The Vocab Weekly

Accord

Accord Anna Hazares movement for the masses to pass the Janlokpal has been a situation of discord between the government and the people. Unable to reach an agreement is one of the many symptoms of discord and to reach a stage of accord would take a great deal of struggle. It is a verb and is also used as a Noun. Pronunciation: uh-kawrd The dictionary definitions for accord are as follows: 1) To cause a person to agree with something. 2) To grant something to a person that is his/her due Is a Noun when it is used as the following: 1) To act in harmony with 2) To reach a compromise or a settlement Master tip to learn accord: Accord can be easily learnt while associating it with the word afford, as it has a similar sound and also positive connotations. Accord connotes harmony and so does afford, as not affording something leads to a conflict in mind and not harmony. Accord can be used in following ways: 1) Regular punishments made him accord with the rules laid down by the system. (Verb) 2) He was accorded with the duty of President, which was his due for the last four years. (Verb) 3) He accorded his wife with all the love. (Verb)

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Zeitgeist

Zeitgeist Pronunciation: tsahyt-gahyst This is a word that sounds abstruse and esoteric, doesnt it? Well, its a German word and Wikipedia has this to say about it: Zeitgeist is "the spirit of the times" or "the spirit of the age." Zeitgeist is the general cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual, or political climate within a nation or even specific groups, along with the general ambiance, morals, sociocultural direction, and mood associated with an era. The term is a loanword from German Zeit "time" (cognate with English "tide" and "time") and Geist "spirit" (cognate with English "ghost"). We learn this word through GoogleZeitgeist.com! The site highlights how the world searched Google and what mattered in 2011? Zeitgeist sorted billions of Google searches to capture the year's 10 fastest-rising global queries and the rest of the spirit of 2011. Watch to believe it: The dictionary definitions for Zeitgeist are as follows: 1. The spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feelingcharacteristic of a particular period of time.

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Culprit

Culprit No matter how big an offence it is on your part, if you are accused of a crime or you are the main source of the fault or the problem, you will be referred to as a culprit. Culprit is a Noun and its first usage dates back to 1670-80. Pronunciation: kuhl-prit meanings for Culprit 1) A person who has been charged with an offence 2) A person who is the source of a problem 3) A person guilty of a crime Master tip to learn Culprit Culprit can be learnt easily by associating it with word cull, which of course means eliminating rejected members from a herd or as we say simply, killing. Culprit and cull can be associated in a way that we can say culprit should be culled. Further, cul of culprit can be likened to the cull and prit can be likened to an animal and we can say cull the prit. Sentence examples for Culprit 1) Despite being tried three times, the culprit was insolent enough to insult the jury. (Noun) 2) Culprits were caught on time by the police. (Plural/Noun) 3) The culprit was absolved of his crime. (Noun)

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Discern

Discern Be it a time when people were honest or be it a time when people were not honest, there has always been a need to distinguish the right from the wrong for his/her own good. This act of judging the right from the wrong is the act of discernment. Origin: Its first known usage dates back to 14th century. It has originated from the French word discerner and from Latin word discenere, both of which mean to separate and distinguish. Pronunciation: dih-surn, -zurn Meanings of Discern 1) To recognize/identify something with the help of sight and other senses. 2) To recognize/identify the difference between two things. 3) To recognize something mentally. 4) To recognize something to be different. Masters tip to learn Discern Discern can be easily learnt by associating it with word concern, as the second half of both the words .i.e. cern is the same, hence giving both the words same sound to some extent. Further, if you have a concern to discern someones motives for someone elses good then you have learnt the word with quite an ease. Sentence examples for Discern 1) He could not discern the way ahead due to heavy fog. (Verb) 2) He discerned a heavy foul smell coming from his room. (Verb)

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Fisticuffs

Sally

Fisticuffs When fists are made into cuffs, it is not supposed to be a pleasant scene, may be chaotic and bloody too. Fisticuffs can bring an event to a complete halt and physical consequences can be severe too. It is a noun. Its first usage dates back to 1595-1605 and is a combination of the words, fist, y and cuff. Fist means the fingers of a hand closed tightly into the palm. Y is a suffix of adjectives and cuff is basically a band at the end of a sleeve. However, when used as a verb cuff means to hit someone with an open hand. Hence, fists and cuffs combine to give you fisticuffs. Pronunciation: fis-ti-kuhf The dictionary definitions of fisticuffs are as follows: 1) fighting/contest with fists 2) A slap or a blow with fists. Master tip to learn fisticuffs: Fisticuffs might be the easiest word to learn owing to its first half .i.e. fisti. The moment you read fisti, the only thing that should come to minds is fists, which should be very easy. And, if learning the word with the help of a mental image, then the word fists should paint a bloody picture of fight, making it easier to add the word in the mental vocabulary. Fisticuffs can be used in the following ways: 1) It is very normal for the street goons to engage themselves in fisticuffs for fun. (Noun) 2) Fisticuffs is not a very good situation to find oneself in. (Noun)

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Sally

Sally If you think sally is a girl or even a name of a girl, then you are definitely wrong. But, the reference of a girl can be a good way to remember the word. It is a Noun and is also used as a verb. When you sally forth, you display outburst of energy and set out in a sudden manner. Its first usage dates back to 1560. It originates from a French word saillir, which means to rush forward and from a Latin word salire, which means to leap. Pronunciation: sal-ee Meanings of Sally As a Noun 1) A raid of troops from a inundated place upon an enemy. 2) A sudden activity As a Verb 1) To go for a trip 2) To set out energetically Master tip to learn sally Now, you know that sally has various meanings. However, it still can be learnt easily by associating it with your favourite woman after you have named her sally. All the meanings should come back rushing to you now. We said above that when you sally, you display outburst of energy and set out in a sudden manner. So simply remember the situation when you sallied for your love or for that matter your crush or even the girl you in the subway and you simply had to chase her.

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The Vocab Weekly

Vilify

Vilify Vilify is spreading negative information about others, so that others should follow a bad opinion about that person. People who pass negative information may or may not have negative experiences in the past, or the opinion may form solely on the basis of rumors. You want to defame you enemy simply by spreading negative information or unpleasant things, because you might not have enough courage to speak or face that person directly, making an eye contact, so you indulge in indirectly hurting that person, that is unethical way to fought, but no matter how you do it, everything is fare in love and war. Pronunciation: vil-uh-fahy Meanings of Vilify: 1. To speak ill of; defame; slander. 2. Spread negative information about Master Tip to learn Vilify Its a common practice across everyone to vilify or defame other people, when we loathe them, because we want that other people to form a same opinion, and start hating that person. Many a times in our life too we have been indulged in defaming others, this is how we outburst our anger and animosity. Sentence examples for Vilify: 1. Vilify the Irish rebellion by calling it a putsch. 2. You can't vilify the music companies for seeking to profit from their intellectual property that is just good business practice.

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Work Out Zone

Work Out 1: Match the following words with their respective meanings or synonyms. Word 1 Accord 2 Zeitgeist 3 Culprit 4 Discern 5 Fisticuffs 6 Sally 7 Vilify Meaning or Synonym A differentiate B brawl C curse D offender E consensus F spirit G outing

Work Out 2: Did you really understand the word? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. The accord between two nations is preferred. I felt the Victorian era zeitgeist in the painting. Culprits must be rewarded for their work. It is easy to discern two similar things Young people often get involved in fisticuffs. He sallied out to explore natural beauty. Vilifiers are good natured people. yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no no no no no no no

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Answers: Work Out Zone

Work Out 1 1-E, 2-F, 3-D, 4-A, 5-B, 6-G, 7-C Work Out 2 1-yes, 2-yes, 3-no, 4-no, 5-yes, 6-yes, 7-no

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