Unit 5B Vocabulary Words
Indomitable (in-dom-it-uh-bull) (adjective): difficult or impossible to defeat, conquer, or subdue
Something indomitable can't be beat. People described as having indomitable spirits don't need pep talks or protein shakes; their strength comes from within.
The adjective indomitable starts with the Latin prefix in, which means "not." The second part of the word is also from the Latin word domitare, meaning "to tame." So the word literally means "not able to be tamed." Indomitable is often teamed with the words spirit or personality to describe someone with a can-do attitude.
Infallible (in-foul-uh-bull) (adjective): incapable of failure or error
"Fallible" means capable of making mistakes — or, easier to remember — capable of failing. Infallible means exactly the opposite — incapable of failing.
This word is often used to describe human capacity for error — no one is infallible. And yet, we are able to be infallible in certain ways: children are infallibly curious, teenagers infallibly hungry. Interestingly, infallible derives from the Latin in- "not" + fallere "deceive." When did making a mistake and deception become the same thing?
Plod(plod) (verb): to walk heavily or slowly, as when weary; to work slowly
When you plod, you walk slowly, heavily, and deliberately. You might need to plod through the snow to get to the bus stop on time.
Plod evokes a difficulty in walking — like when you trudge through mud or walk slowly up a steep hill. You might plod home at the end of a long day, or plod through an overgrown field on a hot afternoon. You can also use plod figuratively, to mean "work on something boring or monotonous." The origin of plod is unknown, but it may have come from the sound of feet on the ground — the sound you make when you plod.
Pungent(pun-jint) (adjective): very strong and stinging smell or taste; causing a sharp sensation; stinging
Use pungent to describe a taste or smell that gives a sharp sensation. "What is that pungent odor?" is a polite way of suggesting that someone in the room has BO.
The ultimate source of the word pungent is Latin pungere "to prick, sting." Ginger and mustard seed are examples of pungent spices. Limburger cheese has the distinction of being the most pungent of all cheeses. And if your pet has an accident in the house, there may be a pungent odor. And pungent can be used in a figurative sense: pungent language is stimulating and expressive.
Remiss(ree-miss) (adjective): failure to perform one’s duty; careless
If it's your turn to bring in the coffee and donuts for your early morning meeting, and you forget, then your co-workers can say that you were remiss in fulfilling your responsibility to keep them awake with sugar and caffeine. Don't expect to get much done at your meeting.
The adjective remiss is often used in the phrase "remiss in one's duty." The principal was remiss in her duty to tell parents about the incident at school. After the parents heard about it from their kids, the principal received several angry phone calls wondering why the school had been locked down for loose farm animals.
Repose (ree-poze) (noun): peace and relaxation; freedom from stress or strain
(verb): to rest; to lie down; to relax
Repose is a formal or literary term used to mean the act of resting, or the state of being at rest. Repose is also a state of mind: freedom from worry.
As a verb, repose means to rest or relax, or to rest on something for support: There she was, reposing on the front porch. The verb is from Middle English, from Old French reposer, from Late Latin repausāre "to cause to rest," from the Latin prefix re- "again" plus pausāre "to rest."
Temerity(ti-mare-it-ee) (noun): confidence, fearlessness, boldness
Use the noun temerity to mean the quality of being unafraid of danger or punishment. If you have the temerity to jump off the bridge even after hearing about the risk of instant death, you truly are a nutcase.
Someone who has the temerity to do something is usually considered to be bold in a foolish way. Near synonyms are audacity and recklessness.Temerity is from Middle English temeryte, from Latin temeritas, from temere "by chance, rashly."
Truculent(truck-you-lint) (adjective): defiantly aggressive; fierce and cruel; aggressive; deadly; destructive
If you are quick to argue, always looking for a fight, and hard to please, you are truculent. You can also write a truculent essay, and fans upset by a loss can become truculent.
This word has no connection to truck, but the similar sound is still a good way to remember it: truculent folks are like monster trucks, ready to run over anything that gets in their way. To be truculent is to be defiant, aggressive, and quarrelsome. A truculent student will get in trouble with teachers, and a truculent teacher might get fired. In a violent sport like football, it helps to be truculent, but it's usually not a great quality.
Unfeigned(un-fained) (adjective): sincere; not faked or pretended; sincerely felt or expressed
Feign means to fake, or pretend, so unfeigned means sincere. If you greet a friend with unfeigned joy, she'll know you are happy to see her.
Unfeigned is a delightful word, pertaining as it often does to young, innocent, and trusting people––the ones who cannot hide their feelings. Who wants fake laughs when you can have unfeigned laughter? Or fake tears when unfeigned sorrow is so much more affecting? When spelling unfeigned, remember the poem: "'i' before 'e,' except after 'c,' or when sounding like 'a,' as in 'neighbor' or 'weigh'." Or unfeigned.
Virulent(veer-yuh-lint) (adjective): extremely poisonous, full of violent thoughts and intentions;
A virulent disease is one that's infectious, spreading and making lots of people sick, while a virulent rant is just a verbal attack, causing sickness of the emotional kind. Either way, something virulent puts a strain on the people who get it.
Two meanings come out of the roots for virulent: one being "poisonous" and the other, "spiteful." The virus-carrying meaning of virulent often gets combined with strain, such as in a "virulent strain of the flu." Those who aren’t carrying disease but are still considered virulent most likely lash out at others with a biting tone. Unleashing acid-tongued words on someone would be considered a virulent attack.