Grade 11 Vocabulary

Trimester 1

Weeks 5-6

PATER / PATR: father

patron

• n. one who supports an artist

• Thankfully, there are many loyal patrons supporting the Narrows Center for the Arts.

patriarch

• n. male head of a family

• Because my mother was so tough, we called her the patriarch.

patricide

• n. the killing of one’s father

• Oedipus unwittingly committed patricide.

paternal

• adj. fatherly

• Young men sometimes take a while to develop paternal instincts.

patriotism

• n. love of one’s fatherland

• Mercenaries aren’t known for their patriotism.

patrician

• n. one of noble birth; aristocrat

• One need not be a patrician to succeed in American politics.

BENE / BON: good

beneficial

• adj. favorable; producing benefits

• Apples are said to be beneficial to one’s health.

benevolent

• adj. good-hearted; helpful; kind

• Mother Teresa was a benevolent person.

bonanza

• n. an unusually rich vein of ore in a mine; a sudden coming into wealth

• Many people in Fall River believe that scratch tickets will lead to a bonanza.

bountiful

• adj. plentiful; abundant

• There will be a bountiful amount of food at our Thanksgiving table.

benediction

• blessing

• The priest gave a special benediction for the pilgrims.

GRAT: pleasing

gratitude

• n. thankfulness; appreciation

• Do you show gratitude towards your parents?

congratulations

• n. expression of pleasure over another’s good fortune

• Chris Paul didn’t give congratulations to Rondo after the Celtics game.

ingrate

• n. one who is ungrateful

• The druggie who steals from his family is the worst ingrate.

ingratiate

• v. to worm oneself into another’s favor

• The Chinese peasants sought to ingratiate themselves with Bruce Lee.

INE: like

pristine

• adj. having its original purity

• The car was in pristine condition.

saline

• consisting of salt; salty

• The best nose sprays are simple saline solutions.

serpentine

• adj. like a snake

• The model had long, serpentine hair.

equine

• adj. like a horse

• Equine sports are not big in the East.

philistine

• n. a person lacking in culture and manners

• When invited to the homes of the rich, Charles Bukowski behaved like a philistine.