1. mononymously — using a single-word name
And so he joined other mononymously known natural scientists such as Darwin and Mendel, though in Lysenko’s case it was because he was infamous as a fraud.
2. landrace — plant or animal exemplar purposely bred to thrive in local conditions
The bitter potato landraces exhibit greater pest resistance, but this is offset of course by the lower price at market.
3. henrietta — twilled cashmere
She wore a scarlet jacket made from some of the new dyed henriettas just imported from Europe.
4. rectify — to make right, to correct; to purify through repeated distillation; to change into direct current
If you will provide the details we shall be pleased to rectify the omissions posthaste.
5. abscissa — x-coordinate of point in Cartesian plane system
The abscissa is customarily taken as the independent variable.
6. hierarch — high priest; person in high position of authority
The court ruled, however, that the priest was working solely as an agent of the hierarch, and therefore that high official bore liability for the tragic events of that fateful Thursday.
7. caprine — of or related to goats
In the shuddering dim light of the dying fire the would-be cowboy’s dude ranch woolies took on an ominous caprine appearance, as if the furry chaps now revealed a pagan demon or the archfiend himself, summoned to this blood-drenched land by the weird tales told by the old and bitter cook.
8. telpherage — automatic and usually electrically powered cable car system for moving minerals or other goods
Fleeming Jenkins is known as the primary inventor of the telpherage system, developing the idea while at the University of Edinburgh.
9. aigrette — egret crest feather or feathers used as headwear decoration, or similar decorations formed of jewels
Whether made from heron feathers or only simulated from stiff lace, an aigrette is an absolute necessity for a hat worn by any lady of fashion this season.
10. quoit — rope ring or ring of flattened metal, used in tossing game
Bernie then tossed his final quoit right over the attentive tail of our poor Westie, causing her no little discomfiture.
Bonus Vocabulary
(Latin)
cacoethes scribendi — mania for writing
So fierce became his cacoethes scribendi that soon no surface was safe and we could no longer visit our favorite restaurant, lest he cover the table cloth and napkins with his detailed thoughts upon the strange—and to his mind, suspicious—death of the inventor of the Diesel engine.