Vocabulary

1. Vocabulary Unit 11

2. Abrogate (v.) • To repeal, cancel, declare null and void • Often with no legal or moral grounds, the U. S. government would abrogate treaties made with Native Americans. • Synonyms: annul, revoke • Antonyms: reaffirm, renew, ratify

3. Abrogate (v.) • The key to this word is realizing that it is a verb. It is something that people DO. • For example, Beowulf becomes King of the Geats later in life. If he were to give up this title so that he could go back to playing the part of the hero/warrior, he would be abrogating his title.

4. Ambient (adj.) • Completely surrounding, encompassing • The new filtering system is capable of cleaning and deodorizing the ambient air.

5. Ambient (adj.) • Ambient is an adjective, so it is used to describe. The noun form of this word is ambience, which you have probably heard of. • In Beowulf, Grendel is upset because the noise from Herot is ambient; it seems to be completely surrounding him, and it bothers him.

6. Asperity (n.) • Roughness, severity, bitterness or tartness • The asperity of the drama critic’s statements undermined the young actor’s confidence. • Synonyms: rigor, harshness • Antonyms: mildness, blandness, softness, lenience

7. Asperity (n.) • Asperity means roughness, severity, bitterness or tartness, which makes it seem like a descriptive word, or adjective, but be careful, it is really a noun. It is a characteristic of a person or action. • Grendel’s asperity in killing so many innocent men caused the Danes to desire revenge.

8. Burnish (v) • (v.) To make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish • The hotel manager ordered the waiters to burnish all the brass candlesticks before the formal banquet. • Synonyms: shine, buff • Antonyms: tarnish, dull, abrade

9. Burnish (n.) • (n.) gloss, brightness, luster • The burnish on the metal frame had faded with age and neglect.

10. Burnish (n./v.) • Burnish is tricky because it can be either a noun or a verb. A person can burnish a sword, which would be like polishing it, or a person can admire the burnish on a sword, which is the gloss and shine itself. Don’t confuse this with brandish, which is the actual act of waving the sword around. • Beowulf’s men burnished their swords until their burnish glimmered in the morning sun.

11. Cabal (n) • A small group working in secret • The members of the cabal met at an unknown location for the purpose of fixing prices and stifling competition. • Synonyms: clique, ring, gang, plot, conspiracy

12. Cabal (n) • Cabal is a noun. It is the group itself and is NOT used as an adjective to describe the group. • Beowulf’s men were members of a cabal dedicated to following their leader and slaying the evil Grendel.

13. Delectable (adj.) • Delightful, highly enjoyable, deliciously flavored, savory • The banquet ended with a truly delectable dessert made of peaches, raspberries, and ice cream. • Synonyms: delicious, scrumptious • Antonyms: repugnant, repulsive, distasteful

14. Delectable (n.) • An appealing or appetizing food or dish • The eatery attracted customers with a mouth-watering display of delectables in its front window.

15. Delectable (adj./n.) • Delectable is an adjective that is used to describe something that is wonderful, particularly delicious food. It can also be a noun talking about the food itself. • The food offered at Hrothgar’s feasts in Herot was much more delectable than the food in the home of the average peasant. • Grammatically, you could say that the delectable was delectable, although stylistically the sentence would be terrible.

16. Deprecate (v.) • To express mild disapproval; to belittle • The administration deprecated such foolish practices as the hazing of new students but did not ban them outright. • Synonyms: deplore, frown upon • Antonyms: smile on, countenance, approve

17. Deprecate (v.) • Deprecate is a verb that means mild disapproval. It is the type of thing your parents would frown at you for, but not spank you over. • Beowulf would deprecate fear from his men because every soldier is afraid sometimes, but he would be completely angry if his men disobeyed direct orders.

18. Detritus (n.) • Loose bits and pieces of material resulting from disintegration or wearing away; fragments that result from any destruction • Pieces of people’s homes, furniture, and toys could be seen in the detritus of the landslide. • Synonyms: debris, wreckage, ruins, rubble

19. Detritus (n.) • It’s important to remember that detritus is a noun. It is the fragments and bits themselves, not a description of them. • The detritus left in the hall after Grendel’s attack was gory and disgusting.

20. Ebullient (adj.) • Overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement; boiling; bubbling • After a string of very favorable reviews, the dance company was in an ebullient mood for weeks. • Synonyms: exhilarated, elated, exuberant • Antonyms: gloomy, morose, sullen, apathetic, blasé

21. Ebullient (adj.) • This one is easy. It’s an adjective describing those people who are really happy and joyful. • Beowulf’s men are ebullient after he rises from the depths of the fire lake carrying Grendel’s severed head.

22. Eclectic (adj.) • Drawn from different sources • Stanford White developed an eclectic style of architecture that made use of classic and modern elements. • Synonyms: selective, synthetic, pick-and-choose • Antonyms: uniform, monolithic

23. Eclectic (n.) • One whose beliefs are drawn from various sources. • The critics accused the composer of being a mere eclectic with no original style of her own.

24. Eclectic (n./adj.) • Careful! This is another one of those words that can be an adjective OR a noun. A person can be an eclectic or have an eclectic collection of something. • At the end of Beowulf’s many battles, he has an eclectic collection of severed limbs and defeated weapons.

25. Flaccid (adj.) • Limp, not firm, lacking vigor or effectiveness • Because the injured bodybuilder had not worked out for weeks, his muscles grew flaccid. • Synonyms: soft, flabby • Antonyms: hard, firm, solid

26. Flaccid (adj.) • This adjective describes soft and flabby muscles. • As a young man, Beowulf faced many physical challenges and was in great shape. However, when he became older and was king and no longer required to fight, he became flaccid. This made is final battle with the dragon much more difficult.

27. Impecunious (adj.) • Having little or no money • In my present impecunious state, I will not be able to pay for dinner. • Synonyms: penniless, impoverished, indigent • Antonyms: affluent, wealthy, prosperous, rich

28. Impecunious (adj.) • This adjective describes somebody who has little or no money. • Many Geats were impecunious after the dragon stole their fortunes and added them to his own treasure.

29. Inexorable (adj.) • Inflexible, beyond influence, relentless, unyielding • In the Greek tragedies, nothing could save characters like Oedipus Rex from their inexorable fates. • Synonyms: inescapable, ineluctable, obdurate • Antonyms: avoidable, yielding, pliant

30. Inexorable (adj.) • This is an adjective that describes somebody who is unyielding or inflexible. • Beowulf was inexorable in his demand that ONLY he and his men would be able to try to kill Grendel; he did not want any of Hrothgar’s Danes to be able to earn that glory.

31. Moribund (adj.) • Dying, on the way out • In the age of electronic communication, writing letters by hand seems to be a moribund custom. • Synonym: obsolescent • Antonym: flourishing, thriving

32. Moribund (adj.) • This is an adjective used to describe something that is dying out or is becoming outdated. For example, CD’s and DVD’s have replaced audio and video tapes, which are now moribund. • Heroes like Beowulf who solve other people’s problems just to have a fun challenge are now moribund.

33. Necromancer (n.) • One who claims to reveal or influence the future through magic, especially communication with the dead; in general, a magician or wizard. • When the stock market began to tumble, some desperate financial investors resorted to necromancers for advice. • Synonyms: sorcerer, conjurer

34. Necromancer (n.) • This is a noun—literally a person who claims to have contact with the dead. • The only thing that the story of Beowulf is missing is a good necromancer. Can you imagine an extra chapter in which a character communicates with the dead monsters to find out more about their opinions of Beowulf or their prophecies about his future?

35. Onerous (adj.) • Burdensome; involving hardship or difficulty • Informing patients of bad news is an onerous duty that every doctor has to perform. • Synonyms: oppressive, weighty • Antonyms: light, easy, undemanding, untaxing

36. Onerous (adj.) • This is an adjective that describes something difficult. It could be a task you don’t want to do or a conversation that you don’t want to have. • Hrothgar had the onerous task of telling Beowulf that he couldn’t stop with just killing Grendel, but that he would have to kill Grendel’s mother also.

37. Rife (adj.) • Common, prevalent, widespread, happening often; full, abounding, plentiful, abundant, replete • Since rumors were rife, the president announced that the company had been bought out by its major competitor. • Antonyms: devoid of, lacking

38. Rife (adj.) • This adjective describes things that are common and can be found everywhere. • Beowulf’s world was rifewith evil sea monsters and dragons.

39. Rudiments (n. pl.) • The parts of any subject or discipline that are learned first; the earliest stages of anything • At a very young age, the girl learned the rudiments of chess from her father, a professional player. • Synonyms: fundamentals, basics

40. Rudiments (n. pl.) • Rudiments is a noun which is generally found in the plural form. • Beowulf understood much more than just the rudiments of fighting; other men may have only understood the basics, but he was advanced.

41. Sequester (v.) • To set apart, separate for a special purpose; to take possession of and hold in custody • The parties agreed to sequester the disputed funds pending a decision by the court. • Synonyms: seclude, segregate, isolate, closet

42. Sequester (v.) • Sequester is a verb. One of its most common uses applies to juries. If a jury is sent to a hotel and not allowed to read newspapers or watch the news until the end of the trial, then they have been sequestered. • On the night of the battle with Grendel, Beowulf sequestered his men away from Hrothgar’s men so they would receive all of the glory.

43. Winnow (v.) • To get rid of something unwanted, delete; to sift through to obtain what is desirable; to remove the chaff from the wheat by blowing air on it; to blow on, fan • Spelling and grammar software programs are designed to help writers winnow inaccuracies from their documents. • Synonyms: sift, strain, filter, sort

44. Winnow (v.) • Winnow is a verb that describes the act of getting rid of things that are unwanted so that only the good parts remain. • Beowulf winnowed the land of monsters until only good men remained.