Vocab #7

Aberration - (noun) an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm
The scientist couldn't identify the aberration in his microscope.
Ad hoc- (adverb) for the special purpose or end presently under consideration
The verdict was ad hoc.
bane - (noun) something causes misery or death
Crashing into the ocean was the pilot's bane.
bathos - (noun) triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos
The political debate turned into a bathos of unwanted information.
cantankerous - (adj.) having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
The crowd was cantankerous with the comedian.
casuistry - (noun) moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas; argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading
The docile priests practiced casuistry.
de facto - (noun) in fact; in reality
The criminal was sentenced to life time imprisonment when de facto he was innocent.
depredation - (noun) an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action
Pirates are a depredation to villages.
empathy - (noun) understanding and entering into another's feelings
Mother's have empathy towards their daughters.
harbinger - (noun) an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage
Michael Jackson dying was a harbinger of his songs suddenly becoming popular again.
hedonism - (noun) an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the
pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle
Hedonism can be compared to capitolist America.
lackluster - (adj.) lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality
The old woman was lackluster after her husband died.
malcontent - (adj.) discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted
The revolutionists were malcontent.
mellifluous - (adj.) pleasing to the ear
Chubby Checker has a mellifluous voice.
nepotism - noun favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)
Old Town Market's owners have nepotism.
pander - (noun) someone who procures customers for whores (in England they call a pimp a ponce); verb arrange for sexual partners for others; yield (to); give satisfaction to
A pander might say "Pimpin ain't easy."
peccadillo - (noun) a petty misdeed
The seven year old child commit a peccdillo but was arrested by the cop anyway.
piece de resistance - (noun) the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction.
The piece de resistance of Paris is the Eiffel Tower.
remand - (noun) the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (or the continuation of the trial); verb refer (a matter or legal case) to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
The trial had to wait so the alleged criminal was remanded into jail.
syndrome - (noun) a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease
He had spots on his body which is a syndrome of chicken pox.