transient(TRAN see int) adj.1. temporary; passing with time; 2. passing in a
short time; fleeting —n.1. a transient person; 2. a brief electrical surge
- Don’t worry, your in-laws’ visit is a transientone.
- Weather in Texas is very transient;if you don’t care for it at the moment,
just wait five minutes. - Motels rent their rooms mostly to transients.
[-ly adv., transience n.]
transparent*(trans PAR int) adj. 1. capable of being seen through; passing light
through so as to be able to distinctly see what is on the other side; neither translu-
cent nor opaque; 2. easily understood; very clear; obvious; 3. frank; without guile - “I wouldn’t want to call you transparent,” Mabel told Todd, “but I can see
your car right behind your belly.” - Will’s directions to Doris’s place were transparent.
- When a child admires a particular toy in the store, his or her motives are
usualy transparent.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. clear]
trauma(TROW muh orTRAW muh) n. 1. a bodily shock, wound, or injury; 2. a
mental shock or painful emotional experience - Any cut can be called a trauma,but it is the more severe ones that get
immediate attention in the emergency room of a hospital. - Scalding with nearly boiling hot water is one of the most painful forms of
physical trauma.
[-tic adj., -tically adv.]
travesty(TRA vis tee) n. 1. a burlesque or grotesque imitation for purposes of
ridicule; 2. a crude, distorted, absurd representation of something - Political cartoonists love to make a travestyof politicians by emphasizing
some facial characteristic to a ridiculous extreme.
•A travestywas made of Richard Nixon’s jowls, for instance. - Teddy Roosevelt was often portrayed with a monacle, a cigar, and a
grotesque shotgun and/or riding crop, making a travestyof his avocations. - The pop diva’s remake of a popular 1960s ballad was considered a travesty
by those who knew and loved the original song.
[Syn. caricature]
treachery (TRECH ir ee) n. 1. a betrayal of trust or faith; treason; 2. an act of
disloyalty or treason; perfidy - Benedict Arnold was known for his treacheryin delivering the plans of West
Point to the redcoats. - Less well known in the United States is the treacheryof Vidkund Quisling,
whose so-called Fifth Column led to the taking of Norway by Nazi Germany.
tremulous(TREM yoo lis) adj. 1. trembling or quivering; 2. marked by trem-
bling or shaking; 3. timid; fearful; timorous - Maricella’s tremuloushand made brain surgery an unsuitable occupation
for her. - A good singer often has a tremulousvoice on a sustained note, known as
“tremolo”; bad singers let this tremulousnessget out of hand.
228 Essential Vocabulary