| |
| gadfly |
animal-biting fly; irritating person |
| gaffe |
social blunder |
| gainsay |
deny |
| gait |
manner of walking or running; speed |
| galaxy |
large isolated system of stars, such as the Milky Way;
collection of brilliant personalities |
| gale |
windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst (laughters,
tears); Ex. gale of laughter |
| gall |
annoy; exasperate; chafe; N: skin sore caused by rubbing
(as on the skin of a horse); exasperation |
| galleon |
large three-masted sailing ship |
| galley |
low ship with sails (rowed along by slaves) |
| gallows |
framework from which a noose is suspended (used for
execution by hanging) |
| galvanic |
of the production of electricity by the action of an
acid on a metal; having the effect of an electric shock;
Ex. galvanic cell; galvanic effect; CF. Luigi Galvani |
| galvanize |
stimulate or shock by an electric current; stimulate
by shock; shock into action; stir up; coat with rust-resistant
zinc by using electricity |
| gambit |
opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed; action
made to produce a future advantage |
| gambol |
romp; skip about; leap about playfully; frolic; N. |
| gamely |
in a spirited manner; with courage; Ex. fight gamely
against a superior boxer; ADJ. game |
| gamut |
entire range |
| gangrene |
decay of body tissue caused by insufficient blood supply
(usually following injury); ADJ. gangrenous |
| gape |
open widely; open the mouth wide; stare wonderingly
with the mouth open; CF. agape |
| garbled |
mixed up; jumbled; distorted; V. garble: mix up or
distort (a message) to such an extent as to make misleading
or unintelligible |
| gargantuan |
huge; enormous; gigantic; CF. the hero of Gargantua
and Pantagruel |
| gargoyle |
waterspout carved in grotesque figures on a building |
| garish |
overbright in color; unpleasantly bright; gaudy |
| garner |
gather; store up; amass |
| garnish |
decorate; add a garnish to; decorate (food or drink)
with small items such as lemon slices; N. |
| garrulous |
loquacious; wordy; talkative; N. garrulity |
| gastronomy |
art and science of preparing and serving good food;
CF. gastronome |
| gauche |
clumsy (in social behavior); coarse and uncouth |
| gaudy |
flashy; showy |
| gaunt |
lean and angular; thin and bony; emaciated; barren |
| gavel |
hammerlike tool; mallet(wooden hammer) used by a presiding
officer or an auctioneer; V. |
| gawk |
stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe |
| gazette |
official periodical publication; newspaper |
| genealogy |
record of descent; lineage; ancestry; study of ancestry |
| generality |
vague statement; general statement which is not detailed;
quality of being general; greater part; most; Ex. generality
of people |
| generate |
cause; produce; create |
| generic |
characteristic of an entire class or species; of a
genus |
| genesis |
beginning; origin |
| geniality |
cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy; ADJ. genial: cheerful
and good-tempered |
| genre |
particular variety of art or literature |
| genteel |
well-bred; elegant; striving to convey an appearance
of refinement; Ex. genteel poverty |
| gentility |
those of gentle birth; high social class; refinement;
quality of being genteel |
| gentle |
kindly; soft; mild; of good family |
| gentry |
people of standing(rank or position); people of good
family or high social position; class of people just below
nobility |
| genuflect |
bend the knee as in worship |
| genus |
division of animals or plants, below a family and above
a species |
| geriatrics |
medical treatment and care of old age |
| germ |
earliest form of an organism; seed or bud; something
that may develop into something larger or more important;
microbe |
| germane |
pertinent; bearing upon(having connection with) the
case at hand; appropriate |
| germinal |
pertaining to a germ; creative; Ex. germinal idea |
| germinate |
cause to sprout; sprout |
| gerontocracy |
government ruled by old people |
| gerontology |
study of the sociological phenomena associated with
old age |
| gerrymander |
change voting district lines in order to favor a political
party; N. CF. Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander |
| gestate |
evolve as in prenatal growth; N. gestation: period
of development from conception until birth |
| gesticulation |
motion; gesture; V. gesticulate: make gestures (while
speaking) |
| ghastly |
horrible; terrifying; resembling ghosts; CF. aghast |
| gibberish |
nonsense; nonsensical or unintelligible talk or writing;
babbling |
| gibe |
mock; make jeering remarks; N: jeering remarks |
| giddy |
light-hearted; not serious; frivolous; dizzy; causing
dizziness; Ex. giddy youth; Ex. giddy climb/height |
| gild |
cover with a thin layer of gold |
| gingerly |
very carefully; ADJ. |
| girth |
distance around something; circumference |
| gist |
essence; main point; substance |
| glacial |
like a glacier; of an ice age; extremely cold; Ex.
glacial epoch; CF. iceberg |
| glamor |
compelling charm; ADJ. glamorous |
| glare |
shine intensely and blindingly; stare fixedly and angrily;
N. |
| glaring |
(of something bad) highly conspicuous; harshly bright;
shining intensely and blindingly |
| glaze |
cover with a thin and shiny surface; apply a glaze
to; N: thin, smooth, shiny coating (as for pottery); Ex.
unglazed pottery |
| gleam |
brief flash of light; glow; V. |
| glean |
gather leavings; gather grain left behind by reapers;
gather bit by bit (facts or information) often with difficulty |
| glib |
fluent (with insincerity or superficiality); facile;
slick |
| glimmer |
shine erratically; twinkle; N: dim or unsteady light;
faint indication; Ex. glimmer of hope |
| glitter |
shine brightly with flashing points of light; Ex. glittering
diamond ring; N: sparkling light; attractiveness; glamor;
Ex. glitter of the sun on the waves |
| gloat |
express evil satisfaction; look at or think about with
evil satisfaction; view malevolently; Ex. The thief gloated
over the stolen jewels. |
| gloss |
brief explanation note or translation of a difficult
expression; V. |
| gloss_over |
explain away with the intention of deceiving or hiding
faults |
| glossary |
brief explanation of words used in the text |
| glossy |
smooth and shining; N. gloss: shiny brightness on a
surface; superficially attractive appearance; Ex. gloss
of good manners |
| glow |
shine brightly without a flame (as of eyes or metals);
show redness and heat (in the face) after hard work or
because of strong feelings; N: light produced by a heated
body; brilliance of a color |
| glower |
scowl; glare; look or stare angrily |
| glut |
overstock; fill beyond capacity (with food); fill to
excess; N: oversupply |
| glutinous |
sticky; viscous; gluey |
| glutton |
someone who eats too much; ADJ. gluttonous: given to
gluttony; greedy; CF. gluttony: habit of eating too much |
| gnarl |
protruding knot on a tree; V. |
| gnarled |
twisted |
| gnome |
dwarf; underground spirit who guards treasure hoards |
| goad |
urge on; drive with a goad; cause (someone) to do something
by continued annoyance; Ex. They goaded him into doing
it by saying he was a coward; N: sharp-pointed stick for
driving cattle; stimulus; CF. annoy continually |
| gobble |
eat very quickly |
| gorge |
stuff oneself (with food); glut; CF. gorgeous: dazzlingly
beautiful |
| gory |
bloody; N. gore: blood (from a wound) |
| gossamer |
sheer; very light; like cobwebs; N: soft and sheer
fabric; cobweb |
| gouge |
overcharge (with high price); extort from; Ex. gouge
the public; CF. usury |
| gourmand |
epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food
and drink |
| gourmet |
connoisseur of food and drink; epicure |
| gracious |
kind in a generous way (to someone less important) |
| gradation |
series of gradual stages; degree in such a progression |
| graduate |
arrange into categories or grades; divide into marked
intervals (for use in measurement); Ex. graduated ruler |
| graduated |
arranged by degrees (of height, difficulty, etc.) |
| granary |
storehouse for grain |
| grandeur |
impressiveness; stateliness; majesty |
| grandiloquent |
(of a person or speech) using high sounding or important-sounding
language; pompous; bombastic |
| grandiose |
affectedly grand; pretentious; high-flown; ridiculously
exaggerated; impressive; great in size or scope; grand;
Ex. grandiose ideas |
| granulate |
form into grains or granules; N. granule: grain or
particle |
| graphic |
pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described |
| graphite |
black form of carbon used in lead pencils |
| grapple |
wrestle; come to grips with; take hold of and struggle
with; Ex. grapple with the burglar |
| grate |
make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred
by rubbing against a rough surface; Ex. grated cheese
N: framework of metal bars to hold fuel in a fireplace |
| gratify |
please; satisfy; Ex. gratify a desire |
| gratis |
free; without charge; ADJ. |
| gratuitous |
given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for; done without
good reason; Ex. gratuitous comment |
| gratuity |
n. money given to sb who has done one a service; tip
; |
| gravity |
seriousness; ADJ. grave |
| graze |
(of an animal) feed on growing grass; cause (an animal)
to feed on grass; scrape (esp. the skin) or touch lightly
in passing; brush; Ex. We can't graze the cattle till
summer; N: surface wound |
| gregarious |
sociable; (of an animal) tending to form a group |
| grievance |
cause of complaint; complaint |
| grill |
question severely; cook on a grill; broil; N: cooking
surface of parallel metal bars |
| grim |
causing great fear; unrelenting; determined in spite
of fear; Ex. grim smile |
| grimace |
facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust,
etc; V. |
| grisly |
ghastly; horrifying; Ex. grisly remains of the bodies |
| groom |
man employed to take care of horses; V: make neat and
trim; clean and brush (an animal) |
| groove |
long narrow channel made in a surface to guide the
movement of something; Ex. groove of the record |
| gross |
total; fragrant; clearly wrong; (of people's behavior)
coarse; corpulent; Ex. gross insolence/behavior; V: earn
as a total amount; N: 12 dozens |
| grotesque |
fantastic; comically hideous; strange and unnatural
(causing fear or amusement) |
| grotto |
small cavern |
| grouch |
bad-tempered complaint; person who keeps complaining;
V: complain; grumble |
| grouse |
complain; fuss; grumble; grouch; N: plump chickenlike
game bird |
| grovel |
crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate; behave
in a servile manner |
| growl |
low, guttural, menacing sound (as of a dog) |
| grudge |
deep feeling of dislike; Ex. grudge fight; V. |
| grudging |
unwilling; reluctant; stingy(giving reluctantly) |
| gruel |
thin liquid porridge |
| grueling |
exhausting; Ex. grueling marathon race |
| gruesome |
grisly; horrible |
| gruff |
rough-mannered; (of a voice) rough; hoarse |
| grumble |
complain; mutter discontentedly; grouch; N. |
| grunt |
utter a deep guttural sound (as a pig does); N. |
| guffaw |
boisterous laughter; V. |
| guile |
deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning; Ex. persuade
her by guile |
| guileless |
without deceit |
| guise |
outward appearance; costume; Ex. in a new guise |
| gull |
trick; deceive; hoodwink; N: person who is easily tricked;
dupe |
| gullible |
easily deceived |
| gush |
(of liquid) pour out in large quantities from a hole;
make an excessive display of feeling (without true feeling);
Ex. Blood gushed from the wound. |
| gust |
strong abrupt rush of wind; V. CF. bluster |
| gustatory |
affecting or relating to the sense of taste |
| gusto |
eager enjoyment; zest; enthusiasm |
| gusty |
windy |
| guy |
cable or chain attached to something that needs to
be braced or steadied; CF. guide |
| gyroscope |
apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction,
etc. |
