Vocabulary Quiz #3

Spell the vocabulary words and provide parts of speech and brief definitions for each word.

  1. effulgence

    noun
    : radiant splendor : brilliance

    Example sentence:
    Though autumn's effulgence has passed in the north, down south the Chinese tallow trees have just begun a respectable display of their own.

     

  2. vulnerary

    adjective
    : used for or useful in healing wounds

    Example sentence:
    Native Americans prized the herb echinacea for its vulnerary properties, using it to treat burns and snakebite as well as arrow wounds.

     

  3. solidusSAH-luh-dus\

    noun
    1 : an ancient Roman gold coin introduced by Constantine and used to the fall of the Byzantine Empire
    *2 : a mark / used typically to denote "or" (as in and/or), "and or" (as in straggler/deserter), or "per" (as in feet/second)

    Example sentence:
    In her latest thriller, the author manipulates her readers into believing there are two killers until the final page, where she connects their two names with a solidus.

     

  4. tchotchke

    noun
    : knickknack, trinket

    Example sentence:
    Upon returning home from his trip to Maine, Jerry ceremoniously placed his new ceramic lobster next to the other tchotchkes on his mantelpiece.

     

  5. instigate

    verb
    : to goad or urge forward : provoke, incite

    Example sentence:
    It was believed that much of the public backlash against the mayor was instigated by his political rival, who published a smear attack in the local newspaper.

     

  6. flippant

    adjective
    : lacking proper respect or seriousness

    Example sentence:
    The young attorney reddened when she realized the reply she'd just given the frowning judge bordered on flippant.

     

  7. nescience

    noun
    : lack of knowledge or awareness : ignorance

    Example sentence:
    As the conversation among the group turned to movies, Rob feared that his silence might betray his nescience toward all things related to the cinema.

     

  8. quietus \kwy-EE-tus\

    noun
    1 : final settlement (as of a debt)
    2 : removal from activity; especially : death
    *3 : something that quiets or represses

    Example sentence:
    "The constant rain and the cold have combined to put a quietus on outdoor activities." (Glenn Tucker, quoted in the Bangor Daily News [Maine], Oct. 10, 2005)

     

  9. lamia

    LAY-mee-uh\  • noun
    : a female demon : vampire

    Example sentence:
    In his latest horror flick, a seductive lamia revengefully preys upon the young men of a suburban town, who, it turns out, were responsible for her brutal death.

     

  10. detritus

    \dih-TRYE-tus\  • noun
    1 : loose material (as rock fragments or organic particles) that results directly from disintegration
    2 a : a product of disintegration, destruction, or wearing away : debris *b : miscellaneous remnants : odds and ends

    Example sentence:
    "The blog originated . . . as a catch basin for mental detritus, for the kind of stuff not good enough for print, but too good to waste on casual conversation." (Joel Achenbach, The Washington Post, August 21, 2005)

     

  11. obsequious

    \ub-SEE-kwee-uss\  • adjective
    : marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

    Example sentence:
    The movie star traveled with an entourage of obsequious attendants who indulged her every whim and waited on her hand and foot.

     

  12. praxis

    noun
    1 : exercise or practicing of an art, science, or skill
    2 : customary practice or conduct
    *3 : practical application of a theory

    Example sentence:
    Working in a law office allowed Anne to see firsthand the praxis of the ideas she learned in her classes.

     

  13. kapellmeister \kuh-PELL-my-ster\ 

    noun
    : the director of a choir or orchestra

    Example sentence:
    Reverend Clayton was desperate—the Christmas season was approaching and he still hadn't found a new kappellmeister.

     

  14. mayhap

    adverb
    : perhaps

    Example sentence:
    "We are just wondering and looking and mayhap seeing what we never perceived before." (James Robinson, A Treasury of Science)

     

  15. skulk

    verb
    1 : to move in a stealthy or furtive manner
    2 *a : to hide or conceal something (as oneself) often out of cowardice or fear or with sinister intent b chiefly British : malinger

    Example sentence:
    During the thunderstorm, we realized that we hadn't seen our dog in a while; when we searched, we found her skulking under the bed.

     

  16. linchpin

    noun
    1 : a locking pin inserted crosswise (as through the end of an axle or shaft)
    *2 : one that serves to hold together parts or elements that exist or function as a unit

    Example sentence:
    Jane's canceled check was the linchpin of the case against her, because it proved that she did know about the sale of Aunt Jessie's vase.

     

  17. utile

    adjective
    : useful

    Example sentence:
    Shaker crafts are simple, meticulously constructed, pleasing to the eye, and eminently utile, all at the same time.

     

  18. carceral

    adjective
    : of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

    Example sentence:
    When James first glimpsed his new campus, he thought there was something rather carceral about the school's tall wrought-iron fence.

     

  19. ab ovo

    adverb
    : from the beginning

    Example sentence:
    "Would you live your life differently if you could start again ab ovo?" Rachel asked.

     

  20. bumbershoot

    adverb
    : from the beginning

    Example sentence:
    "Would you live your life differently if you could start again ab ovo?" Rachel asked.

     

  21. catachresis

    noun
    *1 : use of the wrong word for the context
    2 : use of a forced and especially paradoxical figure of speech

    Example sentence:
    The paper printed a correction for the previous day's catachresis: dubbing a local artist-philanthropist a "socialist" when they meant "socialite."

     

  22. valetudinarian

    noun
    : a person of a weak or sickly constitution; especially : one whose chief concern is being or becoming a chronic invalid

    Example sentence:
    Will complained constantly of his aches, pains, and sniffles; he was a terrible valetudinarian.

     

  23. elan

    noun
    : vigorous spirit or enthusiasm

    Example sentence:
    With all the requisite élan, our guest blessed the food, toasted the cook, carved the roast turkey, served it around, and ate multiple helpings of everything.

     

  24. waggish

    adjective
    *1 : resembling or characteristic of a wag
    2 : done or made in waggery or for sport : humorous

    Example sentence:
    Lisa listens to the same waggish DJ every morning, never tiring of his prank phone calls and irreverent impressions of local politicians.

     

  25. amphibology

noun
: a sentence or phrase that can be interpreted in more than one way

Example sentence:
Not wanting to voice what I really felt, I resorted to amphibology and said, "I can't say too many good things about her."