12 Flashcards
archaic
of or belonging to an ancient period in history:
an archaic system of government
an archaic law/rule/language
Some people like to show off by using archaic words.
archaeology
grunt
نالیدن، خرخر کردن، نشخوار
The pigs were grunting contentedly as they ate their food.
He hauled himself over the wall, grunting with the effort.
“Too tired,” he grunted and sat down.
noun: 1.
Loud grunts were coming from the pigsty.
The only conversation I get from my teenagers is a few grunts.
2. someone who does an unskilled job, especially a boring job:
He said. “If you can’t get a ‘good’ job, go be a construction grunt.”
Union grunts, wealthy business executives, private companies and three federal agencies joined the legal fray after the company’s collapse.
defect
noun:
There are so many defects in our education system.
It’s a character defect in her that she can’t ever admit she’s wrong.
verb: to leave a country, political party,company,stop buying from a business, etc., especially in order to join an opposing one:
When the national hockey team visited the US, half the players defected.
The British spy, Kim Philby, defected to the Soviet Union in 1963.
The company is paying out millions in incentive bonuses to stop its best people from defecting.
Internet providers struggled to prevent angry customers defecting.
She defected from the software company to take up a post at their main rival.
noun: defection:
The party has been torn apart by splits and defections to rival parties.
Recent changes in policy have resulted in large-scale defection from the party.
adj: defective: Something that is defective has a fault in it and does not work correctly:
I think that theory is defective.
adj: defector:
She was one of many Communist Party defectors.
There was no way to know whether the defectors would fight for the opposition.
mutation
تغییر، جهش، انقلاب، شورش
Environmental pressures encourage genes with certain mutations to persist and others to die out.
adj: mutational:
Tests evaluate the sunscreen’s ability to protect against mutational effects.
adv: mutationally:
Mutationally altered genes were found in the tumours.
wander
پرسه زدن، پلکیدن، آواره بودن، منحرف شدن
We spent the morning wandering around the old part of the city.
She was found several hours later, wandering the streets, lost.
He was here a minute ago but he’s wandered off somewhere.
If someone’s hands or eyes wander, they touch or look in many different places, especially in a sexual way or when they should not do this:
If his hands start to wander, tell him firmly, “No, I’m not ready for this.”
He was cruelly described as a creepy old man with wandering hands.
If your mind or your thoughts wander, you stop thinking about the subject that you should be giving your attention to and start thinking about other matters:
Halfway through the meeting my mind started to wander.
If you say that an old person’s mind is beginning to wander, you mean that they are starting to get very confused because of their age:
Her mind is beginning to wander and she doesn’t always know who I am.
to start talking about a different subject from the one you were originally discussing:
We’ve wandered off/from the point somewhat.
idle speculation
The media was filled with idle speculation about who the assassin might be.
noun: speculation:
The media was filled with idle speculation about who the assassin might be.
Rumours that they are about to marry have been dismissed as pure speculation.
Speculation about his future plans is rife.
There is speculation that fourth quarter GDP growth could be revised downwards.
verb: speculate:
A spokesperson declined to speculate on the cause of the train crash.
humble
adj: 1. not proud or not believing that you are important:
He’s very humble about his success.
Please accept our humble apologies for the error.
2. poor or of a low social rank:
Even when she became rich and famous, she never forgot her humble background.
3 .ordinary; not special or very important:
At that time she was just a humble mechanic.
humorous Welcome to our humble abode (= our home).
verb: to make someone understand that they are not as important or special as they thought:
He was humbled by the child’s generosity.
staple
noun: 1. منگنه
Put a staple in the upper left-hand corner.
2. a main product or part of something:
Phosphate has been a staple of this area for many years.
Romantic fiction and reference books are a staple of many public libraries.
Shortages mean that even staples (= basic foods) like bread are difficult to find.
adj: basic or main; standard or regular:
The staple diet here is mutton, fish and boiled potatoes.
Prices of staple foods such as wheat and vegetables have also been increasing.
verb: منگنه کردن
Would you mind stapling the reports together?
stingy
unwilling to spend money:
He’s really stingy and never buys anyone a drink when we go out.
Some bankers are stingy in lending to small businesses.
spendthrift
noun:
Max was a spendthrift and a heavy gambler.
I’m not a spendthrift, although sometimes if I see something on sale, I’ll get three because it’s a good deal.
adj:
He struggled to support a large family that included his spendthrift father.
Her spendthrift ways mean that she has been in debt most of her life.
substantial
verb: substantiate: to show something to be true, or to support a claim with facts:
We have evidence to substantiate the allegations against him.
Reports that children had been hurt have not been substantiated.
adj: large in size, value, or importance:
The findings show a substantial difference between the opinions of men and women.
She inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.
adv: substantially: The new rules will substantially change how we do things.
noun: substantiantion: the act of showing something to be true, or of supporting a claim with facts:
The company produced receipts in substantiation of its claim.
The criticisms were without factual substantiation.
tendency
noun: If someone has a tendency to do or like something, they will probably do it or like it:
His tendency to exaggerate is well known.
There is a tendency for unemployment to rise in the summer.
She has a tendency to work late.
verb: tend: to be likely to behave in a particular way or have a particular characteristic:
We tend to get cold winters and warm, dry summers in this part of the country.
to care for something or someone:
He carefully tended his sunflower plants.
The nurse gently tended the patient’s cuts and bruises.
intrigues
verb: to interest someone a lot, especially by being strange, unusual, or mysterious:
I was intrigued by his slow, deliberate way of talking and the serious look in his eyes.
noun: the making of a secret plan to do something, esp. something that will harm someone:
In that tale of political intrigue, he combined great dialogue with an interesting plot and a surprise ending.
adj: intriguing: very interesting because of being unusual or mysterious:
an intriguing possibility/question
She has a really intriguing personality.
She has written an intriguing account of growing up on a farm as one of ten children.
merely
adj: mere: used to emphasize that something is not large or important:
The plane crashed mere minutes after take-off.
It cost a mere 20 dollars.
The mere thought of it (= just thinking about it) makes me feel sick.
People became excited at the mere mention of his name.
the mere idea/possibility/prospect of something
merest: used to emphasize the surprising or strong effect of a very small action or event:
The merest mention of seafood makes her feel sick.
The merest hint of criticism makes him defensive.
adv: merely: 1.used to emphasize that you mean exactly what you are saying and nothing more:
I wasn’t complaining, I merely said that I was tired.
I didn’t say that you had to go - I merely suggested that you might want to go.
These columns have no function and are merely decorative.
2. used to emphasize that something is not large, important, or effective when compared to something else:
The medicine won’t cure her - it merely stops the pain.
converse
noun: the converse: the opposite:
In the US, you drive on the right-hand side of the road, but in the UK the converse applies.
However, the converse of this theory may also be true.
adj: opposite:
a converse effect/opinion/argument
Why can’t Keyes make the converse argument about the GOP?
verb: to have a conversation with someone:
She’s so shy that conversing with her can be pretty hard.She likes to converse with people from all walks of life.
adv: conversely:
Poor health is accepted as an attribute of normal ageing. Conversely, youth is depicted as a time of vitality and good health.
The staff of any organisation are its best ambassadors or conversely may be its worst.
noun: conversion: 1. the process of converting something from one thing to another:
conversion of something into something Solar power is the conversion of the sun’s energy into heat and electricity.
2. a process in which someone changes to a new religion or belief:
conversion to Her conversion to Buddhism/Islam was a very gradual process.
undergo a conversion He used to be very right-wing, but he’s undergone something of a conversion recently.
3. the process of getting a customer who visits a website, sees an advertisement, etc. to buy a product, or a customer who does this:
The aim of the marketing is to increase conversions - that is, the number of visitors to the site who are paying customers.
