ECAC Vocabulary 2.4.12
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Abstemious
Enervate
Fatuous
Kowtow
Infrastructure
Obsequious
Tempestuous
Pecuniary
Interpolate
Bellicose
(week 2/6/12)
Infrastructure (noun)
• in·fra·struc·ture/ˈinfrəˌstrəkCHər
• the basic, underlying framework or features of
a system or organization.
• Synonyms: substructure – organization –
setup – foundation – groundwork – frame
• After the CEO left, the company’s
infrastructure began slowly collapse.
Abstemious (adjective)
• ab·ste·mi·ous/abˈstēmēəs/
• Not self-indulgent, esp. when eating and
drinking.
• Synonyms: abstinent - temperate - moderate sober - sparing
• Unlike the rest of her family, Cathy displayed
abstemious behavior when eating dinner; she
never cleaned her plate.
Enervate (verb)
• en·er·vate/ˈenərˌvāt
• Cause (someone) to feel drained of energy.
• Synonyms: enfeeble - weaken - debilitate unnerve – emasculate
• Although he enjoyed his time as an
emergency room nurse, the demanding work
schedule enervated him to point of complete
exhaustion.
Fatuous (adjective)
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fat·u·ous/ˈfaCHooəs
Silly and pointless.
Synonyms: foolish - goofy - witless - idiotic
Although being referred to as “ratchet” would
be vexing for most people, she knew it was
simply a fatuous saying that her friends would
find boring within a month.
Kowtow (verb)
• kow·tow/ˈkouˈtou/
• Act in an excessively subservient manner.
• Synonyms: kneel - bow – stoop –
acknowledge
• The narcissistic king required all of his subjects
to kowtow before him as a sign of respect.
Obsequious (adjective)
• ob·se·qui·ous/əbˈsēkwēəs/
• Obedient or attentive to an excessive or
servile degree.
• Synonyms: servile - subservient - menial fawning - submissive – unctuous
• It took years for the woman to overcome her
obsequious tendencies that became habit
while living with her overbearing husband.
Tempestuous (adjective)
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• tem·pes·tu·ous/temˈpesCHooəs/
• 1.Characterized by strong and turbulent or
conflicting emotion.
• 2.Very stormy: "a tempestuous wind".
• Synonyms: emotional - boisterous - gusty turbulent - wild – rough – stormy – intense
• Teen love is often tempestuous and dramatic,
so, of course, it makes the perfect subject for
young adult novels.
Pecuniary (adjective)
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pe·cu·ni·ar·y/piˈkyoonēˌerē/
Of, relating to, or consisting of money.
Synonyms: monetary – financial – economic
Because the political candidate did not
address any pecuniary issues in the debate,
she lost a large percentage of her voters.
Interpolate (verb)
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in·ter·po·late/inˈtərpəˌlāt/
A. To insert into a text.
B. To insert into a conversation.
Synonyms: insert – interpose – interject –
interrupt
• Teachers do not appreciate the tendency of
some students to interpolate during class
discussion; raising your hand is most
appropriate.
bellicose (adjective)
• bel·li·cose/ˈbeliˌkōs/
• Demonstrating aggression and willingness to
fight.
• Synonyms: warlike - combative - militant martial – belligerent – pugnacious
• After becoming friends with Jim, Cheryl found
out that his bellicose behavior at school was
just a cover for the turmoil he was
experiencing at home.