Grade 9 College Vocabulary, Week 19

Definition: A staff carried by a ruler as a symbol of sovereignty; royal authority.

From the reading: "To “reck his rod” is to heed his rule; the rod is a king’s scepter and a father’s correction." (the lesson)

Synonyms:

staff, rod; sovereignty

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Greek skeptron, a staff to lean on, from skeptesthai, to prop oneself: a royal staff.

Definition: The repetition of the same sound at the beginning of nearby words, as in sing a song of sixpence.

From the reading: "Build five beats with a stress cluster and alliteration." (the lesson)

Synonyms:

head rhyme, consonance

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Latin ad + litera letter. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: A secure and well-protected place, such as a fortress or stronghold.

From the reading: "The fire-spewing dragon fully had wasted The fastness of warriors, the water-land outward, The manor with fire." (Beowulf)

Synonyms:

stronghold, fortress, citadel

Antonyms:

looseness

Root:Old English (Anglo-Saxon) fæstnes, from fæst fast. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To rescue from loss or destruction.

From the reading: "Now had they reach’d the hills, and storm’d the seat Of salvage beasts, in dens, their last retreat." (The Aeneid)

Synonyms:

save, rescue, recover

Antonyms:

abandon, lose

Root:French salvage, Old French salver to save, French sauver, from Latin salvare. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Widespread, especially of something undesirable; abounding.

From the reading: "The Gracious Ones, All-seeing, so our folk Call them, but elsewhere other names are rife." (Oedipus the King and Antigone)

Synonyms:

widespread, rampant, prevalent

Antonyms:

rare, scarce

Root:Old English (Anglo-Saxon) rif abundant, or Icelandic rifr munificent; akin to OD. riff, rijve, abundant. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To examine and remove material considered objectionable.

From the reading: "They slew every creature taken, which the censors in Rome could have forgiven if the imperial treasure had been spared and forwarded." (Ben-Hur)

Synonyms:

suppress, cut, expurgate

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Latin censor, from censere to value, tax. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To be relevant or appropriate; to belong to as a part.

From the reading: "And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim." (Joshua 24:33)

Synonyms:

relate, concern, apply

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Latin pertinere, to reach to, from per-, through + tenere, to hold: to belong or relate.

Definition: Fit for habitation.

From the reading: "Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men." (Proverbs 8:31)

Synonyms:

inhabitable, livable

Antonyms:

uninhabitable

Root:French habitable, Latin habitbilis. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To express sorrow or discontent about.

From the reading: "For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?" (Jeremiah 15:5)

Synonyms:

lament, deplore, bewail

Antonyms:

celebrate

Root:Old English bimenen, Old English (Anglo-Saxon) bem; pref. be- + m to moan. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To adopt or support a cause, belief, or way of life.

From the reading: "To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." (Luke 2:5)

Synonyms:

adopt, embrace, champion

Antonyms:

reject, oppose

Root:Old French espouser, from Latin sponsare, to betroth (spondere, to promise): to marry; to take up a cause.

Definition: To damage the good reputation of someone by false statements.

From the reading: "Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day." (1 Corinthians 4:13)

Synonyms:

slander, libel, malign

Antonyms:

praise

Root:Latin diffamare, to spread abroad by evil report, from dis-, apart + fama, report: to damage a good name.

Definition: To make someone feel isolated or estranged; to turn away the affection of.

From the reading: "And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD." (Ezekiel 48:14)

Synonyms:

estrange, distance, antagonize

Antonyms:

reconcile, unite

Root:Latin alienatus, past participle of alienare, from alienus. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: To contaminate with harmful substances; to make morally impure.

From the reading: "So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it." (Numbers 35:33)

Synonyms:

contaminate, foul, defile

Antonyms:

purify, clean

Root:Latin pollutus, past participle of polluere to defile, to pollute, from a prep. appearing only in comp. + luere to wash. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: The opinion generally held of someone; reputation.

From the reading: "Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight?" (Job 18:3)

Synonyms:

reputation, standing, esteem

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:French réputer, Latin reputare to count over, think over; pref. re- re- + putare to count, think. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Unexpected and inappropriate or inconvenient.

From the reading: "And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." (Acts 2:40)

Synonyms:

unfortunate, improper, unseemly

Antonyms:

fitting, favorable

Root:Unto + -ward. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Heavy; important or serious.

From the reading: "For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." (2 Corinthians 10:10)

Synonyms:

heavy; serious, momentous

Antonyms:

light, trivial

Root:weight (Old English wiht, from wegan, to weigh) + -y: heavy; important.

Definition: To cheat someone of money or property.

From the reading: "Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren." (1 Corinthians 6:8)

Synonyms:

swindle, cheat, rob

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Latin defraudare; de- + fraudare to cheat, from fraus, fraudis, fraud: compare Old French defrauder. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: A defensive wall; a person or thing acting as a defense.

From the reading: "Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following." (Psalm 48:13)

Synonyms:

rampart, defense, safeguard

Antonyms:

(none exact)

Root:Akin to Dutch bolwerk, German bollwerk, Sw. bolwerk, Dan. bolvärk, bulvärk, rampart; akin to German bohle plank, and werk work, defense. (Webster, 1913)

Definition: Guilty of or involving deceit; deliberately misleading.

From the reading: "Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue." (Psalm 52:4)

Synonyms:

dishonest, lying, false

Antonyms:

honest, truthful

Root:deceit (Old French deceite, from Latin decipere, to catch, de- + capere, to take) + -ful: full of deceit.

Definition: Helpless or powerless.

From the reading: "If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;" (Acts 4:9)

Synonyms:

powerless, helpless, ineffectual

Antonyms:

potent, powerful

Root:French impotent, Latin impotens, -entis; pref. im- not + potens potent, powerful. (Webster, 1913)