Quarter 4 I Write the Songs aesthetic ass THET ik having to do with the appreciation of beauty The arrangement of paintings in the museum was due to aesthetic considerations; as long as the paintings looked good together, it didn’t matter who painted them or when they were painted. anthology an THAW luh jee a collection of literary pieces This anthology contains all of Shakespeare’s sonnets, but none of his plays. contemporary kun TEM po rair ee current, modern; from the same time Contemporary music is very different from the music of the 1920s. Pocahontas and Shakespeare were contemporaries; they lived during the same time, thought not in the same place. dilettante dih luh TAHNT one with an amateurish or superficial understanding of a field of knowledge You can’t trust Betsy’s opinion because she’s just a dilettante who doesn’t understand the subtleties of the painting. eclectic uh KLEK tik made up of a variety of sources and styles Lou’s taste in music is eclectic because he listens to everything from rap to polka. excerpt ek SERPT a selected part of a passage or scene We read an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet in which Juliet says, “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” genre ZHAHN ruh describing a category of artistic endeavor Gene enjoyed only science fiction movies; in fact, he never went to see anything that was not in that genre. medley MED lee an assortment or a mixture, especially of musical pieces At the concert, the band played a medley of songs from their first album, cutting an hour’s worth of music down to five minutes. mural MYUR ul a large painting applied directly to a wall or ceiling surface The mural on the wall of the library showed the signing of the Declaration of Independence. narrative NAIR uh tiv (adj.) characterized by the telling of a story (n.) a story Tony gave us a running narrative of the game, since he was the only one who could see over the fence. parody PAIR uh dee an artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect Mad Magazine is famous for its parodies of popular movies, such as Star Bores and The Umpire Strikes Out. realism REE uh liz um artistic representation that aims for visual accuracy His photographs have a stark realism that conveys the true horror of the war. virtuoso ver choo O so a tremendously skilled artist Some people say that Eddie Van Halen is a guitar virtuoso because of his amazing ability—others say that his music is just noise. Cool It Now decorous DEK er us proper; marked by good taste The class was well-behaved and the substitute was grateful for their decorous conduct. equanimity ek wuh NIM uh tee the quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure She showed great equanimity; she did not panic even in the face of catastrophe. modest quiet or humble in manner or appearance Although Mr. Phillips is well-off financially, he lives in a modest, simple home. propriety appropriateness of behavior MAW dist pruh PRY uh tee Anyone who blows his nose on the tablecloth has no sense of propriety. prudent exercising good judgement or common sense It wouldn’t be prudent to act until you’ve considered every possible outcome. serene PROO dunt suh REEN calm The quiet seaside resort provided a much-needed vacation in a serene locale. staid STAYD unemotional; serious Mr. Carver had such a staid demeanor that he stayed calm while everyone else celebrated the team’s amazing victory. stoic STOW ik indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive Not one to complain, Jason was stoic in accepting his punishment. If You Can’t Say Anything Nice condemn kun DEM to express strong disapproval of; denounce Homer condemned Mayor Quimby for letting the schoolchildren drink rat milk; he was outraged and let the mayor know it. discredit to cause to be doubted The claim that pi is exactly equal to three can be discredited simply by careful measurement. dis CRED it disparage to speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle Glen disparaged Wanda by calling her a cheat and a liar. dis PAIR uj pejorative puh JOR uh tiv describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone Teachers should refrain from using such pejorative terms as “numbskull” and “jackass” when dealing with students who need encouragement. plagiarism PLAY juh riz um the act of passing off the ideas or writing of another as one’s own The author was accused of plagiarism when an older manuscript was discovered which contained passages that she had used, word for word, in her own book. vilify VIL uh fye to make vicious statements about Chad issued a series of pamphlets that did nothing but vilify his opponent, but his cruel accusations were not enough to win him the election. Nasty Boys brusque BRUSK rudely abrupt Mr. Weir was a brusque teacher who didn’t take time to talk to or listen to his students. caustic KAW stik bitingly sarcastic or witty He had a very caustic wit and he seldom told a joke without offending someone. feral FEH rul savage; untamed Although he is usually timid, Murphy becomes feral and attacks the other cats when he is eating fish. fractious FRAK shus quarrelsome; unruly Leonard was a fractious child who disagreed with everything and refused to listen. incorrigible in KOR ij uh bul unable to be reformed She is absolutely incorrigible; no matter how many times you punish her, she goes right ahead and misbehaves. ingrate an ungrateful person It is a true ingrate that can accept favor after favor and never offer any thanks. insolent insulting in manner or speech; insubordinate It was extremely insolent of him to stick his tongue out at the queen. IN grait IN suh lent notorious no TOR ee us known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous Al Capone was a notorious gangster in the 1930s; he was feared throughout America. pugnacious pug NAY shus combative; belligerent Lorenzo was a pugnacious child who settled his differences by fighting with people. reprehensible rep ree HEN si bul deserving censure or condemnation; despicable It was reprehensible of the girls to spit their gum in their teacher’s water bottle; they had detention for a week. Dude, This Sucks! brittle BRIT ul easily broken when subjected to pressure That antique vase is so brittle that it might break at any moment. deleterious del uh TEER ee us having a harmful effect; injurious Although it seems unlikely, taking too many vitamins can actually have a deleterious effect on your health. enmity EN muh tee mutual hatred or ill-will There was great enmity between the opposing generals, and each one wanted to destroy the other. heinous hatefully evil; abominable To murder someone in cold blood is a heinous crime. HAY nus malfeasance mal FEEZ uns misconduct or wrongdoing b y a public official The mayor was accused of malfeasance because of his questionable use of public funds. malice MAL is extreme ill-will or spite It was clear that he was acting with malice when he disconnected the brakes in his business partner’s car. putrid PYOO trid rotten He threw his lunch in the bottom of his locker every day and had a putrid mess by the end of the year—rotten bananas, moldy sandwiches, and curdled milk were some of the more disgusting ingredients. rancorous RANK er us hateful; marked by deep seated ill-will They had such a rancorous relationship that no one could believe that they had ever gotten along. toxic TAHK sik poisonous Since many chemicals are toxic, drinking from random flasks in the chemistry lab could be hazardous to your health. Old School archaic characteristic of an earlier period; old-fashioned “How dost thou?” is an archaic way of saying, “How are you?” ar KAY ik hackneyed HACK need worn-out through overuse; trite (not in reference to physical objects) All my mom could offer in the way of advice were these hackneyed old phrases that I’d heard a hundred times before. medieval referring to the Middle Ages; King Arthur was a famous ruler from medieval times. med EE vul obsolete awb suh LEET no longer in use; old-fashioned 8-Track tape players are obsolete because albums aren’t released in that format anymore.
