第二學期 單字筆記 No.8

bach·e·lor

noun \ˈbach-lər, ˈba-chə-\

Definition

1: a young knight who follows the banner of another

2: a person who has received what is usually the lowest degree conferred by a 4-year college, university, or professional school <bachelor of arts>; also : the degree itself <received a bachelor of laws>

3a : an unmarried man b : a male animal (as a fur seal) without a mate during breeding time

— bach·e·lor·dom noun

— bach·e·lor·hood noun

Origin

Middle English bacheler, from Anglo-French

First Known Use: 14th centuryliberal

performance art

noun

Definition: a nontraditional art form often with political or topical themes that typically features a live presentation to an audience or onlookers (as on a street) and draws on such arts as acting, poetry, music, dance, or painting

— performance artist noun

ab·stract

adj \ab-ˈstrakt, ˈab-ˌ\

Definition

1

a : disassociated from any specific instance <an abstract entity>

b : difficult to understand : abstruse <abstract problems>

c : insufficiently factual : formal <possessed only an abstract right>

2: expressing a quality apart from an object <the word poem is concrete, poetry is abstract>

3

a : dealing with a subject in its abstract aspects : theoretical <abstract science>

b : impersonal, detached <the abstract compassion of a surgeon — Time>

4: having only intrinsic form with little or no attempt at pictorial representation or narrative content <abstract painting>

— ab·stract·ly adverb

— ab·stract·ness noun

Examples

    abstract ideas such as love and hate

    “Honesty” is an abstract word.

    The word “poem” is concrete, the word “poetry” is abstract.

Origin

Medieval Latin abstractus, from Latin, past participle of abstrahere to drag away, from abs-, ab- + trahere to pull, draw

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to ABSTRACT

Synonyms: conceptual, ideal, ideational, metaphysical, notional, theoretical (also theoretic)

Antonyms: concrete, nonabstract

con·crete

adj \(ˌ)kän-ˈkrēt, ˈkän-ˌ, kən-ˈ\

Definition

1: naming a real thing or class of things <the word poem is concrete, poetry is abstract>

2: formed by coalition of particles into one solid mass

3

a : characterized by or belonging to immediate experience of actual things or events

b : specific, particular <a concrete proposal>

c : real, tangible <concrete evidence>

4: relating to or made of concrete <a concrete wall>

— con·crete·ly adverb

— con·crete·ness noun

Examples

    It's helpful to have concrete examples of how words are used in context.

    We hope the meetings will produce concrete results.

Origin

Middle English, from Latin concretus, from past participle of concrescere

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CONCRETE

Synonyms: actual, de facto, effective, existent, factual, genuine, real, sure-enough, true, very

Antonyms: conjectural, hypothetical, ideal, inexistent, nonexistent, platonic, possible, potential, suppositional, theoretical (also theoretic)

cun·ning

adj \ˈkə-niŋ\

Definition

1: dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources (as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end <a cunning plotter>

2: displaying keen insight <a cunning observation>

3: characterized by wiliness and trickery <cunning schemes>

4: prettily appealing : cute <a cunning little kitten>

— cun·ning·ly adverb

— cun·ning·ness noun

Examples

    She was cunning enough to fool me.

    <a cunning, underhanded plan to win the election by preying on people's fears and prejudices>

    … this cat has made his way into the Fitness Center for cunning reasons of his own and reveals himself only to certain privileged individuals. —Joyce Carol Oates, Harper's, June 2008

Origin

Middle English, from present participle of can know

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CUNNING

Synonyms: beguiling, cagey (also cagy), crafty, artful, cute, designing, devious, dodgy [chiefly British], foxy, guileful, scheming, shrewd, slick, sly, subtle, tricky, wily

Antonyms: artless, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, undesigning

information from http://www.merriam-webster.com/

第二學期 單字筆記No.7

so·lic·i·tor

noun \sə-ˈli-sə-tər, -ˈlis-tər\

Definition

1: one that solicits; especially : an agent that solicits (as contributions to charity)

2: a British lawyer who advises clients, represents them in the lower courts, and prepares cases for barristers to try in higher courts

3: the chief law officer of a municipality, county, or government department

— so·lic·i·tor·ship noun

Examples of SOLICITOR

1. Solicitors will be arrested for trespassing.
2. <money, that great solicitor that has often succeeded in persuading people to sell their very souls>

First Known Use of SOLICITOR

15th century

¹swap

verb \ˈswäp\

swapped  swap·ping

Definition of SWAP

transitive verb

1

a : to give in trade : barter

b : exchange

2: to take turns in telling <swap stories>

intransitive verb: to make an exchange

— swap·per noun

Examples

1. He swapped his cupcake for a candy bar.
2. I swapped seats with my sister so she could see the stage better.
3. I liked her blue notebook and she liked my red one, so we swapped.

Origin

Middle English swappen to strike; from the practice of striking hands in closing a business deal

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to SWAP

Synonyms: commute, exchange, shift, substitute, change, switch, trade

¹dis·dain

noun \dis-ˈdān\

Definition: a feeling of contempt for someone or something regarded as unworthy or inferior : scorn

Examples

1. He regarded their proposal with disdain.
2. I have a healthy disdain for companies that mistreat their workers.
3. McCarthy's indifference to accolades and his disdain for grandstanding … turned into a disdain even for being understood. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2004

Origin of DISDAIN

Middle English desdeyne, from Anglo-French desdaign, from desdeigner

First Known Use: 14th century

 

 Information from  http://www.merriam-webster.com/

第二學期 單字筆記No. 6

smudge

verb \ˈsməj\

smudged   smudg·ing

Definition

transitive verb

1

a : to make a smudge on

b : to soil as if by smudging

2

a : to rub, daub, or wipe in a smeary manner

b : to make indistinct : blur <smudged the writing>

3: to smoke or protect by means of a smudge

intransitive verb

1: to make a smudge

2: to become smudged

Examples

1. Don't smudge the picture with your dirty hands!
2. His face was smudged with grease.

Origin

Middle English smogen

First Known Use: 15th century

clum·sy

adj \ˈkləm-zē\

clum·si·er  clum·si·est

Definition

1

a : lacking dexterity, nimbleness, or grace <clumsy fingers>

b : lacking tact or subtlety <a clumsy joke>

2: awkward or inefficient in use or construction : unwieldy <a clumsy contraption>

— clum·si·ly adverb

— clum·si·ness noun

Examples

1. I'm sorry about spilling your wine—that was very clumsy of me.
2. I have very clumsy hands and tend to drop things.
3. She made a clumsy attempt at a joke.

Origin

probably from obsolete English clumse benumbed with cold

First Known Use: circa 1598

as·pect

noun \ˈas-ˌpekt\

Definition

1

a : the position of planets or stars with respect to one another held by astrologers to influence human affairs; also : the apparent position (as conjunction) of a body in the solar system with respect to the sun

b : a position facing a particular direction : exposure <the house has a southern aspect>

c : the manner of presentation of a plane to a fluid through which it is moving or to a current

2

a (1) : appearance to the eye or mind (2) : a particular appearance of the face : mien

b : a particular status or phase in which something appears or may be regarded <studied every aspect of the question>

3archaic : an act of looking : gaze

4

a : the nature of the action of a verb as to its beginning, duration, completion, or repetition and without reference to its position in time

b : a set of inflected verb forms that indicate aspect

— as·pec·tu·al adjective

Examples

1. <depending on what aspect of college life you consider most important, there are several colleges which might be good for you>
2. <he has the aspect of a man used to giving orders and seeing them obeyed>

Origin

Middle English, from Latin aspectus, from aspicere to look at, from ad- + specere to look

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to ASPECT

Synonyms: angle, facet, hand, phase, side

¹in·cor·po·rate

verb \in-ˈkȯr-pə-ˌrāt\

in·cor·po·rat·ed  in·cor·po·rat·ing

Definition

transitive verb

1

a : to unite or work into something already existent so as to form an indistinguishable whole

b : to blend or combine thoroughly

2

a : to form into a legal corporation

b : to admit to membership in a corporate body

3: to give material form to : embody

intransitive verb

1: to unite in or as one body

2: to form or become a corporation

— in·cor·po·ra·ble adjective

— in·cor·po·ra·tion noun

— in·cor·po·ra·tive adjective

— in·cor·po·ra·tor noun

Examples

1. This design incorporates the best features of our earlier models.
2. a diet that incorporates many different fruits and vegetables
3. The company was incorporated in 1981.
4. The company incorporated in 1981.

Origin

Middle English, from Late Latin incorporatus, past participle of incorporare, from Latin in- + corpor-, corpus body

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to INCORPORATE

Synonyms: absorb, assimilate

 Information from  http://www.merriam-webster.com/