Word Power: Building Vocabulary Skills
Lesson 2
Lesson Quiz
Lesson Words
Etymology: [par amont (Old French), "at the top"; from per (Latin), "completely" + amont, "above"; from ad, "to" + montem, "mountain"]
of the highest importance
After the World Trade Centers were attacked, security of the nation was considered paramount.
Synonyms: predominant, pre-eminent, supreme, unrivaled
Antonyms: secondary, minor, unimportant, insignificant
Etymology: [provincia (Latin), "a district, an official duty"]
narrow in ideas; of limited outlook
Paul's views seem provincial and out-dated.
Synonyms: rustic, local; parochial, unsophisticated
Antonyms: cosmopolitan, sophisticated, broad-minded
Etymology: [effigies (Latin), "image," "likeness"]
a crude likeness of a person, usually in the form of a picture or stuffed image
When the book The Satanic Verses was first published, its author, Salman Rushdie, was burned in effigy in many Muslim countries.
Synonyms: image, representation, figure
Etymology: [posthumus (Late Latin); from postumus (Latin), 'late born"]
occurring after a person's death.
Edgar Allan Poe's reputation grew posthumously.
Synonyms: postmortem
Etymology: [succulentus (Latin), from succus, "juice"]
full of juice; hence, figuratively, full of life and interest
The tail of a lobster is considered to be the most succulent part.
Synonyms: juicy, sappy, interesting
Antonyms: dry, desiccated, lifeless, uninteresting, vapid
Etymology: [co (Latin), "together" + alescere, "to grow up"]
to grow together or fuse into one mass or body
At the end of each season, the best players from each team coalesce to form the All-Stars Team.
Synonyms: unite, fuse, consolidate, merge
Phrase: to form a coalition; a coalition government
Antonyms: diffuse, decompose, disintegrate, dissolve, disunite
Etymology: [con (Latin), "intensely" + caedere, "to cut"]
expressed in few words
The presentation was concise and very interesting.
Synonyms: brief, terse, laconic, succinct
Antonyms: diffuse, prolix, verbose, redundant
NOTE: A person is considered to be curt if his conciseness is equivalent to being abrupt or rude.
— A Bit of History
On the occasion of one of his victories, Julius Caesar sent a message to the Roman Senate that said simply, "Veni, Vidi, Vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered). This message has gone down in history not so much because of the importance of the victory but because of the remarkable conciseness of the language.
Etymology: [oscillare (Latin), "to swing"]
to waver between two courses of action or opinion; to swing backward and forward like a pendulum
Oil prices have been oscillating between $70 a barrel and $80 a barrel for the past one year.
Synonyms: fluctuate, waver, vacillate
Antonyms: to be constant or steadfast, persevere
NOTE: Do not confuse oscillate, meaning "to waver," with osculate, meaning "to kiss."
Etymology: [indomitabilis (Late Latin); from in (Latin), "not" + domitare, "to tame"]
not capable of being overcome; unconquerable
Rosa Parks showed indomitable courage when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger and move to the back of the bus.
Synonyms: invincible, untamable, irrepressible, unyielding
Antonyms: amenable, docile, submissive, tractable, yielding
Etymology: [para (Greek), "beside, contrary to" + doxa (Greek), "opinion"]
a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement, which on closer examination proves to be deserving of belief — by extension, a paradox may be defined as a situation or a person that on the surface is full of inconsistencies or contradictions
Nicotine is a stimulant, yet is seems to calm people who smoke it. Can you explain this paradox?
There are two tragedies in life: one is not getting what you want, the other is finding it.
Synonyms:contradiction, self-contradiction, inconsistency, absurdity
