Unit 1 Vocabulary Level A
apparel (n) clothing, that which serves as dress or decoration; (v) to put clothes on, dress up
This apparel could be purchased at Modell’s.
besiege (v) To attack by surrounding with military forces; to cause worry or trouble
The large cat besieged the small town.
compress (v) To press together; to reduce in size or volume; (n) a folded cloth or pad applied to an injury
The woman has placed a cold compress on her forehead in hopes of diminishing her headache.
denounce (v) To condemn openly; to accuse formally
This group is publicly denouncing President Bush’s energy plan because they disagree with it.
dispatch (v) To send off our out for a purpose; kill; (n) an official message; promptness, speed; the act of killing
The police use radios to dispatch important messages to one another.
douse (v) To plunge into a liquid, drench; to put out quickly, extinguish
Luckily, the firefighters were able to successfully douse the flames.
expressly (adv) plainly, in so many words; for a particular purpose
We use this bowl in my home expressly for our Halloween candy.
famished (adj) suffering severely from hunger or from lack of something
The child had not had a meal in quite some time, and was famished.
forsake (v) To give up, renounce; to leave, abandon
Benedict Arnold made a bad choice to forsake his country during the Revolutionary War.
gainful (adj) profitable; bringing in money or some special advantage
The child’s first business experience was quite gainful.
immense (adj) very large or great; beyond ordinary means of measurement
The man was so immense that he had to bend over to fit in the room.
inept (adj) totally without skill or appropriateness
If you are an inept singer, you will not be successful on American Idol.
ingenious (adj) showing remarkable originality, inventiveness, or resourcefulness; clever
The coyote always seems to come up with ingenious plans to catch the roadrunner, but they never work!
instantaneous (adj) done in an instant, immediate
This meal could be cooked almost instantaneously in the microwave.
irk (v) To annoy, trouble, make weary
If you irk someone, they will not respond positively!
libel (n) A written statement that unfairly or falsely harms the reputation of the person about whom it is made; (v) to write or publish such a statement
Because the magazine printed a rumor that was not true, Julia Roberts sued them for libel.
misgiving (n) A feeling of fear, doubt, or uncertainty
The woman had deep misgivings about her relationship with the man.
oaf (n) A stupid person; a big, clumsy, slow individual
Baby Huey from the Looney Tunes cartoons is an incredibly bumbling oaf!
recede (v) To go or move backward; to become more distant
The man’s hairline was beginning to recede.
repast (n) A meal, food
We enjoyed a delicious traditional repast at Thanksgiving.