| Question |
Answer |
| mange |
skin disease (esp. of domestic animals) marked by loss of hair |
| mangle |
tear or cut to pieces; mutilate or disfigure; Ex. badly mangled bodies |
| mangy |
shabby; wretched; suffering from mange; of bad appearance |
| maniacal |
raging mad; insane; N. maniac: insane person; CF. mania: disorder of the mind; intense enthusiasm |
| manifest |
evident; visible; obvious; V: show plainly |
| manifestation |
outward demonstration; manifesting; indication of the presence of something; Ex. manifestation of his pronounced musical bent |
| manifesto |
public declaration of principles; statement of policy |
| manifold |
many in number or kind; numerous; varied |
| manipulate |
operate with one's hands; control or play upon (people, forces, etc.) artfully; maneuver; Ex. how to manipulate publicity and men; ADJ. manipulative |
| mannered |
affected; not natural; Ex. mannered way of speech |
| mannerism |
distinctive behavioral trait; affected style in art (according to a set of styles) |
| mantle |
loose sleeveless outer garment; cloak; something that covers or envelops; the layer of the earth between the crust and the core |
| manumit |
emancipate; free from slavery or bondage |
| mar |
spoil the appearance of |
| maraud |
move in search of plunder; Ex. marauding army |
| margin |
border; room; allowance beyond what is needed; Ex. margin of safety |
| marginal |
of a margin; barely within a limit; Ex. marginal effect/writing ability |
| marital |
pertaining to marriage |
| maritime |
bordering on(adjacent to) the sea; nautical; of the ships or the sea; Ex. Maritime Provinces |
| marked |
noticeable; targeted for vengeance or attack; Ex. marked improvement/man |
| maroon |
leave helpless on a deserted island or coast; ADJ. red brown |
| marred |
damaged; disfigured; V. mar: spoil; disfigure |
| marrow |
soft fatty tissue that fills most bone cavities and is the source of blood cells |
| marshal |
put in order; guide ceremoniously to the correct place; Ex. marshal the children into the museum; N: military officer; official |
| marsupial |
one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch(pocket of skin or leather); CF. kangaroo, opossum, wombat |
| martial |
warlike; of war; Ex. martial art/law |
| martinet |
strict disciplinarian; person who demands total obedience to rules and orders; CF. Jean Martinet |
| martyr |
one who voluntarily suffers death for his or her religion or cause; great sufferer; Ex. martyr to his rheumatism |
| mash |
crush into mash; convert into mash; N: mixture of ground grain and nutrients fed to livestock and fowl |
| masochist |
person who enjoys his own pain; CF. masochism |
| mason |
one who builds or works with stone or brick; N. masonry: work of a mason; stonework or brickwork |
| masquerade |
wear a mask or disguise; pretend; N: costume party or ball at which masks are worn; pretense; disguise |
| mass |
Christian religious ceremony; CF. Mass: ceremony of the Eucharist |
| masticate |
chew |
| mat |
not shiny; matte; having a dull finish; N: flat piece of material used as a floor covering; V. |
| materialism |
preoccupation with physical comforts and things; excessive regard for worldly concerns (rather than spiritual matters) |
| maternal |
motherly; N. maternity: motherhood |
| matin\'ee(matinee) |
dramatic or musical performance given in the afternoon |
| matriarch |
woman who rules a family or larger social group |
| matriculate |
enroll (in college or graduate school); CF. matrix |
| matrimony |
state of being married |
| matrix |
point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die; Ex. the matrix of Western civilization |
| maudlin |
effusively sentimental |
| maul |
handle roughly; batter; injure by beating; Ex. mauled by his overexcited fans; N: heavy long-handled hammer |
| mausoleum |
monumental tomb; large stately tomb; CF. Mausolos |
| mauve |
pale purple |
| maverick |
rebel; nonconformist (in a group) |
| mawkish |
mushy(sentimental) and gushy; icky-sticky sentimental; excessively and objectionably sentimental |
| maxim |
proverb; truth pithily stated |
| mayhem |
injury to body; crime of willfully maiming or crippling a person; violent disorder; Ex. mayhem in the zoo; CF. maim |
| meager |
scanty; inadequate |
| mealymouthed |
indirect in speech (when something unpleasant must be said); hypocritical; evasive |
| meander |
wind or turn in its course; follow a winding or turning course; move aimlessly and idly |
| meddlesome |
interfering; V. meddle: interfere |
| mediate |
settle a dispute through the services of an outsider; act as an intermediary; produce by mediating; Ex. mediate a cease-fire |
| mediocre |
ordinary; commonplace; neither good nor bad |
| meditation |
reflection; thought; V. meditate |
| medium |
element that is a creature's natural environment; nutrient setting in which microorganisms are cultivated; appropriate occupation or means of expression; channel of communication; compromise; middle position between extremes; intervening substan |
| medley |
mixture |
| meek |
submissive; patient and long-suffering |
| megalomania |
mania for doing grandiose things; mental disorder characterized by delusions of wealth, power, or importance |
| melancholy |
gloomy; morose; blue; N. ADJ. melancholic; CF. melancholia |
| melee |
fight |
| mellifluous |
(of words or a voice) sweetly or smoothly flowing; melodious; having a pleasant tune |
| memento |
token; reminder of the past; keepsake; Ex. memento of your visit |
| memoir |
memoirs; autobiography; biography |
| memorial |
something, such as a monument or holiday, intended to honor the memory of a person or event; ADJ: commemorative |
| memorialize |
commemorate |
| menace |
threat; V: threaten |
| menagerie |
collection of wild animals on exhibition; zoo |
| mendacious |
lying; habitually dishonest; N. mendacity |
| mendicant |
beggar; ADJ: living as a beggar |
| menial |
suitable for servants; lowly; mean; N: someone who does menial work (esp. servant in a house) |
| mentor |
counselor; teacher |
| mercantile |
concerning trade or merchants |
| mercenary |
motivated solely by money or gain; N. |
| mercurial |
capricious; quick and changing; fickle; containing the element mercury; Ex. mercurial temper; CF. mood |
| meretricious |
flashy; tawdry; attractive on the surface but of no real value; Ex. metericious argument/jewel; CF. prostitute |
| merger |
combination (of two business corporations); act of merging |
| merit |
deserve; ADJ. meritorious: deserving reward or praise |
| mesmerize |
hypnotize; N. mesmerism; CF. Franz Mesmer |
| metallurgical |
pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores; N. metallurgy: science that deals with extracting metals from ores |
| metamorphosis |
change of form; Ex. metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly; V. metamorphose: change by metamorphosis |
| metaphor |
implied comparison; CF. simile |
| metaphysical |
pertaining to speculative philosophy; of metaphysics; N. metaphysics: branch of philosophy that examines the nature of reality |
| mete |
measure; distribute; administer; Ex. mete out justice/punishment |
| meteoric |
like a meteor; swift; momentarily brilliant; Ex. meteoric rise to fame; N. meteor |
| meter |
arrangement of words in the form of poetry (by accentual rhythm) |
| methodical |
systematic; N. method: systematic method of procedure |
| meticulous |
excessively careful (with great attention to detail); painstaking; scrupulous |
| metrical |
metric; written in the form of poetry; Ex. metrical translation of Homer |
| metropolis |
large city |
| mettle |
courage (to continue bravely in spite of difficulties); spirit; ADJ. mettlesome |
| miasma |
swamp gas; heavy vaporous atmosphere often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive corrupting influence; noxious atmosphere or influence |
| microcosm |
small representative world; world in miniature; Ex. microcosm of English society |
| migrant |
changing its habitat; wandering; Ex. migrant birds/workers; N: one that migrates |
| migratory |
wandering; V. migrate: move from one region and settle in another; move periodically from one region to another |
| milieu |
social environment; means of expression; Ex. feel out of one's milieu; Ex. His proper milieu is watercolor. |
| militant |
combative; bellicose; N. |
| militate |
work against; Ex. militate against the chances of promotion; CF. serve as a soldier |
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