Unit 29 Flashcards
Ethnocentric
(adj) based on the attitude that one’s group is superior
- Ethnocentrism (n)
e.g. The words “Primitive” and “Savage” reflect on ethnocentric bias in Western culture that regards societies that do not have Western science and technology as inferior because they have not achieved as much material success as Western societies.
Etiology
(n) causes or origins
e. g. The etiology of mental illnesses are complex because of the diversity of factors -social, biological, genetic, and psychological- that contribute to many disorders.
Etymology
(n) origin and history of a word
e. g. The etymology of the word ‘devil’.
Eugenics
(n) the study of factors that influence the hereditary qualities of the human race and ways to improve these qualities
e. g. The science-fiction novel describes a military eugenics program designed to create a race of “super-soldiers” possessing intelligence, strength, and other qualities far in advance of the ordinary person.
Eulogy
(n) high praise, especially of a person who has recently died
e. g. After the death of Abraham Lincoln, many eulogies of him appeared in newspapers throughout America.
Euphemism
(n) use of agreeable or inoffensive language in place of unpleasant or offensive language
e. g. The jargon has given us ‘downsizing’ as a euphemism for cuts.
Euphoria
(n) a feeling of extreme happiness
e. g. There was euphoria in the professor’s house after is was learned that she had received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
Euthanasia
(n) mercy killing
e. g. Modern medicine’s ability to prolong life has raised ethical questions, such as “Is euthanasia every morally justifiable?”
Evince
(v) to show plainly; be an indication of
e. g. The student’s response to the teacher’s question evinced his ignorance of the subject.
Evocative
(adj) tending to call to mind or produce a reaction
- Evocation (n)
- Evoke (v)
e.g. Somerset Maugham’s short stories are often evocative of exotic places such as Pago-Pago and Gibraltar.
