Common Second Meanings Flashcards
Discriminate
Usual Meaning: V. to unfairly treat a person or group of people differently from other people or groups
Second Meaning: V. to notice and understand that one thing is different from another thing : to recognize a difference between things
Sample: the human eye can discriminate between very slight gradations of color
Afford
Usual Meaning: V. have enough money to pay for
Second Meaning: V. grant
Sample: All of the rooms afford views of the lake
Appreciate
Usual Meaning: V. recognize the full worth of
Second Meaning: V. to take in account, recognize the merits of, OR increase in value
Sample: Given that scarcity and the anticipated growth of high-end wine consumption in the United States, they believe the value of quality vineyards will appreciate significantly
Arrest
Usual Meaning: V. seize (someone) by legal authority and take in authority
Second Meaning: To stop (not just put handcuffs on a criminal)
Sample: She went into cardiac arrest (her heart stopped)
Austerity
Usual Meaning: N. sternness or severity of manner or attitude
Second Meaning: N. financial policy to reduce excess spending on luxury of non-essential items
Sample: They lived through years of austerity after the war.
Badger
Usual Meaning: N. an animal
Second Meaning: V. to pester or annoy
Sample: journalists badgered him about the deals
Bent
Usual Meaning:ADJ. sharply curved or having an angle
Second Meaning: ADJ. Liking for
Sample: a man of religious bent
Capacity
Usual Meaning: N. the maximum amount that something can contain
Second Meaning: N. ability
Sample: I was impressed by her capacity for hard work
Chance
Usual Meaning: N. a possibility of something happening
Second Meaning: V .to attempt
Sample: if they chanced to meet
Check
Usual Meaning: V. to examine something in order to determine its accuracy, quality, or condition, or to detect the presence of something
Second Meaning: V. to restrain, control, or reduce
Sample: the vaccine checked the spread of the disease
Coin
Usual Meaning: N. a flat, typically round piece of metal with an official stamp, used as money
Second Meaning: V. invent
Sample: he coined the term “desktop publishing”
Compromise
Usual Meaning: N. an agreement or settlement of dispute that is reached by each side making concessions
Second Meaning: V. to endanger or make vulnerable
Sample: commercial pressures could compromise safety
Constitution
Usual Meaning: N. a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed
Second Meaning: N. the physical health and condition of a person or animal
Sample: a football player must have a solid constituion
Consummate
Usual Meaning: V. to make (something) perfect or complete (to consummate a marriage by having sex)
Second Meaning: ADJ. total, absolute
Sample: a consummate professional
Conviction
Usual Meaning: N. a formal declaration that someone is guilty of a criminal offense, made by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law
Second Meaning: N. Certainty, Determination, Strong belief or opinion (N. form of convince)
Sample: They share my strong conviction that the policy is misguided.
Assume
Usual Meaning: V. to think that something is true or probably true without knowing that it is true
Second Meaning: V. to take on responsibility for, acquire
Sample: She assumed the duties of her new position.
Romanticize
Usual Meaning: V. to show, describe, or think about something in a romantic way
Second Meaning: V. to think about or describe something as being better or more attractive or interesting than it really is
Sample: Many people romanticize rural life without considering the smell of cow manure or the lack of access to modern commodities.
Couch
Usual Meaning: N. a long upholstered piece of furniture for several people to sit on.
Second Meaning: V. to hide
Third Meaning: V. to phrase or express in a specified manner
Sample: Due to the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis, Anne Frank was forced to couch with her family in the upstairs area of a small building.
Third Meaning: I’m trying to couch this delicately: I don’t think we should date anymore.
Dispatch
Usual Meaning: V. send off to a destination or for a purpose
Second Meaning: V. speed, efficiency
Sample: She completed the project promptly and with great dispatch.
Doctor
Usual Meaning: N. a qualified practitioner of medicine
Second Meaning: V. to tamper with
Sample: The student, who did not study for the test managed to find a way to doctor the results and allow for a curve to appear.