Page 85 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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demagogue (DEM uh GOG) n. one who tries to rouse the people by appealing
to emotion, prejudice, etc. to win them over and attain (political) power
• Hitler was the most infamous demagogue of the twentieth century.
• Stalin was a terrible dictator, but he does not qualify as a demagogue
because he gained power by brute force alone.
[demagogy, -ry n.]
demeanor (di MEEN oer) n. outward manner; carriage; the way one behaves
• Princess Diana had a regal demeanor and a gentle one.
• Between a Rottweiler and a Doberman pinscher, the Rottie has the meaner
demeanor.
[Brit. sp. demeanour] [Syn. bearing]
democracy (di MAHK ri see) n. 1. government by the people, with the popu-
lace holding the reins of power, either directly or through elected representatives;
power in the hands of the ruled; 2. a country, state, etc. with that type of govern-
ment; 3. majority rule; 4. the principle of equal rights and opportunities for all, and
equal treatment by the legal system; the practice of these principles
• Athens had the first experiment in democracy we know of.
• American democracy was not viewed kindly by the crowned heads of
eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe.
• India is the world’s largest democracy in terms of population.
• Schoolchildren learn the principles of democracy by voting for class officers
(who have little to no power).
• The U.S. Constitution is the primary legal document that assures the prin-
ciples of democracy be followed.
demonstrate (DEM uhn STRAYT) vt. 1. to prove; show by reasoning; 2. to
make clear or explain through examples, experiments, etc.; 3. to show how a prod-
uct works or what it tastes like in order to sell it; 4. to show feelings plainly
• Descartes was the first philosopher to demonstrate his existence by the dic-
tum, “I think, therefore I am.”
• The operation of the steam engine is often demonstrated in classes using a
cutaway working model.
• There are often people demonstrating certain foods at the warehouse club
by offering free samples in small cups.
• Tears on her cheek demonstrated Patricia’s sadness.
[-d, demonstrating]
denounce* (di NOWNS) vt. 1. to condemn publicly; inform against; 2. to accuse
of being evil; 3. to give formal notice of the termination of (a treaty, armistice, etc.)
• American loyalists denounced Washington as a traitor to the British Crown.
• The French patriots denounced Louis XVI as a tyrant.
• The Japanese government did not denounce the naval treaty that limited
the size and number of warships they could build; they just disregarded it.
[-d, denouncing] [Syn. criticize]
deny (di NY) vt. 1. to declare something untrue; contradict; 2. to not accept as
factual; to reject as unfounded, unreal, etc.; 3. to disown; to refuse to acknowledge
as one’s own; rerepudiate; 4. to not allow the use of or access to; 5. refuse to grant
or give; 6. to refuse a person’s request