Educational

acumen

[uh-kyoo-muhn]

keen insight; shrewdness

dodecahedron

[doh-dek-uh-hee-druhn]

a three-dimensional shape having twelve plane faces, in particular a regular solid figure with twelve equal pentagonal faces

clerestory

[kleer-stawr-ee]

a portion of an interior rising above adjacent rooftops and having windows admitting daylight to the interior

viscous

[vis-kuhs]

of a glutinous nature or consistency; sticky; thick; adhesive

pendulous

[pen-juh-luhs]

hanging down loosely

adjudicate

[uh-joo-di-keyt]

to pronounce or decree by judicial sentence

conviction

[val-i-deyt]

a fixed or firm belief

synecdoche

[si-nek-duh-kee]

a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special, as in Texas won by six runs (meaning “Texas's baseball team”)

halcyon

[hal-see-uhn]

calm; peaceful; tranquil

solipsism

[sol-ip-siz-uhm]

the theory that only the self exists, or can be proved to exist

precarious

[pri-kair-ee-uhs]

dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; insecure

stownlins

[stoun-linz]

secretly, stealthily

disparate

[dis-per-it]

distinct in kind; essentially different; dissimilar

spondee

[spon-dee]

in poetry, a "foot" of two syllables, both of which are long in quantitative meter or stressed in accentual meter

abjure

[ab-joor, ab-jur]

solemnly renounce

entrench

[en-trench]

establish (an attitude, habit, or belief) so firmly that change is very difficult or unlikely

buttress

[buh-tris]

any external prop or support built to steady a structure by opposing its outward thrusts, especially a projecting support built into or against the outside of a masonry wall