Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A
abbreviate n. to shorten, esp. a word: bear v. to produce: Cherry trees bear
This dictionary abbreviates the word cherries.
“noun” by using “n.” –n. abbreviation
bleak adj. cold, gray, and unfriendly: On
advantage n. a good feature, benefit: a cold, rainy day the beach area looks
The house is new and near a good bleak.
school. It has many advantages.
blessing n. an act of making something
afford v. to be able to pay for something holy: She asked for God’s blessing for
without difficulty: We can’t afford that her new baby.
expensive car.
bouquet n. a bunch of flowers: He sent
aisle n. a long open path between rows her a beautiful bouquet of roses.
of seats or shelves: We walked down the
aisle to our seats in the theater. bride n. a woman who is getting
married, a female marriage partner: She
alive adj. living, functioning: After the became a bride at age 24.
accident, he was barely alive.
brilliant adj. extremely intelligent: She
amaze v. to favorably impress: She plays has a brilliant mind.
tennis so well that she amazes me!
C
appetizer n. a small amount of food career n. a life’s work, esp. in business
served before the main meal: We served or in a profession: I have a great career.
some crackers and cheese as an I teach high school English.
appetizer.
cell n. the basic unit of living things:
at least the minimum that is true or Our bodies are made up of cells.
possible: He hoped that at least half of
the people he invited would come to his characteristic n. a special quality, (syn.)
performance. a trait: The ideal person for the job has
these characteristics: ten years’
attach v. put something on an object and experience and an advanced degree.
make it part of the object: She attached
the strap to her camera so she wouldn’t charity n. an organization that helps
drop it. poor people: People give money to
charities to help the homeless.
attract v. to draw interest: San
Francisco attracts millions of tourists charm n. something worn because it is
each year. thought to be magical: He wore a charm
to protect himself from evil spirits.
B
bake v. to cook in an oven usually cheekbone n. the bone below and beside
slowly, for a long time: The baker bakes each eye: She put some makeup on her
fresh bread every morning. –adj. baked cheekbones.
crop n. a planting and harvest of grain, dish n. a type of cooked food: She made
vegetables, or fruit: Farmers had a good his favorite dish for dinner.
crop of rice this year.
dripping wet adj. having so much water
crown n. a decoration for the head on something that it is falling off: The
usually made of gold and jewels to show dog was dripping wet when it came
high position: The queen of England inside after the storm.
wears her crown for special ceremonies.
E
cure v. to make someone healthy by equipment n. useful items needed for a
using medicines and treatments, to heal: purpose (work, sports, etc.): I have
A doctor cures sick people. sports equipment that includes golf
clubs, tennis rackets, and ice skates.
D
delicacy n. special food that tastes great evidence n. words or objects that
and is hard to get: Caviar is a delicacy. support the truth of something, proof:
The lawyer presented the murder
dessert n. the last course in a meal, weapon as evidence in court.
usually a sweet dish, such as cake, fruit,
etc.: We had apple pie and coffee for exception n. something unusual: He is
dessert. usually on time; his lateness today is an
exception.
destroy v. to pull or break down: The
storm destroyed every house on the explode v. to blow apart with force,
coast. burst: A bomb exploded on the
battlefield.
determined adj. of strong will, (syn.)
resolute: The workers are determined to extreme adj. the greatest possible,
finish the job on time. (syns.) drastic, severe: The government
took extreme measures to put down the
develop v. to make into something more rebellion.
complete, greater or bigger: They
developed a program to stop teenage F
drinking. faithful adj. factual, accurate: Her book
was a faithful account of the years she
flat adj. level: The farmland near the groom n. a man who is getting married,
river is very flat. a male marriage partner: The groom
wore a tuxedo to the wedding.
focus n. an object of attention: The focus
of the news report was the state of the grown-up n. an adult: Many grown-ups
economy. have dinner after the children are
asleep.
forecast n. a statement about what one
thinks will happen in the future, (syn.) a guest n. a person who is invited to a
prediction: According to the weather restaurant, the movies, etc., and who is
forecast, it’s going to snow tonight. paid for by the host: The host made sure
the guests had a good time at the party.
fragile adj. easily broken, delicate: That
dish is fragile, so be careful. H
have something in common have the
frighten v. to cause fear, shock: Strange same of something: The twin sisters have
sounds in the night frightened the child. many things in common.
in order in their right time or place: The license v. a permit given by an official
librarian put the books in order by body, usually to someone who passes an
author’s last name. examination: She has a driver’s license
(hairdresser’s license, license as a
in tune sing or play to the correct tone registered nurse, etc.).
of music: The members of the chorus all
sang in tune. lightning bolt n. bright flash of light
you see in the sky during a storm: The
informal adj. casual, ordinary: Dress at lightning bolt was followed by a loud
the party was informal, with no neckties clap of thunder.
or fancy dresses.
limit n. the greatest amount or extend
initial n. the first letter of one’s name: allowed: The speed limit is 55 MPH in
John Smith’s initials are J.S. many states.
instead prep. in place of, rather than: message n. a short written or spoken
The bride chose roses instead of tulips note: I left a message on her answering
for her bouquet. machine to call me.
journey n. a trip, esp. a long one: Many neighborhood n. the people, buildings,
Irish immigrants made the journey to land, etc., where one lives: We are
America by sea in the 1840s. friends with many of the families who
live in our neighborhood.
L
poison n. any substance that harms or reach v. to come to a point, go as far as:
kills people, animals, or plants if it is We reached Nashville before our car
swallowed or touched: She tried to kill needed gas.
herself by swallowing poison.
recognize v. to recall, remember
population n. all of the people living in someone or something when one sees or
a specific area: The population of this hears that person or thing: I recognized
city is eight million. an old friend in a crowd and waved to
her.
pork n. the meat of a pig: I enjoy roast
pork for dinner. record n. the best time, distance, etc., in
an event: She holds the world record for
pose v. to hold still in a pose, so one’s the 100-meter dash.
picture can be painted, drawn, or
photographed: The mayor posed for an refuse v. to say no: He refused an
oil portrait. invitation to a party.