repine, exhume, foil, propitiate, descry: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Proficient set 36. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. repine · verb/rəˈpīn/

   feel or express discontent; fret

   You mustn't let yourself repine.

   Synonyms: fret, be unhappy, feel unhappy, mope, languish

   Origin: early 16th century: from re-‘again’ + the verb pine, on the pattern of repent

2. exhume · verb/ɪɡˈjum/

   to dig out a body from the ground

   The police decided to exhume the body to find out the cause of death.

   Synonyms: unearth, disinter, excavate

   Origin: from Latin 'exhumare', from 'ex-' meaning 'out of' and 'humus' meaning 'ground'

3. foil · noun/fɔɪl/

   a contrasting character or element used to highlight qualities of another

   In the story, the brave hero has a cowardly foil who shows how strong he really is.

   Synonyms: contrast, complement, counter

   Origin: from Middle English 'foilen', meaning 'to cover with a layer' or 'to defeat', adapted from the Old French 'feuille', meaning 'leaf' or 'layer'

4. propitiate · verb/proʊˈpɪʃ.i.eɪt/

   to appease or make amends to someone or something in order to gain favor or goodwill

   He tried to propitiate the angry crowd by offering them free tickets to the concert.

   Synonyms: appease, placate, soothe

   Origin: From Latin 'propitiāre' meaning 'to appease' or 'make favorable'.

5. descry · verb/dɪˈskraɪ/

   to catch sight of or detect something, often after a careful search

   From the top of the hill, I could descry the small cottage hidden in the trees.

   Synonyms: detect, spot, see

   Origin: Middle English 'descrien', from Old French 'descrier' meaning to cry out, disclose, from the prefix 'de-' meaning 'down from' and 'crier' meaning 'to cry'.