tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23114687.post6830231841580474072..comments2007-06-20T08:43:41.203-07:00Leah Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14111608208025769364noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23114687.post-86342746797026554352007-06-15T05:19:00.000-07:002007-06-15T05:19:00.000-07:00Leah,<BR/><BR/>Tried your challenge, and didn’t blow it away, but thought I did OK. I always like to think I have better than average vocabulary, but maybe not. Here was my work through the list.I missed some, I liked my definition better on others, and couldn't resist a joke at the end.<BR/><BR/><BR/>(By the way, in response to yours answers. I didn’t miss your sneaking in that Bush bash, and I liked your evanescent pun, hard to believe enervate, and a parabola is not disk shaped, but a disk might have a cross section that is parobolic shaped.) <BR/><BR/>abjure - <BR/>abrogate – to hand over your rights to another<BR/>abstemious – quality of abstaining <BR/>acumen – special ability<BR/>antebellum – period before war <BR/>auspicious – special or notable (a. occasion)<BR/>belie – tells the tale on you- rats you out<BR/>bellicose – warlike<BR/>bowdlerize - <BR/>chicanery – mischief <BR/>chromosome – element of DNA or song by Paul Simon<BR/>churlish - . <BR/>circumlocution – go or talk in circles<BR/>circumnavigate – travel around the globe<BR/>deciduous – tree with annual leaf shedding<BR/>deleterious – harmful or at least not helpful<BR/>diffident - indifferent<BR/>enervate – charge up<BR/>enfranchise – to facilitate one<BR/>epiphany – ahah! Moment<BR/>equinox – astron. when day and night are same length<BR/>euro – new currency unit of Europe<BR/>evanescent – syn effervescent? Flitting away<BR/>expurgate – to rid of unwanted parts<BR/>facetious – sarcastic or laughingly intentionally stating the opposite<BR/>fatuous - dumb <BR/>feckless - clueless<BR/>fiduciary – financial responsibility <BR/>filibuster – unofficial parliamentary act of delaying by extended non-productive talk<BR/>gamete – stage of cell division<BR/>gauche – low rent, un-sophisticated <BR/>gerrymander – redistricting voting areas to try to gain advantage<BR/>hegemony – being independent and self-ruled as a nation<BR/>hemoglobin – red blood cells<BR/>homogeneous – thoroughly mixed so previously visible parts are not separate <BR/>hubris – false pride<BR/>hypotenuse – trig: diagonal side of right triangle<BR/>impeach – indict officially for wrongdoing in political office (not convict)<BR/>incognito – keeping identity a secret<BR/>incontrovertible – can not be argued –true without a doubt<BR/>inculcate – to transfer knowledge by overwhelming <BR/>infrastructure – internal structure and systems of an organization<BR/>interpolate – to determine values not specifically measured by reading between, or averaging or logically extending known data<BR/>irony - an outcome or fact that goes against logic or prediction, sometimes humorously.<BR/>jejune - <BR/>kinetic – energy of motion or in motion<BR/>kowtow – an oriental bow or prostrating oneself, or the metaphor of someone treating someone as if they were bowing down to them <BR/>laissez faire – hands off policy<BR/>lexicon – list of words used by a discipline or occupation<BR/>loquacious – full of words, talkative<BR/>lugubrious – hard to get along with(?)<BR/>metamorphosis – totally change from one state or thing to another<BR/>mitosis – some stage of cell division<BR/>moiety - <BR/>nanotechnology – atomic-scale technology and scientific discipline<BR/>nihilism – attitude or philosophy of nothing, negativity. <BR/>nomenclature – words that name things<BR/>nonsectarian – something not identifiable to any particular sect, or division, but more universal<BR/>notarize – have an official (legal) co-signer on a document<BR/>obsequious - overbearing<BR/>oligarchy – as opposed to monarchy(one ruler) instead, rule of many<BR/>omnipotent – having all the power<BR/>orthography – straight writing (?)<BR/>oxidize – combine chemically with oxygen, i.e. to rust<BR/>parabola – a mathematically defined curve, symmetrical, sort of U shaped, with special properties in nature. <BR/>paradigm – an accepted of rational set of explanations for a phenomenon<BR/>parameter – specific measurement or rule that is known.<BR/>pecuniary – has to do with coins or money<BR/>photosynthesis – process in green plants using chlorophyll to process carbon dioxide with oxygen as the by-product.<BR/>plagiarize – illegally and immorally publishing someone else’s written words or ideas as if they were your own original work. <BR/>plasma – blood is composed of this liquid as well as other cells, red, white, platelets, etc.<BR/>polymer – organic or synthetic chemical that is an ingredient of some plastics<BR/>precipitous – on the edge of falling or staged for suddenly happening<BR/>quasar – astron. A kind of star<BR/>quotidian - <BR/>recapitulate – go over again, the same as before or imitate a previous happening. (ontology recapitulates phylogeny)<BR/>reciprocal – an act in response to, or opposed to another act or occurrence <BR/>reparation – to pay back, to resolve a debt<BR/>respiration - breathing<BR/>sanguine – with love <BR/>soliloquy – a long monologue or speech alone<BR/>subjugate – to exercise control over others – make the your “subjects”<BR/>suffragist – activist complaining of suffering wrongs, especially lack of voting rights <BR/>supercilious – mocking<BR/>tautology - <BR/>taxonomy – collecting butterflies on pins<BR/>tectonic – study of geologic movement of continental plates<BR/>tempestuous - stormy<BR/>thermodynamics – science of transforming and generating energy by heat<BR/>totalitarian rule of a country by absolute authority of the leader. <BR/>unctuous - <BR/>usurp – willfully take over the powers or tasks of others.<BR/>vacuous – brainless, not very smart or absent minded.<BR/>vehement – being very forceful in stating what you mean<BR/>vortex – the peak of a electric field, a wind swirl of tornado, or the center of action<BR/>winnow – select the best from the whole, separating wheat from the chaff <BR/>wrought – accomplished, done “what hath God wrought”<BR/>xenophobe – fear of aliens or foreigners<BR/>yeoman – hero or notably brave and macho <BR/>ziggurat - “I’ve bin tryin’ to stop puffin’ on these nasty ziggurats”<BR/> <BR/> • R.G. Brooks •R.G.B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06382154305147419301noreply@blogger.com