 | Term | Definition |
| |
miscellany |
mixture of writtings on various subjects |
| |
miscreant |
villain; criminal |
| |
misogynist |
one who hates women |
| |
mitigate |
alleviate; to become less severe |
| |
mnemonic |
realated to memory; assisting memory |
| |
modicum |
limited quantity |
| |
mollify |
to soothe |
| |
monolithic |
solid and uniform; constituing a single, unified whole |
| |
morose |
ill-humored; sullen |
| |
motley |
many colored; made up of many parts |
| |
multifarious |
diverse |
| |
mundane |
worldy as opposed to spiritual; concerned with the ordinary |
| |
necromancy |
black magic |
| |
negate |
to cancel out; nullify |
| |
neologism |
new word or expression |
| |
neophyte |
novice; beginner |
| |
nexus |
a means of connection; a center |
| |
nonplussed |
bewildered |
| |
nostalgia |
sentimental longing for a past time |
| |
nostrum |
medicine or remedy of doubtful effectiveness |
| |
nugatory |
trifling; invalid |
| |
obdurate |
stubborn |
| |
obsequious |
overly submissive |
| |
obsequy |
funeral ceremony |
| |
obviate |
to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent |
| |
occlude |
to shut; block |
| |
occult |
relating to practices connected with supernatural phenomena |
| |
odyssey |
a long, adventurous voyage; a quest |
| |
officious |
too helful; meddlesome |
| |
olfactory |
concerning the sense of smell |
| |
oligarchy |
form of government in which power belongs to only a few leaders |
| |
onerous |
burdensome |
| |
onomatopeia |
formation or use of words that imitate sounds of the actions they refer to |
| |
opprobium |
public disgrace; contempt |
| |
ornithologist |
scientist who studies birds |
| |
oscillate |
to move back and forth |
| |
ostentatious |
showy; pretentious |
| |
overweening |
presumptuous; arrogant |
| |
paean |
song of joy or triumph; a fervent expression of joy |
| |
paleonthology |
study of past geological eras through fossil remains |
| |
pallid |
lacking color or liveliness |
| |
panegyric |
elaborate praise; formal hymn of praise |
| |
paragon |
model of perfection or excellence |
| |
partisan |
one-sided; committed to a party, group or cause |
| |
pathological |
departing from normal condition |
| |
patois |
jargon; a regional dialect |
| |
paucity |
scarcity |
| |
pedantic |
showing off learning |
| |
pellucid |
transparent; easily understood |
| |
penchant |
inclination |
| |
penury |
extreme poverty |
| |
peregrination |
wandering from place to place |
| |
peremptory |
imperative; leaving no choice |
| |
perennial |
present throughout the years; persistent |
| |
perfidious |
faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy |
| |
perfunctory |
superficial; performed really as a duty |
| |
perigee |
point in an orbit that is closest to the earth |
| |
permeable |
penetrable |
| |
perturb |
to disturb greatly; make uneasy or anxious |
| |
pervasive |
spread throughout every part |
| |
petulant |
rude; peevish |
| |
phlegmatic |
unemotional; calm in temperament |
| |
phoenix |
anything that is restored after suffering great destruction |
| |
physiognomy |
facial features |
| |
piety |
devoutness |
| |
piquant |
pleasantly pungent; attractive |
| |
pique |
fleeting feeling or hurt pride |
| |
placate |
soothe; pacify |
| |
placid |
calm |
| |
plaintive |
melancholy; mournful |
| |
plasticity |
pliability; condition of being able to be shaped or formed |
| |
platitude |
stale; overused expression |
| |
platonic |
spiritual; theoretical |
| |
plethora |
excess; overabundance |
| |
plumb |
to examine deeply; determine the depth |
| |
plummet |
to fall; plunge |
| |
plutocracy |
society ruled by the wealthy |
| |
porous |
full of holes; permeable to liquids |
| |
poseur |
poerson who affects an attitude to impress others |
| |
pragmatic |
practical |
| |
prate |
to talk idly; chatter |
| |
prattle |
meaningless, foolish talk |
| |
preamble |
preliminary statement |
| |
precarious |
uncertain |
| |
precept |
principle; law |
| |
precipitate |
to cause to happen; throw down from a height |
| |
precipitate |
rash; hasty; sudden; done without deliberation |
| |
precursor |
forerunner; predecessor |
| |
preempt |
to supersede; appropiate for oneself |
| |
prehensile |
capable of grasping |
| |
premonition |
forewarning; presentiment |
| |
presage |
to foretell; indicate in advance |
| |
presumptuous |
rude; improperly bold |
| |
preternatural |
supernatural; beyond the normal use of nature |
| |
prevaricate |
to quibble; evade the truth |
| |
primordial |
original; existing from the beginning |
| |
pristine |
untouched; uncorrupted |
| |
probity |
honesty; high-mindness |
| |
problematic |
posing a problem; doubtful |
| |
prodigal |
wasteful; extravagant; lavish |
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