Grade 9 College Vocabulary, Week 7

Definition: A restriction; a limiting rule or circumstance.

From the reading: "Am I your self But, as it were, in sort or limitation, To keep with you at meals, comfort your bed, And talk to you sometimes?" (Julius Caesar)

Synonyms:

restriction, limit

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Latin limitatio: compare French Limitation. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To take in or include something as part of a whole.

From the reading: "No, it is Casca, one incorporate To our attempts." (Julius Caesar)

Synonyms:

include, absorb, integrate

Antonyms:

exclude

Root:Latin incorporatus. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Having an outline or surface that curves inward like the inside of a bowl.

From the reading: "And when you saw his chariot but appear, Have you not made an universal shout, That Tiber trembled underneath her banks To hear the replication of your sounds Made in her concave shores?" (Julius Caesar)

Synonyms:

hollow, sunken, curved inward

Antonyms:

convex

Root:Latin concavus; con- + cavus hollow: compare French concave. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Away from the expected course; amiss; out of position.

From the reading: "He was a dissipated-looking youth with a gorgeous red necktie all awry, as if he had slept in it, and he kept fidgeting and lashing about with one of those little jointed canes." (The Innocence of Father Brown)

Synonyms:

amiss, askew, wrong

Antonyms:

right, straight

Root:Pref. a- + wry. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Not having the necessary skill to do something successfully.

From the reading: "A woman’s heart is such a complex problem—the owner thereof is often most incompetent to find the solution of this puzzle." (The Scarlet Pimpernel)

Synonyms:

unskilled, inept, unqualified

Antonyms:

competent, skilled

Root:Latin incompetens: compare French incompétent. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Relying on another for support.

From the reading: "It was, at least, a ticklish decision that he had to make; and self-reliant as he was by habit, he began to cherish a longing for advice." (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)

Synonyms:

dependent

Antonyms:

independent

Root:rely (Old French relier, to bind together, from Latin re-, again + ligare, to bind) + -ant: depending upon.

Definition: To be greater or more significant than.

From the reading: "However, if Scotland win the day the good work that you have done should well outweigh all the influence which they might bring to bear against you." (In Freedom's Cause)

Synonyms:

exceed, surpass, override

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:out, beyond + weigh (Old English wegan, to carry, to weigh): to weigh more than.

Definition: Showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics; departing from the direct way.

From the reading: "Creusa kept behind; by choice we stray Thro’ ev’ry dark and ev’ry devious way." (The Aeneid)

Synonyms:

deceitful, sly, crafty

Antonyms:

honest, direct

Root:Latin devius; de + via way. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Not conforming to accepted standards of right conduct; wicked.

From the reading: "I am a man who has ever since boyhood believed in Nature and in all natural functions and instincts, whether men called them moral or immoral." (The Innocence of Father Brown)

Synonyms:

wicked, sinful, corrupt

Antonyms:

moral, virtuous

Root:Pref. im- not + moral: compare French immoral. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Boldly resisting authority or an opposing force.

From the reading: "In the background, up far in the sky, the garniture of the sacred places is visible: here the Haram, with its graceful dome; yonder the stalward remains of Hippicus, defiant even in ruins." (Ben-Hur)

Synonyms:

rebellious, disobedient, recalcitrant

Antonyms:

obedient, compliant

Root:Cf. French défiant, present participle of défier. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Relating to the care of souls by a pastor; portraying country life in an idealized way.

From the reading: "Here are the pastoral staff, the white mitre, and the mantle with which you invested me." (A Book of Golden Deeds)

Synonyms:

rural, rustic, bucolic; ministerial

Antonyms:

urban

Root:Latin pastoralis: compare French pastoral. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Not in accordance with accepted standards of behavior; wrong or unsuitable.

From the reading: "Observing our faults in others, is sometimes improper for our case." (Essays)

Synonyms:

unfitting, unseemly, wrong

Antonyms:

proper, fitting

Root:French impropre, Latin improprius; pref. im- not + proprius proper. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To join again; to say something in reply.

From the reading: "You may then walk to the end of the street, and I will rejoin you in ten minutes." (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, selected)

Synonyms:

reply, retort, answer

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:French rejoindre; pref. re- re- + joindre to join. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: An involuntary shaking or quivering; a slight earthquake.

From the reading: "Without a start, without a tremor, she raised her lamp and looked at the young monk." (The Black Arrow)

Synonyms:

trembling, quiver, quake

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Latin, from tremere to tremble. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Opposite or contrary in position, direction, order, or effect.

From the reading: "It is true that he took people's money more by force than fraud; and the law (being used to the inverse method) was bitterly moved against him, although he could quote precedent." (Lorna Doone)

Synonyms:

opposite, reverse, contrary

Antonyms:

forward, direct

Root:Latin inversus, past participle of invertere: compare French inverse. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To fail to resist pressure, temptation, or some other negative force.

From the reading: "Woman-like, she thought of him with unmixed sadness; the irony of that fate seemed so cruel which allowed the fearless lion to succumb to the gnawing of a rat!" (The Scarlet Pimpernel)

Synonyms:

yield, give in, submit

Antonyms:

resist

Root:Latin succumbere; sub under + cumbere (in comp.), akin to cubare to lie down. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Occurring or done before the usual or proper time; too early.

From the reading: "Her features and figure were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was shot with premature grey, and her expression was weary and haggard." (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, selected)

Synonyms:

early, untimely, hasty

Antonyms:

timely

Root:Latin praematurus; prae before + maturus ripe. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Great enjoyment; to enjoy greatly.

From the reading: "He then turned back and saluted the landlady once more with the utmost relish and satisfaction." (The White Company)

Synonyms:

enjoy, savor, delight in

Antonyms:

dislike

Root:Of. relechier to lick or taste anew; pref. re- re- + lechier to lick, French l. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Very comfortable and elegant, involving great expense.

From the reading: "For the Elizabethan age, Chapman supplied what was then necessary, and the mannerisms that were then deemed of the essence of poetry, namely, daring and luxurious conceits." (The Odyssey)

Synonyms:

lavish, sumptuous, opulent

Antonyms:

plain, austere

Root:Latin luxuriosus: compare French luxurieux. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To entrust a task or responsibility to another.

From the reading: "I am the unworthy servant and delegate of him who holds the keys." (The White Company)

Synonyms:

assign, entrust, depute

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Latin delegatus, past participle of delegare to send, delegate; de- + legare to send with a commission, to depute. (Webster, 1913)