QUICK REVIEW #24Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.. to state the mean-ing or meanmean-ings of a word like we’re domean-ing he
Trang 1damage (DAM ij) n 1 injury or harm, resulting in a loss of soundness or value;
2 (pl.) (law) money claimed by or ordered paid to a person to compensate for injury or loss —vt to do harm to —vi to incur harm
• Marla received damage to her neck when she skied off the main slope and
into a nearby compost heap
• Claiming that the compost heap should not have been so close to the
slope, Marla sued the ski lodge for damages.
• When he hit the lamppost, Jakob damaged his tricycle.
• Freddy’s ear was damaged when the newspaper carrier hit it with the
Sunday paper
[-d, damaging] [Syn injure]
daze (DAYZ) vt 1 to stun, stupefy, or bewilder as by a shock or blow to the
head; 2 to dazzle —n a stunned condition
• The bright headlamps dazed the deer as she momentarily froze in her
tracks
• Bumping his head dazed Ian just long enough to permit his prisoner to slip
away unnoticed
• After having survived frightful conditions while marooned on the island,
the newly rescued sailor wandered around in a daze.
[-dly adv.]
debacle (di BAK il) n 1 a torrent of debris-filled waters; 2 an overwhelming
defeat or route; 3 a total, often ludicrous, collapse or failure
• After the dam burst, a debacle descended on the farms and villages below.
• Napoleon never recovered from his Battle of Waterloo debacle.
• The Bible tells of the debacle that resulted from man’s attempt to build the
Tower of Babel
debatable (di BAYT i bl) adj 1 arguable, having pros and cons on both sides;
2 something that can be questioned or disputed; 3 in dispute, as land claimed by two countries
• Whether the country’s economy does better under Republicans or
Democrats is highly debatable.
• Whether the next Oscar really will go to the best picture of this year is
debatable.
• The ownership of Kashmir is debatable because it is claimed by both India
and Pakistan
debunk (di BUHNK) vt to expose the false or exaggerated claims, pretensions,
glamour, etc of con artists and charlatans
• Some people take it as their life’s work to debunk the schemes of con artists.
• The self-proclaimed Great Randi has debunked many so-called mentalists by
revealing their deceptions
[-ed, -ing, -er n.]
73
Trang 2deceive (di SEEV) vt to cause (a person) to believe what is not true; delude;
mislead —vi to use deceit; lie
• Flattery is a time-tested device to deceive one into thinking he or she is
hotter than is actually the case
• The Flyby Knight Furniture Company tried to deceive people into believing
that their $298 sofa was real leather
• False advertising is intended to deceive.
[-d, deceiving, deceivable adj., deceivingly adv., -r n.]
decibel (DE si bil) n 1 (acoustics) a numerical expression of the relative
loud-ness of a sound; 2 (electronics, radio) a numerical expression of relative power lev-els of electronic signals (In both cases the decibel level [dB] is related to common logarithms, so small differences in decibels denote large differences in levels.)
• A 115-decibel sound level at a rock concert is enough to cause permanent hearing damage, while a 130-decibel sound can cause actual physical pain.
• Loss of electromagnetic energy as it passes through transmission lines is
measured in decibels, with a loss of 3 dBs equal to half the strength.
decline (di KLYN) vt., vi 1 to slope downward or aside; 2 to sink; wane; near
the end; 3 to lessen in force, health, value, etc.; 4 to sink to behavior that is base
or immoral; 5 to refuse to accept
• The graph of violent crimes per capita in New York during the 1990s
declines as it moves from left to right.
• As it approaches the loading platform, the speed of the roller coaster declines.
• The value of the dollar against the Euro declined in 2003.
• In dealing with a monkey, you need not decline to its level.
• Karen declined payment from Barney for having baby-sat.
[-d, declining] [Syn refuse]
decorous (di KAW ris) adj characterized by or showing propriety in behavior,
dress, etc.; demonstrating good taste
• Tom behaved in a very decorous manner at the graduation, never raising his
voice or wiping his mouth on his sleeve
• The ettiquette consultant was hired by Maxine’s mother to supervise the
decorous behavior of all the servers at the wedding reception.
[-ly adv.]
defend (dif END) vt 1 to protect from attack; keep from harm or danger; 2 to
support, maintain, or justify; 3 (law) to oppose (an action); to plead (one’s case)
• Though the door is unlocked, a German shepherd in the living room is
usually adequate to defend a home from theft.
• I don’t need to defend my conduct in this case.
• The corporation had more than one attorney to defend it against liability
actions
[-ed, -ing, defense n., adj.]
deferment (di FOER mint) n a postponement; a putting off to a later time
• In the bad old days of the draft, college students were able to get deferments
until after graduation
• Deferment of jury duty is often obtainable by mothers of preschool children [(to) defer vt.]
Trang 3QUICK REVIEW #24
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing
1 damage
2 daze
3 debacle
4 debatable
5 debunk
6 deceive
7 decibel
8 decline
9 decorous
10 defend
11 deferment
a refuse
b protect
c mislead
d appropriate
e loudness
f postponement
g injure
h arguable
i failure
j expose
k stupor
defiant (di FY int) adj full of angry resistance; openly and boldly resisting (in
spite of opposition)
• The men defending the Alamo were defiant in the face of Santa Ana’s
over-whelmingly superior numbers
• Rosa Parks sparked civil rights awareness by being defiant of the “Blacks
ride in the back” convention of the day
[-ly adv., defiance n.]
deficit (DEF i sit) n the amount of money less than the necessary amount;
hav-ing more liabilities than assets, losses than profits, or expenditures than income
• The U.S government almost always has a financial deficit.
• Those in the high-tech sector of the stock market experienced a severe
deficit at the opening of the twenty-first century.
define (di FYN) vt 1 to state or set down the boundaries of; to delineate; 2 to
determine or state the nature or extent of; 3 to differentiate; 4 to state the mean-ing or meanmean-ings of a word (like we’re domean-ing here)
• A couple needs to define what will be expected of each before rushing
blindly into a marriage
• Mr Smedley, our head of sales, will now define what your job here will be.
• Never define a word by using that word in the definition.
[-d, defining, definition n.]
deleterious (DEL it ir ee uhss) adj bad for health or well-being; injurious;
harmful
• Smoking cigarettes is deleterious to everyone’s health, not just the smoker’s.
• An infestation of locusts can have a deleterious effect on a farmer’s crops [-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn pernicious]
Trang 4demagogue (DEM uh GOG) n one who tries to rouse the people by appealing
to emotion, prejudice, etc to win them over and attain (political) power
• Hitler was the most infamous demagogue of the twentieth century.
• Stalin was a terrible dictator, but he does not qualify as a demagogue
because he gained power by brute force alone
[demagogy, -ry n.]
demeanor (di MEEN oer) n outward manner; carriage; the way one behaves
• Princess Diana had a regal demeanor and a gentle one.
• Between a Rottweiler and a Doberman pinscher, the Rottie has the meaner
demeanor.
[Brit sp demeanour] [Syn bearing]
democracy (di MAHK ri see) n 1 government by the people, with the
popu-lace holding the reins of power, either directly or through elected representatives; power in the hands of the ruled; 2 a country, state, etc with that type of govern-ment; 3 majority rule; 4 the principle of equal rights and opportunities for all, and equal treatment by the legal system; the practice of these principles
• Athens had the first experiment in democracy we know of.
• American democracy was not viewed kindly by the crowned heads of
eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe
• India is the world’s largest democracy in terms of population.
• Schoolchildren learn the principles of democracy by voting for class officers
(who have little to no power)
• The U.S Constitution is the primary legal document that assures the
prin-ciples of democracy be followed.
demonstrate (DEM uhn STRAYT) vt 1 to prove; show by reasoning; 2 to
make clear or explain through examples, experiments, etc.; 3 to show how a prod-uct works or what it tastes like in order to sell it; 4 to show feelings plainly
• Descartes was the first philosopher to demonstrate his existence by the
dic-tum, “I think, therefore I am.”
• The operation of the steam engine is often demonstrated in classes using a
cutaway working model
• There are often people demonstrating certain foods at the warehouse club
by offering free samples in small cups
• Tears on her cheek demonstrated Patricia’s sadness.
[-d, demonstrating]
denounce* (di NOWNS) vt 1 to condemn publicly; inform against; 2 to accuse
of being evil; 3 to give formal notice of the termination of (a treaty, armistice, etc.)
• American loyalists denounced Washington as a traitor to the British Crown.
• The French patriots denounced Louis XVI as a tyrant.
• The Japanese government did not denounce the naval treaty that limited
the size and number of warships they could build; they just disregarded it [-d, denouncing] [Syn criticize]
deny (di NY) vt 1 to declare something untrue; contradict; 2 to not accept as
factual; to reject as unfounded, unreal, etc.; 3 to disown; to refuse to acknowledge
as one’s own; rerepudiate; 4 to not allow the use of or access to; 5 refuse to grant
or give; 6 to refuse a person’s request
Trang 5• Cara denied the charge that she had cheated on her diet.
• Evan did not deny having cheated on Mary but claimed that she had
cheat-ed on him first
• Ian denied having painted the big mural outside the store.
• Ryan was forced to deny Sophie use of the handicapped parking space on
the grounds that she wasn’t handicapped
• I deny all of you access to the ice cream in my freezer.
• I also must deny your request for parole
[denied, -ing, denial n.]
depict (di PIKT) vt 1 to portray; to represent in a painting, drawing, sculpture,
etc.; 2 to describe; to picture in words
• Leonardo DaVinci’s Last Supper depicts a Passover seder.
• A portrait artist will depict a likeness of you, for a fee.
• The sports section of today’s newspaper depicts a detailed account of
yester-day’s games, artfully drawn in words
[-ed, -ing, -ion n.]
deplore (di PLAWR) vt 1 to be sorry about; to regret; lament; 2 to regard as
unfortunate or awful; 3 to disapprove of; to condemn as wrong
• My neighbor’s mother deplores the day he was born.
• Any feeling individual must deplore the conditions in which the urban
homeless are condemned to live
• The whole world deplores the lack of safety measures that were in place at
Chernobyl’s nuclear power plant
[-d, deploring]
QUICK REVIEW #25
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing
1 defiant
2 deficit
3 define
4 deleterious
5 demagogue
6 demeanor
7 democracy
8 demonstrate
9 denounce
10 deny
11 depict
12 deplore
a prove
b lament
c bearing
d reject
e criticize
f portray
g lack
h pernicious
i popular rule
j rebellious
k rabble-rouser
l delineate
Trang 6deride (di RYD) vt to laugh at contemptuously or scornfully; to make fun of;
ridicule
• Jack derided his sister for having trouble riding the bicycle.
• It is poor form to deride anyone for his or her handicaps or inabilities [-d, deriding, derision n., derisive adj., deridingly adv.] [Syn ridicule]
derivative* (di RIV a TIV) adj 1 using or taken from other sources; 2 not original
—n something derived
• Many modern medicines are tropical plant derivatives.
• The Lord of the Rings movies were derivative films, having been taken from
Tolkein’s writings
• Chocolate is a derivative of the cacao bean.
[-ly adv.]
derive (di RYV) vt 1 to get, take, or receive something from a source; 2 to
arrive at by reasoning; deduce or infer; 3 to trace to or from its source; show the origin and development of
• Alice derived most of her term paper from Web sources.
• Pythagoras derived his famous theorem by drawing squares on the sides of
a right triangle and relating their areas
• The ancestry of many immigrants may be derived from the archives at Ellis
Island
[-d, deriving, derivation n.]
descent (dee SENT) n 1 a coming or going down; 2 lineage; ancestry; 3 a
downward slope; 4 a sudden attack or raid (on or upon); 5 a decline; fall
• Wally’s descent down the banister was much faster than it would have been
had he used the stairs
• Jack could trace his descent from a long line of no-good Nicks.
• The ski trail made a steep descent before leveling off.
• The Mongols’ descent upon the caravan came swiftly and without warning.
• The power of the Egyptian pharoahs was in descent long before the reign of
the last pharoah, Cleopatra
describe (di SKRYB) vt 1 to give a detailed account of; 2 to make a word
pic-ture of; 3 to trace or outline
• Lewis Carrol describes Alice’s adventures in Wonderland as growing
“curi-ouser and curi“curi-ouser.”
• Ernest Hemingway was able to describe places in words so that exotic,
detailed pictures formed in his readers’ minds
• Valerie used her compass to describe a 3 cm radius circle.
[-d, describing]
description (dis KRIP shin) n 1 the process of picturing in words; describing;
2 a statement or passage that describes; 3 sort, kind, or variety of; 4 the act of tracing or outlining
• James Michener’s description of the islands of the South Pacific were vivid
enough to transport the reader there
• Write a brief description of the accident and how you caused it to happen.
Trang 7• There are coffee beans of every description that are grown in South America,
Africa, and other places
• Hal’s arm swept through the description of a 90° arc.
design (di ZYN) vt 1 to make creative sketches of; to plan; 2 to plan and carry
out; 3 to form (plans) in the mind; to contrive; 4 to intend; purpose —n 1 a plan,
scheme, or project; 2 an aim or purpose; 3 a thing planned for or a result aimed at;
4 the organization of parts, details, form, color, etc to get an artistic result
• The architect designed the floor plan on a large sketch pad.
• It is hard to design a foolproof bank holdup, and he or she who thinks
otherwise is a fool
• Martha tried to design a plan of study that would help her get ready for the
math examination
• Bob designed to work straight through until dinner.
• The design of the house was Tara’s own.
• Jason built the plane from a commercial design.
• The wedding reception went off according to design.
• We should lay out the design for the painting before actually working on
the canvas
[-ed, -ing] [Syn intend, plan]
desolate (DES uh lit for adj., DES uh LAYT for v.) adj 1 isolated; lonely; solitary;
2 uninhabited; deserted; 3 made uninhabitable; in a ruined condition; 4 forlorn;
wretched —vt 1 to rid of inhabitants; 2 to make uninhabitable; to devastate; 3 to
forsake; abandon; 4 to make wretched, forlorn, etc
• Ed has been desolate since Trixie took his teddy bear.
• The desert island was a desolate place.
• The nuclear tests had left the land in a desolate state.
• The naval gunnery practice range was desolated by its almost constant
bombardment
• You’ll desolate me if you run away with my best friend without giving me
at least 10 days’ notice so that I can replace you
[-d, desolating, -ly adv.]
despise (dis PYZ) vt 1 to detest; to look on with contempt and scorn; 2 to
regard with dislike or repugnance
• The cowboys learned to despise the scorpions that crawled into their boots
at night
• They also despised eating pork and beans night after night.
[-d, despising] [Syn scorn, disdain]
destitution (DES ti TOO shin) n the state of being very poor; being without;
lacking the necessities of life; abject poverty
• Destitution is a condition in which it is unenviable to find oneself.
• Do not confuse destitution, a state of abject poverty, with restitution, a
pay-ing back for injuries caused
[Syn poverty]
Trang 8destruction (dis TRUHK shin) n 1 demolition; the act of destroying; slaughter;
2 the fact or state of being demolished; 3 the cause or means of demolition
• Peter’s task was to effect the destruction of the old ballpark so that it could
be replaced with a new one
• The tornado had caused almost complete destruction where it had touched
down
• Destruction is a good thing, when practiced in moderation.
[Syn ruin]
detachment (di TACH mint) n 1 a separating; 2 a unit of troops separated
from a larger unit for special duty; a small permanent unit organized for special service; 3 the state of being disinterested, impartial, or aloof
• The shipping container was a detachment from a long-haul tractor-trailer’s
bed
• A detatchment of marines was sent in to reconnoiter before the main
land-ing was to take place
• The cat watched the dog being bathed with complete detachment, having
no clue that she was to be next
QUICK REVIEW #26
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing
1 deride
2 derivative
3 derive
4 descent
5 describe
6 description
7 design
8 desolate
9 despise
10 destitution
11 destruction
12 detachment
a poverty
b impartiality
c ridicule
d scorn
e unoriginal
f ruin
g deduce
h scheme
i sudden attack
j forsake
k picture
l tracing
Trang 9determine (di TOER min) vt 1 to set limits to; to bound; define; 2 to settle a
dispute, question, etc.; to decide; 3 to come to a conclusion; 4 to assign direction to
• A chain-link fence determines the boundaries of many city playgrounds.
• A meeting between the two contenders should determine once and for all
the true heavyweight champion
• The jury has to determine whether the defendant is innocent, or guilty as
charged
• The prevailing winds will determine where the balloon goes.
[-d, determining] [Syn decide, learn]
detract (dee TRAKT) vt 1 to take or draw away (from); 2 to belittle; disparage
—vi to remove something desirable (from)
• We must not detract strength from his argument.
• Do not detract the importance of following one’s heart.
• Frowning detracts from her beauty.
[-ed, -ing, -or n.]
development (di VEL uhp mint) n 1 a growing or expanding (in size,
strength, etc.); 2 a step or stage in growth, advancement, etc.; 3 an event or an occurence; 4 a number of buildings on a large tract of land
• Ned’s development of his muscles is impressive.
• Development of the Polaroid picture is easy to see, as the image gains in
def-inition before your eyes
• What a revolting development this is!
• The new housing development will occupy 40 acres.
[-al adj., -ally adv.]
diagnosis (DY uhg NOH sis) n 1 the act of finding or classifying a condition
by means of medical examination, lab tests, etc.; 2 a careful studying and analyz-ing of the facts to understand or explain somethanalyz-ing; 3 a decision or opinion based
on such an analysis
• The diagnosis of strep infection came after the throat culture returned from
the lab
• Before we can diagnose your business’s problems, we must analyze your
clientele, your expenditures, and your suntan
• Steve’s diagnosis of the cause of the computer’s strange graphics was the
Rhino virus, which put a horn on every image’s nose
digression* (dy GRESH in) n 1 an act of straying from the main theme or idea
when talking or writing; 2 a temporary straying from the main theme
• During Bill’s discussion of bridge designing came a 10-minute-long digres-sion about his love of chocolate milk.
• Laura’s digression on her childhood was barely noticed by her art history
students, most of whom were already asleep
[(to) digress vi., -al adj.]
Trang 10dingy (DIN gee) adj 1 yucky; dull; not clean; grimy; 2 ragged; gloomy
• If you don’t use chlorine bleach on your cotton whites, you’re likely to
have them come out a dingy yellow.
• Jane’s attempt to wangle an invitation to the party was rather dingy [dingily adv., dinginess n.]
discern (dis OERN) vt 1 to clearly distinguish one thing from another or others;
to recognize as distinct or separate; 2 to clearly make out
• It was not hard to discern the difference between the hearts and the spades
in the deck of cards
• Terry discerned a feeling of approval rising from her captive audience [-ed, -ing, -able adj., -ably adv.] [Syn perceive, distinguish]
discordant* (dis KAWR dint) adj 1 not in agreement; conflicting; 2 out of
harmony; clashing; dissonant
• The unhappy incoming news was discordant with the recipient’s more
uplifting expectations
• A discordant note was struck by the politician addressing the labor union
leadership
[discordance or discordancy n., -ly adv.]
discount (DIS cownt for n., dis COWNT for v.) n 1 money off the usual price;
2 a deduction from a debt allowed for paying it early or in cash; 3 the interest rate
charged —vt 1 to pay or get the present value of a note less the interest; 2 to
sub-tract an amount or percent from (a bill, price, etc.); 3 to sell at less than the usual price; 4 to take a story, statement, opinion, etc at less than face value, or to totally disregard it as exaggeration
• Everything in the store was discounted 15%.
• Many Treasury bonds are sold at a discounted rate to allow for the interest
that will accrue between purchase and maturity
• Corporate bonds are often sold at a discount rate so that the purchaser pays
less than the face value
• In certain furniture stores, the pieces are marked so that the customer can
discount 50% to get the selling price.
• The police officer discounted most of Denise’s story, which made her role
look better than it actually was
[-ed, -ing] [Syn reduction]
discourse* (DIS kawrs) n 1 exchange of ideas, information, etc usually
through talking; conversation; 2 a long, formal speech or essay on a subject;
lec-ture; treatise; dissertation —vi 1 to carry on a talk; confer; 2 to speak or write
for-mally and at some length
• The secretary of state gave a discourse on foreign policy.
• The doctoral candidate’s dissertation was a discourse on the number of seeds
that one might expect to find on various breeds of strawberries and why
• The two musicians discoursed with each other about the meaning of
Beethoven’s notations in the margins of his pieces
• The president discoursed at some length about not knowing how the
terri-ble economy could be fixed and about how it wasn’t his fault anyway [-d, discoursing] [Syn speak]