Grade 7 College Vocabulary, Week 35

Definition: Countless; extremely great in number.

From the reading: ""This is it: "'There are a myriad worlds." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

countless, innumerable, untold

Antonyms:

few

Root:Greek myriade. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: A person who asserts a right to something, such as a throne, a title or a sum of money.

From the reading: "Two years before, a rival claimant to the throne had assassinated the then reigning king and his sons, and since then, bloody war and tumult had raged." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

applicant, pretender, petitioner

Antonyms:

holder, possessor

Root:Latin clamare, "to cry out": one who calls out for what he says is his.

Definition: Not prominent or readily noticeable.

From the reading: "XXV A VOICE IN THE NIGHT Late that afternoon there wandered about the gardens two quiet, inconspicuous, rather poorly dressed boys." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

unnoticeable, unobtrusive, obscure

Antonyms:

conspicuous, prominent

Root:Latin inconspicuus. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Covered as with a veil; partly hidden or not openly stated.

From the reading: "It was covered with white, and against the wall above it hung a large picture veiled by a curtain." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

hidden, disguised, concealed

Antonyms:

open, unveiled

Root:Latin velum, a covering or sail: covered as with a veil.

Definition: The feeling of not being content; displeasure with how things are.

From the reading: "When they heard of the unrest and dissatisfaction of the Samavians, they began to get restless themselves." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

discontent, displeasure, disgruntlement

Antonyms:

satisfaction, contentment, approval

Root:Latin dis- "not" + satisfacere, "to do enough" (satis "enough" + facere "to make").

Definition: A short period of quiet or calm in the middle of activity or storm; (verb) to soothe or calm, as one lulls a baby to sleep.

From the reading: "It was not long after this thought had come to him that there occurred the first temporary lull in the storm." (The Lost Prince)

KJV link: "Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." (Mark 4:39)

Synonyms:

pause, calm, respite; (verb) soothe, quiet

Antonyms:

tumult, storm; (verb) rouse, agitate

Root:Middle English lullen, imitating the sound of a soothing song.

Definition: Filled with lively energy and excitement; growing thickly.

From the reading: "God gives us power to rule: He gives us power To rule ourselves, and prune the exuberant flower Of youth, and worship Him hour after hour." (Poems of Christina Rossetti)

Synonyms:

lively, buoyant, high-spirited

Antonyms:

subdued, gloomy

Root:Latin exuberare, to be abundantly fruitful.

Definition: To make peaceful or calm; to quiet an angry or upset person.

From the reading: "So they were pacified and went on their way, and Loristan and Lazarus and Marco and The Rat went on theirs also." (The Lost Prince)

KJV link: "The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it." (Proverbs 16:14)

Synonyms:

appease, placate, calm

Antonyms:

provoke, enrage, inflame

Root:Latin pacificare, "to make peace," from pax, pacis "peace" + facere "to make."

Definition: To shock or greatly surprise.

From the reading: "In the architecture and embellishments of the chamber, the evident design had been to dazzle and astound." (The Works of Edgar Allan Poe)

Synonyms:

amaze, astonish, stagger

Antonyms:

bore

Root:Middle English astoned, stunned.

Definition: Done quietly and secretly so as not to be seen or heard; sly in movement.

From the reading: "And there were sounds in the bushes of stealthy, padding feet which wandered about as if the owners of them listened too." (The Lost Prince)

KJV link: "And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle." (2 Samuel 19:3)

Synonyms:

furtive, sneaky, surreptitious

Antonyms:

open, bold, obvious

Root:Middle English stelth, "theft," from Old English stelan, "to steal": movement like a thief's.

Definition: Bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative.

From the reading: "Sometimes, Marco was troubled by the way in which he insisted on serving him, this queer, once dictatorial and cantankerous lad who had begun by throwing stones at him." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

contrary, cranky, quarrelsome

Antonyms:

good-natured, agreeable

Root:perhaps from Middle English contakour, a troublemaker (from contek, strife), origin uncertain: quarrelsome.

Definition: A dreamlike state in which a person seems unaware of the world around him; a daze of deep absorption.

From the reading: "He spoke almost as if he were in a sort of trance." (The Lost Prince)

KJV link: "And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance." (Acts 10:10)

Synonyms:

daze, reverie, stupor

Antonyms:

alertness, wakefulness

Root:Old French transe, from transir, "to pass over," from Latin transire (trans- "across" + ire "to go").

Definition: To take a slow, leisurely walk, especially in a public place.

From the reading: "It was not a fashionable promenade but a pleasant retreat for people who sometimes took their work or books and sat on the seats placed here and there among the shrubs and flowers." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

stroll, saunter, parade

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:French promener, to take for a walk, from Latin prominare, to drive forward (pro-, forward + minare, to drive): a leisurely walk.

Definition: To make a military observation of a region; to scout.

From the reading: ""Yes; and secret messengers who can climb anywhere, and cross dangerous places, and reconnoiter from points no one else can reach, can find out things and give signals other men cannot," said Marco." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

scout, survey, explore

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Old French reconnoistre, to recognize or explore, from Latin recognoscere, to know again (re-, again + cognoscere, to know): to look over ground before acting.

Definition: A loud shout or clamor; a strong public protest.

From the reading: "This time the outcry seemed even more excited than before." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

clamor, uproar, protest

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:out + cry (Old French crier, from Latin quiritare, to cry out for help): a loud crying out.

Definition: So clear or distinctive that it cannot be mistaken for anything else.

From the reading: "An elderly man in ordinary clothes, but with an unmistakable face, was sitting quietly talking to Loristan who with a gesture called both forward." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

unambiguous, distinctive, obvious

Antonyms:

ambiguous, doubtful, obscure

Root:English un- + mistake (Old Norse mistaka, "to take wrongly") + -able.

Definition: In feudal times, a person who held land from a lord in return for loyalty and service; any faithful subordinate or dependent.

From the reading: "If the faithful vassal could have been wounded or cast into a dungeon for his young commander's sake, the adventure would have been more complete." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

liegeman, retainer, subject

Antonyms:

lord, master, sovereign

Root:Medieval Latin vassallus, "manservant, retainer," from a Celtic word for "young man."

Definition: Rough, harsh and deep in sound, as a voice strained by shouting or a cold.

From the reading: "But when loud surges lash the sounding shore, / The hoarse, rough verse should like the torrent roar." (Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, in the lesson)

From the reading: "Lazarus's voice was low and hoarse, and he saluted quite reverently." (The Lost Prince)

Synonyms:

husky, gravelly, rasping

Antonyms:

clear, smooth, mellow

Root:Old English has, "hoarse"; the r crept in during the Middle Ages.

Definition: (noun) A tune or passage of music or poetry; a pulling force, tension or pressure; (verb) to stretch or exert to the limit, or to filter.

From the reading: "Soft is the strain when Zephyr gently blows, / And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows." (Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, in the lesson)

From the reading: "He felt that he had grown pale with the strain of excitement, and he had begun to feel that he must be walking in a dream, as on each side people bowed low and curtsied to the ground." (The Lost Prince)

KJV link: "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." (Matthew 23:24)

Synonyms:

melody, air; tension, stress; (verb) stretch, tax

Antonyms:

ease, relaxation; (verb) relax, slacken

Root:Old French estreindre, "to bind tightly," from Latin stringere, "to draw tight."

Definition: Active strength and energy of body or mind; in writing, force and liveliness.

From the reading: "And praise the easy vigor of a line, / Where Denham's strength, and Waller's sweetness join." (Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, in the lesson)

KJV link: "And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated." (Deuteronomy 34:7)

Synonyms:

energy, vitality, force

Antonyms:

weakness, feebleness, lethargy

Root:Latin vigor, from vigere, "to be lively, thrive." British spelling: vigour.