Unit 2 Definitions
1. aegis
(ē’ jis)
(n.) protection; backing; sponsorship
Popular actors travel under the aegis of body guards for protection.
SYNONYM: support
2. apprise
(ə prīz')
(v.) to inform of; make aware of by giving oral or written notice
The spokesperson will apprise us of the latest developments.
SYNONYMS: explain, t e l l , notify
ANTONYMS: keep secret, withhold information
3. bibulous
(bib' yə ləs)
( adj.) fond of or inclined to drink; absorbent
The retired sailor was a bibulous old man.
SYNONYMS: alcoholic, thirsty
ANTONYMS: sober, self-controlled
4. claque
(klak)
( n.) a group of people hired to clap a performer; enthusiastic fan
The singer’s claque was in attendance, as usual.
SYNONYMS: follower, fan club
5. deracinate
(di ras' ə nāt)
(v.) to pull up by the roots; to root out, uproot, or dislocate
One way to deracinate racism from our society is to increase public awareness.
SYNONONYMS: remove, erase
ANTONYMS: encourage, foster
6. eleemosynary
(el i mos' ə ner ē)
(adj.) dependent upon or supported by charity
St. Jude is an eleemosynary organization.
SYNONYMS: giving, generous
ANTONYMS: selfish, self-seeking, uncharitable
7. indigenous
(in dij’ ə nəs)
(adj.) occurring naturally in a certain region
Grizzly bears are an example of indigenous wildlife to the region.
SYNONYMS: common, domestic, homegrown
ANTONYM: rare
8. lachrymose
(lak' rə mōs)
(adj.) sad; causing to shed tears
Mary became lachrymose as she watched her son drive away to college.
SYNONYMS: tearful, unhappy
ANTONYMS: cheerful, merry, funny
9. lexicon
(lek' sə kən)
(n.) a wordlist of a language; the vocabulary of a person, group or subject
The lexicon of computers is large and growing.
SYNONYMS: terminology, glossary
10. melee
(mā' lā)
( n.) a struggle; a violent free-for-all
At least one person was hurt in the melee.
SYNONYMS: fight, brawl, scuffle
ANTONYMS: friendly chat, peace and quiet
11. microcosm
(mī krə kos əm)
(n.) a miniature world or universe; a scale model of a larger group or system
High schools are a microcosm of society
SYNONYMS: small-scale, little
ANTONYMS: universe, world, whole
12. minuscule
(min' əs kyϋI)
(adj.) very small, tiny
I ate only a minuscule portion of the dessert.
SYNONYMS: minor, mini
ANTONYMS: huge, enormous
13. obfuscate
(ob’ fə skāt)
( v.) to darken or make unclear; to confuse
The purpose of writing is to communicate, not to obfuscate.
SYNONYMS: confuse, muddy the waters, puzzle
ANTONYMS: clarify, explain
14. paternalism
(pa tȗr' na liz əm)
(n.) the practice of treating people in the w a y of a father dealing with his children
The President won over the worried populace with his attitude of paternalism.
SYNONYMS: kindness, concern, protectiveness
15. polarize
(po' la riz)
( v.) to cause to focus around two disagreeing or contrasting positions
It is honestly wrong to polarize the country this way.
SYNONYMS: split, divide, separate
ANTONYMS: unite, join, reunite
16. purview
(pər' vyϋ)
(n.) the range of operation, authority, control or concern
The issue was outside the purview of the principal's authority.
SYNONYMS: control, course
17. sanguine
(saή gwin)
(adj.) cheerfully optimistic, hopeful or confident
Scientists remain sanguine about the chances of finding a cure for the disease.
SYNONYMS: positive, assured
ANTONYMS: negative, gloomy
18. solecism
(sol' ə siz əm)
(n.) a grammatical mistake in speech or writing.
One common solecism is “irregardless”.
SYNONYMS: misusage, mistake
ANTONYM: correct usage
19. vassal
(vas' el)
(n.) a person or country in a lesser position to another; one in a submissive position
As a vassal nation, India provided troops for British armies.
SYNONYM: dependent on
ANTONYM: master
20. verisimilitude
(ver ə si mil' ə tϋd)
(n.) the quality of appearing to be true, real, likely, possible
The play's verisimiltude won praise from critics.
SYNONYMS: authentic, genuine
ANTONYMS: false, dishonest
SYNONYMS: Choose the word from the list that is the same or most nearly the same in meaning as the boldface
word.
lexicon
obfuscated
claque
deracinate
apprise
purview
indigenous
solecism
lachrymose
verisimilitude
sanguine
polarize
paternalism
vassals
eleemosynary
aegis
microcosm
bibulous
polarize
melee
1. acknowledged for its truthfulness
_________________________________
2. under the sponsorship of the church
_________________________________
3. left early and missed the scuffle
_________________________________
4. within the power of the sheriff
_________________________________
5. neglected to inform the townspeople
_________________________________
6. a small, private, giving organization
_________________________________
7. the fans waiting by the stage door
_________________________________
8. using the programmers' special terms
_________________________________
9. was a servant of a weak empire
_________________________________
10. to divide the voter’s sympathies
_________________________________
11. native to the region
_________________________________
12. hopes to erase the bad blood
_________________________________
13. commits a mistake at every turn
_________________________________
14. the compassion of the dictator
_________________________________
15. a scale model of the entire park
_________________________________
ANTONYMS: Choose the word from the list that is the opposite or most nearly the opposite in meaning as the
boldface word.
16. sought to make clear my view of the event
_________________________________
17. doubtful about the test results
_________________________________
18. invited all the clearheaded relatives
_________________________________
19. in the cheerful moment that followed
_________________________________
20. had a enormous effect on the crowd
_________________________________
COMPLETE EACH SENTENCE: Circle the boldface word that best completes the following sentences.
1. Their standards are so severe that the every minor (lexicon, solecism) is thought to be the same as a major
crime.
2. The character, Falstaff, perceived by Shakespeare, was just a (lachrymose, bibulous) know-it-all.
3. Is it any wonder that the young quarterback has a swelled head? He seems always to be surrounded by a(n)
(claque, aegis) of admirers.
4. The student had to (deracinate, apprise) the bad reputation from the previous year.
5. From the observatory atop the Empire State Building, the pedestrians on the below look as (sanguine,
minuscule) as ants.
6. Even with the polls showing a strong liking of our car, we weren’t overly (indigenous, sanguine) about our
chances of winning.
7. Made with lasting (verisimilitude, microcosm) the film tells the story of teens who flee violence in Mexico.
8. For many years, there was a tendency among Americans and Europeans t the highly developed
(eleemosynary, indigenous) cultures of the people.
9. If they fall into the hands of the Soviet Union, we will become (lexicon, vassals) of the Soviets.
10. A basketball team will be sent overseas under the (claque, aegis) of Nike to play teams in various countries.
11. It was rude of her to wait until the last minute before she (apprised, obfuscated) us of her intention to quit.
12. The soup kitchens were able to stay open due to the (minuscule, eleemosynary) contributions of an
anonymous donor.
13. If we ignore the feelings and desires of other groups in our area, we are going to increase prejudice and
(deracinate, polarize) the whole community.
14. The movie started off well, but the later scenes, with the beautiful young he slowly dying of cancer, became
overwrought and (bibulous, lachrymose).
15. In the tragedy Of Mice and Men, we see (microcosm, purview) of the cruelty and discrimination in society
today.
16. Please do not try to (apprise, obfuscate) your responsibility in this matter by blaming other people.
17. The doctor's attitude of (solecism, paternalism) was admired when he is spoke to his patients about their
health.
18. In the educational system, there are many aspects that are not within the (claque, purview) of any teacher.
19. Morals cannot be the only criteria used to judge whether or not a word should be included in the (microcosm,
lexicon) of the language in which it is used.
20. At rush hour, I always have a hard time fighting my way through the (melee, claque) of tired commuters
scurrying through the station.