VOCABULARY #4

obsequious - attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Example: The obsequious Frank Underwood from House of Cards always knows exactly when and how to flatter the person he is speaking with.

beatitude - a state of supreme happiness
Example: I was jealous of her constant beatitude; she was rarely sad.

bete noire - a person or thing that one particularly dislikes
Example: I cannot be in this room any longer with my bete noire; I will hurt this man.

bode - indicate by signs
Example: In As I Lay Dying, the two collapsed bridges did not bode well for the Bundrens.

dank - unpleasantly cool and humid
Example: The dragon's dank cave did not deter Beowulf, who refused to quit until the monster was dead.

ecumenical - of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions
Example: Christianity will never be an ecumenical religion; it is broken up into many sects that will never agree with one another.

fervid - extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion
Example: The fervid desert began to melt my brain; I knew then that I would die here.

fetid - offensively malodorous
Example: The fetid bathrooms at Righetti disgust me beyond words.  It's hard to believe there aren't any regulations that require these bathrooms to be cleaned at least a little bit.

gargantuan - of great mass; huge and bulky
Example: Looking down on the peasants, the chief of police felt gargantuan; no one would question his authority.

heyday - the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
Example: I wish I had been able to try Coke in its heyday, when it had cocaine in it.

incubus - 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
Example: It was only a matter of time before she discovered I was an incubus and left.

infrastructure - 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
Example: The infrastructure of the American public system needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

inveigle - influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
Example: It wasn't until the next week, after she had left, that I questioned how she was able to inveigle me to such a huge degree.

kudos - an expression of approval and commendation
Example: Kudos to Snowden for his exposure of the extent of the NSA's reach to the American public.

lagniappe - a small gift (especially one given by a merchant to a customer who makes a purchase)
Example: When he showed me the lagniappe that he was offering to go along with the book (a small collectible created by the author) I knew I had to make the purchase.

prolix - tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length
Example: No offense to Nesper, but his lectures are very prolix.

protégé - a person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career
Example: The worst part of his death was the fact that it was his protégé who shot him.

prototype - a standard or typical example
Example: Watchmen is the prototype of political expression through comics.

sycophant - a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
Example: I'm sick of being around sycophants like you.

tautology - useless repetition of an idea, statement, or word
Example: This teacher's tautology makes his class excruciating.

truckle -yield to out of weakness; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
Example: I was at a loss for words and had to truckle; I was too unprepared to win this argument.