Words 11 Flashcards
(25 cards)
disperse
verb [ I or T ]
UK /dɪˈspɜːs/ US /dɪˈspɝːs/
Dispersal is the noun form.
to spread across or move away over a large area, or to make something do this:
When the rain came down the crowds started to disperse.
Police dispersed the crowd that had gathered.
The eventual dispersal of the crowd resulted in
smaller protests at various points throughout the city.
disseminate
verb [ T ] formal
UK /dɪˈsem.ɪ.neɪt/ US /dɪˈsem.ə.neɪt/
to spread or give out something, especially news, information, ideas, etc., to a lot of people:
One of the organization’s aims is to disseminate information about the disease.
The purpose of a university press is to disseminate knowledge by publishing books and journals.
divest
verb [ I or T ] mainly US
UK /daɪˈvest/ US /dɪˈvest/
to sell something (elden çıkarma), especially a business or a part of a business:
The company is divesting its less profitable business operations.
When she found out that the most profitable stock in her portfolio was that of a company that tested products on animals, she immediately divested by telling her broker to sell the stock.
dovetail verb or noun [ C ] ARCHITECTURE specialized UK /ˈdʌv.teɪl/ US /ˈdʌv.teɪl/ (also dovetail joint)
to cause something to fit exactly together:
Their results dovetail nicely with ours.
We tried to dovetail our plans with theirs.
dubious
adjective
UK /ˈdʒuː.bi.əs/ US /ˈduː.bi.əs/
Doubtful, questionable, suspect.
This applicant’s resume is filled with dubious qualifications—this is a marketing position, and this resume is mostly about whitewater rafting.
echelon
noun [ C ]
UK /ˈeʃ.ə.lɒn/ US /ˈeʃ.ə.lɑːn/
a particular level or group of people within an organization such as an army or company:
These salary increases will affect only the highest echelons of local government.
the upper echelons of society
Obtaining a job on Wall Street doesn’t guarantee access to the upper echelon of executives, where multi-million dollar bonuses are the norm.
eclectic
adjective formal
UK /ekˈlek.tɪk/ US /ekˈlek.tɪk/
Selecting the best of everything or from many diverse sources.
an eclectic taste in literature
Eclectic taste is helpful in being a DJ—crowds love to hear the latest hip-hop mixed with 80s classics and other unexpected genres of music.
eclipse
noun
UK /ɪˈklɪps/ US /ɪˈklɪps/
a situation in which something becomes less important:
The eclipse of the ruling political party was inevitable.
The economy has eclipsed all other issues during this election campaign.
effectively
adverb
UK /ɪˈfek.tɪv.li/ US /əˈfek.tɪv.li/
used when you are describing what is actually true, although it may not be intended or stated:
Whoever owns those shares, effectively controls the company.
***Of course, effectively can just mean in a successful manner, as in He did the job effectively.
But it can also mean in effect, but not officially.
For instance, when Woodrow Wilson was president of
the United States, he was incapacitated by a stroke, and some people believe that Wilson’s wife, Edith, effectively served as president. That doesn’t mean she was any good at it (she wasn’t). Rather, it means that she was doing the job of the president without officially being the president.
efficacy
noun [ U ] formal
UK /ˈef.ɪ.kə.si/ US /ˈef.ə.kə.si/
The quality of being able to produce the intended effect. Don’t confuse efficacy with efficiency.
Something efficacious gets the job done; something efficient gets the job done without wasting time or effort. Efficacy is frequently used in reference to medicines.
Extensive trials will be necessary to determine whether the drug’s EFFICACY outweighs the side effects.
egalitarian
adjective formal
UK /ɪˌɡæl.ɪˈteə.ri.ən/ US /ɪˌɡæl.ɪˈter.i.ən/
believing that all people are equally important and should have the same rights and opportunities in life:
an egalitarian society
The party’s principles are basically egalitarian.
egregious
adjective formal disapproving
UK /ɪˈɡriː.dʒəs/ US /ɪˈɡriː.dʒəs/
Extraordinarily or conspicuously (= noticeable) bad; glaring (very obvious).
Your conduct is an EGREGIOUS violation of our Honor Code—not only did you steal your roommate’s paper off his computer and turn it in as your own, you also sold his work to a plagiarism website so other cheaters could purchase it!
emancipate
verb [ T ]
UK /iˈmæn.sɪ.peɪt/ US /iˈmæn.sə.peɪt/
to give people social or political freedom and rights.
Free from slavery or oppression.
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation legally ended slavery in the U.S.
In law, to emancipate a minor is to declare the child (generally a teenager) no longer under the control of his or her parents.
eminent
adjective
UK /ˈem.ɪ.nənt/ US /ˈem.ə.nənt/
Prominent, distinguished, of high rank.
famous, respected, or important:
an eminent historian
emulate
verb [ T ] formal
UK /ˈem.jə.leɪt/ US /ˈem.jə.leɪt/
Copy in an attempt to equal or be better than.
The ardent Star Trek fan emulated Captain Kirk in every way possible…
Officials are looking to emulate successful ideas from other cities.
He just wants to emulate his dad.
enigma
noun [ C ]
UK /ɪˈnɪɡ.mə/ US /əˈnɪɡ.mə/
something that is mysterious and seems impossible to understand completely:
She is something of an enigma.
Puzzle, mystery, riddle; mysterious or contradictory person.
enumerate
verb [ T ] formal
UK /ɪˈnjuː.mə.reɪt/ US /ɪˈnuː.mɚ.eɪt/
to name things separately, one by one:
He enumerated the benefits of the insurance scheme.
The Bill of Rights enumerates the basic rights held by every citizen of the United States.
equitable
adjective formal
UK /ˈek.wɪ.tə.bəl/ US /ˈek.wɪ.t̬ə.bəl/
treating everyone fairly and in the same way:
an equitable tax system
equivocal
adjective formal
UK /ɪˈkwɪv.ə.kəl/ US /ɪˈkwɪv.ə.kəl/
muğlak
…Equivocate — Use unclear language to deceive or avoid committing to a position.
not clear and seeming to have two opposing meanings, or confusing and able to be understood in two different ways:
His words to the press were deliberately equivocal - he didn’t deny the reports but neither did he confirm them.
erratic
adjective
UK /ɪˈræt.ɪk/ US /ɪˈræt̬.ɪk/
Inconsistent, wandering, having no fixed course.
When someone engages in erratic behavior, family members often suspect drugs or mental illness. However, sometimes the person is just building a top-secret invention in the garage!
She can be very erratic; one day she is friendly and the next she’ll hardly speak to you.
erroneous
adjective formal
UK /ɪˈrəʊ.ni.əs/ US /əˈroʊ.ni.əs/
wrong or false:
Mistaken, in error.
an erroneous belief/impression/assumption
A man was arrested in Webster after a bench warrant was erroneously issued
Hilda was completely unable to assemble her new desk chair after the instructions erroneously instructed her to screw the left armrest onto a small lever on the bottom of the seat.
erstwhile
adjective [ before noun ] formal
UK /ˈɜːst.waɪl/ US /ˈɝːst.waɪl/
Former, previous.
A novelist and erstwhile insurance salesman…
Escape velocity
The minimum velocity (speed) that an object must attain in order to completely escape a gravitational field.
estimable
adjective formal
UK /ˈes.tɪ.mə.bəl/ US /ˈes.tə.mə.bəl/
1) Worthy of esteem, ADMIRABLE; 2) Able to be estimated.
As the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review, Barack Obama presented an estimable resume when he ran for president in 2008.
Riding a roller coaster is safer than driving on the highway, but there is still an estimable risk.
