A vocabulary

Absorb (verb)

to occupy the full attention of, for example, to take in moisture or liquid.
Therapists who believe in the reality of Multiple Personality Disorder generally believe it to be caused by very severe abuse during childhood violence so extreme that the child cannot absorb the trauma in its entirety.

Abandon (verb)

to give up without intending to return or claim again.

Vinland was the first European Settlement in the New World but now was abandoned.

Abdomen (noun)

B vocabulary

Babble (verb)

to talk aimlessly or incoherently.

At approximately the age of six months, a child begins to babble, but many of the sounds he/she makes may not yet carry meaning for the child.

Backed (adjective)

characterized as promoting the interests or cause of or upholding or defending as valid.

The U.S. House earlier this year passed a Bush administration backed measure that would ban both types of cloning. The measure hasn't been acted on in the Senate.

Backsplash (noun)

C vocabulary

Callisthenic (adjective)

fitness exercises.

After doing some boxing style punch drills and after flicking your wrists, you can also do some callisthenic exercises such as sit ups, crunches, and push ups.

Camouflage (noun)

to change or modify so as to prevent recognition of the true identity or character of.

The color pattern of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake is due to its environment, as it helps to camouflage the snake in the sand or rocks.

Campaign (noun)

D vocabulary

Dashboard (noun)

a panel extending across the interior of a vehicle as an automobile below the windshield and usually containing dials and controls.

In a demonstration at an imaginary dashboard, Michael greeted the computer ("Good morning, Sally"), told it he was catching a flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport and received a map and spoken directions, estimated travel time, the state of the

traffic ahead, the weather, the flight's status, country music on the radio and directions to an Italian restaurant en route.

Database (noun)

E vocabulary

Easternmost (adjective)

the farthest east of a boundary or territory.

On the easternmost edge of Colorado lies a Native American settlement.

Eccentricity (noun)

deviating from the normal or customary; peculiar behavior.

The high eccentricity of Mercury's orbit would produce very strange effects for an observer on Mercury's surface. At some longitudes the observer would see the Sun rise and then gradually increase in apparent size as it slowly moved toward the zenith.

F vocabulary

Facet (noun)

the particular angle from which something is considered.

The album ranged widely across the various facets of contemporary Rhythm and Blues including the dance hit Ai No Corrida and making a star out of James Ingram with his

lead vocals featured on Just Once and One Hundred Ways.

Facilitation (noun)

G vocabulary

Gadget (noun)

an often small mechanical or electronic device with a practical use but often thought of as a novelty.
Online search engine Google introduced several new gadgets in its popular toolbar for Web browsers, hoping to build even greater brand loyalty amid heightened competition.

Gage, gauge (verb)

to judge how people feel about something or what they are likely to do.
Officials hope to gauge the effects alcohol programs.

Galaxy (noun)

H vocabulary

Haggle (verb)

to negotiate over the terms of a purchase, agreement, or contract.
Many felt--or were told--that the dealer wouldn’t haggle because of special pricing or financing on the vehicle.

Handicap (verb)

to have an unfavorable condition, circumstance, or characteristic.
In searching for a cure for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus, researchers have been handicapped because of a lacking of funding by the government.

Habitat (noun)

I vocabulary

Icon (noun)

an object of extreme devotion.
Raccoons are known for their intelligence and ability to get out of any jam. Their cunning and survival skills make them one of the icons of the American wilderness. Humans well know that it's nearly impossible to outsmart them and keep them out of garbage cans!

Ideal (noun)

a fervent hope, wish, or goal.
Cervantes's work, a keen critique of the literature of his time, presented the clash between reality and the ideals which Don Quixote sought to revive, and at the same time originated the theme of the clairvoyance of insanity.

Ideology (noun)

J vocabulary

Jaw-dropping (adjective)

characterized as causing amazement or wonder.
He has been admiring the sleek TV displays for years, watching as prices decline from jaw-dropping levels.

Junction (noun)

a point or position at which two or more things are joined.
Just outside of Barstow, California is the junction of Interstate 15 and 40.

k vocabulary

Keen (adjective)

possessing or displaying perceptions of great accuracy and sensitivity; mentally quick

A student who writes and rewrites a writing assignment over several weeks has a keen

understanding of the processes involved.

Keynote address (noun)

an address designed to present the issues of primary interest to an assembly as a political

convention and often to arouse unity and enthusiasm

In a keynote address, Robert Kennedy Jr. recalled the confrontation between Wallace

and his father, U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

Kettle (noun)

a metallic vessel for boiling liquids

To purify water for drinking, a camper should put the water in a kettle and boil it for at

least 30 minutes.

Kin (noun)

a person connected to another person by blood

There is a clear pattern of lineage endogamy generated by marriages between sons and

daughters of brothers and other agnatic kin, accounting for approximately a quarter of

all marriages.

L vocabulary

Laden (adjective)

to load, to pile on, as burden or freight.
For the next topic of our lecture today, the cost analysis of a proper prescribed burn and the cost of battling a blaze in the load fuel laden forests needs to be considered to see which method is more economically feasible given the tight budgetary constraints with which the government has to operate.

Lament (noun)

a crying out in grief; complaint.

M vocabulary

Magnanimity (noun)

the quality or state of being generous.
Always known for his magnanimity, John Fenson left his family with a sizeable inheritance after his death.

Magnification (noun)

enlargement; the act of making something bigger.
Many inclusions are not discernable to the naked eye and require magnification to become apparent.

N vocabulary

Nag (verb)

to scold or find fault constantly.
Nagging another person can cause resentment, ultimately resulting in a destroyed friendship.

Naked (adjective)

not wearing any clothes; without the aid of a microscope or telescope.
If the inclusions are not visible to the naked eye, a higher clarity does not really improve the appearance of a diamond but rather the rarity and price.

O vocabulary

Obesity (noun)

being overweight ,very fat.
Obesity is a high percentage of body fat, whereas a physically fit individual has a low percentage of body fat.

Objective (adjective)

expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations.

P vocabulary

Painstaking (adjective)
showing or marked by attentiveness to all aspects or details.
Paying painstaking attention to detail, French artist Lucien Rudaux was the first to combine his artistic talents with his knowledge of astronomy.

Pale (adjective)
of a moderately white color; lacking color.
Due to the intense ultraviolet rays of the sun, the paint on the car oxidized, causing it to change to a pale yellow.

Paleoanthropologist (noun)
one who studies in a branch of anthropology dealing with fossil hominids–any of a family (Hominidae) of erect bipedal primate mammals comprising recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms.

Q vocabulary

Quantitatively (adverb)

relating to or involving the measurement of quantity or amount

It is difficult to quantitatively

Quartet (noun)

a composition of four performers; any group of four

The great piano concertos and the string quartets dedicated to his "dear friend" Josef

Haydn were also composed during this period.

Quasi Quantitatively (adverb) (prefix)

R vocabulary

Radioactivity (noun)

the emission of ionizing radiation or particles caused by the spontaneous disintegration of atomic nuclei.

Each layer of ice in a core corresponds to a single year or sometimes even a single season and most everything that fell in the snow that year remains behind, including wind blown dust, ash, atmospheric gases, even radioactivity.

Raid (verb)

to attack in order to steal, destroy, or conquer.

Crows sometimes raid the nests and eat the eggs and the young of smaller birds.

Rally (verb)

S vocabulary

Sabotage (noun)

a deliberate and underhanded effort to defeat or do harm to an endeavor.

To sabotage his friend’s grades, John’s roommate accused him of cheating on a Philosophy exam.

Sacred (adjective)

regarded with particular reverence or respect.

In 1772, von Colloredo retained Wolfgang as concertmaster at a token salary. In this capacity Mozart composed a large number of sacred and secular works.

Safeguard (verb)

T vocabulary

Tableau (noun)
a graphic description or representation
A small introductory gallery shows 18th- and 19th-century electrostatic apparatus, including a globe machine probably designed by Benjamin Franklin, several leyden jars for
storing electric charges, and a twin-plate generator of about 1800 in an active tableau of a parlor game called the electric kiss.

Tackle (verb)
to start work on vigorously
After getting detailed instructions from their professor, the students went to the library to tackle their research project.

Tactile (adjective)