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Etymology

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
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Word
Definition
Achilles' heel   a single vulnerable spot  
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Adonis   an extremely handsome young man  
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aegis   sponsorship or protection  
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amazon   a powerful, masculine woman  
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atlas   a collection of maps  
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Cassandra   a person who warns of coming evil but whose prophecies are disregarded  
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chimera   a foolish or idle fancy  
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Elysium   place or state of blissful happiness  
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Gorgon   a snaky-haired creature so ugly as to petrify an onlooker  
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halcyon   calm; peaceful  
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herculean   very powerful  
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hydra   a persistent evil, one difficult to eradicate  
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labyrinth   a complicated arrangement of passageways or roads; a maze  
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mentor   a wise counselor  
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Midas   a very rich man  
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narcissism   abnormal attachment to one's own appearance and personality  
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nemesis   retribution; one who inflicts retribution  
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odyssey   a long series of wanderings  
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Oedipus (complex)   an abnormal attachment to one's parent of the opposite sex with corresponding hostility to the other  
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Olympian   exalted; majestic  
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paean   a song of thanksgiving or praise  
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procrustean   forcing rigid conformity  
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protean   extremely changeable  
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siren   an alluring but dangerous woman; seductive  
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stentorian   very loud  
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Stygian   dark, gloomy  
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tantalize   tease  
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titanic   of enormous size and power  
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academy   a school or learned society  
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Arcadian   simple, peaceful, rustic  
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Croesus   a very rich man  
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cynic   one who sarcastically doubts human motives  
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Draconian   extremely severe  
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epicure(an)   a person of refined taste in matters of food and drink  
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(to cut the) Gordian knot   to solve a diffcult problem by direct and drastic means  
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laconic   brief, pithy, concise  
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mausoleum   a large tomb  
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meander   to follow a winding course; the Greek-key design  
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ostracism   exclusion from society  
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philippic   a bitter denunciation  
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Pyrrhic (victory)   victory won at too great a cost  
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solecism   a substandard usage of language, a social blunder  
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sophistry, sophism   clever but deceptive argumentation meant to mislead  
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Spartan   rigorous, austere, disciplined  
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stoic   impassive  
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sword of Damocles   a constantly threatening danger  
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sybarite   one devoted to luxury and pleasure  
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bedlam   a place or situation of noisy uproar and confusion  
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boycott   to abstain from using, buying, or dealing with as a means of protest, disfavor, or coercion  
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dunce   a stupid person, dolt  
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Frankenstein   a person who creates a monster or destructive agency that cannot be controlled or that brings about the creator's ruin  
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jeremiad   a long and mournful complaint  
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maudlin   effusively or tearfully sentimental  
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quixotic   capricious, impulsive  
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simony   the sin of buying or selling ecclesiastical offices, powers, etc.  
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tawdry   gaudy; shameful or indecent  
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utopia   an ideal place or state  
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austere   grave, somber, solemn, serious  
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bibliographical   relating to or dealing with bibliography  
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canon   an officially recognized set of sacred books  
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canonical   pertaining to, established by or conforming to a canon or canons  
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crypt   a subterranean chamber or vault used burial or secret meetings  
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cryptographic   of or relating to cryptanalysis  
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despot   a king or other ruler with absolute, unlimited power  
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encyclopedic   pertaining to or of the nature of an encyclopedia; comprehending a wide variety of information  
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entomologist   a zoologist who studies insects  
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epiglottis   a thin, valvelike cartilaginous structure that covers the glottis during swallowing, preventing the entrance of food or drink into the larynx  
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icon   a picture, image, or other representation  
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iconography   a representation or group of representatiions of a person, place, or thing as a portrait or collection of portraits  
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mimicry   the act, practice, or art of mimicking  
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myriad   very large number, innumerable  
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nomad   people or tribe with no permanent home; any wanderer, itinerant  
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orgy   wild, drunken, or licentious festivity or revelry  
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parody   a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing  
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polyglot   able to speak or write several languages; mulitlingual  
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tome   a book, esp. a very large, heavy, or learned book  
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zephyr   a gentle, mild breeze; the west wind  
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amnesty   a general pardon for all offenses  
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amphibious   living in both land and water  
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anachronism   something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time  
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analgesic   causing analgesia (a remedy that relieves pain)  
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analogy   similarity or comparability  
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anatomy   the science of dealing with the structure of animals or plants  
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analytical   skilled in habitually using analysis  
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antibiotic   chemical substances that inhibit the growth or destroy bacteria, used chiefly in the treatment of infectious diseases  
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antipodal   diametrically opposed  
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apocryphal   of doubtful authorship or authenticity  
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apogee   the highest most distant point  
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apotheosize   to deify, glorify  
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atheist   one who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings  
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atrophy   undergo atrophy (a decrease of size in an organ caused by disease or disuse)  
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catalytic   of, or involving or acting as a catalyst  
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dialogue   conversation between two or more people  
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mnemonic   assisting or intended to assist the memory  
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pandemonium   wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; chaos  
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pantomime   the art or technique of conveying emotions, actions, and feelings by gestures without speech  
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pantheon   a public building containing tombs or memorials to the illustrious dead of a nation  
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anemic   suffering from anemia, lacking power, vigor, or vitality; listless, weak  
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antagonistic   acting in opposition; hostile; unfriendly  
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apostolic   of or characteristic of the 12 apostles; of or pertaining to the pope, papal  
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dystrophy   weakening, degeneration, or abnormal development of muscle  
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eccentricity   an oddity or peculiarity as of conduct  
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encyclical   a letter addressed by the pope to all the bishops of the church; a letter intended for wide or general circulation  
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endemic   natural of characteristic of a specific people or place; indigenous  
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ephemeral   lasting a very short time; transitory  
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epidemic   extremely prevalent; widespread  
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epilogue   a concluding part added to a literary work, as a novel  
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epistolary   of, pertaining to, or consisting of letters  
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epitaph   an inscription on a tombstone in memory of one buried there; a brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person  
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epitome   a representative or perfect example of a class or type  
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eulogy   a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, esp. a set oration in honor of a deceased person  
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euthanasia   painless death; mercy killing  
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evangelical   pertaining to or in keeping with the gospel and its teachings  
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exodus   a going out, a departure, or emigration  
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exogamy   marriage outside of a tribe or similar social unit  
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glossary   a list of terms in a special subject, field, or area of usage with accompanying definitions  
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pandemic   prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world  
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agnostic   a person who holds that the existence of an ultimate cause, as god and the essential nature of things, are unknown or unknowable  
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anomaly   a deviation from the common rule, type, arrangement or form  
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antonym   a word oppisite in meaning of another  
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endemics   prevalent or peculiar to a particular locality, region, or people  
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euphoria   feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being  
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homonym   one or two words that have the same sound and often the same spelling but defferent meaning  
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hyperbole   obvious and intentional exaggeration  
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hypertrophy   abnormal enlargement of a part or organ; excessive growth  
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hypodermic   characterized by the introduction of medicine or drugs under the skin  
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metabolic   of, pertaining to, or affected by metabolism  
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metamorphosed   to change the form or nature of; transform  
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metaphor   something used or regarded as being used to represent something else; emblem; symbol  
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paradoxical   seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true  
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paraphernalia   equipment, apparatus, or fusnishing used in or necessary for a particular activity  
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perigee   the point a heavenly body or artificial satellite is nearest to earth  
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periphery   external boundary of any surface or area  
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prognosticated   to forecast or predict from present signs or indications; prophesy  
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syllogistic   of or pertaining to syllogism (deductive reasoning)  
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synod   any council  
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syntax   the study and rules for the formation of grammatical sentences in a language  
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