10 • Lesson 7 Word List

castigate

(v) To punish by criticizing sharply; to berate.
Our former principal used to castigate students in public; Ms. Abrosino would never do that.

colloquial*

(adj) Characterized by informal language.
Most of the lecturers were formal and boring, but the last one was more engaging and lively because of her colloquial speech.

colloquialism (n)
?Y?all come back? is known as a Southern colloquialism.

epitaph

(n) The words carved on a tombstone in memory of the deceased.
The gravestone had no epitaph, just the name Al Cott and the dates 1813?1865.

exodus

(n) A mass departure.
Poverty and political misrule caused the exodus of Haitians from their homeland to the United States.

inter

(v) To put in a grave; to bury.
Soon after the funeral, the body was interred in the grave.

interment (n)
Before the interment, they placed flowers on the coffin.

compete
lacerate

(v) To tear or cut roughly.
My legs were lacerated by the rocks as we climbed to the peak.

laceration (n)
The animal trainer suffered a minor laceration of his arm when a rambunctious lion hit him with its paw.

compete
largesse

(n) The act of giving generously; gifts.
After donating a large amount of money to a homeless shelter, the man received an award in recognition of his largesse.

obituary

(n) A notice of someone?s death, such as in a newspaper, usually with a brief summary of that person?s life.
I didn?t know she?d died until I saw her obituary in the local paper.

compete
omnivorous*

(adj) 1. Eating all kinds of food, including both animal and vegetable food.
Though some people are vegetarians, the human species is classified as omnivorous because humans may eat both animal and vegetable products.

2. Taking in everything available.
They were omnivorous collectors of everything from rare books to old theatrical posters.

compete
permeate

(v) To spread throughout; to pass through.
The smell of garlic permeated the kitchen.

rendition

(n) An interpretation or translation; a performance.
The choir?s poignant rendition of the song was the high point of the concert.

compete
resurgence

(n) A rising again to life, use, acceptance, or prominence; a revival.
A resurgence in ballroom dancing got everyone rushing to learn the tango and the fox?trot.

stereotype

(n) A generalization that is used to characterize a person without acknowledging individual differences.
Some people believe the stereotype that football players are unintelligent and insensitive.

(v) To make judgments that ignore individual differences.
It?s wrong to stereotype Californians as trendy and superficial.

stipend

(n) A regular and fixed amount of pay for work done or to help cover living or work expenses.
My part-time summer job as a lifeguard carried with it a weekly stipend of ninety dollars.

subservient

(adj) Serving or acting in a subordinate manner; servile.
The host tried to ingratiate himself with his guests by acting in a subservient manner, attending to their every whim.