Austere - Quixotic

Advanced Vocabulary

Ms. Cox

austere

• (adj.) 1. a strict, stern manner 2. severely simple and plain

• Things that can be austere:

beleaguer

• (v.) to harass persistently; to surround or besiege.

• The boys continued to beleaguer the girl until she left school crying.

cerebral

• (adj.) 1. relating to the brain

• (n) 2. an intellectual person

Cerebral – Albert Einstein

• Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all time. He proposed the theory of relativity and also made major contributions to the development of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and cosmology.

connoisseur.

• (n) An expert able to appreciate a field; especially in the fine arts

Do You Love Chili?

• The Ultimate Chili Book: A Connoisseur's Guide to Gourmet Recipes and the Perfect Four-Alarm Bowl (Hardcover)by Christopher B. O'Hara (Author), William A. Nash (Photographer) "There is an old southwestern legend popular among chili aficionados about the "Lady in Blue," rumored to have written the first recipe for chili con..."

efface

• (v) 1. to erase; to rub

away the features of something

• 2. Rub out, wipe out, obliterate, make inconspicuous.

expunge

• (v.) to remove; to delete; to erase

• Often times, people who have broken the law request to have their court records expunged so that they will have an easier time getting a job.

forbear

• (v.) to refrain from saying or doing something; to abstain.

• Today, when Ms. Cox was preparing to show a video in her Child Development classes, she had to forbear her sarcasm when students asked, “Are we going to watch a movie today?”

impede

• (v.) to obstruct; to slow or block the progress of.

• Antonyms: aid, further, help, assist

• Lack of study skills will surely impede your ability to be exempt from your semester exams.

incite

• (v.) 1. Give an

incentive for action, urge on

• 2. Provoke or stir up. "incite a riot"

• Antonyms: deter, restrain, dissuade

• The school board’s decision to switch over to a three tier bus schedule, resulting in the change of school start times, was enough to incite much ridicule from some of the community.

incongruous

• (adj.) lacking agreement; hence, inharmonious; unsuitable

• The countenance of the family was incongruous with the disharmony that was really taking place in their home.

quixotic

• (adj.) Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals

• term refers to a person whose ideals are huge but who lacks practical or reasonable understanding about why such ideals cannot be achieved.

Quixotic – Don Quixote

Quixote is an idealist seeing things through rose-colored glasses at times. He fights impossible symbolic battles while the rest of the world says it can't be done and mocks him for trying. It is ironic that a crazy man is showing humanity the "right way" to live.