capable of creating the desired result; actually creating that result; effective • Aspirin is an efficacious medication with many uses.. using a minimum of effort, expense, or waste to c
Trang 1eccentric* (ek SEN trik) adj 1 not having the same center; 2 not exactly circular
in shape or motion; 3 deviating from the norm, as in behavior; odd; unconventional
• If one circle is drawn inside another and they are not concentric, they
must be eccentric.
• A football is of an eccentric shape.
• Unless one who dresses in a red wig with matching suspenders and over-sized shoes is a clown, he or she would have to be called more than a bit
eccentric.
eclectic (ek LEK tik) adj 1 taken from various sources, systems, or doctrines;
2 made up of materials gathered from many different sources, systems, etc
• A good historian gathers his or her information from eclectic sources rather
than just one
• Eclectic is the only way to describe the earliest computers, which were
made from vacuum tubes and a variety of condensers and resistors
ecological* (ek uh LAH ji kl) adj having to do with the relations between
liv-ing thliv-ings and their environment or a certain organism and its environment
• The plants and animals that live in and around a pond have their own
intertwined ecological subsystem.
• Urban sprawl’s ecological impact can be clearly seen in the presence of deer
and bears on suburban roadways
economic (ek uh NAH mik) adj 1 dealing with the management of income,
expenditures, etc of a household, business, community, or government; 2 con-cerning the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth; 3 concerned
with the material needs of people; —pl the social science that is concerned with
the preceding
• The economic well-being of his or her household is a major concern to the
head of any family
• The indices of economic indicators give a reading of how well the country’s
economy is doing
• People’s main economic needs are as much as it takes for them to live
comfortably
• Economics is the social science devoted to the study of supply and demand.
[-ally adv.]
ecstatic (ek STA tik) adj 1 having the nature of being overpowered by joy,
hap-piness, or rapture; 2 causing or caused by ecstasy
• Morissa was absolutely ecstatic over the raise in salary that she had
received
• It was an ecstatic day for the world champions.
[-ally adv.]
91
Trang 2effect (uh FEKT) n 1 something resulting from a cause; a result; 2 the ability
to bring about results; 3 an influence or action on something —vt to bring about;
to produce as a result; to cause; to accomplish
• When someone tickles you, the effect is that you laugh.
• Drinking too much can have the effect of making you light-headed.
• The Kid has the talent and quickness to effect a knockout in three rounds.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn consequence, outcome; Ant cause]
effective* (uh FEK tiv) adj 1 creating a result; 2 creating a definite or desired
result; efficient; 3 in effect; operative; active; 4 actual, rather than potential or the-oretical; 5 equipped and ready for combat
• Winston Churchill was a very effective speaker.
• Certain bug sprays are more effective than others.
• The order to report is effective within 24 hours.
• We will have an effective solution within the week.
• The marines will have an effective force on the ground by the first of next
month
[-ly adv.]
efficacious* (EF I KAY shis) adj capable of creating the desired result; actually
creating that result; effective
• Aspirin is an efficacious medication with many uses.
[-ly adv.] [Syn effective]
efficient (ef FISH int) adj using a minimum of effort, expense, or waste to
cause a desired result with
• A diesel engine is much more efficient than a steam engine, even though
diesel fuel is not clean burning
• When your desk is organized in an efficient manner, those things you use
most often are the most accessible
egregious (e GREE juhs) adj terrible; filled with undesirable qualities; amazingly
bad; flagrant
• When the American people elected [you fill in the name], they made an
egregious error.
• The dinner served on our flight from St Louis was absolutely egregious.
[-ly adv.]
elated* (ee LAY tid) adj very happy; joyful; filled with elation; high spirited
• Terry was elated when he saw that his family had come to watch him play
baseball
• Ian was elated at the sight of his grandma’s chocolate cream pies.
[-ly adv.]
element (EL i mint) n 1 the most basic (as-small-as-it-gets) part or principle of
anything, whether concrete or abstract; 2 a component; a constituent; an ingredi-ent; a factor; a building block
• There are 106 known chemical elements, of which 96 occur in nature.
• Your argument seems to contain an element of truth.
• Elements of the Eighth Army neared Baghdad.
Trang 3elicit (el IS it) vt 1 to draw out; evoke; 2 to cause to be revealed
• Perry’s quiet manner was meant to elicit a confession.
• She hoped to elicit a hint as to what her present might be.
• The pitch was made to elicit enough sympathy to get a monetary contribution.
[-ed, -ing, -able adj., -ation n.]
elite (e LEET) n 1 those selected or regarded as the finest, best, most
distin-guished, etc.; 2 a size of type for typewriters (remember them?) measuring 12
char-acters per inch —adj of, forming, or suitable for elites
• The SEALS are the elite of the U.S Navy.
• The elite of the feline family is the Siberian tiger.
• My old IBM Selectric II used courier (10 characters per inch) and elite
(12 characters per inch) interchangable type balls
• The British Commandos are an elite group.
QUICK REVIEW #31
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing
1 eccentric
2 eclectic
3 ecological
4 economic
5 ecstatic
6 effect
7 effective
8 efficacious
9 efficient
10 egregious
11 elated
12 element
13 elicit
14 elite
a extract
b best
c joyful
d finest
e horrible
f component
g interrelated
h actual
i rapturous
j working
k outcome
l of money
m hodgepodge
n unconventional
Trang 4elocution (EL i KYOO shin) n 1 vocalizing words distinctly when speaking in
public; 2 the art of public speaking or declaiming (now usually associated with a studied or artificial style)
• Cicero was well known for his elocution in the Senate of ancient Rome.
• Proper elocution requires one to project from the diaphragm rather than
just speaking with one’s voice
• Opera singers are often taught elocution.
[-ary adj., -ist n.]
eloquent* (EL uh kwint) adj 1 having a vivid, forceful, fluent, graceful, and
persuasive quality of writing or speech; 2 vividly expressive
• Mark Twain was an eloquent speaker as well as a humorous one.
• Rachel shrugged and sighed an eloquent sigh.
[-ly adv.]
elude (il OOD) vt 1 to use quickness, cunning, etc to avoid being captured;
evade; 2 to escape detection, notice, or understanding
• The fox does not often elude detection by the hounds.
• The prisoner eluded the guards by hiding in the laundry bin.
• I recognize her face, but her name eludes me.
[-d, eluding] [Syn escape]
embellishment* (em BEL ish mint) n 1 fancying up; 2 something that
adorns, as an ornament, or a bit of fancifulness added to a factual account; a fancy musical phrase
• Tree lights and icicles are often added as embellishments.
• A good storyteller often adds a few embellishments, just to make his (or
someone else’s) role appear more important
• William F Cody’s (Buffalo Bill’s) autobiography has often been called one
big embellishment from start to finish.
• A rimshot on a snare drum accompanying a TV talk-show host’s punch
line is an embellishment.
embitter (em BIT ir) vt 1 to anger; make resentful or morose; 2 to make more
bitter; exascerbate; aggravate
• Ignore his cynicism; he’s just an embittered old grouch.
• Pulling her hair is bound to embitter her even further.
[-ed, -ing, -ment n.]
embrace (em BRAYS) vt 1 to enfold in the arms, usually as an expression of
affection or desire; to hug; 2 to accept readily; to avail oneself of; 3 to take up or adopt (especially eagerly or seriously); 4 to include; contain
• The homecoming sailor happily embraced his wife and child.
• Phyllis embraced Cathy’s offer to help her with math.
• Mr Jones eagerly embraced his new profession.
• The science of biology embraces zoology and botany.
[-d, embracing] [Syn include]
Trang 5embroil (em BROYL) vt 1 to mix things up; bungle; jumble; 2 to lure into a
battle or fight; get into trouble
• His waffling on the subject served only to embroil matters.
• The North and South were embroiled in the bloody Civil War.
[-ed, -ing, -ment n.]
emend (ee MEND) vt 1 to make scholarly corrections or improvements to a
text; 2 (rare) to correct or improve
• Loren had to emend the manuscript to take into account the latest
informa-tion on the subject
• After finding errors, the author emended the text.
[-ed, -ing]
emergence* (ee MOER jins) n 1 a becoming visible; coming forth into view; a
coming out; 2 an outgrowth from beneath the outer layer of a plant
• The sudden emergence of the beluga whale from beneath the surface caught
all the whale watchers by surprise
• The emergence of the sun from below the horizon is well worth getting up
early to watch
• It took a few weeks before the emergence of the prickles on the rosebush.
emigrate (EM i grayt) vt to leave one country to settle down in another
• During the potato famine, many people emigrated from Ireland and came
to the United States
• Albert Einstein emigrated to the United States from Germany.
[-d, emigrating] [Syn migrate; Ant immigrate]
eminent (EM in int) adj 1 rising above other things or places, both literally
and figuratively; high; lofty; 2 projecting; prominent; protruding; 3 standing high when compared to others, as in rank or achievement; renowned; exalted; distinguished
• The Matterhorn is an eminent peak in the Swiss Alps.
• The office of U.S senator is an eminent position.
• George Patton was a general with eminent achievements.
[-ly adv., eminence n.] [Syn famous]
emissary (EM is ery) n an agent of a government, a company, or an individual
sent on a certain mission
• The Italian ambassador to the United Nations was sent as an emissary to
the peace talks
• Although the United States was never a member of the League of Nations,
our government sent an emissary there to look out for American interests.
[emissaries pl.]
Trang 6QUICK REVIEW #32
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing
1 elocution
2 eloquent
3 elude
4 embellishment
5 embitter
6 embrace
7 embroil
8 emend
9 emergence
10 emigrate
11 eminent
12 emissary
a leave
b anger
c appearance
d declaiming
e famous
f ornamentation
g include
h fluent
i jumble
j agent
k edit
l evade
emollient (i MAHL yint) n something with a softening or soothing effect,
espe-cially a medicinal lotion applied to the skin of the body
• After a day outside, an emollient is helpful in combating the drying effect
of the wind
• Women are more likely to use an emollient than men because the former
care more about maintaining their appearance
emotional (i MOH shin uhl) adj 1 of dealing with strong feelings; 2 showing
feelings, especially strong ones; 3 easily or quick to weep, be angry, etc.; 4 appeal-ing to the emotions; movappeal-ing people to tears, anger, etc
• Karen always gets very emotional at weddings.
• Victor’s return from overseas was an emotional time for his whole family.
• Films that cause emotional reactions with lots of tears and “awws!” are
often classified as “chick flicks.”
[-ly adv.]
emphasize (EM fuh SYZ) vt to give special force and importance to; to stress
• When dealing with heart disease, doctors emphasize that speed in getting
treatment is urgent
• Using eyeliner emphasizes the beauty of your eyes.
[-d, emphasizing] [Syn stress]
Trang 7emphatic (em FA tik) adj 1 expressed or done with force of expression or
stress; 2 using emphasis (stressing) while speaking or expressing oneself; 3 very striking; forcible; definite
• George was emphatic in his dislike for broccoli.
• When scheduling the students versus teachers basketball game, Mr Hilson
was emphatic that it would be played come rain or shine.
• At Waterloo, Napoleon received an emphatic defeat.
[-ally adv.]
emulate* (EM yoo LAYT) vt 1 to try to equal or surpass, often by copying;
2 to imitate (a person one admires); 3 to rival in success
• Jason learned to do plumbing and wiring by attempting to emulate what he
had seen his dad do
• Many successful comedians emulate the timing of the late Jack Benny.
• Some companies have become very successful by emulating others.
[-d, emulating]
encompass* (en KAHM pis) vt 1 to close in all around; surround; encircle;
2 to contain; include; 3 to bring about; achieve
• The Galley restaurant was completely encompassed by the boat basin.
• The resident pass program encompasses our efforts to deal with the parking
problem around the college
• The new athletic complex, when completed, will encompass the complete
revitalization of the neighborhood
[-ed, -ing]
encourage (in KOER ij) vt 1 to give braveness, hope, or confidence; to
embolden; hearten; 2 to give support to; to be favorable to; to foster; to help
• When Ian first put on ice skates, everyone tried to encourage him—not an
easy task because he spent as much time on his belly as on his feet
• All voters should encourage their senators and representatives to support
legislation to improve the environment
[-d, encouraging, -ment n.]
endorse (in DAWRS) vt 1 to sign one’s name on the back of a check;
2 to write a note, title, etc on a document; 3 to give approval to; support;
sanction
• One must endorse a check before it can be cashed.
• Jack’s teacher endorsed his essay with remarks in red ink.
• It is with great pleasure that I endorse that great American icon, Mickey
Mouse, for president of the United States
[-d, endorsing, -ment n.] [Syn approve]
Trang 8endure (in DUR or ind YUR) vt 1 to hold up under (pain, fatigue, etc.);
to stand; bear; undergo; 2 to put up with; tolerate —vi 1 to continue in existence;
last; survive; 2 to bear pain, fatigue, etc without flinching; hold out
• It is reputedly well documented that women can endure pain better
than men
• Jane endured the cat hair on the rug for as long as she could, before she
bought the boa constrictor
• The United States has endured for more than 200 years.
• He’s holding a 25-pound weight in his left hand; let’s see how long he can
endure.
[-d, enduring, endurance n.] [Syn bear, continue]
energy (EN oer JEE) n 1 potential force; inherent power; capacity for vigorous
action; 2 such forces in action; 3 strength or power efficiently exerted; 4 various resources such as coal, gas, or petroleum from which heat or electrical energy can
be produced; 5 (physics) the capacity to do work
• Myles’s mom hoped that he’d use up all his energy in the playground so
that he’d be ready for a nap
• Running around and around in circles uses a lot of energy.
• It took a good deal of energy to knock home railroad spikes with a
sledgehammer
• Electrical energy is most efficiently produced by converting the energy
con-tained in sunlight
• In physics, work is the amount of energy used multiplied by the distance an
object is moved and is measured in foot-pounds
[Syn strength]
enervate* (EN oer VAYT) vt to sap of strength, life, vigor, etc.; to weaken in
some way, physically or otherwise; to devitalize; to —adj weakened
• A long commute to work each morning is enough to enervate some people.
• Many were enervated by the sight of the fall of the World Trade Center
before being angered to strike back
• A home team’s losing streak can be an enervating thing.
[-d, enervating, enervation n.] [Syn unnerve, weaken]
enhance (in HAENS) vt 1 to make greater (in cost, value, beauty, etc.);
height-en; augment; 2 to improve the quality or condition of; 3 to electronically improve the clarity of an image, photo, etc by means of a computer
• Planting shade trees often enhances the value of a home.
• A trip to the salon enhanced Audrey’s appearance.
• Digital photos can often readily be enhanced by the machines at your
photo processor’s counter
[-d, enhancing, -ment n.] [Syn intensify]
Trang 9QUICK REVIEW #33
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing
1 emollient
2 emotional
3 emphasize
4 emphatic
5 emulate
6 encompass
7 encourage
8 endorse
9 endure
10 energy
11 enervate
12 enhance
a approve
b improve
c softener
d imitate
e strength
f moving
g encircle
h devitalize
i stress
j foster
k continue
l forcible
enigmatic* (EN ig MAT ik) adj of or like a puzzle; perplexing; baffling
• Don’s expression was enigmatic; we could not even imagine what he was
thinking
• How the giant snowball appeared on the baseball field in the middle of
June was enigmatic.
[-ally* adv.] [Syn obscure]
enjoy (en JOY) vt 1 to experience pleasure; get pleasure from; relish; 2 to have
the benefit or advantage of
• Margo enjoys listening to a Beethoven symphony.
• Steven enjoyed his song’s receiving a large measure of radio and TV airtime.
[-ed, -ing]
enlighten (en LY tin) vt 1 to free from ignorance, prejudice, or superstition;
2 to inform; make clear to; educate
• Years of experience with the electorate had served to enlighten the senator
about the folly of favoring one group over another
• Please enlighten me as to the time you got home last night.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn inform]
enmity (EN mi tee) n the bitter anger or feeling of an enemy, or of mutual
enemies toward one another; hostility; antagonism
• The Romans and the Scots had great enmity toward one another.
• Considerable enmity characterized rival gangs of Chicago during
Prohibition
[Syn hostility, animosity, antagonism]
Trang 10ensemble (on SOM bil) n 1 all parts taken together; the total effect; 2 a
com-plete costume, especially one having matching articles of clothing, like a suit;
3 a group of actors, dancers, etc., who perform together; 4 a musical group
• The success of the debating team does not rest on the shoulders of one
member but falls on the ensemble.
• With two pairs of pants, two blouses, and two jackets, you can make eight
different ensembles.
• This is a theatrical ensemble, with no single star.
• The string quartet was a very talented ensemble.
epidemiology (EP i DEEM ee OL uh jee) n 1 the branch of medicine that
investigates the causes and control of epidemics; 2 all of the elements that com-bine to cause or prevent a disease in a population; ecology of a disease
• The epidemiology of the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa has been
stud-ied very carefully
• The epidemiology of West Nile virus and its outbreak in the eastern United
States is under close scrutiny
[epidemiological adj., epidemiologist n.]
epilogue (EP i LOG) n 1 a closing section added to a novel, play, etc
provid-ing extra comment, interpretation, or information; 2 a short speech or poem read
by an actor to the audience at the end of a play
• An epilogue is to the end of a story what a prologue is to the beginning.
• After his opera Don Giovanni ended with the lead character’s going to hell, Mozart felt obliged to add an epilogue that said the Don’s departure left the
world a happier place
• Douglas MacArthur’s “Old Soldiers Never Die” speech to Congress may be
looked upon as the epilogue to his career.
epitaph (EP it AF) n 1 words written on a tomb or gravestone in memory of
the person buried there; 2 a short piece in prose or verse, written as a tribute to a dead person, past event, etc
• W C Fields proposed the following epitaph for himself: “Here lies W C.
Fields I would rather be living in Philadelphia.” (It is not on his tombstone.)
• When World War II ended, its epitaph was splashed across newspaper front
pages in every city
epitomize* (i PIT uh MYZ) vt 1 to summarize the main points of a book,
report, incident, etc.; 2 showing all the particular qualities of something
• A good book report should critique as well as epitomize the story of the
book
• Actor Michael Douglas epitomizes most of the qualities of his father, Kirk.
[-d, epitomizing] [Syn summarize]
eradicate (ir AD ik AYT) vt 1 to tear out by the roots; uproot; 2 get rid of;
wipe out; destroy
• Marge tried to eradicate the dandelions in her lawn.
• It was not so easy to eradicate the nest of hornets that took up lodgings on
the front porch
[-d, eradicating, eradication n.] [Syn exterminate]