Grade 6 College Vocabulary, Week 2

Definition: sleep, especially light or idle sleep; to sleep or doze.

From the reading: "Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:" (Proverbs 6:10).

Synonyms:

sleep, doze, drowse

Antonyms:

wakefulness, alertness, vigilance

Root:Old English slūma, "sleep," with the Middle English ending -er.

Definition: lack or need, especially of the things needed to live. Tests often check this older sense, not "to wish for."

From the reading: "So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man." (Proverbs 6:11).

KJV link: "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1). Here want means "lack," not "wish."

Synonyms:

lack, need, poverty, scarcity

Antonyms:

plenty, abundance, sufficiency

Root:Old Norse vanta, "to be lacking."

Definition: lazy and unwilling to work. Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins in the classical Christian tradition.

KJV: "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster" (Proverbs 18:9).

Synonyms:

lazy, idle, sluggish

Antonyms:

industrious, diligent, energetic

Root:Middle English slouthe, from slow + -th: slowness. The ending -ful means "full of."

Definition: avoiding work or effort; habitually lazy.

Context: The sluggard in Proverbs is indolent. He always means to start work after one more nap.

KJV link: "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger" (Proverbs 19:15).

Synonyms:

lazy, slothful, idle, lethargic

Antonyms:

industrious, diligent, energetic

Root:Latin in- (not) + dolere (to feel pain, take trouble): one who does not take trouble.

Definition: careful to plan and save for future needs.

From the reading: "Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest." (Proverbs 6:8). The ant provides, so she is provident.

Context: Bilbo dashed out of his door without even a pocket handkerchief, which was hardly provident for a long journey.

Synonyms:

prepared, thrifty, farsighted

Antonyms:

improvident, careless, wasteful

Root:Latin providens, from pro- (ahead) + videre (to see): seeing ahead. Providence comes from the same root. It names God's wise care over all things.

Definition: a person who watches over and directs the work of others; a supervisor.

From the reading: "Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler," (Proverbs 6:7).

Synonyms:

supervisor, foreman, manager, superintendent

Antonyms:

worker, laborer, subordinate

Root:Old English ofer (over) + sēon (to see): one who looks over the work.

Definition: the ability to see what will be needed in the future and to prepare for it.

Context: The ant shows foresight: she stores grain in summer because she knows winter will come.

KJV link: "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished" (Proverbs 22:3).

Synonyms:

forethought, prudence, vision

Antonyms:

shortsightedness, carelessness, improvidence

Root:fore- (before) + sight: seeing beforehand.

Definition: to expect something and prepare for it ahead of time.

From the reading: "That is the cause head: the ant prepares because winter is sure to come." She anticipates the cold.

Synonyms:

expect, foresee, prepare for

Antonyms:

overlook, be surprised by, ignore

Root:Latin anticipare, from ante- (before) + capere (to take): to take hold of something before it arrives.

Definition: following the usual customs and expectations; ordinary and unsurprising.

Context: The Bagginses were respected because they were so conventional: no one ever expected a Baggins to do anything unexpected.

Synonyms:

customary, ordinary, traditional, orthodox

Antonyms:

unconventional, unusual, eccentric

Root:Latin conventio, "an agreement," from con- (together) + venire (to come): what people have agreed to do.

Definition: fear or nervousness about something that may happen.

Context: Bilbo was full of trepidation as he crept alone down the dark tunnel toward the sleeping dragon, but he went on anyway.

Synonyms:

dread, apprehension, anxiety, fear

Antonyms:

confidence, calm, boldness

Root:Latin trepidare, "to tremble, be alarmed," from trepidus, "anxious."

Definition: a risky journey or undertaking; to dare to go or do something risky.

Context: Thorin and his dwarves set out on a dangerous venture to win back their old home under the Lonely Mountain.

Synonyms:

enterprise, undertaking, quest; (verb) dare, risk

Antonyms:

(verb) hold back, refrain

Root:shortened from Middle English aventure, "adventure, chance."

Definition: too small in amount; scanty and poor.

Context: In the dark forest the company's food ran low until they were living on meager scraps, and they wished they had packed like the ant.

Synonyms:

scanty, sparse, paltry, insufficient

Antonyms:

abundant, plentiful, ample

Root:Old French maigre, "thin," from Latin macer, "lean."

Definition: hardworking and steady in effort.

KJV: "...and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph" (1 Kings 11:28).

Synonyms:

diligent, hardworking, assiduous

Antonyms:

slothful, indolent, idle

Root:Latin industria, "diligence, activity."

Definition: to pay careful attention to; careful attention or notice.

KJV: "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Synonyms:

mind, regard, note, obey

Antonyms:

ignore, disregard, neglect

Root:Old English hēdan, "to guard, take care of."

Definition: to warn or gently correct someone, usually to help him do better.

KJV: "Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother" (2 Thessalonians 3:15).

Synonyms:

warn, caution, reprove, rebuke

Antonyms:

praise, commend, approve

Root:Latin admonere, from ad- (to) + monere (to warn, remind).

Definition: without money, food, or the other things needed to live.

KJV: "He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer" (Psalm 102:17).

Synonyms:

impoverished, needy, penniless

Antonyms:

wealthy, prosperous, affluent

Root:Latin destitutus, "abandoned," from de- (away) + statuere (to set, place): left alone and without support.

Definition: to make larger; to develop a short idea into a fuller piece by explaining, comparing and giving examples.

From the reading: "Aphthonius expanded a maxim with the same eight heads as the chreia."

Synonyms:

enlarge, elaborate, develop, amplify

Antonyms:

condense, abridge, shorten

Root:Latin expandere, from ex- (out) + pandere (to spread): to spread out.

Definition: a statement that something is true, especially from a witness; in the eight heads, what other wise men and Scripture say about a maxim.

From the reading: "Agur, another wise man in Proverbs, praises the same ant. That is testimony."

KJV: "...the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7).

Synonyms:

witness, evidence, declaration

Antonyms:

denial, refutation

Root:Latin testimonium, from testis, "a witness."

Definition: a short closing section of a speech, essay, or book that sums up or urges the reader.

From the reading: "Epilogue (a short ending that urges the reader)"

Synonyms:

conclusion, afterword, postscript

Antonyms:

prologue, preface, introduction

Root:Greek epilogos, from epi- (upon, in addition) + logos (word, speech): a word added at the end.

Definition: to strongly urge or encourage someone to do what is right.

KJV: "Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread" (2 Thessalonians 3:12).

Context: A good epilogue exhorts the reader to follow the maxim: go to the ant, and get to work.

Synonyms:

urge, encourage, press, implore

Antonyms:

discourage, dissuade, deter

Root:Latin exhortari, from ex- (thoroughly) + hortari (to urge, encourage).