1. photovoltaic |ˌfōdōˌvōlˈtāik|
adjective
relating to the production of electric current at the junction of two substances exposed to light.
photovoltaics |ˌfōtəvōlˈtāiks, ˌfōtōväl-|
pl.noun [treated as singular]
the branch of technology concerned with the production of electric current at the junction of two substances.
• [treated as plural] devices having a photovoltaic junction.
2. manure |məˈn(y)o͝or|
noun
animal dung used for fertilizing land.
• any compost or artificial fertilizer.
verb [with object]
apply manure to (land): the ground should be well dug and manured.
ORIGIN
late Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘cultivate (land)’): from Anglo-Norman French mainoverer,Old French manouvrer (see maneuver). The noun sense dates from the mid 16th century.
3. anathema |əˈnaTHəmə|
noun
1 something or someone that one vehemently dislikes: racial hatred was anathema to her.
2 a formal curse by a pope or a council of the Church, excommunicating a person or denouncing a doctrine.
• literary a strong curse: the sergeant clutched the ruined communicator, muttering anathemas.
ORIGIN
early 16th century: from ecclesiastical Latin, ‘excommunicated person, excommunication,’ from Greek anathema ‘thing dedicated,’ (later) ‘thing devoted to evil, accursed thing,’ from anatithenai ‘to set up.’
4. incumbent |inˈkəmbənt|
adjective
1 [predicative] (incumbent on/upon) necessary for (someone) as a duty or responsibility: it is incumbent on all decent people to concentrate on destroying this evil.
2 [attributive] (of an official or regime) currently holding office: the incumbent president had been defeated.
noun
the holder of an office or post.
• Christian Church the holder of an ecclesiastical benefice.
ORIGIN
late Middle English (as a noun): from Anglo-Latin incumbens, incumbent-, from Latin incumbere ‘lie or lean on,’ from in- ‘upon’ + a verb related to cubare ‘lie.’
5. robust |rōˈbəstˈrōˌbəst|
adjective (robuster, robustest)
1 strong and healthy; vigorous: the Caplans are a robust, healthy lot.
• (of an object) sturdy in construction: a robust metal cabinet.
• (of a process, system, organization, etc.) able to withstand or overcome adverse conditions: California's robust property market.
• uncompromising and forceful: the country's decision to bow to UN pressure was preceded by a robust defense of its policies | he took quite a robust view of my case.
2 (of wine or food) strong and rich in flavor or smell.
ORIGIN
mid 16th century: from Latin robustus ‘firm and hard,’ from robus, earlier form of robur ‘oak, strength.’
6. perennial |pəˈrenēəl|
adjective
lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring: his perennial distrust of the media | perennial manifestations of urban crisis.
• (of a plant) living for several years: tarragon is perennial. Compare with annual, biennial.
• [attributive] (of a person) apparently permanently engaged in a specified role or way of life: he's a perennial student.
• (of a stream or spring) flowing throughout the year.
noun
a perennial plant.
ORIGIN
mid 17th century (in the sense ‘remaining leafy throughout the year, evergreen’): from Latin perennis ‘lasting the year through’ + -ial.
7. rebate 1
noun |ˈrēˌbāt|
a partial refund to someone who has paid too much money for tax, rent, or a utility.
• a deduction or discount on a sum of money due.
verb |rēˈbātˈrēˌbāt| [with object]
pay back (such a sum of money).
DERIVATIVES
rebatable |ˈrēˌbātəbəl, riˈbāt-| adjective
ORIGIN
late Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘diminish (a sum or amount)’): from Anglo-Norman French rebatre ‘beat back,’ also ‘deduct.’
rebate 2 |ˈrabitˈrēˌbāt|
noun& verb
another term for rabbet.
ORIGIN
late 17th century: alteration of rabbet.
8. glut |ɡlət|
noun
an excessively abundant supply of something: there is a glut of cars on the market.
verb (gluts, glutting, glutted) [with object] (usually be glutted)
supply or fill to excess: the factories for recycling paper are glutted | he was glutting himself on junk food.
• archaic satisfy fully: he planned a treacherous murder to glut his desire for revenge.
ORIGIN
Middle English: probably via Old French from Latin gluttire ‘to swallow’; related to glutton.
9. shale |SHāl|
noun
soft, finely stratified sedimentary rock that formed from consolidated mud or clay and can be split easily into fragile slabs.
DERIVATIVES
shaly |ˈSHālē| (also shaley) adjective
ORIGIN
mid 18th century: probably from German Schale; related to English dialect shale ‘dish’ (see scale2) .
shale gas
noun
natural gas occurring within or extracted from shale: the rise of shale gas is shaping up to be the biggest shift in energy in generations | [as modifier] : the environmental impacts of shale gas extraction.
10. havoc |ˈhavək|
noun
widespread destruction: the hurricane ripped through Florida, causing havoc.
• great confusion or disorder: schoolchildren wreaking havoc in the classroom.
verb (havocs, havocking, havocked) [with object] archaic
lay waste to; devastate.
PHRASES
play havoc with
completely disrupt; cause serious damage to: shift work plays havoc with the body clock.
ORIGIN
late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French havok, alteration of Old French havot, of unknown origin. The word was originally used in the phrase cry havoc (Old French crier havot)‘to give an army the order havoc,’ which was the signal for plundering.
11. intermittent |ˌin(t)ərˈmitnt|
adjective
occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady: intermittent rain.
DERIVATIVES
intermittence |ˌin(t)ərˈmitnsˌin(t)ərˈmid(ə)ns| noun.
intermittency noun
ORIGIN
mid 16th century: from Latin intermittent- ‘ceasing,’ from the verb intermittere (see intermit).
12. doldrums |ˈdōldrəmzˈdäldrəmz|
pl.noun (the doldrums)
a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression: the mortgage market has been in the doldrums for three years.
• an equatorial region of the Atlantic Ocean with calms, sudden storms, and light unpredictable winds.
ORIGIN
late 18th century (as doldrum ‘dull, sluggish person’): perhaps from dull, on the pattern of tantrums.
13. cling |kliNG|
verb (past and past participle clung |kləNG| ) [no object] (cling to/onto/on)
(of a person or animal) hold on tightly to: she clung to Joe's arm | they clung together | figurative : she clung onto life.
• (cling to) adhere or stick firmly or closely to; be hard to part or remove from: the smell of smoke clung to their clothes | the fabric clung to her smooth skin.
• (cling to) remain very close to: the fish cling to the line of the weed.
• remain persistently or stubbornly faithful to something: she clung resolutely to her convictions.
• be overly dependent on someone emotionally: you are clinging to him for security.
noun(also cling peach)
a clingstone peach.
DERIVATIVES
clinger noun
ORIGIN
Old English clingan ‘stick together,’ of Germanic origin; related to Middle Dutch klingen ‘adhere,’ Middle High German klingen ‘climb,’ also to clench.
14. diesel |ˈdēzəlˈdēsəl|
noun(also diesel engine)
an internal combustion engine in which heat produced by the compression of air in the cylinder is used to ignite the fuel: [as modifier] : a diesel locomotive.
• a heavy petroleum fraction used as fuel in diesel engines: eleven gallons of diesel.
DERIVATIVES
dieselize |-ˌlīz| verb
ORIGIN
late 19th century: named after R. Diesel (see Diesel, Rudolf) .
Diesel, Rudolf |ˈdēzəl|
(1858–1913), German engineer; born in France; full name Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel. He invented the diesel engine in the late 19th century.
15. insulate |ˈinsəˌlāt|
verb [with object]
1 protect (something) by interposing material that prevents the loss of heat or the intrusion of sound: the room was heavily insulated against all outside noise.
• prevent the passage of electricity to or from (something) by covering it in nonconducting material: the case is carefully insulated to prevent short circuits.
• protect from the unpleasant effects or elements of something: he claims that the service is complacent and insulated from outside pressures.
2 archaic make (land) into an island: the village was insulated by every flood of the river.
ORIGIN
mid 16th century ( sense 2): from Latin insula ‘island’ + -ate3.
16. penetration |ˌpenəˈtrāSH(ə)n|
noun
1 the action or process of making a way through or into something: the plant grows in clear, still waters where there is strong sunlight penetration.
• the insertion by a man of his penis into the vagina or anus of a sexual partner.
• the successful selling of a company's or country's products in a particular market or area: Japanese import penetration.
• the extent to which a product is recognized and bought by customers in a particular market: the software has attained a high degree of market penetration.
2 the perceptive understanding of complex matters: the survey shows subtlety and penetration.
ORIGIN
late Middle English: from Latin penetratio(n-), from the verb penetrare ‘place within or enter.’
17. portfolio |pôrtˈfōlēˌō|
noun (plural portfolios)
1 a large, thin, flat case for loose sheets of paper such as drawings or maps.
• a set of pieces of creative work collected by someone to display their skills, especially to a potential employer.
• a varied set of photographs of a model or actor intended to be shown to a potential employer.
2 a range of investments held by a person or organization: better returns on its investment portfolio.
• a range of products or services offered by an organization, especially when considered as a business asset: an unrivaled portfolio of quality brands.
3 the position and duties of a minister of state or a member of a cabinet: he took on the Foreign Affairs portfolio.
adjective
relating to, denoting, or engaged in an employment pattern that involves a succession of short-term contracts and part-time work, rather than the more traditional model of a long-term single job: portfolio careers allow women to balance work with family.
ORIGIN
early 18th century: from Italian portafogli, from portare ‘carry’ + foglio ‘sheet of paper’ (from Latin folium).
18. mandate |ˈmanˌdāt|
noun
1 an official order or commission to do something: a mandate to seek the release of political prisoners.
• Law a commission by which a party is entrusted to perform a service, especially without payment and with indemnity against loss by that party.
• USLaw an order from an appellate court to a lower court to take a specific action.
• a written authority enabling someone to carry out transactions on another's bank account.
• historical a commission from the League of Nations to a member state to administer a territory: the end of the British mandate in Palestine.
2 the authority to carry out a policy or course of action, regarded as given by the electorate to a candidate or party that is victorious in an election: a sick leader living beyond his mandate.
• Canadian a period during which a government is in power.
verb [with object]
1 give (someone) authority to act in a certain way: other colleges have mandated coed fraternities.
• require (something) to be done; make mandatory: the government began mandating better car safety.
2 historical assign (territory) under a mandate of the League of Nations: (as adjective mandated) : mandated territories.
ORIGIN
early 16th century: from Latin mandatum ‘something commanded,’ neuter past participle of mandare, from manus ‘hand’ + dare ‘give.’ Sense 2 of the noun has been influenced by French mandat .
19. peg |peɡ|
noun
1 a short cylindrical piece of wood, metal, or plastic, typically tapered at one end, that is used for holding things together, hanging things on, or marking a position.
• (also tent peg) a pin or bolt driven into the ground to hold one of the ropes or corners of a tent in position.
• a short pin or cylindrical object in the neck of a stringed musical instrument around which the strings are wound, and which are turned to adjust their tension and so tune the instrument.
• a bung for stoppering a cask.
• informal a person's leg.
• a point or limit on a scale, especially of exchange rates.
2 chiefly Indian a measure of liquor: have a peg of whiskey.
3 informal a strong throw, especially in baseball.
verb (pegs, pegging, pegged)
1 [with object] fix or make fast with a peg or pegs: drape individual plants with nets, pegging down the edges.
2 [with object] fix (a price, rate, or amount) at a particular level.
• informal, chiefly North American form a fixed opinion of; categorize: the officer probably has us pegged as anarchists.
3 informal throw (a ball) hard and low, especially in baseball: the catcher pegs the ball to the first baseman.
PHRASES
a peg to hang a matter on
something used as a pretext or occasion for the discussion or treatment of a wider subject.
a square peg in a round hole
a person in a situation unsuited to their abilities or character.
take someone down a peg or two
make someone realize that they are less talented or important than they think are.
PHRASAL VERBS
peg away
informal continue working hard at or trying to achieve something, especially over a long period.
peg out
1 informal, chiefly British die.
2 score the winning point at cribbage.
3 Croquet hit the peg with the ball as the final stroke in a game.
peg something out
mark the boundaries of an area of land: I went out to peg out our assembly area.
ORIGIN
late Middle English: probably of Low German origin; compare with Dutch dialect peg ‘plug, peg.’ The verb dates from the mid 16th century.
PEG
abbreviation
polyethylene glycol.
polyethylene glycol
noun
a synthetic resin made by polymerizing ethylene glycol, in particular any of a series of water-soluble oligomers and polymers used chiefly as solvents or waxes.
20. buck 1 |bək|
noun
1 the male of some antlered animals, especially the fallow deer, roe deer, reindeer, and antelopes. Compare with doe.
• a male hare, rabbit, ferret, rat, or kangaroo.
2 a vaulting horse.
3 a vertical jump performed by a horse, with the head lowered, back arched, and back legs thrown out behind.
4 dated a fashionable and typically high-spirited young man.
5 informal, offensive a black or American Indian man.
6 (bucks) an oxford shoe made of buckskin.
verb
1 [no object] (of a horse) to perform a buck: he's got to get his head down to buck | [with object] : she bucked them off if they tried to get on her back.
• (of a vehicle) make sudden jerky movements: the boat began to buck in the water.
2 [with object] oppose or resist (something that seems oppressive or inevitable): the shares bucked the market trend.
3 [with object] informal make (someone) more cheerful: Bella and Jim need me to buck them up | [no object] (buck up) : buck up, kid, it's not the end of the world.
adjectiveUS military slang
lowest of a particular rank: a buck private.
ORIGIN
Old English, partly from buc ‘male deer’ (of Germanic origin, related to Dutch bok and German Bock); reinforced by bucca ‘male goat,’ of the same ultimate origin.
buck 2 |bək|
nounNorth American & Australian/NZ informal
a dollar: a run-down hotel room for five bucks a night.
PHRASES
big bucks
North American & Australian/NZ informal a lot of money.
a fast (or quick) buck
North American & Australian/NZ informal easily and quickly earned money: the pursuit of a fast buck is the cause of most losses.
ORIGIN
mid 19th century: of unknown origin.
buck 3 |bək|
noun
an article placed as a reminder before a player whose turn it is to deal at poker.
PHRASES
the buck stops here (or with someone)
informal the responsibility for something cannot or should not be passed to someone else.
pass the buck
informal shift the responsibility for something to someone else.
ORIGIN
mid 19th century: from the use of a buck-handled knife to indicate the dealer in a poker game.
Buck, Pearl S. |bək|
(1892–1973), US writer; full name Pearl Sydenstricker Buck. Her upbringing and work in China inspired her earliest novels, including The Good Earth (1931) and Dragon Seed (1942). Nobel Prize for Literature (1938).