Second Six Weeks Vocab

Lesson 3

Quiz on Friday, November 5

illuminationSomething made clear; a

brightening; an elightenment

Getting an “F” for the first time was an illumination to the fact that he was

really going to have to study in high school.

hastento urge on; to move or act

quickly

To hasten our completion, I will do some extra work tonight.

effaceto erase or delete; to obscure by rubbing out

The little waves, with their soft white hands, efface the footprints in the

sands.

martyrdomthe suffering and death of a martyr; the state of enduring torture and persecution for

the sake of beliefs and principles

Not willing to give in to his captor’s demands, the priest went through

martyrdom as he was tortured and died.

immerseto plunge or dip into; to

absorb

Mary tried to immerse herself in the culture of France by eating foods of

the area and taking part in local activities so she could absorb the

lifestyle.

convictionthe state of being

convicted or having a strong belief in

something

Matthew’s strong faith and convictions will keep him from participating in

activities that might be harmful to him.

humanitarianone who practices

philanthropy or goodwill to mankind;

characterized by goodwill

Mr. Jones earned a humanitarian award for his countless hours he spent as a

volunteer at the homeless shelter.

ominousforetelling evil; threatening

The ominous clouds approaching told of the storm that was to come.

querulousconstantly complaining;

fretful or whining

The querulous child was always whining about something bothering

her.

firmamentthe heavens; the arch of

the sky

I looked up to the firmament, full of stars tonight, and was thankful that it

was a beautiful night.

reproachto cast discredit upon;

blame or censure

The little boy could not stand the look of reproach in his mother’s face, so he apologized for lying and hurting

her feelings.

toila laborious effort; long

fatiguing labor

It took great physical toil to grow and gather enough food for the winter.

somberdark or gloomy; grave or

melancholy

After being defeated in the state championship, the team’s mood was

somber.

silhouettethe outlines of an object

filled with black or shadow

Against the fire, you could see the man’s dark silhouette on the wall.

sputterto utter words hastily or explosively in excitement

or confusion

In her excitement to tell about the party, the child began to sputter incomplete sentences and made very little sense.

feignto give a false appearance

of; to fake

Although I do not feel well, I will feign that I am having a good time.

aristocrata member of the

privileged class or ruling government

Being an aristocrat, he could not understand the horrors of poverty.

lustrousHaving a shine, sheen, or brightness from reflected

light

The singers’ lustrous suit shined brightly as he took the stage.

ensigna flag, badge or emblem

The captain took down the skull and crossbones flag and hung up a new ensign to show that the pirates had

been defeated.

vanquishedto defeat; to overcome in

a battle or contest

The undefeated Klein Collins football team has vanquished all of its foes.