a. sealed by fusion so as to be airtight
E.g. After you sterilize the bandages, place them in a container and seal it with a hermetic seal to protect them from contamination by airborne bacteria.
n. place where one can live in seclusion; home of one isolated from society for religious reasons
E.g. Even in his remote hermitage he could not escape completely from the world.
a. unorthodox; unconventional; not in agreement with accepted beliefs, especially in church doctrine
E.g. To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not move, Galileo's theory that the earth circled the sun was disturbingly heterodox.
a. consisting of dissimilar elements or parts; completely different
E.g. This year's entering class is a remarkably heterogeneous body: it includes students from forty different states and twenty-six foreign countries, some the children of billionaires, others the offspring of welfare families.
v. cut with an ax; fell with a sharp instrument; form or shape with a sharp instrument; cut
E.g. They hew their way through the dense jungle.
v. sleep throughout winter; be in inactive or dormant state
E.g. Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate.
n. region; remote and undeveloped area
E.g. They will head into an undiscovered hinterland this afternoon.
a. characteristic of acting or stage performance
E.g. He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to play the role of Hamlet.
v. stockpile; accumulate for future use
E.g. Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, many people are tempted to hoard food.
a. gray or white with or as if with age; covered with grayish hair
E.g. The man was hoary and wrinkled when he was 70.
v. equalize; become similar, as by mixing
E.g. Television, fast food, the fashion industry all have served to homogenize our tastes and styles.
v. deceive; take in by deceptive means; delude
E.g. The fast-talking salesman wanted to hoodwink him, however he was extremely cautious.
n. practice of cultivating the land or raising stock; care of domestic affairs; economy; domestic management; thrift
E.g. Many of Yunnan nomadic tribes or those engaged in husbandry, in particular, relied on agricultural products from Sichuan.
a. excessively exacting; inclined to judge too severely
E.g. You are hypercritical in your demands for perfection; we all make mistakes.
a. having an allergy or peculiar or excessive susceptibility
E.g. The hypersensitive response is an inducible plant defense mechanism.
n. behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual
E.g. One Richard Nixon's little idiosyncrasy was his liking for ketchup on cottage cheese.
a. of lowly origin; not noble in quality, character, or purpose; unworthy
E.g. This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must, therefore, oppose it.
n. deep disgrace; shame or dishonor
E.g. To lose the Ping-Pong match to a trained chimpanzee! How could Rollo stand the ignominy of his defeat?.
a. deceptive or tending of deceive; not real
E.g. Unfortunately, the costs of running the lemonade stand were so high that Tom's profits proved illusory.
v. drink in; absorb or take in as if by drinking
E.g. The dry soil can imbibe the rain quickly.
v. inspire or influence thoroughly; stain or dye deeply or completely
E.g. The point is that the most vacuous of the vacuous draws big crowds and media and it doesn't imbue them with substance.
a. extending beyond the reach of memory, record, or tradition; indefinitely ancient
E.g. Members of my family have lived in this house since time immemorial.
a. difficult to perceive senses or mind
E.g. The ash is so fine that it is impalpable to the touch but it can be seen as a fine layer covering the window ledge.
a. without feeling; revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
E.g. Refusing to let the enemy see how deeply shaken he was by his capture, the prisoner kept his face impassive.
a. without money; poor; penniless
E.g. Though Scrooge claimed he was too impecunious to give alms, he easily could have afforded to be charitable.
v. hinder; charge with improper conduct; challenge validity of; try to discredit
E.g. A series of accidents impede the launching of the space shuttle.
v. drive or force onward; drive forward; urge to action through moral pressure
E.g. A strong feeling of urgency would impel her; if she failed to finish the project right then, she knew that she would never get it done.
a. impervious to moral persuasion; of hard heart
E.g. We could see from his tough guy attitude that he was impenitent.
a. impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses
E.g. Fortunately, the stain on the blouse was imperceptible after the blouse had gone through the wash.
a. not allowing passage, especially of liquids; waterproof
E.g. This new material is impermeable to liquids.
a. unshakably calm; placid; incapable of being disturbed or disconcerted
E.g. In the midst of the battle, the Duke of Wellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation despite the hysteria and panic all around him.
n. incentive; stimulus; force or energy associated with a moving body
E.g. A new federal highway program would create jobs and give added impetus to our economic recovery.
a. incapable of being pacified; not to be relieved;
E.g. Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family.
a. urging; demanding; expressing earnest entreaty
E.g. He tried to hide from his importunate creditors until his allowance arrived.
v. beg persistently; ask for urgently or repeatedly; annoy
E.g. Democratic and Republican phone solicitors importune her for contributions so frequently that she decides to give nothing to either party.
v. make poor; reduce to poverty or indigence; exhaust the strength, richness, or fertility of
E.g. Heavy rain and excessive use would impoverish the soil.
n. curse; act of calling down a curse that invokes evil
E.g. Spouting violent imprecation, Hank searched for the person who had vandalized his truck.
a. thriftless; not providing for future; incautious
E.g. He was constantly being warned to mend his improvident ways and begin to "save for a rainy day.".
v. dispute or contradict, often in insulting way; challenge
E.g. Our treasurer was furious when the finance committee's report tried to impugn the accuracy of his financial records.
v. lay responsibility or blame for, often unjustly
E.g. It seemed unfair to impute the accident on me, especially since they were the ones who ran the red light.