Unit 7

authorize (v) to approve; to give power or authority to

You must sign your receipt to authorize the payment.

culprit (n) A person who has committed a crime or is guilty of some misconduct; an offender

Thanks to the instant actions taken by the police, they were able to catch the culprit who stole her purse.

dissect (v) to cut apart in preparation for scientific study; to analyze with great care

I had to dissect a frog in biology class in high school.

fatality (n) an event resulting in death; an accidental death

When riding in a vehicle, always wear your seat belt to try and avoid a fatality.

gullible (adj) easily fooled, tricked, or cheated

Some people are gullible because they believe whatever they hear without looking up the facts.

immerse (v) to plunge or dip into a fluid; to involve deeply

I find it’s easier to immerse my entire body in a swimming pool than try to get used to the water slowly.

memorandum (n) a note to aid one’s memory; an informal note or report

My mom leaves memorandums around the house to remind me to do my daily chores.

prevaricate (v) to lie; tell an untruth; to mislead on purpose

In the movie Pichnochio, the boys nose would grow every time he prevaricated.

scour (v) To clean or polish by hard rubbing; to examine with great care; to move about quickly in search of

You must scour the pan after cooking to keep it looking in good shape.

writhe (v) to make twisting or turning movements in a way that suggests pain or struggle

After the play was over, the soccer player was writhing and twisting in pain.

Unit 8

cascade (n) A steep, narrow waterfall; something falling or rushing forth in quantity; (v) to flow downward (like a waterfall)

We stood in awe at the flowing cascade that seemed to appear as if from nowhere.

cringe (v) To shrink back or hide in fear or submissiveness

The girl cringed as the angry man made a striking motion in her direction.

jovial (adj) good-humored, in high spirits; merry

The two women are always jovial when in each other’s company.

martial (adj) warlike, fond of fighting; relating to war, the army, or military life

This is a sample of traditional and modern martial arts.

minimum (n) The smallest possible amount; (adj) the lowest permissible or possible

The minimum wage is the lowest amount your boss could possibly pay you.

nimble (adj) quick and skillful in movement, agile; clever

To practice such a drill continuously should make you nimble.

onset (n) The beginning, start (especially of something violent and destructive); an attack, assault

It is visible that this person may be suffering from an onset of the flu.

perishable (adj) likely to spoil or decay

Bread is perishable; it will only last for a short amount of time.

retrieve (v) To find and bring back, get back; to put right, make good

Labrador Retrievers make good hunting dogs – can you guess why?

sinister (adj) appearing evil or dangerous; threatening evil or harm

This clown looks rather sinister!

Unit 9

discretion (n) A good judgment; care in speech and action; freedom to judge or choose

The student carefully pored over his work with extreme discretion.

giddy (adj) dizzy; light-headed; lacking seriousness

Tigger is a rather giddy character.

impact (n) The striking of one object against another; the shock caused by a collision; (v) to affect, especially forcefully

The impact of the crash sent the man flying from the motorcycle.

logical (adj) reasonable; making use of reason and good sense

It is logical to assume that this is a piece of a picture of a car.

optional (adj) left to one’s own choice; not required

Participation in the science fair was optional.

rendezvous (v) To meet in accordance with a plan; (n) a meeting by agreement; a meeting place

The rendezvous took place in Mr. Smith’s classroom.

sluggish (adj) lazy; slow-moving; not active, dull

The sluggish snail was a great pet for the turtle!

tint (n) A delicate color or hue; a slight trace of something; (v) to give color to something; to dye

The woman’s glasses are tinted with pink.

variable (adj) likely to undergo change; changeable; (n) a value or quantity that varies; a symbol for such

At this time of year, the weather is very variable; it changes constantly from day to day.

verge (n) The point at which something begins to happens; a border; (v) to incline, tend toward, approach; to be in the process of becoming something else

The baby is on the verge of tears.