Vocabulary 1 starter

adjective 1. sparing or moderate in eating and drinking; temperate in diet. 2. characterized by abstinence: an abstemious life. 3. sparing: an abstemious diet.

noun Genetics. any of several threadlike bodies, consisting of chromatin, that carry the genes in a linear order: the human species has 23 pairs, designated 1 to 22 in order of decreasing size and X  and Y  for the female and male sex chromosomes respectively.

verb (used with object), cir·cum·nav·i·gat·ed, cir·cum·nav·i·gat·ing. 1. to sail or fly around; make the circuit of by navigation: to circumnavigate the earth. 2. to go or maneuver around: to circumnavigate the heavy downtown traffic.

verb (used with object), ex·pur·gat·ed, ex·pur·gat·ing. 1. to amend by removing words, passages, etc., deemed offensive or objectionable: Most children read an expurgated version of Grimms' fairy tales. 2. to purge or cleanse of moral offensiveness.

• fi·du·ci·ar·y [fi-doo-shee-er-ee, -dyoo-] Show IPA noun, plural fi·du·ci·ar·ies, adjective noun 1. Law. a person to whom property or power is entrusted for the benefit of another.
• adjective 2. Law. of or pertaining to the relation between a fiduciary and his or her principal: a fiduciary capacity; a fiduciary duty. 3. of, based on, or in the nature of trust and confidence, as in public affairs: a fiduciary obligation of government employees. 4. depending on public confidence for value or currency, as fiat money.

• noun 1. U.S. politics. a. the use of irregular or obstructive tactics by a member of a legislative assembly to prevent the adoption of a measure generally favored or to force a decision against the will of the majority. b. an exceptionally long speech, as one lasting for a day or days, or a series of such speeches to accomplish this purpose. c. a member of a legislature who makes such a speech. 2. an irregular military adventurer, especially one who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country to foment or support a revolution.
• verb (used without object) 3. U.S. Politics. to impede legislation by irregular or obstructive tactics, especially by making long speeches. 4. to act as an irregular military adventurer, especially for revolutionary purposes.
• verb (used with object) 5. U.S. Politics. to impede (legislation) by irregular or obstructive tactics, especially by making long speeches.

adjective 1. composed of parts or elements that are all of the same kind; not heterogeneous: a homogeneous population. 2. of the same kind or nature; essentially alike. 3. Mathematics . a. having a common property throughout: a homogeneous solid figure. b. having all terms of the same degree: a homogeneous equation. c. relating to a function of several variables that becomes multiplied by some power of a constant when each variable is multiplied by that constant: x 2  y 3 is a homogeneous expression of degree 5. d. relating to a differential equation in which a linear combination of derivatives is set equal to zero.

in·cul·cate [in-kuhl-keyt, in-kuhl-keyt] Show IPA verb (used with object), in·cul·cat·ed, in·cul·cat·ing. 1. to implant by repeated statement or admonition; teach persistently and earnestly (usually followed by upon  or in  ): to inculcate virtue in the young. 2. to cause or influence (someone) to accept an idea or feeling (usually followed by with  ): Socrates inculcated his pupils with the love of truth.

in·ter·po·late [in-tur-puh-leyt] Show IPA verb, in·ter·po·lat·ed, in·ter·po·lat·ing. verb (used with object) 1. to introduce (something additional or extraneous) between other things or parts; interject; interpose; intercalate. 2. Mathematics . to insert, estimate, or find an intermediate term in (a sequence). 3. to alter (a text) by the insertion of new matter, especially deceptively or without authorization. 4. to insert (new or spurious matter) in this manner.

• kow·tow [kou-tou, -tou, koh-] Show IPA verb (used without object) 1. to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference. 2. to touch the forehead to the ground while kneeling, as an act of worship, reverence, apology, etc., especially in former Chinese custom.
• noun 3. the act of kowtowing.

noun, plural lex·i·ca [lek-si-kuh] Show IPA , lex·i·cons. 1. a wordbook or dictionary, especially of Greek, Latin, or hebrew. 2. the vocabulary of a particular language, field, social class, person, etc. 3. inventory or record: unparalleled in the lexicon of human relations. 4. Linguistics . a. the total inventory of morphemes in a given language. b. the inventory of base morphemes plus their combinations with derivational morphemes.

noun Cell Biology . the usual method of cell division, characterized typically by the resolving of the chromatin of the nucleus into a threadlike form, which condenses into chromosomes, each of which separates longitudinally into two parts, one part of each chromosome being retained in each of two new cells resulting from the original cell.

verb (used with object), no·ta·rized, no·ta·riz·ing. to certify (a document, contract, etc.) or cause to become certified through a notary public.

• verb (used with object) 1. to convert (an element) into an oxide; combine with oxygen. 2. to cover with a coating of oxide or rust. 3. to take away hydrogen, as by the action of oxygen; add oxygen or any nonmetal. 4. to remove electrons from (an atom or molecule), thereby increasing the valence. Compare reduce (  def 12 ) .
• verb (used without object) 5. to become oxidized. 6. (especially of white wine) to lose freshness after prolonged exposure to air and often to darken in color.

• adjective 1. of or pertaining to money: pecuniary difficulties. 2. consisting of or given or exacted in money or monetary payments: pecuniary tributes. 3. (of a crime, violation, etc.) involving a money penalty or fine.
• [pi-kyoo-nee-er-ee]

noun 1. Anatomy, Physiology . the liquid part of blood or lymph, as distinguished from the suspended elements. 2. Cell Biology , cytoplasm. 3. whey. 4. a green, faintly translucent chalcedony. 5. Physics. a highly ionized gas containing an approximately equal number of positive ions and electrons

qua·sar [kwey-zahr, -zer, -sahr, -ser] Show IPA noun Astronomy . one of over a thousand known extragalactic objects, starlike in appearance and having spectra with characteristically large redshifts, that are thought to be the most distant and most luminous objects in the universe.

adjective 1. cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident: a sanguine disposition; sanguine expectations. 2. reddish; ruddy: a sanguine complexion. 3. (in old physiology) having blood as the predominating humor and consequently being ruddy-faced, cheerful, etc. 4. bloody; sanguinary. 5. blood-red; red.

su·per·cil·i·ous [soo-per-sil-ee-uhs] Show IPA adjective haughtily disdainful or contemptuous, as a person or a facial expression.

noun, plural tau·tol·o·gies. 1. needless repetition of an idea, especially in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman.” 2. an instance of such repetition. 3. Logic. a. a compound propositional form all of whose instances are true, as “A or not A.” b. an instance of such a form, as “This candidate will win or will not win.”

• to·tal·i·tar·i·an [toh-tal-i-tair-ee-uhn] Show IPA adjective 1. of or pertaining to a centralized government that does not tolerate parties of differing opinion and that exercises dictatorial control over many aspects of life. 2. exercising control over the freedom, will, or thought of others; authoritarian; autocratic.
• noun 3. an adherent of totalitarianism.

ve·he·ment [vee-uh-muhnt] Show IPA adjective 1. zealous; ardent; impassioned: a vehement defense; vehement enthusiasm. 2. characterized by rancor or anger; violent: vehement hostility. 3. strongly emotional; intense or passionate: vehement desire. 4. marked by great energy or exertion; strenuous: vehement clapping.

zig·gu·rat [zig-oo-rat] Show IPA noun (among the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians) a temple of Sumerian origin in the form of a pyramidal tower, consisting of a number of stories and having about the outside a broad ascent winding round the structure, presenting the appearance of a series of terraces.