English Vocabulary Log

read more

	I. 
Contiguous 
	A.	Any of numerous contiguous regions in a ferromagnetic material in which the 
direction of spontaneous magnetization is uniform and different from that in 
neighboring regions. 

	B.	Definition of Domain in regards to physics. 

	C.	Sharing a common border; touching 

	D.	America and Canada are contiguous. 

English Vocabulary Log 
II. Ferromagnetic 
	A.	Any of numerous contiguous regions in a ferromagnetic material in which the 
direction of spontaneous magnetization is uniform and different from that in 
neighboring regions. 

	B.	Definition of Domain in regards to physics. 

	C.	(of a body or substance) having a high susceptibility to magnetization, the 
strength of which depends on that of the applied magnetizing field, and that may persist after removal of the applied field. This is the kind of magnetism displayed by iron and is associated with parallel magnetic alignment of neighboring atoms. 

	D.	Material used to store digital information is Ferromagnetic. 

III. Brusque 
A. I thought of this off the top of my head.
B. My mind.
C. Abrupt or offhand in speech or manner.
D. The brusque pass threw him off balance, costing the team the game. 
IV. Fulcrum 
	A.	To move the earth from its orbit and move it to a new position, demanded nothing 
more than a fixed and immovable fulcrum. 

	B.	Descartes: Meditation on First Philosophy 

	C.	The point on which a lever rests or is supported and on which it pivots. A thing 
that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation. 

	D.	There exists no fulcrum of the stock market. 

V. Antiquated 
	A.	Jerry Seinfeld: So you feel "women and children first," in this day and age, is 
somewhat of an antiquated notion. 

	B.	Seinfeld: The Fire. 

	C.	Old-fashioned or outdated. 

	D.	Seldom are antiquated words used in common vocabulary. 

VI. Proselytizers 
	A.	“Of course the media was very circumspect about whether or not they should 
even be covering this provocative acts perpetrated by propagandizing 
pyromaniac proselytizers.” 

	B.	Jon Stewartʼs the Daily Show. 

	C.	One who converts or attempts to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or 
opinion to another. 

	D.	It is not surprising that most religions have their own proselytizers. 

English Vocabulary Log 
VII. Cudgel 
	A.	“Heʼs [Rudolph Giuliani] appalled. To use a cheap cudgel of fear as a way to 
expedite your desired outcome, that is so a few years ago.” 

	B.	Jon Stewartʼs the Daily show. 

	C.	A short thick stick used as a weapon. 

	D.	Jon wasnʼt typically threatened by school children, but he saw they could use 
their pencils as cudgels, Jon knew all hell could break loose. 

VIII. Calcify 
	A.	“Preps, donʼt change, preps, donʼt change, they calcify.” 

	B.	Stephen Colbertʼs Colbert Report 

	C.	To make or become inflexible; unchanging. 

	D.	Colbert claimed in his White House correspondence dinner speech that 
President Bushʼs views were calcific; claiming he believes “the same thing 
Wednesday as he did on Monday, no matter what happens Tuesday.” 

IX. Diffident 
	A.	The synonym of bashful is diffident. 

	B.	SAT vocabulary practice (I was having difficulty finding a natural source for the 
words other than my shows). 

	C.	Lacking self-confidence 

	D.	Iʼm typically diffident before a big game. 

X. Fortitude 
	A.	Canceling the rights of 307 million people because you are, by your admission, 
afraid is neither patriotism, nor courage, nor Christian fortitude. 

	B.	Andrew Sullivanʼs blog. 

	C.	Courage in pain or adversity. 

	D.	Many New Yorkers were forced into fortitude during the Islamic community center 
protests. 

XI. Callow 
A. The antonym of experienced is Callow.
B. SAT vocabulary practice.
C. Inexperienced; immature or naive
D. Although true in many subjects, he was especially callow in Spanish. 
XII. Inundated 
	A.	“The daily show announced the rally for sanity, and since then weʼve been 
inundated with questions.” 

	B.	Jon Stewart 

	C.	Overwhelm (someone) with things or people to be dealt with. 

	D.	Iʼve been inundated with excitement since the RFS has been announced. 

XIII. Bodacious 
	A.	“You can look at my bodacious twitties [in reference to twitter messages].” 

	B.	Jon Stewart 

	C.	Excellent, admirable, or attractive. 

	D.	Mike often confuses loquacious with bodacious, often saying: “Your hair looks 
very loquacious today.” 

XIV. Vim 
A. “You look fabulous, full of such vim and vigor.” 
English Vocabulary Log 
B. Jon Stewart to Jimmy Carter
C. Energy; enthusiasm.
D. The crowds vim grew as the speech continued. 
XV. Amalgam 
	A.	“To blab to the neighbors about George has a new fem-Jerry friend or to tell 
everybody at the coffee shop ho George is all mixed up in a perverse sexual 
amalgam of some girl and his best friend.” 

	B.	Seinfeld - The Cartoon 

	C.	A mixture or blend 

	D.	The events following his fatherʼs demise brought an amalgam of emotions. 

XVI. Catatonia 
	A.	They were catatonic with disgust. 

	B.	Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five 

	C.	abnormality of movement and behavior arising from a disturbed mental state 
(typically schizophrenia). It may involve repetitive or purposeless overactivity, or 
catalepsy, resistance to passive movement, and negativism. 

	D.	Prisoners of war often exhibit catatonic behavior. 

XVII. Avuncular
A. But the officer's contempt is not, as in 'other armies, avuncular theatricality. B. Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five
C. of or relating to the relationship between men and their siblings' children.
D. My elders typically cannot restrain their avuncular disdain. (Rhyming points). 
XVIII. Copulation 
	A.	Every other army in history, prosperous or not, has attempted to clothe even its 
lowliest soldiers so as to make them impressive to themselves and others as 
stylish experts in drinking and copulation and looting and sudden death. 

	B.	Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five 

	C.	have sexual intercourse. 

	D.	Mr. Bryan was tentative about recommending Schylar and me a book because of 
its copulation. 

XIX. Diffident 
A. There were diffident raps at the factory window.
B. Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five
C. modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence
D. Since middle school I like to think I have grown out of my diffident character. 
XX. Lugubrious 
	A.	As Trout lugubriously slung the bag from his shoulder, Billy Pilgrim approached 
him. 

	B.	Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five 

	C.	looking or sounding sad and dismal. 

	D.	He lugubriously approached the coffin. 

XXI. Indefatigable 
	A.	Snowball also busied himself with organizing the other animals into what he 
called Animal Committees. He was indefatigable at this. 

	B.	George Orwell - Animal Farm 

	C.	(of a person or their efforts) persisting tirelessly 

English Vocabulary Log 
D. For some inexplicable reason, my reading this weekend has been indefatigable. XXII. Ignominious 
	A.	And so within five minutes of their invasion they were in ignominious retreat by the same way as they had come, with a flock of geese hissing after them and pecking at their calves all the way. 

	B.	George Orwell - Animal Farm 

	C.	Deserving or causing public disgrace or shame 

	D.	It is often that those who do not find poor grades ignominious continue their 
malfeasance. 

XXIII. Aphasia 
A. “Qwertial [of or relating to a qwerty keyboard] Aphasia”
B. xkcd comic title
C. loss of ability to understand or express speech, caused by brain damage D. Whenever prompted to respond or write, I often experience aphasia. 
XXIV. Platitude 
	A.	"What?" said Helmholtz, in astonishment. "But we're always saying that science 
is everything. It's a hypnopedic platitude." 

	B.	Aldous Huxley - Brave New World 

	C.	a remark or statement, esp. one with a moral content, that has been used too 
often to be interesting or thoughtful 

	D.	He responded with gratitude, but she knew 

XXV. Abjection 
	A.	"And not to Iceland. Oh please, your fordship, please ..." And in a paroxysm of 
abjection he threw himself on his knees before the Controller. 

	B.	Aldous Huxley - Brave New World 

	C.	extremely bad, unpleasant, and degrading 

	D.	After the abjection of a colonoscopy, he retreated to his apartment and remained 
there alone for many hours. 

XXVI. Paroxysm 
	A.	"And not to Iceland. Oh please, your fordship, please ..." And in a paroxysm of abjection he threw himself on his knees before the Controller. 

	B.	Aldous Huxley - Brave New World 

	C.	a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity 

	D.	After being informed of his fatherʼs death, he experienced a most unpleasant 
paroxysm. 

XXVII. Pneumatic 
	A.	“Noiseless on his pneumatic shoes, the man came up behind him.” 

	B.	Aldous Huxley - Brave New World 

	C.	containing or operated by air or gas under pressure. 

	D.	The idea of the future always brings ideas of pneumatically powered devices. 

XXVIII. Asunder 
	A.	“Books and loud noises, flowers and electric shocks– already in the infant mind 
these couples were compromisingly linked; and after two hundred repetitions of the same or a similar lesson would be wedded indissolubly. What man has joined, nature is powerless to put asunder.” 

	B.	Aldous Huxley - Brave New World 

English Vocabulary Log 
C. apart; divided 
D. Itʼd be nice if legos were unable to be put asunder. XXIX. Surreptitious 
	A.	"Barring a little surreptitious auto-erotism and homosexuality–absolutely nothing." 

	B.	Aldous Huxley - Brave New World 

	C.	kept secret, esp. because it would not be approved of 

	D.	They kept their drinking and smoking surreptitious, primarily in fear of being 
prevented the ignorant freedom. 

XXX. Bunk 
	A.	“I suppose, that beautiful and inspired saying of Our Ford's: History is bunk. History," he repeated slowly, "is bunk."” 

	B.	Aldous Huxley - Brave New World 

	C.	nonsense 

	D.	I now know that both “bunk” and “debunk” mean nonsense and to expose the 
nonsense of respectively. Therefore settling one of the many debates held in a 
Seinfeld episode. 

XXXI. Inscrutable 
	A.	“Our Ford–or Our Freud, as, for some inscrutable reason, he chose to call himself whenever he spoke of psychological matters–Our Freud had been the first to reveal the appalling dangers of family life.” 

	B.	Aldous Huxley - Brave New World 

	C.	impossible to understand or interpret 

	D.	It is more thrilling to some to believe that the sometimes inscrutable, surreptitious 
acts of government truly have. 

XXXII. Simian 
	A.	The liftman was a small simian creature, dressed in the black tunic of an Epsilon- Minus Semi-Moron. 

	B.	Aldous Huxley - Brave New World 

	C.	relating to, resembling, or affecting apes or monkeys 

	D.	Although not evidence of humanʼs evolutionary ties to apes, Iʼve always found 
some characteristics about their physical dexterity to be simian. 

XXXIII. Stupor 
	A.	He was as though suddenly and joyfully awakened from a dark annihilating stupor. 

	B.	Aldous Huxley - Brave New World 

	C.	a state of near-unconsciousness or insensibility 

	D.	The end-of-school bell woke him from a math ematically induced stupor. 

XXXIV. Effusive
A. Camillo was effusive during the debate.
B. Camillo
C. Enthusiastic, emotional
D. Carrieʼs effusion disturbed the surrounding dancers 
English Vocabulary Log 
XXXV. Stoic 
	A.	Mr. Bryan informed us not to be stoic in our debate. 

	B.	Mr. Bryanʼs class 

	C.	Apathetic 

	D.	Camilo looked onward to find his dog dead in the shrubbery. He remained stoic 
and sullen the following week. 

XXXVI. Dele 
A. “Delete or mark for deletion”
B. Dictionary
C. “Delete or mark for deletion”
D. It was difficult to find any sentences to dele. 
XXXVII. Transmute
A. “change in form, nature, or substance.”
B. SAT practice
C. “change in form, nature, or substance.”
D. I had difficulty transmuting the quote into my own words. 
XXXVIII. Platitudinous
A. Canʼt remember the context
B. Talking to someone
C. “lack of originality; triteness.”
D. I often find fiction novels platitudinous. 
XXXIX. Sojourn 
	A.	“...contemplating a summer sojourn abroad, and that their handsome residence 
on Esplanade Street was...” 

	B.	TheAwakening 

	C.	a temporary stay 

	D.	I enjoyed my sojourn at NCSSM. 

XL. Ignominiously 
	A.	“There was a huge, giddy crowd of men who were avid for any diversion, but the 
cat turned chicken the moment Yossarian released him and fled from Hungry Joe 
ignominiously like a yellow dog.” 

	B.	Catch-22 

	C.	Marked by shame or disgrace 

	D.	I turned my back to the goal after my ignominious shot. 

XLI. Jerboa 
	A.	My typing practice (contains generated random words presented in a basic sentence structure but rarely has any meaning). 

	B.	Ten Thumbs Typing Practice (learning Dvorak) 

	C.	a desert-dwelling rodent with very long hind legs that enable it to walk upright 
and perform long jumps, found from North Africa to central Asia. 

	D.	Itʼs easy to incorporate nouns such as Jerboa into sentences. 

XLII. Connate 
	A.	My typing practice (contains generated random words presented in a basic 
sentence structure but rarely has any meaning). 

	B.	Ten Thumbs Typing Practice (learning Dvorak) 

	C.	(esp. of ideas or principles) existing in a person or thing from birth; innate 

English Vocabulary Log 
D. Itʼs difficult to differentiate those notions that are connate and those introduced at a very young age. This often leads to confusion about the nature of inborn truths. 
XLIII. Styrene 
	A.	My typing practice (contains generated random words presented in a basic 
sentence structure but rarely has any meaning). 

	B.	Ten Thumbs Typing Practice (learning Dvorak) 

	C.	an unsaturated liquid hydrocarbon obtained as a petroleum byproduct. It is easily 
polymerized and is used to make plastics and resins. 

	D.	When touring the UNC physics department, one comes across an enormous 
amount of new materials such as styrene. 

XLIV. Abject 
	A.	My typing practice (contains generated random words presented in a basic sentence structure but rarely has any meaning). 

	B.	Ten Thumbs Typing Practice (learning Dvorak) 

	C.	(of a situation or condition) extremely bad, unpleasant, and degrading. 

	D.	Much to her chagrin, she found her new foster home as abject as her old one. 

XLV. Unabated 
	A.	My typing practice (contains generated random words presented in a basic 
sentence structure but rarely has any meaning). 

	B.	Ten Thumbs Typing Practice (learning Dvorak) 

	C.	without any reduction in intensity or strength 

	D.	His attempts to learn Dvorak went unabated. 

XLVI. Macabre
A. Vocabulary Game
B. No context
C. Gruesome, relating to death.
D. The macabre sight of the roadkill unsettled my stomach. 
XLVII. Obdurate
A. Vocabulary Game
B. No context
C. Stubborn
D. Although obdurate people are annoying, theyʼre necessary to advance thinking. 
XLVIII. Furtive
A. Vocabulary Game
B. No context
C. Stealthy
D. Sometimes I notice furtive glances between students during tests. 
XLIX. Alimentary
A. Vocabulary Game
B. No context
C. Pertaining to food
D. As she had difficulty controlling her desires, her alimentary outlook was obvious. 
L. Titubation
A. Spanish Class
B. We had to define “titubear” and I recognized the root C. The act of staggering or reeling. 
well. 
Stoic - Effusive 
English Vocabulary Log 
D. The mood of the moment was disturbed by her inexplicable titubations. LI. Accrete 
	A.	Spanish Class 

	B.	We had to define “acrecentaban” and I recognized the root. 

	C.	grow by accumulation or coalescence. 

	D.	The accretion of people in the store which space was dearth exacerbated his 
anxiety. 

LII. Demure 
A. ACT & SAT Vocab Game
B. Definition game
C. modest and reserved
D. Although incredibly brilliant, she was demure about her intelligence. 
LIII. Contrition 
	A.	ACT & SAT Vocabulary game 

	B.	Definition game 

	C.	penitence 

	D.	When he discovered with horror the havoc his actions had caused, his contrition 
knew no bounds. 

LIV. Penitence 
	A.	ACT & SAT Vocabulary game 

	B.	Definition game 

	C.	feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong 

	D.	Prayers of penitence 

LV. Ardent
A. ACT & SAT Vocabulary game
B. Definition game
C. enthusiastic or passionate
D. The ardent baseball fan was ecstatic when they caught the home run ball. 
LVI. Diffident 
	A.	ACT Game 

	B.	Definition game 

	C.	modest or shy because of lacking self-confidence 

	D.	She was diffident when it came to challenges as she didnʼt respond to stress 

Vocabulary Words 

Adamant - Strong position
Hegemony - leadership or dominance, esp. by one country or social group over others 
English Vocabulary Log 
Commiserate-express or feel sympathy or pity; sympathize
Glean -extract (information) from various sources
diametrically -used to emphasize how completely different two or more things are visceral -relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect
arbitrate - To facilitate a discussion or debate
ameliorate - Improve; make better
prodigious - remarkably or impressively great in extent
perpetuate - Keep going, continues
Omniscient: knowing everything
Enthrall: capture the fascinated attention of
Bifurcate: divide into two branches or forks
Rudimentary: involving or limited to basic principles
Bigotry: intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself
Cognitive: the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses
Sagacious: having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment
Prosaic: having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty
Candid: truthful and straightforward; frank
Anathema: something or someone that one vehemently dislikes
Dissuade: persuade (someone) not to take a particular course of action
Erudite: having or showing great knowledge or learning.
Admonish: warn or reprimand someone firmly
Antipathy: a deep-seated feeling of dislike; aversion
Idiosyncratic: of or relating to idiosyncrasy; peculiar or individual
Facade: the face of a building, esp. the principal front that looks onto a street or open space.
Anomaly: something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected
Dubious: hesitating or doubting
Draconian: excessively harsh and severe.
Relinquish: voluntarily cease to keep or claim; give up
Frugal: sparing or economical with regard to money or food
Infallible : Unable to prove wrong
Detestable: deserving intense dislike
Ephemeral: Short
Repudiate: Protest
Acrimonious: angry bitter
Innate: inborn
Infamous: well known for something bad
Copious: a large amount
Lugubrious: looking or sounding sad and dismal.
Poignant: evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret
Impunity: exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action
Surreptitious: kept secret, esp. because it would not be approved of
Pervade: spread through and be perceived in every part of
Apathetic: showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern 
English Vocabulary Log 
Vex: make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, esp. with trivial matters Epiphany: a moment of sudden revelation or insight.
Deleterious: causing harm or damage
Venerate: regard with great respect; revere 
Superfluous: unneeded, extra.
Impetus: the force or energy with which a body moves
Ubiquitous: seeming to be everywhere, or everywhere.
Epitome: archetype, essence.
Capitulate: Surrender, submit.
Malice: the desire to do harm.
Aberration: a mistake, a deviation from the norm.
Assiduous: hard working; meticulous.
Pragmatic: practical
Equanimity: the force or energy with which a body moves
Rummage: search unsystematically and untidily through a mass or receptacle Speculate: form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence
Contrite: feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt
Adage: a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth
Dissipate: disperse or scatter : the cloud of smoke dissipated. See note at scatter .
• (of a feeling or other intangible thing) disappear or be dispelled
Awry: away from the appropriate, planned, or expected course; amiss
Soliloquy: an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers
Pensive: engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought
Brazen: bold and without shame
Remiss: lacking care or attention to duty; negligent
Lucid: expressed clearly; easy to understand
Catharsis: the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
Tersely: sparing in the use of words; abrupt
Tenable: able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection
Circumlocution: the use of many words where fewer would do, esp. in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive
Intercede: intervene on behalf of another
Anecdotal: not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research
Cryptic: having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure
Conflate: combine (two or more texts, ideas, etc.) into one
Dearth: a scarcity or lack of something 
Dearth: lack of
Conflate: combine
Tenable: able to be maintained. 
Sordid: involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt Innocuous: not harmful or offensive 
English Vocabulary Log 
Temerity: excessive confidence or boldness; audacity
Idiosyncrasies: a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual Abhor: regard with disgust and hatred
Kindle: light or set on fire
Assail: make a concerted or violent attack on
Derisive: expressing contempt or ridicule
Listless: lacking energy or enthusiasm
Vivacious: attractively lively and animated.