Othello Vocabulary 1Maybe this will help…

Assay

v. Examine or analyze; attempt

Though she tried to assay the sweater at the store, when Hannah arrived home she found a stain on the sleeve.

Obsequious

Adj. Eager to obey or please; sycophantic

Some teachers and bosses like obsequious behavior, but I find

it annoying.

Facile

Adj. Easily done or performed

The American Ninja Warrior contestants made the first two rounds look facile compared to the Japanese competitors.

Grange

N. Farm

The town of LaGrange was so named because it was farmland at the

time.

Lascivious

Adj. Expressing lust

I got a creepy feeling on the bus, and I turned around to see a man leering lasciviously at me.

Deluding

Adj. Deceiving; fooling

Students who think they are matriculating into a

top tier university despite their 1.6 GPAs are

deluding themselves.

Promulgate

V. Make widely known

The most vicious rumors are the ones that are promulgated widest and most quickly.

Palpable

Adj. able to be felt or touched; tangible;

demonstrable

The tension in the room prior to the exam was

palpable; as soon as we walked in we could feel

it.

Alacrity

N. eagerness; readiness

I envisioned kids who would do their chores with alacrity, but the reality is that they’re a constant point of contention.

Laconic

Adj. Using few words; concise

I’ve never been accused of being laconic in speech (I’m pretty chatty), but I do edit my

writing to ensure it’s direct and not excessively wordy.

Sordidness

Adj. lack of morals

The fraternity house was filled with sordidness at all times of the day or night; those guys were behaving like animals!

Candid

Adj. sincere; straightforward

I hope you can take the honest truth, because I’m going to be very candid with you.

Enmesh

V. Cause to become entangled

Moises realized too late that he was enmeshed in Bonnie’s hidden life as a CIA double agent; he knew too much to get out even if he wanted to.

GuilelessAdj. open with words; honest;

outspoken (naïvely)

In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible,

people in Salem believe Abigail

Williams is guileless, but she is

among the least honest characters in

all of literature!

Subjugating

V. Bringing under complete control; mastering

Prior to the latter part of the 20th Century, parenting experts advocated subjugating one’s children- young ones were to obey and be seen and not heard.

Warrant

V. Justify or necessitate

Braden’s loose talk about heroin use on the weekends warranted my notifying the

counselors and his mother.

Surfeited

V. (past tense) Fed or supplied to excess

Little Orphan Annie’s background of lack and abuse fades in her memory as Daddy Warbucks surfeits her every want and need.

Tempest

N. storm; another Shakespeare play… ;)

Even though their marriage was tempestuous, Sam and Joan never considered divorce.

Base

Adj. lacking values or ethics; low born

I am not generally interested in crude humor (don’t watch Adam Sandler movies) because I find them base.

Spur

V. Urge or incite

This is why the things on cowboy’s boots are so named – they spur the horse into action...