TPO8 Flashcards
obsidian
• a type of rock that looks like black glass
edifice
Monument, building, construction
• Their head office was an imposing edifice.
pinpoint
- Diagnose, identify, recognize
* It’s difficult to pinpoint the cause of the accident. • They need to pinpoint exactly what skills are necessary.
ingenuity
Dexterity, skill, talent, inventiveness, ability
Foresightedness
- Prudence, caution, carefulness, precaution, wisdom
- It was an example of the authorities’ lack of foresight.
- Luckily I’d had the foresight to get in plenty of food.
elite
- Best, first class, high- class person, noble
- the domination of power by a small political elite
- a struggle for power within the ruling elite
eruption
Explosion, burst, outburst, 1 if fighting, violence, noise etc erupts, it starts suddenly [= break out]:
Violence erupted after police shot a student during the demonstration.
A political row erupted over the MP’s comments.
circumstance
Case, situation, condition,
• I can’t imagine a circumstance in which I would be willing to steal.
• Prisoners can only leave their cells under certain circumstances (=if particular conditions exist).
implicate
- Imply, involve,
- to show or suggest that someone is involved in a crime or dishonest act:
- The allegations implicated Abe to such an extent he was forced to resign.
- implicate somebody in something
- Three police officers are implicated in the cover-up.
eliminate
- Dispose of, get rid of, remove
* Fatty foods should be eliminated from the diet.
predominant
- Dominant, main, prevailing
- the predominant group in society
- In this painting, the predominant colour is black.
exotic
- Not native, not usual, peculiar, bizzare,
- exotic birds
- exotic places
flourish
- to develop well and be successful [= thrive]
- The economy is booming and small businesses are flourishing.
- 2 [intransitive] to grow well and be very healthy [↪ thrive]:
- Most plants will flourish in the rich deep soils here.
- 3 [transitive] to wave something in your hand in order to make people notice it:
- She walked quickly to the desk, flourishing her cheque book
prosperous
Prosper
• Booming, thriving, flourishing, rich •
a prosperous landowner
emerge
The sun emerged from behind the clouds.
Eventually the truth emerged
. Later it emerged that the judge had employed an illegal immigrant.
thrive
• Flourish, prosper, develop, boom, grow
- plants that thrive in tropical rainforests
- a business which managed to thrive during a recession
coerce
Force, compel,
• The rebels coerced the villagers into hiding them from the army.
paleontologist
- palaeontology [uncountable]
- the study of fossils (=ancient bones, plants etc that have been preserved in rock)
- —paleontologist noun [countable]
demise
Collapse, failure, dying
the end of something that used to exist
demise of
the imminent demise (=happening soon) of the local newspaper
• formal or law death:
• the mystery surrounding Elena’s untimely demise (=when death happens sooner than is normal or expect
alteration
- Change, variation, revision
- If you make alterations to the Windows setup, save the new settings before closing.
- alteration in
- Have you noticed any alteration in the patient’s behaviour
shallow
a shallow river
The lake is quite shallow.
the shallow end of the pool
frigid
• Chilly, cold •
the frigid air
buffer
- Safegaurd,
- to reduce the bad effects of something:
- Consumer spending is buffering the effects of the recession.
retreat
Withdraw, move back
They were attacked and forced to retreat
to move away from someone or something
He saw her and retreated, too shy to speak to her
torrid
- Very hot, scorching
* the torrid desert sun
cripple
Disable,paralyze
She was crippled in a car accident.
cope
- Handle, manage, deal with
* Sometimes I find it hard to cope.
fluctuation
- Variation, change, vacillation,
- the fluctuation in interest rates
- Prices are subject to fluctuation.
appealing
• Attractive
• The city offers an appealing combination of sporting and cultural events.
appeal
abrupt
- sudden and unexpected:
* an abrupt change of plan
incorporate
- Include, insert,
* We’ve incorporated many environmentally- friendly features into the design of the building.
meteor
• Astronomers track large meteors using radar.
asteroid
• one of the many small planets that move around the sun, especially between Mars and Jupiter
eradicate
Destroy, wipe out, erase, eliminate, annihilate,
We can eradicate this disease from the world.
an attempt to eradicate inflation
This problem has now been completely eradicated.
twist
- Curl, spin, curve
- He twisted his head slightly, and looked up at her.
- She twisted her handkerchief into a knot.
merge
- Combine
* The villages have grown and merged together over the years.
Relic
Roman relics found in a field
• relic of
the books and photos, relics of Rob’s university days
catastrophic
1[uncountable and countable] a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, suffering, or death
SYN Tragic, fatal, disastrous
equator
استوا
onrushing
• Coming, approaching • a strong fast movement forward, or the sudden development of something • onrush of • the first onrush of the epidemic • —onrushing adjective: • the onrushing tide
miniature
small,tiny
•miniature roses
a miniature railway
He looked like a miniature version of his father.
tide
the tide is in / out (=the sea is at a low/high level)
Is the tide going out or coming in?
We went for a walk and got cut off by the tide.
➔ high tide(1),
low tide
tear
• a drop of salty liquid that comes out of your eye when you are crying
adorn
- Decorate
* church walls adorned with religious paintings
controversial
- Disputed, questionable, arguable, at issue
* the controversial issue of welfare reform
proponent
- Supporter, advocate
* Steinem has always been a strong proponent of women’s rights.
terrace
• balcony, deck, patio, platform
Conceivably
- Maybe, perhaps
* Conceivably, interest rates could rise very high indeed.
recede
- Withdraw, diminish, decrease
* if something you can see or hear recedes, it gets further and further away until it disappears
detractor
Critic, derogator
gulley
- a small narrow valley, usually formed by a lot of rain flowing down the side of a hill
- a deep ditch
astronomer
• a scientist who studies the stars and planets
hint
hint • Clue, suggestion, indication
permafrost
• a layer of soil that is always frozen in countries where it is very cold
bear
They bear a strong resemblance to river systems on Earth
specialist
Expert
Mission specialist
Set aside
Try to set aside some time each day for exercise.
dust
A thick layer of dust
bombard
to attack a place for a long time using large weapons, bombs etc:
necessitate
to make it necessary for you to do something:
Lack of money necessitated a change of plan.
necessitate doing something
This would necessitate interviewing all the staff.
