- While a shardis the zoological term for a hard shell or scale, it is not often
used in this manner. - In ancient Greece, shardsof pottery were known as ostra, and if enough
people wrote a man’s name on ostra, he was ostracized—made to depart
from the city-state.
signatory(SIG nuh TAW ree) n. a signer; one who signed an agreement, treaty,
contract, and so on - John Hancock was the first signatoryof the Declaration of Independence.
•A signatoryto a contract accepts responsibility for fulfilling that contract.
[signatories pl.] [Syn. endorser]
smelt(SMELT) vt. 1. to heat or fuse ore; to refine; 2. to separate impurities
from metal by heating it —n. small silver-colored food fish found in northern lakes
and seas - When tin and copper aresmeltedtogether in the proper proportions,
bronze is the result. - Steel is a product of smelting,where certain impurities are deliberately
added to give the finished product desirable qualities. - I ate some delicious fried smeltswith cocktail sauce last night as an
appetizer.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. refine]
sobriety(suh BRY i tee) n. 1. the state of being temperate and not overindulging,
especially in alcoholic drinks; soberness; 2. seriousness - If a car is being driven erratically, it might be pulled over and the driver
given a sobrietytest. - During the Cuban missile crisis of the early 1960s, the entire world recog-
nized the sobrietyof the situation.
sordid(SAWR did) adj. dirty; filthy; wretched; base; ignoble; mean - Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq was sordid.
- Sordidbehavior was customary in the cow towns of the Old West, where
debauchery was the norm.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. base]
splice(SPLYS) vt. to join pieces together by weaving or intertwining (as with
ropes, wires, and so on) - In a pigtail splice,the bare ends of two wires are twisted together, and then
hot solder is applied. - A Western Union spliceis the most elegant as well as the strongest wire
splice. - A square knot is a very effective way to splicetwo ropes together.
[-d, splicing] [Syn. join]
S: GRE Words 331