abacus (AB i kuhs) n. a frame with beads on wires in rows of fives and twos separated by a “reckoning bar,” of Chinese origin
• The abacus is one of the earliest arithmetic calculators.
• Don’t confuse an abacus with the very similar Japanese soroban that has rows of beads split into fours and ones.
aberration (ab oer AY shin) n. 1. a departure from the normal; 2. a deviation from what is right or correct
• Barbara’s taking the shortcut home was an aberration from her normal driv-ing pattern.
• Jack was prone to mental aberrations that caused him to believe he was being persecuted.
abeyance (uh BAY ins) n. a temporary suspension or delay of a function or activity
• The rainstorm caused the baseball game to be held in abeyance.
• The judge decided to hold sentencing in abeyance until the convicted per-son’s counsel could arrange for character witnesses.
abjure (ab JOOR) vt. 1. to give up rights, allegiance, and so on under oath; to renounce; 2. to recant
• By his divorce agreement, Ken abjured all rights to the family car.
• On cross-examination, Doris abjured her previous testimony about having seen the burglar.
[-d, abjuring] [Syn. renounce]
abrade (uh BRAYD) vt. scrape; wear out by rubbing; rub off
• Sally used a pumice stone to abrade the dead skin off her right foot.
• Sanding is a good way to abrade rough spots off a piece of furniture before applying the finish.
• Grinding wheels are used to abrade metal objects.
[-d, abrading] [Syn. scrape]
abrogate (AB ruh GAYT) vt. to repeal or cancel (by authority); annul
• Only a court has the right to abrogate a wedding.
• You may not abrogate your obligation to support your children unless a court rules so.
[-d, abrogating] [Syn. abolish]
accretion (uh KREE shin) n. 1. growth in size, especially by addition or accu-mulation of material; 2. accumulated matter
• The accretion of sand brought in by the ocean has caused certain beaches to grow in size.
• Regular brushing is needed to remove the accretion of plaque on one’s teeth.
[(to) accrete vi., vt.]
accumulate (uh KYOOM yoo LAYT) vt. to pile up; gather; form a heap
• Over years of saving regularly, wealth accumulates.
• Dirty laundry accumulates on the floor of any boy’s room.
• In the autumn, leaves accumulate on the lawn in the temperate climate regions.
[-d, accumulating] [Syn. heap]
adjunct (AD junkt) n. 1. an addition; something secondary in importance; 2. a person who is a helper of another —adj. an assistant, such as an adjunct teacher, counselor, and so on
• A police officer usually carries a second gun as an adjunct to his service weapon.
• A pointer can be a useful adjunct at most slide shows.
• An adjunct teacher is often found in a primary school classroom in addi-tion to the classroom teacher.
adrenaline (uh DREN uh lin) n. first appeared as a trademarked name coined by chemist J. Takamine, who isolated it in 1901; now the nontechnical name for epinephrine, a hormone produced by the inner cortex of the adrenal glands
• Adrenaline causes the body’s functions to temporarily speed up.
• The body is stimulated to produce adrenaline in response to perceived emergency situations.
adroit (uh DROYT) adj. skillful either mentally or physically; clever; expert at
• Andy had become quite an adroit chess player by the time he was 17.
• Gino was extremely adroit with a wheelbarrow full of wet concrete.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. dextrous]
adulterate (uh DUHL toer AYT) vt. to make impure; water down; to make inferior
• Cream is adulterated with milk to make half-and-half.
• Teachers often adulterate their criticism of pupils’ work so as not to over-whelm them.
• Legislation can be so adulterated by amendments that it does not do what it was originally intended to accomplish.
[-d, adulterating] [Syn. dilute]
QUICK REVIEW #87
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.
1. abacus
2. aberration
3. abeyance
4. abjure
5. abrade
6. abrogate
7. accretion
8. accumulate
9. adjunct
10. adrenaline
11. adroit
12. adulterate
a. renounce
b. abolish
c. addition
d. dilute
e. heap
f. dextrous
g. epinephrine
h. delay
i. calculator
j. scrape
k. oddity
l. pile
• The abacus is one of the earliest arithmetic calculators.
• Don’t confuse an abacus with the very similar Japanese soroban that has rows of beads split into fours and ones.
aberration (ab oer AY shin) n. 1. a departure from the normal; 2. a deviation from what is right or correct
• Barbara’s taking the shortcut home was an aberration from her normal driv-ing pattern.
• Jack was prone to mental aberrations that caused him to believe he was being persecuted.
abeyance (uh BAY ins) n. a temporary suspension or delay of a function or activity
• The rainstorm caused the baseball game to be held in abeyance.
• The judge decided to hold sentencing in abeyance until the convicted per-son’s counsel could arrange for character witnesses.
abjure (ab JOOR) vt. 1. to give up rights, allegiance, and so on under oath; to renounce; 2. to recant
• By his divorce agreement, Ken abjured all rights to the family car.
• On cross-examination, Doris abjured her previous testimony about having seen the burglar.
[-d, abjuring] [Syn. renounce]
abrade (uh BRAYD) vt. scrape; wear out by rubbing; rub off
• Sally used a pumice stone to abrade the dead skin off her right foot.
• Sanding is a good way to abrade rough spots off a piece of furniture before applying the finish.
• Grinding wheels are used to abrade metal objects.
[-d, abrading] [Syn. scrape]
abrogate (AB ruh GAYT) vt. to repeal or cancel (by authority); annul
• Only a court has the right to abrogate a wedding.
• You may not abrogate your obligation to support your children unless a court rules so.
[-d, abrogating] [Syn. abolish]
accretion (uh KREE shin) n. 1. growth in size, especially by addition or accu-mulation of material; 2. accumulated matter
• The accretion of sand brought in by the ocean has caused certain beaches to grow in size.
• Regular brushing is needed to remove the accretion of plaque on one’s teeth.
[(to) accrete vi., vt.]
accumulate (uh KYOOM yoo LAYT) vt. to pile up; gather; form a heap
• Over years of saving regularly, wealth accumulates.
• Dirty laundry accumulates on the floor of any boy’s room.
• In the autumn, leaves accumulate on the lawn in the temperate climate regions.
[-d, accumulating] [Syn. heap]
adjunct (AD junkt) n. 1. an addition; something secondary in importance; 2. a person who is a helper of another —adj. an assistant, such as an adjunct teacher, counselor, and so on
• A police officer usually carries a second gun as an adjunct to his service weapon.
• A pointer can be a useful adjunct at most slide shows.
• An adjunct teacher is often found in a primary school classroom in addi-tion to the classroom teacher.
adrenaline (uh DREN uh lin) n. first appeared as a trademarked name coined by chemist J. Takamine, who isolated it in 1901; now the nontechnical name for epinephrine, a hormone produced by the inner cortex of the adrenal glands
• Adrenaline causes the body’s functions to temporarily speed up.
• The body is stimulated to produce adrenaline in response to perceived emergency situations.
adroit (uh DROYT) adj. skillful either mentally or physically; clever; expert at
• Andy had become quite an adroit chess player by the time he was 17.
• Gino was extremely adroit with a wheelbarrow full of wet concrete.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. dextrous]
adulterate (uh DUHL toer AYT) vt. to make impure; water down; to make inferior
• Cream is adulterated with milk to make half-and-half.
• Teachers often adulterate their criticism of pupils’ work so as not to over-whelm them.
• Legislation can be so adulterated by amendments that it does not do what it was originally intended to accomplish.
[-d, adulterating] [Syn. dilute]
QUICK REVIEW #87
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most nearly the same thing.
1. abacus
2. aberration
3. abeyance
4. abjure
5. abrade
6. abrogate
7. accretion
8. accumulate
9. adjunct
10. adrenaline
11. adroit
12. adulterate
a. renounce
b. abolish
c. addition
d. dilute
e. heap
f. dextrous
g. epinephrine
h. delay
i. calculator
j. scrape
k. oddity
l. pile