Vocabulary : List 1

curtail (kur TAIL) shorten, reduce, lessen Synonyms: cut, decrease, diminish (duh MIN ish)

Curtail late 15c., from M.Fr. courtault "made short," from court "short" used of horses with docked tails, which probably influenced the spelling. by folk etymology from earlier to dock an animal's tail

travesty (TRAV uh stee) ridiculous imitation Synonyms: mockery, joke, parody (PAR uh dee)

travesty 1670s, from adj. meaning "dressed so as to be made ridiculous, parodied, burlesqued" (c.1660s), from Fr. travesti "dressed in disguise," Latin trans- "over" + vestire "to clothe"

scruple (SKROO pul) doubt or uneasiness as to what is right or proper Synonyms: conscience, principle, misgiving, qualm (KWAHM)

scruple Scrupulus was a small rock that the Romans would get wedged in the soles of their sandals. They became bothered by this and thus the meaning began to take on a figurative one. (Just as the scrupulus would make the sole of a shoe uneasy, so too would they become uneasy by the sharpness of their conscience.)

havoc (HAV uk) great destruction or confusion Synonyms: ruin, damage, devastation (dev uh STAY shun)

havoc early 15c., from Anglo-Fr. havok in phrase crier havok “cry havoc”, a signal to soldiers to seize plunder; "plundering, devastation" General sense of "devastation" first recorded late 15c.

mentor (MEN tur) wise, trusted teacher or counselor Synonyms: instructor, guide, preceptor (prih SEP tur)

mentor Mentor, character in the "Odyssey," friend of Odysseus, adviser of Telemachus (Odysseus’s son), who advised him to seek his father because suitors were destroying the house.

Root Words Tele – far Teleport; telegram Mne – to remember Mnemonic devices Bon – good Bon appetite; bonus Ex – out Exit; exclude Doc – to teach Doctor; documentary