Word adamant Part of speech

• Word: adamant • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: ad-uh-muhnt • Origins: Latin “adamant” – hard metal, diamond (Greek “a-” (not, without) + “daman” (to tame or conquer)) • Related Forms: adamantly (adverb) • Sentence: The teacher was adamant in his decision that the test would be on Monday, despite his students’ week-long complaints about all of their plans for homecoming weekend. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: 1 -- Completely unmoving in attitude or opinion in spite of disagreement from others; 2 – Too hard to cut, break, or pierce

• Word: perceptive • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: per-sep-tiv • Origins: Latin: “percept, ” meaning something seen • Related Forms: Perceptively (adverb); perceptiveness (noun); im/perceptible (adjective) • Sentence: The perceptive sniper noticed the tiny movement of the leaves in a tree two miles away, but he could tell by how far the branch was bent that it wasn’t his target in the tree. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: 1 – having or showing strong insight, understanding, or intuition 2 – having the power or faculty of perceiving. 3 – of, pertaining to, or showing perception.

• Word: prerogative • Part of speech: noun • Pronunciation: puh-rog-uh-tiv • Origins: Latin: “Pre” (before; in advance of) + “roga(re)” (to ask) • Related Forms: none • Sentence: While the president doesn’t have the ability to formally declare war against another country, it is his or her prerogative to order bombing attacks without congressional approval • Predicted Definition: • Definition: 1 – an exclusive right, privilege, etc. , allowed to someone because of their rank, office, or title 2 – a right, privilege, etc. , limited to a specific person or to persons of a particular category

• Word: annotation • Part of speech: noun • Pronunciation: an-uh-tey-shuhn • Origins: Latin: “notare” (to note, to mark) • Related Forms: annotate (verb); notation (noun); notate (verb) • Sentence: Thanks to the annotations Umkulthoum wrote in the margins of her copy of The Prince, she remembered all of the explanations her professor had given the class about what the text meant. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: a note or comment added to explain part of a text or literary work

• Word: heinous • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: hey-nuhs (The “h” sound is important!) • Origins: Germanic; from “haïr, ” meaning “to hate” • Related Forms: heinously (adverb); heinousness (noun) • Sentence: Jacobi’s crime was so heinous, even the serial killers in the federal penitentiary hated him for his raping and cannibalizing of three kindergarten classes. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: hateful; evil; awful; atrocious; odious; abominable; totally reprehensible;

• Word: intrinsic • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: in-trin-sik, -zik • Origins: Latin: “int(e)” (“inside or within”) + “sequi” (“to follow”) • Related Forms: intrinsically (adverb) • Sentence: Not only did the gold ring with 7 half-carat diamonds have intrinsic value because of the gems and precious metal, it also was meaningful to Umkulthoum because it had belonged to her greatgrandmother. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: 1 – belonging to something by its very nature; inherent 2 – naturally part of something

• Word: Transgress • Part of speech: Verb • Pronunciation: trans-gres, tranz- • Origins: Latin: trans (“across”) + gress (“to go”) • Related Forms: transgression (noun); transgressive (adjective); transgressively (adverb); transgressor (noun) • Sentence: Now that you know you are not allowed to wear hats, if you choose to transgress the rule, your consequence will be to have your hat taken away. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: 1. to violate a law, command, moral code, etc. ; offend; sin. 2. to pass over or go beyond (a limit, boundary, etc. ): to transgress bounds of prudence. 3. to go beyond the limits imposed by (a law, command, etc. ); violate; infringe: to transgress the will of God.

• Word: Mitigate • Part of speech: Verb • Pronunciation: mit-i-geyt • Origins: Latin: “Mit” (mild, soft, gentle) + “agere” (to do, to make, to cause • Related Forms: mitigation (noun); mitigator (noun); mitigable (adjective) • Sentence: She couldn’t eliminate the sound of the girl’s screams, but Umkulthoum was able to mitigate them by putting in her ear buds and turning up the music. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: to do) 1. to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate. 2. to make less severe: to mitigate a punishment. 3. to make (a person, one's state of mind, disposition, etc. ) milder or more gentle; mollify; appease. 4. to become milder; lessen in severity.

• Word: Provocative • Part of speech: Adjective • Pronunciation: pruh-vok-uh-tiv • Origins: Latin: “pro” (in favor of) + “vocare” (to call out) • Related Forms: provocatively (adverb); provocativeness (noun); provocation (noun); provoke (verb) • Predicted Definition: • Sentence: Hoping to get her rival suspended for starting a fight, Umkulthoum used provocative language to say that Cindy-Lou’s mother was a harlot. • Definition: Tending or serving to provoke; inciting, stimulating, irritating, or vexing.

• Word: Irrevocable • Part of speech: Adjective • Pronunciation: ih-rev-uh-kuh-buh l • Origins: Latin: ir (not) + re (again) + vocare (to call) + able (capable of) • Related Forms: irrevocably (adverb); irrevocability (noun); irrevocableness (noun); to revoke (verb) • Sentence: No matter how much he may have wanted to take it back, John Proctor’s affair with Abigail Williams was irrevocable. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: not to be revoked or recalled; unable to be repealed or annulled; unalterable: an irrevocable decree.

• Word: stringent • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: strin-juh nt • Origins: Latin: from “stringere” (to draw tight) • Related Forms: stringently (adverb) • Sentence: When she moved back home after having lived in an apartment of her own during her freshman year of college, Umkulthoum found the restrictions of a 9 pm curfew and having to call her parents every time she drove somewhere to be too stringent, so she moved out again immediately. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: rigorously binding or exacting; strict; severe

• Word: conducive • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: kuh n-doo-siv • Origins: Latin: con (together; with) + ducere (to lead) • Related Forms: conduct (verb) (not necessarily “conduct” (noun)) • Sentence: Neither my older brother’s stereo thumping at full blast nor my parents arguing loudly in the next room were conducive to my efforts to study for the SAT. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: tending to produce; conducing; contributive; helpful; favorable (usually followed by “to”)

• Word: slovenly • Part of speech: adjective or adverb • Pronunciation: sluhv-uh n-lee • Origins: --Dutch: “slof” (careless) • Related Forms: slovenliness (noun) • Sentence: When the manager of the company saw the young woman’s torn jeans, chewed fingernails, and hair that looked like a rat’s nest, he told her she was too slovenly to work for his company and that she should come back when she knew how to keep clean. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: untidy or unclean in appearance or habits. (adjective) in an untidy, careless, or slipshod manner. (adverb)

• Word: disconsolate • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: dis-kon-suh-lit • Origins: --Latin: “dis” (not) + “con” (with) + “solari” (to soothe or comfort) • Related Forms: disconsolately (adverb); console (verb) • Sentence: No matter what her friends and family did to cheer her up, Umkulthoum was disconsolate as she saw the “E” on the paper, which also meant she would fail the class and be unable to graduate with her friends. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: without consolation or solace; hopelessly unhappy; inconsolable; cheerless; gloomy; heartbroken; dejected; sad, melancholy, sorrowful, miserable

• Word: infraction • Part of speech: noun • Pronunciation: in-frak-shuh n • Origins: • -- “in” (to, toward) + “frag”/”frang” (to break/bend/weaken) + “-ion” (suffix making an adj or a verb into a noun) • Related Forms: • Sentence: When Umkulthoum was charged with a traffic infraction, she fought the ticket, claiming it wasn’t illegal to drive with her feet. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --a breach; a violation; an infringement; an offence

• Word: tortuous • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: tawr-choo-uh s • Origins: --Latin: “Tortu” (a twisting) • Related Forms: tortuously (adverb) • Sentence: When Umkulthoum tried to find where the drug cartels had hidden their money in over a dozen different banks using 100 fake companies, she found that the trail of the money was too tortuous to follow. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: 1 full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked: a tortuous path. • 2 not direct or straightforward, as in procedure or speech; intricate; circuitous: tortuous negotiations lasting for months.

• Word: archetype • Part of speech: noun • Pronunciation: ahr-ki-tahyp • Origins: --Greek: “archi” (first, original, prior) + “tupos” (image) • Related Forms: archetypal, archetypical (adjectives); archetypally, archetypically (adverbs) • Sentence: The tale of Cinderella is the first known “rags-to-riches” story, which makes it the archetype on which all other “rags-to-riches” stories have been based. Snow White’s evil step-mother was the archetype of the villainess, and every Disney villainess after has simply been an imitation. • • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype

• Word: disseminate • Part of speech: Verb • Pronunciation: dih-sem-uh-neyt • Origins: --Latin: “dis” (away; apart; asunder) + “seminare” (to sow (to plant)) • Related Forms: dissemination (noun) • Sentence: The Center for Disease Control tried to disseminate information about the Zombie Apocalypse by every means they could, including Twitter, Instagram, text message, news broadcast, and radio announcements, so that they could get the word out to everyone. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to scatter or spread widely, as though sowing seed; promulgate extensively; broadcast; disperse: to disseminate information about preventive medicine.

• Word: elicit • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: ih-lis-it • Origins: --Latin: “lici” (to lure or draw out) • Related Forms: elicitation (noun) • Sentence: Umkulthoum was tired of being ignored, so to elicit a response from her parents, she set her sister’s bed on fire, tied the dog to the cat, and called in to the police saying she had been kidnapped. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to draw out, bring out, or bring forth; evoke

• Word: grisly • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: griz-lee • Origins: --Old High German: “grisenlih” • Related Forms: grisliness • Sentence: Umkulthoum loved the Saw movies because of their grisly scenes of torture, blood, and dismembered corpses. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --causing a shudder or feeling of horror or dread; horrible; gruesome; ghastly: a grisly murder.

• Word: contingent • Part of speech: adjective; noun • Pronunciation: kuh n-tin-juh nt • Origins: --Latin: “con” (with) + “tangere” (to touch) • Related Forms: contingency (noun) • Sentence: --1. Trevor knew his survival was contingent upon his being able to hold his breath long enough to convince Umkulthoum he had drowned. --2. The Dearborn teachers union sent a small contingent of members to Lansing to argue on behalf of the all the union members who couldn’t make the meetings. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --1. adj. dependent for existence, occurrence, character, etc. , on something not yet certain; conditional (often followed by on or upon ): Our plans are contingent on the weather. --2. n. any one of the representative groups composing an assemblage: the New York contingent at a national convention.

• Word: reverberate • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: ri-vur-buh-reyt • Origins: --Latin: “re” (again; back) + “verberare” (to beat or strike (from “verber” (to lash))) • Related Forms: reverberation (noun) • Sentence: Umkulthoum didn’t know what she enjoyed more, hearing her victim scream, or hearing those screams reverberate off the walls over and over. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to reecho or resound: Her singing reverberated through the house.

• Word: salient • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: sey-lee-uh nt • Origins: --Latin: “Salire” (to jump or to spring) • Related Forms: saliently (adverb) • Sentence: Among the more salient parts of Umkulthoum’s speech to her victim describing exactly how Umkulthoum intended to torture her were that she intended to sever all of the girl’s appendages and that the girl would be alive and conscious the entire time. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --prominent, conspicuous, sticking out, projecting, jumping, leaping: The most salient feature of the car was its $7000 price tag.

• Word: impassive • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: im-pas-iv • Origins: --Latin: “im” (not) + “passive” (submissive, based on “to submit”) --NOTE: THE PARTS MEAN THE OPPOSITE OF THE WORD! • Related Forms: impassively (adverb); impassiveness (noun) • Sentence: Cindy Lou would have been less terrified as she was being stalked if Umkulthoum’s face had been angry or joyous or scared, but instead, Umkulthoum looked impassive, and that was the scariest look of all. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --without emotion; apathetic; unmoved; calm; serene; emotionless; indifferent; tranquil; composed

• Word: callow • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: kal-oh • Origins: --German: Kaal (bald – think of a young bird whose feathers have not grown in) • Related Forms: callowness • Sentence: The callow students continually made farting noises, dropped their pencils, and faked sneezing while the teacher tried to teach. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --immature or inexperienced: a callow youth.

• Word: berate • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: bih-reyt • Origins: --Middle English: “be-” (thoroughly) and Old French: “reter” (to accuse or blame) • Related Forms: • Sentence: If mom finds out that you haven’t done 17 homework assignments in a row, she will berate you for hours, and who wants to listen to that? • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to scold; rebuke: Her mom berated her in Walmart.

• Word: hypothetical • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: hahy-puh-thet-i-kuh l • Origins: --Greek: “hypo” (under) + “thesis” (a setting down; something set down) • Related Forms: hypothetically (adverb); hypothesis (noun) • Sentence: One reason Umkulthoum was such a successful criminal was that she was always prepared for every hypothetical situation she may encounter, just in case that hypothetical situation ever became real. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: assumed or thought to exist; conditional; existing only as an idea or concept; supposed

• Word: succinct • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: suh k-singkt • Origins: Latin: succinctus (“to gather”) • Related Forms: succinctly (adverb); succinctness (noun) • Sentence: Rather than dragging out the news, Umkulthoum was succinct: “I’m leaving you. ” • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --expressed in few words; concise; terse.

• Word: extricate • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: ek-stri-keyt • Origins: --Latin: “ex” (“out of”) and “tricae” (“perplexities, hinderances”) • Related Forms: • Sentence: As Umkulthoum looked at the snarled mess of knotted up fishing lines, she sighed thinking of the hours it was going to take to extricate her line from all of the other lines. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to free or release from entanglement; disengage

• Word: absolve • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: ab-zolv • Origins: --Latin: “ab” (away from) + “solvere” (to loosen) • Related Forms: Absolution (noun) • Sentence: Umkulthoum first went to talk to the priest at confession so that God would absolve her, and then she went to a lawyer and hoped that the jury would absolve her as well. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to release from blame, sin, punishment, obligation, or responsibility; to pronounce not guilty; acquit; pardon

• Word: inadvertent • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: in-uh d-vur-tnt • Origins: --Latin: “in” (not) + “ad” (to/towards) + “vert” (to turn to) • Related Forms: inadvertently (adverb) • Sentence: Although she would have liked to have taken credit for killing him, Trevor’s death when Umkulthoum backed over him with her truck as he lay under it to cut her brake lines was truly inadvertent. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --unintentional; characterized by lack of attention; inattentive; thoughtless, careless, negligent.

• Word: astute • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: uh-stoot • Origins: --Latin: “Astutus” (clever, sly, cunning) • Related Forms: astutely (adverb); astuteness (noun) • Sentence: The astute detective knew Umkulthoum was the best suspect based on smelling her perfume on the body and then again when he interviewed Umkulthoum. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --having insight or acumen; perceptive; shrewd; clever; cunning; smart; quick (mentally)

• Word: vicarious • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: vahy-kair-ee-uh s • Origins: --Latin: “Vicarius” (interchange; alternation) • Related Forms: vicariously (adverb) • Sentence: Although she didn’t kill anyone herself, Umkulthoum’s sister felt a vicarious thrill watching her sister disembowel victim after victim. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --performed, exercised, received, or suffered in place of another; felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others

• Word: accentuate • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: ak-sen-choo-eyt • Origins: --Latin: “Accentus” (Speaking tone) • Related Forms: • Sentence: Most of Mr. Palise’s sentences tend to accentuate Umkulthoum’s darker side, without mentioning her charitable qualities at all. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to emphasize or give prominence to; to stress

• Word: transmute • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: tranz-myoot • Origins: --Latin: “trans” (across) + “mutare” (change) • Related Forms: transmutable (adjective); transmutation (noun); transmutability (noun) • Sentence: Some species of frogs have been known to transmute their gender from female to male when there aren’t enough males around in the breeding population. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to change from one nature, substance, form, or condition into another; transform.

• Word: transient • Part of speech: adjective; noun • Pronunciation: tran-zee-uh nt • Origins: --Latin: “trans” (to go across) + “-ent/ant” (existing in a condition) • Related Forms: transiently (adverb) • Sentence: Umkulthoum preferred to kidnap transients, since they didn’t stay in town long enough to make friends who would miss them. As she tortured them, she would always reassure them, saying that the pain they were experiencing was transient and it would all be over soon. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: 1 – adjective: not lasting, not enduring, or not permanent; transitory; lasting only a short time; existing briefly; temporary; staying only a short time 2 – noun: a person or thing that is transient, especially a temporary guest, boarder, laborer, or the like.

• Word: infer • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: in-fur • Origins: --Latin: “in” + “ferre” (to bring, carry) • Related Forms: inference (noun) • Sentence: Based on the collection of knives on the walls, the decomposing skeletons rotting in alcoves, and the blood stains on the ceiling, it was easy for Umkulthoum’s latest victim to infer that he was going to die in that basement. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence; to guess; speculate; surmise.

• Word: autonomy • Part of speech: noun • Pronunciation: aw-ton-uh-mee • Origins: --Greek: “auto” (self; own) + “nom” (law; custom) + “-y” (characterized by or inclined to) • Related Forms: autonomous (adjective) • Sentence: As children age, they want more autonomy, so frequently they rebel against their parents’ rules, which, unfortunately for them, just proves to their parents that they deserve less autonomy and not more. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --independence or freedom; the right or state of self-government, especially when limited; freedom to determine one's own actions, behavior, etc.

• Word: implicit • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: im-plis-it • Origins: --Latin: “Im” (in) + “plicare” (to fold) • Related Forms: implicitly (adverb), imply (verb) • Sentence: While they never wrote it down or spoke of it, Umkulthoum and her sister had an implicit agreement that whoever kidnapped their victim got to deliver the killing blow when the time was right. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --Implied, rather than directly stated; hinted at; understood without being spoken or written.

• Word: immutable • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: ih-myoo-tuh-buh l • Origins: --Latin: “im” (not) + “mutare” (to change) + “-able” (capable of) • Related Forms: immutably (adverb) • Sentence: No matter how much Trevor’s surgeons worked to reattach his limbs, the immutable fact was that Umkulthoum had turned him into a quadriplegic. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --not mutable; unchangeable; changeless.

• Word: desecrate • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: des-i-kreyt • Origins: --Latin: “de” (do the opposite of) + “sacer” (holy) • Related Forms: desecration (noun) • Sentence: Umkulthoum was a violent sociopath with hardly any morals, but even she refused to desecrate any mosques, churches, or synagogues by dumping the bodies of her victims inside these holy buildings. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to violate or outrage the sacred character of (an object or place) by destructive, blasphemous, or sacrilegious action; to disrespect, defile, deface, or dishonor something holy or sacred.

• Word: subservient • Part of speech: adj • Pronunciation: suh b-sur-vee-uh nt • Origins: --Latin: “sub” (under) + “servire” (to serve) • Related Forms: subservience (noun); subserviently (adverb) • Sentence: Umkulthoum’s sister was the perfect assistant for Umkulthoum because she was so subservient, running immediately to do what Umkulthoum told her and saying, “yes, sister!” with a smile and a bow. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --1. serving or acting in a subordinate capacity; subordinate. --2. servile; excessively submissive; obsequious

• Word: brusque • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: bruhsk • Origins: --Italian: “brusco” (short, rough, tart) • Related Forms: brusquely • Sentence: When the reporter showed up at Umkulthoum’s door following the reports that Trevor had last been seen at her house, Umkulthoum gave a brusque “no” to his questions and slammed the door in his face. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --abrupt in manner; blunt; rough; terse; short; curt; unceremonious

• Word: equitable • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: ek-wi-tuh-buh l • Origins: --French: “équité” (equal) + “-able” (capable of (Latin)) • Related Forms: equitability (noun), equitableness (noun); equitably (adverb) • Sentence: Umkulthoum and her sister agreed that the only equitable way to divide up the trophies they kept from their victims was to give Umkulthoum all the left ears, hands, feet, and eyeballs and give her sister all the right ears, hands, feet, and eyeballs. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --1. Equal, just, fair, right, reasonable --2. Impartial, proper, unbiased

• Word: sleazy • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: slee-zee • Origins: --unknown • Related Forms: sleaze (noun); sleaziness (noun); sleazily (adverb) • Sentence: --The NHL fined the player for his sleazy tactics when he purposely kicked with his ice skate at the opposing goalie’s face. His sleazy excuse was that he tripped, but it was obvious that he did it on purpose. After he lost his job, the player ended up living in a sleazy hotel where the toilets didn’t work and he got bed bugs. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: 1. contemptibly low, mean, or disreputable: sleazy politics. 2. squalid; sordid; filthy; dilapidated: a sleazy hotel. 3. thin or poor in texture, as a fabric; cheap; flimsy: a sleazy dress; a sleazy excuse.

• Word: epitome • Part of speech: noun • Pronunciation: ih-pit-uh-mee • Origins: --Greek: “epi” (above) + “-tome” (a slice or a cut) • Related Forms: epitomize (verb) • Sentence: Umkulthoum was the epitome of a predator: patient, clever, careful, and ruthless. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class. He is the epitome of goodness --a condensed account, especially of a literary work; abstract.

• Word: propensity • Part of speech: noun • Pronunciation: pruh-pen-si-tee • Origins: --Latin: “Pro” (In favor of) + “Pend” (To hang from) + “ity” (Indicating a state or condition) • Related Forms: • Sentence: The teacher was not hired into the district after the new principal discovered the teacher had a propensity for writing excessively violent grammar exercises. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --A natural inclination or tendency; an innate favorability for something: A propensity to curse

• Word: coalition • Part of speech: Noun • Pronunciation: koh-uh-lish-uh n • Origins: --Latin: “co” (with) + “alere” (to nourish or make grow) • Related Forms: coalesce (verb -- to grow together) • Sentence: When they began to suspect Umkulthoum was a serial killer, and the police wouldn’t do anything, her neighbors formed a coalition against her, surrounding her house while carrying pitchforks and torches. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --a combination or alliance, especially a temporary one between persons, factions, states, etc. , frequently for a specific reason; a grouping;

• Word: redundant • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: ri-duhn-duh nt • Origins: --Latin: “re” (again) + “undare” (to flow; to surge) + “-ant” (characterized by or serving in a capacity of) • Related Forms: redundancy (noun) • Sentence: The memo from the Redundant Department was needlessly repetitive, said the same thing over and over, and repeated itself for no good reason. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --Unnecessary repetition; extra; excessive; superfluous; --Duplicated as a precaution against failure

• Word: blatant • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: bleyt-nt • Origins: --Latin: “blatire” (To babble) + “-ant” (characterized by or serving in a capacity of) • Related Forms: blatantly (adverb); blatantness (noun) • Sentence: During her trial, Umkulthoum’s lack of sorrow over Trevor’s grisly death was blatant as she laughed while the prosecuting attorney showed the pictures of his bloody corpse. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: brazenly obvious; flagrant; clear; easily distinguishable

• Word: exude • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: ig-zood, ik-sood • Origins: Latin: “ex” (out) + “sudare” (to sweat) • Related Forms: • Sentence: As Trevor watched Umkulthoum scrape their victim’s back with a rusty cheese grater, he knew that as soon as the victim began to exude blood, Umkulthoum would exude joy. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --To come out gradually in drops, as sweat; emit through pores or small openings. --To project or display conspicuously or abundantly; radiate: to exude cheerfulness.

• Word: caricature • Part of speech: noun; verb • Pronunciation: kar-i-kuh-cher • Origins: --Latin: “Caricare” (loaded; distorted) • Related Forms: • Sentence: While some of the pictures hung up in his room were good representations of Mr. Palise, most of them were caricatures designed to draw attention to his short stature. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --a picture, description, etc. , ludicrously exaggerating the peculiarities or defects of persons or things. --any imitation or copy so distorted or inferior as to be ludicrous. --to make a caricature of; represent in caricature.

• Word: interloper • Part of speech: noun • Pronunciation: in-ter-loh-per • Origins: --Latin: “Inter” (between, among; as in “interstate highway”) + --Dutch: “loopen” (to run) • Related Forms: • Sentence: After they found the lone FBI agent searching their house without a warrant, Umkulthoum and her sister smiled, thinking about all the things they would do to the interloper. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --a person who interferes or meddles in the affairs of others; trespasser

• Word: novice • Part of speech: noun • Pronunciation: nov-is • Origins: Latin: “Novus” (new) • Related Forms: novitiate (noun) • Sentence: While Umkulthoum was an expert at disemboweling the goats used in her ritual sacrifices, her sister was still a novice and frequently destroyed the organs as she removed them. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --a person who is new to the circumstances, work, etc. , in which he or she is placed; beginner; tyro; newcomer; neophyte.

• Word: intercede • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: in-ter-seed • Origins: --Latin: “inter” (between; among) + “cedere” (to move) • Related Forms: • Sentence: Because she had fallen in love with Trevor, Umkulthoum’s sister tried to intercede on his behalf and convince Umkulthoum not to kill him, but he was sacrificed anyway. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to act on behalf of someone in difficulty or trouble, as by pleading or petition; to intervene --to attempt to reconcile differences between two people or groups; mediate.

• Word: surmise • Part of speech: verb; noun • Pronunciation: ser-mahyz • Origins: --Latin: “sur”/”super” (over; above) + “mit(tere)” (to send) • Related Forms: • Sentence: Following the disappearance of the fourth homeless person from the park across from Umkulthoum’s goat ranch, the lead detective began to surmise that Umkulthoum had something to do with the disappearances. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: 1. v. To conjecture or guess. 2. n. A conjecture or guess.

• Word: contrive • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: kuh n-trahyv • Origins: --Old French: “Con” (with) + “trover” (To find) • Related Forms: contrived (adjective) • Sentence: When Umkulthoum’s sister fell in love with Trevor, Umkulthoum worried that her sister would contrive a way for him to escape, so she arranged to back over him with her truck. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to devise; to plan; to scheme; to invent; to plot

• Word: deplete • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: dih-pleet • Origins: --Latin: “de” (negation; removal; separation) + “plere” (to fill) • Related Forms: “depletable” (adjective); “depletion” (noun) • Sentence: Umkulthoum enjoyed killing in many ways, but her favorite way was to deplete her victims’ blood by cutting off their fingers and toes one at a time with a cigar cutter. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to decrease seriously or exhaust the abundance or supply of; use up, drain, reduce, lessen

• Word: corroborate • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: kuh-rob-uh-reyt • Origins: --Latin: “com” (with) + “roborare” (oak strength(en)) + “-ate” (suffix used to make a verb) • Related Forms: “corroborative” (noun) • Sentence: Umkulthoum never worried about being placed at the scene of one of her murders, because she knew she could always count on her sister to corroborate whatever story she told the detectives about where she was when the murders occurred. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to make more certain; to confirm; to strengthen

• Word: desist • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: dih-sist • Origins: --Latin: “de” (negation; removal; separation) + “sistere” (to stand or to place) • Related Forms: • Sentence: After he was reported for writing grisly grammar exercises, the teacher was ordered to desist immediately, but his students rebelled and staged a sit-in until the principal let him continue with his blood-thirsty English. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --To cease; to stop; to refrain; to abstain

• Word: palpable • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: pal-puh-buh l • Origins: --Latin: “palpa” (to touch) + “able” (capable of being) • Related Forms: palpability (noun); palpably (adverb) • Sentence: As the men in the bunkhouse waited for Carlson to shoot Candy’s dog, the tension was so thick and heavy in the room that it was almost palpable • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --1. readily or plainly seen, heard, perceived, etc. ; obvious; evident; blatant --2. able to be touched; tangible

• Word: covert • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: koh-vert • Origins: --Latin: “co” (together; with) + “ob” (reversely; inversely) + “aperire” (to open) • Related Forms: covertly (adverb); • Sentence: When Umkulthoum discovered that Trevor was a covert operative of the FBI, she knew she would have to be careful to make his death look inadvertent. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --concealed; secret; disguised.

• Word: susceptible • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: suh-sep-tuh-buh l • Origins: --Latin: “sus” (“sub” (under)) + “capere” (to capture) + “—ible” (capable of) • Related Forms: susceptibleness (noun) • Sentence: Umkulthoum knew Trevor was susceptible to a woman in distress, so she pretended to have a flat tire in order to lure him under her truck. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --capable of being affected by something (an emotion, a treatment, a substance (kryptonite), etc. ) (susceptible to colds, susceptible to compliments, susceptible to injury, etc)

• Word: tenuous • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: ten-yoo-uh s • Origins: --Latin: “Tenu-” (thin) + “ous” (characterized by) • Related Forms: tenuously (adverb), tenuousness (noun) • Sentence: Finally, after 12 hours of torture, as she watched Umkulthoum remove the skin from her sister Megan with a vegetable peeler, Cindy-Lou Freebush lost her already tenuous grasp on her self-control and she screamed until her throat bled. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --Thin, slender, weak, vague, unsubstantial

• Word: resilient • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: ri-zil-yuh nt • Origins: Latin: “re” (again) + “salire” (to leap; to jump) + “ent/ant” (existing in a condition) • Related Forms: resiliently (adverb) • Sentence: Umkulthoum knew that while her sister would be angry at first about Trevor’s murder, their relationship was resilient enough to survive Trevor’s death. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --recovering readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyant; flexible

• Word: curtail • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: ker-teyl • Origins: --Middle French: “Curtal” (short) + Middle English: “taillen” (to cut) • Related Forms: • Sentence: After the economy collapsed, buying goats became too expensive and Umkulthoum had to curtail her spending; finding people to sacrifice was cheaper and easier. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to cut off; to cut short; to abridge; to diminish; to reduce

• Word: innuendo • Part of speech: noun • Pronunciation: in-yoo-en-doh • Origins: --Latin: “in” (in) + “nuere” (to nod) • Related Forms: • Sentence: Rather than come out and directly say she didn’t believe the official story that Curley got his hand caught in a machine, Curley’s wife chose to do it using innuendo, referring to Lennie as “machine. ” • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --an indirect suggestion about a person or thing, especially of a disparaging or a derogatory nature.

• Word: infringe • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: in-frinj • Origins: --Latin: “in” (in) + “frangere” (to break) • Related Forms: infringement (as in a copyright) • Sentence: Although they found her clutching the man’s severed head and a meat cleaver, Umkulthoum wasn’t convicted, because the judge ruled that the illegal search was said to infringe upon her fourth amendment rights. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to encroach or trespass (usually followed by “on” or “upon”); to intrude; to trample; to break

• Word: definitive • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: dih-fin-i-tiv • Origins: --Latin: “de” (negative/removal/without) + “finis” (end, utmost limit) + “ive” (tending toward or having a connection with) • Related Forms: define (verb), definite (adjective), fine (adjective, verb), definition (noun), • Sentence: Decades after her death, psychological researchers from Dearborn High School wrote the definitive version of Umkulthoum’s life and crimes, which replaced the previous four versions, all of which were lacking in some way. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --most reliable or complete, as of a text; ideal

• Word: extraneous • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: ik-strey-nee-uh s • Origins: --Latin: “Extra” (outside; without) + “-eous” (having the nature of) • Related Forms: • Sentence: While many of the people at the game were either actual students and alumni of the university or players and coaches, many of those in attendance were extraneous. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --introduced or coming from without; not belonging or proper to a thing; external; foreign --not pertinent; irrelevant

• Word: sedentary • Part of speech: adjective • Pronunciation: sed-n-ter-ee • Origins: --Latin: “Sedere” (to sit) + “-ent” (existing in a condition of) + “-ary” (related to) • Related Forms: • Sentence: At one point in her career, Umkulthoum chose her victims because of their sedentary lifestyle, since she respected active people who weren’t lazy, but instead exercised and stayed in shape. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --tending to sit about without taking much exercise --characterized by a sitting position (a sedentary job)

• Word: expedite • Part of speech: verb • Pronunciation: ek-spi-dahyt • Origins: --Latin: “ex” (out) + “ped” (foot) • Related Forms: expeditiously (adverb); expedited (adjective); expedient (adjective/noun) • Sentence: While Umkulthoum usually enjoyed watching her victims linger on, Umkulthoum’s sister preferred to expedite their deaths, delivering a killing blow after only a few minutes of torture rather than the days Umkulthoum liked. • Predicted Definition: • Definition: --to speed up the progress of; hasten