Building Vocabulary in
American Literature
Autonomy
Definition:
Independence or freedom
(on back of card)
Picture
Sentence
America gained its
autonomy after they won
the war against England.
Autonomy
freedom, liberty, selfdetermination, selfgovernment, self-rule,
sovereignty
Synonym
auto (GRK)– independent, “self”
nom (GRK)– law or custom
-y (OE)– inclined to
Morphemes
Jettison
Definition: to throw off (something) as an
obstacle or burden; discard.
Picture
Sentence
What happens when
aircrafts jettison
external tanks?
Jettison
abandon, abdicate, cast off,
deep-six, discard, dump,
expel, heave, hurl, reject,
slough, unload
Synonym
(ME) jetteson
Morphemes
Obliterate
Definition: destroy completely
Picture
Sentence
Nagasaki was obliterated
during WWII.
Obliterate
Annihilate, delete, efface,
eliminate, eradicate, erase,
expunge, exterminate
Synonym
ob (L)—”to”
litter (L)—”epistle”
ate (L)—noun
Morphemes
Extricate
Definition: To free from entanglement
(on back of card)
Picture
Sentence
After the crash, rescue
teams extricated the
injured driver from his car.
Extricate
detach, disburden,
disencumber, disengage,
disentangle, extract, free,
liberate, release, remove,
withdraw
Synonym
(L)ex—out of
(L) tric—perplexities
(L) ate—suffix used to make verbal
Morphemes
Celestial
Definition: heavenly, pertaining to the sky
Picture
Sentence
Through my telescope I
saw many celestial bodies.
Celestial
angelic, astral, blessed, divine,
ethereal, hallowed, holy,
otherworldly, seraphic,
spiritual, sublime, supernatural,
transcendental
Synonym
(L) caelesti—heavenly
(L) al—pertaining to
Morphemes
Chaos
Chaos Theory
Conference
Definition: A state of confusion or disorder
(on back of card)
Picture
Sentence
In the midst of the chaos,
nobody noticed the thief slip
quietly out of the room.
.
Chaos
Anarchy, bedlam, disarray,
discord, disorder, entropy,
lawlessness, pandemonium,
tumult, turmoil, unruliness
Synonym
(Grk) khaos—wide open;
abyss
Morphemes
Disdain
Definition: to look upon with contempt
Picture
Sentence
Amy had a great deal of
disdain for her boyfriend
when he hung up on her.
Disdain
Antipathy, aversion,
contempt, derision,
despisement, disgust,
hatred, insolence, ridicule,
scorn
Synonym
(OF) des—do the opposite of
(OFr.)dain--treat as worthy
Morphemes
Behemoth
Definition:
large in power or size
Picture
Sentence
The behemoth defensive line held
the other team so they earned no
points.
Behemoth
beast, large,
leviathan,
mammoth, monster
Synonym
Hebrew— “beast”
Morphemes
congenial
Definition: pleasant
Picture
Sentence
The cashier was congenial
and smiled at me while she
handed my order.
Congenial
affable, agreeable, amicable,
companionable, cooperative,
cordial, delightful, favorable,
gracious, harmonious, jovial,
kindly, neighborly, sociable
Synonym
con (L)—prefix meaning “with”
geni (L “genus”)—a kind or type
al (L)—suffix “from the character of”
Morphemes
tantalize
Definition: to tease or make frustrated
Picture
Sentence
Many cook with chocolate
and there are countless
wonderful recipes to
tantalize one’s taste buds.
tantalize
annoy, bait, beleaguer, charm,
entice, fascinate, frustrate,
harass, pester, plague, taunt,
thwart, titillate, torment,
torture
Synonym
Tantalus (Grk)—Tantalos,
king of Phyrgia, son of Zeus,
punished in the afterlife
Morphemes