Vocabulary 8 Flashcards
caveat
(noun)
a warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations.
“there are a number of caveats which concern the validity of the assessment results”
a notice, especially in a probate, that certain actions may not be taken without informing the person who gave the notice.
corrode
(verb)
destroy or damage (metal, stone, or other materials) slowly by chemical action.
“acid rain poisons fish and corrodes buildings”
(of metal or other materials) be destroyed or damaged slowly by chemical action.
“over the years copper pipework corrodes”
destroy or weaken (something) gradually.
“the self-centred climate corrodes ideals and concerns about social justice”
clobber
(verb)
hit (someone) hard.
“if he does that I’ll clobber him!”
treat or deal with harshly.
“the recession clobbered other parts of the business”
defeat heavily.
“the Braves clobbered the Cubs 23–10”
malady
(noun)
a disease or ailment.
“an incurable malady”
a serious problem.
“the nation’s maladies”
legion
(noun)
a division of 3,000–6,000 men, including a complement of cavalry, in the ancient Roman army.
a vast number of people or things.
“legions of photographers and TV cameras”
dismal
(adjective)
causing a mood of gloom or depression.
“the dismal weather made the late afternoon seem like evening”
(of a person or their mood) gloomy.
“his dismal mood was not dispelled by finding the house empty”
pitifully or disgracefully bad.
“he shuddered as he watched his team’s dismal performance”
goad
(verb, noun)
provoke or annoy (someone) so as to stimulate an action or reaction.
“he was trying to goad her into a fight”
drive (an animal) with a spiked stick.
“the cowboys goaded their cattle across the meadows”
a spiked stick used for driving cattle.
nomenclature
(noun)
the devising or choosing of names for things, especially in a science or other discipline.
“the Linnean system of zoological nomenclature”
the body or system of names used in a particular specialist field.
“the students found it hard to decipher the nomenclature of chemical compounds”
the term or terms applied to someone or something.
“‘customers’ was preferred to the original nomenclature ‘passengers’”
premises
(noun)
a house or building, together with its land and outbuildings, occupied by a business or considered in an official context.
“the company has moved to new premises”
inchoate
(adjective)
just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary.
“a still inchoate democracy”
(of an offence, such as incitement or conspiracy) anticipating or preparatory to a further criminal act.
nuance
(noun, verb)
a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.
“he was familiar with the nuances of the local dialect”
give nuances to.
“the effect of the music is nuanced by the social situation of listeners”
proclivity
(noun)
a tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition towards a particular thing.
“a proclivity for hard work”
haul
(verb, noun)
(of a person) pull or drag with effort or force.
“he hauled his bike out of the shed”
(of a vehicle) pull (an attached trailer or carriage) behind it.
“the engine hauls the overnight sleeper from London Euston”
a quantity of something that has been stolen or is possessed illegally.
“they escaped with a haul of antiques”
a distance to be covered in a journey.
“the thirty-mile haul to Boston”
disdain
(noun, verb)
the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one’s consideration or respect.
“her upper lip curled in disdain”
consider to be unworthy of one’s consideration.
“he disdained his patients as an inferior rabble”
enumerate
(verb)
mention (a number of things) one by one.
“there is not space to enumerate all his works”
establish the number of.
“6,079 residents were enumerated in 241 establishments”
pawn
(noun)
a chess piece of the smallest size and value, that moves one square forwards along its file if unobstructed (or two on the first move), or one square diagonally forwards when making a capture.
a person used by others for their own purposes.
“he was a pawn in the game of power politics”
loony
(noun, adjective)
a mad or silly person.
“she was working with a bunch of loonies”
mad or silly.
“loony drivers”
stagnate
(verb)
(of water or air) cease to flow or move; become stagnant.
cease developing; become inactive or dull.
“teaching can easily stagnate into a set of routines”
illicit
(adjective)
forbidden by law, rules, or custom.
“illicit drugs”
sanction
(verb)
give official permission or approval for (an action).
“the scheme was sanctioned by the court”
impose a sanction or penalty on.
“foreigners in France illegally should be sent home, their employers sanctioned and border controls tightened up”