Second Six Weeks Vocab

1. Second Six Weeks Vocab Lesson 3 Quiz on Friday, November 5

2. illumination Something made clear; a brightening; an elightenment Getting an “F” for the first time was an illumination to the fact that he was really going to have to study in high school.

3. hasten to urge on; to move or act quickly To hasten our completion, I will do some extra work tonight.

4. efface to erase or delete; to obscure by rubbing out The little waves, with their soft white hands, efface the footprints in the sands.

5. martyrdom the suffering and death of a martyr; the state of enduring torture and persecution for the sake of beliefs and principles Not willing to give in to his captor’s demands, the priest went through martyrdom as he was tortured and died.

6. immerse to plunge or dip into; to absorb Mary tried to immerse herself in the culture of France by eating foods of the area and taking part in local activities so she could absorb the lifestyle.

7. conviction the state of being convicted or having a strong belief in something Matthew’s strong faith and convictions will keep him from participating in activities that might be harmful to him.

8. humanitarian one who practices philanthropy or goodwill to mankind; characterized by goodwill Mr. Jones earned a humanitarian award for his countless hours he spent as a volunteer at the homeless shelter.

9. ominous foretelling evil; threatening The ominous clouds approaching told of the storm that was to come.

10. querulous constantly complaining; fretful or whining The querulous child was always whining about something bothering her.

11. firmament the heavens; the arch of the sky I looked up to the firmament, full of stars tonight, and was thankful that it was a beautiful night.

12. reproach to cast discredit upon; blame or censure The little boy could not stand the look of reproach in his mother’s face, so he apologized for lying and hurting her feelings.

13. toil a laborious effort; long fatiguing labor It took great physical toil to grow and gather enough food for the winter.

14. somber dark or gloomy; grave or melancholy After being defeated in the state championship, the team’s mood was somber.

15. silhouette the outlines of an object filled with black or shadow Against the fire, you could see the man’s dark silhouette on the wall.

16. sputter to utter words hastily or explosively in excitement or confusion In her excitement to tell about the party, the child began to sputter incomplete sentences and made very little sense.

17. feign to give a false appearance of; to fake Although I do not feel well, I will feign that I am having a good time.

18. aristocrat a member of the privileged class or ruling government Being an aristocrat, he could not understand the horrors of poverty.

19. lustrous Having a shine, sheen, or brightness from reflected light The singers’ lustrous suit shined brightly as he took the stage.

20. ensign a flag, badge or emblem The captain took down the skull and crossbones flag and hung up a new ensign to show that the pirates had been defeated.

21. vanquished to defeat; to overcome in a battle or contest The undefeated Klein Collins football team has vanquished all of its foes.