Essays & Short Story Vocabulary

created by L. Lopez, 9/23/06

Name:	Period:
Date:	Ms. Lopez

Essays & Short Story Vocabulary

Part I: conception - glutted
includes "Riders on the Earth Together," "Miss Brill," "Frightnened By Loss" "Christmas Greens" and "Princess & the Tin Box"
Part II: sylvan - flux
includes "Twins," "Tale of the Rodent," "The Writer," "Angels" and "Poor But Dumb"

“Riders on the Earth Together: Brothers in the Eternal Cold”

CONCEPTION -n.- a general idea; a complex product of abstract or reflective thinking; the sum of a person's ideas and beliefs
FARCE -n.- a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot; a ridiculous or empty show
PREPOSTEROUS -adj.- ridiculous; contrary to nature, reason, or common sense
DEGRADING -v.- lowering in grade, rank, or status

“Miss Brill”

EIDERDOWN -n.- a piece of furniture stuffed with the feathers of the eider (a type of goose)
ROTUNDA -n.- a large round room; a large central area (as in a hotel); a building with a dome
GRAVELY -adv.- having a serious and dignified quality or demeanor
ERMINE -n.- any of several weasels whose coats become white in winter usually with black on the tip of the tail
TOQUE -n.- a woman's small hat without a brim made in any of various soft close-fitting shapes
RESOLUTE -adj.- marked by firm determination; bold; steady
WHITING -n.- a common European fish (Merlangus merlangus) of the cod family

“Frightened by Loss”

IMPORTUNED -v.- to press or urge with troublesome persistence
CONSPIRACY -n.- to join in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act
INANIMATE -adj.- not alive or spirited; lacking consciousness and power of motion
JOUSTING -n.- to engage in personal combat or competition
STIPPLED -adj.- made with small dots or flicks that together produce an even or softly graded shadow

“Christmas Greens”

HINDRANCE -n.- an obstacle; a delay

The Princess & The Tin Box”

DISDAINFUL -adj.- full of contempt and hatred for something thought to be beneath oneself
GLUTTED -v.- to fill especially with food; to flood (the market) with goods so that supply exceeds demand

Your first vocabulary quiz includes the words above
Your second vocabulary quiz includes the words below

“Twins”

SYLVAN -adj.- of, relating to, or characteristic of the woods or forest
PRIMLY -adv.- stiffly formal and proper
CAPTIOUS -adj.- ill-natured, complaining, argumentative
SULLENLY -adv.- gloomily; marked by low spirits

“Tale of the Rodent”

ERRATIC -adj.- having no fixed course; characterized by lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformity; deviating from what is ordinary or standard
ECCENTRIC - adj.- deviating from an established or usual pattern or style; deviating from traditional or accepted usage or conduct especially in odd or whimsical ways; deviating from a circular path

“The Writer”

MUTATE -v- to significantly and basically change
PRECIPICE -n.- a very steep or overhanging place
PINNACLE -n.- a lofty peak; the highest point of development or achievement
TORRENTIAL -adj.- violent outpouring
CAREENS -v.- sways wildly from side to side

“Angels on a Pin”

ARBITER - n.- a person with power to decide a dispute; a judge
PHYSICS - n.- a science that deals with matter and energy and their interactions
CONCEDED - v.- to accept as true, valid, or accurate; to acknowledge grudgingly or hesitantly
CONVENTIONAL -adj.- lacking originality or individuality; of traditional design
PEDANTIC - adj.- unimaginative; formal and precise to the point of stressing little things that are unimportant

“Poor But Dumb”

CONSOLIDATED -adj.- joined together into one whole; united
MERGER -n.- the act or process of blending together into one; absorption by a corporation of one or more other corporations
HIFALUTIN (highfalutin) -adj.- expressed in overly fancy, sophisticated, showy language
FLUX -n.- a continuous state of change; a continuous moving on or passing by (as of a stream)