4000 Essential English Words 2e 5 (2nd Edition) 영영 Unit 1,2,3,4,5

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.

assassin

n. someone who murders an important person
An assassin killed Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968.

conspiracy

n. a secret plan that two or more people make together to do something harmful or illegal
The businessman thought there was a conspiracy among his coworkers to get him fired.

dome

n. a curved roof of a building
I looked up at the dome to admire its beauty.

agony

n. severe pain or suffering
The boy yelled in agony when the puppy bit him.

chapel

n. a building where people go to pray and worship God
We were married in a small wedding chapel in Las Vegas.

abrupt

adj. sudden or unexpected
When the dancer fell down on her back, the ballet came to an abrupt stop.

harass

v. to bother or attack them repeatedly
The young girl would often harass her baby brother.

inflame

v. to provoke or intensify something
The tax increase will inflame the public’s frustration with the government.

melody

n. a series of musical notes that form the main part of a song
I had the melody of the song stuck in my head all day.

coup

n. an uprising in which people try to overthrow the government
At the end of the 18th century, Napoleon Bonaparte staged a coup to overthrow a group that had control of France.

cynical

adj. unwilling to believe that people have good intentions
The man became cynical after being lied to many times.

beard

n. hair growing on man's chin
He loves his grandfather's hairy beard.

commentator

n. a person who gives opinions or describes something, often on TV or the radio
According to many commentators, this winter has been one of the coldest in the last century.

con

v. to trick that person into doing something or giving up money
It was unfair of the fortune teller to con me out of 500 dollars.

consensus

n. a general agreement among a group of people
The consensus among the children was that ghosts exist.

exclaim

v. to say something loudly, suddenly, and excitedly
The singer interrupted the applause to exclaim his thanks after his performance.

forum

n. an open public place in which meetings are held
The scientist shared her research at a special forum in the city.

glamour

n. a quality relating to riches, wealth, and beauty
The young woman showed off her glamour during the photo shoot.

beast

n. a large and dangerous animal
Tanzania is home to many famous beasts, such as lions, leopards, and hyenas.

illuminate

v. to shine light on or brighten something
In order to illuminate the stage, the crew turned on the spotlight.

evaluate

v. to study something, so a decision can be made
Jo and Ken evaluated the plan and agreed that it would work.

gymnasium

n. a building with equipment that you can use to get exercise
When I go to the gymnasium, I use the treadmill for twenty minutes.

essay

n. a short piece of writing on a certain subject
She had to write a two-page essay for her English class.

faint

v. to go unconscious and fall down
Carol fainted because she hadn’t eaten in over a day.

semester

n. a portion of a school year
Jack is in his second semester of college.

recent

adj. happened a short time ago
I did not know what had caused his recent behavior.

edit

v. to correct a piece of writing so that it is suitable to be published
She asked her brother to edit her paper before she submitted it to her teacher.

highlight

n. to mark something with a color so that it is easy to see
I read my vocabulary list and highlighted the most difficult words.

lecture

n. a long, educational speech
His lecture on world hunger was very informative.

weird

adj. not normal, usual, or regular; unusual or strange
Some weird sports don’t use balls at all.

private

adj. only used by one person or group
Don’t look at my diary! It’s private!

index

n. a list of words at the end of a book that gives information
If you look in the index, you’ll find the right page number.

resolution

n. a personal decision
At New Year, I made a list of resolutions to help me have a better year.

operate

v. to work or function
I’m sorry, but the trains are not operating today.

awhile

adv. for a short time
Wait here awhile, and I’ll bring some tea.

cyberspace

n. the imaginary place on the Internet where activities occur
I didn’t receive your email. It probably got lost in cyberspace.

global

adj. happening all around the world
Pollution is a global problem.

typewritten

adj. it is written on a computer or typewriter
This is an important, formal project and must be typewritten.

ignorant

adj. having no knowledge about something
I’m a bit ignorant about his theories. Can you explain them to me?

moral

v. a message at the end of a story that teaches you something
At the end of the story, the mother explained the moral to her children.