vocabulary - august

7/27/2019 Vocabulary - August

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No. Words Pronunciation Meanings1 arid (A) r d having little or no rain, ver

arid = boring with nothing new or interaridity (UC) r dti

2 barren (a) brn not good enough for plannot producing fruit or see

not able to produce childr

not producing anything ubarreness (n)

3 wasteland an area of land that cann4 biological ba l d kl connected with the scienc

biologically (adv) connected with the proce5 vast = huge (a) extremely large in area, si

vastness(n)6 widerness a large area of land that h

a place that people do no

in the wilderness no longer in an important

8 precipitation (n) pr s p te n rain, snow, etc. that falls;

a chemical process in whiheavy precipitation = mt trn ma ln(FORMAL) a way of behav

9 condense (v) kn dens to change from a gas intocondense (into something)condense something (into something)condense (something) = reduce if a liquid condenses or y

to put something such as10 nocturnal (a) n k t nl active at night

tri ngha: diurnal happening during the nig11 brutal (a) violent and cruel

direct and clear about so

brutality (UC, C) bru tltibrutally

12 descend (v) [I, T] to come or go down fromdescend somethingtri ngha ascend to slope downwardsdescend = falldescend on/upon somebody/somethingbe descended from somebody


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Example Synonyms Opposite Prasal Verb Idiomarid and semi-arid deserts; Nothing grows in these arid regions; The pioneers hoped to t ransform the arid an arid discussion

a barren desert; a barren landscape (= one that is empty, with few plants)

s

n or young animals

The team will come through this barren patch and start to win again.

industrial wasteland; the desert wastelands of Arizona; ( figurative ) The mid 1970s are seen as a cultural was

the biological sciencesthe biological effects of radiation; the biological control of pests (= using living organisms to destroy tha vast area of forest; a vast crowd; a vast amount of information; At dusk bats appear in vast numbers;

the vastness of spaceThe Antarctic is the world's last great wilderness; ( North American English ) a wilderness area (= one where it i

Their garden is a wilderness of grass and weeds; That part of the city is a wilderness of run-down houses a After three years in the wilderness she was given a government post.There is heavy precipitation in some parts of the country; Acid precipitation may cause a reduction in fores

calcium phosphate precipitation

act with precipitationa liquid; to make a gas change into a liquidSteam condenses into water when it cools.The steam was condensed rapidly by injecting (tim) cold water into the cylinder.Condense the soup by boiling it for several minutes.The article was condensed into just two pages.The author has condensed a great deal of material into just

a nocturnal visit a brutal attack/murder/rape/killing; a brutal and repressive regimeWith brutal honesty she told him she did not love him.

police brutality; the brutalities of war He was brutally assaulted; Let me be brutally frank about this.The plane began to descend; The results, ranked in descending order (= from the highest to the lowest) She descended the stairs slowly.

At this point the path descends steeply.Night descends quickly in the tropics.Calm descended on the crowd.


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r)

made a vast difference; We've hired a marquee at vast expense.


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No. Words Pronunciation Meanings1 terrain (n) t re n used to refer to an area of land when

2 interior (a, n) n t ri (r) the inside part of somethingtri ngha exteriorthe interior the central part of a country or contithe Interior country's own affairs rather than tho

3 prairie preri4 pampas pmps5 Eurasian ju re n lai u 6 steppe step7 savannah s vn8 dominant (a) more important, powerful or noticeab

dominance (n)

9 assert (v) to state clearly and firmly that sometassert that She continued to assert that she wasassert something She continued to assert her innocenc

The German Chancellor was anxious+ speech it is asserted thatassert yourself (qu quyt, quyt oto make other people recognize yourassert itself to start to have an effect

10 vegetation (n) t ved te n

p an s n genera , espec a y eplants that are found in a particulararea or environment

11 warthogs. w th wild pig12 rihno (n) con t gic13 dormant (a)= inactive not active or growing now but able to

dormancy (n)14 gazelle zel linh dng15 deer hu, nai16 burrow = dig b r to make a hole or a tunnel in the grou

to press yourself close to somebody o

to search for something under or am

17 predators predt(r) ng vt n tht18 coyote ka ti ch si19 slaughter sl t (r the killing of animals for their meat

the cruel killing of large numbers of p


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Synonyms Opposite Prasal Verb Idiom Collocatesll she spent three weeks in an incubator before going home.ntil the young birds are born

initiative; a government initiative to combat unemployment lp. You'll have to use your initiative; Too much bureaucracy represses creativity and initiative; She did it otiative; It was up to the US to take the initiative in repairing relations.

nder way for a week of special events in May.; a negligible amount


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her own initiative (= without anyone telling her to do it) .


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No. Words Pronunciation Meanings1 tundra (n): lnh nguynt ndr2 biome (n): qun x si ba m the characteristic plants and ani3 harsh (A) cruel, severe and unkind

of weather or living conditions )very diffi

too strong and bright; ugly or u

unpleasant to listen to

too strong and rough and likelyharshly (adv)harshness(UC)

4 Arctic (Bc Cc)5 scant (a) sknt hardly any; not very much and6 marmot (n) m m t a small European or American a7 alpine (a) lpa n existing in or connected with hi8 flora (n) qun thc vt the plants of a particular area,9 depression (n) a medical condition in which a

the state of feeling very sad an

a period when there is little eco

a part of a surface that is lowera weather condition in which th

10 Caribou (n) kr bu tun lc11 Musk - Oxes (n) b x hng12 cling (v) to hold on tightly to somebody/

cling to somebody/somethingcling oncling together

to stick to something

cling to something[ intransitive ] cling (to somebody) ( usually dis to stay close to somebody, esp

cling to something to be unwilling to get rid of som|c ng on osomething

13 vulnerable v ln r blvulnerable (to somebody/something) weak and easily hurt physicallyvulnerability v ln r b l tivulnerability (of somebody/something) (to something)vulnerably

14


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Example Synonyms Opposite Prasal Verb

imals that exist in a particular type of environment, for example in a forest or desertThe punishment was harsh and unfair; The minister received some harsh criticism; T hea harsh winter/wind/climate; the harsh conditions of poverty which existed for most

harsh colours; She was caught in the harsh glare of the h softa harsh voice

harsh detergents; Ordinary soap can be too harsh for delicate skinShe was treated very harshly; Alec laughed harshly; His findings have been harshly criticiz

I paid scant attention to what she was saying; The firefighters went back into the hous

nimal that lives in holes in the groundalpine villages/scenery/plants; A wide variety of alpine flowers can be found at all alti alpine flora; rare species of flora and fauna (= plants and animals)

clinical depression; She suffered from severe depression after losing her job.There was a feeling of gloom and depression in the office when the news of the job cuts w The country was in the grip of (an) economic depression; The great Depression of the 193

Rainwater collects in shallow depression HOLLOWan atmospheric depression moving east from the Atlantic

something

survivors clinging to a raft; Leaves still clung to the branches.Cling on tight!They clung together, shivering with cold.a dress that clings (= fits closely and shows the shape of your body)

he wet shirt clung to his chest; The smell of smoke still clung to her clothes; Her hair clunAfter her mother's death, Sara clung to her aunt more than ever.

ething, or stop doing something

Throughout the trial she had clung to the belief that he was innocent.He had one last hope

to be vulnerable to attack; Old people are particularly vulnerable to the flu; She looked ve

inancial vulnerability; the vulnerability of newborn babies to disease; He was intensely aw His condition left him vulnerably exposed to the slightest cold or cough.


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fe sooner or later.

able; The sudden resignation of the financial director put the company in a very vulnerable position


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; We should protect the most vulnerable members of our society; Animals are at their most vulnerabl


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No. Words Pronunciation Meanings1 critical (a) expressing disapproval of som

critical of somebody/somethingextremely important because

serious, uncertain and possibl

involving making fair, careful

according to the judgement ocriticallyusage note: essential

2 yet (conj) despite what has just been sayet (adv) used in negative sentences afor ages = for a long time

(used in negative sentences)

from now until the period of ti

could, might, may, etc. do something yetyet another/more | yet again used to emphasize an increas

yet worse, more importantly, etc. used to emphasize an increasas yet until now or until a particular

3 grim (a) looking or sounding very seriunpleasant and depressing

not attractive; depressing

ill/sick (informal, not before N

of very low quality (informal)

grimly (adv)grimness (n, U) r mn s

idiom: hang/hold on for/like grim deathalso hang/hold on for dear life to hold somebody/something4 drubbing (n, informal) (in a sport) a situation where

5 quantify (v)quantify something to describe or express sometquantifiable (a) - /faiable/

quantification

6 administer (v)[often passive] administer something to manage and organize the aadminister something to make sure that something iadminister something (to somebody) ( fo to give or to provide somethi

often passive ] ( formal )to give drugs

administer somethingadminister something to somebodyadminister a kick, a punch, etc. (to som to kick or to hit somebody/so

7 peer (n, usu plural a person who is the same agea member of the nobility

8 compel (v) to force somebody to do som


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compel somebody to do something

compel somethingcompel something (not used in the progr to cause a particular reaction

9 startle (v) to surprise somebody suddenlstartle somebody/something

it startles somebody to do somethingstarted (a)usage note: surprise

10 forego = forgoforgo something ( formal ) to decide not to have or do so

11 manipulate (v) m n pjule t ( disapproving )to control or influemanipulate somebody/somethingmanipulate somebody into something/into doing somethingmanipulate something ( formal ) to control or use something inmanipulate something ( technical ) to move a person's bones or jmanipulation

12 understate (v) tri ngha vi overstate13 gadgetry d tri a collection of modern tools a14 turnaround (n) the amount of time it takes to

the amount of time it takes to

a situation in which somethin

a complete change in somebo

15 swift (a) happening or done quickly anmoving very quickly; able to

swiftlyswiftnessusage note

16 destined (a) dest nd having a future which has beedestined for somethingdestined to do somethingdestined for on the way to or intended for

17 epic (a) very great and imp taking place over a long perio18 woolly (A) not thinking clearly; not clearl


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Example Synonyms Opposite Prasal Verba critical comment/report; The supervisor is always very critical.

Tom's parents were highly critical of the school.a critical factor in the election campaig crucialThe first 24 hours after the operation are the most critical; a critical moment in our country's history;

Students are encouraged to develop critical thinking instead of accepting opinions without questionin

the film director's greatest critical success; In her day she never received the critical acclaim (= pr She spoke critically of her father; He is critically ill in intensive care; I looked at myself critically in

It's a small car, yet it's surprisingly sp neverthelessI didn't receive a letter from him yet; Are you ready? No, not yet.; Wehave yet to decide wha have/has yet to V = have not V3Don't go yet; We don't need to start yet.He'll be busy for ages yet; They won't arrive for at least two hours yet.We may win yet; ( formal ) She could yet surprise us all.

snow, snow and yet more snow yet another diet book Prices were cut yet again

a recent and yet more improbable the even, stillan as yet unpublished report; As yet little was known of the causes of the diseasea grim face/look/smile; She looked grim; with a look of grim determination on his face; He segrim new; We face the grim prospect of still higher unemployment; Despite the grim forecast, the nu

The house looked grim and dreary in the rain; the grim walls of the prisonI feel grim this morning.Their performance was fairly grim, I'm afraid!It won't be easy, he said grimly; grimly determined The novel depicts the grimness of life for the unemployed in Salford.

very tightly because you are afraid

We gave them a drubbing in the match on Saturday.( figurative ) They'll get a drubbing in the local elections in May.

The risks to health are impossible to quantify quantifiable data

to administer a charity/fund/school; th manageto administer justice/the law; The questionnaire was administered by trained interviewers.

The teacher has the authority to administer punishment; A taxi driver administered first aid to the vic , medicine, etc. to somebody

Police believe his wife could not have administered the poison.The dose was administered to the child intravenously.He administered a severe blow to his opponent's head.She enjoys the respect of her peers; A peer review system is being introduced to help teachers who a

thing; to make something necessary


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The law can compel fathers to make regular payments for their children.I feel compelled to write and tell you how much I enjoyed your book.

Last year ill health compelled his retirement.He spoke with an authority that compelled the attention of the whole crowd.

y in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them

I didn't mean to startle you.

The explosion startled the horse;I was startled by her question.

It startled me to find her sitting in my officeShe looked at him with startled eyes; He looked startled; She jumped back like a startled rabbit.

No one was prepared to forgo their lunch hour to attend the meeting.

She uses her charm to manipulate people; As a politician, he knows how to manipulate public opinion.

They managed to manipulate us into agreeing to help.to manipulate the gears and levers of a machine; Computers are very efficient at manipulating inform

oints into the correct position

Advertising like this is a cynical manipulation of the elderl; .data manipulation; manipulation of the b

His desk is covered with electronic gadgetry; Suburban schools gleam with modern gadgetry, while in

unload a ship or plane at the end of one journey and load it again for the next one

do a piece of work that you have been given and return it

a turnaround in the economy They remain suspicious about the government's turnaround on education policy.

swift action; a swift decision; He rose to his feet in one swift movement.a swift current; a swift runner

Surprise was swiftly followed by outrage (s xc phm, s gin d) ; She moved swiftly to the rescueHe moved with surprising swiftness for a man of his age.

n decided or planned at an earlier time, especially by fate

He was destined for a military career, like his father before him.We seem destined never to meet.goods destined for Poland bound for

of time and involving a lot of difficulties

y expressed confused


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Idiom Collocates

One of the victims of the fire remains in a critical condition .

them

ise from the critics ) she deserved the mirror

t action to take (= We have not decided what action to take) .

about the task with grim concentration; grim-faced policemenber of deaths was slightly down on last yea; The outlook is pretty grim; This latest attack is a grim reminder

tims; The priest was called to administer the last rites.

re experiencing difficulty; Children are worried about failing in front of their peers; Peer pressure is strong


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.

ation.

nes of the back

ner city schools lack basic textbooks.

.


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ntur; a grim struggle for survival; Things are looking grim for workers in the building industry.


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No. Words Pronunciatio Meanings Example1 credit (v) to add an amount of money to somebody's bank account

credit A (with B) Your account has been credited credit B (to A) $50000 has been credited to you

[ usually passive ] to believe or say that somebody is responsible f

credit somebody All the contributors are credited on the title page; She has b

credit A with B The company is credited with inventing the industrial robot.credit B to A The invention of the industrial robot is credited to the compacredit A with B to believe that somebody/s I credited you with a little more

credit somebody/something as so to believe that somebody/s The cheetah is generally creditecredit something | credit what, ho (used mainly in questions a He's been promotedwould you

2 clarity (n) the quality of being express a lack of clarity in the law; The bthe ability to think about or clarity of thought/purpose/v if a picture, substance or so the clarity of sound on a CD

3 dedicated (a) working hard at something a dedicated teacher dedicated to something he is dedicated to her job.

designed to do only one par Software is exported through a4 hasten (v)

[ intransitive ] hasten he sn to say or do something with She saw his frown and hastened 2 [ transitive ] hasten something ( form to make something happen The treatment she received may,3 [ intransitive ] + adverb/preposition to go or move somewhere q We hastened back to Rome.

5 rigorous (a) r r s done carefully and with a lo a rigorous analysis; Few peopledemanding that particular r The work failed to meet their rig

rigorously The country's press is rigorously 6 rise to something to show that you are able to Luckily, my mother rose to the

He was determined to rise to t

to react when somebody is I refuse to rise to that sort of co As soon as I mentioned money h

7 diminish (V) d m n to become or to make some The world's resources are rapidl [ intransitive , transitive ] diminish (something)2 [ transitive ] diminish somebody/so to make somebody/somethi I don't wish to diminish the imp

8 bleak (a)of a situation not encouraging or giving a a bleak outlook/prospect; Th

cold and unpleasant a bleak winter's day exposed, empty, or with no a bleak landscape/hillside/m

bleakly (adv) There seems no hope, she said bleakness (n, Uc)

9 refugee (n) refju d i a person who has been forc

the war zone political/economic refugeesa refugee camp

10 wary

11 marvel (v) to be very surprised or impressed by somethingmarvelling , marvelled , US marveling , marveled [ intransitive , transitive ] marvel (at somethin

Everyone marvelled at his coura


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mediocrity mi di kr ti 1 [ uncountable ]the quality of b His acting career started brilliant 2 [ countable ]a person who is a brilliant leader, surrounded by

lament (n) l mentlament something | lament that to feel or express great sad In the poem he laments the desbemoan something = complainbewail something

perverse showing deliberate determi a perverse decision (= one thatperversely (adv) she seemed perversely proud of perversity (n) He refused to attend out of sheecompassion[ uncountable ] compassion (for some a strong feeling of sympath to feel/show compassion; Sh


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Synonyms Opposite Prasal Verb Idiom Collocates

ith $50000.r account.or doing something, especially something good

en wrongly credited as the author

y.ense; Credit me with some intelligence.as the world's fastest animal.

credit it? rilliant clarity of his argument could not be faulted. sion

committed

edicated satellite link.

to explain; He has been described as a charmless borenot by me, I hasten to add .in fact, have hastened her death; News of the scandal certainly hastened his departure from office.

hurrythoroughstrictcontrolled occasion

e challenge .

ment.e rose to the bait .

decrease

belittle (V) b l tl

future looks bleak for the fishing industry; The medical prognosis was bleak; They faced a financially bl

oor; bleak concrete housing

leakly; bleakly lit corridors; It was a bleakly impressive coastline.

cautious

g) | marvel that| + speeche.


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ly, then sank into mediocrity.mediocritiesbemoan, bewailruction of the countryside; She sat alone weeping, lamenting her fate.

most people do not expect and think is wrong); She finds a perverse pleasure in upsetting her parents; Doher criminal record; He couldn't bear to be near her, yet, perversely, he still found himself looking out for h

perversity.

e was known as a hard woman with no compassion, no emotion/ In an overworked doctor, feelings of comp


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ak Christmas.


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ou really mean that or are you just being deliberately perverse ?; For some perverse reason he isr.

assion are soon lost.


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efusing to see a doctor; It would be perverse to quit now that we're almost finished.


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No. Words Pronunciation Meanings Example1 entrepreneur (n) ntr pr n (r) a person who makes money by starting or running bu

entrepreneurial ntr pr n ri l entrepreneurial skillsentrepreneurship (UC)

2 proponent (n) a person who supports an idea or course of actionproponent (of something) ( formal )

3 colony (n)4 pioneer (n) pa n (r)

pioneer (in/of something) a person who is the fi a pioneer in the field of microsone of the first people the pioneer spirit

5 allocate (v) to give something officially to somebody/something f allocate something (for something) A large sum has been allocateallocate something (for something) They intend to allocate more pl allocate somebody/something sth The project is being allocated


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Synonyms Opposite Prasal Verb Idiom Collocatessinesses, especially when this involves taking financial risks

advocate

rgery; a computer pioneer; a pioneer aviatora pioneer design (= one that introduces new ideas, met

trailblazer / tre lble z (r) /trailblazing (a)

or a particular purpose

for buying new books for the library.aces to mature students this year; More resources are being allocated to the project.ore resources.


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hods, etc.)


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No. Words Pronunciation Meanings1 miserable (a) m zr bl very unhappy or uncomfortable

making you feel very unhappy or

always unhappy, bad-tempered a

too small in quantity

miserably (adv)

2 meritocracy (n) mer t kr s a country or social system wherethe meritocracy [ singular ] the group of people with power inmeritocratic mer t krt k

3 illiterate (a) l t r t not knowing how to read or write( of a document or letter ) badly written,

(usually after a noun or adverb)

illiteracy (UC, n)

4 channel (v)channel something (into something) to direct money, feelings, ideas,channel something (through something) to send money, help, etc. using achannel something to carry or send water, light, etc.

5 buckle (V) to fasten something or be fasten buckle (something) ci cht, kha cht, buc chatbuckle (something on/up)

to become crushed or bent under

buckle something[ intransitive ] when your knees or leg

buckle down (to something) ( informal ) to start to do something

buckle up ( informal ) to fasten your seat belt (

( North American English ) ( British English belt up )

6 speculation (n) [ uncountable , countable ]the act of formspeculation (that)speculation (about/over something)[ uncountable , countable ] speculation (in something) the activity of buying and selling

7 propose [transitive] (formal) to suggest a plan, an idea, etc. fopropose somethingpropose thatit is proposed thatpropose doing somethingit is proposed to do something2 [ transitive ] ( formal ) to intend to do something

propose to do somethingpropose doing something3 [ intransitive , transitive ] to ask somebody to marry youpropose to somebodypropose something (to somebody)

[ transitive ]to suggest something at

propose somebody (for/as something)propose something to propose


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transitive ] propose something ( formal ) to suggest an explanation of sompropose a toast (tosomebody) to ask people to wish somebody

|

propose somebody's health

8 revolutionize (v) cch mng ha to completely change the way th

revolutionze something9 come up ( of plants ) to appear above the soil2 ( of the sun ) to rise

3 to happen

4 to be mentioned or discussed

5 ( of an event or a time ) to be going to

6 to be dealt with by a court

7 if your number, name, ticket, e

8 ( informal ) (usually used in the pr

10 albeit (conj) l bi t although11 tweak (n) a sharp pull or twist

a slight change that you make totweak (v)1 tweak something to pull or twist something sudden2 tweak something to make slight changes to a mac

12 notional (a) based on a guess, estimate or thnotionally


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Example Synonyms Opposite Prasal VerbWe were cold, wet and thoroughly miserable; Don't look so miserable!; She knows how to makemiserable housing conditions; I spent a depressingHe was a miserable old devil. grumpyHow can anyone live on such a miserab paltryThey wandered around miserably; a miserably cold day; He failed miserably as an actor.

people get power or money on the basis of their abilitythis kind of social system

a meritocratic system A large percentage of the rural population was illiterate.

s if by somebody without much education

computer illiterate; musically illiterateThe illiteracy rate on the island is still unacceptably high.

He channels his aggression into sport.Money for the project will be channelled through local government.

A sensor channels the light signal along an optical fibre.d with a buckle

She buckled her belt.He buckled on his sword.These shoes buckle at the side.The steel frames began to buckle under the strain; ( figurative ) A weaker man would have buckled u

The crash buckled the front of my car.s buckle or when you buckle at the knees, your knees become weak and you start to fall

I'd better buckle down to those reports. = a belt worn by a passenger in a vehicle)

ing opinions about what has happened or what might happen without knowing all the facts: s suThere was widespread speculation that she was going to resign; His private life is the subject of Today's announcement ends months of speculation about the company's future; The president's

speculation in oil r people to think about and decide on

The government proposed changes to the voting system; What would you propose? She proposed that the book be banned; ( British English also ) She proposed that the book should be b

It was proposed that the president be elected for a period of two years.He proposed changing the name of the company.It was proposed to pay the money from public funds.

What do you propose to do now? How do you propose getting home? He was afraid that if he proposed she might refuse.She proposed to me!to propose marriagea formal meeting and ask people to vote on it

I propose Tom Ellis for chairman.motion (= to be the main speaker in support of an idea at a formal debate)


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She proposed a possible solution to the profound

I'd like to propose a toast to the bride and groom.

Aerial photography has revolutionized the study of archaeology

The daffodils are just beginning to come up.We watched the sun come up.I'm afraid something urgent has come up; We'll let you know if any vacancies come up.The subject came up in conversation; The question is bound to come up at the meeting.Her birthday is coming up soon.Her divorce case comes up next month.tc. comes up in a betting game, it is chosen and you win something

Is lunch ready? Coming up! He finally agreed, albeit reluctantly (lng l) , to help us.She gave his ear a tweak.

With a few tweaks this venue will be perfect.

She tweaked his ear playfully.I think you'll have to tweak these figures a little before you show them to the boss.My calculation is based on notional figures, since the actual figures are not yet available.


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Idiom Collocateslife miserable for her employees.

nder the pressure.

y xt, s nghin cuuch speculation.bsence led to speculation over his health; She dismissed the newspaper reports as pure speculation; O

anned.


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ur speculations proved right.


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No. Words Pronunciation Meanings1 rocketry (n) r k tri2


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Example Synonyms Opposite Prasal Verb Idiom


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Collocates

vocabulary - august

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