Grade 7 College Vocabulary, Week 23

Definition: to take away from the worth, value or beauty of something; to lessen.

From the reading: "The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract."

Synonyms:

diminish, lessen, belittle

Antonyms:

enhance, add to, augment

Root:Latin detrahere, "to draw away," from de- (away) + trahere (to draw, pull).

Definition: deep, faithful love and loyalty given to a person, a cause or God; (also) religious worship or prayer.

From the reading: "...that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion..."

Synonyms:

dedication, loyalty, faithfulness

Antonyms:

indifference, disloyalty, apathy

Root:Latin devovere, "to vow, to dedicate," from de- (fully) + vovere (to vow).

Definition: to form an idea or plan in the mind; to imagine; to bring something into being.

From the reading: "conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Synonyms:

devise, imagine, originate

Antonyms:

(none exact) carry out, abandon

Root:Latin concipere, "to take in, take hold of," from con- (together) + capere (to take).

Definition: the quality of being short, especially of using few words.

Context: At Gettysburg, Edward Everett spoke for about two hours and Lincoln for about two minutes, yet Lincoln's brevity is what the world remembers.

KJV link: "...therefore let thy words be few" (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

Synonyms:

conciseness, shortness, terseness

Antonyms:

wordiness, verbosity, long-windedness

Root:Latin brevitas, from brevis, "short."

Definition: having broken a solemn promise or sworn falsely.

From the reading: "Would ye be forsworn?" (Matchum, reminding Dick of his oath to see him safe to Holywood).

KJV: "Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths" (Matthew 5:33).

Synonyms:

perjured, faithless, oath-breaking

Antonyms:

faithful, true to one's word, loyal

Root:Old English forswerian, from for- (wrongly, away) + swerian (to swear).

Definition: a pretended blow or move meant to throw an opponent off guard.

From the reading: "...made answer by a wrestling feint that stretched the sailor on the sand..."

Synonyms:

bluff, ruse, decoy

Antonyms:

(none exact) direct attack, open move

Root:French feindre, "to pretend," from Latin fingere, "to shape, invent." (Do not confuse it with faint.)

Definition: taking part with others in a wrong or a crime.

From the reading: "They do accuse me, indeed, of some complicity, but have not proved one tittle."

Synonyms:

involvement, collusion, conspiracy

Antonyms:

innocence, noninvolvement

Root:French complice, "partner," from Latin complex, "joined together," from com- (together) + plicare (to fold).

Definition: a person who helps another commit a wrong or a crime.

From the reading: "...Sir Oliver indicated Lawless, both by voice and gesture, as accomplice to the fact."

Synonyms:

partner in crime, confederate, collaborator

Antonyms:

opponent, accuser, bystander

Root:from Middle English a complice, from Latin complex (see complicity): one "folded together" with another in a deed.

Definition: boldly rude and disrespectful; contemptuous of authority.

From the reading: "treacherous and insolent, I have thee fast" (Sir Daniel, to his captured ward Dick).

KJV link: "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18).

Synonyms:

impudent, arrogant, disrespectful

Antonyms:

respectful, courteous, deferential

Root:Latin insolens, "unusual, haughty," from in- (not) + solere (to be accustomed): one who breaks the customs of respect.

Definition: acting as if one is better than others; proudly scornful.

Context: The proud lords of The Black Arrow look down on the outlaws of the greenwood with supercilious scorn, until the outlaws' arrows teach them otherwise.

KJV link: "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves" (Philippians 2:3).

Synonyms:

haughty, disdainful, condescending

Antonyms:

humble, modest, unassuming

Root:Latin supercilium, "eyebrow": the raised eyebrow of a proud man looking down on others.

Definition: bitter anger at having been treated unfairly; a grudge.

From the reading: "...exposed upon all sides to the just resentment of their victims."

KJV link: "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Ephesians 4:26).

Synonyms:

bitterness, grudge, indignation

Antonyms:

forgiveness, goodwill, contentment

Root:French ressentir, "to feel again," from re- (again) + sentir (to feel): a hurt felt over and over.

Definition: treating something holy with disrespect; misusing what is set apart for God.

From the reading: "...it runs hard on sacrilege..." (Sir Oliver, angry that an outlaw pinned a rhyme to the church door).

KJV: "...thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?" (Romans 2:22).

Synonyms:

desecration, profanation, irreverence

Antonyms:

reverence, piety, devotion

Root:Latin sacrilegus, "temple robber," from sacer (holy) + legere (to gather, carry off).

Definition: full of sorrow; mournful and gloomy.

From the reading: "Nay," said Matcham, with a shiver, "it hath a doleful note."

KJV: "...lament with a doleful lamentation..." (Micah 2:4).

Synonyms:

mournful, woeful, melancholy

Antonyms:

cheerful, joyful, merry

Root:Old French doel, "grief," from Latin dolere, "to grieve, feel pain."

Definition: deep, sincere sorrow for one's sin, together with the wish to do right.

From the reading: "...crossed himself with every appearance of terror and contrition." (Notice "appearance": the scheming priest Sir Oliver looks sorry, but is he?)

KJV: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51:17).

Synonyms:

remorse, penitence, sorrow

Antonyms:

impenitence, defiance, hardness of heart

Root:Latin conterere, "to grind, crush," from con- (thoroughly) + terere (to rub): a heart crushed by its guilt.

Definition: an act of hardship or self-denial taken on to show sorrow for a wrong; (generally) any punishment one accepts to make amends.

From the reading: "I will, for penance sake and to avoid worse evil, once I have finished this adventure, get me to a cloister." (Dick, believing his rashness has cost a good man his life.)

Synonyms:

atonement, amends, self-punishment

Antonyms:

(none exact) self-indulgence, impenitence

Root:Old French penance, from Latin paenitentia, "regret," from paenitere, "to repent."

Definition: turning away from sin with sorrow, and turning toward what is right.

From the reading: "It appeared to Dick, in this extremity of his humiliation and repentance, that the young lady had laughed."

KJV: "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance" (Matthew 3:8).

Synonyms:

contrition, penitence, remorse

Antonyms:

impenitence, obstinacy, defiance

Root:Old French repentir, from Latin re- (again) + paenitere (to regret).

Definition: the opening of a speech or essay, meant to win the hearer's goodwill and attention.

From the reading: "Cicero’s name for the opening of a speech, meant to make the hearer well disposed, attentive and ready to learn."

Synonyms:

introduction, opening, preamble

Antonyms:

peroration, conclusion

Root:Latin exordium, from exordiri, "to begin a web," from ex- (out) + ordiri (to begin weaving).

Definition: the closing part of a speech, which sums up and stirs the hearer to agree or act.

From the reading: "The closing of a speech, which sums up the proof and stirs the hearer to agree or act."

Synonyms:

conclusion, closing, summation

Antonyms:

exordium, introduction

Root:Latin peroratio, from perorare, "to speak to the end," from per- (through) + orare (to speak).

Definition: used so often that it has become stale and dull.

Context: The lesson warns against hackneyed hooks such as a dictionary definition or "Since the dawn of time."

Synonyms:

trite, stale, overused

Antonyms:

fresh, original, novel

Root:from Hackney, a town near London known for horses kept for hire. A "hackney" horse was ridden by everyone and so became worn out.

Definition: to sum up the main points again briefly.

From the reading: "...the three reasons in a sentence or two, briefly, without new evidence." (the "gather" step of a conclusion, where you recapitulate your proof)

Synonyms:

summarize, restate, review

Antonyms:

elaborate, expand, digress

Root:Latin recapitulare, "to go over the main points," from re- (again) + capitulum (heading, chapter), from caput (head).