Vocabulary

1. Vocabulary AP Composition and IB Language A

2. August 14 • Truculent- adj. –fierce, rude, cruel, savage Ex. Chillingsworth’s truculence was immediately evident to Hester. • Venerate-v- to worship Ex. Everyone venerated Dimmsdale, but ironically the reader knew his dark secret. (dramatic irony) • Impish –adj.- mischievous Ex. My niece was only two years old, but I could tell she was going to be an impish child.

3. Tempest- n – a storm Ex. No one expected their tempestuous relationship to endure, but it lasted all through high school. • Indolent- adj- idle, lazy, to avoid work Ex. The student’s total indolence led him to lose the respect of his peers as well as his teachers.

4. August 16 • Edifice-n- a building, especially a tall imposing one Ex. Eventually Bartlett will have an mposing edifice to intimidated the incoming sophomores. • Vicissitude-n- a condition of constant change or alternation as a natural process, mutability Ex. Bartlett’s construction leaves us all in a state of vicissitude. • Torpor-n- a state of being dormant or inactive, temporary loss of all or part of the power of sensation or motion, sluggishness, stupor, dullness Related word- torpid Ex. Her boyfriend leaving her for her mother left the girl’s entire family in a torpor for months.

5. August 17 • Arduous-adj.- difficult to do, laborious Ex. She dreaded starting the arduous task of cleaning her room. • Advent-n- arrival- Ex. The advent of summer made everyone excited. • Sentient-adj.- capable of feeling It seems miraculous that any sentient teenager would view reading as a source of pleasure after what they are required to read in school.

6. August • Incumbent- n- The holder of an office Ex. Although Harry Reid is the incumbent, it looks like he might lose the senate race. • Sagacious-adj.- wise Related word- sage Ex. I needed to find a sagacious person to ask advise about my future husband, so I called 1-800-love-doc. • Obtuse- adj.- not sharp or blunt, either literally or metaphorically. Can be used to mean slow Ex. The girl loved calling the jock obtuse because he was too stupid to know it was an insult.

7. August • Alacrity- n- liveliness, willingness to jump into the action Ex. He was selected to represent the class in SGA because of his alacrity. Related word: alacritous • Tremulous-adj.- trembling, quivering, palpitating, even fearful Ex. His tremulous appearance while being questioned made it evident to all he was not used to being called into the principal’s office. • Moribund-adj.- dying Ex. His moribund heart was able to produce fantastic poetry.

8. August • Imbue-v- to fill up, to saturate, to permeate or even to thoroughly inspire Ex. His beauty imbued all the girls with a feeling of total breathlessness. • Reminiscence-n- the act of remembering past experiences, the written or spoken recollection Related word- reminisce Ex. It won’t be long until high school is nothing more than a reminiscence. • Gourmand-n- a glutton Although she tried to pass herself off as a food connoisseur, she was nothing more than a pathetic gourmand.

9. August • Vitiate-v- to make imperfect, faulty or impure; can also refer to impure or perverse people; to nullify a contract Ex. Many teachers think reality tv does nothing but vitiate students all day long. • Expatiate-v- to leave the homeland Ex. The holocaust expatiated many Jews; the lucky ones went to Israel. • Repudiate-v- to put away, to divorce, to cast off publicly Ex. Hester was repudiated by her entire community.

10. August • banal-adj- trite, commonplace, tired Ex. I was bored by the banal explanations of the same rules we have heard every year since sixth grade. • percolate- v.-ooze gradually or strain, used metaphorically to mean permeate gradually Ex. Water percolates through the coffeemaker to brew coffee. • Imbecile-n- a very foolish or stupid person Ex. The girl was so worried of being seen as an imbecile, she rarely did anything without feeling totally self-conscious.

11. August • Cumbersome- adj.- hard to handle or deal with because of size Related word- cumbrous Ex. Most BHS students find their textbooks too cumbersome to tote around to their actual assigned locker. • Polemic- adj.- controversial Ex. Because his parents were Republican and his grandparents Democrats, politics was always a polemical topic at Thanksgiving. • Malleable-adj.- capable of being changed molded or trained, originally used to refer to the bending of iron Ex. Kate Gosslin proved to be Unmalleable in “Dancing with the Stars”; she drove her coach nuts.

12. End of Words for First Quiz • Be sure your Quizlet is done and turned into Quizlet. • Be sure you have original sentences, one for each word. • There should be 29 words and therefore 29 original sentences.

13. August • Stalwart-having a firm foundation, brave, resolute, firm and unyielding Ex. Ironically Bill Clinton has become the stalwart icon of the Democratic party. • Interloper-n- a person who meddles in other people’s affairs, originally referred to an unauthorized trading vessel Ex. My lab partner is such an interloper, I try never to let her know any of my business. • Esoteric- unfamiliar, rare Ex. Esoteric is an exoteric word; while exoteric is an esoteric word.

14. August • Fastidious-adj. Excessively discriminatory, fussy, hard to please in manners of taste Ex. My friend, Cristiana, is a fastidious dresser. • Natal-connected with one’s birth Although he is American, China is his natal land. • Impel-v- to force, compel, urge, incite, to drive or push into motion Ex. Although it is a painful process, Mrs. Brawner’s goal is to impel us to a 5 on the AP exam!!

15. August • Efficacious-adj. producing or capable of producing a desired effect Ex. It is polemical whether spanking a child is an efficacious form of discipline. • Impalpable-adj.- that cannot be felt by touching or not easily grasped by the mind Ex. Because the nature of God is impalpable, many avoid thinking about the matter altogether. • Phial-n- a small glass bottle or vial Ex. The poison was in an unmarked phial in the pantry and avoided the suspicion of the detective.

16. September • Predilections- n- a preconceived liking, partiality Ex. My predilections are always toward local restaurants over national chains. • Forlorn-adj.- abandoned or deserted Ex. The girl gave away her American Doll after it had sitting in the corner of her room forlornly since the 5th grade. • Appellations-n.-the act of calling by name, a name or title used to describe or designate a person Ex. The students didn’t like the new mayor who insisted on being referred to by all kinds of appellations.

17. Test Day!!- Tomorrow!!

18. September • Lucubration- a work or study that required a lot of work to produce, especially work done late at night Ex. Our junior research projects will certainly be lucubrations we will be proud of. • Indefatigable-can not be made to tire. Ex. Boxer was indefatigable while working on Animal Farm. • Deleterious-harmful to one’s health or well-being Ex. Because cigarettes are so deleterious, the government forbids them for minors who may not have enough sense to avoid them on their own.

19. September • Scribbler-n- a person who scribbles (marks or covers with meaningless or illegible marks) Ex. Mrs. Brawner has been accused of being a scribbler. • Antiquary-n- a person who collects or studies relics or ancient works of art Ex. My antiquary grandfather loves to collect civil war souvenirs. • Ponderous-adj.- very heavy, unwielding because of weight Ex. Mrs. Brawner finds the laptop carts to be somewhat ponderous as she drags them down the hall to the library.

20. September • Sinews-n- a tendon, muscular power, strength or force Ex. The sinews of their love could not be broken even by 15 years of harsh prison life. • Ignominious-adj. shameful, dishonorable, disgraceful Ex . Joran van Der Sloot is an ignonimous excuse for a human being. • Dewy-adj. dew-like, refreshing, gentle Ex. The baby’s dewy slumber brought a smile to everyone who gazed at her in the picture.

21. September 13 • Heterodox-adj- departing from or opposed to the usual beliefs or established doctrines Ex. Heterodox teachers usually make for more interesting classes. • Indubitable-adj- that cannot be doubted, unquestionable Ex. Many feel the theories of evolution are indubitable, but this also is polemical. • Rotund-adj- round, plump or stout Ex. To call someone rotund is a more disguised way of calling them fat.

22. September 18 • Picturesque- adj. beautiful like a painting, suggesting or calling up a beautiful scene of natural beauty Ex. The picturesque landscape of the Smoky mountains sometimes looks too beautiful to be real. • Usurp-v-to take or assume power, position, or property unlawfully Ex. The usurping assistant coach tried to get the head coach fired based on rumors and gossip. • Despot-n- anyone in charge who acts like a tyrant Ex. My sister is despotic when my mother leaves her in charge of the little kids.

23. September 19 • Contrive-v- to make up scheme or an imagined fabrication Ex. The lazy student contrived a horrible story to excuse his not reading his book over the week-end. • Contumely-n- haughty or contemptuous rudeness Ex. The contumacious members of the Women’s Aid Society made the afternoon tea an unpleasant experience. • Efflux-n- a thing that flows out Related words- effluence, effluvium, effluent Ex. The efflux of profanity that came from the beautiful little child’s mouth shocked everyone.

24. September • Remonstrate-v- to complain or protest Ex. Most of the people who remonstrated in Portland against Donald Trump were not registered to vote. • Cloister-n- a place of religious seclusion like a monastery or convent Ex. Friar Lawrence tried to send Juliet to some cloister when he realized the plan had gone badly and Romeo was dead. • Amenable-adj.- responsible or answerable, able to be controlled or influenced Ex. The girl was amenable to even the slightest suggestion from her boyfriend.

25. September • Jollity-n- the quality or state of being fun Ex. The jollity of the party is totally dependent on the company not the activity or setting. Related words: jollify, jolly • Gentility-n- the condition of belonging by birth to the upper classes Ex. America prides itself by having no gentility, but it really does. • Impediment-n-an obstruction or something that gets in the way Related word: impede Ex. Some think that being poor is an impediment, but in some ways it can make a person stronger and more successful if they use it for good.

26. September • Peremptory-adj- final, absolute, that cannot be denied, changed, delayed or opposed Ex. The peremptory virus swept through the village killing all the inhabitants. • Requite-v- to make or return payment for, to retaliate against or reward Chillingworth came to Boston for requital over the loss of Hester. • Ferocious-adj.- wild, being untamed Ex. The ferocious lion mauled the little monkey.

27. September • Dexterity-n- skill in using one’s hands, body and or mind Ex. His dexterity with common tools make me think he has a future in engineering. • Feign-v- to make a false show of, to pretend Ex. Everyone feigned ignorance when the teacher asked who stole the girl’s ipod. • Paramour-n- lover Ex. Hollywood is full of stories about paramours and deception.

28. September • Lurid-characterized by a violent passion or crime Ex. The lurid tale of murder and intrigue kept America enthralled for weeks. • Inscrutable- unknowable, mysterious Ex. The inscrutable decision of the Supreme Court made everyone curious about what went on behind closed doors. • Acquiesce-v- consent quietly without protest Ex. Although he acquiesced for the meantime, Montressor quietly plotted his revenge.

29. September • Intangible-adj.- cannot be touched Ex. “True love”is an intangible. • Ascetic- adj. or noun- a person who leads a life with strict self-discipline and without the usual pleasures and comforts, often for athletic competitions Ex. The ascetic regime of the American hockey team brought them to beat the superior Russian team. • Voluptuous-adj. sexually attractive because of a full, shapely figure Ex. Do guys like girls that are bone thin or that are voluptuous?

30. October 17 • Succor-v- to give assistance to in time of need or distress Ex. The Americans tried to succor the Haitians after the earthquake. • Pristine-adj- pure, uncorrupted or unspoiled Ex. The pristine beauty of the beach was destroyed by the oil spill. • Scurrilous-adj.- using indecent or abusive language, coarse, vulgar Ex. Scurrilous students are not acceptable in school.

31. October • Imbibe-v- to drink Ex. People who over-imbibe bring tragedy upon themselves. • Contumacious-adj.- resisting authority, insubordinate; disobedient Ex. She didn’t know why she felt so contumacious every time she talked to her mother. • Insidious-adj.- characterized by treachery or slyness, crafty or wily Ex. The insidious details of the crime enraged the public.

32. October 17 • Luster-n- the quality, condition or fact of shining by reflected light Ex. There is a certain luster in her face that let everyone know she was in love. • Caprice-n- a sudden impulsive change in the way one thinks or acts Ex. Her capricious spending habits led her into big time credit card debt. • Conjure-v- bring up by a spirit or magic Ex. No one knew how the Grizzlies were able to conjure up fans after losing so many seasons in a row.

33. September 24 • Placid-adj.- calm Ex. The placid feeling I got as I sat on the banks of the Mississippi relieved my stress headache. • Urchins- mischevious, especially raged children Ex. I love my AP urchins. • Imperious-adj.- overbearing, domineering Ex. Although the AP curriculum feels imperious- you’re all going to demolish it (metaphorically!).

34. Last word for first nine weeks • Epoch-n- notable period or time, a beginning of an age Ex. The death of Elvis marked the end of an epoch. • vehement- adj.- showing or caused by strongly feeling Related Word: Vehemence Ex. I am vehemently against bad breath. • Zenith-n- peak or highest point Ex. High school is not the zenith of human existence.