D_12/07/20(RC:1-37, 5lb) Flashcards
VIRULENCE
THE DANGER AND SPEED OF SPREADING A DISEASES
DIRE(adj)
very serious or extreme:
These people are in dire need of help.
He gave a dire warning that an earthquake was imminent.
This decision will have dire consequences for local people
entrepreneurship
noun [ U ]
skill in starting new businesses, especially when this involves seeing new opportunities
contraction
noun [ U ]
the fact of something becoming smaller or shorter:
Cold causes contraction of the metal.
The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.
opt
verb [ I ]
to make a choice, especially of one thing or possibility instead of others:
Mike opted for early retirement.
[ + to infinitive ] Most people opt to have the operation.
recession
noun [ C or U ]
recede
a period when the economy of a country is not successful and conditions for business are bad:
The country is sliding into the depths of (a) recession.
- VERB
If something recedes from you, it moves away.
Luke’s footsteps receded into the night. [VERB preposition]
As she receded he waved goodbye. [VERB]
…the receding lights of the car. [VERB-ing]
Synonyms: fall back, withdraw, retreat, draw back More Synonyms of recede - VERB
When something such as a quality, problem, or illness recedes, it becomes weaker, smaller, or less intense.
Just as I started to think that I was never going to get well, the illness began to recede. [VERB]
Dealers grew concerned over the sliding dollar and receding prospects for economic recovery. [VERB-ing]
[Also VERB preposition] - VERB
If someone’s hair starts to recede, it no longer grows on the front of their head.
…a youngish man with dark hair just beginning to recede. [VERB]
[Also V at/from n]
Synonyms: thin More Synonyms of recede - VERB
If someone’s gums start to recede, they begin to cover less of their teeth, usually as the result of an infection.
If untreated, the gums recede, become swollen and bleed. [VERB]
Receding gums can be the result of disease or simply incorrect brushing. [VERB-ing]
endeavor
verb [ I + to infinitive ] US (UK endeavour)
an attempt to do something:
In spite of our best endeavors, it has proven impossible to contact her.
Crossing the North Pole on foot was an amazing feat of human endeavor.
artistic endeavor
venture
noun [ C ]
a new activity, usually in business, that involves risk or uncertainty:
She advised us to look abroad for more lucrative business ventures.
There are many joint ventures between American and Japanese companies.
outlay
noun [ C ]
an amount of money spent for a particular purpose, especially as a first investment in something:
For an initial outlay of $2,000 to buy the equipment, you can earn up to $500 a month if the product sells well.
Few are able to afford the cash outlay
prevalence
noun [ U ]
the fact that something is very common or happens often: outbreak, wideness
the prevalence of smoking among teenagers
The prevalence of the disease is higher in some families.
valiant
adjective
very brave or bravely determined, especially when things are difficult or the situation gives no cause for hope:
The company has made a valiant effort/attempt in the last two years to make itself more efficient.
lament
verb [ I or T ]
to express sadness and feeling sorry about something:
The poem opens by lamenting (over) the death of a young man.
My grandmother, as usual, lamented the decline in moral standards in today’s society.
The late lamented (= dead and remembered with love) Frank Giotto used to live here.
uptick
noun
an increase in something:
We can see some uptick in activity in the marketplace.
bestow
verb [ T often passive ] formal
to give something as an honour or present:
The George Cross is a decoration that is bestowed upon/on British civilians for acts of great bravery.
bevy
noun [ C ]
levy
savvy
a large group of people, especially women or girls, or a large group of similar things:
Victorian postcards often featured bevies of bathing beauties
tax
good knowledge and practical understanding
pose
verb
to cause something, especially a problem or difficulty:
Nuclear weapons pose a threat to everyone.
The mountain terrain poses particular problems for civil engineers.
obligate
verb [ T ] US formal
to make someone feel morally or legally forced to do something:
I’m in favor of obligating welfare recipients to do more.
Meaning of parasite in English
parasite
noun [ C ]
an animal or plant that lives on or in another animal or plant of a different type and feeds from it:
The older drugs didn’t deal effectively with the malaria parasite
marshal
verb [ T ]
marshal
noun [ C ]
to bring together or organize people or things in order to achieve a particular aim:
The fighting in the city followed reports of the rebels marshalling their forces in the countryside.
The company is marshalling its forces/resources for a long court case.
They had marshalled an armada of 1,000 boats to help clear up the oil.
It is unlikely that the rebels will be able to marshal as much firepower as the government troops.
an official who is involved in the running of a public event:
Marshals struggled in vain to prevent spectators rushing onto the racetrack.
remission
noun
a period of time when an illness is less severe or is not affecting someone:
Her cancer has been in remission for several years
He was given three months’ remission for good behaviour.
- VARIABLE NOUN
If someone who has had a serious disease such as cancer is in remission or if the disease is in remission, the disease has been controlled so that they are not as ill as they were.
Brain scans have confirmed that the disease is in remission.
After six years of remission, cancer reappeared. - UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
If someone in prison gets remission, their prison sentence is reduced, usually because they have behaved well.
[British]
With remission for good behaviour, she could be freed in a year.
nothing to sneeze at
something that deserves serious attention, esp. an amount of money:
An extra two thousand bucks a year is nothing to sneeze at.
virology
in British English
NOUN
the branch of medicine concerned with the study of viruses and the diseases they cause
pandemic
adjective MEDICAL specialized
(of a disease) existing in almost all of an area or in almost all of a group of people, animals, or plants:
In some parts of the world malaria is still pandemic
happenstance
noun [ C or U ] mainly US
chance or a chance situation, especially one producing a good result:, coincidence
By (a strange) happenstance they were both in Paris at the same time.
respiratory
adjective [ before noun ] MEDICAL formal or specialized
relating to breathing:
Smoking can cause respiratory diseases.
droplet
noun [ C ]
A droplet is a very small drop of liquid:
Droplets of sweat were welling up on his forehead. [+ of]
…water droplets
pathogen
noun [ C ]
any small organism, such as a virus or a bacterium that can cause disease:
a dangerous pathogen
stellar
adjective
of a star or stars:
a stellar explosion
stellar light
celestial
adjective formal
of or from the sky or outside this world:
The moon is a celestial body.
underpin
verb [ T ]
to give support, strength, or a basic structure to something:
He presented data to underpin his argument.
Gradually the laws that underpinned (= formed part of the basic structure of) apartheid were abolished.
When restoring the building, the first priority was to underpin the exterior walls by adding wooden supports along the foundations.
legacy
noun [ C ]
1.money or property that you receive from someone after they die:
An elderly cousin had left her a small legacy.
2.something that is a part of your history or that remains from an earlier time:
The Greeks have a rich legacy of literature.
The war has left a legacy of hatred.
3.something that is a result of events in the past:
the bitter legacy of a civil war
escapade
noun [ C ]
an act involving some danger, risk, or excitement, because it is different from usual or expected behaviour:
Her latest escapade was to camp outside a department store on the night before the sale.
heretofore
adverb LAW formal or specialized
Heretofore means ‘before this time’ or ‘up to now’.
[mainly US, formal]
He had honorably fulfilled every promise he had heretofore made
lackluster adjective US (UK lacklustre)
without energy and effort:
The U.S. number-one tennis player gave a disappointingly lackluster performance.
legislation
noun [ U ]
a law or set of laws suggested by a government and made official by a parliament:
[ + to infinitive ] The government has promised to introduce legislation to limit fuel emissions from cars.
predator
noun [ C ]
an animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals:
lions, wolves, and other predators
cease
verb [ I or T ] formal
to stop something:
Whether the protests will cease remains to be seen.
The company has decided to cease all UK operations after this year.
[ + to infinitive ] Workplace nurseries will cease to be liable for tax.
subprime
adjective (also sub-prime)
used to describe the practice of lending money, especially to buy a house, to people who may not be able to pay it back:
subprime mortgages/loans/lending
germophobe
noun [ C ] (also germaphobe)
someone who has a fear of germs (= small organisms that cause disease) that is so strong that it is not normal or reasonable:
He is a germophobe who must be handed a perfumed wipe after every handshake
toddler
noun [ C ]
a young child, especially one who is learning or has recently learned to walk
quintessential
adjective formal
being the most typical example or most important part of something:
Sheep’s milk cheese is the quintessential Corsican cheese.
metaphor
noun [ C or U ]
an expression, often found in literature, that describes a person or object by referring to something that is considered to have similar characteristics to that person or object:
“The mind is an ocean” and “the city is a jungle” are both metaphors.
Metaphor and simile are the most commonly used figures of speech in everyday language.
flash
verb
- If someone’s eyes flash, they look bright because of the anger or excitement the person is feeling.
- to shine brightly and suddenly, or to make something shine in this way:
- to move very fast:
- to show something for a short time:
5.[ I or T ] informal
If a man flashes, he shows his sexual organs in public:
- ADJECTIVE
If you describe something as flash, you mean that it looks expensive, fashionable, and new.
[informal]
…a flash uptown restaurant.
You can go for a ‘rostrum’ system, which sounds flash, but can be assembled quite cheaply.
Synonyms: ostentatious, smart, glamorous, trendy
lounge
verb [ I ]
to stand or sit in a relaxed way:
She was lounging on the beach.
sensuous
adjective
giving or expressing pleasure through the physical senses, rather than pleasing the mind or the intelligence:
She luxuriated in the sensuous feel of the silk sheets.
grotesque
adjective
strange and unpleasant, especially in a silly or slightly frightening way:
By now she’d had so much cosmetic surgery that she looked quite grotesque.
Gothic churches are full of devils and grotesque figures.
arabesque
noun
a position in ballet in which the dancer stands on one leg with the other leg held out straight behind
fuchsia
noun
a small plant, often grown in gardens, that has red, purple, or white flowers that hang down
seep
verb [ I + adv/prep ]
to move or spread slowly out of a hole or through something:
Pesticides are seeping out of farmland and into the water supply.
figurative Given the intense secrecy of the arms business, information only seeps out in company literature.
- VERB
If something such as liquid or gas seeps somewhere, it flows slowly and in small amounts into a place where it should not go.
Radioactive water had seeped into underground reservoirs. [VERB preposition/adverb]
The gas is seeping out of the rocks. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Engineers said that plutonium could begin seeping from the corroded sub. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: ooze, well, leak, soak More Synonyms of seep
Seep is also a noun.
…an oil seep. - VERB
If something such as secret information or an unpleasant emotion seeps somewhere, it comes out gradually.
…the tide of political change which is sweeping Europe seeps into Britain. [VERB preposition/adverb]
…letting information seep out of the Treasury. [VERB preposition/adverb]
palette
noun
a thin board with curved edges and a hole for your thumb, used by artists to mix their paints on while they are painting
garish
adjective disapproving
unpleasantly bright:
a pair of garish Bermuda shorts
chide
verb [ T ] formal
to speak to someone severely because they have behaved badly:
She chided him for his bad manners.
interplay
noun [ U ]
the effect that two or more things have on each other:
Our personalities result from the complex interplay between our genes and our environment.
epoch
noun [ C ]
a long period of time, especially one in which there are new developments and great change:
The president said that his country was moving into a new epoch, which would be one of lasting peace.
endorse
verb [ T ]
to make a public statement of your approval or support for something or someone:
The Council is expected to endorse the committee’s recommendations.
formal I fully endorse (= agree with) everything the Chairperson has said.
reciprocal
adjective formal
A reciprocal action or arrangement involves two people or groups of people who behave in the same way or agree to help each other and give each other advantages.
nourish
verb [ T ]
1.to provide people or living things with food in order to make them grow and keep them healthy:
Children need plenty of good fresh food to nourish them.
She looks happy and well nourished.
This cream is supposed to help nourish your skin.
2.formal
If you nourish a feeling, belief, or plan, you think about it a lot and encourage it:
Lisa has long nourished the hope of becoming a famous writer.
tuck
verb [ T usually + adv/prep ]
1.to push a loose end of a piece of clothing or material into a particular place or position, especially to make it tidy or comfortable:
Should I tuck my shirt into my trousers?
He tucked the bottom of the sheet under the mattress
2.to hold part of your body in a particular position:
Stand up straight, tuck your tummy in and tuck your bottom under.
She sat with her legs tucked under her.
eclipse
noun
an occasion when the sun disappears from view, either completely or partly, while the moon is moving between it and the earth, or when the moon becomes darker while the shadow of the earth moves over it:
a solar/lunar eclipse
On Wednesday there will be a total/partial eclipse of the sun.
prominent
adjective
very well known and important:
a prominent Democrat
a prominent member of the Saudi royal family
The government should be playing a more prominent role in promoting human rights.
convey
verb [ T ] formal
to express a thought, feeling, or idea so that it is understood by other people:
His poetry conveys a great sense of religious devotion.
Please convey our condolences to the family.
[ + question word ] I tried to convey in my speech how grateful we all were for his help.
You don’t want to convey the impression that we’re not interested.
surmise
verb [ T ] formal
to guess something, without having much or any proof:
[ + (that) ] The police surmise (that) the robbers have fled the country.
continuum
noun [ C ] SOCIAL SCIENCE specialized
1.something that changes in character gradually or in very slight stages without any clear dividing points:
It’s not “left-wing or right-wing” - political opinion is a long continuum.
- continuum is a continuous series of closely connected events.
[formal]
…responses to stress on a continuum from mild to extreme
a continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, but the extremes are quite distinct.
“a continuum of special educational needs”
bemused
adjective
slightly confused:
I was bemused at his sudden anger.
resigned
adjective
accepting that something you do not like will happen because you cannot change it:
a resigned look/expression/tone
wary
adjective
not completely trusting or certain about something or someone:
I’m a little wary of/about giving people my address when I don’t know them very well.
subliminal
adjective
- not recognized or understood by the conscious mind, but still having an influence on it:
- Subliminal advertising tries to influence people without them being aware of it, for example by showing messages for such a short time that people read them without realizing that they have done so.
The leader was interviewed in front of a factory to give the subliminal message that he was a man of the people.
bigoted
adjective disapproving
having strong, unreasonable beliefs and disliking other people who have different beliefs or a different way of life:
She’s so bigoted that she refuses to accept anyone who doesn’t think like her.
purblind
ADJECTIVE
- partly or nearly blind
2. lacking in insight or understanding; obtuse
astigmatic
adjective specialized
having a fault in the lens of the eye that reduces the quality of sight, especially one that stops the eye from focusing (= being able to see a particular object clearly):
Nearly all eyes are slightly astigmatic.
I’m severely myopic and have an astigmatic defect in my right eye.
propagate
verb
to produce a new plant using a parent plant:
Most house plants can be propagated from stem cuttings.
blooming
adjective
looming
A person who is blooming has a healthy, energetic, and attractive appearance:
Jo looked really well, positively blooming.
(of something unwanted or unpleasant) about to happen soon and causing worry:
the looming crisis
boom
noun
a deep and loud hollow sound
pamphlet
noun [ C ]
a thin book with only a few pages that gives information or an opinion about something
procure
verb formal
to get something, especially after an effort:
She’s managed somehow to procure his phone number.
[ + two objects ] He’d procured us seats in the front row.
grandiose
adjective disapproving
larger and containing more detail than necessary, or intended to seem important or great:
grandiose schemes/designs/ideas for making money
forgery
noun [ C or U ]
an illegal copy of a document, painting, etc. or the crime of making such illegal copies:
These banknotes are forgeries.
He increased his income by forgery.
sue
verb [ I or T ]
cue
to take legal action against a person or organization, especially by making a legal claim for money because of some harm that they have caused you:
He was so furious about the accusations in the letter that he threatened to sue.
She sued the paper for (= in order to get) damages after they wrongly described her as a prostitute.
She is suing her husband for (= in order to get a) divorce.
- COUNTABLE NOUN [oft with poss]
In the theatre or in a musical performance, a performer’s cue is something another performer says or does that is a signal for them to begin speaking, playing, or doing something.
The actors not performing sit at the side of the stage in full view, waiting for their cues.
I had never known him miss a cue. - VERB
If one performer cues another, they say or do something which is a signal for the second performer to begin speaking, playing, or doing something.
He read the scene, with Seaton cueing him. [VERB noun] - COUNTABLE NOUN [NOUN to-infinitive]
If you say that something that happens is a cue for an action, you mean that people start doing that action when it happens.
That was the cue for several months of intense bargaining. [+ for]
That was Nicholas’s cue to ask for another chocolate chip cookie. - COUNTABLE NOUN
A cue is a long, thin wooden stick that is used to hit the ball in games such as snooker, billiards, and pool.
Their youngest brother was nine when he picked up a cue for the first time.
acquittal
noun [ C or U ]
the decision of a court that someone is not guilty:
The first trial ended in a hung jury, the second in acquittal.
Of the three cases that went to trial, two ended in acquittals.
underhanded
adjective
done secretly, and sometimes dishonestly, in order to achieve an advantage:
What really angered her was the dirty, underhand way they had tricked her.
spill
verb [ I or T, usually + adv/prep ]
to (cause to) flow, move, fall, or spread over the edge or outside the limits of something:
I spilled coffee on my silk shirt.
You’ve spilled something down your tie.
Let’s see if I can pour the juice into the glass without spilling it.
He dropped a bag of sugar and it spilled all over the floor.
Crowds of fans spilled onto the field at the end of the game.
- VERB
If a liquid spills or if you spill it, it accidentally flows over the edge of a container.
70,000 tonnes of oil spilled from the tanker. [VERB adverb/preposition]
…water behind a dam, getting ready to spill over. [VERB adverb/preposition]
He always spilled the drinks. [VERB noun]
Don’t spill water on your suit. [VERB noun adverb/preposition]
[Also VERB]
Synonyms: tip over, upset, overturn, capsize More Synonyms of spill - COUNTABLE NOUN
A spill is an amount of liquid that has spilled from a container.
She wiped a spill of milkshake off the counter.
An oil spill could be devastating for wildlife.
Synonyms: spillage, flood, leak, leakage More Synonyms of spill - VERB
If the contents of a bag, box, or other container spill or are spilled, they come out of the container onto a surface.
A number of bags had split and were spilling their contents. [VERB noun]
He carefully balanced the satchel so that its contents would not spill out onto the floor. [VERB adverb/preposition]
Synonyms: shed, scatter, discharge, throw off More Synonyms of spill - VERB
If people or things spill out of a place, they come out of it in large numbers.
Tears began to spill out of the boy’s eyes. [VERB adverb/preposition]
When the bell rings, more than 1,000 children spill from classrooms. [VERB adverb/preposition]
Synonyms: emerge, flood, pour, mill More Synonyms of spill - ERGATIVE VERB
If light spills or is spilled into a place, it shines brightly into it, usually through a gap.
She noticed the light spilling under Brian’s door. [VERB adverb/preposition]
The door swung open again, spilling light into the cell. [VERB noun adverb/preposition]
monarchy
noun
the system of having a king or queen:
Is monarchy relevant in the modern world or should it be abolished?
untangle
verb [ T ]
Tangle
to remove the knots from an untidy mass of string, wire, etc. and separate the different threads
- COUNTABLE NOUN
A tangle of something is a mass of it twisted together in an untidy way.
A tangle of wires is all that remains of the computer and phone systems. [+ of]
There he stood: hair in wild tangles, dark stubble shadowing his chin. - VERB
If something is tangled or tangles, it becomes twisted together in an untidy way.
Animals get tangled in fishing nets and drown. [get/be V-ed + in]
She tried to kick the pajamas loose, but they were tangled in the satin sheet. [VERB-ed]
Lee and I fell in a tangled heap. [VERB-ed]
Her hair tends to tangle. [VERB]
He suggested that tangling fishing gear should be made a criminal offence. [VERB noun]
[Also get/be V-ed]
Synonyms: entangle, catch, ensnare, entrap More Synonyms of tangle - SINGULAR NOUN
You can refer to a confusing or complicated situation as a tangle.
I was thinking what a tangle we had got ourselves into.
…the tangle of domestic politics.
[Also + of]
Synonyms: mess, jam [informal], fix [informal], confusion More Synonyms of tangle - VERB [usually passive]
If ideas or situations are tangled, they become confused and complicated.
The themes get tangled in Mr Mahfouz’s epic storytelling. [get/be V-ed]
You are currently in a muddle where financial and emotional concerns are tangled together. [VERB-ed]
tangled ADJECTIVE
His personal life has become more tangled than ever.
Synonyms: knotted, twisted, matted, messy More Synonyms of tangle
Synonyms: complicated, involved, complex, confused
scam
noun [ C ] informal
an illegal plan for making money, especially one that involves tricking people:
an insurance scam
nocturnal
adjective
being active or happening at night rather than during the day:
Most bats are nocturnal.
nocturnal wanderings
prim
adjective disapproving
very formal and correct in behaviour and easily shocked by anything rude:
She’s much too prim and proper to drink pints of beer.
meretricious
adjective formal
seeming attractive but really false or of little value:
He claims that a lot of journalism is meretricious and superficial.
sober
adjective
- not drunk or affected by alcohol:
- serious and calm:
Are you sober enough to drive, Jim?
I’d had no wine all evening so I was stone cold (= completely) sober.
overreach
verb
to do more than your authority allows:
Some U. N. officials charged that the investigators had overreached their authority.
It was a warning to the Florida court not to overreach its powers.
sidestep
verb [ I or T ]
to step to the side in order to avoid something, especially being hit:
He sidestepped the blow/the tackle.
nanny
noun [ C ]
a person whose job is to take care of a particular family’s children
usurp
verb [ T ] formal
to take control of a position of power, especially without having the right to:
Local control is being usurped by central government.
rebut
verb [ T ] formal
to argue that a statement or claim is not true:
She has rebutted charges that she has been involved in any financial malpractice.
reconciliation/reconcile
- VARIABLE NOUN
Reconciliation between two people or countries who have quarrelled is the process of their becoming friends again. A reconciliation is an instance of this. - SINGULAR NOUN
The reconciliation of two beliefs, facts, or demands that seem to be opposed is the process of finding a way in which they can both be true or both be successful.
viable
- ADJECTIVE
Something that is viable is capable of doing what it is intended to do.
They struggled initially to make the business viable.
The goal has been to establish and sustain a nation of viable family farms.
…commercially viable products.
Synonyms: workable, practical, feasible, suitable More Synonyms of viable
viability (vaɪəbɪlɪti ) UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
…the shaky financial viability of the nuclear industry. [+ of] - ADJECTIVE
Foetuses, seeds, or eggs are described as viable if they are capable of developing into living beings without outside help.
[technical]
Five viable pregnancies were established.
surreptitious
ADJECTIVE
A surreptitious action is done secretly.
He made a surreptitious entrance to the club through the little door in the brick wall.
They had several surreptitious conversations.
Synonyms: secret, clandestine, furtive, sneaking More Synonyms of surreptitious
surreptitiously ADVERB [ADVERB with verb]
Surreptitiously Mark looked at his watch
mordant
ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Mordant humour is very critical and often mocks someone or something.
[formal]
A wicked, mordant sense of humour has come to the fore in Blur’s world.
More Synonyms of mordant
supercilious
ADJECTIVE
If you say that someone is supercilious, you disapprove of them because they behave in a way that shows they think they are better than other people.
[disapproval]
His manner is supercilious and arrogant.
Her eyebrows were arched in supercilious surprise.
Synonyms: scornful, arrogant, contemptuous, disdainful
Tangible
ADJECTIVE
If something is tangible, it is clear enough or definite enough to be easily seen, felt, or noticed.
There should be some tangible evidence that the economy is starting to recover.
The relief was almost tangible.
Synonyms: definite, real, positive, solid
Intangible
ADJECTIVE
Something that is intangible is abstract or is hard to define or measure.
There are intangible benefits beyond a rise in the share price.
You can refer to intangible things as intangibles.
Women workers place more importance on intangibles such as a sense of achievement.
