Category Archives: Glossary

Adversary

Student Posts, ENG1101, Glossary

Adversary- noun

an enemy or opponent

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adversary

The word was found on December 7, 2014 on the online newspaper of the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/world/middleeast/hostage-luke-somers-is-killed-in-yemen-during-rescue-attempt-american-official-says.html?ref=todayspaper. The word was found on the middle of the article “America’s Special Operations forces have played a central role in global combat missions since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the most notable being the raid into Pakistan in 2011 that killed Osama bin Laden. But the challenges of distance, weather, equipment failure, pinpoint intelligence — and unpredictable actions by the adversary — are ever-present.”

The word was used in the sentence to show to describe as the enemy. The word adversary is used as enemy to show the situation presented.

Ambassador

Student Posts, Glossary

Ambassador  - Noun

Definition: a diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission, as for negotiating a treaty.

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/quintessential%20?s=t

Encounter: I encountered this word when I reading the article “Obama Draws Fire for Ambassador Nominations” in December 6, 2014

Understand:  The word is used when the article said “The Obama administration has drawn criticism for appointing an unusual number of political donors as ambassadors.” which referring political donors are ambassadors. In that sentence, I did not know what it meant until I looked at up its meaning in the dictionary. Now, I understand the word ambassador is an official envoy sent by a government. In the end, I had no clue what the word meant until I actually looked up, but it is a simple word to comprehend.

Pedestrian

ENG1101, Glossary, Student Posts

Pedestrian- adjective

not interesting or unusual

relating to or designed for people who are walking

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedestrian

The word was found on December 4, 2014 on the online New York Times. The word is located on the middle of the newspaper  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/nyregion/the-4-billion-train-station-at-the-world-trade-center.html?_r=1. The word is seen in the start of the sentence “Planners envisioned an east-west underground pedestrian network radiating from two new aboveground landmarks: the Fulton Center, which opened in November and was built by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the trade center hub.”

The word pedestrian used in the sentence describes the location and how the planners view the landmark.

Prioritize

Student Posts, ENG1101, Glossary

Prioritize-Verb

to organize (things) so that the most important thing is done or dealt with first

to make (something) the most important thing in a group

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prioritize

The word was found in the online newspaper on the New York Times on December 4, 2014.  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/nyregion/the-4-billion-train-station-at-the-world-trade-center.html?_r=1. The word is used in the fifth paragraph ““We would not today prioritize spending $3.7 billion on the transit hub over other significant infrastructure needs,” Patrick J. Foye, the authority’s executive director, said in October.”

The word is being used in the sentence to describe the amount of money spend on and what was important. The word describes the importance of  how much money it was spend on.

Ignominious

Student Posts, ENG1101, Glossary

Ignominious- adjective

causing disgrace or shame

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ignominious

The word was found on December 4,2014 while reading an online newspaper in the  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/nyregion/the-4-billion-train-station-at-the-world-trade-center.html?_r=0 The word is found in the second paragraph at the beginning of the article “Its colossal avian presence may yet guarantee the hub a place in the pantheon of civic design in New York. But it cannot escape another, more ignominious distinction as one of the most expensive and most delayed train stations ever built.”

While reading the newspaper, I didn’t understand how the word was being used. After looking up the word, ignominious is being used as shame. The word was used in the paragraph to describe the shame since its near the train station that’s always delayed.

 

 

Sinuously

Student Posts, ENG1101, Glossary

Sinuously- adverb

Definition:having many twists and turns

moving and bending in a smooth and attractive way

of a serpentine or wavy form

marked by strong lithe movements

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sinuous

The word was found in the New York Times Online Newspaper on Tuesday December 2,2014. The word is used in the first paragraph http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/nyregion/the-4-billion-train-station-at-the-world-trade-center.html?_r=0. The word is found in the start “With its long steel wings poised sinuously above the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub has finally assumed its full astonishing form, more than a decade after it was conceived.”

The word is being used as more marked by strong lithe movements, in the reading the sentence describes the memory of 9/11. The word is being used in the sentence as a way to describes a strong appearance it represents.

 

 

Quorum

Student Posts, Glossary

Source: Merriam-Webster.com

Quorum- The smallest number of people that must be present in a meeting in order for decisions to be made

I first heard this word earlier in the day during my morning English class. The Professor used this vocabulary term because of the low amount of students in the class at the time. So she still decided that it was enough to begin. I was confused when I first heard this word because I had no idea what she was saying. After a quick search in the Webster dictionary it was obvious what was being said. It took a few seconds and I learned a simple new term.

Quintessential

Student Posts, Glossary

Quintessential - Adjective

Definition: most typically representative of a quality, state, etc; perfect

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/quintessential%20?s=t

Encounter: I encountered this word when I reading the article “Study: HIV Mutations Weakened Virus” in December 4, 2014

Understand:  The word is used while Oxford University Professor Phillip Goulder said “One of the quintessential features of HIV is its ability to mutate and evade the best things we can throw at it” which refer to the typical feature of the basic feature that HIT virus has. In that sentence, I can see the word quintessential can describe something’s for typical or basic, however, I’m confused by another definition such as “of the pure and essential essence of something.” In the end, I find above definition is much easy to comprehend, and not twisting the meaning of the word.

Surveillance

Glossary, Student Posts

Ombudsmen - noun

Definition: continuous observation of a place, person, group, or ongoing activity inorder to gather information

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Surveillance?s=t

Encounter: I encountered this word when I reading the article “New Bird Flu Strain Reaches Europe” in November 27, 2014

Understand:  The word is used when Ian Douglas（the head of the FAO’s Crisis Management Center for Animal Health) said “There’s much more work that’s done in the lead-up to that and, in part, this is involving better detection, better surveillance and good laboratory diagnostic techniques” which refer to a action. After I search this word in the dictionary, my prediction is correct which refer to the word “surveil.”

 

Zany

Student Posts, Glossary

Source: Google search.com

Zany- amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic

2. One who acts the buffoon to amuse others

When I first saw this word in the text ” A picture of language ” I had a little bit of an idea of what it may have meant. It stated, ” If you weren’t taught to diagram a sentence, this might sound a little zany”. Now that I have researched this word I have a better understanding of what it was conveying. However, the numerous definitions such as the second one provided, made it a little confusing as to which one properly fits the text. Obviously now I realize that the first one makes the most sense.