v. hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food
E.g. If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try to scavenge for odd bits and pieces at the auto wreckers' yards.
a. relating to outline or diagram; represented simply, as using symbols
E.g. In working out the solution to this logic puzzle, you may find it helpful to construct a simple schematic diagram outlining the order of events.
n. separation or division into factions; formal division or split within religious body
E.g. Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.
v. give off sparks; shine as if emanating sparks; twinkle or glow
E.g. I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversations scintillate.
v. hesitate as a result of conscience or principle
E.g. Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary.
a. exactly and carefully conducted; by extreme care and great effort; cautious
E.g. Though Alfred is scrupulous in fulfilling his duties at work, he is less conscientious about his obligations to his family and friends.
v. examine closely and critically
E.g. Searching for flaws, the sergeant wanted to scrutinize every detail of the private's uniform.
n. obscene; indecent; expressing offensive reproach
E.g. Your scurrilous remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue.
v. scurry; run with short, rapid steps
E.g. The bugs scuttle rapidly across the floor.
n. instrument for mowing grass, grain by hand, composed of a long, curving blade, with a sharp edge, made fast to a long handle
E.g. A frame projecting above a scythe, used to catch grain as it is cut so that it can be laid flat.
a. sordid; morally degraded; squalid or corrupt
E.g. In The Godfather, Michael Corleone is unwilling to expose his wife and children to the seamy side of his life as the son of a Mafia don.
n. act of seceding; withdrawal; withdrawal of 11 Southern states from the Union
E.g. The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration.
v. isolate; separate; keep away from others
E.g. Seven mental health nurses and one doctor were each interviewed within 48 hours of making the decision to seclude a patient.
v. hide away; generate and separate substance from cells or bodily fluids
E.g. The findings make sense, she said, because the glands that secrete tears bear receptors.
a. requiring sitting; accustomed to sitting or to taking little exercise; living in one area, not migratory
E.g. Disliking the effect of her sedentary occupation on her figure, Stacy decided to work out at the gym every other day.
a. diligent; hardworking; persevering and constant in effort or application
E.g. After weeks of patient and sedulous labor, we completed our detailed analysis of every published SAT examination.
n. young plant or tree grown from seed; produced from seed
E.g. She plans to sell this native cherry seedling online.
v. be disturbed; boil; be in state of turmoil or ferment
E.g. The nation would seethe with discontent as the noblemen continue their arrogant ways.
v. isolate; separate; divide from the main body
E.g. In the Mississippi Delta, attempts were made to segregate white and Italian schoolchildren.
n. possession of one's powers; calmness; self-command; presence of mind; composure
E.g. She has reached this almost mystical state of self-possession even before any reconciliation with the past and her family has occurred, at least, I think so.
a. concise and full of meaning; using as few words as possible
E.g. After reading so many redundant speeches, I find his sententious style particularly pleasing.
n. burial vault; receptacle for sacred relics, especially in an altar
E.g. Called the Chamber of Paladine, the sepulcher was a large rectangular room, built far below the ground where the destruction of the Tower did not affect it.
a. of or pertaining to burial, to grave, or to monuments erected to the memory of the dead
E.g. Spirits whispered in the rustling leaves, ghosts lurked in the murky nooks, the deep baying of a hound floated up out of the distance, an owl answered with his sepulchral note.
v. isolate; retire from public life; segregate; seclude
E.g. To prevent the jurors from hearing news broadcasts about the case, the judge decided to sequester the jury.
a. angelic; having sweet nature befitting an angel
E.g. Selena's seraphic appearance belied her nasty, bitter personality.
a. winding; twisting; curving in alternate directions; having the shape or form of a snake
E.g. The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine road.
a. slavish; suitable to slave or servant; relating to servitude or forced labor
E.g. Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heap was a servile creature.
n. jaunty; showy
E.g. There was a light burning in a little shanty that hadn't been lived in for a long time, and I wondered who had took up quarters there.
n. fragment of brittle substance, as of glass or metal; piece of broken pottery, especially one found in archaeological dig
E.g. The archaeologist assigned several students the task of reassembling earthenware vessels except the shard he had brought back from the expedition.
n. bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together
E.g. The lawyer picked up a sheaf of papers as he rose to question the witness.
n. carpenter who helps build and launch wooden vessels
E.g. Mark Wallace is a fully qualified Shipwright specializing in complete restorations of classic wooden boats.
v. avoid or neglect duty or responsibility; malinger
E.g. Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never shirk any responsibility.
a. relating to the near future; limited to short distances
E.g. In the long run he will refuse the short-range policy.
v. mud, clay, or small rocks deposited by river or lake
E.g. The river will silt up in 20 years.
n. comparison of one thing with another, in English generally using like or as
E.g. "My love is like a red, red rose" is a simile.
v. smirk; smile in artificial way to make an impression
E.g. . Complimented on her appearance, Stella had to self-consciously simper.
n. well-paid position with little responsibility
E.g. My job is no sinecure; I work long hours and have much responsibility.
n. tendon or tendon tissue; muscle; nerve
E.g. The athletes waited, with each sinew of theirs tensed.
a. winding; bending in and out; not morally honest
E.g. The snake moved in a sinuous manner.
a. marked by or given to doubt; questioning
E.g. I remain skeptical of Washington DC's attitude toward the Second Amendment and gun owners.