Unit 6

Word

Definition

Example

Viable

Capable of success or continuing effectiveness; practicable

African countries will neither be viable nor vibrant as individual entities

Premise

Any of the first propositions of a syllogism, from which the conclusion is deduced

The basic premise of all packages is that you create an account with Adobe and download the software

Jeopardize

To expose to loss or injury; imperil. Synonym for endanger

It could jeopardize the government's effort to return to the capital markets

Incredulous

Skeptical; disbelieving

I looked across the table at Upton, my expression incredulous

Permeate

To spread through or penetrate something

The permeate is processed to remove the lactose, which is used to create ethanol

Propitious

Presenting favorable circumstances; auspicious. Synonym for favorable

The fates were again propitious for a brief period; but again a trivial incident interfered

Surmise

To imagine without certain knowledge; to infer on slight grounds; to suppose; to guess

I can surmise that there are people in power who do not want to upset the landowners responsible

Curtail

To cut short or reduce

Rising prices will curtail gas demand from power generators

Repress

To put down by force, usually before total control has been lost; quell

Selling ideology not to inspire, but to repress is his main game, and he is quite good at it

Cryptic

Having a puzzling terseness

The list of items is straightforward, but sometimes there are cryptic entries that baffle you

Inchoate

In an initial or early stage; incipient

Yesterday's term was inchoate, which is defined as:

Aspire

To strive toward an end

Why not, in short, aspire to be a god when the alternative is to be a bum?

Inveigh

To make a verbal attack

It would be hard for them to inveigh against rate increases approved by their proxies on the board

Nettle

To irritate; vex

Argentina has suffered, but ministers never quite grasped the economic nettle

Overt

Open; yielding easy passage

Zuckerberg was careful not to throw down overt challenges to Apple or Google

Relegate

To remove, usually to an inferior position; to consign; to transfer; to send into exile;

Would you relegate the truth to an obscure blog, or one that receives a lot of traffic?

Supine

Lying on the back or having the face upward

He fell slowly forward, hung suspended for a moment in a supine position, and then collapsed

Mammoth

Of enormous size; huge

We hunted large game; a mammoth is a risky proposition

Repulse

To drive back; repel

Though I couldn't repulse the inevitable blush, my instincts told me to go all out for irony

Havoc

To destroy or pillage

The tsunami crashed into the west coast, wreaking havoc across the most popular beaches

Raze

To level to the ground; demolish. Synonym for ruin

Thor plans to raze the properties and erect a glass box structure

Lethal

Deadly; mortal; fatal

It won't be easy, though, as they will be facing another lethal backcourt

Scurry

To hurry along; move hastily and precipitately; scamper

Astonished, I watched them scurry through a hole in the wall

Incisive

Figuratively, sharply and clearly expressive; penetrating; trenchant; sharp; acute

Unfortunately, the prescription is nowhere near as innovative as the diagnosis is incisive

Precipitate

To hasten

A precipitate is a solid generated out of a solution via chemical reaction

Stereotype

To give a fixed, unvarying form to

'It's a stereotype' he says of Asians not being able to play basketball

Stentorian

Extremely loud

BURGLARY! in stentorian tones every time a cat crosses the yard

Singular

Out of the usual course; unusual; uncommon; a little extraordinary

The new logo, with a singular 'L', will be launched over the next few days

Valor

courage or bravery, esp in battle

And what the chickenhawks lack in valor, they make up for in volume!

Bias

To influence in a particular, typically unfair direction; prejudice

To some extent, the successful results of that research have created a bias in some investigators

Sinecure

A position that requires no work but still gives an ample payment; a cushy job

It's what they call a sinecure, "Alan was saying at the very instant the summons came

Complicity

Involvement as an accomplice in a questionable act or a crime

Arguments over impact and relevance ignore academia's complicity in its own demise

Liquidation

Disposal of, killing

The vendor was a company in liquidation called Pacific Heights Developments

Accomplice

An associate in wrongdoing, especially one who aids or abets another in a criminal act

His accomplice was around 6ft tall and of an athletic, slim build

Recant

To withdraw from or repudiate a statement or opinion formerly expressed

Banks asked his accuser to recant on the record so he could clear his name

Culpable

deserving censure; blameworthy

It is also those teachers who exhibit a culpable lack of respect for children

Abrogate

Annulled; abolished

He was angered by Mr. Taseer's efforts to abrogate the country's strict blasphemy laws

Alleged

Represented as existing or as being as described but not so proved; supposed

However it is complicated since some of the alleged fraudsters are in other countries

Access

A coming to; near approach; admittance; admission

Portugal has made lots of progress in the last year to gain access to financial markets

Invalidate

To make invalid; nullify

Cyclacel said Celgene asked a court to invalidate the patents in April 2010

Preclude

To make impossible, as by action taken in advance; prevent. Synonym for prevent

And this device's size and inability to make phone calls preclude it from replacing a smartphone

Persevere

To persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of obstacles or discouragement

The will to persevere is often the difference between failure and success

Landmark

Having great import or significance

Indeed, she will be 80 next month, a landmark birthday she has no intention of celebrating

Extrinsic

Determined by something else than the subject; extraneous; foreign

Psychologists and game designers talk about intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in learning and gaming

Declaim

To speak loudly and vehemently; inveigh

Only Thor's evil brother, Loki Tom Hiddleston, gets to declaim any flavorsome lines

Fetter

To restrict the freedom of. Synonym for hamper

Global economic situation continues to fetter further growth in IT spending

Paragon

A model or pattern; especially, a model or pattern of special excellence or perfection

Not to leave anyone out, he holds Barack Obama up as a paragon of crony capitalism

Nomadic

Leading a wandering life with no fixed abode; peripatetic, itinerant

The nomadic Comanches attacked farms, butchering men, kidnapping women and children

Asperity

Harshness of manner; ill temper or irritability

Guderian said with some asperity, and many have echoed him

Epithet

A term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person

"Gorilla" became an epithet for blacks