Barrons word ListTough Words learning using roots, Category & Images

S. Joshi

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Motivation

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Timorous

timid: showing fear or hesitancynervous, fearful, timid, frightened,

scared, afraid, shy, apprehensive, bashful, diffident, coy, retiring, reticent, cowardly, faint-hearted, hesitant

Temerity

nerve, audacity, gall, cheek (informal), boldness, impudence, impertinence, chutzpah (informal)

boldness: reckless confidence that might be offensive

[15th century. < Latin temeritas "rashness" < temere "rashly, blindly"]

Execration

Imprecation Blasphemy

[Mid-16th century. < Latin execrari "undo consecration" < sacrare (see sacred)]

Lurch

Careenheave, motion, roll, listing, stagger,

wobble

Paltry

1. insignificant: insignificant or unimportant a paltry sum of money 2. despicable: low and contemptible

[Mid-16th century. Probably < Scots, N English dialect pelt "coarse cloth, rubbish"]

Chafe

1. transitive and intransitive verb become or make worn: to become sore or worn by rubbing, or make something sore or worn in this way 2. intransitive verb cause friction: to rub something, causing friction

rub, scrape, irritate, scratch, abrade, wear down

Chaffing

annoy, bother, provoke, vex, irritate, aggravate (informal)

[13th century. Via Old French chaufer < Latin calefacere "make warm" < calere "be warm"]

Whiff

[Late 16th century. Thought to suggest a light puff of wind that carries a smell]

Fop

fashion-conscious man: a man who is so obsessed by fashion and vain about his own appearance that he becomes ridiculous

Slew

Scad, myriad [Mid-16th century. Directly or via

French < late Latin myriad- < Greek muriad- < murios "countless"]

Pastiche

Copy/ imitate arts [Late 19th century. Via French <

Italian pasticcio (see pasticcio)]

Rile

Roil (Disturb)anger, enrage, annoy, irritate, bug

(informal), irk, peeve (informal), aggravate (informal), vex

Ruse

trick, subterfuge, wile, con, scam (slang), deception, ploy, stunt, plot, dodge, hoax

Limerick

five-line humorous poem: a five-line humorous poem with a characteristic rhythm, often dealing with a risqué subject and typically opening with a line such as "There was a young lady called Jenny." Lines one, two, and five rhyme with each other and have three metrical feet, and lines three and four rhyme with each other and have two metrical feet.

[Late 19th century. After Limerick, probably from nonsense songs with this rhyme scheme and the refrain "will you come up to Limerick"]

Whorl

spiral, coil, curl, twist, swirl, vortexsomething spiral-shaped:

something in the shape of a spiral, coil, or curl

[15th century. Alteration of whirl]

Perpetrate

Commit offense commit, carry out, pull off

(informal), do (slang), be responsible for, be behind, enact, execute, perform, effect (formal)

Covenant

marriage with strict conditions: a form of marriage contract whose statute imposes stricter than usual conditions for couples wishing to marry or get divorced, e.g. premarital counseling and a two-year separation prior to divorce

Skit Parody, satire,

Spoof, Burlesque

1. short comic sketch: a short comic sketch

Reel

Stagger, Lurch, Totter, wobble, stumble, tether, stumble

1. revolving storage device: a usually revolving wheel-shaped device around which something such as thread, film, or wire can be wound for storage

Type of Color

Mauve (Blue/ Purple) Lavender (Pink) Sallow (yellow)

Rubric

Heading [13th century. Directly or via French <

Latin rubrica "red ocher" < ruber "red"] title or heading: a printed title or

heading, usually distinguished from the body of the text in some way, especially the heading of a section of a legal statute, originally underlined in red

Spat

fight, quarrel, argument, row, tiff, squabble, barney (UK, informal)

1. petty quarrel: a brief quarrel usually concerning petty matters

2. U.S. sound of raindrops falling: the sound of raindrops falling

Spate

flood, rash, epidemic, wave, sequence, series, outbreak, welter, flurry, run

1. large quantity: a large quantity of something a spate of rumors

2. outburst: a sudden strong outburst a spate of jealousy

3. flood: a flood, or the state of overflowing After the heavy rain the river was in spate.

Grumpy

irritable, bad-tempered, cranky (informal), cantankerous, sullen, ill-tempered, grouchy (informal), complaining, cross, petulant, crabby, sulky, testy (informal), snappy

in bad mood: bad-tempered or sullen

[Early 18th century. An imitation of somebody expressing displeasure]

Sepulcher

Tomb [12th century. Via French < Latin sepulc(h)rum

< sepult-, past participle of sepelire "bury"] vault, tomb, grave, crypt, burial chamber,

mausoleum, resting place

Despondent

hopeless, low, dejected, despairing, downhearted, downcast, unhappy, sad, pessimistic, miserable, glum, discouraged

discouraged: extremely unhappy and discouraged

[Mid-17th century. < Latin despondere "give up (your vitality)" < spondere "to promise"]

Flounder

dither, hesitate, falter, struggle, have difficulty, get into difficulties, waver, dawdle, delay, get nowhere

1. make uncontrolled movements: to make clumsy uncontrolled movements while trying to regain balance or move forwards

2. hesitate in confusion: to act in a way that shows confusion or a lack of purpose

3. be in serious difficulty: to have serious problems and be close to failing

Exorcism

1. driving out of evil spirits: the use of prayers or religious rituals to drive out evil spirits believed to be possessing a person or place

2. ceremony to drive out evil spirits: a religious ceremony in which somebody attempts to drive out an evil spirit believed to be possessing a person or place

3. thing done to expel evil: a special ritual or spoken formula used with the intention of driving out evil spirits

4. clearing mind of oppressive feelings: the act of ridding the mind of oppressive feelings or memories

[14th century Via ecclesiastical Latin < ecclesiastical Greek exorkismos < exorkizein (see exorcise)]

Ovine relating to sheep:

relating to or resembling a sheep

[Early 19th century. < late Latin ovinus < Latin ovis "sheep"]

Perspicacious

perceptive: penetratingly discerning or perceptive

[Early 17th century. < Latin perspicac- < perspicere (see perspective)]

insightful, wise, astute, sagacious (formal), discerning, perceptive, clear-sighted, smart, sharp

Ontology

1. study of existence: the most general branch of metaphysics, concerned with the nature of being 2. theory of existence: a particular theory of being

[Early 18th century. < modern Latin, "study of being" < Greek ont- "being" (see onto-)]

Frond

[Late 18th century. < Latin frond-, stem of frons "leaf“]

Spat vs Spate

petty quarrel vs Flood

Divulge reveal something: to reveal

information, especially information that was previously secret

[15th century. < Latin divulgare "make widely known to the masses" < vulgus "masses"]

reveal, tell, make known, disclose, let drop, give away, let slip

Sundry

various: assorted, but considered as a single category or group, usually for the sake of convenience and other sundry items See also sundries

[ Old English syndrig "separate, distinct" < W Germanic]

all and sundry everyone without exception (takes a plural verb)

various, miscellaneous, assorted, varied, different, diverse, heterogeneous, divers (formal), several, manifold, motley, multifarious

Douse

drench, soak, souse, wet, cover, saturate, sop, drown, immerse

Solecism

1. grammatical mistake: a mistake in grammar or syntax

2. error: something incorrect, inappropriate, or inconsistent

3. breach of good manners: an action that breaks the rules of etiquette or good manners

[Mid-16th century. Directly or via French < Latin soloecismus < Greek soloikismos < soloikos "speaking incorrectly," literally "of Soloi" (in ancient Cilicia, E Turkey), whose colonial Attic dialect was considered barbarous]

error, mistake, blunder, faux pas (literary), gaffe, blooper (US, informal humorous), slip, bloomer (UK, informal humorous)

Whittle

carve, shape, fashion, shave, sculpt, cut

carve with small cuts: to carve something out of wood, usually something small enough to hold in the hand, by cutting away small pieces of wood

[Mid-16th century. < whyttel "knife," variant of thwitel, "tool for paring" < Old English þwītan "pare, cut"]

Vernal vs Venal

Spring vs capable of bribed

[Mid-16th century. < Latin vernalis < vernus "of the spring" < ver "spring"]

[Mid-17th century. < Latin venalis < venum "something for sale"]

Squat

[14th century. < Old French esquatir "crush" < Latin coactus, past participle of cogere "force together“]

1. superior skill: exceptional ability or skill 2. valor in combat: extraordinary valor and

ability in combat [13th century. < Old French proesce

"bravery" < prou "brave," variant of prud (see proud)]

Prowess

[Early 19th century. < French, literally "small enclosed space" < parc (see park)]

Parquet

Raft

[13th century. < Old Norse raptr "log, beam"] The Raft of the Medusa, a painting (1819) by French artist

THÉODORE GÉRICAULT. This monumental work is a harrowing depiction of the suffering of the survivors of an infamous 1816 shipwreck. Géricault's treatment of a contemporary subject in an epic style more traditionally associated with classical or historical themes was seen as a significant development in European art.

Filigree

[Late 17th century. Alteration of French filigrane < Italian filigrana < Latin filum "thread" + granum "grain"]

small mark: any one of a number of very small marks, streaks, or pieces scattered on a surface or throughout a block of something flecks of mica in granite

Fleck

opera song: a melody sung solo or as a duet in an opera, oratorio, or cantata

[Early 18th century. Via Italian < Latin aer "air" (see air)]

Aria

Aquiline

1. thin and curved: thin, curved, and pointed like an eagle's beak an aquiline nose

2. of eagles: resembling or connected with eagles

[Mid-17th century. < Latin aquilinus < aquila "eagle"]

Fester

[14th century. Via Old French festre "pipe-like ulcer" < Latin fistula]

Extricate

Free

free with difficulty: to release somebody or something with difficulty from a physical constraint or an unpleasant or complicated situation was unable to extricate himself from the contract

[Early 17th century. < Latin extricat-, past participle of extricare "remove from perplexities" < tricae "perplexities"]

Barge

[13th century. < Old French barge or medieval Latin bargia]

1. freight boat: a long narrow flat-bottomed boat used for transporting freight on rivers or canals

2. open boat used ceremonially: a large open boat used in ceremonies

Galleon

large sailing ship: a large three-masted sailing ship used especially by the Spanish between the 15th and 18th centuries

[Early 16th century. Either via Middle Dutch galjoen < Old French galion "large galley," or < Spanish galeón]

Pinnace

small boat: a small boat, e.g. a sailboat, carried by a larger vessel and used as a gig or a tender

[Mid-16th century. < French pinace < Latin pinus "pine (tree)"]

Derrick

1. loading crane: a simple crane that is typically used for moving cargo onto or from a ship

2. oil structure: a structure placed over an oil well that is used to raise and lower piping, drills, and other boring equipment

[Early 17th century. After a London hangman called Derrick; originally "hangman, gallows"]

Derrick 1. loading crane: a simple crane

that is typically used for moving cargo onto or from a ship

2. oil structure: a structure placed over an oil well that is used to raise and lower piping, drills, and other boring equipment

[Early 17th century. After a London hangman called Derrick; originally "hangman, gallows"]

Arabesque

[Early 17th century. Via French < Italian arabesco "in the Arabian style“]

1. BALLET formal pose of ballet dancer: a ballet position in which the dancer stands on one leg with the other extended back and both arms stretched out, usually one forward and the other backward 2. ornate design: an intricate and often symmetrical design incorporating curves, geometric patterns, leaves, flowers, and animal shapes

Fulminate

[15th century. < Latin fulminat-, past participle of fulminare "lighten, strike with lightning" < fulmen "lightning"]Microsoft® Encarta® 2008. © 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Desolate

[14th century. < Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare "leave alone" < solus "alone"]

Vise hold in vise: to hold something

tightly in a vise [13th century. Via Old French vis

"screw" < Latin vitis "vine"]

Referance

Barrons Word List