(uhb-STRUKT), verb
To block or stop up with obstacles or impediments; bar; hinder.
encumber (en-KUHM-ber). To load something—or someone—down with burdens; in legal terms, to place a lien on something.
You can’t lift your backpack if you ENCUMBER it with all sorts of stuff you don’t need!
fetter (FET-er). To put restraints on; confine.
Unnatural fears FETTER David’s imagination and keep him locked inside his house.
impede (im-PEED). To obstruct progress; to block.
The fire regulations are quite clear on the question of storage in this hallway; nothing is allowed to IMPEDE access to the main exit.
mire (MYRE). To get stuck in mud; to make muddy or dirty; to involve or entangle in difficulty.
In the early going, the administration found itself MIRED in issues far from its stated goal of improving the economy.
occlude (uh-KLOOD). To block or obstruct; to close off a passage or entranceway.
Debris from the second-floor construction OCCLUDES the entryway to the laundry room in Linda’s beach house.
stymie (STY-mee). To thwart; to prevent (another) from achieving a goal.
The reporter’s attempts to get to the bottom of the scandal were STYMIED by the refusal of the principals to talk to him—either on or off the record.
trammel (TRAM-uhl). To entangle; confine; restrain.
Jason is an intelligent person, so it surprised us when he explained his theory that education TRAMMELS the thought process.
expedite (EK-spi-dyt). To speed up or make easy the progress of; hasten; facilitate.
“The art of statesmanship is to foresee the inevitable and to EXPEDITE its occurrence.” —Charles M. de Talleyrand, French statesman
precipitate (pri-SIP-ih-tayt). To hasten the occurrence of; to cause to happen before expected.
“It is always one’s virtues and not one’s vices that PRECIPITATE one’s disaster.” —Rebecca West, English writer
(AH-duh-see), noun
A long journey; a series of travels, adventures, or dangerous travails.
herculean (her-kyuh-LEE-uhn). Of extraordinary power or difficulty. Capitalized: pertaining to or resembling Hercules.
The HERCULEAN efforts of the 2004 Red Sox to win the World Series will go down in baseball history.
laborious (lah-BORE-ee-us). Requiring a great deal of effort. Showing signs of effort or difficulty, rather than ease, naturalness, or fluency.
Most high school boys find any work, no matter how short or easy, to be LABORIOUS.
migratory (MY-gruh-toar-ee). Moving as part of a bird, fish, or animal population from one region to another every year. Relating to movement of people or animals from one place to another. Tending to wander from one region to another without settling down for any length of time.
MIGRATORY birds are good indicators of seasonal changes.
navigable (NA-vih-guh-bull). Passage by ship or boat; having waters deep and wide enough to allow vessels to pass. Able to be steered or controlled.
Prior to backing out of the crammed parking lot, Dennis first determined that it was NAVIGABLE.
peripatetic (per-uh-puh-TET-ik). Wandering without a clear goal or definiteness of purpose.
While waiting to receive his trust fund at age thirty, Giles lived a PERIPATETIC lifestyle.
antiquity (an-TICK-wih-tee). Ancient history, especially of the ancient Greek or Roman civilizations.
Museums display the treasures of ANTIQUITY for all to enjoy.
catharsis (kuh-THAR-siss). The purging of the senses through tragic drama or through music; or, in general, a discharge of negative emotions.
Characters in many novels undergo a CATHARSIS after dramatic or traumatic experiences, thereby revealing much to readers.
grandeur (GRAN-jur). The quality of being great, grand, or very impressive; extravagance in scale or appearance.
The GRANDEUR of Buckingham Palace impresses all who have the honor to visit it.
immigrant (ih-mih-GREHNT). Someone who comes to a country to settle there.
Almost every American IMMIGRANT dreams of success, wealth, and happiness.
amble (AM-bul). To walk in an easy or leisurely manner; to saunter or stroll.
Some tourists AMBLE up and down the boardwalk in Atlantic City, while others sit playing blackjack.
immutable (ih-MYOO-tuh-bull). Not changing; not able to be changed.
“I don’t know what IMMUTABLE differences exist between men and women apart from differences in their genitals.” —Naomi Weisstein, American feminist
impasse (IM-pass). A situation that seems to offer no solution or escape; a point of stalemate. Literally, a dead-end street or passage.
The research team’s efforts had come to an IMPASSE, so they brought in new members to inspire innovative approaches.
(OH-guhl), verb
To look at in an amorous or impertinent way.
amatory (AM-uh-tore-ee). Having to do with sexual love.
Pete hasn’t stopped sulking since Alice spurned his AMATORY advances at the office Christmas party.
besotted (bih-SAW-ted). Made foolish, stupid, or dull due to infatuation.
Aline thinks Jake is BESOTTED with her, but he’s really BESOTTED with her father’s stock portfolio.
salacious (suh-LAY-shuss). Having an unhealthy, obsessive, or addictive interest in sex.
For weeks, the society pages were rife with SALACIOUS gossip, which turned out to originate from Mallory, who had lost her beau to Jeannette.
concupiscence (kon-KYOO-pih-sehns). Unbridled lust in the extreme—horniness.
“You’re talking to a young vampire, a fountain of CONCUPISCENCE.” —Mario Acevedo, American fantasy author
coquette (ko-KET). A woman who dresses promiscuously or flirts excessively to make men think she is sexually available when in fact she has no intention of sleeping with them.
Marla doesn’t intend to play the COQUETTE at society balls, but her alluring looks attract other debutantes’ dates constantly.
dalliance (DAL-ee-ance). A brief, casual flirtation with or interest in someone or something; the act of tarrying rather than proceeding swiftly and deliberately.
Her DALLIANCE with the pool boy made her husband angry and jealous.
roué (roo-A). A licentious man; a libertine or lecher.
Although Ernest’s dalliances might have been understandable when he was a young man, they were more difficult for his family to forgive in his later years, when he came to resemble nothing so much as a tired and lonely old ROUÉ.
satyr (SAY-ter). A lascivious, lecherous man.
Harold’s graceful manners disappear once he has had a few glasses of champagne and he becomes a veritable SATYR.
chivalry (SHIV-ul-ree). Brave, kind, courteous, or gentlemanly behavior.
“We hear much of CHIVALRY of men towards women; but … it vanishes like dew before the summer sun when one of us comes into competition with the manly sex.” —Martha Coston, American author
uxorious (uk-SORE-ee-us). Submissive to or doting toward one’s wife.
“The same things change their names at such a rate; / For instance—passion in a lover’s glorious, / But in a husband is pronounced UXORIOUS.” —Lord Byron, British Romantic poet
(uh-PIN-yuhn), noun
A belief not based on absolute certainty or real knowledge but on what seems to be true, valid, or likely to one’s own mind; what one thinks; judgment.
heterodox (HET-uh-ruh-docks). Holding unorthodox opinions, especially opinions concerned with religion.
I believe George will grow out of his HETERODOX beliefs as he gets older.
manifesto (man-ih-FESS-toe). A public declaration of one’s intentions or motives, typically of a political nature.
Instead of galvanizing the crowd to action, the poet’s MANIFESTO collapsed the audience in laughter.
obiter dictum (OH-bih-ter DIK-tuhm). An incidental opinion or remark; an incidental and nonbinding remark expressed by a judge.
Frank couldn’t refrain from offering an OBITER DICTUM every time we made a turn without consulting the map.
pundit (PUN-dit). A person who gives opinions as an authority.
The conservative political PUNDITS had all decreed that Obama would be defeated in a head-to-head contest with Mitt Romney, but the voters had other ideas.
vox populi (VOKS POP-yew-lye). Expression of the prevailing mood, concerns, and opinions in a country.
In response to an environmentally friendly VOX POPULI, more and more corporations are “going green.”
concur (kun-KUR). To agree; to share the same opinion.
The prosecutor felt that Jim’s crime deserved the maximum penalty, but the judge did not CONCUR.
counsel (KOWN-sul). To discuss ideas or opinions.
Katrina’s advisor was always available to COUNSEL her about work-related issues.
opine (oh-PYNE). To give an opinion.
The way that Charlotte OPINES about fashion, you’d think she created couture rather than just purchased it.
apathetic (ap-uh-THET-ik). Feeling no emotion; not interested; indifferent.
“He wasn’t exactly hostile to facts, but he was APATHETIC about them.” —Wolcott Gibbs, American writer
egocentric (ee-go-SEN-trik). Selfish; interested only in oneself and not in the needs or feelings of others; narrow-mindedly focused on self rather than other people.
Not surprisingly, the EGOCENTRIC author’s greatest achievement was an autobiography.