Week1 Flashcards
Voracious /vəˈreɪʃəs/ (a)
(a) Desiring or consuming great quantities.
Ex: The youngster who reads voraciously, though indiscriminately, does not necessarily gain in wisdom over the teenager who is more selective in his reading choices.
Indiscriminate /ˌɪndɪˈskrɪmɪnət/ (a)
(a) Choosing at random without careful selection.
Ex: The youngster who reads voraciously, though indiscriminately, does not necessarily gain in wisdom over the teenager who is more selective in his reading choices.
Eminent /ˈemɪnənt/ (a)
(a) Of high reputation, outstanding.
Ex: The eminent author received the Nobel Prize for literature.
Be steeped /stiːp/ (in)
(v) Soaked, drenched, saturated/ To have a lot of a particular quality.
Ex: My cousin has so steeped in schoolwork that his friends call him a bookworm.
replete /rɪˈpliːt/ (with) (a)
(a) Completely filled or supplied with.
Ex: Books are replete with so many wonders that it is often discouraging to see bright young people limit their own experience.
abound /əˈbaʊnd/ with sth (v)
(v) To exist in great numbers
Ex: The worlds of science fiction abound with wonders.
Ex: The western plains used to abound with bison before those animals were slaughtered by settlers.
prognosticate /prɑːɡˈnɑːstɪkeit/ (v)
(v) to predict or foretell a future event
Ex: A British scientist has prognosticated that within ten years every suburban abode will have its own robot servant.
Ex: The mayor refused to prognosticate as to his margin of victory in the election.
abode /əˈboʊd/ (n)
(n) a place where one lives
Ex: Mel’s new two-bedroom abode overlooks a lake where many birds nest.
automaton /ɔːˈtɑːmətən/ (n)
(n) a robot, a mechanical “person”
Ex: The time is approaching when human workers may be replaced by automatons.
backbreaking /ˈbæk breɪkɪŋ/ (a)
(a) (of physical work) very hard and tiring
Ex: Man may be freed from backbreaking labor by the products of scientific technology
Paradox /ˈpærədɑːks/ (n)
Paradoxical (a)
(n) a statement that at first seems to be absurd or self-contradictory but which may in fact turn out to be true.
Ex: One of the great paradox of American life is that though minority groups have suffered injustices, nowhere in the world have so many varied groups lived together so harmoniously.
realm /relm/ (n)
(n) special field of something or someone; kingdom
Ex: She wondered how, in the realm of possibilities, this could be;
Ex: The cruel king would not allow the prince to enter his realm, restricting him to the forest, which abounded with wild animals.
annals /ˈænlz/ (n)
(n) historical records
Ex: How often in the annals of subway history had there been such a fortunate occurrence?
Ex: The annals of sports are filled with great athletes of color.
(a) tinge (of) /tɪndʒ/ (n)
(n.) a trace, smattering, or slight degree
Ex: A tinge of garlic is all that’s necessary in most recipes
mediocre /ˌmiːdiˈoʊkər/ (a)
mediocrity /ˌmiːdiˈɑːkrəti/ (n)
(a) not very good; of only average standard
Ex: The world is rife with hesitation, the cornerstone of mediocrity (from The Slight Edge)
Ex: I thought the play was only mediocre.
