This document defines and provides examples for several vocabulary words. It defines "impel" as to drive or force someone to do something and provides its Latin origin. It also defines "empirical" as based on observation or experience rather than theory, and notes its Greek origin. Finally, it defines "animus" as prejudiced ill will and provides examples of its use.

1. IMPEL
• DEFINITION:
drive, force, or
urge (someone)
to do something
• ORIGIN: impel is
from Latin…the
root verb pello
"to knock,
drive“
The Declaration of
Independence states that a
group that feels the need to
break free "should declare the
causes which impel them to
the separation."
VERB

2. EMPIRICAL
• DEFINTION: based on,
concerned with, or verifiable by
observation or experience
rather than theory or pure logic
• ORIGIN: empirical comes from the Greek
verb to test or try (PEIRAW). FWIW, it has
nothing to do with "empire" or "imperial" or
"imperative.“
ADJECTIVE
Scientists rely on empirical data to confirm their theories.

3. ANIMUS
• DEFINITION: a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will
The fans of the home team
displayed animus towards anyone
wearing the colors of the visiting
team.
Synonyms Antonyms
Animosity Amity
Grudge Goodwill
“Bad blood” Acceptance
Bitterness Tolerance
NOUN
The former political prisoner felt animus
toward the government that had imprisoned
him, but he tried to show forgiveness.

4. JEJUNE
• DEFINITION: naïve, simplistic, and superficial;
(of an idea or writing) dry or uninteresting
• Origin: Latin.
Inconsistencies of character and plot mar this
lively but jejune debut.
ADJECTIVE

5. CONCEIT CONCEDE
• DEFINITION: Holding a
high opinion of one's own
qualities or abilities;
especially, one that is not
justified
Since he won the race, Craig
has been full of conceit
about his athletic
prowess.
• DEFINITION: to accept as
true, valid, or accurate; to
acknowledge grudgingly
or hesitantly
I prefer baseball to football
but I have to concede that
football has more action.
The congressman stubbornly
stood his ground, refusing
to make any concessions
to his opponents, even in
the name of compromise.
NOUN VERB

6. EDIFY
• DEFINITION: instruct or improve (someone)
morally or intellectually
In the novel A Lesson Before Dying, the narrator is a teacher who is brought in
to try to edify a death-row inmate, but to his surprise the teacher ends up
learning as much as he teaches.
VERB

7. PHOBIA
• DEFINITION: an exaggerated
usually inexplicable and
illogical fear of a particular
object, class of objects, or
situation
ORIGIN: Phobia is from the
Greek word for
fear. Phobos was the Greek
god of fear, the son of Ares
http://phobialist.com/
Have a fear? Give it a name
using the website above!
The famously wealthy
and eccentric industrialist and
aviator, Howard Hughes, who
designed the giant hydroplane "The
Spruce Goose," suffered so much
from agoraphobia that he became
a recluse during the last few years of
his life.
Considered to be an unlucky
number, many hotels omit the
13th floor using 12a or skipping
directly to 14, which is sure to please
many triskaidekaphobics.
NOUN

8. PERPETUATE
DEFINITION: cause to last infinitely
ORIGIN: Latin adjective perpetuus meaning
“everlasting”.
• Bad habits and stereotypes perpetuate unless conscious
efforts are made to put an end to them.
• Radnor football has been 12-2 against LM since 1999, and
looks to perpetuate that recent success with another victory
this weekend.
TRANSITIVE VERB
Perpetuate is… Perpetuate is not…
Infinite Finite
Immortal Mortal
Eternal Temporary

9. TAUTOLOGY
DEFINITION: the saying of the same thing twice in
different words, generally considered to be a fault
of style.
When they are in trouble, children often turn a deaf ear to their parents’
tautological lectures.
TAUTOLOGY EXAMPLES:
“In my opinion, I think that…”
“Say it again, once more.”
Hot water heater
NOUN
ORIGIN: Greek. Tautologia,
from tautologos "repeating what has
been said," from tauto "the same" + -
logos "saying.”

10. MUNIFICENT
• DEFINITION: larger or more
generous than is usual or
necessary (referring to a gift
or a sum of money)
• A generous gift need not be
monetary.
• When applied to a person,
"munificent" also means
"characterized by great
generosity".
TRIVIA: What Disney
protagonist is named after an
ANTONYM of the WOW?
What actress will play the part
of the Evil Queen in the
2014 movie?
ADJECTIVE
The munificent host presided over many
charitable events at his mansion.
One need not be rich to be munificent: the
world is full of people who are generous in
small but meaningful ways.

11. EUPHORIA
• DEFINITION: a feeling of well-being or elation
The prefix “eu” means “well” or “successfully”
• ORIGIN: Greek
When the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, the entire city of Philadelphia was in
a state of bliss and euphoria.
You could sense the euphoria oozing from the hallways during LM Week. The feeling
continued onto the football field and back into the building for “Half-day Monday.”
NOUN

12. SERENDIPITY
Definition: the occurrence and development of events
by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
How serendipitous it was that I just found the very same twenty dollar bill that I had
misplaced months ago.
The musical group Daft Punk liked their song "Obtain Serendipity" but had a hard time
getting the lyrics to fit rhythmically until they rewrote it to say simply "Get Lucky".
NOUN

13. FATHOM
NOUN
A unit of length equal to six
feet, usually in water.
These pumps are capable of
supplying ample air to two
divers simultaneously, at the
depth of twelve fathoms.
VERB
To understand
When bad things happen, it is
not always easy to fathom the
reasons why they happen.

14. Omphaloskepsis
(Om-pha-lo-skep-sis)
DEFINITION: The contemplation of one’s navel;
metaphorically, it refers to self-absorption
ORIGIN: Ancient Greek omphalos – navel, and skepsis – reflection
For some people, omphaloskepsis can be a form of meditation.
NOUN

15. CHAGRIN
NOUN
DEFINITION: mental unease,
distress or embarrassment
caused by failure,
disappointment or a
disconcerting event.
VERB
DEFINITION: to feel distressed
or humiliated
ORIGIN: French
The TV weatherman appeared
chagrined when he reported on
the brutal storm that was bearing
down on his city, but he rejoiced
on the inside, because he knew
that dismal weather could help
his career.
Much to everyone's chagrin, the
final image of the series was a
disturbing and violent cliffhanger
which would never be resolved.
SYNONYMS: humiliate, mortify, abase
ANTONYMS: comfort, confidence, triumph

16. NEMESIS
DEFINITION: retributive justice OR an opponent
that cannot be overcome or beaten
ORIGIN: Ancient Greek
The cat is seen as the mouse's biggest arch nemesis, as portrayed in the cartoon "Tom and Jerry."
Good normally prevails over evil despite a nemesis' attempt at foiling peaceful ways.
NOUN
EXAMPLES NON-EXAMPLES
ENEMY FRIEND
RIVAL ASSOCIATE
FOE VINDICATOR NEMESIS
Greek Goddess of Revenge

17. BURGEON
Definition: To grow or develop quickly; to send
forth new growth: sprout; bloom; flourish
The market for collectables has burgeoned in the past couple of years.
No thanks to the mild winter, mosquito populations are burgeoning this spring.
VERB

18. APPRAISEDEFINITION: To assess the value or quality of or (of an offical or expert) set a price on; value
ORIGIN: Latin
Owner of the pawnshop prided himself on appraising items appropriately.
The house was appraised at a value lower than expected.
VERB
APPRAISE IN DAILY LIFEAntique Store Real Estate
Pawn Shop

19. PARADIGM
DEFINITION: a typical example or pattern of something; a model
ORIGIN: Greek in origin, derived from paradeigma or "pattern" or "example"
The company's marketing paradigm shifted to a much more conservative one after they rose from being the
underdog newcomer to the industry leader.
Andy Warhol ushered in a new paradigm for art in the 1960s, bringing common objects and pop culture into
the spotlight to replace more traditional subject matter.
NOUN
https://www.google.com/search?q=PARADIGM&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=qofxUsLnLuHgs

20. PARAGON
DEFINITION: a person or thing regarded as the perfect example of
a particular quality
ORIGIN: Middle French
Such a paragon never wears jeans, or drinks alcohol, or smokes.
Oddly enough, I'm not a paragon of health.
Who or what is perfect in your eyes?
NOUN
What it is… What it isn’t…
Perfect Imperfect
Paradigm Worst
Nonpareil Flawed

21. HARBINGER
DEFINITION/ETYMOLOGY
DEFINITION: someone or something that
announces the approach of another.
ORIGIN: Old French from Old German
SENTENCE EXAMPLES
Courtesy of Dr. McGay
• The blooming of crocuses are a harbinger of the
arrival of spring.
• A sore throat is often the harbinger of a more
serious sickness, like a cold or the flu.
• When her water broke, the expectant mother
knew this was the harbinger that her baby was
about to be born.
From Dictionary.com
• Another harbinger of spring on Mars is huge
dust storms that sweep across the planet.
• Virtue is the root of good fortune, and evil the
harbinger of calamity.
• The fainting episode, a potential harbinger of
heart trouble, was the first symptom to study.
NOUN

22. DIVERGENT
Definition: tending to be different or
develop in different directions When the movie Divergent is
released, undoubtedly moviegoers
will express divergent opinions
about how faithful the
film was to the book.
Tessa’s teaching
philosophy is divergent from her
coworkers, but they still manage
put their differences aside to
work productively.
SYNONYMS ANTONYMS
DIFFERENT SAME
DISSIMILAR SIMILAR
UNALIKE ALIKE
DISPARATE RELATED
CONFLICTING COMPARABLE
NOUN

23. RUMINATE
DEFINITION: to think carefully
and deeply about something
ORIGIN: Latin
VERB
While some individuals are impulsive, others can
ruminate for days or weeks before making a decision.
Facing a tough decision, she ruminated over her options
through the course of the week.

24. FECUND
DEFINITION: producing or capable of producing
an abundance of new growth.
ORIGIN: Latin
A lush and fecund garden will be the product of the rainy spring season.
ADJECTIVE
What it is… What it IS NOT…
Fertile Infertile
Fruitful Barren
Productive Unproductive

25. NASCENT
DEFINITION: beginning to exist; recently formed
or developed
ORIGIN: Latin
The actress is now focusing on her nascent singing career.
It was almost 80 years ago that the Wright brothers from Ohio ventured to
Kitty Hawk for the uplift its steady winds offered their nascent passion,
airplanes. —Robert R. Yandle, Popular Photography, March 1993
ADJECTIVE

26. INCISIVEClear and direct; able to explain difficult ideas clearly and confidently
A professor
Yoda
A doctor
ADJECTIVE
Synonyms Antonyms
Keen Vague
Astute Rambling
Insightful
Perceptive
EXAMPLES
He is one of the most
intellectually incisive executives
in corporate America.

27. BUCOLIC
DEFINITION: of or relating to the pleasant aspects of
the countryside and countryside life
ORIGIN: Ancient Greek
The land was quite bucolic – with rolling fields and
beautiful landscape.
Many universities create bucolic environments even in
urban settings.
ADJECTIVE

28. SCHISM
DEFINITION: a division that occurs among a
group because they disagree on something
A schism was created in
the United States between
the North and South when
the Civil War broke out.
Deciding who was to pay
for the wedding led to
a schism between the
two families that, to
this day, either side is
willing to mend.
NOUN

29. PORTEND
DEFINITION: a sign or warning that (something,
especially something momentous or
calamitous) is likely to happen.
ORIGIN: Latin
The drop in temperature and darkening skies portend a storm is imminent.
Sandy does not believe a palm reader can portend the future.
VERB