Words of the Day

English, World Studies, Science

Second SemesterList 1

Isolationism

• (Noun) a policy of nonparticipation in international economic and political relations

• For example: The United States at the beginning of WWI

Colloidal Suspension

• (noun) a material that has properties of more than one state of matter.

• Example: Jello

Interloper

• (noun) one who moves in where he or she is not wanted or has no right to be, an intruder

Synonyms: trespasser, meddler, buttinsky

"When these interlopers choke out native species, ecologists see a danger signal" (William K. Stevens).

Communism

• (noun) is a totalitarian form of government in which classes are abolished and property is controlled by the state, as well as a political philosophy and social movement that advocates and aims to create such a society.

• Karl Marx was the “father of communism”

Cryogenics

• (noun) the study of the production of very low temperature (below −150 °C, −238 °F or 123 K) and the behavior of materials at those temperatures.

Uses Kelvin temperature scale

(no negatives)

Stringent

• (adj) strict, severe; rigorously or urgently binding or compelling; sharp or bitter to the taste.

Synonyms: stern, rigorous, tough, urgentAntonyms: lenient, mild, lax, permissive

At the beginning of the new year, she began her stringent exercise plan to get in shape.

BOW ECHO

• A radar echo signature often associated with severe thunderstorms, especially those that produce wind damage. It is bent outward in a "bow" shape.

PERMEATE

• (verb) to spread through, penetrate, soak through

The rain permeated all my clothing and reduced the map in my pocket to a pulpy mass.

Propaganda

• (noun) any form of communication in support of national objectives designed to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, or behavior of any group in order to benefit the sponsor, either directly or indirectly.

SANTA ANA WINDS

• The hot, dry winds, generally from the east, that funnel through the Santa Ana river valley south of the San Gabriel and San Bernadino Mountains in southern California, including the Los Angeles basin. Classified as katabatic, it occurs most often during the winter and it is an example of a foehn wind.

PRECIPITATE

• (verb) to fall down as moisture• To cause to bring down suddenly• (adj) characterized by excessive haste• (noun) moisture; the product of an action or processSynonms:(v) provoke, produce (adj) recklessAntonyms:(adj) wary, cautious, circumspectScholars often disagree on which events precipitate an

historical event.I admit my outburst was precipitate.To many eggs in this pudding will leave a messy

precipitate in the bottom of the pan.

Inflation

• (noun) - a persistent increase in the level of consumer prices or a persistent decline in the purchasing power of money, caused by an increase in available currency beyond the proportion of available gold to support the currency. Makes the currency worth less.

Words of the Day

Semester Two

List Two

SATURATION POINT

• The point when the water vapor in the atmosphere is at its maximum level for the existing temperature.

SURMISE

• (verb) to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess

• (noun) likely idea that lacks definite proof

Synonyms:(v) infer, gather (n) inference, presumption

I cannot be sure, but I surmise that she would not accept my apology even if I were on my knees.

The police had no proof; they had nothing to go on, but a mere surmise.

Reparations

• To pay someone back for a wrongdoing. To make amends. Payment in money or materials by a nation defeated in war. After World War I, reparations to the Allied Powers were required of Germany by the Treaty of Versailles

SEA BREEZE

• A diurnal coastal breeze that blows onshore, from the sea to the land. It is caused by the temperature difference when the surface of the land is warmer than the adjacent body of water. Predominate during the day, it reaches its maximum early to mid afternoon. It blows in the opposite direction of a land breeze.

OCCULT• (adj) mysterious, magical, supernatural, secret, hidden from

view, not detectable by ordinary means• (v) to hide, conceal, eclipse• (n) matters involving the supernatural

Synonyms:(adj) supernatural, esoteric, abstruseAntonyms:(adj)mundane, common, public

One need not rely on occult to explain why things disappear in houses where toddlers live.

Much of his talk about the occult seems grounded in nothing but trick photography and folklore.

Fascism

• (noun) A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

JET STREAM

• An area of strong winds that are concentrated in a relatively narrow band in the upper troposphere of the middle latitudes and subtropical regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Flowing in a semi-continuous band around the globe from west to east, it is caused by the changes in air temperature where the cold polar air moving towards the equator meets the warmer equatorial air moving polarward. It is marked by a concentration of isotherms and strong vertical shear.

MILLENNIUM

• (N) a period of one thousand years; a period of great joy

• (plural) millennia

Synonyms: chiliad, golden age, prosperity, peace

Antonyms: doomsday, day of judgmentIn 1999 an argument raged over whether 2000 or 2001

would mark the beginning of the new millennium.

Diplomacy

• The art or practice of conducting international relations, as in negotiating alliances, treaties, and agreements. Art of conducting relationships for gain without conflict. It is the chief instrument of foreign policy

DEW POINT

• (noun) The temperature to which air must be cooled at a constant pressure to become saturated.

LASSITUDE

• (n) weariness of body or mind, lack of energy

Synonyms: fatigue, lethargy, languor

Antonyms: energy, vitality, animation, liveliness

One some days I am overcome by lassitude at the thought of taking more World Studies notes

DOLDRUMS

• Located between 30 degrees North and 30 degrees South latitudes in the vicinity of the equator, this area typically has calm or light and variable winds. Also a nautical term for the equatorial trough.

Words of the Day

Semester Two

List 3

EASTERLIES

• Usually applied to the broad patterns of persistent winds with an easterly component, such as the easterly trade winds.

EPITOME

• (n) a summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality.

Synonyms: abstract, digest, model

Admitting when you have been fairly defeated is the epitome of sportsmanship.

WESTERLIES

• Usually applied to the broad patterns of persistent winds with a westerly component. It is the dominant persistent atmospheric motion, centered over the midlatitudes of each hemisphere. Near the earth's surface, the westerlies extend from approximately 35 to 65 degrees latitude, while in the upper levels they extend further polarward and equatorward.

INFRINGE

• (v) to violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds

Synonyms: encroach, impinge, intrude, poach

Antonyms: stay in bounds

If you continue to infringe on my responsibilities, will you also take the blame for my mistakes?