My English Words List - September - 2024

raisin

raisin

noun

A variety of raisins from different grapes

Raisin

manner

manner

noun

Some people have no manners.

Someone should teach you some manners!

mind your manners

winding

winding

adjective

a long and winding path through the woods

a winding staircase leads to the top of the lighthouse

poutine

poutine

noun

A serving of poutine from Montreal, Quebec

Poutine

tarmac

tarmac

noun

  • a tarmacadam road, apron, or runway

tarmacadam

tarmacadam

noun

Tarmacadam

equilateral

equilateral

adjective

Equilateral triangle

an equilateral triangle

an equilateral polygon

an equilateral polyhedron

lobby

lobby

noun

Lobby at the Sokos Hotel Torni in Tampere, Finland

a hotel lobby

I’ll meet you in the lobby after the show.

insomnia

insomnia

noun

Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have trouble sleeping.

etiquette

etiquette

noun

the couple exhibited poor etiquette when they left the party without saying good-bye to the host and hostess

courteous

courteous

adjective

their customer service department always gives courteous responses, even to rude people

underpin

underpin

verb

a wall underpinned by metal beams

the central beliefs that underpin a free society

pragmatic

pragmatic

adjective

a pragmatic [=practical] approach to health care

His pragmatic view of public education comes from years of working in city schools.

a pragmatic man, not given to grand, visionary schemes

plenum

plenum

noun

A quantum vacuum is more like a plennum than like empty space. (Chapter 4 Further developments - Quantum field theory, Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction, John Polkinghorne)

fatuous

fatuous

adjective

a fatuous remark

the fatuous questions that the audience members asked after the lecture suggested to the oceanographer that they had understood little

ringette

ringette

noun

fully equipped ringette players

Ringette

rash

rash

noun

The baby has a skin rash.

dole

dole

noun

Unemployment benefits

In British English, unemployment benefits are also colloquially referred to as “the dole”; receiving benefits is informally called “being on the dole”. “Dole” here is an archaic expression meaning “one’s allotted portion”, from the synonymous Old English word dāl. In Australia, a “dole bludger” is someone on unemployment benefits who makes no effort to find work.

charter

charter

noun

the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter)

bedrock

bedrock

noun

Soil profile with bedrock labeled R

They dug down for 10 feet before they hit bedrock.

Bedrock

pitaya

pitaya

noun

Dragon fruit sold in a market in Chiayi, Taiwan

ethnic

ethnic

adjective

an ethnic German

ethnic foods

The U.S. has a wide variety of ethnic groups made up of immigrants or their descendants.

brainstorm

brainstorm

verb

they brainstormed about ways to raise money for their organization

caretaker

caretaker

noun

served as caretaker to the younger children

literacy

literacy

noun

The program is intended to promote adult literacy among people who have had very little schooling.

vantage

vantage

noun

the vantage had all been ours for the first half of the contest

uphold

uphold

verb

promise to uphold the law

empathy

empathy

noun

He felt great empathy with the poor.

cover

verb

cover band

song cover

reconciliation

reconciliation

noun

Canada marks 4th annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

totem

totem

noun

A Gitxsan pole (left) and Kwakwaka'wakw pole (right) at Thunderbird Park in Victoria, Canada.

Totem pole

statutory

statutory

adjective

a statutory age limit

a statutory presumption

Today, September 30, is the National day for Truth and Reconciliation. A National day is a Federal Statutory holiday.

crochet

crochet

noun

She learned basic crochet stitches from her mother.

Crochet

Knitting

aquatic

aquatic

adjective

aquatic sports

a lifelong fascination with sharks and other fearsome aquatic creatures

mockingbird

mockingbird

noun

Northern mockingbird

Mockingbird

glow

glow

verb

The fireplace glowed with the dying coals.

This toy glows in the dark.

noun

We could see the glow of the lamp in the window.

Sunset glow

blunder

blunder

verb

We blundered along through the woods until we finally found the trail.

noun

fixed a minor blunder in the advertising flyer