Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Vocabulary: Spring #2

accouterments - additional items of dress or equipment, or other times carried or worn by a person or used for a particular activity
On the hike this morning, John's countless accouterments slowed us all down.

apogee - the highest point of development of something
After reviewing my essay I feel that the apogee for it has been met.

apropos - with reference to; concerning
I watched the New Years fireworks in the Colorado Rockies at the beginning of the year; apropos, what did you do on New Years?

bicker - argue about petty and trivial matters
When my brothers were smaller, it seemed like they were constantly bickering about pointless things.

coalesce - come together and form one mass or whole
After it had rained, the puddles outside had coalesced and formed a much larger puddle.

contretemps - an unexpected and unfortunate occurrence
When leaving the gym the student had a bad contretemps with a fellow student and it escalated to a fight.

convolution - a thing that is complex and difficult to follow
There are a lot of convolutions of math for me and there always has been growing up.

cull - select from a large quantity
When you cull cattle you must select the thickest one to slaughter.

disparate - essentially different in kind; not allowing compassion
The two students were too disparate to be friends.

dogmatic - inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true
Without being dogmatic, he tried to assert his opinion.

licentious disregarding accepted rules or conventions, esp. in grammar or literary style
The report was so licentious that it was nearly impossible to read.

mete - dispense or allot justice, a punishment, or harsh treatment
There are many accounts of harsh sentences meted out for crimes that should call for no more than a caution.

noxious -  harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant
Many people have noxious conversations every day.

polemic - a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something
Polemic against politicians is common.

populous - having a large population; densly populated
The island of Malaysia has a very low populous.

probity - the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency
Politicians try to have probity but it often never seems that way.

repartee - conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies
Courtney could easily exchange repartee against at least a dozen at once.

supervene - occur later than a specified or implied event or action
The fair had to be supervened due to rain

truncate - shorten by cutting off the top or the end
Gangrene has caused many people to have to truncate their limbs.

unimpeachable - not able to be doubted
The president's speech was so unimpeachable that the entire crowd was moved by it.

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