10. fusion

a. union

b. decoration c. impressive

d. public official e. brawl

f. prevent

g. marketplace h. extrinsicness i. accidental

j. legal proceeding

G – H

gainsay (gayn SAY or GAYN say) vt. 1. to deny; 2. to contradict; 3. to oppose

•   Mr. Jones gainsays any responsibility for the damage to Miss Wright’s automobile.

•   “I hate to gainsay your story,” Paul said, “but it didn’t happen like that.

•   The loyal opposition gainsayed every attempt to get the new budget bill through Parliament.

[gainsaid, -ing] [Syn. deny]

garrison (GAR is uhn) n. 1. troops stationed in a fort; 2. the entire fortified

place including troops and weapons —vt. to station troops in a place for its defense

•   The garrison at Fort McHenry withstood bombardment by the British dur- ing the War of 1812 while Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

•   During the Vietnam War, garrisons were established at so-called strategic hamlets.

•   During the Revolutionary War, the British garrisoned troops in the homes of the colonists.

garrulous (GAER yoo lis) adj. talkative; talking too much about generally insignificant things

•   Teenaged girls tend to be more garrulous than their male counterparts.

•   Most company sales meetings are dominated by garrulous persons who love to hear themselves speak.

[-ness n.] [Syn. loquacious, talkative]

genre (ZHAHN ruh) n. a kind or type, like literature, music, works of art, and so on —adj. designating a class of film, book, or the like by its subject matter—for example, science fiction, comedy

•   Henry James was an artist of the literary genre.

•   The Star Wars trilogy gave birth to the genre of big-budget sci-fi films.

geyser (GY zoer) n. a hot spring from which sprays of steam and or boiling water gush into the air at intervals of time

•   Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park is probably the best-known geyser in the world.

•   Giant, Grotto, Fountain, Castle, and Crested Pool are some other geysers in

Yellowstone.

gist (JIST) n. the main point or essence of an argument, article, and so on

•   The gist of the thing is the crux of the matter, and that just about says it all.

•   Frank did not understand everything the lecturer was saying about calcu- lating the area under a curve, but he did get the gist of it.

•   Take two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule, and you have the

gist of water.

[Syn. essence]

289

290     Essential Vocabulary

gladiator (GLA dee AYT oer) n. 1. any person involved in a public conflict or

fight; 2. a swordsman of ancient Rome who fought for the entertainment of the public (not necessarily voluntarily)

•   Boxers are often referred to as gloved gladiators of the ring.

•   The more traditional image of a gladiator is of a man in shorts and leather armor, carrying a shield in one hand and a broad sword in the other.

gouge (GOWJ) vt. 1. to scoop out; dig out; 2. to overcharge; cheat out of money

—n. a curved chisel used in woodworking

•   Many native people have gouged out logs to make dugout canoes—primitive water transports.

•   When that restaurant charged $20 for the $7 bottle of wine, they were price gouging, and I wouldn’t patronize that place again if I were you.

[-d, gouging]

gregarious (gri GAR ee uhs) adj. 1. living in herds or flocks; 2. enjoying the company of others; sociable

•   Sheep are gregarious animals and never travel alone if they can help it.

•   Some dogs are more gregarious than others.

•   If you’re the type of person who enjoys partying, the odds are favorable that you’re gregarious.

gristle (GRIS il) n. cartilage, especially cartilage found in prepared meat

•   Karen hates biting into a piece of chicken and finding gristle.

•   It’s not always easy to remove the gristle from a roast before cooking it.

•   If you really can’t stand gristle, stick to fish.

gust (GUHST) n. 1. a sudden burst of wind; 2. a sudden burst of rain, smoke, fire, and so on; 3. an explosion of laughter or rage

•   A gust of wind blew Jake’s hat off.

•   Emily’s face was scorched by the sudden gust of heat from the burning boat at the amusement park.

•   A gust of laughter issued forth from the comedian’s audience.

[Syn. wind]

hackneyed (HAK need) adj. made trite (meaningless) by overuse

•   Hackneyed phrases are ones that have been so overused that they have become meaningless, like “a stitch in time saves nine.”

•     “Right as rain” and “snug as a bug in a rug” are hackneyed expressions.

[Syn. trite]

hamper (HAEM poer) vt. to hinder or impede —n. a covered basket used for laundry, picnics, or whatever

•   Having to slog through knee-deep water certainly hampers your getting to work on time.

•   The detour hampered Blossom from making her scheduled doctor’s appoint- ment on time.

•   June packed a picnic lunch in a wicker hamper.

[-ed, -ing]

G – H: GRE Words    291

hapless (HAP lis) adj. unlucky; unfortunate; prone to mishap

•   Jim was so hapless that he managed to lose five car keys in one month.

•   Hapless Harriet was left at the altar by three consecutive fiancé s.

[-ly adv.]

QUICK REVIEW #105

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. gainsay

2. garrison

3. garrulous

4. genre

5. geyser

6. gist

7. gladiator

8. gouge

9. gregarious

10. gristle

11. gust

12. hackneyed

13. hamper

14. hapless

a. essence b. sociable c. impede d. wind

e. loquacious f. unlucky

g. trite

h. military fort i. fighter

j. cartilage k. gusher

l. cheat m. class n. deny

harbinger (HAHR bin joer) n. a person or thing that comes before someone or something else to announce the arrival

•   The swallows returning to Capistrano is one of the harbingers of spring.

•   The geese flying south is a harbinger of the weather’s turning cold.

•   The shrill sounding of the Klaxon on a submarine is the harbinger of the ship’s diving.

[Syn. herald]

harrow (HAR oh) vt. to torment; vex; cause mental distress

•   It harrowed Connie that her rival had gotten the position she had wanted.

•   Studying for the SAT test was a harrowing experience for Fred because so much depended on his doing well.

[-ed, -ing]

292     Essential Vocabulary

haughty (HAW tee) adj. having or showing great pride in oneself and disdain

for others

•   Two of King Lear’s daughters were very haughty, and it was not until it was too late that he came to appreciate Cordelia.

•   Politicians never act haughty in public for fear that they’ll never be elected again.

•   A haughty person is a snooty person.

[haughtily adv.] [Syn. arrogant]

herbivore (ER bi VAWR) n. plant eater; an animal that eats only plants, as distinguished from a meat-eating carnivore and an omnivore (an animal that eats both plants and meat)

•   The largest dinosaurs that ever lived were herbivores.

•   There must be more herbivores than carnivores; think about it.

[herbivorous adj.]

heterogeneous (HET oer oh GEE nee uhs) adj. made up of unrelated or dissimilar parts; varied; miscellaneous

•   The population of the United States is probably more heterogeneous than any other country’s.

•   Considerably less heterogeneous is the population of Japan.

•   You’ll find heterogeneous colors in a bag of jelly beans.

hew (HYOO) vt. 1. to chop or cut with an ax or knife; 2. to shape something by chopping pieces away with an ax or knife

•   Marcia often hews trees to cut up and use for firewood.

•   Native Americans hewed totem poles from tree trunks.

•   Many native cultures make hewed pipes and knife handles from wood, bone, and ivory.

[-ed, -ing, -n adj., -er n.] [Syn. hack]

hieroglyphic (HY ruh GLIF ik) n. 1. ancient Egyptian picture writing; 2. any picture writing —adj. illegible writing

•   The Rosetta stone made it possible to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics.

•   Hieroglyphics predate the invention of alphabets.

•   Many a teacher has told me that I have hieroglyphic writing and need to work on my penmanship.

hormone (HAWR mohn) n. 1. a substance (secretion) formed in one organ of the body to cause some kind of action in another part of the body; 2. such a preparation produced artificially

•   Adrenaline is a synthetic version of the hormone epinephrine, which is secreted by the adrenal glands.

•   Hormones from the pituitary gland govern our growth rate.

G – H: GRE Words    293

hypothetical (HY pi THE tik il) adj. supposing or presuming something

although it is unproven

•   “What would you do if you were king of the world?” is a hypothetical ques- tion because we feel safe in assuming that you are not.

•   If you ever imagined what type of animal you would be if you could be an animal, you’ve had hypothetical musings.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. theoretical]

QUICK REVIEW #106

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. harbinger

2. harrow

3. haughty

4. herbivore

5. heterogeneous

6. hew

7. hieroglyphic

8. hormone

9. hypothetical

a. hack

b. theoretical c. arrogant

d. secretion e. herald

f. symbol g. vex

h. varied

i. plant eater

I

iconoclast (y KON uh KLAST) n. someone who attacks and seeks to destroy widely accepted ideas, beliefs, and so on

•   Our country’s founders could be called iconoclasts for attacking the idea of monarchy.

•   To evolutionists, creationists can seem to be iconoclasts who seek to destroy the theories of evolution; the reverse is seen by the creationists.

[-ic adj., -ically adv.]

idyll (Y dil) n. 1. a narrative poem, like a short epic; 2. a pastoral poem or prose work; a work describing a picturesque country scene

•   Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King” falls into the first category as a short epic- type poem.

•   Beethoven’s “Pastoral Symphony” (No. 6) could be called an idyll expressed in music.

[-ic adj., -ically adv.]

igneous (IG nee uhs) adj. fiery; formed by heat, especially formed by volcanic action

•   Granite is an igneous rock.

•   Basalt is another igneous rock that is formed in sheets.

•   Marble is not igneous but is a metamorphic rock that began as limestone and had its form changed by volcanic heat.

immaculate (im MAK yoo lit) adj. 1. perfectly clean; unsoiled; 2. without flaw;

perfectly correct; 3. pure

•   The living room carpet looked immaculate.

•   Immaculate diamonds are very rare and very expensive.

•   Martha’s behavior at the coming-out party was immaculate.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. unflawed]

impede (im PEED) vt. 1. hinder, block, or delay; 2. to act as an obstacle

•   Eating peas by balancing them one at a time on a knife tends to impede the progress of dinner.

•   An open drawbridge might impede one’s access to the castle.

[-d, impeding, impediment n.] [Syn. hinder]

impenetrability (im PEN i truh BIL i tee) n. 1. something that cannot be passed through; 2. something that cannot be understood; 3. someone unreceptive to ideas

•   In the past, a castle’s wall was built for its impenetrability.

•   The impenetrability of Germany’s code during World War II proved to be a myth.

•   Harold’s teachers constantly marvel at the impenetrability of his thick skull.

294

I: GRE Words     295

imperious (im PIR ee uhs) adj. overbearing; domineering; having the qualities

of an emperor

•   Napoleon was short but had an imperious aura about him.

•   Often, in times of war, a general needs to be imperious.

•   Although General George Patton was imperious, General Omar Bradley was anything but.

[-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. masterful]

imperturbable (IM poer TOERB i bl) adj. that cannot be disturbed or excited

•   Alice listened to all stories with an imperturbable calmness.

•   Kevin is very excitable and could never be confused with his imperturbable

brother, Robert.

[imperturbably adv.] [Syn. impassive]

impinge (im PINJ) vt. 1. to encroach or make inroads (on the rights or property of others); 2. to touch on or have an effect on (someone or something)

•   Mary’s oak tree has begun to impinge on her neighbors’ property and is threatening their roof.

•   It is not a good idea for a lawyer to make a joke in a courtroom because it

impinges on the province of the judge.

[-d, impinging] [Syn. encroach]

implacable (im PLAK i bl) adj. that cannot be appeased or pacified

•   The widow of the soldier was implacable with grief.

•   When Vic’s car broke down 10 miles after he had left the repair shop, his anger was implacable.

[implacably adv.] [Syn. inflexible]

implausible (im PLAWZ i bl) adj. seeming unlikely to be true; not believable

•   The excuse, “The dog ate my homework,” is at best implausible.

•   Because Lyle’s fingerprints at the scene of the crime were unmistakable, the police felt his alibi was implausible.

[implausibly adv.] [Syn. unlikely]

implosion (im PLOH zhin) n. a bursting inward; collapsing inward

•   An old-fashioned television picture tube contains a high degree of vacuum, or absence of air and pressure, so when it breaks, there is an implosion.

•   You might have seen a film of a building being skillfully destroyed by

implosion so that it collapses in on itself.

inadvertent (in ad VER tint) adj. 1. unattentive; heedless; 2. accidental;

unintentional

•   Cathy’s crashing her car into the wall was inadvertent.

•   Sam is often troubled by an inadvertent urge to scratch his nose.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. unintentional]

296     Essential Vocabulary

incessant (in SES int) adj. never ceasing; seemingly never ending

•   The blaring of boom boxes at certain beaches is incessant.

•   Rebecca’s mom seems to have an incessant need to remind her to watch what she eats.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. continual, constant]

inchoate (in KOH it) adj. 1. not fully formed; disorganized; 2. in the early stages; incipient

•   Julio’s term paper is still at the inchoate stage, mostly on index cards.

•   A six-week-old fetus is inchoate in its development.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. rudimentary]

QUICK REVIEW #107

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. iconoclast

2. idyll

3. igneous

4. immaculate

5. impede

6. impenetrability

7. imperious

8. imperturbable

9. impinge

10. implacable

11. implausible

12. implosion

13. inadvertent

14. incessant

15. inchoate

a. masterful

b. revolutionary c. unintentional d. collapse

e. unlikely f. volcanic g. unflawed h. encroach i. impassive

j. hinder

k. inflexible l. denseness

m. rudimentary n. poem

o. constant

I: GRE Words     297

incorrigible (in KAW ri ji bl) adj. not capable of being corrected, improved, or

reformed (due to bad habits or disregard)

•   Lance’s incorrigible behavior is going to land him in hot water.

•   Although her parents have tried again and again to keep Angela from putting on all that makeup, she has remained incorrigible.

[incorrigibly adv.]

incursion (in KOER zhin) n. 1. an unwanted inroad; 2. a sudden brief invasion or attack; raid

•   Egyptian aircraft made a brief incursion into Sudanese airspace as they returned from their mission.

•   Indonesian troops made an incursion into East Timor, seeking to capture a wanted revolutionary.

indefatigable (IN di FAT ig uh bl) adj. never growing tired; unyielding to fatigue

•   The senator’s indefatigable efforts have finally succeeded in passing a bill of rights for rabbits.

•   The supporters of classifying whipped cream as the all-American treat have been indefatigable in their labors.

[-ly adv.]

indelicate (in DEL i kit) adj. coarse; crude; improper; gross

•   The documentary filmmaker’s reference to the president of the United

States was, to say the least, indelicate.

•   It was indelicate of Henry to keep referring to his ex-wife as the old battle-ax.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. coarse, improper]

infatuate (in FAT yoo AYT) vt. 1. to cause to lose sound judgment; to make foolish; 2. to inspire shallow affection

•   The notion of being on the winning side was infatuating to Don and caused him to vote for the change in coaches, with dire results.

•   Cindy might have completely disagreed with Ned’s position on school prayer were she not infatuated with him.

[-d, infatuating, infatuation n.]

infiltrate (IN fil TRAYT) vt. 1. to pass through weak points in an enemy’s line

so as to attack from the flank or rear; 2. to pass into a place stealthily so as to attack from the inside or to seize control; 3. to pass through, as in a filter

•   It was the job of the platoon of rangers to infiltrate the enemy’s line to cause havoc in their rear.

•   The rebels infiltrated the palace guard so as to be in a position to strike when the time was right.

•   New coffee-brewing machines use gravity, causing the water to infiltrate the grounds and fall into the carafe below.

[-d, infiltrating, infiltration n.]

298     Essential Vocabulary

infirm (in FOERM) adj. 1. not strong physically; weak; 2. not strong in one’s

position; vacillating; shaky

•   Certain physically fit senior citizens resent the fact that the elderly and the

infirm are often referred to in the same sentence.

•   Some congresspersons are infirm in their voting records on civil rights.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. weak]

inimitable (in IM it uh bl) adj. incapable of being imitated; too good to be copied

•   Certain products, which we will not name here, have proven to be

inimitable, although many companies have tried.

•   The late Jack Benny was a comedian who influenced many of the comics of today, but as a total package, he remains inimitable.

[inimitably adv.] [Syn. unequaled]

insectivore (in SEKT iv AWR) n. any of a number of plants or animals (such as shrews, moles, aardvarks, Venus flytraps, and so on) that feed primarily on insects

•   It is believed that the human appendix is a vestige left over from an earlier time when humans were insectivores.

•   One of the best controllers of insect populations is an insectivore, which has taken an unfair beating in literature, the vampire bat.

insensible (in SEN si bl) adj. 1. lacking in sensation or feeling; unconscious;

numb; 2. not recognizing or realizing; unaware

•   Perry’s five minutes in the freezing water rendered him insensible to the temperature of the air.

•   Congresswoman Lorraine’s self-centeredness caused her to be insensible to the wishes of her constituents.

[insensibly adv.]

insincerity (IN sin SER it ee) n. the quality of being hypocritical; not to be trusted; not meaning what one says

•   Howard’s insincerity became evident when Diane accidentally scratched the diamond he had given her with her car key.

•   When the spider invited the fly to come in and join him for dinner, very few knowledgeable insects would have doubted its insincerity.

insinuate (in SIN yoo ayt) vt. 1. to gradually and artfully work one’s way into;

2. to suggest or imply; to hint

•   Joanne wanted the part in the play so much that she continuously insinu- ated her way into the tryouts until she managed to wangle the role.

•   Tom’s appearing on the platform at the rally for the senator insinuates his support for her positions.

[-d, insinuating] [Syn. imply, suggest]

I: GRE Words     299

QUICK REVIEW #108

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. incorrigible

2. incursion

3. indefatigable

4. indelicate

5. infatuate

6. infiltrate

7. infirm

8. inimitable

9. insectivore

10. insensible

11. insincerity

12. insinuate

a. gross b. weak

c. hypocrisy d. unequaled e. numb

f. uncorrectable g. make foolish h. raid

i. imply

j. untiring k. aardvark

l. pass through

insufficient (IN suh FISH int) adj. not enough; inadequate

•   You don’t want to write a check if you have insufficient funds in your account.

•   Never base a conclusion on insufficient information.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. inadequate]

insular (IN su loer) adj. 1. like an island; detached; isolated; 2. narrow minded;

illiberal; provincial in outlook

•   The residents of Manhattan live on an island, yet their view of the world is far from insular.

•   One might expect a resident of a small town in Iowa to have an insular

view of the world situation, and one would be wrong to think so.

[-ly adv., -ity n.] [Syn. isolated]

insure (in SHUR) vt. 1. to contract to receive monetary compensation for loss of property, life, and so on; 2. to guarantee

•   Many states require that automobiles be insured in case one damages some- one else’s property.

•   By taking the 8:00 A.M. train, Clara insures that she will be at work on time.

[-d, insuring]

300     Essential Vocabulary

intercede (in teor SEED) vt. 1. to interfere to help work out an agreement; to

mediate; 2. to step in to prevent something from happening

•   Bob’s mom interceded to work out an agreement between him and his brother over which TV show to watch.

•   The police interceded to keep a gang war from erupting.

[-d, interceding] [Syn. mediate]

interpolate (in TOER puh layt) vt. 1. to stick something in amongst others

(especially one or more words into a text); 2. to estimate an intermediate value in a table by taking an average of the surrounding values

•   One must only interpolate a few no’s into a text to totally change its meaning.

•   To find the value of the sine of 60.5°, interpolate from the sines of 60° and 61°.

[-d, interpolating] [Syn. edit]

intractable (in TRAK tuh bl) adj. 1. difficult to manage; unruly; stubborn;

2. difficult to manipulate, treat, or cure

•   David’s cowlick was completely intractable, and no hair tonic or mousse seemed able to help.

•   The new infection was intractable, resisting most known antibiotics.

[intractably adv.] [Syn. unruly]

intransigent (in TRAN si jint) adj. 1. unreconcilable; 2. refusing to compromise;

uncompromising —n. a person who is uncompromising

•   The governor was intransigent in his position against having broccoli as the state vegetable.

•   The swimming coach was intransigent in his insistence on everyone doing

20 laps in the pool before calling it a day.

•   When it came to doing homework before playing after school, Loren’s mother was an intransigent.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. uncompromising]

intricate (IN trik it) adj. puzzling because of complicated structure or directions;

difficult to follow or understand

•   The instructions for assembling the model airplane were extremely intricate.

•   The intricate gingerbread work on the exterior gives a very distinctive char- acter to Victorian-style houses.

•   For the beginner, the Japanese game of Go seems simple when, in fact, it is

a very intricate game.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. complex]

introspective (in troh SPEK tiv) adj. looking within one’s self and analyzing one’s inner thoughts and feelings

•   Before one commits to a lifetime of doing anything, it is important to be

introspective and know one’s own feelings.

•   An introspective examination never hurt anybody.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. meditative]

I: GRE Words     301

invective (in VEK tiv) n. 1. an abusive term; insult; curse; 2. strong criticism;

violent language

•   Using invective when speaking of people never won anybody new friends.

•   It is not considered appropriate to use invective when traveling in polite circles.

irascible (i RAS i bl) adj. 1. quick tempered; easily angered; 2. showing or result- ing from quick temperedness

•   Greg is irascible and flies off the handle quite readily.

•   The broken front door is a by-product of Max’s being irascible.

[irascibly adv.] [Syn. irritable]

isotope (Y suh tohp) n. any one of two or more elements that share the same atomic number, but have different atomic weights

•   Carbon, atomic number 6, has two isotopes, C-12 and C-14, with atomic weights shown by their numbers.

•   U-235, U-238, and U-239 are three isotopes of uranium.

[isotopic adj.]

QUICK REVIEW #109

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. insufficient

2. insular

3. insure

4. intercede

5. interpolate

6. intractable

7. intransigent

8. intricate

9. introspective

10. invective

11. irascible

12. isotope

a. irritable

b. uncompromising c. meditative

d. complex e. estimate

f. elemental form g. curse

h. inadequate i. mediate

j. isolated k. unruly

l. guarantee

J – L

jamb (JAM) n. 1. a side post or any part of a frame for a window or door;

2. a pillar of ore

•   When a door is closed, its front and rear edges are in contact with the

jambs.

•   Some metallic ores are found in jambs.

jocular (JAHK yoo loer) adj. 1. joking; humorous; 2. said as a joke

•   It is good to go through life with a jocular outlook on things.

•   When Jill said you look like a million, she was being jocular.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. witty]

laconic (luh KAH nik) adj. using few words; brief; to the point

•   Calvin Coolidge was a very laconic president, rarely wasting words.

•   Most people prefer not to be laconic for fear of hurting others’ feelings.

[-ally adv.] [Syn. concise]

lambaste (lam BAYST) vt. 1. to beat soundly; thrash; 2. to scold or denounce

•   Killer Kowalski lambasted most of his ring opponents.

•   Ashley’s mother lambasted her verbally for getting home after curfew.

[-d, lambasting] [Syn. thrash]

laudable (LAW duh bl) adj. worthy of praise

•   Mother Teresa’s work with the poor was very laudable.

•   The rescue workers did a laudable job saving the miners after the shaft collapsed.

[laudably adv.] [praiseworthy]

laudatory (LAW duh TAW ree) adj. expressing praise or commendation;

eulogistic

•   The mayor was laudatory in his evaluation of the fire department’s work.

•   The president had nothing but laudatory words for the work of the armed forces.

[lauditorily adv.]

ledger (LED joer) n. 1. the book for final entry of credits and debits; 2. a long horizontal board that helps support ceiling or floor joists

•   A ledger is a bookeeper’s best friend, if kept properly.

•   All expenses of a business as well as all money taken in must be entered in

a ledger.

•   Every front porch’s sides and front are supported by ledger boards.

lethargy (LETH er jee) n. 1. sleepiness or drowsiness; 2. lack of energy to an abnormal degree

•   A feeling of lethargy overtook Antoine as he neared the end of the long drive.

•   Often, lethargy is a sign of the onset of an illness.

[lethargic adj., lethargically adv.]

302

J – L: GRE Words    303

lever (LE vir) n. 1. a bar used to pry; 2. a simple machine, consisting of a bar on

a pivot (called a fulcrum), used to apply force upward on one end while the other end is pushed downward —vt. to pry something up by the use of a lever

•   Archimedes said that if he were given a long enough lever and a fulcrum to rest it on, he could move the world.

•   Probably the lever most adult Americans are familiar with today is in vot- ing machines and is used to open and close the curtain.

[-ed, -ing, -age n.]

liberal (LIB oer il) adj. 1. freely giving; generous; 2. plentiful; abundant;

3. broadminded; 4. favoring reform; not orthodox

•   Children need a liberal amount of love from their parents.

•   Some people like to put a liberal amount of butter or jelly on an English muffin.

•   Scandinavian democracies tend to be more liberal than the United States when providing medical benefits.

•   Martin Luther would have been considered a liberal in his day.

[-ly adv.]

QUICK REVIEW #110

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. jamb

2. jocular

3. laconic

4. lambaste

5. laudable

6. laudatory

7. ledger

8. lethargy

9. lever

10. liberal

a. thrash

b. generous

c. commending d. drowsiness

e. concise f. pry

g. pillar

h. praiseworthy i. book

j. witty

lien (LEEN) n. a claim on someone’s property as security for the payment of a

debt or loan

•   When a car is purchased on a payment plan, a bank usually has a lien on it until it is payed off.

•   If a house has a mortgage, you can be certain the bank is holding a lien.

•   An auto mechanic can get a lien in lieu of unpaid repair bills.

304     Essential Vocabulary

limn (LIM) vt. 1. to paint or draw; 2. to describe (paint a picture) in words

•   The expression “I’m limning a picture” is not one you hear every day.

•   A good radio sportscaster limns the action of the game so that listeners feel as if they are there.

[-ed, -ing]

literati (LIT oer AH tee) n. scholarly or learned persons; men or women of letters

•   The literati are likely to have read the works of William Shakespeare.

•   As a general rule, engineers learn their craft but are not counted among the literati.

lithium (LITH ee uhm) n. a grayish white metallic chemical element; the light- est metallic element

•   One of the latest uses of lithium is in power cells for watches and cameras.

•   Lithium batteries, which power laptop computers, are quite expensive.

liturgy (LIT oer jee) n. a prescribed ritual for worship in any religious group

•   The service in a church, mosque, or synagogue follows a prescribed liturgy.

•   Needless to say, the liturgy in every religion is unique to that religion.

lofty (LAWF tee) adj. 1. very high in rank; 2. elevated, like a mountaintop

•   The rank of general is a lofty one.

•   Wanting to be a doctor or other professional is a lofty aspiration.

•   The loftiest peaks in the world are in the Himalayas.

[loftier, loftiest adj., loftily adv.]

loquacity (loh KWA si tee) n. talkativeness, especially excessive talkativeness

•   Siamese cats are known for their loquacity, even though what they say is not said in words.

•   A group of hens exhibits loquacity by almost constant clucking.

lucidity (loo SID i tee) n. 1. clarity of mind; 2. the ability to be easily under- stood; 3. a period of sanity in a mental disorder

•   Lucidity should be a requirement for driving a car.

•   An author’s lucidity governs the reader’s enjoyment of his or her work.

•   Sometimes those in mental institutions experience periods of lucidity.

lustrous (LUS tris) adj. shining brightly; glorious

•   Polished silver has a lustrous finish.

•   Gold is lustrous even without being polished because, unlike silver, it doesn’t oxidize.

[-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. bright]

J – L: GRE Words    305

QUICK REVIEW #111

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. lien

2. limn

3. literati

4. lithium

5. liturgy

6. lofty

7. loquacity

8. lucidity

9. lustrous

a. gabbiness b. claim

c. paint d. bright e. ritual

f. educated g. clarity

h. metal i. high

M – N

magnitude (MAG ni tood) adj. greatness of size, volume, brightness, area, and so on

•   The brightness of stars is measured by order of magnitude, with white stars being of the highest order.

•   Some would argue that the magnitude of one’s IQ is a measure of how much they know rather than their intelligence.

maladroit (MAL uh DROYT) adj. clumsy; inept; klutzy

•   A maladroit person should not be employed as a waiter or waitress.

•   It is very unusual to find a maladroit cat, but Karen has had two of them.

[-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. awkward]

mammal (MAM uhl) n. any of a class of warm-blooded vertebrates, most have hair and all are able to feed their young with milk secreted by the female’s mamma- ry glands

•   All animals with hair are mammals.

•   If an animal has feathers or scales, it is not a mammal.

•   Whales and dolphins are aquatic mammals.

manipulate (muh NIP yoo layt) vt. 1. to work or operate with the hands; 2. to artfully manage or influence someone in an unfair way; 3. to falsify something for one’s own benefit

•   One’s fingers are used to manipulate the keys of a computer keyboard.

•   Con artists specialize in manipulating people into buying things they don’t need or for more money than they can afford to spend.

•   Manipulating stock prices for one’s personal gain is a federal crime.

[-d, manipulating, manipulation n.] [Syn. handle]

marginal (MAHR jin il) adj. 1. written in the margin of a page; 2. close to the border or limit, especially a lower limit

•   Carol wrote marginal notes in all her textbooks, summarizing the content of the page.

•   Brad earned just enough money for a marginal existence.

•   Vinny was diagnosed as a marginal schizophrenic.

[-ly adv.]

meadow (ME doh) n. 1. a piece of grassland, especially one used as a pasture or for growing grass for hay; 2. a low grassland near a river or lake

•   The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.

•   The horses are out grazing in the meadow.

•   The meadow grasses are being cut and baled for hay for animal feed over the winter.

306

M – N: GRE Words    307

mediator (MEE dee AY toer) n. a person who serves as an intermediary for

bringing about a peaceful solution to a problem between two or more persons, groups, companies, and so on

•   The Taft-Hartley Act calls for strikers to return to work for an 80-day cooling-down period, while mediators try to broker a settlement between workers and management.

•   A mediator is often used to settle disputes between a company and a dissat- isfied customer.

•   When both sides agree in advance to abide by the mediator’s decision, it is known as binding arbitration.

membrane (MEM brayn) n. 1. a soft, thin, pliable sheet of animal or vegetable tissue that protects an organ, and through which dissolved nutrients can pass;

2. any thin sheet meant to separate or filter

•   Every living cell is contained within a membrane.

•   Modern coffeemakers use a membrane called a filter to hold the coffee grounds and keep them out of your cup.

mercenary (MOER sin ER ee) adj. 1. working exclusively for money, rather than for an ideal; 2. seeking payment —n. 1. a soldier working for pay in the army of another country, or in a paid private military force; 2. a person who will do nearly anything for money

•   A mercenary worker welcomes the opportunity to work at a dangerous job for high pay.

•   High steelworkers are not just mercenary but rather have a knack for work- ing in high places.

•   Hessian troops were mercenaries who fought for the British during the

American Revolutionary War.

mercurial (mer KYUR ee il) adj. 1. of or containing the element mercury;

2. having qualities attributed to the god Mercury—for example, cleverness, shrewd- ness, eloquence; 3. quick; quick witted; changeable; fleeting

•   Fever thermometers used to be mercurial, but now, few are.

•   A speedy messenger could be called mercurial in the classical sense of the word.

•   A good businessman should have mercurial qualities.

mettle (MET il) n. quality of temperament and character, especially high quali- ty; steadfast; reliable; brave

•   Dwight Eisenhower exhibited his mettle as a wartime leader in Europe.

•   Boeing’s B-29 Superfortress showed its mettle as a long-range bomber dur- ing the war in the Pacific.

•   Aluminum has shown its mettle as the metal of choice for building airplanes.

milieu (mil YU) n. one’s surroundings or environment, especially a cultural or social setting

•   Fran thrived in the party milieu.

•   Kenneth was much more comfortable in an intellectual milieu than he was in a sporting arena.

•   A symphony orchestra’s milieu is the concert hall.

308     Essential Vocabulary

minatory (MIN uh taw ree) adj. menacing or threatening

•   Making minatory remarks to someone can get one into deep trouble.

•   Tigers are known to make minatory gestures to warn people or other ani- mals to stay back—unless they are hunting.

[minatorily adv.]

mince (MINS) vt. 1. to chop or cut into tiny pieces; 2. to weaken or lessen the force of

•   One usually minces parsley before adding it to recipes.

•   Chefs are able to mince onion with a chef’s knife, but the average home cook is better off using a chopping machine.

•   The dean prefers not to mince words when pointing out the errors of one of the student’s ways.

[-d, mincing]

misanthrope (MIS in throhp) n. a person who hates or distrusts everybody else

•   Veronica was a misanthrope and was absolutely no fun to be around.

•   A misanthrope might hate or distrust everyone, but he can be the life of the party.

QUICK REVIEW #112

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. magnitude

2. maladroit

3. mammal

4. manipulate

5. marginal

6. meadow

7. mediator

8. membrane

9. mercenary

10. mercurial

11. mettle

12. milieu

13. minatory

14. mince

15. misanthrope

a. surroundings b. quick witted c. menacing

d. chop up e. distruster f. sheet

g. character h. grassland

i. money driven j. intermediary k. greatness

l. borderline m. handle

n. awkward o. animal

M – N: GRE Words    309

miscreant (MIS cree int) n. an evildoer; criminal; villain —adj. villainous; evil

•   Comic books are filled with superheroes and super miscreants.

•   Not all miscreants end up in prison, but many people think they should.

[miscreancy n.]

miser (MY zer) n. a greedy person who hoards money even at the expense of his or her own comfort

•   The classical story of a miser is that of King Midas who was granted the ability to turn everything he touched into gold.

•   Misers are likely to live a shabby life because it is the acquisition of money, rather than the good life, that they crave.

[-ly adv.]

molecular (muh LEK yoo loer) adj. consisting of, produced by, or being between molecules

•   At the molecular level, certain forces hold atoms together.

•   Molecular study is possible with the electron microscope.

molecule (MAH lik YOOL) n. 1. the smallest particle of an element or com- pound that exists and still retains the properties of that element or compound;

2. a very small particle

•   A molecule of the element oxygen consists of two oxygen atoms and is represented by the symbol O_2.

•   A molecule of water contains three atoms, two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, and is represented by the symbol H_2O.

•   Flora had a molecule of hope that she’d succeed.

mores (maw RAYZ) n. traditional behaviors that seem so conducive to the welfare of a group that they come to have the force of law and sometimes even become part of the legal code

•   Nomadic tribes live by mores alone, having no formal code of laws.

•   Often one’s mores can serve to tell one what is right and what is not right.

mortgage (MAWR gidzh) n. 1. the pledging of a property as security for a sum of money; 2. the deed that a mortgager holds —vt. 1. to put an advance claim or liability on; 2. to pledge property by a mortgage

•   Most homeowners owe banks, with the person who lives in the home making regular mortgage payments.

•   When a mortgage has been paid off, the bank delivers the deed to the new homeowner.

•   Charles mortgaged his future with college loans.

mute (MYOOT) vt. 1. to soften or muffle the sound of a musical instrument;

2. to subdue the intensity of a color —adj. softened; subdued —n. a person who cannot speak

•   Some trumpet players used to play their trumpets into a hat to mute the sound.

•   A muted trumpet does not have the blare of an open-belled one.

•   Certain artists are known for their use of muted colors.

310     Essential Vocabulary

•   Pastel colors are muted rather than intense.

•   A mute is a person without the ability to vocalize sounds.

[-d, muting] [Syn. subdue]

nadir (NAY duhr) n. 1. lowest point; 2. the point on a celestial sphere directly opposite the zenith

•   The Watergate scandal was the nadir of Richard Nixon’s career.

•   The nadir on earth is in the Marianas Trench.

•   The moon is at its nadir when it is closest to earth.

nascent (NAY sint) adj. 1. beginning to form, start, grow; 2. being born

•   Compared to the civilizations of Europe and Asia, that of the United States

is nascent.

•   A young child’s view of the world is nascent and is shaped by parents as well as environment.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. starting]

noisome (NOI suhm) adj. 1. harmful; dangerous to one’s health; 2. having a foul odor

•   Cigarette smoking is noisome in every sense of the word.

•   Playing with explosives can be a very noisome pursuit.

•   When purchasing fish for dinner, use your nose, and if the fish is noisome,

reject it.

[-ly adv.]

nostalgia (naws TAL juh) n. 1. a longing to return to past, happier times; 2. a longing to return home or to familiar things; 3. old things that remind us of

the past

•   Nostalgia for things past is demonstrated by some of the automobiles that have achieved popularity at the start of the twenty-first century.

•   There is a big market for old dolls and other nostalgia from the childhood of today’s older adults as they seek to recapture their past.

•   Nostalgia was captured by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz with the quote,

“There’s no place like home!”

[Syn. homesickness]

nourish (NOER ish) vt. 1. to feed or sustain a plant or animal with food and water; 2. to foster, develop, or promote a feeling, habit, relationship, and so on

•   Parents are responsible for nourishing their children physically, emotionally, and—some might add—spiritually.

•   A friendship needs to be nourished to keep it healthy and thriving.

•   Celia does not wish to nourish Lou’s belief that they have a future together.

novelistic (NAH vil IS tik) adj. unique; different; the first of its kind

•   Thomas Edison made a fortune from the novelistic idea that sounds could be recorded on a wire.

•   Truly novelistic ideas should be copyrighted or patented to keep them safe from unscrupulous people.

[-ally adv.] [Syn. unique]

M – N: GRE Words    311

QUICK REVIEW #113

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. miscreant

2. miser

3. molecular

4. molecule

5. mores

6. mortgage

7. mute

8. nadir

9. nascent

10. noisome

11. nostalgia

12. nourish

13. novelistic

a. subdue b. starting c. villain

d. harmful

e. homesickness f. sustain

g. very small h. unique

i. particle j. borrow k. bottom

l. traditions m. hoarder

O – P

obsolete (AHB sil EET) adj. out of fashion; no longer used; no longer current;

discarded

•   North American Aviation’s P-51 Mustang is an obsolete fighter plane but was the best fighter of World War II.

•   The horse and buggy is an obsolete form of transportation.

•   The dial telephone has been obsolete for years.

[Syn. passé ]

occult (uh KULT) adj. 1. secret; mysterious; 2. hidden; 3. having powers beyond human understanding

•   Some people believe that practitioners of voodoo have occult powers.

•   Sarah wanted her study of Tae Kwan Do to stay occult.

•   Rasputin is an occult figure in Russian history.

[ly adv.] [Syn. esoteric]

odious (OH dee uhs) adj. deserving or causing hatred, loathing, and so on

•   Stalin, when leading the USSR, was guilty of some very odious deeds.

•   No one has ever been as odious as Adolph Hitler.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. hateful]

odium (OH dee uhm) n. 1. the condition of being hated; 2. hatred, especially toward a person or despised thing; 3. the disgrace caused by hateful action; opprobrium

•   The odium of those hurt by the Nazi regime was quite well earned.

•   Odium toward Saddam Hussein still exists among Iraqis who sought refuge in other countries.

oligarchy (OH li GAHR kee) n. a form of government in which power belongs to few; an aristocracy

•   An oligarchy traditionally consisted of rulers from the aristocratic class of nobles.

•   The government of Communist China is (as of this writing) an oligarchy,

with power in the hands of the Central Committee of the Communist Party.

opaque (oh PAYK) adj.1. incapable of allowing light to pass through, as distinct from transparent or translucent; 2. hard to understand; obscure

•   Room-darkening shades are opaque so that light cannot pass through them.

•   To all but a few people, nuclear physics is an opaque subject.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. obscure]

opprobrium (uh PROH bree uhm) n. 1. the disgrace or infamy brought on by association with a very shameful or reproachful act or event; 2. anything bringing shame or disgrace

•   Opprobrium greeted the regime of Benito Mussolini for its invasion of what

is now Ethiopia in the 1930s.

•   Any person or country that infringes on the civil rights of any person or group is deserving of opprobrium.

312

O – P: GRE Words    313

orb (AWRB) n. 1. a sphere or globe; 2. any of the celestial bodies such as the

sun, moon, planets, stars; 3. the eyeball

•   An orb is round, no matter how you look at it.

•   As an orb, I’m sure you’ll agree, the earth is nice to have around.

•   To appreciate that an eyeball is an orb, you’ll have to see one outside of the skull.

overt (oh VOERT) adj. not hidden; open; apparent; public; manifest; observable

•   It is against the law in most states to carry a concealed weapon, but the laws governing the carrying of an overt weapon differ from state to state.

•   Most parents are very overt in their love for their children.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. open]

parody (PA ruh dee) n. 1. a humorous copy of a literary or musical work, often applied to an inappropriate subject; 2. a weak imitation —vt. 1. to write or perform

a parody; 2. to imitate mockingly

•   Gulliver’s Travels is a parody of the travel books that were so popular in

Jonathan Swift’s day.

•   Parody is imitation and as such is a form of flattery.

•   Certain comedians make a living parodying political figures.

•   Mel Brooks parodies Mary Shelley’s book in the motion picture Young

Frankenstein.

[parodied, -ing, parodies pl.] [Syn. caricature]

parse (PARS) vt. 1. to separate a sentence into its parts, identifying and explain- ing the use of each of those parts and their relationship to each other; 2. to describe the preceding

•   In times past, it was customary to parse sentences in English class, using a diagram.

•   When a sentence is parsed, it is separated into subject, predicate, and all modifying words (associating them with the words they modify).

[-d, parsing] [Syn. analyze]

pastoral (PAS toer il) adj. 1. of shepherds, their work, or their way of life;

2. characteristic of rural life —n. a literary or musical work that deals with rural life, usually in an idealized way

•   The pastoral life is the lifestyle of a shepherd.

•   Traditional pastoral life is quite different from life in today’s rural America.

•   Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 is also known as the Pastoral Symphony and depicts country life.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. rural]

patron (PAY truhn) n. 1. a protector or benefactor; 2. one who uses his or her money to sponsor artists or events

•   Classical musicians could not earn a living if it weren’t for the support of

patrons.

•   Austrian Prince Esterhá zy was Haydn’s patron for much of the musician’s adult life.

[Syn. sponsor]

314     Essential Vocabulary

QUICK REVIEW #114

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. obsolete

2. occult

3. odious

4. odium

5. oligarchy

6. opaque

7. opprobrium

8. orb

9. overt

10. parody

11. parse

12. pastoral

13. patron

a. caricature b. obscure

c. manifest d. sphere

e. rural

f. esoteric g. analyze h. sponsor

i. aristocracy j. hateful

k. infamy l. hatred m. passé

peccadillo (PEK uh DIL oh) n. a minor or slight sin; a small fault or misdeed

•   Mark’s roving eye was a peccadillo that Noreen did not care to put up with, so she dumped him.

•   Treating as a peccadillo a child’s taking a candy bar from a store without paying is as good as encouraging the child to go on to larger crimes.

pedantry (PED in tree) n. 1. petty insistence on exact adherence to minor arbi- trary points of learning; 2. ostentatious demonstrations of knowledge

•   Mrs. Higgins, true to her pedantry, insists that each of her students learn

Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” word for word.

•   Bert, in his pedantry, never missed an opportunity to use a five-syllable word when a two-syllable one would have done the job.

pedestrian (pi DES tree in) adj. 1. walking; done on foot; 2. of or for a walker;

3. lacking interest; ordinary; dull —n. a walker

•   Special Walk/Don’t Walk signs are growing more popular for the benefit of

pedestrian citizens.

•   The UN ambassador’s speech was very pedestrian and lulled half its listeners into a daze.

•   City drivers need to keep an eye out for pedestrians crossing the street.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. ordinary]

O – P: GRE Words    315

peripatetic (PER i puh TET ik) adj. moving about from place to place; itinerant

•   Peripatetic movie critics might move from theater to theater and check out the comfort of the seats as well as what’s on the screen.

•   A nomad lives a peripatetic existence.

[-ally adv.] [Syn. itinerant]

perish (PER ish) vt. 1. to be destroyed or wiped out; 2. to die; disappear

•   Many people perished in the floods of 2004.

•   As it passed over the horizon, the sun perished from view.

•   Do not perish the thought of adding every one of these words to your vocabulary.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. disappear, die]

perjury (POER joer ee) n. lying under oath; failing to tell the truth under formal oath (to a court of law)

•   Perjury is a crime that is committed more frequently than those who commit

it are prosecuted.

•   Witnesses who refused to say anything in court cannot be accused of perjury.

permeable (POER mee i bl) adj. capable of being passed through by fluids

(liquids and gases)

•   Cell membranes are permeable so that dissolved nutrients can pass through them.

•   The most common permeable item in households today is the coffee filter.

[permeably adv.]

perturb (poer TOERB) vt. 1. to annoy, alarm, or upset; 2. to cause confusion or disorder; unsettle (Imperturbable means not capable of being disturbed.)

•   Francesco is perturbed when he thinks someone is hurting an animal.

•   Many people are perturbed by the sight of blood.

•   Shouting fire in a crowded theater might perturb the audience enough to cause a riot and so is illegal.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. disturb]

pervade (poer VAYD) vt. to be prevalent or widespread

•   A feeling of relief pervaded the community after hearing the news that the little girl had been rescued from the shaft.

•   A case of blight pervaded the Irish potato crop at one time and caused wide- spread famine.

[-d, pervading]

philistine (FIL is teen) adj. 1. uncultured and smugly conventional —n 1.

small-town people; locals 2. (P) the name of the ancient people who often fought with the Israelites of biblical times, and among whose number was Goliath

•   The diva’s response to a request that she perform a certain number was a

philistine, “I sang that yesterday.”

•   Students in a college town often refer to the townspeople as philistines.

•   Delilah was the Philistine woman who was responsible for Samson’s haircut.

316     Essential Vocabulary

photosynthesis (foh toh SIN thi sis) n. the chemical process by which a green

plant combines water and carbon dioxide in the presence of sunlight to form sugars

•   Photosynthesis is the process by which a green plant manufactures its own food.

•   Chloroplasts contain the green substance, chlorophyll, which must be present for photosynthesis to occur.

placate (PLAY kayt) vt. to stop from being angry; to appease; pacify

•   Hailee needed to be placated after Sebastian ran off with her toy.

•   Neville Chamberlain’s big mistake was trying to placate Hitler by allowing him to march into Austria.

[-d, placating] [Syn. pacify]

QUICK REVIEW #115

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. peccadillo

2. pedantry

3. pedestrian

4. peripatetic

5. perish

6. perjury

7. permeable

8. perturb

9. pervade

10. philistine

11. photosynthesis

12. placate

a process

b. uncultured c. disappear

d. spread e. disturb f. pacify

g. pettiness h. itinerant i. misdeed

j. false testimony k. ordinary

l. passable

placid (PLAS id) adj. peaceful; undisturbed; tranquil; calm

•   The sea was placid following the passage of the violent storm.

•   A good businessman always keeps a placid demeanor while around customers.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. calm]

plaintive (PLAYN tiv) adj. sorrowful; mournful; expressing sorrow or melan- choly; sad

•   Laurie felt very plaintive after the loss of her pet parakeet.

•   Robbie was plaintive after he struck out, making the final out of the game.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. sad]

O – P: GRE Words    317

plethora (PLE thir uh) n. an overabundance or excess; the state of being too full

•   A plethora of suds filled the tub to overflowing.

•   A plethora of customers tried to get World Series tickets, and most of them had to be turned away.

pluck (PLUHK) n. courage to meet difficulties or danger; fortitude —vt. to pull out or pick (feathers, hairs, and so on)

•   Lieutenant Rigers had the pluck to lead his platoon into battle at the head of the column.

•   Eugine showed his pluck by continuing to hunt for survivors in 20-foot surf.

•   Butchers used to pluck chickens by hand, but today a machine does it better.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. fortitude]

plummet (PLUH mit) vi. to plunge; to fall straight downward

•   When the skydiver jumped from the plane, he plummeted some 2,000 feet before his parachute opened.

•   An airplane’s wings provide lift that keeps it from plummeting to the ground.

•   A high diver plummets from the board until the water breaks his or her fall.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. plunge]

plutocratic (PLOO toh KRAT ik) adj. of the wealthy, especially those whose wealth carries with it great power and influence (Plutocracy is government by the wealthy.)

•   Many plutocratic families had acquired their wealth by the 1920s.

•   Among America’s plutocratic family names are Carnegie, Ford, Kennedy, and Rockefeller.

[-ally adv., plutocracy, plutocrat n.]

polarity (puh LAR i tee) adj. 1. having the tendency to align along the lines of the earth’s magnetic field; 2. having a magnetic attraction; 3. the condition of

being divided into two opposing groups; 4. the tendency to have a strong positive or negative attitude toward some reference point (like the positive and negative electrodes of a battery)

•   The polarity of a magnet can be determined by the way its poles line up when allowed to swing freely.

•   Magnetic polarity can also be determined by approaching one end with a magnet of known polarity.

•   Republicans in the House often show their polarity by voting as a block against bills the Democrats support, and vice versa.

•   In a closed DC circuit, electrons flow from the cathode (the end with nega- tive polarity) toward the anode.

[polarities pl.] [Syn. alignment]

318     Essential Vocabulary

polemic (poh LEM ik) adj. 1. of or concerning dispute; controversial; 2. argu-

mentative; disputatious

•   Polemic persons often enjoy becoming members of a debating team.

•   Some of the great polemics of the western plains concerned property borders.

•   The border polemics usually concerned water rights but occasionally dealt with mineral rights.

[-ally adv.]

poseur (poh ZOER) n. a person who affects attitudes or manners for the benefit of others; an actor; pretender

•   A poseur might deliberately affect the manner of another or might do so naturally.

•   Impersonators and impressionists are deliberate poseurs.

•   Sometimes a poseur affects an attitude of concern just for the benefit of a judge or jury.

pottery (PAH toer ee) n. objects made from clay by a potter; urns, bowls, dishes, and so on made of clay and hardened by heat in a kiln; earthenware

•   Some of our best knowledge of ancient civilizations comes from having unearthed their pottery.

•   Most dishes are made of pottery.

•   Terra-cotta pottery is commonly used for household plants, although plastic

is also frequently used.

[Syn. earthenware]

precipitation (pree SIP i TAY shun) n. 1. rash haste; impetuousness; 2. the bringing about of something suddenly; acceleration; 3. snow, rain, sleet, hail, and so on

•   The precipitation of a conflict is rarely a cause to celebrate.

•   Driving too fast might be the precipitation for a high-speed accident.

•   In the winter, frozen precipitation might fall from the sky.

[precipitate vt.]

preempt (pree EMPT) vt. 1. to seize before anyone else can; 2. to replace a previously scheduled program (on TV or radio)

•   A municipal government can preempt someone’s property for public use.

•   A news bulletin or presidential address sometimes preempts scheduled programming.

[-ed, -ing]

O – P: GRE Words    319

QUICK REVIEW #116

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. placid

2. plaintive

3. plethora

4. pluck

5. plummet

6. plutocratic

7. polarity

8. polemic

9. poseur

10. pottery

11. precipitation

12. preempt

a. actor

b. alignment c. seize first

d. argumentative e. impetuousness f. earthenware

g. overabundance h. plunge

i. sad

j. fortitude k. calm

l. powerful

prejudice (PREJ uh dis) vt. 1. to have or show bias; 2. to cause harm by prejudg-

ing —n. 1. an opinion or judgment formed before knowing the facts; preconceived idea either favorable or unfavorable; 2. an irrational dislike or hatred, suspicion, or intolerance of a certain race, creed, ethnic group, and so on

•   Most children have a prejudice for carrots and cucumbers.

•   It is wrong to prejudice a jury before they fairly try a case.

•   One might be prejudiced for or against something.

•   Racial prejudice has been responsible for many hate crimes in the world and in American history.

[-d, prejudicing] [Syn. partiality]

premeditated (pree MED i TAYT id) adj. thought out, schemed, or planned beforehand

•   First-degree muder is also known as premeditated homicide.

•   The furnishing of a house should be premeditated, or it could turn out to be

a disaster.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. preplanned]

presage (PRES ij for n. or v., pree SAYJ or pri SAYJ for v.) n. 1. a sign or a warning of an event in the future; augury; omen; 2. a foreboding —vt. 1. to give warning of;

portend; 2. to have a foreboding or presentiment; 3. to predict

•   Many believe that a comet is a presage of disaster.

•   Most people have an occasional presage of something to come.

•   Some people consult psychics to presage their futures.

•   Nostradamus is credited by some as having presaged many events, includ- ing the huge success of this book.

[-d, presaging] [Syn. omen]

320     Essential Vocabulary

prescience (PREESH uhns) n. to have an apparent knowledge of events before

they occur; foreknowledge

•   Prescience is not unlike having a presage, except that it is a complete fore- knowledge rather than just a sign.

•   Admiral Yamamoto is credited with prescience of Japan’s defeat if it attacked

America.

•   Alexander the Great was supposed to have had prescience that he would live a glorious but short life.

[prescient adj., presciently adv.] [Syn. foreknowledge]

pressure (PRESH er) n. 1. a pressing, squeezing, compressing, or being pressed;

2. compelling influence; demanding force; 3. (physics) force per unit of surface area

•   Pressure is usually used to squeeze the extra water from a sponge mop.

•   Automobile salesmen are infamous for pressuring customers to buy right away.

•   In physics, one foot-pound is the amount of pressure it takes to raise one pound one foot.

prevaricate (pri VAR i kayt) vi. to equivocate; to evade the truth; lie

•   Prevaricating while under oath is a classy definition of perjury.

•   Sometimes people prevaricate to be polite because nobody asks “How do I

look?” expecting to be told “Terrible!”

[-d, prevaricating, prevarication n.] [Syn. lie]

primacy (PRY mi see) n. 1. the state of being first in order, time, rank, and so on; 2. the office or authority of a church primate

•   A five-star general has primacy of rank in the U.S. Army.

•   The winner of a race is the contestant with primacy reaching the finish line.

•   The number one has primacy among counting numbers.

proliferate (proh LIF er ayt) vt. 1. to reproduce new parts in quick succession;

2. to create or produce in large numbers

•   A pair of rabbits tends to proliferate at a very rapid pace.

•   During a fad, a particular item (such as the Hula Hoop® ) proliferates in short order and then, just as suddenly, stops.

•   The U.S. fighter plane proliferated during the Second World War as a result of the strength of American industry.

[-d, -proliferating]

prolixity (proh LIKS i tee) n. tending to use more words than are necessary;

long-windedness; verbosity

•   Cuba’s Fidel Castro has always been known for his prolixity, with an aver- age speech running about four hours.

•   Brevity is a characteristic of wit; prolixity is not.

[prolix adj., prolixly adv.]

O – P: GRE Words    321

propel (pruh PEL) vt. to push; drive; impel onward

•   Jet engines propel most of today’s commercial aircraft.

•   Propellers propel most boats through the water. (Coincidence? We think not!)

•   Thomas Edison was propelled to fame by his inventions, including the elec- tric lightbulb.

[-led, -ling] [Syn. push]

propitiate (pruh PISH ee ayt) vt. to cause to be favorably inclined; to win over;

to appease; pacify; regain the goodwill of

•   Lincoln planned the Reconstruction to propitiate the people of the former

Confederacy.

•   The clothing store manager gave Gail a partial refund to propitiate her and win her furture business.

[-d, propitiating, propitiatory n.] [Syn. pacify]

protracted (proh TRAK tid) adj. lengthy; drawn out; extended

•   The Civil War, which everyone expected to be brief, lasted for a protracted

period of time.

•   Most new car purchases spread payments over a protracted number of months.

•   When asked why he had not brought home the groceries, Jack gave his wife, Jill, a protracted response.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. extended]

pundit (PUN dit) n. a person who professes to have a great deal of learning on a subject; a supposed or self-supposed authority on something

•   Before buying golf clubs, it makes sense to consult a golf club pundit.

•   Readers of consumer magazines believe themselves to be pundits on refrigerators.

•   Political commentators profess to be pundits on politics.

[Syn. maven]

pungency (PUN jin see) n. a strong, sharp taste and/or smell; acridness

•   Certain peppers, such as the poblano, are noted for their pungency.

•   The pungency of an onion is enough to bring tears to the eyes of the person slicing it—and not for sentimental reasons.

[pungent adj., pungently adv.] [Syn. acridness]

322     Essential Vocabulary

QUICK REVIEW #117

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. prejudice

2. premeditated

3. presage

4. prescience

5. pressure

6. prevaricate

7. primacy

8. proliferate

9. prolixity

10. propel

11. propitiate

12. protracted

13. pundit

14. pungency

a. foreknowledge b. lie

c. verbosity d. extended e. swarm

f. pacify g. push

h. maven

i. partiality j. force

k. preplanned l. first

m. omen

n. acridness

Q – R

quaff (KWAHF) vt. to drink deeply with gusto —n. 1. the act of quaffing; 2. the drink that is quaffed

•   Quaffing beer while eating pizza is a well-established sport in some households.

•   Harry quaffed his brew from a frozen mug.

•   Sally stopped into the tavern for a pint of quaff.

[-ed, -ing]

quiescent (kwee ES int) adj. quiet and still; inactive

•   After hours of standing uncovered, a carbonated drink loses its fizz and becomes quiescent.

•   A quiescent pond is a good place to look for tadpoles.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. latent]

quixotic (kwik SOT ik) adj. foolishly idealistic; visionary; impractical

•   Tilting at windmills is the ultimate in quixotic behavior.

•   Some say that draft-card burning is a quixotic act, while others call it heroic.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. impractical]

raconteur (RAK ahn TUR) n. a person who is very skilled at telling stories

•   Aesop was a raconteur whose fables always ended in a moral.

•   Hans Christian Anderson was a Danish raconteur of great skill.

radiate (RAY dee ayt) vt. 1. to send out rays of heat, light, and so on; 2. to

spread out in rays; 3. to branch out from a center as spokes; 4. to spread happiness and good fortune

•   In a hot-water or steam heating system, heat radiates outward from a (what else?) radiator.

•   As light radiates outward from its source, its intensity diminishes.

•   Spokes radiate outward from the hub of a bicycle wheel.

•   It’s the job of grandparents to radiate love and presents and to shower them on their grandchildren.

[-d, radiating]

rapacious (ruh PAY shis) adj. 1. using force to conquer; looting; 2. taking all one can get; voracious; 3. predacious

•   Genghis Khan’s Golden Horde had a reputation, well deserved or not, for being rapacious.

•   Lumbermen have been rapacious with the tropical rain forests of South

America.

•   The cross-country railroad builders were rapacious toward the herds of

American bison.

[-ly adv.]

323

324     Essential Vocabulary

rationale (RA shuh NAL) n. 1. the fundamental reasons or logical basis for

something; 2. a statement of the reasons for something’s being done or having been done

•   The rationale for building a bridge is to ford a stream or river.

•   Paying off the bonds that raised the money to build a bridge or road is the

rationale for charging tolls to use it.

•   A modern recasting of the saying “the ends justify the means” might be

“Just do it, whatever it is, and come up with your rationale later.”

reagent (ree AY jint) n. a chemical substance used to detect the presence of another or to react so as to change one substance to another

•   The reagent on a piece of litmus paper turns from blue to red when an acid

is present.

•   Luminol is a reagent that glows when it comes in contact with blood.

recalcitrant (ri KAL si trint) adj. 1. refusing to obey authority, custom, and so on; defiant; 2. hard to handle; difficult —n. a person with the preceding qualities

•   Most of today’s criminals started out as yesterday’s recalcitrant children.

•   Recalcitrant Israelites rebelled against Rome in A.D. 67.

•   Many a recalcitrant has been sent to the principal’s office.

[-ly adv., recalcitrance n.] [Syn. defiant]

recede (ri SEED) vt. 1. to move back; draw away from; 2. to distance oneself from; 3. to slope backward; 4. to become less; diminish

•   Flood waters almost always recede.

•   Looking out the rear window of a car, you can watch landmarks recede into the distance.

•   Most men and women do not appreciate being the owners of a receding

hairline.

•   During the Clinton administration, the national debt receded temporarily.

[-d, receding]

QUICK REVIEW #118

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. quaff

2. quiescent

3. quixotic

4. raconteur

5. radiate

6. rapacious

7. rationale

8. reagent

9. recalcitrant

10. recede

a. drink

b. predatory c. withdraw d. spread out e. reasons

f. defiant

g. impractical h. chemical

i. latent

j. storyteller

Q – R: GRE Words    325

receptor (ri SEP toer) n. 1. a receiver; 2. a sense organ; a group of nerve endings

specializing in receiving impulses

•   A radar antenna is both a sender for putting out radio waves and a receptor

for receiving the signals when they bounce off something.

•   The nose contains the receptors for smell, while the taste buds are receptors

on the tongue.

•   Rods and cones are light receptors on the retina of the eye.

[Syn. receiver]

recitation (RES i TAY shin) n. 1. a public speaking of some memorized verse or prose; 2. a gathering at which this occurs

•   Memorization and recitation of the works of Homer were the main pillars of

a classical Greek education.

•   Many tickets were sold for tonight’s Keats’ recitation at the Town Hall.

recluse (rik LOOS) n. one who lives a life of solitude and seclusion by choice

•   Howard Hughes chose to spend the last years of his life as a recluse.

•   A recluse can be considered an antisocial individual.

[reclusive adj., reclusively adv.] [Syn. hermit]

recondite (REK uhn dyt) adj. very profound; beyond the grasp of a normal human mind; obscure; abstruse

•   Rocket science is as recondite as, well, rocket science.

•   Brain surgery is quite recondite but less so than rocket science.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. abstruse]

redemptive (ri DEMP tiv) adj. 1. serving to redeem or get back, as in trading paper money for silver or gold, or trading stamps; 2. serving to save one’s life or soul by the sacrifice of paying a ransom

•   Richard made a redemptive effort with his silver certificates but was told the time for cashing them in for metal had passed.

•   In the biblical narrative of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son Isaac, God provides a ram as a redemptive substitute for Isaac’s life.

[-ly adv., redemption n.]

refractory (ri FRAK toer ee) adj. 1. hard to handle; stubborn (said about an animal or person); 2. heat resistant; hard to work or melt (said about metal ore);

3. resistant to disease

•   A mule is a very refractory animal and must be handled with care.

•   The iron age came about rather late in history because of the refractory

nature of the metal’s ore.

•   Botanists have worked for decades to produce refractory strains of corn and tomatoes.

[refractorily adv., refractoriness n.]

326     Essential Vocabulary

relapse (ri LAPS for v., REE laps for n.) vi. 1. to fall back into bad habits or evil

ways; 2. to have a recurrence of a disease one had recovered from or was in the process of recovering from —n. a falling back into

•   It is easy for seemingly reformed criminals to relapse into their evil ways.

•   Just when Gloria seemed to be getting better, she relapsed into her illness.

•   Ralph was expected to return to work shortly, but that was before his

relapse.

[-d, relapsing]

relentless (ri LENT lis) adj. 1. not easing up or slackening; pitiless; harsh;

2. persistent; unremitting

•   Sir Edwin Hillary was relentless in his attempt to be the first westerner to reach Mt. Everest’s peak.

•   The hurricane’s winds were relentless as they damaged many buildings in the Carolinas.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. pitiless]

reparation (REP oer AY shuhn) n. 1. a making of amends for some wrong or injury; 2. compensation paid by one country to another to make up for having warred against them; 3. repairing of damage

•   The embezzler was ordered by the court to pay reparations to the persons he had swindled.

•   After World War I, Germany was required to pay reparations to her former enemies, which sent her economy into total ruin.

•   Barney brought his torn trousers to the tailor for reparation.

[Syn. compensation]

repress (ri PRES) vt. 1. to hold down or keep back; restrain; 2. to subdue or put down; 3. to control so strictly as to prevent natural development or expression (as a child)

•   It is sometimes difficult to repress a yawn, especially when someone else yawns first.

•   Stalin repressed almost all his country’s people but especially the minorities.

•   By repressing a child, one can prevent his or her developing into a healthy individual.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. subdue]

repulse (ri PULS) vt. 1. to repel or drive back; 2. to repel with coldness and lack of courtesy; 3. to disgust and repel; to be disgusting

•   The colonel left a rear guard to repulse any attempt to surprise his army from behind.

•   The new neighbor repulsed any attempt on the part of the older residents to welcome him and his family.

•   Jennifer was repulsed by the bowl of roasted grasshoppers that Allen placed on the picnic table.

[-d, repulsing] [Syn. repel]

Q – R: GRE Words    327

resilient (ri ZIL yint) adj. 1. bouncing back from adversity; 2. springing back

into shape after having been distorted; 3. recovering strength, spirit, and good humor

•   Gary showed that he was resilient by hitting a home run after striking out three consecutive times.

•   Foam rubber is a very resilient material, and cushions made from it retain their shape after being sat on hundreds of times.

•   Ursala showed that she was resilient by joking with the paramedics only moments after they pulled her from the rubble of the collapsed building.

[-ly adv., resilience n.] [Syn. elastic]

QUICK REVIEW #119

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. receptor

2. recitation

3. recluse

4. recondite

5. redemptive

6. refractory

7. relapse

8. relentless

9. reparation

10. repress

11. repulse

12. resilient

a. repel

b. compensation c. rescuing

d. receiver e. subdue f. pitiless g. elastic

h. fall back i. abstruse j. gathering k. difficult

l. hermit

resolve (ri ZOLV) vt. 1. to break up into constituent parts; to analyze; 2. to

change; 3. to cause; 4. to show the solution —n. firmness of purpose; determination

•   A prism can resolve white light into the colors of a rainbow.

•   The two sides tried for weeks to resolve their dispute.

•   Einstein resolved the relationship between energy and matter.

•   Edward expressed his resolve to find a solution.

[-d, resolving] [Syn. decide]

rhinestone (RYN stohn) n. a piece of colorless glass cut to look like a diamond

•   Rhinestones were first created in Germany’s Rhine Valley.

•   Since their creation, rhinestones have been popular in costume jewelry.

[Syn. fake gem, glass]

328     Essential Vocabulary

rigid (RI jid) adj. 1. not flexible; unbending; stiff; 2. severe; exacting; strict

•   Steel beams are rigid, which is why they are used in construction.

•   Orthodox religions tend to be rigid in their interpretation of the right way to live and worship.

•   The rules for raising children should be consistent but not really rigid.

[-ly adv., -ity n.] [Syn. unbending]

rivet (RI vit) n. 1. a metal bolt with a head on one end (which is heated and put through holes and then flattened on its straight end by hammering), used to fasten metal girders or plates together; 2. something similar used to reinforce seams on

work clothes —vt. 1. to fasten with rivets; 2. to hold or fix (one’s attention, eyes, and so on)

•   Rivets are used to fasten steel beams together and to fasten an airplane’s skin to its frame.

•   Rivets are often used on blue jeans and coveralls.

•   When parts are riveted together, they can’t be loosened the way they can when screws are used.

•   Roxane’s eyes were riveted by the sight of the jumbo jet coming in for a landing.

[-ed, -ing]

rudder (RUHD er) n. 1. a flat board fixed to the back of a boat or ship and used to steer; 2. a movable attachment to the vertical stabilizer of an aircraft; 3. a guide

or control

•   A rudder seems to be a very effective way to steer a boat; it has been on every watercraft except small, rowed boats since ancient times.

•   An airplane’s rudder is almost always the rearmost part of the craft.

•   The White House often tries to act as a rudder for public opinion.

ruminate (ROO min ayt) vt. 1. to chew cud, like a cow or other ruminant; 2. to think over; consider; meditate

•   Cattle, antelope, deer, buffalo, and giraffes all ruminate.

•   Jerri ruminated over the job offer made to her by a competing company.

•   Ian ruminated over which of the three universities’ offers of admission he was going to accept.

[-d, ruminating] [Syn. meditate]

ruthless (ROOTH lis) adj. having no pity; pitiless; cruel

•   Atilla the Hun was ruthless toward his opponents.

•   Neil used to go out with a girl named Ruth, but since she ruthlessly left him, he’s been Ruthless.

•   Organized crime is looking for ruthless persons to work as enforcers.

[-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. cruel]

Q – R: GRE Words    329

QUICK REVIEW #120

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. resolve

2. rhinestone

3. rigid

4. rivet

5. rudder

6. ruminate

7. ruthless

a. cruel b. guide c. decide

d. unbending e. hold

f. glass

g. meditate

S

salutary (SAL yoo TER ee) adj. 1. conducive to or promoting good health;

2. serving a good purpose in some way; beneficial

•   Regular exercise has a salutary effect on one’s health.

•   Over the years, the use of new materials in running shoes has had a

salutary effect on the speed of sprinters.

[salutarily adv.] [Syn. beneficial]

schematic (ski MAT ik) n. a drawing of an architect’s plan (blueprint) or a drawing to show the layout of something, such as electrical wiring

•   Schematic diagrams of a car’s wiring are in every automobile’s service manual.

•   An architect’s version of a schematic is usually drawn in white on a blue background and is known as a blueprint.

scrutiny (SKROO tin ee) n. 1. close examination; close inspection; 2. a long, continuous watch; surveillance

•   Legislative bodies should always be under the scrutiny of the electorate.

•   After extensive scrutiny of the pros and cons, the New Jersey Nets’ new owners decided to move the team to Brooklyn, New York.

•   For decades, U.S. satellites and spy planes kept the Soviet Union under

scrutiny.

sedulous (SEJ oo lis) adj. 1. working steadily and hard; diligent; 2. persistent

•   Mack was sedulous in his studies of Elizabethan poetry.

•   Jeannie was sedulous in making sure that she got the best interest rate available.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. busy]

sermon (SOER min) n. 1. a speech given as instruction on religious subject mat- ter or morality by a clergyman during a religious service; 2. any speech on behav-

ior, especially a long-winded, boring one

•   The subject of many a sermon has been that fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

•   It is not unusual for the giver of a sermon to be referred to as preachy.

sextant (SEKS tint) n. a navigational instrument used at sea to find the position of a ship by sighting the horizon and a known star

•   Navigators have used sextants to guide ships since the second half of the eighteenth century.

•   The sextant is named for its shape, which is a pie-shaped sixth of a circle.

shard (SHAHRD) n. 1. a broken fragment of pottery or glass; 2. (zoology) a hard covering such as a shell, plate, or scale

•   Shards of broken pottery can be packed into the bottom of a flowerpot to provide drainage for plants.

330

S: GRE Words     331

•   While a shard is the zoological term for a hard shell or scale, it is not often

used in this manner.

•   In ancient Greece, shards of pottery were known as ostra, and if enough people wrote a man’s name on ostra, he was ostracized—made to depart from the city-state.

signatory (SIG nuh TAW ree) n. a signer; one who signed an agreement, treaty, contract, and so on

•   John Hancock was the first signatory of the Declaration of Independence.

•   A signatory to a contract accepts responsibility for fulfilling that contract.

[signatories pl.] [Syn. endorser]

smelt (SMELT) vt. 1. to heat or fuse ore; to refine; 2. to separate impurities

from metal by heating it —n. small silver-colored food fish found in northern lakes and seas

•   When tin and copper are smelted together in the proper proportions, bronze is the result.

•   Steel is a product of smelting, where certain impurities are deliberately added to give the finished product desirable qualities.

•   I ate some delicious fried smelts with cocktail sauce last night as an appetizer.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. refine]

sobriety (suh BRY i tee) n. 1. the state of being temperate and not overindulging, especially in alcoholic drinks; soberness; 2. seriousness

•   If a car is being driven erratically, it might be pulled over and the driver given a sobriety test.

•   During the Cuban missile crisis of the early 1960s, the entire world recog- nized the sobriety of the situation.

sordid (SAWR did) adj. dirty; filthy; wretched; base; ignoble; mean

•   Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was sordid.

•   Sordid behavior was customary in the cow towns of the Old West, where debauchery was the norm.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. base]

splice (SPLYS) vt. to join pieces together by weaving or intertwining (as with ropes, wires, and so on)

•   In a pigtail splice, the bare ends of two wires are twisted together, and then hot solder is applied.

•   A Western Union splice is the most elegant as well as the strongest wire

splice.

•   A square knot is a very effective way to splice two ropes together.

[-d, splicing] [Syn. join]

332     Essential Vocabulary

spontaneity (SPAHN ti NEE i tee) n. 1. acting spontaneously; 2. doing things on

the spur of the moment without external incitement; acting with self-motivation

•   By definition, spontaneity is incapable of being planned.

•   Spontaneity must come from within oneself, and some people have it, while others are afraid of it.

squander (SKWAHN doer) vt. to waste; to spend or use wastefully

•   Norma squandered her money on a CD because she could not wait two days for it to go on sale.

•   Jimmy Carter’s administration refused to squander billions of dollars on the

B-1 bomber program.

[-ed, -ing] [Syn. waste]

QUICK REVIEW #121

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. salutary

2. schematic

3. scrutiny

4. sedulous

5. sermon

6. sextant

7. shard

8. signatory

9. smelt

10. sobriety

11. sordid

12. splice

13. spontaneity

14. squander

a. waste b. join

c. speech

d. self-motivated e. instrument

f. surveillance g. plan

h. endorser

i. seriousness j. fragment

k. base l. refine m. busy

n. beneficial

S: GRE Words     333

static (STA tik) adj. 1. at rest; not moving; stationary; 2. the opposite of dynamic

—n. 1. an electrical discharge; 2. the noise produced by an electrical discharge

•   The leadership of most dictatorships tends to be static because the leader rarely changes.

•   Static electricity is so named because it does not travel in currents.

•   Lightning is a giant discharge of static electricity between two clouds or between a cloud and the earth.

•   Static is an annoyance of AM radio broadcasts but is absent from FM radio.

[-ally adv.] [Syn. stationary]

stimuli (STIM yoo ly) n. the plural of stimulus; things that incite or cause reactions; incentives

•   Mosquito bites are stimuli for scratching (though you shouldn’t).

•   Special receptors in the nose are affected by the stimuli of odors and cause impulses to be sent to the brain.

•   Reactions are triggered by stimuli.

[stimulus sing.] [Syn. incentives]

stint (STINT) n. 1. an assigned task or job; 2. an amount of time spent at a certain task

•   Gregory’s stint was that of a parachute packer.

•   Buddy spent an 18-month stint on an army base in Alaska.

stockade (stah KAYD) n. 1. a barricade or fence, made up of vertical stakes driv- en into the ground, for the purpose of protection; 2. a fort enclosed in similar walls

•   Western frontier forts seen in the movies are stockades.

•   A stockade is also a structure that used to detain prisoners.

•   The stockade fences of today are not actually stockades because only occa- sional posts are driven into the ground.

stolid (STAHL id) adj. showing little or no emotional reaction; impassive

•   A stolid expression is essential to being a successful poker player.

•   One who is stolid all the time is very little fun to be around.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. impassive]

subliminal (suhb LIM in il) adj. beneath the level of consciousness, especially suggestions to the unconscious meant to evoke or teach certain behavior

•   Subliminal suggestions repeated over and over again have long been thought to change someone’s overt behavior.

•   One of the most insidious uses of such messages is in subliminal advertis- ing, where one’s unconscious is deliberately bombarded in an effort to make that person buy a certain product.

[-ly adv.]

334     Essential Vocabulary

substantive (SUB stin tiv or sub STAN tiv) adj. 1. considerable in amount or

quantity; 2. having real existence; actual; 3. of or relating to legal rights, as distin- guished from procedural matters

•   A substantive quantity is the same as a substantial quantity.

•   For a matter to be substantive it must be actual rather than theoretical, for example, an error of commission rather than one of omission.

•   A person who has invested money in a company has a substantive interest in the success of that organization.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. actual]

subsume (suhb SOOM) vt. 1. to include within a larger group or class; 2. to demonstrate or show that something is covered by an existing rule or law

•   No law is required to allow you the freedom to speak in a public park because that is subsumed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

•   If the Pennsylvania state legislature tried to pass a capital punishment law instituting drawing and quartering, any opposing legislator could prove

that such a law is subsumed by the Constitution’s prohibition of cruel or unusual punishment.

[-d, subsuming]

summarily (suh MER i lee) adv. 1. promptly and without formality; expeditious;

2. hastily and arbitrarily

•   The libel case was dismissed by the court summarily.

•   Randy summarily jumped to the conclusion that his brother had damaged his car.

[summary adj.] [Syn. expeditiously]

superimpose (SOO poer im POHZ) vt. to place or lay one thing on top of something else; stack; overlay

•   Many striking photographic images have been obtained by superimposing

two or more different images.

•   It is a mistake to superimpose your moral code on somebody else.

[-d, superimposing]

sympathetic (SIM puh THET ik) adj. 1. of, showing, feeling, or expressing sym- pathy; 2. in agreement with one’s feelings, tastes, and so on; congenial; 3. showing favor, agreement, or approval

•   It is never out of style to be sympathetic to another person’s loss.

•   Mary was sympathetic toward Joseph’s love of red cars.

•   Tom’s parents were sympathetic to his desire to continue his education in graduate school.

[-ally adv.] [Syn. tender, congenial]

S: GRE Words     335

QUICK REVIEW #122

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. static

2. stimuli

3. stint

4. stockade

5. stolid

6. subliminal

7. substantive

8. subsume

9. summarily

10. superimpose

11. sympathetic

a. incentives b. overlay

c. include

d. stationary e. tender

f. task

g. unconscious h. expeditiously i. barricade

j. actual

k. impassive

T – U

tacit (TA sit) adj. 1. implied; unspoken; 2. not expressed openly, but understood

•   Tacit reasons are not tangible reasons, and vice versa.

•   A second baseman and a shortstop have a tacit understanding of who is to cover second base in case of a ground ball.

•   It is illegal for a politician to accept money in exchange for a political favor, but it’s hard to prove guilt when the agreement is tacit.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. implied]

tangible (TAN ji buhl) adj. 1. that can be touched; 2. real and able to be valued;

perceptible; 3. capable of being understood

•   Anything that one can touch is tangible.

•   One’s tangible assets are those whose value can be stated.

•   If someone is talking but not really saying anything, there is no tangible

reason to listen.

[tangibly adv.] [Syn. perceptible]

tarnish (TAHR nish) vt. 1. to dull the lustre of a metal surface; 2. to besmirch someone’s character —n. 1. the dullness or oxidation of metal; discoloration; 2. a blemish; a stain

•   Silver tarnishes in air and always looks dull if left unpolished.

•   Tarnishing someone’s character without valid reason constitutes the crime of libel.

•   Polishing metal removes tarnish from it.

[-ed, -ing]

taxonomy (tak SAH nuh mee) n. the science of classifying plants and animals by their likenesses to one another, beginning with the most general relationships and getting more and more specific (The classifications, in order, are kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.)

•   Taxonomy was first developed by Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist of the eighteenth century.

•   Linnaeus’s taxonomy shows humans as genus Homo, and species, sapiens;

hence, all humans are Homo sapiens.

[taxonomic adj., taxonomically adv.]

thesis (THEE sis) n. 1. a proposition to be argued or defended; 2. a formal and lengthy research paper, usually for a graduate degree; 3. an unproven premise assumed to be true

•   The thesis of Wilma’s argument was that brontosaurus burgers were health- ier than tyrannosaurus burgers.

•   Bart selected as the topic for his thesis the proposition that babies drink more milk than grownups because they don’t know any better.

•   It is an underlying thesis of geometry that a line is infinite in length.

[theses pl.]

336

T – U: GRE Words    337

tiff (TIF) n. 1. a slight fit of ill humor; a huff; 2. a petty argument or fight; spat

•   When Vicki found that her new MP-3 player didn’t work, she had a tiff.

•   Fred and Ethel had a tiff over where they should go on their vacation.

[Syn. spat]

torpor (TAWR puhr) n. 1. a condition of dormancy; sluggishness; temporary

(either partial or total) loss of sensation or motion; stupor; 2. dullness or apathy

•   After 24 hours of sleeplessness, torpor is likely to set in.

•   Torpor is characteristic among those who spent hours before their TVs in the old days watching the political conventions from gavel to gavel.

[Syn. stupor]

tranquil (TRAN kwil) adj. 1. peaceful; serene; calm; free from agitation; 2. quiet and motionless

•   The tranquil countryside has been the backdrop to many a violent novel.

•   The ocean may be violent on a stormy day but tranquil on a calm one.

•   Try to maintain a tranquil attitude, and you’ll have far less heartburn.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. calm]

transgress (trans GRES) vt. 1. to overstep one’s bounds; 2. to violate the law

—vi. to sin

•   Running a stop sign is a transgression of traffic law.

•   A sin is a transgression against God.

•   Eating pork is a transgression in some religions but perfectly acceptable in others.

[-ed, -ing, -ion n.] [Syn. sin]

transmutation (TRANS myoo TAY shin) n. 1. a changing of one thing into another; 2. (medieval) a changing of lead into gold (believed possible then) by alchemy; 3. (chemistry) a changing of one element into an isotope of itself or another by nuclear bombardment or by decay, for example, changing U_239  into U_235

or uranium into plutonium

•   The transmutation of uranium into plutonium is a by-product of some nuclear reactors.

•   We now know, through modern chemistry, that the transmutation of lead into gold is impossible.

•   A caterpillar’s transmutation into a butterfly is known as “metamorphosis.”

[Syn. transformation]

tritium (TRI tee uhm) n. an isotope of hydrogen with atomic weight 3 and a

12.5-year half-life, used in thermonuclear bombs

•   Tritium oxide is often referred to as “heavy water.”

•   Molecules of tritium are created by bombarding hydrogen atoms with pro- tons in a particle accelerator.

tyro (TY roh) n. a beginner at learning to do something

•   Those just learning to play the game of golf are referred to as tyros.

•   One can be experienced at something and still do it like a tyro.

[Syn. amateur]

338     Essential Vocabulary

unfeigned (uhn FAYND) adj. not feigned; not made up; genuine; actual; real

•   Martha’s disbelief at being found guilty was unfeigned.

•   Harold’s unfeigned vision problems were questioned by the Selective Service

Board.

•   Mary’s excuse that the dog ate her homework was unfeigned, despite her having deliberately spilled beef gravy on it.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. real]

usury (YOO zhuh ree) n. 1. the lending of money at an excessive or illegally high rate of interest; 2. a high rate of interest

•   Usury is prohibited by law.

•   The interest rates that some credit card companies charge is akin to usury.

[usurious adj., usuriously adv.]

QUICK REVIEW #123

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. tacit

2. tangible

3. tarnish

4. taxonomy

5. thesis

6. tiff

7. torpor

8. tranquil

9. transgress

10. transmutation

11. tritium

12. tyro

13. unfeigned

14. usury

a. peaceful b. implied c. amateur d. interest e. real

f. proposal g. besmirch h. spat

i. hydrogen j. sin

k. transformation l. stupor

m. perceptible n. classification

V – Z

vacillate (VAS i LAYT) vt. 1. to waver; to sway back and forth; to fluctuate or oscillate; 2. to waver in attitude; show indecision

•   It is not unusual for one’s position on an issue to vacillate as more and better information becomes available.

•   Homer and Marge often vacillate on where to go for their summer vacation.

[-d, vacillating, vacillation n.] [Syn. fluctuate]

vagrant (VAY grint) n. a person who wanders around without a regular job, supporting him or herself by begging —adj. living the life of a vagabond; roaming; nomadic

•   Vagrants may often be found sleeping on park benches in some of our larger cities.

•   In some communities, being a vagrant is considered to be a misdemeanor.

•   “Beachcomber” is a classy description for one living a vagrant existence.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. tramp]

vehement (VEE him int) adj. 1. violent; impetuous; moving with considerable force; 2. characterized by strong feeling or passion; impassioned; fervent

•   The vehement winds brought about by Hurricane Charley laid waste to parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

•   Bess was vehement in denying any knowledge of the incident in question.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. fervent]

venal (VEE nil) adj. 1. readily bribable or corruptible; 2. characterized by bribery or corruption

•   The judge did not appear to be at all venal, and this was backed up when

Don’s under-the-table offer landed Don in jail.

•   The mayor and the council struck a venal bargain on the award of the contract.

[-ly adv.]

veneer (ven EAR) vt. 1. to cover with a thin layer of more costly material; 2. to cause to have a superficially attractive appearance —n. 1. a thin layer of wood or other material glued as the outer layer over a base material to give an attractive appearance; 2. a superficial appearance of something positive

•   It is customary to veneer a piece of wooden furniture with a thin layer of finer wood.

•   Kitchen counters frequently are veneered with plastic for appearance and washability.

•   Mahogany and oak veneers are both popular in furniture manufacturing.

•   Francine has a veneer of culture, despite her lack of formal education.

339

340     Essential Vocabulary

verbosity (ver BAHS i tee) n. wordiness; long-windedness; having an excess of

words

•   The professor’s verbosity made it difficult for some of his students to decide what was important and what was not.

•   Verbosity has been a trait of many politicians, but they wait until after they’re elected to exhibit it.

[Syn. wordiness]

veritable (VER i ti bul) adj. in effect or practically, although not actually

•   Karen had a veritable treasure trove of World’s Fair memorabilia in her attic and basement.

•   Victor prepared a veritable smorgasbord of meats and cheeses for his guests.

[veritably adv.] [Syn. virtual]

vindictive (vin DIK tiv) adj. 1. seeking revenge; in the spirit of revenge; 2. acting to seek vengeance

•   The judge tried not to be vindictive in deciding the felon’s sentence.

•   Because Sean had suffered defeat at the hands of his opponent once before, he vowed to be vindictive in the rematch.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. vengeful]

virtual (VOER tyoo uhl) adj. 1. being as if, but not actual (for example, virtual reality or a computer’s virtual memory); 2. taking place in cyberspace

•   Being able to get bleacher seats at Shea Stadium for a weekday afternoon game is a virtual cinch.

•   When running a memory-hungry computer program, virtual memory makes temporary use of disk space when enough real memory is unavailable.

•   E-Bay provides a department-store experience in virtual shopping.

[-ly adv., -ity n.]

viscid (VIS id) adj. 1. having a cohesive, sticky, liquid consistency; viscous;

2. covered by a viscid substance

•   Chocolate syrup is a viscid substance.

•   When Jack picked up the jar and felt the viscid texture on his hand, it took

a moment for him to figure out that the honey had leaked.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. viscous]

vituperative (vi TOO per uh tiv) adj. berating; speaking abusively to or about

•   Walter was vituperative in his description of his working conditions and his boss.

•   When Harold spoke to Maude, he was very angry and did so in a vituperative

manner.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. scolding]

wistful (WIST ful) adj. expressing or showing vague yearnings; longing thoughtfully

•   Lloyd was wistful for the days when he didn’t have to work for a living.

•   Liza had wistful feelings for her childhood home in Iowa.

[-ly adv.] [Syn. yearning]

V – Z: GRE Words     341

xenophobe (ZEN uh FOHB) n. one who is fearful of strangers and/or foreigners

•   Norm was a xenophobe and kept a high fence around his house to protect him from strangers.

•   Xenophobes do not normally excel at parties.

[xenophobia n., xenophobic adj., xenophobically adv.]

zenith (ZEE nith) n. 1. the point in the sky that is directly overhead; 2. the highest point; peak

•   Getting elected president must be the zenith of any politician’s career.

•   When it comes to mountains, the zenith of Everest is the tallest in the world.

[Syn. summit]

QUICK REVIEW #124

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.

1. vacillate

2. vagrant

3. vehement

4. venal

5. veneer

6. verbosity

7. veritable

8. vindictive

9. virtual

10. viscid

11. vituperative

12. wistful

13. xenophobe

14. zenith

a. scolding

b. fearful of strangers c. practical

d. yearning e. viscous

f.   tramp

g. corruptible h. cyberspace i. wordiness

j. fervent

k. vengeful l. layer

m. summit n. fluctuate

Part III

ANSWERS  TO  QUICK  REVIEWS

Quick Review Answers

SAT WORDS

Quick Review #1

1. e

2. k

3. j

4. a

5. l

6. g

7. c

8. b

9. d

10. f

11. i

12. h

Quick Review #2

1. h

2. f

3. a

4. k

5. i

6. b

7. j

8. l

9. d

10. e

11. c

12. g

Quick Review #3

1. f

2. h

3. j

4. a

5. l

6. i

7. k

8. e

9. c

10. g

11. d

12. b

Quick Review #4

1. e

2. i

3. a

4. l

5. j

6. b

7. h

8. k

9. d

10. c

11. g

12. f

345

346     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #5

1. f

2. j

3. l

4. a

5. i

6. k

7. b

8. d

9. c

10. g

11. e

12. h

Quick Review #6

1. h

2. j

3. e

4. l

5. k

6. a

7. i

8. f

9. c

10. d

11. g

12. b

Quick Review #7

1. g

2. j

3. l

4. a

5. i

6. h

7. k

8. e

9. d

10. c

11. f

12. b

Note: The answers to 3 and 9 can be used interchangeably.

Quick Review #8

1. f

2. h

3. j

4. a

5. g

6. l

7. b

8. d

9. k

10. e

11. c

12. i

Quick Review #9

1. h

2. j

3. l

4. i

5. k

6. e

7. b

8. d

9. c

10. g

11. a

12. f

Quick Review Answers    347

Quick Review #10

1. i

2. l

3. f

4. a

5. j

6. c

7. k

8. d

9. g

10. b

11. e

12. h

Quick Review #11

1. g

2. i

3. f

4. j

5. a

6. h

7. d

8. c

9. e

10. b

Quick Review #12

1. n

2. m

3. j

4. l

5. g

6. k

7. b

8. h

9. a

10. c

11. e

12. f

13. d

14. i

Quick Review #13

1. g

2. i

3. l

4. j

5. a

6. k

7. b

8. d

9. e

10. f

11. h

12. c

13. m

14. o

15. n

16. p

Quick Review #14

1. b

2. h

3. d

4. c

5. a

6. f

7. e

8. g

348     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #15

1. i

2. g

3. k

4. h

5. c

6. j

7. l

8. e

9. d

10. b

11. a

12. f

Quick Review #16

1. k

2. i

3. g

4. j

5. h

6. l

7. b

8. d

9. a

10. f

11. e

12. c

Quick Review #17

1. i

2. k

3. h

4. a

5. j

6. b

7. l

8. e

9. c

10. g

11. f

12. d

Quick Review #18

1. i

2. l

3. a

4. j

5. g

6. k

7. d

8. b

9. e

10. h

11. f

12. c

Note: Answers to 1 and 9 may be interchanged.

Quick Review #19

1. d

2. j

3. l

4. i

5. c

6. k

7. h

8. f

9. b

10. e

11. a

12. g

Quick Review Answers    349

Quick Review #20

1. h

2. k

3. i

4. j

5. b

6. l

7. a

8. e

9. g

10. f

11. d

12. c

Quick Review #21

1. e

2. j

3. h

4. l

5. i

6. k

7. b

8. d

9. a

10. g

11. c

12. f

Quick Review #22

1. i

2. k

3. g

4. j

5. c

6. h

7. l

8. e

9. b

10. d

11. a

12. f

Quick Review #23

1. f

2. h

3. l

4. a

5. j

6. k

7. i

8. c

9. e

10. d

11. g

12. b

13. m

Quick Review #24

1. g

2. k

3. i

4. h

5. j

6. c

7. e

8. a

9. d

10. b

11. f

350     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #25

1. j

2. g

3. l

4. h

5. k

6. c

7. i

8. a

9. e

10. d

11. f

12. b

Quick Review #26

1. c

2. e

3. g

4. i

5. k

6. l

7. h

8. j

9. d

10. a

11. f

12. b

Quick Review #27

1. j

2. g

3. l

4. i

5. h

6. c

7. k

8. d

9. a

10. f

11. b

12. e

Quick Review #28

1. g

2. k

3. i

4. h

5. l

6. j

7. c

8. e

9. a

10. f

11. b

12. d

Quick Review #29

1. k

2. i

3. l

4. j

5. g

6. a

7. h

8. c

9. e

10. b

11. f

12. d

Quick Review Answers    351

Quick Review #30

1. g

2. j

3. e

4. h

5. i

6. f

7. b

8. a

9. d

10. c

Quick Review #31

1. n

2. m

3. g

4. l

5. i

6. k

7. h

8. j

9. b

10. e

11. c

12. f

13. a

14. d

Quick Review #32

1. d

2. h

3. l

4. f

5. b

6. g

7. i

8. k

9. c

10. a

11. e

12. j

Quick Review #33

1. c

2. f

3. i

4. l

5. d

6. g

7. j

8. a

9. k

10. e

11. h

12. b

Quick Review #34

1. l

2. j

3. g

4. c

5. k

6. i

7. f

8. b

9. d

10. a

11. h

12. e

352     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #35

1. e

2. h

3. k

4. a

5. i

6. l

7. b

8. j

9. d

10. g

11. c

12. f

Quick Review #36

1. h

2. j

3. e

4. l

5. k

6. a

7. i

8. f

9. c

10. d

11. g

12. b

Quick Review #37

1. g

2. j

3. l

4. a

5. i

6. h

7. k

8. e

9. d

10. c

11. f

12. b

Quick Review #38

1. c

2. e

3. f

4. a

5. d

6. g

7. b

Quick Review #39

1. f

2. m

3. n

4. o

5. p

6. k

7. d

8. q

9. l

10. a

11. e

12. g

13. b

14. i

15. j

16. c

17. h

Note: Answer choice f works equally well for 1 and 5.

Quick Review Answers    353

Quick Review #40

1. i

2. l

3. f

4. a

5. j

6. c

7. k

8. d

9. g

10. b

11. e

12. h

13. o

14. n

15. p

16. m

Quick Review #41

1. b

2. h

3. e

4. d

5. g

6. c

7. f

8. a

Quick Review #42

1. j

2. l

3. g

4. k

5. b

6. h

7. a

8. c

9. e

10. f

11. d

12. i

Quick Review #43

1. g

2. i

3. l

4. j

5. a

6. k

7. b

8. d

9. e

10. f

11. h

12. c

Quick Review #44

1. f

2. j

3. l

4. i

5. b

6. k

7. d

8. c

9. a

10. g

11. e

12. h

354     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #45

1. i

2. g

3. k

4. h

5. c

6. j

7. l

8. e

9. d

10. b

11. a

12. f

Quick Review #46

1. k

2. i

3. g

4. j

5. h

6. l

7. b

8. d

9. a

10. f

11. e

12. c

Quick Review #47

1. i

2. k

3. h

4. a

5. j

6. b

7. l

8. e

9. c

10. g

11. f

12. d

Quick Review #48

1. i

2. l

3. a

4. j

5. g

6. k

7. d

8. b

9. e

10. h

11. f

12. c

Quick Review #49

1. d

2. j

3. l

4. i

5. c

6. k

7. h

8. f

9. b

10. e

11. a

12. g

Quick Review Answers    355

Quick Review #50

1. h

2. k

3. i

4. j

5. b

6. l

7. a

8. e

9. g

10. f

11. d

12. c

13. n

14. m

Quick Review #51

1. e

2. h

3. f

4. g

5. b

6. c

7. a

8. d

Quick Review #52

1. m

2. n

3. i

4. k

5. g

6. j

7. c

8. h

9. l

10. e

11. b

12. d

13. a

14. f

Quick Review #53

1. d

2. e

3. i

4. a

5. g

6. h

7. f

8. b

9. c

Quick Review #54

1. o

2. m

3. n

4. j

5. g

6. l

7. i

8. h

9. k

10. c

11. e

12. a

13. d

14. b

15. f

356     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #55

1. j

2. g

3. l

4. h

5. k

6. c

7. i

8. a

9. e

10. d

11. f

12. b

Quick Review #56

1. c

2. e

3. g

4. i

5. k

6. l

7. h

8. j

9. d

10. a

11. f

12. b

Quick Review #57

1. j

2. g

3. l

4. i

5. h

6. c

7. k

8. d

9. a

10. f

11. b

12. e

Quick Review #58

1. g

2. k

3. i

4. h

5. l

6. j

7. c

8. e

9. a

10. f

11. b

12. d

13. n

14. m

Quick Review #59

1. l

2. j

3. g

4. a

5. h

6. c

7. e

8. b

9. f

10. d

11. i

12. k

Quick Review Answers    357

Quick Review #60

1. g

2. j

3. k

4. h

5. c

6. a

7. e

8. d

9. f

10. b

11. i

12. l

13. m

14. o

15. n

Quick Review #61

1. j

2. b

3. e

4. c

5. f

6. a

7. d

8. i

9. h

10. g

Quick Review #62

1. f

2. b

3. g

4. i

5. h

6. c

7. a

8. e

9. d

Quick Review #63

1. c

2. f

3. i

4. l

5. d

6. g

7. j

8. a

9. k

10. e

11. h

12. b

Quick Review #64

1. l

2. j

3. g

4. c

5. k

6. i

7. f

8. b

9. d

10. a

11. h

12. e

358     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #65

1. e

2. h

3. k

4. a

5. i

6. l

7. b

8. j

9. d

10. g

11. c

12. f

Quick Review #66

1. e

2. k

3. j

4. a

5. l

6. g

7. c

8. b

9. d

10. f

11. i

12. h

Quick Review #67

1. h

2. f

3. a

4. k

5. i

6. b

7. j

8. l

9. d

10. e

11. c

12. g

Quick Review #68

1. f

2. h

3. j

4. a

5. l

6. i

7. k

8. e

9. c

10. g

11. d

12. b

Quick Review #69

1. e

2. i

3. a

4. l

5. j

6. b

7. h

8. k

9. d

10. c

11. g

12. f

13. o

14. m

15. n

Quick Review Answers    359

Quick Review #70

1. a

2. h

3. i

4. b

5. d

6. c

7. f

8. e

9. g

Quick Review #71

1. e

2. k

3. j

4. a

5. l

6. g

7. c

8. b

9. d

10. f

11. i

12. h

Quick Review #72

1. h

2. f

3. a

4. k

5. i

6. b

7. j

8. l

9. d

10. e

11. c

12. g

Quick Review #73

1. f

2. h

3. g

4. a

5. b

6. i

7. d

8. e

9. c

Quick Review #74

1. c

2. f

3. d

4. e

5. h

6. a

7. g

8. b

360     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #75

1. e

2. n

3. m

4. h

5. o

6. p

7. g

8. f

9. j

10. l

11. a

12. i

13. k

14. b

15. d

16. c

Quick Review #76

1. m

2. e

3. i

4. h

5. j

6. n

7. l

8. k

9. a

10. o

11. f

12. c

13. d

14. g

15. b

Quick Review #77

1. g

2. j

3. l

4. a

5. i

6. h

7. k

8. e

9. d

10. c

11. f

12. b

Quick Review #78

1. f

2. h

3. j

4. a

5. g

6. l

7. b

8. k

9. d

10. e

11. c

12. i

Quick Review #79

1. h

2. j

3. l

4. i

5. e

6. k

7. b

8. d

9. c

10. g

11. a

12. f

Quick Review Answers    361

Quick Review #80

1. i

2. l

3. f

4. a

5. j

6. c

7. k

8. d

9. g

10. b

11. e

12. h

Quick Review #81

1. i

2. k

3. h

4. l

5. b

6. j

7. e

8. d

9. g

10. c

11. f

12. a

Quick Review #82

1. j

2. l

3. g

4. k

5. b

6. h

7. a

8. c

9. e

10. f

11. d

12. i

Quick Review #83

1. g

2. i

3. l

4. j

5. a

6. k

7. b

8. d

9. e

10. f

11. h

12. c

Quick Review #84

1. f

2. j

3. l

4. i

5. b

6. k

7. d

8. c

9. a

10. g

11. e

12. h

362     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #85

1. i

2. g

3. k

4. h

5. c

6. j

7. l

8. e

9. d

10. b

11. a

12. f

Quick Review #86

1. k

2. i

3. g

4. j

5. h

6. l

7. b

8. d

9. a

10. f

11. e

12. c

GRE WORDS

Quick Review #87

1. i

2. k

3. h

4. a

5. j

6. b

7. l

8. e

9. c

10. g

11. f

12. d

Note: The answers to 7 and 8 are interchangeable.

Quick Review #88

1. i

2. l

3. a

4. j

5. g

6. k

7. d

8. b

9. e

10. h

11. f

12. c

Quick Review Answers    363

Quick Review #89

1. d

2. j

3. l

4. i

5. c

6. k

7. h

8. f

9. b

10. e

11. a

12. g

Quick Review #90

1. e

2. h

3. f

4. g

5. b

6. i

7. a

8. c

9. d

Quick Review #91

1. m

2. o

3. p

4. e

5. j

6. h

7. l

8. i

9. k

10. b

11. d

12. a

13. g

14. c

15. f

16. n

Quick Review #92

1. j

2. g

3. i

4. c

5. h

6. k

7. e

8. b

9. d

10. a

11. f

Quick Review #93

1. f

2. h

3. l

4. a

5. j

6. k

7. i

8. c

9. e

10. d

11. g

12. b

364     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #94

1. j

2. g

3. l

4. i

5. h

6. k

7. c

8. e

9. a

10. d

11. b

12. f

Quick Review #95

1. j

2. g

3. l

4. h

5. k

6. c

7. i

8. a

9. e

10. d

11. f

12. b

Quick Review #96

1. g

2. e

3. f

4. b

5. c

6. a

7. d

Quick Review #97

1. m

2. o

3. e

4. n

5. b

6. j

7. g

8. l

9. i

10. h

11. c

12. k

13. d

14. a

15. f

Quick Review #98

1. b

2. d

3. g

4. k

5. i

6. h

7. l

8. j

9. c

10. e

11. a

12. f

Quick Review Answers    365

Quick Review #99

1. b

2. d

3. j

4. h

5. k

6. i

7. f

8. a

9. g

10. c

11. e

Quick Review #100

1. o

2. n

3. m

4. i

5. l

6. g

7. j

8. k

9. h

10. c

11. a

12. e

13. d

14. f

15. b

Quick Review #101

1. g

2. l

3. i

4. k

5. h

6. j

7. b

8. e

9. c

10. f

11. a

12. d

Quick Review #102

1. d

2. h

3. l

4. f

5. b

6. g

7. i

8. k

9. c

10. a

11. e

12. j

Quick Review #103

1. c

2. f

3. i

4. l

5. d

6. g

7. j

8. a

9. k

10. e

11. h

12. b

366     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #104

1. j

2. h

3. f

4. c

5. i

6. g

7. e

8. b

9. d

10. a

Quick Review #105

1. n

2. h

3. e

4. m

5. k

6. a

7. i

8. l

9. b

10. j

11. d

12. g

13. c

14. f

Quick Review #106

1. e

2. g

3. c

4. i

5. h

6. a

7. f

8. d

9. b

Quick Review #107

1. b

2. n

3. f

4. g

5. j

6. l

7. a

8. i

9. h

10. k

11. e

12. d

13. c

14. o

15. m

Quick Review #108

1. f

2. h

3. j

4. a

5. g

6. l

7. b

8. d

9. k

10. e

11. c

12. i

Quick Review Answers    367

Quick Review #109

1. h

2. j

3. l

4. i

5. e

6. k

7. b

8. d

9. c

10. g

11. a

12. f

Quick Review #110

1. g

2. j

3. e

4. a

5. h

6. c

7. i

8. d

9. f

10. b

Quick Review #111

1. b

2. c

3. f

4. h

5. e

6. i

7. a

8. g

9. d

Quick Review #112

1. k

2. n

3. o

4. m

5. l

6. h

7. j

8. f

9. i

10. b

11. g

12. a

13. c

14. d

15. e

Quick Review #113

1. c

2. m

3. g

4. i

5. l

6. j

7. a

8. k

9. b

10. d

11. e

12. f

13. h

368     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #114

1. m

2. f

3. j

4. l

5. i

6. b

7. k

8. d

9. c

10. a

11. g

12. e

13. h

Quick Review #115

1. i

2. g

3. k

4. h

5. c

6. j

7. l

8. e

9. d

10. b

11. a

12. f

Quick Review #116

1. k

2. i

3. g

4. j

5. h

6. l

7. b

8. d

9. a

10. f

11. e

12. c

Quick Review #117

1. i

2. k

3. m

4. a

5. j

6. b

7. l

8. e

9. c

10. g

11. f

12. d

13. h

14. n

Quick Review #118

1. a

2. i

3. g

4. j

5. d

6. b

7. e

8. h

9. f

10. c

Quick Review Answers    369

Quick Review #119

1. d

2. j

3. l

4. i

5. c

6. k

7. h

8. f

9. b

10. e

11. a

12. g

Quick Review #120

1. c

2. f

3. d

4. e

5. b

6. g

7. a

Quick Review #121

1. n

2. g

3. f

4. m

5. c

6. e

7. j

8. h

9. l

10. i

11. k

12. b

13. d

14. a

Quick Review #122

1. d

2. a

3. f

4. i

5. k

6. g

7. j

8. c

9. h

10. b

11. e

Quick Review #123

1. b

2. m

3. g

4. n

5. f

6. h

7. l

8. a

9. j

10. k

11. i

12. c

13. e

14. d

370     Essential Vocabulary

Quick Review #124

1. n

2. f

3. j

4. g

5. l

6. i

7. c

8. k

9. h

10. e

11. a

12. d

13. b

14. m

Part IV APPENDICES

Appendix A

Prefixes and Suffixes

Certain beginnings and endings can be affixed to some words or stems of words

that change their meanings. These beginnings and endings fall into two categories: Prefixes are tacked onto the beginning of a word, while suffixes are stuck onto the end. Together, these affixed word pieces are called -fixes. A -fix can change the meaning of a word altogether, like un- undoes something, or it can add a little nuance of meaning, as -ac turns a mania (a fad) into a maniac. Watch out!

It is not within the scope of this book to comprehensively examine suffixes and prefixes, but in the following table some of the most common ones are listed,

along with a brief sketch of what they do to the words to which they’re affixed;

many also include examples. I leave it to you to determine whether the -fix is a

prefix or suffix from where the hyphen (-) is placed: fix-(word) or (word)-fix. I’m sure you’ll recognize many, if not all, of them.

Prefix/Suffix                   Meaning/Usage

a-                                      same as ab- before m, p, or v

ab-                                    away; from; off; down (abhor, abjure)

abs-                                   same as ab- before c or t

ac-                                     same as ad- before p or q

-ac                                     of, relating to (maniac)

ad-                                    motion toward, nearness to

-ad                                    forms adverbs, meaning toward, like cephelad

af-                                     same as ad- before f

al-                                     means the before words of Arabic origin (algebra)

-al                                     forms adjectives meaning like (personal) or nouns meaning

the act of (rehearsal)

-an                                    belonging to or related to (Mexican)

(continued)

373

374     Essential Vocabulary

Prefix/Suffix                   Meaning/Usage

-ance                                 the act or process of doing (continuance), something done

(utterance)

ap-                                    same as ad- before a vowel

-ar, -ary                            forms adjectives meaning relating to (singular, polar, urinary)

as-                                     same as ad- before s

be-                                    forms verbs meaning around, thoroughly, excessively, treated

as (beset, bemoan, befriend)

bi-                                     two, twice (biplane, bilateral)

bio-                                   life (biography, biology)

by-                                    close by; on the side (bystander, bypass)

co-                                    same as com- before h or a vowel

col-                                   same as com- before l

com-                                 next to, with, together (compassion)

con-                                  same as com- before c, d, g, j, n, q, s, t, v, and sometimes f

cor-                                   same as com- before r

-cy                                    quality, state, or condition (lunacy)

de-                                    away from; off (derail); down (decline); reverse action; undo

(decode)

di-                                     twice, doubled (diatomic, dihybrid)

di-                                     same as dis- before b, d, g, l, m, n, r, or v

dia-                                   through; between (diagonal, diameter)

dif-                                    same as dis- before f

dis-                                   1. away; apart (disperse, dismiss); 2. not or un- (dishonest);

3. lack of; opposite (disunion, disease)

-dom                                 1. rank; dominion of (kingdom); 2. state of being (officialdom,

martyrdom)

-drome                              1. arena (velodrome); 2. large field or arena (airdrome)

dyn-, dyna-                      power (dynamo, dynameter)

dys-                                  bad, impaired, abnormal (dysfunctional)

Prefixes and Suffixes   375

Prefix/Suffix                   Meaning/Usage

-eer                                   a person who makes or does things (engineer, pamphleteer)

ef-                                     same as ex- before f

em-                                   same as en- before b, m, or p (emboss, empower)

en-                                    1. to cover or wrap (enrobe); 2. to cause to be or to make into

(endanger); in or into (encase)

end-                                  same as endo- before a vowel

endo-                                within (endosperm, endocrine)

epi-                                   on the outside (epidermis)

equi-                                 equally (equiangular)

-er                                     1. a person having to do with or from somewhere (hatter,

writer, New Yorker); 2. forming the comparative (bigger)

-ery                                   1. a place for, or a place to be (eatery, winery); 2. the act of

(robbery)

-est                                   forming the superlative (greatest, smallest)

ex-                                     former (exwife)

exo-                                   outside (exoskeleton)

-fy                                    make; cause to become (liquefy, putrefy)

-gamy                               marriage (polygamy)

geo-                                   of the earth (geology)

-gon                                  having a certain number of angles (octagon)

-gram                                to write (diagram)

-graph                               something that writes, or is written (telegraph)

helio-                                relating to the sun (heliotropism)

hex-                                   same as hexa- before a vowel

hexa-                                 six (hexagon)

holo-                                 entire, whole (holograph)

hom-                                 same as homo- before a vowel

homo-                               same, equal, alike (homonym)

(continued)

376     Essential Vocabulary

Prefix/Suffix                   Meaning/Usage

hydro-                              1. water (hydrometer); 2. containing hydrogen (hydrochloric)

-iatry                                treatment (psychiatry)

-ic                                     having to do with (volcanic)

-ide                                   the end of the second name in a compound whose molecule

contains exactly two atoms (sodium chloride)

idio-                                  one’s own, personal (idiosyncrasy)

il-                                      same as in- used before l

im-                                    same as in- used before b, m, or p

in-                                     in, into, within, (inside); toward (inward); also used to inten-

sify some words of Latin origin (inbreed, induct, infer)

-ine                                   having the nature of; like (crystalline)

inter-                                 between or among (interval); 2. together (interact)

intra-                                 within, inward (intramural)

intro-                                same as intra- (introvert)

ir-                                      same as in- used before r

-ism                                  1. condition of being (pauperism); 2. devotion to

(nationalism)

iso-                                   equal, similar, alike (isobar)

-ist                                    1. one who does or participates in an -ism (satirist); 2. an expert

at something (scientist); 3. a believer or adherent to (atheist)

-istic, -istical                     the former of adjectives relating to an action (artistic, egotistical)

-ite                                    1. inhabitant or native of (Brooklynite); 2. a salt of (halite); 3.

a certain rock (lignite); 4. a descendant of (Israelite)

-itis                                   an inflammatory disease (tonsilitis)

-lepsy                               a fit or attack (epilepsy)

-let                                    1. small, diminutive (starlet); 2. small object worn as a band

on the body (anklet)

lipo-                                  fatty (liposuction)

-lith, -lithic                       stone (batholith, neolithic)

-logy                                 study of (biology)

Prefixes and Suffixes   377

Prefix/Suffix                   Meaning/Usage

-lysis                                destruction; dissolving; loosening; dissolution (analysis)

macro-                              large or enlarged (macrobiotic)

-mania                               a mental disorder or a wild enthusiasm for something

(pyromania, hulamania)

-maniac                             a person affected by a mania (cleptomaniac)

maxi-                                 maximum; of larger scope than usual (maxi-power), often

hyphenated as an attachment to a word

micro-                               very small; a millionth of a unit (microscope, micrometer)

milli-                                 one one-thousandth of a unit (milliliter)

mini-                                 miniature (miniskirt)

mis-                                  wrong; wrongly; bad; poorly (miscue, misfire)

mult-                                 same as multi- before a vowel

multi-                                much; many; more than two (multichanneled)

narco-                               1. sleep (narcolepsy); 2. narcotic (narcotism)

neur-                                 same as neuro- before a vowel

neuro-                               of the nerves or nervous system (neurology, neuritis)

non-                                  not; the opposite of (nonagressive)

nona-                                nine (nonagon, nonet)

-nym                                 name (pseudonym)

o-                                      same as ob- before m

ob-                                    1. to; for; in front of (obtrude); 2. opposed to; against; oppo-

site (obverse); 3. upon; over (obscure)

oc-                                    same as ob- before c

oct(a/o)-                            eight (octagon, octopus)

of-                                     same as ob- before f

-oid                                   like; resembling (ovoid)

op-                                    same as ob- before p

-or                                     1. a person or thing that does something specific (addressor,

incisor); 2. a quality or condition (error, savor)

(continued)

378     Essential Vocabulary

Prefix/Suffix                   Meaning/Usage

-otic                                  1. of or affected with (neurotic); 2. producing (hypnotic)

oto-                                   of the ear (ototic)

-ous                                  full of (beauteous, capacious)

over-                                 excessive (overact, overindulge)

paleo-                               ancient (paleontology, paleolithic)

pan-                                  embracing all (pantheistic)

para-                                 by the side of; subordinate to (paralegal, paraprofessional)

-ped                                  foot (biped)

penta-                               five (pentagon)

peri-                                  1. beyond; around (periscope); 2. near (perinatal)

phleb-                               same as phlebo- before a vowel

phlebo-                             vein (phlebotomy)

photo-                              of or produced by light (photocopy)

phyto-                              floral; of a plant; vegetation (phytoplankton)

plano-                               having one side flat (planoconvex)

pneumo-                           of breathing; the lungs; respiration (pneumococcal)

poly-                                many (polygon)

pre-                                   before (prefix)

pro-                                  for (proactive)

proto-                               first in time or importance (protoplasm)

pseudo-                            false (pseudonym)

psych-                              same as psycho- before a vowel

psycho-                            of the mind (psychotic)

quadri-                              four (quadrilateral, quadriped)

re-                                     again (rethink)

retro-                                backward (retrofit)

rheo-                                 a flow; current (rheostat)

rhino-                                nose (rhinoplasty)

Prefixes and Suffixes   379

Prefix/Suffix                   Meaning/Usage

self-                                  of oneself; automatic (self-interest, self-loading)

semi-                                 half; twice in a specified period (semicircle, semiannually)

sub-                                  1. under; beneath; below (subhuman); 2. of lower rank than;

inferior (subordinate); 3. to a lesser degree (subpar); 4. near;

almost (substitute)

suf-                                   same as sub- before f

sym-                                 same as syn- before b, m, or p

syn-                                  together; at the same time (synchronize)

sys-                                  same as syn- before s, h, and other aspirate sounds

tele-                                  at a distance (telecommute); of, in, or by (televise)

tran-                                  same as trans- before s

trans-                                across; on the other side of; above and beyond (transcend,

transcontinental)

tri-                                    three (triangle)

un-                                    not (unused, unsupervised)

vice-                                  one who acts in place of; second in command (viceroy,

vice president)

Appendix B

Foreign Phrases

Many phrases and expressions from foreign languages have found a place in every- day English among the better educated. Some of them have been adopted and have found their way into everyone’s vocabulary, while some remain foreign yet are used often enough to be worth listing here. A disproportionate number of the words are Latin and French. This should not be a surprise, considering the prominent roles

that the French played in our history and literature and that the Romans, whose language was Latin, played in the history of Europe and Britain.

Letters in brackets stand for the language from which the phrase comes, as follows:

Ar., Arabic

Fr., French

Ger., German Haw., Hawaiian Heb., Hebrew Ire., Irish

It., Italian

L., Latin

Sp., Spanish

Foreign Phrase                                                      Definition

adeste fidelis [L.]                                                     always faithful

ad hoc [L.]                                                               temporary

à  droite [Fr.]                                                            on the right

affaire d’honneur [Fr.]                                             a matter of honor

à  gauche [Fr.]                                                           on the left

à  la rigeur [Fr.]                                                        strictly speaking; if absolutely needed

(continued)

381

382     Essential Vocabulary

Foreign Phrase                                                      Definition

aloha oe [Haw.]                                                        greetings; love to you; farewell

alter ego [L.]                                                            other self; constant companion

amicus curiae [L.]                                                    friend of the court

amor vincit omnia [L.]                                             “Love conquers all.”—Virgil

anno regni [L.]                                                         year in the reign of

à  pied [Fr.]                                                              on foot

ars gratia artis [L.]                                                   art for art’s sake

au contraire [Fr.]                                                      to the contrary

autre chose [Fr.]                                                       other thing

aux armes [Fr.]                                                         to arms

avant garde [Fr.]                                                       vanguard; on the cutting edge (esp. in

the arts)

avec plaisir [Fr.]                                                       with pleasure

à  votre santé  [Fr.]                                                   to your taste

ben trovato [It.]                                                       well conceived; ingenious

bien entendu [Fr.]                                                    well understood; of course

bon appé tit [Fr.]                                                     good appetite; enjoy

bonjour [Fr.]                                                             good day; hello

bonne chance [Fr.]                                                   good luck

bonsoir [Fr.]                                                             good evening

buenas noches [Sp.]                                                 good night

buenos dias [Sp.]                                                     good day; hello

camino real [Sp.]                                                      royal road; high road

caveat emptor [L.]                                                   Let the buyer beware!

cave canem [L.]                                                        Beware of the dog!

c’est la guerre [Fr.]                                                  That’s war!

c’est la vie [Fr.]                                                       That’s life!

cherchez la femme [Fr.]                                           look for the woman

Foreign Phrases    383

Foreign Phrase                                                      Definition

cogito, ergo sum! [L.]                                              “I think, therefore I am.”—Descartes

comé die noir [Fr.]                                                    black comedy

comme ci, comme ça [Fr.]                                       like this, like that; so, so

concordia discors [L.]                                              harmony in discord

coup de grace [Fr.]                                                   deathblow

coup d’etat [Fr.]                                                      lit. blow to the state; overthrow the

state government

coup de maître [Fr.]                                                 masterstroke

danke schö n [Ger.]                                                  thank you very much

danse macabre [Fr.]                                                  dance of death

de facto [L.]                                                             in fact

de gustibus non est disputandum [L.]                    one can’t argue taste

Dei gratia [L.]                                                          by the grace of God

de nouveau [Fr.]                                                       new

Dominus vobiscum [L.]                                           may God be with you

en ami [Fr.]                                                              in friendship

en bloc [Fr.]                                                             all together

en clair [Fr.]                                                             clear; not in code

enfant terribile [Fr.]                                                 lit. terrible child; child whose behavior causes shock and dismay; mischievous

or outrageous one

en garde [Fr.]                                                            on guard

en suite [Fr.]                                                            in succession

entre nous [Fr.]                                                        between us

Erin go bragh [Ire.]                                                  Ireland forever

ex more [L.]                                                             customary

ex post facto [L.]                                                     lit. what is done after; retroactive

femme de chambre [Fr.]                                           chambermaid

(continued)

384     Essential Vocabulary

Foreign Phrase                                                      Definition

fille [Fr.]                                                                   daughter

fils [Fr.]                                                                    son

garçon [Fr.]                                                               boy; waiter

gendarme [Fr.]                                                          policeman

Gesellschaft [Ger.]                                                   commercial company

Gotterdä mmerung [Ger.]                                         twilight of the gods

gracias [Sp.]                                                             thank you

gravitas [L.]                                                              solemnity

guten Tag [Ger.]                                                       good day

habeas corpus [L.]                                                   lit. to have a body

hasta la vista [Sp.]                                                   until next time; so long

haut monde [Fr.]                                                      high society

homme du monde [Fr.]                                            lit. man of the world; sophisticate

id est [L.]                                                                 that is

in perpetuum [L.]                                                    forever

inshallah [Ar.]                                                          God willing

in utero [L.]                                                             in the womb

in vino veritas [L.]                                                   in wine there is truth

j’accuse [Fr.]                                                            “I accuse!”—Zola

jeu de mots [Fr.]                                                      play on words

jeune fille [Fr.]                                                         young girl

Kamerad [Ger.]                                                        friend

laissez-faire [Fr.]                                                      let be; leave alone; hands off

le chaim [Heb.]                                                        to life

le monde [Fr.]                                                          the world

l’etat, c’est moi [Fr.]                                               “I am the state!”—attrib. to Louis XIV

mano a mano [Sp.]                                                  hand in hand

Foreign Phrases    385

Foreign Phrase                                                      Definition

mea culpa [L.]                                                          my fault

merci beaucoup [Fr.]                                                thank you very much

mè re [Fr.]                                                                 mother

Missa solemnis [L.]                                                 High Mass (Roman Catholic)

mitzvah [Heb.]                                                         blessing; commandment

n’est-ce pas? [Fr.]                                                    Isn’t it so?

nicht wahr? [Ger.]                                                    Isn’t it so?

nil desperandum [L.]                                               “never desperate”—Horace

noblesse oblige [Fr.]                                                 the inferred obligation of high-ranking

people to behave well toward others

nom de plume [Fr.]                                                  pen name

non sequitur [L.]                                                      a remark having no bearing on what was just said; an illogical conclusion

from the facts

nouveau riche [Fr.]                                                   newly rich, and hence unschooled in

the appropriate behavior of the wealthy

omnia vincit amor [L.]                                             “Love conquers all!”—Virgil

on dit [Fr.]                                                               lit. one says; it is said

o tempora! o mores! [L.]                                        “Oh times! Oh morals!”—Cicero, mean-

ing “What a time we live in!”

par avion [Fr.]                                                          by airplane; airmail

par exemple [Fr.]                                                     for example

Pax Britannica [L.]                                                   peace imposed by Britain

Pax Romana [L.]                                                      peace imposed by Rome

pax vobiscum [L.]                                                    peace be with you

pè re [Fr.]                                                                 father

peu à  peu [Fr.]                                                        little by little

peu de chose [Fr.]                                                    small thing; a trifle

(continued)

386     Essential Vocabulary

Foreign Phrase                                                      Definition

peut être [Fr.]                                                          perhaps

piè ce de ré sistance [Fr.]                                         the main item

por favor [Sp.]                                                         please

pro bono [L.]                                                           free; without compensation

pro bono publico [L.]                                              for the public good

pro forma [L.]                                                          according to form

pro patria [L.]                                                          for one’s country

quand même [Fr.]                                                     just the same; regardless of consequences

¿qué  pasa? [Sp.]                                                      What’s happening?

que sera, sera [Fr.]                                                   what will be, will be

quid pro quo [L.]                                                     one thing in return for another

qui va là ? [Fr.]                                                         Who goes there?

quod erat demonstrandum [L.]                                which is (was) to be demonstrated

quo vadis? [L.]                                                         Where are you going?

raison d’être [Fr.]                                                    reason for being

ré pondez s’il vous plâ it [Fr.]                                 (usu. R.S.V.P.) answer please

salaam [Ar.]                                                              peace (used as general greeting)

salle à  manger [Fr.]                                                  dining room

salud [Sp.]                                                                to your health

sans doute [Fr.]                                                        without doubt

sans pareil [Fr.]                                                        without equal

sante [Fr.]                                                                 good health

se habla españ ol [Sp.]                                             Spanish is spoken here.

shalom [Heb.]                                                          peace, well-being (used as general

greeting)

s’il vous plâ it [Fr.]                                                  please

status quo [L.]                                                         existing condition

Foreign Phrases    387

Foreign Phrase                                                      Definition

terra firma [L.]                                                         solid ground

terra incognito [L.]                                                   unknown land; unknown ground

tête-à -tête [Fr.]                                                       head-to-head

toujours [Fr.]                                                            always

tour de force [Fr.]                                                    lit. feat of strength; an exceptionally skillful production, performance, cre-

ation, etc.

tout de suite [Fr.]                                                    at once; immediately

tout le monde [Fr.]                                                  the whole world; everybody

tristesse [Fr.]                                                            melancholy; sadness

Ü bermensch [Ger.]                                                 superman

und so weiter (usw.) [Ger.]                                     and so on; etcetera

veni, vidi, vici [L.]                                                   “I came; I saw; I conquered.”—Julius

Caesar

verbatim [L.]                                                            word for word

vé rité  [Fr.]                                                               truth; short for ciné ma vé rité ; realism

vice versa [L.]                                                          the other way around; reversed

vive la diffé rence [Fr.]                                             Long live the difference! [between men

and women]

vive la reine [Fr.]                                                     Long live the queen!

vive le roi [Fr.]                                                         Long live the king!

Voila! [Fr.]                                                                There it is!

Wunderbar [Ger.]                                                     wonderful

Wunderkind [Ger.]                                                   child prodigy

Zollverein [Ger.]                                                      customs union