Vocabulary #4

 

1. obsequious- characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning

His wealth nevertheless turns the townspeople into groveling, obsequious sycophants.

 

2. beatitude- supreme blessedness; exalted happiness.

The woman was experiencing beatitude when her son came home from his service in the army. 

3. bete noire- a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded; bane; bugbear

The fly in my room was my bête noire. 

4. bode-to be an omen of; portend

The political winds may also bode well for the empowerment act. 

5. dank- unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly

It is a cramped, dank little apartment. 

6. ecumenical- general; universal

The ecumenical council decreed woman no longer had to wear hats in church. 

7. fervid- heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm

The service is snappy and efficient under conditions. 
 

8. fetid- having an offensive odor; stinking

The bullies orchestrating a witch hunt might applaud this fetid slop, but no one else. 

9. gargantuan-gigantic; enormous; colossal

The gargantuan basketball player not only dunked on fools, he could also drain 3's. His name is Dirk Nowitzki.

10. heyday- the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success

The heyday of the hippies lasted for all of about two years.

 
11. incubus- an imaginary demon or evil spirit supposed to descend upon sleeping persons

It is, however, an incubus for some three dozen of the world's poorest countries. 

12. infrastructure- the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization

The tripod infrastructure is why there are so many grottoes and light caves. 

13. inveigle- to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery  

Inveigle woman use their powers to marry old men then take their money. 

14. kudos- honor; glory; acclaim

He also receives special kudos for including pecans. 

15. lagniappe- a small gift given with a purchase to a customer

He received a lagniappe when he bought a box of green beans. 

16. prolix-extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length

What might have been a brisk and brazen satire forms into a prolix and slow comedy mystery.

17. protégé- a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someone interested in his or her career or welfare. 

The only thing that grows down is potatoes, he told his protégé. 

18. prototype- the original or model on which something is based or formed. 

The museum is also home to a prototype model with a clear case, currently in storage. 

19. sycophant- a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite. 

But history will likely remember him as the ultimate sycophant, the loyal sidekick.

20. tautology- needless repetition of an idea, especially in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman.”. 

It's a tautology designed to evade self-incrimination.

21. truckle-  to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely

A trundle bed or truckle bed is a bed usually stored beneath a twin bed.