latin vocabulary

pro rata: proportionally; according to a fixed share or rate.

the employees received a pro rata bonus based on their hours worked

a

abysmal: extremely bad; appalling.

the team's performance was abysmal

adage: a short, well-known saying that expresses a general truth.

“an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is a common adage

arraignment: the act of bringing someone before a court to answer criminal charges.

the arraignment of the suspect was scheduled for monday

augury: a sign of what will happen in the future; an omen.

dark clouds were seen as an augury of a coming storm

b

baritone: a male singing voice between tenor and bass.

the choir needed a strong baritone

bastardize: to change something in a way that makes it worse.

the novel was bastardized into a shallow movie

beneficiary: a person who receives benefits, usually from a will, trust, or insurance.

she was the sole beneficiary of her grandfather’s estate

belabour: to argue or explain something in too much detail.

i don’t want to belabour the point

c

clandestine: kept secret or done secretly.

they held a clandestine meeting at night

clemency: mercy or forgiveness shown toward someone.

the prisoner appealed for clemency

continuative: describes an action that continues over time.

she has been writing the book for years (continuative reading)

continual: happening repeatedly with breaks in between.

the continual ringing of the phone was annoying

continuous: happening without interruption.

the fan made a continuous humming sound

d

de rigueur: required by etiquette or current fashion.

long hair was de rigueur among musicians in the 70s

discounted: dismissed as unimportant or unlikely.

the theory was discounted by experts

disinclined: unwilling or reluctant.

she was disinclined to join the trip

e

embellish: to decorate or add details, often to make something more interesting.

he embellished the story with extra details

encumbrance: something that is a burden or obstacle.

the heavy luggage was an encumbrance

ennoble: to give someone a noble rank or improve their character.

the act of saving lives ennobled him

exhaustive: including all possibilities; thorough.

the report was exhaustive and covered every detail

expectant: feeling excited that something good is about to happen.

the expectant crowd gathered for the concert

f

familial: relating to family.

he faced familial opposition to his decision

fray: a fight or struggle.

i’ve come to join the fray

g

gasket: a seal used to prevent leaks; also used in expressions to mean losing one’s temper.

don’t blow a gasket

h

herbaceous: relating to plants that have soft stems instead of woody ones.

mint is an herbaceous plant

i

intractable: hard to control or stubborn.

the conflict was intractable

immemorial: going back beyond memory or record.

the custom has existed since time immemorial

incendiary: designed to cause fires or provoke anger.

his incendiary remarks started an argument

indifferent: showing no interest or concern.

he was indifferent to the outcome

ire: intense anger.

she was the object of his ire

j

jaded: tired or bored, usually from having too much of something.

she felt jaded after years of travel

jostle: to push or bump against roughly in a crowd.

he was jostled by the commuters

l

licentious: lacking moral restraint, especially in sexual matters.

the play was criticized for its licentious content

m

maximal: as great or large as possible.

the maximal speed of the car is 200 mph

mileage: distance traveled; also used figuratively to mean benefit or experience.

your mileage may vary

mock: to pretend or imitate, often to make fun of.

she gave him a look of mock confusion

n

nutritive: having the quality of nourishing or feeding.

milk has nutritive value

o

opportune: happening at the right time.

she arrived at an opportune moment

r

rear: to raise children or animals; also, to rise up.

she reared her children alone
ebola has reared its ugly head again

rein: control or guide, like reins on a horse.

give the child free rein

retinue: a group of followers or assistants around an important person.

the king traveled with his retinue

revamp: to improve or renovate something.

the website was revamped

s

sacrosanct: regarded as too important to be interfered with.

freedom of speech is sacrosanct

sire: to father or produce offspring.

the stallion sired three foals

straitlaced: having strict moral attitudes.

her grandmother was very straitlaced

supplicate: to beg earnestly or humbly.

the villagers supplicated for rain

u

upmarket: high-quality and aimed at wealthy people.

they stayed at an upmarket hotel

d

destined, destiny: (of a person's future) regarded as developing as though according to a pre-existing plan

"he was destined for great things"

certain to meet (a particular fate).

"the act seems destined to failure"

intended for or travelling towards (a particular place).

"the shipment of illegal drugs destined for American and European markets"

i

immediacy: the quality of bringing one into direct and instant involvement with something, giving rise to a sense of urgency or excitement

email works because it has the immediacy of a scribbled memo

induce: bring about or give rise to

panic inducing news

interim: of the intervening time

in the interim we'll just keep our fingers crossed

p

paginate: to number the pages of a document

the editor will paginate the final draft

paradisic, paradisal, paradisial, paradisian, paradisical: (of a place or state) ideal or idyllic; heavenly; relating to paradise

a paradisical island in the tropics

penchant: a strong liking or preference for something

he has a penchant for chocolate

plaudit: praise or approval

the actor won plaudits for his performance

portly: somewhat fat (used especially of a man)

prime: to prepare something or someone for use or action.

prime your brain before the test

procedurally: in a way that follows an established process.

the bill was procedurally correct

profligate: recklessly wasteful.

the company was accused of profligate spending

propertied: owning property or land.

he's relatively well propertied

the propertied class held influence

putative: generally believed to be true.

he is the putative father of the child

t

table: UK to present formally for discussion

the amendment was tabled in parliament

US to postpone consideration.

the issue was tabled for next year

tack: a course of action or method.

he took a different tack in the debate

torrential: falling heavily and in large amounts (usually rain).

a torrential downpour flooded the streets

trove: a valuable collection or discovery.

they found a treasure trove of coins

tumorous: resembling or affected by a tumor.

the tissue had a tumorous growth

trifecta: a combination or set of three wins or other things

v

veracity: conformity to facts; accuracy

officials expressed doubts concerning the veracity of the story