Vocabulary Words
1. dictation
a. the act of speaking words that are written or recorded by another person
b. noun
c. The first lady of the United States gave a dictation to her secretary about childhood obesity.
2. clench
a. to hold tightly with determination
b. verb
c. The athlete clenched her teeth just before she completed her dive in the competition.
3. solemn
a. marked with importance by religion or ceremony
b. adjective
c. She gave a solemn vow to tell the truth during her testimony as a witness.
4. remnant
a. a small part or trace remaining
b. noun
c. The remnant of fabric was used to make a quilt.
5. despising
a. a feeling of hatred
b. noun
c. Jolly's boss touched her without permission and created her despising of him.
6. evolution
a. the gradual and complex process by which living organisms are believed to have developed over a long period of time as proposed by Charles Darwin.
b. noun
c. Many school boards still debate how to teach evolution in their schools.
7. creationism
a. the literal belief that the world and all living creatures were created by God according to the book of Genesis.
b. noun
c. Creationism is a controversial subject to teach in public schools because it involves religious beliefs.
8. intelligent design
a. the idea that living organisms and the natural world are so complex that they were created by a designer of higher intelligence.
b. noun
c. The Dover school board tried to require biology teachers to instruct students about intelligent design, but the court said it was unconstitutional.
9. obscure
a. relatively unknown, not famous
b. adjective
c. Until Bert Cates taught evolution and was arrested, Hillsboro was a relatively obscure town.
10. contempt
a. the act of despising or not respecting
b. noun
c. The expert skier looked at the beginner with contempt as he created a hazard on the slope.
11. prosecution
a. the act of charging a person with a crime and putting that person on trial
b. noun
c. The prosecution of O.J. Simpson was watched by millions of people on Court TV.
12. defendant
a. a person who is accused or sue in a court of law
b. noun
c. Bert Cates is the defendant on trial in Hillsboro because he may have broken the law by teaching evolution.
13. ex-
a. means "out of"
b. Latin prefix
c. cognates include exhale, export, expand, exit, exodus, expect, explode
14. de-
a. means "down from"
b. Latin prefix
c. cognates include detour, deface, deduct, depot, deface, detach, destroy
15. benign
a. calm, harmless, positive in nature
b. adjective
c. The tumor was benign and not cancerous, so the doctor did not remove it during the surgery.
16. fervent
a. strong-willed, emphatic, with intensity and emphasis
b. adjective
c. The prayer meeting was so fervent and full of passion that Reverend Brown lost control of his emotions.
17. spiteful
a. filled with petty ill will or hatred
b. adjective
c. Reverend Brown's decision to curse his own daughter was spiteful.
18. vindicate
a. to avenge or justify
b. verb
c. Drummond's role in Inherit the Wind is to vindicate the right of people to think for themselves.
19. maim
a. to disfigure or disable
b. verb
c. The explosive device maimed the soldier's leg and caused him to walk with a limp.
20. copious
a. abundant or large in supply or quantity
b. adjective
c. After the trial, Brady used an entire notepad to prepare copious remarks to give to the reporters.
21. veldt
a. an African grassland
b. noun
c. When my family went to Africa, we saw lions and zebras running across the veldt to the trees.
22. illusion
a. a misleading visual image or something that misleads intellectually
b. noun
c. I thought I saw a swimming pool in the desert, but it was only an illusion.
23. paranoia
a. a tendency to be overly suspicious or distrustful of others
b. noun
c. After watching a horror movie, the atmosphere of the sleepover was full of paranoia and prevented the boys from sleeping.
24. hysterics
a. a fit of uncontrollable laughter or crying
b. noun
c. When she found out her grandmother had died, Sharon was so upset that she was in hysterics and needed an entire box of tissues.
25. ingratiate
a. to bring into the favor or good graces of another by deliberate effort.
b. verb
c. In order to perform well in the science fair, some students attempted to ingratiate themselves with the judges by bringing in apples.
26. adamant
a. unshakeable in purpose, determination, or opinion
b. adjective
c. The student was adamant that she had earned a perfect score and showed the teacher that she had mistakenly deducted points.
27. aud
a. hear
b. Latin root
c. cognates include: audit, auditory, auditorium, audition, audience, audio
28. bell
a. war
b. Latin root
c. cognates include: belligerent, bellicose, rebellion, postbellum, antebellum
29. blatant
a. very noticeable or obvious especially in an offensive manner
b. adjective
c. The concert guest showed blatant disrespect when she used her cell phone to have a conversation in the middle of the violin solo.
30. herald
a. to announce or give notice of
b. verb
c. The Olympic torch heralds the beginning of the Olympic Games and announces to the judges that the competition will begin.
31. sagacious
a. wise; of keen and farsighted perception and judgment
b. adjective
c. Everyone wanted to be around the genius because she was sagacious and gave wise advice and suggestions that proved to be very sound.
32. vigilant
a. alertly watchful, especially to avoid danger
b. adjective
c. The school was vigilant and strict about its safety rules and kept tabs on students because it wanted to avoid any unsafe conditions.
33. betrayal
a. an action that breaches the trust of someone or something
b. noun
c. Brutus is famous for his act of betrayal against Julius Caesar in which he was disloyal and identified Caesar to enemies who later killed him.
34. nomadic
a. roaming about from place to place, transitory
b. adjective
c. Nomadic tribes wander about the continent of Africa with their possession because they do not have permanent homes and move from place to place.
35. sedate
a. calm, serene; unconcerned
b. adjective
c. Even though the students were late for class, their gate was sedate and not rushed.
36. tacit
a. unspoken
b. adjective
c. The teacher's smile was a tacit sign of her approval of the students' performance and matched her enthusiastic applause.
37. -ism
a. an act, condition or theory
b. suffix for nouns
c. plagiarism, alcoholism, nihilism, Buddhism
38. -ist
a. a person who performs an action or follows a particular belief
b. suffix for nouns
c. cyclist, harpist, Buddhist, cellist, perfectionist
39. -ology
a. the study of
b. suffix for nouns
c. theology, sociology, ideology
40. -cracy
a. a form of government or organization
b. suffix for nouns
c. democracy, mobocracy, technocracy
41. irresolutely
a. uncertainly
b. adverb
c. She hesitated irresolutely at the cupcake shop because she couldn’t choose between so many options.
42. transcend
a. to rise above or go beyond the limits of
b. verb
c. Their love transcended the barrier and expectation of age because he was 22 and she was 96.
43. -ize
a. to cause to be or to engage in an activity
b. suffix for verbs
c. crystallize, philosophize, familiarize
44. -ify/-efy
a. to make or to form into
b. suffix for verbs
c. deify, ratify, crucify, stupefy
45. insinuate
a. to introduce an idea in a subtle way
b. verb
c. John insinuated that he was a better writer than Megan when he offered to write her essay so that she could get an A.
46. elite
a. the choice or select part
b. noun
c. The Seals are the elite of the Navy because of their advanced training.