Unit Five Vocabulary

VID PARI
PARA SPEC
PHAN

VID Latin videre, visum to

see
envisage v.
To imagine;
to conceive of
Once he envisaged the conflict, he was
able to create his short story.

VID Latin videre, visum to

see

visage n.
Face, facial
expression

A persons visage
can give away a lot
about his or her
feelings.

PARI Latin parere, paritum

be visible, appear
apparition n. An
unreal figure; a
ghost syn.:
specter
Many books about ghosts
have a photo of the
famous apparition, the
Brown Lady of Raynham
Hall.

PARA Latin parare,

paratum to prepare, order
imperative
adj.
Absolutely
necessary;
crucial
syn.: critical

It is imperative that
emergency workers have
an ability to remain calm
under pressure.

PARA Latin parare,

paratum to prepare, order
disparate adj.
Different or
diverse syn.:
inconsistent
Not only did the members of
the group look different,
but they also had disparate
opinions.

SPEC Latin specere,

spectum to look
retrospective adj.
Looking backward
over a period of time
He preferred the
retrospective view of his
hairline to his presentday balding.

SPEC Latin specere,

spectum to look
perspicacious adj.
Wise; insightful;
acutely intelligent
syn.: perceptive
The owl is often
portrayed as a
perspicacious
creature.

SPEC Latin specere,

spectum to look
aspect n. A part
that can be
considered or viewed
syn.: facet
In dividing the tasks to complete the project, each
person was assigned an aspect that best suited his
or her strengths.

SPEC Latin specere,

spectum to look
introspective adj.
Contemplating
ones own
thoughts and
feelings

In todays busy
world, people dont
spend enough time
being introspective.

How do I feel about that?

PHAN Greek phanein to

appear, show
phenomenon
n. A fact or
event which
can be
observed
and/or
documented

We stayed up past midnight

to view the phenomenon of
the meteor shower.

PHAN Greek phanein to

appear, show
diaphanous
adj. Lightweight
and transparent
The diaphanous bubbles
were beautiful when
they reflected the
sunlight.

PHAN Greek phanein to

appear, show
epiphany n. A moment of great
insight; revelation

Readers found it frustrating that the characters

epiphany occurred only after a tragic event.

PHAN Greek phanein to

appear, show

sycophant n.
A person who
flatters; a yesman

The leader of
any high
school clique
always has a
sycophant or
two to
maintain the
needs of his
or her ego.

Allusions 29 & 30

White
Elephant

Fiddle While Rome

Burns

White Elephant

White, or albino, elephants do occur

from time to time in India, Asia, and
Africa. Because of their rarity, they are
considered special and are not made
beasts of burden. According to an old
legend, in Siam (now Thailand), these
white elephants were considered so
valuable that any automatically became
the kings property. The king soon
realized that caring for the animals was
quite costly, especially since the
elephants didnt bring in any income like
the other elephants that worked.
Therefore, the king began to give a white
elephant to anyone who displeased him.
The burden of feeding the animals
quickly brought financial ruin to the
recipient of the gift.

So, a white elephant is an object

that has no use to its owner and may
even represent a financial burden or
inconvenience.

White Elephant
The house I inherited from my grandparents turned out to be a white
elephant. Although it was paid for, the property taxes were
astronomical, and the old house was in constant need of maintenance
and costly repairs.

So, what is a white elephant sale?

Fiddle While Rome Burns

During the reign of the
Roman emperor Nero, a
fire consumed half of
Rome. Legend has it that
Nero showed complete
indifference, playing his
violin, or fiddle, during the
emergency. Thus, Nero
showed his complete
disregard for the hardship
suffered by the people he
governed.

So, to fiddle while Rome burns

is to display indifference in the
midst of an emergency or
disaster.

Fiddle While Rome Burns

After the tornado devastated
a neighboring community, the
town decided to postpone its
annual parade. The town leaders
did not want it to appear that they
were fiddling while Rome burned
rather than showing concern for their
neighbors.