Geos-of or relating to the Earth:

Geophysics, geology
Bios-connected with life and living things:
Bioethics, biodiversity
Biology-the scientific study of the natural processes of living things:
human biology, marine biology, molecular biology
The book deals with the reproductive biology of the buffalo.
Biography-the life story of a person written by someone else:
He wrote a biography of Winston Churchill.
Autobiography-a book about a person's life, written by that person, or the area of
literature relating to such books:
The TV series 'An Angel at my Table' was based on the autobiographies of the New
Zealand author Janet Frame.
His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.
Hagiography-1 [C or U] a biography in which the writer represents the person as perfect
or much better than they really are, or the tendency to write so many admiring things
about a person that it is not realistic
2 [U] SPECIALIZED writings about the lives of holy people such as saints
Biopsy-the removal and examination of tissue from an ill person, in order to discover
more about their illness:
a tissue biopsy
Autopsy-the cutting open and examination of a dead body in order to discover the cause
of death:
They carried out/performed an autopsy.
The body arrived for autopsy at the Dallas hospital.
Postmortem- 1a medical examination of a dead person's body in order to find out the
cause of death; an autopsy
2 INFORMAL a discussion of an event after it has happened, especially of what was
wrong with it or why it failed:
After we've played a match, there's usually a post-mortem over a few beers.
Saint- 1 [C] (WRITTEN ABBREVIATION St) (the title given to) a person who has
received an official honour from the Christian, especially the Roman Catholic, Church for
having lived in a good and holy way. The names of saints are sometimes used to name
places and buildings:
Saint Peter, St Andrew's school, Saint Paul's Cathedral
2 [C usually singular] a very good, kind person:
She must be a real saint to stay with him all these years.
He has the patience of a saint with those kids.
Sage-wise, especially as a result of great experience:
sage advice, my sage old grandfather
Ascetic- adjective
avoiding physical pleasures and living a simple life, often for religious reasons:
They live a very ascetic life.
Monk- a member of a group of religious men who do not marry and usually live together
in a monastery
Hermit- a person who lives alone and apart from the rest of society, especially for
religious reasons
Seer-a person who lives alone and apart from the rest of society, especially for religious
reasons
Hermitage- a place where a religious person lives on their own, apart from the rest of
society
Pontiff- FORMAL FOR pope (= leader of the Roman Catholic Church)

Sinister- making you feel that something bad or evil might happen: The ruined house had
a sinister appearance.A sinister-looking man sat in the corner of the room.
Spinster- OLD-FASHIONED a woman who is not married, especially a woman who is
no longer young and seems unlikely ever to marry
Maid- a woman who works as a servant in a hotel or in someone's home:In the beach
resort, the apartments and villas have daily maid service.In California many illegal
immigrants work as maids, nannies and gardeners.
Bachelor- a man who has never married:He remained a bachelor until he was well into
his 40s. Simon is a confirmed bachelor (= He is unlikely ever to want to get married).
Marriage- a legally accepted relationship between a woman and a man in which they
live as husband and wife, or the official ceremony which results in this:They had a long
and happy marriage.She went to live abroad after the break-up of her marriage.She has
two daughters by her first marriage.See also marital; marry.
Nuptial- belonging or relating to a marriage or the state of being married:
nuptial vows/promises, the nuptial bed
arital- connected with marriage: They've been having marital problems, apparently.
HUMOROUS You can't expect to live in a state of marital bliss. marital breakdown
Bridal- of a woman about to be married, or of a marriage ceremony: The magazine had a
section on bridal wear (= the clothes that a woman wears at her marriage).We stayed in
the hotel's bridal suite (= the rooms for recently married people).
Spouse- a person's husband or wife:In 60% of the households surveyed both spouses
went out to work
Conjugal- adjective FORMAL
connected with marriage or the relationship between husband and wife, especially their
sexual relationship:
conjugal happiness
Some prisoners who want to start a family are to be permitted conjugal visits.
Connubial- adjective FORMAL connected with marriage: connubial bliss
Vorous-
Voracious-very eager for something, especially a lot of food:
He has a voracious appetite (= he eats a lot).
He's a voracious reader of historical novels (= He reads a lot of them eagerly and
quickly).
Obese- adjective extremely fat
Anorexia- a serious illness often resulting in dangerous weight loss, in which a person,
especially a girl or woman, does not eat, or eats too little, because they fear becoming fat:
Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase, with 6000 new cases
in the UK every year. Compare bulimia.
Emaciated- very thin and weak, usually because of illness or extreme hunger:
There were pictures of emaciated children on the cover of the magazine.
Satiate- to completely satisfy yourself or a need, especially with food or pleasure, so that
you could not have any more:
He drank greedily until his thirst was satiated.
Belch- to allow air from the stomach to come out noisily through the mouth:
He belched noisily.
FIGURATIVE The exhaust pipe belched out (= produced) dense black smoke.
Burp- 1 [I] to allow air from the stomach to come out through the mouth in a noisy way
2 [T] to gently rub a baby's back to help air to come out of its stomach
Herbivorous- an animal that eats only plants:
Cows and sheep are herbivores.
Carnivorous- an animal that eats meat:
Lions and tigers are carnivores.
HUMOROUS I did mostly vegetarian food but put a couple of meat dishes out for the
carnivores (= people who eat meat).
Omnivorous- 1 naturally able to eat both plants and meat:
Pigs are omnivorous animals.
2 enthusiastic and interested in many different areas of a subject:
an omnivorous reader
Fugivorous- an animal that eats fruits
Cannibali- a person who eats human flesh, or an animal which eats the flesh of animals
of its own type
Omnipresent- present or having an effect everywhere at the same time:
So how did a diminutive Australian soap star get to be an omnipresent icon of style and
beauty?
Ubiquitous- seeming to be in all places:
Leather is very much in fashion this season, as of course is the ubiquitous denim.
The Swedes are not alone in finding their language under pressure from the ubiquitous
spread of English.
The radio, that most ubiquitous of consumer-electronic appliances, is about to enter a
new age.
Omnipotent- having unlimited power; able to do anything:
How can a loving, omnipotent God permit disease, war and suffering?
Omniscient- having or seeming to have unlimited knowledge:
the omniscient narrator

Astro- relating to space, the planets, stars or other objects in space, or to a structure in the
shape of a star:
Astrology, astronaut
Astrology- the study of the movements and positions of the sun, moon, planets and stars,
and the skill of describing the expected effect that these are believed to have on the
character and behaviour of humans
Astronomy- the scientific study of the universe and of objects which exist naturally in
space, such as the moon, the sun, planets and stars
Astronaut- a person who has been trained for travelling in spacecraft
Cosmonaut- an astronaut from the former Soviet Union
Cosmos- the universe considered as a system with an order and pattern
Asterisk- the symbol which is used to refer readers to a note at the bottom of a page of
text, or to show that a letter is missing from a word:
Sometimes taboo words are written with asterisks to avoid causing offence.
Sidereal- adjective [before noun]
of or calculated by the stars
Fortune teller- a person who tells you what they think will happen to you in the future
Prophet- 1. a person who is believed to have a special power which allows them to say
what a god wishes to tell people, especially about things that will happen in the future:
an Old Testament prophet
Let us hear the words of the prophet Isaiah on the coming of the Prince of Peace.
2. a person who supports a new system of beliefs and principles:
Rousseau, that great prophet of the modern age
Seer- a person who claims to be able to say what will happen in the future
Clairvoyant- She went to see a clairvoyant who said he could communicate with her
dead husband.
Soothsayer- a person who is believed to have the ability to know and tell what will
happen in the future
Oracle- 1 (especially in ancient Greece) a female priest who gave people wise but often
mysterious advice from a god, or the advice given
2. someone who knows a lot about a subject and can give good advice:
Professor Ross is regarded as the oracle on eating disorders.
Phobia- an extreme fear of a particular thing or situation, especially one that cannot be
reasonably explained:
I've got a phobia about/of worms.
Xenophobia - hatred of foreigners.
Hydrophobia- a great fear of drinking and water, often a sign of rabies
2 the disease of rabies itself
Cynophobia - fear of dogs
Ailurophobia- fear of cats
Acro phobia- a great fear of drinking and water, often a sign of rabies
2 the disease of rabies itself
Bathophobia- fear of heights or being close to tall buildings
Claustrophobia- fear of being in enclosed spaces:
He suffers from claustrophobia so he never travels on underground trains.
Agrophobia- fear of open spaces
Xenophobia- extreme dislike or fear of foreigners, their customs, their religions, etc.
Pyrophobia- fear of fire
Dipsophobia-fear of drinking
Cryptologist
Necrophobia- fear of corpses
Aphonophobia-
Curator- a person in charge of a museum, library, etc.
Nyctrophobia-
Kleptophobia- fear of stealing
Biblophobia- fear of books
Paedophobia- fear of children; fear of dolls
Pyromania- a mental illness in which a person feels an uncontrollable desire to start fires
Dipsomania- an uncontrollable need to drink alcohol
Kleptomania- a very strong and uncontrollable desire to steal, especially without any
need or purpose, usually considered to be a type of mental illness
Cryptomania
Megalomania- an unnaturally great desire for power and control, or the belief that you
are very much more important and powerful than you really are
Narcissism- an unnaturally great desire for power and control, or the belief that you are
very much more important and powerful than you really are
Ego- 1 MAINLY DISAPPROVING your idea or opinion of yourself, or a great feeling of
your own importance and ability:
That man has such an enormous ego - I've never known anyone so full of themselves!
I'm glad she got the job - she needed something to boost/bolster her ego (= give her
confidence).
2SPECIALIZED in psychoanalysis, the part of a person's mind which tries to match the
hidden desires of the id (= part of unconscious mind) with the demands of reality
Egoist- a person who considers themselves to be better or more important than other
people:
Politicians are notorious egotists.
Egotist- a person who considers themselves to be better or more important than other
people:
Politicians are notorious egotists.
Introvert- someone who is shy, quiet and unable to make friends easily
Compare extrovert.
Extrovert- an energetic, happy person who enjoys being with other people:
Most sales people are extroverts.
Ambivert- both introvert and extrovert
Optimist- She's a born optimist (= someone who has always been optimistic).
Pessimist- Don't be such a pessimist!
Skeptic- cynic, disbeliever, doubter
Cynic- a person who believes that people are only interested in themselves and are not
sincere:
I'm too much of a cynic to believe that he'll keep his promise.
A cynic might say that the government has only taken this measure because it is
concerned about its declining popularity.
Sycophant- The Prime Minister is surrounded by sycophants.
Martyr- 1a person who suffers greatly or is killed because of their political or religious
beliefs, and is often admired because of it:
a Christian/Islamic/religious martyr
She fought against racism all her life and died a martyr to the cause.
2 DISAPPROVING someone who tries to get sympathy from others when they have a
problem or too much work, usually having caused the problem or chosen to do the work
themselves:
She offers to do extra work, then plays the martyr!
Patriot- a person who loves their country and, if necessary, will fight for it
Traitor- a person who is not loyal or stops being loyal to their own country, social class,
beliefs, etc:
The leaders of the rebellion were hanged as traitors.
The Chinese Communist Party branded (= called) Mr Gorbachev 'a traitor to socialism'.
Treason- (the crime of) lack of loyalty to your country, especially by helping its enemies
or attempting to defeat its government:
Guy Fawkes was executed for treason after he took part in a plot to blow up the British
Parliament building.
Quisling- a person who helps the enemy army that has taken control of his or her
country; a traitor
Chauvinist- She called him a (male) chauvinist because of his insistence on calling all
women 'girls'.
Scion- a young member of a rich and famous family:
He's the scion of a very wealthy newspaper-publishing family.
Connoisseur- a person who knows a lot about and enjoys one of the arts, or food, drink,
etc. and can judge quality and skill in that subject:
a wine/art connoisseur, a connoisseur of ballet/cigars
Epicurean- getting pleasure from food and drink of high quality
Hypochondriac/ - She's a terrible hypochondriac - she's always at the doctor's.
Valetudinarian-
Fatal-1A fatal illness or accident, etc. causes death:
This illness is fatal in almost all cases.
the fatal shooting of an unarmed 15-year-old
2 very serious and having an important bad effect in the future:
He made the fatal mistake/error of believing what they told him.
It just shows how you should never say how well things are going for you - it's fatal (= it
causes bad things to happen)
Fatalism-the belief that people cannot change the way events will happen and that
events, especially bad ones, cannot be avoided
Fatal blow/lethal-
Sadist- a person who obtains pleasure, sometimes sexual, by being cruel to or hurting
another person
Pacifist- to cause someone who is angry or upset to be calm and satisfied:
He pacified his crying child with a bottle.
It was difficult for the police to pacify the angry crowd.
Pacifism- someone who believes in pacifism:
The pacifist movement is gaining increasing support among young people.
Warmonger- a politician or other leader who is often encouraging a country to go to war
Masochist-1 the obtaining of especially sexual pleasure from being hurt or controlled by
another person
2 INFORMAL the enjoyment of an activity or situation that most people would find very
unpleasant:
I reckon you need to be into masochism to run marathons.
Hedonist- living and behaving in ways that mean you get as much pleasure out of life as
possible, according to the belief that the most important thing in life is to enjoy yourself
Antiquarian- connected with the trade, collection or study of old and valuable or rare
objects: an antiquarian bookshop/bookseller
Bibliophile- a person who loves or collects books
Philatelist- a person who collects or studies stamps and postal history
Numismatist-the study or collecting of coins, bank notes and medals
mint - 1 [U] a herb whose leaves have a strong fresh smell and taste and are used for
giving flavour to food: a sprig of mint, mint-flavoured gum/toothpaste
2 [C] a sweet with a mint flavour:
a packet of extra-strong mints
after-dinner chocolate mints
vit/viv
Vital-necessary for the success or continued existence of something; extremely
important:
A strong opposition is vital to a healthy democracy.
She had found out some information of vital importance.
The kidney plays a vital role/part in the removal of waste products from the blood.
[+ that] It's absolutely vital that you do exactly as I say.
[+ to infinitive] It is vital to get medical supplies to the area as soon as possible.
Vitamin- any of a group of natural substances which are necessary in small amounts for
the growth and good health of the body:
a vitamin pill
Oranges are full of vitamin C.
Vivid- 1Vivid descriptions, memories, etc. produce very clear, powerful and detailed
images in the mind:
He gave a very vivid and often shocking account/description of his time in prison.
He's one of those people with a very vivid imagination - every time he hears a noise he's
convinced it's someone breaking in.
2very brightly coloured:
She was wearing a vivid pink shirt.
Vivacious- A vivacious person, especially a woman or girl, is attractively energetic and
enthusiastic:
He brought along his wife, a vivacious blonde, some twenty years his junior.
Vivarium
Viviparous- giving birth to young that have already developed inside the mother's body
rather than producing eggs
Oviparous- giving birth to young that have already developed inside the mother's body
Vivisection- the cutting up or other use of living animals in tests which are intended to
increase human knowledge of human diseases and the effects of using particular drugs
Aquatic- living or growing in, happening in, or connected with water:
aquatic plants, aquatic sports
Amphibian- an animal, such as a frog, which lives both on land and in water but must
lay its eggs in water
Arboreal- of or living in trees:
arboreal animals
Many people believe that humans evolved from arboreal ancestors.
Arboretum-
Marsupial- a type of mammal from Australasia or South or Central America which is not
completely developed when it is born and is carried around in a pocket on the mother's
body where it is fed and protected until it is completely developed:
Marsupials include koalas, possums and kangaroos.
Diurnal-happening over a period of a day, or being active or happening during the day
rather than at night
Nocturnal-happening in or active during the night, or relating to the night:
nocturnal wanderings, nocturnal light
Most bats are nocturnal.
Flora&fauna-flora and "fauna plural noun SPECIALIZED
The flora and fauna of a place are its plants and animals.
Biped-an animal that walks on two legs
Carnivorous-an animal that eats meat:
Lions and tigers are carnivores.
I did mostly vegetarian food but put a couple of meat dishes out for the carnivores (=
people who eat meat).
Herbivorous-an animal that eats only plants:
Cows and sheep are herbivores.
Bacon-(thin slices of) meat from the back or sides of a pig which is often eaten fried:
a bacon sandwich, a slice/rasher of bacon, bacon and eggs
Slaughter-1 [S or U] the killing of many people cruelly and unfairly, especially in a war:
Hardly anyone in the town escaped the slaughter when the rebels were defeated.
We must find ways of reducing the slaughter which takes place on our roads (= death of
many people in motor accidents) every year.
2 [U] the killing of animals for meat:
The geese are being fattened for slaughter.
3 [S] when one team is very easily defeated by the other:
Saturday's game was an absolute slaughter.
Carcass-1 the body of a dead animal, especially a large one that is soon to be cut up as
meat or eaten by wild animals:
Vultures flew around in the sky waiting to pick at the rotting carcass of the deer.
SLANG Move your great carcass (= your body) out of that chair!
2 the frame of an old or broken object, car, ship, etc:
Carcasses of burnt-out vehicles lined the roads near the scene of the worst fighting.
Pelt-to throw a number of things quickly at someone or something:
We saw rioters pelting police with bricks and bottles.
Pelt (down) to rain heavily:
It's pelting down (with rain).
Taxidermy-the activity of cleaning, preserving and filling the skins of dead animals with
special material to make them look as if they are still alive
Predator-1an animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals:
lions, wolves and other predators
2 DISAPPROVING someone who follows people in order to harm them or commit a
crime against them:
a sexual predator
In court, he was accused of being a merciless predator who had tricked his grandmother
out of her savings.
Pachyderm-thick skinned animals like elephant
Zoophyte-
Zoomorphism-
Zoophile-love for animals
Zoonosis-
Veterinary-connected with taking care of the health of animals:
veterinary medicine