Vocabulary English-English With A Part 2
Albeit (conjunction)
conceding the fact that; even though
- Saliva provides another example, albeit less exotic, of taste modification.
Alias (noun)
a false or assumed name
- Similar to past Russian revolutionaries, Joseph Stalin adopted many aliases to evade arrest.
Alien (noun)
A person coming from another country
- During World War II, restrictions were imposed upon many aliens in the US, especially if they were of Japanese origin.
Alignment (noun)
the act of adjusting to a line; the state of being so adjusted
- Due to the car accident, his back went out of alignment.
Allocate (verb)
to apportion for a specific purpose or to particular persons or things
- The industries affected -- including oil refineries, steel, cement, ceramics, glass and paper will feel the pinch next March when European Union governments must say how they will allocate the 2 allowances firms will need to operate from 2005.
Alternative (noun)
the power or right of choosing
- Recently, wind power has become an appealing alternative to fossil based fuels, especially in countries with scarce petroleum and ample wind.
Alter (noun)
the act of changing some particular aspect of someone (i.e., personality) or something
- Various triggers can cause the brains alter to take control of the mental processes of the victim for periods of time.
Altitude (noun)
the distance of something from a given level, especially referring to sea level
- The summit of Mount Everest is at an altitude of 29,000 feet.
Amateur (noun)
one lacking professional skill
- It is learned that the impact might produce a sudden brightening of the comet visible to
amateur astronomers with small telescopes.
Ambitious (adjective)
full of strong desire to achieve something
- George Washington was well informed, ambitious, and public spirited.
Amid (preposition)
in or into the middle of
- Fertile lands exist in the Midwest amid the rolling hills and low-lying valleys.
Amass (verb)
to collect for oneself; to gather or pile up especially little by little
- Aubrey Huff had two hits and four RBI's, Marlon Anderson hit a three run homer, and Travis Lee and Ben Grieve had consecutive homers in a five run fifth for the Devil Rays, which amassed 18 hits. Every starter had at least one.
Amnesia (noun)
having partial or total loss of memory
- Lance suffered from temporary amnesia after his brain surgery.
Analogous (adjective)
possessing the same or almost the same characteristics
- Bats' wings are modifications of the hands of the common mammalian ancestor, whereas flying squirrels' wings are modifications of its rib cage, hence making the two structures merely analogous: similar in function.
Anatomical (adjective)
resembling the bodily structure of animals and plants
- It's clear that these structures are not homologous to the wings of bats because they have a fundamentally different anatomical plan, reflecting a different evolutionary history.
Ancestor (noun)
a person from whom one is descended
- The scientific question is whether the chimps' abilities are homologous to human language; that is, whether the two systems show the same basic organization owing to descent from a single system in their common ancestor.
Animator (noun)
one that contributes to the animation of a cartoon
- Disney employed many animators during the production of the movie, The Little Mermaid.
Anomaly (noun)
something different, abnormal, peculiar, or not easily classified
- Science-fiction writers may claim to have created warped space and light bending celestial anomalies, but these are, in fact, actual physical phenomena.
Antagonize (verb)
to act in opposition to; to incur or provoke the hostility of
- The summit was further complicated by France and Germany, which had spoken out against the U.S.-led attack on Iraq, choosing to concentrate on rebuilding relations with Washington rather than antagonizing it further.
Antic (noun)
an attention drawing often wildly playful or funny act or action
- The contestants on the African reality-television program may be divided, but their antics have united viewers across the continent and in the process created an unlikely cultural force.
Antiquity (noun)
ancient times, especially before the middle ages
- New York, Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong are similar to city states of antiquity (e.g. Athens, Rome, Carthage) or medieval times (e.g. the Hanseatic League), except that these modern city-states engage in instant electronic communication and capital transfer, and are the chief recipients of world population growth.
Apartheid (noun)
racial segregation; specifically: a policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa
- Mandela, 85 next month, received a Nobel Peace prize for his role in guiding South Africa from apartheid to multiracial democracy.
Apocryphal (adjective) of doubtful authenticity
- More than simply a renowned Mississippi writer, the Nobel Prize winning novelist and short story writer, William Faulkner, is acclaimed throughout the world as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, one who transformed his "postage stamp" of native soil into an apocryphal setting in which he explored, articulated, and challenged the old truths of the heart.
Appalled at (verb)
to deprive of courage or the power to act as a result of fear, anxiety, or disgust
- Many voters were appalled at the misconduct of President Richard Nixon even though they had voted for him.
Apparatus (noun)
something, as a machine, devised for a particular function
- The right exercise apparatuses help an athlete to increase muscular strength and endurance.
Apparent (adjective)
readily seen, perceived, or understood
- Many inclusions in diamonds are not discernable to the naked eye and require magnification to become apparent.
Apparition (noun)
a sudden or dramatic appearance of an object or supernatural being
- Mercury, known since at least the time of the Sumerians (3rd millennium BC), was given two names by the Greeks: Apollo for its apparition as a morning star and Hermes as an evening star.
Application (noun)
a connection to the matter at hand; the condition of being put to use
- A Cognitive Psychology program is especially geared towards the application of formal and computational modeling and neuroscience methods to these basic questions.
Apprenticeship (noun)
a type of training in which one learns by practical experience under skilled workers in an art, trade, or calling
- A young worker bee’s apprenticeship includes taking care of the queen and her eggs, cleaning out the hive, cooling the hive by fanning its wings, and attacking intruders.
Apt (adjective)
having or showing a tendency or likelihood
- The thesis is apt to be stated somewhere in the last few paragraphs, in which case the preceding paragraphs gradually lead up to it, or else somewhere right after the introduction, in which case the balance of the essay justifies the statement and refers back to it.