Unit 1 Vocabulary

adjacent (ad-jac-ent) definition –near to (adj) My house is adjacent to my neighbor’s house.

alight (a –light) 1.)(v) definition - to land, to come down from Did you see the bird alight on the branch? 2.)(adj) definition - made bright by The discarded match was alight.

barren (bar-ren) Definition - not productive, bare (adj) The land was barren because nothing would grow.

disrupt (dis-rupt) Definition - to break up, disturb (v) The toddler was able to disrupt his whole family with all the racket he made.

dynasty (dy na sty) Definition – ( n) A powerful family or group of rulers that maintains its position or power for some time. The Chicago Bulls were a dynasty in the NBA during the 1990s.

foretaste (fore taste) Definition – ( n) An advance indication, sample, warning Seeing the dandelions in the yard gave the boys a foretaste of spring weather.

germinate (ger mi nate) Definition -To begin to grow (v) Can you see that the seeds are beginning to germinate?

humdrum (hum drum) Definition –(adj) Ordinary, dull routine, boring This man finds his paperwork to be quite humdrum. .

hurtle (hur tle) Definition - to rush violently (v) The rocket began to hurtle through space.

insinuate ( in sin u ate) Definition – to suggest or hint slyly (v) Did your teacher insinuate that your homework excuse was untruthful?

interminable (in ter mi na ble) Definition – endless or so long to seem endless (adj) The children thought the long car ride to Wisconsin was interminable.

interrogate (in ter ro gate) Definition – (v) to ask questions The officer was beginning to interrogate the suspect.

recompense (rec om pense) Definition – (v) to pay back; to give an award (n) a payment for loss, service or injury. The homeowner was happy to recompense the teen for painting his fence.

renovate (ren o vate) Definition – (v) to repair, restore to good condition, make new again The family hired a contractor to help them renovate their home.

resume ( res u me) Definition – (n) a brief summary; a short written account of one’s education, working experience, or qualifications for a job. The young man gave a copy of his resume to the employer.

sullen (sul len) Definition – (adj) anger or resentment, silently brooding The boy was sullen because his dog ran away.

trickle (trick le) Definition- (v) to fall by drops (n) a small quantity of anything The water began to trickle from the faucet.

trivial (triv i al) Definition- (adj) not important, minor Trivial Pursuit is the name of a game that asks questions about unimportant and trivial matters.

truce Definition –(n) a pause in fighting, temporary peace The commander ordered a truce for the holidays.

vicious (vic ious) Definition – (adj) evil, bad The vicious dog was not allowed to come by the children.