It’s
Vocabulary
Time!
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Admonish
• (v.) to caution or
advise against
something; to scold
mildly; to remind of a
duty
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Admonish – M.E.
(admonesten, from
M.F. admonester, from
(assumed) V.L.
admonestare, to warn
Admonish Mnemonic
The manager admonished
his employee for using the
internet to play games
when he was supposed to
be working.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Breach
• (n.) an opening, gap,
rupture, rift; a violation
or infraction
• (v.) to create an
opening, break
through
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Breach - M.E
(breche, from O.E.
br[AE]c act of
breaking; akin to
O.E. brecan) to
break
Breach Mnemonic
The judge decided that the
defendant had breached
his contract to finish
repairing the breach in the
plaintiff’s roof.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Brigand
•(n.) a bandit,
robber, outlaw,
highwayman
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Brigand - M.E (brigaunt,
from M.Fr. brigand, from
O.It. brigante, from
brigare) to fight, (from
briga strife, of Celtic
origin; akin to Old Irish
bríg) strength
Brigand Mnemonic
If you work at a local
convenience store you must
be careful at night because it
is not uncommon for a
brigand to try to rob the
store.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Circumspect
•(adj.) careful,
cautious
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Circumspect - M.E, (from
M.Fr. or Latin; M.F.
circonspect, from L.
circumspectus) to look
around, be cautious,
(from circum- + specere
to look)
Circumspect Mnemonic
Jake told Tommy he was going to
beat him up after school, so
Tommy was circumspect when
he walked home so that he would
notice anything suspicious or
dangerous.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Commandeer
•(v.) to seize
for military or
official use
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Commandeer Afrikaans
(kommandeer, from F.
commander) to
command, (from O.Fr.
commander)
Commandeer Mnemonic
Police officers who obtain a
search warrant of criminals
homes have the right to
commandeer any personal
property that helps them solve a
crime.
Don’t forget your words!
It’s
Vocabulary
Time!
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Cumbersome
•(adj.) clumsy,
hard to handle;
slow moving
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Cumbersome - O.Fr.
encombrer, from combre
"obstruction, barrier,"
from V.L. *comboros
"that which is carried
together," perhaps from
a Gaulish word.
Cumbersome Mnemonic
Shopping on the weekend can
make you feel like a very
cumbersome person if it is
crowded in the food court and you
have to carry a lot of bags.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Deadlock
• (n.) a standstill resulting
from the opposition of
two equal forces or
factions
• (v.) to bring to such a
standstill
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Deadlock –
"complete
standstill," first
attested 1779 in
Sheridan's play "The
Critic."
Deadlock Mnemonic
After the car accident all the
cars behind it were in deadlock
for at least a mile.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Debris
•(n.) scattered
fragments,
wreckage
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Debris – Fr. débris,
from M.Fr., from
debriser to break to
pieces, from O.Fr.
debrisier, from de- +
brisier to break
Debris Mnemonic
When we arrived at the sight of
the crash there was so much
debris we could not get within
fifty feet of the airplane.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Diffuse
• (v.) to spread or scatter
freely or widely
• (adj.) wordy, longwinded, or unfocused;
scattered or widely
spread
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Diffuse – M.E., from
L. diffusus, past
participle of
diffundere to spread
out, from dis- +
fundere to pour
Diffuse Mnemonic
The air freshener diffuses a
fresh apple cinnamon scent
throughout the bathroom.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Dilemma
•(n.) a difficult or
perplexing
situation or
problem
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Dilemma – L.L., from
L.Gk. dilEmmat-,
dilEmma, probably
back-formation from
Gk. dilEmmatos
involving two
assumptions
Dilemma Mnemonic
Darcy faced a dilemma when she
tried to purchase new jeans at
Abercrombie and Fitch and the
cashier told her that her credit
cards were declined.
Don’t forget your words!
It’s
Vocabulary
Time!
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Efface
•(v.) to wipe out; to
keep oneself from
being noticed
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Efface – M.E.,
from M.Fr. effacer,
from O.Fr.
esfacier, from e- +
face face
Efface Mnemonic
Effie the cat tried to efface
herself so her owner could not
find her and would not be able
reprimand her for clawing the
couch cushions.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Muddle
• (v.) to make a mess
of; muddle through:
to get by
• (n.) a hopeless mess
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Muddle – probably
from obsolete Dutch
moddelen, from
M.Dutch, from modde
mud; akin to Middle
Low German mudde
Muddle Mnemonic
Pigpen was a muddle
because he was covered
in dirt and grime.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Opinionated
• (adj.) stubborn and
often unreasonable
in holding to one’s
own ideas, having a
closed mind
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Opinionated – L.
opinionem (nom. opinio)
"opinion, conjecture,
what one thinks," from
stem of opinari "think,
judge, suppose, opine,"
from PIE *op- "to
choose."
Opinionated Mnemonic
Tom Cruise was very
opinionated about ADD and
medications during his
interview with Matt Lauer.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Perennial
• (adj.) lasting a long
time, persistent
• (n.) a plant that lives
for a long time
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Perennial –
Latin perennis,
from perthroughout +
annus year
Perennial Mnemonic
The energy of marathon
runners must be perennial
if they want to finish a race.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Predispose
•(v.) to incline
to beforehand
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Predispose - "pre" prefix
meaning "before," from
O.Fr. pre- and M.L. pre-,
both from L. præ (adv.)
"before," + "dispose" O.Fr.
disposer, from O.Fr.
despondre, from L.
disponere "put in order,
arrange," from dis- "apart"
+ ponere "to put, place.
Predispose Mnemonic
Many people are
predisposed to becoming
addicted to drugs and
alcohol due to their genetics.
Don’t forget your words!
It’s
Vocabulary
Time!
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Relinquish
•(v.) to let go,
give up
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Relinquish – M.E.
relinquisshen, from M.Fr.
relinquiss-, stem of
relinquir, from L.
relinquere to leave
behind, from re- +
linquere to leave
Relinquish Mnemonic
The soldiers had to
relinquish the battle to
their opponents because
they were out-numbered.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Salvage
•(v.) to save from
fire or shipwreck
•(n.) property thus
saved
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Salvage – Fr., from M.Fr.,
from salver to save.
Meaning "recycling of
waste material" is from
1918, from the British
effort in World War I.
Salvage Mnemonic
Firefighters try to salvage a
structure before the fire gets
too out of hand to save it from
being destroyed.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Spasmodic
•(adj.) sudden
and violent but
brief; fitful;
intermittent
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Spasmodic – M.L.
spasmodicus, from Gk.
spasmodes "of the
nature of a spasm,"
from spasmos + -odes
"like."
Spasmodic Mnemonic
Brandon worried that his
girlfriend boyfriend would find
out that he frequently had
spasmodic bowel
movements and dump him for
a more regular guy.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Spurious
•(adj.) not
genuine, not
true, not valid
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Spurious – L.L.
spurius false, from
L., of illegitimate
birth, from spurius,
noun, bastard
Spurious Mnemonic
When Frida found out that her
father had purchased a spurious
Fendi bag for her birthday, she
was mortified that her friends
might have noticed that it was a
fake.
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
•Unbridled
•(adj.)
uncontrolled,
lacking in
restraint
Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1
• Unbridled - un "not," O.E.
bridel, related to bregdan
"move quickly," from
P.Gmc. *bregdilaz. The
verb meaning "to throw
up the head" (as a horse
does when reined in)
Unbridled Mnemonic
Sam gagged when he found one
of his mother’s books titled
Unbridled Love under the couch
cushion and saw Fabio on the
cover.
Don’t forget your words!