It’s Vocabulary Time!

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Admonish (v.) to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to remind of a duty

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Admonish – M.E. (admonesten, from M.F. admonester, from (assumed) V.L. admonestare, to warn

Admonish Mnemonic The manager admonished his employee for using the internet to play games when he was supposed to be working.

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Breach (n.) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction (v.) to create an opening, break through

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Breach - M.E (breche, from O.E. br[AE]c act of breaking; akin to O.E. brecan) to break

Breach Mnemonic The judge decided that the defendant had breached his contract to finish repairing the breach in the plaintiff’s roof.

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Brigand (n.) a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Brigand - M.E (brigaunt, from M.Fr. brigand, from O.It. brigante, from brigare) to fight, (from briga strife, of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish bríg) strength

Brigand Mnemonic If you work at a local convenience store you must be careful at night because it is not uncommon for a brigand to try to rob the store.

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Circumspect (adj.) careful, cautious

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Circumspect - M.E, (from M.Fr. or Latin; M.F. circonspect, from L. circumspectus) to look around, be cautious, (from circum- + specere to look)

Circumspect Mnemonic Jake told Tommy he was going to beat him up after school, so Tommy was circumspect when he walked home so that he would notice anything suspicious or dangerous.

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Commandeer (v.) to seize for military or official use

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Commandeer - Afrikaans (kommandeer, from F. commander) to command, (from O.Fr. commander)

Commandeer Mnemonic Police officers who obtain a search warrant of criminals homes have the right to commandeer any personal property that helps them solve a crime.

Don’t forget your words!

It’s Vocabulary Time!

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Cumbersome (adj.) clumsy, hard to handle; slow moving

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Cumbersome - O.Fr. encombrer, from combre "obstruction, barrier," from V.L. *comboros "that which is carried together," perhaps from a Gaulish word.

Cumbersome Mnemonic Shopping on the weekend can make you feel like a very cumbersome person if it is crowded in the food court and you have to carry a lot of bags.  

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Deadlock (n.) a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or factions (v.) to bring to such a standstill

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Deadlock – "complete standstill," first attested 1779 in Sheridan's play "The Critic."

Deadlock Mnemonic After the car accident all the cars behind it were in deadlock for at least a mile.  

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Debris (n.) scattered fragments, wreckage

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Debris – Fr. débris, from M.Fr., from debriser to break to pieces, from O.Fr. debrisier, from de- + brisier to break

Debris Mnemonic When we arrived at the sight of the crash there was so much debris we could not get within fifty feet of the airplane.  

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Diffuse (v.) to spread or scatter freely or widely (adj.) wordy, long-winded, or unfocused; scattered or widely spread

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Diffuse – M.E., from L. diffusus, past participle of diffundere to spread out, from dis- + fundere to pour

Diffuse Mnemonic The air freshener diffuses a fresh apple cinnamon scent throughout the bathroom.  

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Dilemma (n.) a difficult or perplexing situation or problem

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Dilemma – L.L., from L.Gk. dilEmmat-, dilEmma, probably back-formation from Gk. dilEmmatos involving two assumptions

Dilemma Mnemonic Darcy faced a dilemma when she tried to purchase new jeans at Abercrombie and Fitch and the cashier told her that her credit cards were declined.  

Don’t forget your words!

It’s Vocabulary Time!

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Efface (v.) to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Efface – M.E., from M.Fr. effacer, from O.Fr. esfacier, from e- + face face

Efface Mnemonic Effie the cat tried to efface herself so her owner could not find her and would not be able reprimand her for clawing the couch cushions.  

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Muddle (v.) to make a mess of; muddle through: to get by (n.) a hopeless mess

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Muddle – probably from obsolete Dutch moddelen, from M.Dutch, from modde mud; akin to Middle Low German mudde

Pigpen was a muddle because he was covered in dirt and grime. Muddle Mnemonic Pigpen was a muddle because he was covered in dirt and grime.  

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Opinionated (adj.) stubborn and often unreasonable in holding to one’s own ideas, having a closed mind

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Opinionated – L. opinionem (nom. opinio) "opinion, conjecture, what one thinks," from stem of opinari "think, judge, suppose, opine," from PIE *op- "to choose."

Opinionated Mnemonic Tom Cruise was very opinionated about ADD and medications during his interview with Matt Lauer.  

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Perennial (adj.) lasting a long time, persistent (n.) a plant that lives for a long time

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Perennial – Latin perennis, from per- throughout + annus year

Perennial Mnemonic The energy of marathon runners must be perennial if they want to finish a race.  

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Predispose (v.) to incline to beforehand

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Predispose - "pre" prefix meaning "before," from O.Fr. pre- and M.L. pre-, both from L. præ (adv.) "before," + "dispose" O.Fr. disposer, from O.Fr. despondre, from L. disponere "put in order, arrange," from dis- "apart" + ponere "to put, place.

Predispose Mnemonic Many people are predisposed to becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol due to their genetics.  

Don’t forget your words!

It’s Vocabulary Time!

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Relinquish (v.) to let go, give up

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Relinquish – M.E. relinquisshen, from M.Fr. relinquiss-, stem of relinquir, from L. relinquere to leave behind, from re- + linquere to leave

Relinquish Mnemonic The soldiers had to relinquish the battle to their opponents because they were out-numbered.

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Salvage (v.) to save from fire or shipwreck (n.) property thus saved

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Salvage – Fr., from M.Fr., from salver to save. Meaning "recycling of waste material" is from 1918, from the British effort in World War I.

Salvage Mnemonic Firefighters try to salvage a structure before the fire gets too out of hand to save it from being destroyed.

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Spasmodic (adj.) sudden and violent but brief; fitful; intermittent

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Spasmodic – M.L. spasmodicus, from Gk. spasmodes "of the nature of a spasm," from spasmos + -odes "like."

Spasmodic Mnemonic Brandon worried that his girlfriend boyfriend would find out that he frequently had spasmodic bowel movements and dump him for a more regular guy.

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Spurious (adj.) not genuine, not true, not valid

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Spurious – L.L. spurius false, from L., of illegitimate birth, from spurius, noun, bastard

Spurious Mnemonic When Frida found out that her father had purchased a spurious Fendi bag for her birthday, she was mortified that her friends might have noticed that it was a fake.

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Unbridled (adj.) uncontrolled, lacking in restraint

Vocabulary Workshop, Level D Etymologies: Unit 1 Unbridled - un "not," O.E. bridel, related to bregdan "move quickly," from P.Gmc. *bregdilaz. The verb meaning "to throw up the head" (as a horse does when reined in)

Unbridled Mnemonic Sam gagged when he found one of his mother’s books titled Unbridled Love under the couch cushion and saw Fabio on the cover.

Don’t forget your words!