Set 18 Flashcards
baggie
/ˈbæɡi/
(n.) a small, clear plastic bag, often used for storing food or other small items
She packed her sandwich in a baggie before heading to work.
detritus
/dɪˈtraɪtəs/
(n.) debris or discarded material resulting from destruction or decay
After the storm, the beach was littered with detritus from the wrecked boats.
> active word-forming element in English and in many verbs inherited from French and Latin, from Latin de “down, down from, from, off; concerning” (see de), also used as a prefix in Latin, usually meaning “down, off, away, from among, down from,” but also “down to the bottom, totally” hence “completely” (intensive or completive), which is its sense in many English words.
> Etymonline
squish
squish
/skwɪʃ/
verb
1 to make a soft sucking sound by moving in or through something soft and wet; to crush or squeeze something soft or wet, often making a squelching sound
…She squished the ripe tomato in her hand.
…His wet shoes squished with every step.
2 INFORMAL
to squash something, especially something soft and wet, or to become squashed
…The ice cream squished out of the sandwich as he took a bite.
…I sat down and squished the cushion.
noun
a soft, squelching sound made when something is crushed or compressed
…The squish of mud under his boots was unmistakable.
…She heard the squish as she stepped on the wet sponge.
> “squeeze, squash,” 1640s, probably a variant of squash (v.), perhaps by influence of obsolete squiss “to squeeze or crush” (1550s). Related: Squished; squishing.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline
abstemious
/æbˈstiːmiəs/
(adj.) exercising restraint, especially in eating or drinking: TEMPERATE /ˈtempərət/, abstinent, austere, moderate, self-disciplined, self-denying, restrained, self-restrained, nonindulgent, sober, ascetic
He led an abstemious lifestyle, avoiding excessive indulgence in food and alcohol.
> “sparing or moderate in eating or drinking,” c. 1600, from Latin abstemius “sober, temperate, abstaining from wine,” from assimilated form of ab “off, away from” (see ab-) + stem of temetum “strong drink,” which is related to temulentus “drunken.” Etymologically it refers only to abstaining from alcoholic drink, but it was extended in Latin to temperance in living generally. Related: Abstemiously; abstemiousness.
> Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
imprint
imprint
verb /ɪmˈprɪnt/
1 to mark or stamp (something) with a design, symbol, or pattern
…The company’s logo was imprinted on all their products.
…The footprints were deeply imprinted in the wet cement.
2 to fix (something) firmly in someone’s memory or mind
…The tragic event was permanently imprinted in her memory.
…Early experiences can imprint themselves on a child’s mind.
3 (in animal behavior) to learn and remember a specific stimulus at a critical period
…Baby ducks imprint on the first moving object they see.
…The young birds imprinted on their mother.
noun /ˈɪmprɪnt/
1 a mark or impression made by pressing
…The dinosaur left its imprint in the ancient mud.
…You can still see the imprint of the seal in the wax.
2 a lasting influence or effect
…Her teaching left a lasting imprint on her students.
…The war left its imprint on the entire generation.
3 publisher’s name and address in a book
…The book’s imprint showed it was published in London.
…The small press released books under its own imprint.
> imprint (v.): formerly also emprint, late 14c., imprenten, emprenten, “to mark by pressure, stamp; to impress on the mind or memory,” from Old French empreinter “to stamp, engrave, imprint,” from empreinte “mark, impression, imprint” (13c.), noun use of fem. past participle of eimpreindre “to impress, imprint,” from Vulgar Latin *impremere, from Latin imprimere “to impress, imprint,” from assimilated form of in- “into, in, on, upon” (from PIE root en “in”) + premere “to press, hold fast, cover, crowd, compress” (from PIE root per- (4) “to strike”).
> per- (4): Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to strike,” an extended sense from root per- (1) “forward, through.” It forms all or part of: compress; depress; espresso; express; impress (v.1) “have a strong effect on the mind or heart;” imprimatur; imprint; oppress; oppression; pregnant (adj.2) “convincing, weighty, pithy;” press (v.1) “push against;” pressure; print; repress; reprimand; suppress.
> Etymonline
manor
manor
/ˈmænə/
noun
1 a large country house or estate, traditionally owned by nobility or landed gentry
…The old manor had been in their family for generations.
…The historic manor was converted into a luxury hotel.
2 the principal house of a landed estate, historically the residence of a feudal lord
…The lord of the manor held court in the great hall.
…Peasants worked the fields surrounding the manor.
3 a district over which a feudal lord held authority
…The manor included several villages and farmlands.
…The medieval manor was a self-sufficient economic unit.
> c. 1300, maner, “mansion, habitation, country residence, principal house of an estate,” also “a manorial estate,” from Anglo-French maner, Old French manoir “abode, home, dwelling place; manor” (12c.), noun use of maneir “to dwell,” from Latin manere “to stay, abide,” from PIE root men- (3) “to remain.” As a unit of territorial division in Britain and some American colonies (usually “land held in demesne by a lord, with tenants”) it is attested from 1530s.
> Etymonline
emissary
/ˈemɪseri/
(n.) a person sent on a special mission as a representative: ENVOY /ˈenvɔɪ/, ambassador, diplomat, delegate, attaché, legate, consul, plenipotentiary, minister; agent, representative, deputy, factor, proxy, surrogate, liaison, messenger, courier, herald; informal go-between
Japan is sending two emissaries to Washington to discuss trade issues.
> “person sent on a mission,” 1620s, from French émissaire (17c.) or directly from Latin emissarius “a scout, a spy,” literally “that is sent out,” from emissus, past participle of emittere “send forth” (see emit).
> emit (v.): “to send forth, throw or give out,” 1620s, from Latin emittere “send forth,” from assimilated form of ex “out” (see ex-) + mittere “to send” (see mission). Related: Emitted; emitting.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
pull away
pull away
/pʊl əˈweɪ/
1 to move forward or away from something, especially in a vehicle
…The car pulled away from the curb.
…The train slowly pulled away from the station.
3 to withdraw emotionally or physically from someone
…After the argument, he started pulling away from his friends.
…He pulled away when she tried to hold his hand.
…She felt her partner pulling away from their relationship.
3 to gradually move ahead or gain a lead in a competition
…Our team started pulling away in the second half.
…The leading runner began to pull away from the pack.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
curdle
curdle
/ˈkɝːdəl/
verb
1 to separate into lumps or solid parts, especially when a liquid thickens or sours: CONGEAL /kənˈdʒiːl/, CLOT, thicken, condense
…The milk curdled after being left out overnight.
…Adding lemon juice to cream can make it curdle.
2 (figurative) to cause a feeling of horror or dread
…The eerie silence curdled her nerves.
→ make your blood curdle
to make you very frightened
…His scream was enough to curdle my blood.
> 1630s (earlier crudle, 1580s), “to thicken, cause to congeal, change or form into curd” (transitive), frequentative of curd (v.) “to make into curd” (late 14c., from the noun; see curd). Intransitive sense of “to coagulate, thicken” is from c. 1600. To curdle (one’s) blood, in the figurative sense of “inspire horror” is from c. 1600. Related: Curdled (1580s); curdling (1690s, almost always of blood and in the figurative sense).
> curd (n.): “coagulated or thickened part of milk,” c. 1500, metathesis of crud (late 14c.), which originally was “any coagulated substance,” probably from Old English crudan “to press, drive,” perhaps via ancestor of Gaelic gruth (because cognates are unknown in other Germanic or Romance languages) from a PIE *greut- “to press, coagulate.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Etymonline
shoo
shoo
/ʃuː/
verb
1 to drive away or frighten away by making noises or gestures
…She shooed the birds away from her garden.
…He shooed the cats from the kitchen.
2 to urge someone to go somewhere or leave (often in a casual or playful way)
…The mother shooed her children to bed.
…The shopkeeper shooed the loiterers away.
interjection
used to drive away animals or birds
…“Shoo! Get away from here!”
…“Shoo! Shoo!” she called to the pigeons.
bob
bob
/bɑb/
verb
1 to move up and down in a short, quick motion
…The boats bobbed on the waves.
…Her head bobbed to the music.
2 to move quickly up and down or back and forth
…The cork bobbed on the water’s surface.
…Apples were bobbing in the tub at the Halloween party.
3 to cut (hair) in a bob style
…She bobbed her hair in the trendy 1920s style.
…The stylist bobbed her long hair into a short cut.
noun
a short, quick up-and-down or back-and-forth movement
…He gave a bob of his head in agreement.
…The bird made a quick bob before taking flight.
winnow
winnow
/ˈwɪnoʊ/
verb
1 to separate grain from chaff by using wind or air current
…Farmers winnowed the grain by tossing it in the air.
…The machine winnowed the wheat from the husks.
2 to remove (separate) the unwanted parts from something
…The committee winnowed the applicants down to ten finalists.
…We need to winnow out the weak proposals.
3 to analyze and evaluate carefully to select the best
…The editors winnowed through hundreds of submissions.
…The process helped winnow the strongest candidates.
noun
the act of separating grain from chaff
…The winnow of grain was a daily task on the farm.
> late 14c., from Old English windwian “to fan, winnow,” from wind “air in motion, paring down,” see wind (n.1). Cognate with Old Norse vinza, Old High German winton “to fan, winnow,” Gothic diswinþjan “to throw (grain) apart.”
> Etymonline
persevere
per‧se‧vere
/ˌpɜːrsəˈvɪr/
(v.) to continue trying to do something despite difficulties or obstacles; If you persevere with something, you keep trying to do it and do not give up, even though it is difficult: PERSIST, continue, carry on, go on, keep on, keep going, not give up, struggle on, hammer away, be persistent, be determined, see/follow something through, keep at it, show determination, press on/ahead, be tenacious, be pertinacious, stand one’s ground, stand fast/firm, hold on, hold out, go the distance, stay the course, plod on, plow on, grind away; informal soldier on, hang on, plug away, peg away, stick to one’s guns, stick at it, stick it out, hang in there, bash on
…She had to persevere through many setbacks before finally achieving success.
…Even though he was tired, he persevered and finished the race.
persevere with
…He persevered with his task until he had succeeded in collecting an armful of firewood.
persevere in (doing) sth
…She had persevered in her claim for compensation.
…She persevered in her studies and graduated near the top of her class.
per‧se‧ver‧ance /ˌpɜːsəˈvɪərəns $ ˌpɜːrsəˈvɪr-/ noun
> “to persist in what one has undertaken, to pursue steadily a design or course,” late 14c., perseveren, from Old French perseverer “continue, persevere, endure” and directly from Latin perseverare “continue steadfastly, persist,” from persevereus “very strict, earnest,” from per “very” (see per) + severus “serious, grave, strict, austere,” which is probably from PIE root segh- “to have, hold,” on the notion of “steadfastness, toughness.” Related: Persevered; persevering.
> The verb persevere comes from the Latin root persevereus which means “continue steadfastly, persist” and that word comes from two others, per- for “very” and severus for “strict.” So, today, the connotation of the word is to persist in a methodical way despite obstacles or distractions.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Vocabulary.com, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
groan
groan
/groʊn/
verb
1 to make a deep, low sound expressing pain, despair, or displeasure
…He groaned in pain after falling down.
…The students groaned when the teacher announced a pop quiz.
2 (of objects) to make a low creaking sound under pressure or strain
…The old floorboards groaned under their weight.
…The ship’s timbers groaned in the heavy seas.
3 to complain in a low, troubled voice
…Everyone groaned about the long waiting time.
…She groaned at the thought of more overtime work.
noun
a deep, low sound expressing pain, distress, or disapproval
…A groan of disappointment filled the room.
…He let out a groan as he lifted the heavy box.
Figurative Usage:
…The economy groaned under the weight of debt.
…The system was groaning from overuse.
> From Middle English gronen, granen, from Old English grānian (“to groan; lament; murmur”), from Proto-West Germanic *grainōn, from Proto-Germanic *grainōną (“to howl; weep”), from Proto-Germanic *grīnaną (“to whine; howl; whimper”).
> Wiktionary
tepid
tepid
/ˈtɛpɪd/
adjective
1 moderately warm; lukewarm (especially relating to liquid)
…The bath water had become tepid.
…She took a sip of the tepid coffee.
2a lacking force or vigor
…The company made a tepid attempt at reform.
…Their relationship had become tepid over time.
2b showing little enthusiasm or energy; unenthusiastic
…The play received a tepid response from critics.
…The audience gave only tepid applause.
> c. 1400, tepide, of liquids, “moderately warm, lukewarm,” from Latin tepidus “lukewarm,” from tepere “be moderately warm,” from PIE root *tep- “to be warm” (source also of Sanskrit tapati “makes warm, heats, burns,” tapas “heat, glow; austerity;” Avestan tafnush “fever;” Old Church Slavonic topiti “to warm,” teplu “warm;” Old Irish tene “fire;” Welsh tes “heat”).
> Etymonline
