"Saturday NIght's Alright for Fighting" - January 8, 2010

Scholars:

I hope that you got out and snagged some vitamin D today!

Below is the vocabulary list for your test on Monday, complete with personalized definitions - you're welcome!

The list is long, so, before you peruse it, I will remind you of the vocabulary test on Monday and the reading assignment (through page 120) due on Tuesday.

BTW, to what does the title of this entry refer?

First Vocabulary List – In Cold Blood

Impinge – (v) – to collide, strike, encroach, trespass

Keening – (v) a loud, wailing, lamentation for the dead

Beneficence – (n) the quality of charity or kindness

Pious – (adj.)[1] – reverent or devout in a religious sense

Lamentably (adv.) – LOTS of words ending in “ly” are adverbs – mournfully, deplorably

Myriad (adj.) a vast number; a great multitude

Abstemious – (adj.) – eating or drinking in moderation

Equanimity – (n.)[2] – the quality of being calm and even-tempered

Tawny – (adj.) – light brown to brownish-orange

Pungent – (adj.) – penetrating, biting, caustic, often to the sense of smell

Obscure – (adj.) – not clearly understood or known

Sentry – (n.) – a guard, a watch person

Valor – (n) – courage or honorable boldness

Chamois - (n) an antelope/goat type animal or a piece of soft pliable leather often used to polish surfaces

Enthralled – (adj.; v.) – held spellbound, captivated

Changeling – (n.) – A child who is separated at birth from its birth family and surreptitiously transferred to another; a person who acts out of character for his or her family

Ominous – (adj.) – relating to an evil omen; foreboding, threatening

Mesmeric – (adj.) – hypnotic

Pragmatic – (adj.) – practical

Reverie – (n.) – daydream

Jauntiness (n.)[3] – a lively sense of style; a buoyant sense of self-confidence

Enigma – (n.) – a mystery

Girth – (n.) - the distance around an animal’s or human’s midsection

Wan – (adj.) – pale, weak appearance often attributed to poor health or weariness

Ardently (adv.) – passionately

Affront (n. & v.) – to treat offensively in a defiant way

Reticent – (adj.) – hesitant, especially to speak

Devoid – (adj.) - totally lacking in a certain quality

Ludicrous - (adj.) – absurd

Solace - (n.) – comfort

Ineffable – (adj.) – indescribable; cannot be expressed in words

Protégée – (n.) – a female (that’s where the extra “e” originates) under the patronage or protection of another

 

Elocution – (n.[4]) – the art of speaking clearly and distinctly, often in public to an audience

Ethereality- (n.) – characterized by lightness, airiness, exquisite refinement

Lilliputian – (adj.) – extremely small

Diminutive – (adj.) extremely small, sometimes used to describe a nickname or a word to describe a smaller version of something

Dote – (v.) – to pay excessive attention to

Austere (adj.) – severely simple or plain; strict in manner or demeanor

Fastidious – (adj.) - characterized by excessive care or delicacy

Serpentine - (adj.) – like a snake in form (winding and twisting) or stereotypical characteristics (sneaky and sly)

Itinerant - (adj. & n.) – one who travels without a fixed location to live or work

Opulent – (adj.) – luxurious, lavish

Wanton – (adj.) – describes reckless or careless behavior, committed without regard to laws, rules, or social mores

Evocative - (adj.) – an experience that tends to call forth emotions, memories, sensations

Placid – (adj.) – calm

Nostalgia – (n.) – a yearning or wistful longing for the past; a fond remembrance of past events or conditions

Eminent – (adj.) – outstanding, well-regarded, well-respected, prominent

Coterie – (n.) – a clique

Quandary - (n.) – a dilemma; a state of indecision

Decrepit – (adj.) – old and tired from age or use

Dourness – (n.) – gloominess, harshness

Disheveled – (adj.) – disorganized and untidy

Emanated – (v.) – to spread out, stem, or radiate from

Credulous – (adj.) – gullible

Furtive – (adj.) – sneaky, sly

Ruminations - (n.) – ponderings, contemplations, reflections

Agoraphobic - (adj.) – an irrational fear or public or open spaces

Sojourn - (n.) – a brief visit

Mirthful – (adj.) – joyful; full of laughter

Edifice – (n.) – a large building or structure

Languid – (adj.) – lacking energy or vitality

Pallid - (adj.) – pale, lacking spirit

Lair – (n.) – a wild animal’s den; a retreat or hideaway

Caustic – (adj.) – a remark of biting or burning sarcasm

Gaunt – (adj.) – extremely thin

Ruefully - (adv.) – regretfully

Mica – (n.) a shiny, flaky mineral

Annihilating – (v.) – destroying

Raucous – (adj.) – unruly in a noisy and boisterous fashion

Delineating – (v.) – to mark the outlines of

Tantalized – (v.) – teased or tempted someone with something desired but just out of reach

Intrepid – (adj.) – courageous and adventurous

Prevarications - (n.) – lie

Affable – (adj.) – friendly and approachable

Sullen – (adj.) – gloomy; showing an ill temper by silence

Bravura – (adj. & n.) – dazzling artistic flair

Stealthy – (adj.) – done quietly, secretive, furtively

---

[1] ALL words (except “couscous”) ending in “ous” are adjectives

[2] Many words ending in “ty” are nouns

[3] Many words ending in “ness” are nouns

[4] ALL words ending in “tion” are nouns