unit 1 vocabulary level a. apparel (n) clothing, that which serves as dress or decoration; (v) to...

Unit 1 Vocabula

ryLevel A

apparel(n) clothing, that which serves as dress or decoration; (v) to

put clothes on, dress up

This apparel could be purchased at Modell’s.

besiege

(v) To attack by surrounding with military forces; to cause

worry or trouble

The large cat besieged the small town.

compress(v) To press together; to

reduce in size or volume; (n) a folded cloth or pad applied

to an injury

The woman has placed a cold compress on her forehead in hopes of diminishing her headache.

denounce(v) To condemn openly; to

accuse formally

This group is publicly denouncing President Bush’s energy plan because they disagree with it.

dispatch(v) To send off our out for a purpose; kill; (n) an official

message; promptness, speed; the act of killing

The police use radios to dispatch important messages to one another.

douse(v) To plunge into a liquid, drench; to put out quickly,

extinguish

Luckily, the firefighters were able to successfully douse the flames.

expressly(adv) plainly, in so many

words; for a particular purpose

We use this bowl in my home expressly for our Halloween candy.

famished(adj) suffering severely from

hunger or from lack of something

The child had not had a meal in quite some time, and was famished.

forsake

(v) To give up, renounce; to leave, abandon

Benedict Arnold made a bad choice to forsake his country during the Revolutionary War.

gainful

(adj) profitable; bringing in money or some special

advantage

The child’s first business experience was quite gainful.

immense

(adj) very large or great; beyond ordinary means of

measurement

The man was so immense that he had to bend over to fit in the room.

inept

(adj) totally without skill or appropriateness

If you are an inept singer, you will not be successful on American Idol.

ingenious

(adj) showing remarkable originality, inventiveness, or resourcefulness; clever

The coyote always seems to come up with ingenious plans to catch the roadrunner, but they

never work!

instantaneous(adj) done in an instant,

immediate

This meal could be cooked almost instantaneously in the microwave.

irk(v) To annoy, trouble,

make weary

If you irk someone, they will not respond positively!

libel(n) A written statement

that unfairly or falsely harms the reputation of the person about whom it is made; (v) to write or publish such a statement

Because the magazine printed a rumor that was not true, Julia Roberts sued them for libel.

misgiving(n) A feeling of fear, doubt,

or uncertainty

The woman had deep misgivings about her relationship with the man.

oaf(n) A stupid person; a big,

clumsy, slow individual

Baby Huey from the Looney Tunes cartoons is an incredibly bumbling oaf!

recede(v) To go or move

backward; to become more distant

The man’s hairline was beginning to recede.

repast(n) A meal, food

We enjoyed a delicious traditional repast at Thanksgiving.