VOCAB #5

obsequious: showing servile complaisance; fawning; obedient; deferential
The obsequious students always told the teacher what she wanted to hear.

beatitude: exalted happiness; supreme blessedness
When his girlfriend said "yes" to his marriage proposal, he was in a state of pure beatitude.

bête noire: a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded
He became the bête noire of the town when he committed a series of crimes.

bode: to endure; to encounter; to wait; to dwell
He didn't want to ask his parents for more money so he bode his time until his next paycheck.

dank: unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly
The child got lost in an dark and dank underground cave.

ecumenical: general; universal; promoting Christian unity throughout the world; interreligious or interdenominational
The talk of their ecumenical marriage created tension between their families.

fervid: vehement in spirit; overly enthusiastic; burning; glowing;
The new vice principal has a very fervid personality.

fetid: having an offensive odor; stinking
The fetid smell of the rotten egg warned the farmer not to sell it or eat it.

gargantuan: gigantic; enormous; colossal
To us, the universe seems gargantuan and possibly infinite.

heyday: the period of the greatest vigor, strength, success; prime
He reached the heyday of his career when he was promoted to the executive officer of the company.

incubus: a nightmare; something that oppresses one like a nightmare
The incubus of the lie the child had told forced him to confess the truth to his parents later.

infrastructure: the basic or underlying framework or features of a system or organization
The infrastructure of the company was compromised when the manager was fired and there was no one to take his place.

inveigle: to entice, lure, or snare by flattery; to acquire, win, or obtain by beguiling talk
She inveigled the security guard into letting her go even though she didn't have a hall pass.

kudos: honor; glory; acclaim
The hero received kudos from the city for defeating the evil villain.

lagniappe: a gratuity or tip; an unexpected benefit
They left more than the customary amount of a lagniappe for the waiter because of the good service.

prolix: extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy;
His prolix essay wasn't even comprehensible; it was filled with jargon.

protégé: a person under protection, patronage, or care of someone interested in his/her career or welfare
The musician hoped that one day the young protégé would be as famous as he is.

prototype: the original or model on which something is based or formed from; model; exemplar
The prototype of the invention failed the inspection of the sponsor, and its production couldn't be afforded.

sycophant: self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite
The sycophant of an intern constantly followed the employee and offered to do anything for her to get on her good side.

tautology: needless repetition of an idea without imparting additional clearness
The examples of tautology found throughout her essay demonstrated that she didn't understand the meaning of some of the complex vocabulary terms she incorporated.

truckle: to submit or yield obsequiously or tamely
He repeatedly truckled to the requests of his wife to keep her happy.