Grade 6 College Vocabulary, Week 31

Definition: to say under oath or in earnest what one knows to be true; to bear witness.

From the reading: "This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true."

KJV link: The model passage is John 21:24. John names himself as the witness, which is the "witnessed" head of a confirmation in one sentence.

Synonyms:

bear witness, attest, declare

Antonyms:

deny, recant, conceal

Root:Latin testificari, from testis, "witness," + facere, "to make": to make a witness's statement.

Definition: to examine something very closely and carefully, looking for every detail.

From the reading: "Chauvelin looked at Marguerite long and scrutinisingly." (Orczy uses the British spelling with s.)

KJV link: The Bereans scrutinized even Paul's preaching: they "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11).

Synonyms:

inspect, examine, study

Antonyms:

glance at, skim, overlook

Root:Latin scrutari, "to search carefully," from scruta, "rags, scraps": first used of rag-pickers sorting through every scrap.

Definition: so plainly true that no one can reasonably deny it.

From the reading: "Physically, Sir Percy Blakeney was undeniably handsome."

Synonyms:

indisputable, certain, unquestionable

Antonyms:

doubtful, questionable, debatable

Root:un- (not) + deny (Latin denegare, "to refuse") + -able: not able to be refused.

Definition: to twist something out of its true shape or meaning; to give a false account.

Context: A writer who says Winslow served turkey and pumpkin pie distorts the record, because Winslow's letter speaks only of fowl and of five deer brought by the guests.

KJV link: Peter warns of Paul's letters, "which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16). To wrest is to distort.

Synonyms:

twist, misrepresent, falsify

Antonyms:

clarify, straighten, represent faithfully

Root:Latin distortus, from dis- (apart) + torquere, "to twist."

Definition: careful and wise in what one says or does, especially in keeping things quiet or private.

From the reading: "A discreet knock at the door roused her from her enjoyment."

KJV: "Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt" (Genesis 41:33).

Synonyms:

prudent, tactful, careful

Antonyms:

indiscreet, careless, tactless

Root:Latin discretus, from discernere, "to separate, tell apart": one who can tell what should be said from what should not. (Do not confuse with discrete, "separate.")

Definition: done secretly, so that others will not notice.

From the reading: "...as Chauvelin had surreptitiously looked at his watch for the third time..."

Synonyms:

stealthy, sly, secret

Antonyms:

open, obvious, aboveboard

Root:Latin surripere, "to snatch secretly," from sub- (under) + rapere (to seize).

Definition: to deceive or trick someone.

From the reading: "...pretend to be hoodwinked by the disguise, by the wigs and other bits of theatrical make-up..."

Synonyms:

fool, deceive, bamboozle

Antonyms:

enlighten, undeceive

Root:hood + wink (an old word for "to close the eyes"): to blindfold with a hood.

Definition: so fine, delicate or clever that it is hard to notice or understand at first.

From the reading: "...subtle schemes for the escape of a batch of French aristocrats..."

KJV: "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made" (Genesis 3:1). The KJV spells it subtil.

Synonyms:

fine, delicate, crafty

Antonyms:

obvious, blatant, crude

Root:Latin subtilis, "finely woven," from sub- (under) + tela (web): thread so fine it is hard to see.

Definition: serious and immediate danger.

From the reading: "Your brother, St. Just, is in peril."

KJV: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" (Romans 8:35).

Synonyms:

danger, jeopardy, hazard

Antonyms:

safety, security

Root:Latin periculum, "a trial, a risk."

Definition: to puzzle or confuse someone, so that he does not know what to think or do.

From the reading: "God knows you have perplexed me, so that I do not know which way my duty lies."

KJV: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair" (2 Corinthians 4:8).

Synonyms:

puzzle, bewilder, baffle

Antonyms:

clarify, enlighten, explain

Root:Latin perplexus, "tangled," from per- (thoroughly) + plectere (to weave, braid): one's thoughts are woven into a knot.

Definition: a state of nervous excitement or troubled worry; (also) a stirring or shaking.

From the reading: "Her still overwrought nerves, her excitement and agitation, lent beautiful Marguerite Blakeney much additional charm."

Synonyms:

anxiety, distress, turmoil

Antonyms:

calm, composure, serenity

Root:Latin agitare, "to drive about, stir up," from agere, "to drive."

Definition: wild with fear, worry or hurry; out of control with emotion.

From the reading: "Bewildered, half frantic with the bitterness of disappointment, she looked round her helplessly..."

Synonyms:

frenzied, desperate, panicked

Antonyms:

calm, collected, serene

Root:Greek phrenitis, "inflammation of the mind," from phren, "mind." Frenzy comes from the same root.

Definition: having no energy or interest; limp and indifferent.

From the reading: "Sir Andrew Ffoulkes was still in the same listless position by the door..." (He only looked listless; he was watching closely.)

Synonyms:

sluggish, lethargic, languid

Antonyms:

energetic, lively, eager

Root:Old English lust, list, "desire, wish" + -less: without any wish to do anything.

Definition: sleepy or drowsy; (also) causing sleep.

From the reading: "...wearing already that mask of somnolent indifference which you have never laid aside until . . . until now."

Synonyms:

drowsy, sleepy, sluggish

Antonyms:

alert, wakeful, lively

Root:Latin somnolentus, from somnus, "sleep." (Compare insomnia.)

Definition: done only because it must be done, with little care or interest.

From the reading: "...trying to take, at long intervals, some perfunctory meals, which little Sally would bring them..."

Synonyms:

halfhearted, routine, careless

Antonyms:

thorough, careful, wholehearted

Root:Latin perfunctorius, from perfungi, "to get through with, discharge": doing a duty just to be done with it.

Definition: calm, peaceful and untroubled.

From the reading: "...the young man rejoiced to see that it looked serene, and even gently smiling."

KJV link: Serenity is a fruit of trust in God: "in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15).

Synonyms:

calm, tranquil, peaceful

Antonyms:

agitated, frantic, troubled

Root:Latin serenus, "clear, cloudless," first used of a calm sky.

Definition: an act of revenge; harm done to someone in return for harm received.

From the reading: "...incidents of that type, in fact, led to the bloody reprisals, which a few years later sent most of those haughty heads to the guillotine."

KJV link: Scripture forbids private reprisal: "Recompense to no man evil for evil" (Romans 12:17).

Synonyms:

retaliation, revenge, retribution

Antonyms:

forgiveness, pardon, mercy

Root:Italian ripresaglia, from Latin reprehendere, "to seize back."

Definition: great eagerness and devotion for a cause or a person.

From the reading: "Robespierre and Danton both had commended Bibot for his zeal..."

KJV: "For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up" (Psalm 69:9). Zeal is good or bad depending on what it serves: Bibot's zeal served the Terror, while the psalmist's served the house of God.

Synonyms:

fervor, enthusiasm, passion

Antonyms:

apathy, indifference, half-heartedness

Root:Greek zelos, "eagerness, rivalry, jealousy."

Definition: a state in which people who were once close have become distant or unfriendly.

From the reading: "...the estrangement, which, alas! has arisen between us, was none of my making, remember."

Synonyms:

separation, alienation, division

Antonyms:

closeness, harmony, reconciliation

Root:Old French estranger, from Latin extraneus, "foreign, outside": to make someone a stranger.

Definition: the restoring of friendship or peace between people who were divided.

From the reading: "Tell him that we drink in token of reconciliation."

KJV: "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Synonyms:

reunion, peacemaking, restoration

Antonyms:

estrangement, alienation, division

Root:Latin reconciliare, from re- (again) + conciliare (to bring together): to bring together again.