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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

VOCABULARY #9

aficionado: (noun) an enthusiastic and usually expert follower or fan
My friends aren't really aficionados of dance but they come to my performances anyways.

browbeat: (verb) to intimidate by a stern or overbearing manner; to bully
You always see this in movies but in real life I never see bullies browbeat little kids into giving them their lunch money.

commensurate: (adj.) equal in size, extent, duration, or importance; proportionate; measurable by the same standards
Her promotion is commensurate with the hard work she put in all year.

diaphanous: (adj.) very sheer and light; almost completely transparent
I got dress code for wearing a diaphanous shirt to school.

emolument: (noun) profit derived from an office or position or from employment; a fee or salary 
The President lives on a comfortable emolument.

foray: (noun) a quick raid, especially for plunder; a venture into some field of endeavor; (verb) to make such a raid
The pirate's foray on the other ship was very successful.

genre: (noun) a type, class, or variety, especially a distinctive category of literary composition
He thought that the romantic comedy genre was stupid.

homily: (noun) a sermon stressing moral principles; a tedious moralizing lecture or discourse
If I get one more homily from a teacher I will go crazy.

immure: (verb) to enclose or confine within walls; to imprison, to seclude or isolate
The strict parents immured their daughter in the house.

insouciant: (adj.) blithely indifferent or unconcerned; carefree; happy-go-lucky
I miss the insouciant days of childhood.

matrix: (noun) a mold; the surrounding situation or environment
The fossil was preserved in a matrix of rock.

obsequies: (noun) funeral rites or ceremonies
He couldn't stop crying at the obsequies for his close friend.

panache: (noun) a confident and stylish manner, dash; a strikingly elaborate or colorful display
She always stood out in her classes because of her panache.

persona: (noun) a character in a novel or play; the outward character or role that a person assumes
His comical persona has made him a very likable person.

philippic: (noun) a bitter verbal attack
She broke up with her boyfriend because she was tired of the philippics he always gave.

prurient: (adj.) having lustful desires or interests
His prurient attitude was normal for someone his age.

sacrosanct: (adj.) very sacred or holy; set apart or immune from questioning or attack
The sacrosanct antique was not available to the public.

systemic: (adj.) of or pertaining to the entire body; relating to a system
I had a systemic breakdown halfway through finals week.

tendentious: (adj.) intended to promote a particular point of view, doctrine, or cause; biased or partisan
The tendentious campaign commercials are extremely annoying.

vicissitude: (noun) a change, variation, or alteration
After graduation, we will all undergo great vicissitudes.



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