Article1 Flashcards

1
Q

Leeway

A

leeway
/ˈliːweɪ /
▸ noun [mass noun]
1 the amount of freedom to move or act that is available:
the government had greater leeway to introduce reforms.
▪ margin of safety:
there is little leeway if anything goes wrong.
2 the sideways drift of a ship to leeward of the desired course:
the leeway is only about 2°.
–PHRASES
make up (the) leeway Brit.
struggle out of a bad position, especially by recovering lost time:
he never made up the leeway and was five lengths down at the finish.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Mandate

A

mandate
▸ noun /ˈmandeɪt /
1 an official order or commission to do something:
a mandate to seek the release of political prisoners.
▪ Law a commission by which a party is entrusted to perform a service, especially without payment and with indemnity against loss by that party.
▪ a written authorization enabling someone to carry out transactions on another’s bank account.
▪ historical a commission from the League of Nations to a member state to administer a territory:
the end of the British mandate in Palestine.
2 the authority to carry out a policy, regarded as given by the electorate to a party or candidate that wins an election:
he called an election to seek a mandate for his policies.
▪ Canadian a period during which a government is in power:
the last mandate of Trudeau, from 1980 to 1984, was a remarkable chapter in Canadian history.
▸ verb /manˈdeɪt / [with obj.]
1 give (someone) authority to act in a certain way:
the rightful king was mandated and sanctioned by God.
▪ require (something) to be done; make mandatory:
the government began mandating better car safety.
2 (be mandated to) historical (of territory) be assigned to (another power) under a mandate of the League of Nations:
(as adj. mandated) mandated territories.
–ORIGIN early 16th cent.: from Latin mandatum ‘something commanded’, neuter past participle of mandare, from manus ‘hand’ + dare ‘give’. Sense 2 of the noun has been influenced by French mandat.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Authoritative

A

authoritative
/ɔːˈθɒrɪtətɪv , -ˌteɪtɪv/
▸ adjective
1 able to be trusted as being accurate or true; reliable:
clear, authoritative information and advice
an authoritative source.
▪ (of a text) considered to be the best of its kind and unlikely to be improved upon:
this is likely to become the authoritative study of the subject.
2 commanding and self-confident; likely to be respected and obeyed:
his voice was calm and authoritative.
▪ proceeding from an official source and requiring compliance or obedience:
authoritative directives.
–DERIVATIVES authoritatively adverb
authoritativeness noun

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Impediment

A

impediment
/ɪmˈpɛdɪm(ə)nt /
▸ noun
1 a hindrance or obstruction in doing something:
a serious impediment to scientific progress.
2 (also speech impediment) a defect in a person’s speech, such as a lisp or stammer.
–DERIVATIVES impedimental /-ˈmɛnt(ə)l/ adjective
–ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin impedimentum, from impedire (see impede).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Constitute

A

constitute
/ˈkɒnstɪtjuːt /
▸ verb [with obj.]
1 be (a part) of a whole:
lone parents constitute a great proportion of the poor.
▪ combine to form (a whole):
there were enough members present to constitute a quorum.
▪ be or be equivalent to (something):
his failure to act constituted a breach of duty.
2 give legal or constitutional form to (an institution); establish by law:
the superior courts were constituted by the Judicature Acts 1873–5.
–ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin constitut- ‘established, appointed’, from the verb constituere, from con- ‘together’ + statuere ‘set up’.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Posit

A

posit
/ˈpɒzɪt /
▸ verb
(posits, positing, posited)
1 [with obj.] put forward as fact or as a basis for argument:
the Confucian view posits a perfectible human nature.
▪ (posit something on) base something on the truth of (a particular assumption):
these plots are posited on a false premise about women’s nature as inferior.
2 [with obj. and adverbial] put in position; place:
the Professor posits Cohen in his second category of poets.
▸ noun Philosophy a statement which is made on the assumption that it will prove to be true.
–ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Latin posit- ‘placed’, from the verb ponere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Contemporary

A

contemporary
/kənˈtɛmp(ə)r(ər)i /
▸ adjective
1 living or occurring at the same time:
the event was recorded by a contemporary historian.
▪ dating from the same time:
this series of paintings is contemporary with other works in an early style.
2 belonging to or occurring in the present:
the tension and complexities of our contemporary society.
▪ following modern ideas in style or design:
contemporary ceramics by leading potters.
▸ noun
(pl. contemporaries)
a person or thing living or existing at the same time as another:
he was a contemporary of Darwin.
▪ a person of roughly the same age as another:
my contemporaries at school.
–DERIVATIVES contemporarily adverb
contemporariness noun
–ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from medieval Latin contemporarius, from con- ‘together with’ + tempus, tempor- ‘time’ (on the pattern of Latin contemporaneus and late Latin contemporalis).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Accru

A

accrue
/əˈkruː /
▸ verb
(accrues, accruing, accrued)
[no obj.] (of a benefit or sum of money) be received by someone in regular or increasing amounts over time:
financial benefits will accrue from restructuring
(as adj. accrued) the accrued interest.
▪ [with obj.] accumulate or receive (payments or benefits) over time:
they accrue entitlements to holiday pay.
▪ [with obj.] make provision for (a charge) at the end of a financial period for work that has been done but not yet invoiced:
at 31 December the amount due for the final quarter is accrued.
–DERIVATIVES accrual noun
–ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French acreue, past participle of acreistre ‘increase’, from Latin accrescere ‘become larger’ (see accrete).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Immaterialism

A

immaterialism
/ɪməˈtɪərɪəlɪz(ə)m /
▸ noun [mass noun] the belief that matter has no objective existence.
–DERIVATIVES immaterialist noun

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Enact

A

enact
/ɪˈnakt , ɛ-/
▸ verb [with obj.]
1 make (a bill or other proposal) law:
legislation was enacted to attract international companies.
2 put into practice (an idea or suggestion):
the pressure group’s aim was to see the proposals enacted.
3 act out (a role or play) on stage:
Mystery Plays were staged and enacted by members of the guilds.
▪ (be enacted) take place:
walkers stopped to watch, aware that some tragedy was being enacted.
–DERIVATIVES enactable adjective
enaction noun
enactive adjective
enactor noun
–ORIGIN late Middle English (formerly also as inact): from en-1, in-2, + act, suggested by medieval Latin inactare, inactitare.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Imprint

A

imprint
▸ verb /ɪmˈprɪnt /
1 [with obj.] impress or stamp (a mark or outline) on a surface:
tyre marks were imprinted in the snow.
▪ make an impression or mark on:
clothes imprinted with the logos of sports teams.
▪ fix (an idea) firmly in someone’s mind:
he’d always have this ghastly image imprinted on his mind.
2 [no obj.] (imprint on) Zoology (of a young animal) come to recognize (another animal, person, or thing) as a parent or other object of habitual trust:
the bird thought I was its mother and imprinted on me.
goslings will imprint themselves on inanimate objects such as a cardboard box.
▸ noun /ˈɪmprɪnt /
1 a mark or outline made by pressing something on to a softer substance:
he made imprints of the keys in bars of soap.
▪ a lasting effect:
years in the colonies had left their imprint.
2 a printer’s or publisher’s name, address, and other details in a book or other publication.
▪ a brand name under which books are published, typically the name of a former publishing house that is now part of a larger group:
the group will continue to market its products through its established imprints.
–ORIGIN late Middle English (originally as emprint): from Old French empreinter, based on Latin imprimere, from in- ‘into’ + premere ‘to press’.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Flog

A

flog
/flɒg /
▸ verb
(flogs, flogging, flogged)
[with obj.]
1 beat (someone) with a whip or stick as a punishment:
the men had been flogged and branded on the forehead
(as noun flogging) public floggings.
▪ informal promote or talk about (something) repetitively or at excessive length:
the issue has been flogged to death already.
2 Brit. informal sell or offer for sale:
he made a fortune flogging beads to hippies.
3 [no obj., with adverbial of direction] Brit. informal make one’s way with strenuous effort:
by 10 pm we had flogged up the slopes to Grey Crag.
▸ noun [in sing.] Brit. informal an arduous climb or struggle:
a long flog up the mountainside.
–PHRASES
flog a dead horse Brit.
waste energy on a lost cause or unalterable situation.
–ORIGIN late 17th cent. (originally slang): perhaps imitative, or from Latin flagellare ‘to whip’, from flagellum ‘whip’.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Entail

A

entail
/ɪnˈteɪl , ɛn-/
▸ verb [with obj.]
1 involve (something) as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence:
a situation which entails considerable risks.
▪ Logic have as a logically necessary consequence.
2 Law limit the inheritance of (property) over a number of generations so that ownership remains within a particular family or group:
her father’s estate was entailed on a cousin.
▪ archaic cause to experience or possess (something) permanently or inescapably:
I cannot get rid of the disgrace which you have entailed upon us.
▸ noun Law a limitation of the inheritance of property to certain heirs over a number of generations:
the damage being done in England by entails.
[mass noun] landed property was governed by primogeniture and entail.
▪ a property bequeathed under an entail:
the spinning mills were not part of the entail.
–DERIVATIVES entailment noun
–ORIGIN late Middle English (referring to settlement of property; formerly also as intail): from en-1, in-2 ‘into’ + Old French taille ‘notch, tax’ (see tail2).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Defiance

A

defiance
/dɪˈfʌɪəns /
▸ noun [mass noun] open resistance; bold disobedience:
an act of defiance
the demonstration was held in defiance of official warnings.
–ORIGIN Middle English (denoting the renunciation of an allegiance or friendship): from Old French, from defier ‘defy’.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Loom

A

loom(2)
/luːm /
▸ verb [no obj., with adverbial] appear as a vague form, especially one that is large or threatening:
vehicles loomed out of the darkness.
▪ [no obj.] (of an event regarded as threatening) seem about to happen:
there is a crisis looming
dearer mortgages loomed large last night.
▸ noun [in sing.] a vague and often exaggerated first appearance of an object seen in darkness or fog, especially at sea:
the loom of the land.
▪ the dim reflection by cloud or haze of a light which is not directly visible, e.g. from a lighthouse over the horizon.
–ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: probably from Low German or Dutch; compare with East Frisian lōmen ‘move slowly’, Middle High German lüemen ‘be weary’.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Stigma

A

stigma
/ˈstɪgmə /
▸ noun
(pl. stigmas or especially in sense 2 stigmata /-mətə, -ˈmɑːtə/)
1 a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person:
the stigma of mental disorder
to be a non-reader carries a social stigma.
2 (stigmata) (in Christian tradition) marks corresponding to those left on Christ’s body by the Crucifixion, said to have been impressed by divine favour on the bodies of St Francis of Assisi and others.
3 Medicine a visible sign or characteristic of a disease:
knee deformities or other stigmata of childhood rickets.
▪ a mark or spot on the skin.
4 Botany (in a flower) the part of a pistil that receives the pollen during pollination.
–ORIGIN late 16th cent. (denoting a mark made by pricking or branding): via Latin from Greek stigma ‘a mark made by a pointed instrument, a dot’; related to stick1.

17
Q

Liberalize

A

liberalize
/ˈlɪb(ə)r(ə)lʌɪz / (also liberalise)
▸ verb [with obj.] remove or loosen restrictions on (something, typically an economic or political system):
several agreements to liberalize trade were signed.
–DERIVATIVES liberalization noun
liberalizer noun

18
Q

Abundant

A

abundant
/əˈbʌnd(ə)nt /
▸ adjective existing or available in large quantities; plentiful:
there was abundant evidence to support the theory.
▪ (abundant in) having plenty of:
the riverbanks were abundant in beautiful wild plants.
–ORIGIN late Middle English: from Latin abundant- ‘abounding’, from the verb abundare (see abound).

19
Q

Terrestrial

A

terrestrial
/təˈrɛstrɪəl /
▸ adjective
1 on or relating to the earth:
increased ultraviolet radiation may disrupt terrestrial ecosystems.
▪ denoting television broadcast using equipment situated on the ground rather than by satellite:
a fifth terrestrial channel.
▪ Astronomy (of a planet) similar in size or composition to the earth, especially being one of the four inner planets.
▪ archaic relating to the earth as opposed to heaven.
2 of or on dry land:
a submarine eruption will be much more explosive than its terrestrial counterpart.
▪ (of an animal) living on or in the ground; not aquatic, arboreal, or aerial.
▪ (of a plant) growing on land or in the soil; not aquatic or epiphytic.
▸ noun an inhabitant of the earth.
–DERIVATIVES terrestrially adverb
–ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘temporal, worldly, mundane’): from Latin terrestris (from terra ‘earth’) + -al.

20
Q

Polity

A

polity
/ˈpɒlɪti /
▸ noun
(pl. polities)
a form or process of civil government or constitution:
the civic humanist’s polity.
a vision of a plural Arab polity.
▪ an organized society; a state as a political entity:
the period in which West Germany was a distinct polity.
–ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from obsolete French politie, via Latin from Greek politeia ‘citizenship, government’, from politēs ‘citizen’, from polis ‘city’.

21
Q

Monsoon

A

monsoon
/mɒnˈsuːn /
▸ noun a seasonal prevailing wind in the region of South and South East Asia, blowing from the south-west between May and September and bringing rain (the wet monsoon), or from the north-east between October and April (the dry monsoon).
▪ the rainy season accompanying the wet monsoon.
–DERIVATIVES monsoonal adjective
–ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from Portuguese monção, from Arabic mawsim ‘season’, from wasama ‘to mark, brand’.

22
Q

Reverberate

A

reverberate
/rɪˈvəːbəreɪt /
▸ verb [no obj., usu. with adverbial]
1 (of a loud noise) be repeated several times as an echo:
her deep booming laugh reverberated around the room.
▪ (of a place) appear to vibrate because of a loud noise:
the hall reverberated with laughter.
▪ [with obj.] archaic return or re-echo (a sound):
oft did the cliffs reverberate the sound.
2 have continuing and serious effects:
the statements by the professor reverberated through the Capitol.
–DERIVATIVES reverberant adjective
reverberantly adverb
reverberative /-rətɪv/ adjective
reverberator noun
reverberatory /-rət(ə)ri/ adjective
–ORIGIN late 15th cent. (in the sense ‘drive or beat back’): from Latin reverberat- ‘struck again’, from the verb reverberare, from re- ‘back’ + verberare ‘to lash’ (from verbera (plural) ‘scourge’).

23
Q

anti-Semitism

A
anti-Semitism
 /antiˈsɛmətɪzəm  /
▸ noun [mass noun] hostility to or prejudice against Jews.
–DERIVATIVES anti-Semite noun
anti-Semitic adjective
24
Q

Semitic

A

Semitic
/sɪˈmɪtɪk /
▸ adjective
1 relating to or denoting a family of languages that includes Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic and certain ancient languages such as Phoenician and Akkadian, constituting the main subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic family.
2 relating to the peoples who speak Semitic languages, especially Hebrew and Arabic.
–ORIGIN from modern Latin Semiticus (see Semite).

25
Q

Locust

A

locust
/ˈləʊkəst /
▸ noun
1 a large, mainly tropical grasshopper with strong powers of flight. It is usually solitary, but from time to time there is a population explosion and it migrates in vast swarms which cause extensive damage to vegetation.
●Several species in the family Acrididae, including the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria).
▪ (also seventeen-year locust) US the periodical cicada.
2 (also locust bean) the large edible pod of some plants of the pea family, in particular the carob bean, which is said to resemble a locust.
3 (also locust tree) a carob tree, false acacia, or similar pod-bearing tree of the pea family.
–ORIGIN Middle English: via Old French locuste from Latin locusta ‘locust, crustacean’.

26
Q

Trajectory

A

trajectory
/trəˈdʒɛkt(ə)ri , ˈtradʒɪkt(ə)ri /
▸ noun
(pl. trajectories)
1 the path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces:
the missile’s trajectory was preset
figurative the rapid upward trajectory of Rich’s career.
2 Geometry a curve or surface cutting a family of curves or surfaces at a constant angle.
–ORIGIN late 17th cent.: from modern Latin trajectoria (feminine), from Latin traject- ‘thrown across’, from the verb traicere, from trans- ‘across’ + jacere ‘to throw’.

27
Q

Hydrology

A

hydrology
/hʌɪˈdrɒlədʒi /
▸ noun [mass noun] the branch of science concerned with the properties of the earth’s water, and especially its movement in relation to land.
–DERIVATIVES hydrologic /hʌɪdrəˈlɒdʒɪk/ adjective
hydrological /hʌɪdrəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/ adjective
hydrologically /hʌɪdrəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)li/ adverb
hydrologist noun

28
Q

Biodiversity

A

biodiversity
/ˌbʌɪə(ʊ)dʌɪˈvəːsɪti /
▸ noun [mass noun] the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable.

29
Q

Phenomena

A

phenomena
/fəˈnɒmɪnə /
plural form of phenomenon.

30
Q

Socioecology

A

socioecology
/ˌsəʊʃɪəʊɪˈkɒlədʒi /
▸ noun [mass noun] the branch of science that deals with the interactions among the members of a species, and between them and the environment.
–DERIVATIVES socioecological /-ˌiːkəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/ adjective
socioecologist noun

31
Q

Evident

A

evident
/ˈɛvɪd(ə)nt /
▸ adjective clearly seen or understood; obvious:
she ate the biscuits with evident enjoyment.
–ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin evidens, evident- ‘obvious to the eye or mind’, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘out’ + videre ‘to see’.

32
Q

Millennium

A

millennium
/mɪˈlɛnɪəm /
▸ noun
(pl. millennia /-nɪə/ or millenniums)
1 a period of a thousand years, especially when calculated from the traditional date of the birth of Christ:
silver first came into use on a substantial scale during the 3rd millennium bc.
▪ (the millennium) Christian Theology the prophesied thousand-year reign of Christ at the end of the age (Rev. 20:1–5):
Archer’s treatise predicted that the millennium was close at hand.
▪ (the millennium) a utopian period of justice, peace, and prosperity:
the people must seize power—the millennium cannot be imposed on them from above.
2 an anniversary of a thousand years:
the millennium of the Russian Orthodox Church.
▪ (the millennium) the point at which one period of a thousand years ends and another begins:
as we approach the millennium the only certainty is change.
–ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: modern Latin, from Latin mille ‘thousand’, on the pattern of biennium.
USAGE:
The correct spelling is millennium not millenium. The latter is a common error, formed by analogy with other similar words correctly spelled with only one n, such as millenarian and millenary. The differences in spelling are explained by different origins. Millennium was formed by analogy with words like biennium, while millenary and millenarian were formed from the Latin milleni.