My English Words List - February - 2023

engagement

engagement

noun

We have a dinner engagement this weekend.

gut

gut

noun

  • the basic visceral, emotional, or instinctual part of a person

Consult more than one financial adviser before making a final choice, and trust your gut.— Quentin Fottrell

My gut says this is, overall, a terrible idea.— Erica Buist

a gut feeling

Your gut can help you determine which decision suits you best.

adjective

a gut reaction

phobia

phobia

noun

His fear of crowds eventually developed into a phobia.

Specific phobia

mutism

mutism

noun

Social phobia (SOP) and selective mutism (SM) are related anxiety disorders characterized by distress and dysfunction in social situations. SOP typically onsets in adolescence and affects about 8% of the general population, whereas SM onsets before age 5 and is prevalent in up to 2% of youth.

slit

slit

noun

  • a long narrow cut or opening

You could see through the slit in the fence.

verb

I slit the bag open at the top.

reanimate

reanimate

verb

It seems better to reanimate the contents learned yesterday before acquiring new ones.

azure

azure

noun

  • the blue color of the clear sky

Azure Kingfisher Ceyx azureus azureus, Julatten, Queensland, Australia

Azure (color)

Microsoft Azure

supernova

supernova

noun

  • superstar

Supernova

What Lights the Universe’s Standard Candles?

Type Ia supernovas are astronomers’ best tools for measuring cosmic distances.

About 4,500 years ago, a Type Ia supernova exploded in our Milky Way galaxy, leaving this remnant of high-energy debris. The red, green and blue colors in the image are representations of low, medium and high-energy X-rays, respectively.

frigid

frigid

adjective

  • freezing cold

The frigid gusts of wind stung their faces.

The temperature there is a frigid -400 degrees Fahrenheit—colder than the surface of Pluto, and just a tad warmer than absolute zero. — Katrina Miller, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2022

vilify

vilify

verb

He was vilified in the press for his comments.

banyan

banyan

noun

Illustration of banyan

Banyan with characteristic adventitious prop roots

Banyan

terrain

terrain

noun

Terrain

Terrain affects surface water flow and distribution. Over a large area, it can affect weather and climate patterns.

We hiked through a variety of terrains.

succumb

succumb

verb

They will pressure you, and you must try not to succumb.

Older people are more likely to succumb to the ravages of COVID-19. — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 19 Nov. 2022

ingrain

ingrain

verb

ingrain young children with responsibility

It is in our homes and classrooms that lifelong attitudes are ingrained.
The Sun (2007)

Each day we make countless choices and live out deeply ingrained habits that all add up to a lifestyle.
Christianity Today (2000)

adjective

ingrain carpet

ensnare

ensnare

verb

The animals got ensnared in the net.

The police successfully ensnared the burglar.

blunder

blunder

noun

  • a bad or stupid mistake

The accident was the result of a series of blunders.

fixed a minor blunder in the advertising flyer

bust

bust

verb

He busted his watch when he fell.

Two students got busted by the teacher for smoking in the bathroom.

noun

boom and bust

knack

knack

noun

  • a natural ability : talent

She has a knack for telling interesting stories.

has a knack for making friends

attest

attest

verb

I can attest that what he has said is true.

the result attests the truth of that statement

hallway

hallway

noun

A hallway in Luhrs Tower, a 1929 office building in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona

Her office is at the end of the hallway.

Hallway

A hallway or corridor is an interior space in a building that is used to connect other rooms. Hallways are generally long and narrow.

hypocrite

hypocrite

noun

Bill Gates gets ‘called out’ for being a ‘climate hypocrite’

Bill Gates has confronted accusations that he is a “hypocrite” as he uses his private jet while he is campaigning for technologies designed to support global efforts to tackle climate change.

pawpaw

pawpaw

noun

  • papaya

Plant and fruit, from Koehler's Medicinal-Plants (1887)

Papaya

flatware

flatware

noun

An example of modern cutlery, design by architect and product designer Zaha Hadid (2007).

Cutlery

thicket

thicket

noun

A thicket of silver birch Betula pendula in Saratov Oblast, Russia

Thicket

buoyancy

buoyancy

noun

The forces at work in buoyancy. The object floats at rest because the upward force of buoyancy is equal to the downward force of gravity.

the buoyancy of a cork in water

the buoyancy of seawater

The swimmer is supported by the water’s buoyancy.

Buoyancy

rapport

rapport

noun

He quickly developed a good rapport with the other teachers.

There is a lack of rapport between the members of the group.