acquisitive - eager or likely to get and keep: The retreat speaker described an acquisitive society that has forgotten the joys of giving and conversing. Also: acquisitiveness, acquisition. [adquiro, adquirere, adquisivi, adquisitus - to acquire] conquistador - one of the 16th-century Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru: If the conquistadors were active today, they would be condemned by most civilized people as greedy, bloodthirsty criminals. [conquiro, conquirere, conquisivi, conquisitus - to to search out, bring together; to collect; conquisitio, conquisitionis, f. - a bringing together; a search; collection; conquisitor, conquisitoris, m. - a recruiting officer] disquisition - a formal speech or writing about a subject: "This 'brief report' is turning into a disquisition," lamented the red-eyed graduate student. Also: disquisitive (having to do with or given to disquisition), disquisitional, disquisitor. [disquisitio, disquisitionis, f. - inquiry, investigation; disquiro, disquirere, disquisivi, disquisitus - to investigate] inquest - 1) legal investigation of the cause of death when
murder is suspected: The case was put on hold until the results of
the inquest were disclosed. 2) any investigation. requisition - (n.) 1) a formal demand that something be done; 2) a written request for something; (v.) 1) to demand authoritatively; 2) to press into service; 3) to request in writing. also: requisitionary, requisitional, requisitioner. [quaesitio, quaesitionis, f. - investigation; quaesitor, quaesitoris, m. - investigator, examiner]
quandary - a perplexed or uncertain condition; dilemma: Persistent rumors about the company’s moving to another state had many of the workers in a quandary. [aliquando - at some time; sometimes; quandocumque - whenever; quandoque - whenever; quandoquidem - since, because]
quantitative - having to do with quantify or measurement: Also: quantifiable, quantification, quantifier, quantify (to determine or express the quantity of; to express as a quantity), quantitate (to measure or to determine the quantiy of), quantitation, quantitativeness, quantitiveness, quantity. By relentlessly increasing the speed of production, one reaches a point where quantitative improvement is outweighed by qualitative decline.
quartile - in statistics, any of four groups of equal frequency into which a series (e.g., a distribution of scores) is divided: The parents were pleased to see that their son's S.A.T. scores were in the first quartile.
querulous - full of complaints; complaining; faultfinding: According to the saying "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar," a pleasant person will be more successful than a querulous one. Also: querulousness. [querulus. querula, querulum - complaining; questus, questus, m. - a complaint]
acquiesce - to agree or assent without protest: Some
employers appreciate employees who speak their minds openly; others can
tolerate only those who acquiesce in the boss's ideas. Also: acquiescence,
acquiescent (acquiescing; inclined to acquiesce). [adquiesco,
adquiescere, adquievi, adquietus - to rest; to be content] requiem - 1) a Mass for the
dead:; 2) a musical service or hymn for the dead: Mozart wrote his Requiem
during the final year of his life; he died before he could finish
it. [quies, quietis, f. - rest, quiet; requies, requietis, f.
- rest, repose; requiesco, requiescere, requievi, requietus - to
rest]
quietude - state of being quiet; tranquility; calmness; stillness: Since they value natural beauty and quietude, they are building their home next to a remote mountain lake. [quies, quietis, f. - rest, repose; quiesco, quiescere, quievi, quietus - to rest, repose]
quintessence - 1) the purest form of some quality: Many people believe that the so-called golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you," expresses the quintessence of virtuous living. 2) in ancient philosophy, the fifth substance, the substance of which the heavenly bodies were made, distinguished from the four elements of fire, water, air, and earth. Also: quintessential. [essentia, essentiae, f. - essence]
quiddity - 1) that which makes a thing what it is, essence; 2)
a distinction of no importance, trifle: Everyone agrees that
metaphysicians deal with quiddities, but skeptics would insist on
applying the second definition. quorum
- whose quorum - the number of members of an organization who must be
present to conduct business legally: Finding themselves without a
quorum for the sixth straight month, the homeowners present at the
meeting were the first to sign a petition to dissolve the association. |
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