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- ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. automaton - bellicose ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
-
- 1. automaton N. a device which operates by itself. The design for the computer
- program must fit into the restrictions of an automaton.
-
- 2. autonomous ADJ. governed by one's own laws only; independent. Though
- formerly a colony, Mexico is an autonomous nation.
-
- 3. autopsy N. thorough examination of a dead body to determine the cause of
- death. It was hoped that they would learn more about the cause of death
- after the autopsy was performed.
-
- 4. auxiliary ADJ. supplementary; extra. In addition to the required reading,
- the college professor recommended auxiliary sources for the college course.
-
- 5. avant-garde N. a foremost group in a field of arts characterized by
- experimentation. The avant-garde, spending much time in productive and
- unproductive brainstorming, was regarded with mixed opinions by the general
- public, due to interpretations of their eccentricity.
-
- 6. avarice N. excessively greedy for wealth. The monopolistic company, after
- establishing itself, tried to satisfy its avarice by tripling its prices.
-
- 7. avatar N. incarnation of a Hindu deity or any abstract idea. The avatar of
- Hindu gods was disregarded on the basis of unsubstantial evidence.
-
- 8. aver V. to affirm positively. The people assembled to aver their confidence
- in the new leader.
-
- 9. averse ADJ. turning away from. He could not hold his averse feeling about
- the food.
-
- 10. aversion N. a desire to turn away from something. Nothing could change his
- aversion for large apartment buildings.
-
- 11. aviary N. a place where birds are kept. The scientist worked in conjunction
- with the aviary to enlarge their collection of rare birds.
-
- 12. avid ADJ. craving. She was naturally an avid reader.
-
- 13. avocation N. a separate secondary occupation. On weekends he took up his
- avocation of umpiring little league baseball games.
-
- 14. avouch V. to vouch for positively; confess. He was ready to avouch for the
- health benefits of drinking Chinese tea.
-
- 15. avow V. to vow positively; confess. Alexander Hamilton avowed his
- commitment to Federalism in opposition to Aaron Burr.
-
- 16. avuncular ADJ. pertaining to an uncle. He tried to have avuncular
- generosity.
-
- 17. awe N. a strong feeling of wonder in response to something grand. The new
- skyscraper produced awe in many people who walked by it.
-
- 18. awl N. a tool with a point to punch holes, especially in leather. The
- leather belt manufacturer discontinued the use of wooden hand awls and used
- machines instead.
-
- 19. awry ADV. twisted to one side. After riding through the ditch, the
- motorcycle's front wheel went awry.
-
- 20. axiom N. a self-evident truth. It was debatable as to whether or not a
- mathematical axiom needed to be proved, since its truth was obvious.
-
- 21. azure ADJ. a blue color like the sky. Her outfit was colored azure.
-
- 22. babble V. to use words without precision. The senator used his time at the
- podium to babble as a technique to prevent the bill from being passed.
-
- 23. bacchanalian ADJ. like a drunken feast. They agreed not to let the school
- event become bacchanalian, unless they made it a private gathering.
-
- 24. badger V. to harass persistently. His mother kept badgering him about the
- importance of finding the right job.
-
- 25. badinage N. playful teasing. The apparently harmless badinage between the
- boy and the girl developed into a more involved relationship.
-
- 26. baffle V. to bewilder. They baffled him when they told him fictional
- stories that contradicted each other.
-
- 27. bailiwick N. a person's area of expertise or skill. The cryptic material
- was incomprehensible to most people except him, because it was within his
- bailiwick.
-
- 28. bait V. to lure as with bait. The man used various methods to bait others
- into seeing things from his point of view.
-
- 29. baleful ADJ. having malicious intents. The baleful manager refused to
- promote him, even though he was well-qualified.
-
- 30. balk V. to show intention but refrain; also hinder. He had been balking to
- the salesman that he was going to buy a product, but never actually made a
- purchase.
-
- 31. ballast N. a heavy material used to stabilize; any stabilizer. His
- principles were a ballast through all the unsettling elements of his
- lifetime.
-
- 32. balm N. a fragrant substance from a plant used for healing. The balm helped
- alleviate some of the suffering associated with his muscle ache.
-
- 33. balmy ADJ. mild and refreshing. During the winter months, he imagined
- himself in balmy summer weather.
-
- 34. banal ADJ. without freshness; unoriginal. His banal remarks on the profound
- subject did not address the urgent nature of the issue.
-
- 35. bandanna N. a large colored handkerchief. At school her bandanna often drew
- much attention.
-
- 36. bandy V. to throw or strike back and forth. At Wimbleton the tennis players
- maintained a long rally by bandying the ball back and forth.
-
- 37. baneful ADJ. harmful. He could not control his baneful addiction to the
- substance.
-
- 38. bankruptcy N. unable to pay back creditors. After the company had
- accumulated debt after debt, they finally had to declare bankruptcy.
-
- 39. banter N. an exchange of light teasing remarks. The opponents traditionally
- engaged in bantering and did not let it go beyond playfulness.
-
- 40. barb N. a critical remark. His barb injected at the meeting initiated much
- controversy and friction.
-
- 41. barbarous ADJ. uncivilized; crude; harsh. His barbarous behavior at the
- government banquet disrupted the scheduled activities.
-
- 42. bard N. poet, especially an ancient Celtic epic poet. The bard entertained
- us with heroic stories of war heroes set to music.
-
- 43. barefaced ADJ. with uncovered face; uncovered. The criminals used such a
- barefaced manner in robbing the bank, that no one suspected them until they
- were gone.
-
- 44. baroque ADJ. characterized by excessive ornamentation. We did not care for
- the baroque furniture, because it did not match well with our regular
- furniture.
-
- 45. barrage N. a tremendous quantity, such as gunfire. The politician was faced
- with a barrage of demands from different interest groups.
-
- 46. barricade V. to block with a defensive barrier. The bank robber barricaded
- himself into the building.
-
- 47. barrister N. a British lawyer permitted in high courts; lawyer. The
- barrister pledged to represent their controversial case.
-
- 48. barterer N. one who exchanges commodities without money. As a barterer he
- was able to avoid paying taxes, but left himself vulnerable with less
- consumer protection.
-
- 49. bask V. to expose to warmth. She was looking forward to the time when she
- could bask in sunshine.
-
- 50. bassoon N. a double-reeded woodwind instrument. She enjoyed playing the
- bassoon among clarinets and flutes.
-
- 51. bastion N. a projecting part of a fortress' wall; stronghold. The art club
- was a bastion for artists who were trying to get recognition for new art
- forms.
-
- 52. bate V. to moderate or diminish. He bated his desire for certain foods,
- when he learned of the health risks associated with them.
-
- 53. bathos N. degeneration from the exalted to the commonplace. They could
- trace the bathos of the course of the broadcast.
-
- 54. batten V. to improve by feeding; to thrive. He tried to batten the
- condition of his sick puppy.
-
- 55. bauble N. a cheap trinket. The island of New Amsterdam was purchased from
- the native Indians for a few baubles.
-
- 56. bawdy ADJ. indecent; lewd. Her bawdy remarks were censored during the
- broadcast.
-
- 57. beatific ADJ. giving happiness, peace or blessedness. The speech, which
- spoke to the audience's direct problem, though hard to accept, was
- beatific.
-
- 58. beatitude N. state of supreme blessedness or happiness. She thought that if
- she married, she would be in a beatitude.
-
- 59. bedeck V. to adorn. The exterior of the house, which was bedecked with
- multi-colored decorations throughout the year, dazzled passers-by.
-
- 60. bedevil V. to harass maliciously; to confuse. Their secret vandalism and
- sabotage bedeviled the company's effort to maintain a solid image to the
- public.
-
- 61. bedizen V. to dress ornately or vulgarly. The reviewers gave her a low
- rating on her performance, because instead of improving her expression and
- control, she tried to bedizen herself.
-
- 62. bedraggle V. to soil as through dirt. The child was bedraggled after a full
- day of recreation.
-
- 63. befuddle V. to make confused. He befuddled his opponent by giving mixed
- signals.
-
- 64. beget V. to procreate or generate; to father. With his creative mind he
- should have potential to beget a few worthwhile inventions.
-
- 65. begrudge V. to envy another's success or fortune. He begrudged his
- opponent's victory and refused to speak a kind word.
-
- 66. beguile V. to impress through deception. After he was beguiled on many
- occasions, he no longer trusted others readily.
-
- 67. behemoth N. a monstrous creature described in Job 40:15-24. Is there such a
- strong and powerful creature as the behemoth?
-
- 68. beholden ADJ. indebted. His goal was that at some point he would not be
- beholden to his creditors.
-
- 69. behoove V. to be imperative for. It behooved him to look after the affairs
- of his children, so that they might avoid idleness and trouble.
-
- 70. belabor V. to work at or attack persistently. As the opposition he
- belabored the popular opinion until he swayed the public to embrace his
- point of view.
-
- 71. belated ADJ. after the typical time. They congratulated him on his belated
- graduation from high school.
-
- 72. beleaguer V. to besiege. They beleaguered him with constant questioning and
- harassment to break his arrogant stance.
-
- 73. belie V. to make falsehood. Since he could never obtain the position by
- impressing them of his own merit, they resorted to belie about his actual
- achievements.
-
- 74. belittle V. to make or consider less important. They belittled the
- competition simply to gain a psychological edge.
-
- 75. bellicose ADJ. inclined to carry on war. The student was dismissed from
- school on numerous occasions due to his bellicose disposition.
-