English Vocab (Spring 2024) quiz 2

• esoteric


  intended for or likely to be understood by only a few people with specialized knowledge or interest; abstract
• abstruse


  difficult to understand because it is so deep & intellectually challenging
• enigmatic


  tough to figure out like a riddle or puzzle; mysterious
• lucid


  expressed clearly; easily understandable
• epiphany


  a moment of sudden revelation or insight; a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being; a meaningful realization
• didactic


  intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive; instructive
• doctrinal


  relating to a doctrine, a belief or set of beliefs held & taught by a Church, political party, or other group
• serendipity


  the occurrence & development of events by chance--happily or beneficially
• fluke


  an unlikely chance occurrence, esp. a surprising piece of luck
• fortuitous


  happening by accident or chance rather than design
• metamorphosis


  a complete change of character, appearance, or condition; transformation
• ephemeral


  lasting for a very short time;short-lived
• transitory


  not permanent; temporary
• interminable


  endless, everlasting
• archetype


  an original that has been imitated; a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology
• paradigm


  a typical example or pattern of something accepted by a society; a model
• ruminate


  to deeply think about something, repeatedly; contemplate; ponder
• prosaic


  lacking poetic beauty; commonplace; unimaginative
• mundane


  lacking interest or excitement: dull in that it's of the ordinary world, unlike heaven
• pedestrian


  lacing inspiration or excitement; dull in that it lacks effort (anyone can do it, like walking)
• explicate


  to unfold something to make it clearer & easier to understand; elucidate
• expound


  to present & explain systematically & in detail
• confound


  to confuse, befog, perplex, or baffle
• obfuscate


  to make obscure, unclear, or unintelligible (it is implied that this is done deliberately)
• ab-


  off, away from
• epi-


  upon, on
• ex-


  out
• meta-


  change
• ob-


  against
• trans-


  across
• arch


  origin, beginning, first
• doc


  to teach
• fort


  chance, luck
• luc/lus/lum


  light
• morph


  shape, form
• ped/pod


  foot
• phan/fan


  to show, appear
• pli/ply


  to fold
• term 


  end, boundary line
• trud/trus


  to thrust, push