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AP Language: Vocabulary Unit 1 Flashcards

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4868836643allusiona passing or casual reference; reference to myth, history, text, etc. that you don't have to explain0
4868836644metaphora figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance; explaining something abstract in more concrete terms (a mighty fortress is our God)1
4868836645similea figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in "she is like a rose"2
4868836646personificationthe attribution of human nature or character to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract notions3
4868836647synecdochea phrase use to indirectly reference or describe someone/something ("boots on the ground"); a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part4
4868836648rhetoricthe use of language to teach, to inspire, and to delight the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques5
4868836649aphorisma terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation; short phrases of wisdom or advice; "forgive and forget"6
4868836650magistratea civil officer charged with the administration of the law; a minor judicial officer (like a justice of the peace or the judge of a police court) having jurisdiction to try minor criminal cases and to conduct preliminary examinations of persons charged with serious crimes7
4868836651oligarchya form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few8
4868836652despota king or other ruler with absolute, unlimited power; any tyrant or oppressor9
4868836653demagoguea political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument10
4868836654diminutiona reduction in the size, extent, or importance of something11
4868836655prognosticateTO PREDICT; to forecast or predict (something future) from present indications or signs; foretell or prophesy (an event in the future)12
4868836656paradoxa statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory13
4868836657laconicusing few words; expressing much in few words; concise; "k"14

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