Week 4: vocabulary (etymology)

1) Envy noun

Painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage

Cindy’s flawless skin is the envy of every girl at school.

2) Fulfillment noun

The act or process of fulfilling

Winning the competition gave Peter a tremendous sense of achievement.

3) Acquisition noun

The act of acquiring

Some people seek happiness through the acquisition of material goods.

4) Prospect noun

Possible or likely for the future

The prospect of us moving to Canada in the near future is high.

5) Excessive adjective

Exceeding what is usual, proper, necessary, or normal

Excessive exercise can harm your body.

6) Reverse verb

Opposite or contrary to a previous or normal condition

After new evidence was presented, the lawyer reversed his client’s plea.

7) Take up phrasal verb

To get into one's possession by force, skill, or artifice

I have no idea why my dad has chosen to take up rock climbing at the age of 50.

8) Appealing adjective

Attractive or interesting

Oatmeal may not sound very appealing, but it can benefit the way your brain functions.

9) Pursuit noun

The act or an instance of chasing or pursuing

In her relentless pursuit of success, Zoe didn’t have time for a relationship.

10) Apply verb

To bring into nearness or contact with something; put on, upon, or to

The new strategy was applied to our existing ad campaign with much success.

11) Revitalization noun

Bringing again into activity and prominence

Immigrants brought their unique cultures and revitalized this part of the city.

12)  Reinvigorate verb

To give new life or energy to

An afternoon at the spa reinvigorated Sandy.

13)  Forge verb

To give form or shape to, especially by means of careful effort

The African nation has tried to forge an alliance with the US, but to no avail.

14)  Underway adjective

In motion or operation

Construction on the new mall is finally underway.

15)  Practical adjective

Of, relating to, governed by, or acquired through practice or action, rather than theory, speculation, or ideals

This job calls for at least five years of practical experience.

16)  Attainable adjective

To gain as an objective; achieve

Internet access is now attainable in some remote areas.

17)  Assign verb

To set apart for a particular purpose; designate

He professor assigned the report four weeks ago, but you are just starting on it now.

18)  Agnostic noun

One who does not know whether there is a God

He has lost his former faith and had become an agnostic.

19)  Amoral adjective

Neither moral nor immoral; unable to distinguish between right and wrong

Infants are amoral.

20)  Anarchy noun

Lit. without a ruler; political disorder and confusion

The overthrow of the government resulted in anarchy.

21)  Anecdote noun

Originally, not published as some stories were made public by publishing them and others were kept private; now, merely, a short account of some interesting or humorous incident

The speaker enlivened his talk with humorous anecdotes.

22)  Anemia noun

A deficiency of red blood cells

Her weakness was caused by anemia.

23)  Anesthetic adjective

A drug causing one to be insensitive to pain

Before the operation, he was given an anesthetic.

24)  Anomaly noun

A rare exception; something that is not normal

Charles Darwin wrote, “There is no greater anomaly in nature than a bird that cannot fly.”

25)  Anonymous adjective

Having an unknown or unacknowledged name

The donor of the new building wished to remain anonymous.