Wordly Wise 15
English I vocabulary
by Kristen Jones
February 12, 2007
1/29-2/2
1. aptitude (n.) – Ability or talent; intelligence
2. astral (adj.) – Of or relating to the stars
3. conversant (adj.) – Having knowledge or experience (with something)
4. diction (n.) – Style of speaking or writing (usually deals with word choice and/or enunciation)
5. ellipsis (n.) – Omission of words from a sentence; a series of dots (…) to indicate letters or words that were left out
6. humdrum (adj.) – Boring, dull; lacking variety
7. irony (n.) – The use of words to express something other than the literal meaning.
8. misanthrope (n.) – Person who hates or distrusts other people
9. nominal (adj.) – Existing in name only (for example, a king or queen, if they don’t really govern); relating to, bearing or giving a name; a very small amount
10. omniscient (adj., n.) – Having complete or unlimited knowledge
11. osier (n.) – A branch from a willow tree typically used for making baskets
12. porous (adj.) – Full of pores, allowing the passage of liquids or gas
13. prevalent (adj.) – Generally or widely accepted; widespread
14. saturate (v.) – To treat with something until no more can be dissolved or absorbed; to fill completely with something that spreads throughout
15. sere (adj.) – Dried up and withered
16. usury (n.) – Lending money at an extremely high interest rate
