Chapter 10 vocab

Agnostic (n.) One who believes It is impossible to know whether or not God exists Formed from Greek a (not) and gnosis (knowledge), “agnostic means a person who believes that we do not have the knowledge to know if there is or is not a God. Syn= unbeliever, doubter, questioner, skeptic

Nepotism (n.) Favoritism to relatives in giving jobs and offices Because they could not lawfully recognize these offspring as their sons, the priest called them “nephews.” From the Latin word for “nephew”– nepos—comes our word nepotism, referring to favoritism toward relatives, especially in business and politics. Syn= favoritism, patronage

Enigmatic (adj.) Puzzling, mysterious, perplexing From the Greek anigmia (riddle) derives our word “enigma.” Syn= mystifying, baffling, bewildering, obscure, cryptic Related words= inexplicable. Indecipherable Contrasted: lucid

Blatant (adj.) Completely obvious, often offensively so shameless Spenser probably coined “blatant” based on Latin blaterare (babble) Syn= clear outstanding, prominent conspicuous Related words= flagrant, egregious Contrasted subtle

Nebulous (adj.) Unclear hazy indistinct Since nebulous derives from Latin nebula (“cloud”), anything nebulous cannot be seen, understood, or penetrated clearly, as if it were wrapped in a cloudy mist. Syn= fuzzy, murky, imprecise, confused, vague Related words= obscure

Procrustean (adj.) Forcing rigid conformity Procrustes had a unique surprise for his victims. He would force them on an iron bed. If they were too long, he cut off part of their bodies; if they were too short, he stretched them to fit the bed. One size fatally fit all. Nowadays “procrustean” applies to unyielding conformity. Syn= unyielding, inflexible, unbending, rigid, stringent Related words= obdurate, austere Contrasted: pliant

Denigrate (v.) Defame speak ill of attack the reputation of Denigrate derives from Latin de (“of”) and “niger” (black). Syn= belittle, discredit, slander, disparage Related words= libel, traduce Contrasted: laud

Prosaic (adj.) Commonplace, dull, uninspired Prosaic looks like “prose” and well it should, since prosaic derives from Latin prosa (prose). Syn= humdrum, uninteresting, ordinary, monotonous, mundane Related words= banal, trite Contrasted: lyrical

Docile (adj.) Easily managed, controlled, or taught; gentle; submissive Derived from Latin docere (“teach”), “doctor” originally referred to a teacher or any learned person. Syn= obedient, manageable, amenable Related words= compliant Contrasted: belligerent

Boycott (v./n.) Refuse to deal with as means of protest and persuasion Not only did Boycott deny their request, but he raised their rents. Boycott’s name quickly became synonymous for an act of protest in which the protestors refuse the goods and services of their opponent. Syn= reject, ban, exclude, ostracize Related words= spurn, shun Contrasted: patronize

Carnage (n.) Great slaughter , massacre

Carnal (adj.) Pertaining to desires of the flesh; sensual, sexual, lustful, worldly

Carnivorous (adj.) Flesh-eating

Incarnate (adj./v.) Having bodily form, especially human form; personified

Reincarnation (n.) Rebirth into another body