Vocabulary Study: A Words

Vocabulary Study Notes

• To become less intense or widespread is to abate.
• An abattoir is a place where animals are slaughtered for consumption as food.
• The superior of a monastery is an abbot.
• An abbreviation is a reduced or shorter form intended to stand for the whole.
• To give up one's authority or throne is to abdicate.
• Abdication is the act of giving up, renouncing, the throne.
• Aberration means deviation from the right course.
• Ablution refers to the act of washing oneself.
• To refuse or deny oneself is to abnegate.
• To formally put an end to a system, practice, or institution means to abolish.
• Aboriginal describes existing in a land from the earliest times or from before the arrival of colonists.
• Aborigines are the original inhabitants/natives of a country.
• A shortened version of a larger work is called an abridgement or abridgment.
• To cancel or do away with a law or agreement means to abrogate.
• To go away suddenly and secretly in order to escape from somewhere is to abscond.
• Absolution refers to formal forgiveness of one's sins.
• Wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous is considered absurd.
• To increase the speed is to accelerate.
• Any award, honour, or laudatory notice is an accolade.
• To help another to commit a crime or to do something morally wrong is to be an accomplice.
• To be harmonious or consistent with something is to accord.
• An accountant is a person whose profession is to keep accounts.
• Acerbic defines sharp, bitter, or harsh in temper.
• Acoustics is the scientific study of sound.
• To decide and state officially in court that somebody is not guilty of a crime is to acquit.
• An acrobat is an entertainer who performs difficult physical feats.
• An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word.
• Acrophobia is the fear of great heights.
• To do something or to behave in a particular way, or to perform a part in a play/film/function is considered act.
• Actionable defines giving cause for legal action.
• To make a machine active or operative is to activate.
• Acumen is the ability to make good judgments and take quick decisions, or sharpness and accuracy of judgement.
• An addict is a person who is physically dependent on a substance or harmful drugs.
• To believe in and follow the practices of is to adhere.
• Adolescence is the period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood.
• Adonis describes an extremely beautiful young man.
• Very attractive and easy to feel love for is adorable.
• To make impure by adding inferior substances is to adulterate.
• Adventurous means willing to take risks and try new ideas.
• To advocate is a person who supports or speaks in favour of something.
• Aerial means growing, existing, or living in air.
• Aesthetic refers to being concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.
• Agenda is a list of items to be discussed at a meeting.
• To increase the importance, position or wealth is to aggrandize.
• Aggressive describes always ready to attack or quarrel; hostile and violent.
• Agnostic defines one who is not sure about God's existence.
• Agony means extreme mental or physical suffering.
• An album is a blank book for keeping a collection of photographs, stamps or pictures.
• Alchemy refers to the study of chemistry in a medieval fashion.
• Algaecide is a substance for killing algae.
• Algophobia is the fear of pain.
• To decide and state officially in court that somebody is not guilty of a crime is to acquit.
• An alien is a person belonging to a foreign country, or a fictional being from another world.
• Alimony refers to the money paid to a former wife, husband or partner when the marriage is ended.
• Allegory means a story, play, picture, etc. in which each character/event is a symbol representing an idea/a quality.
• Alliteration is the words that begin with the same letter, syllable or sound, or the repetition of an initial sound in two or more words of a line.
• Alluvium is soil deposited by flowing water.
• Alma Mater means the school or college in which one has been educated.
• An almanac is a publication containing astronomical or meteorological annual calendar that contains important dates and time.
• Alpinism involves mountain climbing.
• An altar is a table or flat surface where offerings are made to a deity.
• An altimeter is an instrument that measures the altitude of the land surface.
• Altitude is the height above sea level.
• An altruist is someone who makes charitable donations intended to the welfare of other people.
• An alumnus is a former student of a school, college or university.
• An amateur is one who plays for pleasure rather than as a profession.
• Amaxophobia is a fear of riding in a car.
• An ambassador is a diplomatic representative in another country.
• Ambidextrous means able to use the left hand and right hand equally well.
• Ambience is the character and atmosphere of a place.
• Ambiguous is the capable of being understood in either of two or more possible senses, therefore not definite.
• Having or showing both good and bad feelings is to be ambivalent.
• An ambivert is someone who has the qualities like shyness and openness at the same time.
• To walk or move at a slow, relaxed pace is to amble.
• To make something bad or unsatisfactory is to ameliorate.
• Readily reacting to suggestions and influences, willing to be guided or controlled is amendable.
• Someone who is friendly and good natured is amicable.
• In a friendly and peaceable manner is amicably.
• Amnesia is a partial or total loss of memory.
• Amnesty is an official pardon, especially the formal act of liberating someone.
• Not following any moral rules and not caring about right or wrong is to be amoral.
• Amphibians describes animals that can live both on land and in water.
• An amputee is a person who has had one or more limbs removed.
• An anagram is a word or a phrase formed by rearranging a different word.
• An analogy is a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison can be based.
• Analysis defines detailed examination of something complex.
• An anarchist believes that laws and governments are not necessary.
• Anarchy is a situation in a country, an organization, in which there is no government, order or control.
• Anatomy is the branch of science concerned with the bodily structure of humans, animals, and other living organisms.
• An anchor presents a radio/television programme.
• Ancient means belonging to long past.
• An anecdote is a short, interesting or amusing story about a real person or an event.
• Anomie is a severe dislike/hostility
• To destroy completely means Annihilate
• Anniversary is the date on which an event happened in some previous year.
• Annuity refers to a fixed sum paid annually.
• An anomaly happens departures from the common rule.
• Anonymous describes one whose names are not known or an unknown author.
• Anorexia defines obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat.
• Anthology is a collection of poems, stories, etc., that have been written by different people and published together in a book.
• Anthropologist means one who studies the evolution of mankind.
• Anthropology is the study of human race, especially of its origin, development, customs, and beliefs.
• To anticipate is to look forward to.
• Antidote is a medicine to nullify the effect of poison or another medicine.
• Antipathy means strong dislike between two persons.
• An antiquarian studies or deals with antique things.
• Antithesis refers to the exact opposite.
• Antonym is the words which are opposite in meaning.
• Apartheid refers to a policy that separates people on the basis of race.
• An apartment describes a set of rooms forming one residence in a building.
• Apathetic describes showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern.
• Apathy is the feeling of not being interested in or enthusiastic due to medical problem.
• Aphasia is a loss of speech due to medical problem.
• Apiary indicates a place where bees are kept.
• To apologize is to express regret for something that one has done wrong.
• Dwarf varieties of trees and shrubs grown in pots are known as Bonsai.
• Bonus is a Sum of money added to a person’s wages as a reward for good performance.
• Bookworm is basically a avid book reader that reads a lot.
• Boomerang is a hunting weapon which comes back used by Australian Aborigines.
• Borrow means to take something on loan with the intention of returning it.
• Botanist means one who is well-versed in the knowledge of plants.
• Botany refers to the scientific study of plants and their structure.
• Bottleneck is a narrow or busy section of road where traffic often gets slower and stops.
• Boulevard is a broad road bordered with trees.
• Bouguet refers to an arrangement of flowers that is usually given as a present.
• Bourgeois means belonging to middle class.
• Boutique describes a small shop that sells fashionable clothes.
• Bovine describes that which affecting or relating to cows or cattle.
• Bower refers to a shady place under trees.
• Breach refers to an act of breaking or failing to observe a law.
• Brewery: a factory where beer is made.
• Bridle: leather straps put around a horse's head to control it.
• Brigand: member of a band of robbers.
• Brittle: hard but easily broken.
• Brood refers to the young of an animal cared for at one time and also a family of young birds.
• Brunch: a meal usually taken late in the morning that combines a late breakfast and an early lunch.
• Brunette: a woman with dark brown hair
• Budgeting: an itemized summary of estimated expenses for a given period along with proposals for financing them.
• Bullion: gold and silver before using for manufacturing ornaments.
• Bundle: a collection of sticks.
• Bungalow: a large single detached house with a single or double story.