Vocabulary List #16: 1/12/97
abdicate | to renounce a high office; dignity; to relinquish |
abolition | the act of abolishing or doing away with |
beneficence | the quality or state of being kind or good; kind action |
coagulate | to become thick or viscous; to clot; curdle |
decrepit | wasted and weakened by old age; impaired by wear |
eke | increase; lengthen |
fanatic | marked by excessive and intense devotion; overzealous |
fetish | object of magic power to protect; object of irrational obsession |
gargoyle | a spout to throw rain water in the form of a grotesque animal |
gibe | to shake or handle roughly; to deride or tease by taunting |
glean | to gather painstakingly, bit by bit |
habiliment | the dress characteristic of an occupation or occasion |
herbivorous | feeding on plants rather than animals; plant eating |
imbecile | a mentally deficient person; feeble minded person |
immersion | baptism by complete submersion; act of placing underwater |
inert | lacking power to move; slow to move or act |
jargon | technical language of a special group; confused, unintelligible |
jugular | relating to throat or neck or to the jugular vein |
kiosk | small structure used as a newsstand or booth |
kismet | fate |
lethargy | abnormal drowsiness; the state of being lazy or indifferent |
lupine | wolfish; or an edible seed |
nabob | a man of great wealth or prominence |
obviate | to make unnecessary; dispose of beforehand |
polemic | an aggressive attack on opinions of another |
precipitate | to bring about; to cause to condense and fall or separate out |
pristine | uncorrupted by civilization; fresh and clean |
querulous | habitually complaining; fretful; whining |
reconnaissance | exploratory military survey of enemy territory |
venerable | sacred or respected through age and position; impressive by age |