Download Unit 5A Vocabulary Words

Unit 5A Vocabulary Words
Altruistic (al-true-iss-tick) (adjective): showing care and concern for others; willing to put others before oneself
Someone who is altruistic always puts others first. An altruistic firefighter risks his life to save another's life, while an
altruistic mom gives up the last bite of pie so her kid will be happy.
This word comes from the Old French altruistic and means "other people" and before that the Latin alter, which means
"other." Our current word comes from the nineteenth century and comes from philosophy. It means that it's important for
people to be concerned with the good of others and to act unselfishly. When the word refers to the animal world, it means
behavior that may actually harm the individual animal but will benefit the species in general. This is a truly selfless act!
Assent (us-cent) (verb): to agree or express agreement
Assent means agreement. If you nod your head in assent, you agree to something or you assent to it. You can assent in the
same contexts as agree, but you'll seem a bit more serious.
As a verb, assent is generally followed by a phrase beginning with the word "to:" You assent to a plan, an agreement, or to
an idea. Assent is also something that you can give. You can give your assent to marry your partner if he or she asks really
nicely. The opposite of assent is dissent –– which means disagreeing, or even protesting in a formal way.
Benefactor (ben-uh-fack-tor) (noun): a person who helps people or organizations (especially with financial help)
Every school, museum, and struggling artist is in search for a generous benefactor, or someone to provide the financial
means to keep everything running smoothly.
The Latin roots of benefactor are bene, which means "well," and facere, which means "to do" — literally, "to do well." A
benefactor does well by supporting (usually financially) a person or a good cause. In the old days, a struggling artist or
actor might have been supported by a wealthy benefactor. Now, many struggling artists and actors have to rely on waiting
tables and other odd jobs instead.
Chivalrous (shiv-uhl-riss) (adjective): courteous and respectful, especially towards women
A man who is courteous and attentive to women can be described as chivalrous: “The chivalrous stranger picked up the
packages Veronica dropped and held the door open while she entered the apartment building.”
The word chivalrous originally described gallantry, valor, honor, and courtesy, associated with the medieval code of
knighthood. Medieval knights are no longer with us, but chivalrous has survived in modern usage to describe a man — or
a behavior — showing courtesy or attentiveness toward women. So the guy holding the door open for you with a flourish
may or may not be your “knight in shining armor," but his chivalrous act gives him something in common with the
medieval knights of lore.
Clemency (clem-in-see) (noun): mercy; lenience; compassion towards someone charged with a crime
Say you're playing a role-playing game and you end up in one of the other player's dungeons. You could try begging him
for clemency — compassion shown by people in power towards people who rebel or break the law.
Clemency is also a weather word, though nowadays it's much more common to hear people talk about "inclement
weather" than, say, "the clemency of the storm." Derived from the Latin for "gentle", it came into usage in the 1550s. If
you have trouble remembering its meaning, get rid of the "cle" and replace the "n" with an "r". You're left with "mercy",
which more or less means the same thing.
Dearth (durth) (noun): a scarcity or lack of something
If there is a dearth of something, there is not enough of it. A dearth of affordable housing is bad, but a dearth of
bed bugs is a blessing.
Dearth is an Old English noun formed from the adjective deore "precious, costly" and the noun-forming suffix th. Though the relationship of dearth meaning "lack, insufficient amount" to the adjective dear is not so
obvious, it is still easy to imagine that something precious is probably also in short supply. Dearth is used
almost exclusively in the phrase "a dearth of."
Diffident (diff-uh-dint) (adjective): modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence
The adjective diffident describes someone who is shy and lacking in self-confidence. If you are shy and have a
diffident manner, you should probably not choose one of these professions: substitute teacher, stand-up comic,
or lion-tamer.
Diffident can describe someone who is reserved and restrained. Some may mistake your diffident manner for
coolness or aloofness. Although it may be in your nature to be diffident, you will find it impossible to remain so
when you visit my family. They are a big, noisy, outgoing bunch and they will make you join in the fun until
you let loose and open up. Don't say you weren't warned!
Discrepancy (diss-crep-in-see) (noun): a lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts
A discrepancy is a lack of agreement or balance. If there is a discrepancy between the money you earned and
the number on your paycheck, you should complain to your boss.
There is a discrepancy when there is a difference between two things that should be alike. For example, there
can be a wide discrepancy or a slight discrepancy between two objects, stories, or facts. The noun discrepancy
is from Latin discrepare "to sound differently," from the prefix dis- "from" plus crepare "to rattle, creak."
Embark (im-bark) (verb): to go on board a ship, aircraft, vehicle, or journey
When you embark on something, you are starting it — and it's exciting. You might embark on a new career or
embark on a trip to the Galapagos Islands. You wouldn't embark on a trip to the grocery store.
The verb embark can be used specifically to refer to boarding a ship for a journey. When used for general travel,
the verb embark often implies a longer journey: "She embarked on a trip around the world." Besides, physical
journeys, embark can be used to mean to start other kinds of journeys as well. You might embark on a spiritual
journey or embark on the path to enlightenment. Pack well.
Facile (fass-ill) (adjective): easily done; done without much effort; lacking depth
If someone does something easily, or shows ease, it is described as facile in a good way, but if someone takes the easy
way out and shows a lack of thought or care, it is facile in a bad way.
While it is a lovely sounding French word, facile is both a compliment and an insult depending on how it's used.
Something that shows ready skill is facile, such as being facile with text messaging. But if something is too simple and
superficial, or shows little care, it can also be called facile, or lame. "Being too cowardly to tell the truth and admit he
didn't do it, he used the facile and sarcastic excuse that the dog ate his homework."