Unit16 Flashcards
topical
(1) Designed for local application to or treatment of a bodily part.
(2) Referring to the topics of the day.
eg. If the topical ointment doesn’t work on the rash, the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic pill.
ectopic
Occurring or originating in an abnormal place
eg. A pacemaker was installed to correct her ectopic heartbeat
utopian
Relating to an imaginary place in which the government, laws, and social conditions are perfect.f
eg. Some of the new mayor’s supporters had gotten increasingly unrealistic, and seemed to expect that she could turn the city into a utopian community.
topography
(1) The art of showing the natural and man- made features of a region on a map or chart.
(2) The features of a surface, including both natural and man-made features.
eg. Planning the expedition involved careful study of the region’s topography.
eccentric
(1) Not following an established or usual style or conduct.
(2) Straying from a circular path; off-center.
eg. She keeps a dozen stray cats in her house and is rather eccentric, but her neighbors say she’s very pleasant and completely harmless.
epicenter
(1) The location on the earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.
(2) The center or focus of activity.
eg. The destruction caused by Mexico City’s earthquake was extensive because the city was at the quake’s epicenter.
egocentric
Overly concerned with oneself; self-centered
eg. He’s brilliant but completely egocentric, and the only things he’ll talk about are his own life and work.
ethnocentric
Marked by or based on the attitude that one’s own group is superior to others.
eg. Some reviewers criticized the ethnocentric bias that came through in the way the film portrayed immigrants.
dominion
(1) An area over which one rules; domain.
(2) Supreme authority.
eg. The Roman empire had dominion over the entire Mediterranean, which the Romans called mare nostrum, “our sea.”
predominant
Greater in importance, strength, influence, or authority.
eg. The predominant color of the desert landscape was a rusty brown.
domineering
Tending to control the behavior of others in a bossy manner.
eg. His mother was a domineering type, and not even his stepfather dared do anything without her permission.
domination
(1) Supremacy or power over another.
(2) The exercise of governing or controlling influence.
eg. The region was under the domination of a single nation, even though it hadn’t yet invaded its neighbors.
omnivore
An animal that eats both plants and other animals.
eg. If we’re all natural omnivores, she kept asking herself, then why wouldn’t her toddler eat anything but cashews and peanut butter until the age of four?
omnipotent
Having complete or unlimited power; all- powerful.
eg. What really scares these men is the nightmare of an omnipotent state, and they think that with their guns they’ll be able to keep the government’s forces at bay when the time comes.
omnibus
Of or including many things.
eg. Eager to go home for vacation, Senate leaders assembled an omnibus bill to tie up the loose ends on dozens of unrelated projects.
omniscient
Knowing everything; having unlimited understanding or knowledge.
eg. Brought up in a strict Christian family, he knew that an omniscient God was watching him every second of his life.
holistic
Relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.
eg. Environmental scientists tend to be holistic in their views, even when they’re only studying a tiny patch of ground.
hologram
A three-dimensional image reproduced from a pattern of interference produced by a beam of radiation such as a laser.
eg. When holograms are used for data storage, the entire bulk of the storage material can be used rather than just its surface.
Holocene
Of, relating to, or being the present geologic epoch.
eg. As the Holocene epoch began, the glaciers were swiftly retreating, forests were taking over the bare land, and human beings were moving northward again in large numbers.
holocaust
(1) (usually capitalized) The mass slaughter of European civilians and especially Jews by the Nazis during World War II.
(2) A thorough destruction involving extensive loss of life, especially through fire.
eg. Her parents had escaped the Holocaust in Poland by fleeing into the forest and surviving there with hundreds of others for two years.
retroactive
Intended to apply or take effect at a date in the past.
eg. The fact that the tax hike was retroactive annoyed the public the most.
retrofit
To furnish something with new or modified parts or equipment that was optional or unavailable at the time of manufacture.
eg. The office building has been retrofitted with air-conditioning, but the result has been a mixed success.
retrogress
To return to an earlier and usually worse or more primitive state.
eg. According to the tests, the sophomores had actually retrogressed in the course of spring term.
retrospective
A generally comprehensive exhibition or performance usually covering an artist’s output to date.
eg. A retrospective covering the photographer’s entire career is forcing critics to revise their earlier estimates of her status as an artist.
temporal
(1) Having to do with time as opposed to eternity; having to do with earthly life as opposed to heavenly existence.
(2) Having to do with time as distinguished from space.
eg. The quick passing of the seasons as we grow older makes us feel the fleeting nature of temporal existence.
contemporary
(1) Occurring or existing during the same period of time. (2) Having to do with the present period; modern or current.
eg. The two scientists were contemporary with each other, but neither seemed to have heard of the other’s existence.
extemporaneous
(1) Composed, performed, spoken, or done on the spur of the moment; impromptu or improvised.
(2) Carefully prepared but delivered without notes.
eg. It was once common in middle-class homes to make extemporaneous speeches, recite poetry, and give little solo song recitals after a dinner with guests.
temporize
(1) To act in a way that fits the time or occasion; to give way to current opinion.
(2) To draw out discussions to gain time.
eg. The legislature was accused of temporizing while the budget deficit continued to worsen.
chronic
(1) Lasting a long time or recurring frequently.
(2) Always present; constantly annoying or troubling; habitual.
eg. He had stopped to pick up ice-cream cones for the kids, hoping it would give him a temporary rest from their chronic bickering.
chronology
(1) A sequence of events in the order they occurred.
(2) A table, list, or account that presents events in order.
eg. The scandal had gotten so complex that the newspaper had to print a chronology showing the order of the numerous events involved.
anachronism
(1) The error of placing a person or thing in the wrong time period.
(2) A person or thing that is out of its own time.
eg. A Model T Ford putt-putting down the highway at 25 miles per hour was an anachronism by 1940.
synchronous
(1) Happening or existing at exactly the same time; simultaneous.
(2) Recurring or acting at exactly the same intervals.
eg. The theory depends on whether the chemical appeared in synchronous deposits worldwide seven million years ago.
triad
(1) A group of three usually related people or things.
(2) A secret Chinese criminal organization.
eg. The kids in the garage band next door seemed to know six or seven triads and a couple of seventh chords.
trilogy
A series of three creative works that are closely related and develop a single theme.
eg. William Faulkner’s famous “Snopes trilogy” consists of the novels The Hamlet, The Town, and The Mansion.
triceratops
One of a group of large dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous period and had three horns, a bony crest or hood, and hoofed toes.
eg. The triceratops probably used its three horns for defense against the attacks of meat-eating dinosaurs.
trident
A three-pronged spear, especially one carried by various sea gods in classical mythology.
eg. The bronze statue at the middle of the great fountain depicted a sea god emerging from the water, wreathed in seaweed and carrying a large trident.
trimester
(1) A period of about three months, especially one of three such periods in a human pregnancy.
(2) One of three terms into which an academic year is sometimes divided.
eg. Most women experience morning sickness in the first trimester of pregnancy.
trinity
(1) (capitalized) The unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one God in Christian belief.
(2) A group of three people.
eg. In Christian art depicting the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is almost always shown as a radiant dove.
triptych
(1) A picture or carving made in the form of three panels side by side.
(2) Something composed or presented in three sections.
eg. The Renaissance produced many beautiful triptychs portraying religious scenes that are still used as altarpieces.
trivial
Of little value or importance.
eg. She was so caught up in the trivial details of the trip that she hardly noticed the beautiful scenery.
