Vocabulary #4

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner;attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Ex- They were served by obsequious waiters.
beatitude - a state of supreme happiness
Ex- All of our actions are to be directed toward such beatitude.
bete noire - a person or thing that one particularly dislikes
Ex- Uncle Edward was my father's bete noire.
bode - verb indicate by signs
Ex- Their argument did not bode well for the future.
dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid
Ex- Walking into the dank basement sent chills up my body.
ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions
Ex- The local churches are sponsoring an ecumenical services on the green.
fervid - adj. extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion
Ex- The candidate made a fervid speech that held the audience's attention.
fetid - adj. offensively malodorous
Ex- The fetid water of the marsh made me sick.
gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky
Ex- The giant almost flattened the travelers with his gargantuan foot as he walked through the forest.
heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
Ex- The paper has lost millions of readers since its heyday in 1972.
incubus - someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream
Ex- Debt is a big incubus in developing countries.
infrastructure - noun the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; the basic structure or features of a system or organization
Ex- Access what damage you can and rebuild the critical infrastructure system.
inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
Ex- We cannot inveigle him into putting pen to paper.
kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation
Ex- Kudos to everyone that put the event together.
lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)
Ex- Jenny gave her favorite teacher a lagniappe.
prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length
Ex- He found the narrative too prolix and discursive.
protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
Ex- He was an aid and protege to the former senator.
prototype - noun a standard or typical example
Ex- The firm is testing a prototype of the weapon.
sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
Ex- I thought you wanted a competent assistant, not a nodding sycophant.
tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true
Ex- John's English teacher told him to avoid tautology in his essay.
truckle - verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
Ex- The student truckled to the bully who would push him on the playground.