Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 46 - Day 2

Word List
  • derived [di rīvd´]
    descended from, received from a source
    → “His political success is derived mainly from the public awareness of his prominent family.” TIME, 2/16/98
  • prerogative [pri rog´ ə tiv]
    an exclusive right or power
    → “Governor Pataki exercised his prerogative as titular head of the party to endorse Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.” Editorial, “Truce Among New York Republicans,” New York Times, 8/7/99
  • nepotism [nep´ ə tiz əm]
    favoritism toward relatives
    → “Political allies and family members filled government jobs as nepotism flourished.” Paul Alter, This Windy City
  • dearth [dėrth]
    scarcity, lack
    → “There was no dearth of criticism of his work.” H. L. Mencken, “The Case of Dreiser”
  • internecine [in´ tər nē´ sn]
    involving conflict within a group, mutually destructive
    → “Eight thousand zealots stabbed each other in internecine massacre.” L. H. Farrar, Early Christians

The Inca emperor derived his prodigious* power and authority from the gods. The paramount* god was the sun god. It was from him the ruler passed on his prerogative to rule to his most astute* son. This nepotism had worked with great efficacy* for centuries. The land holdings were immense;* there were rich farmlands and llamas and alpacas for wool. Precious metals were plentiful: silver, copper, bronze, and the most sacred of all, gold. This metal resembled the sun god whom they extolled.* There was no dearth of idols and ornaments hammered from this gleaming metal. There was always more gold coming from the mines to replenish* the supply. At the acme* of his power, the Inca ruler died without naming the requisite* successor. In 1528 two sons began an internecine struggle for control. For the next 4 years the empire sank into the lassitude* caused by civil war.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in these sentences.

  1. The emissary* from the president tried to allay* the fears that a deleterious* __________ feud was inevitable within the party.
  2. A pragmatic* philosopher __________ the theory that we have noses in order to hold up our eyeglasses.
  3. Your efforts to ingratiate* yourself into your boss’s favor are nullified* by the unmitigated* __________ manifest* in this firm.
  4. He gave his adversary* the dubious* __________ of choosing the weapon by which he was to meet his inevitable* end.
  5. In the potpourri* of restaurants there is no __________ of succulent* dishes.

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

  1. a. scarcity, lack
  2. b. involving conflict within a group, mutually destructive
  3. c. an exclusive right or power
  4. d. descended from, received from a source
  5. e. favoritism toward relatives
  1. derived __________
  2. prerogative __________
  3. nepotism __________
  4. dearth __________
  5. internecine __________

Answer Key
to rub a person the wrong way—to do something that irritates or annoys
The quickest way to rub a person the wrong way is to give him the cold shoulder.*

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