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Final Exam Definitions for all High School Students

"The words we suggest," says senior editor Steven Kleinedler, "are not meant to be exhaustive but are a benchmark against which graduates and their parents can measure themselves. If you are able to use these words correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of the language."

How many of the words they recommend are in your vocabulary? If there are any that are unfamiliar, just click and you'll see the American Heritage® Dictionary definition along with some interesting facts about how the word came to mean what it does today...here is the list:

abjure-to render under oath abrogate-to abolish, do away with abstemious-sparingly used or consumed acumen-quickness and accuracy antebellum-belong to a period before war auspicious-attended by favorable circumstances belie-to misrepresent bellicose-warlike in manner bowdlerize-to modify or omit parts considered offensive chicanery-deception by trickery or sophistry chromosome-a strand of DNA that contains the heredity information necessary for life churlish-surly, difficult to work with circumlocution-the use of unnecessary wordy and indirect language circumnavigate-to go around, circumvent deciduous-falling off or shed at the specific season deleterious-hahaving a harmful effect diffident-marked by a lack of self-confidence enervate-to weaken or destroy with strength enfranchise-to endow with rights of citizenship epiphany-a sudden manifestationof the essence or meaning of something equinox-either of two times that the sun crosses the equator where night and day are equal euro-the basic monitary amount in many european countires evanescent-vanishing or likely to vanish in vapor expurgate-to remove erroneous facetious-given to wit and good humor fatuous-vacuously, smugly and unconsciously foolish feckless-lacking purpose of vitality fiduciary-of or relating to a holding of something in trust for another filibuster-a tactic or delay or obstruct legislation by making long speeches gamete-a mature sexual reproductive cell having a single set of unpairerd chromosomes gauche-lacking social polish, tactless gerrymander-to divide in a geographic area hegemony-the predominant influence, as of state, region or group hemoglobin-the iron-containing respiratory element in red-blood cells homogeneous-of the same similar nature or kind hubris-overbeating pride or presumption, arrogance hypotenuse-the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle impeach-to make an accusation against incognito-with one's identity disguised or concealed incontrovertible-impossible to dispute inculcate-to teach something by repitition or repeating over and over infrastructure-an underlying base or foundation interpolate-to insert or introduce between other elements or parts irony-the use of words to express something different from and often opposite jejune-not interesting, dull kinetic-relating to the motion of material bodiesand forces kowtow-to behave in an extremely submissive way laissez faire-an economic doctrine that opposes governmental regulation lexicon-a dictionary loquacious-very talkative, garrulous lugubrious-mournful, dismal or gloomy metamorphosis-a transformation, a marked change in appearance mitosis-the process of cell division by which the nucleus divides moiety-a half a portion or a share nanotechnology-the science and technology of building electronic devices of single atoms nihilism-an extreme form of skepticism nomenclature-a system of names used in art or science nonsectarian-not limited to or associated with a certain religion notarize-to certify or attest to the validity of something obsequious-full or exhibiting servile compliance oligarchy-government by a few, run by a few people or families omnipotent-having unlimited power orthography-the art or study of correct spelling oxidize-to combine with oxygen parabola-a plane curve formed by by the intersection of a right circular cone paradigm-a set of assumptions parameter-one of a set of measureable factors pecuniary-of relating to money photosynthesis-the process in which green plants have carbohydrates synthisized plagiarize-to use and pass off as one's own plasma-cell-free sterilized blood plasma polymer-any of numerous natural and synthetic compounds precipitous-resembling a precipice quasar-an extremely distant and thus old quotidian-everyday, commonplace recapitulate-to repeat in concise form reciprocal-concerning each of two or more persons or things reparation-the condition of being repaired respiration-the act of inhaling or exhaling sanguine-confidently optimistic and cheerful soliloquy-act of talking to one's self subjugate-to bring under control suffragist-advocate of the extension of political voting rights supercilious-showing haugty disdain tautology-a statement thought to be true taxonomy-classification of organisms tectonic-pertaining to the structure of movement tempestuous-stormy thermodynamics-mechanical action or relations of heat totalitarian- unctuous- usurp- vacuous- vehement- vortex- winnow- wrought- xenophobe- yeoman- ziggurat-