160 VOCABULARY FOR TOEFL iBT
purge (purj) v. to free from impurities, especially to rid of that which is undesir-
able or harmful; to make or become clean, pure. After Leon writes a draft, he
purges the text of unnecessary words to make it more succinct.
purloin (pu ̆r·'loin) v. to steal. The thief purloined a sculpture worth thousands of
dollars.
purport ('pur·pohrt) v. 1. to be intended to seem, to have the appearance of
being. 2. propose or intend. The letter purports to express your opinion on the
matter.Q
quaff (kwahf) v. to drink hurriedly or heartily; to swallow in large draughts. He
quickly quaffed three glasses of water.
quail (kwayl) v. to draw back in fear, flinch, cower. Mona quailed as soon as the
vicious dog entered the room.
querulous ('kwer·u ̆·lu ̆s) adj. complaining, peevish, discontented. He’s a cantan-
kerous and querulous old man, but I love him.
queue (kyoo) n. 1. a line of people or vehicles waiting their turn. 2. (in informa-
tion processing) an ordered list of tasks to be performed or sequence of pro-
grams awaiting processing. Look how long the queue is! We’ll be waiting for hours.
quid pro quo (kwid proh 'kwoh) n. a thing given in return for something; an
equal exchange or substitution. I won’t agree to any deal that isn’t quid pro quo—
it must be a win-win arrangement.
quiescent (kwi·'es·e ̆nt) adj. inactive, quiet, at rest; dormant, latent. The volcano is
quiescent at the moment, but who knows when it will erupt again.
quintessence (kwin·'tes·e ̆ns) n. 1. the essence of a substance. 2. the perfect
example or embodiment of something. Maura is the quintessence of kindness.
quixotic (kwik·'sot·ik) adj. extravagantly chivalrous and unselfish; romantically
idealistic, impractical. His quixotic ways charmed all the women at the dance.
quotidian (kwoh·'tid·ee·a ̆n) adj. 1. daily. 2. commonplace, pedestrian. Prudence
took her quotidian dose of medicine.