American Lit Honors Vocabulary Unit 1

PROVINCIAL

JADED

APPROBATION

TRANSCEND

“Nice store you got there. Would be a real shame if something happened to it.”

INNUENDO

ELICIT

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DECADENCE

HACKNEYED

HIATUS

SIMULATE

LURID

INTERCEDE

ASSUAGE

UNCTUOUS

COALITION

UMBRAGE

MERITORIOUS

EXPOSTULATE

PREROGATIVE

PETULANT

approbation n. the expression of approval or praise syn. approval, Commendation, sanction ant. disapproval, censure Origin—1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin approbātiōn- (stem of approbātiō ). Saban gives his team another sign of approbation as they win the National Title.

assuage v.to make easier or milder, to calm or to quench, to appease or satisfy syn. mitigate, alleviate ant. Intensify, aggravate, exacerbate 1250–1300; Middle English aswagen < Old French asouagier < Vulgar Latin *assuāviāre, equivalent to Latin as- as- + -suāviāre, verbal derivative of Latin suāvis agreeable to the taste, pleasant ( compare suave; akin to sweet)as-suave sweet Granny can assuage your hunger with a homemade Jimmy Dean sausage and biscuit.. ANAGRAM

coalition n. a combination, union or merger syn. alliance, league, ant. splinter group 1605–15; < Latin coalitiōn- (stem of coalitiō ), equivalent to coalit ( us ), past participle of coalēscere ( co-+ ali-, past participle stem of alere to nourish + - tus past participle suffix) + -iōn The United States created a strong coalition that defeated Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War.

decadence n. decline and decay; a period of decline and decay; excessive self indulgence syn. Degeneration ant. rise, growth, development SENTENCE Some musicians may experience a time of decadence if they only produce a one-hit wonder. 1540–50; < Middle French < Medieval Latin dēcadentia, equivalent to Late Latin dēcadent- (stem of dēcadēns ), present participle of dēcadere to fall away ( de- + cad ( ere ) to fall + -ent-) + -ia noun suffix;

elicit v. to draw forth or to bring out from some source syn. Call forth, evoke, extract, Educe ant. Repress, quash, stifle SENTENCE A teacher’s question may elicit several responses from the class. 1635–45; < Latin ēlicitus drawn out (past participle of ēlicere ), equivalent to ē- e- + lici- draw, lure + -tus past participle suffixe-

expostulate v. to attempt to dissuade someone from course or decision by earnest reasoning syn. Protest, remonstrate, complain ORIGIN—1525–35; < Latin expostulātus demanded urgently, required (past participle of expostulāre ). Postulate— To demand Though it was a scorching 98 degrees outside, Bernie dressed in the chicken outfit in an attempt to expostulate eating fast food.

hackneyed adj. Used so often as to lack freshness or originality syn. banal, trite, common place, corny ant. new, fresh, novel, original Origin: 1740–50; hackney + -ed 2hackney-ed “to be honest” “actually” “don’t just talk the talk; you got to walk the walk” “when I get around to it” “the fact of the matter is” “in conclusion” “first of all” Mrs. League said I must “hack” away the hackneyed phrases in my essay if I expected to earn an A.

hiatus n. a gap, an opening, or a break syn. pause, lacuna ant. continuity, continuation ORIGIN 1555–65; < Latin hiātus opening, gap, equivalent to hiā ( re ) to gape, open + - tus suffix of v. action Joe’s doctor informed him that he would need to take a hiatus from table tennis for about ten weeks since he broke his arm while trying to carry his girlfriend’s purse.

innuendo n. A hint or indirect suggestion or reference (often in a derogatory sense) syn. Insinuation or intimation ant. direct statement ORIGIN— 1555–65; < Latin: a hint, literally, by signaling, ablative of innuendum, gerund of innuere to signal, equivalent to in- in- 2 + nuere to nodin- The gangster’s innuendo, “Nice store you got there. Would be a real shame if something happened to it,” made me cringe.

intercede v. To plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement syn. intervene, mediate 1570–80; < Latin intercēdere. Since Hailey and Casey could not get a long, my brother-in-law decided to intercede and tape the two of them together!

jaded Adj. wearied, worn-out, dulled syn. Sated, surfeited, cloyed ant. Unspoiled, uncloyed Origin: 1585–95; jade 2 + -ed 2jade-ed The jaded Aerosmith fan had seen the show fifty times.

lurid adj. causing shock, horror, or revulsion; pale in color; lack of restraint syn. gruesome, gory, grisly, ghastly ant. pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome Origin: 1650–60; < Latin lūridus sallow, ghastly The clown’s lurid appearance frightened Jesse so much that he could not sleep alone at night for three solid days.

merit orious adj. worthy, deserving recognition, or praise syn. praiseworthy, laudable, commendable ant. blameworthy, reprehensible, discreditable ORIGIN— 1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin meritōrius on hire. In recognition of all her meritorious efforts in the relief work, Dresden received a certificate.

petulant adj. peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset syn. Irritable, testy, waspish ant. even-tempered, placid, serene, amiable ORIGIN: 1590–1600; < Latin petulant- (stem of petulāns ) impudent, akin to petere to seek, head for Acting like a petulant tortoise, Tommy decided to crawl home rather than make amends with the red globidydook.

prerogative n. a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence syn. perk, perquisite 1350–1400; Middle English < Latin praerogātīvus (adj.) voting first, praerogātīva (noun use of feminine of adj.) tribe or century with right to vote first. Brittany Spears thinks she has a prerogative to change her mind about going on tour, despite the fact that thousands of fans have already bought their tickets.

provincial adj. pertaining to an outlying area, local, narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward n. A person with a narrow point of view syn. narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naïve Ant. cosmopolitan, broad-minded 1300–50; Middle English (noun and adj.) < Latin prōvinciālis. The Puritans cast their provincial eyes on Hester Prynne as she tightly holds Pearl.

simulate v. to make a pretense of; to imitate, to show the outer signs of syn. feign, pretend, affect Origin: 1400–50; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin simulātus (past participle of simulāre ), equivalent to simul- (variant of simil-, base of similis similar) + -ātus -ate 1 similar-ate The video game SIMS simulates real life. Even the settings are realistic!

transcend v. to rise above or beyond; exceed syn. surpass, outstrip ORIGIN— 1300–50; Middle English < Latin trānscendere to surmount, equivalent to trāns- trans- + - scendere, combining form of scandere to climbtrans- Sister Madonna Buder transcended everyone’s expectations. As the oldest triathlete, Sister Madonna has competed in more than 300 races and is 78 years young!

umbrage n. shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion syn. irritation, pique, annoyance ant. Pleasure, delight, satisfaction 1400–50; late Middle English < Old French; see umbra (shadow) –age (quality of)umbra–age One of my fondest childhood memories is when all of my family would gather underneath the umbrage of a Mimosa tree to shell peas and listen to my grandparents’ storytelling.

unctuous adj. excessively smooth or smug; trying too and to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity or piety; fatty, oily, pliable syn. mealymouthed, servile, fawning, greasy ant. Gruff, blunt1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin ūnctuōsus, equivalent to Latin ūnctu ( s ) act of anointing ( ung ( uere ) to smear, anoint + -tus suffix of v. action) + -ōsus -ous-ous Being naïve, I looked past his unctuous behavior and said yes when he asked me out.