Glossary of Terms: Definitions and Examples
A
Abacus
A frame with rods and beads used for counting.
Abbot
The head of a monastery or abbey.
Beads
Small, pierced glass beads or beads of little value used for necklaces or similar items.
Abdicate
To renounce or give up a throne (e.g., the king abdicated).
Avid
Greedy, eager, or enthusiastic. (e.g., an avid reader).
Abolish
To formally put an end to a system, practice, or institution (e.g., slavery was abolished).
Aborigine
An original inhabitant of a country. (e.g., the Aborigines of Australia).
Abrupt
Sudden and unexpected, steep, or difficult to access (e.g., an abrupt cliff).
Absolve
To declare someone free from blame or guilt (e.g., the prisoner was acquitted).
Bacula
A rod or stick used for support, especially by bishops.
Clapper
A metal piece inside a bell that strikes the bell to produce sound.
Background
A person’s social heritage, education, and experience (e.g., cultural background).
Baladi
Of little importance (e.g., it’s a trivial matter).
Stutter
To speak with involuntary pauses and repetitions of sounds or syllables.
Beacon
A fixed or mobile signal used for guidance or warning.
Shaven
Having had hair removed with a razor (e.g., a clean-shaven face).
Barbituric
A substance used as a sedative or tranquilizer, but toxic in excess.
Cacique
A person who abuses their power or authority.
Scaffold
A raised platform used for executions.
Calculation
The process of using mathematics to determine a quantity or number.
Copious
Abundant or plentiful (e.g., copious rainfall).
Belt
A band worn around the waist to support clothing or carry objects.
Candle
A stick of wax with a wick that is burned to produce light.
Candlestick
A holder for a candle.
Canonize
To declare someone a saint.
Carpitar
To crackle or make a snapping sound.
Cannon
A large, heavy piece of artillery.
Capicua
A number that reads the same backward as forward (e.g., 123321).
Daltonism
Color blindness.
Victim
A person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event.
Dantesque
Causing horror or terror.
Drugging
The act of administering drugs to someone.
Overthrow
To remove someone from power by force (e.g., the government was overthrown).
Shabby
Poorly dressed or unkempt.
Diabetes
A disease characterized by high blood sugar levels.
Decimate
To kill or destroy a large proportion of a group (e.g., the population was decimated by war).
Diligent
Hardworking and careful.
Sweeten
To make something taste sweeter by adding sugar or another sweetener.
Ephemeris
An important event that is remembered on its anniversary.
Ephemeral
Lasting for a very short time (e.g., an ephemeral flower).
Elegy
A poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.
Eloquent
Fluent or persuasive in speech or writing.
Enthralled
Filled with wonder and delight.
Emulate
To match or surpass a person or achievement, typically by imitation.
Encyclical
A papal letter sent to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church.
Exhort
To strongly encourage or urge someone to do something.
Praise
To express warm approval or admiration of someone or something.
Stole
A long, narrow scarf worn by priests during Mass.
Feasible
Possible to do easily or conveniently.
False
Not true or accurate.
Mumble
To speak indistinctly, typically because of nervousness or embarrassment.
Pharisee
A self-righteous or hypocritical person.
Philanthropist
A person who seeks to promote the welfare of others, especially by the generous donation of money to good causes.
Flabby
Soft and loose, lacking firmness.
Lavish
Sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious.
Fratricidal
Relating to or denoting the killing of one’s brother or sister.
Glare
A strong, dazzling light.
Sneak
To move or go in a furtive or stealthy way.
Flatter
To lavish insincere praise and compliments upon someone, especially to further one’s own interests.
Arago
A bum or vagrant.
Arap
Old and worn clothes (synonym: rag).
Asti
Boredom.
Azana
A heroic action or deed.
Hecatomb
A great public sacrifice, especially of a large number of animals.
Foul-smelling
Having a very unpleasant smell.
Hematoma
A solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues.
Hemeroteca
A library or archive that collects and stores newspapers and periodicals.
Idolatrous
Worshipping idols or excessively devoted to someone or something.
Idiosyncrasy
A mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual.
Unpublished
Not previously published.
Fireproof
Resistant to fire or combustion.
Indemnified
Compensated for harm or loss.
Naive
Showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment.
Fearless
Not afraid, intrepid.
Starvation
Suffering or death caused by hunger.
Impunity
Exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.
Incipient
In the initial stages, beginning to happen or develop.
Invoke
To call on a deity or spirit for help or protection.
Boast
To talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one’s achievements, possessions, or abilities.
Trappings
The outward signs, features, or objects associated with a particular situation, role, or thing.
Jamb
A side post or surface of a doorway, window, or fireplace.
Rigging
The ropes, chains, and wire used to support and control the masts, sails, and yards of a sailing vessel.
Jasper
An opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown, or green in color.
Pack
A group of dogs or other animals that hunt or travel together.
Jargon
Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.
Scrap
A small piece or fragment of something, especially a piece that has been torn off or discarded.
Wage
A fixed regular payment, typically paid on a daily or weekly basis, made by an employer to an employee, especially to a manual or unskilled worker.
Joy
A feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
Servant
A person who performs duties for others, especially a person employed in a house on domestic duties or as a personal attendant.
Lacrimate
To cause tears to flow.
Laconic
Using very few words.
Lay
Not belonging to or connected with the clergy or a religious order.
Weak
Lacking physical strength, energy, or vigor.
Lewd
Crude and offensive in a sexual way.
Lynch
To kill someone, especially by hanging, for an alleged offense with or without a legal trial, typically for an alleged offense with or without a legal trial.
Border
A line separating two political or geographical areas, especially countries.
Smooth
Having an even and regular surface; free from perceptible projections, lumps, or indentations.
Livery
A special uniform worn by a servant or official.
Libretto
The text of an opera or other long vocal work.
Gloomy
Dark or poorly lit, especially so as to appear depressing or frightening.
Brothel
A house where men can visit prostitutes.
Macerate
To soften something by soaking it in liquid.
Stain
A colored patch or dirty mark that is difficult to remove.
Assassination
The murder of a prominent person, especially a political leader, by a surprise attack.
Mitigate
To make something less severe, serious, or painful.
Hawser
A thick rope or cable used for mooring or towing a ship.
Figurehead
A carved wooden figure on the prow of a ship.
Mast
A tall upright post on a ship or boat, supporting the sails and rigging.
Matriarchy
A system of society or government ruled by a woman or women.
Patron
A person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity.
Mitten
A glove with a single compartment for all four fingers and a separate one for the thumb.
Whore
A prostitute.
Narcotic
A drug or other substance affecting mood or behavior and sold for nonmedical purposes, especially an illegal one.
Nauseating
Causing nausea or disgust.
Ghoul
An evil spirit or phantom, especially one supposed to rob graves and feed on corpses.
Necropolis
A large ancient cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments.
Negligent
Failing to take proper care in doing something.
Triviality
Lack of seriousness or importance; insignificance.
Esoteric
Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.
Belfry
A bell tower, especially one attached to or forming part of a church or other building.
Length
The measurement or extent of something from end to end; the greater of two or the greatest of three dimensions of a body.
Minion
A follower or underling of a powerful person, especially a servile or unimportant one.
Skeptical
Not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.
Sterile
Not able to produce children or young.
Footstool
A low stool or support on which to rest one’s feet when sitting.
Exhume
To dig out (something buried, especially a corpse) from the ground.
Ludic
Showing spontaneous and undirected playfulness.
Tragic
Causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow.
Longevity
Long life.
Saddler
A person who makes, repairs, or sells saddles and other equipment for horses.
Bakery
An establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, pastries, and pies.
Teruel
A person from Teruel, Spain.
Stage machinery
Machinery used in a theater to change the scenery or produce special effects.
Minor
Lesser in importance, seriousness, or significance.
Trephine
A surgical instrument with a cylindrical blade, used for cutting out a circular section of bone, especially from the skull.
Toponym
A place name, especially one derived from a topographical feature.
Tremulous
Shaking or quivering slightly.
Outrage
An extremely strong reaction of anger, shock, or indignation.
Sharper
A person who cheats or swindles, especially a professional gambler.
Keel
The principal structural member of a ship, running lengthwise along the center line from bow to stern, to which the frames are attached.
Quorum
The minimum number of members of an assembly or society that must be present at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid.
Misogynist
A person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women.
Mordant
(Especially of humor) having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting.
Mitre
A tall headdress worn by bishops and senior abbots as a symbol of office, tapering to a point at the front and back with a deep cleft between.
Misanthrope
A person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.
Pout
To push one’s lips or one’s bottom lip forward as an expression of petulance or sulkiness.
Sephardi
A Jew of Spanish or Portuguese descent.
Lance
Prick or pierce with a lancet or other sharp instrument.
Second
Formally support or endorse (a resolution or proposal) as a second signatory.
Sedentary
(Of a person) tending to spend much time seated; somewhat inactive.
Secession
The action of withdrawing formally from membership of a federation or body, especially a political state.
Touchy
(Of a person) easily upset or offended; oversensitive.
Shroud
A length of cloth or an enveloping garment in which a dead person is wrapped for burial.
Suspicious
Having or showing a cautious distrust of someone or something.
Sudden
Occurring or done quickly and unexpectedly or without warning.
Septuagenarian
A person who is between 70 and 79 years old.
Watchtower
A tower built to provide a good view of the surrounding area, especially in order to watch for possible danger.
Golden
Made of or relating to gold.
Analgesic
(Chiefly of a drug) acting to relieve pain.
Shelf
A flat length of wood or rigid material, attached to a wall or forming part of a piece of furniture, that provides a surface for the storage or display of objects.
Spur
A device with a small spike or a spiked wheel that is worn on a rider’s heel and used for urging a horse forward.
Harelip
A congenital split in the upper lip on one or both sides of the center, often associated with a cleft palate.
Belligerent
Hostile and aggressive.
Bison
A humpbacked wild ox native to North America and Europe.
Fork
An implement with two or more prongs used for lifting food to the mouth or holding it when cutting.
Burnish
Polish (something, especially metal) by rubbing.
Buenos Aires
A person from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Ostentation
Pretentious and vulgar display, especially of wealth and luxury, intended to impress or attract notice.
Hagiography
The writing of the lives of saints.
Hyssop
A plant of the mint family, especially one grown for an aromatic oil used in perfumes.
Shaggy
Having a rough, uneven surface or edge.
Hepatic
Of or relating to the liver.
Hermaphrodite
A person or animal having both male and female sex organs or other sexual characteristics, either abnormally or (in the case of some organisms) as the natural condition.
Hilarious
Extremely amusing.
Omniscient
Knowing everything.
Omnivore
An animal or person that eats food of both plant and animal origin.
Oligarchy
A small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.
Oily
Containing or covered with oil.
Ornithology
The branch of zoology dealing with birds.
Hollow
Having a hole or empty space inside.
Z
Zenith
The time at which something is most powerful or successful.
Numbers
Capicua
A number that reads the same backward as forward (e.g., 123321).
Septuagenarian
A person who is between 70 and 79 years old.