Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Vocabulary: spring list 2

accoutrements- an additional item of dress or equipment.
Ex- The accoutrements of religious ritual.

apogee- the highest point in the development of something; a climax or culmination 
Ex- The grown up puppy had reached his apogee

apropos- very appropriate to a particular situation

Ex- My mom felt it was an apropos time to discuss what had happened earlier.  

bicker- argue about petty and trivial matters
Ex- My boyfriend and I tend to bicker frequently.

coalesce- come together to form one mass or whole

Ex- The puddles had coalesced into shallow streams.

contretemps- a minior dispute or disagreement; unexpected and unfortunate occurrence
Ex- She had occasional contretemps with her staff. 

convolution- coil or twist; complex and difficult to follow
Ex- The drama that takes place at school are just convolutions

cull- reduce population by selective slaughter 
Ex- The deer that were culled will be used for scientific research. 

disparate- essentially different in kind; not able to be compared.
Ex- They inhabit disparate worlds of thought.

dogmatic- inclined to lay down principles as undeniably true.
Ex- She was not tempted to be dogmatic about what she believed. 

licentious- promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual mattersm

Ex- The licentious avenues of New York City. 

mete- dispense of allot justice, a punishment, or harsh treatment

Ex- Police officers mete subjects depending on their races.

noxious- harmful, poisonous or very unpleasant 

Ex- They were overcome by the noxious fumes.

polemic- a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something

Ex- The group came at me with a polemic about the assignment. 

populous- having a large population; densely populated

Ex- Righetti is a very populous campus. 

probity- the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency

Ex- The bank holds financial probity.

repartee- conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies.

Ex- Texting conversations are simply repartees

supervene- occur as an interruption or change to an existing situation

Ex- The woman couldn't have surgery because she had a cold that seemed to supervene.

truncate- ending abruptly as if cut off across the base or tip.

Ex- The tree's life had a truncate ending, leaving only a stump. 

unimpeachable- not able to be doubted, questioned or criticized; entirely trustworthy 

Ex- Our friendship is unimpeachable.

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