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4. abseil (mountaineering) a descent of a vertical 20. anapestic characterized by two short syllables
cliff or wall made by using a doubled rope that followed by a long one
is fixed to a higher point and wrapped around
21. anaphora repetition of a word or phrase to
the body
begin successive clauses
5. abulia a loss of will power
22. anchorite one retired from society for religious
6. acarpous producing no fruit reasons
7. acaulescent (of plants) having no apparent 23. anele administer an oil or ointment to
stem above ground
24. anile of or like a feeble old woman
8. adust dried out by heat or excessive exposure
25. anlage an organ in its earliest stage of
to sunlight
development
9. afflatus a strong creative impulse; divine
26. aperient mildly laxative
inspiration
27. apheresis (linguistics) omission at the
10. affray a noisy fight
beginning of a word as in `coon' for `raccoon'
11. agnail a loose narrow strip of skin near the or `till' for `until'
base of a fingernail
28. apoapsis the point in an orbit farthest from
12. aide-de-camp an officer who acts as an the body being orbited
assistant to a more senior officer
29. apocope abbreviation of a word by omitting
13. albedo the ratio of reflected to incident light the final sound or sounds
33. apophatic of or relating to the belief that God 52. autogamy self-fertilization in plants
can be known to humans only in terms of
53. automysophobia a morbid fear of being dirty
what He is not (such as `God is unknowable')
54. autotomy spontaneous removal or casting off
34. aposiopesis breaking off in the middle of a
of a body part (as the tail of a lizard or claw of
sentence
a lobster) especially when the organism is
35. apotropaic having the power to prevent evil or injured or under attack
bad luck
55. aweigh (used of an anchor) hanging clear of
36. architrave the molding around a door or the bottom
window
56. backsheesh a relatively small amount of
37. arenaceous resembling or containing or money given for services rendered (as by a
abounding in sand waiter)
38. Arhat a Buddhist who has attained nirvana 57. banausic (formal) ordinary and not refined
39. armiger a nobleman entitled to bear heraldic 58. batrachian any of various tailless stout-bodied
arms amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping;
semiaquatic and terrestrial species
40. arrant without qualification; used informally
as intensifiers 59. batrachomyomachia a silly altercation
41. arriviste an ambitious social climber or status 60. belletristic written and regarded for aesthetic
seeker value rather than content
42. ashlar a rectangular block of hewn stone used 61. benedict a newly married man
for building purposes
62. bewray reveal unintentionally
43. asseverate state categorically
63. bezel a sloping edge on a cutting tool
44. assurgent growing or extending upward
64. bezique a card game played with a pack of
45. ataraxia peace of mind forty-eight cards
46. athwart across the course, direction, or center 65. billingsgate foul-mouthed or obscene abuse
line of a ship
66. bleb an elevation of the skin filled with serous
47. atrabilious irritable as if suffering from fluid
indigestion
67. boffo resoundingly successful and popular
48. attainder cancellation of civil rights
68. bolide an especially luminous meteor
49. Augean extremely filthy from long neglect (sometimes exploding)
50. auric of or relating to or containing or derived 69. bonce informal terms for a human head
from gold
70. bootless unproductive of success
51. auspicate indicate by signs
71. boreal toward or located in the north
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72. brachiation swinging by the arms from branch 92. cenobite a member of a religious order living
to branch in common
73. brassard armor plate that protects the arm 93. cerement burial garment in which a corpse is
wrapped
74. Brobdingnagian huge
94. cerulean deep blue like the color of a clear sky
75. bruit tell or spread rumors
95. cerumen a soft yellow wax secreted by glands
76. brumal characteristic of or relating to winter
in the ear canal
77. brumous filled or abounding with fog or mist
96. chaffer talk socially without exchanging too
78. buccula a fold of fatty tissue under the chin much information
79. bumf reading materials (documents, written 97. chancery an office of archives for public or
information) that you must read and deal with ecclesiastic records
but that you think are extremely boring
98. chaparral dense vegetation consisting of
80. burke get rid of, silence, or suppress stunted trees or bushes
81. buskin a boot reaching halfway up to the knee 99. chapfallen brought low in spirit
82. Buteo broad-winged soaring hawks 100. chasuble a long sleeveless vestment worn
by a priest when celebrating Mass
83. caitiff a cowardly and despicable person
101. chatelaine a chain formerly worn at the
84. callathump
waist by women
a noisy mock serenade to a newly married couple
102. chatoyant varying in color when seen in
85. canorous richly melodious different lights or from different angles
86. cantabile smooth and flowing 103. chilblain inflammation of the hands and
feet caused by exposure to cold and moisture
87. cantle the back of a saddle seat
104. chirk make a shrill creaking, squeaking, or
88. caparisoned clothed in finery
noise, as of a door, mouse, or bird
89. capriole a playful leap or hop. Then he went
105. chirk up become cheerful
through about a thousand of the wildest
caprioles that had ever been performed either 106. chiromancy telling fortunes by lines on the
by a bird or a horse. — Hawthorne, Nathaniel palm of the hand
90. catachresis strained or paradoxical use of 107. chrestomathy a selection of passages from
words either in error (as `blatant' to mean different authors that is compiled as an aid in
`flagrant') or deliberately (as in a mixed learning a language
metaphor: `blind mouths')
108. cicatrice a mark left by the healing of
91. catenulate having a chainlike form injured tissue
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109. Cimmerian intensely dark and gloomy as 127. courgette marrow squash plant whose
with perpetual darkness fruit are eaten when small
110. cincture a band of material around the 128. crapulous given to gross intemperance in
waist that strengthens a skirt or trousers eating or drinking
111. circinate shaped like a ring 129. crenel one of a series of rounded
projections (or the notches between them)
112. claver talk socially without exchanging too
formed by curves along an edge (as the edge
much information
of a leaf or piece of cloth or the margin of a
113. clerestory part of an interior wall rising shell or a shriveled red blood cell observed in a
above the adjacent roof with windows hypertonic solution etc.)
admitting light
130. crepitate make a crackling sound
114. clerisy an educated and intellectual elite
131. cromlech a prehistoric megalithic tomb
115. clinquant glittering with gold or silver typically having two large upright stones and a
capstone
116. coadjutor an assistant to a bishop
132. cumber hold back
117. cockade an ornament usually worn on the
hat 133. cunctation the act of procrastinating
118. cocotte a small casserole in which 134. curandero a Mexican man who practices
individual portions can be cooked and served healing techniques inherited from the Mayans
144. deliquesce melt or become liquid by 163. eidos (anthropology) the distinctive
absorbing moisture from the air expression of the cognitive or intellectual
character of a culture or a social group
145. demarche a move or step or maneuver in
political or diplomatic affairs 164. embouchure the aperture of a wind
instrument into which the player blows
146. demimondaine a woman whose sexual
directly
promiscuity places her outside respectable
society 165. embrasure an opening for firing through
147. demiurge a subordinate deity, in some 166. embrocate administer an oil or ointment
philosophies the creator of the universe to
148. descant talk at great length about 167. emulous characterized by or arising from
something of one's interest imitation
149. devitrify become crystalline 168. enfeoffment under the feudal system, the
deed by which a person was given land in
150. devoir formal expression of respect
exchange for a pledge of service
151. dighted dressed or adorned (as for battle)
169. entrepot a port where merchandise can be
152. dint force or effort imported and then exported without paying
import duties
153. discalced barefoot or wearing only sandals
170. epigone an inferior imitator or follower of
154. discountenance look with disfavor on
someone
155. dithyramb a passionate hymn
171. epistaxis bleeding from the nose
156. doxy a woman who cohabits with an
172. epithalamium an ode honoring a bride and
important man
bridegroom
157. duenna a woman chaperon
173. eremite a Christian recluse
158. durance imprisonment (especially for a
174. eructation a reflex that expels gas noisily
long time)
from the stomach through the mouth
159. eagre a high wave caused by tidal flow
175. espadrille a cloth sandal with a sole made
160. eclat brilliant or conspicuous success or of rope
effect
176. estivation cessation or slowing of activity
161. eclogue a short poem descriptive of rural during the summer
or pastoral life
177. etiolate make weak by stunting the growth
162. eidetic of visual imagery of almost or development of
photographic accuracy
178. etymon a simple form inferred as the
common basis from which related words in
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249. kith your friends and acquaintances 269. lipogram a text that excludes a particular
letter or particular letters of the alphabet
250. knackered very tired
270. logomachy an argument about words or
251. koine a common language used by
the meaning of words
speakers of different languages
271. lollop move or walk clumsily and with a
252. kopje a small hill rising up from the African
bounce
veld
272. longanimity good-natured tolerance of
253. lacustrine of or relating to or living near
delay or incompetence
lakes
273. longueur a period of dullness or boredom
254. lagniappe a small gift given by a merchant
to a customer 274. loupe small magnifying glass used by
jewelers and horologists
255. lambent softly bright or radiant
275. lucubration laborious cogitation
256. lammergeyer the largest Eurasian bird of
prey 276. luculent (of language) transparently clear;
easily understandable
257. lancinating painful as if caused by a sharp
instrument 277. macaronic mixing two languages,
especially Latin and another language
258. legerity the gracefulness of a person or
animal that is quick and nimble 278. mackle a printed impression that is blurred
or doubled
259. lenify cause to be more favorably inclined;
gain the good will of 279. maenad a woman participant in the
orgiastic rites of Dionysus
260. lenitive moderating pain or sorrow by
making it easier to bear 280. magus a member of the Zoroastrian
priesthood of the ancient Persians
261. lenity mercifulness as a consequence of
being lenient or tolerant 281. mahout the driver and keeper of an
elephant
262. leptorhine having a long narrow nose
282. maieutic method a method of teaching by
263. leveret a young hare especially one in its
question and answer
first year
283. major-domo the chief steward or butler of
264. liege a feudal lord entitled to allegiance
a great household
and service
284. majuscule one of the large alphabetic
265. ligneous consisting of or containing xylem
characters used as the first letter in writing or
266. limacine of or resembling a slug printing proper names and sometimes for
emphasis
267. limen the smallest detectable sensation
268. lingulate shaped like a tongue
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285. malik the leader of a town or community 302. monophony music consisting of a single
in some parts of Asia Minor and the Indian vocal part
subcontinent
303. morganatic (of marriages) of a marriage
286. malmsey sweet Madeira wine between one of royal or noble birth and one
of lower rank; valid but with the
287. maltha a thick black tar intermediate
understanding that the rank of the inferior
between petroleum and asphalt
remains unchanged and offspring do not
288. malversate appropriate fraudulently to succeed to titles or property of the superior
one's own use
304. muckle (often followed by `of') a large
289. manse the residence of a clergyman number or amount or extent
290. marl a loose and crumbling earthy deposit 305. muliebrity the state of being an adult
consisting mainly of calcite or dolomite; used woman
as a fertilizer for soils deficient in lime
306. mumpsimus a traditional notion that is
291. marmoreal of or relating to or obstinately held although it is unreasonable
characteristic of hard crystalline rock
307. murrain any disease of domestic animals
292. matutinal pertaining to or occurring in the that resembles a plague
morning
308. mussitate talk indistinctly; usually in a low
293. maunder wander aimlessly. All hands voice
being aft, the skipper maundered forrard, to
309. myrmidon a follower who carries out
find his further progress stopped by this rope.
orders without question
— Bullen, Frank T.
310. nacre the iridescent internal layer of a
294. mentum the protruding part of the lower
mollusk shell
jaw
311. nard an aromatic ointment used in
295. metheglin spiced or medicated mead
antiquity
296. metonymy substituting the name of a
312. neap tide a less than average tide
feature for the name of the thing
occurring at the first and third quarters of the
297. mews street lined with buildings that were moon
originally private stables but have been
313. nevus a blemish on the skin that is formed
remodeled as dwellings
before birth
298. minacious threatening or foreshadowing
314. niffy (British informal) malodorous
evil or tragic developments
315. nimiety a quantity much larger than is
299. misology hatred of reasoning
needed
300. mistral a strong north wind that blows in
316. niminy-piminy affectedly dainty or refined
France during the winter
301. moil work hard
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317. nitid bright with a steady but subdued 336. panatela a long slender cigar
shining
337. pandiculation yawning and stretching (as
318. nonage any age prior to the legal age when first waking up)
319. nonesuch model of excellence or 338. pandurate having rounded ends and a
perfection of a kind contracted center
320. notional being of the nature of a notion or 339. panjandrum an important or influential
concept (and often overbearing) person
321. nous that which is responsible for one's 340. Paraclete the third person in the Trinity
thoughts and feelings
341. paronomasia a humorous play on words
322. nucha the back side of the neck
342. parturition the process of giving birth
323. numen a spirit believed to inhabit an
343. parvenu a person who has suddenly risen
object or preside over a place (especially in
to a higher economic status
ancient Roman religion)
344. pawky cunning and sly
324. objurgate censure severely
345. peculate appropriate fraudulently for one's
325. oblation the act of contributing to the
own use
funds of a church or charity
346. pediment a triangular gable between a
326. obnubilate make less visible or unclear
horizontal entablature and a sloping roof
327. odalisque a woman slave in a harem
347. pelisse a sleeveless cape that is lined or
328. oneiric of or relating to or suggestive of trimmed with fur
dreams
348. pennate having feathered wings
329. onomastics the branch of lexicology that
349. penstock regulator consisting of a valve or
studies the forms and origins of proper names
gate that controls the rate of water flow
330. ophidian limbless scaly elongate reptile; through a sluice
some are venomous
350. peripety a sudden and unexpected change
331. oppugn challenge the accuracy, probity, or of fortune or reverse of circumstances
propriety of (especially in a literary work)
332. orangery a place where oranges are grown 351. periphrasis a style that involves indirect
ways of expressing things
333. oscitance an involuntary intake of breath
through a wide open mouth 352. peristyle a colonnade surrounding a
building or enclosing a court
334. palanquin a closed litter carried on the
shoulders of four bearers 353. pettifoggery a quarrel about petty points
335. palter be deliberately ambiguous or 354. pharisee a self-righteous or sanctimonious
unclear in order to mislead person
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392. raillery light teasing 410. sacerdotal associated with the priesthood
or priests
393. rale a rapid series of short loud sounds
411. salmagundi cooked meats and eggs and
394. rappee strong snuff made from dark coarse
vegetables usually arranged in rows around
tobacco
the plate and dressed with a salad dressing
395. rebarbative serving or tending to repel
412. salver a tray for serving food or drinks;
396. recherche lavishly elegant and refined usually made of silver
397. recusant someone who refuses to conform 413. saporous full of flavor
to established standards of conduct
414. scholium a marginal note written by a
398. rede give advice to scholiast
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428. soutane a long cassock with buttons down but is hardly audible in others.
the front — Ukers, William H. (William Harrison)
429. sparge scatter with liquid; wet lightly 445. sutler a supplier of victuals or supplies to
an army
430. spavined (of horses) afflicted with a
swelling of the hock-joint 446. swale a low area (especially a marshy area
between ridges)
431. spicule small pointed structure serving as a
skeletal element in various marine and 447. syllepsis use of a word to govern two or
freshwater invertebrates e.g. sponges and more words though agreeing in number or
corals case etc. with only one
432. spoliation the act of stripping and taking 448. sylph a slender graceful young woman
by force
449. syndactyly connecting two or more fingers
433. stager an experienced person who has or toes
been through many battles
450. synecdoche birth defect in which there is
434. steatopygia an extreme accumulation of partial or total webbing using part of
fat on the buttocks something to refer to the whole thing
435. stilly (poetic) still or calm 451. syrinx the vocal organ of a bird
436. stipule a small leafy outgrowth at the base 452. tannoy a loudspeaker
of a leaf or its stalk
453. taradiddle a trivial lie
437. stoma a mouth or mouthlike opening
454. taradiddle pretentious or silly talk or
438. strapado a form of torture in which the writing
hands are tied behind a person's back and
455. tarn a mountain lake, especially one
they are lifted off the ground by a rope tied to
formed by glaciers
their wrists, then allowed to drop until their
fall is checked with a jerk by the rope 456. Tartarus a place where the wicked are
punished after death
439. subfusc devoid of brightness or appeal
457. tatterdemalion a dirty shabbily clothed
440. sudorific inducing perspiration
urchin
441. sumptuary regulating or controlling
458. tellurian of or relating to or inhabiting the
expenditure or personal behavior
land as opposed to the sea or air
442. supernal of heaven or the spirit
459. temerarious presumptuously daring
443. supervene take place as an additional or
460. termagant a scolding, nagging, bad-
unexpected development
tempered woman
444. surd a consonant produced without sound
461. thanatopsis an essay expressing a view on
from the vocal cordsAgain, he points out that
the subject of death
the surd aspirate h is heard in some languages,
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462. thaumaturgist one who practices magic or 480. usufruct a legal right to use and profit from
sorcery someone else's property
463. theurgy the effect of supernatural 481. valetudinarian weak or sickly person
intervention in human affairs especially one morbidly concerned with his or
her health
464. tilth aggregation of soil and its condition
for supporting growth 482. vambrace cannon of plate armor
protecting the forearm
465. tincture a substance that colors metals
483. vaporing an instance of boastful talk
466. tisane infusion of e.g. dried or fresh
flowers or leaves 484. velleity desire in its weakest form. But in
this particular, it was impossible for her to go
467. tittup to walk with a lofty proud gait, often
beyond velleities.
in an attempt to impress others
— Lespérance, John
468. tosh pretentious or silly talk or writing
485. vermicular decorated with wormlike
469. transom a horizontal crosspiece across a tracery or markings
window or separating a door from a window
486. vermiculation the process of wavelike
over it
muscle contractions of the alimentary tract
470. transude release (a liquid) in drops or small that moves food along
quantities
487. verruca a firm abnormal elevated blemish
471. trencherman a person who is devoted to on the skin
eating and drinking to excess
488. vibrissa a long stiff hair growing from the
472. truckle a low bed to be slid under a higher snout or brow of most mammals as e.g. a cat
bed
489. vigesimal relating to or based on the
473. trumpery ornamental objects of no great number twenty
value
490. vilipend belittle
474. tumidity slight swelling of an organ or part
491. volute ornament consisting of a curve on a
475. twee excessively or affectedly dainty, plane that winds around a center with an
sentimental, or refined increasing distance from the center
476. ukase an edict of the Russian tsar 492. welkin the apparent surface of the
imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies
477. ullage the amount that a container lacks of
appear to be projected
being full
493. xeric being deficient in moisture
478. umbilicus a scar where the umbilical cord
was attached 494. yob a cruel and brutal fellow
479. urticate sting with or as with nettles and 495. zymurgy the branch of chemistry
cause a stinging pain or sensation concerned with fermentation
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