Ms. Meisinger English 3 CP: Beowulf
Beowulf Vocab List 4
Week of Oct. 3 – Oct. 7
1.) baffle (v.): bewilder; perplex; fill with confusion; puzzle; frustrate
“At last, we have found a solution to a problem that has been baffling us.”
2.) cinema (n.): movies; motion picture industry
“Which do you like better, TV or the cinema?”
3.) despise (v.): look down on with contempt or disgust; loathe; regard as inferior
“The world admires heroes and despises cowards.”
4.) ebullient (adj.): overflowing with enthusiasm; exuberant
“Hundreds of ebullient fans thronged the airport to greet the new champions.”
5.) exaggerate (v.): overstate; go beyond the limits of the actual truth
“You exaggerated when you called me an excellent cook; I can’t make anything except chocolate pudding.”
6.) exhort (v.): provoke by words; advise strongly; urge
“The newscaster exhorted drivers to leave their cars at home because of the slippery roads.”
7.) expertise (n.): specialized skill or technical knowledge
“The Waldo’s hired an accountant to prepare their tax return because they lack the expertise to do it themselves.”
8.) finicky (adj.): excessively concerned with trivialities or details; hard to please; fussy; particular
“Abe showed me I had forgotten to dot one of my i’s; He is very finicky about such matters.”
9.) gall (n.): bold, rude, or disrespectful behavior
“After Paul made the mistake, he had the gall to blame me for his error.”
10.) inane (adj.): lacking significance or sense; pointless; silly
“I asked him how the water was, and he said “wet”; isn’t that inane?”
11.) indemnify (v.): compensate for loss, damage, or injury; reimburse; repay
“Some of the tenants were not indemnified for their losses in the fire, as they carried no insurance.”
12.) occident (n.): the countries of the West, especially Europe and the Americas
“The plane that landed in Shanghai brought tourists from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Italy, and other countries in the Occident.”
13.) peruse (v.): read; look at fairly attentively; study
“Before signing a contract, you should peruse its contents and discuss any questions you may have with your attorney.
14.) scuffle (v.): struggle, at close quarters, in a rough and confused manner; wrestle; grapple
“The players who scuffled with the umpires were suspended and heavily fined.”
15.) spurn (v.): thrust aside with disdain or contempt; reject
“We wanted to assist, but they spurned all offers of aid.”
16.) stipend (n.): fixed pay for services; salary; regular allowance awarded a scholarship winner
“My sister’s scholarship will award her an annual stipend of $1000 for four years.”
17.) surveillance (n.): close watch over a person, group, or area; supervision
“The patients in the intensive care ward are under continuous surveillance.”
18.) tepid (adj.): moderately warm; lukewarm
“The soup was served hot, but I didn’t get to it for about five minutes, and by then it was tepid.”
19.) wager (v.): risk (something) on the outcome of a contest or uncertain event; gamble; bet
“Those who had wagered we would win are out of some money; we lost the game.”
20.) wane (v.): decrease in power or size; dwindle; decline; sink
“The senator may not be reelected. His popularity is waning.”