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AA Memrise ACT Vocabularies > Deck018 > Flashcards

Deck018 Flashcards

1
Q

atone ​

verb
BrE /əˈtəʊn/
NAmE /əˈtoʊn/

A

[intransitive] atone (for something) (formal) to act in a way that shows you are sorry for doing something wrong in the past
➔ SYNONYM ​make amends
 to atone for a crime
 a desire to atone
▼︎ Word Origin
Middle English (originally in the sense ‘make or become united or reconciledʼ, rare before the 16th cent.): from at one in early use; later by back-formation from atonement.

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2
Q

con·tigu·ous ​

adjective
BrE /kənˈtɪɡjuəs/
NAmE /kənˈtɪɡjuəs/
formal or specialist

A

touching or next to something
 The countries are contiguous.
 contiguous with/​to something The bruising was not contiguous to the wound.
▼︎ Word Origin
early 16th cent.: from Latin contiguus ‘touchingʼ, from the verb contingere ‘be in contact, befallʼ, from con- ‘together withʼ + tangere ‘to touchʼ. + -ous.

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3
Q 
forgo	
(also fore·go)
​verb
BrE /fɔːˈɡəʊ/ 
NAmE /fɔːrˈɡoʊ/
A

forgo something (formal) to decide not to have or do something that you would like to have or do
 No one was prepared to forgo their lunch hour to attend the meeting.
 She would willingly forgo a birthday treat if only her warring parents would declare a truce.
 Time to prepare was a luxury he would have to forgo.
▼︎ Word Origin
Old English forgān (from for- and go).

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4
Q

do·cile ​

adjective
BrE /ˈdəʊsaɪl/
NAmE /ˈdɑːsl/

A

quiet and easy to control
 a docile child/​horse
▼︎ Word Origin
late 15th cent. (in the sense ‘apt or willing to learnʼ): from Latin docilis, from docere ‘teachʼ.

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5
Q

im·bibe ​

verb
BrE /ɪmˈbaɪb/
NAmE /ɪmˈbaɪb/

A

1 [intransitive, transitive] imbibe (something) (formal or humorous) to drink something, especially alcohol
2 [transitive] imbibe something (formal) to absorb something, especially information
 He imbibed elements of oriental mysticism from the years he spent in India.
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English (in the senses ‘absorb or cause to absorb moistureʼ and ‘take into solutionʼ): from Latin imbibere, from in- ‘inʼ + bibere ‘to drinkʼ.

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6
Q

fer·vent ​

adjective
BrE /ˈfɜːvənt/
NAmE /ˈfɜːrvənt/
[usually before noun]

A

having or showing very strong and sincere feelings about something
➔ SYNONYM ​ardent
 a fervent admirer/​believer/​supporter
 a fervent belief/​hope/​desire
▼︎ Word Origin
Middle English: via Old French from Latin fervent- ‘boilingʼ, from the verb fervere. Compare with fervid and fervour.

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7
Q

atro·cious ​

adjective
BrE /əˈtrəʊʃəs/
NAmE /əˈtroʊʃəs/

A 
1 very bad or unpleasant
➔ SYNONYM ​terrible
 She speaks French with an atrocious accent. 
 Isnʼt the weather atrocious? 
2 very cruel and shocking
 atrocious acts of brutality
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 17th cent.: from Latin atrox, atroc- ‘cruelʼ + -ious.
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8
Q

com·pen·sate ​

verb
BrE /ˈkɒmpenseɪt/
NAmE /ˈkɑːmpenseɪt/

A

1 [intransitive] compensate (for something) to provide something good to balance or reduce the bad effects of damage, loss, etc.
➔ SYNONYM ​make up for
 Nothing can compensate for the loss of a loved one.
2 [transitive] compensate somebody (for something) to pay somebody money because they have suffered some damage, loss, injury, etc.
 Her lawyers say she should be compensated for the suffering she had been caused.
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘counterbalanceʼ): from Latin compensat- ‘weighed againstʼ, from the verb compensare, from com- ‘togetherʼ + pensare (frequentative of pendere ‘weighʼ).

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9
Q

cap·tiv·ate ​

verb
BrE /ˈkæptɪveɪt/
NAmE /ˈkæptɪveɪt/

A

[often passive] captivate somebody to keep somebodyʼs attention by being interesting, attractive, etc.
➔ SYNONYM ​enchant
 The children were captivated by her stories.
 Men were captivated by her charm.
▼︎ Word Origin
early 16th cent.: from late Latin captivat- ‘taken captiveʼ, from the verb captivare, from captivus, from capere ‘seize, takeʼ.

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10
Q

con·sign ​

verb
BrE /kənˈsaɪn/
NAmE /kənˈsaɪn/
formal

A

1 consign somebody/​something to something to put somebody/​something somewhere in order to get rid of them/​it
 I consigned her letter to the wastebasket.
 What I didnʼt want was to see my mother consigned to an old peopleʼs home.
2 consign somebody/​something to something to put somebody/​something in an unpleasant situation
 The decision to close the factory has consigned 6 000 people to the scrapheap.
 A car accident consigned him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
3 consign something to somebody to give or send something to somebody
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English (in the sense ‘mark with the sign of the crossʼ, especially at baptism or confirmation, as a sign of dedication to God): from French consigner or Latin consignare ‘mark with a sealʼ.

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11
Q

gam·bol ​

verb
BrE /ˈɡæmbl/
NAmE /ˈɡæmbl/

A

[intransitive] (+ adv./​prep.) to jump or run about in a lively way
 lambs gambolling in the meadow
▼︎ Word Origin
early 16th cent.: alteration of gambade, from Spanish gambada, via French from Italian gambata ‘trip upʼ, from gamba ‘legʼ.

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12
Q

di·ur·nal ​

adjective
BrE /daɪˈɜːnl/
NAmE /daɪˈɜːrnl/

A

1 (biology) (of animals) active during the day
 Unlike most other bats, this species is diurnal.
➔ OPPOSITE ​nocturnal
2 (astronomy) taking one day
 the diurnal rotation of the earth
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English (as a term in astronomy): from late Latin diurnalis, from Latin diurnus ‘dailyʼ, from dies ‘dayʼ.

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13
Q

em·bel·lish ​

verb
BrE /ɪmˈbelɪʃ/
NAmE /ɪmˈbelɪʃ/
formal

A

1 embellish something to make something more beautiful by adding decorations to it
➔ SYNONYM ​decorate
 The huge carved door was embellished with brass door knockers.
 embellished with gold lettering/​golden embroidery/​jewellery/​precious metal/​sweeping chintz curtains
2 embellish something to make a story more interesting by adding details that are not always true
➔ SYNONYM ​embroider
 His account of his travels was embellished with details of famous people he met.
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English: from Old French embelliss-, lengthened stem of embellir, based on bel ‘handsomeʼ, from Latin bellus.

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14
Q

chas·tise ​

verb
BrE /tʃæˈstaɪz/
NAmE /tʃæˈstaɪz/

A

1 chastise somebody (for something/​for doing something) (formal) to criticize somebody for doing something wrong
 He chastised the team for their lack of commitment.
2 chastise somebody (old-fashioned) to punish somebody physically
➔ SYNONYM ​beat
 Parents are no longer allowed to chastise their children as they did in the past.
▼︎ Word Origin
Middle English: apparently formed irregularly from the obsolete verb chaste, from Old French chastier, from Latin castigare ‘castigateʼ, from castus ‘morally pure, chasteʼ.

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15
Q

con·vene ​

verb
BrE /kənˈviːn/
NAmE /kənˈviːn/
formal

A

1 [transitive] convene something to arrange for people to come together for a formal meeting
 to convene a meeting
 A Board of Inquiry was convened immediately after the accident.
 They decided to convene an extraordinary general meeting.
2 [intransitive] to come together for a formal meeting
 The committee will convene at 11.30 next Thursday.
▶︎ Wordfinder
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English: from Latin convenire ‘assemble, agree, fitʼ, from con- ‘togetherʼ + venire ‘comeʼ.

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16
Q

col·lat·eral ​

noun
BrE /kəˈlætərəl/
NAmE /kəˈlætərəl/

A

[uncountable] (finance) property or something valuable that you promise to give to somebody if you cannot pay back money that you borrow
 We had put our house up as collateral for our bank loan.
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English (as an adjective): from medieval Latin collateralis, from col- ‘together withʼ + lateralis (from latus, later- ‘sideʼ). Sense (1) of the noun (originally US) is from the phrase collateral security, denoting something pledged in addition to the main obligation of a contract.

17
Q

broach ​

verb
BrE /brəʊtʃ/
NAmE /broʊtʃ/

A

broach something (to/​with somebody) to begin talking about a subject that is difficult to discuss, especially because it is embarrassing or because people disagree about it
 She was dreading having to broach the subject of money to her father.
 The report fails to broach some important questions.
▼︎ Word Origin
Middle English: from Old French brochier, based on Latin brocchus, broccus ‘projectingʼ. The earliest recorded sense was ‘prick with spursʼ, generally ‘pierceʼ. The current sense is a figurative use of this and dates from the late 16th cent.

18
Q

belie ​verb
BrE /bɪˈlaɪ/
NAmE /bɪˈlaɪ/
(formal)

A

1 belie something to give a false impression of somebody/​something
 Her energy and youthful good looks belie her 65 years.
2 belie something to show that something cannot be true or correct
 Government claims that there is no poverty are belied by the number of homeless people on the streets.
▼︎ Word Origin
Old English belēogan ‘deceive by lyingʼ, from be- ‘aboutʼ + lēogan ‘to lieʼ. Current senses date from the 17th cent.

19
Q

decry ​

verb
BrE /dɪˈkraɪ/
NAmE /dɪˈkraɪ/

A

decry somebody/​something (as something) (formal) to strongly criticize somebody/​something, especially publicly
➔ SYNONYM ​condemn
 The measures were decried as useless.
▼︎ Word Origin
early 17th cent. (in the sense ‘decrease the value of coins by royal proclamationʼ): from de- ‘downʼ + cry, on the pattern of French décrier ‘cry downʼ.

20
Q

ca·rouse ​

```
verb
BrE /kəˈraʊz/
NAmE /kəˈraʊz/
[intransitive]
literary
~~~

A

to spend time drinking alcohol, laughing and enjoying yourself in a noisy way with other people
 His paintings depict lively scenes of peasants carousing in crowded taverns.
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 16th cent.: originally as an adverb meaning ‘right out, completelyʼ in the phrase drink carouse, from German gar aus trinken; hence ‘drink heavily, have a drinking boutʼ.

21
Q

com·ple·ment ​

verb
BrE /ˈkɒmplɪment/ NAmE /ˈkɑːmplɪment/

A

complement something to add to something in a way that improves it or makes it more attractive
 The excellent menu is complemented by a good wine list.
 The team needs players who complement each other.
 The dishes on the menu complement each other perfectly.
 The flavours in the dish complement each other perfectly.
▼︎ Which Word?
compliment /​ complement
 These words have similar spellings but completely different meanings. If you compliment someone, you say something very nice to them: She complimented me on my English. If one thing complements another, the two things work or look better because they are together: The different flavours complement each other perfectly.
 The adjectives are also often confused. Complimentary: She made some very complimentary remarks about my English. It can also mean ‘freeʼ: There was a complimentary basket of fruit in our room. Complementary: The team members have different but complementary skills.
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English (in the sense ‘completionʼ): from Latin complementum, from complere ‘fill upʼ, from com- (expressing intensive force) + plere ‘fillʼ. Compare with compliment.

22
Q

awry ​

adverb, adjective
BrE /əˈraɪ/
NAmE /əˈraɪ/

A

1 if something goes awry, it does not happen in the way that was planned
 All my plans for the party had gone awry.
 All her carefully laid plans had gone awry.
2 not in the right position
➔ SYNONYM ​untidy
 She rushed out, her hair awry.
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English: from a- ‘onʼ + wry.

23
Q

head ​

noun
BrE /hed/
NAmE /hed/

A

[countable, uncountable] the person in charge of a group of people or an organization
 the heads of government/​state
 She resigned as head of department.
 the crowned heads (= the kings and queens) of Europe
 the head gardener/​waiter, etc.
 (British English) the head boy/​girl (= a student who is chosen to represent the school)

24
Q

di·vine ​

adjective
BrE /dɪˈvaɪn/
NAmE /dɪˈvaɪn/

A

1 [usually before noun] coming from or connected with God or a god
 divine law/​love/​will
 divine intervention (= help from God to change a situation)
2 (old-fashioned) wonderful; beautiful
 That mango tasted divine!
▼︎ Word Origin
adjective late Middle English: via Old French from Latin divinus, from divus ‘godlikeʼ (related to deus ‘godʼ).

25
Q

e·gress ​

```
noun
BrE /ˈiːɡres/
NAmE /ˈiːɡres/
[uncountable]
formal
~~~

A 
the act of leaving a place
 doorways intended for egress only
➔ COMPARE ​access, ingress
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 16th cent.: from Latin egressus ‘gone outʼ, from the verb egredi, from ex- ‘outʼ + gradi ‘to stepʼ.

AA Memrise ACT Vocabularies (22 decks)

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