arbiter
(of something) a person with the power or influence to make judgements and decide what will be done or accepted
The law is the final arbiter of what is considered obscene.
outmoded
no longer fashionable or useful
hubris
the fact of being too proud. In literature, a character with this quality ignores warnings and laws and this usually results in their downfall and death.
enervate
[] somebody to make somebody feel weak and tired
cliché
a phrase or an idea that has been used so often that it no longer has much meaning and is not interesting
purview
(formal) within/outside the limits of what a person, an organization, etc. is responsible for; dealt/ not dealt with by a document, law, etc.
trimester
*(medical)* a period of three months during the time when a woman is pregnant
(North American English)
(also term especially in British English)
one of the three periods in the year during which classes are held in schools, universities, etc.
scarf
a piece of cloth that is worn around the neck, for example for warmth or decoration. Women also wear scarves over their shoulders or hair
to eat a lot of something quickly
visceral
(literary) resulting from strong feelings rather than careful thought
(anatomy) relating to the large organs inside the body, especially the intestines
awry
if something goes awry, it does not happen in the way that was planned
not in the right position
exult
to feel and show that you are very excited and happy because of something that has happened
antiphon
(in traditional Western Christian liturgy) a short sentence sung or recited before or after a psalm or canticle.
tenable
(of a theory, an opinion, etc.) easy to defend against attack or criticism
[not before noun] (of a job, position, etc., especially in a university) that can be held for a particular period of time
deadening
making something such as a sound, a feeling, etc. less strong
monolithic
used to describe large single vertical blocks of stone, especially ones that were shaped into a column by people living in ancient times, and that may have had some religious meaning
*(often disapproving)* used to describe single, very large organizations that are very slow to change and not interested in individual people
cogitate
(about/on something) to think carefully about something
intracellular
located or occurring within a cell or cells.
traction
the action of pulling something along a surface; the power that is used for doing this
a way of treating a broken bone in your body that involves using special equipment to pull the bone gradually back into its correct place
the force that stops something, for example the wheels of a vehicle, from sliding on the ground
the extent to which an idea, a product, etc. becomes popular or gains support
reams
[plural] (informal) a large quantity of writing
[countable] (specialist) 500 sheets of paper
conscience
[countable, uncountable] the part of your mind that tells you whether your actions are right or wrong
[uncountable, countable] a guilty feeling about something you have done or failed to do
[uncountable] the fact of behaving in a way that you feel is right even though this may cause problems
smithy
a place where a blacksmith works
loomed
[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to appear as a large shape that is not clear, especially in a frightening way
[intransitive] (of something bad) to appear serious and likely to happen soon
paralytic
[not before noun] (British English, informal) very drunk
[usually before noun] (formal) affected by paralysis; making somebody unable to move
carol
a Christian religious song sung at Christmas
grueling
very difficult and making you very tired, needing great effort for a long time
trajectory
the curved path of something that has been fired, hit or thrown into the air
ambition
[countable] something that you want to do or achieve very much
[uncountable] the desire or strength of mind to be successful, rich, powerful, etc.
surreal
very strange; more like a dream than reality, with ideas and images mixed together in a strange way
biweekly
produced or happening every two weeks or twice each week
oncology
the scientific study of and treatment of tumors in the body
inflected/inflection (verb/noun)
[intransitive] if a word [], its ending or spelling changes according to its grammatical function in a sentence; if a language [], it has words that do this
a change in how high or low your voice is as you are speaking
indignant
feeling or showing anger and surprise because you think that you have been treated unfairly
prosody
(specialist) the patterns of sounds and rhythms in poetry; the study of this
(phonetics) the part of phonetics that deals with stress and intonation as opposed to individual speech sounds
dismal
causing or showing the feeling of being sad
paragon
a person who is perfect or who is a perfect example of a particular good quality
psychiatric
relating to mental illnesses
intractable
(of a problem or a person) very difficult to deal with
neuromodulation
delivering electrical signals to the brain
ineluctable
that you cannot avoid
spate
[] of something a large number of things, which are usually unpleasant, that happen suddenly within a short period of time
despondency
a feeling of being sad and without much hope
apse
a small area in a church, often in the shape of a semicircle and usually at the east end of the building
convolution
a thing that is very complicated and difficult to follow
a twist or curve, especially one of many
brittle
hard but easily broken
(of a sound) hard and sharp in an unpleasant way
apocryphal
(of a story) well known, but probably not true
allotted
to give time, money, tasks, etc. to somebody/something as a share of what is available
tureen
a large, deep dish with a lid (= cover), used for serving vegetables or soup
oncologist
a doctor who studies and treats tumors in the body
metastases
the development of tumors in different parts of the body resulting from cancer that has started in another part of the body; one of these tumors
battery
[countable] battery (of something) a large number of things or people of the same type
[countable] (specialist) a number of large guns that are used together
[countable] (British English)(often used as an adjective)a large number of small cages that are joined together and are used for keeping chickens, etc. in on a farm
[uncountable] (law) the crime of attacking somebody physically
volition
the power to choose something freely or to make your own decisions
psychogenic
having a psychological (mental) origin or cause rather than a physical one.
esoteric
likely to be understood or enjoyed by only a few people with a special knowledge or interest
dwindle
to become gradually less or smaller
spiel
a speech that somebody has used many times that is intended to persuade you to believe something or buy something
antiseptic
a substance that helps to prevent infection in wounds by killing bacteria
hubbub
the loud sound made by a lot of people talking at the same time
a situation in which there is a lot of noise, excitement and activity
frontal
connected with the front of something
(medical) connected with the front part of the head
benign
(formal) (of people) kind and gentle; not hurting anybody
lobe
(also earlobe)
the soft part at the bottom of the ear
a part of an organ in the body, especially the lungs or brain
sheen
a soft smooth shiny quality
instilled
to gradually put an idea or attitude into somebody's mind; to make somebody feel, think or behave in a particular way over a period of time
levity
behaviour that shows a lack of respect for something serious and that treats it with humour
juridical
connected with the law, judges or legal matters
pasty
pale and not looking healthy
a small pie containing meat and/or vegetables
battered
old, used a lot, and not in very good condition
attacked violently or repeatedly and injured
[usually before noun] attacked and badly damaged by weapons or by bad weather
[usually before noun] (of food) covered in batter and fried
sheared
[transitive] shear something to cut the wool off a sheep
[intransitive, transitive] shear (something) (off) (specialist) (especially of metal) to break under pressure; to cut through something and make it break
amid
in the middle of or during something, especially something that causes excitement or fear
surrounded by something
solace
a feeling of emotional comfort when you are sad or disappointed; a person or thing that makes you feel better or happier when you are sad or disappointed
meager
small in quantity and poor in quality
dehiscent
(of a pod or wound) characterized by splitting or bursting open.
truculent
tending to argue or become angry; slightly aggressive
singly
alone; one at a time
rote
the process of learning something by repeating it until you remember it rather than by understanding the meaning of it
formalism
a style or method in art, music, literature, etc. that pays more attention to the rules and the correct arrangement and appearance of things than to inner meaning and feelings
vengeful
showing a desire to punish somebody who has harmed you
inexorable
(of a process) that cannot be stopped or changed
discharge
[transitive, often passive] to allow somebody to leave hospital because they are well enough to leave
gurney
a type of trolley that is used for moving patients in a hospital
pandora’s box
a process that, if started, will cause many problems
neurosurgeon
a doctor who performs operations on the nervous system (the system of all the nerves in the body that carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body), especially the brain
resuscitated
[] somebody/something to make somebody start breathing again or become conscious again after they have almost died
trauma
[uncountable] (psychology) a mental condition caused by severe shock, stress or fear, especially when the harmful effects last for a long time
[uncountable, countable] (medical) an injury
arteries
any of the tubes that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body
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