ema • ci • ate v., cause to lose flesh and become very thin. The disease tends to emaciate its victims. emaciated, adj.

un • wont • ed adj., rare, unusual. Paul’s unwonted politeness surprised us all.

dif • fi • dence n., shyness; lack of self-confidence. Lionel spoke with diffidence about how difficult the first few weeks were in his new school.

ground • less adj., not justified; having no real basis. Sarni’s obsessive fears of flying were groundless.

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lu • rid adj., startling, sensational. Everyone was anxious to hear the lurid details of the robbery.

sub • se • quent adj., following. Kye did poorly on his first test, but he aced the subsequent exams.

pos•ter•i•tyn., all succeeding generations. Our class created and buried a time capsule for posterity.

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ad • ja • cent adj., next to; adjoining. Because our yard is adjacent to Lee’s, frisbees often land in our yard.

bar • rage n., heavy attack. The humorless comedian was met by a barrage of rotten fruit.

ten • ta • tive adj., hesitant; uncertain. When I asked the new student to sit by me at lunchtime, she looked at me with a tentative smile.

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pan • to • mime n., communication by means of gestures. Because LaTasha spoke no Chinese, she used pantomime to ask questions while visiting China.

hys • te • ri • a n., outbreak of wild, uncontrolled excitement. Hysteria filled the crowd as word spread that the concert was cancelled.

pa • tron • ize v., act helpful, but in a snobbish way. Caitlin hated it when older students in school patronized her.