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Vocab 19
aficionado n one who is a great fan of a taste or an activity, one who shows some discerning interest and yet is not an expert Though I am no connoisseur of Italian food, I am a great aficionado of pizza, and I eat it whenever I can.
altruistic adj generous, tending to think of others before oneself A truly great philanthropist cannot do it for the headlines or the public acclaim, he must give from a sincerely altruistic spirit.
aphorism
n
a wise saying packed with meaning,
wisdom with brevity "Know thyself," commanded Socrates--an aphorism
as wise today as it was when he uttered it.
assiduous
adj constant
in application or attention, diligent, attentive to detail Though Cedric was
no genius, he was an assiduous worker who stayed at his task until it was
completed well. I valued him far above many more brilliant employess.
connoisseur n one who is qualified to judge in matters of taste, art, music, etc. Cynthia was a great connoisseur of fine wines, and she could tell at a single taste of a Sauvignon whether the grapes had been grown on the north or the south slope of the vineyard.
cordial n/adj 1) A sweet liqueur, thought to be a stimulus to the heart 2) Very sincere and welcoming, friendly and warm 3) Stimulating and nourishing to the heart 1) As it was only once a year, Grandmother allowed me a drop of cherry cordial at Christmas Eve. 2) Our hosts were charming and gracious, and their cordial welcome into their elegant home made us feel a part of the family.
cupidity n excessive desire for wealth, greed and avarice Alphonse, though a wealthy man in his own right, suffered from an incurable cupidity which led him to embezzle fund from his employer.
facile adj very capable, showing great ease in performance or execution Though I have seen many people walk a tightrope, Eliza's facile ease on the high wire made it seem as though she was strolling the boulevard.
fidelity n 1. Faithfulness to obligations, duties, or observances Muhammed observed the high holy days with great fidelity, praying even when it was inconvenient to do so. 2. Exact correspondence with fact or with a given quality or condition Because he repeated the story of the crime with such a high degree of fidelity, we were convinced he was telling the truth. 3. The degree to which an electronic system accurately reproduces a sound or image I purchased a high fidelity stereo system which sounds as if the symphony orchestra is right in my living room.
harridan n a woman regarded as scolding and vicious In Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Kate starts out as an unpleasant harridan until Petruchio gets the better of her and transforms her into a delightful woman.