Vocabulary List for Learning to Bow: Conformity in Japan

(compiled from students’ list )

1. fatuous: very silly or stupid

2. allegiance: loyalty to a leader, country, belief

3. reprimand: to tell someone officially that something they have done is very wrong

4. appellation: a name or a title

5. axiom: a self-evident or universally recognized truth, maxim

6. tenet : a principle

7. prudence: thinking carefully before taking action

8. reiterate: to repeat several times

9. ligament: any of the strong bands in the body that joins bones or hold some part of the body in position

10. taint: to cause to seem impure and or undesirable, esp. by bringing into contact with something bad or unpleasant: spoil

11. affable: friendly

12. defer: to put off, postpone

13. rupture: sudden breaking apart or bursting

14. rescind: to put an end to ( a law, decision or agreement)

15. foster: to help to grow or stimulate, promote

16. ostracize: banish, exclude from society

17. diagnosis: identification of a disease

18. sanctity: sacredness

19. disheveled: untidy

20. rift: an open break in a relationship

21. nurture: to promote the development of

22. drawback: a disadvantage or an inconvenience

23. drone: a boring talk

24. legacy: anything handed down from an ancestor

25. verve: vigor and energy

26. shun: to avoid or refuse to accept

27. conform: to behave like most other people

28. pep talk: a speech to instill enthusiasm or bolster morale

29. arduous: needing and using much energy

30. elaborate: worked out with much care and in great detail

31. resolute: doing something in a determined way because you have strong beliefs