Unit 3Focus Words

abominate, ascribe, commiserate, enjoin, proclivity, tenuous

Wordnik

abominate

verb

verb: abominate; 3rd person present: abominates; past tense: abominated; past participle: abominated; gerund or present participle: abominating

To have an intense dislike or hatred for

detest; loathe.

mid 17th century: from Latin abominat- ‘deprecated,’ from the verb abominari, from ab-‘away, from’ + omen, omin- ‘omen.’

Timmy abominated peas, so he turned his head and refused to eat.

ascribe

Verb

The decadence of the upper classes lead to a questionable moral decisions.

The decadence of the dinner, followed by the rich desert that she could not pass up, left the woman feeling bloated and tired.

Hiatus

Noun

noun: hiatus; plural noun: hiatuses

a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process.

a gap, opening, break (in the sense o having an element missing)

mid 16th century (originally denoting a physical gap or opening): from Latin, literally ‘gaping,’ from hiare ‘gape.’

I needed the hiatus from work to recharge and be ready for new challenges. It was too bad when my vacation ended.

intercede

verb

verb: intercede; 3rd person present: intercedes; past tense: interceded; past participle: interceded; gerund or present participle: interceding

To plead on behalf of someone else

To serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement

late 16th century: from French intercéder or Latin intercedere ‘intervene,’ from inter- ‘between’ + cedere ‘go.’

The men were lucky the ref interceded in their argument, otherwise they may have ended up in a fist fight.

petulant

adjective: petulant

Peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset

(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered.

late 16th century (in the sense ‘immodest’): from French pétulant, from Latin petulant- ‘impudent’ (related to petere ‘aim at, seek’). The current sense (mid 18th century) is influenced by pettish.

Sally did not like it when anyone gota better grade on a test.So, when her classmate asked for help studying for the test, she petulantly crossed her arms and refused to help her.

transcend

verb

To rise above or beyond

Exceed

be or go beyond the range or limits of (something abstract, typically a conceptual field or division).

Middle English: from Old French transcendre or Latin transcendere, from trans- ‘across’ + scandere ‘climb.’

John was able to transcend his physical limitations and completed a marathon last week.

Your turn

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Quizlet

This is your homework for vocabulary. You are responsible for complete understanding of these words. Please review and practice!