English 121 PPCC vocabulary for final exam – Flashcards
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abnegate
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to renounce, to give up
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ambulatory
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able to move or able to walk, mobile
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amelioration
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improvement, made more tolerable
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anachronism
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a chronological mistake, something out of place in time
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apologetics
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branch of theory concerned with proving the truth of Christianity
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arcane
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hard to fathom, mysteriously obsure
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attentuate
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long and narrow, to the point
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consanguine
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of the same origin; related by blood-related by ansestory
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decries
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criticize
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deduction
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a conclusion drawn from available information, based on syllogism
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syllogism
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A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.
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desultory
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aimless; haphazard; digressing at random;
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dissemble
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to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character
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ebullient
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bubbling with enthusiasm or excitement
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eschew
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to abstain from, avoid
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esoteric
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confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
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etymology
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The study of the origin and subsequent history of words.
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etymology-sentance use
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The etymology of the word is not just its origin but how it's use has changed over time.
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exigencies
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an urgent need or demand
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exigencies-sentence use
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The EMT responds to exigencies all day long because every call is urgent to someone.
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existentialism
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A philosophy based on the idea that people give meaning to their lives through their choices and actions
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existentialism-sentence use
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People who practice existentialism believe that it is up to them to give meaning and purpose to their lives.
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fatuous
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stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way, showing a lack of thought combined with complacency
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fatuous-sentence use
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The college freshman was fatuous; knowing very little about the world and complacent about increasing her understanding of how things work.
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fecundity
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Fruitfulness or fertility, as of the earth
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fecundity-sentence use
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Their marriage had great fecundity as it produced three children ready to contribute great things to the world.
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garrulous
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talkative, wordy, a pejorative or negative term
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garrulous-sentence use
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The man exhibited pressured speech; a sign of anxiety,although he was normally quiet, not garrulous.
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gregarious
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Fond of the company of others; sociable.
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gregarious-sentence use
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The gregarious young man joined a fraternity his first semester of college so he could make many friends.
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heterodoxy
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any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position
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heterodoxy-sentence use
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The man's heterodoxy left him outside his strictly religious family.
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induction
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conclusion based on evidence
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induction-sentence use
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He came to the conclusion that the world was round when he took a boat trip and didn't fall off the sea.
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ineluctable
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impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion"
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ineluctable-sentence use
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The fact he was 500 miles from the scene provided an ineluctable conclusion of his innocence.
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inexorable
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unstoppable, adamant
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inexorable-sentence use
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The runner won every race; seemingly inexorable in his quest for gold medals.
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intrepid
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fearless; resolutely courageous
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intrepid-sentence use
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The German Shepard found it easy to be intrepid when near poodles.
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languid
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Lacking energy or vigor
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languid-sentence use
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He feels languid each morning; lacking energy and vigor until after his third cup of coffee.
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loquacious
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overly talkative.
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loquacious-sentence use
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My loquacious friend never allows me to talk because she is always dominating the conversation.
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mercenary
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A soldier for hire or being motivated solely by a desire for money or material gain
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mercenary-sentence use
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He worked only for money and his mercenary tendency blocked his enjoyment of simply producing a good product.
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mundane
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ordinary
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mundane-sentence use
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The ordinary day to day tasks she had to do were mundane things and she was very bored.
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munificence
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Generosity in giving
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munificence-sentence use
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The philanthropist showed great munificence in giving money to the poor.
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naturalism
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A literary movement seeking to depict life as accurately as possible, without artificial distortions of emotion, idealism, and literary convention.
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naturalism-sentence use
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Sinclair wrote from the perspective of naturalism when he tried to depict the world he saw, exactly as it really was.
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obfuscated
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To make things more difficult to understand, confuse, obsure
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obfuscated-sentence use
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The professor obfuscated the subject on purpose because she wanted to make it unable to be understood except for an elite few students.
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obsequious
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overly submissive and eager to please
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obsequious-sentence use
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The intern wanted to please his boss but his obsequious fawning was annoying.
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ontology
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The theory or study of existence
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ontology-sentence use
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The student studying ontology came to the conclusion that whales first existed as land animals.
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pedagogy
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Study of the education of children.
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pedagogy-sentence use
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An education major must study pedagogy to understand how children learn.
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pedantic
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Excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules. a perfectionist
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pedantic-sentence use
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The English professor must be pedantic when trying to get students to write according to the rules of grammar.
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pejoration
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the process by which a word degenerates, acquiring new connotations over time
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pejoration-sentence use
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The late rap artist, Tupac Shakur, originally used the word "dis" to mean disenfranchise, or the removal of voting rights, but over time pejoration degraded it to mean disrespected.
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perfunctory
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Acting routinely with little interest or care
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perfunctory-sentence use
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The student wrote the paper with only perfunctory care and made many errors.
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peripatetic
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wandering from place to place, especially on foot
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peripatetic-sentence use
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The adjunct professor was peripatetic as she had to travel from one university to the next all week long.
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pernicious
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Destructive; deadly
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pernicious-sentence use
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The gentleman's pernicious anemia was from a lack of vitamin B12 but, with treatment, dangerous problems could be avoided.
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perspicacious
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Having penetrating insight or good discernment
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perspicacious-sentence use
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Because of her perspicacious way of understanding problems she consistently makes good decisions.
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perspicacity
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acute discernment or understanding; insight
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perspicacity-sentence use
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Because of her perspicacity she consistently makes good decisions.
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philologist
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one who loves words and studying words
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philologist=sentence use
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The professor of English must be a philologist in order to inspire students to also appreciate the power of words.
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postmodernism
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acceptance of all beliefs as being equally true
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post-modernism-sentence use
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The Bahai religion, which began in the 1970s, teaches that all other religions have many truths; making it an example of postmodernism.
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pristine
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unspoiled
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pristine-sentence use
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The pristine snow had just fallen and was without any marks.
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recalcitrant
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Not obedient, resisting authority, hard to manage
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recalcitrant-sentence use
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The recalcitrant child was impossible for his mother to control in the grocery store.
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recondite
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relating to obscure learning
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recondite-sentence use
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The English professor rejected books from the 10th Century because she felt the recondite material was not relevant to her student's lives.
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remuneration
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salary, payment for work done
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remuneration-sentence use
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He looked forward to his paycheck because the remuneration was needed greatly.
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sagacious
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Having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgement
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sagacious-sentence use
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He was a sagacious student as he proved by his well written English papers.
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sanguine
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personalty type that is "hot", passionate and confident and hopeful
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Sanguine-sentence use
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Because they are more passionate people with sanguine personalities are usually more popular than those who are choleric.
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scintillating
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Sparkling, twinkling, exceptionally brilliant (applied to mental or personal qualities)
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scintillating-sentence use
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Her scintillating personality was hard to resist because it made her sparkle.
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sedulous
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diligent
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sedulous-sentence use
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The sedulous student is usually rewarded for his diligent effort, with high grades.
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sophomoric
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immature and overconfident; conceited.
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sophomoric-sentence use
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It would be sophomoric to take organic chemistry in the freshmen year of college just because you took AP chemistry in high school.
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specious
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deceptive, apparently good or valid but lacking real merit
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specious-sentence use
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The diploma looked real but the transcripts showed it was specious because he had not really graduated from college.
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supercilious
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Arrogant
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supercilious-sentence use
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He was seen as supercillious when he arrogantly refused to help his fellow students, who were struggling in class.
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taciturn
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habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
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taciturn-sentence use
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Is the student taciturn or is he just learning to speak English?
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temerity
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Excessive confidence or boldness; audacity
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theism
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Belief in a deity or deities.
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vacuous
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empty, void, lacking in understanding
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vapid
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dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force
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vicissitudes
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the unexpected changes and shifts often encountered in one's life
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vicissitudes-sentence use
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The first year of college is full of vicissitudes as everything encountered seems to be new and changing.
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World view
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The most encompassing term for the way that members of a society understand the world around them
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world view -sentence use
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The combined zeitgeists of a society contribute greatly to forming their worldview.
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world view-alternate sentence use
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My world view has been shaped by many factors including culture and personally held beliefs.
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abnegate-sentence use
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The parents abnegated their responsibility for their child.
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ambulatory-sentence use
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The patient was ambulatory so he did not need a wheelchair.
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amelioration-sentence use
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The EMT took continuing education classes on the amelioration of pain without medication.
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apologetics-sentence use
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The Pope uses scholars skilled in apologetics to help him to prove the theory of the Catholic Church's essential truths to non-Christians.
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arcane-sentence use
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The argument between the two rabbis was so arcane that the congregation found it very difficult to follow.
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attenuate-sentence use
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The students hoped that the professor would attenuate her lecture and just get to the point.
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consanguine-sentence use
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Although the adoptive children in the family are alike in personality they are not consanguine relatives, so this must be the result of nurture not nature
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decries-sentence use
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My sister decries the amount of homework she is given in her honors classes at highschool but I tell her "Wait until you get to college!"
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deduction-sentence use
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He came to this deduction about his career choice after studying syllogisms written by other people; which each contained a major and minor premise and a conclusion
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desultory-sentence use
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The student started the semester in an organized way but was increasingly desultory in his studies as the semester went on, and, as a result, he failed his classes.
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dissemble-sentence use
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The student appeared sanguine but this was a dissembling of his true choleric nature.
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ebullient-sentence use
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The freshmen were ebullient on the first days of school but their excitement wore off as the semester progressed.
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eschew-sentence use
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I began to eschew sugar, wheat and dairy products at the beginning of last year to improve my health.
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esoteric-sentence use
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I did not understand the meaning hidden in the esoteric book.
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enervate
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to weaken; to reduce in vitality
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enervate-sentence use
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Becoming discouraged will enervate a student, making it harder for him to bring energy and vitality to his studies,
