Vocabulary 9-5

encomium  a formal expression of high praise: An encomium by thePresident greeted the returning hero. 
 coherent  logically connected; consistent: a coherent argument. 
 belabor  to explain, worry about, or work at (something) repeatedlyor more than is necessary. He kept belaboring the point longafter we had agreed. 
 eschew to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid: to eschew evil. 
 acquisitive tending or seeking to acquire  and own, often greedily; eager toget wealth, possessions, etc.: our acquisitive impulses; acquisitivesocieties. 
 emulate  to try to equal or excel; imitate with effort to equal orsurpass: to emulate one's father as a concert violinist. 
 arrogate to claim unwarrantably or presumptuously; assume orappropriate to oneself without right: to arrogate the right tomake decisions. 
 banal  devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite: a banal and sophomoric  treatment of courage on the frontier. 
 excoriation to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally: He wasexcoriated for his mistakes. 
 congeal  to change from a soft or fluid state to a rigid or solid state,as by cooling or freezing: The fat congealed on the top of thesoup. 
 carping characterized by fussy or petulant faultfinding; querulous:carping criticism. 
 substantiate  to establish by proof or competent evidence: to substantiatea charge. 
 temporize to be indecisive or evasive to gain time or delay acting. 
 largesse generous bestowal of gifts. 
 tenable capable of being held, maintained, or defended, as againstattack or dispute: a tenable theory. 
 insatiable not satiable; incapable of being satisfied or appeased: insatiablehunger for knowledge. 
 reconnaissance  to inspect observe, or survey (the enemy, the enemy'sstrength or position, a region, etc.) in order to gaininformation for military purposes. 
 germane closely  or significantly related; relevant; pertinent: Pleasekeep your statements germane to the issue. 
 ramify  to divide or spread out into branches or branchlike parts; extend into subdivisions.
 intransigent refusing to agree or compromise; uncompromising; inflexible.
 taciturn inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation.
 invidious calculated to create ill will or resentment or give offense; hateful: invidious remarks.