Vocabulary and Etymology / Week2

• male-

malefactor (n.)

✓a person who violates the law; criminal

✓a person who does harm or evil, especially toward another

-       example: Their selection by the mass-circulation magazine reflects the readiness of society to see corporate malefactors punished.

        

malefic (adj.)

✓Causing harm or destruction, especially by supernatural means:

-       example: She was hypnotized by the spider's malefic eyes.

Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 [O.S. 7 September] – 13 December 1784), often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Johnson was a devout Anglican and committed Tory, and is described by the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history". He is also the subject of perhaps the most famous biography in English literature, namely The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell.

The History of English in 10 Minutes

• se-

✓apart

separate (v.)

-       meaning: forming or viewed as a unit apart or by itself

-       example: This raises two separate issues.

✓without

secure (v.)

-       meaning: fixed or fastened so as not to give way, become loose, or be lost

-       example: Check to ensure that all nuts and bolts are secure.

vocabulary

WEEK 1

annals (n.) / historical records of the activities of a country or organization, or history in general

automaton (n.) / a machine that operates on its own without the need for human control, or a person who                              acts like a machine, without thinking or feeling 

compound (n.) / combines two or more elements

eminent (adj.)  / famous, respected, or important

implore (v.) / to ask for something in a sincere and emotional way

indiscriminate (adj.)  / not showing careful thought or planning, especially so that harm results

interminable (adj.) / continuing for too long and therefore boring or annoying

paradox / a situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because                         it contains two opposite facts or characteristics

prognosticate (v.) / to give a judgment about what is likely to happen in the future 

voracious (adj.) / very eager for something, especially a lot of food 

WEEK2

accost (v.) / to go up to or stop and speak to someone in a threatening way

adroit (adj.) / very skilful and quick in the way you think or move

avid (adj.) / extremely eager or interested

cajole (v.) / to persuade someone to do something they might not want to do

enhance (v.) / to improve the quality, amount, or strength of something

fabricate (v.) / to invent or produce something false in order to deceive someone

felon (v.) / a person who is guilty of a serious crime

furtive (adj.) / behaving secretly and often dishonestly

gesticulate (v.) / to make movements with your hands or arms, to express something or to emphasize                       what you are saying

hapless (adj.) / unlucky and usually unhappy

intrepid (adj.)/ extremely brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations

irate (adj.) / very angry

laconic (adj.) / using very few words to express what you mean

nuance (n.)/ a very slight difference

plethora (adj.) / a very large amount of something

pretext (n.) / a pretended reason for doing something that is used to hide the real reason

reticent (adj.) / unwilling to speak about your thoughts or feelings

rudimentary(adj.) / basic

throng (n.) / a crowd or large group of people

vigilant (adj.) / always being careful to notice things, especially possible danger

WEEK3

bristle noun / a short, stiff hair, usually one of many

caustic adjective / A caustic chemical burns or destroys things

cessation noun / ending or stopping

condolence noun / sympathy and sadness for the family or close friends of a person who has                                     recently died

dupe verb / to deceive someone, usually by making that person do something that they did not                      intend to do

euphemism noun / a word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word 

inadvertent adjective / not intentional

incipient adjective / just beginning

incongruous adjective / unusual or different from what is around or from what is generally                                                happening

infamous adjective / famous for something considered bad

jostle verb / to knock or push roughly against someone in order to move past them or get more                       space when you are in a crowd of people

lackluster adjective / without energy and effort

loathe verb / to hate someone or something

mundane adjective / very ordinary and therefore not interesting

ominous adjective / suggesting that something unpleasant is likely to happen

reprimand verb / to express to someone your strong official disapproval of them

repudiate verb / to refuse to accept something or someone as true, good, or reasonable

stipulate verb / to say exactly how something must be or must be done

tremulous adjective / If a person's voice or a part of their body is tremulous, it is shaking slightly