Beautiful Souls by Eyal Press

Ms. Esposito (United States of America)
Vocabulary words found in the book Beautiful Souls by Eyal Press
162 words 25 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. festoon
    flower chains suspended in curves as a decoration
  2. transgress
    act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
  3. sanctimonious
    excessively or hypocritically pious
  4. cataclysm
    an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
  5. pogrom
    organized persecution of an ethnic group, especially Jews
  6. cauldron
    a very large pot that is used for boiling
  7. promontory
    a natural elevation
  8. metastasize
    spread throughout the body
  9. anodyne
    capable of relieving pain
  10. Aryan
    a Caucasian person of Nordic descent
  11. squalid
    foul and run-down and repulsive
    can also mean morally degraded.
  12. banal
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  13. Dachau
    a concentration camp for Jews created by the Nazis near Munich in southern Germany
  14. gendarme
    a French policeman
    In the text, it is an Austrian gendarme who shows Billig a path to Switzerland.
  15. unanimously
    of one mind; without dissent
  16. pince-nez
    spectacles clipped to the nose by a spring
  17. precocious
    appearing or developing early
  18. canton
    a small administrative division of a country
  19. punctilious
    marked by precise accordance with details
  20. anarchist
    an advocate of the abolition of governments
    an advocate of the abolition of governments
  21. annexation
    the act of acquiring something by conquest or occupation
  22. altruism
    the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
  23. outlier
    a person or thing that does not conform to a norm
  24. Gestapo
    the secret state police in Nazi Germany
  25. ethnocentrism
    belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group
  26. presage
    a sign of something about to happen
  27. aver
    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
  28. conscript
    someone who is drafted into military service
  29. virulent
    extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
  30. deluge
    an overwhelming number or amount
  31. propaganda
    information that is spread to promote some cause
  32. indoctrination
    teaching someone to accept beliefs uncritically
  33. cosset
    treat with excessive indulgence
  34. partisan
    devoted to a cause or political group
  35. salvo
    an outburst resembling the discharge of firearms
  36. frenetic
    fast and energetic in an uncontrolled or wild way
  37. habituation
    the development of tolerance for and dependence on something
  38. insuperable
    incapable of being surpassed or excelled
  39. poignancy
    a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow
  40. gauntlet
    a form of punishment with two lines of men facing each other
  41. truncheon
    a short stout club used primarily by police officers
  42. genocide
    systematic killing of a racial or cultural group
  43. fealty
    the loyalty that one owes to a country, sovereign, or lord
  44. visceral
    coming from deep inward feelings rather than from reasoning
  45. fatalism
    a mental attitude accepting that everything is predetermined
  46. dispassionate
    unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice
  47. incredulity
    doubt about the truth of something
  48. homogenization
    the process of making milk uniform by breaking fat into tiny particles
  49. congenital
    present at birth but not necessarily hereditary
  50. indolent
    disinclined to work or exertion
  51. autonomy
    political independence
  52. autocrat
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
  53. duly
    in an appropriate or proper manner
  54. enmity
    a state of deep-seated ill-will
  55. prelate
    a senior clergyman and dignitary
  56. foment
    try to stir up
  57. resonate
    evoke or suggest a strong meaning or belief
  58. maxim
    a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits
  59. malignant
    dangerous to health
  60. bequeath
    leave or give, especially by will after one's death
  61. warrant
    show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for
  62. disparage
    express a negative opinion of
  63. maelstrom
    a powerful circular current of water
  64. subversive
    in opposition to an established system or government
  65. frisson
    an almost pleasurable sensation of fright
  66. paradigm
    the generally accepted perspective of a discipline
  67. salience
    the state of being significant
  68. utilitarian
    valuing or chosen for usefulness above all else
  69. abstraction
    a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance
  70. pernicious
    working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
  71. induction
    reasoning from detailed facts to general principles
  72. inference
    a conclusion you can draw based on known evidence
  73. inert
    having only a limited ability to react chemically
  74. chauvinistic
    convinced of the superiority of one's own kind
  75. barb
    an aggressive remark directed at a person
  76. capitulate
    surrender under agreed conditions
  77. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
  78. pallor
    an unnatural lack of color in the skin
  79. cenotaph
    monument to honor those whose remains are interred elsewhere
  80. assimilate
    become like one's environment
  81. reciprocity
    a relation of mutual dependence or action or influence
  82. postulate
    a proposition accepted as true to provide a logical basis
  83. craven
    lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful
  84. empathy
    understanding and entering into another's feelings
  85. botanist
    a biologist specializing in the study of plants
  86. cobbler
    a person who makes or repairs shoes
  87. poll tax
    an amount to be paid as a requirement for voting
  88. bucolic
    idyllically rustic
  89. rumination
    a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
  90. ode
    a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  91. eradication
    the complete destruction of every trace of something
  92. salve
    a preparation applied externally as a soothing remedy
  93. Six Day War
    tension between Arabs and Israeli erupted into a brief war in June 1967; Israel emerged as a major power in the Middle East
  94. gangly
    tall, thin, and awkward
  95. kibbutz
    a collective farm or settlement in modern Israel
  96. utopian
    pertaining to or resembling an ideally perfect state
  97. suffuse
    cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across
  98. indomitable
    impossible to subdue
  99. ambivalence
    mixed feelings or emotions
  100. cistern
    an artificial reservoir for storing liquids
  101. yeshiva
    an academy for the advanced study of Jewish texts
  102. Zionism
    a policy for establishing and developing a national homeland for Jews in Palestine
  103. Green Line
    the border marking the boundaries of the land that Israel won in its 1948 war of independence
  104. gorge
    a deep ravine, usually with a river running through it
  105. inured
    made tough by habitual exposure
  106. assumption
    the act of taking something for granted
  107. pillory
    expose to ridicule or public scorn
  108. tacit
    implied by or inferred from actions or statements
  109. sanction
    official permission or approval
  110. mitigate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  111. martial law
    military rule over civilian affairs
  112. pluralism
    a social organization in which diversity is tolerated
  113. zealot
    a fervent and even militant proponent of something
  114. stringent
    demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
  115. Hamas
    a militant Islamic fundamentalist political movement that opposes peace with Israel and uses terrorism as a weapon; seeks to create an Islamic state in place of Israel; is opposed to the PLO and has become a leading perpetrator of terrorist activity in Israel; pioneered suicide bombing
  116. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
  117. splay
    widen or spread apart
  118. vitriol
    abusive or venomous language to express blame or censure
  119. impugn
    attack as false or wrong
  120. intifada
    an uprising by Palestinians against the Israeli government
  121. Hezbollah
    a Shiite terrorist organization with strong ties to Iran
  122. valor
    courage when facing danger
  123. valiant
    having or showing heroism or courage
  124. hawkish
    disposed to warfare or hard-line policies
  125. Gaza Strip
    a coastal region at the southeastern corner of the Mediterranean bordering Israel and Egypt
  126. secular
    not concerned with or devoted to religion
  127. complicity
    guilt as a confederate in a crime or offense
  128. altruist
    someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being
  129. vortex
    a powerful circular current of water
  130. cull
    look for and gather
  131. tumultuous
    characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
  132. quotidian
    found in the ordinary course of events
  133. prosaic
    not challenging; dull and lacking excitement
  134. regale
    occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
  135. interlocutor
    a person who takes part in a conversation
  136. abstruse
    difficult to understand
  137. pernicious
    exceedingly harmful
  138. conjectural
    based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence
  139. calamitous
    having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences
  140. collateral
    a security pledged for the repayment of a loan
  141. cow
    subdue or overcome by affecting with fear or awe
  142. quintessential
    representing the perfect example of a class or quality
  143. deferential
    showing courteous regard for people's feelings
  144. vindictive
    disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge
  145. cloistered
    of communal life sequestered from the world under religious vows
  146. taint
    place under suspicion or cast doubt upon
  147. fiduciary
    a person who holds assets in trust for a beneficiary
  148. epitomize
    embody the essential characteristics of
  149. protean
    taking on different forms
  150. obviate
    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
  151. sacrosanct
    treated as if holy and kept free from violation or criticism
  152. superfluous
    serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
  153. police state
    a country that maintains repressive control over the people by means of police (especially secret police)
  154. nefarious
    extremely wicked
  155. specious
    plausible but false
  156. machination
    a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends
  157. avuncular
    resembling an uncle in kindness or indulgence
  158. travail
    use of physical or mental energy; hard work
  159. litany
    a prayer consisting of a series of invocations by the priest with responses from the congregation
  160. inviolable
    treated as if holy and kept free from violation or criticism
  161. acquiescence
    acceptance without protest
  162. sanctimonious
    excessively or hypocritically pious
Created on Thu Aug 22 11:03:12 EDT 2013 (updated Tue Aug 27 17:23:30 EDT 2013)

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