Level C - Unit 1

adage

adage

noun a proverb or wise saying

revert

revert

verb to return to a previous state, practice or

topic After four months of eating healthy, I

reverted to my old ways and ate three donuts for breakfast.

discordant

discordant

adjective disagreeable in sound ; conflicting

preclude

preclude

verb to make impossible, prevent, or shut out

collaborate

collaborate

verb to work with or work together Tina and Mike collaborated on a project

for the science fair.

churlish

churlish

adj lacking good manners, politeness, or

sensitivity

Churlish remarks to your parents may preclude you from going to the game this Friday.

decree

decree noun an order having the force of law The king ruled by decree.

verb to issue such an order; to command firmly Why does nature seem to decree nasty

weather for our annual picnic?

laggard

laggard

adj falling behind; slow to move or act The laggard children were late to class. n a person who moves slowly or falls

behind The laggards in the hall were late to class.

servile

servile

adj of or relating to a slave; having or

showing an excessive willingness to please others

Most serious performers prefer constructive criticism to servile flattery.

wrangle

wrangle v to quarrel or argue in a noisy, angry way; to

obtain by argument My brother and I used to wrangle over whose

turn it was to take out the trash. n a noisy argument The customer got into a nasty wrangle with the

shopkeeper.

bonanza

bonanza

noun a large amount of something good a situation that creates a sudden increase

in wealth or good fortune The movie The Hunger Games was a box

office bonanza.

citadel

citadel

Noun

A fortress that overlooks or protects a city; any strong or commanding place

A medieval citadel once guarded the capital city of the Greek island of Rhodes.

evolve

evolve

Verb To develop gradually; to rise to a higher

level J.K. Rowling’s scribbled notes on napkins evolved into the Harry Potter series.

evolve

excerpt

excerpt

Noun a passage taken from a book, article, etc. verb To take a passage from the text If you excerpt a quote from the text,

make sure to enclose it in quotation marks.

excerpt

grope

grope

verb

To search blindly and uncertainly To feel about hesitantly with hands When the power failed, we had to grope

in the dark to find a working flashlight.

hover

hover

verb To move back and forth uncertainly over

or around A large group of vultures hovered in the

air above the wounded animal.

Hoverboard from Back to the Future

jostle

jostle

verb to make or force one’s way by pushing or

elbowing; to bump or shove; to compete for

I jostled my way through the crowd to see One Direction perform live in Time Square.

plaudits

plaudits

noun applause; enthusiastic praise or approval The U.S. gymnastics team gratefully

accepted the plaudits of their fans.

rubble

rubble

noun

broken stone or bricks; ruins

Bulldozers and wrecking balls soon reduced the damaged building to a heap of smoking rubble.

vigil

vigil

noun a watch, especially at night; any period of

watchful attention Thousands attended the solemn vigil at

the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.