1essential_esl_dictionary_9_000_words_for_learners_of_english

crash 100

a bike: You shouldn't ride on a motorcycle without a credit /ˈkred.ɪt/ [㐖] A special arrangement in

b crash helmet. which you buy something now and pay for it lat-

crash2 /kræʃ/ [㐘] To hit something at high speed: er: I'm going to buy a new computer on credit.

He crashed against a lamp-post and had to be tak- credit card [㐗] A card that you can use to
c en to hospital.
buy on credit: When my father has no cash, he uses

crate /kreɪt/ [㐗] A large box, usually made of his credit card.
d wood: A crate of fruit fell off the truck.
creek [㐗] A small stream: In spring we always

crater /ˈkreɪ·tə̬ r/ [㐗] A round cavity left by a play in the creek behind our house.

e bomb or a volcano eruption: The bomb left a cra- creep, crept, crept /kriːp/ [㐘] 1 To move quietly
ter where it exploded. ■ Be careful with the pronun- so that no one hears or sees you: Susan gave me a

f ciation of this word! The syllable "cra" rhymes with fright when she crept into my room. 2 To move with
"day". your body close to the ground: The soldiers crept

g crawl1 /krɔːl/ [㐖] A style of swimming in across the field to surprise the enemy.
which you swim on your front and stretch out creepy /ˈkriː.pi/ [㐀] That makes you feel rather

h each arm alternately: The crawl is one of the fast- nervous and frightened: The deserted property at
est swimming styles. the end of the road is a creepy place. ■ This word is

i crawl2 /krɔːl/ [㐘] To move on hands and knees: informal. ■ The comparative form is "creepier" and
The Lawrences' baby has started crawling. the superlative form is "creepiest".

j crayon /ˈkreɪ·ɑn/ [㐗] A stick of colored wax cremate US: /ˈkriː.meɪt/ UK: /krɪˈmeɪt/ [㐘] To burn a
used for drawing with: Jamie needs a new box of dead body: I want to be cremated when I die.
crayons for school. crème brûlée [㐌] A yellow sweet made with
k crazy /ˈkreɪ.zi/ [㐀] 1 Mad: She laughs so eggs, milk and burned sugar on top: Would you
strangely that people think she's crazy. 2 Foolish: like a crème brûlée?

l That boy's crazy. He's climbed to the top of that crept /krept/ Past tense and past participle forms
tree. 3 to be crazy about (somebody or some- of creep.

m thing) Liking somebody or something very much: crest /krest/ [㐗] 1 The top of a slope or hill:
Patrick's crazy about Isabel. Selena surfed on the crest of the wave. 2 A row of

n creak /kriːk/ [㐘] To make the sound that wood of- feathers running along the head of a bird: The
ten makes: I get frightened when the floorboards bird has a distinctive crest.

o creak at night. crew /kruː/ [㐗] A group of people who work on

cream /kriːm/ [㐖] 1 A thick liquid that you a ship or an airplane: The Captain was from Aus-

p make from milk: I love strawberries with cream. 2 tralia but the rest of the crew were Americans.
Smooth paste: My father uses shaving cream. crib /krɪb/ [㐗] 1 A bed for a baby: My little sis-

q create /kriˈeɪt/ [㐘] To make something: The Bible ter sleeps in a crib. ■ Compare with "cradle" (a bed
says that God created the world in six days. that moves from side to side). ■ In British English

r creation /kriˈeɪ.ʃən/ ❚ [㐌] 1 The act of making they say "cot". 㐀  See picture at bedroom. 2 A
something: There are different theories about the thing dishonestly used to help somebody remem-
s creation of the world. ❚ [㐗] 2 Something that ber something in a dishonest way: She cheated in
you have made: Have you seen my painting? I'm the test using a crib. ■ This use is informal.
very proud of my creation! cricket /ˈkrɪk.ɪt/ ❚ [㐖] 1 A game for two
t creative1 /kriˈeɪ·tɪ̬ v/ [㐗] Person whose job is teams, played with bats and a ball: Sri Lanka sur-
to apply their imagination and artistic ability to prised people when they won the cricket world
u their work: The creatives at the advertising agency championship in 1996. ❚ [㐗] 2 A small, jump-
came up with a completely new campaign. ing insect: I like listening to crickets singing on

v creative2 /kriˈeɪtɪv/ [㐀] 1 Original and imagi- very hot days. 㐀 See page 431.
native: Christine is very creative. 2 creative writ- crime /kraɪm/ [㐗] An action that is against the

w ing Poetry, plays, novels and short stories, or the law: If you drive at high speed in a city, you are
writing of them: At creative writing classes Tom is committing a crime. ■ Compare with "murder1" (the

x learning how to write better poems. killing of somebody).

creativity /ˌkri·eɪˈtɪv·ɪ·ti̬ /, /ˌkri·ə-/ [㐖] The criminal1 /ˈkrɪmɪnəl/ [㐀] Referring to crime: In-

y ability to create and to be imaginative: Creativity spector Wexford is in charge of the criminal investi-
is important in many jobs. gation department.

z creature /ˈkri·tʃər/ [㐗] A living being that is criminal2 /ˈkrɪmɪnəl/ [㐗] A person who does
not human: St Francis of Assisi loved all creatures. something against the law: The police arrested the

101 crown

two criminals and took them to the police station. ■ cross1 /krɒs/ [㐘] To go across something: I've a
b
Compare with "murderer" (a person who kills anoth- crossed the Atlantic twice by plane. c
◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to cross out To make a mark d
er person). with a cross on something written: I didn't have e
f
crimson /ˈkrɪm.zən/ [㐍] A deep red color: Cardi- an eraser, so I just crossed out the mistake. ■ Be g

nals wear crimson cloaks. careful with the spelling of the 3rd person singular h
i
crisis /ˈkraɪ.sɪs/ [㐌] A difficult moment: Sue is go- present tense form: "crosses". j
k
ing through a real crisis. She doesn't know whether cross2 /krɒs/ [㐗] The shape of two lines cross- l
m
to go to university or not. ■ The plural is "crises". ing each other: The cross is one of the symbols of n
o
crisp1 UK: /krɪsp/ [㐗] See chip. ■ This word is Christianity. ■ The plural is "crosses". p
q
British English. ■ This word is more common in the cross3 /krɒs/ [㐀] That feels anger against r
s
plural. somebody or something: Susan was very cross t
u
crisp2 /krɪsp/ [㐀] That is hard but breaks easi- with me when I lost her book. ■ The same meaning: v
w
ly: These crackers are very tasty; they're nice and "angry". x
y
crisp, too. crossing US: /ˈkrɑː.sɪŋ/ UK: /ˈkrɒs.ɪŋ/ [㐗] The act z

criterion /krɑɪˈtɪər·i·ən/ [㐗] A standard by of going across something: The channel crossing

which something is judged: She believes that the was very rough.

sole criterion for success is hard work. ■ The plural crossroads US: /ˈkrɑːs.roʊdz/ UK: /ˈkrɒs.rəʊdz/

is "criteria". [㐗] A place where one road crosses another:
This crossroads is quite dangerous. There have
critic /ˈkrɪt̬·ɪk/ [㐗] A person who is paid to give
been lots of accidents here lately. ■ The plural is
his or her opinion on movies, books and so on:
"crossroads".
Some authors pretend that they don't read what the
crosswalk [㐗] A place on the road where pe-
critics say about their books.
destrians can cross: Many crosswalks are con-
critical /ˈkrɪt·̬ ɪ·kəl/ [㐀] Having a bad opinion of
trolled by stoplights. ■ In British English they say
somebody or something: David is always too criti-
"pedestrian crossing", "zebra crossing". 㐀 See pic-
cal of his teachers.
ture at street.
criticism /ˈkrɪt·əˌsɪz·əm/ [㐌] Saying what is bad
crossword /ˈkrɒswɜːd/ [㐗] A puzzle in which
about somebody or something: I thought his criti-
you complete blanks with words: I can't finish this
cism was totally unfair.
crossword. I don't know the words for these two clues.
criticize or criticise /ˈkrɪtɪsaɪz/ [㐘] To say
crotchet US: /ˈkrɑː.tʃət/ UK: /ˈkrɒtʃ.ət/ [㐗] A mu-
what you think is bad about somebody or some-
sical note which has the time value of half a min-
thing: I was criticized for not going to Beckie's
im: Crotchets are represented by a filled-in oval
birthday party.
head with a stem. 㐀 See page 460.
critique /krɪˈtiːk/ [㐗] An extensive analysis of
crouch /kraʊtʃ/ [㐘] To bend down: When we found
a situation, or of somebody's work or ideas, usu-
the baby, she was crouching behind the kitchen
ally containing a negative judgment on it: The
door, hiding from us.
professor wrote a critique of the author's new book.
crow1 /krəʊ/ [㐗] A large black bird: Look at the
croak US: /kroʊk/ UK: /krəʊk/ [㐘] To make the
crows on that tree.
sound that a frog makes: Frogs croak when they
crow2 /krəʊ/ [㐘] To make the sound that a cock
are on land.
makes: Cocks crow at dawn. 㐀  See picture at
crockery /ˈkrɑk·ə·ri/ [㐖] Plates, cups and
animal.
saucers: Leave the dirty crockery in the sink; we'll
crowd /kraʊd/ [㐗] A large group of people:
wash it up later. ■ Compare with "cutlery" (knives,
Crowds in football stadiums always make me feel
forks and spoons). ■ The plural is "crockeries".
nervous. 㐀 See picture at groups.
crocodile /ˈkrɑk·əˌdɑɪl/ [㐗] A large reptile
crowded /ˈkraʊ.dɪd/ [㐀] With many people for
with strong jaws: Crocodiles attack people when
the space available: The hall was crowded. Many
they're hungry. 㐀 See page 430.
people had to wait outside. ■ Be careful with the
crooked /ˈkrʊk.ɪd/ [㐀] 1 Bent: To get to the castle
pronunciation of this word. The "e" is pronounced
you have to go up a long crooked road. 2 Dishonest:
like the "i" in "did".
There are too many crooked politicians in the world.
crown /kraʊn/ [㐗] An object that kings or
■ Be careful with the pronunciation of the end of this
queens wear on their heads: In the United King-
word! The "e" is pronounced like the "i" in "did".
dom, when the Queen opens parliament she always
crop US: /krɑːp/ UK: /krɒp/ [㐗] A plant that is
wears her crown.
grown for food: In Africa they need to grow crops

like wheat to prevent famines.

cruel 102

a cruel /ˈkruː.əl, krʊəl/ [㐀] That causes suffering: I Cub /kʌb/ [㐗] A boy who is a junior Scout: Dan-

b think that fox hunting is a very cruel sport. ny became a Cub when he was eight. ■ Be careful!

cruelty /ˈkru·əl·ti/ [㐌] Deliberately making peo- "Cub" has a capital "C".
ple or animals suffer: He was taken to court for Cuban1 [㐀] Referring to Cuba: My father loves
c cruelty to his horses. ■ The plural is "cruelties".
Cuban music. ■ Be careful! "Cuban" has a capital

cruise /kruːz/ [㐗] 1 A long journey by boat: "C".
d How long does the cruise from New Jersey to Que- Cuban2 [㐗] A person from Cuba: There are
bec take? 2 A vacation on a ship stopping at sev- two Cubans in my baseball team. ■ Be careful! "Cu-

e eral ports: This summer my parents are going on a ban" has a capital "C".
cruise around the Mediterranean. cube /kjuːb/ [㐗] 1 A shape with six square fac-

f crumb /krʌm/ [㐗] A tiny piece of bread or es: A dice is a cube. 2 ice cube See ice cube.
cake: We can feed these crumbs to the pigeons. cuckoo /ˈkʊk.uː/ [㐗] A gray European bird:

g 㐀 See picture at a piece of... Cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds' nests.

crumble /ˈkrʌm.bl/̩ [㐘] To break into pieces: The cucumber /ˈkju·kʌm·bər/ [㐌] A long green vegeta-

h farmer had to repair the wall where it was crumbling. ble: Cucumber is very nice in salads.
crumple /ˈkrʌm.pl/̩ [㐘] To crush or to make some- cuddle /ˈkʌdl/ [㐘] To hold somebody affectionate-

i thing to become wrinkled: He crumpled up the ly in your arms: When I see Joanna's baby I always
sheets of paper in disgust. ■ We always say: "crum- like to cuddle her.
cuisine /kwɪˈziːn/ [㐖] A style of cooking: I
j ple (something) up".
crunch /krʌntʃ/ [㐘] To eat something with a love French cuisine. ■ This word is formal.

k noise: Frances sat watching television and crunch- cul-de-sac [㐗] A street closed at one end:
ing cookies. Her house was set at the end of a cul-de-sac.

crusade /kruːˈseɪd/ [㐗] A medieval war be- cultivate /ˈkʌl·təˌveɪt/ [㐘] To grow crops: In Brazil

l tween Christians and Muslims for possession of they cultivate a lot of coffee.
the Holy Land: In the Children's Crusade of 1212 cultivation /ˌkʌl·təˈveɪ·ʃən/ [㐖] The activity
m thousands of children set off from Europe to go to of growing crops: The cultivation of rice is highly
Jerusalem; many never arrived. developed in Japan.

n crush /krʌʃ/ [㐘] To press something very hard cultural /ˈkʌl·tʃər·əl/ [㐀] Referring to culture:
and injure or break it: I didn't see his paper It's interesting to find out about cultural differences.

o castle on the chair and I crushed it when I sat culture /ˈkʌl·tʃər/ ❚ [㐖] 1 The arts: The Minis-
down. try of Culture gives a prize every year to the best

p crust /krʌst/ [㐌] 1 The outside part of bread: I like artists and writers. ❚ [㐌] 2 The way of life of a
the crust of a loaf because it's so crisp. 2 The out- community: Do movies give a good picture of

q side part of the Earth: Land and sea form the American culture? ■ Be careful with the pronuncia-
Earth's crust. 㐀 See page 449. tion of this word. The first part, "u", is pronounced

r crustacean /krʌsˈteɪ.ʃən/ [㐗] Any animal like the "u" in "cup", and the ending "ture" is pro-
with a hard shell that mostly lives in water: nounced like the "cher" in "butcher".
s Crabs, shrimps and lobsters are examples of crus- cunning /ˈkʌnɪŋ/ [㐀] Clever: Arthur is good at
taceans. inventing cunning plans to make money.

crutch /krʌtʃ/ [㐗] A stick that you use when cup /kʌp/ [㐗] A small round container with a

t you cannot walk well: When I broke my leg I had to handle used for drinking hot drinks: I brought the
use crutches for two months. cups but I forgot the coffee. ■ Compare with "mug"
u cry /kraɪ/ [㐘] 1 To weep, usually because you are (a tall straight cup).
unhappy: She cried when she heard the news of her

v brother's accident. 2 To shout: "I didn't break it", CUP
she cried. ■ Be careful with the spelling of these

w forms: "cries", "cried".
crystal /ˈkrɪs.təl/ [㐖] 1 A transparent mineral

x or chemical with a particular regular shape: Sug-
ar crystals are like little brown rocks. 2 Glass of a

y very high quality: Be careful with that crystal vase.
cub /kʌb/ [㐗] A very young wolf, lion or bear:

z It's dangerous to approach a wolf when she's with cup mug
her cubs.

103 cute

cupboard /ˈkʌb·ərd/ [㐗] A piece of furniture stories, witches sometimes put curses on peo- a
b
where you keep things in: If you need glasses, ple. c
d
there are a lot in the cupboard in the kitchen. ■ curtain US: /ˈkɝː.t̬ən/ UK: /ˈkɜː.tən/ [㐗] See drape. e
f
Compare with "closet" (used for keeping clothes ■ This word is British English. g

in). 㐀 See picture at kitchen. curvature US: /ˈkɝː.və.tʃɚ/ UK: /ˈkɜː.və.tʃər/ [㐌] h
i
cupcake /ˈkʌp.keɪk/ [㐗] A small iced cake The state of being curved: The curvature of the j
k
which is baked in a cup-shaped container: The earth can only be seen from space. l
m
cupcake is one of my favorite sweets. curve US: /kɝːv/ UK: /kɜːv/ [㐗] A bending line: n
o
cupful /ˈkʌp.fʊl/ [㐗] The quantity of some- This road is dangerous. It has lots of curves. p
q
thing that you can get into a cup: To make an cushion /ˈkʊʃ.ən/ [㐗] A cloth bag filled with r
s
apple pie you need one and a half cupfuls of sug- soft material that people have on chairs or so- t
u
ar. fas: Sit on that cushion and you'll be more com- v
w
curb [㐗] The edge of a sidewalk: You parked fortable. x
y
your car a long way from the curb. ■ In British Eng- custard /ˈkʌs·tərd/ [㐖] A sweet yellow liquid z

lish they say "kerb". made from milk, eggs and sugar: Do you want

cure1 /kjʊər/ [㐗] A remedy: Do you know of a some hot custard on your apple pie, Jane?

cure for flu? custom /ˈkʌs.təm/ [㐌] 1 A tradition: I like the cus-

cure2 /kjʊər/ [㐘] To make somebody ill better: tom of giving presents at Christmas. 2 Something

How did you cure your cold? that a person does regularly: George has the cus-

curiosity US: /ˌkjʊr.iˈɑː.sə.ti̬ / UK: /ˌkjʊə.riˈɒs.ɪ.ti/ tom of having a short nap after lunch.

[㐖] A strong desire to know something: I've customer /ˈkʌs·tə·mər/ [㐗] A person who
always felt curiosity about how television works. ■
buys: They closed the store because they didn't
The plural is "curiosities".
have any customers. ■ Compare with "client" (a per-
curious /ˈkjʊər·i·əs/ [㐀] 1 Wanting to know: We
son or company who receives services of a profes-
were curious to know where Tanya was from. 2
sional). 㐀 See picture at market.
Strange or odd: That's curious. I didn't know that
customs /ˈkʌs.təmz/ [㐑] The place at a border
George went to our school.
where they control imports: They stopped James
curl US: /kɝːl/ UK: /kɜːl/ [㐌] A piece of hair that
at customs and opened his suitcase.
curves: He has really beautiful hair. Such lovely
cut1 /kʌt/ [㐗] 1 An opening made with a
curls!
sharp thing: He has a cut on his finger. 2 A re-
curly /ˈkɜr·li/ [㐀] That has natural curls: He's
duction in amount, size and so on: The govern-
very good looking: blue eyes, dark, curly hair. ■ The
ment have announced a cut in spending on de-
comparative form of is "curlier" and the superlative
fense.
form is "curliest". 㐀 See pictures at hair and op-
cut2, cut, cut /kʌt/ [㐘] To break something even-
posite.
ly with a knife or scissors: Can you cut the bread,
currant /ˈkɜr·ənt/, /ˈkʌr·ənt/ [㐗] A sweet,
Sue?
dried grape: My father makes wonderful currant ◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to cut (something) down
To make something fall to the ground by cut-
buns.
ting it: They cut down the tree on the corner. ·
currency /ˈkɜr·ən·si/, /ˈkʌr·ən-/ [㐌] The money
to cut off To separate from other things or peo-
used in a country: United States currency is the
ple: The whole town was cut off by the snow. · to
dollar. ■ The plural is "currencies".
cut (something) out 1 To remove or to stop:
current1 /ˈkʌrənt/ ❚ [㐗] 1 The movement of
You ought to cut out all those candies you eat. 2
water in a river or ocean: The current took the boat
away. ❚ [㐌] 2 The electricity going through a To remove something by cutting: I'm going to
wire: Use this switch to turn the current off com-
cut the photo of the gorilla out of the newspaper.
pletely.
· to cut (something) up To cut something into
current2 /ˈkʌrənt/ [㐀] Of the present time: To-
pieces: Let's cut the cake up and start eating. ■
day in History, we talked about the current situa-
Be careful with the spelling of this form: "cut-
tion in the Middle East.
ting".
curry /ˈkɜr·i/, /ˈkʌr·i/ [㐌] A hot, spicy meal: In In-
cute /kjuːt/ [㐀] 1 Attractive in an amusing or a
dia you can eat meat, fish or vegetable curries. ■
pretty way: What a cute little puppy! 2 Clever or
The plural is "curries".
wanting to appear clever: Be careful with him.
curse US: /kɝːs/ UK: /kɜːs/ [㐗] An appeal for
He's very cute. ■ This use is informal. Be careful with
something bad to happen to somebody: In
the pronunciation of this word.

cutlery 104

a cutlery /ˈkʌt·lə·ri/ [㐖] Knives, forks and cutting /ˈkʌtɪŋ/ [㐗] Small piece of paper cut

b spoons: When you've dried the cutlery, put it away out of a newspaper or a magazine: I have a lot of
in that drawer, please. ■ The plural is "cutleries". ■ press cuttings about this actor.
Compare with "crockery" (plates, cups and sau- cuttlefish /ˈkʌt.l̩.fɪʃ/ US: /ˈkʌt-̬ / [㐗] A cephalo-
c cers).
pod mollusk with ten arms which expels a fluid

d CUTLERY spoon that looks like ink: The cuttlefish repels its preda-

e tors with ink.

f cycling /ˈsaɪ.klɪŋ/ [㐖] Riding a bicycle as a
g
sport: Lance Armstrong is famous for his victories in

cycling in the Tour of France. 㐀 See picture at sport.

cyclist /ˈsaɪ.klɪst/ [㐗] A person who rides a bi-

cycle: Professional cyclists can ride up to 160 miles

in a day.

cylinder /ˈsɪl·ən·dər/ [㐗] A long, round shape

h like a tube: A pencil or a bottle are examples of cyl-
inders.

i knife cymbals /ˈsɪmbəl/ [㐗] A pair of round metal
fork
plates used as an instrument: I play the cymbals
j
in the school band. 㐀 See page 459.

cypress /ˈsaɪ.prəs/ [㐗] A type of tall, thin tree:

k cut-out [㐗] 1 A shape cut out of paper, wood, Cypresses do not lose their leaves in winter. ■ The
etc.: He made a large cut-out in the shape of a cat. plural is "cypresses".
2 A device which automatically disconnects the cytoplasm /ˈsɑɪ·tə̬ ˌplæz·əm/ [㐖] The inside

l electricity supply: The cut-out stopped the supply part of a cell surrounding the nucleus: The cell is
of power to the computer. filled with cytoplasm.

m

n

o

p

q

r

s

t

u

v

w

x

y

z

D d /diː/ The fourth letter of the alphabet: The name
d
"David" begins with a "D".

d. Referring to a date of the death of somebody:

Peter Wright (d. 19 August 1992, Louisville, Ala-

bama). ■ "d." is an abbreviation for "died". ■ See

box at abbreviations.

D /diː/ [㐗] The second musical note of the scale

of C major: The music teacher asked me to play a

D. ■ The plural is "Ds" or "D's". 㐀 See page 460.

dad or daddy /dæd or ˈdædi/ [㐗] See father.

■ These words are informal. 㐀  See picture at fa-

mily.

daffodil /ˈdæf.ə.dɪl/ [㐗] A yellow spring flow-

er: In May the yards in Chicago are filled with daf-

fodils.

dagger /ˈdæg·ər/ [㐗] A short, sharp knife: Pi-

rates used to carry daggers in their belts.

daily1 /ˈdeɪli/ [㐀] Happening every day: "The

New York Times" is a United States daily newspa-

per.

daily2 /ˈdeɪli/ [㐄] Every day: We feed our cat twice

daily.

dainty /ˈdeɪn·ti/ [㐀] Delicate or elegant: The

furniture for the old dolls' house was beautiful and

dainty. ■ The comparative form is "daintier" and the

superlative form is "daintiest".

dairy /ˈdeəri/ [㐗] A place where milk products

are made: Cheese, butter and yoghurt are made in

a dairy. ■ The plural is "dairies".

daisy /ˈdeɪ.zi/ [㐗] A small white and yellow

flower: Daisies often grow wild in the grass. ■ The

plural is "daisies".

dalmatian /dælˈmeɪ.ʃən/ [㐗] A white dog with

black spots: "A Hundred and One Dalmatians" is

one of my favorite movies.

dam /dæm/ [㐗] A wall blocking a river or lake:

Hoover Dam on the border between Arizona and

Nevada is a major tourist attraction, nearly a mil-

lion people tour the dam each year. 㐀  See page

445.

damage1 /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ [㐖] The harm done to

things: Hurricanes sometimes cause a lot of dam-

age in the Caribbean. ■ Be careful with the pronun-

ciation of this word. The last "a" is pronounced like

the "i" in "did".

damage2 /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ [㐘] To harm something: The

fire damaged the building so badly that it had to be

pulled down. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation of

this word. The last "a" is pronounced like the "i" in

"did".

damn /dæm/ [㐌] A word that people say when

they are angry: Damn! I've forgotten my keys. ■

This word is a swear word. ■ Be careful with the pro-

nunciation of this word! The "n" is silent.

damp 106

a damp /dæmp/ [㐀] A little wet: The weather is dash1 /dæʃ/ [㐗] A mark used to separate infor-

b usually quite damp in the fall. ■ "Damp" is often a mation in a sentence [—]: Some people consider
negative word. Compare with "moist" (is usually a that it is usually better to use commas than dashes.
positive word: "You must keep the earth moist for dash2 /dæʃ/ [㐘] To hurry: I must dash, or I'll be late.
c this plant").
data /ˈdeɪ·tə̬ /, /ˈdæt̬·ə/, /ˈdɑt̬·ə/ [㐖] Facts, infor-
dance1 /dɑːns/ [㐌] The movements that people do mation: I have enough data to do the experiment. ■
d to music: The waltz is my grandfather's favorite Be careful with the pronunciation of this word! This
dance and he dances it very well. word can be used with either a singular or a plural

e dance2 /dɑːns/ [㐘] To move to music: My mom verb: "The data is/are being checked".
and dad dance very well together. database [㐗] A large amount of information

f dancer US: /ˈdænt.sɚ/ UK: /ˈdɑːnt.sər/ [㐗] A per- which is stored in a computer: You can modify
son who dances: My cousin is a very good ballet and update the information in the database.

g dancer. date /deɪt/ [㐗] 1 A particular day of the month

dandelion /ˈdæn·də·lˌɑɪ·ən/ [㐗] A yellow flow- or year: "What's the date today?" "It's the 20th of

h er: Dandelions grow wild in the countryside. October". 2 An arrangement to see somebody: My

danger /ˈdeɪn·dʒər/ [㐌] The possibility that some- brother's got a date with Marie tonight. 3 A small,

i thing bad may happen: There's a danger that the very sweet brown fruit of some palm tree: At
giant panda may become extinct. ■ Be careful with Christmas we eat a lot of dates. 4 out of date Un-

j the pronunciation of this word! "da" is pronounced fashionable, that you can use no longer: That
as "day". style of skirt is very out of date. 5 up to date Mod-

dangerous /ˈdeɪn·dʒər·əs/, /ˈdeɪndʒ·rəs/ [㐀] That ern, with all the latest information: Is this tele-

k can cause injury, death or something else bad: phone directory up to date?
Don't go near the railroad; it's dangerous! ■ Be daughter US: /ˈdɑː.tɚ̬ / UK: /ˈdɔː.tər/ [㐗] 1 Some-

l careful with the pronunciation of this word! "Da" is body's female child: My teacher's daughter is very
pronounced as "day". clever. 2 daughter-in-law The wife of somebody's

m dare /deər/ [㐘] 1 To be brave enough to do son: Their daughter-in-law is Colombian. ■ The plu-
something: Peter wanted to ask Anne to go out ral of "daughter-in-law" is "daughters-in-law".

n with him but he didn't dare. 2 I daren't Words 㐀 See picture at family.
that you say when you don't want to do some- dawn US: /dɑːn/ UK: /dɔːn/ [㐌] The time when the

o thing because you are afraid of somebody sun rises: Farmers have to get up at dawn. ■ Be
or something: I daren't tell the teacher what we careful with the pronunciation of this word. The be-

p did. ginning of this word is pronounced like "door".
daring /ˈdeərɪŋ/ [㐀] Brave enough to do dan- day /deɪ/ ❚ [㐗] 1 A period of twenty-four hours:

q gerous things: You have to be quite daring to go up There are 365 days in a year. 㐀 See picture at ca-
in a balloon. lendar. ❚ [㐌] 2 The time when it is light: Owls
sleep during the day and hunt at night. 3 one day
r dark1 /dɑːk/ [㐀] With very little light: It's a
dark night tonight because there's no moon. ■ Com- On a certain day: One day, Little Red Riding Hood

s pare with "bright" (with a shining light). went for a walk in the woods. 4 some day At some

dark2 /dɑːk/ [㐖] 1 The absence of light: Bats time in the future: Some day I'll be a famous opera

usually hunt in the dark. 2 after dark After the singer. 5 the day after tomorrow The day that fol-
t sun goes down: Don't go out after dark!
lows tomorrow: If today is Monday, the day after to-

darkness /ˈdɑrk·nəs/ [㐖] The state of being morrow is Wednesday. 6 the day before yesterday
u dark: The room was in complete darkness. ■ Com- The day that came before yesterday: If today is
pare with "brightness" (the strength of a light). Monday, the day before yesterday was Saturday. 7

v darling /ˈdɑr·lɪŋ/ [㐍] A word for somebody you these days Now, in the present age: These days it's
love: Are you happy tonight, darling? quite normal to have a computer in your home.

w dart1 /dɑːt/ [㐘] To move very quickly: The lizard daybreak /ˈdeɪ.breɪk/ [㐖] The early morning
darted across the yard. when the sun rises: At daybreak, the birds always

x dart2 /dɑːt/ [㐗] An object like a small arrow: start singing.
They shot a special dart into the tiger to make it day care [㐗] Nursery where babies can be

y sleep. left while their parents are at work: My mother

darts /dɑːts/ [㐗] A game that you play by leaves my sister in the day care every morning.

z throwing darts at a board: In United States, people daydream [㐘] To imagine good things happen-
often play darts in pubs. ing to you: Stop daydreaming and pay attention!

107 deck

daylight /ˈdeɪ.laɪt/ [㐖] The light of day: My debate /dɪˈbeɪt/ [㐌] A public discussion about a
b
dad prefers to drive in daylight rather than at something important: There was an interesting c
d
night. debate on the television last night. ■ Be careful with e
f
day off [㐗] An extra day when you don't go to the pronunciation of this word. g

school or to work: Take a day off. You'll feel better debt /det/ [㐌] Money that must be paid back: My h
i
tomorrow. brother is in debt because he owes the bank about j
k
daytime /ˈdeɪ.taɪm/ [㐖] The time when it is five thousand dollars. ■ Be careful! We say: "to be in l
m
light: Our new baby brother likes to sleep in the debt". Note also the pronunciation of this word. The n
o
daytime. "b" is not pronounced. p
q
dead /ded/ [㐀] 1 Not living: Both my grandfa- decade /ˈdek.eɪd, -ˈ-/ [㐗] Period of ten years: r
s
thers are dead. 2 Very: That movie is dead good. ■ The 1960's was a decade of great changes in tech- t
u
This use is informal. nology. v
w
dead end [㐗] A street with no way out: Don't decay1 [㐖] 1 The process of going bad or x
y
go down there. It's a dead end. falling apart: Many of the houses in my father's z
town are in advanced state of decay. 2 tooth decay
dead heat [㐗] A race with two winners: They
See "tooth decay" in the word tooth.
crossed the finishing line together; the judges de-
decay2 /dɪˈkeɪ/ [㐘] To go bad, to fall apart: Pollu-
clared the race a dead heat.
tion causes some buildings to decay.
deadline /ˈded.laɪn/ [㐗] A time limit: Our
deceive /dɪˈsiːv/ [㐘] To make somebody believe
teacher told us that Friday was the deadline for fin-
something that is not true: Jim tried to deceive me
ishing our project on the Amazon.
by saying he didn't know who broke my racket.
deadly /ˈded.li/ [㐀] That kills: That snake's
December /dɪˈsem·bər/ [㐌] The last month of the
bite is nearly always deadly. ■ The comparative
year: Winter begins in December. ■ Be careful! "De-
form is "deadlier" and the superlative form is "dead-
cember" has a capital "D". 㐀 See picture at calen-
liest".
dar.
deaf /def/ [㐀] Not able to hear: The accident left
deception /dɪˈsepʃən/ [㐖] The act of deceiv-
him deaf in one ear.
ing or misleading: Illusionists practice the art of
deafen /ˈdef.ən/ [㐘] To make somebody unable to
deception.
hear because of a loud noise: The explosion nearly
decide /dɪˈsaɪd/ [㐘] To choose after thinking
deafened us.
about something: Mary decided to buy the blue
deal1 /diːl/ [㐗] 1 A commercial agreement: The
dress instead of the green one. ■ Be careful with the
businessmen made a deal with their clients. 2 a
pronunciation of this word! The first "e" is pro-
good deal A large quantity: My brother eats a
good deal. 3 a great deal of A lot of: I spent a nounced like the "i" in "did", the "i" rhymes with

great deal of time studying for this test so I de- "my" and the second "e" is not pronounced.

served to pass. ■ We use "a great deal of" with un- deciduous /dɪˈsɪd.ju.əs/ [㐀] 1 Losing its leaves

countable nouns. every year: The maple and the oak are both decid-

deal2, dealt, dealt /diːl/ [㐘] To hand out: It's my uous. ■ Compare with "evergreen" (having green
leaves all through the year). 2 deciduous tree Tree
turn to deal the cards.
◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to deal with (something) To that loses its leaves annually: Many deciduous
organize things in order to solve a problem or to
trees flower during the period when they are leaf-
resolve a situation: Mom parked the car while dad
less as this increases the effectiveness of pollina-
dealt with the theater tickets.
tion. 㐀 See page 434.
dealer /ˈdi·lər/ [㐗] A person who buys and
decimal system [㐌] A system of mathematics
sells things: My aunt is a secondhand car dealer.
based on the number 10: Most countries use a dec-
dealt /delt/ Past tense and past participle forms
imal system for counting their money.
of deal2.
decision /dɪˈsɪʒ.ən/ [㐗] A choice that you make
dear US: /dɪr/ UK: /dɪər/ [㐀] 1 Loved: His grandma
after thinking about something: The referee's de-
was very dear to him. 2 A word that goes at the be-
cision to send the player off made the spectators
ginning of a letter: Dear Jane, thank you for the
lovely present. 3 oh dear! An expression of irrita- very angry. ■ We say make a decision.

tion: Oh dear! I've spilt ink all over my exercise deck /dek/ [㐗] 1 The floor of a ship: On the last

book. day of the cruise, the passengers and crew all had
a party on deck. 2 deck of cards A set of playing
death /deθ/ [㐌] The end of life: The old man's
cards: Get the deck of cards out and we'll have a
death upset us all.
game.

deckchair 108

a deckchair /ˈdek.tʃeər/ US: /-tʃer/ [㐗] A folding deep /diːp/ [㐀] Profound: Don't go in the deep

b chair that is used outside: We rented some really end of the swimming pool because you can't swim
comfortable deckchairs on the beach. 㐀 See pictu- well enough.
re at chair. deep-freeze [㐗] A refrigerator for frozen
c declaration /ˌdek.ləˈreɪ.ʃən/ [㐗] A formal an- food: Put this chicken in the deep-freeze and we'll
nouncement: The United States of America made eat it next week.
d their Declaration of Independence from British rule deer US: /dɪr/ UK: /dɪər/ [㐗] A wild animal with
in 1776. large horns: Deer can run very fast. ■ The plural is

e declare /dɪˈkleər/ [㐘] To announce something also "deer". ■ A female deer is a "doe". 㐀 See page
very clearly: United States declared war on Mexico 428.

f in 1846. defeat /dɪˈfiːt/ [㐘] To win a game or a battle: Bos-

decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ [㐘] 1 To refuse an offer: She de- ton Celtics defeated Chicago Bulls 92-87 in the bas-

g clined Paul's invitation to his birthday party. 2 To ketball game yesterday.
get worse: Old Mrs. Conroy's health is declining defect /dɪˈfekt/, /ˈdiː.fekt/ [㐗] A fault: There's a

h slowly. defect in the motor of this car.

decompose /ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz/ [㐘] To make or be- defence /dɪˈfents/ [㐌] See defense. ■ This is a Brit-

i come rotten or decayed: Bodies of animals and ish English spelling.
plants begin to decompose soon after death. defend /dɪˈfend/ [㐘] To protect: The navy defend-

j decomposer /ˌdiː.kəmˈpəʊz.ər/ US: /ˈpoʊz.ɚ/ [㐗] A ed the beach.
living organism which contributes to the process of defender /dɪˈfen·dər/ [㐗] Player in a position
decomposition: Decomposers such as bacteria and of defense: The defender stopped the ball going in-

k mould, break down the remains of other living things. to the net with his head. 㐀 See picture at soccer.
decomposition /ˌdiˌkɑm·pəˈzɪʃ·ən/ [㐖] The defense /dɪˈfens/ [㐌] Resistance against an at-

l act of becoming rotten: After death the body is tack: Many female animals will fight to the death in
subject to a process of decomposition. defense of their young. ■ The British English spelling

m decompression /ˌdiː.kəmˈpreʃ.ən/ [㐖] The is "defence".
release of pressure: As they come up from under define /dɪˈfaɪn/ [㐘] To say what a word means:

n the water, divers go through a process of decom- Can you define the word "science"?
pression. definite /ˈdef.ɪ.nət/ [㐀] Very clear or sure: Give

o decorate /ˈdek.ə.reɪt/ [㐘] 1 To put beautiful me a definite answer by tomorrow.
things on something: The children decorated the definite article [㐗] The word "the": The

p room for the party. 2 To paint a room or to put pa- definite article "the" is one of the most common
per on the walls: Everyone helped and we decorat- words in the English language.

q ed the apartment in one weekend. definition /ˌdef.ɪˈnɪʃ.ən/ [㐗] An explanation of

decoration /ˌdek.əˈreɪ.ʃən/ [㐗] 1 The process the meaning of a word: All the definitions in the

r of decorating something: He is very good at interi- dictionary "Horizon" have examples.
or decoration. 2 Something that adorns or deco- defy /dɪˈfaɪ/ [㐘] To refuse to obey a person or a

s rates: Paint and wall paper are used as decoration law: He defied the policeman's order to stop. ■ Be
of the living room. 3 A medal awarded as an hon- careful with the spelling of these forms: "defies", "de-
or: All of the soldiers who took part in the war re- fied".
t ceived a decoration.
degree /dɪˈgriː/ [㐗] 1 A course of a study at a

decorations /ˌdekəˈreɪʃən/ [㐗] Beautiful ob- university or the qualification you get if you fin-
u jects that you put on something: The Christmas ish it: My cousin has a degree in Biology. 2 A scien-
decorations in the Michigan Avenue look fantastic tific measurement for angles: A circle has 360 de-

v this year. grees. 3 A scientific measurement for

decrease /ˈdiː.kriːs/ US: /ˈdiː.kriːs/ UK: /dɪˈkriːs/ [㐘] temperatures: Today the temperature is forty five

w To become less or smaller: Cigarette smoking is Fahrenheit degrees.
decreasing among young people. delay1 /dɪˈleɪ/ [㐌] A situation where you have to

x dedicate /ˈded.ɪ.keɪt/ [㐘] To offer something to a wait because something does not happen as it
particular cause or person: Francis of Assisi dedi- should or normally does: There was a delay of

y cated his life to the poor. twenty minutes before the train left.

deed /diːd/ [㐗] An action: Many authors have delay2 /dɪˈleɪ/ [㐘] 1 To make somebody late: I'm

z written about Seventh Calvary heroic deeds. ■ We late because I was delayed in a gridlock. 2 To de-
usually say "action". cide not to do something until a later time: In the

109 density

end we have been forced to delay our vacation until democracy /dɪˈmɑk·rə·si/ [㐗] A country in a
b
September. which people vote for their leaders: Democracy c
d
deliberate /dɪˈlɪb·ər·ət/ [㐀] Planned or not ac- was established in Poland in 1989. ■ The plural is e
f
cidental: That kick was deliberate. "democracies". g

delicate /ˈdel.ɪ.kət/ [㐀] Easy to damage or to democratic /ˌdem·əˈkræt·̬ ɪk/ [㐀] Referring to a h
i
hurt, very fine: Be careful with these glasses be- political system or decision making process in j
k
cause they are very delicate. which all the people living in that country or so- l
m
delicatessen /ˌdel.ɪ.kəˈtes.ən/ [㐗] A store ciety participate: A government is democratic n
o
that sells special and unusual food: In United when freely elected by a majority of voters. p
q
States you buy certain foreign foods in a delica- demolish /dɪˈmɑl·ɪʃ/ [㐘] To destroy a building in r
s
tessen. a controlled way: The old building was demolished t
u
delicious /dɪˈlɪʃ.əs/ [㐀] Good to eat: Let's go to and a bingo hall was built there. v
w
the new Italian restaurant; the food there is deli- demolition /ˌdem.əˈlɪʃ.ən/ [㐌] The controlled de- x
y
cious. struction of a building: The new plans involved the z

delight1 /dɪˈlaɪt/ [㐌] Great happiness: Our cat's demolition of several houses.

greatest delight is sleeping in front of the fire. demonstrate /ˈdem.ən.streɪt/ [㐘] 1 To show

delight2 /dɪˈlaɪt/ [㐘] To give great happiness: The clearly: The mechanic demonstrated how the ma-
chine worked. 2 To show your opinion about
young musicians' concert delighted everyone, espe-
something in public: A large crowd of people
cially the parents.
demonstrated against the war outside the embas-
delighted /dɪˈlɑɪ·tɪ̬ d/ [㐀] Very happy: The girls
sy.
were delighted to see each other again after such a
demonstration /ˌdem.ənˈstreɪ.ʃən/ ❚ [㐌] 1
long time. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation of this
Showing how to do something: The salesman
word. The last "e" is pronounced like the "i" in "did". gave a demonstration of the new computer. ❚
[㐗] 2 A protest march or meeting: There was
㐀 See picture at emotions. an antinuclear demonstration in downtown yes-

delightful /dɪˈlaɪt.fəl/ [㐀] Charming: What a terday.

delightful person Maggie is! demonstrative /dɪˈmɒnstrətɪv/ [㐀] 1 That

deliver /dɪˈlɪv·ər/ [㐘] To take something to its shows feelings openly, especially affection: He

destination: They say that they will deliver the piz- was really demonstrative when meeting his par-
ents at the airport. 2 Referring to an adjective or
za to us within half an hour.
pronoun, that indicates the person or thing re-
delivery /dɪˈlɪv·ə·ri/ [㐌] Taking something to a
ferred to: In "That is my house", "that" is a de-
place or to a person: There are only two postal de- monstrative pronoun. 3 That serves to point out

liveries a week here. ■ The plural is "deliveries". or indicate: The possession of books is demon-

delta /ˈdel·tə/ [㐗] A triangular area of flat land strative of an interest in reading. ■ This use is for-

where a river divides into several smaller rivers mal.

before entering the sea: Have you ever been in Nile demonstrator /ˈdem·ənˌstreɪ·t̬ər/ [㐗] A person

Delta, in Northern Egypt? who demonstrates: Two hundred demonstrators

deltoid1 [㐗] Triangular shoulder muscle: The were arrested during the march.

deltoid muscle is used when the arm is raised. dendrite /ˈden·drɑɪt/ [㐗] Part of the cytoplasm

㐀 See page 423. of the neurons that receives stimulation from

deltoid2 [㐀] Triangular in shape: This aircraft other neural cells: The dendrites carry messages

has deltoid wings. to the nerve cells.

de luxe /dɪˈlʌks/ [㐀] Of high quality: The de denim /ˈden.ɪm/ [㐖] 1 A thick kind of cotton

luxe model camera is too expensive. cloth: Jeans are made of denim. 2 See "denim jack-

demand /dɪˈmænd/ [㐘] To ask for something et" in the word jacket.

strongly: The customer demanded to see the store dense /dents/ [㐀] Thick: There was a dense fog

manager. in the city. ■ We usually say "thick".

demanding /dɪˈmæn·dɪŋ/ [㐀] Expecting or re- density /ˈden·sɪ·t̬i/ [㐌] The degree of compact-

quiring a great deal of attention, effort of skill: ness of a substance, or the number of objects or

My mother has a very demanding job and when she people within a particular space: In Physics, den-

comes home she is very tired. sity is defined as weight per unit volume, and the

demisemiquaver [㐗] A musical note symbol for it is "p". ■ The plural is "densities".

which has the time value of half a semiquaver:

Demisemiquavers have three tails on the stem.

㐀 See page 460.

dent 110

a dent /dent/ [㐗] A hollow part in a flat surface: depletion /dɪˈpliːʃən/ [㐌] A reduction in number

b He must have gotten that dent in his car when he or strength: Cuts in spending will result in a deple-
was parking. tion of parts of the armed forces. ■ This word is for-

c DENT mal.

depose /dɪˈpəʊz/ [㐘] To remove from office: It is

the intention of the demonstrators to depose the
d President.
deposit1 /dɪˈpɒzɪt/ [㐗] Money that you pay to

e reserve something: I put a deposit on a new bike
last week and I'm going to collect it today.

f deposit2 /dɪˈpɒzɪt/ [㐘] To put money or other
valuable objects into a bank or building society:

g My mother deposited some money in the bank for
me to start saving for my vacation.

h depot [㐗] A building that is used for keeping
things: We saw old steam engines when we visited

i dentist /ˈden·tɪst/ [㐗] A person who looks af- the train depot in Durango, Colorado. ■ The same
ter people's teeth: I go to the dentist every six meaning: "storehouse".
depress /dɪˈpres/ [㐘] To make somebody very un-
j months.
deny /dɪˈnaɪ/ [㐘] To say that something is not happy: All the terrible news on the television really

k true: Anne denied that she had stolen the money. ■ depresses me. ■ Be careful with the spelling of the
Be careful with the spelling of these forms: "denies", 3rd person singular present tense form: "depresses".
"denied". depressed /dɪˈprest/ [㐀] Very unhappy: Old
l deodorant /diˈoʊ·də·rənt/ [㐌] A liquid that pre- Mr. Williams has been very depressed since his dog
vents bad smells: Don't forget to use a deodorant died. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation of the end

m after your shower. of this word. The last "e" is not pronounced.

depart /dɪˈpɑrt/ [㐘] To leave: The train to Denver depressing /dɪˈpres.ɪŋ/ [㐀] Making you feel

n departs from platform six at 10.50. ■ This word is very sad: The end of the movie is very depressing.
formal. We usually say "leave". depression /dɪˈpreʃ.ən/ [㐖] A feeling of great

o department /dɪˈpɑrt·mənt/ [㐗] A part of a unhappiness: Depression can sometimes be a seri-
school, bank, company and so on: Kevin's mom ous illness.

p has just got a job as head of the languages depart- depth /depθ/ [㐌] The distance down: What's the
ment in our school. ■ See box at abbreviations. depth of the swimming pool?

q department store [㐗] A very large shop: deputy /ˈdep·jə·t̬i/ [㐗] Person second in im-
Enormous shops like Harrods are called depart- portance: My uncle is the deputy sheriff of our

r ment stores. ■ We also say "store". town. ■ The plural is "deputies".

departure /dɪˈpɑr·tʃər/ [㐌] Leaving a place: What dermis /ˈdɜː.mɪs/ US: /ˈdɝː-/ [㐖] The part of

s is your departure time? the skin of vertebrates that is connective tissue,

depend /dɪˈpend/ [㐘] 1 To need somebody or thicker than the epidermis: The dermis is the layer

something: Children depend on their parents espe- of tissue beneath the epidermis. ■ The plural is also

t cially when they are very small. 2 To trust some- "dermis".
body: I know that I can depend on Margaret to help descend /dɪˈsend/ [㐘] 1 To go down: It's some-
u me. 3 To be decided by things that are not sure: times more difficult to descend a mountain than it
"Shall we play tennis tomorrow?" "That depends on is to go up it. ■ This use is formal. We usually say "go

v the weather". ■ Be careful! We say: "depend on down". 2 To come from somebody who lived be-
(somebody or something)". fore: My family descends from Irish immigrants.

w dependent /dɪˈpen.dənt/ [㐀] Needing some- descendant /dɪˈsen.dənt/ [㐗] A person direct-
thing or somebody: Young kangaroos are com- ly related to a previous person in their family

x pletely dependent on their mothers for many tree: She is descendant of Native Americans.
months. ■ Be careful! We say: "dependent on (some- describe /dɪˈskraɪb/ [㐘] To say what somebody or

y body or something)". something is like: Can you describe the suitcase

depict /dɪˈpɪkt/ [㐘] To represent with an image or that you have lost?

z in writing: The intention of the play is to depict the description /dɪˈskrɪp.ʃən/ [㐌] A picture in words:
main character as vain and selfish. The description of the battle was horrific.

111 devastate

desert /dɪˈzɜrt/ [㐌] A large, very dry, sandy area destination /ˌdes.tɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ [㐗] The place a
b
of land: The Sahara desert is in North Africa. ■ where somebody is going: After a terrible journey c
d
Compare with "dessert" (the sweet dish at the end of they finally reached their destination. e
f
a meal). destiny /ˈdes.tɪ.ni/ [㐗] Fate, the things that g

deserted /dɪˈzɜr·tɪ̬ d/ [㐀] Empty of people: It happen to somebody in the future: Her destiny h
i
was four o'clock in the morning and the streets were was to die young. ■ The plural is "destinies". j
k
deserted. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation of the destroy /dɪˈstrɔɪ/ [㐘] To ruin completely: Bombs de- l
m
end of this word. The last "e" is pronounced like the stroyed the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor. n
o
"i" in "did". destruction /dɪˈstrʌk.ʃən/ [㐖] Great damage: p
q
desert island [㐗] An island with no people: The Great Fire of Chicago caused enormous de- r
s
Which book would you take to a desert island if you struction in 1871. t
u
had to choose? destructive /dɪˈstrʌktɪv/ [㐀] 1 Causing de- v
w
deserve /dɪˈzɜrv/ [㐘] To earn something by the struction or serious damage: Drinking, smoking x
and taking drugs are destructive habits. 2 Wanting y
way you behave: You deserve a long vacation after z
or tending to destroy: That boy shows a really de-
all those tests.
structive behavior.
design1 /dɪˈzaɪn/ [㐗] 1 A plan or a drawing:
detach /dɪˈtætʃ/ [㐘] To separate: Detach this part
What do you think of the designs for the new
school? 2 A pattern or a drawing: I like the design of the receipt and take it back to the store where

on that T-shirt. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation you bought the radio.

of this word! detail /dɪˈteɪl/, /ˈdi·teɪl/ ❚ [㐗] 1 One of the small

design2 /dɪˈzaɪn/ [㐘] To make a plan, to invent facts about something: I will not go into details. ❚ [㐌]
2 Information: I'm going to phone the travel agent to
and develop: Our Lady of the Angels' Cathedral
get all the details about this special flight to Paris.
was designed by Rafael Moneo in the 20th Century.
detect /dɪˈtekt/ [㐘] To notice or to discover some-
■ Be careful with the pronunciation of this word!
thing that is difficult to see: After his death, the
designer /dɪˈzɑɪ·nər/ [㐗] A person who de-
police detected poison in his body.
signs: Marc Jacobs is a very famous American fash-
detective /dɪˈtek.tɪv/ [㐗] A policeman who in-
ion designer. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation of
vestigates crimes: The detective discovered the
this word!
murderer after questioning several suspects.
desire /dɪˈzɑɪər/ [㐌] A strong wish for something:
detergent /dɪˈtɜr·dʒənt/ [㐌] A chemical that is
I have a great desire to travel the world.
used for washing: How much detergent shall I put
desk /desk/ [㐗] A table for writing: Leave the
in the washing machine?
papers on my desk. 㐀 See picture at classroom.
deteriorate /dɪˈtɪr·i·əˌreɪt/ [㐘] To get worse: His
despair1 /dɪˈspeər/ [㐖] A feeling of having no
grandpa's health deteriorated rapidly.
hope: Anne-Marie was in despair when she failed
determination /dɪˌtɜr·məˈneɪ·ʃən/ [㐖] A
all her tests.
strong intention to do something: My grandmoth-
despair2 /dɪˈspeər/ [㐘] To lose hope: Don't de-
er is very ill. However, she has great determination
spair! Some day you will get a job. ■ Be careful. We
and I think she'll get better.
say: "despair of (doing something)".
determine /dɪˈtɜr·mən/ [㐘] 1 To decide upon: The
desperate /ˈdes·pər·ət/ [㐀] 1 Almost without
role of the judge is to determine the sentence to be
hope, willing to do almost anything: She was passed. 2 To find out or establish: The job of the

desperate after her application for the job was commission is to determine the facts of the case.
turned down. 2 Very serious: The situation in
determined /dɪˈtɜr·mənd/ [㐀] Having firmly de-
Bangladesh is getting desperate because of the
cided to succeed: He is determined to learn to play
floods.
the piano. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation of the
despise /dɪˈspaɪz/ [㐘] To hate or to have a very
end of this word. The last "e" is not pronounced.
bad opinion of somebody: You shouldn't despise
detest /dɪˈtest/ [㐘] To hate: I detest going to the
somebody just because they are different from
dentist.
you.
detour [㐗] Sending cars, planes and so on a
despite /dɪˈspaɪt/ [㐓] In spite of: We played
different way: There's a detour here because of an
football yesterday despite the wind and the rain.
accident at Kenilworth.
dessert /dɪˈzɜrt/ [㐌] The sweet food at the end of
devastate /ˈdev.ə.steɪt/ [㐘] To destroy complete-
a meal: I always like an ice cream for dessert. ■
ly: Fire devastates enormous areas of forest every
Compare with "desert" (a large, very dry, sandy area
summer.
of land).

develop 112

a develop /dɪˈvel.əp/ [㐘] 1 To grow: In a few dial1 /daɪəl/ [㐗] The round part of a machine
b months, the kitten developed into a big cat. 2 To with numbers or letters: Look! The dial is indicat-
make something bigger and better: The old down- ing that there is almost no gas left.
town has been developed; now it has a shopping dial2 /daɪəl/ [㐘] To use a dial: In the United States

c mall, a theater and a movie theater. 3 To make a you dial 911 in an emergency.
photograph with chemicals: I've had the vacation dialect /ˈdaɪ.ə.lekt/ [㐌] A local form of a lan-
d photographs developed.
guage: The Cajun is a famous Louisiana dialect.

developing country [㐗] A country that is dialog [㐌] A conversation between two people: I

e becoming more modern: The government has like movies that have interesting dialogs in them. ■
promised to send more money to help the develop- The British English spelling is "dialogue".

f ing countries. ■ The plural is "developing countries". dialogue UK: /ˈdaɪ.ə.lɒg/ [㐌] See dialog. ■ This is a
development /dɪˈvel.əp.mənt/ ❚ [㐖] 1 Slow British English spelling.

g growth: There's been a lot of development of the diameter /daɪˈæmɪtər/ [㐌] Line that goes through
town in recent years. ❚ [㐗] 2 A new event: the center of a circle and divides it in two equal

h There have been some new developments in the cri- parts: The diameter of a circle is twice its radius.
sis between Israel and Palestine. diamond /ˈdaɪə.mənd/ ❚ [㐌] 1 A very hard, transpar-

i deviation /ˌdiːviˈeɪʃən/ [㐖] An action or be- ent stone that is very valuable: Diamonds are very
havior which differs from what is usual or expect- expensive. ❚ [㐗] 2 A playing card with red dia-

j ed: The winds resulted in a deviation from the route. mond shapes on it: Who's got the King of Diamonds?
device /dɪˈvaɪs/ [㐗] A small thing invented for diaper /ˈdɑɪ·pər/, /ˈdɑɪ·ə·pər/ [㐗] A piece of
a specific purpose or a way of achieving a partic- cloth or paper that covers a baby's bottom: Can

k ular purpose: I have a device on my phone that lets you help me change the baby's diaper, please? ■ In
me speak to two people at the same time. British English they say "nappy".
l devil /ˈdev.əl/ ❚ [㐗] 1 An evil spirit: The priest diaphragm /ˈdaɪəfræm/ [㐗] 1 A muscular
tried to force the devils to abandon the body of the membrane which separates the thorax from the

m person they were inhabiting. ❚ [㐌] 2 The most abdomen: The diaphragm performs an important
powerful evil spirit, according to Christians: In function in respiration. 2 A thin piece of plastic or

n the book "The portrait of Dorian Gray", the main rubber that prevents sperm entering into the
character sells his soul to the Devil. ■ Be careful! In womb of a woman during sex: The diaphragm is

o this use "Devil" has a capital "D". This use has no fitted over the narrow part of the womb.
plural. diarrhea [㐖] An illness in which a person

p devote [㐘] To give a lot of time, energy and so has to go to the bathroom too often: I have to
on to somebody or something: My cousin is a mis- drink a lot of lemon juice because I've got diarrhea.

q sionary and she devotes all her time to working diary US: /ˈdaɪr.i/ UK: /ˈdaɪə.ri/ [㐗] A record of
with orphans. what somebody has done during the day: Anne

r dew US: /duː/ UK: /djuː/ [㐖] The water that Frank kept a fascinating diary while she was hiding
forms at night on objects in the open air: The during the Second World War. ■ The same meaning:

s drops of dew on the roses look so beautiful in the "journal". ■ The plural is "diaries".
morning. diastole /dɑɪˈæs·tə·li/ [㐗] The period separat-

diagnose US: /ˌdaɪ.əgˈnoʊz/ UK: /ˈdaɪ.əg.nəʊz/ [㐘] To ing two contractions of the heart: The heart mus-

t identify the nature of a problem, especially an ill- cle relaxes during the diastole and in this way al-
ness: The mechanic needs to diagnose what is lows it to be filled with blood. ■ Compare with
u wrong with the car.
"systole" (a single heart contraction).

diagnosis /ˌdɑɪ·ɪgˈnoʊ·sɪs/ [㐌] The identification dice /daɪs/ [㐗] A small cube with dots: Dice are used

v of the nature of a problem: The doctor makes a di- to play many different games. ■ The plural is also "dice".
agnosis after studying the symptoms. ■ The plural

w is "diagnoses". DICE
diagonal /daɪˈæg.ən.əl/ [㐀] Going from one cor-

x ner to the opposite one: If you draw a diagonal
line from one corner of a square to another you get

y two equal triangles.
diagram /ˈdaɪ.ə.græm/ [㐗] A plan or a picture

z that explains an idea: A diagram can show how a
machine works.

113 dimension

dictate /ˈdɪk·teɪt/, /dɪkˈteɪt/ [㐘] To speak to some- difficulty /ˈdɪf·ɪ·kəl·ti/, /-ˌkʌl·ti/ [㐗] A problem: a
b
body who writes your words down: The President I have difficulty understanding mathematics. ■ The c
d
dictated his speech to the secretary. plural is "difficulties". e
f
dictation /dɪkˈteɪ.ʃən/ [㐗] Words that one per- dig, dug, dug /dɪg/ [㐘] To make a hole in the g

son speaks and others write down: Our teacher is ground: The prisoner dug a tunnel from his cell to h
i
going to give us a dictation today. outside the prison walls. j
k
dictator US: /ˈdɪk.teɪ.t̬ɚ/ UK: /dɪkˈteɪ.tər/ [㐗] A digest /daɪˈdʒest/, /ˈdaɪ.dʒest/ [㐘] To absorb food in l
m
person who rules a country alone: Dictators are your stomach: My grandmother finds it hard to di- n
o
usually unpopular with the people in their coun- gest some foods. p
q
try. digestion /daɪˈdʒes.tʃən/ [㐌] Action of turning r
s
dictatorship /dɪkˈteɪ·tə̬ rˌʃɪp/ [㐗] A state or food into energy: A quick walk after a meal helps t
u
country ruled by a dictator, or this situation: The the digestion. v
w
dictatorship was abolished after eighteen years. digestive /daɪˈdʒestɪv/ [㐀] Referring to or x
y
dictionary /ˈdɪk·ʃəˌner·i/ [㐗] A book that ex- helping digestion: The digestive system processes z

plains the meaning of words: Let's look up the the food we eat and transforms it into nutrients.

word "earthquake" in our "Horizon" dictionary. ■ 㐀 See page 424.

The plural is "dictionaries". digestive gland [㐗] An organ which serves

did /dɪd/ Past tense of do. the same purpose as the liver and pancreas,
die /daɪ/ [㐘] To stop living: Peter's grandfather
found in arthropods, mollusks and fish: The di-
died of a heart attack. ■ Be careful with the spelling
gestive gland is an organ of the digestive tract.
of this form: "dying".
digestive system [㐗] The set of organs in
die down /daɪ/ [㐘] To come slowly to an end:
the body which process food: Food enters the di-
The storm went on all night and died down the next
gestive system through the mouth. 㐀  See page
morning.
424.
diet1 /daɪət/ ❚ [㐌] 1 The food that somebody eats:
digestive tract [㐗] A pipe in the body
You should eat a balanced diet of meat, vegetables,
fruit, cereals and dairy products. ❚ [㐗] 2 A spe- along which food travels: The digestive tract goes
cial program of eating, usually to lose weight: I'm
from the throat to the anus.
getting rather fat so I think that I'll have to go on a
digital /ˈdɪdʒ·ɪ·tə̬ ·l/ [㐀] 1 Based on computer
diet for a few weeks. ■ Be careful! In this use we say:
technology and the representation of information
"to be or to go on a diet".
by series of the numbers 0 and 1: Digital televi-
diet2 /daɪət/ [㐘] To follow a special program of sion has replaced analogue television. 2 Related to

eating, usually to lose weight: You've lost some fingers or toes: Braille is a digital system which

weight. Have you been dieting? blind people use to read.

differ /ˈdɪf·ər/ [㐘] 1 To be different from some- dignified /ˈdɪg.nɪ.faɪd/ [㐀] Calm and serious:

thing else: Cats differ from dogs in that they are My grandmother is a very dignified old lady.

usually very independent. ■ Be careful! We say: "dif- dilate /dɑɪˈleɪt/, /ˈdɑɪ·leɪt/ [㐘] To become or make
fer from (somebody or something)". 2 To disagree
something wider, larger or further open: The
with the opinion of somebody else: Scientists dif-
womb of women naturally dilate just before giving
fer about the cause of the phenomenon. ■ This use
birth.
is formal.
dilation /daɪˈleɪʃən/ [㐖] The process of mak-
difference /ˈdɪf·rəns/, /-ər·əns/ [㐌] The way that
ing an opening or cavity wider: Dilation of the pu-
things are not the same: There is an age difference
pil occurs, for example, when you enter a dark
of two years between Mark and Paul.
room.
different /ˈdɪf·rənt/, /-ər·ənt/ [㐀] Not the same:
dilute /daɪˈluːt/ [㐘] To add water to another liquid
Living in a town is very different from living in a
to make it weaker: You have to dilute this orange
city. ■ Be careful. We say: "different from (some-
juice before you drink it.
thing)". We don't say: "different of (something)".
dim /dɪm/ [㐀] Not bright: The light is too dim to
differentiate /ˌdɪf.əˈren.tʃi.eɪt/ [㐘] To find or
read in here. ■ The comparative form is "dimmer"
make differences between things: It is not easy to
and the superlative form is "dimmest".
differentiate between these two species of primates.
dime /daɪm/ [㐗] A ten cents coin: If you have
difficult /ˈdɪf.ɪ.kəlt/ [㐀] Not easy, needing a lot
ten dimes, you have a dollar.
of skill or effort: My piano exam was so difficult
dimension /ˌdaɪˈmen.tʃən/ [㐗] The length,
that I don't think I passed it.
width and height of something: What are the di-

mensions of this table?

dimensional 114

a dimensional /ˌθriːdɪˈmenʃənəl/ [㐀] Having a directions /daɪˈrek.ʃənz/ [㐑] Instructions on

b specified number of dimensions: We went to the how to go somewhere: The boys got lost, so they
movies and watched a three-dimensional film. had to ask for directions.

diner /ˈdɑɪ·nər/ [㐗] 1 Somebody who is eating directly /daɪˈrekt.li/ [㐄] 1 In a direct line or

c in a restaurant: This restaurant seats twenty din- manner without deviation: The bus takes you di-
ers. 2 A small restaurant that serves drinks and rectly to the downtown. 2 At once, immediately:
d simple meals: We had soda and a sandwich at a He did not answer directly, he needed a little time
diner on the Second Avenue. ■ The same meaning: to think. 3 Just, exactly: They live directly opposite

e "café". us.

dinghy /ˈdɪŋ.gi/ [㐗] A small sailing boat: The director /daɪˈrek.tər/ [㐗] 1 A person who di-

f children played on the lake in the rubber dinghy. ■ rects: Mrs. Rhys has been the director of our local
The plural is "dinghies". theater for years. 2 managing director See man-

g dining room [㐗] A room for eating in: Our aging director.
dining room is next to the backyard so we can dirt US: /dɝːt/ UK: /dɜːt/ [㐖] An unclean sub-

h watch the birds while we eat. stance like mud or earth: Clean the dirt off your

dining table [㐗] A table usually located in a shoes before you come in.

i dining room at which meals are served: My dirty US: /ˈdɝː.ti̬ / UK: /ˈdɜː.ti/ [㐀] Not clean, with
grandmother loves joining the family at the dining dirt: If you play in the mud you'll get dirty.
dis- /dɪs-/ [㐒] An addition to the beginning of a
j table. 㐀 See picture at living room.
dinner /ˈdɪn·ər/ [㐌] The most important meal of word that gives it the opposite meaning: "Dishon-

the day: In my family we always eat dinner togeth- est" is the opposite of "honest".
k er.
disability /ˌdɪs·əˈbɪl·ɪ·t̬i/ [㐌] A physical or a men-

dinosaur /ˈdɑɪ·nəˌsɔr/ [㐗] A reptile that lived a tal state that makes you unable to use part of

l very long time ago: Not all dinosaurs were big; one your body: Somebody who is deaf has a disability.
kind was only two feet long. ■ The plural is "disabilities".

m dioxide [㐖] An oxide with two atoms of ox- disabled /dɪˈseɪ.bl̩d/ [㐀] Not able to use a part
ygen which are not linked to an atom of another of the body well: Yesterday I watched a basketball

n element: Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring game for disabled players. ■ Be careful with the
chemical compound. pronunciation of this word. The "e" is not pro-

o dip1 [㐌] A sauce to put food in it and take it out nounced.
to eat: We have corn chips and spinach or arti- disadvantage /ˌdɪs·ədˈvæn·tɪdʒ/ [㐌] A thing that

p choke dip for watching the game. makes a situation difficult for one side: The football

dip2 /dɪp/ [㐘] To put something in liquid and then team was at a disadvantage because their best play-

q take it out: I like dipping my cookie in my hot choc- er was ill. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation of this
olate. ■ Be careful with the spelling of these forms: word. The last "a" is pronounced like the "i" in "did".
disagree /ˌdɪs.əˈgriː/ [㐘] Not to agree: I disagree
r "dipped", "dipping".
diploma /dəˈploʊ·mə/ [㐗] A certificate: Helen with the way you are doing that math problem.

s got her diploma when she passed her test. disagreeable /ˌdɪs.əˈgriː.ə.bl̩/ [㐀] Unpleasant:

diplomat /ˈdɪp.lə.mæt/ [㐗] A person who rep- The trip was disagreeable because the sea was very

resents his or her country: Bernard's mother is a rough.
t diplomat.
disagreement /ˌdɪs.əˈgriː.mənt/ [㐌] Lack of
direct1 US: /daɪˈrekt/ UK: /dɪˈrekt/ [㐘] 1 To tell some- agreement, dispute: They had a disagreement
u body how to go somewhere: I got lost in the down- about money.
town but a policeman directed me to the store. 2 To disallow /ˌdɪs.əˈlaʊ/ [㐘] Not to allow or accept

v manage or to control something: Captain Athey something: The referee disallowed a goal in the
directed the rescue operation and all the mountain- last minute.

w eers were saved. disappear /ˌdɪs·əˈpɪər/ [㐘] To go out of sight: The
direct2 US: /daɪˈrekt/ UK: /dɪˈrekt/ [㐀] 1 Straight ship disappeared slowly over the horizon.

x or immediate, without break: Is there a direct disappearance /ˌdɪs·əˈpɪər·əns/ [㐌] Not being
route from here to Chicago? 2 Clear and plain: I'd there: The child's disappearance worried the par-

y like you to give me a direct answer to my question. ents terribly.
direction /daɪˈrek.ʃən/ [㐗] The way a person is disappoint /ˌdɪs.əˈpɔɪnt/ [㐘] To be worse than ex-

z moving or looking: You're going in the wrong di- pected and hoped: The latest cartoon movie really
rection. disappointed me.

115 dish

disappointed /ˌdɪs·əˈpɔɪn·tɪd/ [㐀] Sad because discover /dɪˈskʌv·ər/ [㐘] To find something for a
b
something is worse than expected: Our teacher the first time: Christopher Columbus discovered c
d
said that she was very disappointed by the compo- America in 1492. e
f
sitions we had written. ■ Be careful with the pronun- discovery /dɪˈskʌv·ə·ri/ [㐌] Finding something: g

ciation of the end of this word. The "e" is pronounced The discovery of penicillin changed many people's h
i
like the "i" in "did". lives. ■ The plural is "discoveries". j
k
disappointing /ˌdɪs·əˈpɔɪn·tɪŋ/ [㐀] Making you discriminate /dɪˈskrɪm.ɪ.neɪt/ [㐘] To treat differ- l
m
feel disappointed: My mom said that she found the ently: Companies should not discriminate against n
o
exhibition disappointing. women. ■ Be careful. We say: "discriminate against p
q
disappointment /ˌdɪs.əˈpɔɪnt.mənt/ [㐖] Sad- (somebody)". r
s
ness because something is worse than expected: discrimination /dɪˌskrɪm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ [㐖] Treat- t
u
The result of the football game caused great disap- ing some people worse than others: Religious, ra- v
w
pointment in the town. cial and sexual discrimination are illegal. x
y
disapprove /ˌdɪs.əˈpruːv/ [㐘] To think that some- discus /ˈdɪskəs/ [㐗] A round, flat metallic ob- z

thing is bad or morally wrong: My grandfather ject that is thrown: The athlete broke the record for

disapproves of boys with long hair. ■ Be careful. We throwing the discus.

say: "He disapproves of (somebody)". We don't say: discuss /dɪˈskʌs/ [㐘] To talk about something:

"He disapproves (somebody)". Some people love discussing politics. ■ Look at the

disaster /dɪˈzæs·tər/ [㐗] A catastrophe, natu- spelling of the 3rd person singular present tense

ral or produced by people: Earthquakes and hurri- form: "discusses".

canes are examples of natural disasters. discussion /dɪˈskʌʃ.ən/ [㐌] A period of talking

disc /dɪsk/ [㐗] 1 A round, flat object: He said about something: There was a very interesting dis-

the UFO was shaped like a disc. 2 A record: The lat- cussion about music on the radio last night.

est Taylor Swift disc is fantastic. disease /dɪˈziːz/ [㐌] An illness: Cholera can be a

discipline /ˈdɪs.ə.plɪn/ [㐖] Control and or- terrible disease. ■ Compare with "illness" ("Disease"

der: There's no discipline at that school. is used when we talk about a specific illness. "Ill-

disc jockey [㐗] A person who plays records ness" is used when we talk about the general state of

on the radio or in discotheques: Some disc jockeys being ill and the time during which you are ill).

are as famous as the music they play. ■ "DJ" is an disgrace /dɪsˈgreɪs/ [㐖] A state of shame or

abbreviation for "disc jockey". loss of respect: The boy had stolen money from his

disco /ˈdɪs·koʊ/ [㐗] A place for dancing: The classmates and the teacher sent him home in dis-

music is usually very loud in discos. ■ Be careful grace.

with the pronunciation of this word! The "o" is pro- disgraceful /dɪsˈgreɪs.fəl/ [㐀] Very bad, wrong:

nounced as in "go". ■ "Disco" is short for "disco- His behavior was completely disgraceful.

theque". disguise1 /dɪsˈgaɪz/ [㐌] Clothes that make some-

discomfort /dɪˈskʌmfət/ ❚ [㐖] 1 Slight pain body look different or very difficult to recognize:

or an uncomfortable feeling, physical or mental: Some famous people go out in disguise so that nobody

The patient suffered some discomfort after the op- can recognize them. ■ The same meaning: "costume".
eration. ❚ [㐗] 2 Something that causes slight
pain or makes somebody uncomfortable: Old peo- disguise2 /dɪsˈgaɪz/ [㐘] To change your appear-

ple suffer more the discomforts of travel. ance: John disguised himself as a Red Indian to go

disconnect /ˌdɪs.kəˈnekt/ [㐘] To stop the supply to Patricia's party.

of electricity to something: The telephone will be disgust /dɪsˈgʌst/ [㐖] A strong feeling of dis-

disconnected if you don't pay the bill. like: The movie was so bad that she walked out of

discotheque /ˈdɪs.kə.tek/ [㐗] See disco. the theater in disgust.
discount /ˈdɪs.kaʊnt/, /dɪˈskaʊnt/ [㐗] A reduc-
disgusted /dɪsˈgʌstɪd/ [㐀] Feeling intense dis-
tion in price: There's a ten per cent discount on the
like or anger about something: I was disgusted
price of all books this month.
when I saw the fly on the soup. 㐀  See picture at
discourage /dɪˈskɜr·ɪdʒ/, /-ˈskʌr-/ [㐘] To try to
emotions.
stop somebody from doing something: She be-
disgusting /dɪsˈgʌs.tɪŋ/ [㐀] Causing strong
came discouraged after she was turned down for
dislike: I think that blood sports are disgusting.
the job. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation of
dish /dɪʃ/ [㐗] 1 A plate: Will you wash the dish-
this word. The "a" is pronounced like the "i" in
es, please? 2 A particular preparation of food:
"did".
That meat dish certainly looks nice. ■ The plural is

"dishes". 㐀 See pictures at dishwasher and plate.

dishcloth 116

a dishcloth /ˈdɪʃ.klɒθ/ US: /-klɑːθ/ [㐗] A cloth disobedient /ˌdɪs·əˈbid·i·ənt/ [㐀] Not obeying,

b used for washing or drying dishes: Wipe the ta- not wanting to obey: What a disobedient girl you are!
bles with this dishcloth. disobey /ˌdɪs·əˈbeɪ/ [㐘] Not to obey: You shouldn't

dishonest /dɪsˈɑn·əst/ [㐀] Not honest: You disobey your teacher.
c can't trust him; he's dishonest.
disorder /dɪsˈɔr·dər/ ❚ [㐖] 1 Lack of order:

dishwasher /ˈdɪʃˌwɑʃ·ər/, /-wɔ·ʃər/ [㐗] A ma- My paper are always in a state of complete disor-
d chine that washes dishes, cups and so on: Put der. ❚ [㐗] 2 Violent behavior by many people:
these plates in the dishwasher, please. 㐀 See pic- The police were brought in to prevent disorder in

e ture at kitchen. the streets.

disorganized or disorganised

f DISHWASHER dish /dɪsˈɔr·gəˌnɑɪzd/ [㐀] Untidy: Your composition is
g quite good but it's rather disorganized. ■ Be careful

h with the pronunciation of the end of this word. The

"e" is not pronounced.

disperse /dɪˈspɜrs/ [㐘] To scatter in different di-

rections, to separate: The soldiers had to disperse

i in order to reduce casualties.
display1 /dɪˈspleɪ/ [㐌] A show or exhibition of

j things: Did you see the firework display last night?
display2 /dɪˈspleɪ/ [㐘] To show something for
k somebody to see: Next year's fashions are already
being displayed in the store windows.
disposable /dɪˈspoʊ·zə·bəl/ [㐀] Which can be

l thrown away after use: I've bought some dispos-
able plastic plates for the party.

m dispute /dɪˈspjuːt, ˈdɪs.pjuːt/ [㐌] A conflict: Work
stopped because of a dispute over pay.

n disqualify /dɪsˈkwɑl·əˌfɑɪ/ [㐘] To decide that
disinfect /ˌdɪs.ɪnˈfekt/ [㐘] To clean something somebody cannot do something: Mr. Jones was

o with a substance that kills germs: Pure alcohol is found guilty of drunken driving and was disquali-
used to disinfect wounds. fied from driving for a year. ■ Be careful with the
spelling of these forms: "disqualifies", "disqualified".
p disinfectant /ˌdɪs·ɪnˈfek·tənt/ [㐌] A liquid that Be careful. We say: "He was disqualified from doing
kills germs: My mother always puts disinfectant

q down the bathroom. (something)".

disk /dɪsk/ [㐗] 1 A flat, round object used in dissatisfied /dɪsˈsæt̬·əsˌfɑɪd/ [㐀] Not happy

r computers: A disk can contain a lot of information. with something: My parents were dissatisfied with
2 hard disk The part inside a computer that the food in the hotel they stayed at in Florence.
s stores information: There's no space available on dissolve /dɪˈzɑlv/ [㐘] To break up and disappear
the hard disk. in a liquid: Sugar dissolves quickly in hot water.

dislike1 /dɪˈslaɪk/ [㐖] The feeling of not lik- distance /ˈdɪs.tənts/ [㐌] 1 The space between two

t ing somebody or something: I have a strong dis- places: What distance is there between our house
like for anything connected with fashion. and yours? 2 in the distance Far away: I can see a
u dislike2 /dɪˈslaɪk/ [㐘] Not to like: I dislike his way river in the distance.
of laughing. distant /ˈdɪs.tənt/ [㐀] Far away: From our hotel

v disloyal /ˌdɪsˈlɔɪ.əl/ [㐀] Not loyal: We are no room we have a distant view of the sea.
longer friends. He was disloyal and I haven't forgiv- distinct /dɪˈstɪŋkt/ [㐀] 1 Clear: David has a dis-

w en him. tinct British accent. 2 Different: There are several

dismiss /dɪˈsmɪs/ [㐘] To make a person leave his distinct languages in this Country.

x or her job: He was dismissed from his job because distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋ.gwɪʃ/ [㐘] 1 To notice the dif-
he always arrived late. ■ Be careful with the spelling ference between things or people: How do nurses

y of the 3rd person singular present tense form: "dis- distinguish between babies when they are all to-
misses". gether in the nursery? 2 To see with difficulty: It
was so dark that I could hardly distinguish her
z dismount /dɪˈsmaʊnt/ [㐘] To get off a horse or a face.
bike: When I tried to dismount, I fell off.

117 do

distinguished /dɪˈstɪŋ.gwɪʃt/ [㐀] Famous, ment of arithmetic. 2 Disagreement or different opin- a
ion: There is a division of opinion about this within the b
highly respected: John Wayne was a distinguished community. ❚ [㐗] 3 A military force made up of c
several brigades: The Fourth Division was able to hold d
American actor. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation off the enemy. 4 A part of a large organization: The e
number of people working in the Sales Division has in- f
of the end of this word. The "e" is not pronounced. creased. ■ See box at abbreviations. g

distract /dɪˈstrækt/ [㐘] To attract somebody's at- divorce /dɪˈvɔrs/, /-ˈvoʊrs/ [㐌] The legal separa- h
i
tention away from something: Don't distract me tion of a husband and wife: If a person gets a di- j
vorce, he or she can marry again. k
while I'm working. l
dizzy /ˈdɪz.i/ [㐀] Feeling that everything is m
distress /dɪˈstres/ [㐖] Great sadness: Their n
spinning round: I felt very dizzy after I went on the o
mother's death caused them great distress. roller coaster. ■ The comparative form is "dizzier" p
and the superlative form is "dizziest". q
distribute /dɪˈstrɪb·jut/, /-jət/ [㐘] To give things r
DJ /ˌdiːˈdʒeɪ/ [㐗] See disc jockey. ■ Be careful. s
to many people: He distributed the pamphlets out- t
"DJ" is always written in capital letters. u
side the school. v
do, did, done /duː, də/ [㐘] 1 To act: What did you w
distribution /ˌdɪs.trɪˈbjuː.ʃən/ [㐌] 1 The act of x
do this morning? ■ See box on the following page. 2 y
providing and delivering: She uses a van for the To carry out a particular task or activity: I will do z
distribution of her goods. 2 The way in which the project this week. ■ See box at make. 3 An aux-
iliary verb used to form negative sentences and
something is divided or shared: The distribution questions, or to form answers in a shortened
form: "Did you find the keys?" "Yes, I did.". ■ See
of riches is very unequal. box on the following page. 4 To be satisfactory, to
be good enough: I hope that my work will do. 5 To
district /ˈdɪs.trɪkt/ [㐗] An area: My mother be good for somebody: I could do with a little help
here. 6 to do badly (at something) To have prob-
works in the financial district of New York. lems in a subject or class: He did badly at math
last year, but this year he has improved. 7 to do
disturb /dɪˈstɜrb/ [㐘] 1 To interrupt somebody or damage To break or spoil something or some-
where: The storm did a lot of damage. 8 to do
something: Don't disturb me while I'm on the one's best To do the best you are capable of, to
phone. 2 To upset or worry somebody: The news try hard: I promise that I will do my best. 9 to do
the dishes To clean the plates and other items
about the accident disturbed us all. used in a meal: It's your turn to do the dishes. 10
to do well (at something) To be successful in a
disturbance /dɪˈstɜr·bəns/ [㐌] A disturbing noise subject or class: She is doing well at school this
year. 11 to have nothing to do with (something
that people make: I was woken by a tremendous or somebody) To be something that a particular
person does not have responsibility for, or not be
disturbance in the street. relevant: That has nothing to do with me; I wasn't
here. 12 How do you do? Words that you say
ditch /dɪtʃ/ [㐗] A long, narrow hole next to a when meeting somebody for the first time: "How
do you do?" "Pleased to meet you.". 13 What do
road: When I tried to avoid a rabbit on the road I you do? Words for asking about somebody's job:
"What do you do?" "I'm an electrician".
drove the car straight into the ditch. ◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to do away with (some-
thing) To not have something: They have done
ditto US: /ˈdɪt.̬ oʊ/ UK: /ˈdɪt.əʊ/ [㐗] A mark used away with the drinks machines at school. · to do
(somebody) in To make somebody very tired: This
in writing to show that the same thing is to be re- math problem is doing me in: can you help me? ■
This use is informal. · to do (something) up 1 To
peated: Ditto is written ''. fasten an article of clothing: Do your coat up be-
fore you go out. 2 To improve something and make
dive, dove, dived /daɪv/ [㐘] 1 To jump into wa-

ter, head first: The children dove into the sea off
the rocks. 2 To go under the water: They dove for

several hours but were unable to find the sunken

boat.

diver /ˈdɑɪ·vər/ [㐗] A person who works under-

water: The police use divers in their investigations

when they want to examine what's in a lake.

diversity US: /dɪˈvɝː.sə.t̬i/ UK: /daɪˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/ [㐖]

Difference or variety within something: An impor-

tant aspect of an ecosystem is the diversity of the

species it contains.

divert US: /dɪˈvɝːt/ UK: /daɪˈvɜːt/ [㐘] To send cars,

planes and so on a different way: The flights to

Washington were diverted to Baltimore airport be-

cause of fog.

divide /dɪˈvaɪd/ [㐘] To separate into parts: If you

divide eight by two, you get four.

divine /dɪˈvaɪn/ [㐀] Connected to God: The

prophets were divine messengers.

division /dɪˈvɪʒ.ən/ ❚ [㐌] 1 The process of dividing

one number by another number: Division is an ele-

dock 118

a it look better: My brother's new apartment looks per: My father left the documents on the train on

b old and not very nice but he is going to do it up. · his way to a meeting!
to do without (something or somebody) To not dog US: /dɑːg/ UK: /dɒg/ [㐗] An animal that peo-
have something: The team can do without him, he ple often keep as a pet and sometimes keep for
c is not essential.
protection: My dog barks if anybody comes near

dock US: /dɑːk/ UK: /dɒk/ [㐗] Artificial harbor: the house. 㐀 See picture at pet.
d The ship arrived at the dock, and the passengers doghouse [㐗] A small house for a dog: My
got off. dog is accustomed to sleeping in the doghouse. ■ In

e doctor US: /ˈdɑːk.tɚ/ UK: /ˈdɒk.tər/ [㐗] A per- British English they say "kennel".
son who looks after people's health: Malcolm doll /dɒl/ [㐗] A toy that looks like a person: My

f felt so ill that he had to call the doctor in the sister collects dolls from different countries.
middle of the night. ■ The abbreviation "Dr." is dollar US: /ˈdɑː.lɚ/ UK: /ˈdɒl.ər/ [㐗] Money used

g only used in written language. ■ See box at abbre- in the United States: There are a hundred cents in
viations. a dollar. ■ "Buck" is informal for "dollar". ■ See box

h document /ˈdɑk·jə·mənt/ [㐗] An important pa- at abbreviations.
dolphin /ˈdɑl·fən/, /ˈdɔl-/ [㐗] An intelligent sea

i to do questions animal with a wide mouth: Although you might
ðÜPresent tense do I?
think they are fish, dolphins are mammals. 㐀 See
j affirmative negative
page 428.
k I do I don't
domain /dəʊˈmeɪn/ [㐗] 1 An area of interest or

activity: The backyard is my husband's domain. 2

An area of land which is controlled by a particu-

l you do you don't do you? lar person or government: This region was added
he / she/ it he / she / it does he / she to his domains. ■ This use is more common in the
plural. 3 An area of the internet which is con-
m does doesn't / it? trolled by a particular organization or person: Be-
we do we don't do we? fore the website is designed a domain has to be ob-

n you do you don't do you? tained.
they do they don't do they?
dome US: /doʊm/ UK: /dəʊm/ [㐗] A round,
o
arched roof: One of the identifying features of the
p ðÜPast tense ðÜPast participle
did done Kremlin is its domes.

q domestic /dəˈmes.tɪk/ [㐀] 1 Referring to the

r to do: auxiliary verb home: I don't really like doing domestic jobs but we
all have to help in the house. 2 Not wild: Domestic

animals are kept at home or on a farm.

domesticate /dəˈmes.tɪ.keɪt/ [㐘] To train an ani-

mal to live or work for persons: It would be diffi-

s We sometimes use the verb to do as an auxiliary cult to domesticate a lion.
verb (this is a verb that is used with the main verb of
domesticated /dəˈmes·tɪˌkeɪ·tɪ̬ d/ [㐀] Referring

the sentence). To do is used in this way, without any to an animal, that has been trained: Cats and dogs

t meaning: are among the most popular domesticated animals.

ðÜIn negative sentences, with ordinary verbs: dominate /ˈdɑm·əˌneɪt/ [㐘] To control something:

u - Susan doesn’t like reading much. The Chicago Bulls dominated the game.
- I didn’t see Tony at the party.
Dominican1 [㐀] Referring to Dominican Re-

v ðÜIn questions, with ordinary verbs: public: Santo Domingo is the Dominican capital. ■
- Do you have school on Saturdays? Be careful! "Dominican" has a capital "D".

w - What time do you usually get up? Dominican2 [㐗] A person from Dominican
ðÜIn short answers:
Republic: There are a Dominican in our baseball

x - Do you like playing tennis? Yes, I do. team. ■ Be careful! "Dominican" has a capital "D".
ðÜWhen we do not want to repeat a verb or part of a
dominoes US: /ˈdɑː.mɪ.noʊz/ UK: /ˈdɒm.ɪ.nəʊz/
y sentence:
- Jeremy went swimming yesterday, but Charles didn’t [㐗] A game played with small, flat pieces that
have dots on them: My dad says that to play domi-
(= didn’t go swimming).
noes well you have to do math to know which piece
z
to use next. ■ It is usually used with a singular verb.

119 dough

donate US: /ˈdoʊ.neɪt/ UK: /dəʊˈneɪt/ [㐘] To give doorstep /ˈdɔrˌstep/, /ˈdoʊr-/ [㐗] A step in front a
b
something to people who need it: She donated a of a door: Be careful when you come in because the c
lot of her fortune to charity. d
doorstep is quite high. e
done1 /dʌn/ Past participle of do. f
done2 /dʌn/ [㐀] Finished: Her work done, she Doric /ˈdɒr.ɪk/ US: /ˈdɔːr-/ [㐀] Referring to the g

returned to her room to listen to some music. simplest of the building styles in Ancient Greece: h
i
donkey /ˈdɑŋ·ki/, /ˈdʌŋ-/, /ˈdɔŋ-/ [㐗] An animal Doric pillars are topped by a plain capital and j
k
like a horse with long ears: Baby donkeys are very stand directly on the sidewalk, without a separate l
cute. 㐀 See page 428. m
base. ■ Compare with "Ionic" (with some decora- n
donor US: /ˈdoʊ.nɚ/ UK: /ˈdəʊ.nər/ [㐗] A person o
tion) and "Corinthian" (the most ornate). p
who gives something to somebody who needs it: q
My mother is a regular blood donor at the local dormitory /ˈdɔr·məˌtɔr·i/, /-ˌtoʊr·i/ [㐗] 1 A big r
hospital. s
room with beds in a school, hostel and so on: The t
don't US: /doʊnt/ UK: /dəʊnt/ The contraction of "do u
girls slept in a lovely dormitory at the summer v
not". camp. 2 A building with rooms for university stu- w
x
donut® /ˈdoʊ·nʌt/, /-nət/ [㐗] A small round dents to live in: That university has a great dormi- y
z
cake: Donuts are cooked in oil. ■ The British English tory at the campus. ■ The plural is "dormitories".
spelling is "doughnut".
dorsal /ˈdɔː.səl/ US: /ˈdɔːr-/ [㐀] Referring to the
doodle /ˈduː.dl/̩ [㐘] To draw lines or figures while
back of a person, animal or fish: Fish have a dor-
you are thinking about something else: She al-
ways doodles while she is talking on the phone. sal fin. 㐀 See page 423.

door US: /dɔːr/ UK: /dɔːr/ [㐗] The way into a dot US: /dɑːt/ UK: /dɒt/ [㐗] A small round mark:

room or a building: Open the door, please; I'm on The Braille alphabet uses dots to represent each
the phone.
letter of the alphabet.
DOOR
dotted line [㐗] A line of several dots: Please
doorbell
sign on the dotted line.
doorknob
double1 /ˈdʌbl/ [㐀] 1 Twice as much or two of:
doormat
I'd like a double ice cream, please. 2 Made for two
doorbell /ˈdɔrˌbel/, /ˈdoʊr-/ [㐗] A bell outside a
people: My parents sleep in a double bed.
door: She rang the doorbell, but nobody answered.
㐀 See picture at door. double2 /ˈdʌbl/ [㐘] To multiply by two: The sales

doorknob US: /ˈdɔːr.nɑːb/ UK: /ˈdɔː.nɒb/ [㐗] A in my aunt's store have doubled over the past three

small round handle for opening or closing the months.
door: The thief turned the doorknob quietly and
went in. 㐀 See picture at door. double bass [㐗] A very big instrument like

doormat /ˈdɔrˌmæt/, /ˈdoʊr-/ [㐗] A small mat in an enormous violin: Andrew plays the double bass

front of a door: Robert wiped his feet on the door- in the school orchestra. 㐀 See page 458.
mat. 㐀 See picture at door.
double-decker bus /ˌdʌb.l.̩ dek.əˈbʌs/ US: /-ɚ-/

[㐗] A bus with two levels: Many cities have
double-decker buses for the tourists to see the city

and learn about its main buildings and attractions.

doubt1 /daʊt/ [㐌] 1 A feeling of not being sure:

Jack had doubts about the answer to the question.
2 in doubt Not sure: If you are in doubt about
something, just ask the teacher. 3 no doubt Al-

most certainly: No doubt they'll telephone you

when they arrive. ■ Be careful with the pronuncia-

tion of this word! The "b" is not pronounced.

doubt2 /daʊt/ [㐘] To think that something is

probably not the case: I doubt if they'll be in. ■

Careful with the pronunciation of this word! The "b"

is not pronounced.

doubtful /ˈdaʊt.fəl/ [㐀] Not certain, unlikely:

Cecil is a bit doubtful about entering the competi-

tion. ■ Careful with the pronunciation of this word!

The "b" is not pronounced.

dough US: /doʊ/ UK: /dəʊ/ [㐌] A mixture made

mainly with flour and water: Bread is made by

cooking dough.

doughnut 120

a doughnut UK: /ˈdəʊ.nʌt/ [㐗] See donut®. ■ drainpipe /ˈdreɪn.paɪp/ [㐗] A pipe on the out-

b This is a British English spelling. side of a building: The thieves climbed up the

dove1 /dʌv/ [㐗] A white bird of the pigeon drainpipe and got in through the bedroom win-

family: A dove is often used as a symbol of peace. dow.
c dove2 Past tense of dive.
drama UK: /ˈdrɑː.mə/ US: /ˈdræm.ə/ ❚ [㐗] 1 A seri-
down1 /daʊn/ [㐀] 1 Lower: The price of the dol- ous play for the theater or television: People have
d lar is down today. 2 Sad, unhappy: You're looking said that Shakespeare's dramas are a mirror of life.
a bit down today. ❚ [㐖] 2 Acting and plays: My sister Sheila

e down2 /daʊn/ [㐅] In or towards a lower place: went to drama school and is now an actress. ❚ [㐌]
The anchor went down to the bottom of the sea. 3 Excitement: There was a big drama when one of

f 㐀 See picture at preposition. the children got lost on the trip.

downhill /ˌdaʊnˈhɪl/ [㐄] To the bottom of a hill: dramatic /drəˈmæt·̬ ɪk/ [㐀] Exciting: The movie

g The cyclists went downhill at an incredible speed. had a dramatic ending.
downstairs /ˈdɑʊnˈsteərz/ [㐄] On a lower floor drank /dræŋk/ Past tense of drink.

h or to a lower floor: Tommy went downstairs to drape /dreɪp/ [㐌] Material used for covering a
make breakfast. window or door: One of the girls hid behind the

i downtown [㐁] In or to the central area or drapes. ■ In British English they say "curtain".
main business area of a city: You can see the high- 㐀 See picture at living room.
j est buildings of downtown Denver from the dis- draught /drɑːft/ [㐗] See draft. ■ This word is
tance. British English.

downward [㐀] Towards the ground, in a draughts US: /dræfts/ UK: /drɑːfts/ [㐌] See check-

k down direction: She indicated yes with a down- ers. ■ This word is British English. ■ It is usually
ward movement of the head. used with a singular verb.
l downwards /ˈdɑʊn·wərdz/ [㐄] Towards the draw1 /drɔː/ [㐗] See tie1. ■ This word is British
ground, in a down direction: Lily fell asleep face English.

m downwards under the apple tree. draw2, drew, drawn /drɔː/ [㐘] 1 To make a pic-

doze /dəʊz/ [㐘] To sleep lightly: Grandmother ture with a pencil, a pen and so on: The little boy

n dozed in the chair for a few minutes after lunch. drew a picture of a snowman for his mother. 2 See

dozen /ˈdʌz.ən/ [㐗] Twelve: Go and buy a dozen tie2. ■ This use is British English.

o eggs from the farm. ■ Be careful. We always say: "a ◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to draw (something) out To
dozen eggs". We don't say: "a dozen of eggs". take something out: I'm going to the bank to draw

p Dr. A written abbreviation for doctor. ■ See box at some money out for the vacation. · to draw up To
abbreviations. stop: A huge car drew up outside the hotel and a

q draft US: /dræft/ UK: /drɑːft/ [㐗] 1 The first form man with dark glasses got out.
of a piece of writing: Sally made a draft of her com- drawbridge /ˈdrɔː.brɪdʒ/ US: /ˈdrɑː-/ [㐗] A

r position before giving it to the teacher. 2 Current of bridge that can be raised or lowered, to allow
air: Shut that door, please! There's an awful draft in boats to pass, or to permit entry to a castle: The

s here. ■ In this use, in British English we say "draught". castle drawbridge was lowered on market days.
drag1 /dræg/ [㐌] A person or a thing that is a drawer US: /drɑː/ UK: /drɔːr/ [㐗] Compartment
bore: Shopping is a real drag. of a desk or a table which slides out: My new writ-
ing desk has four drawers in it. ■ Be careful with the
t drag2 /dræg/ [㐘] To pull something along the pronunciation of this word.
ground: Sandra dragged the box into the room.

u dragon /ˈdræg.ən/ [㐗] A legendary animal
which breathes fire: The dragon in the story had

v wings and lived in a cave.
dragonfly /ˈdræg.ən.flaɪ/ [㐗] A colorful flying

w insect with a long thin body: Some dragonflies
can fly at fifty miles an hour. ■ The plural is "dragon-

x flies".
drain1 /dreɪn/ [㐗] A metal cover with holes, in

y the street, which carries dirty water away: The DRAWER
drains are blocked with leaves.

z drain2 /dreɪn/ [㐘] To let liquid flow away: Wash
the mushrooms and drain them. Then cut them up.

121 drop

drawing /ˈdrɔ·ɪŋ/ ❚ [㐗] 1 A picture done dressmaker /ˈdresˌmeɪ.kər/ US: /-kɚ/ [㐗] A per- a
b
with a pencil, a pen and so on: The Museum of son who makes women's clothes: I'm going to ask c
d
Modern Art in New York has the best drawings of the dressmaker to alter this dress. ■ A person who e
the twentieth century. ❚ [㐖] 2 The art of f
making pictures with a pencil, a pen and so on: makes men's clothes is a "tailor". g

Peter is very good at drawing, isn't he? 㐀  See drew /druː/ Past tense of draw. h
drier [㐗] See dryer. i
page 456. drill1 /drɪl/ [㐗] 1 A tool for making holes: Den- j
k
drawing pin [㐗] See thumbtack. ■ This word tists use small drills in their work. 2 An exercise l
m
is British English. where people practice many times till they know n
o
drawn US: /drɑːn/ UK: /drɔːn/ Past participle of well what to do: At my school we have fire drills p
q
draw. and tornado drills. r
s
dread /dred/ [㐘] To be very afraid of something: drill2 /drɪl/ [㐘] To make a hole using a drill: Ron t
u
Harry dreaded telling Jane that her dog had died. drilled a hole in the wall for the picture. v
w
dreadful /ˈdred.fəl/ [㐀] Horrible: I had a dread- drink1 /drɪŋk/ [㐌] A liquid that is suitable for x
y
ful day today; everything went wrong. swallowing: Chocolate milk makes a tasty drink for z

dream1 /driːm/ [㐗] 1 Something that you children.

imagine while you are asleep: I had a lovely drink2, drank, drunk /drɪŋk/ [㐘] 1 To swallow
dream last night. 2 Something nice that you
liquid: You should drink at least one liter of water
would like to happen: My dream is to meet Tom a day. 2 drinking water Clean water for drinking:

Hanks. The water from this tap is for washing only; it is not

dream2, dreamt, dreamt /driːm/ [㐘] 1 To imag- drinking water.

ine things while you are asleep: Last night, I drip /drɪp/ [㐘] To fall in drops: Water drips
dreamt I went to Manderley again. 2 To want
through the roof of our classroom when it rains. ■
something nice to happen: I often dream about
Be careful with the spelling of these forms:
going to the Himalayas one day. ■ "Dream" also has
"dripped", "dripping".
regular past and past participle forms: "dreamed".
drive1 /draɪv/ [㐗] A journey in a car: They went
dress1 /dres/ [㐗] An article of woman's cloth-
for a drive in the countryside.
ing with a top and a skirt in one: What a beautiful
drive2, drove, driven /draɪv/ [㐘] To make a mo-
dress! ■ The plural is "dresses". 㐀  See picture at
tor vehicle travel: She drove all the way to Santa Fe
clothes.
in one day.
dress2 /dres/ [㐘] 1 To put clothes on: Sam dressed
driven /ˈdrɪv.ən/, /ˈdrɪv.ən/ Past participle of drive2.
quickly and went out. 2 To put clothes on some- driver /ˈdrɑɪ·vər/ [㐗] A person who drives: The

body: I dressed the baby while Peter prepared the driver stopped for half an hour to drink a cup of
stroller. 3 To wear something: Lewis always dress-
coffee.
es in black.
◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to dress up 1 To wear un- driver's license [㐗] A card showing that
usual clothes: Let's dress up as Romans for Anne's
you can drive: You need a special driver's license
party on Saturday. 2 To wear elegant clothes: They
to drive a bus.
were all dressed up for the wedding. ■ Be careful
driveway [㐗] A short road from a street to a
with the spelling of the 3rd person singular present
house: He parked the car in the driveway and went
tense form: "dresses".
to the house.
dresser [㐗] A piece of furniture which has
drizzle1 [㐖] A fine and light rain: We had driz-
drawers where you can keep clothes: Please, put
zle in the morning but the rest of the day it was sunny.
these shirts in the dresser in your bedroom. ■ In
drizzle2 [㐘] To rain in small drops: It has been
British English they say "chest of drawers". 㐀  See
drizzling all morning.
picture at bedroom.
drop1 /drɒp/ [㐗] A small quantity of liquid: My
dressing /ˈdres.ɪŋ/ [㐗] 1 A covering that you
eyes are very red so I am going to use some eye
put on a wound: You'll have to wear that dressing
drops. 㐀 See picture at a piece of...
for a week and then come back and see the doctor.
2 A liquid that goes with salads: My friend Han- drop2 /drɒp/ [㐘] 1 To let something fall: Patsy

nah has shown me how to make a delicious salad dropped the eggs and broke them all. 2 To go down

dressing. rapidly: Sales always drop considerably in February.

dressing gown [㐗] See robe. ■ This word is ◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to drop in To pay a short vis-

British English. it: I'll drop in and see you on the way to school. ■

Be careful with the spelling of these forms:

"dropped", "dropping".

dropper 122

a dropper US: /ˈdrɑː.pɚ/ UK: /ˈdrɒp.ər/ [㐗] A short duck2 /dʌk/ [㐘] To move down quickly to avoid

b tube used to measure out liquids by drops: The something: John ducked just in time so the ball
nurse used a dropper to dispense the medicine. didn't hit him.
㐀 See page 440. duckling /ˈdʌk.lɪŋ/ [㐌] A baby duck: The mother
c drought /draʊt/ [㐌] A long time with no rain: Af- duck and her ducklings swam down the river together.
rica often suffers from droughts. ■ Be careful with due US: /duː/ UK: /djuː/ [㐀] 1 Expected: When is
d the pronunciation of this word. It rhymes with "out".
drove /drəʊv/ Past tense of drive. the baby due to be born? 2 Having to be paid: Our
rent is due within the first five days of every month.

e drown /draʊn/ [㐘] To die in water because you 3 due for Ready for something: I'm due for a visit
cannot breathe: The ship sank and twenty people to the dentist quite soon. 4 due to Because of

f drowned. something: Due to repair work, the theater will

drug /drʌg/ [㐗] 1 A chemical that is used as a have to be closed for the rest of the season.

g medicine: There are very many new drugs against duet /duˈet/ [㐗] A song or a piece of music for
cancer these days. 2 An addictive substance two: Rachel and Emma played a marvelous duet on

h which people use for pleasure or excitement: the piano.
Drugs can affect your health. duffle coat /ˈdʌf.lˌ̩ kəʊt/ US: /-ˌkoʊt/ [㐗] A thick

i drugstore /ˈdrʌgˌstɔr/, /-ˌstoʊr/ [㐗] A store that coat with a hood: Duffle coats are usually very
sells medicines: I went to the drugstore to get some warm.
j cough medicine. ■ The same meaning: "pharmacy". dug /dʌg/ Past tense and past participle forms of
■ In British English they say "chemist's". dig.

drum /drʌm/ [㐗] A hollow musical instrument duke US: /duːk/ UK: /djuːk/ [㐗] A man with a

k that you hit: She plays the drum in the local band. special noble title: Some dukes received their title
㐀 See page 459. from their king. ■ A woman with a special title is a
l drunk1 /drʌŋk/ Past participle of drink2.
"duchess".

drunk2 /drʌŋk/ [㐀] Having had too much dull /dʌl/ [㐀] 1 Not bright, gray: It's a very dull
m alcohol: You should never drive when you are day today. 2 Not interesting: The game was so dull
drunk. that we went home after an hour or so.

n dry1 /draɪ/ [㐀] 1 Not wet: The clothes that you dumb /dʌm/ [㐀] Not intelligent: Don't start
hang outside are already dry. 㐀 See picture at op- making dumb comments again. ■ Be careful with

o posite. 2 Without rain: The ground was very dry the pronunciation of this word. The "b" is silent.
because of the drought. ■ The comparative form is dummy /ˈdʌmi/ [㐗] 1 A model of a person

p "drier" and the superlative form is "driest". used to show clothes in a store: There were four

dry2 /draɪ/ [㐘] 1 To become dry: Our laundry is dummies in the shop window. 2 See pacifier. ■ This

q drying very well in the sun. 2 To make something use is British English. ■ The plural is "dummies".
dry: Dry the dishes, please. dump1 /dʌmp/ [㐗] A place to put garbage:

r ◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to dry out To dry complete- Throw that old box on the garbage dump.
ly: Don't worry; your coat will have dried out by to- dump2 /dʌmp/ [㐘] 1 To throw something away:
s morrow morning. ■ Be careful with the spelling of Some factories just dump their waste in the sea. 2
these forms: "dries", "dried". To leave a thing somewhere carelessly: Don't just

dry cleaner's or cleaners US: /ˈdrɑɪ ˈkli·nər/ dump your school bag in the middle of the floor like

t [㐗] A place where you take clothes to be that. Put it away.
cleaned with chemicals, not in water: I'm going to dune US: /duːn/ UK: /djuːn/ [㐗] A hill or wave of
u take this silk dress to the dry cleaner's. Do you have sand: Dunes are usually to be found near the sea.
anything else to take? duplex [㐗] A house joined to another house

v dryer [㐗] A machine that make something on one side: Many people in New York live in a du-
dry: You can use the clothes dryer to save time in plex with a small yard to the back and the front.

w the laundry. ■ This word is also written "drier". 㐀 See picture at house.

duchess /ˈdʌtʃ.es/ [㐗] A woman with a special during US: /ˈdʊr.ɪŋ/ UK: /ˈdjʊə.rɪŋ/ [㐓] 1 All the

x noble title: The Duchess of Kent presents the cup at time that something is going on: Smoking is not
Wimbledon every year. ■ A man with a special title allowed during the flight. 2 At some point when

y is a "duke". something is going on: Dad became ill during the

duck1 /dʌk/ [㐗] A bird that lives near water: night.
z You can often see ducks on lakes in parks or farms. dust1 /dʌst/ [㐖] Dirt that is like fine powder:
㐀 See page 429. The furniture in the old house was covered in dust.

123 dynamo

dust2 /dʌst/ [㐘] To clean the dust: Dust those dwarf /dwɔːf/ [㐗] A very small person: Have a
b
shelves quickly before the visitors come. you seen the movie of "Snow White and the Seven c
d
dustbin /ˈdʌst.bɪn/ [㐗] See trash can. ■ This Dwarves"? ■ The plural is "dwarves" or "dwarfs". e
f
word is British English. dwell, dwelt, dwelt /dwel/ [㐘] To live or to g

duster /ˈdʌs.tər/ US: /-tɚ/ [㐗] A thing that re- stay: This animal dwells in a forest. ■ This use is h
i
moves dust: Take the duster and clean the white- formal. We usually say "live". j
k
board, please. ◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to dwell on (something) To l
think, to speak or to write about something for a m
Dutch1 /dʌtʃ/ [㐀] Referring to Holland: I think
long time: Try not to dwell on how you did in the
Dutch cheese is delicious. ■ Be careful! "Dutch" has
test. Wait until you get the results.
a capital "D".
dwelt Past tense and past participle forms of
Dutch2 [㐖] The language of Holland and
dwell.
other countries: Do you speak Dutch? ■ Careful!
dye /dwɔːf/ [㐘] To change the color of something:
"Dutch" has a capital "D".
She dyed her T-shirt red.
duty US: /ˈduː.ti̬ / UK: /ˈdjuː.ti/ [㐌] 1 Something that
dynamic /daɪˈnæm.ɪk/ [㐀] Active and interest-
you have to do: It's my duty to feed our dog and cat.
2 A tax that you have to pay if you bring certain ing: We need a dynamic person to take charge of

things into the country: Do I have to pay duty on this summer camp.
this CD player? 3 off duty Not working: Night nurs-
es are off duty during the day. 4 on duty Working dynamite /ˈdaɪ.nə.maɪt/ [㐖] A chemical used

or at work: Dr. Barnes is on duty at the hospital be- as an explosive: Dynamite is used for getting rocks

tween three and six o'clock. ■ The plural is "duties". out of the ground. ■ Be careful with the pronuncia-

duty-free /ˈdu·t̬i ˈfri/ [㐀] Without duty: There tion of this word! "dy" rhymes with "my".

are duty-free stores at airports and on boats. dynamo /ˈdɑɪ·nəˌmoʊ/ [㐗] A machine which

duvet /ˈduː.veɪ/ US: /-ˈ-/ [㐗] See comforter. ■ converts mechanical energy into electrical ener-

This word is British English. gy: A dynamo is often used on a bicycle to power its

lights.

n

o

p

q

r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y

z

E e /iː/ The fifth letter of the alphabet: The name
e
"Elizabeth" begins with an "E".

E /iː/ [㐗] The third musical note of the scale

of C major: This song has been composed in the

key of E. ■ The plural is "Es" or "E's". 㐀 See page

460.

each /iːtʃ/ [㐀] 1 Every person or thing: Each

student has to bring an exercise book and a pencil
to class. 2 each other Words that show that peo-

ple do the same thing or feel the same way: My

grandparents love each other. ■ The same meaning:

"one another".

eager /ˈi·gər/ [㐀] Enthusiastic: June is always

eager to help.

eagle /ˈiː.gl/̩ [㐗] A large fierce bird with a

sharp beak: Eagles live in mountain areas and

hunt small animals for food.

ear US: /ɪr/ UK: /ɪər/ [㐗] A part of the head that is

used for hearing: Indian elephants have enormous

ears. 㐀 See picture at face.

earache US: /ˈɪr.eɪk/ UK: /ˈɪə.reɪk/ [㐌] A pain in the

ear: Earache is one of the worst pains you can

have.

eardrum /ˈɪədrʌm/ [㐗] The membrane of the

middle ear: The eardrum can be damaged by ex-

cess noise.

early /ˈɜr·li/ [㐄] 1 Before time: The bus arrived

five minutes early. 2 Near the beginning of a peri-

od of time: Harry gets up early every day. ■ The

comparative form is "earlier" and the superlative

form is "earliest". ■ Compare with "soon" (in a short

time in the future).

earn US: /ɝːn/ UK: /ɜːn/ [㐘] 1 To get money by

working: My uncle earns a lot. 2 To get something

because you deserve it: Why don't you have a

break now? You've earned it. ■ Compare with "win"

(to reach an objective).

earnings /ˈɜr·nɪŋz/ [㐑] Money that you get for

working: My brother spent his first earnings on a

motorcycle.

earphones US: /ˈɪr.foʊnz/ UK: /ˈiə.fəʊnz/

[㐑] Things that you put over your ears to
listen to music and so on: Sally had her ear-

phones on so she couldn't hear me. 㐀 See pa-

ge 442.

earring US: /ˈɪr.ɪŋ/ UK: /ˈɪə.rɪŋ/ [㐗] Something

you wear on your ears for decoration: What un-

usual earrings! Where did you get them? 㐀  See

picture at jewelry.

earth /ɜːθ/ [㐖] 1 The planet that we live on:

The earth looks blue when it is seen from space.
㐀 See pages 446 and 448. 2 Soil; the substance

in which plants grow in: Barbara planted the

seeds in the earth.

125 edit

earthquake /ˈɜrθˌkweɪk/ [㐗] A sudden shak- ◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to eat out To eat in a restau- a
rant: We often eat out on Sundays. b
ing of the earth: There was a terrible earthquake in c
eaten Past participle of eat. d
Mexico a few years ago. eater /ˈiːtər/ [㐗] 1 Person or animal that eats: e
f
earthworm US: /ˈɝːθ.wɜːrm/ UK: /ˈɜːθ.wɜːm/ [㐗] We have no meat eaters in the family. 2 big eater g

A common type of worm which burrows in the Person who eats a lot: My cousin has a reputation h
i
ground: The earthworm is capable of regenerating for being a big eater. j
k
parts of itself. e-book [㐗] A book which can be read on a l
m
ease1 /iːz/ [㐖] A lack of difficulty: Monkeys computer or a special electronic device: This book n
o
climb trees with ease. is available as an e-book or paperback. p
q
ease2 /iːz/ [㐘] 1 To make something less painful: echinoderm /ɪˈkaɪ.nəʊ.dɜːm/ US: /-dɝːm/ [㐗] A r
s
Cold water eases the pain of a burn. 2 to be at ease marine invertebrate with a shell and tube feet: t
or to feel at ease To feel relaxed: My grandmother u
The starfish is an echinoderm. v
is such a nice person that everyone feels at ease w
echo /ˈek·oʊ/ [㐗] A sound that is repeated back x
with her. y
to you: You can often hear an echo in a cave or a z
easel /ˈiː.zəl/ [㐗] A frame to hold a picture that
tunnel.
is being painted: Artists use easels when they do a
eclipse /ɪˈklɪps/ [㐗] A time when the light
painting.
from the sun or from the moon is hidden by the
easily /ˈiː.zɪ.li/ [㐄] 1 With no difficulty: We can
moon or by the earth: We all stayed up to watch
easily finish the picture this morning. 2 By far: My
sister is easily the best at bread baking. 3 At least: the eclipse of the moon.

You must have been walking easily for four hours. ecological /ˌi·kəˈlɑdʒ·ɪ·kəl/, /ˌek·ə-/ [㐀] Relating
4 Very imaginable: This could easily have hap-
to or concerned about the environment: The
pened to us as well.
Green Party is an ecological movement.
east /iːst/ [㐏] 1 The direction you look
ecology /ɪˈkɑl·ə·dʒi/ [㐖] The study of living
to see the sun rise: My cousins live in the East
things and where they live: My sister is very inter-
Coast of the United States. ■ See box at abbre-
viations. 2 the Far East China, Japan, Indo- ested in ecology and works on a forest conserva-

nesia and other countries to the east of In- tion project at the weekends. ■ The plural is "ecolo-

dia: Naomi is always going for vacations in gies".
the Far East. 3 the Middle East Countries sit-
economic /ˌɪ·kəˈnɑm·ɪk/, /ˌek·ə-/ [㐀] Referring
uated at the point where Europe, Africa and
to finance: The Financial Times is a newspaper
Asia meet: Many of the biggest oil producing
that specializes in economic news.
countries are in the Middle East. ■ Be careful!
economics /ˌɪ·kəˈnɑm·ɪks/, /ˌek·ə-/ [㐖] The
"Far East" and "Middle East" have capital let-
study of money, trade and industry: Jim is study-
ters.
ing Economics at university. ■ It is usually used with
Easter /ˈi·stər/ [㐌] 1 A Christian feast celebrat-
a singular verb.
ing Jesus' return to life: Easter is always in
March or April. 2 Easter egg A chocolate egg eat- economy /ɪˈkɑn·ə·mi/ [㐗] A country's finan-

en at Easter: My aunt always gives us a huge Eas- cial situation: They say that the economy is im-

ter egg at Easter. ■ Be careful! "Easter" has a capi- proving but I don't see it! ■ The plural is "econo-

tal "E". mies".

eastern /ˈi·stərn/ [㐀] Of the east: The eastern ecosystem /ˈi·koʊˌsɪs·təm/, /ˈek·oʊ-/ [㐗] The

coast of United States is the most populated. collection of biological organisms with a particu-

easy /ˈiːzi/ [㐀] 1 Not difficult: The homework lar physical environment and how they interact:

was so easy I did it in five minutes. ■ The com- The Amazonian rainforest is an example of an eco-

parative form is "easier" and the superlative form system.
is "easiest". 2 to go easy To be careful with
eczema /ˈeksmə/ [㐖] A swelling of the skin:
something, not to use too much of something:
Eczema causes itching.
She should go easy on the cigarettes; she smokes
edge /edʒ/ [㐗] The limit of something: We
too much. ■ We say "go easy on or with some-
went to the edge of the canyon and looked down.
thing".
edible /ˈed.ɪ.bl̩/ [㐀] Suitable to be eaten: Many
eat, ate, eaten /iːt/ [㐘] To take food in through
sea creatures are edible.
your mouth, chew and swallow it: Come on, eat
edit /ˈed.ɪt/ [㐘] To prepare a text or a movie
your dinner!
for publication or printing: When I edited our

class magazine, I asked Anna to do all the pic-

tures.

edition 126

a edition /ɪˈdɪʃ.ən/ [㐗] A book or a newspaper that egg /eg/ [㐗] 1 A fragile object that contains a

b comes out at a particular time: The news was too baby bird or reptile: The hen has laid six eggs to-
late for the early morning editions of the newspapers. day. 2 scrambled eggs See scrambled eggs.
editor /ˈed·ət̬·ər/ [㐗] 1 Somebody who edits
EGG
c material for publication or broadcasting: The
editor has the last word on what goes into the

d newspaper. 2 A function which corrects text or
data you put on the computer: He decided to

e work without the text editor as it did not recog-
nize many new words. 3 copy editor The person

f responsible for correcting the style of written
material accepted for publishing: She has been

g offered a job as copy editor in the publishing
house.

h editorial1 /ˌed·əˈtɔr·i·əl/, /-ˈtoʊr-/ [㐗] A newspa- fried boiled scrambled
per article giving the opinion of the newspaper eggs egg eggs

i on a current issue: The editorial establishes the
tone for the newspaper.
j editorial2 /ˌedɪˈtɔːriəl/ [㐀] Referring to the ed-
iting of a publication: Editorial responsibility is a eggplant /ˈeg·plænt/, /ˈeɪg-/ [㐗] A vegetable
question of choosing what to publish. with a purple skin: Fried eggplant is one of my fa-
k educate /ˈed.jʊ.keɪt/ [㐘] To teach, to instruct: An- vorite dishes. ■ In British English they say "auber-
drea was educated at a girls' school in Portland. gine". 㐀 See page 437.
l education /ˌed.jʊˈkeɪ.ʃən/ [㐌] 1 Teaching and eight /eɪt/ [㐐] The number 8: Four plus four
learning: If Aristotle is to be believed, "The roots of makes eight.

m education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet". 2 high- eighteen /eɪˈtiːn/ [㐐] The number 18: You
er education See higher education. can vote at the age of eighteen in the United States.

n eel /iːl/ [㐗] A long, thin fish like a snake: Eels eighteenth /eɪˈtiːnθ/ [㐍] Referring to eigh-
swim long distances to have their young. teen: Hugh's birthday is on the eighteenth of Janu-

o effect /ɪˈfekt/ [㐌] 1 The result of something: Glob- ary. ■ "Eighteenth" can also be written "18th".
al warming is having a very negative effect on the eighth /eɪtθ/ [㐍] Referring to eight: August is

p environment. 2 to take effect To begin applying a the eighth month of the year. ■ "Eighth" can also be
rule, to begin working: The agreement will take ef- written "8th".

q fect in June. eightieth /ˈeɪt̬·i·əθ/ [㐍] Referring to eighty: It's

effective /ɪˈfek.tɪv/ [㐀] That works well, that my grandfather's eightieth birthday today. ■ "Eight-

r produces the desired result: The library system is ieth" can also be written "80th".
very effective. It's easy to find what you want. eighty /ˈeɪt̬·i/ [㐐] The number 80: I will be

s efficiency /ɪˈfɪʃ.ənt.si/ [㐖] Good functioning: eighty years old on June 15th 2065.
We need to improve the efficiency of this machine. ■ either /ˈi·ðər/, /ˈɑɪ-/ [㐂] 1 One of two things
The plural is "efficiencies". or people: You can have either the blue one or the
t efficient /ɪˈfɪʃ.ənt/ [㐀] Able to work well and red one. ■ Note that we say: "either ... or ...". 2
without waste: The waiters are very efficient here; Both: There are flowers on either side of the path. 3
u they've already taken our order.
Used with a negative sentence, it means "also":

efficiently [㐄] Competently and effectively, Alfred doesn't like football and I don't either. ■ In

v minimizing effort and waste: She did the job very this use, "either" goes at the end of the sentence and
efficiently. is used with a negative verb. "Neither" is used with a

w effort /ˈef·ərt/ [㐌] The use of energy or determi- positive verb.
nation to do something: Fred made an enormous elastic1 /ɪˈlæstɪk/ [㐀] That stretches easily: My

x effort to get everything ready for the children's mom gave me a new swimsuit for Christmas. It is
birthday party. very elastic.

y e.g. /iːˈdʒiː/ A written abbreviation for for exam- elastic2 /ɪˈlæstɪk/ [㐖] 1 A material that
ple. ■ "e.g." is an abbreviation for "exempli gratia", a stretches easily: Socks have elastic in them so that

z Latin expression that means "for example". ■ See box they don't fall down. 2 elastic band A thin piece of
at abbreviations. rubber that we use to hold things together: Let's

127 else

put an elastic band around these cards so that we electronics /ɪˌlekˈtrɑn·ɪks/ [㐖] The technolo- a
b
don't lose them. gy of using microchips to make radios, comput- c
d
elasticity /ˌɪlæsˈtɪsəti/ [㐖] The condition of ers and so on: The electronics industry is one of the e
f
being able to be stretched: Let's test the elasticity most important in the world. ■ It is usually used g

of this material. with a singular verb. h
i
elbow /ˈelbəʊ/ [㐗] The part of your arm where elegant /ˈel.ɪ.gənt/ [㐀] With good style or j
k
it bends: She gave me a push with her elbow to grace: She was wearing an elegant black dress. l
m
warn me that the teacher was coming. 㐀 See page element /ˈel.ɪ.mənt/ [㐗] 1 A part of some- n
o
421. thing: Chance is an important element in this p
game. 2 A simple substance: Oxygen is one of the q
elder /ˈel·dər/ [㐗] The comparative form of r
elements in air. s
old. ■ It is used when people's ages are compared, t
elementary /ˌel·əˈmen·tri/, /-ˈmen·tə·ri/ [㐀] Sim- u
especially the ages of members of a family. It cannot v
ple and basic: I'm doing an elementary course of w
be used with "than", and if it is used with a noun it x
practical mathematics. y
always goes in front of the noun: "My elder brother is z
elementary school [㐗] A school for chil-
a singer".
dren from five to eleven years old: My sister is at
elderly /ˈel·dər·li/ [㐀] Old: They've just opened a
elementary school. ■ The same meaning: "primary
home for elderly people in our street.
school".
eldest /ˈel.dɪst/ [㐀] The superlative form of
elephant /ˈel.ɪ.fənt/ [㐗] A large, gray animal
old. ■ It is used when people's ages are compared,
with a very long nose: Elephants live wild in Africa
especially the ages of members of a family. It cannot
and Asia. 㐀 See page 428.
be used with "than", and if it is used with a noun it
elevation /ˌelɪˈveɪʃən/ ❚ [㐌] 1 The process of rais-
always goes in front of the noun: "Martin is the el-
ing something: The elevation of the nails was pro-
dest member of the family". duced by magnetism. 2 The angle of something in

elect /ɪˈlekt/ [㐘] To choose by voting: The new par- relation to the horizontal plane: The elevation of
the gun barrel is 15 degrees. ❚ [㐗] 3 The height
liamentary was elected on Tuesday. of a place, especially above sea level: The city is
at an elevation of 6,000 feet. 4 A scale drawing of
election /ɪˈlek.ʃən/ [㐌] 1 A time when leaders are
the front or side of a building: The architect pre-
chosen by voting: In the USA, an election to choose
a president is held every four years. 2 general pared a drawing of the front elevation of the build-

election See general election. ing.

electric /ɪˈlek.trɪk/ [㐀] Referring to something elevator /ˈel·əˌveɪ·t̬ər/ [㐗] A machine that

moved or worked by electricity: We have a very takes people up and down a building: The eleva-

good electric stove. tor is broken, so you'll have to use the stairs. ■ In

electrical /ɪˈlek.trɪ.kəl/ [㐀] Referring to elec- British English they say "lift". 㐀 See picture at es-

tricity: My aunt is an electrical engineer. calator.

electrically /ɪˈlek.trɪ.kli/ [㐄] By means of or eleven /ɪˈlev.ən/ [㐐] The number 11: There

with electricity: The vacuum cleaner is powered are eleven players in a soccer team.

electrically. eleventh /ɪˈlev.ənθ/ [㐍] Referring to eleven:

electrician /ˌɪl.ekˈtrɪʃ.ən/ [㐗] A person who November is the eleventh month of the year. ■ "Elev-

puts in or repairs with electrical systems: The enth" can also be written "11th".

lights are not working properly, so we'll have to call eliminate /ɪˈlɪm.ɪ.neɪt/ [㐘] 1 To remove some-

the electrician. body or something that is not wanted or needed:

electricity /ɪˌlekˈtrɪs·ət̬·i/ [㐖] A form of ener- They eliminated Florida as a possible vacation
choice because of the cost. 2 To lose a game or
gy that produces light, heat and movement: There
round in a competition and not take part any
was a tremendous storm the other day and the elec-
more: George was eliminated in the second stage of
tricity was cut off.
the competition.
electromagnetism /ɪˌlek.trəʊˈmæg.nə.tɪ.zəm/ US:
elm or elm tree /elm/ [㐌] A large tree with
/-troʊ-/ [㐖] Magnetism produced by an elec-
trical current, or the science relating to it: Elec- broad leaves: Many elms have died in recent years

tromagnetism is a feature of electric motors, hard from a strange disease which originated in Hol-

drives and many other devices. land. 㐀 See page 435.

electronic /ɪˌlekˈtrɑn·ɪk/ [㐀] Using electric im- else /els/ [㐄] 1 More: Would you like anything

pulses: We use electronic calculators at school. else to eat? 2 Other: If you don't want pizza you can

㐀 See page 442.

electronic mail [㐖] See e-mail.

elsewhere 128

a have something else. ■ "Else" is used after words in the early 20th century. ■ The same meaning: "mi-

b formed with "any-", "no-", "some-", and after ques- grate".
tion words. emigration /ˌemɪˈgreɪʃən/ [㐖] The act of

elsewhere /ˈelsˌhweər/, /-ˌweər/ [㐄] To another leaving one's own country and going to live in a

c place or in another place: If you don't like this foreign country: Emigration has always been a
burger bar, we can always go elsewhere. characteristic of human history.
d 'em /əm/ The contraction of "them". ■ This word is emit /ɪˈmɪt/ [㐘] To send out (heat, noise, smell,
informal. gas): Light bulbs tend to emit heat. ■ Be careful

e e-mail /ˈiː.meɪl/ [㐗] Mail that is sent or re- with the spelling of these forms: "emitting", "emit-
ceived through a computer: You can read my ted".

f e-mail if you want. ■ "E-mail" is an abbreviation for emotion /ɪˈmoʊ·ʃən/ [㐌] A strong feeling: Some-
"electronic mail". times it is difficult to describe emotions.

g embarrass /ɪmˈbær·əs/ [㐘] To make somebody emotional /ɪˈmoʊ·ʃə·nə·l/ [㐀] Having, showing
feel uncomfortable or ashamed: My mother al- or causing strong feelings: Brian is a very emo-

h ways embarrasses me by making me play the piano tional person.
when her friends come. emperor /ˈem·pər·ər/ [㐗] A man who rules a

i embarrassed /ɪmˈbær·əst/ [㐀] Uncomfortable number of countries, not just one: Julius Caesar was
or ashamed: Dan felt embarrassed when he probably the most famous Roman Emperor. ■ A wom-

j slipped and fell down in the school hall. ■ Be care- an who rules a number of countries is an "empress".
ful with the pronunciation of the end of this word. emphasis /ˈemp.fə.sɪs/ [㐌] Force, stress: He put
The last "e" is not pronounced. 㐀  See picture at great emphasis on the need for a big final effort.
k emotions.
empire /ˈem·pɑɪər/ [㐗] A group of countries

embarrassing /ɪmˈbær·ə·sɪŋ/ [㐀] Making you ruled by an emperor: The eastern part of the Ro-

l feel uncomfortable or ashamed: It was so embar- man Empire, known as Byzantium, survived until
rassing when I couldn't remember his name! 1453.

m embarrassment /ɪmˈbær·əs·mənt/ [㐌] A person employ /ɪmˈplɔɪ/ [㐘] To give somebody a job: The
or a thing that makes you uncomfortable or car industry in Brazil employs thousands of people.

n ashamed: It was a great embarrassment to me employee /ɪmˈplɔɪ.iː/ [㐗] Somebody who is
when I dropped the bottle. employed by another person or by a company: Ev-

o embassy /ˈem.bə.si/ [㐗] A place with the offi- ery employee in my mother's company got a present
cial representative of a foreign country: If you're at Christmas.

p abroad and lose your passport, you should contact employer /ɪmˈplɔɪ·ər/ [㐗] Person who gives
the embassy of your country in the place you're vis- work to people and pays them: Mr. Amis is a very

q iting. ■ The plural is "embassies". good employer, he treats his workers very well.

embroider /ɪmˈbrɔɪ·dər/ [㐘] To decorate cloth us- employment /ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/ [㐖] Paid work:

r ing thread: My grandmother embroiders all her It is quite difficult to find employment these days.
sheets and towels. empress /ˈem.prəs/ [㐗] An emperor's wife, or

s embryo /ˈem·briˌoʊ/ [㐗] An unborn baby or an- a woman who rules a number of countries: Brit-
imal in its early stages: The embryo is going to ain's Queen Victoria was made Empress of India in
grow into a fetus. ■ The plural is "embryos". 1877. ■ A man who rules a number of countries is an
t emerald /ˈem.ə.rəld/ [㐌] A precious green stone: "emperor".
In North Carolina you can visit the emerald mines. emptiness /ˈemp.tɪ.nəs/ [㐖] An area or a
u emerald green [㐍] Bright green: The water space that has nothing in it: I feel an emptiness
of the lake was emerald green. now that she has gone.

v emerge /ɪˈmɜrdʒ/ [㐘] To come out: At last, the ba- empty /ˈemp.ti/ [㐀] With nothing inside: Take
by birds emerged from the egg. those empty bottles back to the store. 㐀 See pictu-

w emergency /ɪˈmɜr·dʒən·si/ [㐌] A sudden, danger- re at opposite.
ous situation requiring help: The emergency room enable /ɪˈneɪ.bl̩/ [㐘] To make something possible:

x in a hospital is where patients are taken if they are Computers enable you to store information in a
very ill. ■ The plural is "emergencies". very small space. ■ Be careful with the pronuncia-

y emigrant /ˈem.ɪ.grənt/ [㐗] A person who emi- tion of this word. It is pronounced like "table".
grates: An emigrant leaves behind many things. enchanting /ɪnˈtʃæn·tɪŋ/ [㐀] Very beautiful or

z emigrate /ˈem.ɪ.greɪt/ [㐘] To go and live in a for- magical: What an enchanting evening we had at
eign country: Many Italians emigrated to Argentina the theater!

129

EMOTIONS a
b
happy delighted pleased relaxed c
miserable d
proud shy sad e
bored f
disgusted embarrassed ashamed worried g
furious
tense nervous afraid h
i
shocked annoyed angry j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z

enclose 130

a enclose /ɪnˈkloʊz/ [㐘] To put an object inside ending /ˈen.dɪŋ/ [㐗] The final part of a story or

b something: I'm enclosing a photo of my new baby a movie: I don't like the ending of the movie, it's de-
sister with this letter. pressing.

encore US: /ˈɑːŋ.kɔːr/ UK: /ˈɒŋ.kɔːr/ [㐗] A call to endless /ˈend.ləs/ [㐀] Appearing to have no

c play more music at the end of a concert: Bruce end: The journey was so long that it seemed end-
Springsteen played "Born in the USA" for an encore. less.
d encourage /ɪnˈkɜr·ɪdʒ/, /-ˈkʌr·ɪdʒ/ [㐘] To give endoscope /ˈen.dəʊˌskəʊp/ US: /-doʊˌskoʊp/ [㐗]
somebody help and confidence: My parents have An instrument used by a surgeon for examining

e always encouraged me to learn languages. ■ Be the inside of the body: The endoscope is inserted
careful with the pronunciation of this word. The "a" down the throat in order to examine the chest cavi-

f is pronounced like the "i" in "did". ty.

encouragement /ɪnˈkɜr·ɪdʒ·mənt/, /-ˈkʌr·ɪdʒ-/ [㐌] enemy /ˈen.ə.mi/ [㐗] 1 A person who is bitterly

g Something that gives help and confidence to opposed to you: Andrew has a very difficult charac-
somebody: Little children need a lot of help and en- ter and he often makes enemies. 2 A country that

h couragement when they are learning to read and is opposed to another in a war: United States and
write. Japan were enemies during the Second World War.

i encouraging /ɪnˈkɜr·ə·dʒɪŋ/, /-ˈkʌr·ə-/ [㐀] Mak- ■ The plural is "enemies".
ing somebody feel hopeful: Eight out of ten for the energetic /ˌen·ərˈdʒet·̬ ɪk/ [㐀] Full of energy: Vi-

j math test; now that's encouraging! olet is very energetic and she never seems to rest.

encyclopaedia or encyclopedia energy /ˈen·ər·dʒi/ [㐖] 1 The ability to be ac-

/ɪnˌsaɪ.kləˈpiː.di.ə/ [㐗] A book or series of books tive: Greg has so much energy that he can play

k that give information about an enormous range football all day without feeling tired. 2 Power,
of things: If you want to know about Shakespeare's force: Solar energy will probably be used in hot
l life, look it up in an encyclopedia.
countries in the future. ■ The plural is "energies".

encyclopedia or encyclopaedia 㐀 See page 439.

m /ɪnˌsaɪ.kləˈpiː.di.ə/ [㐗] A book, or set of articles, enforce /ɪnˈfɔrs/, /-ˈfoʊrs/ [㐘] 1 To make sure that
giving information on a great number of subjects laws and regulations are obeyed: I think traffic po-

n or a great amount on one subject: The Encyclope- lice helps enforcing road safety. ■ Be careful! In this
dia Britannica is an extensive source of informa- use we say: "to enforce something on/against some-

o tion. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation of this thing/somebody". 2 To make something happen by
word! "cy" rhymes with "my". force or authority: The teacher tried to enforce si-

p end1 /end/ [㐗] 1 The point where something lence.
finishes: At the end of the class we all went out for engaged /ɪnˈgeɪdʒd/ [㐀] 1 Having agreed to get

q a break. 2 end to end One behind the other: The married: Sam and Jenny got engaged last month. ■
cars were end to end on the highway almost with- We say: "to get engaged" or "to be engaged". 2 See

r out moving. 3 at the end of (something) or in busy. ■ This use is British English. ■ Be careful with
the end At last: Janet was going to buy a comput- the pronunciation of this word. The last "e" is not

s er but in the end she decided not to. ■ We do not pronounced.
use "in the end" to refer to the end of something engagement /ɪnˈgeɪdʒ.mənt/ [㐗] An official
specific. We say: "at the end of the page". We don't agreement to get married: My grandparents had a

t say: "In the end of the page". 4 on end Continu- very long engagement before their wedding.
ously: The movie seemed to go on for hours on engine /ˈen.dʒɪn/ [㐗] 1 A machine that makes
u end. something move: My mom's car is old but it has a
end2 /end/ [㐘] To stop: The movie ended with ev- new engine. ■ "Engine" is usually used for vehicles.

v erybody living happily. Compare with "motor" (usually used for electrical ap-

◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to end up To finish in a par- pliances). 2 The part of the train that pulls the

w ticular way: The stove broke down last night so we cars: I prefer to sit at the front of the train, near the
ended up going out for a hamburger with french engine. 3 engine driver A person who drives a

x fries. train: Engine drivers often have to spend the night

endangered /ɪnˈdeɪn·dʒərd/ [㐀] In danger: The away from home. ■ Be careful with the pronuncia-

y giant panda is an endangered species; it needs tion of this word! The final "e" is not pronounced.
protection or there will soon be none left. ■ Be care- engineer /ˌen·dʒəˈnɪər/ [㐗] 1 A person who

z ful with the pronunciation of the end of this word. plans and makes machines, bridges, roads and so
The last "e" is not pronounced. on: My mother's an engineer; she helped to design

131 envelope

the bridge over the river near our house. 2 A person enter /ˈen·tər/ [㐘] To go in or to come in: Do not a
b
who runs a train: The engineer blew the whistle so enter without permission. ■ Be careful! We say: "en- c
d
the cow would move away from the tracks. ter a building". We don't say: "enter in a building". ■ e
f
engineering /ˌen·dʒəˈnɪər·ɪŋ/ [㐖] The sci- "Enter" is a little formal. It is more usual to say "go g

ence of making machines, bridges, roads and so in" or "come in". h
i
on: My brother hopes to study engineering when he enterprise /ˈen·tərˌprɑɪz/ ❚ [㐗] 1 A difficult j
k
finishes school. and interesting project: The object of the enter- l
m
English1 /ˈɪŋglɪʃ/ [㐀] 1 Referring to England: prise was to reach the mountain peak without us- n
ing oxygen. ❚ [㐌] 2 A business activity: Private o
Cricket is an English game. ■ Be careful! "English" enterprise is the engine of the capitalist system. ❚ p
[㐖] 3 The ability, desire and energy to start q
has a capital "E". When referring to people, the sin- new projects: Enterprise is rewarded in this com- r
s
gular is "an Englishman" or "an Englishwoman" and pany. t
u
the plural is "the English"."English" does not refer to entertain /ˌen·tərˈteɪn/ [㐘] To give somebody a v
people from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland! 2 w
good time: My grandpa entertained us with stories x
the English Channel The channel between Eng- y
about his childhood. z
land and France: Every year people attempt to
entertainer /ˌen·tərˈteɪ·nər/ [㐗] A person who
swim across the English Channel and some suc-
entertains: My cousin's got a summer job as a chil-
ceed. ■ Careful! "English Channel" has capital letters.
dren's entertainer in a summer camp.
English2 /ˈɪŋglɪʃ/ [㐖] The language of the
entertaining /ˌen·tərˈteɪ·nɪŋ/ [㐀] Interesting
USA, Britain and many other countries: Do you
or amusing: The movie was short but really enter-
speak English? ■ Careful! "English" has a capital "E".
taining.
㐀 See pages 454 and 455.
entertainment /ˌen·tərˈteɪn·mənt/ [㐌] Some-
enjoy /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ/ [㐘] 1 To feel happy doing some-
thing that entertains people: There's always a lot
thing: I really enjoy going for walks in the country-
of entertainment in a big city.
side. ■ The verb immediately after "enjoy" is in the
"-ing" form. 2 to enjoy oneself To have a good time: enthusiasm /ɪnˈθu·ziˌæz·əm/ [㐖] Great inter-

Betty enjoyed herself tremendously at the party. est in doing something: My brother didn't show

enjoyable /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ.ə.bl̩/ [㐀] Very pleasant: much enthusiasm when I asked him for help with

What an enjoyable day we had at the seaside! the computer.

enjoyment /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ.mənt/ [㐖] Pleasure: My enthusiastic /ɪnˌθu·ziˈæs·tɪk/ [㐀] Keen, very

father is a gardener and he gets a lot of enjoyment interested in something: Patty is very enthusiastic

from his job. about her new school. ■ Be careful. We say: "to be

enlarge /ɪnˈlɑrdʒ/ [㐘] To make something bigger: enthusiastic about (something)".

Do they enlarge photographs in that store? entire /ɪnˈtɑɪər/ [㐀] Complete: The entire class

enormous /ɪˈnɔr·məs/ [㐀] Very big: Some dino- went to the party together.

saurs were enormous: some were 72 feet long and entrance /ˈen.trənts/ ❚ [㐗] 1 The way into a

20 feet tall! place: The entrance to the museum is round the
corner. ❚ [㐌] 2 Going into a place: The President
enough /ɪˈnʌf/ [㐁] 1 Sufficient, as much as and his wife made their entrance into the hall. 3

you need: Have you got enough money? ■ "Enough" entrance examination An examination to enter a

usually goes before a noun ("He has enough money") particular school or college: The ACT in an en-

or after an adjective ("I'm not old enough to go to trance examination used by many American univer-
discos"). 2 Sufficiently: Put another sweater on if
you are not warm enough. 3 to have had enough sities.

To be tired of somebody or something: I've had entry /ˈen.tri/ ❚ [㐖] 1 The right to go into a

enough of your bad behavior. place: You can't go in there; it says "No Entry".
2 The way into a place: I'll meet you at the en-
enquire /ɪnˈkwɑɪər/ [㐘] See inquire. ■ This word is try to the market. ❚ [㐗] 3 One item of writ-
ten information in a dictionary, diary, ac-
British English.
counts book and so on: How many entries do
enrol /ɪnˈrəʊl/ [㐘] See enroll. ■ This is a British
you think this dictionary has? ■ The plural is
English spelling.
"entries".
enroll [㐘] To enter your name on a list: I'm going
envelope US: /ˈɑːn.və.loʊp/ UK: /ˈen.və.ləʊp/ [㐗]
to enroll for a summer course in San Diego. ■ Be
A paper covering for a letter: Mary put the letter in
careful with the spelling of these forms: "enrolled",
the envelope and sent it off.
"enrolling". ■ The British English spelling is "enrol".

ensure /ɪnˈʃʊər/ [㐘] To make sure: Please ensure

that you turn off the computer when you finish.

envious 132

a envious /ˈen.vi.əs/ [㐀] Wishing you had some- equipment /ɪˈkwɪp.mənt/ [㐖] The things

b thing belonging to somebody else, feeling bad be- that you need for doing something: The equip-
cause of what they have: I felt really envious when ment that you need for deep sea diving is very ex-
I saw Penny's new mountain bike. pensive.
c environment /ɪnˈvɑɪ·rən·mənt/, /-ˈvɑɪ·ərn-/ [㐌] 1 equivalent /ɪˈkwɪv.əl.ənt/ [㐍] Having the same
The world around us: Not enough people realize value: One mile is equivalent to 1,609 meters.
d how important it is to look after the environment. 2 era US: /ˈɪr.ə/ UK: /ˈɪə.rə/ [㐗] A distinct period of
The conditions in which you live or work: Sarah time: This piece of furniture is from the Victorian

e was brought up in a very comfortable environment. era.
environmental /ɪnˌvɑɪ·rənˈmen·tə·l/, /-ˌvɑɪ·ərn-/ eradicate /ɪˈræd.ɪ.keɪt/ [㐘] To completely destroy

f [㐀] 1 Referring to nature and the environ- or eliminate: The plague has been eradicated.
ment: The environmental impact of the proposed erase /ɪˈreɪs/ [㐘] To remove writing, sounds or

g road will be assessed. 2 Referring to a person's images: It is very easy to erase and edit texts on
environment: Brain development is influenced by this computer.

h environmental factors. eraser [㐌] A small object used to remove some-
envy1 /ˈenvi/ [㐖] The feeling of wanting thing written in pencil: Can I borrow your eraser

i something belonging to somebody else: She was for a minute, please? 㐀 See page 456.
filled with envy when she saw Anne's new bracelet. erect1 /ɪˈrekt/ [㐀] Standing straight: Try to sit

j envy2 /ˈenvi/ [㐘] To wish you had something that with your back straight and your head erect.
somebody else has: I envy her so much; she seems erect2 /ɪˈrekt/ [㐘] To build: They erected a sports
k to have everything she wants! ■ Be careful with the center just outside the town. ■ We usually say
spelling of these forms: "envies", "envied". "build" or "construct".

epicenter /ˈep·ɪˌsent·ər/ [㐗] The place on the Erlenmeyer flask [㐗] A glass container used

l earth's surface directly above the focus of an in laboratories, which has a conical body and a
earthquake: The epicenter had its epicenter several narrow cylindrical neck: The Erlenmeyer flask was

m miles from the coast. named after a German chemist. 㐀 See page 440.

epidemic /ˌep.ɪˈdem.ɪk/ [㐗] An infectious dis- ermine /ˈɜː.mɪn/ US: /ˈɝː-/ [㐖] The fur of the

n ease affecting many people at the same time: stoat in winter that is white with dark spots:
There was an epidemic of cholera in India last year. Members of the House of Lords wear ermine robes

o epidermis /ˌep·ɪˈdɜr·məs/ [㐖] The outer layer of on ceremonial occasions. ■ Compare with "stoat"
the skin: The epidermis is sensitive to the sun's rays. (small animal with brown fur that turns mainly white

p episode /ˈep·əˌsoʊd/ [㐗] One part of a story on in winter).
television, in a newspaper and so on: I want to erode /ɪˈroʊd/ [㐘] To wear away very gradually:

q watch the last episode of Jane Eyre on the television The waves erode the coast over the years.
tonight. erosion /ɪˈrəʊʒən/ [㐖] 1 The process of wear-

r equal1 /ˈiːkwəl/ [㐘] 1 To be exactly the same: Two ing away: Soil erosion is a major problem in coun-
and two equals four. 2 To be as good as: Nobody tries where deforestation has occurred. 2 The grad-

s can equal Julian as a pianist; he's absolutely mar- ual reduction or destruction: The political crisis
velous! ■ Be careful with the spelling of these forms: has led to an erosion of the President's authority.
"equalled", "equalling". error /ˈer·ər/ [㐌] A mistake: There's been an error
t equal2 /ˈiːkwəl/ [㐀] The same in size, number of calculation here and we've paid too much.
or value: All people are equal and we should treat erupt /ɪˈrʌpt/ [㐘] To explode: When the volcano
u them all in the same way.
Vesuvius erupted in Roman times, the town of Pom-

equality /ɪˈkwɑl·ə·ti̬ / [㐖] The same rights: peii was buried in ash.

v Martin Luther King fought for equality between eruption /ɪˈrʌp.ʃən/ [㐌] An explosion of a volca-
black and white people. ■ The plural is "equalities". no: The city of Pompeii was buried in the eruption

w equator /ɪˈkweɪ·t̬ər/ [㐌] An imaginary line round of Mt Vesuvius.
the earth: It is very hot in the countries that are escalator /ˈes·kəˌleɪ·t̬ər/ [㐗] Moving stairs:

x nearest the equator. 㐀 See page 449. Most airports have escalators so that people don't

equip /ɪˈkwɪp/ [㐘] To give a person the necessary have to carry their luggage up stairs.
y things for something: Before you go mountaineer- escape1 /ɪˈskeɪp/ [㐌] Getting free from some peo-
ing you have to equip yourself properly. ■ Be careful ple or something: "The Great Escape" is a movie

z with the spelling of these forms: "equipped", "equip- about prisoners who organize a big escape from a
ping". prisoner of war camp.

133 eucalyptus

escape2 /ɪˈskeɪp/ [㐘] To get free from some peo- estate /ɪˈsteɪt/ [㐗] 1 A large piece of land, usu- a
b
ple or something: The prisoners escaped by climb- ally in the country: The Duke has a large stable on c
ing over the wall in the middle of the night. his estate in Yorkshire. 2 estate agent See realtor. d
■ This use is British English. e
escort /ɪˈskɔːt/ [㐘] To accompany somebody: The f
estimate1 /ˈestɪmət/ [㐗] 1 A calculation of g
bodyguards escorted the President to his car.
something: According to our teacher's estimate, h
Eskimo /ˈes·kəˌmoʊ/ [㐗] See Inuit. ■ Be careful! only 50% of us will pass the test. 2 A calculation of i
the cost of something: My parents asked the build- j
The word "Eskimo" is now considered insulting by ers for an estimate before deciding. k
l
many because it means "raw meat eater". It is better estimate2 /ˈestɪmeɪt/ [㐘] To give an opinion on m
n
to say "Inuit". the number of something: It is estimated that 500 o
people attended the actor's wedding. p
esophagus /ɪˈsɒf.ə.gəs/ US: /ɪˈsɑː.fə-/ /ɪˈsɑf·ə·gəs/ q
et al. Used to refer the list of names of people r
[㐗] The part of the alimentary canal which
goes from the mouth to the stomach: The esopha- who have written something together: The book is
gus is a muscular tube. 㐀 See page 424. written by Davidson et al. ■ "et al." is an abbrevia-
tion for "et alia", a Latin expression that means "and
especially /ɪˈspeʃ.əl.i/ [㐄] 1 In particular: I love other people". ■ See box at abbreviations.

going on vacation, especially to the beach. 2 Very etc. /etˈsetərə/ And so on: When I started at my new
much: Traveling by boat is especially enjoyable. 3
For a particular purpose: Pat has brought a pres- school, my parents had to buy me the uniform, a
ent especially for me because it's my birthday. ■ In new sports gear, etc. ■ "etc." is an abbreviation for
this use it is also written "specially". "et cetera", a Latin expression that means "and other
things". ■ See box at abbreviations.
essay /ˈes.eɪ/ [㐗] A piece of writing: Yesterday
eternal /ɪˈtɜr·nə·l/, /i-/ [㐀] Never ending: The
at school we had to write two essays.
movie went on for so long that it seemed eternal.
essential /ɪˈsen.tʃəl/ [㐀] Very important, vital:
ethnic /ˈeθ.nɪk/ [㐀] Of a particular race or
It is essential that you read all the instructions be-
fore doing this exercise. country: Many different ethnic groups live in New
York.
establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/ [㐘] To start something: The
EU Used to refer to the countries that belong to
chocolate factory here was established in 1892.
the European Union: the EU countries. ■ "EU" is an
establishment /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ.mənt/ [㐖] 1 The abbreviation for "European Union". ■ See box at ab-
breviations.
act of establishing: The establishment of the new
bus service has been a success. 2 the establish- eucalyptus or eucalyptus tree /ˌjuː.kəlˈɪp.təsˌtriː/
ment The important and powerful people in soci-
ety, seen as a group that is resistant to change: [㐌] A tall evergreen tree native to Australia: The
The newspapers there are on the side of the estab-
lishment. elevator

ESCALATOR

escalator s

t

u
v

w

x
y

z

euro 134

a koala feeds on the leaves of the eucalyptus tree. ■ between six o'clock and midnight: I'll see you to-

b The plural is "eucalyptus" or "eucalyptuses". morrow evening at about 6.30. ■ Be careful. We say:

euro /ˈjʊərəʊ/ [㐗] The official unit of money "in the evening". 2 good evening A greeting that is

used in most countries of the European Union: used in the evening: Good evening, Martha. I'm

c Britain is one of the European countries that don't sorry I'm late. ■ Compare "good evening" with "good
use the euro. night" (an expression that you use before going to

d European1 [㐗] A person from Europe: People bed).
from Greece, Norway, Poland or Spain are all Euro- evenly /ˈiː.vən.li/ [㐄] Equally: Divide those can-

e peans. ■ Be careful. "European" has a capital "E". dies evenly between you, please.

European2 /ˌjʊərəˈpiːən/ [㐀] Referring to one or event /ɪˈvent/ [㐗] 1 Something that happens:

f more of the countries of Europe: Several countries The most important event in our family last year
wish to join the European Union. ■ Careful! "Euro- was the birth of my baby brother. 2 A race or a

g pean" has a capital "E". competition: The next event is the five miles run-

euthanasia /ˌjuː.θəˈneɪ.ʒə/ [㐖] The painless ning.

h killing of somebody with a disease that has no eventual /ɪˈven.tju.əl/ [㐀] Final, happening at
cure, to end suffering: Euthanasia is illegal in last: The eventual failure of the business was no

i most countries. surprise to anybody, what was surprising was that

evacuate /ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/ [㐘] To take people away it had survived so long.

j from a place or area: The authorities evacuated eventually /ɪˈven.tju.əl.i/ [㐄] After a time: After
the area because of the floods. walking for hours we eventually found the store.

evaluate [㐘] To estimate the value, quality or ever /ˈev·ər/ [㐄] 1 At any time: Have you ever

k importance of something: They must evaluate the been to Argentina? 2 ever since During all the
benefits of the project. time since something happened: Karen and I have
l evaporate /ɪˈvæp·əˌreɪt/ [㐘] To change or to turn been friends ever since we were at school together.
liquid into gas or steam: When water is heated it 3 for ever For always: I'll love you for ever! ■ Be

m evaporates into steam. 㐀 See page 438. careful! We use "ever" with a negative verb.

evaporation /ɪˌvæpəˈreɪʃən/ [㐖] 1 The trans- evergreen /ˈevəgriːn/ [㐀] 1 Having green

n formation of a liquid into vapor: Evaporation leaves all through the year: Pine trees are ever-
takes place, for example, when you boil water. green. ■ Compare with "deciduous" (losing its leaves

o 㐀 See page 438. 2 The loss or disappearance of every year). 2 evergreen tree A tree that has
something: There was a 70% evaporation of their leaves throughout the year: The jack pine is an ev-

p voters overnight. ergreen tree. 㐀 See page 434.

eve /iːv/ [㐌] The day before a particular day: every /ˈev.ri/ [㐀] 1 All the things or people in a

q Christmas Eve is on 24th December, the day before group: I go to see my aunt every day. ■ When we want
Christmas Day. to say "todos", we use "every" with a singular noun: "I
speak to her every day". 2 Used to say how often
r even1 /ˈiːvən/ [㐀] 1 Flat and smooth: You'll have something happens: The medicine has to be taken
to put something under one table leg because the
s floor is not even. 2 Equal: Last year our school won every two hours. ■ See box on the following page.
the game but this year their team did, so now we're everybody /ˈev·riˌbɑd·i/, /-ˌbʌd·i/ [㐕] Every per-
even! 3 even number A number that can be ex- son, all the people: Is everybody ready? Then we

t actly divided by two: 2, 4, 6, 8 are all examples of will begin. ■ Be careful! We use "everybody" with
even numbers. ■ Compare with "odd number" (a singular verbs. ■ The same meaning: "everyone". ■
u number that can't be divided by two).
See box at anybody. ■ For the difference in use with

even2 /ˈiːvən adverb/ [㐄] 1 Surprisingly: Grandfa- the word "all", see box at every.

v ther was feeling much better today; he even wanted everyday /ˈev.ri.deɪ/ [㐀] Ordinary: My dad
to play a game of cards. 2 A word that gives more gave me a good book about everyday life in Rome.

w importance to the following word or expression: I ■ Be careful. Don't confuse this word with "every
didn't like her last movie but this one is even worse! day".

x 3 even if Nothing changes if: Even if you leave im- everyone /ˈev.ri.wʌn/ [㐕] 1 Every person, all
mediately you won't arrive in time for the beginning the people: Give my greetings to everyone at

y of the movie. 4 even though Although: Even school. 2 everyone else All the other people: Ev-
though he says he can't dance, I'm sure he can. eryone else but me has gone to the party. ■ Be care-
ful! We use "everyone" with singular verbs. ■ The
z evening /ˈiːv.nɪŋ/ [㐌] 1 The part of the day be- same meaning: "everybody". ■ See box at anybody.
tween the afternoon and the night, more or less

135 example

■ For the difference in use with the word "all", see examine /ɪgˈzæm.ɪn/ [㐘] 1 To look carefully at a
b
box at every. something: The policeman examined my bag to see c
if I had any stolen goods. 2 To give somebody an d
everything /ˈev.ri.θɪŋ/ [㐕] All things: Let's put exam: The teacher examined the children on the e
last five chapters of their book. f
everything away so that we have room to play table g
tennis. ■ Be careful. We use "everything" with singu- example /ɪgˈzæm·pəl/ [㐗] 1 Something that is
lar verbs. ■ See box at every. h
typical of the group of which it forms a part: Ka- i
everywhere /ˈev·riˌhwer/, /-ˌwer/ [㐄] In all plac- tie's composition is a good example of how to write j
well. 2 A person to be copied: Janet's kindness is k
es: I've looked everywhere but I can't find my an example to us all. 3 for example Words that l
watch. ■ Be careful. We use "everywhere" with sin- you use to introduce an example of something: m
gular verbs. There are many very interesting places to visit in n
New York City: for example, the Statue of Liberty, o
evidence /ˈev.ɪ.dənts/ [㐖] A proof of what the Empire State Building and Ellis Island. ■ The p
q
happened: There was no evidence of the thieves' every, all r
entry into the house. s
ðÜall, everyone / everybody, everything t
evident /ˈev.ɪ.dənt/ [㐀] Clear and easy to un- We do not normally use all to mean everyone / u
everybody or everything: v
derstand: It is quite evident that you have studied
a lot. -ÜWe say: Everyone enjoyed the day at the seaside.
(We don’t say: All enjoyed the day.)
evil /ˈiː.vəl/ [㐀] Very bad, harmful: In the movie,
-ÜWe say: They explained everything to us.
the witch has an evil influence over the king. (We don’t say: They explained all to us.)

evolution /ˌiː.vəˈluː.ʃən, ˌev.ə-/ [㐖] 1 The way All can be used with about:

living things change and develop over a very long - They told us all about their experience.
time period: Evolution is responsible for mankind
having progressed to its present stage of develop- ðÜall, every with time words:
ment. 2 A process of change and gradual develop- When we use all with time words, it means “the
ment: Astronomers are trying to understand the complete _____”:
evolution of the sun.
- all year (the complete year)
exact /ɪgˈzækt/ [㐀] Totally correct, precise: Can - all morning (the complete morning)

you tell me the exact time, please? When we use every with time words, we are saying
how often something happens:
exactly /ɪgˈzæktli/ [㐄] 1 Precisely: What exactly
- every year (each year)
did he say? 2 Expression used to emphasize or - every morning (each morning)
agree with what has been said: "Did you say that
you were going on vacation to California?" "Exactly". Examples:
- Every year we go to the beach for our vacation.
exaggerate /ɪgˈzædʒ·əˌreɪt/ [㐘] To make some- - Last year I was lazy, but this year I have worked hard

thing seem bigger, better or worse than it is: all year.
Don't exaggerate; there were only 30 or 40 people
at the party, not hundreds!

exam /ɪgˈzæm/ [㐗] A written, spoken or practi-

cal test: You may now look at your exam papers. ■
We can also say "examination".

examination /ɪgˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ [㐗] 1 See ex-

am. 2 A careful look at somebody or something:
My mother had to have a medical examination be-
cause she didn't feel well.

EXAM

w

to take an exam to pass an exam to fail an exam x
y
z

excavate 136

a abbreviation "e.g." is only used in written language. room: "Johnny! What are you doing here?". 2 excla-

b See box at abbreviations. mation mark A mark in writing to indicate an ex-

excavate /ˈek.skə.veɪt/ [㐘] 1 To dig a hole in the clamation [!]: You should have put an exclamation

ground: The builders need to excavate the site be- mark at the end of that sentence.

c fore laying the foundations. 2 To remove soil to exclude /ɪkˈskluːd/ [㐘] To prevent entry, not to in-
look for archaeological remains: When the arche- clude: Those horrible children always exclude Oli-
d ologists excavated that area they found the re- ver from their games.
mains of a Roman house. excluding /ɪkˈskluː.dɪŋ/ [㐓] Without, not in-

e excavation /ˌekskəˈveɪʃən/ [㐌] 1 The act of exca- cluding: There were forty-five people on the plane,
vating: Once the excavation was complete, the excluding the crew.

f foundations were laid. 2 The act of removing excrement /ˈekskrəmənt/ [㐖] Waste matter
earth to look for archeological remains: Many in- which is eliminated through the anus: There was

g teresting objects were found in the excavation. dogs' excrement on the sidewalk. ■ The same mean-

exceed /ɪkˈsiːd/ [㐘] To do more than what is al- ing: "feces".

h lowed or necessary: Drivers should not exceed the excretion /ɪkˈskriːʃən/ [㐌] A waste substance ex-
speed limit. pelled by an organism as a result of the metabol-

i excellent /ˈek.səl.ənt/ [㐀] Very good: That was ic process: Sweat is an excretion.
an excellent meal! excretory [㐀] Referring to the process of ex-

j except /ɪkˈsept/ [㐓] Apart from: All the boys cretion: The elimination by plants of carbon diox-
went on the excursion except Bill, who was ill. ide is an excretory process. 㐀 See page 424.

exception /ɪkˈsep.ʃən/ [㐌] Somebody or some- excretory system [㐗] The system which

k thing that is not included or that is different: carries and expels waste matter: The excretory
With the exception of Emily, we all had a good time. system filters waste substances. 㐀 See page 424.

l exceptional /ɪkˈsep.ʃən.əl/ [㐀] 1 Extremely excursion /ɪkˈskɜr·ʒən/ [㐗] A short journey for
good: All the students' results were good, but fun: We went on a fantastic excursion to Boston.

m Rose's were exceptional. 2 Not usual: The weather excuse1 /ɪkˈskjuːz/ [㐗] An explanation for
is exceptional for this time of year. your behavior: You've missed the game again.

n excess /ɪkˈses/ [㐀] More than usual: You have What's your excuse this time?
to pay $20 per kilo for excess baggage. excuse2 /ɪkˈskjuːz/ [㐘] 1 To forgive somebody:

o exchange /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/ [㐘] To change one thing Please excuse me for being so rude to you yester-
for another: We exchanged addresses after the va- day! 2 To give permission to somebody to miss

p cation. something: Can I be excused from the swimming

excite /ɪkˈsaɪt/ [㐘] To make somebody have class today? I'm not feeling well. 3 excuse me

q strong feelings: Movies sometimes excite children Words that you use if you interrupt somebody:
so much that they can't sleep. Excuse me! May I come through here, please? ■ We
normally say "excuse me" before we disturb or inter-
r excited /ɪkˈsɑɪ·t̬ɪd/ [㐀] 1 Feeling very happy rupt somebody. Compare with "sorry" (used for apol-
about something that is going to happen, not

s calm: I'm so excited about seeing my cousin again! ogizing) and "pardon1" (used when somebody has
2 Feeling strongly, nervous and agitated: You not heard something).
don't have to get so excited! I was only joking! ■ Be execute /ˈek.sɪ.kjuːt/ [㐘] To kill a person as a

t careful with the pronunciation of this word. The last punishment: Many people were executed during
"e" is pronounced like the "i" in "did". ■ See box at the Civil War in United States.
u bored.
executive1 /ɪgˈzek·jə·tɪ̬ v/ [㐗] 1 Somebody

excitement /ɪkˈsaɪt.mənt/ [㐌] State of being ex- with management responsibility in a business or

v cited: There was enormous excitement in the house organization: An executive has to take decisions. 2
as the great day approached. the executive The part of government responsi-

w exciting /ɪkˈsɑɪ·tɪ̬ ŋ/ [㐀] Making you feel excit- ble for putting into operation laws and decisions:
ed: "Star wars" is a very exciting movie. ■ See box The executive has prepared a summary of the new

x at bored. regulations.

exclaim /ɪkˈskleɪm/ [㐘] To say something sudden- executive2 /ɪgˈzek·jə·tɪ̬ v/ [㐀] 1 Referring to the

y ly: "Wow!" exclaimed Bob. function of putting into operation plans, deci-

exclamation /ˌek.skləˈmeɪ.ʃən/ [㐗] 1 A sound, sions and laws: The tax office is an executive body

z word or phrase that expresses surprise, anger or responsible for the collection of taxes. 2 Related to,
other emotion: I heard her exclamation in the next or designed for, a person with a managerial or

137 experimentation

professional job: This is an executive leather brief- expect /ɪkˈspekt/ [㐘] 1 To believe that something a
b
case. will happen: I expect they'll arrive at about 5 c
d
exercise1 /ˈek·sərˌsɑɪz/ [㐌] 1 Physical activity: o'clock this afternoon. ■ We use "expect" when we e
f
Swimming is very good exercise. 2 A movement have reasons to think that something will happen: "I g

that you do to keep well: My grandfather has to do expect I'll work in my father's store when I'm older". h
exercises every day for his back. 3 Something that i
Compare with "hope2" (to want something to hap- j
you do for practice: We did exercises three and pen). 2 To be pregnant: My wife is expecting twins! k
3 I expect so Words that you say when you think l
four in class. m
that something will happen: "Do you think you'll n
exercise2 /ˈek·sərˌsɑɪz/ [㐘] To make your body o
pass the test?" "I expect so!". p
work hard: The doctor told my dad to exercise q
expectancy /ɪkˈspektənsi/ [㐖] 1 The state of r
more. s
expecting or hoping: The children looked at their t
exert /ɪgˈzɜːt/ [㐘] 1 To use or apply a quality, skill u
aunt with an air of expectancy, because she nor- v
or pressure: He exerted all his skills of persuasion to mally brought presents. 2 Something expected, as w
make them accept his application. 2 to exert one- x
a result of the usual or average case: Life expec- y
self To make a big or constant effort: You will have z
tancy in this country is now eighty years.
to exert yourself if you want to achieve your goals.
expedition /ˌek.spəˈdɪʃ.ən/ [㐗] 1 A long and
exhalation /ˌeks.həˈleɪ.ʃən/ [㐌] The act of breath-
difficult journey: Captain Scott led his first expedi-
ing out: With each exhalation, stretch a little more. tion to Antarctica in 1901. 2 shopping expedition

■ Compare with "inhalation" (the act of breathing Going somewhere specifically to do shopping: I

in). went on a shopping expedition with my cousin to

exhale /eksˈheɪl/ [㐘] To expel air through the buy clothes.

nose or mouth: Exhale slowly and relax. ■ Compare expel /ɪkˈspel/ [㐘] To throw somebody out of a

with "inhale" (to breath in). school or club: The principal expelled the students

exhaust /ɪgˈzɔst/ [㐘] To make somebody very for smoking.

tired: The long journey exhausted the children. expense /ɪkˈspents/ [㐖] The cost of some-

exhibit /ɪgˈzɪb.ɪt/ [㐘] To show something to the thing: Vacation in Mexico? Now that would be a big

public: The painter exhibited his work in a small expense!

gallery in the town. expensive /ɪkˈspent.sɪv/ [㐀] Costing a lot of

exhibition /ˌek.sɪˈbɪʃ.ən/ [㐌] A public display: money: That coat is very expensive. Why don't you

There's a great exhibition of steam engines at the buy a cheaper one? 㐀 See picture at opposite.

Railway Museum this month. experience /ɪkˈspɪər·i·əns/ ❚ [㐗] 1 Something

exile /ˈek.saɪl, ˈeg.zaɪl/ ❚ [㐖] 1 Having to live that happens to a person: That car accident was a
terrible experience. ❚ [㐖] 2 Practice in doing
away from your country: Trotsky was a leader of something and the skill or knowledge acquired

the Russian Revolution, but he later lived in exile from doing it: Have you had much skiing experi-
in Mexico. ❚ [㐗] 2 A person who has to live
away from his or her country: There are thou- ence? ■ In this use "experience" is an uncountable

sands of political exiles living in the United noun.

States. experienced /ɪkˈspɪər·i·ənst/ [㐀] Having expe-

exist /ɪgˈzɪst/ [㐘] To be: Some people believe that rience at something: My mother's a very experi-

life exists on other planets. enced teacher. ■ Be careful with the pronunciation

existence /ɪgˈzɪs.tənts/ [㐖] Being: Do you be- of the end of this word. The last "e" is not pro-

lieve in the existence of God? nounced.

existing /ɪgˈzɪs.tɪŋ/ [㐀] Present at the moment: experiment1 /ɪkˈsperɪmənt/ [㐌] A test, usually

There are plans to build a new disco because the scientific, to find out about something: Experi-

existing disco is very small. ments with new drugs are often done on animals

exit /ˈeksɪt/ [㐗] The way out: The emergency before they are used with people.

exit is down there on the left. experiment2 /ɪkˈsperɪment/ [㐘] To do experi-

exotic /ɪgˈzɑt̬·ɪk/ [㐀] Strange and interesting: ments with something: At the moment they are ex-

These beautiful exotic flowers come from Peru. perimenting with a completely new type of car.

expand /ɪkˈspænd/ [㐘] To become bigger: Water experimentation /ɪkˌsperɪmenˈteɪʃən/ [㐖]

expands into ice when it is frozen. The process of doing experiments or trying differ-

expansion /ɪkˈspæn.tʃən/ [㐌] Growth: The compa- ent things: Experimentation is an essential part of

ny opened a new factory because of the expansion research and development.

of its business.

expert 138

a expert /ˈek·spɜrt/, /ɪkˈspɜrt/ [㐍] 1 A person who express2 /ɪkˈspres/ [㐘] To show what you think or

b knows a lot about something: He is an expert on feel: She is very good at expressing her ideas. ■ Be
reggae music. 2 A person who is good at doing careful with the spelling of the 3rd person singular
something: I'm an expert at solving problems on present tense form: "expresses".
c the computer.
expression /ɪkˈspreʃ.ən/ [㐗] 1 A look on some-

explain /ɪkˈspleɪn/ [㐘] To make something clear: body's face: Hilda had a rather sad expression
d Can you explain this math problem to me? ■ Be when we met her. 2 A phrase that has a particular
careful! We say: "explain (something) to somebody": meaning: "To be broke" is an expression that

e "explain it to me" (not "explain it me".). means "not to have any money".

explanation /ˌek.spləˈneɪ.ʃən/ [㐌] 1 Making some- expressive /ɪkˈspres.ɪv/ [㐀] 1 Full of expres-

f thing clear: After listening to her explanation, I un- sion, communicating a lot: He gave his girlfriend
derstand the law of gravity very well. 2 A reason an expressive look which said more than a thou-

g for something: Tammy didn't give an explanation sand words. 2 to be expressive of something To
for being late. show a particular feeling: Her words are expres-

h explode /ɪkˈsploʊd/ [㐘] To burst with a loud noise sive of great sincerity. ■ This use is formal.
and lots of force: The bomb exploded, killing seven expulsion /ɪkˈspʌl.ʃən/ [㐌] 1 The act of forcing

i people. somebody to leave a place: The teacher threatened

exploration /ˌekspləˈreɪʃən/ [㐌] 1 The act of trav- the students with expulsion from class when they

j eling to somewhere new, of discovering: Explora- refused to listen to him. 2 The act of expelling
tion of the Antarctic continues. 2 The act of examin- something from the body: The expulsion of the fe-
k ing something thoroughly in order to see how it is, ces takes place through the anus. 3 expulsion or-
especially in medicine: They are carrying out a full der Arrangement made by an official institution
exploration to discover what is causing the problem. for an illegal citizen to leave the country: Moham-

l explore /ɪkˈsplɔr/, /-ˈsploʊr/ [㐘] 1 To travel around med was given an expulsion order by the Courts.
an unknown place in order to learn about it: Liv- extend /ɪkˈstend/ [㐘] 1 To make something longer

m ingstone explored large areas of Africa in the 19th or bigger: We extended our visit to two weeks. 2 To
century. 2 To analyze or discuss something in de- go on or to continue: My uncle's land extends as

n tail in order to learn more about it: The conse- far as the eye can see.
quences of atmospheric pollution are still being extension /ɪkˈsten.tʃən/ ❚ [㐌] 1 A continuation of

o explored. 3 To touch something thoroughly in or- something: My parents built an extension onto
der to examine it: The doctor explored the affected their house to make a big kitchen. ❚ [㐗] 2 A

p area. telephone line: Can you put me through to exten-

explorer /ɪkˈsplɔr·ər/, /-ˈsploʊr-/ [㐗] A person sion 2289, please? ■ In this use, "x" is a written ab-

q who explores: The great explorers often brought breviation for "extension".
back unknown plants and animals that they found extensive /ɪkˈstent.sɪv/ [㐀] Large: Our science

r on their travels. teacher also has an extensive knowledge of music.

explosion /ɪkˈsploʊ·ʒən/ [㐌] The act of explod- extent /ɪkˈstent/ [㐖] 1 The size or degree of

s ing: The explosion we heard was caused by a gas something: What was the extent of the damage? 2
leak in the Washington Street. to what extent How much: To what extent are you

explosive /ɪkˈsploʊ·sɪv/ [㐀] Capable of explod- willing to put up with Harry's behavior?

t ing or blowing up: It's dangerous to smoke near exterior /ekˈstɪər·i·ər/ [㐗] The outside of
explosive material. something: The exterior of the house had to be re-
u export1 /ˈekspɔːt/ [㐌] Something that is sold and paired.
sent to another country: Argentina's exports in- external /ekˈstɜr·nə·l/ [㐀] Referring to the out-

v clude beef and wine. side of something: This cream is for external use

export2 /ɪkˈspɔːt/ [㐘] To sell and send things to only.

w other countries: Japan exports thousands of cars extinct /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/ [㐀] Not existing anywhere
every year. any more: Every year many species of wildlife be-

x exporter /ekˈspɔr·tə̬ r/, /-ˈspoʊr-/ [㐗] A person or come extinct.
a company that exports things: Mr. Mann is a cot- extinction /ɪkˈstɪŋk.ʃən/ [㐖] The act of mak-

y ton exporter. ing extinct: Extinction was the fate of the dinosaurs.

express1 /ɪkˈspres/ [㐀] Fast: Some highways extinguish /ɪkˈstɪŋ.gwɪʃ/ [㐘] To put out a fire:

z have an express lane for vehicles with two or more The firefighters managed to extinguish the forest
occupants. fire after a few days.

139 eyesight

extinguisher /stɪŋ·gwɪ·ʃər/ [㐗] See fire extin- eyeball /ˈaɪbɔːl/ [㐗] 1 The round structure of a
b
guisher. the eye, that can be covered by the eyelids: The c
d
extra /ˈek.strə/ [㐀] More than normal: This bi- eyeball has three parts: the iris, the pupil and the e
retina. 2 eyeball to eyeball Face to face: They had f
cycle will cost you an extra ten dollars. g
an eyeball to eyeball debate.
extracurricular /ˌek·strə·kəˈrɪk·jə·lər/ [㐀] An h
eyebrow /ˈaɪ.braʊ/ [㐗] The row of hairs above i
activity which is not included in a school or col- j
your eye: He has very thick eyebrows. 㐀 See pic- k
lege course: Playing an instrument is an extracur- l
tures at eye and face. m
ricular activity.
eyelash /ˈaɪ.læʃ/ [㐗] One of the hairs that
extraordinary /ɪkˈstrɔr·də·nˌer·i/ [㐀] Very
grow on your eyelids: She has beautiful long eye-
strange or unusual, special: We are having ex-
lashes. 㐀 See picture at eye.
traordinary weather this year.
eyelid /ˈaɪ.lɪd/ [㐗] The skin that protects the
extravagant /ɪkˈstræv.ə.gənt/ [㐀] 1 Spending
eye: My eyelids are very sore because I didn't sleep
or costing too much: He is very extravagant and he
owes a lot of money. 2 Not controlled or wild: She's very well last night. 㐀 See picture at eye.

very extravagant in the way she dresses. eyesight /ˈaɪ.saɪt/ [㐖] The ability to see: I

extreme /ɪkˈstriːm/ [㐀] 1 Very great: She's un- have very bad eyesight and I have to wear very

der extreme pressure at work at the moment. 2 Fur- thick glasses.

thest away, at the very end or beginning: They live

in the extreme tip of South America.

extrovert /ˈek.strə.vɜːt/ US: /-vɝːt/ [㐍] A person

who is open and sociable in character: Lenny is

very extrovert; he finds it very easy to make friends.

eye /aɪ/ [㐗] 1 What you see with: My cat has

beautiful green eyes. 㐀  See picture at face. 2 to

keep an eye on To look after, to watch: Will you

keep an eye on the house while we're on vacation?

EYE n

eyebrow o

eyelid p
eyelash q
r
s

t

u
v

w

x
y

z

F f /ef/ The sixth letter of the alphabet: The name
f
"Frank" begins with an "F".

F1 /ef/ A written abbreviation for Fahrenheit.
F2 /ef/ [㐗] The fourth musical note of the scale

of C major: Play an F on the guitar, please. ■ The

plural is "Fs" or "F's". 㐀 See page 460.

fable /ˈfeɪ.bl̩/ [㐌] A story that teaches a lesson:

"The tortoise and the hare" is a well-known fable. ■

Be careful with the pronunciation of this word. It is

pronounced like "table".

fabric /ˈfæb.rɪk/ [㐌] Material: Silk and woolen fab-

rics are soft to the touch.

fabulous /ˈfæb.jʊ.ləs/ [㐀] Wonderful: We had a

fabulous time at John's party.

face1 /feɪs/ [㐗] 1 The part of the body that in-

cludes your eyes, nose and mouth: He had a scar
on his face, near his mouth. 2 to make faces To

make strange gestures with your eyes, mouth and

so on: When the baby tasted the food, it began to

make faces.

FACE

hair

forehead

eyebrow ear
eye
nose

lips
chin

face2 /feɪs/ [㐘] To look towards, to have the

front in the direction of: Our house faces the

market.

facial1 /ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/ [㐗] Treatment of the face given

by a beautician: The lady was given a facial.

facial2 /ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/ [㐀] Referring to the face: His fa-

cial expression did not change when he heard the

news.

141 fall

facilities [㐑] Places and equipment for peo- very small and have wings. ■ The plural is "fairies". a
2 fairy tale See "fairy tale" in the word tale. ■ The b
ple to use: The sports facilities in George's school c
plural is "fairies". d
are excellent. e
faith /feɪθ/ [㐖] 1 The feeling that you can f
facility /fəˈsɪl·ɪ·t̬i/ [㐌] Ease: He has a great facility g
trust somebody or something: She has absolute
for learning languages. ■ The plural is "facilities". faith in her brothers and sisters. 2 A religious be- h
i
fact /fækt/ [㐌] 1 Something that is true: It is a fact lief: Her Christian faith has helped her through her j
k
that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. 2 difficulties. l
m
in fact Actually or really: I thought Peter was fif- faithful /ˈfeɪθ.fəl/ [㐀] 1 Loyal: James is a very n
o
teen, but in fact he's only thirteen. faithful friend. 2 yours faithfully An expression p
q
factor /ˈfæk·tər/ [㐗] 1 Something which con- used at the end of formal letters when the person r
s
tributes to a result: Many factors are responsible to whom the letter is addressed is not named: The t
for her success. 2 Any number, except 1, by which u
letter ends: "Yours faithfully, Robert Burton". ■ We v
a larger number can be divided: 2, 4 and 8 are w
use "yours faithfully" when the person to whom the x
factors of 16. y
letter is addressed is not named. Compare with z
factory /ˈfæk·tə·ri/, /ˈfæk·tri/ [㐗] A place where
"yours sincerely" (used at the end when the person
things are manufactured: Liz's father works in a
to whom the formal letter is addressed has name).
car factory. ■ The plural is "factories".
fake /feɪk/ [㐗] A copy of something made to
fade /feɪd/ [㐘] 1 To lose color: Don't wash that
deceive people: Arthur thought he had a real Pi-
blouse in hot water or it will fade. 2 To disappear
casso, but it was a fake.
gradually: The sound of the music from the band
falcon /ˈfæl·kən/, /ˈfɔl-/ [㐗] A hunting bird with
faded as the train moved slowly out of the sta-
pointed wings and a long tail: The falcon hunts
tion.
small mammals.
Fahrenheit /ˈfær.ən.haɪt/ [㐖] A scale for mea-
falconer US: /ˈfɑːl.kə.nɚ n/ UK: /ˈfɒl.kən.ər/ [㐗]
suring temperature: On the Fahrenheit scale water
Somebody who trains falcons: The falconer has to
boils at 212 ºF and freezes at 32 ºF. ■ Be careful.
work many hours with the falcon.
"Fahrenheit" has a capital "F". ■ With figures we nor-
falconry /ˈfɒl.kən.ri/ US: /ˈfɑːl-/ [㐖] The art of
mally write the sign "ºF" instead of writing "Fahren-
breeding and training falcons: Falconry is an an-
heit". ■ Compare with "centigrade" and with "Cel-
cient art.
sius": water boils at 100 ºC and freezes at 0 ºC. ■
fall1 /fɔːl/ [㐌] The season of the year between
See box at abbreviations.
summer and winter: Most trees lose their leaves in
fail /feɪl/ [㐘] 1 Not to manage to do something: He
the fall. ■ The same meaning: "autumn".
tried hard but he failed to get tickets for the basket-
fall2, fell, fallen /fɔːl/ [㐘] 1 To drop down towards
ball game. ■ Be careful. We say: "fail to do (some-
thing)". 2 Not to pass a test: Sonia didn't have time the ground: She slipped out of the tree, fell and broke
her leg. 2 To become less or lower: The temperature
to study and failed her math test. 㐀 See picture at has fallen a lot today. 3 to fall asleep To become

exam. asleep: He was so tired he fell asleep while watching
TV. 4 to fall in love with (somebody) See "to fall in
failure /ˈfeɪl·jər/ [㐌] Not being successful: His at- love with (somebody)" in the word love1.
◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to fall apart To break into
tempt to become a pop star was a total failure. pieces: These shoes are falling apart. I need a new

faint1 /feɪnt/ [㐀] Difficult to see or to hear be- pair. · to fall behind To do something too slowly:

cause it is not strong or clear: We could hear a James, you're falling behind with your English. You

faint noise coming from the attic, but we didn't should be on lesson 5. · to fall over To be standing

know what it was. fairly, quite, rather, pretty, and very

faint2 /feɪnt/ [㐘] To lose consciousness: Alf felt so We use fairly, quite, rather, pretty, and very with some
adjectives to modify their meaning:
weak that he fainted.
1,70 m 1,80 m 1,87 m
fair1 /feər/ [㐗] A place in the open air with en-
fairly / quite tall rather / pretty tall very tall
tertainments and stalls: Every year in May there is
(This use of the word pretty is informal.)
a fair in my town.

fair2 /feər/ [㐀] 1 Just, reasonable: Mr. Wells is

very fair with his grades. 2 Light yellow: Amanda

has fair hair and blue eyes.

fairly /ˈfeər·li/ [㐄] Quite but not very: Susan is

fairly tall, about 1.75m. ■ See box.

fairy US: /ˈfer.i/ UK: /ˈfeə.ri/ [㐗] 1 A small super-

natural being who does magic: Fairies are usually

fallen 142

a and then fall to the ground: Richard fell over and fancy going dancing tonight. ■ Be careful with

b cut his knee when he was running for the bus yes- the spelling of these forms: "fancies", "fancied".
terday. · to fall through To fail to happen: Our The verb immediately after "fancy" is in the "-ing"
plans fell through because we didn't have any mon- form.
c ey.
fang /fæŋ/ [㐗] A long, sharp tooth: A snake can

fallen /ˈfɔ·lən/ Past participle of fall2. inject poison through his fang.
d Fallopian
tube /fəˌləʊ.pi.ənˈtjuːb/ US: fantastic /fænˈtæs.tɪk/ [㐀] 1 Difficult to be-

/-ˌloʊ.pi.ənˈtuːb/ [㐗] One of the two tubes in lieve: He writes fantastic stories about life on other

e women's bodies in which ova travel along: The planets. 2 Very good: The movie was absolutely
Fallopian tube connects the ovaries to the uterus. fantastic.

f 㐀 See page 425. fantasy /ˈfæn.tə.si/ [㐌] Something that you imag-

false US: /fɑːls/ UK: /fɒls/ [㐀] 1 Not true: Read the ine, but is not real: Don't believe a word of what he

g sentences and say if they are true or false. 2 Not re- says; the whole thing is a fantasy. ■ The plural is
al; artificial: Alice's grandpa has false teeth. "fantasies".

h fame /feɪm/ [㐖] Being well-known: Some far1 /fɑːr/ [㐄] 1 At a long distance from some-
stars say that they don't enjoy their fame very body or something or a long distance to it: Do you

i much. have to travel far to school? ■ The comparative form

familiar /fəˈmɪl·jər/ [㐀] 1 Well-known to you: is "farther" or "further" and the superlative form is

j That boy looks familiar. Maybe he goes to the same "farthest" or "furthest". 2 as far as 1 Until a certain
school as me. 2 to be familiar with (something) place: To get to Lucy's house, go down the road as
k To know something well: Are you familiar with far as the hospital and then turn right. 2 A phrase
this word processor? used to introduce a statement or opinion: As far
as I know, she still lives in Sydney. 3 far away At a
familiarity /fə·mɪlˈjær·ɪ·ti̬ /, /-ˌmɪl·iˈær-/ [㐖] 1 long distance from somebody or something or a
long distance to it: I don't want to go to the movie
l The state of being familiar with something or theater; it's too far away. 4 how far To what de-
having a good knowledge of it: Familiarity with a gree: I don't know how far to believe him. 5 so far

m range of subjects is necessary for a substitute
teacher. ■ Be careful! In this use we always say: "fa-

n miliarity with (something)". 2 Friendliness or infor- Until now: So far we haven't had any problems
mality in the way of acting: Jeff's familiarity to us with the car.

o was very nice. ■ We always say: "familiarity to or to- far2 /fɑːr/ [㐀] That is at a long distance, not
wards (somebody)". ■ The plural is "familiarities". near: We can't walk to the sports center; it's too far.

p family /ˈfæm.əl.i/ [㐌] 1 A group of people who are ■ The comparative form is "farther" or "further" and
related to each other: We're a very close family the superlative form is "farthest" or "furthest".

q and we try to help each other as much as possible. fare US: /fer/ UK: /feər/ [㐗] The money you pay
■ The plural is "families". 2 family tree A plan that to travel on a bus, train and so on: Does anybody

r shows the relationship between the people in a know why airplane fares change so much?
family: I have drawn a family tree which includes farm US: /fɑːrm/ UK: /fɑːm/ [㐗] A place used for

s five generations. growing crops or keeping animals: George's father
family name [㐗] See name1. has a huge farm with pigs, cows and sheep.

famine /ˈfæm.ɪn/ [㐌] A period when there is not farmer US: /ˈfɑːr.mɚ/ UK: /ˈfɑː.mər/ [㐗] A person

t enough food in an area or a country: In Africa who owns or works on a farm: The farmer showed
some countries have regular famines and thou- us his baby pigs.
u sands of people die. ■ Compare with "hunger1" (the farmer's market [㐗] A market that sells
need and desire for food). fruit, vegetables and other farm products:

v famous /ˈfeɪ.məs/ [㐀] Well-known: The Beatles Where's the nearest farmer's market? 㐀 See pictu-
are the most famous pop group of all times. re at market.

w fan /fæn/ [㐗] 1 A supporter of a team or a pop farmhouse /ˈfɑrmˌhɑʊs/ [㐗] The house on a
group: Lee is a fan of the Denver Broncos. 2 A thing farm where the farmer lives: We had coffee with

x that moves the air around you to make you cool- the farmer in the farmhouse.
er: When we lived in India, we had fans in all the farming /ˈfɑː.mɪŋ/ US: /ˈfɑːr-/ [㐖] The job of

y rooms. growing crops or keeping animals to sell: Farm-

fancy /ˈfænt.si/ [㐘] 1 To like somebody as your ing is a very hard job.

z boyfriend or girlfriend: I quite fancy Mark; he's farmyard US: /ˈfɑːrm.jɑːrd/ UK: /ˈfɑːm.jɑːd/ [㐗]
very handsome. 2 To want to do something: I An open space next to a farmhouse: There was a

grandfather

uncle aunt

cousins Rick wife

son daughter-in- daughter son-in-law
law

n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z

grandmother RICK’S FAMILY

mom dad

143

sister brother-in-law brother sister-in-law

w nephew niece

a
b
c
d
e
f
g

h
i
j
k
l
m

farther 144

a tractor, a van and a car in the farmyard as well as fat2 /fæt/ [㐖] The greasy substance under the

b chickens, ducks, geese and a cat! skin of animals and people: You can cut the fat off

farther US: /ˈfɑːr.ðɚ/ UK: /ˈfɑː.ðər/ [㐁] The com- the meat if you don't like it.

parative form of far. fatal /ˈfeɪ·tə̬ ·l/ [㐀] 1 That causes death: There
c farthest /ˈfɑr·ðəst/ [㐁] The superlative form was a fatal accident on the road to Portland this
of far. morning; four people were killed. 2 That has bad
d fascinate /ˈfæs.ɪ.neɪt/ [㐘] To interest greatly or results: We made a fatal mistake and we're paying
attract somebody: India fascinates me. for it.

e fascinating /ˈfæs·əˌneɪ·tɪ̬ ŋ/ [㐀] That greatly in- fate /feɪt/ [㐖] A mysterious force that some
terests or attracts people: Mexico is a fascinating people believe controls what happens: I think it's

f country. not just a coincidence that we've met today. It's fate.

fashion /ˈfæʃ.ən/ [㐌] 1 The style of something father /ˈfɑð·ər/ [㐗] 1 A male parent: My fa-

g that is popular at a certain time: These kind of ther's name is Charles. ■ "Dad" and "daddy" are in-
pants were the fashion in the sixties. 2 in fashion formal for "father". 㐀 See picture at family. 2 fa-

h Popular at that moment: I think short hair is in ther-in-law When you are married, your wife's or
fashion now. 3 out of fashion Not popular any your husband's father: My sister's father-in-law is

i more: My brother says that ties are out of fashion Italian. ■ The plural of "father-in-law" is "fa-
now. thers-in-law".
j fashionable /ˈfæʃ.ən.ə.bl̩/ [㐀] That is in fash- faucet US: /ˈfɔːsɪt/ [㐗] A device to let liquid out
ion: Jason likes wearing fashionable clothes. of a tube, pipe and so on: The bathtub faucet is

k fashion show [㐗] A show where clothes are leaking. ■ In British English they say "tap". 㐀  See
shown: In Milan there are very famous fashion pictures at bathroom and kitchen.
shows. fault US: /fɑːlt/ UK: /fɒlt/ ❚ [㐗] 1 Something that
l fast1 /fɑːst/ [㐁] Quick, rapid: James is very is wrong: I think there's a fault in the television set.
fast; he can run a yard in eleven seconds. ■ Com- It doesn't work. ❚ [㐌] 2 Responsibility for some-
m pare with "quick" ("Quick" is usually used to refer to thing not good that happens: It's your own fault if
length of time, while "fast" refers to speed. We say "a you don't pass your tests.

n quick visit" not "a fast visit", and "a quick decision" faulty US: /ˈfɑːl.ti̬ / UK: /ˈfɒl.ti/ [㐀] That doesn't
not "a fast decision"). work well: This television is faulty; the image is not

o fast2 /fɑːst/ [㐄] 1 Firmly fixed: Make the boat fast very clear.
to the dock. 2 fast asleep See "fast asleep" in the fauna /ˈfɔ·nə/ [㐖] All of the animal life of a

p word asleep. region: Fauna refers to birds, fish, reptiles, insects

fasten US: /ˈfæs.ən/ UK: /ˈfɑː.sən/ [㐘] To tie or to join and other animals. ■ The plural is "faunas" or "fau-

q something firmly: Ladies and Gentlemen: please nae". ■ Compare with "flora" (the plants that grow in
fasten your seat belts. We're going to land. ■ Be a particular region or period).
r careful with the pronunciation of this word. The "t" is favor /ˈfeɪ·vər/ [㐖] 1 Something you do to
not pronounced. help somebody: James, do me a favor and close the

s fastener US: /ˈfæs.ən.ɚ/ UK: /ˈfɑːs.ən.ər/ [㐗] window, please. 2 to be in favor of (something)
Something used for tying or joining things: I've To think that something is a good idea: I'm in fa-
got a new red coat with metal fasteners. ■ Be care- vor of abolishing nuclear arms. ■ The British Eng-
t ful with the pronunciation of this word. The "t" is not lish spelling is "favour".
pronounced. favorable /ˈfeɪ·vər·ə·bəl/ [㐀] Good for some-

u fast food [㐖] Food that can be prepared thing: I think we should wait for a favorable mo-
very quickly: I love pizzas, hamburgers and all ment to tell Mr. Menzies about our plans. ■ The Brit-

v types of fast food. ish English spelling is "favourable".

fast forward /ˌfɑːstˈfɔːwəd/ [㐘] To make a tape favorite /ˈfeɪ.vər.ɪt/ [㐀] The person or the

w go forward quickly: Fast forward the tape, I don't thing that you like best: Red is my favorite color. ■
like this song. ■ "ff" is an abbreviation for "fast for- The British English spelling is "favourite".

x ward". ■ Compare with "rewind" (to make a tape go favour UK: /ˈfeɪ.vər/ [㐖] See favor. ■ This is a
back towards the beginning). British English spelling.

y fat1 /fæt/ [㐀] With a big, round body: If you favourable UK: /ˈfeɪ.vər.ə.bl̩/ [㐀] See favorable.
keep eating like that, you'll get fat. ■ The compar- ■ This is a British English spelling.

z ative form is "fatter" and the superlative form is favourite /ˈfeɪ.vər.ɪt/ [㐀] See favorite. ■ This is
"fattest". a British English spelling.

145 felt-tip pen

fax1 /fæks/ [㐗] 1 A machine that produces cop- feces /ˈfiːsiːz/ [㐑] Solid waste matter expelled a
b
ies of documents via the telephone line: George's out of the body through the anus: Feces are the c
father has got a fax in his office. 2 A copy of a doc- d
ument sent by a fax machine: Alice sent me a fax waste product of the digestive system. ■ This word e
with all the information I needed. ■ The plural is f
"faxes". is formal. ■ The same meaning: "excrement". g

fax2 /fæks/ [㐘] To send a document by fax: Fax me fed /fed/ Past tense and past participle forms of h
i
a copy, please. ■ Be careful! We say: "fax (some- feed. j
body) (something)". k
federal /ˈfed·ər·əl/ [㐀] Referring to a system l
fear1 /fɪər/ [㐌] The feeling that you have when m
where a group of semi-independent states exist n
you think you are in danger: When Arthur saw the o
snake, he started shaking with fear. under a central government: The United States of p
q
fear2 /fɪər/ [㐘] To anticipate with anxiety, to be America is a federal republic. r
s
frightened of somebody or something: When the fee /fiː/ [㐗] The money that somebody pays for t
mountain rescue team couldn't find her, they start- u
ed to fear the worst. a service: The fees at private schools can be very v
w
fearless /ˈfɪər·ləs/ [㐀] Without fear: You must high. x
y
be fearless in order to work as a trapeze artist. ■ feeble /ˈfiː.bl/̩ [㐀] Very weak, inadequate: That z
We always say "fearless of (something)".
was a very feeble effort. Now, try again.
feast /fiːst/ [㐗] 1 A large meal to celebrate a
feed, fed, fed /fiːd/ [㐘] 1 To give food to: I like
special occasion: Medieval warriors used to cele-
brate their victories by having enormous feasts. 2 A feeding the ducks in the park. 2 To put something
time people come together to celebrate a particu-
lar occasion, especially one with a religious base: into a computer or other machine: He fed infor-
Christmas Day is the feast when Christians cele- mation into the computer. 3 to be fed up To be
brate Jesus' birth. ■ In this use, the same meaning:
"festival". bored or unhappy about something: I'm fed up

feat /fiːt/ [㐗] Something difficult or dangerous with watching TV. I'm going out. ■ Be careful! In

to do: Swimming from Nassau to The Bahamas is a this use we usually say: "be fed up with (some-
great feat.
thing)".
feather /ˈfeð·ər/ [㐗] One of the small things
feedback /ˈfiːd.bæk/ [㐖] Information re-
that cover a bird's body: My canary's feathers are
yellow and green. turned about the results of something: They need

FEATHER to get feedback from customers about the new

feature /ˈfi·tʃər/ [㐗] 1 One of the different washing machines.

parts of your face: He had peculiar features: small feel, felt, felt /fiːl/ [㐘] 1 To have a certain
eyes, big ears. 2 An important part or quality of
something: The best feature of my new bike is its sensation or emotion: I feel great affection for
speed. my parents. 2 To touch something with your
fingers: Feel this sweater. Isn't it soft? 3 to feel
February /ˈfeb·juˌer·i/, /ˈfeb·ru-/ [㐌] The second
like (something) or feel like doing (some-
month of the year: February is usually a very cold
month. ■ Be careful! "February" has a capital "F". thing) To want something: I feel like something
㐀 See picture at calendar.
to drink.
◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to feel for (something) To
try to find something with your fingers: He felt for

the keys in his pocket.

feeling /ˈfiː.lɪŋ/ [㐌] 1 Something that you feel

mentally or physically: I had a great feeling of
happiness when I saw Mary. 2 The ability to feel: I

have had no feeling in that finger since the acci-

dent.

feet /fiːt/ The plural of foot.
fell /fel/ Past tense of fall2.
fellow1 /ˈfeləʊ/ [㐗] A man or a boy: Jamie is a

very nice fellow. ■ This word is informal.

fellow2 /ˈfeləʊ/ [㐀] That belongs to the same

group: He went out to celebrate with his fellow

workers.

felt /felt/ Past tense and past participle forms of

feel.

felt-tip pen or felt pen [㐗] A pen with a

soft tip made of felt: Felt-tip pens are used for

drawing in different colors.

female 146

a female1 /ˈfiːmeɪl/ [㐀] 1 Referring to women fertilize or fertilise /ˈfɜːtɪlaɪz/ [㐘] 1 To intro-
b and girls: I prefer female company. 2 Referring to duce pollen into a plant so that it develops seeds
the sex that gives birth: I have two female ham- or sperm into an egg or a female animal so that a
sters. young animal develops inside: One single sperm
c female2 /ˈfiːmeɪl/ [㐗] The sex of an animal or cell is enough to fertilize an ovum. 2 To make soil
human that gives birth: The zoo has one male ze- fertile by adding natural or chemical substances:
d bra and two females.
You can fertilize your garden in the fall. ■ The Brit-

feminine /ˈfem.ɪ.nɪn/ [㐀] With qualities tradi- ish English spelling is "fertilise".

e tionally considered appropriate to women or typi- fertilizer or fertiliser /ˈfɜːtɪlaɪzər/ [㐌] A sub-
cal of women: Pat says that her new hairstyle stance used to help plants grow: This plant is

f makes her look more feminine. nearly dead. It needs some fertilizer. ■ The British

femur /ˈfiː.mər/ US: /-mɚ/ [㐗] The thigh bone in English spelling is "fertiliser".

g the leg: The femur is the bone between the hip and festival /ˈfes.tɪ.vəl/ [㐗] 1 A time when there are
the knee. ■ The plural is: "femurs" or "femora". cultural events of the same kind: In Chicago there's

h 㐀 See page 422. a famous blues festival every year. 2 A time people

fence /fents/ [㐗] A wooden or metal barrier be- come together to celebrate a particular occasion,

i tween two pieces of land or around a field: especially one with a religious base: The main
There's a small wooden fence between the Browns' Christian religious festivals in Britain are Christmas

j backyard and ours. and Easter. ■ In this use, the same meaning: "feast".

fencing /ˈfent.sɪŋ/ [㐖] 1 A series of fences or festivity /fesˈtɪvəti/ ❚ [㐖] 1 Celebration, happi-

k the material used to make fences: I asked the gar- ness and enjoyment at a party, festival or other
dener to put some fencing to prevent foreign dogs event: That wedding was an occasion of great festivi-
from coming in. 2 The sport of fighting with blunt ty. ❚ [㐗] 2 Celebration of a special event held in
l swords: In fencing you have to score points against honor of something or somebody: The town festivi-
your rival according to certain rules. ties are held every year on the same date. ■ The plural

m ferment1 /ˈfɜːment/ [㐖] 1 A fungal substance is "festivities". This use is more common in the plural.
used in making beer and wine or to make bread fetch /fetʃ/ [㐘] To go to get somebody or some-

n rise: The ferment is added to the dough. 2 A state thing: I have to fetch my little brother from school
of agitation and excitement: The country is in a every Monday and Wednesday.

o state of ferment. fête /feɪt/ [㐗] An outdoors party with games
ferment2 /fərˈment/ [㐘] To cause something to and things to buy: My school is holding a fête on

p change chemically and to expel gases, through Saturday to get money for a trip to California.
the action of yeast or bacteria: Milk is fermented fetus /ˈfi·tə̬ s/ [㐗] The unborn human or ani-

q to make yoghurt. mal that has developed past a certain stage with-

fermentation /ˌfɜːmenˈteɪʃən/ [㐖] The pro- in its mother's body or in an egg: The ultrasound

r cess of changing something chemically by the ac- image showed that the fetus was developing well.
tion of a living organism: Microorganisms break feudal /ˈfjuːdəl/ [㐀] Referring to the pre-capi-

s down a substance to bring about fermentation. talist social system in the Middle Ages in Europe,

fern US: /fɝːn/ UK: /fɜːn/ [㐗] A green plant which was based on rank: feudal society.

with big leaves and no flowers: Ferns grow in fever /ˈfi·vər/ [㐌] A high body temperature and
t wet places.
fast pulse: I have a fever. I think I've caught a cold.

ferocious /fəˈroʊ·ʃəs/ [㐀] Fierce, savage: Some few /fjuː/ [㐀] 1 Not many: Very few people live
u hungry dogs can become ferocious animals.
in the interior of Greenland. 2 a few Some: We

ferry /ˈfer.i/ [㐗] A boat or a ship that carries need a few volunteers to help us move some chairs.

v people and vehicles across the water: Every ■ See box on the following page.
week we take the ferry from New Yersey to New ff [㐘] See fast forward.

w York. ■ The plural is "ferries". 㐀  See picture at fiancé US: /ˌfiː.ɑːnˈseɪ/ UK: /fiˈɑː̃ n.seɪ/ [㐗] A man
transport. who is engaged to get married: My sister's fiancé

x fertile US: /ˈfɝː.t̬əl/ UK: /ˈfɜː.taɪl/ [㐀] Good for is Puerto Rican. ■ A woman is a "fiancée".
growing plants: The land is so fertile that they can fiancée US: /ˌfiː.ɑːnˈseɪ/ UK: /fiˈɑː̃ n.seɪ/ [㐗] A

y grow two crops a year. woman who is engaged to get married: He is very

fertilization or fertilisation /ˌfɜːtɪlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ much in love with his fiancée. ■ A man is a "fiancé".

z [㐖] The process of making fertile: Fertiliza- fib /fɪb/ [㐗] A small lie: George is always telling
tion makes plants productive. fibs. ■ This word is informal.

147 fill

fiber /ˈfɑɪ·bər/ [㐖] A substance in some war. 2 To quarrel: Sue and her brother are always a
fighting. b
foods that helps your digestion: Cereals and veg- ◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to fight for (something) To c
try to do something or to get something: Native d
etables are rich in fiber. ■ The British English spell- Americans in the USA are still fighting for their e
rights. f
ing is "fibre". g
fighter /ˈfɑɪ·t̬ər/ [㐗] 1 A person who fights:
fibre /ˈfaɪbər·/ UK: /ˈfaɪ.bər/ [㐖] See fiber. ■ This h
She's a fighter. She doesn't give in easily. 2 A fast i
is a British English spelling. airplane used to attack other airplanes: The F-18 j
is a famous United States Air Force fighter. k
fibrous /ˈfaɪ.brəs/ [㐀] Of or resembling fiber: l
fighting /ˈfɑɪt̬·ɪŋ/ [㐖] A conflict that is more m
The connective tissue in the body is a fibrous tis- n
than one isolated incident, or that has no clear o
sue. end: The fighting continues along the border of the p
two countries. q
fibula /ˈfɪb.jʊ.lə/ [㐗] The smaller of the two r
figure /ˈfɪg·jər/ [㐗] A symbol we use for writ- s
bones connecting the knee and the ankle: The fib- t
ing numbers: Please write these numbers in fig- u
ula is the outer bone in the leg between the knee ures, not in words. v
w
and the ankle. ■ The plural is "fibulas" or "fibulae". filament /ˈfɪl.ə.mənt/ [㐗] A very fine, x
y
㐀 See page 422. thread-like fiber: Light bulbs contain a filament z
which heats up and gives off light.
fiction /ˈfɪk.ʃən/ [㐖] An invented story, books
file1 /faɪl/ [㐌] 1 A box or a folder for papers, the
that are invented stories: Roald Dahl wrote fiction
contents of it: I keep all my school projects in a
for children. file. 2 A metal tool with very small teeth used for
cutting or making something smooth: The pris-
field /fiːld/ [㐗] A piece of land: My uncle has a oner escaped by cutting through the bars with a
file.
field where he keeps cows.
file2 /faɪl/ [㐘] 1 To put papers in files: Mom files
fierce US: /fɪrs/ UK: /fɪəs/ [㐀] Wild, aggressive
all our school reports. 2 To make something
and frightening: The Driscolls' dog is so fierce that smooth with a file: My sister is always filing her
nails.
I daren't go near their house.
fill /fɪl/ [㐘] 1 To make something full: Can you fill
fiery /ˈfaɪəri/ [㐀] 1 Having an appearance
this bottle with water, please? ■ Be careful. We say:
similar to fire: He has fiery red hair. 2 Becom- "fill something with (something)". 2 To become full:
Entry to see the show was free, so the seats filled
ing quickly or easily angry: When working un- very quickly.
der pressure, he is a fiery man. 3 Intense, with
few and a few
passion: The speaker's fiery speech produced a
rapid response. 4 Producing a burning sensa- Note the difference between few and a few:

tion in the throat: He cooked a fiery Mexican ðÜFew has a negative connotation:

meal for us. - Few people came to the party. It was boring.

fifteen /ˌfɪfˈtiːn/ [㐐] The number 15: You - He has few friends.

have fifteen minutes to finish the test. - I have very few CDs. I’m going to buy some more when
I have the money
fifteenth /ˌfɪfˈtiːnθ/ [㐍] Referring to fifteen:
ðÜA few has a more positive connotation:
Jane was born on May the fifteenth. ■ "Fifteenth"
- Can you lend me a few CDs?
can also be written "15th".
- I’m going to the movies tonight with a few friends.
fifth /fɪfθ/ [㐍] Referring to five: I'm the fifth boy
- I’ve been to the new swimming pool a few times. It’s
in my family. ■ "Fifth" can also be written "5th". really big.

fiftieth /ˈfɪf.ti.əθ/ [㐍] Referring to fifty: My This is a difference of attitude, not a difference in
amount.
grandparents celebrated their fiftieth wedding an-
Exactly the same principle applies with little and
niversary last month. ■ "Fiftieth" can also be written a little.

"50th".

fifty /ˈfɪf.ti/ [㐐] The number 50: They have a

country house about fifty miles from Denver.

fig /fɪg/ [㐗] A soft sweet brown fruit grown in

warm countries: Figs are green or yellow inside

and have lots of seeds. 㐀 See page 436.

fight1 /faɪt/ ❚ [㐗] 1 Two or more people trying

to hurt each other: A fight broke out during recess
between Rick and Paul. ❚ [㐖] 2 An attempt to
stop something or to achieve something despite

the difficulties: The fight against cancer must go

on.

fight2, fought, fought /faɪt/ [㐘] 1 To try to hurt

another person: I wouldn't like to have to fight in a

filling 148

a ◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to fill (something) in To finance2 /ˈfaɪnæns/ [㐘] To provide money for

b write answers or information in a questionnaire something: She can't find anybody to finance her
or form: We have to fill in a school form with our movie.
personal details. · to fill (something) up To fill financial /faɪˈnæn.tʃəl, fɪ-/ [㐀] That is connected
c something completely: "Fill up the tank, please" with money: Alice's father is a financial expert.
"How much gas do you want?". find, found, found /faɪnd/ [㐘] 1 To get or to see
d filling /ˈfɪlɪŋ/ ❚ [㐌] 1 The food inside a sandwich, something you are looking for: I found my keys in
a cake and so on: I like cakes with cream fillings. ❚ the end: they were in my other jacket; Can you find

e [㐗] 2 Something that a dentist puts in holes Wally in this picture?; I found the store in the end,
in teeth: The dentist said Beckie needed three fill- after walking around for 20 minutes. 2 To look for

f ings. and locate somebody: The police found him in the
film1 /fɪlm/ ❚ [㐌] 1 A story made for the movie park. ■ Compare with "meet" (to see somebody by
chance). 3 To produce a particular sensation for
g theater or for television: My favorite films are somebody: I found the movie really interesting. 4
westerns. ❚ [㐗] 2 The material used for mak-

h ing films or for taking photographs: I need a film to find it difficult To have difficulty doing some-
for my camera. 3 film star A famous movies actor thing: I find it difficult to understand her some-

i or actress: Marilyn Monroe was a big film star of times.
the 1950's. ◗ PHRASAL VERBS · to find (something) out To
discover a fact or hear a particular piece of news:
j film2 /fɪlm/ [㐘] To make a film of something: My I don't know Mary's address, but I can find it out;
father likes filming all our birthday parties. Today I found out that one of my classmates is Ik-
er's nephew. · to find (somebody) out To reveal
filter /ˈfɪl·tər/ [㐗] Something used for separat-
the truth about somebody: The Japans found him
k ing solid substances from liquids or from gases:
We need a new filter for the coffee machine.
l filthy /ˈfɪl.θi/ [㐀] Very dirty: Our playing clothes out because of his accent: they realized that he was
were really filthy after the game. ■ The comparative American.

m form is "filthier" and the superlative form is "filthiest". fine1 /faɪn/ [㐗] Money that you pay when you
fin /fɪn/ [㐗] The thin parts of a fish's body that break the law: Dad was given a fine for parking on

n help them move in the water: Some fish have very the corner.
large colorful fins. ■ Compare with "flipper" (part of fine2 /faɪn/ [㐀] 1 Well, in good health: I'm fine,

o the body of some sea animals, not fish). thank you. 2 Very good: Lawrence is a fine violin-

final1 /ˈfaɪnəl/ [㐀] Last: I didn't like the final part ist. 3 All right: That's fine. I don't want more french

p of the movie. fries. 4 Thin: I need a fine pencil for my drawing

final2 /ˈfaɪnəl/ [㐗] The last game in a competi- class.

q tion: The Super Bowl final this year is between Gi- finger /ˈfɪŋgər/ [㐗] 1 One of the five parts at
ants and Patriots. the end of your hands: The middle finger is the

r finally /ˈfaɪ.nə.li/ [㐄] 1 In the end, after some longest finger. ■ Compare with "toe" (at the end of
time or effort: We talked about the party for your feet). 㐀  See picture at hand. 2 keep your

s some time and finally agreed to have it on Fri- fingers crossed To wish that something will hap-
day. 2 Lastly: We had salad, steak and finally ice pen as you want: I hope my dad says "yes". Keep
cream. your fingers crossed.
t finance1 /ˈfaɪnæns/ [㐖] The management of fingernail /ˈfɪŋ·gərˌneɪl/ [㐗] The hard white
money: The Minister of Finance has promised more part that grows at the end of your fingers: Mary
u money for education.
always has very long, red fingernails. ■ Compare

v FINGER

w

x

y

z fingernails fingerprint fingertip