Monday, October 6, 2014

Vocabulary #5

shenanigans - noun secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering.
Ex. It was obvious North Korea had political shenanigens under the new dictator. 
ricochet - noun a glancing rebound; verb spring back; spring away from an impact
Ex. Her words caught his senses a glancing blow and then ricocheted away into infinity.
schism - noun division of a group into opposing factions; the formal separation of a church into two churches or the withdrawal of one group over doctrinal differences
Ex. The schism kept her from becoming the rightful queen of the immortal world.
eschew - verb avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of
Ex. The boy eschewed from the area escaping the peer pressure.
plethora - noun extreme excess
Ex. This article contains the usual educational plethora of histological images.
ebullient - adj. joyously unrestrained
Ex. Ebullient personality, courage and vivaciousness made him very popular with all ranks within the new peers. 
garrulous - adj. full of trivial conversation
Ex. He was not only without political or military capacity, but was so garrulous that he could not keep a secret.
harangue - noun a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion; verb deliver a harangue to; address forcefully
Ex. He delivered a violent harangue before the king.
interdependence - noun a reciprocal relation between interdependent entities (objects or individuals or groups)
Ex. It established a waste management hierarchy, which stressed the interdependence of approaches to waste disposal.
capricious - adj. determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason; changeable
Ex. His capricious humour elevated and deposed them with the same disconcerting suddenness.
loquacious - adj. full of trivial conversation
Ex. After drinking four beers, the normally quiet lady becomes quite loquacious.
ephemeral - adj. lasting a very short time; noun anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form
Ex. Because of her ephemeral memory, she forgets things all the time!
inchoate - adj. only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
Ex. While I have started writing my autobiography, it is still inchoate because I have several more chapters to add.
juxtapose - verb place side by side
Ex. The paper juxtaposed narratives and analytical passages.
perspicacious - adj. acutely insightful and wise; mentally acute or penetratingly discerning
Ex. Many perspicacious investors sold their tech stocks long before the market crashed.
codswallop - noun nonsensical talk or writing
Ex. The drunk guy in the pub was talking codswallop to the beautiful ladies. 
mungo - noun cloth made from recycled woven or felted material
Ex. The Hispanic immigrants sold ponchos made of mungo along the streets of LA. 
sesquipedalian - adjective having many syllables
Ex. Considering their length, the word "floccinaucinihilipilification," is a good example of sesquipedalian word.
wonky - adj. inclined to shake as from weakness or defect; turned or twisted toward one side
Ex. Likewise the lantern on the right looks a bit wonky.
diphthong - noun a vowel sound that starts near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves toward the position for another
Ex. Diphthong sounds are particularly enjoyed by young learners.

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