Learn English Vocabulary - via Word of the Day

elope [ ih-LOHP  ][ intransitive verb ]MEANING :1. to secretly run off with a lover with the intention of getting married
2. to abscond
3. to leave without permissionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The couple eloped and got married because the boy's parents did not approve of the girl's ethnicity. USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Taliban gunmen executed a young couple for trying to elope in rural Afghanistan, a local police chief told CNN Tuesday.

pall [ pawl ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) a coffin or the cloth used to cover a coffin or tomb
2. (n.) something that overspreads with gloom or shrouds with melancholy
3. (n.) a covering that darkens or obscures
4. (tr. v.) to cover with
5. (tr. v.) to satiate
6. (tr. v.) to make vapid or wearisome
7. (intr. v.) to have an effect that is boring or wearisomeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :When their grandfather passed away they buried him in an expensive mahogany pall with cushioned satin lining.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Markland's wife Corallee and sons Keelen, 10, and Logan, seven, waited outside the church as pall bearers lifted his coffin inside to the sounds of Amazing Grace.

plausible [ PLAW-zuh'-buh'l ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. believable or having a ring of truth to it
2. credible or seemingly worthy of acceptance or approval
3. smooth-talking or giving a deceptive impression of reliability or truth USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He was given the benefit of the doubt because his explanation seemed plausible.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :"The most plausible hypothesis is that Rudy decided by himself to enter Meredith's room," the report said.

insinuate [ in-SIN-yoo-eyt ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to shyly hint at or convey
2. (tr. v.) to artfully or subtly introduce or instil
3. (intr. v.) to make subtle hints or suggestionsUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :In all his election campaign speeches he insinuated that his opponent was unethical and dishonest.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :To insinuate, without irony, that the 'dual loyalty' canard as applied to American Jews who support an assertive foreign policy is a serious hypothesis, lies beyond moral obtuseness.

hegemony [ hi-JEM-uh'-nee, HEJ-uh'-moh-nee ][ noun ]MEANING :1. leadership or predominance
2. leadership exercised by one nation over others
3. aggression or expansionism to achieve world dominationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :They were resorting to unethical means to attain political hegemony.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :In an attempt to preserve the integrity of what effective drugs we have left, the medical profession has been left to challenge the hegemony of illnesses on the mutating march armed only with alcohol-based hand-wash and pleas for abstinence from antibiotics.

affliction [ uh'-FLIK-shuh'n ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a condition or the cause of pain and suffering
2. grief or distress
3. a state of physical or mental distressUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Most of the villagers believed that their afflictions were the result of having done something that displeased their deity.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, is actually a collection of diseases and conditions, not one particular affliction.

thematic [ thee-MAT-ik ][ noun ]MEANING :1. related to or pertaining to a topic
2. pertaining to the stem of a wordUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :They conducted a series of thematic discourses which provided guidance and counselling to students who had graduated.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The gallery said the drawings offered "close thematic and formal comparisons with The Dream".

disperse [ dih-SPURS ][ adjective, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to drive off in all directions or to scatter
2. (tr. v.) to disseminate or spread over a wide area
3. (tr. v.) to cause to vanish or to dispel
4. (intr. v.) to move apart in different directions without any order or to become scattered
5. (intr. v.) to be scattered out of sight or to make vanishUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The police could not disperse the crowd as more supporters joined the fray with every passing minute.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Twenty to thirty Palestinian men threw rocks at security forces who used tear gas to try and disperse them, said Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

pervasive [ per-VEY-siv ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. becoming spread throughout all parts of
2. having the quality of being widespread or the tendency of spreadingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The pervasive aroma of good food made his mouth water.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :It clearly did to David de Rothschild, one of the youngest members of the famous banking dynasty, who has taken it upon himself to show the world how pervasive the global plastic waste problem has become

reprise [ ri-PRAHYZ; ruh'-PREEZ ][ noun, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) a repetition or resumption of a theme or action
2. (n.) a recurrence or a return to the first theme
3. (n.) an annuity or annual payment
4. (tr. v.) to repeat or execute a repetition of
5. (tr. v.) to resume an actionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :At the end of the meeting the secretary was asked for a reprise of the main points that were discussed.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :As previously reported Shane Ritchie will reprise his role as the East End lovable rogue Alfie and Jessie will return as the brash, tart with a heart, Kat Moon.

docile [ DOS-uh'l; Brit. DOH-sahyl ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. easily managed or teachable
2. easily handled or taught
3. yielding to supervisionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He said that his pet dog was docile and would not bite or growl at anyone.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :Steve, a freshwater crocodile known to be more docile than its saltwater cousin, can be seen swimming or enjoying the tropical sun near the par-five second or par-three 17th holes, which tee off over his lake.

coup [ koo ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a clever action or accomplishment
2. a very successful move or a brilliantly executed stratagem
3. a takeover or a sudden appropriation of power or leadershipUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The presidency had to be won in a free and fair election and not by a coup.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The protesters are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006.

cognate [ KOG-neyt ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) related by birth or descended from the same parentage
2. (adj.) descended from the same language
3. (adj.) similar or allied in nature or quality
4. (n.) a person or thing related by origin or by blood with another
3. (n.) a word in one language related to a word in another languageUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The pauper was actually a cognate of the prince that is why their features were so amazingly similar.USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :No exchanges between Poland and Germany either on Danzig or cognate subjects have taken place

furor [ FYOO'R-awr ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a general disorder or general commotion
2. violent anger
3. a public outburst of excitement or ecstasy or a state of intense enthusiasm
4. a craze or fad. (Also, especially British, furore)USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The poison pen letters circulating the campus created a furor among the students and had to be suppressed. USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :The ongoing foreclosure spectacle in the US, and the public furor it has stoked, probably won’t help Mozilo’s case.