Querida Amazonia Flashcards
ecological
[relating to ecology or the environment]
The destruction of the rain forests is an ecological disaster.
parliament
[in some countries, the group of (usually) elected politicians or other people who make the laws for their country]
On Tuesday the country’s parliament voted to establish its own army.
diagnoses
[a judgment about what a particular illness or problem is, made after examining it]
Diagnosis of the disease is difficult in the early stages.
timber
[trees that are grown so that the wood from them can be used for building]
These trees are being grown for timber.
ranch
[a very large farm on which animals are kept, especially in North and South America]
He went to work on a ranch.
hydroelectric
[producing electricity by the force of fast moving water such as rivers or waterfalls]
More than 80% of the power generated in the Northwest comes from hydroelectricity.
outrage
[a feeling of anger and shock]
These murders have provoked outrage across the country.
peasant
[a person who owns or rents a small piece of land and grows crops, keeps animals, etc. on it, especially one who has a low income, very little education, and a low social position. This is usually used of someone who lived in the past or of someone in a poor country]
Tons of internationally donated food was distributed to the starving peasants.
abhorrence
[a feeling of hating something or someone]
She looked at him in/with abhorrence.
amputate
[to cut off a part of the body]
In these cases there is no choice but to amputate.
shrewdness
[clear understanding and good judgment of a situation, usually resulting in an advantage]
She was a woman of great courage and political shrewdness.
permeate
[to spread through something and be present in every part of it]
A foul smell of stale beer permeated the whole building.
steep
[to cause to stay in a liquid, especially in order to become soft or clean, or to improve flavour]
We had pears steeped in red wine for dessert.
invasive
[An invasive organism is one that has arrived in a place from somewhere else and has a harmful effect on that place]
The Asian long-horned beetle is one of the newest and most harmful invasive species in the United States.
swell
[to become larger and rounder than usual; to (cause to) increase in size or amount]
The group recruited more members, swelling its ranks (= increasing its size) to more than 1.3 million.
cosmic
[relating to the universe and the natural processes that happen in it]
cosmic dust/radiation
gust
[a sudden strong wind]
A sudden gust of wind blew his umbrella inside out.
foliage
[the leaves of a plant or tree, or leaves on the stems or branches on which they are growing]
The dense foliage overhead almost blocked out the sun.
stoicism
[the quality of experiencing pain or trouble without complaining or showing your emotions]
He endured the pain of his wounds with great stoicism.
spine
[the line of bones down the centre of the back that provides support for the body and protects the spinal cord]
She injured her spine in a riding accident.
enamoured
[liking something a lot]
I have to say I’m not exactly enamoured of this part of the country.
menace
[something that is likely to cause harm]
Drunk drivers are a menace to everyone.
equilibrium
[a state of balance]
The disease destroys much of the inner ear, disturbing the animal’s equilibrium.
capitulate
[to accept something or agree to do something unwillingly]
I capitulated and let my daughter go with her friends.
spurious
[false and not what it appears to be, or (of reasons and judgments) based on something that has not been correctly understood and therefore false]
Some of the arguments in favour of shutting the factory are questionable and others downright spurious.
contrive
[to arrange a situation or event, or arrange for something to happen, using clever planning]
Couldn’t you contrive a meeting between them? I think they’d really like each other.
languish
[to exist in an unpleasant or unwanted situation, often for a long time]
He has been languishing in jail for the past 20 years.
juridical
[relating to the law]
… an integral ecology cannot be content simply with fine-tuning technical questions or political, juridical and social decisions.
catastrophic
[a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction]
They were warned of the ecological catastrophe to come.
adorn
[to add something decorative to a person or thing]
The bride’s hair was adorned with white flowers.
stagnate
[to stay the same and not grow or develop]
The electronics industry is showing signs of stagnating after 15 years of growth.
inculturation
Inculturation is the term that Catholic leaders and theologians have used in recent decades to denote a process of engagement between the Christian Gospel and a particular culture.
For the Church to achieve a renewed inculturation of the Gospel in the Amazon region,…
aboriginal
[a member of a race of people who were the first people to live in a country, before any colonists arrived]
What does it mean to be an Native American or indigenous aboriginal today?
sobriety
[the state of being sober [not drunk or affected by alcohol] ]
The police said his car had been weaving all over the road, so they pulled him over and gave him a sobriety test.
frenzied
[uncontrolled and excited, sometimes violent]
As the evening wore on the dancing got more and more frenzied.
inimical
[harmful or limiting]
Excessive managerial control is inimical to creative expression.
culmination
[the point at which an event or series of events ends, having developed until it reaches this point]
Winning first prize was the culmination of years of practice and hard work.
demean
[to cause someone to become less respected]
The entire family was demeaned by his behaviour.
uneven
[not level, equal, flat, or continuous]
Be careful on that path - the paving stones are uneven.
itinerant
[travelling from one place to another, usually to work for a short period]
For a time, my sister was an itinerant church singer.
envisage
[to imagine or expect something in the future, especially something good]
When do you envisage finishing the project?
pragmatic
[solving problems in a sensible way that suits the conditions that really exist now, rather than obeying fixed theories, ideas, or rules]
In business, the pragmatic approach to problems is often more successful than an idealistic one.
maternal
[behaving or feeling in the way that a mother does towards her child, especially in a kind, loving way]
She is very maternal towards her employees.
beset
[hurt or troubled by something bad]
Many problems have beset the team in recent months.
