any construction to commemorate great events or persons = commemoration
amount deducted from the declared price = rebate/discount
a man who accompanies another in a crime = accomplice
Organic compounds corresponding to inorganic salts = esters
A person who is inclined to do new things or old things in new way = experimentalist
A village agricultural taxation clerk in the British Indian system = Patwari
A graduate student of a university who is granted a scholarship = fellowship
A biological catalyst allowing chemical reactions to take place rapidly at body temperature =protein
Fill with or stimulate feeling and interest = inspiration
A nitrogen based, pentose sugar and a phosphate group = nucleotide
An amino group having –NH2which is fundamental to life = amino acid
Large molecules consisting of chains of nucleotide = nucleic acid
A large group of proteins produced by living cells which act as catalysts in the chemical reactions upon which life depends = enzymes
A chromosome builder which controls inherited characters of an organism and is capable of mutation = gene
Thread like bodies that occur in the nuclei of living cells which carry the genetic code = chromosomes
Study of functioning of various organs of our body = physiology
Bring out the significance of something = interpret
The branch of science that studies the living things = biology
A living thing = organism
The scientific study of birds = ornithology
A person who looks after the maintenance of a museum = curator
The science of classification of things = taxonomy
The study of the relation of animals to their environment = ecology
Imitate others to cause amusement = mimic
Information of death given in newspapers with a brief history = obituary
Institution where persons suffering from tuberculosis are given treatment = TB ward
Knowledge of everything = omniscient
Of the same kind or nature = homogeneous
Disease accompanied by pain, stiffness, and inflammation of muscles and joints = Dangue
Excessive formalities in official or public business causing unnecessary delay =redtapism
Expressing sympathy with people in their loss of their dear ones=condolence
Group of small islands in a sea = archipelago
A society of monks and nuns, living under the same rule = order
A distinct for which a bishop is responsible = diocesan
A home providing care for people who are sick and terminally sick =hospices
Wide spread occurrence of an infection disease in a community at a particular time = epidemic
The office of the Pope/surrounding officeof Pope = Holy See
Officially declare a dead person to be a saint = canonization
An extraordinary and welcome event believed to be the work of God = Miracle
The act of intervening on behalf of someone = Intercession
Ignored or avoided by others = shun
Any organization’s involvement with or influence in the community = Outreach
The act of formally declaring a dead person ‘blessed’ = Beatification
A building where dead bodies are kept before burial = mortuary
Custom of having more than one wife at the same time = polygamy
Collection and discussion of essays by several persons on a topic = symposium
Cruel killing of a large number of people = genocide
Custom of marrying only within the clan = homogamy
Go away from one’s own country to another to settle there= emigrate
Grass land for feeding cattle= ranch
Lie and wait to make a surprise attack = pounce
Living by eating both vegetables and flesh = omnivorous
Make accusations which are not proved = allegation
Move quickly to and fro = oscillate/vibrate
One who repairs house-hold utensils = tinker
A signal light for ships or aircrafts = beacon
Burn or scorch somebody with a sudden intense heat = sear
A member of black people who originated in Africa = Negro
Unable to be taken away = inalienable
A metal band around hand to restrict somebody = manacle
Move rapidly round and round= whirl
A road side hotel for motorists = motel
A part of a city occupied by people of a particular race = ghetto
A state of difficulty or suffering= tribulation
Treat someone in a cruel way over a long period of time= persecution
A small mound of earth thrown up by a burrowing mole = Molehill
A person or animal is kept somewhere and is not allowed to leave =captive
To exist in an unpleasant or unwanted situation often for a long time = languish
Make someone unconscious especially with a drug = tranquilize
A herd of wild pigs = sounder
A band attached to a saddle and fastened around a horse’s belly = girth
A person’s facial expression = countenance
Look with difficulty = peer
A layer of dirt or froth on the surface of a liquid = scum
Soft explosive sounds = sputter
Move with short movements side to side = waggle
Frame work of a bed = bedstead
Quart - A unit of volume or capacity in the US Customary System, used in liquid measure, equal to / 4 gallon or 32 ounces
Shuck - A husk, pod, or shell, as of a pea, hickory nut, or ear of corn. The shell of an oyster or clam
Green - Lacking training or experience
Furrow - A long shallow trench in the ground; make wrinkled or creased; a deep wrinkle in the skin, as on the forehead
Trite - Lacking power to evoke interest through overuse or repetition; hackneyed
Suture - The process of joining two surfaces or edges together along a line by or as if by sewing
Furor - A general commotion; public disorder or uproar. Violent anger; frenzy; a fashion adopted enthusiastically by the public; a fad
Castigate - To inflict severe punishment on; to criticize severely
Pique - A state of vexation caused by a perceived slight or indignity; a feeling of wounded pride
Sanctimonious - Excessively or hypocritically pious; feigning piety or righteousness; of or practicing hypocrisy
Evacuant - Of, relating to, or tending to eliminate; tending to cleanse or purge, especially causing evacuation of the bowels
Striate - Marked with striae; striped, grooved, or ridged; to mark with a line or band, as of different color or texture
Legerdemain - A show of skill or deceitful cleverness; the use of skillful tricks and deceptions to produce entertainingly baffling effects
Overture- An instrumental composition intended especially as an introduction to an extended work, such as an opera or oratorio
Opera - A theatrical presentation in which a dramatic performance is set to music; the score of such a work
Chasten - To castigate for the purpose of improving; to correct using punishment or suffering
Hirsute - Covered with hair; having a hairy covering
Chortle - To laugh quietly; a snorting, joyful laugh or chuckle
Topical - Of or belonging to a particular location or place; local;currently of interest; contemporary
Perfunctory - Hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
Terrestrial - Earthly
Livestock - Domestic animals, such as cattle or horses, raised for home use or for profit, especially on a farm
Gall - The quality or state of feeling bitter; the state or quality of being impudent or arrogantly self-confident; to trouble the nerves or peace of mind of, especially by repeated vexations; nerve, brashness; upset, irritate
Frisky - Playful
Quatrain - A stanza or poem of four lines
Hubris - Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance
Kudos - Acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement
Exodus - A departure from a place or country, especially of many people; act of leaving
Vulgaris - Being of the usual type; common
Frill - Something costly and unnecessary
Superficiality - Trivial; insignificant
Void - An empty space
Swath - A path or strip; the space created by the swing of a scythe or the cut of a mowing machine
Haughty - Scornfully and condescendingly proud; arrogant
Vaporous - Extravagantly fanciful; high-flown; so light and insubstantial as to resemble air or a thin film
Saga - Epic tale, long story; a long detailed report
Sagittal - Of or relating to the suture uniting the two parietal bones of the skull;
Eyesore - Something, such as a distressed building, that is unpleasant or offensive to view
Vim - Ebullient vitality and energy; an imaginative lively style
Formulaic - Being of no special quality or type
Budge - To move very slightly; overformal; pompous
Superfluity - Overabundance; excess
Pelf - Wealth or riches, especially when dishonestly acquired
Impecunious - Lacking money; penniless
Confinement - Imprisonment; restriction
Rostrum - A stage or raised platform for public speaking
Denude - To divest of covering; make bare
Stultify - Deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless; cause to appear foolish; prove to be of unsound mind or demonstrate someone’s incompetence
Faradic - Of, relating to, or using an intermittent asymmetrical alternating electric current produced by an induction coil
Martinet - A strict disciplinarian, especially in the armed forces; one who demands absolute adherence to forms and rules
Vulgar - Common, general; rude, offensive
Aesthetic - Showing good taste
Cistern - A receptacle for holding water or other liquid, especially a tank for catching and storing rainwater
Wanton - Careless; cruel, malicious
Grovel - To support slavishly every opinion or suggestion of a superior; to behave in a servile or demeaning manner
Shoal - A shallow part of a body of water: shallow; measuring little from bottom to top or surface
Sylvan - Relating to or characteristic of woods or forest regions; abounding in trees; wooded
Words from Proper Names
Jingoist: One who boasts about his patriotism and favors a warlike foreign policy. In 1877, British Prime Minister Disraeli sent the fleet to Gallipoli to slow up the Russians. A singer wrote a ditty called “By Jingo” in honor of that action.
Lothario: rake; seducer; lover. Lothario was an amorous character in an eighteenth-century play. The Fair Penitent.
Maverick: one who acts independently. Samuel Maverick was a Texas rancher who refused to brand his cattle as others were doing.
Nemesis: Agent of retribution; just punishment. In Greek mythology, the goddess Nemesis punished pretentiousness with her swords and avenging wings.
Philanderer: one who makes love insincerely; one who engages in passing love affairs. The word comes from the Greek philandros (“man loving”) but gained its current usage because many English playwrights gave the name to their romantic leads.
Philippic: Bitter verbal attack. Philip II of Macedon wanted to make Greece into a monarchy. He was opposed by the great orator, Demosthenes, who denounced Philip in devastating speeches that came to be known as philippics.
Procrustean: designed to secure conformity; drastic. An ancient Greek robber named Procrustes tied his victims to a bed and then, to make them fit the bed, stretched the short ones and hacked off the limbs of the taller ones.
Protean: changeable; taking on different forms. In Greek mythology, Proteus was a sea god who could change his appearance at will.
Pyrrhic victory: a victory that is exceptionally costly. Pyrrhus defeated the Romans in 279 B.C. but his losses were terribly heavy.
Quixotic: romantically idealistic; impractical. The Spanish novelist, Cervantes, brought this word into our language when he wrote Don Quixote. His hero went forth foolishly to tilt against windmills and help the downtrodden.
Saturnine: sluggish; gloomy; grave. The planet Saturn is so far form the sun that it was thought to be cold and dismal.
Solecism: substandard use of words; violation of good manners. This word derives form the Greek inhabitants of the colony of Soloi who used a slangy dialect.
Spoonerism: an unintentional exchange of sounds. Reverend Spooner of New College, Oxford occasionally twisted his words around when he got excited so that “conquering kings: came out as “kinkering congs”
Sybarite: one who is fond of luxury and soft living. Sybaris was a fabulously wealthy Italian city, symbolic of the good life.
Tawdry: cheap; gaudy; showy. This word can be terraced to St. Audrey. Scarves called “St. Audrey’s laces” were sold in England where the local people changed the pronunciation to tawdry. The quality of the scarves, which at first was good, deteriorated, when they were mass produced for the peasant trade.
Digress- To turn aside, especially from the main subject in writing or speaking; stray
Aphorism - A brief statement of a principle; a tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion; an adage
Eulogy - A laudatory speech or written tribute, especially one praising someone who has died; high praise or commendation
Fallacious - Tending to mislead; deceptive
Solemn - Deeply earnest, serious, and sober; gloomy; somber; performed with full ceremony; invoking the force of religion; sacred
Dissention - Difference of opinion; disagreement
Suture - The fine thread or other material used surgically to close a wound or join tissues; a seam used in surgery; thread of catgut or silk or wire used by surgeons to stitch tissues together; join with a suture, as of a wound in surgery
Sangfroid - A stable, calm state of the emotions
Humdrum - Lacking variety or excitement; dull; boring , dull; monotonous talk or routine.
Untenable - Incapable of being defended or justified
Inexpungeable - Not capable of being expunged
Expunged - To erase or strike out
Obliterate - To do away with completely so as to leave no trace
Happenstance - An unexpected random event
Charisma - The power or quality of attracting
Bore - One that is wearingly dull, repetitive, or tedious
Muster - To assemble, prepare, or put into operation, as for war or a similar emergency; a number of persons who have come or been gathered together
Crew - A group of people organized for a particular purpose; serve as a crew member on
Cord - To pile (wood) in cords; a line made of twisted fibers or threads
Polymorphous - Having, or assuming, a variety of forms, characters, or styles
Incontrovertible - Impossible to dispute; unquestionable
Pulchritude - Great physical beauty and appeal
Flounder - To make clumsy attempts to move or regain one’s balance
Nugatory - Of little or no importance; trifling. having no force; invalid
Hull - Dry outer covering of a fruit or seed or nut; the frame or body of ship
Succinct - Marked by or consisting of few words that are carefully chosen; brief, to the point; briefly giving the gist of something
Diazepam - A tranquilizer (trade name Valium) used to relieve anxiety and relax muscles; acts by enhancing the inhibitory actions of the neurotransmitter GABA
Sagitta - A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Aquila and Vulpecula
Amity - Peaceful relations, as between nations; friendship
Decimate - To destroy or kill a large part of (a group)
Fecund - Capable of producing offspring or vegetation; fruitful. Marked by intellectual productivity
Tawdry - Gaudy and cheap in nature or appearance; cheap, tasteless
Marrow - The most central and material part; the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
Cognizant - Fully informed; conscious
Fiasco - A complete failure
Folly - A lack of good sense, understanding, or foresight; an act or instance of foolishness: regretted the follies of his youth
Forage - Food for domestic animals; fodder. The act of looking or searching for food or provisions
