Basic Words Flashcards
(109 cards)
1
Q
Adversely
A
In a harmful way; negatively
Excessive rainfall early in the spring can adversely affect the planting of crops.
2
Q
Irrigation
A
The supplying of water to dry land
In dry areas of the country, you can see ditches all over the farmland for irrigation.
3
Q
Precipitation
A
Water that falls to the Earth’s surface
In the Pacific Northwest, the high level of precipitation ensures rich, green plant life.
4
Q
Persevere
A
To keep going, despite obstacles or discouragement; to maintain a purpose
The hikers persevered despite the bad weather and the icy trail.
5
Q
Plunge
A
To go down suddenly; to decrease by a great amount in a
short time
He jumped off the diving board and plunged into the pool.
The value of the company’s stock plunged after its chief executive was arrested.
6
Q
Adjacent
A
Next to
Even though the villages are adjacent to each other, their residents speak different languages.
7
Q
Seep
A
To pass slowly for a long time, as a liquid or gas might
As the containers rusted, the toxic waste seeped into the ground.
8
Q
Gut
A
To empty or hollow out
In order to remodel the house, we must first gut it and throw away all the old fixtures.
9
Q
Corrode
A
To be slowly weakened by chemical reactions
Sitting in salt water, the old coins corroded and became very easy to break.
10
Q
Combustion
A
The process of burning
When air quality is poor, combustion of materials in a fireplace is prohibited.
11
Q
Convey
A
To transport from one place to another; to transmit or make known
A messenger conveyed the prince’s letter to the commander of the army.
12
Q
Discretely
A
Separately; distinctly
In order to understand how the engine worked, each component needed to be studied discretely.
13
Q
Permeate
A
To spread or flow throughout; to pass through or penetrate
The smell of cooking permeated the entire apartment building.
14
Q
Recede
A
To move back or away from
After the age of 30, his hairline began to recede further back from his forehead.
15
Q
Animism
A
The belief that natural objects, such as trees, have souls
Desert cultures that practice animism often believe that winds contain spirits.
16
Q
Contemplate
A
To consider thoughtfully
If you contemplate each step for so long, we will never complete this project on time.
17
Q
Deify
A
To worship as a god
When people deify the leader of their country, the leader is able to abuse power more easily.
18
Q
Ecclesiastical
A
Relating to a church
He was looking specifically for a university where he could study ecclesiastical history.
19
Q
Exalt
A
To praise or honor
He would often exalt the virtues of his new wife.
20
Q
Pious
A
Having or exhibiting religious reverence
Sometimes she was so pious that the rest of us felt like heathens.
21
Q
Aggravate
A
To make worse; to anger or intensify
Running will aggravate your sore knees.
22
Q
Decrepit
A
Weakened or worn out because of age, illness, or excessive use
The once-beautiful building was now dirty, decrepit, and roofless.
23
Q
Forensics
A
The use of science and technology to investigate facts in criminal cases
Advances in the study of forensics have made it much easier to identify criminals from very small traces of evidence.
24
Q
Prognosis
A
An educated guess of how something will develop, especially a disease
The room fell silent when the doctor gave Senator Grebe a grim prognosis of months of treatment.
25
Anesthesia
Techniques for reducing sensation and feeling, especially to control pain
The Civil War was the first American war when anesthesia was widely used in surgery on soldiers.
26
Augment
To make bigger or better by adding to
In some types of popular cosmetic surgery people augment parts of their bodies.
The college augmented its course offerings because students complained that there were too few choices.
27
Divination
Foretelling the future by finding patterns in physical objects
In Turkey, women offer divinations by reading the dregs from a coffee cup.
28
Psychic
Relating to the supposed ability of the human mind to sense things that cannot be observed
The governor’s assistant claimed to have unique psychic abilities enabling him to read people’s minds.
29
Assimilate
To consume and incorporate; to become similar
Not all of the overseas students could assimilate into the rigidly controlled school.
30
Saga
A long story about important events long ago
Many American families tell sagas about their ancestors’ arrival in the United States.
31
Vestige
A visible trace that something once existed
The wilted flowers were the only vestige of their romantic weekend.
32
De facto
Truly doing a job, even if not officially
Popular support established the Citizens Party as the de facto government.
33
Paradigm
A pattern or model; a set of assumptions
The usual paradigm for economic growth in developed countries does not apply to some poor nations.
34
Erudite
Highly educated
Even though Stella was only a freshman, she was considered erudite by both her classmates and her professors.
35
Implicitly
Without being stated; unquestioningly
By joining the competition, she agreed implicitly to the rules.
36
Parochial
Restricted in outlook; relating to the local parish
Marla moved from her rural community to get away from its parochial thinking.
Sending your children to a parochial school can cost as much as sending them to college.
37
Rigor
Strictness; difficult situations that come from following rules strictly
The wrestler followed his diet with rigor.
The rigors of military life toughened the young men quickly.
38
Roster
A list, especially of names
Two of the names on the roster were misspelled.
39
Secular
Worldly rather than spiritual; not related to religion
Few private schools in the United States are secular.
40
Suspend
To cause to stop for a period; to hang as to allow free movement
The trial was suspended when the judge learned that one of the jury members knew the defense lawyer.
The circus acrobat was suspended in midair.
41
In the trenches
In the middle of the hardest fighting or work
With their unrealistic view of this war, our generals don’t know what things are like out in the trenches.
42
Annex
To make something (usually land) part of another unit
Bardstown grew by annexing several farms at the north edge of town.
43
Apex
The highest point
Gregory knew that his running skills had to be at their apex during the tournament.
44
Conquest
A takeover by force or continued effort
The first recorded conquest of Mt. Everest was by Tensing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hilary.
45
Devise
To find an original way to make an object or a plan
The soldiers devised a way to cross the river into enemy territory without being seen.
46
Longitude
A system of imaginary lines running from north to south along the Earth’s surface, where each line is numbered from 0º to 180° west or east
The prime meridian, a line running through Greenwich, England, is marked as 0° longitude.
47
Milieu
General environment or surroundings
Many Vietnam veterans did not feel comfortable in the antiwar social milieu of the 1970s.
48
Reconciliation
Coming back together peacefully after having been enemies
South Africa avoided a bloodbath after apartheid by setting up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
49
Tangible
Obviously real because it can be seen, touched, or otherwise observed
One tangible benefit of putting electrical cables underground is a clearer view of the sky.
50
Affluence
Wealth and the style of life that goes with it
Mohadzir grew up amid affluence, which poorly prepared him for his grad student days in crowded apartments with no servants.
51
Lease
To rent something for a long time (several months or years)
Some drivers prefer to lease a car rather than buy one.
52
Proprietor
Owner, usually of a business or a building
The proprietor of Hekman’s Windows is Nels Hekman, grandson of the people who established the factory.
53
Sole
Only
Many people have wanted to invest in Harry’s publishing business, but he remains the sole owner.
54
Industrious
Willing to work hard
The Dutch settlements in Ottawa County were founded by industrious farmers who objected to frivolous behavior such as dancing.
55
Marginal
Not very significant or effective
Our new advertising campaign had only marginal success, raising sales by a mere 3 percent.
56
Distill
To remove one liquid from a mixture of liquids by boiling; to get something valuable from a confusing mix of ideas
The forest peoples of Southeast Asia distill an alcoholic drink called arak from a paste of palm berries.
Most students are confused by her lectures, but Joe can always distill her main idea.
57
Haggle
To argue back and forth about a price
The customer and the shopkeeper haggled over the silver plate for more than an hour.
58
Shuttle
To move back and forth often between two places
The small jet shuttles between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore nearly every two hours.
59
Allegedly
According to what people say
The chief financial officer of the company allegedly took company money for his personal use.
60
Peer
A person who is one’s social equal
In requiring judgment by “a jury of one’s peers,” U.S. law meant to protect lower-class defendants from the possibly biased judgment of upper-class juries.
61
Verdict
A judgment in a court case
It took the jury only 30 minutes to reach a verdict of “guilty.”
62
Apprehend
To capture
The police apprehended the robbery suspect as he tried to get on a bus to Chicago.
63
Condemn
To speak out against something in very strong terms
Religious radicals condemned the government for allowing alcohol to be sold in restaurants.
64
Inquiry
An investigation
The FBI launched an inquiry into the relationship between organized crime and the trucking company.
65
Intrusively
In a way that brings an unwanted person or thing into someone else’s affairs
The new consultant from company headquarters appeared intrusively at meetings, staff parties, and other functions where he was not wanted.
66
Assail
To attack or criticize forcefully
With DNA evidence from the crime scene, the defense lawyer assailed the police for falsely arresting his client.
67
Impair
To make something less effective than usual
The snow impaired John’s ability to hear anyone’s footsteps.
68
Cynically
Disrespectfully; emphasizing the weaknesses of otherwise respected things
Employees of the Roadways Department cynically referred to their boss as “the banker” because he took so many bribes.
69
Grotesque
Extremely unattractive, in a way that catches a lot of attention.
Spending $3.5 million to redecorate the governor’s house is a grotesque misuse of public money.
70
Integrity
Personal honesty and good character
We don’t have a problem with our employees stealing from the store because we hire only people with a lot of integrity.
71
Prevalent
Common; easy to find because it exists in great amounts
Distrust of elected officials was prevalent in our county because many of them were friends with certain candidates.
72
Coerce
To force; to put pressure on someone to do something
A criminal’s confession is not usable in court if the police coerce him or her into giving it.
73
Detain
To prevent someone, for a relatively short time, from going on their way
The police detained at least 20 men for questioning, but charged none of them with a crime.
74
Predicament
A difficult situation, one that is hard to get out of
College basketball stars face the predicament of wanting to graduate but being tempted by high professional salaries.
75
Villainy
Exceptional badness, as demonstrated by many serious evil deeds
Fred was not a natural criminal, but he learned all kinds of villainy while being jailed for a minor crime.
76
Interdict
To keep something from reaching a certain place
With faster patrol boats, the Coast Guard can more easily interdict drugs being smuggled by sea.
77
Juxtapose
Place next to one another
If you juxtapose these two similar flowers, you can see clear differences between them.
78
Subtly
In a quiet, hard-to-notice way
By subtly changing the soft drink’s formula, we improved its taste and made production cheaper.
79
Cohesion
Ability to stay together as a unit
Family cohesion is difficult if young people have to go far away to find work.
80
Proximity
Nearness
The house was comfortable, except for its proximity to a busy road.
81
Sibling
Brother or sister
My siblings and I got together to buy our parents a gift for their anniversary.
82
Associate
To regularly spend time together
Carol doesn't associate with people who smoke.
83
Clique
A small group of friends who are unfriendly to people outside the group
High-schoolers form cliques to gain security and acceptance.
84
Confide
To tell very personal things
Teenagers are more willing to confide in a friend than in a parent.
85
Despondent
Extremely sad and without hope for the future
After his girlfriend left him, Johnson was despondent and wouldn’t talk to anyone.
86
Engender
To bring into being; to cause to exist
The government’s warnings about terrorism engendered fear throughout the nation.
87
Proliferation
An increase in the number of something and in the number of places it can be found
The proliferation of fast-food restaurants has made it harder for Americans to eat healthy lunches.
88
Antipathy
A strong, long-lasting negative feeling
My antipathy toward telemarketers is so strong that I am often rude to them.
89
Berate
To say insulting and disrespectful things
The teacher lost his job because he cruelly berated students who made mistakes.
90
Contemptuous
Having no respect
Most scientists are contemptuous of reports that aliens from outer space have landed on the Earth.
91
Despise
Hate very much
Tom grew to despise his greedy and unfriendly boss.
92
Obnoxious
Bothersome; doing small things that others don’t like
My obnoxious neighbor keeps talking to me while I’m trying to read in my backyard.
93
Stigmatize
To mark with a visible feature that makes other people think, perhaps incorrectly, that someone or something is wrong
Cadbury’s beard and tattoos stigmatized him as a bad match for Wall Street, so he couldn’t find work as a financial analyst.
94
Vitriolic
Showing an extreme, hateful anger
The mayor’s vitriolic attacks against the city council only made him sound unreasonable.
95
Delinquency
Serious misbehavior; not doing what one should do
Because of his laziness and delinquency, Lefty was an unreliable friend.
96
Fringe
Edge; in social contexts, parts of society that look or act very different from most people
Punk music got its start at the fringe of London’s rock music culture.
97
Esthetically
In a way that relates to beauty or appearance
The outside of the office building is esthetically pleasing, but the inside is dark and unpleasant.
98
Portrayal
A description or drawing that reflects a certain point of view
Most portrayals of Abraham Lincoln emphasize his sense of humor and his honesty.
99
Spectrum
A range of different things, usually colors
Bart’s colorful designs include every color of the spectrum, from deep blue to vibrant red.
100
Advent
Coming; arrival
The advent of the automobile greatly increased the demand for petroleum.
101
Connotation
A meaning implied, not stated directly
When my boss says,“Thank you,” the connotation is that she’s done talking and I should leave.
102
Decipher
To figure out the meaning, even though it is written in a code or an unknown language
The Rosetta Stone helped archaeologists decipher ancient Egyptian writing.
103
Ingenious
Very clever and imaginative
Ann thought up an ingenious way to keep other people from accidentally taking her pens.
104
Medium
A channel or way for a meaning to be expressed
Watercolor art is often considered childish, but some artists have achieved great things working in that medium.
105
Bulk
Largeness and a heavy appearance
The bulk of Kevin’s athletic body was too great for one small chair, so he sat on a bench.
106
Capricious
Moving unpredictably from one thing to another
Your college studies will go on too long if you make capricious jumps from one major to another.
107
Cumbersome
Difficult to wear or carry because of weight or shape
To make it to the top of the mountain before dark, the hikers dumped their cumbersome tent.
108
Inhibit
To discourage or to slow down
This lotion will inhibit the itching caused by mosquito bites.
109
Vanity
An excessive concern for one’s appearance
Mark’s vanity led him to spend far too much money on haircuts and new clothes.
