List A7.txt

(n) [uh FIN uh tee] natural attraction to a person or liking for a thing; relation; connection. Harvey’s affinity for math led him to excel in our computer course.

(n) [an uh MOS uh tee] active dislike; ill will. Although the immigrants were met with animosity when they moved into the neighborhood, they soon were accepted and befriended by most of the residents.

(n) [af ruh DIZ ee ak] (from the Greek Aphrodite) a drug or food which stimulates sexual desire or pleasure. Although he was told by his Asian physician that a beverage of ground rhinoceros horn was an aphrodisiac, the Emperor did not experience any increased sexual pleasure.

(n) [kuh THAR sis] an emotional purification of relief. In Greek tragedy, the downfall of the hero on stage brought about a catharsis among the spectators.

(v) [DES eh krayt] to treat with disrespect; to profane. The young troublemakers were caught as they desecrated the cemetery by overturning headstones.

(adj.) [DOR ment] asleep or lying as if asleep; latent but capable of being activated. The coverage of the Persian Gulf War aroused in many citizens dormant feelings of patriotism, which had been quiescent since World War II.

(adj.) [FIT ful] spasmodic; intermittent; irregular. After a fitful night’s sleep, Monte’s eyes were red-rimmed and he could hardly stay awake during class.

(adj.) [ho muh JEE nee us] similar; uniform in nature. Nathan’s Army Reserve unit was a homogeneous one since they all came from the same Ohio suburb.

(n) [hi puh KON dree uh] a neurotic conviction that one is ill or about to become ill when illness is neither actually present nor likely. Cassie’s hypochondria was evidenced by the large number of absences from school occasioned by her imagined illnesses.

(adj.) [pre STIDG us] honored; having an illustrious name or reputation. The prestigious Ivy League colleges and universities naturally have higher admission standards.

(v)[ri BUF] to refuse in a sharp or rude way; to snub; to drive or beat back. It was sheet luck that the outnumbered Marine patrol was able to rebuff the enemy attack.

(adj.) [TACK les] not having or showing a sense of the right thing to do or say without causing anger or hurt feelings; without skill in dealing with people. Bringing up the matter of Grace’s losing her job was just about the most tactless way to start a conversation.

(adj.) [un SKATHD] undamaged; unharmed. Neither Judge Thomas nor Professor Hill left the Senate hearings with their reputations unscathed.

(adj.) [un WIT ing] not knowing; unaware; unintentional. By unknowingly delivering the package containing plastique, Manny became an unwitting accomplice in the terrorist plot to blow up the office.

(n) [ver uh SI mil uh tyood] appearing to be true or real; likelihood. Using antique paper and vegetable dyes, the artist achieved a high degree of verisimilitude for his forgeries of masterpieces.