The Vocab Weekly_Issue _44

7/31/2019 The Vocab Weekly_Issue _44

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The Vocab Weekly

1 www.wordpandit.com Aug 24-Aug 31| Issue 44

Aghast

Aghast

If Phoenix birds were real, it would have been an amazing sight to see them rise from their ashes. It would have

been dumbfounding actually to see a legend come to life. All such legends that we have just red about, would

leave us aghast if they were to happen for real. It is an adjective and its first usage dates back to 13th century.

Pronunciation: uh-gast, uh-gahst

The dictionary definitions for aghast are as follows:

1) Struck with shock that cannot be conquered. (adjective)

2) Filled with amazement. (adjective)

3) Overpowered by sudden and immense fright or horror. (adjective)

Master tip to learn aghast:

Aghast can be easily learnt with the help of the word ghost. Although, the words neither sound similar nor have

the same meaning. However, seeing a ghost you would be aghast .i.e. filled with fright. Wouldnt you be?

Aghast can be used in following ways:

1) I was left aghast at watching a good performance by Britney Spears. (Adjective)

2) The play was so bad that the audience were aghast.

3) Harry Potter was aghast when Phoenix healed his wound with is tears.


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Cur

Cur

Its very rude to call anyone a cur, but your cowardly or mean behaviour can give you this name.

Pronunciation: kur

The dictionary definitions of cur are as follows:

1) A mongrel dog, a worthless or unfriendly one.

2) A mean and cowardly person.

3) A surly person

4) A mixed breed dog, the one that is ill-natured and in poor condition.

Master tip to learn cur:

Cur can be easily learnt with the help of the word curry, which is yummy and may be a cur can be made

yummy too, if cooked.

Cur can also be learnt while remembering that Shylock in Merchant of Venice says that Atonio has called him

a cur (dog) and also refuses to lend money to Antonio by saying that how can a dog have money to lend.

Cur can be used in following ways:

1) He was called a cur when he left his wife-to-be at altar. (Noun)

2) No one likes him for his cur like behaviour. (Adjective)


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Prestigious

Prestigious

Prestigious is all about prestige, prestige is all about honor. That is what this is simple equation is about.

Pronunciation: pres-ti-gious

Meanings of Prestigious

1. Having status or glamour

2. Impressive or influential

3. Having an illustrious reputation

Master tip to learn Prestigious

We all watch "prestigious" television awards or filmfare awards. we can remember prestigious from that.

Sentences examples for Prestigious

1. How did Krugman actually get a graduate degree, let alone win prestigious awards?

2. One wants to have tenure and as many publications in prestigious places as one can before the next group of

promising scholars looking for something "new" comes along.

4. Genre writers seem rarely to have faculty positions in prestigious programs.


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Rash

Rash

A word with many distinct definitions, and is having different contextual meanings in different contexts. Themost prominent meaning is reckless, that is disregarding the consequences of an action or a decision you are

making, and you might end up in jeopardizing yourself. People with Rash behavior have the tendency that

they do not ponder upon the decisions they are making, and ultimately face the ill- effects after that. Another

most common meaning of Rash is in context of skin disease that is a change of the skin which affects its color,

appearance or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause

the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cracked or blistered, swell and may be

painful. The causes, and therefore treatments for rashes, vary widely.

Pronunciation: rash

Meanings of Rash

1. Acting without due consideration or thought.2. Characterized by or resulting from excessive haste or impetuosity.

3. A series of unexpected and unpleasant occurrences.

Masters Tip to learn Rash

Look at people around who are suffering because of the Rash decisions they made in their life, or who are

subject to constant Rash behaviors. Such people are not liked, because their attitude is not acceptable and has

much deviation from the standard one.


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Succumb

Succumb

Surrender or Die? If everything is going against you and you have back to the wall, there will come a stage

when you lose the strength to fight. That stage, when you no longer can take, is the one where you succumb,

give in or put it a idiomatic manner, the walls cave in.

Pronunciation: suh-kuhm

Meaning of Succumb

1. To give way in face of the overwhelming force

2. To be fatally overwhelmed

3. To lose the determination to oppose something

4. To accept defeat

Master Tip to Learn Succumb

Think of the related word submit, as it means "to yield control." Succumb means you have submitted to

defeat. You have probably heard someone say, "I can't believe you succumbed to their demands. This

statement is in fact one of the most common ways of using this word.

Sentence examples for Succumb

1. He was determined not to succumb to temptation while on the diet.

2. After years of suffering, the man finally succumbed to his illness


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Xenophobia

Xenophobia

A person with this phobia will be really scared in hotels in alien cities or countries. However, a person with this

phobia would do really well in hostile situations, as he/she would be trained or used to avoid people not known.

It is a Noun. Xenophobia seems to have originated from a Greek word Xeno. X in xeno is pronounced as zeno.

This Greek word basically means something foreign, a foreigner (a person not known), alien, strange, stranger

and Greeks considered every stranger a guest. Hence, a house for guests or as we call it a hotel today was called

xenodocheion/xenodochium.

Pronunciation: zen-uh-foh-bee-uh, zee-nuh-

The dictionary definitions for xenophobia are as follows:

An unreasonable fear or hatred of strangers or of something strange/foreign.

Master tip to learn xenophobia:

Everyone in school must have read about a chemical element called xenon. The most distinctive feature of

xenon is that it is mostly unreactive, just like a person with xenophobia, unreactive/ not gelling with other

people. However, in this case it is due to fear, which eventually becomes a characteristic of a person just like a

property of xenon .i.e. unreactive.


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Work Out Zone

Work Out 1: Match the following words with their respective meanings or synonyms.

Word Meaning or Synonym

1 Aghast A cowardly

2 Cur B procrastination3 Prestigious C perish

4 Rash D honoured

5 Succumb E intolerance

6 Xenophobia F stunned

7 Shilly-shally G reckless

Work Out 2: Did you really understand the word?

1. The judgement left him aghast yes no

2. The man who fought bravely was called a cur. yes no

3. Prestigious positions are difficult to attain. yes no

4. Youngsters are usually rash drivers yes no

5. The kid succumbed to the disease. yes no

6. Xenophobia helped him adjust to the foreign location. yes no

7. The boss fired him because of his shilly-shally yes no


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Answers: Work Out Zone

Work Out 1

1-F, 2-A, 3-D, 4-G, 5-C, 6-E, 7-A

Work Out 2

1-yes, 2-no, 3-yes, 4-yes, 5-yes, 6-no, 7-yes


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The Vocab Weekly_Issue _44