Tuesday, March 4th, 2009
Contraband: illegal or prohibited trade; smuggling
They were charged with contraband of rare plants.
Ramshackle: loosely made or held together; rickety; shaky
Her ramshackle hands could not hold the pencil with a firm grip.
Impede: to retard in movement or progress by means of obstacles or hindrances; obstruct; hinder
Cecil was absent from last meeting, but did not want to impeded this meeting by talking about lasts’.
Renegade: a person who deserts a party or cause for another
Out of all the people in the devoted committee, Steven was the last person I thought would lead a renegade party and join our rivals’.
Embargo: a restraint or hindrance; prohibition
As a result of the new laws, the embargo prevented them from doing trade on weekday afternoons.
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Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Bayonet: a steel weapon attached to a gun for hand to hand combat
He didn’t like to get violent, but took out his steel sharp bayonet in times of trouble.
Strait: a narrow passage way of water connecting two bigger bodies of water.
The Bering Strait is thought to have once connected Russia with Alaska.
Daze: to shock, stupefy, or stun.
I was in such a daze today, after he had told me what happened to Amy.
Diligent: constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything
Detective Gumshoe was awarded for being very diligent in the workplace.
Nondescript: of no recognized, definite, or particular type or kind
The boss was nondescript on how the job got done, she just wanted it done before the week was over.
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Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
Multitude: the state or character of being many; numerous
The multitude of participants showed up at the race; it beat lasts years records by a long run.
Mentee: a person who is guided by a mentor
Sarah is the mentor, and Lucas is the receptive mentee whom she teaches.
Haughty: disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious
Just because Markus had placed in the top three, he began to act haughty and superior amongst his peers.
Vexations: The act of annoying, irritating, or vexing
Poor thing, I felt terrible for the Nanny, the millions of vexations that the children would give.
Bide: to dwell; abide; wait; remain.
“Go and hurry with the project, don’t bide.” said the woman.
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Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
Obituary: a notice of the death of a person, often with a biographical sketch, as in a newspaper.
This week, an obituary of the former king of Candy Cane Land’s death was posted in yesterday’s newspaper.
Itinerates: To travel from place to place.
Many businessmen and women must intinerate to different countries and cities to succeed in their careers.
Sentinel: A person or thing that watches or stands as if watching
As people came to America through Ellis Island, many immigrants saw the Statue of Liberty as a sentinel of peace.
Roost: a perch upon which birds or fowls rest at night
The talkative parrot was only quiet when he perched upon his roost to sleep.
Brine: water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt
In order to cure a cut in the mouth, many suggest to turn a cup of fresh water into brine, by adding plenty of salt.
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March 31st, 2009
Vice: an immoral or evil habit or practice
There are virtues to follow and vices to avoid.
Prose: matter-of-fact, commonplace, or dull expression, quality, discourse, etc
Tom’s humor is prose and very deadpan.
Gala: festive; festal; showy
She dresses up for Friday night dinner in a gala showy fashion.
Tonic: anything invigorating physically, mentally, or morally
The tonic speech given last night was so invigorating.
Filed under: 2009, March, Vocabulary 2008-2009
