Professional Documents
Culture Documents
VOCABS
innate
uk /ɪˈneɪt/ us /ɪˈneɪt/
innate quality or ability is one that you were born with, not one you have learned:
Cyril's most impressive quality was his innate goodness.
conjugate verb [ I or T ]
uk /ˈkɒn.dʒə.ɡeɪt/ us /ˈkɑːn.dʒə.ɡeɪt/ specialized
If a verb conjugates, it has different forms that show different tenses, the number of people it
refers to, etc., and if you conjugate a verb, you list its different forms:
The verb "to be" conjugates irregularly.
cognate adjective
uk /ˈkɒɡ.neɪt/ us /ˈkɑːɡ.neɪt/ specialized
Cognate languages and words have the same origin, or are related and in some way similar:
The Italian word "mangiare" (= to eat) is cognate with the French "manger".
etymology noun [ C or U ]
uk /ˌet.ɪˈmɒl.ə.dʒi/ us /ˌet̬ .ɪˈmɑː.lə.dʒi/
the study of the origin and history of words, or a study of this type relating to one particular word:
At university she developed an interest in etymology.
A list of selected words and their etymologies is printed at the back of the book.
connotation noun [ C ]
uk /ˌkɒn.əˈteɪ.ʃən/ us /ˌkɑː.nəˈteɪ.ʃən/
a feeling or idea that is suggested by a particular word although it need not be a part of the word's
meaning, or something suggested by an object or situation:
The word "lady" has connotations of refinement and excessive femininity that some women find
offensive.
crutch noun
uk /krʌtʃ/ us /krʌtʃ/
[ C usually plural ] a stick with a piece that fits under the arm, that you lean on for support if you
have difficulty in walking because of a foot or leg injury:
Martin broke his leg and has been on crutches for the past six weeks.
[ S ] often disapproving something that provides help and support and that you depend on, often
too much:
As an atheist, he believes that religion is just an emotional crutch for the insecure.
acquisition noun
uk /ˌæk.wɪˈzɪʃ.ən/ us /ˌæk.wəˈzɪʃ.ən/
[ U ] the process of getting something:
The acquisition of huge amounts of data has helped our research enormously.
linguistics noun [ U ]
uk /lɪŋˈɡwɪs.tɪks/ us /lɪŋˈɡwɪs.tɪks/ also linguistic science
the scientific study of the structure and development of language in general or of
particular languages
decipher verb [ T ]
uk /dɪˈsaɪ.fər/ us /dɪˈsaɪ.fɚ/
to discover the meaning of something written badly or in a difficult or hidden way:
Can you decipher the writing on this envelope?
syntax noun [ U ]
uk /ˈsɪn.tæks/ us /ˈsɪn.tæks/ specialized
the grammatical arrangement of words in a sentence
assuage verb [ T ]
uk /əˈsweɪdʒ/ us /əˈsweɪdʒ/ formal
to make unpleasant feelings less strong:
The government has tried to assuage the public's fears.
lexicology noun [ U ]
uk /ˌlek.sɪˈkɒl.ə.dʒi/ us /ˌlek.sɪˈkɑː.lə.dʒi/
the study of words and their meaning and use
phonology noun [ U ]
uk /fəˈnɒl.ə.dʒi/ us /fəˈnɑː.lə.dʒi/ specialized
the study of sounds in a particular language or in languages generally
morphology noun [ U ]
uk /mɔːˈfɒl.ə.dʒi/ us /mɔːrˈfɑː.lə.dʒi/ specialized
biology the scientific study of the structure and form of animals and plants
semantics noun [ U ]
uk /sɪˈmæn.tɪks/ us /səˈmæn.t̬ ɪks/
phoneme noun [ C ]
uk /ˈfəʊ.niːm/ us /ˈfoʊ.niːm/ specialized
one of the smallest units of speech that make one word different from another word:
The difference between "pin" and "pan" depends on the vowel, i.e. the different phonemes /ɪ/ and
/æ/.
iteration noun [ C or U ]
uk /ˌɪt.ərˈeɪ.ʃən/ us /ˌɪt̬ .əˈreɪ.ʃən/
formal the process of doing something again and again, usually to improve it, or one of the times
you do it:
the repetition and iteration that goes on in designing something
The software is on its fifth iteration.
abolitionist- a person who favors the abolition of a practice or institution, especially capital
punishment or (formerly) slavery.
sac·ri·le·gious
ˌsakrəˈlijəs/ --sinful
adjective
1. involving or committing sacrilege.
2. "a sacrilegious act"
be·queath
bəˈkwēT͟H,bəˈkwiTH/
leave (a personal estate or one's body) to a person or other beneficiary by a will.
"an identical sum was bequeathed by Margaret"
dis·mal
ˈdizməl/
dis·mal
ˈdizməl/
adjective
adjective: dismal
1. depressing; dreary.
2. "the dismal weather made the late afternoon seem like evening"
rig·ma·role
ˈriɡ(ə)məˌrōl/ -noun
1. a lengthy and complicated procedure.
"he went through the rigmarole of securing the front door"
2 .a long, rambling story or statement.
"that rigmarole about the house being haunted"
Scrump·tious --(of food) extremely appetizing or delicious.
ˈskrəm(p)SHəs/ --(of a person) very attractive.
Disheveled - (of a person's hair, clothes, or appearance) untidy; disordered.
Dyspeptic- of or having indigestion or consequent irritability or depression.
Inveigled- persuade (someone) to do something by means of deception or flattery.
forlornly-hopelessly
Shrivel- verb
wrinkle and contract or cause to wrinkle and contract, especially due to loss of moisture.