Vocabulary G
UNIT FIVE
Sumptuous
extremely, rich,
luxurious, or
magnificent.
The sumptuous
spread of food made
my mouth water.
Garner
To acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as
for future
We will use our garnered information to write the Gatsby
essays.
Hallow
To set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor
greatly, revere
The ancient Aztecs hallowed their great temples.
Idiosyncrasy (n.)
A PECULIARITY THAT
SERVES TO DISTINGUISH
OR IDENTIFY
EX. EACH CHARACTER OF
THE STONE DIARIES HAS
AN IDIOSYNCRASY THAT
DISTINGUISHES THEM
THROUGHOUT THE TEXT.
Ignominy (n.)
Shame and disgrace
Ex. Sara’s parents
believed that getting
married right out of
high school was a huge
ignominy, but the two
were as happy as could
be.
Ubiquitous
 (adj.) present or
existing everywhere
John used bottles of
chemicals to get rid of
the ubiquitous ants
that had invaded his
kitchen.
Mundane
 (Adj.) Earthly, worldly,
relating to practical and
material affairs;
concerned with what is
ordinary
 Mundane tasks such
as brushing ones teeth
become repetitive each
day.
Nuance
 (Noun) A subtle or
slight variation (color,
meaning, quality)
delicate gradation or
shade of difference
 The artists paid close
attention to every
nuance in the color
spectrum.
Fiat
 (n.) an arbitrary order or decree; a command or an act
of will or consciousness
 The judge instituted new fiats for the criminal and
regulations that he needs to follow.
Figment
 (n.) a fabrication of the mind; an
arbitrary notion
 When people are in the desert, they
sometimes imagine and have
figments that water is near.
Esoteric
intended for or understood by only
a select few, private, secret
THE INSIDE JOKE IN THE GIRL’S ESSAY
ONLY MADE A FEW OF THE STUDENTS
LAUGH, IT WAS VERY ESOTERIC.
Fecund
 Fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually
productive

The fecund vineyards in France are among the most
expensive and nice vineyards of the world.
Sophistry
(n.) reasoning that seems
plausible but is actually
unsound; a fallacy
Dr. House wishes his team would come up with diseases
that are sophistry and would therefore help the patient.
reputed
 according to reputation or general belief; having
widespread acceptance and good reputation;
alleged
 His reputed skills for picking locks, breaking
codes, and obtaining secret information made
him a very good spy.
Despite Mercy’s obesity, Cuyler felt
Penchant (n.) a sincere penchant towards her.
A strong
attraction
or
inclination
Overweening
(adj.)
conceited,
presumptuou
s; excessive,
immoderate
Hamilton’s overweening
defamation of Burr led to their
controversial duel and Hamilton’s
subsequent death.
Depraved (adj.) marked by evil and
corruption, devoid of moral
principles
THE DEPRAVED CHILDREN DRESSED AS
NAZI SOLDIERS FOR HALLOWEEN.
Enervate (v.) to weaken or lessen the mental,
moral or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring
Yep.
Acuity
Def: (n.) sharpness
(particularly of the
mind or senses)
Syn: keenness,
acuteness
Ant: dullness,
obtuseness
The great horned owl’s acuity of
eyesight gives it the best vision of
any animal on earth.
Delineate
Def: to portray,
sketch, or describe
in accurate and
vivid detail; to
present pictorially
Syn: depict,
picture, render
Milton vividly delineates the battles
between Heaven and Hell in his epic,
Paradise Lost.