English 12, Block 4

Your first 15 vocabulary words are as follows:

1. protestations (n): emphatic objections/protests; emphatic declarations that something is or is not true
2. incognito (adj/adv/n): concealing one's true identity; an assumed or false identity
3. blanch (v): to grow pale from shock; to whiten; a method of cooking vegetables
4. gauche (adj): physically clumsy or socially awkward
5. implacable (adj):unable to be calmed/appeased; unstoppable
6. ingratiate (v):to gain someone's favour through flattery
7. esoteric (adj): understood only by a small group with specialized knowledge
8. abjure (v): to reject a belief, claim, or cause
9. deleterious (adj): causing harm or damage
10. usurp (v): take a position of power or importance by force (usually illegally)
11. paradigm (n): a typical example of something; a model
12. vortex (n): a whirling, sucking mass, often of fluid or air; whirlpool, whirlwind
13. alacrity (noun): brisk and cheerful readiness
14. ephemeral (adj): lasting for a very short time
15. antebellum (adj): occurring or existing before a particular war (recently used for before the US Civil War)