Sophomore Vocabulary
Unit Two
FRACT, FRING, FRANG – Latin FRANGERE, FRACTUM “to
break”
1. FRACTIOUS (adj.) Tending to argue or cause discord
Malcolm grew from a fractious and irritable child into a tolerant and peaceful adult.
syn: cross, peevish
ant: amiable
2. INFRACTION (n.) Minor violation of a rule or law
L. in, intensifier + fractum = to break
For his infraction of the camp code, Kevin had to peel potatoes in the kitchen.
syn: transgression
3. INFRINGE (v.) To intrude on an area belonging to another; to trespass
L. in, intensifier + frangere = to break
Susan said her father was infringing upon her freedom when he took her car.
I.
II.
CIS – Latin CAEDERE, CISUM “cut, kill”
4. EXCISE (v.) To cut out of; remove
L. ex, “out of,” + cisum = cut out of
Having excised several paragraphs from my essay, I returned to ask my teacher’s advice.
syn: expunge
5. INCISIVE (adj.) Sharply cutting; direct and powerful
L. in, “into,” + cisum = cutting into
Natasha’s fast-moving narratives and incisive style never failed to impress us.
syn: keen
ant: dull
6. CONCISE (adj.) Brief and straightforward
L. con,”with,” + cisum = cutting with or away
Because I had only one page to write my note on, my language had to be concise.
syn: terse
ant: rambling
III.
TOM – Greek TEMNEIN “to cut”
7. TOME (n.) A large and serious book
G. temnein, “to cut”
When I removed the scholarly tome from the shelf, I saw that it had not been read for
years.
8. EPITOME (n.) The best or most typical example
G. epi, “upon,” + temnein = cut upon
I hardly think I am the epitome of good citizenship, since I’m not even a registered voter.
syn: embodiment
9. DICHOTOMY (n.) Two opposite parts of one whole
G. dicho, “two,” + temnein = cut in two
The film critic discussed the fundamental dichotomy in the movie.
10. ANATOMY (n.) The structure or parts, taken as a whole
G. ana, “up,” + temnein = cutting up (any structure)
Maurice’s anatomy showed the results of years of suffering.
IV.
PUNCT – Latin PUNGERE, PUNCTUM “to sting, pierce”
11. COMPUNCTION (n.) Feeling of regret or remorse
L. com, intensifier + punctum = stinging
Even after a long time in jail, the woman showed no compunction for her crime.
syn: penitence
12. PUNCTILIOUS (adj.) Paying strict attention to detail; extremely careful
Max was a punctilious dresser; his hat was always perfectly straight, and his
shoes were always shiny.
syn: meticulous
ant: careless
13. PUNGENT (adj.) Stinging or biting, especially in taste or smell
The pungent aroma of garlic greeted us as we entered the restaurant.
Practice
Part I. Write one sentence for each of the vocabulary words utilizing the term in context as
shown in each model sentence in the previous section.
Part II: Complete the sentence in a way that shows you understand the meaning of the
italicized, bold vocabulary word.
If the President is able to summarize the current budget problems in a concise way…
Karen’s new boss is so punctilious that…
Once some of the material has been excised from the film…
We could tell by its anatomy that the tree frog was well-suited to its surroundings
because…
5. The judge told Tim that his infraction of the traffic law would result in…
6. Wei expressed her compunction for ruining the camera by…
7. Richard’s essay on modern American foreign policy was so incisive that…
8. The author of the book sets up a dichotomy between…
9. When the ruler started to infringe upon the rights of the citizens, people…
10. Isaac was often spoken of as the epitome of good manners
because…
11. Darren’s fractious behavior on the football field and in class
eventually…
12. The wind blowing towards us from the landfill smelled so
pungent that…
13. When we saw Helen leaving with the tome, we knew she was going to…
1.
2.
3.
4.