4000 Essential English Words 5 Unit 19: Jane’s Pride
Word List
- accordingly [əˈkɔːrdiŋli] adv.
If someone acts accordingly, they act in a way that is suitable.
→ He feels like he did a good job, and his boss should pay him accordingly.
- anchor [ˈæŋkər] n.
An anchor is a heavy object dropped from a boat to make it stay in one place.
→ When the ship reached its destination, the crew dropped the anchor.
- buoy [ˈbuːi] n.
A buoy is a floating sign that warns boats of dangerous areas.
→ Don’t steer the boat near those buoys. There are rocks underneath the water.
- catastrophe [kəˈtæstrəfi] n.
A catastrophe is an unexpected event that causes great suffering or damage.
→ It was a catastrophe for my family when my dad lost his job.
- context [ˈkɒntekst] n.
Context is the situations that form the background of an event.
→ They studied the context of the battle before giving their presentation.
- designate [ˈdezigneit] v.
To designate someone or something means to give them a particular description.
→ The famous lighthouse was designated a historical monument.
- distort [disˈtɔːrt] v.
To distort something means to lie about it.
→ His lawyer distorted the facts so that he would be set free.
- dock [dɒk] n.
A dock is an enclosed area where ships go to be loaded, unloaded, and repaired.
→ The huge ship pulled into the dock, and the crew unloaded the cargo.
- fore [fɔːr] n.
The fore of something is the front part of it.
→ The teacher’s desk is at the fore of the classroom.
- frequent [ˈfriːkwənt] adj.
If something is frequent, then it happens or is done often.
→ While Dad was sick, the doctor made frequent visits to his house.
- genuine [ˈdʒenjuin] adj.
When something is genuine, it is true or real.
→ After the painting was determined to be genuine, it sold for a million dollars.
- grease [griːs] n.
Grease is an oily substance put on moving parts, so they work smoothly.
→ When I was done working on the car, I had grease all over my hands.
- intricate [ˈintrəkit] adj.
When something is intricate, it has many small parts or details.
→ The intricate painting on the quilt was very lovely.
- offset [ˈɔ:fset] v.
To offset means to use one thing to cancel out the effect of another thing.
→ Increased wages are offset by higher prices for goods.
- overlap [ˈouvərlæp] v.
To overlap something means to cover a piece of it.
→ The gift on top overlaps the other gift on the bottom.
- precipitate [priˈsipəteit] v.
To precipitate an event means to cause it to happen sooner than normal.
→ The violent attack precipitated an all-out war.
- secondhand [ˈsekəndˈhænd] adj.
When something is secondhand, it has been owned by someone else.
→ Her secondhand jeans were a bit faded in the front.
- slot [slɒt] n.
A slot is a narrow opening in a machine or container.
→ To operate the machine, put your coins into the slot.
- submerge [səbˈməːrdʒ] v.
To submerge something means to put it below the surface of a liquid.
→ The whale submerged its huge body into the ocean.
- tactic [ˈtæktik] n.
A tactic is a careful plan to achieve something.
→ Sam thought of a good tactic in order to attract more business.
