Chapter 7 Vocab

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Chapter 7 Vocab
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1. curtail (v.) shorten, reduce, lessen

• Curtail comes from an English word no longer
  usedcurtalmeaning a horse with its tail cut
  short.
• Ex. When I asked Judy for a date, she curtly
  replied No! and hung up the phone.
• Synonyms cut, decrease, diminish
• Related Words abbreviate,

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2. Travesty (n. or v.) ridiculous imitation

• Travesty derives ultimately from Latin
  vestire(to dress, clothe), coming to English
  from the French travestir (to disguise by taking
  on someone elses clothing).
• Ex. Corrupt judges and bribed witnesses make a
  travesty of justice.
• Synonyms mockery, joke, parody
• Related Word farce

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3. scruple (n.)doubt or uneasiness as to what is
right or proper

• When ancient Romans walked in their sandals, they
  were very aware if a small, sharp stone(scrupulus
  in Latin) became caught in their sandals.
• Ex. I still have some scruples, so I will not
  sell defective merchandise no matter how
  profitable.
• Synonyms conscience, misgiving, qualm

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4. Havoc (n. or v.) great destruction or
confusion

• In the Middle Ages, Havoc! was a war cry
  signaling a victorious army to loot and rape in a
  conquered town.
• Ex. Recent hurricanes have caused havoc along the
  Florida coast.
• Synonyms ruin, damage, devastation

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5. Mentor (n.) wise, trusted teacher or counselor

• When Odysseus went to fight in the Trojan War, he
  left his wife and infant son in the charge of his
  trusted friend Mentor. Mentors name has become
  synonymous with wise, loyal, and protective
  guardianship.
• Ex. Socrates was the mentor of Plato, Plato the
  mentor of Aristotle, and Aristotle the mentor of
  Alexander the Great.
• Synonyms instructor, guide, preceptor

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6. Haggard (adj.) looking worn and tired

• Haggard entered the English language meaning a
  wild hawk captured after it had already grown
  its mature feathers.
• Ex. Today, a student who stays up all night
  studying for examinations would most likely have
  a haggard look the next day.
• Synonyms careworn, weary, fatigued, gaunt

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7. Utopian (adj.) characteristic of an ideal
society visionary

• The Englishman Thomas More wrote a book Utopia,
  which described a perfect society with justice
  and equality for everyone.
• Ex Any visionary plan for a perfect society or
  system can be characterized as utopian.
• Synonyms idealistic, imaginary, unfeasible
• Related words quixotic

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8. mercurial (adj.)changeable unpredictable
lively

• The Roman god Mercury was the messenger of the
  gods. Because the planet Mercury orbits more
  swiftly around the sun than any other planet, the
  Romans named this planet after the swift-footed
  Mercury. Today, a lively, spritely, quick-witted
  person is said to be mercurial.
• Ex. Your temperament is so mercurial your moods
  are more changeable and unpredictable than the
  weather.
• Synonyms unstable, impulsive, erratic
• Related words protean

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9. diffident (adj.)lacking self-confidence
timid unassertive

• Diffident comes from Latin dis (not) and
  fidere (trust). However, diffident came to
  have the meaning of mistrust in oneself.
• Ex. Diffidence prevented the young man from
  asking girls for dates.
• Synonyms shy, insecure, timorous

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10. hypocrisy (n.) pretending to be what one is
not, especially to have feelings, beliefs, or
virtues that one does not have

• Hypocrites play a part pretending to be what they
  are not. Etymologically, this is appropriate
  since in ancient Greece the word for actor was
  hypokrites.
• Ex A hypocrite will smile and compliment you to
  your face, then criticize and abuse you to
  others.
• Synonyms Deceptiveness, dishonesty, insincerity,
  deceit, duplicity

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• Monologue (n.) long speech by one person

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• Monogamy (n.) marriage with only one person at a
  time

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• Monotonous (adj.) tiresome because lacking
  variety repetitiously dull

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• Monotheism (n.) doctrine or belief that there is
  only one God

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• Monopoly (n.) total control of a product or
  service company that has this total control
  exclusive control or possession of anything.