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calamity (kuh-LAM-ih-tee)
- noun; a great misfortune or disaster
- example: The Great Depression was the worst economic calamity in American history.
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consolation (kon-suh-LEY-shuhn)
- noun; comfort received by a person after a loss or disappointment
- example: Earning an “A” in her physics class was consolation to Sara after her less-than-stellar performance on the history exam.
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imminent (IHM-uh-nunt)
- adjective; likely to occur at any moment; impending
- example: The sound of a rattlesnake shaking its tail is a sign of imminent danger.
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mosaic (moh-ZEY-ik)
- noun; a picture or pattern made of many smaller pictures, pieces, or parts
- example: The mosaic at city hall is made up of thousands of stained-glass pieces in different
- colors—it’s astonishing.
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plume (ploom)
- noun; a feather or something resembling a feather in shape or appearance (commonly used when referring to smoke or vapor)
- example: A plume of dark smoke rising above the treetops signaled to the hunters that campers were nearby.
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ransack (RAN-sak)
- verb; to damage, steal, or cause disorder
- example: “Burglars ransacked a home on Pine Street, breaking many windows and leaving no
- valuables behind,” read the front page of the Goldenville Gazette.
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sulfurous (SUHL-fuhr-uhs)
- adjective; 1. of or relating to sulfur; 2. having a yellowish color or unpleasant rotten-egg smell associated with sulfur
- example: Though Luis enjoyed his stay in Yellowstone National Park, by the end of the week, he was quite relieved to get away from the sulfurous smell of the geysers.
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petrified (PEH-truh-fahyd)
- adjective ; 1. converted to stone or a stoney substance; 2. so frightened that one is unable to move
- example 1: Archaeologists recently discovered a large number of petrified dinosaur bones in southern Colorado.
- example 2: Eliza sat petrified as she watched an enormous spider scurry across the lunch table.
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