Vocabulary: Batch 16

1. a return to one's home, especially after a long absence

   The soldier's homecoming was met with cheers.

2. (US) an annual school or college celebration for alumni, often including a football game and dance

   The parade is part of homecoming weekend.

• a short stiff hair or fiber

  The brush has soft bristles.

• to react with anger or stand stiffly

  He bristled at the criticism.

• full of something or showing anger

  The border was bristling with soldiers.

Originally the leading female singer in an opera.

• a temperamental person who thinks they deserve special treatment

  The actor behaved like a prima donna.

• a place officially damaged by disaster; informally, a very messy place

  My desk is a disaster area.

• a situation in which either result is equally likely

  The election is still a toss-up.

The woman sense is informal and can sound sexist.

• a baby bird; informally, a young woman

  The chick stayed close to the hen.

• very bad or unpleasant

  The weather was awful.

Use mainly for biology. For people, intersex is the respectful term.

• an organism with both male and female reproductive organs

  Some plants are hermaphrodites.

Capitalized, Exodus is the second book of the Bible.

• a mass departure of people

  The city saw an exodus of young workers.

• an organism or cell with a genetic mutation

  The lab studied a mutant strain.

• changed by genetic mutation

  The movie features mutant heroes.

American spelling.

• fake or not sincere

  His apology sounded phony.

• British spelling of phony

  The document looked phoney.

• a person who arranges romantic relationships or marriages

  Her aunt acted as a matchmaker.

• the act of arranging romantic relationships

  The app uses algorithms for matchmaking.

• used when something appears or changes suddenly, as if by magic

  Add the sauce and presto, dinner is ready.

Archaic and often sexist; avoid using it for real people.

• an old-fashioned or insulting word for a young woman

  The novel uses the archaic word wench.

Formal. In everyday speech, improve is more common.

• to make a bad situation better

  The policy aims to ameliorate poverty.

• printed in slanted type

  Use italic type for the book title.

• an italic letter or style of type

  The heading is set in italics.

• athletic events such as running, jumping, and throwing

  She competes in track and field.

Chiefly British; American English usually says gutters.

• the system of gutters along a roof

  The storm damaged the guttering.

• made up of different kinds of things

  The class is a heterogeneous group of students.

• a strong-smelling substance used in perfume

  The cologne has notes of musk and cedar.

• one of the folded front parts of a jacket or coat

  He pinned a flower to his lapel.

• happening very early in the morning

  She took an early-morning flight.

Informal and childish-sounding.

• sticky, unpleasant, or emotionally too sweet

  The floor felt icky.

• a bitter plant compound found in wine, tea, and bark

  The red wine has firm tannins.

• a restaurant specializing in steak

  They celebrated at a downtown steak house.

• an American whiskey made mainly from corn

  He ordered bourbon on the rocks.

British spelling: monetise.

• to make money from something

  The app monetizes user data through ads.

• having similar opinions or interests

  She joined a club of like-minded writers.

• an examination after death; also a review after a project

  The team held a post-mortem after the launch.

• happening after death or after an event

  The report included post-mortem findings.

• relating to postmodernism or a style skeptical of grand narratives

  The building has a post-modern design.

Also spelled Koran, but Quran is now preferred in many styles.

• the sacred scripture of Islam

  Muslims believe the Quran was revealed to Muhammad.

Informal and slightly crude.

• mucus from the nose

  The toddler had snot on his sleeve.

• to put something into the body or firmly into the mind

  The device was implanted under the skin.

• an object put into the body by surgery

  The patient received a dental implant.

• to increase something by a small or moderate amount

  They bumped up the price by ten percent.

British 'takeaway' = American 'takeout / to-go'. 'The (key) takeaway' = the main point to remember.

1. (British) a meal cooked and bought to eat elsewhere; a shop selling it

   Let's just get a takeaway tonight.

2. a key fact, point, or lesson drawn from something

   The main takeaway from the meeting was to cut costs.

American; British: 'takeaway'.

• (American) a meal cooked and bought to eat elsewhere; the shop selling it

  We ordered Chinese takeout.

Formal/literary. From Latin 'effari' = to utter. Often of spiritual or overwhelming feelings.

• too great or extreme to be expressed in words

  She gazed at the canyon with a sense of ineffable wonder.

= self-control: holding back one's impulses or emotions.

• the ability to control one's own feelings, impulses, or behavior

  It took real self-restraint not to laugh out loud.

A sense of one's own worth and dignity; related to self-esteem.

• pride and confidence in oneself; a feeling that one is behaving with dignity

  He refused the bribe out of self-respect.

Almost always in a negative frame: 'no self-respecting X would...'.

• having pride and dignity; behaving as one's self-respect demands

  No self-respecting chef would serve food like that.

Informal, from Yiddish. Adjective form: 'klutzy'.

• a clumsy, awkward person who often drops things or bumps into things

  I'm such a klutz - I spilled coffee all over my keyboard.

From Latin 'satis' = enough. 'Satisfy a requirement/condition' = meet it.

1. to please someone by meeting their needs or desires

   Nothing she did could satisfy her critics.

2. to meet a requirement or condition

   The candidate satisfies all the criteria.

• contented; pleased that something is good enough

  Customers were satisfied with the quick service.

• giving a feeling of fulfillment or contentment

  There's something deeply satisfying about finishing a puzzle.

'Job satisfaction' is a very common collocation.

• the pleasure felt when a need or wish is fulfilled

  She smiled with satisfaction at the finished painting.

Means merely 'adequate' (a passing grade), not 'excellent'.

• acceptable but not outstanding; good enough

  His work was satisfactory but unremarkable.

• not content; having needs or desires that are not met

  She felt unsatisfied with his vague answer.

• failing to give fulfillment or contentment

  The ending of the film was unsatisfying.

• not good enough; below an acceptable standard

  The repair was unsatisfactory and had to be redone.

'Dissatisfied' (active discontent) is stronger than 'unsatisfied' (merely not full).

• discontented; unhappy with something

  Dissatisfied customers demanded refunds.

• a feeling of discontent or unhappiness

  There is growing dissatisfaction with the new policy.

A form of nonverbal communication: posture, gestures, facial expressions.

• the gestures, postures, and expressions by which a person communicates without words

  Her crossed arms and tense body language showed she was uncomfortable.

Also pronounced /ˈserəbrəl/. From Latin 'cerebrum' = brain. As in 'cerebral palsy', 'cerebral hemorrhage'.

1. relating to the brain

   She suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.

2. intellectual rather than emotional or physical

   His films are cerebral and slow-paced.

A disability caused by brain damage before or at birth, affecting movement and coordination.

• a condition caused by brain damage before or during birth, marked by impaired muscle coordination

  He has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

Works literally (metal) and figuratively (reputation). 'Untarnished' = spotless.

1. (of metal) to lose shine and become discolored

   Silver tarnishes quickly if it isn't polished.

2. to damage or spoil (a reputation)

   The scandal tarnished his public image.

• a dull film of discoloration on the surface of metal

  There was a layer of tarnish on the old spoons.

Medical synonym: 'malignant'; opposite: 'benign'. Also figurative for something harmful that spreads.

• relating to or affected by cancer

  The biopsy showed that the growth was cancerous.

• (of cells or growths) likely to become cancerous if left untreated

  The mole turned out to be precancerous.

From 'bust' = break. Forms nouns: blockbuster, ghostbuster, crime-buster, dambuster.

• (added to a noun) a person or thing that stops, breaks up, or overcomes the thing named

  The pill was marketed as a cholesterol-buster.

• to stimulate one's own genitals for sexual pleasure

  Many teenagers worry about whether it is normal to masturbate.

Figurative 'mental masturbation' = self-indulgent thinking with no practical result.

• the act of stimulating one's own genitals for pleasure

  The book treats masturbation as a normal part of sexuality.

Often figurative: pointlessly self-gratifying.

• relating to masturbation; (figuratively) self-indulgent

  Critics dismissed the essay as masturbatory navel-gazing.

American English; the British equivalent is 'tarmac'.

• a black surfacing material such as asphalt; the paved surface made from it

  The kids played basketball on the blacktop behind the school.

• to surface (a road or area) with blacktop

  The city plans to blacktop the parking lot next month.

No preposition before the person: 'She married him,' never 'married with him.'

• to become the husband or wife of someone; to join a couple in marriage

  They married in a small country church.

• having a husband or wife

  They've been married for ten years.

Stress stays on the first syllable.

• the legal union of two people as partners; the state of being married

  Their marriage lasted over fifty years.

Two senses: literally 'like a rough sketch' (incomplete), and informally 'shady/suspicious'.

1. not thorough or detailed; incomplete

   I only have a sketchy idea of what actually happened.

2. (informal) dishonest, unsafe, or suspicious

   That part of town feels a little sketchy after dark.

Usually plural ('our forefathers'); more formal and literary than 'ancestors', often in patriotic contexts.

• an ancestor, especially a male one from earlier generations

  Our forefathers fought for these freedoms.

Opposite of 'tuck in'. Most common with shirts and bedsheets.

• to pull (a shirt, sheet, etc.) out from where it was tucked in

  He untucked his shirt the moment he left the office.

Three senses: an animal's nose/mouth, a guard strapped over it, and the open end of a gun barrel.

1. the projecting nose and mouth of an animal

   The dog nudged me with its wet muzzle.

2. a guard fitted over an animal's mouth to stop it biting

   The vet slipped a muzzle on the nervous dog.

3. the open end of the barrel of a gun

   Smoke curled from the muzzle of the rifle.

• to put a muzzle on an animal; to prevent someone from speaking freely

  Critics accused the government of trying to muzzle the press.

Transitive 'it sickens me' = disgusts me; intransitive = to become ill.

1. to make someone feel disgusted or appalled

   The cruelty of the act sickened everyone who heard about it.

2. to become ill

   The cattle began to sicken and die.

• causing disgust, horror, or revulsion

  There was a sickening crunch as the two cars collided.

Often of animals; figuratively, to criticize savagely. Sounds like 'mall'.

1. (of an animal) to wound badly by tearing or clawing

   The hiker was mauled by a bear.

2. to handle roughly, or to criticize harshly

   Critics mauled his first novel.

The '-bound' suffix means 'traveling toward'. Compare 'homebound', 'outbound'.

• traveling or leading toward the north

  Take the northbound train to get downtown.

• traveling or leading toward the south

  Southbound traffic was backed up for miles.

• traveling or leading toward the east

  The eastbound lanes were closed for repairs.

• traveling or leading toward the west

  We caught the westbound bus home.

'The homeless' (with 'the') functions as a plural noun for homeless people.

• having no home or permanent place to live

  The shelter provides hot meals for homeless people.

British English; American: 'power outage' or 'blackout'.

• a temporary interruption in the electricity supply

  The storm caused a power cut across half the city.

Short for 'psychological operations': military use of information and propaganda to influence a target.

• military operations that use psychological tactics to influence an enemy's or population's morale and behavior

  The leaflets were part of a classic psyops campaign.

From pre- + Latin 'ambulare' (to walk). The Preamble to the US Constitution begins 'We the People'.

• an introductory statement at the beginning of a document or speech

  After a long preamble, she finally got to the point.

A mixture of seeds, not a single seed.

• a mixture of seeds used as food for caged or wild birds

  She refilled the feeder with birdseed.

Study of insects (Greek 'entomon' = insect). Often confused with 'etymology' (word origins) and 'entomb' (to bury).

• the scientific study of insects

  She studied entomology and specialized in beetles.

From en- + tomb. Do NOT confuse with 'entomology' (study of insects).

• to place in a tomb; to bury or trap as if in a tomb

  The miners were entombed by the collapse.

From French 'prenable' (takeable), NOT related to 'pregnant'. Means 'cannot be captured'.

1. (of a fortress or position) unable to be captured or broken into

   The castle stood on an impregnable cliff.

2. (figuratively) impossible to overcome or defeat

   They built up an impregnable lead in the second half.

Stronger than 'scold': to criticize loudly and at length.

• to scold or criticize someone angrily and at length

  The coach berated the players for their sloppy defense.

Means innocent/naive/frank. False friend of 'ingenious' (= clever).

• innocent and unsuspecting; frank in a naive, trusting way

  Her ingenuous smile won everyone over.

From French (also spelled ingenue). Often a stock theatrical role: the innocent young woman.

• an innocent or naive young woman, especially as a character type

  She was typecast as the wide-eyed ingenue.

Opposite of ingenuous: pretending to be naive or unaware while actually knowing better.

• not sincere; falsely pretending to know less than one does

  It was disingenuous of him to claim he hadn't noticed.

Plural is also 'swine'. Formal/farming word for pigs; also an insult. 'Swine flu' = H1N1.

1. a pig, or pigs collectively (formal or farming use)

   The farmer raised swine and cattle.

2. (informal) a contemptible or unpleasant person

   You lied to her, you swine.

Capital-M 'Mafia' = the Sicilian/Italian-American syndicate; lowercase = any shadowy controlling clique.

• an organized body of criminals; (loosely) a powerful group exerting hidden influence

  The town was effectively run by the local mafia.

Almost always of a person or their manner; literally 'not able to be suffered (endured)'.

• too unpleasant or annoying to bear, especially of a person

  He becomes insufferable whenever his team wins.

'Compete with/against' a rival; 'compete for' a prize. Related: competitor, competitive.

• to try to win or do better than others; to take part in a contest

  Dozens of teams competed for the trophy.

1. an event in which people try to win

   She entered a baking competition.

2. the activity of competing; rivalry

   There is fierce competition between the two firms.

In business: "main competitor" / "chief competitor". In sports: athlete in a contest.

• a person or company that takes part in a contest or rivalry

  Our main competitor lowered prices.

"Competitive advantage": business term. "Competitive pricing": attractive prices. Personality trait: "He's so competitive".

1. relating to or characterized by competition

   It's a competitive industry.

2. having a strong desire to compete

   He's a very competitive person.

Common in business and ecology. "Invasive species outcompete natives." "Company X outcompeted rivals." Implies superior performance in same arena.

• to be more successful in competition

  They outcompeted their rivals on price.

From Latin 'felis' = cat. The dog equivalent is 'canine'.

• relating to cats or the cat family

  The cheetah moved with incredible feline grace.

• a member of the cat family

  Lions and other large felines roamed the plain.

From Old French 'escroue' (scroll/deed). Usually 'in escrow' or 'held in escrow'.

• money or property held by a neutral third party until the conditions of a deal are met

  The deposit is held in escrow until the sale closes.

Pronounced /væˈleɪ/ or /ˈvælɪt/. Two senses: a parking attendant, and a gentleman's personal servant.

1. a person employed to park cars for guests at a hotel or restaurant

   He handed his keys to the valet.

2. a man's personal male attendant who looks after his clothes

   The lord's valet laid out his evening suit.

From Greek 'rhino-' = nose + '-itis' = inflammation. 'Allergic rhinitis' = hay fever.

• inflammation of the lining of the nose, causing congestion and a runny nose

  Pollen triggers her seasonal rhinitis every spring.

• the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God; a particular system of faith and worship

  Buddhism is a major world religion.

Two senses: relating to religion, and (informally) very scrupulous or dedicated.

1. relating to or believing in a religion

   She comes from a deeply religious family.

2. very careful and regular in doing something

   He has an almost religious devotion to his morning run.

Relating to Islam, the religion. The follower is a 'Muslim'; the faith's adjective is 'Islamic'.

• relating to Islam or to Muslims

  Islamic art often features intricate geometric patterns.

Relating to vessels carrying fluid: blood vessels in animals, sap channels in plants. 'Cardiovascular' = heart + vessels.

• relating to the vessels that carry blood (or sap in plants)

  Smoking sharply increases the risk of vascular disease.

French loanword for a workshop or studio, especially in art or fashion.

• a workshop or studio, especially one used by an artist or fashion designer

  The designer welcomed clients into her Paris atelier.

More common in its past participle, 'elated'.

• to fill someone with joy or pride

  The come-from-behind victory elated the whole town.

• extremely happy and excited

  She was elated when she got the job offer.

• a feeling of great happiness and excitement

  He felt a rush of elation as he crossed the finish line.

A soft, wavering, reflected light. Compare 'glimmer' (faint, steady) and 'glitter' (hard, sparkly).

• to shine with a soft, wavering light

  The lake shimmered in the moonlight.

• a soft, trembling light or gleam

  There was a shimmer of heat above the road.

'Reinvent the wheel' = redo something pointlessly. 'Behind the wheel' = driving. 'Big wheel' = an important person.

• a circular object that turns on an axle, used to move vehicles or machinery

  One of the cart's wheels came loose.

• to push or pull something on wheels

  She wheeled the trolley to the checkout.

British; = a perfect score. 'Full marks for effort' = credit for trying even if the result fails.

• the highest possible score; (idiom) full credit or praise

  Full marks to the team for their quick response.

'Compensate for' = make up for; 'compensate someone' = pay them for a loss.

1. to give someone money or something to make up for loss or damage

   The airline compensated passengers for the long delay.

2. to offset or counterbalance something

   He compensates for his shyness with humor.

• something, especially money, given to make up for loss, injury, or suffering

  She received compensation for her injuries.

• intended to make up for something; counterbalancing

  The court awarded compensatory damages.

From Italian 'capriccio'. A sudden, unaccountable change of mind.

• a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior; a whim

  The king ruled by caprice rather than by law.

Note the vowel shift: caprice /priːs/ vs capricious /prɪʃ/.

• given to sudden changes of mood or behavior; unpredictable

  The weather in the mountains is famously capricious.

From Latin 'radix' = root (literally 'to pull out by the roots'); related to 'radish' and 'radical'.

• to destroy or get rid of something completely

  Smallpox was eradicated worldwide by 1980.

• the complete destruction or removal of something

  The eradication of polio is nearly complete.