RETURN TO SMARTSPARKS.NET HOME MRS. FRANCIS' SHORT STORIES
September 10
| ablutions | &-blü-sh&n
|
| cleansing the body as part of
a religious rite (noun) |
|
|
Many
followers of the Hindu religion perform ablutions
by bathing in the |
September 11
| protruded | prO-trüd
|
| jut out (verb) |
|
|
The jetty protruded from the beach. |
September 12
| confederate | k&n-fe-d&-r&t
|
| united with others for a common purpose (adj) |
|
|
The
United Nations is a group of confederate
countries that work together |
September 14
| disposition | dis-p&-zi-sh&n
|
| (noun)
an inclination or tendency |
|
| Bob gets into many fights because he has an angry disposition. |
September 17
| deliberation | di-li-b&-rA-sh&n
|
| (noun) careful consideration |
|
| After much deliberation, Bob decided to become a policeman. |
September 18
| entreat | in-trEt
|
| beg; plead (verb) | |
| Sue entreated her strict mother to let her go to the rock concert. |
September 19
| feign | fAn |
| pretend; fake (verb) |
|
| Although
he felt fine, Bob feigned illness so he could stay home from school. |
September 20
| mortality | mor-ta-l&-tE
|
| death on a large scale (noun) (* this is a less frequently used
definition for mortality) |
|
| The painful result of most wars is mortality. |
September 21
| subsist | s&b-sist
|
| remain alive; were sustained
(verb) |
|
| Lost in the woods for days, Bob subsisted
by eating berries and drinking water from a stream. |
September 24
| traverse | tr&-v&rs
|
| move over, across, or through (verb) |
|
| Sue
traversed the raging river by walking over a footbridge. |
September 25
| dispatch | di-spach
|
| send off on a specific assignment (verb) |
|
| Sue
dispatched
the firefighters to the burning house by announcing a general alarm over the fire department’s radio |
September 26
| loathsome | lOth-s&m
|
| hateful; detestable (adj) |
|
| Eating
cockroaches is a loathsome
activity on Fear Factor. |
September 27
| copious | kO-pE-&s |
| plentiful; abundant (adj) |
|
| The
Pilgrim’s food supply was copious after the fall harvest. |
September 28
| improvident | im-prav-dent |
| shortsighted
(adj) |
|
| The improvident understanding of
Earth’s ecosystem may result in the extinction of man. |
October 1
| pacify | pa-s&-fI |
| calm; soothe (verb) |
|
| When
the baby began crying, Sue gave the infant a bottle to pacify him. |
October 2
| exquisite | ek-skwi-z&t |
| (adjective)
very beautiful; delicate; carefully wrought
|
|
| The
exquisite bracelet was made from fifty small, perfect
diamonds. |
October 3
| affliction | &-flik-sh&n |
| (noun) something causing pain or suffering | |
| Bob’s severe arthritis was an affliction that made it difficult for him to write. |
October 4
| indication | in-d&-kA-sh&n |
| (noun) a sign; a thing that points out or signifies | |
| An indication of global warming can be seen in the melting of artic glaciers and rising summer temperatures. |
October 9
| abundance | &-b&n-d&n(t)s |
| (noun) a great supply; more than enough; copious | |
| Mrs. Francis was delighted with the abundance of A's the students earned on their vocabulary tests. |
October 10
| pilfer | pil-fer |
| (verb) to steal | |
| Hunger caused the runaway teen to pilfer a loaf of bread from the supermarket. |
October 11
| conceits | k&n-sEts |
| (noun) Definition 1: strange or
fanciful ideas (noun) Definition 2: an elaborate or strained metaphor example: comparing the spinning of cloth to the gaining of God's grace, which is a metaphor seen in the poem "Huswifery" RELATED WORD: conceited (adjective) - having an unrealistically high opinion of oneself |
|
| The conceits filling Sam's mind made him think he could fly. |
October 12
| mollify | mä-l&-fI |
|
mollified (past) |
(verb) to sooth, to calm |
| George's
parents needed to be mollified
when his report card arrived and they noticed he was failing three classes. |
October 15
| peril | per-&l |
|
|
(noun) danger |
| The rock climbers were in peril
when the avalanche began. |
October 16
| loath | lOth |
|
|
(adjective)
reluctant, unwilling |
| The loath student
needed to be coaxed to the front of the classroom to give a speech. |
October 17
| sundry | s&n-drE |
|
|
(adjective) various; different |
| The sundry department in the supermarket has many different items for sale. |
October 18
| recompense | re-k&m-pen(t)s |
|
|
(noun) reward; repayment |
| I was given fifty dollars as recompense for returning a lost wallet to its rightful owner. |
October 19
| manifold | ma-n&-fOld |
| (adjective) in many ways |
|
|
October 22 |
Susan adored her boyfriend because he found manifold ways to express his love for her.
|
| persevere | per-s&-vir |
| (verb)
persist; be steadfast in purpose |
|
|
October 23 |
Statistics was difficult for
Kathy, but she persevered with her
studies and passed the course.
|
| omnipotent | om-nip-&-tent |
| (adjective) all
powerful |
|
| The citizens of a democracy have some freedom because their President is not omnipotent. | |
October 24
| ineffable | i-ne-f&-b&l |
| (adjective) inexpressible, having the quality of being unable to be expressed. | |
| The torturous tactics of many terrorists are so terrible that they are ineffable. |
October 25
| dolorous | |
|
|
(adjective) sad, mournful |
| I’ll never forget the dolorous meows of the kittens at the animal shelter that were waiting for a home. |
October 26
| arduous | är-
dyu -w&s |
| (adjective) difficult | |
| Writing a research paper
is an arduous task for
many high school students. |
October 29
| avarice | a-v&-r&s |
| (noun) greed | |
| Although Tom won $100,000 in the state lottery, his avarice lead him to Atlantic City where he lost his fortune at a poker table. |
October 30
| vigilance | vi-j&-l&n(t)s |
| (noun) watchfulness | |
| Members of the Secret Service must have vigilance when guarding the President. |
October 31
| foppery | fä-p(&-)rE |
| (noun) foolishness | |
| It is pure foppery to think you can pass calculus without doing your homework. |
November 1
| felicity | |
|
|
(noun) happiness; bliss |
| Although
some people believe that financial success brings happiness, friends and family are the true source of felicity |
November 2
| squander | skwän-d&r |
| (verb) to spend or use wastefully | |
| Many
people follow a budget so they do not squander their money. |
November 5
| fast | |
|
|
(verb) to eat very little |
| Sue needed to fast eight hours before the test, so she stopped eating at midnight. |
November 6
| unalienable | &n-Al-y&-n&-b&l |
| (adjective) not to be taken away | |
| The
American Constitution states that freedom of speech is an unalienable
right guaranteed to American citizens. |
November 7
| perfidy | |
|
|
(noun) betrayal of trust |
| Never tell your secrets to a friend because perfidy is often a part of people's personalities. |
November 12
| redress | ri-dres |
| (noun) compensation for a wrong done | |
| As
redress for the damage caused by their barroom brawl, Mark
and Anthony were ordered to pay the bar's owner $20,000. |
November 13
| magnanimity | |
|
|
(noun) ability to rise above pettiness or meaness |
| Good leaders must have magnanimity or else people will not follow them. |
November 14
| acquiesce | a-kwE-es |
| (verb) agree without protest | |
| Joe
always acquiesced when his boss asked him to work overtime, but his agreeable nature paid off with a promotion. |
November 15
| impious | |
|
|
(adjective) lacking reverence (respect) for God |
| The impious Priest was caught stealing money from the collection basket. |
November 16
| infidel | in-f&-d&l
|
| (noun) person who holds no religious beliefs | |
| The
fanatical Muslim often called American's infidels, since
Islam is not a common religion in America |
November 19
| placid | |
|
|
(adjective) tranquil; calm |
| Mike's
favorite vacation spot was a secluded lake in Canada, which offered a placid environment far from crowds. |
November 20
| scepter | sep-t&r |
| (noun) a rod or staff held by rulers as a symbol of sovereignty | |
| Queen
Elizabeth's scepter was made of solid gold and encrusted
with diamonds. |
November 21
| celestial | |
|
|
(adjective) of the heavens |
| A comet is one of the most spectacular celestial bodies to watch as it passes by Earth. |
November 26
| refulgent | ri-ful-j&nts |
| (adjective) radiant; shining | |
| Kathy's
refulgent smile was electrifying. |
November 27
| propitious | |
|
|
(adjective) favorably inclined or disposed |
| Being born to a wealthy family is a propitious event for anyone who longs to be a billionaire. |
November 28
| pensive | pent-siv |
| (adjective) thinking deeply or seriously | |
| The
senior was pensive as he listened to his guidance counselor
explain career options. |
November 29
| insidious | |
|
|
(adjective) deceitful. treacherous |
| The FBI agent was sentenced to life in prison
for his insidious actions, which included selling top-secret documents. |
November 30
| vigilant | vi-j&-l&nt |
| (adjective) alert to danger | |
| After
a grease fire burned my kitchen, I learned to be vigilant
while frying chicken. |
December 3
| infallibility | |
|
|
(noun) inability to be wrong, reliability |
| Mike's infallibility during the test was boosted by the cheat sheet hidden in his sleeve. |
December 4
| despotism | des-p&-ti-z&m |
| (noun) absolute rule. tyranny | |
| I would hate living in a country that supported despotism because I myself am a free spirit. |
December 5
| unanimity | |
|
|
(noun) complete agreement |
| It is helpful for a husband and wife to have unanimity on important issues. |
December 6
| posterity | pä-ster-&-tE |
| (noun) all succeeding (future) generations | |
| Benjamin
Franklin wrote his autobiography to preserve his wisdom for posterity. |
December 7
| manifest | |
|
|
(adjective) to make evident, obvious, or clear |
| The student's intelligence and willingness to work hard were manifested in his report card. |
December 10
| extricate | |
|
|
(verb) to set free |
| Since DNA samples found at the crime scene did not match the suspect, he was extricated. |
December 11
| asylum | |
|
|
(noun) a place of refuge, a place of protection and shelter |
| The
scientist defected during the Russian Revolution and was granted asylum in the United States. |
December 12
| despotic | |
|
|
(adjective) harsh, cruel, unjust |
| When the despotic ruler was killed, people danced in the streets. |
December 13
| extort | |
|
|
(verb) to obtain by threat or violence |
| The
loan shark extorted money from local small business owners by threatening to burn down their stores. |
December 14
| ostentation | |
|
|
(verb) boastful display, the act of "showing off" |
| Kimberly,
who frequently talked about her posessions, had few friends because they
found her ostentation annoying. |
December 17
| parsimony | |
|
|
(noun) stinginess, a dislike for spending money |
| Although the old lady had worked a low-paying job all her life, she died a wealthy woman because of her parsimony. |
December 18
| bivouac | |
|
|
(noun) a temporary encampment |
| After hiking along the Appalachian Trail the entire day, the campers were eager to set up their bivouac and settle down for the evening. |
December 19
| sublime | |
|
|
(adjective) noble; inspiring. |
| Walt
Whitman was a sublime poet who inspired many modern poets, including Langston Hughes. |
December 20
| efface | |
|
|
(verb) erase, wipe out |
| When the waves rolled onto the beach, they effaced the footprints in the sand. |
December 21
| jocularity | |
|
|
(noun) joking good humor |
| Bob's jocularity made everyone laugh at the holiday party. |
January 2
| prelude | 'pre-lüd, |
| (noun) introductory section or movement of a work of music | |
| During
symphony's prelude, a solo flutist played for several
minutes before the full orchestra joined in. |
January 3
| inert | |
|
|
(adjective) motionless, slow to move or act (note: in Chemistry inert chemicals resist reacting with other chemicals) |
| The inert liquid did not cause a change when mixed with the solution in the test tube. |
January 4
| tremulously | 'tre myU l&s lE |
| (adjective) fearfully; timidly | |
| Tina tremulously tiptoed into the haunted house on Halloween. |
January 7
| reverential | |
|
|
(adjective) caused by a feeling of deep respect and love |
| Bob's reverential feelings towards Kathy inspired him to propose marriage. |
January 8
| epitaph | 'e-p&-"taf |
| (noun) inscription on a tombstone or grave marker | |
| As
she walked through the graveyard, Kim was intrigued to learn more about the person whose epitaph read "Live, Laugh, Love" |
January 9
| degenerate | |
|
|
(adjective) morally corrupt, (noun) a person who is morally corrupt |
| Wise
teens stayed away from the degenerate drug dealer who wanted
to give them free samples of his illegal products. |
January 10
| repose | ri-'pOz |
| (noun) state of being at rest | |
| When
the winter break ended it was hard to give up the repose we
enjoyed for ten days. |
January 11
| imperially | |
|
|
(adverb) majestically, stately, grandly |
| Katherine entered the junior prom imperially dressed in Versace and dripping in diamonds. |
January 14
| myriad | |
|
|
(adjective) countless |
| Because
there were myriad stars in the sky, Emily was convinced life existed elsewhere in the universe.
|
|
| January 15
guile |
|
|
|
(noun) craftiness, cleverness |
| The
crook used his guile and eloquence to persuade the old man
to give him a down payment to purchase the Brooklyn Bridge. |
January 16
| stark | |
|
|
(adjective) stiff, rigid, rigidly conforming, harsh, barren, |
| The stark conditions of the jail cell had none of the comforts of home. | |
| January 17
tempest |
tem-p&st |
| (noun) violent storm | |
| When
warnings about the approaching hurricane were broadcast, residents of the
Jersey Shore boarded up their windows and waited for the tempest
to arrive. |
January 22
| salient | |
|
|
(adjective) standing out from the rest |
| The
salient features of the Mercedes McClaren SLR, such as its
carbon fiber body, clearly justify its hefty sticker price. |
|
| January 23
commiseration |
|
|
|
(noun) sympathy |
| The greeting cards that the students sent to
the American soldiers in Iraq were filled with messages of commiseration. |
January 24
| contrition | |
|
|
(noun) guilty sorrow for having done wrong |
| Perhaps
George Washington was not punished for chopping down a cherry tree since contrition was evident in his voice as he spoke to his father. |
|
| January 25
antagonism |
an-ta-g&-ni-z&m |
| (noun) hostility, display of anger | |
| Antagonism filled the air as the bailiff lead the murder suspect into the courtroom. |
January 28
| retrospective | |
|
|
(noun) looking back on or directed to the past |
| The
Museum of Modern Art will be presenting a retrospective show
featuring the works of the famous artist Pablo Picasso. |
|
| January 29
manuscript |
|
|
|
(noun) a handwritten or typed document, such as the ones submitted to a publisher |
| Before the printing press was invented, ancient manuscripts were painstakingly copied by monks. |
January 30
| repression | |
|
|
(noun) restraint, holding back |
| In
America the repression of free speech would be met by
massive protests. |
January 31
| elusive | E-lU-sive |
| (adjective) hard to grasp | |
| The elusive
ruby-throated hummingbird is difficult to capture as it buzzes about the
garden. |
February 1
| insidious | |
|
|
(adjective) secretly treacherous |
| The insidious soldier sold classified information to the enemy. |
February 4
| digress | dI-'gres |
| (verb) to depart temporarily from the main subject | |
| The students tried to make their teacher digress from his lecture by asking him questions that were unrelated to the day's lesson. |
February 5
| malingers | |
|
|
(verb) to pretend to be ill |
| Craig's mother suspected him of malingering, so she sent him to school despite his complaints of a stomachache. |
February 6
| meticulous | mə-'ti-kyə-ləs |
| (adjective) extremely careful about details | |
| The meticulous accountant who prepared my income tax return helped me find many deductions that I had overlooked. |
February 7
| obtuse | |
|
|
(adjective) slow to understand or perceive |
| Tim's obtuse question in class clearly indicated that he had not been paying attention to the teacher's lecture. |
February 8
| voluminous | və-'lü-mə-nəs |
| (adjective) of enough material to fill volumes | |
| Anthony
shocked his English teacher by handing in a voluminous
research paper that would require her to read for hours! |
February 11
| dogma | |
|
|
(noun) authoritative doctrines (teachings) or beliefs |
| The dogma of scientific theory is often in direct conflict with the dogma of religious organizations. |
February 12
| apparition | a-pə-'ri-shən |
| (noun) the act of appearing or becoming visible, a vision | |
| Macbeth
stared intently at the apparition of a bloody child, which
was conjured up by the three witches. |
February 13
| fallowness | |
|
|
inactivity |
| The
farmer decided not to plant crops in his back field, hoping the field’s fallowness would help it to become fertile again. |
February 14
| fortuitous |
for-'tü-&-t&s |
| fortunate | |
| Membership
in the Automobile Association of America (AAA) was fortuitous for Bob when his car broke down many miles from his home. |
February 15
| sinuous | |
|
|
moving in and out; wavy |
| We
drove slowly on the sinuous road as we winded our way to the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado. |
February 19
| mundane | m&n-'dAn |
| Commonplace; ordinary | |
| Albert
dreamed of purchasing a red, Lamborghini Gallardo to replace his grey, mundane Toyota Camry. |
February 20
| poignant | |
|
|
sharply painful to the feelings |
| Susan
kept a box of tissues handy while she read the ending of Shakespeare’s poignant play Romeo and Juliet. |
February 21
| pugilistic | pyü-j&-'lis-tik |
| looking for a fight | |
| Everyone
in the cafeteria kept their distance from the pugilistic bully who loved to terrorize his classmates. |
February 22
| somnolent | |
|
|
sleepy; drowsy |
| Kristy’s
mother gave her daughter warm milk to cure Kristy’s insomnia and make her somnolent. |
February 25
| tempo | 'tem-pO |
| rate of activity of a sound or motion; pace | |
| While
Bob practiced playing the piano, he used a metronome to help himself follow the tempo of the song. |
February 26
| sallow | |
|
|
sickly; pale yellow |
| Kim’s face looked as sallow as an old lemon, so Mr. Jones sent her to the nurse. |
February 27
| sullen | 's&-l&n |
| sulky; glum; gloomy | |
| The
rowdy student’s mood turned sullen when he learned that he was failing his class. |
February 28
| timorous | |
|
|
(adjective) full of fear |
| The timorous child hid behind her mother when she saw the clown at the circus. |
February 29
| visage | vi-zij |
| (noun) appearance | |
| Pain
and sorrow could be seen on the visage of the refuges who
left their homeland to escape the horrors of war. |
March 3
| suffice | |
|
|
(verb) to be adequate; meet the needs of |
| The school gymnasium had to suffice
as shelter for the evacuees who left their homes during the hurricane. |
March 4
| insatiable | in-sA-shə-bəl |
| (adjective) constantly wanting more | |
| Young children have an insatiable desire to learn about their world. |
March 5
| slovenly | |
|
|
(adjective) untidy |
| The slovenly teenager threw her dirty clothes on her bedroom floor. |
March 6
| dominion | də-mi-nyən |
| (noun) power to rule | |
| Queen
Elizabeth's dominion over England was often threatened by
those who wished to overthrow the Queen. |
March 7
| palpable | |
|
|
(adjective) able to be touched, felt, or handled |
| The doctor found a palpable tumor when Tom came to the office for his annual checkup. |
March 10
| derivative | di-ri-v&-tiv |
| (adjective) not original; based on something else | |
| Butter
is a derivative of milk. |
March 11
| literalist | |
|
|
(noun) those who take words at their exact meaning |
| Literalists who interpret the Bible do not believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution. |
March 12
| piety | pI-&-tE |
| (noun) devotion to religious duties | |
| The
old woman showed her piety by attending church every Sunday. |
March 13
| frippery | |
|
|
(noun) showy display of elegance |
| The Shop-Rite cashier laughed at the frippery of her customer who wore a fur coat to the supermarket. |
March 14
| dyspepsia | dis-'pep-sE-& |
| (noun) indigestion | |
| The
winner of the First Annual Chicken Wing Eating Contest suffered from dyspepsia after winning the competition. |
March 17
| poise | |
|
|
(noun) balance; stability |
| Amazingly, the fashion model showed great poise
as she walked down the runway in six-inch-high stilettos. |
March 18
| rueful | 'rü-f&l |
| (adjective) feeling or showing someone sorrow or pity | |
| The
rueful spectators who lined the street came to watch
Princess Diana's funeral procession and bid a final farewell to their beloved princess. |
March 19
| luminary | |
|
|
(noun) a person of prominence or brilliant
achievement (adjective) giving off light |
| Joe Namath was a luminary on the football field who earned the title of Most Valuable Player during Super Bowl III. |
March 20
| increment | 'in-kr&-m&nt |
| (noun) increase, as in a series | |
| After meeting with her manager for an annual review, Karen was relieved to learn she would receive the pay increment described in her contract. |
March 25
| countenance | |
|
|
(verb) to approve or tolerate, The board of education countenanced the changes to the student handbook. |
| (noun) facial expression It was clear from Bob's countenance that he was attracted to the girl. |
March 26
| beguile | bE-'gI-&l |
| (verb) to charm or delight | |
| The
beautiful, intelligent young woman easily beguiled all the
men who met her. |
March 27
| stinginess | |
|
|
(noun) parsimony, the quality of being ungenerous |
| The old woman's stinginess allowed her to become wealthy and lonely. |
March 28
| reaping | 'rEp-ing |
| (verb) cutting or harvesting, such as harvesting grain from a field | |
| If you work hard now to
get a good education, you will reap many rewards later in
life. |
March 31
| glean | |
|
|
(verb) collect the remaining grain after
reaping, to gather information or material bit by bit. |
| After
several days of investigating the robbery, the detective was able to glean enough information to name a suspect. |
April 1
| desolate | de-s&-l&t |
| (adjective) forlorn; wretched; deserted | |
| When
the soldiers invaded the village, they found it was desolate, having been deserted by the villagers hours earlier. |
April 2
| list | |
|
|
(verb) tilt. incline |
| The ocean liner listed to the left when it was hit by the sixty-foot, rogue wave. |
April 3
| ominous | 'ä-m&-n&s |
| (adjective) threatening; sinister | |
| The wolf looked ominous as it bared its fangs to keep hikers away from its pups. |
April 4
| ravenous | |
|
|
(adjective) extremely eager |
| The
bear's ravenous appetite led it straight to the hiker's camp
where hotdogs were roasting on an open fire. |
April 7
| morose | m&-rOs |
| (adjective) gloomy; sullen | |
| Our students are never morose on the last day of school. |
April 8
| guffawing | |
|
|
(noun) laughing in a loud, course manner |
| Although
the comedy was funny, everyone in the theater turned to look at the guffawing woman who was disrupting the movie. |
April 9
| diligence | di-l&-j&nts |
| (noun) constant, careful effort; perseverance | |
| Diligence
is needed to train a Jack Russell Terrier. |
April 10
| connivance | |
|
|
(noun) secret cooperation |
| The
Watergate scandal revealed the connivance that is frequently
present when political parties compete for power. |
April 11
| illiterate | il-li-t&-r&t |
| (illiterate) unable to read or write | |
| The
old man had never stepped foot in the library or a book store because he
was illiterate. |