VOCABULARY #4

obsequious - adj. attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Most people who switch sides in competitions become obsequious to the new arty.
beatitude - noun one of the eight sayings of Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount; in Latin each saying begins with `beatus' (blessed); a state of supreme happiness
My beatitude for the release of the new Twilight movie spiked when we entered the theater
 bete noire-a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded;bane; bugbear.
The bete noire in my class likes to purposely annoy people
bode - verb indicate by signs
The dead person on the path boded signs of turning back
dank - adj. unpleasantly cool and humid
Sometimes Santa Maria has a dank, uncomfortable air.
ecumenical - adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions
The Olympics is ecumenical sporting event.
fervid - adj. extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion
They had an intense, fervid love for each other.
fetid - adj. offensively malodorous
Any racist comments can be considered fetid
gargantuan - adj. of great mass; huge and bulky
Stonhenge is a piece of art that includes a series of gargantuan heads.
heyday - noun the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
The Renaissance was a heyday period intellectually.
incubus - noun a male demon believed to lie on sleeping persons and to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; someone who depresses or worries others; a situation resembling a terrifying dream
Sometimes deja vu can be of an incubus.
infrastructure - noun the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; the basic structure or features of a system or organization
Governments build roads to build infrastructure.
inveigle - verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
My parents are going to inveigle about where I got to college.
kudos - noun an expression of approval and commendation
Kudos to you for sticking up for that kid.
lagniappe - noun a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)
My grandma brought me a lagniappe home from her trip.
prolix - adj. tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length
Lectures can seem to be prolix if they're boring.
protege - noun a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career'
The taco truck man had a little protégé for the future business.
prototype - noun a standard or typical example
That makeup was a prototype.
sycophant - noun a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
The sycophant gave compliments to get the job.
tautology - noun useless repetition; (logic) a statement that is necessarily true
Some people use repetition  as rhetoric but at other times it can just be tautology.
truckle - noun a low bed to be slid under a higher bed; verb yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
I would never truckle to unreasonable demands.