Vocabulary and Spelling 

Week 1.5
1. aria - noun \ˈär-ē-ə\ -: a song in an opera sung by one person

Sentence: While listening to the aria, I fell asleep on my bed.

2. bagel - noun \ˈbā-gəl\-   a firm doughnut-shaped roll traditionally made by boiling and then
baking

Sentence: My mom ordered a bagel last night while I was gone; not sure if she ordered
any more, though.

3. bon vivant -  noun \ˌbän-vē-ˈvänt, ˌbōⁿ-vē-ˈväⁿ\ - : a person who likes going to parties and

other social occasions and who enjoys good food, wine, etc.

Sentence: I like describing my uncle as a bon vivant as he always invites my parents out
to parties, even though they decline.

4. coup d'état -  noun \ˌkü-(ˌ)dā-ˈtä, ˈkü-(ˌ)dā-ˌ, -də-\ -: a sudden attempt by a small group of

people to take over the government usually through violence

Sentence: Back in 2006, your father was part of a coup d’état, attempting to right what
he thought was wrong.

5. cupola – noun - \ˈkyü-pə-lə, ÷-ˌlō\ -: a rounded roof or part of a roof

Sentence: His head hit on the cupola of Hendrey’s house when he lost his balance.

6. déjà vu - ˌdā-ˌzhä-ˈvü, -ˈvue\ - : the feeling that you have already experienced something that
is actually happening for the first time

Sentence: I suddenly felt déjà vu, as if I attended the party some time in the past.

7. dinghy - noun \ˈdiŋ-ē, -gē\- a small boat that is often carried on or towed behind a larger
boat: a small rubber boat that is used by people escaping from a sinking boat

Sentence: Once the ship started sinking, Jack tried looking for a dinghy; unfortunately,
he found none.

8. faux pas - noun \ˈfō-ˌpä, fō-ˈ\ -: an embarrassing social mistake; blunder 

Sentence: She tried hiding up her faux pas, and to her surprise, no one noticed.
9. fjord - noun \fē-ˈȯrd, ˈfē-ˌ; ˈfyȯrd\ -: a narrow part of the ocean between cliffs or steep hills
or mountains

Sentence: I wanted to explore the rumored fjord between these mountains, but my
mother didn’t give me the chance to.

10. ghetto - noun \ˈge-(ˌ)tō\ -: a part of a city in which members of a particular group or race live
usually in poor conditions

Sentence: Andy was assigned to study the ghetto near the Sandro Mountains, so he left
at midnight.

11. juggernaut - noun \ˈjə-gər-ˌnȯt, -ˌnät\ -: something (such as a force, campaign, or movement)

that is extremely large and powerful and cannot be stopped

Sentence: Miles ran against the wall and tried stopping the juggernaut that was about
to destroy the whole city; he couldn’t stop it on time.

12. liverwurst - \ˈli-və(r)-ˌwərst also -ˌvu̇(r)st;sometimes -ˌvu̇sht\ -: a type of soft sausage made

chiefly of cooked liver

Sentence: She tried some of my liverwurst, and later that evening, I heard her saying
that she recommended my cooking to all her friends.

13. nom de plume - noun \-ˈplüm\ -: a name used by a writer instead of the writer's real name;
pen name

Sentence: Alexander was a nom de plume of mine, since I was very ashamed of using
my real name.

14. pundit - noun \ˈpən-dət\ -: a person who knows a lot about a particular subject and who
expresses ideas and opinions about that subject publicly (such as by speaking on television
and radio shows)

Sentence: My friend tells me that you are quite the pundit; is that really true?

15. queue - noun \ˈkyü\ - a braid of hair usually worn hanging at the back of the head

Sentence: I added the song to my queue, but suddenly, all the songs I’ve saved in my
queue had disappeared.

16. sang froid - noun \ˈsäⁿ-ˈf(r)wä\ -: the ability to stay calm in difficult or dangerous situations

Sentence: James’s sang froid is one of the many things I aspire about him.

17. Schadenfreude -  noun, often capitalized \ˈshä-dən-ˌfrȯi-də\ -: a feeling of enjoyment that

comes from seeing or hearing about the troubles of other people
 Sentence: When he saw me, I felt a little bit of Schadenfreude, knowing he’s always
bothered by my presence.

18. trek - intransitive verb \ˈtrek\ - to travel by walking through an area with many mountains,
rivers, etc., for pleasure and adventure

Sentence:  Ever since he was trekking around the mountains, he was nowhere to be

found.

19. viaduct - noun \ˈvī-ə-ˌdəkt\ -: a long, high bridge that carries a road or railroad over
something (such as a valley)

Sentence: The viaduct seemed unstable, so I stayed away from it and tried looking for
another path.

20. voodoo - noun \ˈvü-(ˌ)dü\ - a religion that is derived from African polytheism and ancestor
worship and is practiced chiefly in Haiti

Sentence: He was caught holding a voodoo of Kevin, trying to rip it apart.