4000 Essential English Words 2e 5 (2nd Edition) 영영 Unit 1,2,3

subtle

adj. not easy to see or notice
The handsome man has a subtle smile.

contemporary

adj. related to the present time
Contemporary scientists have learned quite a bit about DNA.

rapid

adj. moving or changing very quickly
His mother was surprised by her son’s rapid growth.

vary

v. to be different from another thing in size or amount
The heights of the people in my class vary by a large amount.

palate

n. the top part of the mouth
You can touch your palate with your tongue.

soothing

adj. making you calm or relaxed
The soothing music helped the baby fall asleep.

condensed

adj. made thicker
One way to make a dessert thick and sweet is to use condensed milk.

plantation

n. a big farm that only grows certain kinds of crops
In the 1800s, there were many cotton plantations in the southern US.

odor

n. a very distinct smell
He knew there was a leak when he noticed the strong odor of natural gas.

paradise

n. the place or condition of happiness where things are perfect
My vacation in Hawaii was like being in paradise.

cluster

n. a small group of them placed close together
She held a large cluster of grapes in her hand.

cultivate

n. to care for plants and help them grow
A research company is cultivating new kinds of rice to aid poor countries.

combine

v. to join together to make a single thing or group
Mina combined peanut butter and jelly to make a sandwich.

divine

adj. related to gods
Legends say that music was given to humans as a divine gift from the gods.

aroma

n. a scent or smell
I love the aroma of coffee in the morning.

rate

n. the speed at which something happens
Grass tends to grow at a very slow rate.

beverage

n. a drink
The waiter brought our beverages first. Then he brought our food.

humid

adj. there is a lot of water in the air
It is very humid inside a sauna.

texture

n. the way its surface looks and feels
The texture of a rock found in the water is typically very smooth.

toxic

adj. poisonous and very dangerous
Please check the label to see if the product is toxic.

conscience

n. inner sense of what is right and wrong
I recycle everything I can, so my conscience is clear!

fiery

adj. burning strongly
The fiery blaze burned all night long.

paddle

n. a piece of wood or plastic that moves a boat across water
Put your paddle in the water and pull hard to make the boat move.

steward

n. a person like a waiter who serves food on planes and ships
The steward is bringing some tea.

character

n. personality
My sister’s character is fun and very outgoing.

loop

n. a line made into the shape of a circle
He made a loop with the rope and placed it over the post.

wreck

v. to destroy or ruin it
The teenagers wrecked the house for no reason at all.

admiral

n. someone who controls many military ships
They won the sea battle because of the admiral’s great leadership.

flesh

n. the muscle and fat on your body
The zebra’s flesh is covered by black and white skin.

thorn

n. a sharp part of a plant
Be careful of the thorns when you pick the roses!

stake

n. a small, sharp piece of wood or metal that is put into the ground
We marked our property by placing stakes into the ground.

escape

v. to succeed in getting away from something
She tried to escape from the building.

arc

n. a curved shape
A rainbow is an arc of colored bands across the sky.

grapefruit

n. a fruit similar to an orange, but bigger and not as sweet
Would you like a grapefruit with your breakfast?

hay

n. dry grass used to feed animals and can be used for different purposes
I need to buy some more hay for the horse to eat.

middle

n. the center and with an equal number of things on each side
I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night.

string

n. a thin piece of fabric or rope
I found a large ball of string.

horrified

adj. very shocked and feel upset
I was horrified when I read about the old lady who was attacked.

sour

adj. having a sharp and unpleasant taste
I don’t like lemons because I think they are too sour.

kerosene

n. a type of oil used in some lamps and stoves
Many people in poor countries cook on kerosene stoves.

immense

adj. very large
An immense amount of money was needed to buy such a large boat.

switch

v. to change it to something else
Mom switched the TV station from the news to her favorite show.

pinpoint

v. to locate it exactly
The navigation system in my car is able to pinpoint my exact location.

admonish

v. to tell someone you disapprove of their behavior
The teacher admonished Mark because he was chewing gum in class.

awesome

adj. impressive or frightening
The huge military plane was an awesome sight.

option

n. a choice between two or more things
The children were given the option of three houses to pick from.

perfect

adj. without any mistakes
She got all the questions right, so her score was perfect.

torment

v. to cause them to suffer on purpose
She tormented her little brother by taking his favorite toy.

brag

v. to talk of one's abilities or achievements in a proud way
He had strong muscles and bragged about them to the entire class.

idiot

n. a person who is not smart or who has done something silly
Because he got lost in the forest, the man felt like an idiot.

conscious

adj. aware of it
The new student was conscious of the other students staring at her.

eventual

adj. it will happen at the end of a series of events
The constant training and planning led the team to an eventual victory.

hint

n. information that suggests something will happen or is true
I quietly passed on a hint to my sister about the test.

beware

n. to be careful of something or someone that is dangerous
You should beware of driving fast on wet roads.

pastime

n. an activity that you do often for fun
In the US, baseball is considered a national pastime.

audible

adj. capable of being heard; loud enough to be heard
Yes, you’re speaking loud enough to be audible.

disagree

v. to have a different opinion from someone
The lawyers disagreed about the best way to settle the case.

echo

n. a sound repeats itself because it bounced off an object
The child yelled over the canyon, and the sound echoed off the wall.

indirect

adj. it is not the easiest or straightest way
He chose to take the most indirect route to the coast.

thorough

adj. complete or done carefully
Tina did a thorough job of cleaning the stains out of the carpet.