n. beginner; person new to a field or activity
E.g. To do this appears so abrupt that the novice is apt to make a further effort to finish up the subject.
a. harmful to living things; injurious to health
E.g. We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.
n. subtle or slight degree of difference; small difference in meaning
E.g. The problem that I see is that the average low information voter won't get the nuance, which is my concern.
n. central or essential part around which other parts are gathered or grouped; core
E.g. Instruments on board will analyze the chemical composition of the comet nucleus - the icy core in the head of the comet.
v. make invalid; make null; invalidate; counteract force or effectiveness of
E.g. We will nullify the contract, it no longer has any legal force next month.
v. enumerate; count; read according to the rules of numeration
E.g. Please numerate the reasons, any reason, why you continue to banter that WEED is dangerous.
a. belonging to number; denoting number; consisting in numbers; expressed by numbers, and not letters
E.g. The survey showed in numerical terms why Obama has had so much trouble passing health care reform.
v. nourish; help grow or develop; foster
E.g. The Head Start program attempts to nurture pre-kindergarten children so that they will do well when they enter public school.
n. any of a family of high-strength, resilient synthetic polymers
E.g. Another synthetic fabric, nylon is a resilient fabric that has a silky texture to it.
n. long, thin, usually wooden pole with a blade at one end, used to row or steer a boat
E.g. The other oar was smashed off, and the raft was littered up with leaves and branches and dirt.
a. subject in will or act to authority; willing to obey; submissive to restraint, control, or command
E.g. It gave them a reason to remain obedient to the priestly leaders.
a. morally or legally constraining; required; binding
E.g. It is obligatory that books borrowed from the library be returned within two weeks.
a. happy and ready to do favors for others
E.g. As she grew up, a sound English education corrected in a great measure her French defects; and when she left school, I found in her a pleasing and obliging companion: docile, good-tempered, and well-principled.
a. having slanting or sloping direction, course, or position; inclined
E.g. Casting a quick, oblique glance at the reviewing stand, the sergeant ordered the company to march.
a. having greater length than breadth, especially when rectangular
E.g. These were all shaped like the three gardeners, oblong and flat, with their hands and feet at the corners.
n. act or practice of observing or noticing with attention; an act, ceremony, or rite, as of worship or respect
E.g. The worker was praised for his observance of the rules.
n. place or building for making observations on the heavenly bodies; building fitted with instruments for making systematic observations of space
E.g. The first solar dynamic observatory is expected to be launched no earlier than August 2008.
a. stubbornly adhering to an attitude or opinion; hard to control or treat
E.g. We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to change.
v. stop; impede; shut out from view
E.g. The trees obstruct my view of the mountains.
n. an event that happens
E.g. I believe she was happy in her way: this routine sufficed for her; and nothing annoyed her as much as the occurrence of any incident which forced her to vary its clockwork regularity.
a. any smell, whether fragrant or offensive; scent; perfume
E.g. McGill University discovered that sensitivity to rose odour is greater in subjects that are sitting than in those lying down.
ad. without planning or thinking ahead; right away; immediately
E.g. The only answer I can think of offhand is the bond market and those who have an interest in fixed incomes since inflation would be painful for both.
v. counterbalance, counteract, or compensate for; balance
E.g. He raised his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.
a. threatening; foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
E.g. As you know, that law was slipped into a massive ominous appropriations bill back in 1999.
v. leave undone or leave out ; bypass; neglect; fail to include or mention
E.g. On this account we recommend to omit from the Swedish draft the paragraphs 5.
a. coming nearer; approaching
E.g. I built them to attempt to withstand the oncoming water as well as possible.
n. one that looks on; spectator
E.g. He was an outsider at the best, a friendly onlooker who saw little.
n. beginning or early stages; offensive against enemy
E.g. "An early summer onset is clearly no guarantee of a barbeque summer," the scientists say.
a. impenetrable by light; not transparent; not reflecting light; having no luster
E.g. The opaque window shade kept the sunlight out of the room.
v. place in front of, or over against; set opposite; exhibit; confront; resist; withstand
E.g. I ascertained that Rosamond really preferred him, and that her father was not likely to oppose the match.
v. make a choice or decision; choose; select
E.g. The university discontinued its student plan because not enough students would opt for it.
a. of or relating to or involving light or optics
E.g. His doctor checked the optical axis of the eye very carefully.
a. most favorable or advantageous
E.g. Wind and solar are intermittent power sources - only producing electricity under certain optimum environmental conditions.
n. garden; area of land devoted to the cultivation of fruit or nut trees
E.g. Before I left my bed in the morning, little Adele came running in to tell me that the great horse-chestnut at orchard had been struck by lightning in the night.
n. mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
E.g. The supply of this ore is apparently inexhaustible, but no veins have as yet been found.
v. focus toward; determine position with reference to another point; locate to face the east
E.g. Philip spent his first day in Denver to orient the telescope toward the moon.
a. of or relating to the countries of the orient or their peoples or cultures; eastern
E.g. If he is interested in oriental languages, the new Institute of Languages will enable him to acquire knowledge of Singhalese or Bantu.
v. place or turn toward the east; cause to assume an easterly direction, or to veer eastward
E.g. In the thick fog, only sounds helped him orientate himself.
v. initiate; invent; bring into being; create
E.g. The Japanese yen would face the uncertainty that would originate from the Greek uncertainty
a. traditional; conservative in belief; adhering to established faith, especially in religion
E.g. Every member of a church promises to remain orthodox, that is to say -- stationary.