WORD LIST 135
dormant ('dor·ma ̆nt) adj. 1. lying asleep or as if asleep, inactive, at rest.
- inactive but capable of becoming active; latent, temporarily quiescent. The
geology students made a surprising discovery: the volcano believed to be dormant was
about to erupt.
draconian (dray·'koh·ni·a ̆n) adj. very harsh, extremely severe (especially a law or
punishment ). Students of international policy are often shocked by the draconian
punishments used by other countries for seemingly minor offenses.
droll (drohl) adj. amusing in an odd or whimsical way. This is a wonderful, droll
story—the children will love it!
dross (draws) n. 1. waste product, sludge. 2. something worthless, commonplace,
or trivial. Work crews immediately began the task of cleaning the dross at the aban-
doned plastics factory.
dulcet ('dul·sit) adj. melodious, harmonious, sweet-sounding. The chamber orches-
tra’s dulcet tunes were a perfect ending to a great evening.
dupe (doop) n. someone who is easily deceived, gullible. v. to deceive, trick.
Charlene was duped into buying this lemon of a car by a slick-talking salesman.
Eebb (eb) n. the return of the tide to the sea. v. 1. to flow back or recede, as the
tide. 2. to fall back, decline. I hope Mark’s anger has ebbed; I am eager for a recon-
ciliation.
ebullient (i·'bul·ye ̆nt) adj. bubbling over with enthusiasm, exuberant. The ebul-
lient children were waiting to stick their hands into the grab bag and pull out a toy.
eccentric (ik·'sen·trik) adj. deviating from the conventional or established norm
or pattern; anomalous, irregular. Her artwork was unlike any other artist at the
museum; each painting had its own eccentric color scheme.
eclectic (i·'klek·tik) adj. 1. selecting or employing elements from a variety of
sources, systems, or styles. 2. consisting of elements from a variety of sources.
You’re sure to meet someone interesting at the party—Marieka always invites an
eclectic group of people to her gatherings.
éclat (ay·'klah) n. conspicuous success; great acclaim or applause; brilliant per-
formance or achievement. Even the ruinous deceit of the envious Salieri could not
impede the dazzling éclat of the young and gifted Mozart.