Mr. Knight's Class

1. ambled: (vb.): to walk at a slow, leisurely pace.

Bart ambled to mailbox, slowly and thoughtfully.

2. apothecary (n.): an early form of a pharmacist, apothecaries could also prescribe drugs. The apothecary mixed up a love potion for the princess.

3. assuaged (vb.): to assuage is to lessen or to calm. My mom assuaged my fears about Outward Bound by telling me stories about her OB experience.

4. corsets (n): a corset is a ladies undergarment designed to produce a particular effect on the figure. My grandma always complained about how tight her corset was.

5. dictum (n.): in this case, a formal statement of principle. Mr. Knight’s most important dictum is “be nice.”

6. domiciled (vb.): A domicile is a house or a place where a person lives. If you are
domiciled somewhere, that is where you live. I was domiciled in a beach house all summer.

7. foray (n.): When you make a foray, you go somewhere or do something that is unusual or not normal for you. My foray into the ballroom was scary because I do not dance.
8. human chattels (n.): slaves Abraham Lincoln fought against any citizen owning human chattels.

9. impotent (adj.): powerless. I was impotent against property taxes; I had to pay them.

10. impudent (adj.): To be impudent is to be shamelessly bold, as if you don’t care what anyone thinks about you. The little boy was being impudent when he stuck his tongue out at the police officer.

11. malevolent (adj.): evil My brother was being malevolent when he put fire ants in my bed.

12. piety (n): devotion to religious duties and practices Kwasny demonstrated his piety by going to mass once a week.

13. predilection (n.): a predilection is a preference, or a preferred way of doing something. My predilections for Friday nights is to eat pizza and watch a good movie.

14. vapid, in this case, means boring or uninteresting Mr. Knight tries to avoid vapid lesson plans as he wants his student to learn and have fun doing it.

15. taciturn (adj.): almost always silent. The gnome in our garden is always very taciturn.

16. immune (adj.): In this case, to be immune to something means that it has no effect on you. I was immune to my brother’s teasing because I had cotton in my ears.

17. indigenous (adj.): belonging to a particular region or country
Live oaks are indigenous to Savannah.

18. seceded (vb.): To secede is to break away. During the Civil War, Alabama was one of the states that broke away, or seceded from the Union.

19. sojourn (n.): a brief visit
My sojourn to Virgina to see my siblings was not long enough.

20. Illicit, (adj) means unauthorized or improper.
When politicians are caught doing illicit things, they are usually thrown out of office.
21. amiable (adj.): friendly
The cheerleader was so amiable that she had only friends and no enemies.

22. contemptuous (adj.): To be contemptuous is to have the feeling that someone or something is beneath you; that it or they are worthless.
I was contemptuous towards the driver who hit my car and didn’t leave a note.

23. contentious (adj.): always ready to argue or fight
When I was young, my sister was so contentious that I tried to stay on her good side.

24. diminutive (adj.): smaller than ordinary
The diminutive dog could fit inside a purse.

25. erratic (adj.): irregular. Chris usually uses good grammar, but when she is angry, her grammar is erratic.

26. fractious (adj.): mean or cross. The fractious boy constantly whacked his little sister.

27. gravely (adv.): seriously
My mom spoke gravely as she told me about my dead guinea pig.

28. persevere (v.): to carry on in spite of difficulties
The runner perservered through the race even though his legs were cramping.

29. auspicious (adj.): favorable
The skies were auspiciously clear and we knew we were going to have a wonderful picnic.

30. melancholy (adj.): sad and gloomy
The secretary looked melancholy as her boss handed her a pile of work.

31. asinine (adj.): stupid; silly
My dad thought that jumping off the roof to see if I could fly was an asinine idea.

32. benevolence (n.): in this case, a generous or thoughtful gift
Dolly demonstrated her benevolence by giving me half of her sandwich.

33. benign (adj.): harmless
My brother gave me a benign punch in the arm as he was only two years-old.

34. edification (n.): education; instruction
The teacher gave another example on the board for our edification.

35. gaped (vb.): To gape at someone is to stare at that person with your mouth open. Bob gaped at the beautiful model and a bee flew into his mouth.

36. morbid (adj.): gruesome; horrible
The morbid picture of the dead soldier shocked the entire class.

37. tacit (adj.) An agreement, or, in this case, a “treaty” that is tacit is one that has been silently agreed upon.
My brother and I had a tacit agreement that we wouldn’t tell any of our secrets.

38. malignant (adj.): dangerous; evil
The cashier gave me a malignant stare when I handed her 400 coupons.

39. prowess (n.): superior ability or skill
My dad’s prowess as a surgeon was well-known in my hometown.

40. ramshackle (adj.): loose or rickety; about to fall apart
Every summer we stayed in a ramshackle beach house because it was cheap to rent.

41. waning (adj.): becoming less bright, intense, or strong. The moonlight is waning because it’s getting closer to morning, and the moon is changing its position in the sky.

42. vigil (n.): a watch.
We kept a vigil last night waiting for our dog to have puppies.

43. aberrations (n.): an aberration is a deviation, or a moving away from, something that is normal.
There was a cold day in August this summer in Savannah; it was certainly an aberration.

44. cordial (adj.): warm and friendly

Mr. Knight loves his job and is always cordial to his students.

45. meteorological (adj.): anything to do with meteorology or weather.

My cousin is always looking up at the sky to check the meteorological conditions.

46. libelous (adj)false and harmful to somebody’s reputation

Many libelous things have been said about our presidents.

47. perpetrated (vb.): carried out; committed

A burglar perpetrated the theft of my bike.

48. procured (vb): got

I procured a wonderful mountain bike for my son on his birthday.

49. unfathomable (adj.): Something that is unfathomable is something that can not be understood.

It in unfathomable that I could ever run a marathon because I am such a slow runner.

50. analogous (adj.): similar; comparable

Listening to classical music is analogous to going on a wonderful journey.

51. donned (vb): put on
My wife donned a beautiful hat for the picnic.

52. ingenuous (adj.): simple; innocent
The boy asked an ingenuous question: when would we eat lunch.

53. innate (adj.): Something that is innate is a natural part of something else.

My brother had an innate ability to whistle; he could do it without even trying, even as a baby.

54. mortify (vb.) humiliate; embarrass
I was mortified that I came to school with mismatched shoes on my feet.

55. obstreperous (adj.): noisy and unruly
The obstreperous class annoyed the substitute so much that she refused to ever come back to the school.

56. attributes (n.): characteristics; qualities of a person or thing

My cat has many wonderful attributes like using his litter box instead of the carpet.

57. apoplectic (adj.): Apoplexy is a condition of sudden paralysis; a stroke. To be apoplectic, in this case, is to behave as if on the verge of having a stroke.

When my dad saw my failing test score, he fell into an apoplectic state and I thought he might be dying.

58. bedecked (adj.): adorned; covered (with decorations)

My car is bedecked with many skateboarding stickers

59. degradation (n.): a state of low honor or moral character

The degradation of the criminal was evident when he admitted he wasn’t sorry for robbing the elderly woman.

60. livid (adj.): pale; lead-colored. Livid can also mean red, as in the color someone’s face gets when that person becomes angry.

My mom’s livid face scared me, and I knew she upset with me for breaking the window.

61. philippic (n.): a bitter verbal attack
My father gave us a philippic when we didn’t take out the garbage.

62. viscous (adj.): sticky
My brother poured the viscous molasses on my head.

63. austere (adj.): stern and severe
The austere teacher stood in front of the class with a stack of failed tests.

64. contemptuously (adv.): To behave or speak contemptuously toward someone is to treat that person as if he or she is unworthy or beneath one’s dignity.

The lunch lady yelled contemptuously at the little boy who sneezed on the food.

65. contentious (adj.) always ready to argue
My sister is so contentious that she punched me for saying “good morning.”

66. denunciation (n.): To denounce is to strongly disapprove of or condemn something. The denunciation of sin in the reverend’s sermon indicates his strong disapproval of sin.

My mom’s denunciation of my obscene language made me change my ways.

67. frivolous (adj.): silly; not serious

I spend my money in frivolous ways and then I feel bad about it.

68. garish (adj.) showy, very bright or gaudy

My friend drives a garish BMW with flames painted on the side and diamond encrusted rims.

69. mandrake roots (n.): The roots of the mandrake plant were often thought to have magical powers because it was thought that their shape resembled the human body.

The mandrake roots screamed at me when I pulled them out of the ground.

70. myopic (adj): Myopia is an abnormal eye condition, often called nearsightedness. Someone who is myopic cannot see objects clearly.

Bob suffered from myopia and need glasses for driving.

71. prerogative (n.) exclusive right or privilege

72. infallible (adj.): never wrong

73. acquiescence (n.): agreement without protest

74. ecclesiastical (adj.): church-like

75. formidable (adj.): impressive

76. profane (adj.): not connected with religion or religious matters

77. acrimonious (adj.): sarcastic; bitter; nasty

78. ambidextrous (adj.): able to use both hands with equal ease

79. amiably (adv.): good-naturedly

80. complacently (adv.): in a self-satisfied way

81. congenital (adj.): a congenital condition is one that is in existence at birth. For example, if a child is born with a weak heart, that weakness in congenital; as opposed to someone who may acquire the condition later in life.

82. sullen (adj.): in this case, gloomy and threatening

83. turbulent (adj.): stormy; unruly

84. mollified (adj.): soothed; calmed

85. perpetual (adj.): everlasting; continuous

86. candid (adj.): open and honest

87. expunge (vb.): remove completely

88. aridity (n.): dryness

89. iota (n.): a very small amount

90. indignant (adj.): angry

91. cynical (adj.): a cynic is someone who often belittles or makes fun of someone else. Aunt Alexandra tells Dill that his remarks about his own Aunt’s drinking habits are cynical, especially since, as a child, Dill should have more respect for his elders.

92. feral (adj.): wild; savage

93. ruefully (adv.): regretfully

94. furtive (adj.): sneaky

95. infantile (adj.): childish

96. bovine (adj.): cow-like

97. impertinence (n.): disrespect

98. squalor (n): filth

99. veneer (n.): attractive outer surface

100. eccentricities (n.): odd behavior

101. reprimand (vb.): scold