College Vocabulary · Grade 12 · Week 16
20 words for the week · pairs with Composition lesson 4.4.
Reading: the Composition lesson 4.4, "Workshop: Reading Aloud, Judging Fairly, Revising Well," and this week's literature book, Hamlet (Shakespeare), the section for Week 16 (public-domain text, Project Gutenberg).
Theme of the week: A workshop is friends sharpening one another; the friction is for the edge, not for the wound. "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." (Proverbs 27:17).
Rhythm: 4 words a day, Monday to Friday. Each day: read the entry aloud, copy the quoted sentence into the writing notebook, and write one sentence of your own. Friday: learn the last 4 words, then take the quiz.
Sources: ★ = quoted exactly from this week's reading (the lesson or the literature book) · ✝ = KJV (1769 text), quoted exactly · ◆ = quoted exactly from another work on the approved booklists (public-domain text) · ✎ = original example sentence
Part of speech: noun
Definition: A friendly understanding or informal alliance between nations.
Context (original sentence): The entente between the two kingdoms kept the peace for a generation.
Root:French entente, understanding.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Relating to the writing of letters; told through letters.
Context (original sentence): Clarissa is an epistolary novel made entirely of letters.
Root:Latin epistola, letter.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Of a person after whom something is named; named after a person.
Context (original sentence): Robinson Crusoe is the eponymous hero of Defoe's novel.
Root:Greek eponymos, giving one's name.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Former.
From the reading: "But another apartment was erstwhile devoted To the glory-decked Geatman when gold was distributed." (Beowulf)
Root:Old English aer, before + while.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Belonging to or appearing in summer.
Context (original sentence): The estival heat drove the family to the mountains each July.
Root:Latin aestivus, from aestas, summer.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Characterized by intense excitement and happiness.
Context (original sentence): The euphoric crowd poured into the streets at news of the armistice.
Root:Greek euphoros, bearing well.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind.
Context (original sentence): The scent of pine was evocative of her childhood summers.
Root:Latin evocare, to call out.
Part of speech: noun
Definition: A distinct outgrowth on a body or plant; an unattractive or superfluous addition.
From the reading: "For, it inscrutably appeared to stand to reason, in the minds of the whole company, that I was an excrescence on the entertainment." (Great Expectations)
Root:Latin excrescere, to grow out.
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To extend the application of a method or conclusion to an unknown situation by assuming existing trends will continue.
Context (original sentence): From ten years of records the scientist extrapolated the river's flood levels for the next century.
Root:extra- + interpolate.
Part of speech: noun
Definition: An employee who does all kinds of work.
From the reading: "The instant the factotum had closed the door, Valentin addressed the girl with an entirely new earnestness." (The Innocence of Father Brown)
Root:Latin fac totum, do everything.
Part of speech: noun
Definition: A short ceremonial tune on brass instruments; elaborate display or publicity.
From the reading: "As he spoke the attendant cantered up the grassy enclosure, and pulling up his steed in front of the royal stand, blew a second fanfare upon his bugle." (The White Company)
Root:French fanfare, perhaps imitative.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Resembling farce; absurd.
Context (original sentence): The trial became farcical when the chief witness admitted he was asleep.
Root:French farce, stuffing; a comic interlude.
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To adorn with chains, garlands, or other decorations.
From the reading: "Snap! the overstrained line sagged down in one long festoon; the tugging log was gone." (Moby-Dick)
Root:Italian festone, festival ornament.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Having the mournful or somber character suitable for a funeral.
From the reading: "At last I came within sight of the house, and saw that Trabb and Co. had put in a funereal execution and taken possession." (Great Expectations)
Root:Latin funereus, from funus, funeral.
Part of speech: noun
Definition: A confused jumble or medley of things.
Context (original sentence): The attic held a gallimaufry of old trunks, portraits, and broken chairs.
Root:French galimafrée, a ragout or hash.
Part of speech: noun
Definition: The pursuit of pleasure as the chief good.
Context (original sentence): The old philosopher warned his students that hedonism leaves the soul empty.
Root:Greek hedone, pleasure.
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To accuse or blame; to incriminate.
From the reading: "Let us carefully compare with each other the various communications sent to the evening paper, in which the object was to inculpate a gang." (The Works of Edgar Allan Poe)
Root:Latin inculpare, from culpa, fault.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Having complex patterns of colors; constantly changing.
Context (original sentence): The market was a kaleidoscopic swirl of silks, spices, and voices.
Root:Greek kalos, beautiful + eidos, form + skopein, to look.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Dishonest or unscrupulous.
From the reading: "Gonzago is the Duke’s name, his wife Baptista: you shall see anon; ’tis a knavish piece of work: but what o’ that?" (Hamlet)
Root:Old English cnafa, boy, servant.
Part of speech: adjective (also a verb)
Definition: Having a pleasant rising and falling rhythm.
Context (original sentence): Her lilting Irish voice carried across the meadow.
Root:Middle English lulten, to sound an alarm.
Part A. Words in context (2 points each). Choose the meaning of the word as used in the sentence.
1. "The trial became farcical when the chief witness admitted he was asleep." Here farcical most nearly means
A) A confused jumble or medley of things B) Resembling farce C) Bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind D) Of a person after whom something is named
2. "The attic held a gallimaufry of old trunks, portraits, and broken chairs." Here gallimaufry most nearly means
A) A confused jumble or medley of things B) A distinct outgrowth on a body or plant C) Dishonest or unscrupulous D) Resembling farce
3. "The old philosopher warned his students that hedonism leaves the soul empty." Here hedonism most nearly means
A) A confused jumble or medley of things B) Of a person after whom something is named C) A friendly understanding or informal alliance between nations D) The pursuit of pleasure as the chief good
4. "At last I came within sight of the house, and saw that Trabb and Co. had put in a funereal execution and taken possession." Here funereal most nearly means
A) A confused jumble or medley of things B) Having the mournful or somber character suitable for a funeral C) Dishonest or unscrupulous D) Belonging to or appearing in summer
Part B. Sentence completion (1 point each). Each sentence comes from this week's entries; supply the word in the form used there. Word bank: fanfare, euphoric, festoon, factotum, excrescence, entente, extrapolate, knavish, lilting, estival
5. The ______ crowd poured into the streets at news of the armistice.
6. "The instant the ______ had closed the door, Valentin addressed the girl with an entirely new earnestness."
7. The ______ heat drove the family to the mountains each July.
8. "For, it inscrutably appeared to stand to reason, in the minds of the whole company, that I was an ______ on the entertainment."
9. "As he spoke the attendant cantered up the grassy enclosure, and pulling up his steed in front of the royal stand, blew a second ______ upon his bugle."
10. "Snap! the overstrained line sagged down in one long ______; the tugging log was gone."
11. "Gonzago is the Duke’s name, his wife Baptista: you shall see anon; ’tis a ______ piece of work: but what o’ that?"
12. The ______ between the two kingdoms kept the peace for a generation.
Part C. Synonyms and antonyms (1 point each).
13. Synonym of inculpate: (incriminate / euphoric / evocative)
14. Synonym of eponymous: (kaleidoscopic / title / extrapolate)
15. Synonym of evocative: (knavish / suggestive / festoon)
16. Synonym of epistolary: (kaleidoscopic / estival / letter-writing)
Part D. Analytical sentence (6 points). In two or three sentences, make a claim about this week's reading, quote it once, and use at least three of these words correctly: lilting, extrapolate, erstwhile.
1. B 2. A 3. D 4. B
5. euphoric 6. factotum 7. estival 8. excrescence 9. fanfare 10. festoon 11. knavish 12. entente (distractors: lilting, extrapolate)
13. incriminate 14. title 15. suggestive 16. letter-writing
Part D scoring: 2 for a clear claim, 2 for an accurate quotation, 2 for three week words used correctly. (8 + 8 + 4 + 6 = 26.)