Temerity (tuh MER uh tee) Definition: boldness; recklessness; audacity Sentence: Our waiter at the restaurant had the temerity to tell me he thought my table manners were atrocious.

Theology (thee AHL uh jee) Definition: the study of God or religion Sentence: Ralph was a paradox, he was an atheist yet he passionately studied theology.

Taciturn (TAS i turn ) Definition: untalkative by nature Sentence: The chairman was so taciturn that we often discovered that we had absolutely no idea what he was thinking.

Transcend (tran SEND) Definition: to go beyond or above; to surpass Sentence: The man who claimed to have invented a perpetual motion machine believed that he had transcended the laws of physics.

Tangential (tan JEN schul) Definition: only superficially related to the matter at hand; not especially relevant; peripheral Sentence: The mayor's speech bore only a tangential relationship to the topic that had been announced.

Terse (turs) Definition: using no unnecessary words; succinct Sentence: The new recording secretary's minutes were so terse that they were occasionally cryptic.

Trepidation (trep uh DAY shun) Definition: fear; apprehension; nervous trembling Sentence: The nursery school students were filled with trepidation when they saw the other children in their class dressed in their Halloween costumes.

Tenuous (TEN yoo us) Definition: flimsy; extremely thin Sentence: The organization's financial situation has always been tenuous, the balance of the checking acct is usually close to zero.

Tantamount (TAN tuh mownt) - equivalent to Example: Waving a banner for the visiting team at the that football game would be tantamount to committing suicide; the home team fans would tear you apart in a minute.

Tangible (TAN juh bul) Definition: touchable; palpable Sentence: A mountain of cigarette butts was the only tangible evidence that Luther had been in our House.

Tout (tout) Definition: to praise highly; to brag publicly about Sentence: Advertisements touted the chocolate-flavored toothpaste as getting rid of your sweet tooth while saving your teeth.

Torpor (TOR pur) Definition: sluggishness; inactivity; apathy Sentence: After consuming the guinea pig, the boa constrictor fell into a state of contented torpor that lasted several days.

Tentative (TEN tuh tiv) Definition: experimental; temporary; uncertain Sentence: Hugo believed himself to be a great wit, but his big joke was rewarded by nothing more than a tentative chuckle from his audience.

Turpitude (TUR puh tood) - shameful wickedness; depravity Example: Larry was sacked by his boss because of a flagrant act of turpitude: he slept with the boss's wife.

Tenable (TEN uh bul) - defensible, as in one's position in an argument; capable of being argued successfully; valid Example: Members of the Flat Earth Society continue to argue that the earth is flat, although even children dismiss their arguments as not tenable.

Tacit (TAS it) - implied; not spoken Example: Mrs. Rogers never formally asked us to murder her husband, but we truly believed we were acting with her tacit consent.

Tenet (TEN it) - a shared principle or belief Example: One of the most important tenets of our form of government is that people can be trusted to govern themselves.

Temperate (TEM pur it) - mild; moderate; restrained Example: Our climate is temperate during the spring and fall, but very nearly unbearable during the summer and winter.

Temerity (tuh MER uh tee) - boldness; recklessness; audacity Example: Our waiter at the restaurant had the temerity to tell me he thought my table manners were atrocious.

Tirade (TYE rayd) - prolonged, bitter speech Example: Percival launched into a tirade against imitation cheese on the school lunch menu.

Theology (thee AHL uh jee) - the study of God or religion Example: Ralph was a paradox, he was an atheist yet he passionately studied theology.

Transgress (trans GRES) - to violate (a law); to sin Example: The other side had transgressed so many provisions of the treaty that we had no choice but to go to war.

Tenacious (tuh NAY shus) - persistent; stubborn; not letting go Example: The ivy growing on the side of our house was so tenacious that we had to tear the house down to get rid of it.

Transcend (tran SEND) - to go beyond or above; to surpass Example: The man who claimed to have invented a perpetual motion machine believed that he had transcended the laws of physics.

Tangential (tan JEN schul) - only superficially related to the matter at hand; not especially relevant; peripheral Example: The mayor's speech bore only a tangential relationship to the topic that had been announced.

Terse (turs) - using no unnecessary words; succinct Example: The new recording secretary's minutes were so terse that they were occasionally cryptic.

Trepidation (trep uh DAY shun) - fear; apprehension; nervous trembling Example: The nursery school students were filled with trepidation when they saw the other children in their class dressed in their Halloween costumes.

Tenuous (TEN yoo us) - flimsy; extremely thin Example: The organization's financial situation has always been tenuous, the balance of the checking acct is usually close to zero.

Transgress (trans GRES) - to violate (a law); to sin Example: The other side had transgressed so many provisions of the treaty that we had no choice but to go to war.

Touchstone (TUCH stohn ) - a standard; a test of authenticity or quality Example: The size of a student's vocabulary is a useful touchstone for judging the quality of his or her education.

Tautological (tawt uh LAH juh kul) - redundant; circular Example: The testing company's definition of intelligence - that which is measured by intelligence tests - is tautological.

Transient (TRAN shunt) - not staying for a long time; temporary Example: The transient breeze provided some relief from the summer heat, but we were soon perspiring again.

Tangible (TAN juh bul) - touchable; palpable Example: A mountain of cigarette butts was the only tangible evidence that Luther had been in our House.

Tout (tout) - to praise highly; to brag publicly about Example: Advertisements touted the chocolate-flavored toothpaste as getting rid of your sweet tooth while saving your teeth.

Torpor (TOR pur) - sluggishness; inactivity; apathy Example: After consuming the guinea pig, the boa constrictor fell into a state of contented torpor that lasted several days.