Vocabulary #5

obsequious- adj. obedient, dutiful.

• The Christian family obsequiously followed God's will.

beatitude- n. extreme blessedness; exhaled happiness.

• An immense beatitude overtook her as she found out that her family had survived the crash.

bete noire- n. a person or thing that one particularly dislikes or dreads.

• The flat tire was the bête noire of my day.

bode- v. to be an omen of; to announce beforehand; predict.

• The news bodes evil days for him.

dank- adj. unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and often chilly.

• The dank cellar had musty wine smell.

ecumenical- adj. general, universal.

• The significance of the book of John is ecumenical to the entire Christian faith.

fervid- adj. heated in spirit, enthusiasm.

• The fervid speaker got everyone on their feet.

fetid- adj. having an offensive odor, stinking.

• The forgotten carcass on the side of the road filled the air with the fetid odor of death.

gargantuan- adj. gigantic, enormous, colossal.

• Planning prom was a gargantuan task to take on.

heyday- n. the prime stage of great vigor and success.

• I wish hat I lived while poodle skirts were in their heyday.

incubus- n. a nightmare.

• She was awakened by an intense incubus.

infrastructure-n. the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or orginization.

• The cliff-side road had a very detailed infrastructure to prevent landslides during intense weather.

inveigle- v.  to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery or artful talk orinducements (usually followed by into)

• The young woman inveigled the handsome man into buying her dinner.

kudos- n.  honor, glory, acclaim.

• He received kudos for making the winning basket at the buzzer.

lagniappe- n.  a gratitiuty or tip.

• The restaurant gave out mints as lagniappes after every dinner to thank their customers for their purchases.

prolix- adj. extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy.

• Roxanne's prolix explanation about relativity bored everyone in class.

protege- n. a person under the patronage, protection, or care of someoneinterested in his or her career or welfare.

• My little soccer protege took directions so well.

prototype- n. the original or model, on which something is based or formed.  

• The engineers initially built a prototype of their robotic arm to see if it would work.

sycophant- n.  a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.

• The sycophant woman felt that her wealth put her above the common population.

tautology- n. needless repetition of an idea, especially in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman.” 

• Our principle speaks with such tautology that it's hard to figure out his point of the conversation.

truckle- v. to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely (usually followed by to  ).

• Don't truckle to unreasonable demands.