Vocabulary Quiz: Words and Definitions

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Questions and Answers

What term describes the study of the origin and history of words?

Eugenics

Eulogy

Exegesis

Etymology (correct)

Which word refers to a strong interest in something or someone?

Fixation (correct)

Frisson

Fascination

Fervor

What does the term 'evanescent' imply?

Soon passing or of short duration (correct)

Stable and reliable

Persisting for a long time

Eternal and unchanging

What is the act of expelling someone from a property called?

Evict Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes performing with ease and without effort?

Facile Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'exigency' refer to?

An urgent need or demand Signup and view all the answers

Which term is used to describe a situation in which many people are leaving a place at the same time?

Exodus Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'erratum' refer to in publishing?

A mistake in a book Signup and view all the answers

What term refers to a small building used for Christian worship?

Chapel Signup and view all the answers

Which term best describes a person who falsely claims to have a special skill?

Charlatan Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'chasm' refer to?

A deep fissure in the earth's surface Signup and view all the answers

What does 'conflagrant' mean?

Combustible or flammable Signup and view all the answers

What does 'compere' refer to in a formal setting?

A master of ceremonies Signup and view all the answers

What is the meaning of 'conjecture'?

An opinion based on incomplete information Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best defines 'cynosure'?

Centre of attraction Signup and view all the answers

What term describes someone who is satisfied with life in general?

Contented Signup and view all the answers

What term describes a person who attracts attention with a flashy style?

Flamboyant Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for farmland that is ploughed but left unsown to restore fertility?

Fallow Signup and view all the answers

What word refers to a quick, sudden movement?

Flick Signup and view all the answers

Which term means to express something in an unclear way?

Garbled Signup and view all the answers

What term is used for an indirect reference?

Innuendo Signup and view all the answers

What describes the unwelcome aspect of a situation?

Flip side Signup and view all the answers

Which word refers to the act of burying a dead person?

Interment Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct term for an aggressive speech addressed to a large assembly?

Harangue Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'invocation' refer to?

Request for protection or help Signup and view all the answers

Which word indicates a person who cannot be captured by law enforcement?

Fugitive Signup and view all the answers

What is described by the term 'interlude'?

Interval between two events Signup and view all the answers

What is a term for a strong blast of wind?

Gust Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes someone who interferes in the affairs of others for selfish reasons?

Interloper Signup and view all the answers

What does the word 'interregnum' refer to?

The period between two reigns Signup and view all the answers

What is the meaning of 'interpolate'?

To estimate the value of something Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes continuing for a very long time?

Interminable Signup and view all the answers

What term describes a solemn promise or undertaking?

Pledge Signup and view all the answers

Which word refers to a mixture of dried flowers and leaves used for scenting a room?

Potpourri Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'Profligate' mean?

Recklessly extravagant or wasteful Signup and view all the answers

Who is defined as a person who has converted to another religious or political belief?

Proselyte Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of 'Psephologist'?

One who studies election trends through opinion polls Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes a person characterized by bitterness or resentment?

Rancorous Signup and view all the answers

What does 'Recant' mean?

To take back or renounce a statement Signup and view all the answers

What is meant by 'Rendition'?

A version of an artistic, musical, or dramatic performance Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Words with Definitions

Chagrin: Vexation for humiliation of disappointment
Chapel: A small building used for Christian worship
Charlatan: A person falsely claiming to have a special skill
Chasm: A deep fissure in the Earth's surface
Chiromancy: Palm Reading
Churlish: Rude in a mean-spirited and surly way
Chutzpah: Extreme self-confidence or audacity
Clamorous: Making a loud and confused noise
Clientele: Customers collectively
Codicil: An instruction that is added later to a will, usually to change a part of it
Coercion: To forcefully threaten someone to agree to something
Coffle: A collection of slaves
Colloquy: Mutual discourse
Compere: Master of ceremonies
Concubinage: Living together of a man and woman without being married to each other
Condominium: An apartment building in which each apartment is owned separately by the people living in it, but also containing shared areas
Conjecture: An opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information
Conflagrant: Combustible or flammable
Conglomerate: A corporation made up of a number of different companies that operate in diversified fields
Conscientious: Guided by one's sense of duty
Consternation: State of anxiety or dismay causing mental confusion
Consummate: Extremely skilled
Constrained: Imposed a restriction on
Contented: Someone who is satisfied with life in general
Contraband: Prohibited by law or treaty from being imported or exported
Convalescent: A man who is recovering from illness
Corroborate: To confirm with the help of evidence
Corpus: Collection of written or spoken texts
Couplet: A stanza having two lines in a verse
Cowherd: A person who takes care of cattle
Creed: A system of religious belief; a faith
Crumble: Break or fall apart into small fragments in the process of deterioration
Culpable: Guilty of Crime
Cynosure: Centre of Attraction
Cypher: A secret or disguised way of writing
Defiance: Open refusal to obey orders
Deliquesce: Become liquid, typically during decomposition
Epistle: A verse letter
Eradicable: Which can be rooted out
Ergomania: Excessive desire to work
Ergophile: A lover of work
Erudition: Profound scholarly knowledge
Erratum: A mistake in a book
Escort: A person in a vehicle or on horseback escorting another vehicle
Etiolate: Make pale by excluding light
Etymology: The study of the origin of the origin and history of words
Eugenics: A science of race, culture and human development
Eulogise: Praise highly in speech or writing
Euphemism: Substitution of mild for very blunt expression
Evanescent: Soon passing out, or of a short duration
Evict: Expel someone from a property, especially with the support of the law
Excerpt: A short piece of writing, music, film etc. taken from a longer whole
Excursion: A short journey for pleasure
Exegesis: Critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture
Exigency: An urgent need or demand
Exodus: A situation in which many people leave a place at a time
Exonerate: To free somebody from all blame
Expanse: A large open area of land, water, or sky
Expiate: To make atonement for one's sins
Expurgate: To remove an objectionable part from a book
Extempore: A speech or a presentation made without previous preparation
Fable: A short story with a moral, usually with animals as characters
Facile: Performing adroitly and without effort
Facsimile: An exact copy of handwriting or a picture produced by a machine
Fanatic: A person motivated by irrational enthusiasm
Fantasy: A pleasant situation that you imagine but that is unlikely to happen
Fastidious: One who is difficult to please
Felicitous: Well chosen or suited to the circumstances
Felonious: Relating to or involved in crime
Feud: Bitter quarrel over a long period of time
Figment: Something that is imagined but does not exist
Filicide: Killing of one’s own child
Fixation: A strong interest in something or someone
Flamboyant: A person who attracts attention with a flashy style
Fallow: Farmland ploughed and harrowed but left for a period without being sown in order to restored its fertility
Flick: A quick, sudden movement
Flicker: Shine with a bright but brief or irregular light
Flip Side: Unwelcome aspect of a situation
Flounder: To struggle helplessly
Fluke: Accidental good fortune
Flux: Continuous movement and change
Forfeited: Be deprived of property or a right or privilege as a penalty
Forge: Move ahead or forward steadily and gradually
Foyer: An entrance hall in a building used by the public, especially in a hotel or theatre
Fumbling: Doing something awkwardly in a clumsy manner
Funambulist: One who walks on ropes
Fuselage: The main body of an aircraft
Fugitive: One who runs away from justice or the law
Galling: Causing annoyance or resentment
Garbled: To express in an unclear way
Garrulous: Talks a lot to explain something very trivial
Ghastly: In a threatening manner
Ghetto: A part of the city, especially the slum area
Glazier: A person who repairs broken window glasses
Gingivitis: Inflammation of gums
Glower: To look at someone in an angry or threatening way
Glutton: One who eats too much
Gourmet: One who has a keen interest in good food
Graffiti: Writing or drawings scribbled, scratched or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place
Gratis: Costing nothing
Growl: The sound a bear makes
Gust: A strong blast of wind
Hallucinogen: A drug which makes one see things that are not really there
Hamlet: A very small village
Harangue: A lengthy and aggressive speech addressed to a large assembly
Harbinger: Somebody that foretells the coming of something
Harbour: A place of shelter for ships
Harrowing: Acutely distressing
Hassle: Irritating inconvenience
Hearse: A transport vehicle for conveying the coffin at a funeral
Heckle: Interrupt with derisive or aggressive comments or abuse
Inexorable: Not to be moved by entreaty
Infallible: One who cannot make a mistake
Innocuous: Causing no harm
Innuendo: An indirect reference
Insurgent: Rebellious or opposing the authority
Interloper: One who interferes in the affairs of others, often for selfish reasons
Interlude: Interval between two events
Interment: The act of burying a dead person
Interminable: Continuing for a very long time
Interpolate: Estimate the value of something
Interregnum: The period between two reigns
Intestate: One who dies without a will
Inundate: Overflow or fill an area with excess water, as a flood
Invigorate: Refresh and revive
Invocation: Call upon God or any other power etc. for protection or help
Isthmus: A narrow stretch of land connecting two large bodies of land Jargon: Special words and phrases used by a particular group of people, especially in their work
Jaunt: A short journey you make for pleasure
Jaywalk: To cross streets on foot carelessly
Junta: A military or political group that rules a country after taking power by force
Juxtapose: Placing different things in order to create an interesting effect
Kernel: Soft, inner part of a nut or fruit stone
Knell: The sound of the funeral bell
Laceration: A deep cut or tear in skin or flesh
Lair: A place where wild animals live
Laxative: A medicine that softens the bowels
Leer: A sly look that is lustful
Limivorous: Eating mud
Lullaby: A soft gentle song sung to make a child go to sleep
Maiden Speech: The first public speech by a person
Malapropism: Usage of an incorrect word in place of the one which is similar in pronunciation
Manifestly: In a way that is obvious to the eye or mind
Mannequin: A dummy used to display clothes in a shop window
Manoeuvre: An underhand device resorted to in order to justify misconduct
Manometer: An instrument used for measuring the pressure of liquids and gases
Pledge: A solemn promise or undertaking
Potion: A liquid with healing, magical, or poisonous properties
Potpourri: A mixture of dried flowers and leaves used for making a room smell
Pragmatist: One who values practically
Precipice: A very steep or overhanging rock face or cliff on a mountain
Prelude: An action or event that happens before another important one, and forms an introduction to it
**Prevaricate:**To make evasive or misleading statements
Profligate: Recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources
Proletariat: Working-class people regarded collectively
Prop: A piece of wood, metal etc. used for supporting something or keeping it in position
Proselyte: A person who has been converted to another religious or political belief
Provender: Food for farm animals
Provincialism: Concern for one’s own area or region at the expense of national or supranational unity
Prowler: A person who moves stealthily about or loiters near a place with a view to committing a crime
Psephologist: One who studies election trends by means of opinion polls
Punctilious: Careful in performing duties
Punter: A person who gambles, places a bet
Quaver: A shake or tremble in a person’s voice
Quill: A feather used as a pen
Raconteur: A person who is good at telling stories in an interesting and amusing way
Rancorous: Characterized by bitterness or resentment
Ransom: To free a prisoner on payment
Rapacious: Greedy for money
Rebate: Reduction in tax or debt
Recant: To take back, withdraw, or renounce
Receptacle: A hollow object used to contain something
Redundant: That which is no longer useful
Regalia: Dress with medals, ribbons worn at an official ceremony
Reminiscence: A characteristic of one thing that’s suggestive of another
Rendition: Artistic, musical, or dramatic interpretation
Renegade: One who deserts his principles or party
Repentance: Atonement for one's sins
Reprieve: Postponing or remitting punishment
Respite: Postponement or delay permitted in the suffering of a penalty or the discharge of an obligation

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