elicit
verb [ T ]
formal
UK/iˈlɪs.ɪt/ US/iˈlɪs.ɪt/
to get or produce something, especially information or a reaction
Have you managed to elicit a response from them yet?
unscathed
adjective [ after verb ]
UK/ʌnˈskeɪðd/ US/ʌnˈskeɪðd/
without injuries or damage being caused
Her husband died in the accident but she, amazingly, escaped unscathed.
If you are unscathed after a dangerous experience, you have not been injured or harmed by it.
capita
UK/ˈkæp.ɪ.tə/ US/ˈkæp.ɪ.t̬ə/
→ per capita formal
If you express an amount per capita, you mean that amount for each person.
France and Germany invest far more per capita in public transport than Britain.
prestigious
adjective
UK/presˈtɪdʒ.əs/ US/presˈtɪdʒ.əs/
C1
very much respected and admired, usually because of being important
A prestigious institution, job, or activity is respected and admired by people.
a prestigious literary award
bustling
adjective
UK/ˈbʌs.lɪŋ/ US/ˈbʌs.lɪŋ/
If a place is bustling, it is full of busy activity.
promenade
noun [ C ]
UK/ˌprɒm.əˈnɑːd/ US/ˌprɑː.məˈneɪd/
(informal prom)
a path for walking on, especially one built next to the sea
We strolled along on the promenade eating ice creams.
coronation
noun [ C ]
UK/ˌkɒr.əˈneɪ.ʃən/ US/ˌkɔːr.əˈneɪ.ʃən/
a ceremony at which a person is made king or queen
benign
adjective
UK/bɪˈnaɪn/ US/bɪˈnaɪn/
benign adjective (PERSON)
pleasant and kind
You use benign to describe someone who is kind, gentle, and harmless.
Singaporeans, especially from the ruling elite, tend to have a rather benign view of Great Britain and its monarchy
sever
verb [ T ]
UK/ˈsev.ər/ US/ˈsev.ɚ/
to break or separate, especially by cutting
To sever something means to cut completely through it or to cut it completely off.
catalyst
noun [ C ]
UK/ˈkæt.əl.ɪst/ US/ˈkæt̬.əl.ɪst/
chemistry specialized
something that makes a chemical reaction happen more quickly without itself being changed
Jamaica and Belize -- are openly considering severing their links with the British monarchy, and some have suggested the Queen's death could be a catalyst for this move.
trudge
verb [ I usually + adv/prep ]
UK/trʌdʒ/ US/trʌdʒ/
C2
to walk slowly with a lot of effort, especially over a difficult surface or while carrying something heavy
If you trudge somewhere, you walk there slowly and with heavy steps, especially because you are tired or unhappy.
" And, without saying anything more, I looked across the ridges of sand that were stretched out before us in the moonlight.
enchantment
noun
UK/ɪnˈtʃɑːnt.mənt/ US/ɪnˈtʃænt.mənt/
enchantment noun (MAGIC)
[ C ]
something that is thought to have magical power over someone
If you say that something has enchantment, you mean that it makes you feel great delight or pleasure. Your enchantment with something is the fact of your feeling great delight and pleasure because of it.
In fairy stories and legends, an enchantment is a magic spell.
But it cast an enchantment over that house. My home was hiding a secret in the depths of its heart
nourishment
noun [ U ]
UK/ˈnʌr.ɪʃ.mənt/ US/ˈnɝː.ɪʃ.mənt/
food that you need to grow and stay healthy
If something provides a person, animal, or plant with nourishment, it provides them with the food that is necessary for life, growth, and good health.
This water was indeed a different thing from ordinary nourishment.
reassure
verb [ T ]
UK/ˌriː.əˈʃɔːr/ US/-ˈʃʊr/
C1
to comfort someone and stop them from worrying
If you feel reassured, you feel less worried about something, usually because you have received help or advice.
But I was not reassured. I remembered the fox. One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed..
asunder
adverb
literary
UK/əˈsʌn.dər/ US/əˈsʌn.dɚ/
into forcefully separated pieces
If something tears or is torn asunder, it is violently separated into two or more parts or pieces.
Their lives were torn asunder by the tragedy.
I stopped in my tracks, my heart torn asunder; but still I did not understand.
headlong
adverb, adjective
UK/ˈhed.lɒŋ/ US/ˈhed.lɑːŋ/
[ before noun ]
with great speed or without thinking
If you move headlong in a particular direction, you move there very quickly.
abyss
noun [ C usually singular ]
UK/əˈbɪs/ US/əˈbɪs/
abyss noun [C usually singular] (HOLE)
literary
a very deep hole that seems to have no bottom
An abyss is a very deep hole in the ground.
If someone is on the edge or brink of an abyss, they are about to enter into a very frightening or threatening situation.
A very great difference between two people, things, or groups can be referred to as an abyss.
and yet it seemed to me that he was rushing headlong toward an abyss from which I could do nothing to restrain him...
shabby
adjective
UK/ˈʃæb.i/ US/ˈʃæb.i/
shabby adjective (BAD CONDITION)
C1
looking old and in bad condition because of being used for a long time or not being cared for
Shabby things or places look old and in bad condition.
It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you..."
afterthought
noun [ C usually singular ]
UK/ˈɑːf.tə.θɔːt/ US/ˈæf.tɚ.θɑːt/
an idea, thought, or plan that was not originally intended but is thought of at a later time
If you do or say something as an afterthought, you do or say it after something else as an addition, perhaps without careful thought.
Almost as an afterthought he added that he missed her.
laughter
noun [ U ]
UK/ˈlɑːf.tər/ US/ˈlæf.tɚ/
the act or sound of laughing
Laughter is the sound of people laughing, for example because they are amused or happy.
absent-minded
adjective
UK/ˌæb.səntˈmaɪn.dɪd/ US/ˌæb.səntˈmaɪn.dɪd/
Someone who is absent-minded often forgets things or does not pay attention to what is happening near them because they are thinking about other things.
indulgence
noun
UK/ɪnˈdʌl.dʒəns/ US/ɪnˈdʌl.dʒəns/
[ C or U ]
an occasion when you allow someone or yourself to have something enjoyable, especially more than is good for you
Indulgence means treating someone with special kindness, often when it is not a good thing.
lieutenant
noun [ C ]lieutenant
美: [luˈtenənt] 英: [lefˈtenənt]
(also Lieutenant)
(the title of) an officer of middle rank in the armed forces
A lieutenant is an officer of low rank in the army, navy, marines, or air force, or in the American police force.
Spaniard
noun [ C ]
UK/ˈspæn.jəd/ US/ˈspæn.jɚd/
a person from Spain
What became of my second brother I never knew, any more than my father or mother knew what became of me.
birch
noun
UK/bɜːtʃ/ US/bɝːtʃ/
birch noun (TREE)
[ C ]
a tree with smooth, often white bark (= outer covering) and thin branches
daffodil
noun [ C ]
UK/ˈdæf.ə.dɪl/ US/ˈdæf.ə.dɪl/
a yellow, bell-shaped flower with a long stem that is commonly seen in the spring
menagerie
noun [ C ]
UK/məˈnædʒ.ər.i/ US/məˈnædʒ.ɚ.i/
a collection of wild animals that are kept privately or to show to the public
A menagerie is a collection of wild animals.
budgie
noun [ C ]
UK/ˈbʌdʒ.i/ US/ˈbʌdʒ.i/
(formal budgerigar)
a small, brightly coloured bird, often kept as a pet
Budgerigars are small, brightly-coloured birds from Australia that people often keep as pets.
marmalade
noun [ U ]
UK/ˈmɑː.mə.leɪd/ US/ˈmɑːr.mə.leɪd/
a soft substance with a sweet but slightly bitter taste, made by cooking fruit such as oranges with sugar to preserve it. It is eaten on bread, usually for breakfast.
sling
verb [ T usually + adv/prep ]
UK/slɪŋ/ US/slɪŋ/
slung | slung
sling verb [T usually + adv/prep] (THROW)
informal
to throw or drop something carelessly
If you sling something somewhere, you throw it there carelessly.
twitch
verb
UK/twɪtʃ/ US/twɪtʃ/
twitch verb (MOVE SLIGHTLY)
[ I or T ]
(to cause) to make a sudden small movement with a part of the body, usually without intending to
If something, especially a part of your body, twitches or if you twitch it, it makes a little jumping movement.
almond
noun [ C ]
UK/ˈɑː.mənd/ US/ˈɑːl.mənd/
an edible oval nut with a hard shell, or the tree that it grows on'
Almonds are pale oval nuts. They are often used in cooking.
She was frequently told that she had beautiful almond-shaped eyes,
flaxen
adjective
literary
UK/ˈflæk.sən/ US/ˈflæk.sən/
(of hair) pale yellow
"the girl with the flaxen hair
malformed
adjective
UK/ˌmælˈfɔːmd/ US/ˌmælˈfɔːrmd/
(used especially of part of the body) wrongly formed
If people or parts of their body are malformed, they do not have the shape or form that they are supposed to, especially when they have been like this since birth.
There are genetic defects which can cause malformed teeth
Sherekan(a cat name) sprang lightly across the gravel and slid into a dense clump of red-currant bushes.
