-
ST 2014
Vocabulary List
ambivalence
–
noun. (a) simultaneous and
contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction
and repulsion) toward an object,
person, or action; (b) continual fluctuation (as
between one
thing and its opposite);
(c) uncertainty as to which approach to follow.
Origin: International
Scientific
Vocabulary; Latin
ambi
both,
valere
to be strong.
Adjective:
ambivalent
.
Synonyms: uncertain, unsure
benefit
–
noun. (a) something that
promotes well-being, advantage;
(b
)
useful aid, help; (c)
financial help in time of sickness, old
age, or unemployment
;
a
payment or service provided
for under
an annuity, pension plan, or insurance policy; (d)
a service (as health insurance) or
right (as to take vacation time)
provided by an employer in addition to wages or
salary; (e) an
entertainment or social
event to raise funds for a person or cause. From
Latin
bene factum
good
deed
.
A
benefit
of museum membership
is a discount on purchases. The job does not
pay much, but the
benefits
are good. Synonyms:
advantage, asset, help.
Verb: to be
useful or profitable to; to receive a benefit.
Automation has not
benefited
those
workers who have been replaced by
machines.
bolster
–
(verb) to make something
stronger or better; to give support to. She is
thinking of
ways to
bolster
her career.
Synonyms: support, sustain, uphold, brace. Origin:
15
th
century
Middle English; a bolster is a pillow
or cushion.
commission
–
noun - (a) a
formal written warrant granting the power to
perform various acts or duties; (b)
an
authorization or command to act in a prescribed
manner or to perform prescribed acts,
charge; (c) authority to act for, in
behalf of, or in place of another, a task or
matter entrusted
to one as an agent for
another; (d) a group of persons directed to
perform some duty; (e) an act
of
committing something
(
commission
of a crime); (f)
a fee paid to an agent or employee for
transacting a piece of business (German
Provision
); (g) an act of
entrusting or giving
authority. Both
states set up
commissions
to
examine their public schools. Latin
committe(re)
to
send, give over. Synonyms: authorization,
delegation, empowerment, license,
mandate.
verb
–
(a) to furnish with a
commission; (b) to order to be made
(
commissioned
a portrait).
Synonyms: authorize, delegate,
deputize.
consensus
–
noun.
(a) general
agreement, collective opinion; (b) harmony,
cooperation. The
group was so diverse
that they had trouble reaching a consensus on a
solution to the problem.
Synonyms:
unanimity, accord. Latin
consentire
(past participle:
consensus).
consequential
–
adjective. (a) of the
nature of or following as a consequence, result;
indirect;
(b) having significant
consequences; important. Latin
consequi
to follow closely.
Synonym:
attendant, resultant,
significant. Opposite:
inconsequential
-
unimportant.
contract
-
noun - (
a)
a
binding agreement between two or more persons or
parties;
especially
one
legally
enforceable;
(
b)
a business arrangement
for the supply of goods or services at a fixed
price
2
(make
parts on
contract)
; (c) a
document describing the terms of a contract; (d)
an order or
arrangement for a hired
assassin to kill someone (his enemies put out a
contract
on him).
Synonyms: bond, covenant, guarantee,
deal.
verb - (a
)
to bring on oneself especially inadvertently,
incur (
contracting
debts);
(b) to
become affected with
(
contract
pneumonia); (c)
to establish or undertake by contract
(
contract
a job);
(d) to join in marriage; (e) to hire by contract
(
contract
a lawyer); to
purchase
(as goods or services) on a
contract basis
—
often used
with
out; (f)
limit,
restrict (
contract
the
scope of their activities); (g) to
reduce to smaller size
(
contract
a muscle) or to
shorten (as a
word) by omitting one or
more sounds or letters. Latin
contrahere
to draw together.
convention
- noun. (a) an
agreement, contract - the Geneva Convention; (b)
an assembly of
persons for a common
purpose - the Republican National Convention; (c)
a rule of conduct or
behavior; an
established technique, practice, or device -
Students should follow the APA
conventions for punctuation. Latin
conventio
agreement.
Synonyms: assembly, congress,
meeting,
convocation, council; usage, custom, practice.
corroborate
–
verb. to support with
evidence or authority. The witnesses
corroborated
the
policeman's testimony. The author
corroborated his thesis with quotes from scholarly
sources.
Latin
corroborare
to make
strength. Synonyms: authenticate, confirm,
substantiate, support,
validate.
deduce
–
verb. (a) to determine by
deduction; to infer from a general principle; (b)
to trace
the course of. I can
deduce
from the simple
observation of your behavior that you are trying
to
hide something from me. Latin
deduc(ere)
to lead down,
derive. Synonyms: conclude, decide,
infer, derive, extrapolate, judge,
reason. Noun:
deduction
.
derive
–
verb.
(
a)
to take, receive, or
obtain especially from a specified source - The
river
derives
its name from
a Native American tribe. From Latin
derivare,
literally, to draw
off
(water), from
de-
+
rivus
stream. Synonyms:
conclude, deduce, infer, extrapolate, reason.
derivative
–
noun. (a) a substance
derived from a parent source - gasoline and
kerosene are
derivatives
of
petroleum; (b) a contract or security that derives
its value from that of an
underlying
asset (as another security) or from the value of a
rate (as of interest or currency
exchange) or index of asset value (as a
stock index).
didactic
–
adjective. (
a)
designed or intended to teach -
Aesop's fables are
didactic
in that
they are meant to teach moral
values; (b) making moral observations - The
poet's works
became increasingly
didactic
after his religious
conversion. The term
as a criticism
for work that appears to be overly burdened with
instructive, factual, or
otherwise
educational information to the detriment of the
enjoyment of the reader. Greek
didaskein
to teach.
Synonyms: educational; moralistic, preachy.
diversify
-
v.t.
(a) to make diverse; to
give variety to; (b) to balance (as an investment
portfolio) defensively by dividing
funds among securities of different industries or
of different
classes; (c) to increase
the variety of the products of.
–
v.i.
(d) to
produce variety; (e) to engage
in
varied operations. Latin
diversus
diverse. Synonyms:
vary, distribute.
3
equivocate
–
verb. (a) to use equivocal
language especially with intent to deceive; to
prevaricate - to deviate from the
truth; (b) to avoid committing oneself in what one
says.
The
applicant seemed
to be
equivocating
when we
asked him about his last job. Latin
aequi- equi-
+
vōx
voice. Synonyms:
fudge, hedge, waffle. Noun: equivocation.
Adjective:
equivocal
.
Opposite:
unequivocal
- clear,
unquestionable, unmistakable, unambiguous.
exacerbate
–
verb. to make worse or
more severe. The proposed shutdown would
exacerbate
unemployment problems. His angry
comments have
exacerbated
tensions in the negotiation
process.
Latin
ex-
+
acerbus
harsh, bitter, from
acer
sharp. Synonyms:
aggravate, complicate,
worsen. Noun:
exacerbation
.
expedient
–
adjective. (a) providing
an easy and quick way to solve a problem or do
something; suitable for achieving a
particular end in a given circumstance. (b)
characterized
by concern for what is
opportune, governed by self-interest. They found
it expedient to
negotiate an agreement
rather than pursue a law suit. from Latin
expedient-, expendiens,
present participle of
expedire
to extricate,
prepare, be useful. Synonyms: advisable,
desirable,
judicious, prudent, wise.
Noun:
expediency, expedience
facilitate
–
verb. To help cause
something; to help something run more smoothly and
effectively. The moderator's role is to
facilitate
the discussion by
asking appropriate questions.
Cutting
taxes may
facilitate
economic recovery. From Latin
facilis,
from
facere
to do.
Synonyms: ease, smooth. Noun:
facilitation.
inclination
–
noun. (a) a particular
disposition of mind or character, propensity,
liking
(German -
Neigung) -
H
e had little
inclination
for sports; (b)
a tendency to a particular aspect,
state, character, or action - My first
inclination
was to say no,
but I finally decided to do what
she
asked. Latin
inclinare
to
lean. Synonyms: affinity, disposition,
predilection, proclivity,
leaning.
innate
–
adjective. (a) existing
in, belonging to, or determined by factors present
in an
individual from birth, native,
inborn; (b) belonging to the essential nature of
something,
inherent; (c) originating in
or derived from the mind or the constitution of
the intellect rather
than from
experience. She has an
innate
sense of rhythm.
Latin
innat(us)
inborn.
Synonyms:
built-in, hard-wired,
inborn, inherent, integral, natural.
integrity
–
noun. (a) firm adherence
to a code of especially moral or artistic values,
incorruptibility - the director was
chosen primarily for his
integrity
; (b) an unimpaired
condition, soundness - designed to
ensure the structural
integrity
of the aircraft;
(c) the
quality or state of being
complete or undivided, completeness (adjective:
integral). Latin from
integer
entire. Synonyms:
character, goodness, honesty, morality,
uprightness, virtue;
soundness,
completeness.
interpret
-
verb. (a) to explain or tell the meaning of, to
present in understandable terms -
needed help
interpreting
the results;
(b) to conceive in the light of individual belief,
judgment,
or circumstance; construe -
interpret
a contract; (c) to
represent by means of art, bring to
realization by performance or direction
-
interprets
a role. Latin
interpres
explainer.