Post on 14-Dec-2015
Vocabulary Chapter 4
Groups 16-18“De-: “down,” “down from,”
“opposite of”“dis-”: “opposite of,” “differently,”
“apart,” “away”“se-”: “apart”
(literally, “falling down”) deteriorating; growing worse; declining◦ The decadent rooming house was once a
flourishing hotel
Decadent
Having leavesa that fall off at the end of the growing season; shedding leaves◦ Maple, elm, birch, and other deciduous trees lose
their leasve in the fall.
deciduous
Out of (down from) one’s mind; mad; insane; deranged◦ Whoever did this must have been demented; no
sane person would have acted in such a way.
demented
Move down in grade or rank; degrade; downgrade◦ For being absent without leave, the corporal was
demoted to private.
demote
(literally, “hanging down from”) unable to exist without the support of another◦ Children are dependent on their parents until they
are able to earn their own living.
dependent
1. go down in value or price◦ New automobiles depreciate rapidly, byt antiques
tend to go up in value.
• 2. Speak slightly of; belittle; disparage◦ The store manager weould feel you are
depreciating him if you refer to his as the “head clerk.”
depreciate
Look down on ; scorn; feel contempt for; abhor; disdain◦ Benedict Arnold was despised by his fellow
Americans for betraying his country.
despise
Turn aside, or down (from a route or rule); stray; wander; digress◦ Dr. Parker does not see a patient without an
appointment, except in an emergency, and she does not deviate from this policy.
Deviate
(literally, “gulp down”) eat greedily; eat like a animal◦ Wendy must have been starved; she devoured
her food.
devour
(usually followed be with) opposite of “content”; dissatisfied; discontented; disgruntled◦ Dan was discontent with the mark on this Spanish
exam; he had expected at lest ten points more.
discontent
Disbelieve; refuse to trust◦ The parents discredited the child’s story, since he
was in the habit of telling falsehoods.
discredit
Disagreement; difference; inconsistency; variation◦ The first witness said the incident had occurred at
10:00a.m., but the second witness insisted the time was 10:45. This discrepancy puzzled the police.
discrepancy
Do the opposite of “integrate” (make into a whole); break into bits; crumble; decay◦ The driveway needs to be resurfaced; it is
beginning to disintegrate.
disintegrate
The opposite of “passionate” (showing strong feeling); calm, composed, impartial◦ For a dispassionate account of how the fight
started, ask a neutral observer, not a participant.
dispassionate
Opposite of good condition or repair; bad condition◦ The new owner did not take proper care of the
building, and ir soon fell into dierepair.
disrepair
Feel differently; differ in opinion; disagree◦ When the matter was put to a vote, 29 agreed
and 4 dissented.
dissent
(literally, “sitting apart”) not agreeing; dissenting; nonconformist◦ The compromise was welcomed by all the strikers
except a small dissident group who felt that the raises were too small.
dissident
Draw away, or divert the attention of; confuse; bewilder◦ When the bus s in motion, passengers should do
nothing to distract the driver.
distract
(literally, “go apart”) withdraw from an organization or federation◦ When Lincoln was elected President in 1860,
South Carolina seceded from the Union.
secede
(literally, “a going apart”) withdrawal from an organization or federation◦ South Carolina’s secession was followed by that of
ten other states and led to the formation of the Confederacy.
secession
Keep apart from the others; place in solitutde; isolate; sequester◦ Leighann was so upset over losing her job that
she secluded herself and refused to see anyone.
seclude
1. apart, or free, from care, fear, or worry; confident, assured◦ Are you worried about passin, or do you feel
secure?
• 2. Safe against loss, attack, or danger―Guests who want their valuables to be secure are
urged to deposit them in the hotel vault.
secure
Going apart from, or against, an established government; action, speech, or writing to overthrow the government; insurrection, treason◦ The signers of the Declaration of Independence, if
captured by the enemy, would probably have been tried for sedition.
sedition