English Vocabulary

enimmäkseen vanhoista yo-tehtävistä + oppikirjasta

pernicious

having a very harmful effect or influence

fiscal

relating to public money or other financial matters; relating to government finance and taxes

red tape

official rules and processes that seem unnecessary and delay results

retrofitting

the act of providing a machine with a part, or a place with equipment, that the machine or place did not have when it was built

neonatal

of or for babies that were born recently

white hat hacker

a hacker who has morally good reasons for doing this

blubber

the thick layer of fat under the skin of sea mammals, such as whales, that keeps them warm; to cry in a noisy way like a child

grassroots; grassroots movement

involving the ordinary people in a society or organization; type of movement that attempts to mobilize individuals to take some action to influence an outcome, often of a political nature

galvanize

to cause someone to suddenly take action, especially by shocking or exciting them in some way

put someone up

to provide someone with a place to stay temporarily

call (in) on someone

to visit someone for a short time

trickle

If liquid trickles somewhere, it flows slowly and without force in a thin line

wind down (wind, wound, wound)

to end gradually or in stages, or to cause something to end in this way

tenacity

the determination to continue what you are doing

saunter

to walk in a slow and relaxed way, often in no particular direction

nascent

only recently formed or started, but likely to grow larger quickly

tepid

(of liquid) not very warm, or (of feelings or actions) not very strong

trickle-down

relating to the idea that poor people experience positive effects when rich people get richer and spend more money

impoverishment

the condition of being or becoming very poor, or the act of making someone very poor; the act or result of making something weaker or worse in quality

proprietary

relating to owning something, or relating to or like an owner

ardent

showing strong feelings

insidious

(of something unpleasant or dangerous) gradually and secretly causing harm

panache

a stylish, original, and very confident way of doing things that makes people admire you

dissemble

to hide your real intentions and feelings or the facts

apparatus

a set of equipment or tools or a machine that is used for a particular purpose

audit

to make an official examination of the accounts of a business and produce a report; to go to a class or educational course for pleasure or interest, without being tested or receiving a grade at the end

contend

to compete in order to win something; to say that something is true or is a fact

contention

the disagreement that results from opposing arguments; an opinion expressed in an argument

coup

an unexpectedly successful achievement

doctrine

a belief or set of beliefs, especially political or religious ones, that are taught and accepted by a particular group

interim

temporary and intended to be used or accepted until something permanent exists

militia

a military force whose members are trained soldiers but who often have other jobs

endowment

something that you have from birth, often a quality; money that is given to a college, hospital, etc. in order to provide it with an income, or the giving of this money

floret

a small flower, especially one of the small flowers that is part of a larger flower

dinghy

a small open boat

cryptozoology

the study of and search for animals and especially legendary animals (such as Sasquatch) usually in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence

prosaic

without interest, imagination, and excitement

purview

the limit of someone's responsibility, interest, or activity

ample

more than enough

self-aggrandizing

doing or saying things to make yourself seem more powerful or important

don

to put on a piece of clothing

quintessentially

in a way that is the most typical example or most important part of something

galore

in great amounts or numbers

collocate

(of words and phrases) to often be used together in a way that sounds correct to people who have spoken the language all their lives, but might not be expected from the meaning

constituency

one of the official areas of a country that elects someone to represent it in a parliament or legislature; a group of people who support, or are likely to support, a particular person, product, suggestion, etc.

electorate

all the people who are allowed to vote

superintendent

a person who is in charge of work done in a particular department, office, etc., or who is responsible for keeping a building or place in good condition; a British police officer of high rank

tenure

being the legal owner of land, a job, or an official public position, or the period of time during which you own it; the right to remain permanently in a job

trustee

a person, often one of a group, who controls property and/or money for another person or an organization

eutrophication

the addition of nutrients to water in lakes and rivers, which encourages plant growth that can take oxygen from the water and kill fish and other animals (rehevöityminen)

garbled

If words or messages are garbled, they are not clear and are very difficult to understand, often giving a false idea of the facts

contemptuous

expressing or feeling a lack of respect

flagrant

(of a bad action, situation, person, etc.) shocking because of being so obvious

oration

a formal public speech about a serious subject

libel

a piece of writing that contains bad and false things about a person

negligible

too slight or small in amount to be of importance

strenuous

needing or using a lot of physical or mental effort or energy

astute

able to understand a situation quickly and see how to take advantage of it

insipid

(of food) lacking a strong taste or character, or (of people, activities, or entertainment) lacking in interest or energy

relinquish

to give up something such as a responsibility or claim; to unwillingly stop holding or keeping something

curtsy

to bend quickly at the knees, with one foot in front of the other, especially to show respect. This is traditionally done in formal situations, especially by women and girls

stow

to put something in a place where it can be kept safely

halter

a piece of rope or a leather strap that is tied around an animal's head so that it can be led by someone or tied to something

croon

to sing or talk in a sweet, low voice full of emotion

turnstile

a device that controls the way into or out of a building, room, or area of land, especially one that you have to pay to enter. It is a post with a number of short poles sticking out from it that have to be pushed round as each person walks through the entrance

mesa

a mountain with a large, flat top and steep sides, of the type found in the western and southwestern United States

plateau

a large flat area of land that is high above sea level; a period during which there are no large changes

hubbub

a loud noise, especially caused by a lot of people all talking at the same time; general excitement and activity (hubbub of something)

obsolete

not in use any more, having been replaced by something newer and better or more fashionable

expansive

very happy to talk to people in a friendly way; covering a large area

ponderous

slow and awkward because of being very heavy or large, or (esp. of speech or writing) boring and difficult

emaciated

very thin and weak, usually because of illness or extreme hunger