Learn English Vocabulary - via Word of the Day

Plumb [ pluhm  ][ noun, verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) lead hung on a string to establish the vertical line or to determine the depth of water
2. (adj.) exactly vertical or perpendicular
3. (intr. v.) to work as a plumber
4. (tr. v.) to make vertical
5. (tr. v.) to examine closelyUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He was an experienced fisherman and would plumb the depth of the lake where he intended to fish.

Rapture [ RAP-cher  ][ noun, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) joyful ecstasy or delight
2. (n.) the carrying of a person to another place or plane of existence
3. (tr. v.) to entranceUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Tourists climbed the hill to take in the rapture of the setting sun.

Subside [ suh'b-SAHYD  ][ intransitive verb ]MEANING :1. to abate or become less severe
2. to precipitate or sink to the bottom
3. to fall to a lower level or to become quiet or less violentUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :As soon as the laughter subsided, the comedian cracked another joke which had the audience in splits once again.

Dissipate [ DIS-uh'-peyt  ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to spread out or disperse
2. (tr. v.) to squander, use up or spend wastefully
3. (intr. v.) to vanish or become invisible
4. (intr. v.) indulge in the intemperate pursuit of pleasureUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The farmer dissipated the seeds over the ploughed area of the field.

Oratorio [ awr-uh'-TAWR-ee-oh  ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a musical composition for voices and orchestra portraying a sacred story enacted without costumes, scenery, or dramatic actionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The students performed the oratorio composed by the music teacher on the life of a martyr.

Garish [ GAIR-ish, GAR-  ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. crudely showy or tastelessly colourful
2. elaborate or excessively ornate
3. gaudy or dressed in bright coloursUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Due to the absence of a formal dress code, many students wore garish clothes to college.

Purvey [ per-VEY ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to supply provisions
2. to publicizeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Volunteers would purvey provisions and medicines to the survivors of the deluge.

Poncho [ PON-choh ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a square or rectangular piece of cloth with a hole in the centre for the head- used as a cloakUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :She adjusted her poncho before swinging onto the back of her horse.

Palpability [  PAL-puh'-buh'l-it-ee  ][ noun ]MEANING :1. (n.) the act of sensing by touchUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Many people prefer reading a book to an e-book to appease their sense of palpability.

Redeem [ ri-DEEM ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to recover possession of by paying the dues
2. to pay off
3. to save from sins
4. to make up for
5. to tender in exchange forUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :As soon as he got his salary, he redeemed his property from the money-lender.

Stigma [ STIG-muh' ][ noun ]MEANING :1. the mark of dishonour
2. the stain of shameUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :After testing positive for HIV, he said that he did not want to live any longer because of the social stigma attached to the disease.

Sublime [ suh'-BLAHYM ][ noun, verb, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) absolute or sheer
2. (adj.) high or grand in thought
3. (adj.) stir the mind with a sense of grandeur
4. (n.) the quality of the greatest
5. to convert a solid into vapour by heatingUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The young executive impressed everyone at the meeting with his sublime acumen and knowledge of the intricacies of the management process.

Mundane [  muhn-DEYN  ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) worldly or earthly
2. (adj.) commonplace, unimaginary or ordinaryUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Mundane household chores barely left her with any time for herself.

Codify [ KOD-uh-fahy, KOH-duh- ][ transitive verb ]MEANING :1. to reduce to a code
2. to systematize, classify or arrangeUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :All rules were codified into the rule book to aid people to understand them better.

Careen [ kuh'-Reen ][ intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (intr. v.) to swerve while moving
2. (intr. v.) to rush headlong and carelessly
3. (intr. v.) to tilt or lean
4. (tr. v.) to cause to lean or tiltUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The speeding car careened off the road and fell into the gully.