1. Gamut (n) - The whole range or sequence
2. Garrulous (adj.): Given to constant trivial talking
3. Genesis (n) - Creation
4. Geniality (n) - Warmth and kindliness of disposition
5. Gibe (v) - To utter taunts or reproaches
6. Gourmand (n) - A connoisseur in the delicacies of the table
7. Grimace (n) - A distortion of the features, occasioned by some feeling of pain, disgust, etc
8. Grisly (adj.) - Fear-inspiring
9. Gumption (n) - Common sense
A collection of some tough GRE words
1. Gad-amuse or entertain
2. Gallivant - amuse or entertain
3. Gung ho - enthusiastic and excited
4. Gussy- dressed very smartly
5. Gusto - energetic and enthusiastic
6. Gob snacked - surprised or stunned
7. Grotty - unpleasant or of poor quality
8. Garbled- confused or jumbled
9. Ghoulish - show unnatural interest
10. Glum - sad and unhappy
11. Gnash - angry or frustrated
12. Gnomic ~ difficult to understand
13. Gaga - cannot think clearly
14. Gall - behaving rudely
15. Gangly - tall thin and awkward
16. Garish - gaudy
17. Garrulous - talkative
18. Gawk ~ to stay in a stupid way
19. Geeky - stupid or awkward
20. Git-to dislike
21. Glib - very simple or easy
22. Glitch - a problem or hitch
23. Gloat - arrogant and boastful
24. Gluttonous - greedy
25. Goofy — silly or ridiculous
26. Gormless - stupid and unintelligible
27. Grouchy - bad-tempered and complaining
28. Grubby - dirty
29. Gruffly - rude and rough
30. Guff- nonsense
31. Gabble - speak quickly
32. Gaffe - careless mistake
33. Gangbuster- going strong and doing very
well
34. Gentrify-to become expensive
35. Geriatric - relating to old people
36. Gingerly - carefully or cautiously
37. Gird- to prepare
38. Glisten - shine
39. Glut-surplus
40. Gossamer- very light thin or delicate
41. Groggy - feel weak or ill
42. Grovel - frightened and respectful
43. Gumption - think sensibly
Saturday, September 26, 2009
F - High Frequency GRE Words
1. Facetious (adj.) - Amusing
2. Facile (adj.) - Not difficult to do
3. Factious (adj.)-Turbulent
4. Fallacious (adj.) - Illogical
5. Fallible (adj.) - Capable of erring
6. Fastidious (adj.) - Hard to please
7. Fatuous (adj.) - Idiotic
8. Fealty (n) - Loyalty
9. Felicity (n) - A state of well-founded happiness
10. Fervent (adj.) - Ardent in feeling
11. Fervid (adj.) - Intense
12. Festal (adj.) - Joyous
13. Fiasco (n) - A complete or humiliating failure
14. Flagrant (adj.) - Openly scandalous
15. Flamboyant (adj.) - Characterized by extravagance and in general by want of good taste
16. Flippant (adj.) - Having a light, pert, trifling disposition
17. Foppish (adj.) - Characteristic of one who is unduly devoted to dress and the niceties of manners
18. Fraudulent (adj.) - Counterfeit
19. Fresco (n) - The art of painting on a surface of plaster, particularly on walls and ceilings
20. Frivolous (adj.) - Trivial
21. Frugal (adj.) - Economical
22. Fugacious (adj.) - Fleeting
23. Furtive (adj.) - Stealthy or sly, like the actions of a thief
A collection of some tough GRE words
1. Febrile - intensely and nervously active
2. Fiendish - clever or imaginative
3. Faze - surprise shock or shocked
4. Flippant - serious about
5. Foppish- very proud of ones’ dress and
6. appearance
7. Fealty – allegiance
8. Facetious - criticizing for making humorous
remarks
9. Facile - lack of careful and intelligent thinking
10. Faddish - having no real value
11. Fatuous - extremely silly
12. Feckless -lack determination
13. Flinty-harsh and emotionless
14. Foible - strange or foolish
15. Fractious - become angry very quickly
16. Frippery - silly or unnecessary
17. Furtive - keep something hidden or not
disclose
18. Fusty - old fashioned
19. Fecund - fertile
20. Feign — affect
21. Feint-to deceive
22. Feisty- tough or independent
23. Filch-to steal
24. Flounce - walk quickly
25. Flummox- confused
26. Fluster- nervous and confused
27. Frenetic - fast and energetic
28. Frigging - emphatic
29. Fumigate - to get rid of
2. Facile (adj.) - Not difficult to do
3. Factious (adj.)-Turbulent
4. Fallacious (adj.) - Illogical
5. Fallible (adj.) - Capable of erring
6. Fastidious (adj.) - Hard to please
7. Fatuous (adj.) - Idiotic
8. Fealty (n) - Loyalty
9. Felicity (n) - A state of well-founded happiness
10. Fervent (adj.) - Ardent in feeling
11. Fervid (adj.) - Intense
12. Festal (adj.) - Joyous
13. Fiasco (n) - A complete or humiliating failure
14. Flagrant (adj.) - Openly scandalous
15. Flamboyant (adj.) - Characterized by extravagance and in general by want of good taste
16. Flippant (adj.) - Having a light, pert, trifling disposition
17. Foppish (adj.) - Characteristic of one who is unduly devoted to dress and the niceties of manners
18. Fraudulent (adj.) - Counterfeit
19. Fresco (n) - The art of painting on a surface of plaster, particularly on walls and ceilings
20. Frivolous (adj.) - Trivial
21. Frugal (adj.) - Economical
22. Fugacious (adj.) - Fleeting
23. Furtive (adj.) - Stealthy or sly, like the actions of a thief
A collection of some tough GRE words
1. Febrile - intensely and nervously active
2. Fiendish - clever or imaginative
3. Faze - surprise shock or shocked
4. Flippant - serious about
5. Foppish- very proud of ones’ dress and
6. appearance
7. Fealty – allegiance
8. Facetious - criticizing for making humorous
remarks
9. Facile - lack of careful and intelligent thinking
10. Faddish - having no real value
11. Fatuous - extremely silly
12. Feckless -lack determination
13. Flinty-harsh and emotionless
14. Foible - strange or foolish
15. Fractious - become angry very quickly
16. Frippery - silly or unnecessary
17. Furtive - keep something hidden or not
disclose
18. Fusty - old fashioned
19. Fecund - fertile
20. Feign — affect
21. Feint-to deceive
22. Feisty- tough or independent
23. Filch-to steal
24. Flounce - walk quickly
25. Flummox- confused
26. Fluster- nervous and confused
27. Frenetic - fast and energetic
28. Frigging - emphatic
29. Fumigate - to get rid of
E- High Frequency GRE Words
1. Ebullient (adj.) - Showing enthusiasm or exhilaration of feeling
2. Eccentric (adj.) - Peculiar
3. Educe (v) - To draw out
4. Efface (v) - To obliterate
5. Effectual (adj.) - Efficient
6. Effeminacy (n) - Womanishness
7. Effete (adj.) - Exhausted, as having performed its functions
8. Effulgence (n) - Splendor
9. Effuse (v) - To pour forth
10. Egoist (n) - One who advocates or practices egoism
11. Egotist (n) - One given to self-mention or who is constantly telling of his own views and experiences
12. Egregious (adj.) - Extreme
13. Egress (n) - Any place of exit
14. Elucidate (v) - To bring out more clearly the facts concerning
15. Elusion (n) - Evasion
16. Emaciate (v) - To waste away in flesh
17. Emanate (v) - To flow forth or proceed, as from some source
18. Emancipate (v) - To release from bondage
19. Embargo (n) - Authoritative stoppage of foreign commerce or of any special trade
20. Embezzle (v) - To misappropriate secretly
21. Emulate (v) - To imitate with intent to equal or surpass
22. Encumber (v) - To impede with obstacles
23. Ensnare (v) - To entrap
24. Entwine (v) - To interweave
25. Epicure (n) - One who cultivates a delicate taste for eating and drinking
26. Epiphany (n) - Any appearance or bodily manifestation of a deity
27. Epitaph (n) - An inscription on a tomb or monument in honor or in memory of the dead
28. Epitome (n) - A simplified representation
29. Epoch (n) - An interval of time, memorable for extraordinary events
30. Eschew (v) - To keep clear of
31. Esquire (n) - A title of dignity, office, or courtesy
32. Eulogy (n) - A spoken or written laudation of a person’s life or character
33. Euphemism (n) - A figure of speech by which a phrase less offensive is substituted
34. Eureka (Greek Expression) - I have found it’.
35. Evanescent (adj.) - Fleeting
36. Exacerbate (v) - To make more sharp, severe, or virulent
37. Excruciate (v) - To inflict severe pain or agony upon
38. Exegesis (n) - Biblical exposition or interpretation
39. Exigency (n) - A critical period or condition
40. Exodus (n) - A going forth or departure from a place or country, especially of many people
41. Exonerate (v) - To relieve or vindicate from accusation, imputation, or blame
42. Exorbitance (n) - Extravagance or enormity
43. Exotic (adj.) - Foreign
44. Expatriate (v) - To drive from one’s own country
45. Expediency (n) - Fitness to meet the requirements of a particular case
46. Expedient (adj.) - Contributing to personal advantage
47. Expiate (v) - To make satisfaction or amends for
48. Explicate (v) - To clear from involvement
49. Expostulate (v) - To discuss
50. Extenuate (v) - To diminish the gravity or importance of
51. Extol (v) - To praise in the highest terms
52. Extricate (v) - Disentangle
53. Extrude (v) - To drive out or away
54. Exuberance (n) - Rich supply
A collection of some tough GRE words
1. Edify-to benefit
2. Emollient - to reduce or lessen pain
3. Ensconced - to settle firmly and comfortably
4. Elegiac - express sadness
5. Emaciated - thin and weak
6. Egregious - very bad
7. Exacerbate - to make worse
8. Excruciating - extremely painful
9. Execrable - deplorable
10. Expiate - feel sorry
11. Efface - to remove or destroy
12. Efficacious - efficient severely
13. Embellish - look more attractive
14. Endear-to became popular with
15. Estimable - disserve admiration
16. Ebullient - lively and full of energy
17. Ennui - bored and tired
18. Equivocal — vague in avoiding
19. Ersatz - not genuine
20. Excoriate - to criticize
21. Expostulate - express strong disagreement
22. Elide - to leave or ignore
23. Enigmatic - mysterious and difficult to
understand
24. Ephemeral - transient and for a short period
25. Erudite - very learned
26. Esoteric - understood only by a small number
27. Evanescent-to disappear
28. Exotic - unusual and interested
2. Eccentric (adj.) - Peculiar
3. Educe (v) - To draw out
4. Efface (v) - To obliterate
5. Effectual (adj.) - Efficient
6. Effeminacy (n) - Womanishness
7. Effete (adj.) - Exhausted, as having performed its functions
8. Effulgence (n) - Splendor
9. Effuse (v) - To pour forth
10. Egoist (n) - One who advocates or practices egoism
11. Egotist (n) - One given to self-mention or who is constantly telling of his own views and experiences
12. Egregious (adj.) - Extreme
13. Egress (n) - Any place of exit
14. Elucidate (v) - To bring out more clearly the facts concerning
15. Elusion (n) - Evasion
16. Emaciate (v) - To waste away in flesh
17. Emanate (v) - To flow forth or proceed, as from some source
18. Emancipate (v) - To release from bondage
19. Embargo (n) - Authoritative stoppage of foreign commerce or of any special trade
20. Embezzle (v) - To misappropriate secretly
21. Emulate (v) - To imitate with intent to equal or surpass
22. Encumber (v) - To impede with obstacles
23. Ensnare (v) - To entrap
24. Entwine (v) - To interweave
25. Epicure (n) - One who cultivates a delicate taste for eating and drinking
26. Epiphany (n) - Any appearance or bodily manifestation of a deity
27. Epitaph (n) - An inscription on a tomb or monument in honor or in memory of the dead
28. Epitome (n) - A simplified representation
29. Epoch (n) - An interval of time, memorable for extraordinary events
30. Eschew (v) - To keep clear of
31. Esquire (n) - A title of dignity, office, or courtesy
32. Eulogy (n) - A spoken or written laudation of a person’s life or character
33. Euphemism (n) - A figure of speech by which a phrase less offensive is substituted
34. Eureka (Greek Expression) - I have found it’.
35. Evanescent (adj.) - Fleeting
36. Exacerbate (v) - To make more sharp, severe, or virulent
37. Excruciate (v) - To inflict severe pain or agony upon
38. Exegesis (n) - Biblical exposition or interpretation
39. Exigency (n) - A critical period or condition
40. Exodus (n) - A going forth or departure from a place or country, especially of many people
41. Exonerate (v) - To relieve or vindicate from accusation, imputation, or blame
42. Exorbitance (n) - Extravagance or enormity
43. Exotic (adj.) - Foreign
44. Expatriate (v) - To drive from one’s own country
45. Expediency (n) - Fitness to meet the requirements of a particular case
46. Expedient (adj.) - Contributing to personal advantage
47. Expiate (v) - To make satisfaction or amends for
48. Explicate (v) - To clear from involvement
49. Expostulate (v) - To discuss
50. Extenuate (v) - To diminish the gravity or importance of
51. Extol (v) - To praise in the highest terms
52. Extricate (v) - Disentangle
53. Extrude (v) - To drive out or away
54. Exuberance (n) - Rich supply
A collection of some tough GRE words
1. Edify-to benefit
2. Emollient - to reduce or lessen pain
3. Ensconced - to settle firmly and comfortably
4. Elegiac - express sadness
5. Emaciated - thin and weak
6. Egregious - very bad
7. Exacerbate - to make worse
8. Excruciating - extremely painful
9. Execrable - deplorable
10. Expiate - feel sorry
11. Efface - to remove or destroy
12. Efficacious - efficient severely
13. Embellish - look more attractive
14. Endear-to became popular with
15. Estimable - disserve admiration
16. Ebullient - lively and full of energy
17. Ennui - bored and tired
18. Equivocal — vague in avoiding
19. Ersatz - not genuine
20. Excoriate - to criticize
21. Expostulate - express strong disagreement
22. Elide - to leave or ignore
23. Enigmatic - mysterious and difficult to
understand
24. Ephemeral - transient and for a short period
25. Erudite - very learned
26. Esoteric - understood only by a small number
27. Evanescent-to disappear
28. Exotic - unusual and interested
D - High Frequency GRE Words
1. Darkling (adv.) - Blindly
2. Dastard (n) - A base coward.
3. Debonair (adj.) - Having gentle or courteous bearing or manner
4. Decipher (v) - To find out the true words or meaning of, as something hardly legible
5. Decoy (n) - Anything that allures, or is intended to allure into danger or temptation
6. Defray (v) - To make payment for
7. Deify (v) - To regard or worship as a God
8. Deign (v) - To deem worthy of notice or account
9. Deist (n) - One who believes in God, but denies supernatural revelation
10. Delectable (adj.) - Delightful to the taste or to the senses
11. Deliquesce (v) - To dissolve gradually, and become liquid by absorption of moisture from the air
12. Delirious (adj.) - Raving
13. Delude (v) - To mislead the mind or judgment of
14. Demeanor (n) - Deportment
15. Denizen (n) - Inhabitant
16. Denunciation (n) - The act of declaring an action or person worthy of reprobation or punishment
17. Deplorable (adj.) - Contemptible
18. Deprave (v) - To render bad, especially morally bad
19. Deprecate (v) - To express disapproval or regret for, with hope for the opposite
20. Derelict (adj.) - Neglectful of obligation
21. Derisible (adj.) - Open to ridicule
22. Descry (v) - To discern
23. Desperado (n) - One without regard for law or life
24. Despicable (adj.) - Contemptible
25. Despotism (n) - Any severe and strict rule in which the judgment of the governed has little or no part
26. Destitute (adj.) - Poverty-stricken
27. Desultory (adj.) - Not connected with what precedes
28. Detriment (n) - Something that causes damage, depreciation, or loss
29. Detrude (v) - To push down forcibly
30. Devious (adj.) - Out of the common or regular track
31. Dexterity (n) - Readiness, precision, efficiency, and ease in any physical activity or in any mechanical work
32. Diatribe (n) - A bitter or malicious criticism
33. Dictum (n) - A positive utterance
34. Didactic (adj.) - Pertaining to teaching
35. Diffidence (n) - Self-distrust
36. Dilapidated (adj.) - Fallen into decay or partial ruin
37. Diligence (n) - Careful and persevering effort to accomplish what is undertaken
38. Disavowal (n) - Denial
39. Discernible (adj.) - Perceivable
40. discreet (adj.) - Judicious
41. Discursive (adj.) - Passing from one subject to another
42. Disparage (v) - To regard or speak slightingly
43. Dissentient (n) - One who disagrees
44. Dissentious (adj.) - Contentious
45. Distraught (adj.) - Bewildered
46. Diurnal (adj.) - Daily
47. Docile (adj.) - Easy to manage
48. Dogmatic (adj.) - Making statements without argument or evidence
49. Dolor (n) – Lamentation
50. Dilettante (n) - A superficial amateur
A collection of some tough GRE words
1. Dapper- neat and clean appearance
2. Droll - witty and amusing
3. Dawdle - spend more time than necessary
4. Debilitate - to cause weakness
5. Decadent- of low moral standards
6. Decrepit - the old and bad condition
7. Deleterious - have a harmful effect
8. Desecrate ~ damaging something holy or
special
9. Despicable - extremely nasty, cruel or evil
10. Desultory - unplanned and disorganised
11. Detrimental - have a harmful or damaging
effect
12. Dippy- cold and unusual
13. Doddery - old and unsteady
14. Drippy- stupid and weak
15. Dud~ unsuccessful
16. Duress - forced to do
17. Dweeb - stupid and vague
18. Delve - discover new information
19. Dinky - well designed and attractive
20. Disport - enjoy happily and lively
21. Dote - to love or care
22. Dulcet-gentle and pleasant to listen
23. Disparage - ridicule
24. Ditzy- not well organised
25. Doit - very stupid
26. Dork - old fashioned and badly
27. Dotty - strange or mad
28. Drivel – silly
29. Duff- useless or of poor quality
30. Daffy - strange or foolish
31. Daft - stupid or impractical
32. Devious - dishonest
33. Dicker - arguing and disagree
34. Diddle - take money unfairly
35. Diffident - shy and not liking to be noticed
36. Dabble - take part seriously
37. Diaphanous - thin and transparent
38. Dowse-to search
2. Dastard (n) - A base coward.
3. Debonair (adj.) - Having gentle or courteous bearing or manner
4. Decipher (v) - To find out the true words or meaning of, as something hardly legible
5. Decoy (n) - Anything that allures, or is intended to allure into danger or temptation
6. Defray (v) - To make payment for
7. Deify (v) - To regard or worship as a God
8. Deign (v) - To deem worthy of notice or account
9. Deist (n) - One who believes in God, but denies supernatural revelation
10. Delectable (adj.) - Delightful to the taste or to the senses
11. Deliquesce (v) - To dissolve gradually, and become liquid by absorption of moisture from the air
12. Delirious (adj.) - Raving
13. Delude (v) - To mislead the mind or judgment of
14. Demeanor (n) - Deportment
15. Denizen (n) - Inhabitant
16. Denunciation (n) - The act of declaring an action or person worthy of reprobation or punishment
17. Deplorable (adj.) - Contemptible
18. Deprave (v) - To render bad, especially morally bad
19. Deprecate (v) - To express disapproval or regret for, with hope for the opposite
20. Derelict (adj.) - Neglectful of obligation
21. Derisible (adj.) - Open to ridicule
22. Descry (v) - To discern
23. Desperado (n) - One without regard for law or life
24. Despicable (adj.) - Contemptible
25. Despotism (n) - Any severe and strict rule in which the judgment of the governed has little or no part
26. Destitute (adj.) - Poverty-stricken
27. Desultory (adj.) - Not connected with what precedes
28. Detriment (n) - Something that causes damage, depreciation, or loss
29. Detrude (v) - To push down forcibly
30. Devious (adj.) - Out of the common or regular track
31. Dexterity (n) - Readiness, precision, efficiency, and ease in any physical activity or in any mechanical work
32. Diatribe (n) - A bitter or malicious criticism
33. Dictum (n) - A positive utterance
34. Didactic (adj.) - Pertaining to teaching
35. Diffidence (n) - Self-distrust
36. Dilapidated (adj.) - Fallen into decay or partial ruin
37. Diligence (n) - Careful and persevering effort to accomplish what is undertaken
38. Disavowal (n) - Denial
39. Discernible (adj.) - Perceivable
40. discreet (adj.) - Judicious
41. Discursive (adj.) - Passing from one subject to another
42. Disparage (v) - To regard or speak slightingly
43. Dissentient (n) - One who disagrees
44. Dissentious (adj.) - Contentious
45. Distraught (adj.) - Bewildered
46. Diurnal (adj.) - Daily
47. Docile (adj.) - Easy to manage
48. Dogmatic (adj.) - Making statements without argument or evidence
49. Dolor (n) – Lamentation
50. Dilettante (n) - A superficial amateur
A collection of some tough GRE words
1. Dapper- neat and clean appearance
2. Droll - witty and amusing
3. Dawdle - spend more time than necessary
4. Debilitate - to cause weakness
5. Decadent- of low moral standards
6. Decrepit - the old and bad condition
7. Deleterious - have a harmful effect
8. Desecrate ~ damaging something holy or
special
9. Despicable - extremely nasty, cruel or evil
10. Desultory - unplanned and disorganised
11. Detrimental - have a harmful or damaging
effect
12. Dippy- cold and unusual
13. Doddery - old and unsteady
14. Drippy- stupid and weak
15. Dud~ unsuccessful
16. Duress - forced to do
17. Dweeb - stupid and vague
18. Delve - discover new information
19. Dinky - well designed and attractive
20. Disport - enjoy happily and lively
21. Dote - to love or care
22. Dulcet-gentle and pleasant to listen
23. Disparage - ridicule
24. Ditzy- not well organised
25. Doit - very stupid
26. Dork - old fashioned and badly
27. Dotty - strange or mad
28. Drivel – silly
29. Duff- useless or of poor quality
30. Daffy - strange or foolish
31. Daft - stupid or impractical
32. Devious - dishonest
33. Dicker - arguing and disagree
34. Diddle - take money unfairly
35. Diffident - shy and not liking to be noticed
36. Dabble - take part seriously
37. Diaphanous - thin and transparent
38. Dowse-to search
C - High Frequency GRE Words
1. Cabalism (n) - Superstitious devotion to one’s religion
2. Cacophony (n) - A disagreeable, harsh, or discordant sound or combination of sounds or tones
3. Caitiff (adj.)-Cowardly
4. Cajole (v) - To impose on or dupe by flattering speech
5. Callosity (n) - The state of being hard and insensible
6. Callow (adj.) - Without experience of the world
7. Calumny (n) - Slander
8. Candid (adj.) - Straightforward
9. Candor (n) - The quality of frankness or outspokenness
10. Canon (n) -Any rule or law
11. Caprice (n) - A whim
12. Captious (adj.) - Hypercritical
13. Carnage (n) - Massacre
14. Castigate (v) - To punish
15. Catastrophe (n) - Any great and sudden misfortune or calamity
16. Caustic (adj.) - Sarcastic and sever
17. Chagrin (n) - Keen vexation, annoyance, or mortification, as at one’s failures or errors
18. Choleric (adj.) - Easily provoked to anger
19. Clairvoyance (n) - Intuitive sagacity or perception
20. Clamorous (adj.) - Urgent in complaint or demand
21. Clandestine (adj) - Surreptitious
22. Clement (adj.) - Compassionate
23. Cognizant (adj.) - Taking notice
24. Complacent (adj.) - Pleased or satisfied with oneself
25. Complaisant (adj.) - Agreeable
26. Compunction (n) - Remorseful feeling
27. Conciliate (v) - To obtain the friendship of
28. Condescend (v) - To come down voluntarily to equal terms with inferiors
29. Conducive (adj.) - Contributing to an end
30. Confidant (n) - One to whom secrets are entrusted
31. Confiscate (v) - To appropriate (private property) as forfeited to the public use or treasury
32. Conformable (adj.) - Harmonious
33. Congenial (adj.) - Having kindred character or tastes
34. Conjecture (n) - A guess
35. Connive (v) - To be in collusion
36. Consign (v) - To entrust
37. Contiguity (n) - Proximity
38. Contingent (adj.) - Not predictable
39. Contrite (adj.) - Broken in spirit because of a sense of sin
40. Contumacious (adj.) - Rebellious
41. Convalesce (v) - To recover after a sickness.
42. Convivial (adj.) - Devoted to feasting, or to good-fellowship in eating or drinking
43. Copious (adj.) - Plenteous
44. Corrigible (adj.) - Capable of reformation
45. Culpable (adj.) - Guilty
46. Cynical (adj.) - Exhibiting moral skepticism.
A collection of some tough GRE words
1. Candor - honesty or openness
2. Cavort - Jump or run about playfully
3. Chipper- cheerful and lively
4. Chuffed - very pleased
5. Clement - pleasantly mild an dry
6. Coltish - energetic and out of control
7. Consecrate - officially declared holy
8. Convivial - pleasant friendly and relaxed
9. Churn - feel sick
10. Churning - moving about violently
11. Circuitous - complicated
12. Clammy- unpleasantly sticky
13. Clandestine - kept secret
14. Claustrophobic - uncomfortable and
unhappy
1. Cloying - unpleasant; too sentimental
2. Clunky - heavy and rather awkward
3. Coarsen - to become less polite
4. Concussed - loose consciousness or become
sick
1. Consternation - feeling of anxiety or fear
2. Crabby-bad tempered and unpleasant
3. Cranky-strange and eccentric
4. Crummy- of poor quality
5. Calamitous - very unfortunate or serious
6. Callous - very cruel
7. Carouse- behave very noisily
8. Cataclysmic - unpleasant
9. Catastrophic - disasters
10. Catatonic - unable to move or respond
11. Caustic - extremely critical or cruel
12. Chaotic - disorderly and confusingly
13. Chapped - dry cracked and sore
14. Chauvinistic - pompous, self satisfied
15. Cheeky - slightly rude or disrespectful
16. Chubby - rather fat
17. Chic - fashionable and sophisticated
18. Chivalrous - polite, kind and unselfish
19. Choreographed - natural but arranged
20. Clustered - friendly, close, dissatisfaction
21. Cocooned - isolated and protected
22. Cogent - Convincing
23. Cognitive - able to know or perceive
24. Commiserate - to show sympathy of pity
25. Coruscating - lively intelligent and impressive
26. Cosset - pamper and protect of strong.
27. Capricious - changeable
28. Castigate - to speak angrily, criticize
29. Cavil - criticize and object
30. Chafe - feel annoyed
31. Chagrined - disappointed and annoyed
32. Chastening - punishing, disciplining
33. Choleric - easily angered
34. Churlish - unfriendly, bad-tempered
35. Circumvent - evade, disobey
36. Clamorous - loud, confused, noisy
37. Clannish - unfriendly
38. Cliquey - unfriendly
39. Cloistered - sheltered, secluded
40. Cot - not genuine
41. Coercive - compelling
42. Crass - stupid and non considerate
43. Cringe - feel embarrassed and disgusted
44. Curt-reply in a brief rude manner
45. Cutesy-to dislike someone
46. Circumscribed - restricted
47. Concatenation - one after another
48. Concomitant - happen at the same time
49. Conflate - made one by joining
50. Contrite - feel sorry
51. Coquettish - playful and attractive
52. Cower - frightened and uncomfortable
53. Crepuscular- twilight
54. Callow - inexperienced
55. Capacious - spacious
56. Categorical - definite and firm
57. Cathartic - laxative
58. Cerebral - intellectual rather than emotional
59. Certitude - certainly
60. Chary - cautious
61. Coddle - cherish and protect carefully
62. Cogitate - think deeply
63. Cognizant-aware
64. Coherent- connected
65. Cohesive - united
66. Cachinnate - to laugh loudly
67. Catholicon - a universal remedy
68. Cheverel - pliable, yielding
69. Cicerone - a guide who gives information to
Sight seers
Clerisy - learned people as a body; scholars
2. Coalesce - to form one whole
3. Coetaneous- contemporary, simultaneous
4. Coeval- of the same age
5. Colloquium - an academic conference or
seminar
1. Conquistador- a conqueror
B - High Frequency GRE Words
- Badger (v) - To pester.
- Baleful (adj.) - Malignant.
- Befog (v) - To confuse.
- Belie (v) - To misrepresent.
- Belligerent (adj.) - Manifesting a warlike spirit.
- Benevolence (n) - Any act of kindness or well-doing.
- Benign (adj.) - Good and Kind at heart.
- Benison (n) - Blessing.
- Bereave (v) - To make desolate with loneliness and grief.
- Beseech (v) - To implore.
- Blasé (adj.) - Sated with pleasure.
- Browbeat (v) - To overwhelm, or attempt to do so, by stern, haughty, or rude address or manner.
- Bulwark (n) - Anything that gives security or defense.
- Bumptious (adj.) - Full of offensive and aggressive self-conceit.
A collection of some tough GRE words
- Ballyhooed - very much excited
- Balmy - fairly warm and pleasant
- Baronial - large old fashioned and impressive
- Beatific - expression of great happiness and
calmness
- Barnstorming — energetic, very exciting
- Bash - party or celebration
- Beguiling - charming and attractive
- Benign - kind, gentle and harmless
- Blandly - calmly and quietly
- Blatant - open or very obvious
- Blithe - cheerful
- Boisterous - noisy, lively and energetic
- Bonny - attractive and nice
- Brazen - to be very bold
- Buoyed - more cheerful and optimistic
- Bash - attack, hit: criticize
- Battered - old and poor
- Bawdy)- humorous
- Bawl - shout :cry
- Bedraggled - untidy: dirty
- Befuddle – confuse
- Beholden - in debt
- Belabor - hit hard and repeatedly
- Beleaguer- oppress, harass; besiege
- Belligerent-hostile and aggressive
- Bemuse - Confuse
- Benighted ~ unfortunate
- Berk - stupid or irritating
- Berserk - crazy, out of control
- Besotted - seem silly or foolish
- Bestial ~ very unpleasant or disgusting
- Bilious - unpleasant and rarer disgust
- Bizarre - very odd and strange
- Bland - rather dull and unexciting
- Blasphemous — disrespectful of God
- Blather - to speak unimportant things
- Bleak - bad, unlikely to improve
- Bleary-dull, tired
- Bleat - to speak in a weak and high voice
- Blight-spoil
- Blimey - surprise
- Blissful- totally unaware
- Bolshy - very angry
- Brawl - to fight in a very rough wild way
- Brickbat- very insulting remark
- Brittle - hard but easily broken
- Bruised - unhappy or upset
- Brusque ~ curt and offhand in manner
- Buccaneering - unscrupulous
- Bucolic - related to countryside
- Bulbous - fat and bulging
- Bumbling - confused, disorganized
- Bumpkin - uneducated and stupid
- Bushed - tired
- Bustled- hurried
- Balk (baulk) - to shirk, to frustrate
- Baloney — foolish and wrong
- Bamboozle - confuse greatly
- Banal - ineffective, uninteresting
- Bandy- argue or exchange words
- Belligerent- hostile and aggressive
- Barrack - interrupt
- Bashful - shy and easily embarrassed
- Batter- hurt
- Bay - demand
- Bellow-shout angrily
- Bemoan ~ to express sorrow or
- Berate - speak angrily
- Bereft - deprived
- Betray - hurt and disappoint.
- Bewail - to express great sorrow
- Biff - hit with fist
- Bigotry - possession or expression of
prejudice
- Bitch -disapprove
- Blanch - dislike
- Brash - disapprove
- Bridle - restrain
- Bumptious — very proud, conceited
- Bestride - to be most powerful and important
- Bide - wait for a good opportunity
- Bourgeois - conventional
- Budge - move slightly
- Ballpark - approximate
- Bandwagon - fashionable or popular
- Bankroll - to provide financial resources
- Baroque - complicated and elaborate
- Banausic - uncultivated, materialistic
- Barmecide — illusory, imaginary
- Bight - a curve or recess in a coastline.
river etc
- Bissextile - leap year
- Brobdingnagian - huge, immense, gigantic
Letter ‘A’ High Frequency GRE Words
1. Abase (v} - To lower in position, estimation, or the like; degrade.
2. Abdicate (v) - To give up (royal power or the like).
3. Aberration (n) - Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course.
4. Abet (v) - To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense).
5. Abhorrent (adj.) - Very repugnant; hateful.
6. Abject (adj.} - Sink to a very low condition.
7. Abjure (v) - To recant, renounce, repudiate under oath.
8. Abnegate (v) - To renounce (a right or privilege).
9. Abominable (adj.) - Very hateful.
10. Abrasion (n) - That which is rubbed off.
11. Abrogate (v) - To abolish, repeat
12. Absolve (v) - To free from sin of its penalties.
13. .
14. Abstruse (adj.) - Difficult to understand.
15. Abut (v) - To touch at the end or boundary line.
16. Abyss (n) - Bottomless gulf.
17. Accede (v) - To agree.
18. Accomplice (n) - An associate in wrong-doing.
19. Accost (v) - To speak to.
1. Accouter (v) - To dress,
2. Acerbity (n) - Sourness, with bitterness and astringency.
3. Achromatic (adj.) - Colorless.
4. Acoustic (adj.) - Pertaining to the act or sense of hearing.
5. Acquiescence (n) - Passive consent.
6. Acreage(n)- Land, estate
7. Acrid (adj.) - Harshly pungent or bitter,
8. Acrimonious (adj.) - Full of bitterness.
9. Addle (v) - To make inefficient or worthless; muddle.
10. Adduce (v) - To bring forward or name for consideration,
11. Adjuration (n) - A vehement appeal.
12. Adjutant (adj.) - Auxiliary.
13. Adroit (adj.) - Having skill in the use of the bodily or mental powers.
14. Adumbrate (v) - To represent beforehand in outline or by emblem.
15. Advert (v) -To refer incidentally.
16. Affable (adj.) - Easy to approach.
17. Affluence (n) - A profuse or abundant supply of riches.
18. Affront (n) - An open insult or indignity.
19. Agglomerate (v) - To pile or heap together.
20. Aggrandize (v) - To cause to appear greatly.
21. Aggressive (adj.) - self assertive, forceful.
22. Aghast (adj.) - Struck with terror and amazement.
A collection of some tough GRE words
1. Accentuate ( verb): to intensify
2. Accolade (noun) : Honor or attribute
3. Abeyance ( noun) : Not in present operation
4. Abound(v): Large in number
5. Abseil ( verb): To slide down
6. Abstemious ( adj) Avoid enjoying too much
7. Accretion (noun) addition to something
8. Accrue (verb) accumulate
9. Acme (noun) height of excellence
10. Affable (adj) genial, pleasant
11. Ambient (adj) the immediate surrounding
12. Acumen (noun): ability to judge
13. Aft ( adv): close to, back
14. Adroit (adj) : quick and skillful
15. Astute (adj): shrewd, incisive
16. Ameliorate (adj): make better or improve
17. Apocryphal (adj): mythical, fictional, untrue
18. Assiduous ( adj) constant, unremitting
19. Apogee(noun) the highest or most distant point
20. Assuage( verb) to make milder or less severe
21. Aplomb ( noun) Poise, assurance
22. Appetence (n) - longing, desire
23. Arrogate (v) - to attribute unjustly to
24. Atrabilious (adj)- ill-tempered
25. Ataraxy (n) - calmness, tranquility
26. Ascesis (n) - the practice of self-discipline
27. Adipose (adj) - characterized by fat
28. Adumbrate (v)- to indicate faintly; to Outline; typify
29. Alopecia (adj)–baldness
30. Amphibology (n) - an ambiguous wording
31. Analeptic (of drugs, etc.)(adj) –restorative
32. Asthenic (adj) - weakened, debilitated
33. Atrabilious (adj)– melancholy
34. Accoutrements (n)- equipment, trappings
35. Adiaphorism (n) - religious or theological indifference
36. Adminicle (n) - a thing that helps
37. Afflatus (n) – inspiration
38. Agora (n)- a place of public assembly, especially the market place
39. Adventitious (adj)- accidental, casual; unexpected
40. Aegis(n) - protection, defense
41. Alembic (n) - a means of refining or extracting
42. Anchorite (n) - a hermit
43. Anfractuosity (n) – intricacy
44. Antinomy (n)-paradox
45. Apiculture (n) - bee-keeping
46. Apodictic (adj) - clearly established; of clear
47. Asseverate (v) - to declare solemnly
48. Astral (adj) - of stars
49. Austral (adj) - southern - self-sufficiency especially as an economic system
50. Autochthons (n) - aboriginals
2. Abdicate (v) - To give up (royal power or the like).
3. Aberration (n) - Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course.
4. Abet (v) - To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense).
5. Abhorrent (adj.) - Very repugnant; hateful.
6. Abject (adj.} - Sink to a very low condition.
7. Abjure (v) - To recant, renounce, repudiate under oath.
8. Abnegate (v) - To renounce (a right or privilege).
9. Abominable (adj.) - Very hateful.
10. Abrasion (n) - That which is rubbed off.
11. Abrogate (v) - To abolish, repeat
12. Absolve (v) - To free from sin of its penalties.
13. .
14. Abstruse (adj.) - Difficult to understand.
15. Abut (v) - To touch at the end or boundary line.
16. Abyss (n) - Bottomless gulf.
17. Accede (v) - To agree.
18. Accomplice (n) - An associate in wrong-doing.
19. Accost (v) - To speak to.
1. Accouter (v) - To dress,
2. Acerbity (n) - Sourness, with bitterness and astringency.
3. Achromatic (adj.) - Colorless.
4. Acoustic (adj.) - Pertaining to the act or sense of hearing.
5. Acquiescence (n) - Passive consent.
6. Acreage(n)- Land, estate
7. Acrid (adj.) - Harshly pungent or bitter,
8. Acrimonious (adj.) - Full of bitterness.
9. Addle (v) - To make inefficient or worthless; muddle.
10. Adduce (v) - To bring forward or name for consideration,
11. Adjuration (n) - A vehement appeal.
12. Adjutant (adj.) - Auxiliary.
13. Adroit (adj.) - Having skill in the use of the bodily or mental powers.
14. Adumbrate (v) - To represent beforehand in outline or by emblem.
15. Advert (v) -To refer incidentally.
16. Affable (adj.) - Easy to approach.
17. Affluence (n) - A profuse or abundant supply of riches.
18. Affront (n) - An open insult or indignity.
19. Agglomerate (v) - To pile or heap together.
20. Aggrandize (v) - To cause to appear greatly.
21. Aggressive (adj.) - self assertive, forceful.
22. Aghast (adj.) - Struck with terror and amazement.
A collection of some tough GRE words
1. Accentuate ( verb): to intensify
2. Accolade (noun) : Honor or attribute
3. Abeyance ( noun) : Not in present operation
4. Abound(v): Large in number
5. Abseil ( verb): To slide down
6. Abstemious ( adj) Avoid enjoying too much
7. Accretion (noun) addition to something
8. Accrue (verb) accumulate
9. Acme (noun) height of excellence
10. Affable (adj) genial, pleasant
11. Ambient (adj) the immediate surrounding
12. Acumen (noun): ability to judge
13. Aft ( adv): close to, back
14. Adroit (adj) : quick and skillful
15. Astute (adj): shrewd, incisive
16. Ameliorate (adj): make better or improve
17. Apocryphal (adj): mythical, fictional, untrue
18. Assiduous ( adj) constant, unremitting
19. Apogee(noun) the highest or most distant point
20. Assuage( verb) to make milder or less severe
21. Aplomb ( noun) Poise, assurance
22. Appetence (n) - longing, desire
23. Arrogate (v) - to attribute unjustly to
24. Atrabilious (adj)- ill-tempered
25. Ataraxy (n) - calmness, tranquility
26. Ascesis (n) - the practice of self-discipline
27. Adipose (adj) - characterized by fat
28. Adumbrate (v)- to indicate faintly; to Outline; typify
29. Alopecia (adj)–baldness
30. Amphibology (n) - an ambiguous wording
31. Analeptic (of drugs, etc.)(adj) –restorative
32. Asthenic (adj) - weakened, debilitated
33. Atrabilious (adj)– melancholy
34. Accoutrements (n)- equipment, trappings
35. Adiaphorism (n) - religious or theological indifference
36. Adminicle (n) - a thing that helps
37. Afflatus (n) – inspiration
38. Agora (n)- a place of public assembly, especially the market place
39. Adventitious (adj)- accidental, casual; unexpected
40. Aegis(n) - protection, defense
41. Alembic (n) - a means of refining or extracting
42. Anchorite (n) - a hermit
43. Anfractuosity (n) – intricacy
44. Antinomy (n)-paradox
45. Apiculture (n) - bee-keeping
46. Apodictic (adj) - clearly established; of clear
47. Asseverate (v) - to declare solemnly
48. Astral (adj) - of stars
49. Austral (adj) - southern - self-sufficiency especially as an economic system
50. Autochthons (n) - aboriginals
What is the difference between well and good?
In general, use well to describe an activity, good to describe a thing. When it is an activity being described, use well, as in "He did well in the spelling bee." Well is an adverb in that instance, describing the verb. When it is a condition or a passive state being described, use good, as in "You're looking good tonight." Good is an adjective in this instance, describing the noun. With feel good/feel well, it is more complicated. In this case, the word well is being used an adjective meaning 'healthy' - so it is ok to say, "I feel well." You can say "I feel good" also, but it is more informal and is borderline slang. Do hyphenate well when it is placed with a past-participial verb before a noun, as in "well-known fairy tale" but not if it follows what it modifies, as "That book was well researched."
In general, use well to describe an activity, good to describe a thing. When it is an activity being described, use well, as in "He did well in the spelling bee." Well is an adverb in that instance, describing the verb. When it is a condition or a passive state being described, use good, as in "You're looking good tonight." Good is an adjective in this instance, describing the noun. With feel good/feel well, it is more complicated. In this case, the word well is being used an adjective meaning 'healthy' - so it is ok to say, "I feel well." You can say "I feel good" also, but it is more informal and is borderline slang. Do hyphenate well when it is placed with a past-participial verb before a noun, as in "well-known fairy tale" but not if it follows what it modifies, as "That book was well researched."
What is the difference between then and than?
These two words are quite different! Their only similarity is in the way they sound. Than is used to compare or contrast things, as in "He is a lot smaller than his older brother." Then refers to time or consequence: "And the Canaanite was then in the land" (Gen. xii. 6.); "If all this be so, then man has a natural freedom" (Locke). So if one thing follows or results from another, use then. Than is also used before a pronoun, as in "Paul loves pizza more than me."
What is the difference between main and helping verbs?
A helping verb accompanies the main verb in a clause and helps to make distinctions in mood, voice, aspect, and tense. A helping or auxiliary verb (such as have, can, or will) accompanies the main verb in a clause and helps to make distinctions in mood, voice, aspect, and tense. The main verb represents the chief action in the sentence. Some helping verbs can also stand alone and act as a main verb, e.g., be, being, been, am, are, is, was, were, do, does, did, have, had, and has. Other helping verbs have to work with a main verb: may, might, must, could, should, would, can, shall, and will. Remember that sometimes another word separates the helping verb from the main verb, as in "She could not find her keys" where not separates them. Up to three helping verbs can accompany a main verb, "The child must have been teasing the cat", but many main verbs do not need any helping verb.
A helping verb accompanies the main verb in a clause and helps to make distinctions in mood, voice, aspect, and tense. A helping or auxiliary verb (such as have, can, or will) accompanies the main verb in a clause and helps to make distinctions in mood, voice, aspect, and tense. The main verb represents the chief action in the sentence. Some helping verbs can also stand alone and act as a main verb, e.g., be, being, been, am, are, is, was, were, do, does, did, have, had, and has. Other helping verbs have to work with a main verb: may, might, must, could, should, would, can, shall, and will. Remember that sometimes another word separates the helping verb from the main verb, as in "She could not find her keys" where not separates them. Up to three helping verbs can accompany a main verb, "The child must have been teasing the cat", but many main verbs do not need any helping verb.
26sep2009
logorrhea
\law-guh-REE-uh\ , noun:
1.Pathologically incoherent, repetitious speech.
2.Incessant or compulsive talkativeness; wearisome volubility.
Quotes:
By his own measure, he is a man of many contradictions, beginning with the fact that he is famous as a listener but suffers from "a touch of logorrhea." He is so voluble that one wonders how his subjects get a word in edgewise.
-- Mel Gussow, "Listener, Talker, Now Literary Lion: It's Official.", New York Times, June 17, 1997
It's also not good if your date has logorrhea.
-- Monte Williams, "8 Minutes in the Life of a Jewish Single: Not Attracted? Next!", New York Times, March 5, 2000
Mr. King, who possesses an enviable superabundance of imagination, suffers from a less enviable logorrhea.
-- Michele Slung, "Scare Tactics.", New York Times, May 10, 1981
Origin:
Logorrhea is derived from Greek logos, "word" + rhein, "to flow."
25sep2009
Efficacious
ef-ih-KAY-shuhs\ , adjective:
1.Capable of having the desired result or effect; effective as a means, measure, remedy, etc.
Quotes:
Lawyers make claims not because they believe them to be true, but because they believe them to be legally efficacious.
-- Paul F. Campos, Jurismania
Henri IV wrote to his son's nurse, Madame de Montglat, in 1607 insisting 'it is my wish and my command that he be whipped every time he is stubborn or misbehaves, knowing full well from personal experience that nothing in the world is as efficacious'.
-- Katharine MacDonogh, Reigning Cats and Dogs: A History of Pets at Court Since the Renaissance
Plagued by rats, the citizens of Hamelin desperately seek some efficacious method of pest control.
-- Francine Prose, review of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, as retold by Robert Holden, New York Times, August 16, 1998
Origin:
Efficacious is from Latin efficax, -acis, from efficere, "to effect, to bring about," from ex-, "out" + facere, "to do or make."
ef-ih-KAY-shuhs\ , adjective:
1.Capable of having the desired result or effect; effective as a means, measure, remedy, etc.
Quotes:
Lawyers make claims not because they believe them to be true, but because they believe them to be legally efficacious.
-- Paul F. Campos, Jurismania
Henri IV wrote to his son's nurse, Madame de Montglat, in 1607 insisting 'it is my wish and my command that he be whipped every time he is stubborn or misbehaves, knowing full well from personal experience that nothing in the world is as efficacious'.
-- Katharine MacDonogh, Reigning Cats and Dogs: A History of Pets at Court Since the Renaissance
Plagued by rats, the citizens of Hamelin desperately seek some efficacious method of pest control.
-- Francine Prose, review of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, as retold by Robert Holden, New York Times, August 16, 1998
Origin:
Efficacious is from Latin efficax, -acis, from efficere, "to effect, to bring about," from ex-, "out" + facere, "to do or make."
24sep2009
alacrity
\uh-LACK-ruh-tee\ , noun:
1.A cheerful or eager readiness or willingness, often manifested by brisk, lively action or promptness in response.
Quotes:
As for his homemade meatloaf sandwich with green tomato ketchup, a condiment he developed while working in New York, I devoured it with an alacrity unbecoming in someone who gets paid to taste carefully.
-- R.W. Apple Jr., "Southern Tastes, Worldly Memories", New York Times, April 26, 2000
Arranged in long ranks, ten-, twelve-, or thirteen-year-old girls, pale and hollow-eyed, their pinned-back hair sprouting tendrils limp with perspiration, operated the machinery with such alacrity that arms and hands were a flying blur.
-- Patricia Albers, Shadows, Fire, Snow: The Life of Tina Modotti
So, I am sure that I was thrilled when I got the letter offering me the fellowship and equally sure that I wrote back to accept with alacrity.
-- Joan L. Richards, Angles of Reflection
Origin:
Alacrity comes from Latin alacritas, from alacer, "lively."
\uh-LACK-ruh-tee\ , noun:
1.A cheerful or eager readiness or willingness, often manifested by brisk, lively action or promptness in response.
Quotes:
As for his homemade meatloaf sandwich with green tomato ketchup, a condiment he developed while working in New York, I devoured it with an alacrity unbecoming in someone who gets paid to taste carefully.
-- R.W. Apple Jr., "Southern Tastes, Worldly Memories", New York Times, April 26, 2000
Arranged in long ranks, ten-, twelve-, or thirteen-year-old girls, pale and hollow-eyed, their pinned-back hair sprouting tendrils limp with perspiration, operated the machinery with such alacrity that arms and hands were a flying blur.
-- Patricia Albers, Shadows, Fire, Snow: The Life of Tina Modotti
So, I am sure that I was thrilled when I got the letter offering me the fellowship and equally sure that I wrote back to accept with alacrity.
-- Joan L. Richards, Angles of Reflection
Origin:
Alacrity comes from Latin alacritas, from alacer, "lively."
23sep2009
farrago
\fuh-RAH-go; fuh-RAY-go\ , noun:
1.A confused mixture; an assortment; a medley.
Quotes:
Ivan Illich writes "a farrago of sub-Marxist cliches, false analogies, non sequiturs, false or bent facts and weird prophesies."
-- "The Paul Johnson Enemies List", New York Times, September 18, 1977
Roy Hattersley will upset much of
-- "Literary classics panned by critics", Independent, January 18, 1999
From the moment the story of the Countess of Wessex and the Sheikh of Wapping broke, there has been a farrago of rumour, speculation and fantasy of which virtually every newspaper should be ashamed.
-- Roy Greenslade, "A sting in the tale", The Guardian, April 9, 2001
Origin:
Farrago comes from the Latin farrago, "a mixed fodder for cattle," hence "a medley, a hodgepodge," from far, a sort of grain.
22sep2009
tchotchke
/CHOCH-kuh\ , noun:
1.A trinket; a knickknack.
Quotes:
The rare tchotchke aside, our antiquing journeys mainly amounted to wishful foraging, in the spirit of a more roomy and prosperous someday we somehow never really articulated.
-- Jacquelyn Mitchard, The Most Wanted
Of course, you also have arcades, like Funland, and your typical tchotchke vendors, like Ryan's Gems and Junk.
-- Jamie Peck, "Rehoboth Beach", Newsday, May 18, 2001
I'm going nuts with my mother's accumulation of tchotchkes -- it's bad enough she never parted with one she got as a gift -- but why did she have to buy more?
-- "Artifacts of Life", Newsday, December 9, 1996
Origin:
Tchotchke is from Yiddish tshatshke, "trinket," ultimately of Slavic origin. It is also spelled tsatske.
/CHOCH-kuh\ , noun:
1.A trinket; a knickknack.
Quotes:
The rare tchotchke aside, our antiquing journeys mainly amounted to wishful foraging, in the spirit of a more roomy and prosperous someday we somehow never really articulated.
-- Jacquelyn Mitchard, The Most Wanted
Of course, you also have arcades, like Funland, and your typical tchotchke vendors, like Ryan's Gems and Junk.
-- Jamie Peck, "Rehoboth Beach", Newsday, May 18, 2001
I'm going nuts with my mother's accumulation of tchotchkes -- it's bad enough she never parted with one she got as a gift -- but why did she have to buy more?
-- "Artifacts of Life", Newsday, December 9, 1996
Origin:
Tchotchke is from Yiddish tshatshke, "trinket," ultimately of Slavic origin. It is also spelled tsatske.
21sep2009
equivocate
\ih-KWIV-uh-kayt\ , intransitive verb:
1.To be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or to avoid committing oneself to anything definite.
Quotes:
The witness shuffled, equivocated, pretended to misunderstand the questions.
-- Thomas Babington Macaulay, History of
By equivocating, hesitating, and giving ambiguous answers, she effected her purpose.
-- Harriet Martineau, Letters from
Dr. Lindzen does not equivocate. "We don't have any evidence that this is a serious problem," he says flatly.
-- William K. Stevens, "Skeptic Asks, Is It Really Warmer?", New York Times, June 17, 1996
Origin:
To equivocate is literally to call equally one thing or the other: It comes from Medieval Latin aequivocare, from the Latin aequus, equal + vocare, to call (from Latin vox, voice).20sep2009
Cognoscente
\kon-yuh-SHEN-tee; kog-nuh-; -SEN-\ , noun:
1.A person with special knowledge of a subject; a connoisseur.
Quotes:
However, I thought it well to acquaint myself with the latest scientific thinking, so as not to write a tale that would embarrass me among the cognoscenti.
-- Ronald Wright, A Scientific Romance
In the early 1600s, however, beliefs that decried curiosity and restricted information about the "secrets" of nature to a handful of cognoscenti were under attack.
-- Tom Shachtman, Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold
Greenspan, to his credit, tells the truth about what he does, but until now, he has done it in a way that only the cognoscenti can understand.
-- Paul Krugman, "Labor Pains", New York Times Magazine, May 23, 1999
Origin:
Cognoscente derives from the Obsolete Italian, from Latin cognoscens, cognoscent-, present participle of cognoscere, "to know."
\kon-yuh-SHEN-tee; kog-nuh-; -SEN-\ , noun:
1.A person with special knowledge of a subject; a connoisseur.
Quotes:
However, I thought it well to acquaint myself with the latest scientific thinking, so as not to write a tale that would embarrass me among the cognoscenti.
-- Ronald Wright, A Scientific Romance
In the early 1600s, however, beliefs that decried curiosity and restricted information about the "secrets" of nature to a handful of cognoscenti were under attack.
-- Tom Shachtman, Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold
Greenspan, to his credit, tells the truth about what he does, but until now, he has done it in a way that only the cognoscenti can understand.
-- Paul Krugman, "Labor Pains", New York Times Magazine, May 23, 1999
Origin:
Cognoscente derives from the Obsolete Italian, from Latin cognoscens, cognoscent-, present participle of cognoscere, "to know."
19sep2009
Eldritch
\EL-drich\ , adjective:
1.Strange; unearthly; weird; eerie.
Quotes:
In the eldritch light of evening in
-- Thom Stark, "Something's Burning", Boardwatch, November 2000
The immitigable mountains and their stark, eldritch trees; coasts where earth abruptly snapped off, never to be continued, or beaches which gnawed it to bright dust and sucked it gently away. . . .
-- Carolyn Kizer, "A Childhood South of Nowhere", New York Times, April 9, 1989
Origin:
Eldritch perhaps derives from a Middle English word meaning "fairyland," from Middle English elf, "elf" (from Old English aelf) + riche, "kingdom" (from Old English rice).
18sep2009
cavort
\kuh-VORT\ , intransitive verb:
1.To bound or prance about.
2.To have lively or boisterous fun; to behave in a high-spirited, festive manner.
Quotes:
. . .Enkidu, who was seduced by gradual steps to embrace the refinements of civilization, only to regret on his deathbed what he had left behind: a free life cavorting with gazelles.
-- Yi-Fu Tuan, Escapism
But why struggle with a term paper on the elements of foreshadowing in Bleak House when I could be cavorting on the beach.
-- Dani Shapiro, Slow Motion
By 1900, Leo-Chico would have been thirteen years old, and just past his bar mitzvah, or old enough to know better than to cavort with street idlers and gamblers.
-- Simon Louvish, Monkey Business
The men spent the next few weeks there drinking beer, eating hibachi-grilled fish, and cavorting with the young ladies.
-- Robert Whiting, Tokyo Underworld
Origin:
Cavort is perhaps an alteration of curvet, "a light leap by a horse" (with the back arched or curved), from Italian corvetta, "a little curve," from Middle French courbette, from courber, "to curve," from Latin curvare, "to bend, to curve," from curvus, "curved, bent."
\kuh-VORT\ , intransitive verb:
1.To bound or prance about.
2.To have lively or boisterous fun; to behave in a high-spirited, festive manner.
Quotes:
. . .Enkidu, who was seduced by gradual steps to embrace the refinements of civilization, only to regret on his deathbed what he had left behind: a free life cavorting with gazelles.
-- Yi-Fu Tuan, Escapism
But why struggle with a term paper on the elements of foreshadowing in Bleak House when I could be cavorting on the beach.
-- Dani Shapiro, Slow Motion
By 1900, Leo-Chico would have been thirteen years old, and just past his bar mitzvah, or old enough to know better than to cavort with street idlers and gamblers.
-- Simon Louvish, Monkey Business
The men spent the next few weeks there drinking beer, eating hibachi-grilled fish, and cavorting with the young ladies.
-- Robert Whiting, Tokyo Underworld
Origin:
Cavort is perhaps an alteration of curvet, "a light leap by a horse" (with the back arched or curved), from Italian corvetta, "a little curve," from Middle French courbette, from courber, "to curve," from Latin curvare, "to bend, to curve," from curvus, "curved, bent."
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
17SEP2009
Progenitor (noun)
Pronunciation [prê-'jen-ê-tê( r)]
Definition: (1) The originator or original ancestor of a line of descent, a direct ancestor; (2) the founder of a family; (3) the originator of anything, a founder, as the progenitor of a philosophical school.
Usage: A progenitor produces progeny, the descendants of a single ancestor (or pair thereof). Back when English was allowed to distinguish between males and females, a female progenitor was known as a progenitrix (plural "progenitrices" ). The state or stature of being a progenitor is "progenitorship" and the adjective for this noun is "progenitorial. "
Suggested Usage: The white families who claimed President Thomas Jefferson as their progenitor were recently confronted by black families who claimed (with reason) to be the progeny of the same man. Jefferson was certainly one of the progenitors of our system of government. While Jews and Christians hold Adam and Eve to be the progenitors of all humankind, it is certainly true that we are all progeny of one couple at some point way back in prehistorical time.
Etymology: From Latin "progenitor, " the noun of progignere "to beget." This word is based on pro- "forward" + gignere, gen- "to beget," containing the same gen- that we see in "generate," "generation, " "gender" and "genus." It appears without the vowel all but hidden in "pregnant," from the Latin word meaning "before giving birth." In English this root became "kin," also seen in "kindred" from Old English cyn "race, family, kin" but also "king" from a time when ruling had genetic connotations. "Kind" originally meant pretty much the same thing as Latin "genus," so it should come as no surprise that they both derived from the same Proto-Indo-European root word.
17SEP2009
Hobnob (verb)
Pronunciation ['hahb-nahb]
Definition: To take turns drinking to or buying drinks for each other; to drink together; to associate with someone of a higher social class.
Usage: Someone who hobnobs is a hobnobber and his behavior may be characterized as hobnobbery. The hyphen, which originally marked the spot where a conjunction ("and" or "or") once stood, is usually omitted now.
Suggested Usage: Keep in mind that the basic meaning of today's word (currently) is to drink together, "Let's go to the pub this weekend; we'll hobnob and watch some football on TV together." The implication is that those involved will take turns buying the drinks. Probably because it rhymes with "snob," the word has taken a different turn in the US, referring to merely associating with someone, but usually someone of higher social register: "Westerbrooke doesn't like the opera, he just hobnobs there with the politically high and snooty."
Etymology: Today's word comes from the adverb phrase (to drink) hob or nob "to toast one another alternately" (also "hob and nob" and "hob-a-nob"). From dialectal hab or nab "have or have not" when "a" was pronounced [ah] as [o] is now. These two derived from habbe "have" and n'abbe, a contraction of ne habbe "not have". In 1601 the phrase meant "give and take" to Shakespeare, who wrote in 'Twelfth Night' (III. iv. 262), "His incensement…is so implacable, that satisfaction can be none, but by pangs of death and sepulcher: Hob, nob, is his word: giv't or take't." Toasting back and forth is a kind of given-and-take and from there the sense "chumming around with" is but a short hop and a skip.
Pronunciation ['hahb-nahb]
Definition: To take turns drinking to or buying drinks for each other; to drink together; to associate with someone of a higher social class.
Usage: Someone who hobnobs is a hobnobber and his behavior may be characterized as hobnobbery. The hyphen, which originally marked the spot where a conjunction ("and" or "or") once stood, is usually omitted now.
Suggested Usage: Keep in mind that the basic meaning of today's word (currently) is to drink together, "Let's go to the pub this weekend; we'll hobnob and watch some football on TV together." The implication is that those involved will take turns buying the drinks. Probably because it rhymes with "snob," the word has taken a different turn in the US, referring to merely associating with someone, but usually someone of higher social register: "Westerbrooke doesn't like the opera, he just hobnobs there with the politically high and snooty."
Etymology: Today's word comes from the adverb phrase (to drink) hob or nob "to toast one another alternately" (also "hob and nob" and "hob-a-nob"). From dialectal hab or nab "have or have not" when "a" was pronounced [ah] as [o] is now. These two derived from habbe "have" and n'abbe, a contraction of ne habbe "not have". In 1601 the phrase meant "give and take" to Shakespeare, who wrote in 'Twelfth Night' (III. iv. 262), "His incensement…is so implacable, that satisfaction can be none, but by pangs of death and sepulcher: Hob, nob, is his word: giv't or take't." Toasting back and forth is a kind of given-and-take and from there the sense "chumming around with" is but a short hop and a skip.
16SEP2009
Anodyne (adjective)
Pronunciation: ['æ-nê-dIn]
Definition: Alleviating or reducing pain; soothing or comforting.
Usage: Today's word originated as an adjective, as in "anodyne words that calmed Delly's mind," but is used as a noun, as "aspirin is an anodyne for headaches." Remember the [y] in the suffix, not to be confused with the more common one, -ine.
Suggested Usage: Anything that soothes and heals wounds of any kind is anodyne, "There is nothing so anodyne as one of mama's apple pies after traveling for weeks and eating at diners and fast-food joints." Of course, be careful telling mama this if she doesn't subscribe to our series, since the word itself has a bit of a medicinal flavor. "A vacation in the Caribbean is just the anodyne I need after baby-sitting the niece and nephew for a week."
Etymology: Today's word originated in Greek anodynos "free from pain," based on an-"without" + odyne "pain." "Odyne" is related to English "eat;" both originate in Proto-Indo-European od-/ed- "bite." In Germanic languages the [d] became [t], which changed to [ss] in German (as in Wasser "water"), so we are not surprised to find essen "to eat" in German. German fressen "to feed, devour" also goes back to Proto-Germanic fra- "completely" + etan "to eat up," which we inherited as fret "to wear or be eaten away, to worry." Escarole? Of course, this word for a variety of endive comes from French which took it from Late Latin escariola "chicory," based on Latin esca "food (eats)" which comes from the root of edere "to eat" plus a suffix –ca.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Vocabulary 4
Widdershins (withershins) (adverb)
Pronunciation: ['wid-êr-shinz]
Definition: Moving in a direction opposite the usual; moving counterclockwise or in the contrary direction (of the sun, especially).
Usage: Today's word is basically an adverb but may be used as an adjective without the final [s]. As a predicate adjective, however, the [s] is usually left on. D. H. Lawrence wrote in 'Plumed Serpent' (1926) "She made up her mind, to be alone, and to cut herself off from all the mechanical widdershin contacts. He, too, was widdershins, unwinding the sensations of disintegration and anti-life."
Suggested Usage: Today's word is another wonderword from the land of kilts and bagpipes that we should all fight to keep alive: "Gerard does everything widdershins; he will either turn out a grandiose success or an abrupt failure." Niches for this word abound in everyday conversations: "Remember, the prophets agree that you get nowhere walking widdershins up the escalator."
Etymology: Middle Low German weddersinnes based on wider "back," whence German wider "against" and wieder "again." The English adverb wither "wrong, perverse" is rarely used any more. The "shins" is from earlier "sinnes" and is related to Latin sentire "sense, feel" since both go back to an original root *sent- "go in or choose a direction." We borrowed "sense" from the noun of this verb. The same root also turns up in English send "to cause someone to go in a direction."
-===-
Vocabulary 3
Stogy (noun)
Pronunciation: ['sto-gee]
Definition: (1) A cheap cigar; (2) Far less often used to refer to rough, cheap workshoes.
Usage: A less desirable spelling is "stogie," an erroneous back derivation from the plural, "stogies." That is, it was derived by removing the plural "-s" marker but without replacing the "ie" with "y," as in "puppy: puppies," "lily : lilies," "pony : ponies."
Suggested Usage: This is a slang term, best used in jest: "No, he doesn't get the stogies he smokes at the cigar shop; I think he rolls them himself." "My neighbor from Cuba hasn't been home lately, so we'll have to smoke these stogies I got at the newsstand."
Etymology: A clipping from around 1853 of "Conestoga," the name of a town in Pennsylvania where one of the first cigar-making factories in the U. S. was built. Cigars made in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York were popular during the Civil War era, with those from the Pennsylvania factory being particularly well known.
==== === == =
Pronunciation: ['sto-gee]
Definition: (1) A cheap cigar; (2) Far less often used to refer to rough, cheap workshoes.
Usage: A less desirable spelling is "stogie," an erroneous back derivation from the plural, "stogies." That is, it was derived by removing the plural "-s" marker but without replacing the "ie" with "y," as in "puppy: puppies," "lily : lilies," "pony : ponies."
Suggested Usage: This is a slang term, best used in jest: "No, he doesn't get the stogies he smokes at the cigar shop; I think he rolls them himself." "My neighbor from Cuba hasn't been home lately, so we'll have to smoke these stogies I got at the newsstand."
Etymology: A clipping from around 1853 of "Conestoga," the name of a town in Pennsylvania where one of the first cigar-making factories in the U. S. was built. Cigars made in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York were popular during the Civil War era, with those from the Pennsylvania factory being particularly well known.
==== === == =
word Group 12
fulsome disgustingly excessive
grovel crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate
incense enrage; infuriate
indomitable unyielding ; that cannot be subdued or conquered / unconquerable
ingratiate bring oneself into favor, especially in order to gain an advantage ; flatter; become popular with
inveigle coax, cajole
lackey footman; toady
obsequious too eager to obey or advantage ; showing excessive respect from hope of reward or advantage; slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic (Remember, Obsequies means funeral ceremony)
parasite animal or plant living on or in another and getting its food from it ; person supported by another and giving him nothing in return / animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant
sequacious eager to follow; ductile
servile of or like a slave ; lacking in the spirit of independence ; obsequious; slavish; cringing
spaniel a submissive, fawning, or cringing person
subjection
subservient useful as a means to a purpose ; giving ot much respect to / behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious
succumb give way to ; yield to temptation, flattery, etc. ; die; yield; give in; die
sycophant a servile flatterer, especially of those in authority or influence
sycophantic servilely flattering
toady flatter for favors
truckle curry favor; act in an obsequious way
word Group 11
xenophobe hatred of strangers
affray public brawl (remember, defray means pay )
altercation quarrel or noisy argument; wordy quarrel
bicker quarrel; to quarrel vi. 1 to have a petty quarrel; squabble 2 to move with quick, rippling noises [a bickering brook] 3 to flicker, twinkle, etc. n. 1 a petty quarrel 2 a rippling or pattering sound
bout n. 1 [Dial.] a going and coming back again, as across a field in plowing; turn 2 a struggle; contest or match [a championship bout] 3 a period of time taken up by some activity, illness, etc.; spell [a bout of the flu, a bout of shopping]
feud a bitter, long-continued, and deadly quarrel, esp. between clans or families vi. to carry on a feud; quarrel n. land held from a feudal lord in return for service; fief
fracas brawl; melee
fray brawl
spat n.[Rare] a slap/a quick, slapping sound/[Colloq.] a brief, petty quarrel or dispute vi.1[Rare] to slap/to strike with a quick, slapping sound/[Colloq.] to engage in a spat, or quarrel
squabble vi. to quarrel noisily over a small matter; wrangle n.a noisy, petty quarrel or dispute; wrangle SYN. quarrel2
vendetta feud; private warfare
wrangle such an argument / take part in a noisy or angry argument / quarrel; obtain through arguing; herd cattle
adulation flattery: admiration
blandishment flattery
cajole coax; wheedle
cringe shrink back, as if in fear
encomiastic praising; eulogistic
fawning courting favor by cringing and flattering
word Group 10
conscientious scrupulous; careful; honest
discreet judicious
discretion carefulness ; prudence ; freedom of judgment, choice, or action / ability to adjust actions to circumstances
gingerly very carefully
judicious showing or having good sense; wise; determined by sound judgment
meticulous excessively careful
precise exact
prim very precise and formal; exceedingly proper
prudent acting only after careful thought or planning ; careful; cautious; careful
punctilious laying stress on niceties of conduct or form; precise
sagacious keen; shrewd; having insight
scrupulous conscientious; extremely thorough
scrutinize examine closely and critically
unobtrusive not too obvious or easily noticeable ; discreet / inconspicuous; not blatant
vigilance watchfulness, keeping watch
wary cautious; very cautious
misanthrope hater of mankind ; person who avoids society / one who hates mankind
misogamy hatred of marriage
misogynist hater of women
misologist a hater of knowledge and enlightenment
Negrophobe a person who strongly fears or dislikes black people
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