Vocabulary
Unit 11
Abrogate (v.)
• To repeal, cancel, declare null and void
• Often with no legal or moral grounds, the
U. S. government would abrogate treaties
made with Native Americans.
• Synonyms: annul, revoke
• Antonyms: reaffirm, renew, ratify
Abrogate (v.)
• The key to this word is realizing that it is a
verb. It is something that people DO.
• For example, Beowulf becomes King of
the Geats later in life. If he were to give
up this title so that he could go back to
playing the part of the hero/warrior, he
would be abrogating his title.
Ambient (adj.)
• Completely surrounding, encompassing
• The new filtering system is capable of
cleaning and deodorizing the ambient air.
Ambient (adj.)
• Ambient is an adjective, so it is used to
describe. The noun form of this word is
ambience, which you have probably heard
of.
• In Beowulf, Grendel is upset because the
noise from Herot is ambient; it seems to
be completely surrounding him, and it
bothers him.
Asperity (n.)
• Roughness, severity, bitterness or tartness
• The asperity of the drama critic’s
statements undermined the young actor’s
confidence.
• Synonyms: rigor, harshness
• Antonyms: mildness, blandness, softness,
lenience
Asperity (n.)
• Asperity means roughness, severity,
bitterness or tartness, which makes it
seem like a descriptive word, or adjective,
but be careful, it is really a noun. It is a
characteristic of a person or action.
• Grendel’s asperity in killing so many
innocent men caused the Danes to desire
revenge.
Burnish (v)
• (v.) To make smooth or glossy by rubbing,
polish
• The hotel manager ordered the waiters to
burnish all the brass candlesticks before
the formal banquet.
• Synonyms: shine, buff
• Antonyms: tarnish, dull, abrade
Burnish (n.)
• (n.) gloss, brightness, luster
• The burnish on the metal frame had
faded with age and neglect.
Burnish (n./v.)
• Burnish is tricky because it can be either a noun
or a verb. A person can burnish a sword, which
would be like polishing it, or a person can
admire the burnish on a sword, which is the
gloss and shine itself. Don’t confuse this with
brandish, which is the actual act of waving the
sword around.
• Beowulf’s men burnished their swords until their
burnish glimmered in the morning sun.
Cabal (n)
• A small group working in secret
• The members of the cabal met at an
unknown location for the purpose of fixing
prices and stifling competition.
• Synonyms: clique, ring, gang, plot,
conspiracy
Cabal (n)
• Cabal is a noun. It is the group itself and
is NOT used as an adjective to describe
the group.
• Beowulf’s men were members of a cabal
dedicated to following their leader and
slaying the evil Grendel.
Delectable (adj.)
• Delightful, highly enjoyable, deliciously
flavored, savory
• The banquet ended with a truly
delectable dessert made of peaches,
raspberries, and ice cream.
• Synonyms: delicious, scrumptious
• Antonyms: repugnant, repulsive,
distasteful
Delectable (n.)
• An appealing or appetizing food or dish
• The eatery attracted customers with a
mouth-watering display of delectables in
its front window.
Delectable (adj./n.)
• Delectable is an adjective that is used to
describe something that is wonderful,
particularly delicious food. It can also be a noun
talking about the food itself.
• The food offered at Hrothgar’s feasts in Herot
was much more delectable than the food in the
home of the average peasant.
• Grammatically, you could say that the
delectable was delectable, although stylistically
the sentence would be terrible.
Deprecate (v.)
• To express mild disapproval; to belittle
• The administration deprecated such
foolish practices as the hazing of new
students but did not ban them outright.
• Synonyms: deplore, frown upon
• Antonyms: smile on, countenance,
approve
Deprecate (v.)
• Deprecate is a verb that means mild
disapproval. It is the type of thing your
parents would frown at you for, but not
spank you over.
• Beowulf would deprecate fear from his
men because every soldier is afraid
sometimes, but he would be completely
angry if his men disobeyed direct orders.
Detritus (n.)
• Loose bits and pieces of material resulting
from disintegration or wearing away;
fragments that result from any destruction
• Pieces of people’s homes, furniture, and
toys could be seen in the detritus of the
landslide.
• Synonyms: debris, wreckage, ruins,
rubble
Detritus (n.)
• It’s important to remember that detritus is
a noun. It is the fragments and bits
themselves, not a description of them.
• The detritus left in the hall after Grendel’s
attack was gory and disgusting.
Ebullient (adj.)
• Overflowing with enthusiasm and
excitement; boiling; bubbling
• After a string of very favorable reviews, the
dance company was in an ebullient mood
for weeks.
• Synonyms: exhilarated, elated, exuberant
• Antonyms: gloomy, morose, sullen,
apathetic, blasé
Ebullient (adj.)
• This one is easy. It’s an adjective
describing those people who are really
happy and joyful.
• Beowulf’s men are ebullient after he rises
from the depths of the fire lake carrying
Grendel’s severed head.
Eclectic (adj.)
• Drawn from different sources
• Stanford White developed an eclectic
style of architecture that made use of
classic and modern elements.
• Synonyms: selective, synthetic, pick-andchoose
• Antonyms: uniform, monolithic
Eclectic (n.)
• One whose beliefs are drawn from various
sources.
• The critics accused the composer of being
a mere eclectic with no original style of
her own.
Eclectic (n./adj.)
• Careful! This is another one of those
words that can be an adjective OR a noun.
A person can be an eclectic or have an
eclectic collection of something.
• At the end of Beowulf’s many battles, he
has an eclectic collection of severed limbs
and defeated weapons.
Flaccid (adj.)
• Limp, not firm, lacking vigor or
effectiveness
• Because the injured bodybuilder had not
worked out for weeks, his muscles grew
flaccid.
• Synonyms: soft, flabby
• Antonyms: hard, firm, solid
Flaccid (adj.)
• This adjective describes soft and flabby
muscles.
• As a young man, Beowulf faced many
physical challenges and was in great
shape. However, when he became older
and was king and no longer required to
fight, he became flaccid. This made is
final battle with the dragon much more
difficult.
Impecunious (adj.)
• Having little or no money
• In my present impecunious state, I will
not be able to pay for dinner.
• Synonyms: penniless, impoverished,
indigent
• Antonyms: affluent, wealthy, prosperous,
rich
Impecunious (adj.)
• This adjective describes somebody who
has little or no money.
• Many Geats were impecunious after the
dragon stole their fortunes and added
them to his own treasure.
Inexorable (adj.)
• Inflexible, beyond influence, relentless,
unyielding
• In the Greek tragedies, nothing could save
characters like Oedipus Rex from their
inexorable fates.
• Synonyms: inescapable, ineluctable,
obdurate
• Antonyms: avoidable, yielding, pliant
Inexorable (adj.)
• This is an adjective that describes
somebody who is unyielding or inflexible.
• Beowulf was inexorable in his demand
that ONLY he and his men would be able
to try to kill Grendel; he did not want any of
Hrothgar’s Danes to be able to earn that
glory.
Moribund (adj.)
• Dying, on the way out
• In the age of electronic communication,
writing letters by hand seems to be a
moribund custom.
• Synonym: obsolescent
• Antonym: flourishing, thriving
Moribund (adj.)
• This is an adjective used to describe
something that is dying out or is becoming
outdated. For example, CD’s and DVD’s
have replaced audio and video tapes,
which are now moribund.
• Heroes like Beowulf who solve other
people’s problems just to have a fun
challenge are now moribund.
Necromancer (n.)
• One who claims to reveal or influence the
future through magic, especially
communication with the dead; in general,
a magician or wizard.
• When the stock market began to tumble,
some desperate financial investors
resorted to necromancers for advice.
• Synonyms: sorcerer, conjurer
Necromancer (n.)
• This is a noun—literally a person who
claims to have contact with the dead.
• The only thing that the story of Beowulf is
missing is a good necromancer. Can you
imagine an extra chapter in which a
character communicates with the dead
monsters to find out more about their
opinions of Beowulf or their prophecies
about his future?
Onerous (adj.)
• Burdensome; involving hardship or
difficulty
• Informing patients of bad news is an
onerous duty that every doctor has to
perform.
• Synonyms: oppressive, weighty
• Antonyms: light, easy, undemanding,
untaxing
Onerous (adj.)
• This is an adjective that describes
something difficult. It could be a task you
don’t want to do or a conversation that you
don’t want to have.
• Hrothgar had the onerous task of telling
Beowulf that he couldn’t stop with just
killing Grendel, but that he would have to
kill Grendel’s mother also.
Rife (adj.)
• Common, prevalent, widespread,
happening often; full, abounding, plentiful,
abundant, replete
• Since rumors were rife, the president
announced that the company had been
bought out by its major competitor.
• Antonyms: devoid of, lacking
Rife (adj.)
• This adjective describes things that are
common and can be found everywhere.
• Beowulf’s world was rife with evil sea
monsters and dragons.
Rudiments (n. pl.)
• The parts of any subject or discipline that
are learned first; the earliest stages of
anything
• At a very young age, the girl learned the
rudiments of chess from her father, a
professional player.
• Synonyms: fundamentals, basics
Rudiments (n. pl.)
• Rudiments is a noun which is generally
found in the plural form.
• Beowulf understood much more than just
the rudiments of fighting; other men may
have only understood the basics, but he
was advanced.
Sequester (v.)
• To set apart, separate for a special
purpose; to take possession of and hold in
custody
• The parties agreed to sequester the
disputed funds pending a decision by the
court.
• Synonyms: seclude, segregate, isolate,
closet
Sequester (v.)
• Sequester is a verb. One of its most common
uses applies to juries. If a jury is sent to a hotel
and not allowed to read newspapers or watch
the news until the end of the trial, then they have
been sequestered.
• On the night of the battle with Grendel, Beowulf
sequestered his men away from Hrothgar’s
men so they would receive all of the glory.
Winnow (v.)
• To get rid of something unwanted, delete;
to sift through to obtain what is desirable;
to remove the chaff from the wheat by
blowing air on it; to blow on, fan
• Spelling and grammar software programs
are designed to help writers winnow
inaccuracies from their documents.
• Synonyms: sift, strain, filter, sort
Winnow (v.)
• Winnow is a verb that describes the act of
getting rid of things that are unwanted so
that only the good parts remain.
• Beowulf winnowed the land of monsters
until only good men remained.