Honors List D

dilatory adj. / dilate v.	tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy; deferring decisions; discuss at length or in detail – The filibuster was typical of the senator's dilatory tactics. -- Remarkable how dilatory is the gait of students walking to and from the bathroom during class.
maudlin adj.	foolishly and tearfully or weakly sentimental; tearfully sentimental from too much drink -- The Irish tenor's maudlin delivery of "Danny Boy" made me want to retch.
abject adj. / abjection n.	miserable, wretched, lacking self-respect, degraded and deprived -- Abject poverty during the potato famine drove many Irish peasants to immigrate to the US. -- The kidnapping victim was found in a state of utter abjection.
cachet n. (pron. Ka-shay)	originally, a seal or stamp on an official letter, indicating confidentail contents; officially or culturally sanctioned quality or authenticity or prestige -- One thousand dollars-per-plate formal fundraisers seek to raise money not just through the worthiness of their causes but through the social cachet they provide for those who like to see and be seen among other wealthy donors. -- Witness the cultural cachet attached to doing one's shopping at an organic farmer's market rather than a megamart.
cache n.	a place in which food or supplies or weapons are hidden, or the objects hidden in such a place -- I always keep a cache of chocolate on hand in my desk drawer, in case of emergencies.
magisterial adj./ magistrate n.	domineering, pompous, authoritative, suitable for a magistrate [traditional term for a powerful, executive-level municipal officer/judge] -- I wouldn't audition for the part of the judge unless you can amplify your voice so that it echoes magisterially.
spoliation n. / spoliate v.	robbery, plunder, said especially of the authorized seizure of neutral ships in wartime; in law, the destruction or alteration of a document by an unauthorized person -- Since the drafts were run through a paper shredder, it would be difficult to prove exactly how the document was spoliated.
germane adj.	closely related; appropriate; to the point -- The comments of the woman who wanted to discuss interior paint color before the ground was even broken were less germane.
pertinacious adj. / pertinacity n.	stubbornly persistent or obstinate; impertinent -- Yet she showed annoying pertinacity in her insistence that her concerns be discussed at length.
forbearance n. / forbear v.	to endure, to tolerate, to show self-control or restraint -- It took incredible forbearance for the bereaved parents not to break down at their son's funeral.
forswear v. / forswore (past tense)	to renounce an oath; promise earnestly to give up; to swear falsely or commit perjury -- The addict forswore crack dozens of times, but could not kick the habit for more than a few weeks at a time.
evince v.	to show plainly, make manifest; esp. to show that one has a quality or feeling -- Jumping up and down and tugging on his shorts, the toddler clearly evinced his need to pee.
demur v./ n.	to hesitate, have scruples, to suspend or pause in light of a difficulty or complication [often used in legal contexts], forestall, put off -- "At first demurred, but then conceded" -- I'm afraid I'm going to demur offering a contribution until I know more about the charity. -- She staved off the aggressive girl scouts and their cookies with a polite demur.
demure adj.	[applied to women or objects associated with women] affectedly or artificially quiet and serious; coy; decorous; modest -- The demure design of the prom dress belied the slattern who wore it.
compunction n.	sharp feeling of uneasiness brought on by a sense of guilt; feeling of regret; pricking of conscience -- My father said he felt no compunction whatsoever about taking my car keys away after I broke curfew for the 3rd time.
disconsolate adj.	inconsolable
rank n & adj.	1. social division or class, as in rows; 2. growing or grown vigorously and coarsely; 3. overly luxuriant or fertile; strong and offensive in smell or taste; in bad taste, coarse, indecent -- . . . Phil came upon Phyllis and the client booked in the penthouse suite, engaged in their rank escapades. (Far ranker, indeed, than the pricey French cheese left out next to the champagne on the bedside.)
rankle v. / rankled adj.	1. to fester, become inflamed; 2. to cause continual mental pain, resentment -- Rankled does not even begin to describe how Phil felt at that moment. -- [less melodramatic usage: Her teacher's harsh criticisms of her essay rankled long after she got her paper back.]
canard n.	an absurd or exaggerated report spread as a hoax; false statement or rumor -- All of Phyllis' complaints that she was underslept from overwork -- mere canards!
vestibule n.	small entrance hall or room, either to a building or a room within a building
veranda n.	open porch or portico, usually roofed or extending along the outside of a building
dais n.	platform raised above the floor at one end of the hall or room, as in a banquet hall, classroom, etc.
gilding n. / gilt adj./ gild v.	a thin, decorative layer of gold
frontispiece n.	an illustration facing the first page or title page of a book or a division of a book; in architecture, a small pediment over a door or window
barrage n.	1. a curtain of artillery fire laid down to keep enemy forces from moving; 2. a heavy, prolonged attack of words, blows, etc. -- "a barrage of abuse" -- "a barrage of water balloons"
battery n.	1. a battering, beating, pounding; 2. any set of devices arranged, connected, or used together -- "a battery of standardized tests" -- "a battery of medications to fight the disease"
motley adj.& n.	of many colors or patches of colors; wearing many-colored garments; composed of many different or clashing elements, heterogeneous -- Theatrical clowns commonly appear in motley. -- They were a motley company: a lawyer, a plumber, and an exotic dancer.

Honors List C

overweening adj.	presumptuously arrogant; overbearing; excessive; immoderate -- Sure he had good grades, but it was fairly overweening of him to presume he'd be valedictiorian when he was still just a sophomore.
liquidate v. / liquidation n.	1. clear away, resolve; pay (a debt); 2. put an end to or get rid of, esp by violent means; wipe out 3. convert to liquid (monetary) assets -- Hitler's goal was to liquidate Jews off the face of the earth. -- Having heard the bookstore went bankrupt, we were not surprised to see the signs for its liquidation sale.
festoon v.&n.	to decorate, adorn; a decorative chain or strip hanging between two points – These novel products of food science often come in packages festooned with health claims. – Within days of the 9/11 attack, it seemed as if every public space in the country was festooned with red, white, and blue.
dragoon n.& v.	1. a mounted infantryman in the household troops of the British army; a rough, fierce man; 2.set dragoons upon; force, drive, persecute or oppress by rigorous or harassing measures -- We were appalled to see the football dads behaving like dragoons and embarrassing their town. -- All too often, elementary school bullies can be seen dragooning their classmates into cruel pranks that they would not likely have undertaken on their own.
fricative adj.& n.	consonant characterized by frictional passage of expired breath through a narrowing at some point in the vocal tract. – Many of the most satisfying Anglo-Saxon profanities capitalize on the pleasure of expelling harsh fricatives.
sibilant adj. / sibilance n.	having or making a hissing sound -- Parseltongue is the sibilant language understood by both Voldemort and Harry Potter. -- I find the jury is out on the sibilant opening of Shakespeare's Sonnet No. 30, "When to the sessions of sweet silent thought": I know some readers who find it charming, and others who find it cloying.
louche adj.	of questionable or lax taste or morality -- In Victorian London, even in a place as louche and notoriously crime-ridden as a Lambeth Marsh, the sound of gunshots was rare indeed. – I had no problem wearing spandex pants to church but my shocked grandmother called my taste in clothes louche.
gauche adj.	lacking in tact or ease of manner, awkward, blundering; crude, unsophisticated -- What Donald Trump considers opulence many regard as merely gauche.
prolix adj./ prolixity n.	prosy; verbose; tiresomely wordy -- The toddler's prolixity wears her parents out: she names everything she sees.
terse adj. / terseness n.	characterized by brevity that conveys arrogance; succint, to the point -- The teacher's terse remarks shut the students up immediately.
fatuous adj.	(of a person, personal action, feeling, etc) vacantly silly, purposeless, idiotic -- "Barney" has got to be the most fatuous kids' TV show ever produced.
ordure n.	filth, dirt, excrement, dung; moral defilement, corruption, obscene language or action -- She gagged when she read Potter's line describing "the glistening sewers with their floating lumps of ordure."
offal n.	1. the edible parts cut off as less valuable in dressing the carcass of an animal meant for food, esp. the entrails and internal organs; 2. the parts of a slaughtered or dead animal unfit for human consumption; decomposing flesh; carrion. – Offal has long been a stable of the English diet, but Americans relegate it mostly to pet food. – As James Joyce describes the physical conditions of life in Dublin, he loves to play on the punning associations of “offal” with “awful,” as well as “ordure” with “order.”
onus n.	a duty, a responsibility; burden of proof -- When students miss class, the onus falls on them, not their teachers, to keep track of their missed work.
humor n.	mental disposition, temperament, mood -- Once they saw the D's on my report card, my parents were in no humor to let me go out with my friends on the weekend.
vitriol n./ vitriolic adj.	acrimonious, caustic, or scathing speech, criticism, or feeling -- The moment Gladys dropped her loathed mother-in-law off at the airport, she unleashed all her pent-up vitriol at her unsuspecting husband, who could not escape out of the speeding car.
splenetic adj.	1. of or pertaining to the spleen; 2. characterized by or tending to cause melancholia; 3. irritable, peevish, ill-tempered, testy. – When caught cheating, his fury was splenetic, but we were glad to see his title go to the salutatorian, who actually deserved the honor.
lachrymose adj.	tearful, inclined to weep. – I loathe the manipulative, lachrymose soundtracks of most cheesy chick-flicks.
puling adj. / pule v.	unrestrained crying or whimpering or simpering, as of a fretful or whining child -- No trip to the toy section of Target would be complete without the sound of puling children ringing in one's ears.
mercurial adj.	demonstrating personal qualities supposed to be associated with being born under the planet Mercury, including liveliness, ready-wit, volatility, rapid changeability -- Nomatter when their birthdays are, teenagers are notoriously mercurial, shifting moods all the time.
sanguine adj.	1. of or pertaining to blood; 2. having a temperament characterized by the predominance of blood over the other three bodily humors; 3. confident, optimistic, eager -- Despite his friends' confidence that he would win the election, the modest boy did not feel sanguine about his chances.
phlegmatic adj.	hard to rouse to action, sluggish; full of phlegm
torrid adj.	1. scorched, burned, intensely hot; 2. ardent, zealous, fiercely passionate. – I can’t wait to read trashy, torrid novels at the beach this summer.
turgid adj.	1. swollen, distended; 2. (of language) inflated, bombastic. – Lame, turgid speeches are a staple of graduation ceremonies.
torpid adj./ torpor n.	inactive, apathetic, slow, sluggish, dull – So are torpid audiences desperate for the pain to end.

List 8

despondent adj./ despondency n.	feeling miserable, unhappy, gloomy; without or almost without hope -- After losing both parents is a terrible fire, the Baudelaire children became despondent.
dilapidated adj./ dilapidation n.	reduced to or fallen into partial ruin or decay, as from age, wear, or neglect -- In an effort to beautify the city, the town council voted to tear down the dilapidated factory.
shrewd adj. / shrewdness n.	characterized by keen awareness, sharp intelligence, and often a sense of the practical; disposed to artful and cunning practices; tricky -- Shakespeare's Shylock was criticized for being a shrewd lender and shocked Antonio by requesting a pound of flesh instead of monetary payment.
slander n.&v.	a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report; defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing -- The baseball player sued the general manager for making slanderous remarks about him at the press conference.
libel n. / libelous adj.	a defamation by written or printed matter, rather than spoken words; the crime of publishing that matter -- Accused of bigotry in the press, the politician sued for libel.
squander v.	to foolishly waste a valuable resource -- Rather than spending his inheritance on tuition, the youth squandered it on expensive cars.
scuttle v.& n.	to run with short, quick steps; to deliberately sink (a ship) by making openings in the bottom; dispose of; a receptacle for carrying coal -- Crabs scuttle across the ocean floor. -- We scuttled that project the moment we recognized it could only lose money.
wager n. & v.	something risked on a certain event; to place a bet on; to suppose -- My dad and I have a friendly wager on who will win the championship.
reckon v. / reckoning n.	to compute or calculate; to account for money (or one's soul); to estimate or suppose; regard, deem -- I reckon that buying that boat will set you back at least 10K. -- On the day of reckoning, will you go to heaven or hell?
insinuate v. / insinuation n.	to suggest or hint slyly; to introduce into a position or situation by indirect or artful methods -- Her tone insinuated the opposite of what she said. -- Since he volunteered for several years at the company, he was able to insinuate himself into a full-time position without ever formally applying.
suffice v.	to be enough or adequate for; satisfy; be sufficient -- My father purchased a supply of canned beans that would suffice for the entire neighborhood. -- Suffice it to say [idiomatic phrase] that the salad went moldy in the fridge before we ate even half of it.
sporadic adj. / sporadically adv.	appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional -- His sporadic attendance during the fourth term of his senior year hurt his chances of being accepted to colleges that put him of their wait list.
intermittent adj./ intermittently adv.	alternately ceasing and beginning again -- My windshield wipers got stuck on the intermittent setting.
venal adj. / venality n.	open to or associated with bribery; capable of being purchased, as by a bribe -- I'm not above a little venality in order to secure a good table with a view.
vehement adj./ vehemently adv. / vehemence n.	marked by great zeal; ardent; impassioned. -- The accused woman vehemently denied the charges against her.
abate v./ abatement n.	to make less, reduce in size, number, degree, amount importance, speed, or force -- As the hurricane began to weaken, its wind speed gradually abated. -- Low income families can sometimes qualify for abatements of their rent. The difference is then subsidized by the housing authority.
abhor v. / abhorrent adj.	to regard with repugnance; feel the horror of; detest; loathe -- Most people abhor the tactics of fundamentalist terrorists. -- I found abhorrent her blithe assumption that all Middle Easterners are terrrorists.
smite v. / smitten adj. / smote (past tense)	to strike or hit hard, as with the hand, a stick, or other weapons; to deliver or deal (a blow, hit, etc.) by striking hard -- I will rob the bank and smite anyone who comes across my path. -- And the Lord smote the sinner with his wrath. -- She was smitten--in love the very first moment she saw him.
disseminate v.	to scatter or spread widely, as though sowing seed; promulgate extensively; broadcast; disperse -- The Center for Disease Control enlisted state government support to disseminate information about preventive medicine through public school systems.
egregious adj.	extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant -- Though hesitant to admit guilt, the CEO acknowledged that the security leak was an egregious mistake.
innocuous adj. / innoculate v.	1. having no adverse effect; harmless; not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion; insipid; 2. to protect from disease by exposing a patient to a lesser or dormant form of that disease, thus building immunity -- I was surprised that my sister-in-law was so offended by my mother-in-law's comment because I found it to be innocuous. -- The doctor innoculates patients to protect them from infectious diseases.
peevish adj./ peevishness n.	bad-tempered or tending to complain in an immature fashion; discontented; fretful, contrary, spiteful -- The peevish student was so unpleasant to be around that his fellow classmates avoided him rather than listen to him whine.
kitsch n. / kitschy adj.	sentimentality or vulgar, often deliberately pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts -- I love my kitschy plastic Jesus figurine and display it prominently on my dashboard. -- Postmodern art relies heavily on kitsch.
kin n./ kinship n. / kith n.	1. all of a person's near and extended relatives; 2. relation through blood or marriage; 3. acquaintances, friends, or neighbors -- Complex traditions of kinship governed the conduct of relationships and the descent of property in ancient Nordic culture -- "kith and kin"
laudable adj. / laud v.	commendable, praiseworthy -- He made a laudable decision, deferring his freshman year at college to work for CityYear. -- Military service is publicly lauded by politicians, but not paid as much as it should be.
insipid adj.	without flavor, tasteless; not exciting, lifeless -- Most cafeteria food is unhealthy as well as insipid. -- I met his insipid girlfriend at the party, but I don't think I heard her say more than ten words.
effeminate adj. / effeminacy n.	having qualities or characteristics associated with women -- At the moment, teenage boys' sporting of long hair is not necessarily taken as a sign of effeminacy.
emasculate v./ emasculated adj. / emasculation n.	to deprive of force or strength; destroy the masculine vigor of; weaken. – Otherwise invincible, in the presence of kryptonite Superman is emasculated (and you've gotta admit the caped look-with-spandex leotard is fairly effeminate). -- The Viagra craze is one powerful indicator of how deeply middle-aged men fear emasculation as they age.
androgynous adj. / androgyny n.	hermaphroditic: having both masculine and feminine characteristics; having an ambiguous sexual identity -- In the 90s, Saturday Night Live ran a recurring skit that featured an androgynous character named Pat who befuddled her co-workers with her ambigous responses to their indirect inquiries about her gender.
lackey n. / lackadaisical adj.	1. male servant of low rank usually in some sort of livery or uniform; follower who has no will of his own; toady 2. lazy and flaky, unwilling or unable to recognize when serious behavior or attention are called for -- The more lackadaisical you are in school, the more likely you are to become someone's lackey in the long run.
caprice n. / capricious adj.	a sudden turn of mind, emotion, or action caused by a whim or impulse; freakish emotion, vagary -- The only reason she could divine for why she was fired was the sudden caprice of her manager, who seemed to assess her employees based on hairstyle rather than job performance. -- New England weather is notoriously capricious, so you had better come prepared.
cantankerous adj.	bad-tempered, quarrelsome, contentious, perverse -- Cantankerous cats catapulted mischievous mice.
memorandum n. / memoranda n. pl.	an informal written note or reminder; diplomatic communication -- Lots of people who don't learn how to write in high school embarrass themselves when called upon to write formal memoranda, or MEMOS, in workplace settings.
prospectus n.	document describing a proposed business investment, literary work, etc. for evaluation by prospective investors, participants, or buyers -- The prospectus for the business plan was so poorly written that the young entrepeneurs were never considered for funding.

List 7

foil v. & n.	to thwart, baffle, frustrate; a minor character or other element within a work of literature that serves by comparison or through conflict to set off and make conspicuous the features of a major character or element -- "Rats! Foiled again!" is the classic lament of vanquished cartoon villains. -- Tybalt and Mercutio are the favored sons, respectively, of the Montague and Capulet families, and dramatic foils for one another in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. -- The homely-but-endearing character of "Ugly Betty" serves as a foil to expose the garish, superficial vanities of the high fashion industry.
recoil v. & n.	to retreat, fall back, start, or stagger back -- Students recoiled from the foul smell emanating from the science lab.
repose n. & v. / repository n.	rest, placement, calm; place where items can be stored securely -- After five minutes' repose, they continued on their journey. -- The sunbathers were splayed on the beach in sundry postures of repose. -- Strangely enough, my mother uses a bait box as a repository for her jewelry.
ensue v.	to follow directly afterward, as a result [subject of 'ensued' is usually not a person, but a characterization or a state] -- When the fire alarm rang, panic ensued.
advent n.	the arrival of an important person or thing; the four-week season before Christmas -- Once they return from Christmas vacation, students begin to dread the advent of mid-year exams. -- I always look forward to receiving the kind of Advent calendars that dispense a piece of chocolate for every day leading up to Christmas.
dissuade v.	advise or urge AGAINST -- I did my best to dissuade her from wearing that ridiculous holiday sweater.
precious adj.	[secondary usage] affectedly refined in conduct, manners, language, etc.; over-fastidious -- I find my grandmother's taste to be over-precious. She eats only on fine china and her house is filled with silk flowers and furniture so fancy she doesn't let anyone sit on it.
sagacious adj. / sagacity n.	gifted with acute mental discernment; able to make good judgments, penetrating, shrewd -- I appreciate my parents' financial sagacity. Even with a modest income, they have invested wisely enough to pay for most of my college education. -- The teacher always looked to Mary for a sagacious comment that would clarify the discussion for the rest of the class.
sage n.& adj.	One venerated for experience, judgement, and wisdom; a wise person. -- Star Wars' Yoda is a sage figure, a common character type in mythic literature. -- David trusted the sage advice of his grandfather.
crony n. / cronyism n.	elderly fellow friend of an elderly person; intimate friend or associate (often with negative connotations of collusion and inappropriate preferential treatment) -- My grandpa and his cronies hold a weekly poker night. -- The Bush administration is notorious for its corrupt cronyism. Many feel, for instance, that former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez was seriously unqualified for his job.
debauchery n. / debauch v. & n.	extreme indulgence of one's appetites, esp. for sensual pleasure -- Frat parites are renowned for their debauchery.
sensationalism n. / sensationalist adj.	activity or materials causing or meaning to foment great interest or excitement among a large group of people; lurid, melodramatic, exaggerated -- The National Enquirer and other tabloids are known as sensationalist journals, selling tabloids by inventing and exaggerating scandals to thrill their readers.
disengagement n.	absence of engagement, involvement, sense of obligation -- Throughout the chick flick, her date made no attempt to hide his disengagement; she had to wake him up when the movie was over. -- Former 1960s political activists often complain of the civic disengagement of subsequent generations.
fatalism n. / fatalistic adj.	doctrine that all events are predetermined and unalterable -- A gloomy fatalism hangs over current debates about global warning. -- She rationalized her refusal to work hard in school with fatalistic pronouncements that she had no chance of getting into a good college.
proliferate v. / proliferation n.	increase greatly, multiply, become rife -- Condoms are an effective means of controlling the proliferation of STDs. -- The diplomats met to negotiate a treaty to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
consummate adj. & v. / consummation n.	completed, fully accomplished, supreme, utmost; complete a marriage by sexual intercourse; fulfill or perfect -- He is a consummate pianist, and his recitals draw thousands of spectators. -- Earning his M.D. was the consummation of his decades of hard work as a student.
insurgency n. / insurgent n.	an organized rebellion aimed at overthrowing a constituted government through the use of subversion and armed conflict. -- The insurgency arose from years of social unrest.
fabricate v. / fabrication n.	to make or construct, assemble pre-made pieces; to lie; to make up, forge -- The congressman, though caught red-handed, insisted that the wire-tapping accusation was fabricated by his political foes. -- The house we bought was pre-fabricated and took only one month to erect.
niche n. & adj.	1. an ornamental recess in a wall or the like, usually semicircular in plan and arched, as for a statue or other decorative object; 2. a place or position suitable or appropriate for a person or thing -- The young businesswoman finally found her niche in niche advertising.
pundit n./ punditry n.	a public figure who makes comments or judgments, esp. in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator about culture or politics. -- The news station's political pundits made sweeping generalizations about voting trends and were forced to apologize when reporting the election results. -- Punditry is almost the sole fare on offer during Sunday morning TV programming.
constituent n.& adj.	a person who authorizes another to act in his or her behalf, as a voter in a district represented by an elected official; component; serving to compose or make up a thing. -- The delegate disappointed his constituents by voting for an unpopular candidate in the primary election. -- We could not differentiate all of the constituent ingredients in the dish. Garlic overwhelmed all of the other flavors.
interim n.& adj.	an intervening time; interval; meantime; belonging to, serving during, or taking place during an intermediate interval of time; temporary -- The musicians were notorious for beginning concerts late and sending out disappointing opening acts in the interim. -- The United States set up an interim Iraqi government while they organized a democratic election.
siphon n.& v.	a pipe or tube fashioned or deployed in an inverted U shape and filled until atmospheric pressure is sufficient to force a liquid from a reservoir in one end of the tube over a barrier higher than the reservoir and out the other end; to convey, draw, or pass through or as if through a siphon. -- The gangsters refused to admit that their business practices included siphoning off profits into a Swiss bank account. -- Now that gas is so expensive, petty criminals are taking to siphoning gas out of parked cars. [siphon - coalesce on Freshman list -- delete after 0910]
furrow n.& v.	a narrow groove made in the ground, esp. by a plow; to make furrows -- A furrowed brow signifies anger or concern.
winnow n. & v.	to blow chaff from grain by a forced current of air; to analyze or examne carefully in order to separate various elements; sift; separate out the worthless from the essential part of something -- Organic Chemistry is a famous winnowing course: it separates serious pre-med students from those who had better re-think their major. -- Louise spent five minutes winnowing through the pile of string beans to select the ones she wanted.
coalesce v. / coalescing n.	to blend or come together; to grow together or into one body, to unite so as to form one mass, community, etc. -- The rebel units coalesced into one army to fight the invaders. -- When students from four elementary schools begin to attend a single middle school, it takes some time for their four distinct cultures to coalesce.
volatile adj. / volatility n.	evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor, fleeting; transient; tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly -- The stock market was extremely volatile following the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut.
ubiquitous adj. / ubiquity n.	existing or being everywhere, esp. at the same time; omnipresent -- Even the lighthouse's beacon failed to penetrate the ubiquitous fog. -- Within months of their release, ipods became ubiquitous on college campuses.
aggregate v./adj./n. / aggregation n. / disaggregate v.	to bring or gather together into a group; to amass disparate elements; composed of distinct minerals separable by mechanical means; the entire number or sum [an aggregate combines items in close proximity, but the items themselves retain their integrity] -- Once a year, I aggregate and then sort all of my socks to see how many complete pairs I have. -- Certain members of the sophomore class are not my cup of tea, but I like them in the aggregate [idiom].
amalgam n./ amalgamate v.	a mixture of different elements [an amalgam blends elements so they are no longer discrete] -- The exotic ingredients in the soup made for an odd amalgam of sweet and sour flavors.
curtail v. / curtailment n.	to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish -- The motivational speaker came to the high school in an effort to curtail bullying among the students.

List 6

precipitous adj. / precipitously adv. / precipice n.	steep; rash; hasty -- New England is famous for its sudden, precipitous temperature changes. -- San Francisco is known for its precipitous streets, which are nearly impossible to park on. -- He swerved precipitously to avoid the deer on the highway.
vertiginous adj. / vertigo n.	whirling, dizzying; tending to cause dizzying or disorientation, esp. from a sensation of height -- Gymnasts must conquer vertigo. -- The view from the top of the ski lift was vertiginous.
complacency n. / complacent adj.	contentment, resigned or presumptuous self-satisfaction -- Complacency got the better of the championship team. Assuming they could never lose, they neglected their practices and lost to an unranked team.
antipathy n.	a feeling of intense dislike -- We later discovered that his antipathy to/toward cats was grounded in a vicious feline attack that he experienced as a boy.
equanimity n.	quality of remaining calm and undisturbed, even-tempered -- I was proud of the equanimity with which the team accepted its loss at the state championships.
perfunctory adj.	performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm -- As she grew older, her piano performances became strictly perfunctory; she had lost her passion for music.
peremptory adj. / peremptorily adv.	admitting no refusal, absolute, imperative, resolute, determined -- The fire alarm peremptorily halted our class discussion. -- My mom issued us a peremptory command to clean our rooms. We could tell just from her tone that she would not stand us messing with her.
deign v.	to loftily condescend towards or acknowledge someone or something felt to be inferior -- The Upper East Side socialite scarcely deigned to acknowledge the doorman as he helped her into her limo every morning.
enervate v. / enervated adj.	to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken – The record high temperatures in our stuffy classroom left our entire class feeling enervated.
indolent adj. / indolence n.	[NOT "insolent"] having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion; slothful -- Rip Van Winkle's termagant wife complained constantly about her indolent husband's refusal to maintain the family farm.
debilitate v	to make weak or feeble; enfeeble; to sap the energy and strength of – The flu debilitated him and prevented him from going to work.
illustrious adj.	highly distinguished; renowned; famous; glorious, as deeds or works – The author was honored for her illustrious achievement.
dichotomy n. / dichotomous adj.	division (sometimes forced or arbitrary) into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or opposed pairs -- I think it would be hard to objectively explain the cultural dichotomy that links pink to girls and blue to boys. -- During the primaries, the verbal disputes between Clinton and Obama were falsely dichotomous; in fact, the candidates agreed on most policy issues. -- Most people find "savory vs. sweet" to be a natural dichotomy.
paradox n. / paradoxical adj.	a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth -- "'I always lie' is a paradox because if it is true it must be false." -- Christ's "Sermon on the Mount" includes famous paradoxes about heaven such as "the last shall be first and the first shall be last" and "he that loseth his life shall save it."
oxymoron n.	a noun phrase or other close combination of two words that are explicitly paired but include a direct (possibly punning) opposition, such as "jumbo shrimp," "idiot savant" and "sophomore" (both mean wise fool), "small fortune," "singles club," "sweet & sour," "suicide victim," "science fiction"
castigate v.	to criticize or reprimand severely -- Though the teacher mockingly castigated the students for tardiness; really she could not have cared less when they showed up to class.
censure v. & n.	to blame, condemn, express an adverse opinion or judgment [term originates as a sentence of church law--often formal censures are issued by groups towards an individual] -- She did all she could to avoid censure from any authority. -- The senate formally censured their colleague after the sex scandal, but did not go so far as removing him from office.
censor v. / censorship n.	to review, expurgate, or change (literature, mail, etc.) in the interests of morality, public security, privacy -- In the age of twittering and cell phone cameras, it is nearly impossible for governments to control information via censorship as they once could. -- She was careful to censor her radical opinions in front of her conservative grandmother.
diffuse adj./ diffusely adv.	scattered and spread out, not concentrated; characterized by great length or discursiveness in speech or writing; wordy -- Piles of clothing, diffusely strewn all over her bedroom, were evidence of her indecisiveness when getting dressed. -- Likewise, the reasoning in her paper was diffuse. She had lots to say, but it was impossible to be sure what her main point was.
defuse v.	to remove the fuse from (a bomb, mine, etc.); to make less dangerous, tense, or embarrassing; to grow less dangerous; weaken -- The peer mediation sessions successfully defused the hostility between the two students.
incite v.	to stir, encourage, or urge on; stimulate or prompt to action -- The police insisted that the protester's speech was intended to incite violence.
deter v. / deterrent n./adj.	tending to discourage from acting, by means of fear or doubt – I wouldn't dream of deterring you from taking that AP class. Go for it. -- Politicians debate whether capital punishment is an effective deterrent of violent crime. – Students debate whether Saturday School is an effective deterrent of poor behavior.
deflect v. / deflection n.	to bend or turn to one side; swerve -- I bought that lampshade because I love the way its various panels deflect and diffuse the light. -- He was a master at deflecting criticism of his policies by subtly changing the topic.
displace v. / displaced adj./ displacement n.	to move or shift something from its customary place -- The recent fires in southern California displaced hundreds of families. -- When people are under considerable stress and feel powerless, it is common for them to displace their sense of frustration by lashing out at their family members.
diverge v. / divergence n./ divergent adj.	to move, lie, or extend in different directions from a common point; branch off; the act of diverting or turning aside, as from a course or purpose -- How typical of Massachusetts that just when the main road diverges in two, there is no sign telling you which street is which. -- I almost never diverge from my habit of drinking herb tea before bedtime. -- The married couple had divergent tastes and could never agree on a restaurant.
digress v. / digression adj. / digressive adj.	a temporary departure from the main subject in speaking or writing -- In a well-told story, the digressions can be just as interesting as the main plot. -- But I digress . . . -- Too many digressions can make a speech impossible to follow.
supplant v.	take the place of, supersede, esp. through force, schemeing or treacher; to remove or uproot in order to replace -- When my mom tried to supplant the hamburgers with tofu patties, none of us ate dinner. -- After the harvest, the corn field was supplanted with clover to restore nitrogen to the soil.
collude v. / collusion n.	conspire, plot, connive; act in secret consort -- The students colluded in cheating on the test by texting one another the answers.
fix v. vs. fixate v. / fixation n.	direct one's gaze on; concentrate on; arrest one's attention at an immature stage, manifested in an abnormal attachment or emotional response to certain persons or things -- The teacher directed the class to fix their attention on the board. -- Our culture encourages young people to be fixated on their physical appearance.