#22 coalesce ~ compendium Flashcards
coalesce
/ˌkoʊəˈlɛs/
v. to come together as one; to fuse; to unite
- When the dough coalesced into a big blob, we began to wonder whether the cookies would be edible.
- The people in our neighborhood coalesced into a powerful force for change in the community.
- The Southern coalition in Congress is the group of representatives from Southern states who often vote the same way.
coalition
/ˌkoʊəˈlɪʃən/
n. a group of people that has come together for some purpose, often a political one.
- Coal miners and cola bottlers might coalesce into a coalition for the purpose of persuading coal mine owners to provide cola machines in coal mines.
coerce
/koʊˈɜrs/
v. to force someone to do or not to do sth.
- Darth Vader tried flattery, Darth Vader tried gifts, Darth Vader even tried to coerce, but Darth Vader was never able to make Han Solo reveal the hidden rebel base.
The noun is coercion.
cogent
/ˈkəʊdʒənt/
adj. powerfully convincing
- Shaft was cogent in explaining why he needed the confidential files, so we gave them to him.
- The lawyer’s argument on his client’s behalf was not cogent, so the jury convicted his client. The jury was persuaded by the cogency of the prosecuting attorney’s argument.
Cogent reasons are extremely persuasive ones.
cognitive
/ˈkɒgnɪtɪv/
adj. dealing with how we know the world around us through our senses; mental
Scientists study the cognitive apparatus of human beings to pattern how computers should gather information about the world.
Cognition is knowing.
cognizant
/ˈkɒgnəzənt, ˈkɒnə-/
adj. aware; conscious
To be cognizant of your responsibilities is to know what your responsibilities are.
- Al was cognizant of the dangers of sword swallowing, but he tried it anyway and hurt himself quite badly.
coherent
/koʊˈhɪərənt, -ˈhɛr-/
adj. holding together; making sense
- After puzzling over Grace’s disorganized Holy Roman Empire essay for almost an hour, Ms. Fabricius needed only twenty minutes to read Arjun’s coherent paper on the Defenestration of Prague.
A coherent wad of cotton balls is one that holds together.
A coherent explanation is an explanation that makes sense; the explanation holds together.
To hold together is to cohere.
colloquial
/kəˈloʊkwiəl/
adj. conversational; informal in language
A writer with a colloquial style is a writer who uses ordinary words and whose writing seems as informal as common speech.
“The way I figure it” is a colloquial expression, or a colloquialism; People often say it but it isn’t used in formal prose.
colloquy
/ˈkɒləkwi/
n. a conversation or conference
collusion
/kəˈluʒən/
n. conspiracy; secret cooperation
- The increase in oil prices was the result of collusion by the oil-producing nations.
- There was collusion among the owners of the baseball teams; they agreed secretly not to sign any expensive free agents.
If the baseball owners were in collusion, then you could say that they had colluded. To collude is to conspire.
commensurate
/kəˈmɛnsərɪt, -ʃər-/
adj. equal; proportionate
- Ryan’s salary is commensurate with his ability; like his ability, his salary is small.
- The number of touchdowns scored by the team and the number of its victories were commensurate (both zero).
compelling
/kəmˈpɛlɪŋ/
adj. forceful; causing to yield
- A compelling argument for buying a security system is one that makes you go out and buy a security system.
- The recruiter’s speech was so compelling that nearly everyone in the auditorium enlisted in the Army when it was over.
compel
/kəmˈpɛl/
v. to compel someone to do sth. is to force him or her to do it.
- Our consciences compelled us to turn over the money we had found to the authorities.
compulsion
/kəmˈpʌlʃən/
n. the act of compelling; an irresistible impulse to do sth. irrational.
compendium
/kəmˈpɛndiəm/
n. a summary; an abridgment
- A yearbook often contains a compendium of the offenses, achievements and future plans of the members of the senior class.
