| Question |
Answer |
| jubilation |
rejoicing; great joy |
| judiciary |
judicial branch of government |
| judicious |
sound on judgment; wise |
| jug |
pitcher; container for holding liquids |
| juggernaut |
irresistible crushing force; overwhelming advancing force that crushes everything in its path |
| jumble |
mix in a confused way |
| juncture |
crisis; point in time; joining point; joint; act of joining |
| junket |
trip especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense |
| junta |
group of persons joined in political intrigue; cabal; group of military officers ruling a country after seizing power (by force) |
| juridical |
of the law and its administration; CF. judicial: of courts of law; CF. judiciary |
| jurisdiction |
right and power to apply the law; authority |
| jurisprudence |
science of law |
| juxtapose |
place side by side; CF. next |
| kaleidoscope |
tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc. produce interesting symmetrical effects; series of changing events; Ex. kaleidoscope of European history; CF. beautiful |
| ken |
range of knowledge; Ex. beyond one's ken |
| kernel |
central or vital part; core; whole seed (as of corn) |
| killjoy |
grouch; spoilsport; one who intentionally spoils the pleasure of others |
| kindle |
start a fire; ignite; inspire; arouse |
| kindred |
related; belonging to the same group; similar in nature or character; Ex. kindred languages; N: relative; kin; kinship |
| kinetic |
producing motion; of motion |
| kismet |
fate; destiny; Ex. Kismet is the Arabic word for fate. |
| kleptomaniac |
person who has a compulsive desire to steal |
| knack |
special talent; art |
| knave |
untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel; jack; N. knavery |
| knead |
mix; work dough; mix and work into a uniform mass (with the hands); Ex. knead dough |
| kneel |
go down on one's knee(s) |
| knell |
tolling of a bell especially to indicate a funeral, disaster, etc.; sound of the funeral bell; V. |
| knit |
contract into wrinkles; grow together; join together closely; make (a fabric or garment) by interwining yarn or thread; Ex. knit the brow; Ex. The bones should knit together in a few weeks. |
| knoll |
little round hill; hillock |
| knotty |
intricate; difficult; tangled; CF. knot |
| kudos |
honor; glory; acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement |
| labile |
likely to change; unstable; Ex. emotionally labile; N. lability |
| laborious |
demanding much work or care; tedious |
| labyrinth |
maze |
| lace |
cord used to draw and tie together two opposite edges (as of a shoe); delicate fabric made of fine threads; V: draw together by tying a lace |
| laceration |
torn ragged wound; V. lacerate: tear (the skin as with broken glass); wound |
| lachrymose |
producing tears; tearful |
| lackadaisical |
lacking interest or effort; lacking purpose or zest; lazy; halfhearted; languid |
| lackluster |
lacking luster(shine; gloss); dull |
| laconic |
brief and to the point; using few words; terse |
| lag |
move or develop more slowly; straggle; Ex. lag behind the rest; N. |
| laggard |
slow; sluggish; N: one who lags; straggler |
| lagoon |
shallow body of water or lake near a sea; lake separated from a sea by sandbars or coral reefs |
| laity |
laypersons; laymen; persons not connected with the clergy |
| lament |
grieve; express sorrow; N. lamentation |
| lampoon |
ridicule; N: written attack ridiculing or satirizing a person, group, or institution |
| lance |
pierce with a lance; cut into; N: spearlike weapon |
| lancet |
small surgical tool for making incisions |
| languid |
lacking energy or vitality; weary; sluggish; listless |
| languish |
lose animation or strength |
| languor |
lack of physical or mental energy; lassitude; depression |
| lank |
long and thin; Ex. Lank, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln |
| lap |
take in food or drink with one's tongue; splash gently; Ex. waves lapping the shore; N: front area from the waist to the knees of a seated person |
| larceny |
theft; Ex. petit larceny |
| larder |
pantry; place where food is kept |
| largess |
generous gift (given to people who do not have enough) |
| lascivious |
lustful |
| lassitude |
languor; weariness; listlessness |
| latch |
fastening or lock consisting of a movable bar that fits into a notch; V: close with a latch |
| latent |
present but not yet noticeable or active; dormant; hidden; N. latency; CF. potential |
| lateral |
of or coming from the side |
| latitude |
freedom from narrow limitations |
| laud |
praise; N. ADJ. laudable: praiseworthy; ADJ. laudatory: expressing praise |
| lavish |
liberal; wasteful; generous or wasteful in giving or using; abundant; profuse; great; Ex. decorated lavishly; V. give in abundance |
| lax |
careless; negligent; not paying enough attention; Ex. lax service |
| layman |
man who is not a cleric; man who is nonprofessional |
| leash |
restraining rope fastened to the collar of an animal (to control it); Ex. a dog on a leash |
| leaven |
add leaven to; cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven; N: agent, such as yeast, that causes dough to rise (by fermentation); element that lightens or enlivens |
| leave-taking |
farewell or departure |
| lechery |
gross lewdness; lustfulness; ADJ. lecherous; N. lecher: lecherous man |
| lectern |
reading desk or stand for a public speaker |
| leery |
(of someone) suspicious; wary; cautious |
| leeway |
room to move; margin; latitude; Ex. leeway for the deadline |
| legacy |
gift made by a will; something handed down from an ancestor |
| legato |
(of music) played smoothly |
| legend |
explanatory list of symbols on a map |
| legerdemain |
sleight(dexterity) of hand; CF. light of hand |
| legislature |
legislating branch of government; CF. legislate: make laws |
| leniency |
mildness; permissiveness; ADJ. lenient: not severe in judgment or punishment |
| leonine |
like a lion |
| lethal |
deadly |
| lethargic |
drowsy; dull; N. lethargy: state of sluggishness and inactivity |
| levee |
earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding; CF. raise |
| levitate |
rise and float in the air (especially by magical means); CF. light |
| levity |
lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity; lightness of manner |
| levy |
impose (a fine); collect (a payment); impose or collect (a tax); Ex. levy a tax on tobacco |
| lewd |
lustful |
| lexicographer |
compiler of a dictionary; CF. lexicography: work of compiling a dictionary |
| lexicon |
dictionary |
| liability |
drawback; handicap; debts; obligation; responsibility; condition of being liable; ADJ. liable: likely; responsible (for paying) |
| liaison |
contact that keeps parties in communication; communication between groups; one that maintains communication; go-between; secret love affair; V. liaise: keep a connection |
| libel |
defamatory written statement; act of writing something that smears a person's character; V. ADJ. libelous |
| libertine |
debauched person; dissolute or licentious person; rou\'e; CF. free |
| libidinous |
lustful |
| libido |
psychic and emotional energy or urges behind human activity; sexual desire |
| libretto |
text of an opera or oratorio; CF. book |
| license |
official or legal permission; latitude of action or speech; excessive freedom that causes harm or damage; V. |
| licentious |
amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained |
| lien |
legal claim or right on a property |
| ligneous |
like wood |
Spanish 3
