CHAPTER 6
VOCABULARY WORDS (Vol. I)
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: THE LAST BEST HOPE
acumen
–noun
keen insight; shrewdness
acquittal
–noun
1. the act of acquitting; discharge.
2. the state of being acquitted; release.
3. the discharge or settlement of a debt, obligation, etc.
4. Law. judicial deliverance from a criminal charge on a verdict or finding of not guilty.
annals
–noun (used with a plural verb )
1. a record of events, esp. a yearly record, usually in chronological order.
2. historical records generally: the annals of war.
3. a periodical publication containing the formal reports of an organization or learned field.
antebellum
–adjective
before or existing before the war, esp. the American Civil War.
arduous
–adjective
1. requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult: an arduous undertaking.
2. requiring or using much energy and vigor; strenuous: making an arduous effort.
3. hard to climb; steep: an arduous path up the hill.
4. hard to endure; full of hardships; severe: an arduous winter.
arraign
–verb (used with object)
1. to call or bring before a court to answer to an indictment.
2. to accuse or charge in general; criticize adversely; censure.
atheist
–noun
a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.
atrocity
–noun, plural -ties.
1. the quality or state of being atrocious.
2. an atrocious act, thing, or circumstance.
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avarice
–noun
insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth.
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avert
–verb (used with object)
1. to turn away or aside: to avert one’s eyes.
2. to ward off; prevent: to avert evil; to avert an accident.
avow
–verb (used with object)
to declare frankly or openly; own; acknowledge; confess; admit: He avowed himself an opponent of
all alliances.
banditti
–noun
1. a robber, esp. a member of a gang or marauding band.
2. an outlaw or highwayman.
3. Informal.
a. a person who takes unfair advantage of others, as a merchant who overcharges; swindler; cheat.
b. a vendor, cab driver, etc., who operates a business or works without a required license or
permit, and without observing the usual rules or practices.
barbarous
–adjective
1. uncivilized; wild; savage; crude.
2. savagely cruel or harsh: The prisoners of war were given barbarous treatment.
3. full of harsh sounds; noisy; discordant: an evening of wild and barbarous music.
4. not conforming to classical standards or accepted usage, as language.
bedlam
–noun
1. a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion.
2. Archaic. an insane asylum or madhouse.
bias
–noun
1. an oblique or diagonal line of direction, esp. across a woven fabric.
2. a particular tendency or inclination, esp. one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a
question; prejudice.
–verb (used with object)
to cause partiality or favoritism in (a person); influence, esp. unfairly: a tearful plea designed to bias
the jury.
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blatant
–adjective
1. brazenly obvious; flagrant: a blatant error in simple addition; a blatant lie.
2. offensively noisy or loud; clamorous: blatant radios.
3. tastelessly conspicuous: the blatant colors of the dress.
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bliss
–noun
1. supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment: wedded bliss.
2. Theology. the joy of heaven.
candid
–adjective
1. frank; outspoken; open and sincere: a candid critic.
2. free from reservation, disguise, or subterfuge; straightforward: a candid opinion.
3. informal; unposed: a candid photo.
4. honest; impartial: a candid mind.
cede
–verb (used with object), ced ed, ced ing.
to yield or formally surrender to another: to cede territory.
celestial
–adjective
1. pertaining to the sky or visible heaven.
2. pertaining to the spiritual or invisible heaven; heavenly; divine: celestial bliss.
3. of or pertaining to celestial navigation: a celestial fix.
coincide
–verb (used without object), -cid ed, -cid ing.
1. to occupy the same place in space, the same point or period in time, or the same relative position:
The centers of concentric circles coincide. Our vacations coincided this year.
2. to correspond exactly, as in nature, character, etc.: His vocation coincides with his avocation.
3. to agree or concur, as in thought or opinion: Their opinions always coincide.
commence
–verb (used without object), verb (used with object), -menced, -menc ing.
to begin; start.
concession
–noun
1. the act of conceding or yielding, as a right, a privilege, or a point or fact in an argument: He made
no concession to caution.
2. the thing or point yielded: Management offered a shorter workweek as a concession.
3. something conceded by a government or a controlling authority, as a grant of land, a privilege, or a
franchise.
condemnation
–noun
1. the act of condemning.
2. the state of being condemned.
3. strong censure; disapprobation; reproof.
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conspicuous
–adjective
1. easily seen or noticed; readily visible or observable: a conspicuous error.
2. attracting special attention, as by outstanding qualities or eccentricities: He was conspicuous by
his booming laughter.
conspiracy
–noun, plural -cies.
1. the act of conspiring.
2. an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons;
plot.
3. a combination of persons for a secret, unlawful, or evil purpose: He joined the conspiracy to
overthrow the government.
4. Law. an agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime, fraud, or other wrongful act.
corsair
-noun
1. a fast ship used for piracy.
2. a pirate, esp. formerly of the Barbary Coast.
crucible
–noun
1. a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures.
2. metallurgy. a hollow area at the bottom of a furnace in which the metal collects.
3. a severe, searching test or trial.
defiance
–noun
1. a daring or bold resistance to authority or to any opposing force.
2. open disregard; contempt (often fol. by of): defiance of danger; His refusal amounted to defiance.
3. a challenge to meet in combat or in a contest.
denounce
–verb (used with object), -nounced, -nounc ing.
1. to condemn or censure openly or publicly: to denounce a politician as morally corrupt.
2. to make a formal accusation against, as to the police or in a court.
3. to give formal notice of the termination or denial of (a treaty, pact, agreement, or the like).
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deplore
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–verb (used with object), -plored, -plor ing.
1. to regret deeply or strongly; lament: to deplore the present state of morality.
2. to disapprove of; censure.
3. to feel or express deep grief for or in regard to: The class deplored the death of their teacher.
dismal
–adjective
1. causing gloom or dejection; gloomy; dreary; cheerless; melancholy: dismal weather.
2. characterized by ineptness or lack of skill, competence, effectiveness, imagination, or interest;
pitiful: Our team played a dismal game.
3. Obsolete.
a. disastrous; calamitous.
b. unlucky; sinister.
dispense
–verb (used with object)
1. to deal out; distribute: to dispense wisdom.
2. to administer: to dispense the law without bias.
-verb phrase
dispense with,
a. to do without; forgo: to dispense with preliminaries.
b. to do away with; rid of.
c. to grant exemption from a law or promise.
disposition
–noun
1. the predominant or prevailing tendency of one’s spirits; natural mental and emotional outlook or
mood; characteristic attitude: a girl with a pleasant disposition.
2. arrangement or placing, as of troops or buildings.
3. final settlement of a matter.
4. bestowal, as by gift or sale.
5. power to dispose of a thing; control: funds at one’s disposition.
dissolution
–noun
1. the act or process of resolving or dissolving into parts or elements.
2. the resulting state.
3. the undoing or breaking of a bond, tie, union, partnership, etc.
4. the breaking up of an assembly or organization; dismissal; dispersal.
5. Government. an order issued by the head of a state terminating a parliament and necessitating a
new election.
6. death; decease.
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elegant
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–adjective
1. tastefully fine or luxurious in dress, style, design, etc.: elegant furnishings.
2. gracefully refined and dignified, as in tastes, habits, or literary style: an elegant young gentleman;
an elegant prosodies.
3. graceful in form or movement: an elegant wave of the hand.
edifice
–noun
1. a building, esp. one of large size or imposing appearance.
2. any large, complex system or organization.
embargo
–noun; plural -goes, verb, -goed, -go ing.
1. an order of a government prohibiting the movement of merchant ships into or out of its ports.
2. an injunction from a government commerce agency to refuse freight for shipment, as in case of
congestion or insufficient facilities.
3. any restriction imposed upon commerce by edict.
4. a restraint or hindrance; prohibition.
eradicate
–verb (used with object), -cat ed, -cat ing.
1. to remove or destroy utterly; extirpate: to eradicate smallpox throughout the world.
2. to erase by rubbing or by means of a chemical solvent: to eradicate a spot.
erroneous
-adjective
1. containing error; mistaken; incorrect; wrong: an erroneous answer.
2. straying from what is moral, decent, proper, etc.
estrangement
–verb (used with object), -tranged, -trang ing.
1. to turn away in feeling or affection; make unfriendly or hostile; alienate the affections of: Their
quarrel estranged the two friends.
2. to remove to or keep at a distance: The necessity for traveling on business has estranged him from
his family.
3. to divert from the original use or possessor.
evacuate
–verb (used with object)
1. to leave empty; vacate.
2. to remove (persons or things) from a place, as a dangerous place or disaster area, for reasons of
safety or protection: to evacuate the inhabitants of towns in the path of a flood.
3. to remove persons from (a city, town, building, area, etc.) for reasons of safety: to evacuate the
embassy after a bomb threat.
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4. Military.
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a. to remove (troops, wounded soldiers, civilians, etc.) from a war zone, combat:area,
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b. to withdraw from or quit (a town, fort, etc., that has been occupied).
fasting
-intr.verb -ed, -ing, fasts
1. To abstain from food.
2. To eat very little or abstain from certain foods, especially as a religious discipline.
folly
–noun
the state or quality of being foolish; lack of understanding or sense.
–noun, plural -lies
1. a foolish action, practice, idea, etc.; absurdity: the folly of performing without a rehearsal.
2. a costly and foolish undertaking; unwise investment or expenditure.
3. Architecture. a whimsical or extravagant structure built to serve as a conversation piece, lend
interest to a view, commemorate a person or event, etc.: found esp. in England in the 18th century.
4. follies, a theatrical revue.
5. obsolete. wickedness; wantonness.
forgo
–verb (used with object), -went, -gone, -go ing.
1. to abstain or refrain from; do without.
2. to give up, renounce, or resign.
3. Archaic. to neglect or overlook.
4. Archaic. to quit or leave.
5. Obsolete. to go or pass by.
forsake
–verb (used with object), -sook, -sak en, - sak ing.
1. to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert: She has forsaken her country for an island in the South
Pacific.
2. to give up or renounce (a habit, way of life, etc.).
frigate
–noun
a fast naval vessel of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, generally having a lofty ship rig and
heavily armed on one or two decks.
Gaelic
–noun
a Celtic language that includes the speech of ancient Ireland and the dialects that have developed
from it, esp.those usually known as Irish, Manx, and Scots Gaelic. Gaelic constitutes the Goidelic
subbranch of Celtic. Abbreviation: Gael
–adjective
1. of or in Gaelic.
2. of or pertaining to the Gaels or their language.
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gaunt
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. extremely thin and bony; haggard and drawn, as from great hunger, weariness, or torture;
emaciated.
2. bleak, desolate, or grim, as places or things: a gaunt, windswept landscape.
gauntlet
–noun
1. a medieval glove, as of mail or plate, worn by a knight in armor to protect the hand.
2. a glove with an extended cuff for the wrist.
3. the cuff itself.
4. A challenge.
grisly
–adjective, -li er, -li est.
1. causing a shudder or feeling of horror; horrible; gruesome: a grisly murder.
2. formidable; grim: a grisly countenance.
grouse
–verb (used without object)
to grumble; complain: I’ve never met anyone who grouses so much about his work.
–noun
a complaint.
grueling
–adjective
exhausting; very tiring; arduously severe: the grueling Boston marathon.
–noun
any trying or exhausting procedure or experience.
guillotine
–noun
1. a device for beheading a person by means of a heavy blade that is dropped between two posts
serving as guides: widely used during the French Revolution.
2. an instrument for surgically removing the tonsils.
3. any of various machines in which a vertical blade between two parallel uprights descends to cut or
trim metal, stacks of paper, etc.
–verb (used with object)
1. to behead by the guillotine.
2. to cut with or as if with a guillotine.
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horde
–noun
1. a large group, multitude, number, etc.; a mass or crowd: a horde of tourists.
2. a tribe or troop of Asian nomads.
3. any nomadic group.
4. a moving pack or swarm of animals: A horde of mosquitoes invaded the camp.
–verb (used without object)
to gather in a horde: The prisoners horded together in the compound.
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hysteria
–noun
1. an uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear, often characterized by irrationality, laughter,
weeping, etc.
2. Psychoanalysis. a psychoneurotic disorder characterized by violent emotional outbreaks,
disturbances of sensory and motor functions, and various abnormal effects due to autosuggestion.
impeach
–verb (used with object)
1. to accuse (a public official) before an appropriate tribunal of misconduct in office.
2. Chiefly Law. to challenge the credibility of: to impeach a witness.
3. to bring an accusation against.
4. to call in question; cast an imputation upon: to impeach a person’s motives.
5. to call to account.
impressments
–noun
the act or policy of seizing people or property for public service or use.
ineffable
–adjective
1. incapable of being expressed or described in words; inexpressible: ineffable joy.
2. not to be spoken because of its sacredness; unutterable: the ineffable name of the deity.
infidel
–noun
1. Religion.
a. a person who does not accept a particular faith, esp. Christianity.
b. (in Christian use) an unbeliever, esp. a Muslim.
c. (in Muslim use) a person who does not accept the Islamic faith; kaffir.
2. a person who has no religious faith; unbeliever.
3. (loosely) a person who disbelieves or doubts a particular theory, belief, creed, etc.; skeptic.
–adjective
1. not accepting a particular faith, esp. Christianity or Islam; heathen.
2. without religious faith.
innumerable
–adjective
1. very numerous.
2. incapable of being counted; countless.
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insoluble
–adjective
1. incapable of being dissolved: insoluble salts.
2. incapable of being solved or explained: an insoluble problem.
intervene
–verb (used without object), -vened, -ven ing.
1. to come between disputing people, groups, etc.; intercede; mediate.
2. to occur or be between two things.
3. to occur or happen between other events or periods: Nothing important intervened between the
meetings.
jauntily
–adjective, -ti er, -ti est.
1. easy and sprightly in manner or bearing: to walk with a jaunty step.
2. smartly trim, as clothing: a jaunty hat.
judiciary
–noun
1. the judicial branch of government.
2. the system of courts of justice in a country.
3. judges collectively.
–adjective
pertaining to the judicial branch or system or to judges.
lampoon
–noun
a sharp, often virulent satire directed against an individual or institution; a work of literature, art, or
the like, ridiculing severely the character or behavior of a person, society, etc.
–verb (used with object)
to mock or ridicule in a lampoon: to lampoon important leaders in the government.
Mameluke
–noun
1. a member of a military class, originally composed of slaves, that seized control of the Egyptian
sultanate in 1250, ruled until 1517, and remained powerful until massacred or dispersed by Mehemet
Ali in 1811.
2. (lowercase ) (in Muslim countries) a slave.
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manifestation
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–noun
1. an act of manifesting.
2. the state of being manifested.
3. outward or perceptible indication; materialization: At first there was no manifestation of the
disease.
4. a public demonstration, as for political effect.
5. Spiritualism. a materialization.
manumission
–noun
act of liberating a slave from bondage
manumit
-tr.verb; man u mit ted, man u mit ting, man u mits
to free from slavery or bondage; emancipate.
martyr
–noun
1. a person who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his or her religion.
2. a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause:
a martyr to the cause of social justice.
3. a person who undergoes severe or constant suffering: a martyr to severe headaches.
4. a person who seeks sympathy or attention by feigning or exaggerating pain, deprivation, etc.
–verb (used with object)
1. to make a martyr of, esp. by putting to death.
2. to torment or torture.
mobocracy
–noun, plural -cies.
1. political control by a mob.
2. the mob as a ruling class.
mutilate
–verb (used with object), -lat ed, -lat ing.
1. to injure, disfigure, or make imperfect by removing or irreparably damaging parts: Vandals
mutilated the painting.
2. to deprive (a person or animal) of a limb or other essential part.
obliterate
–verb (used with object), -at ed, -at ing.
1. to remove or destroy all traces of; do away with; destroy completely.
2. to blot out or render undecipherable (writing, marks, etc.); efface.
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obstinacy
–noun; plural -cies for 5.
1. the quality or state of being obstinate; stubbornness.
2. unyielding or stubborn adherence to one’s purpose, opinion, etc.
3. stubborn persistence: The garrison fought on with incredible obstinacy.
4. resistance to cure, relief, or treatment, as a disease.
5. an instance of being obstinate; an obstinate act, viewpoint, etc.
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overt
–adjective
1. open to view or knowledge; not concealed or secret: overt hostility.
2. Heraldry. (of a device, as a purse) represented as open: a purse overt.
paradox
–noun
1. a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible
truth.
2. a self-contradictory and false proposition.
3. any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.
4. an opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion.
parchment
–noun
1. the skin of sheep, goats, etc., prepared for use as a material on which to write.
2. a manuscript or document on such material.
3. a stiff, off-white paper resembling this material.
4. a diploma.
portal
–noun
1. a door, gate, or entrance, esp. one of imposing appearance, as to a palace.
2. an iron or steel bent for bracing a framed structure, having curved braces between the vertical
members and a horizontal member at the top.
3. an entrance to a tunnel or mine.
prescient
-adjective
of or relating to prescience
prescience
–noun
knowledge of things before they exist or happen; foreknowledge; foresight.
proscribe
–verb (used with object), -scribed, -scrib ing.
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1. to denounce or condemn (a thing) as dangerous or harmful; prohibit.
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2. to put outside the protection of the law; outlaw.
3. to banish or exile.
4. to announce the name of (a person) as condemned to death and subject to confiscation of
property.
purgative
–adjective
purging or cleansing, esp. by causing evacuation of the bowels.
–noun
a purgative medicine or agent; cathartic.
rabble
–noun
1. a disorderly crowd; mob.
2. the rabble, the lower classes; the common people: The nobility held the rabble in complete
contempt.
–verb (used with object)
to beset as a rabble does; mob.
rampant
–adjective
1. violent in action or spirit; raging; furious: a rampant leopard.
2. growing luxuriantly, as weeds.
3. in full sway; prevailing or unchecked: a rampant rumor.
4. (of an animal) standing on the hind legs; ramping.
rebuke
–verb (used with object)
to express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove; reprimand.
–noun
sharp, stern disapproval; reproof; reprimand.
repeal
–verb (used with object)
1. to revoke or withdraw formally or officially: to repeal a grant.
2. to revoke or annul (a law, tax, duty, etc.) by express legislative enactment; abrogate.
–noun
the act of repealing; revocation; abrogation.
revulsion
–noun
1. a strong feeling of repugnance, distaste, or dislike: Cruelty fills me with revulsion.
2. a sudden and violent change of feeling or response in sentiment, taste, etc.
3. the act of drawing something back or away.
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4. the fact of being so drawn.
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5. Medicine/Medical. the diminution of morbid action in one part of the body by irritation
another.
rout
–noun
1. a defeat attended with disorderly flight; dispersal of a defeated force in complete disorder: to put
an army to rout; to put reason to rout.
2. any overwhelming defeat: a rout of the home team by the state champions.
3. a tumultuous or disorderly crowd of persons.
4. the rabble or mob.
scimitar
–noun
a curved, single-edged sword of Oriental origin.
secession
–noun
1. an act or instance of seceding.
2. (often initial capital letter) U.S. History. the withdrawal from the Union of 11 Southern states in
the period 1860–61, which brought on the Civil War.
shackles
–noun
1. a ring or other fastening, as of iron, for securing the wrist, ankle, etc.; fetter.
2. a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
3. the U-shaped bar of a padlock, one end of which is pivoted or sliding, the other end of which can
be released, as for passing through a staple, and then fastened, as for securing a hasp.
–verb (used with object)
to put a shackle or shackles on; confine or restrain by a shackle or shackles.
sheaf
–noun
1. one of the bundles in which cereal plants, as wheat, rye, etc., are bound after reaping.
2. any bundle, cluster, or collection: a sheaf of papers.
–verb (used with object)
to bind (something) into a sheaf or sheaves.
simultaneous
–adjective
existing, occurring, or operating at the same time; concurrent: simultaneous movements;
simultaneous translation.
sordid
–adjective
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1. morally ignoble or base; vile: sordid methods.
2. meanly selfish, self-seeking, or mercenary.
3. dirty or filthy.
4. squalid; wretchedly poor and run-down: sordid housing.
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stockading
–noun
1. fortification. a defensive barrier consisting of strong posts or timbers fixed upright in the ground.
2. an enclosure or pen made with posts and stakes.
3. U.S. Military. a prison for military personnel.
–verb (used with object)
to protect, fortify, or encompass with a stockade.
strident
–adjective
1. making or having a harsh sound; grating; creaking: strident insects; strident hinges.
2. having a shrill, irritating quality or character: a strident tone in his writings.
sullen
–adjective
1. showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve.
2. persistently and silently ill-humored; morose.
3. gloomy or dismal, as weather or a sound.
supremacy
–noun
1. the state of being supreme.
2. supreme authority or power.
sustenance
–noun
1. means of sustaining life; nourishment.
2. means of livelihood.
3. the process of sustaining.
4. the state of being sustained.
tactful
–adjective
showing a sense of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others
throng
–noun
1. a multitude of people crowded or assembled together; crowd.
2. a great number of things crowded or considered together: a throng of memories.
3. Chiefly Scot. pressure, as of work.
–verb (used without object)
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to assemble, collect, or go in large numbers; crowd.
–verb (used with object)
1. to crowd or press upon; jostle.
2. to fill by crowding or pressing into: They thronged the small room.
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trek
–verb (used without object)
to travel or migrate, esp. slowly or with difficulty.
–verb (used with object)
South Africa. (of a draft animal) to draw (a vehicle or load).
–noun
1. a journey or trip, esp. one involving difficulty or hardship.
2. South Africa. a migration or expedition, as by ox wagon.
toney
–adjective; variant of tony
high-toned; stylish: a tony nightclub.
trounce
–verb (used with object)
1. to beat severely; thrash.
2. to punish.
3. to defeat decisively.
trudge
–verb (used without object)
to walk, esp. laboriously or wearily: to trudge up a long flight of steps.
–verb (used with object)
to walk laboriously or wearily along or over: He trudged the deserted road for hours.
–noun
a laborious or tiring walk; tramp.
undaunted
–adjective
1. undismayed; not discouraged; not forced to abandon purpose or effort: undaunted by failure.
2. undiminished in courage or valor; not giving way to fear; intrepid: Although outnumbered, he
was undaunted.
unsubstantiated
–adjective
1. not substantiated; unproved or unverified: unsubstantiated allegations.
2. being without form or substance.
withering
–verb (used without object)
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1. to shrivel; fade; decay: The grapes had withered on the vine.
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2. to lose the freshness of youth, as from age (often fol. by away).
–verb (used with object)
1. to make flaccid, shrunken, or dry, as from loss of moisture; cause to lose freshness, bloom, vigor,
etc.: The drought withered the buds.
2. to affect harmfully: Reputations were withered by the scandal.
3. to abash, as by a scathing glance: a look that withered him.
zealous
–adjective
full of, characterized by, or due to zeal; ardently active, devoted, or diligent.