100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know - Editors of the American Heritage Di 2016
Pronunciation guide
Pronunciations appear in parentheses after boldface entry words. If a word has more than one pronunciation, the first pronunciation is usually more common than the other, but often they are equally common. Pronunciations are shown after inflections and related words where necessary.
Stress is the relative degree of emphasis that a word’s syllables are spoken with. An unmarked syllable has the weakest stress in the word. The strongest, or primary, stress is indicated with a bold mark (′). A lighter mark (′) indicates a secondary level of stress. The stress mark follows the syllable it applies to. Words of one syllable have no stress mark because there is no other stress level that the syllable is compared to.
The key on page xi shows the pronunciation symbols used in this Dictionary. To the right of the symbols are words that show how the symbols are pronounced. The letters whose sound corresponds to the symbols are shown in boldface.
The symbol (ə) is called schwa. It represents a vowel with the weakest level of stress in a word. The schwa sound varies slightly according to the vowel it represents or the sounds around it:
a·bun·dant (ǝ-bŭn′dǝnt) |
mo·ment (mō′mǝnt) |
civ·il (sĭv′ǝl) |
grate·ful (grāt′fǝl) |
“The strong-bas’d promontory
Have I made shake, and by the spurs pluck’d up
The pine and cedar; graves at my command
Have wak’d their sleepers, op’d, and let ’em forth,
By my so potent art. But this rough magic
I here abjure.”
—William Shakespeare,
The Tempest
1
ab·jure
(ăb-jo͝or′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: ab·jured
Present participle: ab·jur·ing
Third person singular present tense: ab·jures
1. To recant solemnly; renounce or repudiate: “But this rough magic I here abjure” (William Shakespeare, The Tempest). 2. To renounce under oath; forswear: The defendant abjured his previous testimony.
[Middle English abjuren, from Old French abjurer, from Latin abiūrāre : ab-, away + iūrāre, to swear.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—ab′ju·ra′tion (ăb′jə-rā′shən)
noun—ab·jur′er
2
ab·ro·gate
(ăb′rə-gāt′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: ab·ro·gat·ed
Present participle: ab·ro·gat·ing
Third person singular present tense: ab·ro·gates
To abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority: “In 1982, we were told that this amendment meant that our existing Aboriginal and treaty rights were now part of the supreme law of the land, and could not be abrogated or denied by any government” (Matthew Coon-Come, Native Americas).
[Latin abrogāre, abrogāt- : ab-, away + rogāre, to ask.]
RELATED WORD:
noun—ab′ro·ga′tion (ăb′rə-gā′shən)
3
ab·ste·mi·ous
(ăb-stē′mē-əs or əb-stē′mē-əs)
adjective
1. Eating and drinking in moderation: “Mr. Brooke was an abstemious man, and to drink a second glass of sherry quickly at no great interval from the first was a surprise to his system” (George Eliot, Middlemarch). 2. Characterized by abstinence or moderation: The hermit led an abstemious way of life.
[From Latin abstēmius : abs-, ab-, away + *tēmum, liquor, variant of tēmētum.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—ab·ste′mi·ous·ly
noun—ab·ste′mi·ous·ness
4
ac·u·men
(ăk′yə-mən or ə-kyo̅o̅′mən)
noun
Quickness and keenness of judgment or insight: “’No, no, my dear Watson! With all respect for your natural acumen, I do not think that you are quite a match for the worthy doctor’” (Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter).
[Latin acūmen, from acuere, to sharpen, from acus, needle.]
❧ USAGE NOTE: The pronunciation (ə-kyo̅o̅′mən), with stress on the second syllable, is an older, traditional pronunciation reflecting the word’s Latin origin. In recent years it has been supplanted as the most common pronunciation of the word by a variant with stress on the first syllable, (ăk′yə-mən). In our 1997 Usage Panel survey, 68 percent of the Panelists chose this as their pronunciation, while 29 percent preferred the pronunciation with stress on the second syllable. The remaining 3 percent said they use both pronunciations.
5
an·te·bel·lum
(ăn′tē-bĕl′əm)
adjective
Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War: While vacationing in Georgia, we took a tour of stately antebellum houses.
[From Latin ante bellum, before the war : ante, before + bellum, war.]
6
aus·pi·cious
(ô-spĭsh′əs)
adjective
1. Attended by favorable circumstances; propitious: My boss was in a good mood, so I thought it was an auspicious time to ask for a raise. 2. Marked by success; prosperous: The auspicious fundraiser allowed the charity to donate hundreds of toys to the orphanage.
[From Latin auspicium, bird divination, from auspex, auspic-, one who foretold the future by watching the flights of birds.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—aus·pic′ious·ly
noun—aus·pic′ious·ness
7
be·lie
(bē-lī′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: be·lied
Present participle: be·ly·ing
Third person singular present tense: be·lies
1. To give a false representation to; misrepresent: “He spoke roughly in order to belie his air of gentility” (James Joyce, Dubliners). 2. To show to be false; contradict: Their laughter belied their outward anger.
[Middle English bilien, from Old English belēogan, to deceive with lies.]
RELATED WORD:
noun—be·li′er
“He spoke roughly in order to belie his air of gentility, for his entry had been followed by a pause of talk. His face was heated. To appear natural he pushed his cap back on his head and planted his elbows on the table.”
—James Joyce,
Dubliners
8
bel·li·cose
(bĕl′ĭ-kōs′)
adjective
Warlike or hostile in manner or temperament: The nations exchanged bellicose rhetoric over the border dispute.
[Middle English, from Latin bellicōsus, from bellicus, of war, from bellum, war.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—bel′li·cose′ly
noun—bel′li·cos′i·ty (bĕl′ĭ-kŏs′ĭ-tē)
noun—bel′li·cose′ness
9
bowd·ler·ize
(bōd′lə-rīz′ or boud′lə-rīz′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: bowd·ler·ized
Present participle: bowd·ler·iz·ing
Third person singular present tense: bowd·ler·iz·es
To remove material that is considered objectionable or offensive from (a book, for example); expurgate: The publisher bowdlerized the bawdy 18th-century play for family audiences.
[After Thomas Bowdler (1754—1825), who published an expurgated edition of Shakespeare in 1818.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—bowd′ler·ism
noun—bowd′ler·i·za′tion (bōd′lər-ĭ-zā′shən or boud′lər-ĭ-zā′shən)
noun—bowd′ler·iz′er
10
chi·can·er·y
(shĭ-kā′nə-rē or chĭ-kā′nə-rē)
noun
Deception by trickery or sophistry: “The successful man . . . who has risen by conscienceless swindling of his neighbors, by deceit and chicanery, by unscrupulous boldness and unscrupulous cunning, stands toward society as a dangerous wild beast (Theodore Roosevelt, The Strenuous Life).
[From chicane, to deceive, from French chicaner, from Old French, to quibble.]
11
chro·mo·some
(krō′mə-sōm′)
noun
1. A threadlike linear strand of DNA and associated proteins in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells that carries the genes and functions in the transmission of hereditary information: Chromosomes occur in pairs in all of the cells of eukaryotes except the reproductive cells. 2. A circular strand of DNA in bacteria that contains the hereditary information of the cell.
[chromo-, colored (from Greek khrōma, color) + -some, body (from Greek sōma).]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—chro′mo·som′al (krō′mə-sō′məl)
adjective—chro′mo·som′ic (krō′mə-sō′mĭk)
12
churl·ish
(chûr′lĭsh)
adjective
1. Of, like, or befitting a churl; boorish or vulgar. 2. Having a bad disposition; surly: “He is as valiant as the lion, churlish as the bear” (William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida).
[From churl, rude person, from Middle English, from Old English ceorl, peasant.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—chur′lish·ly
noun—chur′lish·ness
13
cir·cum·lo·cu·tion
(sûr′kəm-lō-kyo̅o̅′shən)
noun
1. The use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect language: “There lives no man who at some period has not been tormented, for example, by an earnest desire to tantalize a listener by circumlocution” (Edgar Allan Poe, The Imp of the Perverse). 2. Evasiveness in speech or writing. 3. A roundabout expression: “At such time as” is a circumlocution for the word “when.”
[Middle English circumlocucioun, from Latin circumlocūtiō, circumlocūtiōn-, from circumlocūtus, past participle of circumloquī : circum-, around + loquī, to speak.]
RELATED WORD:
adjective—cir′cum·loc′u·to′ry (sûr′kəm-lŏk′yə-tôr′ē)
“There lives no man who at some period has not been tormented, for example, by an earnest desire to tantalize a listener by circumlocution.”
—Edgar Allan Poe,
The Imp of the Perverse
14
cir·cum·nav·i·gate
(sûr′kəm-năv′ĭ-gāt′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: cir·cum·nav·i·gat·ed
Present participle: cir·cum·nav·i·gat·ing
Third person singular present tense: cir·cum·nav·i·gates
1. To proceed completely around: “The whale he had struck must also have been on its travels; no doubt it had thrice circumnavigated the globe” (Herman Melville, Moby-Dick). 2. To go around; circumvent: I circumnavigated the downtown traffic by taking side streets on the west side of town.
[circum-, around (from Latin) + navigate, to sail (from Latin nāvigāre, nāvigāt- : nāvis, ship + agere, to drive, lead.)]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—cir′cum·nav·i·ga′tion (sûr′kəm-năv′ĭ-gā′shən)
noun—cir′cum·nav′i·ga′tor
15
de·cid·u·ous
(dĭ-sĭj′o̅o̅-əs)
adjective
1. Shedding or losing foliage at the end of the growing season: “Orange-picking begins in December and overlaps the pruning of the deciduous orchards” (Mary Austin, Art Influence in the West). 2. Falling off or shed at a specific season or stage of growth: Male deer have deciduous antlers. 3. Not lasting; ephemeral.
[From Latin dēciduus, from dēcidere, to fall off : dē-, down from + cadere, to fall.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—de·cid′u·ous·ly
noun—de·cid′u·ous·ness
16
del·e·te·ri·ous
(dĕl′ĭ-tîr′ē-əs)
adjective
Having a harmful effect; injurious: “I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous” (Hippocratic Oath).
[From Greek dēlētērios, from dēlētēr, destroyer, from dēleisthai, to harm.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—del′e·te′ri·ous·ly
noun—del′e·te′ri·ous·ness
17
dif·fi·dent
(dĭf′ĭ-dənt or dĭf′ĭ-dĕnt′)
adjective
Lacking or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid: “He was too diffident to do justice to himself; but when his natural shyness was overcome, his behaviour gave every indication of an open affectionate heart” (Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility).
[Middle English, from Latin diffīdēns, diffīdent-, present participle of diffīdere, to mistrust : dis-, not, do the opposite of + fīdere, to trust.]
RELATED WORD:
adverb—dif′fi·dent·ly
18
en·er·vate
(ĕn′ər-vāt′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: en·er·vat·ed
Present participle: en·er·vat·ing
Third person singular present tense: en·er·vates
To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: “What is the nature of the luxury which enervates and destroys nations?” (Henry David Thoreau, Walden).
[Latin ēnervāre, ēnervāt- : ē-, ex-, out of, from + nervus, sinew.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—en′er·va′tion (ĕn′ər-vā′shən)
adjective—en′er·va′tive
noun—en′er·va′tor
❧ USAGE NOTE: Sometimes people mistakenly use enervate to mean “to invigorate” or “to excite” by assuming that this word is a close cousin of energize. In fact, enervate means essentially the opposite. Enervate comes from Latin nervus, “sinew,” and thus means “to cause to become ’out of muscle’,” that is, “to weaken or deplete of strength.” Enervate has no historical connection with energize.
19
en·fran·chise
(ĕn-frăn′chīz′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: en·fran·chised
Present participle: en·fran·chis·ing
Third person singular present tense: en·fran·chis·es
1. To endow with the rights of citizenship, especially the right to vote: Many people who were enfranchised were nonetheless unable to vote because of onerous poll taxes.
2. To free, as from slavery or bondage.
[Middle English enfraunchisen, from Old French enfranchir, enfranchiss-, to set free : en-, intensive prefix + franchir, to free (from franc, free).]
RELATED WORD:
noun—en·fran′chise′ment
20
e·piph·a·ny
(ĭ-pĭf′ə-nē)
noun
Plural: e·piph·a·nies
1. Epiphany a. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi. b. January 6, on which date this feast is traditionally observed. 2. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being. 3. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something; a revelation: “I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself” (Frank Maier, Newsweek).
[Middle English epiphanie, from Old French, from Late Latin epiphania, from Greek epiphaneia, manifestation, from epiphainesthai, to appear : epi-, forth + phainein, phan-, to show.]
RELATED WORD:
adjective—ep′i·phan′ic (ĕp′ə-făn′ĭk)
21
e·qui·nox
(ē′kwə-nŏks′ or ĕk′wə-nŏks′)
noun
Plural: e·qui·nox·es
1. Either of the two times during a year when the sun crosses the celestial equator and when the length of day and night are approximately equal: The vernal equinox occurs on March 20 or 21, and the autumnal equinox occurs on September 22 or 23. 2. Either of two points on the celestial sphere at which the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator.
[Middle English, from Old French equinoxe, from Medieval Latin aequinoxium, from Latin aequinoctium : aequi-, equal + nox, noct-, night.]
RELATED WORD:
adjective—e′qui·noc′tial (ē′kwə-nŏk′shəl or ĕk′wə-nŏk′shəl)
22
eu·ro or Eu·ro
(yo͝or′ō)
noun
Plural: eu·ros or Eu·ros
The basic unit of currency among members of the European Monetary Union: Italy and France are two countries that have adopted the euro.
[After Europe.]
23
ev·a·nes·cent
(ĕv′ə-nĕs′ənt)
adjective
Vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor: “Most certainly I shall find this thought a horrible vision—a maddening, but evanescent dream” (Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, The Last Man).
[From Latin ēvānēscere, to vanish : ē-, ex-, away + vānēscere, to disappear (from vānus, empty).]
RELATED WORDS:
verb—ev′a·nesce′ (ĕv′ə-nĕs′)
adverb —ev′a·nes′cent·ly
24
ex·pur·gate
(ĕk′spər-gāt′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: ex·pur·gat·ed
Present participle: ex·pur·gat·ing
Third person singular present tense: ex·pur·gates
To remove erroneous, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable material from (a book, for example) before publication: The R-rated movie was expurgated before it was shown on network television.
[Latin expūrgāre, expūrgāt-, to purify : ex-, intensive prefix + pūrgāre, to cleanse (from pūrus, pure).]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—ex′pur·ga′tion (ĕk′spər-gā′shən)
noun—ex′pur·ga′tor
25
fa·ce·tious
(fə-sē′shəs)
adjective
Playfully jocular; humorous: The employee’s facetious remarks were not appreciated during the meeting.
[French facétieux, from facétie, jest, from Latin facētia, from facētus, witty.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—fa·ce′tious·ly
noun—fa·ce′tious·ness
26
fat·u·ous
(făch′o̅o̅-əs)
adjective
Foolish or silly, especially in a smug or self-satisfied way: “’Don’t you like the poor lonely bachelor?’ he yammered in a fatuous way” (Sinclair Lewis, Main Street).
[From Latin fatuus.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—fat′u·ous·ly
noun—fat′u·ous·ness
27
feck·less
(fĕk′lĭs)
adjective
1. Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective: “She glowered at the rows of feckless bodies that lay sprawled in the chairs” (Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark). 2. Careless and irresponsible: The feckless student turned in yet another late paper.
[Scots feck, effect + -less.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—feck′less·ly
noun—feck′less·ness
28
fi·du·ci·ar·y
(fĭ-do̅o̅′shē-ĕr′ē or fĭ-do̅o̅′shə-rē or fī-do̅o̅′shē-ĕr′ē or fī-do̅o̅′shə-rē)
adjective
1a. Of or relating to a holding of something in trust for another. b. Of or being a trustee or trusteeship. c. Held in trust. 2. Of or consisting of legal tender, especially paper currency, authorized by a government but not based on or convertible into gold or silver.
noun
Plural: fi·du·ci·ar·ies
One, such as a company director, that has a special relation of trust, confidence, or responsibility in certain obligations to others.
[Latin fīdūciārius, from fīdūcia, trust, from fīdere, to trust.]
“She was going to have a few things before she died. She realized that there were a great many trains dashing east and west on the face of the continent that night, and that they all carried young people who meant to have things. But the difference was that she was going to get them! That was all. Let people try to stop her! She glowered at the rows of feckless bodies that lay sprawled in the chairs. Let them try it once!”
—Willa Cather,
The Song of the Lark
29
fil·i·bus·ter
(fĭl′ə-bŭs′tər)
noun
1a. The use of obstructionist tactics, especially prolonged speechmaking, for the purpose of delaying legislative action. b. An instance of the use of such tactics: The senator’s filibuster lasted over 24 hours. 2. An adventurer who engages in a private military action in a foreign country.
verb
Past participle and past tense: fil·i·bus·tered
Present participle: fil·i·bus·ter·ing
Third person singular present tense: fil·i·bus·ters
intransitive: 1. To use obstructionist tactics in a legislative body. 2. To take part in a private military action in a foreign country.
transitive: To use a filibuster against (a legislative measure, for example).
[From Spanish filibustero, freebooter, from French flibustier, from Dutch vrijbuiter, pirate, freebooter, from vrijbuit, plunder : vrij, free + buit, booty (from Middle Dutch būte, of Middle Low German origin).]
RELATED WORD:
noun—fil′i·bus′ter·er
30
gam·ete
(găm′ēt′ or gə-mēt′)
noun
A reproductive cell having the haploid number of chromosomes, especially a mature sperm or egg capable of fusing with a gamete of the opposite sex to produce the fertilized egg.
[New Latin gameta, from Greek gametē, wife, and gametēs, husband, from gamein, to marry, from gamos, marriage.]
RELATED WORD:
adjective—ga·met′ic (gə-mĕt′ĭk)
31
gauche
(gōsh)
adjective
Lacking grace or social polish; awkward or tactless: “A good man often appears gauche simply because he does not take advantage of the myriad mean little chances of making himself look stylish” (Iris Murdoch, The Black Prince).
[French, awkward, lefthanded, from Old French, from gauchir, to turn aside, walk clumsily, of Germanic origin.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—gauche′ly
noun—gauche′ness
32
ger·ry·man·der
(jĕr′ē-măn′dər or gĕr′ē-măn′dər)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: ger·ry·man·dered
Present participle: ger·ry·man·der·ing
Third person singular present tense: ger·ry·man·ders
To divide (a geographic area) into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections.
noun
1. The act, process, or an instance of gerrymandering. 2. A district or configuration of districts differing widely in size or population because of gerrymandering.
[After Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander (from the shape of an election district created while Gerry was governor of Massachusetts).]
❧ WORD HISTORY: “An official statement of the returns of voters for senators give[s] twenty nine friends of peace, and eleven gerrymanders.” So reported the May 12, 1813, edition of the Massachusetts Spy. A gerrymander sounds like a strange political beast, which it is, considered from a historical perspective. This beast was named by combining the word salamander, “a small lizardlike amphibian,” with the last name of Elbridge Gerry, a former governor of Massachusetts. Gerry was immortalized in this word because an election district created by members of his party in 1812 looked like a salamander. The word is first recorded in April 1812 in reference to the creature or its caricature, but it soon came to mean not only “the action of shaping a district to gain political advantage” but also “any representative elected from such a district by that method.” Within the same year, gerrymander was also recorded as a verb.
33
he·gem·o·ny
(hĭ-jĕm′ə′nē or hĕj′ə-mō′nē)
noun
Plural: he·gem·o·nies
The predominant influence of a state, region, or group, over others: The hegemony of communism in Eastern Europe crumbled in the late 1980s.
[Greek hēgemoniā, from hēgemōn, leader, from hēgeisthai, to lead.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—heg′e·mon′ic (hĕj′ə-mŏn′ĭk)
noun & adjective—he·gem′o·nist (hə-jĕm′ə-nĭst)
❧ USAGE NOTE: Hegemony may be stressed on either the first or second syllable. In a 1988 survey of the Usage Panel, 72 percent of the Panelists preferred the latter.
34
he·mo·glob·in
(hē′mə-glō′bĭn)
noun
The iron-containing pigment in red blood cells of vertebrates, consisting of about 6 percent heme and 94 percent globin. In vertebrates, hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body and carries carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs.
[Ultimately short for hematinoglobulin : hematin, a compound formed from hemoglobin (hemato-, blood, from Greek hēma + -in, chemical suffix) + globulin, a kind of protein (globule, from French, from Latin globulus, diminutive of globus, sphere + -in, chemical suffix).]
35
ho·mo·ge·ne·ous
(hō′mō-jē′nē-əs or hō′mō-jēn′yəs )
adjective
1. Uniform in structure or composition: “Although the Vietnamese in America were at first a homogenous group, in the course of five separate waves of immigration they have encompassed a diverse cross-section of Vietnamese society” (Lowell Weiss, Atlantic Monthly). 2. Of the same or similar nature or kind. 3. Mathematics Consisting of terms of the same degree or elements of the same dimension.
[From Medieval Latin homogeneus, from Greek homogenēs : homo-, same + genos, kind.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—ho′mo·ge′ne·ous·ly
noun—ho′mo·ge′ne·ous·ness
“There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris, none in simple-minded trust of the Kremlin, and none in a confident affection for expanding thermonuclear arsenals.”
—McGeorge Bundy,
New York Times Magazine
36
hu·bris
(hyo̅o̅′brĭs)
noun
Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance: “There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris” (McGeorge Bundy, New York Times Magazine).
[Greek, excessive pride, wanton violence.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—hu·bris′tic (hyo̅o̅-brĭs′tĭk)
adverb—hu·bris′tic·al·ly
37
hy·pot·e·nuse
(hī-pŏt′n-o̅o̅s)
noun
The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle: “You cannot write a textbook of geometry without reference to a hypotenuse and triangles and a rectangular parallelepiped. You simply have to learn what those words mean or do without mathematics” (Hendrick Van Loon, The Story of Mankind).
[Latin hypotēnūsa, from Greek hupoteinousa, from feminine present participle of hupoteinein, to stretch or extend under : hupo-, under + teinein, to stretch.]
THE HYPOTENUSE OF A RIGHT TRIANGLE
38
im·peach
(ĭm-pēch′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: im·peached
Present participle: im·peach·ing
Third person singular present tense: im·peach·es
1a. To make an accusation against (a person). b. To charge (a public official) with improper conduct in office before a proper tribunal: The House of Representatives impeached Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998; neither was convicted. 2. To challenge the validity of; try to discredit: The lawyer impeached the witness’s credibility with a string of damaging questions.
[Middle English empechen, to impede, accuse, from Anglo-Norman empecher, from Late Latin impedicāre, to entangle: Latin in-, in + Latin pedica, fetter.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—im·peach′a·ble
noun—im·peach′ment
❧ USAGE NOTE: When an irate citizen demands that a disfavored public official be impeached, the citizen clearly intends for the official to be removed from office. This popular use of impeach as a synonym of “throw out” (even if by due process) does not accord with the legal meaning of the word. As recent history has shown, when a public official is impeached, that is, formally accused of wrongdoing, this is only the start of what can be a lengthy process that may or may not lead to the official’s removal from office. In strict usage, an official is impeached (accused), tried, and then convicted or acquitted. The vaguer use of impeach reflects disgruntled citizens’ indifference to whether the official is forced from office by legal means or chooses to resign to avoid further disgrace.
39
in·cog·ni·to
(ĭn′kŏg-nē′tō)
adjective & adverb
With one’s identity disguised or concealed: The spy traveled incognito into enemy territory.
noun
Plural: in·cog·ni·toes
The identity assumed by a person whose actual identity is disguised or concealed.
[Italian, from Latin incognitus, unknown : in-, not + cognitus, past participle of cognōscere, to learn, recognize.]
40
in·con·tro·vert·i·ble
(ĭn-kŏn′trə-vûr′tə-bəl or ĭn′kŏn-trə-vûr′tə-bəl)
adjective
Impossible to dispute; unquestionable: The laywer presented incontrovertible proof of her client’s innocence.
[in-, not + controvertible, able to be opposed by argument, from controvert, to oppose by argument, back-formation from controversy (on the model of such pairs as inverse, invert), from Middle English controversie, from Latin contrōversia, from contrōversus, disputed: contrō-, variant of contrā-, against + versus, past participle of vertere, to turn.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—in·con′tro·vert′i·bil′i·ty
adverb—in·con′tro·vert′i·bly
41
in·cul·cate
(ĭn-kŭl′kāt′ or ĭn′kŭl-kāt′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: in·cul·ca·ted
Present participle: in·cul·ca·ting
Third person singular present tense: in·cul·cates
1. To impress (something) upon the mind of another by frequent instruction or repetition; instill: “In the jungle might is right, nor does it take long to inculcate this axiom in the mind of a jungle dweller, regardless of what his past training may have been” (Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Son of Tarzan). 2. To teach (others) by frequent instruction or repetition; indoctrinate: inculcate the young with a sense of duty.
[Latin inculcāre, inculcāt-, to force upon : in-, on + calcāre, to trample (from calx, calc-, heel).]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—in′cul·ca′tion (ĭn′kŭl-kā′shən)
noun—in·cul′ca′tor
42
in·fra·struc·ture
(ĭn′frə-strŭk′chər)
noun
1. The basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions including schools, post offices, and prisons: “To be fair, none of us really knows how much the country’s infrastructure—services to the desperate underclass—had improved during the ten years from when we left until the Revolution” (Terence Ward, Searching for Hassan). 2. The basic system or underlying structure of an organization.
[infra-, below (from Latin īnfrā) + structure (from Middle English, the process of building, from Latin strūctūra, from strūctus, past participle of struere, to construct).]
“Never in my life had I seen conditions as grim. To be fair, none of us really knows how much the country’s infrastructure—services to the desperate underclass—had improved during the ten years from when we left until the Revolution. But one thing’s certain. Whatever changes took place, it was too little, too late. Those forlorn dust heaps of villages, cut off from the world, with no medical facilities, no school, no decent roads to get goods to market. There seemed to be no hope at all.”
—Terence Ward,
Searching for Hassan
43
in·ter·po·late
(ĭn-tûr′pə-lāt′)
verb
Past participle and past tense: in·ter·po·la·ted
Present participle: in·ter·po·la·ting
Third person singular present tense: in·ter·po·lates
transitive: 1. To insert or introduce between other elements or parts. 2a. To insert (material) into a text. b. To insert into a conversation. 3. To change or falsify (a text) with new or incorrect material. 4. Mathematics To estimate a value of (a function or series) between two known values: The researchers had actual statistics for the years 1998, 2000, and 2002, and they interpolated the values for 1999 and 2001.
intransitive: To make insertions or additions.
[Latin interpolāre, interpolāt-, to touch up, refurbish, from interpolis, refurbished; akin to polīre, to polish.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—in·ter′po·la′tion (ĭn-tûr′pə-lā′shən)
adjective—in·ter′po·la′tive
noun—in·ter′po·la′tor
44
i·ro·ny
(ī′rə-nē or ī′ər-nē)
noun
Plural: i·ro·nies
1a. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. b. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning. c. A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect. 2a. Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs. b. An occurrence, result, or circumstance notable for such incongruity. 3. The dramatic effect achieved by leading an audience to understand an incongruity between a situation and the accompanying speeches, while the characters in the play remain unaware of the incongruity; dramatic irony.
[French ironie, from Old French, from Latin īrōnīa, from Greek eirōneia, feigned ignorance, from eirōn, dissembler, probably from eirein, to say.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—i·ron′ic
adverb—i·ron′i·cal·ly
❧ USAGE NOTE: The words ironic, irony, and ironically are sometimes used of events and circumstances that might better be described as simply “coincidental” or “improbable,” in that they suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly. The Usage Panel dislikes the looser use of these words; 78 percent reject the use of ironically in the sentence In 1969 Susie moved from Ithaca to California where she met her husband-to-be, who, ironically, also came from upstate New York. Some Panelists noted that this particular usage might be acceptable if Susie had in fact moved to California in order to find a husband, in which case the story could be taken as exemplifying the folly of supposing that we can know what fate has in store for us. By contrast, 73 percent accepted the sentence Ironically, even as the government was fulminating against American policy, American jeans and videocassettes were the hottest items in the stalls of the market, where the incongruity can be seen as an example of human inconsistency.
45
je·june
(jə-jo̅o̅n′)
adjective
1. Not interesting; dull: “Let a professor of law or physic find his place in a lecture room, and there pour forth jejune words and useless empty phrases, and he will pour them forth to empty benches” (Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers). 2. Lacking maturity; childish: The coach was dismayed at the players’ jejune behavior after they won the game. 3. Lacking in nutrition: The sickly child suffered from a jejune diet.
[From Latin iēiūnus, meager, dry, fasting.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—je·june′ly
noun—je·june′ness
46
ki·net·ic
(kə-nĕt′ĭk or kī-nĕt′ĭk)
adjective
1. Of, relating to, or produced by motion: Any object that is moving has kinetic energy. 2. Relating to or exhibiting kinesis (movement or activity of an organism in response to a stimulus such as light).
[Greek kīnētikos, from kīnētos, moving, from kīnein, to move.]
RELATED WORD:
adverb—ki·net′i·cal·ly
47
kow·tow
(kou-tou′ or kou′tou′)
intransitive verb
Past participle and past tense: kow·towed
Present participle: kow·tow·ing
Third person singular present tense: kow·tows
1. To kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in expression of deep respect, worship, or submission, as formerly done in China. 2. To show servile deference: Because everyone on staff was afraid of being laid off, they all kowtowed to their strict boss.
noun
1. The act of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground: “We were always greeted in a grassy area near the headmen’s fortresses, where tents were pitched especially for me to receive kowtows, enjoy good food, and watch singing and dancing” (Alai, Red Poppies). 2. An obsequious act.
[From Chinese (Mandarin) kòu tóu : kòu, to knock + tóu, head.]
48
lais·sez faire also lais·ser faire
(lĕs′ā fâr′ or lā′zā fâr′)
noun
1. An economic doctrine that opposes governmental regulation of or interference in commerce beyond the minimum necessary for a free-enterprise system to operate according to its own economic laws. 2. Noninterference in the affairs of others.
[French : laissez, second person plural imperative of laisser, to let, allow (from Latin laxāre, to loosen, from laxus, loose) + faire, to do (from Latin facere).]
49
lex·i·con
(lĕk′sĭ-kŏn′)
noun
Plural: lex·i·cons or lex·i·ca (lĕk′sĭ-kə′)
1. A dictionary. 2. A stock of terms used in a particular profession, subject, or style; a vocabulary: The lexicon of anatomy includes terms such as “aorta” and “duodenum.”
[Medieval Latin, from Greek lexikon (biblion), word(book), neuter of lexikos, of words, from lexis, word, from legein, to speak.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—lex′i·cal
adverb—lex′i·cal·ly
50
lo·qua·cious
(lō-kwā′shəs)
adjective
Very talkative; garrulous: The loquacious barber always told stories while cutting the customers’ hair.
[From Latin loquāx, loquāc-, from loquī, to speak.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—lo·qua′cious·ly
noun—lo·qua′cious·ness
noun—lo·quac′i·ty (lō-kwăs′ĭ-tē)
51
lu·gu·bri·ous
(lo̅o̅-go̅o̅′brē-əs)
adjective
Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree: “This croak was as lugubrious as a coffin” (Stephen Crane, The Sergeant’s Private Madhouse).
[From Latin lūgubris, from lūgēre, to mourn.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—lu·gu′bri·ous·ly
noun—lu·gu′bri·ous·ness
52
met·a·mor·pho·sis
(mĕt′ə-môr′fə-sĭs)
noun
Plural: met·a·mor·pho·ses (mĕt′ə-môr′fə-sēz′)
1. A marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function; a transformation: “I sought out the myths of metamorphosis, tales of the weaver Arachne, who hanged herself and was changed by Athena into a spider” (Jennifer Ackerman, Chance in the House of Fate). 2. Biology Change in the form and often habits of an animal during normal development after the embryonic stage. Metamorphosis includes, in insects, the transformation of a maggot into an adult fly and a caterpillar into a butterfly, and, in amphibians, the changing of a tadpole into a frog.
[Latin metamorphōsis, from Greek, from metamorphoun, to transform : meta-, meta- + morphē, form.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—met′a·mor′phic (mĕt′ə-môr′fĭk)
verb—met′a·mor′phose (mĕt′ə-môr′fōz′ or mĕt′ə-môr′fōs′)
adjective—met′a·mor′phous (mĕt′ə-môr′fəs)
53
mi·to·sis
(mī-tō′sĭs)
noun
Plural: mi·to·ses (mī-tō′sēz)
The process in cell division by which the nucleus divides, typically consisting of four stages, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, and normally resulting in two new nuclei, each of which contains a complete copy of the parental chromosomes. Division of the cytoplasm follows the division of the nucleus, resulting in the formation of two distinct cells.
[Greek mitos, warp thread + -ōsis, condition.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—mi·tot′ic (mī-tŏt′ĭk)
adverb—mi·tot′i·cal·ly
54
moi·e·ty
(moi′ĭ-tē)
noun
Plural: moi·e·ties
1. A half: “Tom divided the cake and Becky ate with good appetite, while Tom nibbled at his moiety” (Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer). 2. A part, portion, or share. 3. Either of two kinship groups based on unilateral descent that together make up a tribe or society.
[Middle English moite, from Old French meitiet, moitie, from Late Latin medietās, from Latin, the middle, from medius, middle.]
55
nan·o·tech·nol·o·gy
(năn′ə-tĕk-nŏl′ə-jē)
noun
The science and technology of building devices, such as electronic circuits, from individual atoms and molecules.
[nano-, at the molecular level (from Greek nānos, nannos, little old man, dwarf, from nannās, uncle) + technology (Greek tekhnē, art skill + Greek -logiā, study, from logos, word).]
RELATED WORD:
noun—nan′o·tech·nol′o·gist
56
ni·hil·ism
(nī′ə-lĭz′əm or nē′ə-lĭz′əm)
noun
1. Philosophy a. An extreme form of skepticism that denies that existence is real: “Nihilism is not only despair and negation, but above all the desire to despair and to negate” (Albert Camus, The Rebel). b. The belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. 2. The rejection of all distinctions in moral or religious value and a willingness to repudiate all previous theories of morality or religious belief. 3. The belief that destruction of existing political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement. 4. also Nihilism A movement of mid-19th-century Russia that scorned authority and believed in reason, materialism, and radical change in society through terrorism and assassination. 5. Psychology A delusion that the world or one’s mind, body, or self does not exist.
[Latin nihil, nothing + -ism.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—ni′hi·list
adjective—ni′hi·lis′tic
adverb—ni′hi·lis′ti·cal·ly
57
no·men·cla·ture
(nō′mən-klā′chər or nō-mĕn′klə-chər)
noun
1. A system of names used in an art or science: The nomenclature of mineralogy is a classification of types of rock. 2. The procedure of assigning names to organisms listed in a taxonomic classification: Our biology teacher explained the rules of nomenclature for plants and animals.
[Latin nōmenclātūra, from nōmenclātor, nomenclator, a slave who accompanied his master to tell him the names of people he met, variant of nōmenculātor : nōmen, name + calātor, servant, crier (from calāre, to call).]
58
non·sec·tar·i·an
(nŏn′sĕk-târ′ē-ən)
adjective
Not limited to or associated with a particular religious denomination: The airport chapel conducts nonsectarian services daily.
[non-, not (from Middle English, from Old French, from Latin nōn) + sectarian, partisan (sect, sect, ultimately from Latin sequī, to follow + -arian, belonging to).]
RELATED WORD:
noun—non′sec·tar′i·an·ism
59
no·ta·rize
(nō′tə-rĭz′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: no·ta·rized
Present participle: no·ta·riz·ing
Third person singular present tense: no·ta·riz·es
To certify or attest to (the validity of a signature on a document, for example) as a notary public: Before I submitted the sales agreement at the real estate office, it had to be notarized.
[notar(y) (from Middle English notarie, from Old French, from Latin notārius, relating to shorthand, shorthand writer, from nota, mark) + -ize.]
RELATED WORD:
noun—no′ta·ri·za′tion (nō′tə-rĭ-zā′shən)
60
ob·se·qui·ous
(ŏb-sē′kwē-əs or əb-sē′kwē-əs)
adjective
Full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning: The movie star was surrounded by a large group of obsequious assistants.
[Middle English, from Latin obsequiōsus, from obsequium, compliance, from obsequī, to comply : ob-, to; + sequī, to follow.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—ob·se′qui·ous·ly
noun—ob·se′qui·ous·ness
“For they that are discontented under monarchy call it tyranny; and they that are displeased with aristocracy call it oligarchy: so also, they which find themselves grieved under a democracy call it anarchy.”
—Thomas Hobbes,
Leviathan
61
ol·i·gar·chy
(ŏl′ĭ-gär′chē or ō′lĭ-gär′chē)
noun
Plural: ol·i·gar·chies
1a. Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families: “They that are displeased with aristocracy call it oligarchy” (Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan). b. Those making up such a government. 2. A state governed by a few persons.
[olig(o)-, few (from Greek oligos, little) + -archy, rule (from Greek -arkhiā, from arkhein, to rule).]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—ol′i·gar′chic (ŏl′ĭ-gär′kĭk or ō′lĭ-gär′kĭk)
adjective—ol′i·gar′chic·al
62
om·nip·o·tent
(ŏm-nĭp′ə-tənt)
adjective
Having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force; all-powerful: “I began to instruct him in the knowledge of the true God . . . that He was omnipotent, and could do everything for us, give everything to us, take everything from us” (Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe).
noun
the Omnipotent God.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin omnipotēns, omnipotent- : omni-, all + potēns, present participle of posse, to be able.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—om·nip′o·tence
noun—om·nip′o·ten·cy
adverb—om·nip′o·tent·ly
63
or·thog·ra·phy
(ôr-thŏg′rə-fē)
noun
Plural: or·thog·ra·phies
1. The art or study of correct spelling according to established usage. 2. The aspect of language study concerned with letters and their sequences in words. 3. A method of representing a language or the sounds of language by written symbols; spelling: The orthography of Spanish includes the letters í and ñ.
[ortho-, straight, correct (from Greek orthos) + -graphy, writing (from Greek -graphiā, from graphein, to write).]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—or·thog′ra·pher
noun—or·thog′ra·phist
adjective—or′tho·graph′ic (ôr′thə-grăf′ĭk)
adverb—or′tho·graph′i·cal·ly
64
ox·i·dize
(ŏk′sĭ-dīz′)
verb
Past participle and past tense: ox·i·dized
Present participle: ox·i·diz·ing
Third person singular present tense: ox·i·diz·es
transitive 1. To combine with oxygen; make into an oxide: The metal fender had begun to oxidize, as evidenced by the large rust stains. 2. To increase the positive charge or valence of (an element) by removing electrons. 3. To coat with oxide.
intransitive To become oxidized.
[oxid(e), compound containing oxygen (from French : ox(ygène), oxygen + (ac)ide, acid) + -ize.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—ox′i·di′za·ble
noun—ox′i·di·za′tion (ŏk′sĭ-dĭ-zā′shən)
65
pa·rab·o·la
(pə-răb′ə-lə)
noun
A plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular cone and a plane parallel to an element of the cone or by the locus of points equidistant from a fixed line and a fixed point not on the line.
[New Latin, from Greek parabolē, comparison, application, parabola (from the relationship between the line joining the vertices of a conic and the line through its focus and parallel to its directrix), from paraballein, to compare : para-, beside + ballein, to throw.]
RELATED WORD:
adjective—par′a·bol′ic (păr′ə-bŏl′ĭk)
PARABOLA
Any point on a parabola is the same distance from the directrix as it is from the focus. AC = CF and BD = DF.
66
par·a·digm
(păr′ə-dīm′ or păr′ə-dĭm′)
noun
1. One that serves as pattern or model. 2. A set or list of all the inflectional forms of a word or of one of its grammatical categories: The Latin textbook outlined the paradigms of the different sets of regular verbs. 3. A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.
[Middle English, example, from Late Latin paradīgma, from Greek paradeigma, from paradeiknunai, to compare : para-, alongside + deiknunai, to show.]
RELATED WORD:
adjective—par′a·dig·mat′ic (păr′ə-dĭg-măt′ĭk)
❧ USAGE NOTE: Paradigm first appeared in English in the 15th century, meaning “an example or pattern,” and it still bears this meaning today: Their company is a paradigm of small high-tech firms. For nearly 400 years paradigm has also been applied to the patterns of inflections that are used to sort the verbs, nouns, and other parts of speech of a language into groups that are more easily studied. Since the 1960s, paradigm has been used in science to refer to a theoretical framework, as when Nobel Laureate David Baltimore cited colleagues’ work that “really established a new paradigm for our understanding of the causation of cancer.” Thereafter, researchers in many different fields, including sociology and literary criticism, often saw themselves as working in or trying to break out of paradigms. Applications of the term in other contexts show that it can sometimes be used more loosely to mean “the prevailing view of things.” In a 1994 Usage Panel survey, the Panelists split down the middle on these nonscientific uses of paradigm. Fifty-two percent disapproved of the sentence The paradigm governing international competition and competitiveness has shifted dramatically in the last three decades.
Paradigm of present tense Spanish verbs with infinitives ending in -AR
-o -amos
-as -áis
-a -an
hablar—to speak
First person singular: hablo
Second person singular: hablas
Third person singular: habla
First person plural: hablamos
Second person plural: habláis
Third person plural: hablan
67
pa·ram·e·ter
(pə-răm′ī-tər)
noun
1. Mathematics a. A constant in an equation that varies in other equations of the same general form, especially such a constant in the equation of a curve or surface that can be varied to represent a family of curves or surfaces. b. One of a set of independent variables that express the coordinates of a point. 2a. One of a set of measurable factors, such as temperature and pressure, that define a system and determine its behavior and are varied in an experiment. b. (Usage Problem) A factor that restricts what is possible or what results. c. A factor that determines a range of variations; a boundary: The principal of the experimental school made sure that the parameters of its curriculum continued to expand. 3. Statistics A quantity, such as a mean, that is calculated from data and describes a population. 4. (Usage Problem) A distinguishing characteristic or feature.
[New Latin parametrum, a line through the focus and parallel to the directrix of a conic : Greek para-, beside + Greek metron, measure.]
RELATED WORDS:
verb—pa·ram′e·ter·ize′ (pə-răm′ə-tə-rīz′)
adjective—par′a·met′ric (păr′ə-mĕt′rĭk)
adjective—par′a·met′ri·cal
adverb—par′a·met′ri·cal·ly
❧ USAGE NOTE: The term parameter, which originates in mathematics, has a number of specific meanings in fields such as astronomy, electricity, crystallography, and statistics. Perhaps because of its ring of technical authority, it has been used more generally in recent years to refer to any factor that determines a range of variations and especially to a factor that restricts what can result from a process or policy. In this use it often comes close to meaning “a limit or boundary.” Some of these new uses have a clear connection to the technical senses of the word. For example, the provisions of a zoning ordinance that limit the height or density of new construction can be reasonably likened to mathematical parameters that establish the limits of other variables. Therefore one can say The zoning commission announced new planning parameters for the historic district of the city. But other uses go one step further and treat parameter as a high-toned synonym for characteristic. In the 1988 Usage Panel Survey, 80 percent of Panelists rejected this use of parameter in the example The Judeo-Christian ethic is one of the important parameters of Western culture.
Some of the difficulties with the nontechnical use of parameter appear to arise from its resemblance to the word perimeter, with which it shares the sense “limit,” though the precise meanings of the two words differ. This confusion probably explains the use of parameter in a sentence such as US forces report that the parameters of the mine area in the Gulf are fairly well established, where the word perimeter would have expressed the intended sense more exactly. This example of a use of parameter was unacceptable to 61 percent of the Usage Panel.
“There had come an improvement in their pecuniary position, which earlier in their experience would have made them cheerful. Jude had quite unexpectedly found good employment at his old trade almost directly he arrived, the summer weather suiting his fragile constitution; and outwardly his days went on with that monotonous uniformity which is in itself so grateful after vicissitude.”
—Thomas Hardy,
Jude the Obscure
68
pe·cu·ni·ar·y
(pĭ-kyo̅o̅′nē-ĕr′ē)
adjective
1. Of or relating to money: “There had come an improvement in their pecuniary position, which earlier in their experience would have made them cheerful” (Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure). 2. Requiring payment of money: A speeding ticket is generally a pecuniary offense.
[Latin pecūniārius, from pecūnia, property, wealth, money.]
RELATED WORD:
adverb—pe·cu′ni·ar′i·ly
69
pho·to·syn·the·sis
(fō′tō-sĭn′thĭ-sĭs)
noun
The process by which green plants and certain other organisms synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. Most forms of photosynthesis release oxygen as a byproduct.
[photo-, light (from Greek phōto-, from phōs, phōt-) + synthesis, the building of chemical compounds (from Latin, collection, from Greek sunthesis, from suntithenai, to put together : sun-, with, together + tithenai, the-, to put.)]
RELATED WORDS:
verb—pho′to·syn′the·size′ (fō′tō-sĭn′thĭ-sīz′)
adjective—pho′to·syn·thet′ic (fō′tō-sĭn-thĕt′ĭk)
adverb—pho′to·syn·thet′i·cal·ly
70
pla·gia·rize
(plā′jə-rĭz′)
verb
Past participle and past tense: pla·gia·rized
Present participle: pla·gia·riz·ing
Third person singular present tense: pla·gia·riz·es
transitive 1. To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one’s own: Gina plagiarized a science website by cutting and pasting large portions of its text into her paper. 2. To appropriate for use as one’s own passages or ideas from (another): Because Darren plagiarized Charles Dickens, the teacher could easily determine that he had cheated.
intransitive To put forth as original to onself the ideas or words of another: Our teacher’s policy is to fail any student who plagiarizes.
[From Latin plagiārius, kidnapper, one who plagiarizes, from plagium, kidnapping, from plaga, net.]
RELATED WORD:
noun—pla′gia·riz′er
71
plas·ma (plăz′mə) also plasm
(plăz′əm)
noun
1. The clear yellowish fluid portion of blood or lymph in which cells are suspended. It differs from serum in that it contains fibrin and other soluble clotting elements. 2. Blood plasma that has been sterilized and from which all cells have been removed, used in transfusions. 3. The protoplasm or cytoplasm of a cell. 4. The fluid portion of milk from which the curd has been separated by coagulation; whey. 5. An electrically neutral state of matter similar to a gas but consisting of positively charged ions with most or all of their detached electrons moving freely about. Plasmas are produced by very high temperatures, as in the sun, and also by the ionization resulting from exposure to an electric current, as in a neon sign. Plasmas are distinct from solids, liquids, and normal gases.
[New Latin, from Late Latin, image, figure, from Greek, from plassein, to mold.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—plas·mat′ic (plăz-măt′ĭk)
adjective—plas′mic (plăz′mĭk)
72
pol·y·mer
(pŏl′ə-mər)
noun
Any of numerous natural or synthetic compounds of usually high molecular weight consisting of repeated linked units, each a relatively light and simple molecule: Some polymers, like cellulose, occur naturally, while others, like nylon, are artificial.
[Greek polumerēs, consisting of many parts : polu-, many- + meros, part.]
73
pre·cip·i·tous
(prĭ-sĭp′ĭ-təs)
adjective
1. Resembling a precipice; extremely steep. 2. Having several precipices: The hikers avoided the trail through the precipitous areas of the park. 3. (Usage Problem) Extremely rapid or abrupt; precipitate.
[Probably from obsolete precipitious, from Latin praecipitium, precipice, from praeceps, praecipit-, headlong : prae- before, in front + caput, capit-, head.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—pre·cip′i·tous·ly
noun—pre·cip′i·tous·ness
❧ USAGE NOTE: The adjective precipitate and the adverb precipitately were once applied to physical steepness but are now used primarily of rash, headlong actions: Their precipitate entry into the foreign markets led to disaster. He withdrew precipitately from the race. Precipitous currently means “steep” in both literal and figurative senses: the precipitous rapids of the upper river; a precipitous drop in commodity prices. But precipitous and precipitously are also frequently used to mean “abrupt, hasty,” which takes them into territory that would ordinarily belong to precipitate and precipitately: their precipitous decision to leave. This usage is a natural extension of the use of precipitous to describe a rise or fall in a quantity over time: a precipitous increase in reports of measles is also an abrupt or sudden event. Though this extended use of precipitous is well attested in the work of reputable writers, it is still widely regarded as an error.
74
qua·sar
(kwā′sär′)
noun
An extremely distant, and thus old, celestial object whose power output is several thousand times that of the entire Milky Way galaxy. Some quasars are more than ten billion light years away from earth.
[quas(i-stellar) + (st)ar.]
75
quo·tid·i·an
(kwō-tĭd′ē-ən)
adjective
Commonplace or ordinary, as from everyday experience: “There’s nothing quite like a real . . . train conductor to add color to a quotidian commute” (Anita Diamant, Boston Magazine).
[Middle English cotidien, from Old French, from Latin quōtīdiānus, from quōtīdiē, each day : quot, how many, as many as + diē, ablative of diēs, day.]
76
re·ca·pit·u·late
(rē′kə-pĭch′ə-lāt′)
verb
Past participle and past tense: re·ca·pit·u·lat·ed
Present participle: re·ca·pit·u·lat·ing
Third person singular present tense: re·ca·pit·u·lates
transitive 1. To repeat in concise form: “Uninitiated readers can approach this bewitching new rogue’s tale as if nothing had happened. Whatever took place previously is recapitulated, now bathed in the warm light of memory” (Janet Maslin, New York Times). 2. Biology To appear to repeat (the evolutionary stages of the species) during the embryonic development of the individual organism.
intransitive To make a summary: At the end of my presentation about the solar system, the teacher asked me to recapitulate.
[Latin recapitulāre, recapitulāt- : re-, again + capitulum, main point, heading, diminutive of caput, capit-, head.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—re′ca·pit′u·la′tion (rē′kə-pĭch′ə-lā′shən)
adjective—re′ca·pit′u·la′tive
adjective—re′ca·pit′u·la·to′ry
77
re·cip·ro·cal
(rĭ-sĭp′rə-kəl)
adjective
1. Existing, done, or experienced on both sides: The two chess players showed reciprocal respect throughout the match. 2. Done, given, felt, or owed in return: After hearing the emcee’s kind remark, the guest of honor felt obliged to make a reciprocal compliment. 3. Interchangeable; complementary: The hardware store stocks reciprocal electric outlets. 4. Grammar Expressing mutual action or relationship. Used of some verbs and compound pronouns. 5. Mathematics Of or relating to the reciprocal of a quantity. 6. Physiology Of or relating to a neuromuscular phenomenon in which the inhibition of one group of muscles accompanies the excitation of another. 7. Genetics Of or being a pair of crosses in which the male or female parent in one cross is of the same genotype or phenotype as the complementary female or male parent in the other cross.
noun
1. Something that is reciprocal to something else. 2. Mathematics A number related to another in such a way that when multiplied together their product is 1. For example, the reciprocal of 7 is 1/7; the reciprocal of 2/3 is 3/2.
[From Latin reciprocus, alternating.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—re·cip′ro·cal′i·ty
adverb—re·cip′ro·cal·ly
noun—rec′i·proc′i·ty (rĕs′ə-prŏs′ĭ-tē)
78
rep·a·ra·tion
(rĕp′ə-rā′shən)
noun
1. The act or process of making amends for a wrong. 2. Something done or money paid to compensate or make amends for a wrong. 3. reparations Compensation or remuneration required from a defeated nation as indemnity for damage or injury during a war. 4. The act or process of repairing or the condition of being repaired.
[Middle English reparacion, from Old French, from Late Latin reparātiō, reparātiōn-, restoration, from Latin reparātus, past participle of reparāre, to repair : re-, again + parāre, to prepare.]
79
res·pi·ra·tion
(rĕs′pə-rā′shən)
noun
1a. The act or process of inhaling and exhaling; breathing: “Every sudden emotion, including astonishment, quickens the action of the heart, and with it the respiration” (Charles Darwin, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animal). b. The act or process by which an organism without lungs, such as a fish or a plant, exchanges gases with its environment. 2a. The oxidative process in living cells by which the chemical energy of organic molecules is released in metabolic steps involving the consumption of oxygen and the liberation of carbon dioxide and water. b. Any of various analogous metabolic processes by which certain organisms, such as fungi and anaerobic bacteria, obtain energy from organic molecules.
[Latin respīrātiō, respīrātiōn-, from respīrātus, past participle of respīrāre, to breathe again : re-, again + spīrāre, to breathe.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—re′spi·ra′tion·al
adverb—re′spi·ra′tion·al·ly
verb—re·spire′ (rĭ-spīr′)
“Every sudden emotion, including astonishment, quickens the action of the heart, and with it the respiration.”
—Charles Darwin,
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animal
80
san·guine
(săng′gwĭn)
adjective
1. Cheerfully confident; optimistic: “Haggard and red-eyed, his hopes plainly had deserted him, his sanguine mood was gone, and all his worst misgivings had come back” (Charles Dickens, The Mystery of Edwin Drood). 2a. In medieval physiology, having blood as the dominant humor. b. Having the temperament and ruddy complexion once thought to be characteristic of this humor; passionate. 3a. Of the color of blood; red: “This fellow here, with envious carping tongue / Upbraided me about the rose I wear / Saying the sanguine colour of the leaves / Did represent my master’s blushing cheeks” (William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part I). b. Of a healthy reddish color; ruddy: Because he worked outdoors, the farmer had a sanguine complexion.
[Middle English, from Old French sanguin, from Latin sanguineus, from sanguis, sanguin-, blood.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—san′guine·ly
noun—san′guine·ness
noun—san·guin′i·ty
❧ WORD HISTORY: The similarity in form between sanguine, “cheerfully optimistic,” and sanguinary, “bloodthirsty,” may prompt one to wonder how they have come to have such different meanings. The explanation lies in medieval physiology with its notion of the four humors or bodily fluids (blood, bile, phlegm, and black bile). The relative proportions of these fluids was thought to determine a person’s temperament. If blood was the predominant humor, one had a ruddy face and a disposition marked by courage, hope, and a readiness to fall in love. Such a temperament was called sanguine, the Middle English ancestor of our word sanguine. The source of the Middle English word was Old French sanguin, itself from Latin sanguineus. Both the Old French and Latin words meant “bloody,” “blood-colored,” Old French sanguin having the sense “sanguine in temperament” as well. Latin sanguineus was in turn derived from sanguis, “blood,” just as English sanguinary is. The English adjective sanguine, first recorded in Middle English before 1350, continues to refer to the cheerfulness and optimism that accompanied a sanguine temperament but no longer has any direct reference to medieval physiology.
81
so·lil·o·quy
(sə-lĭl′ə-kwē)
noun
Plural: so·lil·o·quies
1. A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts when alone or unaware of the presence of other characters: Shakespeare employs soliloquy in most of his plays. 2. A specific speech or piece of writing in this form of discourse: “To be or not to be” is the beginning of a famous soliloquy in Hamlet.
[Late Latin sōliloquium : Latin sōlus, alone + Latin loquī, to speak.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—so·lil′o·quist (sə-lĭl′ə-kwĭst)
verb—so·lil′o·quize (sə-lĭl′ə-kwīz′)
noun—so·lil′o·quiz′er (sə-lĭl′ə-kwī′zər)
82
sub·ju·gate
(sŭb′jə-gāt′)
transitive verb
Past participle and past tense: sub·ju·gat·ed
Present participle: sub·ju·gat·ing
Third person singular present tense: sub·ju·gates
1. To bring under control; conquer: The intention of the conquistadors was to subjugate the peoples of the New World. 2. To make subservient or submissive; subdue: The new owners subjugated the defiant workers by threatening layoffs.
[Middle English subjugaten, from Latin subiugāre, subiugāt- : sub-, under + iugum, yoke.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—sub′ju·ga′tion (sŭb′jə-gā′shən)
noun—sub′ju·ga′tor (sŭb′jə-gā′tər)
83
suf·fra·gist
(sŭf′rə-jĭst)
noun
An advocate of the extension of political voting rights, especially to women: Tireless suffragists worked to ensure the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
[suffrag(e) (ultimately from Latin suffrāgium, the right to vote, from suffrāgārī, to express support : sub-, under, in support of + frāgārī, to vote) + -ist.]
RELATED WORD:
noun—suf′fra·gism (sŭf′rə-jĭz′əm)
84
su·per·cil·i·ous
(so̅o̅′pər-sĭl′ē-əs)
adjective
Feeling or showing haughty disdain: “Assuming his most supercilious air of distant superiority, he planted himself, immovable as a noble statue, upon the hearth, as if a stranger to the whole set” (Fanny Burney, Dr. Johnson and Fanny Burney).
[Latin superciliōsus, from supercilium, eyebrow, pride : super, above + cilium, lower eyelid.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—su′per·cil′i·ous·ly
noun—su′per·cil′i·ous·ness
85
tau·tol·o·gy
(tô-tŏl′ə-jē)
noun
Plural: tau·tol·o·gies
1a. Needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy. b. An instance of such repetition. 2. Logic An empty or vacuous statement composed of simpler statements in a fashion that makes it logically true whether the simpler statements are factually true or false; for example, Either it will rain tomorrow or it will not rain tomorrow.
[Late Latin tautologia, from Greek tautologiā, from tautologos, redundant : tauto-, the same + legein, to say.]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—tau′to·log′i·cal (tôt′l-ŏj′ĭ-kəl)
adverb—tau′to·log′i·cal·ly
86
tax·on·o·my
(tăk-sŏn′ə-mē)
noun
Plural: tax·on·o·mies
1. The classification of organisms in an ordered system that indicates natural relationships. 2. The science, laws, or principles of classification; systematics. 3. Division into ordered groups or categories.
[French taxonomie : Greek taxis, arrangement + -nomie, method (from Greek -nomiā, from nomos, law).]
RELATED WORDS:
adjective—tax′o·nom′ic (tăk′sə-nŏm′ĭk)
adverb—tax′o·nom′i·cal·ly
noun—tax·on′o·mist (tăk-sŏn′ə-mĭst)
87
tec·ton·ic
(tĕk-tŏn′ĭk)
adjective
1. Of or relating to the forces involved in forming the geological features, such as mountains, continents, and oceans, of the earth’s lithosphere. The processes of plate tectonics, such as mountain building, are tectonic events. 2a. Relating to construction or building. 2b. Architectural.
[Late Latin tectonicus, from Greek tektonikos, from tektōn, builder.]
RELATED WORD:
adverb—tec·ton′i·cal·ly
“She wondered what he was looking for; were there waves beating upon a shore for him, too, she wondered, and heroes riding through the leaf-hung forests? For perhaps the first time in her life she thought of him as a man, young, unhappy, tempestuous, full of desires and faults.”
—Virginia Woolf,
Night and Day
88
tem·pes·tu·ous
(tĕm-pĕs′cho̅o̅-əs)
adjective
1. Of, relating to, or resembling a tempest: “The 31st of January was a wild, tempestuous day: there was a strong north wind, with a continual storm of snow drifting on the ground and whirling through the air” (Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey). 2. Characterized by violent emotions or actions; tumultuous; stormy: “For perhaps the first time in her life she thought of him as a man, young, unhappy, tempestuous, full of desires and faults” (Virginia Woolf, Night and Day).
[Middle English, from Late Latin tempestuōsus, from tempestūs, tempest, variant of tempestās.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—tem·pes′tu·ous·ly
noun—tem·pes′tu·ous·ness
89
ther·mo·dy·nam·ics
(thûr′mō-dī-năm′ĭks)
noun
1. (used with a singular verb) The branch of physics that deals with the relationships and conversions between heat and other forms of energy. 2. (used with a plural verb) Thermodynamic phenomena and processes.
[thermo-, heat (from Greek thermē, heat, from thermos, warm) + dynamics, study of motion (from Greek dunamikos, powerful, from dunamis, power, from dunasthai, to be able).]
RELATED WORD:
adjective—ther′mo·dy·nam′ic
90
to·tal·i·tar·i·an
(tō-tăl′ĭ-târ′ē-ən)
adjective
Of, relating to, being, or imposing a form of government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life, the individual is subordinated to the state, and opposing political and cultural expression is supressed: “A totalitarian regime crushes all autonomous institutions in its drive to seize the human soul” (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., Cycles of American History).
noun
A practitioner or supporter of such a government.
[total + (author)itarian]
RELATED WORD:
noun—to·tal′i·tar′i·an·ism (tō-tăl′ĭ-târ′ē-ə-nĭz′əm)
91
unc·tu·ous
(ŭngk′cho̅o̅-əs)
adjective
1. Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness: I didn’t believe a word that the unctuous spokesperson said. 2. Having the quality or characteristics of oil or ointment; slippery: “They had march’d seven or eight miles already through the slipping unctuous mud” (Walt Whitman, Specimen Days). 3. Containing or composed of oil or fat.
[Middle English, from Old French unctueus, from Medieval Latin ūnctuōsus, from Latin ūnctum, ointment, from neuter past participle of unguere, to anoint.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—unc′tu·os′i·ty (ŭngk′cho̅o̅-ŏs′ĭ-tē)
adverb—unc′tu·ous·ly
noun—unc′tu·ous·ness
92
u·surp
(yo̅o̅-sûrp′ or yo̅o̅-zûrp′)
verb
Past participle and past tense: u·surped
Present participle: u·surp·ing
Third person singular present tense: u·surps
transitive 1. To seize and hold (the power or rights of another, for example) by force and without legal authority: “The principle that one class may usurp the power to legislate for another is unjust” (Susan B. Anthony, quoted in Ida Husted Harper’s The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony). 2. To take over or occupy without right: The squatters illegally usurped the farmer’s land.
intransitive To seize another’s place, authority, or possession wrongfully.
[Middle English usurpen, from Old French usurper, from Latin ūsūrpāre, to take into use, usurp.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—u′sur·pa′tion (yo̅o̅′sər-pā′shən or yo̅o̅′zər-pā′shən)
noun—u·surp′er
93
vac·u·ous
(văk′yo̅o̅-əs)
adjective
1a. Lacking intelligence; stupid. b. Devoid of substance or meaning; inane: The interview with the celebrity produced a series of vacuous comments. c. Devoid of expression; vacant: “The narrow, swinelike eyes were open, no more vacuous in death than they had been in life” (Nicholas Proffitt, The Embassy House). 2. Devoid of matter; empty.
[From Latin vacuus, empty.]
RELATED WORDS:
adverb—vac′u·ous·ly
noun—vac′u·ous·ness
94
ve·he·ment
(vē′ə-mənt)
adjective
Forceful or intense in expression, emotion, or conviction; fervid: The senator issued a vehement denial regarding the report linking him to a scandal.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin vehemēns, vehement-, perhaps from vehere, to carry.]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—ve′he·mence
noun—ve′he·men·cy
adverb—ve′he·ment·ly
95
vor·tex
(vôr′tĕks′)
noun
Plural: vor·tex·es or vor·ti·ces (vôr′tĭ-sēz′)
1. A spiral motion of fluid, especially a whirling mass of water or air that sucks everything near it toward its center. Eddies and whirlpools are examples of vortexes. 2. A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it: “Madam, is it not better that he showed repentance than that he never showed it at all? Better to atone for one minute than live in a vortex of despair?” (Edna O’Brien, In the Forest).
[Latin vortex, vortic-, variant of vertex, from vertere, to turn.]
96
win·now
(wĭn′ō)
verb
Past participle and past tense: win·nowed
Present participle: win·now·ing
Third person singular present tense: win·nows
transitive 1. To separate the chaff from (grain) by means of a current of air. 2. To blow (chaff) off or away. 3. To examine closely in order to separate the good from the bad; sift: The judges winnowed a thousand essays down to six finalists. 4a. To separate or get rid of (an undesirable part); eliminate: The accountant was adept at winnowing out errors in the spreadsheet. b. To sort or select (a desirable part); extract: The investigators winnowed the facts from the testimony. 5. To blow on; fan: A breeze winnowed the grass.
intransitive 1. To separate grain from chaff. 2. To separate the good from the bad.
noun
1. A device for winnowing grain. 2. An act of winnowing.
[Middle English winnewen, alteration of windwen, from Old English windwian, from wind, wind.]
RELATED WORD:
noun—win′now·er
“Such is thy pow’r, nor are thine orders vain,
O thou the leader of the mental train:
In full perfection all thy works are wrought
And thine the sceptre o’er the realms of thought.”
—Phillis Wheatley,
“On Imagination”
97
wrought
(rôt)
verb
A past tense and a past participle of work: “In full perfection all thy works are wrought / And thine the sceptre o’er the realms of thought” (Phillis Wheatley, “On Imagination”).
adjective
1. Put together; created: The jewel thieves concocted a carefully wrought plan. 2. Shaped by hammering with tools. Used chiefly of metals or metalwork: The horseshoe was made of wrought iron.
[Middle English wroght, from Old English geworht, past participle of wyrcan, to work.]
98
xen·o·phobe
(zĕn′ə-fōb′ or zē′nə-fōb′)
noun
A person unduly fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples.
[xeno-, a stranger (from Greek xenos) + -phobe, one who fears (from French, from Latin -phobus, from Greek -phobos, fearing, from phobos, fear).]
RELATED WORDS:
noun—xen′o·pho′bi·a (zĕn′ə-fō′bē-ə or zē′nə-fō′bē-ə)
adjective—xen′o·pho′bic (zĕn′ə-fō′bĭk or zē′nə-fō′bĭk)
99
yeo·man
(yō′mən)
noun
Plural: yeo·men
1a. An attendant, servant, or lesser official in a royal or noble household. b. A yeoman of the guard. 2. A petty officer performing chiefly clerical duties in the US Navy. 3. An assistant or other subordinate, as of a sheriff. 4. A diligent, dependable worker. 5. A farmer who cultivates his own land, especially a member of a former class of small freeholders in England.
[Middle English yoman, perhaps from Old English *gēaman, from Old Frisian gāman, villager : gā, region, district + man, man.]
RELATED WORD:
noun—yeo′man·ry
100
zig·gu·rat
(zĭg′ə-răt′)
noun
A temple tower of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians, having the form of a terraced pyramid with successively receding stories.
[Akkadian ziqqurratu, temple tower, from zaqāru, to build high.]