Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Speak 1 Vocabulary


Speak 1 : Vocabulary By Jack Brunson

  1. Obscene – offensive to morality or decency, repulsive

The construction worker used obscene language when he hit his thumb with a hammer.


  1. Abstinence – denying self any form of indulgence, appetite, or craving.

Many Catholics practice abstinence from various foods, pastimes, or indulgences as part of the season of Lent.

  1. Savant – a person of learning; especially: one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (i.e. science, literature)

The young man was considered a savant because he was a mathematical genius at an early age.

  1. Thespian – dramatic actor

The international Thespian Society is an honorary organization for high-school and middle-school theatre students



  1. fascism – a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as the Fascists) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a government headed by a dictatorial leader.

Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933, and quickly established a totalitarian and fascist dictatorship.



  1. predator – one that preys, destroys, or devours

To human predators, you are prey, and they have no conscience about harming or killing others.



  1. indoctrination– instruct, with doctrines, theories, beliefs. Can also be brainwashing.

Cult leaders often indoctrinate their followers with beliefs that give the leaders a place of power over them.



  1. morphing – a special-effects process used in film or video production in which persons or objects seem to change shape, form, etc., in a smooth way, created in a digital environment.

The movie, Willow (1988), introduced the technique of morphing and transformed a goat into a woman.



  1. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - PTSD is an anxiety disorder that occurs in the aftermath of a traumatic event. Examples are combat, rape and natural disaster. PTSD is diagnosed six months after the traumatic event. Three major symptoms are: heightened startle response, easily scared, and irritability.
  2. potpourri- a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent.
  3. Paparazzi - a freelance photographer who aggressively pursues celebrities for the purpose of taking candid photographs.

The paparazzi surrounded Lindsey Lohan when she wrecked her Mercedes and was falling out of the car because she was impaired.



  1. Sun Shadow Mandala- Mandalas are symbolic, circular designs that represent outer (sun) and inner (shadow) dimensions of a person’s personality.
  2. Redemption- the act or process of redeeming or the state of being redeemed.
  3. Redeem – to buy or pay off; to recover what has been lost; to discharge in full; to deliver from sin and the consequences by means of a sacrifice offered for the sinner.
  4. abysmal – extremely or hopelessly bad or severe: abysmal ignorance; abysmal poverty.
  5. demure - characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved.
  6. Infante’s Paraphrased: chillaxed in a non-Xanax sort of way.
  7. bigoted – utterly intolerant of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own.
  8. asphyxiated - to cause to die or lose consciousness by impairing normal breathing, as by gas or other noxious agents; choke; suffocate; smother.
  9. conundrum – a riddle, the answer to which involves a pun or play on words. Anything that puzzles. We are in a pickle.
  10. muse – to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject. Absorbed in thought.

After his meeting with the guidance counselor, Michael mused in class about what he wanted to do after he graduated.



  1. classical – of or pertaining to; or characteristic of Greek and Roman antiquity.
  2. cubism– a style of painting and sculpture developed in the early 20th century, characterized by the emphasis on formal structure – geometrical shapes.

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