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79 Cards in this Set
- Front
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ration (n) |
a fixed amount of something that people are allowed to have when there is not enough, for example during a war the weekly meat ration a coal ration of 4 kg a month |
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ration (v) |
to control the supply of something because there is not enough Fuel was rationed during the war. |
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scarce |
if something is scarce, there is not very much of it available Food was often scarce in the winter. There was fierce competition for the scarce resources. |
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spur (v) |
To encourage someone or make them want to do something The band were spurred on by the success of their last two singles. His misfortunes spurred him to write.
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sanctuary |
a peaceful place that is safe and provides protection, especially for people who are in danger SYN refuge find/seek sanctuary Fleeing refugees found sanctuary in Geneva. the part of a religious building that is considered to be the most holy |
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lore |
knowledge or information about a subject, for example nature or magic, that is not written down but is passed from person to person According to local lore, a ghost still haunts the castle. |
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excavate |
if a scientist or archaeologist excavates an area of land, they dig carefully to find ancient objects, bones etc Schliemann excavated the ancient city of Troy. to make a hole in the ground by digging up soil etc |
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tentative |
not definite or certain, because you may want to change things SYN provisional The government is taking tentative steps towards tackling the country’s economic problems. |
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climax |
the most exciting or important part of a story or experience, which usually comes near the end |
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precursor |
something that happened or existed before something else and influenced its development precursor of/to a precursor of modern jazz |
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pluck |
to pull something quickly in order to remove it pluck something from/off etc something He plucked a couple of plastic bags from the roll. pluck your eyebrows |
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peculiar |
strange, unfamiliar, or a little surprising There was a peculiar smell in the kitchen. |
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adorn |
to decorate something adorn something with something church walls adorned with religious paintings |
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pertain |
to relate directly to something legislation pertaining to employment rights |
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peculiar |
strange, unfamiliar, or a little surprising There was a peculiar smell in the kitchen. Something peculiar is going on. It seems very peculiar that no one noticed Kay had gone. |
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hum |
to make a low continuous sound Machines hummed on the factory floor. o sing a tune by making a continuous sound with your lips closed hum to yourself Tony was humming to himself as he drove along. |
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realm |
a general area of knowledge, activity, or thought the spiritual realm realm of an idea that belongs in the realm of science fiction |
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adorn |
adorn something with something church walls adorned with religious paintings |
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sieve |
a round wire kitchen tool with a lot of small holes, used for separating solid food from liquid or small pieces of food from large pieces b) a round wire tool for separating small objects from large objects |
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contaminate |
to make a place or substance dirty or harmful by putting something such as chemicals or poison in it Drinking water supplies are believed to have been contaminated. |
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deviation |
a noticeable difference from what is expected or acceptable deviation from deviation from the normal procedure |
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depict |
to describe something or someone in writing or speech, or to show them in apainting, picture etc a book depicting life in pre-revolutionary Russia |
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vessel |
a ship or large boat a vein in your body a container for holding liquids |
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barren |
land or soil that is barren has no plants growing on it Thousands of years ago the surface was barren desert. infertile |
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lichen |
گلسنگ |
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cater |
to provide and serve food and drinks at a party, meeting etc, usually as a business cater for This is the biggest event we’ve ever catered for. |
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Grainy |
a photograph that is grainy has a rough appearance, as if the images are made up of spots |
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quaint |
unusual and attractive, especially in an old-fashioned way a quaint little village in Yorkshire |
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indispensable |
someone or something that is indispensable is so important or useful that it is impossible to manage without them SYN essential indispensable to This book is indispensable to anyone interested in space exploration. |
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intrigue |
if something intrigues you, it interests you a lot because it seems strange or mysterious Other people’s houses always intrigued her. |
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basin |
a round container attached to the wall in a bathroom, where youwash your hands and face SYN sink |
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ensuing |
happening after a particular action or event, especially as a result of it SYN following the ensuing battle/conflict/debate etc In the ensuing fighting, two students were killed. |
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tenant |
someone who lives in a house, room etc and pays rent to the person who owns it →landlord |
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pinwheel |
a toy consisting of a stick with curved pieces of plastic at the end which turn around when they are blown SYN windmill |
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bead |
one of a set of small, usually round, pieces of glass, wood, plastic etc, that you can put on a string and wear as jewellery She wore a string of green glass beads around her neck. |
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abound |
to exist in very large numbers Rumours abound as to the reasons for his resignation. Examples of this abound in her book. |
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abound with/in something |
if a place, situation etc abounds with things of a particular type, it contains a very large number of them The forests abound with deer, birds, and squirrels. The University is abounding with ideas which have been shared with those who have studied there. |
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textile |
any type of woven cloth that is made in large quantities – used especially by people in the business of making clothes etc Their main exports are textiles, especially silk and cotton. |
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lawn |
an area of ground in a garden or park that is covered with short grass I spent all morning mowing the lawn (=cutting the grass). |
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soar |
to increase quickly to a high level OPP plummet Her temperature soared. The price of petrol has soared in recent weeks. to fly, especially very high up in the sky, floating on air currents She watched the dove soar above the chestnut trees. |
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plummet |
to suddenly and quickly decrease in value or amount SYN plunge plummet from something to something Profits plummeted from £49 million to £11 million. House prices have plummeted down. to fall suddenly and quickly from a very high place SYN plunge The plane plummeted towards the Earth. |
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ranch |
a very large farm in the western US and Canada where sheep, cattle, or horses are bred |
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rigor |
the problems and difficulties of a situation all the rigors of a Canadian winter the stresses and rigours of modern life great care and thoroughness in making sure that something is correct Their research seems to me to be lacking in rigour. |
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besiege |
to surround a city or castle with military force until the people inside let you take control → siege In April 655, Osman’s palace was besieged by rebels. if you are besieged by people, you have a lot of them around you Miller was besieged by press photographers. |
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timberline |
the height above the level of the sea beyond which trees will not grow |
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timber |
wood used for building or making things SYN lumber American English a bench made of timber |
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wharf |
a structure that is built out into the water so that boats can stop next to it |
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vocational |
teaching or relating to the skills you need to do a particular job → academic Not all the courses are purely vocational. |
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mystical |
involving religious, spiritual, or magical powers that people cannot understand music’s spiritual and mystical powers |
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unpalatable |
an unpalatable fact or idea is very unpleasant and difficult to accept The unpalatable truth is that the team isn’t getting any better. unpalatable food tastes unpleasant Such an acknowledgment would tend to lead to either of two equally unpalatable conclusions. |
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prolific |
a prolific artist, writer etc produces many works of art, books etc Handel’s prolific output of opera |
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breach |
an action that breaks a law, rule, or agreement
breach of This was a clear breach of the 1994 Trade Agreement. They sued the company for breach of contract. |
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deterrents\ |
something that makes someone less likely to do something, by making them realize it will be difficult or have bad results The small fines for this type of crime do not act as much of a deterrent. |
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myriad (adj) |
very many the myriad causes of homelessness a myriad We were plagued by a myriad tiny flies. Experiments like this opened geophysicists' eyes to the myriad ways this boundary layer could look.• Both offer myriad ways to configure automatic searches.• There are myriad ways to help children learn to read. |
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a myriad of something/myriads of something (noun) |
Armour is beautifully made from a myriad of tiny metal scales making it lightweight and very flexible but stronger than steel.• Chris Hankins, reporting from Las Vegas, catches a glimpse of the future and the myriad of products on show. |
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dilute |
to make a liquid weaker by adding water or another liquid → water down diluted fruit juice dilute something with/in something Dilute the paint with a little oil. |
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canopy |
a cover made of cloth that is fixed above a bed, seat etc as a decoration or as a shelter 2 the leaves and branches of trees, that make a kind of roof in a forest the forest canopy |
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inaugurate |
o hold an official ceremony when someone starts doing an important job in government inaugurate somebody as something On 8 January 1959 de Gaulle was inaugurated as first president of the Fifth Republic. 2 to open a building or start an organization, event etc for the first time The Turner Prize was inaugurated in 1984. if an event inaugurates an important change or period of time, it comes at the beginning of it The International Trade Agreement inaugurated a period of high economic growth. |
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replenish
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to put new supplies into something, or to fill something again More vaccines are needed to replenish our stocks. |
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unprecedented |
never having happened before, or never having happened so much He took the unprecedented step of stating that the rumours were false. Crime has increased on an unprecedented scale. |
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plight |
very bad situation that someone is in
plight of the desperate
plight of the flood victims Concern about the plight of young intellectuals was mixed with promises of improvements. گرفتاري. مخمصه
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depicted |
to describe something or someone in writing or speech, or to show them in apainting, picture etc a book depicting life in pre-revolutionary Russia |
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stimulus |
something that helps a process to develop more quickly or more strongly Tax cuts provided the stimulus which the slow economy needed. |
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predominantly |
mostly or mainly The city’s population is predominantly Irish. |
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enact |
to act in a play, story etc a drama enacted on a darkened stage 2 law to make a proposal into a law Congress refused to enact the bill. |
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rite |
a ceremony that is always performed in the same way, usually for religious purposes → ritual |
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agitation |
when you are so anxious, nervous, or upset that you cannot think calmly She was in a state of considerable agitation. |
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primitive |
elonging to a simple way of life that existed in the past and does not have modern industries and machines OPP advanced, modern a primitive society |
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tract |
a large area of land vast tracts of woodland |
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loom |
to appear as a large unclear shape, especially in a threatening way loom up/out/ahead etc Suddenly a mountain loomed up in front of them. 2 if a problem or difficulty looms, it is likely to happen very soon An economic crisis is looming on the horizon. |
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perpetuate |
to make a situation, attitude etc, especially a bad one, continue to exist for a long time an education system that perpetuates the divisions in our society |
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sustain |
o make something continue to exist or happen for a period of time SYN maintain She found it difficult to sustain the children’s interest. |
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catharsis |
the act or process of removing strong or violent emotions by expressing them through writing, talking, acting etc Music is a means of catharsis for me. |
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relics |
an old object or custom that reminds people of the past or that has lived on from a past time Roman relics found in a field |
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clutch |
to hold something tightly because you do not want to lose it SYN grip, grasp She was clutching a bottle of champagne. |
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plunging |
to move, fall, or be thrown suddenly forwards or downwards plunge off/into etc Her car swerved and plunged off the cliff. Both the climbers had plunged to their deaths. |
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credential |
someone’s education, achievements, experience etc that prove they have the ability to do something credentials for/as She had excellent credentials for the job. There are doubts over his credentials as a future prime minister. |
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intricate |
containing many small parts or details that all work or fit together → complex intricate patterns |
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sweeping |
affecting many things, or making an important difference to something sweeping changes/cuts/reforms etc They want to make sweeping changes to education policies. |
