Vocabulary #4

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

“The prince’s obsequious nature got him whatever he wanted.”

beatitude - noun one of the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; in Latin each saying begins with `beatus' (blessed); a state of supreme happiness

“The beatitude of Jesus was the centerpiece in the church.”

bête noire- noun a person or thing that one particularly dislikes.

“Stew is a bête noire to me.”

bode - verb indicate by signs

“The police officer boded the direction he wanted us to go in.”

dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid

“The dungeon was dank.”

ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions

“Religion in the U. S. is ecumenical based.”

fervid - adj. extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion

“The temperature while on the field was fervid.”

fetid - adj. offensively malodorous

“Her comments were fetid.”

gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky

“The beast’s size was gargantuan.”

heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

“During the beginning stages of the industrial revolution, industries were at a heyday.”

incubus - noun a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream

“I had an incubus while daydreaming in class.”

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

“The infrastructure of the company was as sophisticated as it gets.”

inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

“The pretty women inveigled the unknowing man into her trap.”

kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation

“Receiving kudos is rare for me but it provides a great confidence booster.”

lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)

“My friends gave me lagniappes on my birthday.”

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

“The prince’s obsequious nature got him whatever he wanted.”

prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length

“The guest speakers speech was prolix.”

protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career

“Alexander Hamilton was the protégé to George Washington.”

prototype - noun a standard or typical example

“Everyone wants the prototype until the latest model emerges.”

sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

“The sycophant man was able to work his way through inveigling his bosses.”

tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true

“Her tautology was pointless and lost her the argument.”

truckle - noun a low bed to be slid under a higher bed; verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering

“His act of truckling distracted his opponent long enough for him to win the competition.”