Vocabulary Week 18

1) remunerative (adjective):
a) Definition:
i) serving to remunerate
ii) providing remuneration
b) Other Words: remuneratively(adverb), remunerativeness(noun)
c) Synonyms: economic, fat, gainful
d) Antonyms: unprofitable
e) Etymology: Latin remuneratus, past participle of remunerare to recompense, from re- + munerare to give,
from muner-, munus gift
f) Sentence: Mark’s been bugging me all day he says investing in this technology module called “apple” will
reap remunerative dividends in the near future, as if a corporation named after a fruit will ever do well!

2) pecuniary(adjective):
a) Definition:
i) consisting of or measured in money
ii) of or relating to money
b) Other Words: pecuniarly(adverb)
c) Synonyms: dollars-and-cents, financial, fiscal, monetary
d) Antonyms: nonfinancial
e) Etymology: Latin pecuniarius, from pecunia money
f) Sentence: Not only did the recession damage the company’s image it ran to the ground the corporation’s
pecuniary interests, their stocks are worth lollipops now.

3) recondite(adjective):
a) Definition:
i) difficult or impossible for one of ordinary understanding or knowledge to comprehend
ii) of, relating to, or dealing with something little known or obscure
iii) hidden from sight
b) Other Words: reconditely (adverb), reconditeness(noun)
c) Synonyms: abstruse, arcane, deep, esoteric
d) Antonyms: shallow, superficial
e) Etymology: Latin reconditus, past participle of recondere to conceal, from re- + condere to store up, from
com- + -dere to put
f) Sentence: Despite his vast knowledge of everything that has quarks in it, when in conversation wit the world’s
top brains on dark matter he was subject to a recondite conversation, which he later remarks was the turning
point in his life to pursue dark matter just to hold a conversation once again with the same crowd!

4) sedulous(adjective):
a) Definition:
i) involving or accomplished with careful perseverance
ii) diligent in application or pursuit
b) Other Words: sedulously(adverb), sedulousness(noun)
c) Synonyms: active, assiduous, bustling, busy
d) Antonyms: idle, inactive, unbusy, unemployed
e) Etymology: Latin sedulus, from sedulo sincerely, diligently, from sed-, se without + dolus guile
f) Sentence: Winning the MVP award in the tournament was no walk in the park as he made it look like; rather it
was the culmination of his sedulous work ethic, late night practices and early morning burnouts.

5) vicissitude(noun):
a) Definition:
i) a) the quality or state of being changeable
b) Natural change or mutation visible in nature or in human affairs
ii) a) a favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance : a fluctuation of state or condition
b) a difficulty or hardship attendant on a way of life, a career, or a course of action and usually beyond
one's control
b) Etymology: Middle French, from Latin vicissitudo, from vicissim in turn, from vicis change, alternation
c) Sentence: A nation marred by vicissitudes of the worst kind, put down by civil wars, earthquakes and an
overall corrupt legislative system, the nation still finds a way to remain optimistic for a brighter future!
6) emolument(noun):
a) Definition:
i) the returns arising from office or employment usually in the form of compensation or perquisites
a) Synonyms: hire, packet [British], pay, pay envelope
b) Etymology: Middle English, from Latin emolumentum advantage, from emolere to produce by grinding, from
e- + molere to grind
c) Sentence: It is a true testament to his character and his dedication to serving the community, that the doctor
takes an annual emolument of 12 cents 1 for every month that he dedicates curing hundreds of needy patients
for free.

7) sophistry(noun):
a) Definition:
a) subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation
b) Etymology: Thus sophist (which comes from Greek sophistēs, meaning "wise man" or "expert")
c) Sentence: While the prosecution presented facts and hard evidence and made a pretty solid case for them all
the defence could do was engage in unnecessary sophistry and pettifogging.

8) prate(verb)(transitive verb):
a) Definition:
i) to talk long and idly
b) Other Words: prate(noun), prater(noun), pratingly(adverb)
c) Synonyms: babble, blab, cackle, chaffer [British]
d) Etymology: Middle English, from Middle Dutch; akin to Middle Low German pratten to pout
e) Sentence: The boards were nearing, our syllabuses yet to be complete and there he was our professor in all his
glory prating on about his vacation to Bali during class; talk about unprofessionalism!

9) expound(verb):
a) Definition:
Transitive Verb:
i) a) to set forth
b) to defend with argument
ii) to explain by setting forth in careful and often elaborate detail

Intransitive Verb

iii) to make a statement

b) Other Words: expounder(noun)
c) Synonyms: air, express, give, look, raise
d) Antonyms: stifle, suppress
e) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French espundre, expondre, from Latin exponere to explain
f) Sentences: He was caught red handed by the professor when he called him before the whole class to expound
upon his final thesis statement, the thesis being plagiarized he couldn’t barely muster even 3 sentences about
his so called “original” thesis.

10) imbibe(verb):
a) Definition:
Transitive Verb:
i) a) Drink
b) to take in or up
ii) a) to receive into the mind and retain
b) to assimilate or take into solution
Intransitive Verb
iii) to absorb or assimilate moisture, gas, light, or heat
b) Other Words: imbiber(noun)
c) Synonyms: belt (down), drink, gulp, guzzle
d) Etymology: Middle English enbiben to absorb, cause to absorb, from Latin imbibere to drink in, absorb, from
in- + bibere to drink
e) Sentence: His ability to stay up late nights and grind out a presentation and an assignment is in part to thank
for his ability to imbibe tons of caffeine the night before.