Vocabulary Lesson 16

1. Vocabulary Lesson 16

2. Abound • Biographies and stories about Mohammad (known as the Prophet) abound. These many books and stories tell about Mohammad’s birth in Mecca on Arabia’s western coast. • To teem; to exist in large numbers; to have plenty • The amount of fish in the sea abound.

3. Aptitude • Although Mohammad apparently did not have a formal education, he seems to have had a good aptitude for business because he learned the merchant trade. • A talent; a natural ability; the ability to learn. • Some students have a natural aptitude for English.

4. Astute • It is entirely possible that Mohammad was an astute, or shrewd, merchant, but at the age of forty, he gave up his career as a merchant and became a religious hermit. • Showing keen judgment, shrewd, crafty • The astute student will study his vocabulary words nightly.

5. Conducive • Mohammed, who was familiar with the teachings of Judaism and Christianity, found solitude to be conducive to understanding proper faith. He also found mediation to be helpful. • Favorable; helpful; tending to promote as a result • The fluffy snow was conducive to a perfect snowman.

6. Erratic • The responses to Mohammed’s teachings were at first erratic. Some people responded favorably, while others resisted his claim that “there is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his Prophet.” • Irregular; not steady; uncertain • When you turn your homework in erratically, your grade will suffer.

7. Pastoral • Mohammed is not thought of as a pastoral preacher who went into the country to convert people. He is identified with the cities of Mecca and Medina. • Relating to a simple country way of life; relating to shepherds; rural • The pastoral church was surrounded by cornfields.

8. Quantitative • His success could be measured not only in quantitative ways – the number of followers of Islam – but also in a qualitative way: the improvement in people’s lives. • Capable of being measured or expressed as a numerical amount. • Your grades are a quantitative measure.

9. Recur • Ramadan recurs every year as the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar. Ramadan is remembered as the time during which Mohammed received the Koran, Islam’s holy book, from the archangel Gabriel. • To return in thought or speech; to happen or appear again; to occur at intervals. • I have a recurring dream that I am falling out of an airplane.

10. Requisite • Following the “Five Pillars of Faith” is a requisite part of Muslim religious duties. The required duties include giving to the poor. • A necessity; a requirement; absolutely necessary; required by circumstances • It is a requisite that you have four credits of English to graduate.

11. Zenith • The zenith of any Muslim’s life is a trip to Mecca. The trip is the highest point of a Muslim’s earthly path because Mecca is considered the Muslims’ holy city. • The highest point of any course or path; peak; the point in the sky directly above an observer • The sun reaches its zenith at noon.