Week 13: vocabulary (etymology)

1) Free rein noun

Freedom to act and make decisions without first getting permission

e.g. Susan had free rein over the television while her brother was at soccer practice.

2) Default noun

   A failure to do something that you legally have to do, such as pay a debt

   e.g. The company is very close to default because it can’t pay back the money it borrowed.

3) Disruptive adjective

  Tending to damage the orderly control of a situation

  e.g. Jim was very disruptive when he answered his cellphone in the library.

4) Elite adjective

  Referring to people or organization that are considered the best or most powerful compared to others of a similar type

e.g. Only elite athletes are able to compete in the Olympics.

5) Tenured adjective

  Having the right to remain permanently in a job

  e.g. Dr. Weeks is a tenured professor at the university.

6) Backer noun

  A person who gives support to someone or something with money or words

  e.g. John’s company is looking for financial backers to support his new line of cell phones.

7) Niche noun

  An area or position which is exactly suitable for a small group of the same type

  e.g. George had difficulty finding his niche after moving to a new town.

8) Spike noun

  A sudden increase

  e.g. There was a spike in unemployment before the recession.

9) Trepidation noun

  Worry or anxiety about something that is going to happen

  e.g. Before his heart surgery, Kyle was feeling a lot of trepidation, but the doctor reassured him.

10) Tantalizing adjective

  Causing excitement, interest and desire

  e.g. Kari received a tantalizing job offer from another company.

11) Have-nots plural noun

  A reference to people or groups without money, social position or certain material possessions

  e.g. Alisha is trying to improve the lives of the have-nots by helping them to become financially stable.

12) Toy with phrasal verb

  To consider something or doing something, but not in a very serious way, and without making a decision

  e.g. Joseph is toying with the idea of studying abroad.

13) Burgeoning adjective

   Growing or developing quickly

   e.g. The young actor is burgeoning with talent.

14) Nucleus noun

   The central part of the most important part of something

   e.g. What is the nucleus of our universe? Most would respond by saying the sun.

15) Feasible adjective

   Possible or reasonable

   e.g. It’s not feasible for Jenny to meet us tonight because she has to work late.

16) Clobber verb

   To affect someone very badly

   e.g. The typhoon clobbered the towns along the east coast.

17) Collaborative adjective

   Involving two or more people working together for a special purpose

   e.g. Terry’s boss put him in charge of a collaborative project with a marketing company.

18) Consort verb

   To spend a lot of time in the company of a particular group of people, especially whose character is not approved of

   e.g. The judge warned the defendant about the characters he was consorting with.

19) Subsidize verb

   To pay part of the cost of something

   e.g. The government subsidizes a lot of housing for the poor in this part of the city.

20) Fraught adjective

   Full of danger, difficulties, etc.

  e.g. English is fraught with irregular verbs that you just need to memorize.

21) Rote adjective

   Learning by repetition, rather than by really understanding it

   e.g. Mary uses rote memorization when she wants to remember poetry.

22) Unconventional adjective

   Doing things in a way that is different from most people

   e.g. Some language learning methods are said to be unconventional, but successful!

23) Fascinated adjective

   Extremely interested

   e.g. James wants to be an astronaut because he is fascinated by outer space.

24) Stigma noun

   When people disapprove of something, especially when this disapproval is unfair

   e.g. Micah is fighting against the stigma placed on people collecting unemployment insurance.

25) Endowed adjective

   Having a lot of something, especially money of possessions

   e.g. The university’s gym was endowed with the latest exercise equipment and programs, thanks to a donation last year.