Grade 9 College Vocabulary, Week 11

Definition: Unclear or confused in expression; lacking logical connection.

From the reading: "The reader of an incoherent essay has to do the writer’s work, guessing how each sentence connects to the last." (the lesson)

Synonyms:

confused, disjointed, rambling

Antonyms:

coherent, clear

Root:Pref. in- not + coherent: compare French incohérent. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To prepare and use land for crops; to develop or improve by education or training.

From the reading: "Never forget I am your king, and obey my commands, by cultivating the country I confide to you." (The Swiss Family Robinson)

Synonyms:

till, farm; nurture, refine

Antonyms:

neglect

Root:Medieval Latin cultivare, from Latin cultus, tilled (colere, to till): to till the soil; to develop.

Definition: A thing that can be added to something else to make it more useful or attractive; one who aids another in a crime.

From the reading: "Clair’s story, he was known to have been at the foot of the stair within a very few seconds of her husband’s appearance at the window, he could hardly have been more than an accessory to the crime." (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, selected)

Synonyms:

addition, extra; accomplice

Antonyms:

unsupportive

Root:Latin accessorius. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Related to or written for or performed by a chorus or choir.

From the reading: "There rose the choral hymn of praise, And trump and timbrel answer’d keen, And Zion’s daughters pour’d their lays, With priest’s and warrior’s voice between." (Ivanhoe)

Synonyms:

(none exact)

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Late Latin choralis, from Latin chorus. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Relating to or characteristic of wooded regions.

From the reading: "There, while I went to crop the sylvan scenes, And shade our altar with their leafy greens, I pull’d a plant; with horror I relate A prodigy so strange and full of fate." (The Aeneid)

Synonyms:

silvan, wooded

Antonyms:

unwooded

Root:. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Intending or intended to do harm.

From the reading: "His purple face was full of tranquil and malicious happiness." (Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc)

KJV link: "Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church." (3 John 1:10)

Synonyms:

spiteful, malevolent, vicious

Antonyms:

kindly, benevolent

Root:Of. malicius, French malicieux, from Latin malitiosus. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Having sharp corners or angles; lean and bony.

From the reading: "He had been cast in large mould, but was now shrunken and stooped to ghastliness; his white robe dropped from his shoulders in folds that gave no hint of muscle or anything but an angular skeleton." (Ben-Hur)

Synonyms:

sharp-cornered, bony, gaunt

Antonyms:

rounded, plump

Root:Latin angularis, from angulus angle, corner. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: A secret political clique or faction; a group of plotters.

From the reading: "BASIL, A TRAGEDY No spider ever took more pains to repair the shattered meshes of his web, than did Waldemar Fitzurse to reunite and combine the scattered members of Prince John’s cabal." (Ivanhoe)

Synonyms:

faction, clique, conspiracy

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:French cabale cabal, cabala Late Latin cabala cabala, from Heb. qabbaleh reception, tradition, mysterious doctrine, from qabal to take or receive, in Piël qibbel to abopt (a doctrine). (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To accept or overlook behavior that is morally wrong.

From the reading: "It was clear, too, that if they joined the English, and another defeat of the latter took place, their countrymen might no longer condone their treachery, but their titles and estates might be confiscated." (In Freedom's Cause)

Synonyms:

excuse, overlook, tolerate

Antonyms:

condemn

Root:Latin condonare, -donatum, to give up, remit, forgive; con- + donare to give. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Hidden from view; beyond ordinary understanding; relating to forbidden magical arts.

From the reading: "From any such occult mood, at least, he quickly recovered, for he knew he was late, and that his guests had already begun to arrive." (The Innocence of Father Brown)

Synonyms:

hidden, secret, mysterious

Antonyms:

evident, plain

Root:Latin occultus, p.p. of occulere to cover up, hide; ob (see Ob-) + a root prob.akin to English hell: compare French occulte. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To put right; to correct.

From the reading: "There is a huge error which it may take some little time to rectify." (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, selected)

Synonyms:

correct, remedy, amend

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:French rectifier, Late Latin rectificare; Latin rectus right + -ficare (in comp.) to make. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: A person, thing, or circumstance causing annoyance or inconvenience.

From the reading: "DE GUICHE (who, with the marquises, has come down from the stage): But he becomes a nuisance!" (Cyrano de Bergerac)

Synonyms:

annoyance, bother, pest

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Old English noisance, Old French noisance, nuisance, from Latin nocentia guilt, from nocere to hurt, harm; akin to necare to kill. Cf Necromancy, Nocent, Noxious, Pernicious. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: The faculty of reasoning and understanding; a person of great intelligence.

From the reading: "She tried to rouse him by sharpening her ready wit against his dull intellect; endeavoured to excite his jealousy, if she could not rouse his love; tried to goad him to self-assertion, but all in vain." (The Scarlet Pimpernel)

Synonyms:

mind, reason, understanding

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Latin intellectus, from intelligere, intellectum, to understand: compare intellect. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Fineness or intricacy of texture or structure; tact and sensitivity; a rare or choice food.

From the reading: "She was not solely a saint, an angel, she was a clay-made girl also--as human a girl as any in the world, and full of a human girl's sensitiveness and tenderness and delicacies." (Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc)

Synonyms:

fineness, tact; dainty

Antonyms:

coarseness

Root:From Delicate, a. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: A small remaining quantity of something; a surviving trace.

From the reading: "And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land." (1 Kings 22:46)

Synonyms:

remainder, residue, trace

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Old French remanant, present participle of remanoir, remaindre. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: A heavy woven fabric with pictures or designs, used for wall hangings.

From the reading: "She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple." (Proverbs 31:22)

Synonyms:

hanging, arras, weaving

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:French tapisserie, from tapis, a carpet (Greek tapes): a woven picture hung on walls.

Definition: A split between strongly opposed groups, especially within a church.

From the reading: "That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another." (1 Corinthians 12:25)

Synonyms:

division, split, rift

Antonyms:

unity, union

Root:Old English scisme, Old French cisme, scisme, French schisme, Latin schisma, Greek scindere, Skr. child, and prob. to English shed, v.t. (which see); compare Rescind, Schedule, Zest. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be seen; easy to perceive or detect.

From the reading: "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." (Revelation 21:21)

Synonyms:

clear, see-through, obvious

Antonyms:

opaque, murky

Root:French, from Late Latin transparens, -entis, present participle of transparere to be transparent; Latin trans across, through + parere to appear. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Belief or opinion contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine.

From the reading: "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." (1 Corinthians 11:19)

Synonyms:

heterodoxy, unorthodoxy, error

Antonyms:

orthodoxy

Root:Greek hairesis, a choosing or faction, from hairein, to take: a self-chosen opinion against received doctrine.

Definition: The use of magic, especially black magic, which Scripture forbids.

From the reading: "And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries." (Acts 8:11)

Synonyms:

witchcraft, wizardry, black magic

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Old English sorcerie, Old French sorcerie, from Old French & French sorcier a sorcerer, Late Latin sortiarius, from Latin sors, sortis, a lot, decision by lot, fate, destiny. (Webster, 1913)