Staying    Vocabulary Lists

You must know the italicized, bold roots and their definitions each week.

THE CANNY CHAMELEON - List 5

 

 Canny - Careful, cautious, prudent, astute, knowing, sagacious. This word goes back to the Old English word cunnan, meaning “to know”, and entered English through the Icelandic word kann. In Scotland, canny means frugal or thrifty, and in other parts of the British Isles it may mean gentle, snug, cozy, pleasing, attractive, or pretty. Any canny person would certainly keep this word handy.

 

 Chameleon - For some unexplainable reason, this unusual lizard's name means "dwarf lion." The reason for the first half of this word, from Greek chamai, meaning a “ground dwarf”, is easily understood. However, there is no explanation as to why it is called leon, the Latin for “lion”. The color of the chameleon's skin changes with its environment or mood. Because of this characteristic, the word chameleon is also applied to fickle, mercurial, or undependable human beings.

 

 

Vocabulary Definitions

1.       canny                          shrewd

2.       chameleon                   lizard (can change the color of its skin)

3.       crevice                        crack, opening

4.       cascade                       waterfall

5.       concoct                       plan, devise

6.       circumspect                cautious

7.       circumvent                 entrap, go around

8.       cerebration                 thinking

9.       colossal                      huge, gigantic

10.       chasm                        deep opening

11.    clambering                 climbing

12.    contiguous                 adjoining

13.    culled                         selected

14.    comporting                carrying or conducting (oneself)

15.    cajoled                       coaxed

16.    covetous                    desiring (something that belongs to another)

17.    catapulted                  hurled, launched

18.    chicanery                   trickery

(18 words)

Rothstein, Evelyn. Staying at the Top. Nyack, NY: ERA/CCR Corp, 1986.