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Vocab
16
ecumenical
adj
having
to do with a wide range of disciplines, all-encompassing or catholic. Though
he had lived his life as a Baptist minister from Alabama, he was delightfully
surprised to be surrounded by bishops, ministers, and rabbis at the large
ecumenical conference. / She never limits herself to one sphere of knowledge;
rather she tries to be more ecumenical in her outlook, embracing many different
disciplines.
esoteric
adj
obscure
and difficult, as knowledge. Limited to the understanding of only a few. Though
I thought I understood English grammar, I was unfamiliar with some of the more
esoteric concepts of the most advanced linguists in the field.
ethereal
adj
delicate,
short-lived, and almost non-corporeal. The cloth woven by the textile master
was so delicate and ethereal as to be almost weightless.
iconoclast
n
one
who attacks and challenges firmly held beliefs or cherished symbols (icons) of a
culture. Ever the iconoclast, Cedric positioned himself firmly against the
trade agreement with China, even while the rest of the country applauded it.
juxtapose
v
to
put two unlike things in close proximity to one another so as to invite
comparison. It was terribly unfair to juxtapose a picture of the presidential
candidate with a picture of Hitler, giving the poster the caption, “Both of
these men support gun control.”
palpable
adj
capable
of being felt or held, able to be touched (related to vb. “palpate”) During
the most exciting scene of the horror movie, the fear in the room was almost
palpable; we could feel it closing in on us.
pecuniary
adj
related
to money or finance (The root “pec” is used in many words involving money). The
wealthy financier had no interest in helping people with his investment in the
environment; his concern was purely pecuniary.
secular
adj
having
to do with the world outside of the church, not involved with the religious
life. I thought when I was young that I might like to be a priest, but the
joys of the secular world outweighed the obligations of the religious world.
unremitting
adj
constant,
without letup. After two weeks of unremitting pain in his tooth, Lester
finally went to the dentist.
vehement
adj
very
firm in insisting or denying, emotional and strongly opinionated His vehement
denial that he had been involved in the robbery left some of us wondering if
perhaps he was protesting a little too strongly.