Word List #12

1. Abrogate: abolish

• “Slavery was abrogated in England in 1807 and in America in 1863.”

2. Annular: circular

• “After we cut down the tree, we counted the annular growths on the stump.”

3. Arrant: complete

“This has been an arrant waste of my invaluable time!”

4. Behemoth: creature of great size

“Big Foot is a behemoth believed to live in the wilderness of North America.”

5. Citrus: of orange, lemon, and related trees

“Florida is known for its citrus trees.”

6. Cupidity: greedy desire for wealth

“The Grapes of Wrath criticizes the cupidity of corporate America.”

7. Dragoon: 1. mounted soldier;

2.compel

“The dragoons led the charge in front of the riflemen.”

“My girlfriend dragooned me into watching The Notebook.”

8. Emollient: soothing ointment

“I rubbed an emollient into my dry skin during the winter months.”

9. Equanimity: calmness of mind

“When I’m stressed, I regain equanimity through meditation and yoga.”

10. Frenetic: hectic; frantic

“Being constantly online leads to a frenetic lifestyle for most of us.”

11. Gainsay: 1. to speak against; 2. deny

“Atticus gainsaid the prejudiced ideas of his time.”

“The defendant gainsaid the charges against him.”

12. Gratis: without charge

“Children are allowed to eat in the restaurant gratis.”

13. Imperious: domineering

• “Captain Ahab was known for his

imposing and imperious manner.”

14. Mensuration: measuring

“The scientist calculated the mensuration of the earth, which is 24,901 miles.”

15. Natal: of birth

“The pregnant woman went to her doctor for pre-natal care.”

16. Oleaginous: oily; smoothly bland

“Too much lotion causes my skin to become oleaginous.”

17. Refectory: dining hall

“The students in the private school ate in the refectory.”

18. Vagaries: unpredictable whims

“The director could no longer deal with the vagaries of his leading actress.”

Assignment

• Show mastery of each vocabulary word by writing a sentence that demonstrates its

meaning.

• Underline the vocabulary word in the sentence.

• Skip lines between sentences.