Deck019 Flashcards
elicit
verb
BrE /iˈlɪsɪt/
NAmE /iˈlɪsɪt/
elicit something (from somebody) (formal) to get information or a reaction from somebody, often with difficulty
I could elicit no response from him.
Her tears elicited great sympathy from her audience.
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 17th cent.: from Latin elicit- ‘drawn out by trickery or magicʼ, from the verb elicere, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘outʼ + lacere ‘entice, deceiveʼ.
ex·as·per·ate
verb
BrE /ɪɡˈzæspəreɪt/ , also /ɪɡˈzɑːspəreɪt/
NAmE /ɪɡˈzæspəreɪt/
exasperate somebody to annoy or irritate somebody very much
➔ SYNONYM infuriate
Her moods exasperated him.
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 16th cent.: from Latin exasperat- ‘irritated to angerʼ, from the verb exasperare (based on asper ‘roughʼ).
blight
noun
BrE /blaɪt/
NAmE /blaɪt/
1 [uncountable, countable] any disease that kills plants, especially crops
potato blight
Many areas have been devastated by blights which destroyed cereal crops and vines.
▶︎ Wordfinder
2 [singular, uncountable] blight (on somebody/something) something that has a bad effect on a situation, a personʼs life or the environment
His death cast a blight on the whole of that year.
urban blight (= areas in a city that are ugly or not cared for well)
Her divorce was a great blight on her life.
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 16th cent. (denoting inflammation of the skin): of unknown origin.
chag·rin
```
noun
BrE /ˈʃæɡrɪn/
NAmE /ʃəˈɡrɪn/
[uncountable]
formal
~~~
a feeling of being disappointed or annoyed
To her chagrin, neither of her sons became doctors.
Jon had discovered parties, wine and women, much to the chagrin of his parents.
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 17th cent. (in the sense ‘melancholyʼ): from French chagrin (noun), literally ‘rough skin, shagreenʼ, chagriner (verb), of unknown origin.
fit·ful
adjective
BrE /ˈfɪtfl/
NAmE /ˈfɪtfl/
happening only for short periods; not continuous or regular
a fitful nightʼs sleep
a fitful burst of energy
com·press
verb
BrE /kəmˈpres/
NAmE /kəmˈpres/
1 [transitive, intransitive] to press or squeeze something together or into a smaller space; to be pressed or squeezed in this way
compress something (into something) compressed air/gas
As more snow fell, the bottom layer was compressed into ice.
She compressed her lips.
compress (into something) Her lips compressed into a thin line.
2 [transitive] compress something (into something) to reduce something and fit it into a smaller space or amount of time
➔ SYNONYM condense
The main arguments were compressed into one chapter.
Rehearsal time will have to be compressed into two evenings.
3 [transitive] compress something (computing) to make computer files, etc. smaller so that they use less space on a disk, etc.
➔ OPPOSITE decompress
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English: from Old French compresser or late Latin compressare, frequentative of Latin comprimere, from com- ‘togetherʼ + premere ‘to pressʼ; or directly from compress- ‘pressed togetherʼ, from the verb comprimere.
en·tail
verb
BrE /ɪnˈteɪl/
NAmE /ɪnˈteɪl/
to involve something that cannot be avoided
➔ SYNONYM involve
entail something The job entails a lot of hard work.
What does the job actually entail?
be entailed in something The girls learn exactly what is entailed in caring for a newborn baby.
entail (somebody) doing something It will entail driving a long distance every day.
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English (referring to settlement of property; formerly also as intail): from en-, in- ‘intoʼ + Old French taille ‘notch, taxʼ, from taillier ‘to cutʼ, based on Latin talea ‘twig, cuttingʼ.
bois·ter·ous
adjective
BrE /ˈbɔɪstərəs/
NAmE /ˈbɔɪstərəs/
(of people, animals or behaviour) noisy and full of life and energy
It was a challenge, keeping ten boisterous seven-year-olds amused.
The children and the dogs raced out of the house to give me a boisterous welcome.
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English (in the sense ‘rough, stiffʼ): variant of earlier boistuous ‘rustic, coarse, boisterousʼ, of unknown origin.
jibe
(also gibe)
verb
BrE /dʒaɪb/
NAmE /dʒaɪb/
1 [intransitive, transitive] jibe (at something) | jibe that… | + speech to say something that is intended to embarrass somebody or make them look silly
He jibed repeatedly at the errors they had made.
2 [intransitive] jibe (with something) (North American English, informal) to be the same as something or to match it
Your statement doesnʼt jibe with the facts.
3 (North American English)
➔ = gybe
▼︎ Word Origin
verb
sense 1
mid 16th cent. (as a verb): perhaps from Old French giber ‘handle roughlyʼ (in modern dialect ‘kickʼ); compare with the verb jib. verb
sense 2
early 19th cent.: of unknown origin.
con·gen·ial
adjective
BrE /kənˈdʒiːniəl/
NAmE /kənˈdʒiːniəl/
formal
1 (of a person) pleasant to spend time with because their interests and character are similar to your own
a congenial colleague
2 congenial (to somebody) (of a place, job, etc.) pleasant because it suits your character
a congenial working environment
His studies in Leiden proved congenial to him.
3 congenial (to something) (formal) suitable for something
a situation that was congenial to the expression of nationalist opinions
con·tem·por·an·eous
adjective
BrE /kənˌtempəˈreɪniəs/
NAmE /kənˌtempəˈreɪniəs/
contemporaneous (with somebody/something) (formal) happening or existing at the same time
➔ SYNONYM contemporary
How do we know that the signature is contemporaneous with the document?
contemporaneous events/accounts
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 17th cent.: from Latin, from con- ‘together withʼ + temporaneus (from tempus, tempor- ‘timeʼ) + -ous.
ig·noble
adjective
BrE /ɪɡˈnəʊbl/
NAmE /ɪɡˈnoʊbl/
formal
not good or honest; that should make you feel shame
➔ SYNONYM base
ignoble thoughts
an ignoble person
➔ OPPOSITE noble
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English (originally referring to someone of humble origin or social status): from French, or from Latin ignobilis, from in- ‘notʼ + gnobilis, older form of nobilis ‘nobleʼ.
com·mute
verb
BrE /kəˈmjuːt/
NAmE /kəˈmjuːt/
1 [intransitive, transitive] to travel regularly by bus, train, car, etc. between your place of work and your home
commute (from A) (to B) She commutes from Oxford to London every day.
commute between A and B He spent that year commuting between New York and Chicago.
I live within commuting distance of Dublin.
commute something People are prepared to commute long distances if they are desperate for work.
▶︎ Wordfinder
▶︎ Wordfinder
▼︎ Culture
commuting
Commuting is the practice of travelling a long distance to a town or city to work each day, and then travelling home again in the evening. The word commuting comes from commutation ticket, a US rail ticket for repeated journeys, called a season ticket in Britain. Regular travellers are called commuters.
The US has many commuters. A few, mostly on the East Coast, commute by train or subway, but most depend on the car. Some leave home very early to avoid the traffic jams, and sleep in their cars until their office opens. Many people accept a long trip to work so that they can live in quiet bedroom communities away from the city, but another reason is ‘white flightʼ. In the 1960s most cities began to desegregate their schools, so that there were no longer separate schools for white and black children. Many white families did not want to send their children to desegregated schools, so they moved to the suburbs, which had their own schools, and where, for various reasons, few black people lived.
Millions of people in Britain commute by car or train. Some spend two or three hours a day travelling, so that they and their families can live in suburbia or in the countryside. Cities are surrounded by commuter belts. Part of the commuter belt around London is called the stockbroker belt because it contains houses where rich business people live. Some places are known as dormitory towns, because people sleep there but take little part in local activities.
Most commuters travel to and from work at the same time, causing the morning and evening rush hours, when buses and trains are crowded and there are traffic jams on the roads. Commuters on trains rarely talk to each other and spend their journey reading, sleeping or using their computers or mobile/cell phones. Increasing numbers of people now work at home some days of the week, linked to their offices by computer, a practice called telecommuting.
Cities in both Britain and the US are trying to reduce the number of cars coming into town each day. Some companies encourage car pooling (called car sharing in Britain), an arrangement for people who live and work near each other to travel together. Some US cities have a public service that helps such people to contact each other, and traffic lanes are reserved for car-pool vehicles. But cars and fuel are cheap in the US, and many people prefer to drive alone because it gives them more freedom. Many cities have park-and-ride schemes, car parks on the edge of the city from which buses take drivers into the centre. In Britain in 2002 a system of congestion charging was introduced in Durham to make people who drive into the city centre pay a congestion charge (pay money to drive into the city centre). A similar, much more extensive, system was introduced in London in 2003.
2 [transitive] commute something (to something) (law) to replace one punishment with another that is less severe
The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
3 [transitive] commute something (for/into something) (finance) to exchange one form of payment, for something else
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English (in the sense ‘interchange (two things)ʼ): from Latin commutare, from com- ‘altogetherʼ + mutare ‘to changeʼ. Sense (1) originally meant to buy and use a commutation ticket, the US term for a season ticket (because the daily fare is commuted to a single payment).
en·dem·ic
adjective
BrE /enˈdemɪk/
NAmE /enˈdemɪk/
regularly found in a particular place or among a particular group of people and difficult to get rid of
endemic (in…) Malaria is endemic in many hot countries.
Corruption is endemic in the system.
endemic (among…) an attitude endemic among senior members of the profession
endemic (to…) species endemic to (= only found in) Madagascar
the endemic problem of racism
➔ COMPARE pandemic
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 17th cent. (as a noun): from French endémique or modern Latin endemicus, from Greek endēmios ‘nativeʼ (based on dēmos ‘peopleʼ).
bale·ful
adjective
BrE /ˈbeɪlfl/
NAmE /ˈbeɪlfl/
literary
threatening to do something evil or to hurt somebody
a baleful look/influence
▼︎ Word Origin
Old English bealufull (from archaic bale ‘evil as a destructive forceʼ + -ful).
chaos
noun
BrE /ˈkeɪɒs/
NAmE /ˈkeɪɑːs/
[uncountable]
a state of complete confusion and lack of order
economic/political/domestic chaos
Heavy snow has caused total chaos on the roads.
The house was in chaos after the party.
The country was thrown/plunged into chaos by the Presidentʼs death.
▼︎ Word Origin
late 15th cent.: via French and Latin from Greek khaos ‘vast chasm, voidʼ.
forgo (also fore·go) verb BrE /fɔːˈɡəʊ/ NAmE /fɔːrˈɡoʊ/
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).
for·swear
verb
BrE /fɔːˈsweə(r)/
NAmE /fɔːrˈswer/
forswear something (formal or literary) to stop doing or using something; to make a promise that you will stop doing or using something
➔ SYNONYM renounce
The group forswears all worldly possessions.
The country has not forsworn the use of chemical weapons.
▼︎ Word Origin
Old English forswerian (from for- and swear).
dor·mant
adjective
BrE /ˈdɔːmənt/
NAmE /ˈdɔːrmənt/
not active or growing now but able to become active or to grow in the future
➔ SYNONYM inactive
a dormant volcano
During the winter the seeds lie dormant in the soil.
The seeds may lie dormant for hundreds of years.
➔ OPPOSITE active
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English (in the senses ‘fixed in positionʼ and ‘latentʼ): from Old French, ‘sleepingʼ, present participle of dormir, from Latin dormire ‘to sleepʼ.
del·uge
noun
BrE /ˈdeljuːdʒ/
NAmE /ˈdeljuːdʒ/
[usually singular]
1 a sudden very heavy fall of rain
➔ SYNONYM flood
When the snow melts, the mountain stream becomes a deluge.
2 a large number of things that happen or arrive at the same time
a deluge of calls/complaints/letters
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English: from Old French, variant of diluve, from Latin diluvium, from diluere ‘wash awayʼ.
con·ster·na·tion
```
noun
BrE /ˌkɒnstəˈneɪʃn/
NAmE /ˌkɑːnstərˈneɪʃn/
[uncountable]
formal
~~~
a worried, sad feeling after you have received an unpleasant surprise
➔ SYNONYM dismay
The announcement of her retirement caused consternation among tennis fans.
Her mouth fell open in consternation.
▼︎ Word Origin
early 17th cent.: from Latin consternatio(n-), from the verb consternare ‘lay prostrate, terrifyʼ.
elo·quent
adjective
BrE /ˈeləkwənt/
NAmE /ˈeləkwənt/
1 able to use language and express your opinions well, especially when you are speaking in public
an eloquent speech/speaker
2 (of a look or movement) able to express a feeling
His eyes were eloquent.
▼︎ Word Origin
late Middle English: via Old French from Latin eloquent- ‘speaking outʼ, from the verb eloqui ‘speak outʼ, from e- (variant of ex-) ‘outʼ + loqui ‘speakʼ.
fet·ter
noun
BrE /ˈfetə(r)/
NAmE /ˈfetər/
1 [usually plural] (literary) something that stops somebody from doing what they want
They were at last freed from the fetters of ignorance.
2 fetters [plural] chains that are put around a prisonerʼs feet
➔ SYNONYM chain, shackles
bound with fetters of iron
▼︎ Word Origin
Old English feter, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch veter ‘a laceʼ, from an Indo-European root shared by foot.
fathom
verb
BrE /ˈfæðəm/
NAmE /ˈfæðəm/
to understand or find an explanation for something
fathom somebody/something (out) It is hard to fathom the pain felt at the death of a child.
fathom (out) what, where, etc… He couldnʼt fathom out what the man could possibly mean.
▼︎ Word Origin
Old English fæthm, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vadem, vaam and German Faden ‘six feetʼ. The original sense was ‘something which embracesʼ, (plural) ‘the outstretched armsʼ; hence, a unit of measurement based on the span of the outstretched arms, later standardized to six feet.
deter
verb
BrE /dɪˈtɜː(r)/
NAmE /dɪˈtɜːr/
[transitive, intransitive] deter (somebody) (from something/from doing something) to make somebody decide not to do something or continue doing something, especially by making them understand the difficulties and unpleasant results of their actions
I told him I wasnʼt interested, but he wasnʼt deterred.
The high price of the service could deter people from seeking advice.
➔ SEE ALSO deterrent
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 16th cent.: from Latin deterrere, from de- ‘away fromʼ + terrere ‘frightenʼ.
