Unit 1 Focus Words assuage, decadence, hiatus, intercede, petulant, transcend Wordnik

Assuage  verb  verb: assuage; 3rd person present: assuages; past tense: assuaged; past participle: assuaged; gerund or present participle: assuaging  To make easier o milder, relieve  To quiet, calm  To put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench  Middle English: from Old French assouagier, asouagier, based on Latin ad- ‘to’ (expressing change) + suavis ‘sweet.’

The pain of the headache was assuaged by the aspirin.

Decadence  noun: decadence  moral or cultural decline as characterized by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury.  Decline, decay, or deterioration  A condition or period of decline or decay  Excessive self-indulgence  mid 16th century: from French décadence, from medieval Latin decadentia ; related to decay.

The decadence of the upper classes lead to a questionable moral decisions. The decadence of the dinner, followed by the rich desert that she could not pass up, left the woman feeling bloated and tired.

Hiatus  Noun  noun: hiatus; plural noun: hiatuses  a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process.  a gap, opening, break (in the sense o having an element missing)  mid 16th century (originally denoting a physical gap or opening): from Latin, literally ‘gaping,’ from hiare ‘gape.’

I needed the hiatus from work to recharge and be ready for new challenges. It was too bad when my vacation ended.

intercede  verb  verb: intercede; 3rd person present: intercedes; past tense: interceded; past participle: interceded; gerund or present participle: interceding  To plead on behalf of someone else  To serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement  late 16th century: from French intercéder or Latin intercedere ‘intervene,’ from inter- ‘between’ + cedere ‘go.’

The men were lucky the ref interceded in their argument, otherwise they may have ended up in a fist fight.

petulant  adjective: petulant  Peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset  (of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered.  late 16th century (in the sense ‘immodest’): from French pétulant, from Latin petulant- ‘impudent’ (related to petere ‘aim at, seek’). The current sense (mid 18th century) is influenced by pettish.

Sally did not like it when anyone got a better grade on a test. So, when her classmate asked for help studying for the test, she petulantly crossed her arms and refused to help her.

transcend  verb  To rise above or beyond  Exceed  be or go beyond the range or limits of (something abstract, typically a conceptual field or division).  Middle English: from Old French transcendre or Latin transcendere, from trans- ‘across’ + scandere ‘climb.’

John was able to transcend his physical limitations and completed a marathon last week.

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