orb(AWRB) n. 1. a sphere or globe; 2. any of the celestial bodies such as the
sun, moon, planets, stars; 3. the eyeball
- An orbis round, no matter how you look at it.
- As an orb,I’m sure you’ll agree, the earth is nice to have around.
- To appreciate that an eyeball is an orb,you’ll have to see one outside of
the skull.
overt(oh VOERT) adj. not hidden; open; apparent; public; manifest; observable - It is against the law in most states to carry a concealed weapon, but the
laws governing the carrying of an overtweapon differ from state to state. - Most parents are very overtin their love for their children.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. open]
parody(PA ruh dee) n. 1. a humorous copy of a literary or musical work, often
applied to an inappropriate subject; 2. a weak imitation —vt.1. to write or perform
a parody; 2. to imitate mockingly - Gulliver’s Travelsis a parodyof the travel books that were so popular in
Jonathan Swift’s day. - Parodyis imitation and as such is a form of flattery.
- Certain comedians make a living parodyingpolitical figures.
- Mel Brooks parodiesMary Shelley’s book in the motion picture Yo u n g
Frankenstein.
[parodied, -ing, parodies pl.] [Syn. caricature]
parse(PARS) vt. 1. to separate a sentence into its parts, identifying and explain-
ing the use of each of those parts and their relationship to each other; 2. to describe
the preceding - In times past, it was customary to parsesentences in English class, using a
diagram. - When a sentence is parsed,it is separated into subject, predicate, and all
modifying words (associating them with the words they modify).
[-d, parsing] [Syn. analyze]
pastoral(PAS toer il) adj. 1. of shepherds, their work, or their way of life;
- characteristic of rural life —n.a literary or musical work that deals with rural life,
usually in an idealized way
- The pastorallife is the lifestyle of a shepherd.
- Traditional pastorallife is quite different from life in today’s rural America.
- Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6is also known as the PastoralSymphony and
depicts country life.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. rural]
patron(PAY truhn) n. 1. a protector or benefactor; 2. one who uses his or her
money to sponsor artists or events - Classical musicians could not earn a living if it weren’t for the support of
patrons. - Austrian Prince Esterházy was Haydn’s patronfor much of the musician’s
adult life.
[Syn. sponsor]
O – P: GRE Words 313