WORD LIST 131
cornucopia (kor·nyu ̆·'koh·pi·a ̆) n. abundance; a horn of plenty. The first-graders
made cornucopias for Thanksgiving by placing papier-mache vegetables into a
hollowed-out horn.
corroborate (ko ̆·'rob·o ̆·rayt) v. to strengthen or support with evidence or
authority; to make more certain, confirm. Both Irma’s and Ye’s statements corrob-
orate Tia’s story, so she must be telling the truth.
countenance ('kown·te ̆·na ̆ns) n. the appearance of a person’s face, facial features
and expression. As she walked down the aisle, Julia’s countenance was absolutely
radiant.
craven ('kray·ve ̆n) adj. cowardly. “This craven act of violence will not go unpun-
ished,” remarked the police chief.
credulous ('krej·u ̆·lu ̆s) adj. gullible, too willing to believe things. All the tables,
graphs, and charts made the company’s assets look too good to the credulous potential
investors at the meeting.
crux (kruks) n. the central or critical point or feature, especially of a problem.
The crux of the trial was her whereabouts at the time of the burglary.
cryptic ('krip·tik) adj. having a hidden or secret meaning, mysterious; hidden, secret,
occult. Jimmy was confused by the cryptic note he found written on the refrigerator.
cue (kyoo) n. 1. a signal, such as a word or action, given to prompt or remind
someone of something; a hint or suggestion. 2. a line of waiting people or
vehicles; a queue. When the timer buzzed, Sonia realized that it was a cue to take
the hamburgers off the grill.
culpable ('kul·pa ̆·be ̆l) adj. deserving blame or censure for being or doing some-
thing wrong or harmful; blameworthy, guilty. When my prank ending up break-
ing Andrea’s lamp, I admitted that I was culpable.
cursory ('kur·so ̆·ree) adj. hasty and superficial. Although I should have proofread
the essay carefully, I only had time to give it a cursory review.
Ddaunt (dawnt) v. to intimidate, to make afraid or discouraged. His austere manner
daunted the small children.
debacle (di·'bah·ke ̆l) n. 1. a sudden disaster or collapse; a total defeat or failure.
- a sudden breaking up or breaking loose; violent flood waters, often caused
by the breaking up of ice in a river. Putting the bridge’s supporting beams in loose
sand caused a total debacle when the sand shifted and the bridge fell apart.