1. marvel |ˈmärvəl|
verb (marvels, marveling, marveled; chiefly British marvels, marvelling, marvelled) [no object]
be filled with wonder or astonishment: she marveled at Jeffrey's composure | [with direct speech] : “Isn't this an evening,” marveled John.
noun
a wonderful or astonishing person or thing: the marvels of technology | Charlie, you're a marvel!
DERIVATIVES
marveler noun
ORIGIN
Middle English (as a noun): from Old French merveille, from late Latin mirabilia, neuter plural of Latin mirabilis ‘wonderful,’ from mirari ‘wonder at.’
2. painstaking |ˈpānzˌtākiNG|
adjective
done with or employing great care and thoroughness: painstaking attention to detail | he is a gentle, painstaking man.
DERIVATIVES
painstakingness noun
3. tremor |ˈtremər|
noun
an involuntary quivering movement: a disorder that causes tremors and muscle rigidity.
• (also earth tremor) a slight earthquake.
• a sudden feeling of fear or excitement: a tremor of unease.
• a tremble or quaver in a person's voice.
ORIGIN
early 17th century: from Latin tremor, from tremere ‘to tremble.’
4. Phi Beta Kappa |ˌfī ˌbādə ˈkapə|
noun
an honorary society of college and university undergraduates and some graduates to which members are elected on the basis of high academic achievement.
• a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
ORIGIN
from the initial letters of a Greek motto philosophia biou kubernētēs ‘philosophy is the guide to life.’
5. hamper 1 |ˈhampər|
noun
North American a large basket with a lid used for laundry: a laundry hamper.
• a basket with a carrying handle and a hinged lid, used for food, cutlery, and plates on a picnic: a picnic hamper.
ORIGIN
Middle English (denoting any large case or casket): from Anglo-Norman French hanaper ‘case for a goblet,’ from Old French hanap ‘goblet,’ of Germanic origin.
hamper 2 |ˈhampər|
verb [with object]
hinder or impede the movement or progress of: their work is hampered by lack of funds.
nounNautical
necessary but cumbersome equipment on a ship.
ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense ‘shackle, entangle, catch’): perhaps related to German hemmen ‘restrain.’
6. stature |ˈstaCHər|
noun
a person's natural height: a man of short stature | she was small in stature.
• importance or reputation gained by ability or achievement: an architect of international stature.
DERIVATIVES
statured adjective [in combination] : a short-statured fourteen-year-old
ORIGIN
Middle English: via Old French from Latin statura, from stare ‘to stand.’ The sense ‘importance’ dates from the mid 19th century.
7. totem |ˈtōdəm|
noun
a natural object or animal believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and adopted by it as an emblem.
DERIVATIVES
totemic |tōˈtemik| adjective.
totemism |ˈtōdəˌmizəm| noun.
totemist |-mist| noun.
totemistic |ˌtōdəˈmistik| adjective
ORIGIN
mid 18th century: from Ojibwa nindoodem ‘my totem.’
8. amulet |ˈamyələt|
noun
an ornament or small piece of jewelry thought to give protection against evil, danger, or disease.
ORIGIN
late 16th century: from Latin amuletum, of unknown origin.
9. nonplussed |nänˈpləst| (also nonplused)
adjective
1 (of a person) surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react: he would be completely nonplussed and embarrassed at the idea.
2 North American informal (of a person) not disconcerted; unperturbed.
usage: In standard use, nonplussed means ‘surprised and confused’: the hostility of the new neighbor's refusal left Mrs. Walker nonplussed. In North American English, a new use has developed in recent years, meaning ‘unperturbed’—more or less the opposite of its traditional meaning: hoping to disguise his confusion, he tried to appear nonplussed. This new use probably arose on the assumption that non- was the normal negative prefix and must therefore have a negative meaning. It is not considered part of standard English.
10. apprehension |ˌaprəˈhenSHən|
noun
1 anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen: he felt sick with apprehension | she had some apprehensions about the filming.
2 understanding; grasp: the pure apprehension of the work of art.
3 the action of arresting someone: they acted with intent to prevent lawful apprehension.
ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense ‘learning, acquisition of knowledge’): from late Latin apprehensio(n-), from apprehendere ‘seize, grasp’ (see apprehend) .
11. crucifix |ˈkro͞osəˌfiks|
noun
a representation of a cross with a figure of Jesus Christ on it.
ORIGIN
Middle English: via Old French from ecclesiastical Latin crucifixus, from Latin cruci fixus ‘fixed to a cross.’ Compare with crucify.
12. credential |krəˈden(t)SHəl|
noun (usually credentials)
a qualification, achievement, personal quality, or aspect of a person's background, typically when used to indicate that they are suitable for something: recruitment is based mainly on academic credentials.
• a document or certificate proving a person's identity or qualifications.
• a letter of introduction given by a government to an ambassador before a new posting.
ORIGIN
late Middle English: from medieval Latin credentialis, from credentia (see credence). The original use was as an adjective in the sense ‘giving credence to, recommending,’ frequently in credential letters or papers, hence credentials (mid 17th century).
13. sloth |slôTHslōTH|
noun
1 reluctance to work or make an effort; laziness:three-toed sloth
three-toed sloth
he should overcome his natural sloth and complacency.
2 a slow-moving tropical American mammal that hangs upside down from the branches of trees using its long limbs and hooked claws.
[Families Bradypodidae (three species of three-toed sloth in genus Bradypus) and Megalonychidae (two species of two-toed sloth in genus Choloepus), order Xenarthra (or Edentata).]
ORIGIN
Old English: from slow + -th2.
14. liaison |ˈlēəˌzänlēˈāzän|
noun
1 communication or cooperation that facilitates a close working relationship between people or organizations: the head porter works in close liaison with the reception office.
• a person who acts as a link to assist communication or cooperation between groups of people: he's our liaison with a number of interested parties.
• a sexual relationship, especially one that is secret and involves unfaithfulness to a partner.
2 the binding or thickening agent of a sauce, often based on egg yolks.
3 Phonetics (in French and other languages) the sounding of a consonant that is normally silent at the end of a word because the next word begins with a vowel.
ORIGIN
mid 17th century (as a culinary term): from French, from lier ‘to bind.’
15. coax 1 |kōks|
verb [with object]
persuade (someone) gradually or by flattery to do something: the trainees were coaxed into doing hard, boring work | “Come on now,” I coaxed.
• (coax something from/out of) use flattery or gradual persuasion to obtain something from: we coaxed money out of my father | figurative : coaxing more speed from the car.
• manipulate (something) carefully into a particular shape or position: her lovely hair had been coaxed into ringlets.
DERIVATIVES
coaxer |ˈkōksər| noun.
coaxingly |ˈkōksiNGlē| adverb
ORIGIN
late 16th century: from obsolete cokes ‘simpleton,’ of unknown origin. The original sense was ‘pet, fondle,’ hence ‘persuade by caresses or flattery,’ the underlying sense being ‘make a simpleton of.’
coax 2 |ˈkōaks| informal
noun
coaxial cable.
adjective
coaxial: coax connectors.
16. cricket 1 |ˈkrikit|
noun
an insect related to the grasshoppers. The male produces a characteristic rhythmical chirping sound.
[Family Gryllidae: many genera and species, including the field cricket and the house cricket.]
ORIGIN
Middle English: from Old French criquet, from criquer ‘to crackle,’ of imitative origin.
cricket 2 |ˈkrikit|
noun
an open-air game played on a large grass field with ball, bats, and two wickets, between teams of eleven players, the object of the game being to score more runs than the opposition.
Cricket is played mainly in Britain and in territories formerly under British rule, including Australia, South Africa, the West Indies, New Zealand, and the Indian subcontinent. The full game with two innings per side can last several days; shorter matches are usual at the amateur level and have become popular at the professional level since the 1960s.
PHRASES
not cricket
British informal a thing contrary to traditional standards of fairness or rectitude.
ORIGIN
late 16th century: of unknown origin.
cricket 3 |ˈkrikit|
noun
a low stool, typically with a rectangular or oval seat and four legs splayed out.
17. consort 1
noun |ˈkänsôrt|
a wife, husband, or companion, in particular the spouse of a reigning monarch.
• a ship sailing in company with another.
verb |kənˈsôrtˈkänˌsôrt| [no object] (consort with)
habitually associate with (someone), typically with the disapproval of others: you chose to consort with the enemy.
• (consort with/to) archaic agree or be in harmony with.
ORIGIN
late Middle English (denoting a companion or colleague): via French from Latin consors ‘sharing, partner,’ from con- ‘together with’ + sors, sort- ‘lot, destiny.’ The verb senses are probably influenced by similar senses (now obsolete) of the verb sort.
consort 2 |ˈkänsôrt|
noun
a small group of musicians performing together, typically playing instrumental music of the Renaissance period: a consort of viols.
ORIGIN
late 16th century: earlier form of concert.
18. thrall |THrôl|
noun literary
the state of being in someone's power or having great power over someone: she was in thrall to her abusive husband.
• historical a slave, servant, or captive.
DERIVATIVES
thralldom |ˈTHrôlˌdəm| (also thraldom) noun
ORIGIN
Old English thrǣl ‘slave,’ from Old Norse thræll .
19. ludicrous |ˈlo͞odəkrəs|
adjective
so foolish, unreasonable, or out of place as to be amusing; ridiculous: it's ludicrous that I have been fined | every night he wore a ludicrous outfit.
DERIVATIVES
ludicrousness noun
ORIGIN
early 17th century (in the sense ‘sportive, intended as a jest’): from Latin ludicrus (probably from ludicrum ‘stage play’) + -ous.
20. divine 1 |dəˈvīn|
adjective (diviner, divinest)
1 of, from, or like God or a god: heroes with divine powers | paintings of shipwrecks being prevented by divine intervention.
• devoted to God; sacred: divine liturgy.
2 informal, dated excellent; delightful: that succulent clementine tasted divine | he had the most divine smile.
noun
1 dated a cleric or theologian.
2 (the Divine) providence or God.
DERIVATIVES
divineness noun
ORIGIN
late Middle English: via Old French from Latin divinus, from divus ‘godlike’ (related to deus ‘god’).
divine 2 |dəˈvīn|
verb [with object]
discover (something) by guesswork or intuition: his brother usually divined his ulterior motives | [with clause] : they had divined that he was a fake.
• have supernatural or magical insight into (future events): frauds who claimed to divine the future in chickens' entrails.
• discover (water) by dowsing.
DERIVATIVES
diviner |dəˈvīnər| noun
ORIGIN
late Middle English: from Old French deviner ‘predict,’ from Latin divinare, from divinus (see divine1) .