Page 203 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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provocative* (pruh VAHK uh tiv) adj. 1. provoking or tending to provoke to
action, thought, feeling, etc.; stimulating; 2. erotic
• Samuel Adams’s impassioned writings against the arbitrary actions of the
British monarchy were provocative enough to be credited with moving the
colonists toward revolution.
• The actress wore a very provocative gown to the award ceremony.
[-ly adv.]
proximity (prahk SIM i tee) adj. the state or property of being near in space or
time
• The proximity of the Easter and Passover holidays is not a coincidence
because the Last Supper was a Passover Seder.
• When driving, it is a good idea to stay out of proximity to the car in front
of you.
pseudonym (SOO din im) n. a false name, especially one assumed by an author
so as not to be identified by his readers; pen name
• Mark Twain was the well-known pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
• The creator of Perry Mason, Erle Stanley Gardner, wrote other books under
the pseudonym A. A. Fair.
• The French call a pseudonym a nom de plume or pen name.
quandary (KWAHN dree) n. a state of uncertainty; a puzzling position or a per-
plexing situation; a predicament
• Sylvia was in a quandary over which dress to wear to her friend Rhiannon’s
party.
• The quandary of whether to accept his friend Randy’s invitation to go to
the hockey game, or to go to the basketball game with his dad, as previous-
ly planned, reduced Howard to tears.
[Syn. predicament]
quell (KWELL) vt. 1. to crush; to put an end to; to subdue; 2. to allay or assuage;
to quiet
• It was General Santa Ana’s job to quell the rebellion of the Texans.
• Bill tried to quell Andrea’s fears about her upcoming tonsilectomy.
• It should quell your concerns about spelling q words to know that there’s
always a u following the q—as long as it’s an English word.
querulous (KWER yoo lis) adj. complaining; peevish; inclined to find fault
• Nancy was so querulous that no hairstylist wanted to wait on her.
• The gardener finished trimming the roses and was waiting for the querulous
Mr. Jones to inspect his work, knowing that the latter would find some-
thing wrong.
[-ly adv.]
quest (KWEST) n. 1. a pursuit; 2. any journey or search in pursuit of a (usually)
noble end
• Sir Galahad’s quest to find the Holy Grail is legendary.
• Frank traveled from ballpark to ballpark around the country in his quest to
find the perfect frankfurter.