First Semester Word of the Day

1. abate (v) to lessen to reduce in severity (strength)
The thunderstorm finally abated its strength after several minutes of heavy rain

2. abbreviate (v) to shorten, reduce
When writing a formal essay, do not abbreviate any words.

3. abduct (v) to kidnap
In the book that she read for her book report, the killer abducted his victims before he harmed them.

4. abort (v) to give up unfinished
The student aborted his extended essay because he lost his interest in the topic that he
selected.

5. abridge (v) to shorten, to cut down
Newspapers often abridge the contents of articles so that they fit the required space.

6. fickle (adj.) characterized by changeableness, whimsical
The temperatures in September can be fickle since it can be 90 degrees one day and 70 the next.

7. figurative (adj) symbolic
In literature class the students studied the use of figurative language so that they could give better interpretations of the poetry.

8. firmament - (n) - the sky, the heavens
When you drive into the country away from the city lights, the display of the firmament is spectacular since the consrellations are very distinct in the darkness.

10. forestall - (v) - to delay
The captain of the ship tried to forestall his ship's doom by trying to navigate around the severe storm.

11. forlorn - (adj) - lonely, hopeless
Do not look forlorn because everyone experiences failure once in a while.

12. formidable - (adj)- arousing fear of alarm
When you first entered Parkdale as a freshman, you may have found it to be a formidable experience because of the size of the building.

13. forsake -(v) - to abandon, forget.
If you are trying to fit into that style prom dres, you may have to forsake fast food until you lose some weight!

14. fortify - (v) - to strengthen
The General fo the Army tried to fortify his position before the battle before the battle because he wanted to protect his troops.

15. foster - (v) - to stimulate, promote encourage
He fostered the growth of the plants by keeping the temperature of the greenhouse very warm and humid.

16. gape - (v) - to open the mouth and stare stupidly
The student gaped in wonder when he found out that he had made the honor roll after failing the semester before.

17. gluttonous - (adj) - insatiable appetite (cannot be satisfied)
The man who entered the pie eating contest could be described as gluttonous because he ate five pies before stopping.

18. grandiose - (adj) - extraordinary grand in scope
Although his idea for the scxience fair seemed grandiose at first, the student carried out his plan successfully and won first prize.

19. gregarious - (adj) - sociable, outgoing
During advisory, students can be as gregarious as they wish because it is their time to engage in conversations with others.

20. hail - (v) - to come from
Students at Parkdale hail from as many as 54 countries.

21. harmony - (n) - agreement
The perfect harmony of the concert choir gae excellent evidence of their precise training.

22. hiatus - (n) - an interruption in continuity; a break
The freedom of summer vacation serves as a brief hiatus from the strycture of school.

23. hedonist -(n) - one whose primary pursuit is pleasure
He prided himself on being a hedonist because he only wanted to drive the most expensive car to the best restaurant in town.

24. hierarchy -(n) - a ranking system of groups or individuals
Hopefully, we do not give rights to people based on a hieracrchy because everyone should be treated equally.

25. idolatrous - (adj) - worshiping excessively an object or person
The idolatrous behavior of the rock star fans created a major disturbance in front of the center where the concert was being held.

26. illusory - (adj) - deceptive, produced by an illusion
Many magicians depend on illusory techniques to impress their fans with their tricks.

27. immaculate - (adj) - impeccably clean, spotless, pure
Although yur parents may not want yor room to be immaculate, yu should at least pick up the dirty clothes out of the floor.