TOEFL vocabulary test: Vocabulary Building: English Nouns

n. pedant
person who denies that God exists
stick; staff; wand
meticulous person; fastidious person; strict person; fussy person
increase; profit; growth; addition

n. countenance
garland of flowers or leaves hung between two points
face; appearance; features; encouragement; support
speech by one person
conversation which is amusing and not serious; tease; joke

n. predilection
thoughtlessness; state of complete forgetfulness
favorable opinion arrived at beforehand; affinity; liking; fondness
trickery; deception; scheming
very thin gauzelike fabric or structure; cobweb

n. pseudonym
act of erecting (a building); meaning
fictitious name; pen name
harsh rebuke; abusive condemnation; denunciation
incoherent speech; specialized vocabulary in certain fields

n. sagacity
nautical unit of depth; unit of length equal to six feet
shrewdness; cleverness; wisdom
historical records; archives; chronicles
flattering speech or act; persuasion

n. hoax
courteous respect for; honor; esteem; reverence
affected or silly smile; smirk
pompous speech; pretentious words; trite cliches
trick or deception; a practical joke

n. anachronism
admirer of the fine arts; dabbler; amateur; nonprofessional
maze; complicated network of passages; something confusing or bewildering
injury inflicted in turn for one received; retaliation; revenge
something out of place in time (e.g. an airplane in 1492); something that is obsolete or out of date

n. demeanor
point directly overhead in the sky; highest point; climax
hardship; suffering; misfortune; crisis
body (natural or artificial) which revolves around a larger body; generally a planet
behavior; bearing; conduct; appearance

n. jargon
incoherent speech; specialized vocabulary in certain fields
compulsive thought; fixation; excessive preoccupation
person who lives in a foreign country
regret for wrongdoing; remorse; uneasiness of conscience

n. prelude
place offering shelter and retreat; refuge
disorderly quarrel; tumult; riot; skirmish
introduction; forerunner
conclusion reached by reasoning from data or premises; speculation