WEEK 5 VOCABULARY

1. acquisition n. The act of taking possession of something

Our recent acquisition of over 2,000 books makes ours the biggest library in the
region.
Usage tips Acquisition is often followed by of.
Parts of speech acquire v
2. anomaly n. Something unusual
White tigers get their beautiful coloring from a genetic anomaly.
3. consciously adv. With awareness of one’s actions
He may have hurt her feelings, but he never would have done so consciously.
Parts of speech consciousness n, conscious adj
4. degrade v. To reduce in value or strength
The roads in cold or wet areas of the United States degrade faster than those in
warm, sunny regions.
Parts of speech degradation n, degradable adj
5. gap n. Opening; a big difference in amount or quality
The small gap between the walls in the old house caused cold drafts to come in.
6. indisputable adj.
Beyond doubt; unquestionable The members of the jury found her guilty because
they found the facts of the case indisputable.
Parts of speech indisputably adv
7. intervene v. To come between
A good mediator intervenes only as much as necessary to settle a dispute
between other parties.
Parts of speech intervention n
8. intuitively adv. By means of a natural sense about things that are hard to observe
 Many mothers know intuitively when something is wrong with their children.
Parts of speech intuition n, intuitive adj
9. recede v. To move back or away from
After the age of 30, his hairline began to recede further back from his forehead.
Parts of speech recession n, recessive adj
10. retrieve v. To bring or get back
Most dogs can be trained to retrieve objects that their owners have thrown.
Parts of speech retriever n, retrievable adj
11. agnostic adj. Believing that humans cannot know whether there is a god
His devoutly Christian parents had problems with his agnostic beliefs.
Parts of speech agnostic n, agnosticism n
12. animism n. The belief that natural objects, such as trees, have souls
Desert cultures that practice animism often believe that winds contain spirits.
Parts of speech animistic adj
13. atheist n. One who does not believe in the existence of a supreme being
He argued that his scientific training made it impossible for him to be anything
but an atheist.
Parts of speech atheistic adj
14. be inclined to v. To favor an opinion or a course of action
He couldn’t say which candidate he favored, but he had always been inclined to
vote Republican.
Parts of speech incline n, inclination n
15. contemplate v. To consider thoughtfully
If you contemplate each step for so long, we will never complete this project on
time.
Parts of speech contemplation n, contemplative adj
16. deify v. To worship as a god
 When people deify the leader of their country, the leader is able to abuse power
more easily.
Parts of speech deity n
17. ecclesiastical adj. Relating to a church
He was looking specifically for a university where he could study ecclesiastical
history.
Parts of speech ecclesiastic n, ecclesiastically adv
18. exalt v. To praise or honor
He would often exalt the virtues of his new wife.
Parts of speech exaltation n
19. pious adj. Having or exhibiting religious reverence
Sometimes she was so pious that the rest of us felt like heathens.
Parts of speech piousness n, piety n, piously adv
20. sacrifice v. Anything offered to a deity as a religious thanksgiving;
giving up something in order to have something more valuable later on
Every harvest time, the Fadeloni people sacrificed vegetables to their gods as a
show of thanks. In order to succeed in his career, he had to sacrifice his private
life and his leisure time.
Parts of speech sacrifice n, sacrificial adj, sacrificially adv