1. ECAC Vocabulary 2.4.12 (week 2/6/12) Abstemious Enervate Fatuous Kowtow Infrastructure Obsequious Tempestuous Pecuniary Interpolate Bellicose

2. Infrastructure (noun) in·fra·struc·ture/ˈinfrəˌstrəkCHər the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization. Synonyms: substructure – organization – setup – foundation – groundwork – frame After the CEO left, the company’s infrastructure began slowly collapse.

3. Abstemious (adjective) ab·ste·mi·ous/abˈstēmēəs/ Not self-indulgent, esp. when eating and drinking. Synonyms: abstinent - temperate - moderate - sober - sparing Unlike the rest of her family, Cathy displayed abstemious behavior when eating dinner; she never cleaned her plate.

4. Enervate (verb) en·er·vate/ˈenərˌvāt Cause (someone) to feel drained of energy. Synonyms: enfeeble - weaken - debilitate - unnerve – emasculate Although he enjoyed his time as an emergency room nurse, the demanding work schedule enervated him to point of complete exhaustion.

5. Fatuous (adjective) fat·u·ous/ˈfaCHo͞oəs Silly and pointless. Synonyms: foolish - goofy - witless - idiotic Although being referred to as “ratchet” would be vexing for most people, she knew it was simply a fatuous saying that her friends would find boring within a month.

6. Kowtow (verb) kow·tow/ˈkouˈtou/ Act in an excessively subservient manner. Synonyms: kneel - bow – stoop – acknowledge The narcissistic king required all of his subjects to kowtow before him as a sign of respect.

7. Obsequious (adjective) ob·se·qui·ous/əbˈsēkwēəs/ Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree. Synonyms: servile - subservient - menial - fawning - submissive – unctuous It took years for the woman to overcome her obsequious tendencies that became habit while living with her overbearing husband.

8. Tempestuous (adjective) tem·pes·tu·ous/temˈpesCHo͞oəs/ 1.Characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion. 2.Very stormy: "a tempestuous wind". Synonyms: emotional - boisterous - gusty - turbulent - wild – rough – stormy – intense Teen love is often tempestuous and dramatic, so, of course, it makes the perfect subject for young adult novels.

9. Pecuniary (adjective) pe·cu·ni·ar·y/piˈkyo͞onēˌerē/ Of, relating to, or consisting of money. Synonyms: monetary – financial – economic Because the political candidate did not address any pecuniary issues in the debate, she lost a large percentage of her voters.

10. Interpolate (verb) in·ter·po·late/inˈtərpəˌlāt/ A. To insert into a text. B. To insert into a conversation. Synonyms: insert – interpose – interject – interrupt Teachers do not appreciate the tendency of some students to interpolate during class discussion; raising your hand is most appropriate.

11. bellicose (adjective) bel·li·cose/ˈbeliˌkōs/ Demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight. Synonyms: warlike - combative - militant - martial – belligerent – pugnacious After becoming friends with Jim, Cheryl found out that his bellicose behavior at school was just a cover for the turmoil he was experiencing at home.