Vocabulary List #20: April 9-13 – Homophones

aisle a narrow space for walking between rows of seats

isle a small island

aloud to say something so that it is audible

allowed given permission to do something

assistance aid or help given to another person

assistants persons who provide help or aid

bazaar an outdoor market or shop with an eclectic variety of goods

bizarre odd, strange, unusual

suite a series of connected rooms or instrumental movements

sweet having a pleasant taste; sugary

Vocabulary List #19: March 26-30 – Combination of Weeks 17 & 18

Vocabulary List #18: March 19-23 – Latin roots “poser” and “vertere”

advertisement a public notice used to call attention to a product

convert to change one idea (or form of currency) for another

controversy a public disagreement that usually takes a long time to settle

decompose to decay or rot; the breaking down of a formerly living thing

disposable something that is used once or twice and then thrown away

diversion a deliberate distraction

extrovert a person with an outgoing personality

imposing impressive, massive, commanding awe or fear

introvert a person who prefers being alone to being with other people

proposal a plan or suggestion; an idea put forth for consideration

Vocabulary List #17: February 20-24 – more foreign words and phrases used in English

avant-garde artists, writers, or ideas that are ahead of their times

bona fide something to be trusted; the real thing

carpe diem “seize the day”; take advantage of the present opportunity

caveat emptor “let the buyer beware”

c’est la vie “that’s life”; too bad, that’s the way things go

hoi polloi the common people

prima donna “first lady”; somebody who demands extra attention and privileges

status quo the way things are right now

tempus fugit “time flies”; life is short

vox populi “the voice of the people”

Vocabulary List #16: February 6-10

A combination of Weeks 14 & 15, twenty words total

Vocabulary List #15: January 30-February 3 – Hands and Feet

centipede an insect with many legs

emancipate to set free; to release from bondage

impede to get in the way; to hinder

management the conducting or supervising of something or someone

manicure cosmetic treatment of the hands and fingernails

manipulate to rearrange, move, or change something

manufacture the act of making something from raw materials

pedestal the base on which a column or statue stands

pedigree an individual’s ancestors; traits found in a family

pedometer an instrument used to measure the distance one travels on foot

Vocabulary List #14 (no, we haven’t skipped any): January 9-13, 2012 – foreign words/phrases commonly used in English

alma mater the college or school that one attends; its official song

bon voyage “Have a good journey”; “Farewell”; used to express good wishes to a departing traveller

cum laude with distinction, honors, or praise

déjà vu “I’ve seen it before”; a felling that one has been in a place or experienced a certain situation before

du jour “of the day”

e pluribus unum “out of many, one” (Motto of the United States of America)

esprit de corps team spirit

et cetera “and that which follows”; “and others”

faux pas “false step”; an unintentional social blunder

verbatim word for word

Vocabulary List #11: December 5-9 - Even More Greek Roots!

barometer an instrument used for measuring the atmosphere’s pressure

centimeter one one-hundredth of a meter

diameter measures the length of a straight line through the center or across an object

geometry a branch of math that deals with measuring lines, points, angles, etc.

speedometer a device used for measuring speed

symmetry balanced proportions

thermal of, relating to, or caused by heat

thermometer a device used for measuring heat

thermos a bottle that retains its contents’ temperature

thermostat a device used to regulate temperature

Vocabulary List #10: November 28-December 2 – Greek Roots

chronic a persistent or long-lasting condition

chronicle a written history of an event

chronological in order of the time that events occured

dehydrated without water or moisture

hydrant an upright pipe with a nozzle or spout for drawing water from a water main

hydraulic a tool that uses water pressure to operate

hydroelectric a form of energy generated by the conversion of water to electricity

hydrogen a gas that forms with oxygen to produce water

hydrophobia fear of water

synchronize to coordinate time; to have the same time

Vocabulary List #9: October 17-19

A combination of Weeks 7 & 8 (20 words total).

Show your mastery of these vivid verbs and awesome adjectives!

Vocabulary List #8: Oct. 10-14 – Awesome Adjectives

bizarre odd in manner or appearance; peculiar

eclectic made up of a variety of sources or styles

hieroglyphic written in a system using picture symbols

immune free from or protected from disease or unpleasant things

jaunty showing a cheerful confidence

nocturnal active at night, but inactive during the day

toxic extremely hazardous or poisonous to living things

ultraviolet invisible rays from the sun

unanimous in total agreement; sharing the same opinion

wretched of very poor quality or condition; miserable; unhappy

Vocabulary List #7: Oct. 4-8 – Vivacious Verbs

aspire to want or wish to become something important; to have an ambitious plan

bamboozle to trick someone; to cheat or confuse another person

commemorate to preserve or honor the memory of someone or something

cower to cringe from fear; to shrink away

divulge to disclose a secret; to reveal

exult to rejoice; to be extremely joyful

pulverize to reduce to small pieces; to demolish

recede to pull back or move away from

undulate to form or move in waves

vacillate to hesitate in choice of opinions or courses of action

Vocabulary List #6: Sept. 26-30

This week is a combination of Weeks 4 & 5. Is your study regime regular? Be judicious in your studies so that you don’t have to justify a low grade!

Vocabulary List #5: Sept. 19-22

critical involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation; a turning point

critique a review or judgment about another person’s work

hypocrite someone who pretends to have qualities or virtues that he doesn’t possess

regal splendid; suitable for royalty

regime a regular pattern of action; a form of militant government exercising or involving

careful judgment or judicious evaluation

regiment a military unit consisting of a number of battalions

regional relating to, characterized, or affecting a particular area

regular following or conforming to an established, normal pattern

Vocabulary List #4: Sept. 12-16

cosmopolitan made up of, or comfortable with, persons, elements, or influences from many different

parts of the world

democracy government ruled by the people

demographic relating to the statistical study of human populations

epidemic rapid spread of disease to many people at the same time

judicial the branch of government that explains the law

judicious using or showing good judgment; wise, sensible

jurisdiction the territory within which power can be exercised

jury a committee appointed to judge something or someone

justify to defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning

metropolis a large, important city; a center of culture

perjury to break the law by lying under oath

policy a plan or method of action or conduct

Vocabulary List #3: Sept. 5-9

This list is simply a combination of Weeks 1 and 2. Review those words and definitions to ace this week’s test.

Vocabulary List #2: August 29-Sept. 2

boisterous noisy; lacking restraint or discipline

despondent without hope; dejected; miserable; having lost hope

enthusiastic happy or excited about something; having great interest in something

formidable inspiring fear, dread, or alarm; awe-inspiring

impertinent not showing proper respect; rude

jovial good-humored; in high spirits; happy

laconic using few words when talking; right to the point

outrageous shocking; exceeding the bounds of reason or good taste

random not planned or organized; haphazard

voracious having a huge appetite for something, usually food

Vocabulary List #1: August 22-26

accentuate to accent or focus attention upon

alliteration the repetition of consonant sounds in a line of prose or poetry

analogy shows similarity in some respects between two things that are otherwise unalike

dialogue a conversation between two or more characters

fallacy a false notion or mistaken belief

inference an educated guess based on events or ideas that already presented

license permission granted by an authority to carry out some type of action

participle a verb ending in -ing or -ed that takes the role of adjective in a sentence

metaphor a direct comparison of two unlike things, stating that one of them is the other

protagonist the main character (“good guy”) in a short story, novel, or play