Vocabulary #2

accoutrements-  additional items of dress or equipment

• The dressers backstage had a lot of accountrements to account for when helping the actors change between scenes.

apogee-  the highest or most distant point; climax

• The apogee of the hike is the peak just ahead.

apropos-  with reference to concerning; very appropriate to a particular situation.

•   The children expressed apropos of the ice cream they received on the hot summers day.

bicker-  to engage in petulant or peevish argument; to run rapidly; move quickly; rush; hurry

• The couple bickered about which couch to buy.

coalesce-  to grow together or into one body 

• The river and the lake coalesced.

contretemps-an inopportune occurrence; an embarrassing mischance

• He caused a contretemps by fumbling the football five yards from the end zone on the last down.

convolution-a rolled up or coiled condition 

• The extension cord was convoluted into a mess of knots.

cull- to choose; select; pick; to gather the choice things or parts from

• The winners were culled from a huge list of candidates.

disparate- distinct in kind; essentially different; dissimilar

• The two students had disparate ideas on how to learn the vocabulary.

dogmatic-  of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a dogma or dogmas; doctrinal; asserting opinions doctrinaire or arrogant manner; opinionated.

• The article was very dogmatic in its views.

licentious-  unrestrained by law or general morality, lawless, immoral; going beyond customary or proper bounds or limits; disregarding rules.

• Jesse James was a licentious villain.

mete-to distribute or apportion by measure; allot (usually followed by out )

• We meted out the Beowulf questions in order to get them done.

noxious- harmful or injurious to health or physical well-being; morally harmful; corrupting 

• The food sold at McDonalds is noxious to your body.

polemic-  a controversial argument, as one against some opinion, doctrine, etc.

• The polemic arguments that were stated to the judge did not help either case. 

populous-   full of residents or inhabitants, heavily populated

• Los Angeles is a populous metropolitan area.

probity-  integrity and uprightness; honesty

• The young boy expressed great probity by confessing that he accidentally broke the window.

repartee-  a quick, witty reply

• Dr. Preston always has a repartee to strange and off topic questions.

supervene-  to take place or occur as something additional or extraneous (sometimes followed by on or upon )

• The added sprinkles supervened upon the decadent frosting on the cupcake.

truncate-  to shorten by cutting off a part; cut short

• Daniela's speech was to long and needed to be truncated.

unimpeachable-  above suspicion; impossible to discredit

• The tremendous valor of the war hero was unimpeachable.