The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success ... - eLibrary

Words to Learn 18716. psychosomatic (adjective) sı – ko – -so – -mătĭkFrom Greek: psycho- (mind) soma (body)referring to physical disorders that are caused by the mindPhysicians thought that ulcers were psychosomatic, untilthey discovered the bacteria that caused them.Name Words17. boycott (verb, noun) boikŏta. to refuse to use or buy something as an act of protest (verb)In the 1970s and 1980s, public boycotts of grapes resultedin better conditions for farm workers.b. the act of boycotting (noun)Many nations were alarmed when North Korea decidedto boycott international talks on nuclear disarmament. Common Phraseboycott ofCaptain BoycottThe Irish potato famine of the mid-1800s made farmers so poor that a lawwas passed in 1881 to reduce their rents. Captain Charles C. Boycott, a cruelEnglish land agent, angered people by insisting on the original payments,thus forcing many farmers out of business. In response, the Irish LandLeague boycotted him by refusing to do further business with him.18. gargantuan (adjective) gär-gănch — oo-ənCopyright © Cengage Learning. All Right Reserved.huge; immenseThe skylines of Singapore and Seoul are filled with gargantuanskyscrapers.I couldn’t finish the gargantuan “super burrito.”The lottery prize was a gargantuan one hundred milliondollars.A Gargantuan TaleGargantua and Pantagruel is a series of stories written by French authorFrançois Rabelais between 1532 and 1562. Gargantua is a giant with anappetite to match. At one point, he eats five people in a salad! He arranges hishair with a gargantuan comb 900 feet long.