Vocabulary Set 1 - A

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

1. abase
   v. [abased; abased; abasing] lower; degrade
   Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before him, however she refused to abase herself.
   


2. abash
   v. [abashed; abashed; abashing] embarrass
   He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.
   


3. abate
   v. [abated; abated; abating] subside or moderate
   Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.
   


4. abbreviate
   v. [abbreviated; abbreviated; abbreviating] shorten
   Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.
   


5. abdicate
   v. [abdicated; abdicated; abdicating] renounce; give up
   When Edward VII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world.
   


6. aberrant
   adj. abnormal or deviant
   Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment.
   


7. abet
   v. [abetted; abetted; abetting] assist, usually in doing something wrong
   She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.
   


8. abeyance
   n. suspended action
   The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.
   


9. abject
   adj. wretched; lacking pride
   On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind.
   


10. abjure
    v. [abjured; abjured; abjuring] renounce upon oath
    He abjured his allegiance to the king.

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