VOCAB JUNE 2011

per·va·sive  adj. (esp. of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people: ageism is pervasive and entrenched in our society.

substantia innominata, which literally means “substance without a name.”

cor·po·re·al  adj. of or relating to a person's body, esp. as opposed to their spirit: he was frank about his corporeal appetites.    having a body: a corporeal God.

ne·ot·e·ny  n. [ZOOLOGY] the retention of juvenile features in the adult animal. Also called PEDOMORPHOSIS.  the sexual maturity of an animal while it is still in a mainly larval state, as in the axolotl. Also called PEDOGENESIS.

pre·hen·sile  adj. (chiefly of an animal's limb or tail) capable of grasping.

syl·van (also sil·van)  adj. CHIEFLY POETIC/LITERARY consisting of or associated with woods; wooded: trees and contours all add to a sylvan setting.

se·man·tic  adj. relating to meaning in language or logic.

vo·ta·ry  n. (pl. -ries) a person, such as a monk or nun, who has made vows of dedication to religious service.  a devoted follower, adherent, or advocate of someone or something

qua·li·a  plural n. [PHILOSOPHY] the internal and subjective component of sense perceptions, arising from stimulation of the senses by phenomena.

o·nan·ism  n. FORMAL 1 masturbation. 2 coitus interruptus.

Welt·an·schau·ung  n. (pl. -schau·ung·en ) a particular philosophy or view of life; the worldview of an individual or group.  German, from Welt 'world' + Anschauung 'perception'.

ob·fus·cate  v. [trans.] render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible: the spelling changes will deform some familiar words and obfuscate their etymological origins.  bewilder

um·bil·i·cus  n. (pl. -ci or -cus·es) [ANATOMY] the navel.    [ZOOLOGY] a depression or hole at the center of the shell whorls of some gastropod mollusks and many ammonites.

ep·i·cene  adj. having characteristics of both sexes or no characteristics of either sex; of indeterminate sex

cos·mog·o·ny  n. (pl. -nies) the branch of science that deals with the origin of the universe, esp. the solar system.

sur·cease  n. cessation: he teased us without surcease.  relief or consolation

in·ter·ne·cine  adj. destructive to both sides in a conflict: the region's history of savage internecine warfare.

Mith·ra·ism  n. the cult of the god Mithras, which became popular among Roman soldiers of the later empire, and was the main rival to Christianity in the first three centuries AD.   Mith·ra·ic adj. Mith·ra·ist n. Mith·ras [MYTHOLOGY]   a god of light, truth, and honor, the central figure of the cult of Mithraism but probably of Persian origin. He was also associated with merchants and the protection of warriors.

a·cet·y·lene  n. [CHEMISTRY] a colorless pungent-smelling hydrocarbon gas, which burns with a bright flame, used in welding and formerly in lighting

hor·rip·i·la·tion  n. POETIC/LITERARY the erection of hairs on the skin due to cold, fear, or excitement.

cic·a·trix (also cic·a·trice )  n. (pl. cic·a·tri·ces ) the scar of a healed wound.    a scar on the bark of a tree.  [BOTANY] a mark on a stem left after a leaf or other part has become detached.   cic·a·tri·cial adj.  late Middle English (as cicatrice): from Latin cicatrix or Old French cicatrice. cic·a·trize  v. (with reference to a wound) heal by scar formation: [trans.] it was used to cicatrize certain types of wounds | [intrans.] his wound had cicatrized.   cic·a·tri·za·tion n.