1000 most frequent words - 01

semantic /sɪˈmantɪk/

ADJECTIVE Relating to meaning in language or logic. Synonyms: language-producing, semantic, lingual, semasiological

beam NOUN /biːm/

NOUN 1A long, sturdy piece of squared timber or metal used to support the roof or floor of a building. Synonyms: joist, purlin, girder, spar, support, strut, stay, brace, scantling, batten, transom, lintel, stringer, balk, board, timber, plank, lath, rafter 'there are very fine oak beams in the oldest part of the house' 'the cottage boasts a wealth of exposed beams' 'He didn't trust the crumbling clay-and-straw roof, much less the rickety wooden beams supporting the second floor.' 'All the rooms feature natural stone tiled floors and exposed beams.' 'It transpired that the oak beam supporting the floor had collapsed.' 1.1A narrow, raised horizontal piece of squared timber on which a gymnast balances while performing exercises. 'a compulsory set of exercises on floor, vault, bars, and beam' 'Good in all exercises, but excels on the asymmetrical bars and the beam.' 'The team was impressive especially on beam where gymnasts after gymnast nailed difficult combinations.' 1.2 A horizontal piece of squared timber or metal supporting the deck and joining the sides of a ship. 'the watertight skin and deck were put on over this framework of ribs and beams' 'Startled, I jerked my hand away, smacking my head on one of the upper deck's support beams in the process.' 'It is mounted on a support beam under my rear deck.' 'At the aft end of the ventilation hatches, a curved beam spans the deck.' 1.3Nautical The direction of an object visible from the port or starboard side of a ship when it is perpendicular to the centre line of the vessel. 'there was land in sight on the port beam' 'A Republican Navy cruiser slid into position off the liner's starboard beam.' 'The next challenge was to dodge the shipping as it headed to and from Lands End just off the port beam.' 'He was then told she was in sight on the starboard beam.' 1.4A ship's breadth at its widest point. 'a cutter with a beam of 16 feet' 'She is one hundred and sixty eight feet in length, twenty four feet across the beam and weighs 330 tons.' 'With her three pearl white parallel hulls she had a 25-foot beam.' 'Built in 2000, the M/Y Harmony G is a small ship with a beam of 20 feet and draft of 10 feet.' 1.5informal The width of a person's hips. Synonyms: wideness, breadth, broadness, thickness, spread, span, diameter, girth 'notice how broad in the beam she's getting?' 'He had a touch of Jennifer Lopez's Latin good looks, but was less broad in the beam.' 'Annick is, to use one of my mother's expressions, a little broad in the beam.' 'She is, at 53, shorter than you'd expect, broad in the beam and still so extravagantly beautiful she appears unreal.' 1.6The main stem of a stag's antler. 'the wide beams sprouted ten main tines' 'In all cases, they consist of a single tine removed from a palmate section of an antler beam.' 'Because the main beam of a buck swoops to the rear and then juts forward, it can trick the eye.' 'The main beam of an Elks antlers can reach up to 5 feet in length.' 1.7The crossbar of a balance. 'The original form of a weighing scale consisted of a beam with a fulcrum at its center.' 'A triple-beam balance gets its name because it has three beams that allow you to move known masses along the beam.' 1.8An oscillating shaft which transmits the vertical piston movement of a beam engine to the crank or pump. 'The up and down motion of the piston in the cylinder is transmitted by the beam to the piston in the water pump.' 'This also means that the beam can be balanced since the piston does equal work on both motions.' 'The up and down motion of the piston in the cylinder is transmitted by the beam to the piston in the water pump.' 1.9The shank of an anchor. 'The anchor is also slightly different, including the string that fouls the anchor reaching further up and crossing back the vertical beam of the anchor.' 'The here intended stocks extend only along a quarter of the fluke beam, thus not across the full beam of the anchor.' 1.10historical The main timber of a horse-drawn plough. 'Through the beam there runs a wooden pole which serves to fasten the beam to the plough-body and share.' 'These were known as a crooked ploughs because the beam curved forwards to the draft animal.' 'You can see the shiny mouldboards above and below the central beam of the plough.' 2A ray or shaft of light. Synonyms: ray, shaft, stream, streak, pencil, finger 'a beam of light flashed in front of her' 'the torch beam dimmed perceptibly' 'Lighthouses are like isolated watchmen, flashing their warning beam of light in the night sky.' 'It stopped when a beam of light flashed upon it from behind.' 'The double doors to his room had opened slightly, allowing a stray beam of light to stream into the dark room.' 2.1A directional flow of particles or radiation. 'beams of electrons' 'The gamma knife is a focused array of 201 intercepting beams of gamma radiation.' 'The reason: the electrons in the beam are particles with mass.' 2.2A series of radio or radar signals emitted as a navigational guide for ships or aircraft. Synonyms: warning fire, warning light, signal fire, signal light, bonfire, smoke signal, beam, signal, danger signal, guiding light 'the detector simply pinpoints the radar beams that other ships transmit' 'It is true that, in bad weather, radar beams can be reflected off waves, causing false echoes or making the screen unreadable.' 'Radar beams penetrated through Venus's thick cloud layers to reveal these surface images of both sides.' 3A radiant or good-natured look or smile. Synonyms: grin, smile, bright look 'a beam of satisfaction' 'The baby was a tiny piece of heaven, always smiling his adorable toothless beam, and batting those long lashes as he reached out to touch everything.' 'The blond-haired boy bit his lip as a wide beam spread over his face.' 'A wide beam spread across my face in realisation at what lay in front of us.'

proposition NOUN /prɒpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/

NOUN 1A statement or assertion that expresses a judgement or opinion. Synonyms: theory, hypothesis, thesis, argument, premise, postulation, theorem, concept, idea, statement 'the proposition that high taxation is undesirable' 'On my view, to believe something is to hold a proposition in your mind assertively.' 'Now, you know, in my opinion, it's an absurd proposition.' 'The mischievous core of her opinion lies in the proposition that 'diversity' is a compelling government interest.' 1.1Logic A statement that expresses a concept that can be true or false. 'There is a very important distinction between propositions that are true and propositions that are false.' 'The conjunction of a true and a false proposition is a false proposition.' 'But this is an empirical proposition, and there is reason to doubt it.' 1.2Mathematics A formal statement of a theorem or problem, typically including the demonstration. 'Book One discusses his laws of motion then proceeds to a series of propositions, theorems and problems.' 'This second commentary is on al-Samarqandi's famous short work of only 20 pages in which he discusses thirty-five of Euclid's propositions.' 'Theoretical propositions and recommendations were used in various conditions.' 2A suggested scheme or plan of action, especially in a business context. Synonyms: proposal, scheme, plan, project, programme, manifesto, motion, bid, presentation, submission, suggestion, recommendation, approach 'a detailed investment proposition' 'If you are coming to it fresh, take in your proposition and the business plan, and take it from there.' 'She also approaches businesses with propositions for aid in all forms.' 'Investing in a club should not be viewed as a business proposition, merely an emotional investment.' 2.1US A constitutional proposal; a bill. 'Californian voters rejected by a two-to-one majority proposition 128' 'Yes, but those propositions are themselves propositions of constitutional law, are they not?' 'Three reactionary propositions are on the ballot in the March 7 California primary election.' 2.2informal An offer of sexual intercourse made to a person with whom one is not involved, especially one that is made in an unsubtle way. Synonyms: sexual advance, sexual overture, indecent proposal, improper suggestion, soliciting 'needless to say, she refused his frank sexual proposition' 'James watched her leave and thought over the proposition Veronica had offered to him.' 'It suddenly occurred to her why Kyle had offered the proposition in the first place.' 'Two pages of the book deal with a sexual proposition, including hints at oral sex.' 3with adjective A project, task, idea, etc. considered in terms of its likely success or difficulty. Synonyms: task, job, undertaking, venture, activity, problem, affair 'setting up your own business can seem an attractive proposition' 'It appeared an attractive and interesting proposition.' 'A 'no bid' handed to you on a plate contract is a pretty attractive proposition.' 'And if the club still owned its own ground it would also be a much more attractive proposition to would-be owners.'

threshold /ˈθrɛʃəʊld/

NOUN 1A strip of wood or stone forming the bottom of a doorway and crossed in entering a house or room. Synonyms: doorstep, sill, doorsill, doorway, entrance, entry, way in, door, gate, gateway, portal, approach 'he stood on the threshold of Sheila's bedroom' 'George enters the house, crossing its threshold with one broad step.' 'As the door opened soundlessly, she crossed the threshold and entered into the room.' 'Emily was in tears before she crossed the threshold into her room.' 'I crossed the threshold and re-entered the house, which was buzzing with undying activity.' 1.1in singular A point of entry or beginning. Synonyms: start, starting point, beginning, brink, verge, edge, dawn, birth, origin, inception, conception, opening, launch, inauguration, institution, initiation, debut, creation, day one 'she was on the threshold of a dazzling career' 'We are on the threshold of a new historical event: Bulgaria's accession to the European Union.' 'Young students are on the threshold of adulthood, walking through the door to their future.' 1.2The beginning of an airport runway on which an aircraft is attempting to land. 'Just before coming abeam the runway threshold I began a continuous finals turn, Spitfire style.' 'Try not to think of taxiing as just driving to the runway threshold.' 'The XP - 38 slammed into a golf course short of the runway threshold and Kelsey was luck to escape with cuts and bruises.' 2The magnitude or intensity that must be exceeded for a certain reaction, phenomenon, result, or condition to occur or be manifested. 'nothing happens until the signal passes the threshold' as modifier 'a threshold level' 'If the comparison quality measure exceeds a threshold, a match is determined to have been made.' 'Only the largest males in a population defend nests; they must pass a threshold size to carry shells.' 2.1The maximum level of radiation or a concentration of a substance considered to be acceptable or safe. Synonyms: lower limit, starting point, minimum, margin 'their water would meet the safety threshold of 50 milligrams of nitrates per litre' 'At a conservative calculation, around 250,000 people are currently exposed to levels above the accepted safety thresholds.' 'Evaluation of substances for which a threshold limit did not exist were then carried out.' 'The clinical risks of sensitivity and specificity also should be considered in identifying the threshold glycemic level.' 2.2The level at which one starts to feel or react to something. 'he has a low boredom threshold' 'Conditioned to expect immediate gratification, these youth have shorter attention spans and also a low threshold for boredom.' 'These mediators lower the nociceptor threshold, making the receptors more responsive to painful stimuli.' 2.3A level, rate, or amount at which something comes into effect. 'the inheritance tax threshold' 'Without doubt, the 50 per cent increase in stamp duty rates and thresholds will have the single most negative impact.' 'On vacant land, the thresholds are $140,000 for metropolitan areas and $110,000 in regional areas.' 'The amount is below the threshold for inheritance tax, so there's no tax due immediately.'

par 2 NOUN /pɑː/

NOUN informal A paragraph. 'fifteen pars on the front page'

induce /ɪnˈdjuːs/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] 1 with object and infinitive Succeed in persuading or leading (someone) to do something. 'the pickets induced many workers to stay away' Synonyms: persuade, convince, prevail upon, get, make, prompt, move, inspire, instigate, influence, exert influence on, press, urge, incite, encourage, impel, actuate, motivate 'My father tried to induce me to learn Arabic poetry by heart, encouraged me, gave me prizes - also for knowledge in astronomy.' 'By inducing us to look for the aesthetic features of things, the sense of beauty attracts us to what is most distinctive and individual in the objects we love.' 'It's clear that the federal law prohibits anybody from inducing anyone to come into the United States illegally.' 2 Bring about or give rise to. Synonyms: bring about, bring on, cause, be the cause of, produce, effect, create, give rise to, generate, originate, instigate, engender, occasion, set in motion, develop, lead to, result in, have as a consequence, have as a result, trigger off, spark off, whip up, stir up, kindle, arouse, rouse, foster, promote, encourage 'none of these measures induced a change of policy' 'Dried hops are soft and sweet smelling with a natural narcotic effect that will induce restful sleep, while lavender flowers and rose petals are refreshingly fragrant.' 'This herb has been proven to induce sleep and have a sedative effect, which can help pain sufferers sleep better.' 'Cortisol levels can be elevated for a variety of reasons - hardcore training itself can induce this rise.' 2.1 Produce (an electric charge or current or a magnetic state) by induction. 'the current in the primary winding is induced by the rotating magnet' 'Naturally occurring variations in the Earth's magnetic field induce eddy currents in the Earth that are detectable as electric field variations on the surface.' 'According to Faraday's laws of electromagnetic induction, a changing magnetic field can induce electric current to flow in any conductive structure nearby.' 'In 1831, Michael Faraday showed that a moving magnet could induce an electric current in a wire - the basis of an electric generator.' 2.2 Physics Cause (radioactivity) by bombardment with radiation.'The energy levels of the gamma rays are too low to induce radioactivity.' 2.3 Biochemistry Initiate or enhance (a biochemical process, especially the synthesis of an enzyme). 3 MedicineBring on (the birth of a baby) artificially, typically by the use of drugs. 'she was 11 days overdue when labour was induced' 'There was some concern that babies born during the day are more likely to be preterm or high risk babies who have had induced births.' 'This confirms women's views that medical staff may induce a birth to prevent a caesarean section only when the woman is poor.' 'The second option is known as a medically induced abortion (or medical induction abortion) and is similar to a late miscarriage.' 3.1 Bring on childbirth in (a pregnant woman) artificially, typically by the use of drugs. 'Carol was induced just four days before her baby's due date' 'Eventually, doctors managed to stabilise her condition and when she turned 36 weeks pregnant, induced her.' 'Apparently I was induced when they realised my Mum had high blood pressure.' 'It was explained to me that because I was far-gone I would have to give birth by being induced into labour.' 4 Logic Derive by inductive reasoning. 'from the experimental evidence, one infers or induces the hypothesis' 'Moreover, Galileo approved Aristotle's position that explanatory principles must be induced from the data of sense experience.' 'In fact, this is how the Pyrrhonists treated all sceptical arguments: as intended to induce suspension of judgement, not assent to a negative, epistemological conclusion.'

Phrases up to par

At an expected or usual quality. 'I can promise that the tipple will be up to par' 'However, if the water quality isn't up to par, it can smell pretty bad.' 'The transfer is acceptable but not up to par with what other studios are doing.' 'This was a television series rather than a feature film and the acting isn't up to par with what you would expect out of one.' 'Downing says that the quality of the food and water abroad isn't always up to par with the United States.' 'The technical quality of the disc is up to par with the rest of the volumes.'

Phrases in aggregate

In total; as a whole. '10,000 tonnes in aggregate' 'The rich are probably getting richer but the poor are also doing a little better, on the whole and in the aggregate.' 'You've got winners and losers - but in aggregate it's a total myth to say the industry is fabulously profitable.'

interval /ˈɪntəv(ə)l/

NOUN 1 An intervening time. Synonyms: interim, interlude, intervening time, intervening period, meantime, meanwhile 'after his departure, there was an interval of many years without any meetings' 'the day should be dry with sunny intervals' 'It was a very showery day yesterday, with a number of heavy downpours between sunny intervals.' 'Be committed to eating smaller meals at regular intervals.' 'When it's eight meals, they're very small and my meal interval is 2-2 1/2 hours.' 1.1 A component of activity in interval training. 'they ran, sprinted, and jogged for four 15-minute intervals at two different times' 'You can do intervals by alternating power walking with easy jogging.' 'Warm up for five minutes, then do sprint intervals.' 'Here's one more extra piece of advice: Do high-intensity intervals instead of just regular low-intensity cardio.' 2 A pause or break in activity. Synonyms: intermission, interlude, entr'acte, break, recess, pause, gap 'an interval of mourning' 'However, if the pause intervals are too long, physiological systems will not be stressed enough to induce a training effect.' 'The great rhythms of the earth are built on motion and on the intervals or pauses.' 'The beat of simultaneity is made possible by intervals of non-presence or pause.' 2.1 British A period of time separating parts of a theatrical or musical performance. 'Performances were divided into five acts separated by intervals during which music was played.' 'And after the interval comes some of the fiercest theatrical drumming I've heard since Ariane Mnouchkine's production of The Oresteia.' 'The string quartet will play during the reception and there will be a licensed bar during the interval and throughout the performance.' 2.2 A break between the parts of a sports match. 'United led 3-0 at the interval' 'But if that goal seconds before the interval left the game poised on a knife edge it was nothing compared to what followed in the opening 13 minutes of the second period.' 'Shortly after the interval the long ball almost bore fruit.' 'The match continued to be evenly contested after the interval and played mainly in midfield.' 3 A space between two things; a gap. Synonyms: stretch, distance, span, area 'It's a marvelous engineering feat, with brick vaults supported on 336 columns spaced at four-meter intervals.' 'My best guess is that the intervals will be spaced farther apart.' 'They're spaced at regular intervals throughout a city and could be used for - well, something, he added.' 4 The difference in pitch between two sounds. 'The composer here plays with the sounds of particular intervals as much as complete melodies.' 'I think there is a psychological aspect to it: that the musician remains effected by the very sound of the intervals.' 'After the conclusion of the exposition in bar 182, Mozart needs only nine bars to reach the key of B minor - at the interval of a tritone.'

node /nəʊd/

NOUN 1 technical A point in a network or diagram at which lines or pathways intersect or branch. Synonyms: junction, fork, branching, intersection, interchange, confluence, convergence, meeting point, crossing, criss-crossing, vertex, apex 'the intersections of two or more such arteries would clearly become major nodes of traffic and urban activity' 'In a network the decision points are called nodes and the lines connecting nodes are called edges or paths.' 'Branches and nodes are color-coded to represent genetic divergences arising from speciation events.' 1.1A piece of equipment, such as a computer or peripheral, attached to a network. 'the company's internal worldwide area network now has some 22,000 nodes' 'every node on the Internet' 'With an Ethernet interface, each cable modem appears as a node on an Ethernet LAN.' 'A plurality of computer nodes communicate using seemingly random Internet Protocol source and destination addresses.' 1.2 Grammar (in generative grammar) a vertex or end point in a tree diagram. 'Each node carries three types of information: a syntactic function, a lexeme and a set of morphosyntactic features introduced by a part of speech category.' 'When you 'read' a tree, identify constituents by looking at all the elements that are exhaustively dominated by a single node in the tree.' 1.3 Mathematics A point at which a curve intersects itself. 'The slope of the chord between two nodes is the average of the slope of the tangents at the end points.' 'We prove this result when the curves have cusps and nodes, not in a prescribed position.' 1.4Astronomy Either of the two points at which a planet's orbit intersects the plane of the ecliptic or the celestial equator. 'The nodes of an orbit, that is the points at which it crosses the equatorial plane, slowly regress round the Equator and the rate gives a measure of the asymmetry of the Earth's mass.' 'If the Sun is close to one of the nodes when the Moon crosses the ecliptic, an eclipse is imminent.' 2 Botany technical The part of a plant stem from which one or more leaves emerge, often forming a slight swelling. 'the stem is cut midway between nodes' 'Make cuts on an angle and just above a node, where the leaf attaches to the stem.' 'The leaves from each node were dried and powdered separately.' 'In the tree there are 2 branches connecting two nodes or a tip and a node.' 3 Anatomytechnical A lymph node or other structure consisting of a small mass of differentiated tissue. 'infection in these nodes may lead to backache' 'Even small lung cancers show mediastinal node involvement.' 'In general, rate-responsive devices are preferred because they more closely simulate the physiologic function of the sinus node.' 4Physics Mathematicstechnical A point at which the amplitude of vibration in a standing wave system is zero. 'While in St Petersburg he made one of his most famous discoveries when he defined the simple nodes and the frequencies of oscillation of a system.' 'Here a beam selectively pushes one size of particles toward a standing light wave, which directs the particles toward its nodes.' 4.1A point at which a harmonic function has the value zero, especially a point of zero electron density in an orbital. 'Consider a random walk on a graph where at each time point we move from the current node to one of its neighbors.' 4.2A point of zero current or voltage. 'The first switch group is formed by switches, which are connected to nodes between the resistors.''Two measurement pads are in each case provided at the nodes between two resistors.'

projection /prəˈdʒɛkʃ(ə)n/

NOUN 1An estimate or forecast of a future situation based on a study of present trends. Synonyms: estimate, forecast, prediction, calculation, prognosis, prognostication, reckoning, expectation View synonyms 'plans based on projections of slow but positive growth' mass noun 'population projection is essential for planning' 2mass noun The presentation of an image on a surface, especially a cinema screen. 'quality illustrations for overhead projection' 'I don't think they had any knowledge of image projection from mirrors onto a screen in the 15th century.' 'Modern technology has given us exciting new forms of projection and screens that can be seen in well-lighted sanctuaries.' 2.1count noun An image projected on a surface. 'the band use stage projections featuring moon shots' 'Since then she has made conceptual photographs, projections, installations, drawings and more.' 'This area will feature slide projections and visuals by Andrew Clarke.' 'Her intermedia spaces stage the spectacle through multiscreen projections of images of nature.' 2.2The ability to make a sound heard at a distance. 'I taught him voice projection' 'Modern-day technology with improved sound projection was seriously getting on my nerves.' 'These venues were marked by poor projection of both sound and visual.' 'An artist of this calibre urgently needs a better instrument to allow greater projection of sound into a hall.' 3mass noun The presentation or promotion of someone or something in a particular way. 'the legal profession's projection of an image of altruism' 'What others say and do is a projection of their reality and perception, not yours.' 'Ideas, any ideas, all ideas, are only a projection of reality, not the other way around.' 3.1count noun A mental image viewed as reality. 'monsters can be understood as mental projections of mankind's fears' 'Of course, the fact that they were there only as projections of her own imagination took a little of the meaning out of that approval.' 'Even that image had been a projection of some earthly thing into her make-believe kingdom.' 3.2The unconscious transfer of one's desires or emotions to another person. 'we protect the self by a number of defence mechanisms, including repression and projection' 'It is this kind of unconscious projection that determines our behavior, especially in personal relationships.' 'I believe psychologists would call this projection.' 'It is a radical example of what psychologists would call projection.' 4A thing that extends outwards from something else. Synonyms: protuberance, protrusion, sticking-out bit, overhang, ledge, shelf, ridge, prominence, spur, outcrop, outgrowth, jut, bulge, jag, snag 'the chipboard covered all the sharp projections' 5Geometrymass noun The action of projecting a figure. 6mass noun The representation on a plane surface of part of the surface of the earth or a celestial sphere. 'Different three-dimensional objects, oriented appropriately, have the same two-dimensional plane projection.' 'The key formal innovation of Christmas on Earth is its superimposed projection in unequal sizes, a format that she originated.' 6.1count noun A method for representing part of the surface of the earth or a celestial sphere on a plane surface. 'the use of different map projections' 'He worked on geodesy but became interested in conformal map projections where he invented a quincuncial map projection using elliptic functions.' 'During this period he began to perfect a new map projection for which he is best remembered.' 'What is surprising is that someone discovered the map projection to do it.'

Phrases thereby hangs a tale

Used to indicate that there is more to say about something. 'For some reason (and thereby hangs a tale), I decided to write the application in Brazillian Portuguese.' 'Venus has no satellites, and thereby hangs a tale.' 'It is finally being published in the magazine's current edition, more than a century late, and thereby hangs a tale.'

namely /ˈneɪmli/

ADVERB That is to say; to be specific (used to introduce detailed information or a specific example) Synonyms: that is, that is to say, to be specific, specifically, in other words, viz., to wit, sc. 'the menu makes good use of Scottish produce, namely game and seafood' 'Terrorist acts undermine the very basic of human rights, namely the right to live.' 'They also receive full social benefits, namely national insurance and health coverage.' 'All met the national criteria, namely that there had been significant numbers of accidents.'

Phrases on the outer

Australian informal Excluded from a group; rejected or isolated. 'she has always been the girl who was on the outer at high school' 'Individuals within the party who may make excellent candidates but do not have union connections may feel "on the outer" in such a process.' 'This list will only serve to keep me permanently on the outer.' 'People on the outer get fed up and energised, and new alliances form.'

Phrases on a par with

Equal in importance or quality to. 'this home cooking is on a par with the best in the world' 'We have a road network on a par with the worst of any of the poorest third world economies.' 'Oats proved to be one of the better crops this year, coming in on a par with last year's yield.' 'Some excellent facilities are in place at the gym which are on a par with the very best in the county.' 'It is a deeply affecting couple of hours, on a par with Schindler's List for emotional impact.' 'The games industry in the UK is already bigger than the cinema business, and on a par with video.'

acute NOUN /əˈkjuːt/

NOUN short for acute accent 'The word côte has no acute on the "e" at the end of the word while coté does.' short for acute accent 'My name is pronounced Colay and has an acute on the e.'

continuity /ˌkɒntɪˈnjuːɪti/

NOUNcontinuities mass noun 1The unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over time. Synonyms: continuousness, uninterruptedness, flow, progression 'a consensus favouring continuity of policy' 'The study is designed to provide accurate, consistent data and ensure continuity of collection methods.' 'Our goal was to ensure continuity of operations while we developed new and more aggressive policies.' 'Further, it is not necessary to establish an unbroken chain of continuity.' 1.1A state of stability and the absence of disruption. Synonyms: stability, durability, persistence, permanency, fixity, fixedness, changelessness, immutability, endurance, dependability, constancy, continuance, continuity, immortality, indestructibility, perpetuity, endlessness 'they have provided the country with a measure of continuity' 'This strain of conservatism prefers stability to change, continuity to experiment, and the tried to the untried.' 'All of this is characterized by redundant aspects of stability, permanence and continuity.' 1.2A connection or line of development with no sharp breaks. Synonyms: interrelationship, interrelatedness, intertextuality, interconnectedness, connection, linkage, cohesion, coherence 'a firm line of continuity between pre-war and post-war Britain' 'I see significant continuities between these movements.' 'Reading Johns's study, I was repeatedly struck by continuities between the early modern world he describes and the present day.' 'Scott stresses the continuities between the two works.' 2The maintenance of continuous action and self-consistent detail in the various scenes of a film or broadcast. as modifier 'a continuity error' 'This is the reason for one of the obvious continuity errors in the film.' 'It's a fascinating track that goes into extensive detail about the film's lack of continuity.' 'Levin and Simons argue the opposite: that we don't notice continuity errors in film because we wouldn't notice them in real life, either.' 2.1The linking of broadcast items by a spoken commentary. as modifier 'the BBC continuity announcer' 'The BBC Television Service continuity announcers such as Valerie Pitts used these studios to anchor the single channel's programmes.' 'This was seen on the BBC, as Ulster Television would use their continuity announcers to do the same.'

sin against

Offend against (God, a person, or a principle) 'Lord, we have sinned against you' 'To sin against the Holy Spirit is to sin against hope.' 'I hereby forgive everyone who offended or angered me, or sinned against me.' 'To live in this world was to live in the expectation of sinning and being sinned against.' 'But Adam sinned against God and everything changed: 'For the wages of sin is death'.'

syllable VERB /ˈsɪləb(ə)l/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] Pronounce (a word or phrase) clearly, syllable by syllable.

as — as sin

informal Having a particular undesirable quality to a high degree. 'the car is a staggering engineering achievement, but it's as ugly as sin' 'they both look as miserable as sin' 'Ingram came across as slightly confused, far from comfortable with his answers, and indeed, guilty as sin.' 'It was probably a rash idea to remove all the coving around the top of my back room, but it was also ugly as sin.' 'Now, for my money, Scott's pretty clearly about as guilty as sin.'

Phrases on her beam ends

(of a ship) heeled over on its side; almost capsized. 'The ship was taken aback and thrown on her beam ends, in which situation she remained two hours.' 'Next day the vessel was discovered in a creek at Ulbster on her beam ends with the sea washing over her.' 'At daylight, the vessel was located on her beam ends, lying on her side where she had drifted.'

repertoire /ˈrɛpətwɑː/

1 A stock of plays, dances, or items that a company or a performer knows or is prepared to perform. Synonyms: collection, stock, range, repertory 'He accompanied one of the dances, and his repertoire of bagpipe tunes is extensive.' 'This highly respected modern troupe danced an art-conscious repertoire in Chicago and during a Midwestern tour.' 'But to a dance aficionado, the repertoire presented by the popular troupe is inconsistent.' 'You can't fossilize a dance repertoire, but you can pickle it in a love that maintains its ongoing existence.' 1.1 The whole body of items which are regularly performed. 'the mainstream concert repertoire' 'The course covers a wide range of repertoire, including mainstream orchestral and concerto repertoire, as well as more contemporary music.' 'For others who missed it first time round, this is an ideal opportunity to claim an important addition to the concerto repertoire.' 'This is surely a work that deserves better exposure in the concerto repertoire.' 1.2 A stock of skills or types of behaviour that a person habitually uses. 'his repertoire of denigratory gestures' 'Thus, teachers need to have a repertoire of skills for responding to such writing and an approach to pedagogical theory that takes this reality into account.' 'Sociobiologists such as Edward Wilson actually propose that genes help to determine the repertoire of behavioral possibilities and other factors do the deciding.' 'Where there are potential behavioral differences, we do not require constitutive rules in the causal repertoire to explain the behavior we observe.'

Phrases on the spectrum

1Diagnosed with or having the characteristics of an autistic spectrum disorder. 1.1offensive Displaying traits such as awkwardness in social situations, restricted interests, or repetitive patterns of behaviour.

impact on

2 impact on Have a strong effect on someone or something. Synonyms: affect, influence, have an effect, have an influence, exert influence, make an impression, act, work 'high interest rates have impacted on retail spending' with object 'the move is not expected to impact the company's employees' 'No other media seemed to realize that Bermuda was impacted on a very large scale.' ''It has impacted on a number of businesses,' he said.' 'It has impacted on local businesses within the area and upon our personal and family lives.' 'How has that impacted on your thinking in all of this?'

finite /ˈfʌɪnʌɪt/

ADJECTIVE 1 Limited in size or extent. Synonyms: limited, not infinite, subject to limitations, restricted 'every computer has a finite amount of memory' 'We do not know for sure whether the Universe is finite or infinite.' 'I have told them the heart only has a finite number of irreplaceable cells.' 'However, there is a finite number of police officers to respond to incidents.' 'They were always going to gain a finite amount of income from the scheme.' 'Inductive arguments reason from a finite set of examples to a general rule.' 2 Grammar (of a verb form) having a specific tense, number, and person. 'Form a question and make it specific and finite so that the answer is easily recognizable.' 'But we also don't call them finite complement clauses, though many linguists would.' 'Mini mission statements, nearly always written without benefit of finite verbs, are increasingly common.'

acute ADJECTIVE /əˈkjuːt/

ADJECTIVE 1(of an unpleasant or unwelcome situation or phenomenon) present or experienced to a severe or intense degree. Synonyms: severe, critical, drastic, dire, dreadful, terrible, awful, grave, bad, serious, profound 'an acute housing shortage' 'the problem is acute and getting worse' 'One issue that all the various groups on East Riding of Yorkshire Council agree on is the acute shortage of affordable housing throughout the region.' 'There is an acute shortage of housing in Colchester and a great need for first time buyers to get on the ladder.' 1.1(of a disease or its symptoms) severe but of short duration. Often contrasted with chronic 'acute appendicitis' Often contrasted with chronic Synonyms: stabbing, shooting, penetrating, piercing, sharp, keen, racking, searing, burning, consuming severe, intense, short-lasting 'Symptoms of acute disease resolve by one to three months, although some persons have prolonged fatigue.' 'The most severe stages of acute asthma are respiratory failure, cardiopulmonary arrest, and death.' 1.2Denoting or designed for patients with an acute form of a disease. 'an acute ward' 'acute patients' 'She was kept in the acute patients' ward under observation.' 'He highlighted that Waterford Regional is an acute hospital with patients often having an average stay of five or six days.' 2Having or showing a perceptive understanding or insight; shrewd. Synonyms: astute, shrewd, sharp, sharp-witted, razor-sharp, rapier-like, quick, quick-witted, agile, nimble, ingenious, clever, intelligent, bright, brilliant, smart, canny, intuitive, discerning, perceptive, perspicacious, penetrating, insightful, incisive, piercing, discriminating, sagacious, wise, judicious 'an acute awareness of changing fashions' 'Of all American presidents, Lincoln had the most acute religious insight.' 'Tom Hamilton has produced an acute and insightful response to my post on euthanasia, of a kind with which it is a pleasure to engage.' 'My students articulate an acute awareness, if not a full understanding, of academic labor issues.' 2.1(of a physical sense or faculty) highly developed; keen. Synonyms: keen, sharp, good, penetrating, discerning, perceptive, sensitive, subtle 'an acute sense of smell' 'They have a keen sense of smell, acute hearing, but poor eyesight.' 'Its sight is marvellously keen, hearing exceedingly acute, and sense of smell wonderfully perfect.' 'They use night vision and an acute sense of hearing to find prey in the dark.' 3(of an angle) less than 90°. 'The proposed layout would result in a vehicle crossing the footway at an acute angle and would therefore constitute a hazard to pedestrians on the public footway.' 'These lines are usually represented diagrammatically as converging on the point to form an acute angle.' 3.1Having a sharp end; pointed. Synonyms: sharp, spearlike, needle-like, spear-shaped, V-shaped, tapering, tapered, cone-shaped, conic, conical, acute, sharp-cornered, wedge-shaped, sharp-edged, edged, jagged, spiky, spiked, barbed 'When you make the drill, do not make the cutting edges so sharp or too acute.' 4(of a sound) high; shrill. Synonyms: high, high-frequency, soprano, treble, falsetto, shrill, acute, sharp, piping, piercing, penetrating 'This is an acute sound, which evokes desperate associations.'

aggregate ADJECTIVE /ˈaɡrɪɡət

ADJECTIVE attributive 1Formed or calculated by the combination of several separate elements; total. Synonyms: total, combined, whole, gross, accumulated, added, entire, complete, full, comprehensive, overall, composite 'the aggregate amount of grants made' 'The issue was for an aggregate amount of Rs 100 crore and was rated 'AAA' by Crisil.' 'The aggregate amount of loans also picked up drastically, from 7.3 billion leva to 11.1 billion leva.' 1.1Botany (of a group of species) comprising several very similar species formerly regarded as a single species. 'In the case of the Poa secunda aggregate, to recognize 45 "small species" is unrealistic.' 'Dandelions are so hard to identify that many botanists will record them as the aggregate.' 1.2Economics Denoting the total supply or demand for goods and services in an economy at a particular time. Synonyms: total, whole, entire, complete, full, overall, comprehensive, aggregate 'What we have mostly, to this day, are single-market analyses, or aggregate models of the entire economy, such as the monetary models used today' 'Sichel, however, shows that even the growing share of the service sector is not enough to substantially raise measurement errors for the aggregate economy.'

Phrases in her complement

Heraldry (of the moon) depicted as full. 'A moon in her complement or in her plenitude is essentially a roundel with a human face.'

marker /ˈmɑːkə/

NOUN 1 An object used to indicate a position, place, or route. Synonyms: notice, signpost, signboard, warning sign, road sign, traffic sign 'they erected a granite marker at the crash site' 'There are, however, neither signs of life nor markers to indicate where we are.' 'In fact, a roadside marker along Route 60 still commemorates the case today.' 1.1 in singular A distinctive feature or characteristic indicative of a particular quality or condition. 'identification with one's own language has always been a marker of nationalism' 'Coital frequency itself may be a marker for some qualitative aspect of the interpersonal relationship.' 'In addition, the patient's perception of pain control has been established as a marker of quality.' 1.2 A thing serving as a standard of comparison. 'he has already laid down a marker by setting a fast time during practice' 'Kerry's success against Cork on Saturday laid down a marker for the championship.' 'This was a day, admittedly, when Waterford laid down a marker.' 1.3 A radio beacon used to guide the pilot of an aircraft. Synonyms: marker, anchored float, navigation mark, guide, beacon, signal 1.4 Genetics An allele used to identify a chromosome or to locate other genes on a genetic map. Synonyms: identifying mark, identification, marker, earmark 'The horizontal axis shows the chromosomes of interest with markers from the genetic map.' 'The chromosome maps are given below the images, with black tick marks indicating the position of markers.' 2 (also marker pen) A felt-tip pen with a broad tip. 'a heavy line drawn by a marker' 'On last day of school you attempted to get me disqualified from my business exam by using a marker pen and writing on me' 3 British (in team games) a player who stays close to an opponent to prevent them from getting or passing the ball. 'Quinn took the ball wide of his marker' 'Ramos jumps above his marker, but the ball flicks off his head and over the bar.' 'After the break Radzinski turned provider when he flicked the ball over his marker to put Jensen through.' 4 British A person who assesses the standard of a test or examination. Synonyms: tester, questioner, interviewer, assessor, marker, inspector 'the aim of the marker is to help the student do better next time' 'There are too few teachers and examination markers.' 'For example, in the external assessment the markers are experienced teachers, trained by a chief examiner.' 4.1 A person who records the score in snooker, billiards, or squash. Synonyms: token, counter, man, disc, chip, marker 'He strode in, startling the billiard marker, Thomas Budd, who was about to close the side door.' 'The marker was Burley-in-Wharfedale's English Billiards champion Steve Crosland.' 5 North American informal A promissory note; an IOU. Synonyms: label, ticket, badge, mark, marker, tab, tally, sticker, docket, stub, chit, chitty, counterfoil, flag, stamp 'we'll give you a marker, you give us the car'

induction /ɪnˈdʌkʃ(ə)n/

NOUN mass noun 1The action or process of inducting someone to a post or organization. 'induction into membership of a Masonic brotherhood' 'And congratulations to you on your induction into the Western Music Hall of Fame.' 'But since her Oscar and her induction into Hollywood, she has entered a fallow period.' 'A mentoring process can facilitate graduates' induction into the profession as they assume school counseling positions.' 1.1usually as modifier A formal introduction to a new job or position. Synonyms: installation, instatement, induction, investiture, inauguration, introduction, swearing in, initiation 'an induction course' 'When I arrived for induction, I saw only eight or 10 of the applicants with whom I had taken the test.' 'Introduction to the library starts during students' initial induction.' 'Mass recruitment, induction and education training for new members;' 1.2US Enlistment into military service. Synonyms: induction, introduction, admission, admittance, installation, incorporation, ordination, investiture, investment, enlistment, enrolment, recruitment 'Among the Zulu, King Shaka abolished initiation and substituted military induction for males.' 'In the 1960s and early 1970s, inner city youth were targeted for induction into military service.' 'All other draft-age men should be subject to military induction.' 2The process or action of bringing about or giving rise to something. 'the induction of malformations by radiation' 'Anthers subjected to stress conditions can become a target for embryo induction.' 'Thus, no clear evidence for the induction of this promoter by these stress conditions was found.' 2.1Medicine The process of bringing on the birth of a baby by artificial means, typically by the use of drugs. Synonyms: beginning, inception, onset, emergence, appearance, first appearance, arrival, eruption, dawn, birth 'There seems to be a large percentage of inductions and Caesarian deliveries.' 'A recent study indicates that Cytotec labor inductions in women who have had a previous cesarean carry a 28-fold increase in the risk of uterine rupture.' 3LogicThe inference of a general law from particular instances. Synonyms: deriving, induction, deduction, deducing, inferring, inference, gathering, gleaning, drawing out, extraction, eliciting 'the admission that laws of nature cannot be established by induction' Often contrasted with deduction 'Similarly, there is no deductive proof that induction - inference from past evidence to future occurrences - is valid.' 'The two principal features of Bacon's new method were an emphasis on gradual, progressive inductions, and a method of exclusion.' 3.1The production of facts to prove a general statement. 3.2Mathematics A means of proving a theorem by showing that if it is true of any particular case it is true of the next case in a series, and then showing that it is indeed true in one particular case. 'Many of the formula on the Fibonacci and Golden Section formulae page can be proved by induction.' 'This result is easy to prove by mathematical induction.' 'The principle of mathematical induction, claimed Poincaré, cannot be logically deduced.' 4The production of an electric or magnetic state by the proximity (without contact) of an electrified or magnetized body. 'Controlled adjustable manufacturing method for variable laminations used in electro-magnetic induction devices' 'He published his theory of electrical induction in two papers, the first in 1845 and the second in 1847.' 4.1The production of an electric current in a conductor by varying the magnetic field applied to the conductor. 'As this bobbin is such an excellent conductor, the change in the magnetic flux is opposed in the bobbin by the induction of an alternating current.' 'This yields low eddy current losses at high induction levels.' 5The stage of the working cycle of an internal combustion engine in which the fuel mixture is drawn into the cylinders. 'In speaking of Newtonian mechanics, he praised it for bringing so much under so few hypotheses, and spoke of it as a 'consilience of inductions.''

infinite NOUN /ˈɪnfɪnɪt/

NOUN the infinite 1A space or quantity that is infinite. 'beyond the infinite, the space traveller is transformed' 'At the same time, there was an exhilarating account of the infinite in Georg Cantor's set theory.' 'He discusses the infinite, distinguishing between the potentially infinite and the actual infinite.' 'It is more complicated than the other axioms, and involves the infinite in a fundamental way.' 1.1the InfiniteGod. 'intimations of the infinite' 'You can see this brush of the infinite on the faces of anyone's who's mourning, even on the face of one who considers himself an agnostic, or an atheist.' 'Nothing finite, nothing bound up in this world, can compare to the infinite.' 'For Hooker, the joy of human encounter with the world lies in that the created order issues forth a call of the infinite.'

Phrases on one's beam ends

Near the end of one's resources; desperate. 'if they were on their beam ends they might brave an audience with Fisher' 'And those guys pretend they're on their beam ends.' ''He was down on his beam ends,' she recalled.' 'We are pretty well on our beam ends as far as Christmas fare is concerned.'

Phrases in words of one syllable

Using very simple language; expressed plainly. 'And if you even begin to understand how the calculation is done, please explain it to me in words of one syllable.' 'And if there is anyone out there who can help would you explain it to me in words of one syllable?' 'He wanted me to reduce deep and complex ideas and issues to sound bites, to explain the meaning of life in words of one syllable.'

Phrases par for the course

What is normal or expected in any given circumstances. 'looking gorgeous is par for the course with her' 'To be told you've won a digital camera or mountain bike or some such, whilst wondering what the catch is, is about par for the course.' 'Getting the odd whistle or rude comment is par for the course.' 'Bizarre conversations with taxi drivers are par for the course in Dublin, but this one took the biscuit.'

Phrases under par

Worse than is usual or expected. 'poor nutrition can leave you feeling under par'

Phrases go non-linear

informal Become very excited or angry, especially about a particular obsession. 'don't mention the drug problem or he'll go non-linear for hours'

Phrases on the beam

informal On the right track. 'I've had a couple of stormy sessions with the old rascal trying to keep him on the beam' 'And when we come back we'll also have Katie on the beam.' 'Neil Patel's set makes the most of the small Playwrights Horizons stage, Kaye Voyce's costumes look suitably lived in, and Frances Aronson's lighting is on the beam.' 'By and large, SRI's survey was right on the beam.'

sin of commission A sinful action.

'Generally with the media it's always the sins of omission, not the sins of commission, that are the more grave.' 'Besides the sins of omission, there are also sins of commission.' 'The sins of omission are always worse than the sins of commission in journalism.'

Phrases shake like a leaf

(of a person) tremble greatly, especially from fear. 'I was shaking like a leaf, and she told me to ring the police.' ''I mean, I was shaking like a leaf,' she confesses.' 'I was really shaking like a leaf when we first showed it.'

Phrases at intervals

1 With time between; not continuously. 'the light flashed at intervals' 'These noisy discharges of explosives start when it first gets dark and continue at intervals into the early hours of the morning.' 'They had clung to each other for warmth through the night, with Michael flashing his torch into the darkness at intervals.' 'Attendees are served white rum and strong coffee at intervals throughout the event, which may continue well into the night.' 'The silly, liberating antics expected on such occasions escalate at intervals into orgiastic nastiness.' 'Observations also occurred at intervals throughout the research period.' 2 With spaces between. 'the path is marked with rocks at intervals' 'On a brighter note, new street lighting is to be put in place in the next week or two and will consist of lantern type lighting placed at intervals along the main street of the village.' 'Spanning the road at intervals were gantries of lights indicating three lanes in, and one lane out - at morning rush hour.' 'The room was lit with candles, placed at intervals throughout the room and there was soft music playing in the back ground.' 'They gleamed in the light coming from the glowing orbs set at intervals along the street.'

sphere of influence

1A country or area in which another country has power to affect developments although it has no formal authority. 'there was increasing friction between Russia and Germany concerning their respective spheres of influence in eastern Europe' 'It was characterised by the arms race between the two superpowers who were eager to preserve their spheres of influence.' 'However, he cautions the reader to keep in mind the wars fought by the United Kingdom to expand its sphere of influence.' 1.1A field or area in which an individual or organization has power to affect events and developments. 'we need a system in which agencies have clearer boundaries to their sphere of influence' 'As the hubs of international networks, major companies form spheres of influence and power over numbers of affiliated and collaborating business units.' 'You need to transfer that knowledge to new arenas and spread your sphere of influence.'

compact 1 NOUN /kəmˈpakt/

1A small flat case containing face powder, a mirror, and a powder puff. 'The chic leather compact also has a mirror, lip brush and dual-ended eye brush.' 'Kaitlin takes out a compact from her black satin purse and starts applying some face powder.' 2Something that is a small and conveniently shaped example of its kind, in particular a compact camera. 'a wide selection of films is available for your 35 mm compact' 'If you have a good printer or photo studio, you will hardly be able to tell them from work by a conventional compact.' 'Trumpf will display the VectorMark compact, a valuable tool for various industrial and commercial marking tasks.' 3MetallurgyA mass of powdered metal compacted together in preparation for sintering. 'strength is then introduced by infiltrating glass into the compact' 'Most titanium metal powders currently available in commercial quantities do not have sufficient purity to produce ductile metal compacts.'

Phrases take someone's pulse

1Determine someone's heart rate by feeling and timing the pulsation of an artery. 'a nurse came in and took his pulse' 'Or if you feel the pulse of this person, it is not pulsating.' 1.1take the pulse of" or "feel the pulse ofAscertain the general mood or opinion of. 'an important opportunity to take the pulse of contemporary art in the UK' 'I was curious to feel the pulse of the local community' 'One good way to take the pulse of the nation is to scan the vast electronic yard sale that is eBay.' 'All that ACT can do is change its leader and go to Auckland and say it is taking the pulse of Auckland for the next 2 months.' 'What-ifs were discussed, and we began taking the pulse of the industry differently.'

Par 1 NOUN 2 /pɑː/

2 Stock Market The face value of a share or other security, as distinct from its market value. 'the 9 per cent unsecured loan stock is redeemable at par' as modifier 'par value' 'Biddle actively pursued a policy of pressing state banks to redeem their outstanding banknotes at promised par or face value in specie.' 'The exchange said IFCI would place the shares with IDBI at par and subject to central bank approvals.' 'It will offer for subscription 2 100 006 shares with a par and issue value of 10 leva each.' 'Each right allows subscribing a share with a par and issue value of one lev.' 2.1 The recognized value of one country's currency in terms of another's. 'Since our currency is linked on par with theirs, whatever happens to the Rand, happens to the Namibia Dollar.' 'Why don't we set our currency on par to the British pound?' 'Similarly, Bosnia and Herzegovina operates a currency board with its domestic currency, konvertibilna marka, tied to German marks at par.'

Phrases a beam in one's eye

A fault that is greater in oneself than in the person one is finding fault with. 'economic forecasters should consider the beam in their own eye before criticizing the government's figures' 'I know there's a beam in my eye, so it's too bad I so enjoy pointing out the specks in others'.' 'The fact is that we all have a beam in our eye, but most people only see the sliver.' 'But, of course, others out there can sometimes notice the blockage, like a beam in our eye.'

sin of omission

A sinful failure to perform an action. 'sins of omission more usually cause such problems' 'The example also presents several sins of omission.' 'Like most nice people, I specialize in sins of omission.' 'While evil men go from bad to worse, we can no longer even get away with sins of omission!' 'Call it missed historic opportunity or sin of omission.'

fluid ADJECTIVE /ˈfluːɪd/

ADJECTIVE 1 (of a substance) able to flow easily. Synonyms: flowing, able to flow easily 'the paint is more fluid than tube watercolours' 'Innovations are not limited to a specific category, with subtle or bold changes evident in products from cultured products to ice cream to fluid milk.' 'We are also putting a lot of emphasis on our merchandising programs - both for ice creams and fluid milk.' 1.1 Smoothly elegant or graceful. Synonyms: free-flowing, flowing, fluent, smooth, effortless, easy, natural, unbroken, uninterrupted, continuous 'her movements were fluid and beautiful to watch' 'Christopher fought with a fluid elegance, every move graceful and balanced.' 'There is an easy elegance here, a fluid readability, and a lucid, completely unaffected, eloquence of one who is at ease with herself.' 1.2 Not settled or stable; likely or able to change. Synonyms: adaptable, flexible, adjustable, open-ended, open, open to change, changeable, not fixed, not settled, variable, versatile fluctuating, changeable, likely to change, subject to change, unsteady, shifting, ever-shifting, mobile, inconstant 'our plans are still fluid' 'the fluid political situation of the 1930s' 'This is a very fluid political situation in a very unusual state.' 'We now also have a much more fluid political situation.' 2 (of a clutch or coupling) using a liquid to transmit power. 'Broadly, fluid couplings are of two types - constant and variable speed.'

linear /ˈlɪnɪə/

ADJECTIVE 1 Arranged in or extending along a straight or nearly straight line. Synonyms: unswerving, undeviating, linear, direct, as straight as an arrow, uncurving, unbending 'linear movement' 'Because the linear pattern does not extend into later portions of the asymptomatic period, we did not analyze sequences isolated during the later portions.' 'Therefore, progression from mitosis into meiotic prophase is spatially organized in a linear fashion extending from the distal end.' 'Thirty-three screens are evenly spaced along the 1800 linear feet of the arrivals corridor.' 'In a susceptible smoker for 20 years, emphysema could develop along a linear course from middle to old age.' 1.1 Consisting of or predominantly formed using lines or outlines. 'simple linear designs' 'Providing linear counterpoint, simple designs stitched in black thread flow over and around the painted images.' 'There are other panels with flat planes of tertiary colour, some with simple linear designs.' 'The artist's linear arabesques reminded Greenberg of the feminized forms of Art Nouveau.' 1.2 Involving one dimension only. 'linear elasticity' 'The linear dimensional change on ageing is very small.' 'The difficult thing is that the correct data must be found, and the dimensional structure is not linear.' 'Its foundation is established, and layers of the story reveal themselves, not in linear fashion, but in three dimensions.' 1.3 Mathematics Able to be represented by a straight line on a graph. 'linear functions' 'Consider first the simple example of a random walk on a 3-point linear graph.' 'No cryptographic algorithm should be a linear function.' 'Showing them that a line can represent a linear mathematical equation graphically.' 1.4 Mathematics Involving or exhibiting directly proportional change in two related quantities. 'linear relationship' 'Of course the relationship is not linear and directly causal, but more complex.' 'This represents a strong linear relationship between size of drainage and number of species present.' 'The proposed graph underlines the linear relation between dose and risk.' 2 Progressing from one stage to another in a single series of steps; sequential. 'a linear narrative' 'Imploding his linear narrative in a single frame, Shaw creates on canvas a kind of literary black hole.' 'These were brought together and placed in a linear narrative sequence in a process of historical convergence.' 'Progress through these developmental stages is not necessarily linear or uniform.' 'The story, such as it is, moves forward through associative montage rather than linear narrative progression.'

colonial ADJECTIVE /kəˈləʊnɪəl/

ADJECTIVE 1 Relating to or characteristic of a colony or colonies. Synonyms: regional, state, territorial, district, local 'British colonial rule' 'colonial expansion' 'All these territories than came under European colonial rule.' 'This is first time that the locals won a victory after several hundred years of colonial rule by white people.' 1.1Denoting a predominantly neoclassical style of architecture characteristic of the period of the British colonies in America before independence, featuring a modification of the Queen Anne style. 'beautiful colonial villages of New Hampshire' 'a big, white, colonial church' 'First, there were the networks surrounding towns and villages in colonial America and the antebellum South.' 'In colonial America many village communities had large areas of common land, partly for defensive purposes as well as for pasturage.' 2(of animals or plants) living in colonies. 'corals can be solitary or colonial' 'Raptors are territorial, but some species are colonial, a situation that may place males at a higher EPC risk.' 'Sessile colonial invertebrates have the ability to distinguish between their own tissues and those of unrelated members of the same species.'

lexical ADJECTIVE /ˈlɛksɪk(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE 1 Relating to the words or vocabulary of a language. 'lexical analysis' 'Experiments 1 and 2 investigated the influence of an orthographic lexical context upon spoken word discrimination.' 'The interaction between the vision of colors and odor determination is investigated through lexical analysis of experts' wine tasting comments.' 1.1 Relating to or of the nature of a lexicon or dictionary. 'a lexical entry' 'WordNet is a big lexical dictionary heavily used by this community for creation of natural language systems.' 'Rather, inadequate phonological information is available for a greater proportion of such children's lexical entries.'

temporal /ˈtɛmp(ə)r(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE 1 Relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs; secular. Synonyms: secular, non-spiritual, worldly, profane, material, mundane, earthly, terrestrial 'the Church did not imitate the secular rulers who thought only of temporal gain' 'He was the temporal and spiritual ruler of the Muslim world.' 'Temporal and spiritual authority converge in him.' 'A separation between the spiritual and the temporal is desirable and possible.' 2 Relating to time. Synonyms: of time, time-related 'the spatial and temporal dimensions of human interference in complex ecosystems' 'This issue explores some of the temporal and political dimensions of art.' 'Ancient DNA provides a temporal dimension to the study of genetic variation.' 'These spectres exist in different temporal dimensions.' 'In our perception of the world, spatial and temporal dimensions merely appear to be distinct.' 2.1 Grammar Relating to or denoting time or tense. 'These meanings typically have to do with temporalor logical relations between the events described in the clauses.' 'His teaching begins with a temporal adverb: 'now.'' 'The second, third, and fourth sentences are without verbs and hence have no temporal location.'

explicit ADJECTIVE /ɪkˈsplɪsɪt/

ADJECTIVE 1 Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt. Synonyms: clear, direct, plain, obvious, straightforward, clear-cut, crystal clear, clearly expressed, easily understandable, blunt 'the arrangement had not been made explicit' 'To ensure consistency, several definitions were made explicit before data entry began.' 'The methodologies employed are not only made explicit, but discussed in some detail, albeit at times anecdotally.' 'At least one has even made explicit reference to the use of nuclear bombs, albeit as a retaliatory measure.' 'A narrative is implied, but never made explicit.' 1.1 (of a person) stating something in an explicit manner. 'let me be explicit' 'He was not explicit but implied to me that most of the people were in some way connected with publishing or writing.' 'We were quite explicit in the consultation process that this would be one of the savings that would be made.' 'People fall in love all the time, but few professional athletes are so explicit in recounting the moment they met their soulmate 15 years earlier.' 1.2Describing or representing sexual activity in a graphic fashion. Synonyms: uncensored, unrestrained, unreserved, unrestricted, uninhibited, graphic 'a sexually explicit blockbuster' 'They said they just felt that the explicit depiction of sexual activity and nudity was unacceptable.' 'I'd put an even more explicit photo on, except I'd have to put an Agecheck on my site!' 'He also described 'a gay sexual encounter in explicit and derogatory terms' from the pulpit.'

chronic /ˈkrɒnɪk/

ADJECTIVE 1(of an illness) persisting for a long time or constantly recurring. Synonyms: persistent, long-standing, long-term, constantly recurring 'chronic bronchitis' Often contrasted with acute 'They come seeking help for work-related stress, irregular sleeping hours, unhealthy food habits and chronic fatigue.' 'These affect both the structure and vibration of the vocal cords and causes chronic changes in the quality of voice.' 1.1(of a person) having a chronic illness. 'a chronic asthmatic' 'In chronic patients, there are more acute phases, more ups and downs.' 'The council was branded heartless at the time because Kay suffers from spina bifida and Pearson is a chronic asthmatic.' 1.2(of a problem) long-lasting. Synonyms: constant, continuing, continual, ceaseless, incessant, unabating, unending, persistent, perennial, long-lasting, lingering 'the school suffers from chronic overcrowding' 'Poor countries face chronic crises so dire that the world's sensibilities have been numbed to them.' 'The problem is that there is a chronic need to address poor turnout.' 'A terrible drought last year sparked chronic food shortages this year.' 1.3(of a person) having a bad habit. Synonyms: inveterate, confirmed, hardened, dyed-in-the-wool, incorrigible, habitual 'a chronic liar' 2British informal Of a very poor quality. Synonyms: very bad, appalling, awful, dreadful, terrible, frightful, atrocious, hopeless, abominable, laughable, lamentable, execrable 'the film was absolutely chronic' 'Is it a desire to draw attention away from his poor to chronic domestic policy record?' 'The new big noise displayed a chronic lack of professionalism and failed hopelessly to live up to his billing.'

vertical ADJECTIVE /ˈvəːtɪk(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE 1At right angles to a horizontal plane; in a direction, or having an alignment, such that the top is directly above the bottom. Synonyms: upright, erect, perpendicular, plumb, straight, straight up and down, on end, standing, upstanding, bolt upright, upended 'the vertical axis' 'keep your back vertical' 'These corners appear in the horizontal and vertical planes.' 'The added patterns were folded, and profiles in horizontal and vertical direction were obtained for further analysis.' 'The inclinometers are 2-way sensors which record rotations with the vertical direction in two orthogonal vertical planes.' 2Involving different levels or stages of a hierarchy or process. 'The human being possesses levels of reality situated in the vertical hierarchy of body, soul and spirit.' 'Scinduism must do away with the vertical hierarchy of castes and the complete plethora of superstitious beliefs.' 2.1Involving all the stages from the production to the sale of a class of goods. 'we need more vertical cooperation between manufacturers and service providers' 'In the vertical production structure, work is contracted out to households, which use child labour freely.' ''We are a completely vertical toy company, like none other,' Booker says.' 'To be vertical is not easy, but it is the only way to offer customers quality and consistency.' 2.2(especially of the transmission of disease or genetic traits) passed from one generation to the next. 'vertical transmission of the virus' 'Vaccination in utero may reduce the vertical transmission of infectious diseases.' 'Well informed general practitioners can and should play a part in preventing vertical transmission of HIV.' 3AnatomyRelating to the crown of the head. 'The aberrant vessel can be traced to the middle ear with an apparent absence of the right vertical carotid canal.' 'The paramedian forehead flap was centered over the supratrochlear artery in a vertical orientation.' 4archaic Denoting a point at the zenith or the highest point of something.

arbitrary /ˈɑːbɪt(rə)ri/

ADJECTIVE 1Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system. Synonyms: capricious, whimsical, random, chance, erratic, unpredictable, inconsistent, wild, hit-or-miss, haphazard, casual 'an arbitrary decision' 'I prefer to have my laws built on reason rather than arbitrary morality.' 'This numbering system is an arbitrary designation based on small amino acid sequence differences.' 2(of power or a ruling body) unrestrained and autocratic in the use of authority. Synonyms: despotic, tyrannical, tyrannous, peremptory, summary, autocratic, dictatorial, authoritarian, draconian, autarchic, anti-democratic 'a country under arbitrary government' 'By the time of the Revolution, the standing army had become a symbol of repressive authority and arbitrary rule.' 'Freedom from arbitrary power is a great good - but so is the avoidance of anarchy.' 'But why should we give that arbitrary power to any civil servant?' 3Mathematics(of a constant or other quantity) of unspecified value. 'He defined differential operators of arbitrary order D t.' 'For tabular presentation we used arbitrary cut off values.' 'To each triangle, there exists a similar triangle of arbitrary magnitude.'

compact 1 ADJECTIVE /kəmˈpakt/

ADJECTIVE 1Closely and neatly packed together; dense. Synonyms: dense, packed close, close-packed, tightly packed, pressed together 'a compact cluster of houses' 'We snuggled together around the fire we had built, all together in a compact ball around the small flames.' 'Therefore, the shell wall is not compact or dense and is, in fact, poorly defined.' 'He said that pasta's dense, compact nature means that it is digested more slowly than other starches.' 1.1Having all the necessary components or features neatly fitted into a small space. Synonyms: small, little, petite, miniature, mini, small-scale, neat, economic of space, fun-size 'this compact car has plenty of boot space' 'For travelling it is carried split in a padded carry case, which is compact enough to fit even a small overnight travel bag.' 'It's also compact enough to tuck neatly into an entertainment center or tabletop without being too obtrusive.' 1.2(of a person or animal) small, strong, and well proportioned. 'Her husband, Willy, a compact man with a Marine crew cut and Popeye forearms, is her catcher.' 'He was compact, stylish and just too good to be true.' 1.3(of speech or writing) concise in expression. Synonyms: concise, succinct, condensed, compendious, crisp, terse, brief, pithy, epigrammatic, aphoristic, elliptical 'a compact summary of the play' 'Now, let's turn to the split rumours, which he has provided a compact summary of.' 'The utility of compact expression is short-lived.' 'A compact summary of his ideas is difficult to pull off.' 2compact ofarchaic Composed or made up of. 'towns compact of wooden houses' 'Canada is a compact of some very different people who have all managed to remain united through their common loyalty to the Crown of Canada.'

diagnostic ADJECTIVE /dʌɪəɡˈnɒstɪk/

ADJECTIVE 1Concerned with the diagnosis of illness or other problems. 'a diagnostic tool' 'Overall diagnostic accuracy was the same in both groups.' 'Since prostate cancer often has no early warning signs, early diagnostic testing can be critical.' 'A screening test is not the same as diagnostic test.' 1.1(of a symptom) distinctive, and so indicating the nature of an illness. Synonyms: typical, usual, normal, predictable, habitual, in character 'reduced enzyme activity is diagnostic of the disease' 'The presence of lymphocytes themselves was not considered diagnostic.' 'No blood findings are characteristic and the chest X ray alone is not diagnostic.' 'Immunostains for WT1 protein and the characteristic translocation are diagnostic of this tumor.' 2Characteristic of a particular species, genus, or phenomenon. Synonyms: systematic, logical, scientific, inquisitive, investigative, inquiring, methodical, organized, well organized, ordered, orderly, meticulous, rigorous, searching, critical, interpretative, diagnostic, exact, precise, accurate, mathematical, regulated, controlled, rational 'the diagnostic character of having not one but two pairs of antennae' 'The only diagnostic characters the type species has are the straight anterior border with a central raised area and a tapered glabella.' 'The duck feather did not contain diagnostic characters for species identification.'

magnetic /maɡˈnɛtɪk/

ADJECTIVE 1Exhibiting or relating to magnetism. 'the clock has a magnetic back to stick to the fridge' 'If you don't, gluing may be a little troublesome as not many types of glue will stick to the magnetic material very well.' 'The cameras and magnetic strip readers were stuck to the ATMs and looked like original parts.' 1.1Capable of being attracted by or acquiring the properties of a magnet. 'steel is magnetic' 'The earliest soft magnetic material was iron, which contained many impurities.' 'Silicon steel is undoubtedly the most important soft magnetic material in use today.' 2(of a bearing in navigation) measured relative to magnetic north. 'My friends and colleagues who are interested in alignments say they keep finding things which point towards either 125 degrees magnetic or to its diametric opposite (125+180= 305).' 'When geomagnetic activity is low, the aurora typically is located, in the hours around midnight, at about 67 degrees magnetic latitude.' 3Very attractive or alluring. Synonyms: alluring, attractive, fascinating, captivating, enchanting, enthralling, appealing, charming, prepossessing, engaging, entrancing, tempting, tantalizing, seductive, inviting, irresistible, magic, magical, bewitching, charismatic, hypnotic, mesmeric 'his magnetic personality' 'Tigers are alluring animals and stories about them always have a magnetic appeal.' 'From every act, from every word of the persona he has presented to the camera since the early 1970s, there emanates at once a mediocrity and a magnetic allure.' 'His magnetic personality has the capacity to enchant fellow men.'

infinite ADJECTIVE /ˈɪnfɪnɪt/

ADJECTIVE 1Limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate. Synonyms: boundless, unbounded, unlimited, limitless, without limit, without end, never-ending, interminable, cosmic countless, uncountable, inestimable, indeterminable, innumerable, numberless, immeasurable, incalculable, untold, very many 'the infinite mercy of God' 'the infinite number of stars in the universe' 'Since one can't draw a space/object of infinite size then one does the best to represent it.' 'We live on a tiny planet in a corner of a vast galaxy starred about with infinite space.' 'Since there's not an infinite amount of money, we have to choose.' 1.1Very great in amount or degree. Synonyms: very great, immense, supreme, absolute, total, real 'he bathed the wound with infinite care' 'This makes for an infinite amount of music to check out.' 'They have a seemingly infinite amount of other style names here, but not that.' 'This idea of refinement carried to an infinite degree then began to be extended to liquids.' 1.2Mathematics Greater than any assignable quantity or countable number. 'One is an abstract philosophical point: infinite quantities and classical decision theory don't mix.' 'Mathematicians divide infinite sets into two categories, countable and uncountable sets.' 'The surprising answer is that there is an infinite number of Fibonacci numbers with any chosen number as a factor!' 1.3Mathematics (of a series) able to be continued indefinitely. 'He made substantial contributions to the analytical theory of numbers and worked on elliptic functions, continued fractions, and infinite series.' 'An infinite series of contingent beings will be, to my way of thinking, as unable to cause itself as one contingent being.' 2Grammar another term for non-finite 'The infinite noun functions as nominative and as indefinite.' 'What I cannot grasp is how to determine if a sentence is finite or infinite.' 'In this case the modal auxiliary carries the tense, aspect and person; therefore, the verb that follows should be in its bare infinite, nonfinite form.'

comparative ADJECTIVE /kəmˈparətɪv/

ADJECTIVE 1Measured or judged by estimating the similarity or dissimilarity between one thing and another; relative. Synonyms: relative, qualified, modified 'he returned to the comparative comfort of his own home' 'Even concepts for completely factual comparative ads were carefully judged by the candidate's sense of fair play.' 'Now that we have the actual contracts, this comparative exercise is relatively straightforward.' 2Involving the systematic observation of the similarities or dissimilarities between two or more branches of science or subjects of study. 'comparative religion' 'Studying comparative religion, he developed an interest in Christian Science and converted.' 'We didn't go out and study comparative religion, right?' 'He studied English and comparative religion at the West Sussex Institute, followed by teacher training and other postgraduate studies.' 3Grammar(of an adjective or adverb) expressing a higher degree of a quality, but not the highest possible (e.g. braver; more fiercely). 'What I'm interested in is how the comparative adjective form wronger is pronounced.' Contrasted with positive, superlative 3.1(of a clause) involving comparison (e.g. he's not as good as he was). 'The referent of the Mexican postmaster's comparative metaphor is itself left unspoken.' 'The particle H serves to provide a disjunctive or comparative conjunction between separate ideas or convictions.' 'As an example, note the following comparative sentences.'

integral ADJECTIVE /ˈɪntɪɡr(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE 1Necessary to make a whole complete; essential or fundamental. Synonyms: essential, fundamental, basic, intrinsic, inherent, constitutive, innate, structural 'games are an integral part of the school's curriculum' 'systematic training should be integral to library management' 1.1Included as part of a whole rather than supplied separately. Synonyms: built-in, inbuilt, integrated, incorporated, fitted, component, constituent 'the unit comes complete with integral pump and heater' 'The barrel length is 19.8 inches including the well-designed integral muzzle brake.' 'Scope rings to fit the integral receiver grooves are included with each T3.' 1.2Having all the parts that are necessary to be complete. Synonyms: unified, integrated, comprehensive, organic, composite, combined, aggregate, undivided, overall, gross, entire, complete, whole, total, full, intact 'the first integral recording of the ten Mahler symphonies' 'Now, of course, the composer appears on even major labels with some regularity, and there have been several integral recordings of the symphonies.' 2MathematicsOf or denoted by an integer. 'Under his guidance she worked on integral equations studying infinite dimensional linear spaces.' 'Another analysis topic he studied was non-linear integral equations.' 2.1Involving only integers, especially as coefficients of a function. 'While he was doing this wide range of work he was also proving some of his deepest results in the study of integral functions.' 'Some of them are about the theory of equations, others about integral functions.'

non-linear /nɒnˈlɪnɪə/

ADJECTIVE 1Not arranged in a straight line. Synonyms: unmethodical, uncoordinated, undirected, disorganized, unarranged, unplanned, unpremeditated, indiscriminate 1.1Mathematics Denoting or involving an equation whose terms are not of the first degree. 'The non-linear differential equation describing the growth of a biological population which he deduced and studied is now named after him.' 'It was then that he became aware of the mysteries underlying the subject of non-linear partial differential equations.' 1.2Physics Involving a lack of linearity between two related qualities such as input and output. 'a non-linear network' 'If matter is present where the photons cross, non-linear effects caused by accelerated electric charges may allow the photons to interact.' 'Other non-linear factors also contribute to increase the resulting gain disparity between wavelengths.' 1.3Mathematics Involving measurement in more than one dimension. 2Not sequential or straightforward. 'Joyce's stream-of-consciousness, non-linear narrative' 'Unfortunately, the film itself was a bit slow-paced and difficult to follow, with a non-linear narrative structure.' 'Will UK readers cope with the experimental, non-linear narrative structure?' 'Sometimes these are the visual equivalent of a non-linear narrative.' 3Of or denoting digital editing whereby a sequence of edits is stored on computer as opposed to videotape. 'For editing non-linear computer editing is the only way to go.' 'The key to all of this is non-linear computer editing.' 'This has certainly been the case with non-linear digital editing systems.'

horizontal ADJECTIVE /hɒrɪˈzɒnt(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE 1Parallel to the plane of the horizon; at right angles to the vertical. Synonyms: parallel, level, even, straight, plane, flush 'a horizontal line' 'Observers made their responses by pressing one of two keys on the computer keyboard, labelled with a vertical or horizontal line.' 'Both vertical and horizontal forehead lines are usually improved by this technique.' 'We see vertical and horizontal lines, they stand out, because receptors in the eyes are set to perceive them.' 1.1(of machinery) having its parts working in a horizontal direction. 'a horizontal steam engine' 'The low centre of gravity which results from the horizontal engine design has several benefits.' 'The 30 propellant charges on the right in three rows of 10, stowed vertically on a horizontal conveyor belt that runs under the floor of the vehicle.' 'I frequently change my leg training program, and sometimes I do presses on the horizontal leg press machine.' 2Being at or involving the same level of a hierarchy. 'horizontal class loyalties' 'While we must still retain a hierarchy of being, Haught asserts that it is not a vertical but a horizontal hierarchy.' 'The relationship between the former and latter is more horizontal than hierarchical.' 'Or is the basis of the group entirely horizontal (though with some degree of hierarchy)?' 2.1Uniform; based on uniformity. 'horizontal expansion of the international community' 'This is a setback for studies of the role of horizontal transfer in niche expansion and speciation.' 'There is consistent evidence of sharp horizontal inequalities between groups in conflict.' 2.2Combining firms engaged in the same stage or type of production. 'a horizontal merger' 'Cooperation between vendors who even competed with each other is necessary to produce a horizontal solution.' 'These firms achieved most of their financial control through horizontal integration by acquiring the competition.' 3Of or at the horizon. 'the horizontal moon'

evolutionary /ˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/

ADJECTIVE 1Relating to or denoting the process by which different kinds of living organism are believed to have developed from earlier forms. 'Darwinian evolutionary theory' 'chance enters into the evolutionary process in the form of naturally occurring random mutations' 'Evolutionary biology emerged in the nineteenth century.' 'As evolutionary theory became more widely accepted, natural scientists speculated that the cells of complex organisms might be the descendants of unicellular ancestors, retaining considerable autonomy.' 2Relating to the gradual development of something. 'updating technology is an evolutionary process' 'He offers an impressive specification of the role that disgust plays in Freud's evolutionary theory of repression.' 'We would have to consider the company's evolutionary history and its brushes with extinction.' 'These films are the result of an evolutionary process in cinema genres.' 3Relating to a pattern of movements or manoeuvres. 'evolutionary tactics' 'he was in command of the evolutionary squadron' 'The twin threats posed by conventional and unconventional actors dictate a cautious and evolutionary approach to military procurement.' 'His term was interrupted by command of the evolutionary squadron in 1845.'

quantitative /ˈkwɒntɪtətɪv/

ADJECTIVE 1Relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something rather than its quality. 'quantitative analysis' Often contrasted with qualitative 'That may be appropriate, but using these qualitative data for quantitative statistics is fraught with difficulty.' 'However, to formalize this we require quantitative measures of the similarity of trees.' 'This assay is a highly quantitative and direct measure of antibody response to a specific antigen.' 1.1Denoting or relating to verse whose metre is based on the length of syllables, as in Latin, as opposed to the stress, as in English. 'Most critical studies evaluate Campions place in and contribution to the movement to create English quantitative verse.' 'The rhythms of both Greek and Latin poetry are based on the quantitative length of syllables, not on stress accent as are English rhythms.'

diverse /dʌɪˈvəːs/

ADJECTIVE 1Showing a great deal of variety; very different. Synonyms: various, many and various, sundry, manifold, multiple 'subjects as diverse as architecture, language teaching, and the physical sciences' 'The country is ethnically diverse, indicated by its four language groups.' 'An increasing number of students are from racially/ethnically diverse backgrounds.' 'Although many schools have become more ethnically diverse over time, they typically remain divided.' 2Including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, etc. 'our company is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce'

empirical /ɛmˈpɪrɪk(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic. Synonyms: observed, seen, factual, actual, real, verifiable, first-hand 'they provided considerable empirical evidence to support their argument' 'The work has a strong empirical base, but it is firmly governed by theory.' 'These judgments, when known, constitute knowledge that is based on nothing empirical.'

mediate ADJECTIVE /ˈmiːdɪeɪt/

ADJECTIVE Connected indirectly through another person or thing; involving an intermediate agency. 'public law institutions are a type of mediate state administration'

behavioral /bɪˈheɪvjər(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE Involving, relating to, or emphasizing behaviour. Synonyms: ethical 'closely related species have similar behavioural patterns' 'a behavioural approach to children's language' 'Autonomic responses are among the richest sources of adaptive behavioral patterns.' 'Second, this fear of a specific concrete object allowed use of a behavioral approach test.' 'Only one pair was observed at a time in order to time behavioral patterns precisely.' 'New research is also connecting heart problems to behavioral patterns and social conditioning.'

syntactic /sɪnˈtaktɪk/

ADJECTIVE Of or according to syntax. Synonyms: syntactic, morphological, semantic 'syntactic analysis' 'As the main or only word in the noun phrase, it has the same set of syntactic functions as a noun.' 'In such grammars, conflicts among semantic and syntactic constraints are resolved in terms of ranking.' 'It's possible that these writers have a different syntactic frame for the verb understate.'

neural /ˈnjʊər(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE Relating to a nerve or the nervous system. Synonyms: neurological, neural, neuro- 'patterns of neural activity' 'By this method, the path of a neural tract can be traced from its origin to its termination.' 'Discography is an invasive test that has an inherent risk of infection and neural injury.' 'He is working on a project with a novel approach to track neural stem cells in vivo.'

molecular /məˈlɛkjʊlə/

ADJECTIVE Relating to or consisting of molecules. 'interactions between polymer and solvent at the molecular level' 'molecular oxygen' 'In particular, it reduces product hazards at the most fundamental, molecular, level.' 'His was the first group to study chemical reactions in this way under molecular beam conditions.'

numerical /njuːˈmɛrɪk(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE Relating to or expressed as a number or numbers. 'the lists are in numerical order' 'In 1940 Wilkinson began war work which involved mathematical and numerical work on ballistics.' 'It is series such as these that your pocket calculator uses to calculate numerical values.' 'He distinguished between these structures using numerical invariants based on the Todd polynomials.'

spatial /ˈspeɪʃ(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE Relating to or occupying space. 'the spatial distribution of population' 'Eventually they realised this was caused by limited physical spatial hand activity.' 'The spatial qualities of sound can be exploited heavily to define an environment.'

phonological /fəʊnəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE Relating to the system of contrastive relationships among the speech sounds that constitute the fundamental components of a language. 'the improvements in phonological decoding were higher than would be expected'

statistical ADJECTIVE /stəˈtɪstɪk(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE Relating to the use of statistics. 'a statistical comparison' 'He attended Pearson's lectures and learnt how to go about statistical research.' 'He used his statistical expertise to develop a method to estimate aircraft vulnerability.' 'It was at the Ministry of Agriculture that Kendall became involved in statistical work.'

utility ADJECTIVE /juːˈtɪlɪti/

ADJECTIVE attributive 1 Useful, especially through being able to perform several functions. Synonyms: practical, functional, serviceable, useful, sensible, effective, efficient, to the purpose, suited to the purpose, pragmatic, realistic, utility, working, workaday, handy, neat, ordinary, down-to-earth 'a utility truck' 'Kneel on the plywood to compress the foam as you cut it with a sharp utility knife.' 'So he decided to build his own off-road utility vehicle in his backyard workshop.' 'Examples include leaders in the automobile industry who first marketed off-road utility vehicles as everyday vehicles.' 1.1Denoting a player capable of playing in several different positions in a sport. 'a utility player' 'I was a utility player - played every position but first and pitcher.' 'We have got a lot of utility players who can play in a few positions and we can change systems when it becomes necessary.' 'And if a player doesn't have great talent, learning several positions can make him more valuable as a role or utility player.' 2Functional rather than attractive. 'utility clothing' 'Dirt covered my already brown pants, and it was smeared all up my bare chest, and the utility vest was just plain filthy.' 'Its comfort and practicality made it the ideal utility garment.' 'Dungarees first started their life as useful utility pants for carpenters.'

outer ADJECTIVE /ˈaʊtə/

ADJECTIVE attributive 1Outside; external. Synonyms: outside, outermost, outward, exterior, external, surface, superficial 'the outer layer of the skin' 'the outer door' 'In the next few weeks the roof, outer cladding and external works will be added.' 'This allows small 'pouches' of the inner layers to be forced outwards through the outer layer.' 'As red giants age, they eventually cast off the outer layers of their surfaces.' 1.1Further from the centre or inside. 'the outer city bypass' 'In the last seven years, more than 80,000 households have been relocated from city centre to outer areas.' 'Surely it makes sense to develop that and allow a phased switch from the city centre to an outer Dublin location.' 1.2(especially in place names) more remote. Synonyms: outlying, distant, remote, faraway, furthest, peripheral, fringe, border, marginal, suburban, perimeter 'Outer Mongolia' 'He spent his childhood and teenage years in the suburbs of outer London, already marginalised, already looking in at the centre from the edges.' 'It sounds more like the quality of life in a struggling inner-city area than a leafy outer London suburb like Bexley.' 2Objective or physical; not subjective. 'The film plays with the concepts of inner beauty and outer beauty, physical beauty and the beauty of true emotions.' 'Strictly speaking, our knowledge reaches only as far as the phenomena of inner and outer experience.'

differential ADJECTIVE /ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃ(ə)l/

ADJECTIVE technicalattributive 1Of, showing, or depending on a difference; varying according to circumstances or relevant factors. Synonyms: distinctive, different, dissimilar, contrasting, divergent, disparate, contrastive 'the differential achievements of boys and girls' 'Prevention and intervention strategies, in order to be inclusive, will need to be mindful of the differential contributions of these factors in the lives of girls.' 'Another factor in this differential growth rate was out-migration from the South.' 'At present, it is unclear why there is a differential requirement for such factors.' 1.1Constituting a specific difference; distinctive. 'the differential features between benign and malignant tumours' 'By proteograph analysis, none of these met the criteria as differential features between the two cell types, yet many of these proteins will have key roles in fundamental breast biology.' 'We then detail implemented measures that take into account common and differential features between words.' 1.2Mathematics Relating to infinitesimal differences or to the derivatives of functions. 'His second area of work was on differential geometry in particular the theory of quadratic differential quantics.' 'He worked on quadratic differential forms and mechanics.' 'He contributed substantially to topology, differential geometry and complex analytic geometry.' 1.3 Relating to a difference in a physical quantity. 'a differential amplifier' 'Shifts in the field of view directly affected displacement output, but density increment and strain, being differential quantities, were unaffected.' 'A differential amplifier was used for signal amplification.' 'Rail-to-rail input common mode range differential amplifier that operates with very low rail-to-rail voltages'

explicitly /ɛkˈsplɪsɪtli/

ADVERB 1In a clear and detailed manner, leaving no room for confusion or doubt. 'the essay should state explicitly how the facts support the thesis' 'she has explicitly rejected the theory of patriarchy' 'It's not explicitly stated here, and that's a mistake.' 'He did not explicitly say he would get it done, but personally, I would be surprised if he did not.' 'Sometimes, its message is explicitly political.' 1.1(in reference to representations of sexual activity) graphically and vividly. as submodifier 'explicitly erotic images' 'The ancients, and particularly the Greeks and the Romans, were more comfortable with explicitly erotic images than most moderns are.' 'His sculptures are among the most abstractly yet explicitly erotic artworks of the 20th century.' 'He handles sex explicitly enough to attract charges of pornography.'

thereby /ðɛːˈbʌɪ/

ADVERB By that means; as a result of that. 'students perform in hospitals, thereby gaining a deeper awareness of the therapeutic power of music' 'One of the functions of humour is to point this out - and thereby reassure us.' 'He kept the man alive until the ambulance arrived, thereby saving his life.' 'Others believe that God inspired human beings to write it, thereby allowing errors to creep in.' 'The woodland has changed hands and the new owner is planning to fence it off, thereby denying me access to my club.'

sufficiently /səˈfɪʃ(ə)ntli/

ADVERB To an adequate degree; enough. 'he recovered sufficiently to resume his duties' 'a sufficiently large working force' 'We are reviewing our guidelines to ensure that they are sufficiently robust.' 'The report should be sufficiently detailed that can remove any doubt a reader might have about any aspect of the results.' 'Lawmakers haven't been sufficiently impressed by the carnage to do anything to slow down motorists.'

Phrases above par

Better than is usual or expected. 'overall comfort was above par' 'The sauce, which as you would expect is the key, is invariably under par.' 'It will strike when its host suffers from a wound such as a small cut, a minor ailment such as a cold, or when the immune system is under par.' 'With the loss of some key players, the team looked distinctly under par.' 'Two years ago I was overweight, bloated, lacked energy, fell asleep early in the evenings and generally felt below par.'

Phrases for one's sins

British humorous Used to suggest that a task or duty is so onerous or unpleasant that it must be a punishment. 'he teaches Latin for his sins' 'And for our sins, we tend to take with us Owd Tom, who otherwise rarely gets out of Beggarsdale since he let his son, Mid Tom, take their stock to the auction mart.' 'Andre co-wrote half the tracks, including the annoying Insania, and the cod reggae Mysterious Girl, included twice here for our sins.' 'I happened to watch for the first time the television program Home Front last week and, for my sins, it struck a chord.'

graph 1 NOUN /ɡrɑːf/

NOUN 1 A diagram showing the relation between variable quantities, typically of two variables, each measured along one of a pair of axes at right angles. Synonyms: chart, diagram, grid 'You can chart variables on a graph and look at speed, power (a calculated estimate), temperature and altitude.' 'He notes that the pair provide graphs but no statistical analysis of their data.' 'The graph above shows the 'survival curves', which shows how long patients survived in each group.' 1.1 Mathematics A collection of points whose coordinates satisfy a given relation. 'Otherwise, the implication is that the use of coordinate graphs simply adds to the learner's syntactic translational problem.' 'A directed graph is a collection of nodes and edges.' 'Links on the Web and citation relations between scientific articles can both be described as mathematical graphs.'

regime /reɪˈʒiːm/

NOUN 1 A government, especially an authoritarian one. Synonyms: government, authorities, system of government, rule, reign, dominion, sovereignty, jurisdiction, authority, control, command, administration, establishment, direction, management, leadership 'ideological opponents of the regime' 'Meanwhile, in southern Europe, Spain, Portugal, and Greece were ruled by authoritarian regimes.' 'This sort of empty democratic trapping is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes.' 'On World Freedom Day, we also recognize that more than two billion people still live under authoritarian regimes.' 2 A system or ordered way of doing things. Synonyms: system, arrangement, scheme, code 'detention centres with a very tough physical regime' 'a tax regime' 2.1 A coordinated programme for the promotion or restoration of health; a regimen. 'a low-calorie, low-fat regime' 'Thus, all patients get all drugs, making medical regimes complex and costly.' 'She has a chart for a typical patient's eight-week therapy on various regimes.' 2.2 The conditions under which a scientific or industrial process occurs. 'Peds are blocky structures formed in soils as a result of wetting and drying processes under seasonal climate regimes.' 'However, their concentration is governed by the hydrological regime of the river systems.'

particle /ˈpɑːtɪk(ə)l/

NOUN 1 A minute portion of matter. Synonyms: bit, tiny bit, piece, tiny piece, speck, spot, fleck, dot, atom, molecule 'tiny particles of dust' 'Raw coal also contains moisture and solid particles of mineral matter (ash).' 'She would have to break up her body into small particles of matter.' 'So therefore some particles of matter would survive that annihilation.' 1.1 Physics Any of numerous subatomic constituents of the physical world that interact with each other, including electrons, neutrinos, photons, and alpha particles. 'Later it was found that the atoms are composed of particles (neutrons, electrons etc).' 'Its output of particles (electrons, protons, ions and atomic nuclei) is approximately one million tonnes per second.' 1.2Mathematics A hypothetical object having mass but no physical size. 'At that time he made the claim, for the first time, that the particle had zero mass.' 'The view which I am so bold to put forth considers radiation as a high species of vibration in the lines of force which are known to connect particles, and also masses of matter together.' 2with negative The least possible amount. Synonyms: iota, jot, whit, bit, scrap, shred, crumb, morsel, mite, atom, drop, hint, touch, trace, suggestion, whisper, suspicion, scintilla, grain, tittle, jot or tittle 'he agrees without hearing the least particle of evidence' 3 Grammar(in English) any of the class of words such as in, up, off, over, used with verbs to make phrasal verbs. 'If no special emphasis is employed, the adverbial particle in a phrasal verb proper is stressed: to píck úp a bóok/píck a bóok úp.' 'Maybe, as a result of this, sentences occasionally miss main verbs or particles get mislaid, but blogging is Hell, soldier.' 3.1(in ancient Greek) any of a class of words used for contrast and emphasis, such as de and ge. 'These are considered particles and they're placed at the end of a sentence, usually to signify a certain attitudinal meaning or intonation.' 'Such a particle would generally be included in a grammar in a post-compositional pragmatic component, but, surprisingly, like also affects basic semantic attributes.'

pulse 1 NOUN /pʌls/

NOUN 1 A rhythmical throbbing of the arteries as blood is propelled through them, typically as felt in the wrists or neck. Synonyms: heartbeat, pulsation, pulsing, throb, throbbing, vibration, pounding, thudding, thud, thumping, thump, drumming 'the doctor found a faint pulse' 'the idea was enough to set my pulse racing' 'She could see the blood in his pulse just near his neck.' 'If your doctor has told you that you have a narrowed carotid artery, check your pulse at your wrist.' 1.1 Each successive throb of the arteries or heart. 'The blood vessels that carry newly oxygenated blood from the lungs back to the heart pulse.' 'His heart pounded in slow pulses, yet he couldn't move.' 'She could hear the dying pulses of people's hearts somewhere nearby.' 2A single vibration or short burst of sound, electric current, light, or other wave. Synonyms: burst, blast, spurt, eruption, impulse, surge 'a pulse of gamma rays' as modifier 'a pulse generator' 'A short pulse or wave of electromagnetic radiation is transmitted from the system into the ground.' 'Although short pulses of radio waves briefly disturb this spin alignment, the spins promptly realign in the direction of the magnetic field.' 2.1A musical beat or other regular rhythm. Synonyms: rhythm, beat, rhythmical flow, rhythmical pattern, measure, metre, tempo, cadence 'Chapter Three is about rhythm, pulse, timing and musical structure.' 'Featuring a funereal organ line and a weak pulse of a drum beat, 'Let It Die' yields one of the album's stillest moments.' 'They fall into the basket, the correct notation shows, a click track plays four preparatory pulses, then the rhythm.' 3The central point of energy and organization in an area or activity. 'those close to the financial and economic pulse maintain that there have been fundamental changes' 'The individual with one hand on the pulse of the organization and the other hand on the purse.' 'They are the pulse of the organization, and without good processes at this level, the organization will not succeed.' 'The Arab majority is on the east - the old town and the financial pulse of the city.' 4BiochemistryA measured amount of an isotopic label given to a culture of cells. 'After the pulse, the cell repolarized uniformly to the plateau potential.' 'If the cells or islets were not synchronized we would observe a flat, averaged signal even though the single cells and islets released insulin in pulses.' 'These data indicate that submicrosecond pulses achieve temporally distinct effects on living cells compared to microsecond pulses.'

vowel NOUN /ˈvaʊəl/

NOUN 1 A speech sound which is produced by comparatively open configuration of the vocal tract, with vibration of the vocal cords but without audible friction, and which is a unit of the sound system of a language that forms the nucleus of a syllable. 'Stressed syllables retain full vowel quality, whereas unstressed syllables may have weak vowels.' 'The accumulated differences in the vowels, consonants, and syllable lengths gives dramatic speech a totally different pace.' 1.1 A letter representing a vowel sound, such as a, e, i, o, u. 'The vowel letter e can represent a variety of sounds.' 'The Lao alphabet also has 38 vowel symbols, representing 24 vowel sounds.'

Par 1 NOUN 1 /pɑː/

NOUN 1 Golf The number of strokes a first-class player should normally require for a particular hole or course. 'Woosnam had advanced from his overnight position of three under par' 'the sixteenth is a par five' 'They were 14 under par for four balls, but only level par for 36 holes of foursomes compared to England's 16 under.' 'The third hole is a par 3, and, like clockwork, there's always a backup on that tee.' 1.1 A par score at a hole. 'a card that showed 16 pars, one eagle, and one birdie' 'The young protégé got off to a difficult start and was three over after five but turned the tables in magnificent fashion, coming home in two under par for a level par round of 71.' 'Beames won last year's tournament by becoming the first player to shoot par on the nine-hole course, beating American pro Jack O'Keefe by a stroke.' 'But it was a par on the 72nd hole that netted Toms his first major championship.'

coefficient /ˌkəʊɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nt/

NOUN 1 MathematicsA numerical or constant quantity placed before and multiplying the variable in an algebraic expression (e.g. 4 in 4xy). 'He extended the applications of the operational method to linear ordinary differential equations with variable coefficients.' 'The problem was to find the roots by adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and taking roots of expressions in the coefficients.' 2 PhysicsA multiplier or factor that measures a particular property. 'the drag coefficient' 'This measure of a material's elasticity is called its coefficient of restitution.' 'The shading coefficient is the measure of solar heat gain through the window.' 'Where can I get a list of friction coefficients for different materials?'

theorem /ˈθɪərəm/

NOUN 1 Physics MathematicsA general proposition not self-evident but proved by a chain of reasoning; a truth established by means of accepted truths. Synonyms: proposition, hypothesis, postulate, thesis, assumption, deduction, statement 1.1 A rule in algebra or other branches of mathematics expressed by symbols or formulae. 'But why would you pass up free education that could take you places somewhere someday, even though we will never use the algebra theorems ever?' 'We learn how the dynamics of addition and subtraction are linked to multiplication and division, and eventually to theorems of algebra.'

receptor /rɪˈsɛptə/

NOUN 1 PhysiologyAn organ or cell able to respond to light, heat, or other external stimulus and transmit a signal to a sensory nerve. 'the retina of the octopus has up to 20 million light receptors' 'Our own skin contains a battery of touch receptors that produce nerve signals when pressed.' 'However, they have some ability to sense light through receptors in the epidermis.' 'All are viewed dispassionately, the heart as a pump, the brain as a network of neural tissues, the eye as a receptor of visual stimuli.' 1.1 A region of tissue, or a molecule in a cell membrane, which responds specifically to a particular neurotransmitter, hormone, antigen, or other substance. 'when viruses succeed in binding to cell membrane receptors they still have to enter the cell before they can replicate' 'When the neurotransmitter binds with the receptor, the next cell responds accordingly.' 'Hormones work by docking with a specific receptor on a cell, which then responds by turning on genes.' 'Finally, the presence of a specific receptor in the target tissue is required for a hormone to have its effect.'

discourse NOUN /ˈdɪskɔːs/

NOUN 1 Written or spoken communication or debate. Synonyms: discussion, conversation, talk, dialogue, communication, conference, debate, consultation, verbal exchange mass noun 'the language of political discourse' count noun 'an imagined discourse between two people' 'How, then, can we force a change in the media systems that dominate the discourse and misinform the debate?' 'The idea has also entered the public discourse, influencing debates on school curriculums and standardised tests.' 'One can imagine the consequences to the political discourse.' 1.1 count noun A formal discussion of a topic in speech or writing. Synonyms: essay, treatise, dissertation, paper, study, critique, monograph, disquisition, tract 'a discourse on critical theory' 'Valuable tips to raise themselves from mere seekers to achievers were provided by way of formal discourses, informal lectures, and games.' 'It is one of the few discourses to address the topic of lay ethics.' 'We have noted above that several Gnostic writings are post-resurrection discourses or dialogues.' 'They argued, discussed, rendered discourses and critiqued each other's theories.' 1.2 Linguistics A connected series of utterances; a text or conversation. Synonyms: conversation, talk, communication, interchange, discourse, argument 'Although some readers would have liked to see additional chapters on discourse and pragmatics, I have kept the same choice of topics.' 'The investigation focused on how non-native speakers use intonation to signal meaning in the structure of their discourse.' 'All three examples are from the very first sentences of their essays; possessives are being used to introduce discourse referents.'

variance /ˈvɛːrɪəns/

NOUN 1 mass noun The fact or quality of being different, divergent, or inconsistent. Synonyms: difference, variation, discrepancy, dissimilarity, disagreement, conflict, divergence, deviation, contrast, distinction, contradiction, imbalance, incongruity inconsistent, at odds, not in keeping, out of keeping, out of line, out of step, in opposition, conflicting, clashing, disagreeing, in disagreement, differing, contrary, incompatible, contradictory, irreconcilable, incongruous, discrepant 'her light tone was at variance with her sudden trembling' count noun 'the stylistic variances of classical dance' ''Thus I'll be supporting him even though that's at variance with decisions I've taken in the past,' he added.' 'The findings are at variance with recent preliminary figures from the National Educational Welfare Board.' 1.1 The state or fact of disagreeing or quarrelling. Synonyms: conflicting, in conflict, contrasting, incompatible, irreconcilable, antithetical, contradictory, clashing, contrary, different, differing, divergent, dissimilar, disagreeing, in disagreement, at odds, at cross purposes, at loggerheads, opposed, opposing, opposite, in opposition, poles apart, polar, at outs 'they were at variance with all their previous allies' 'Clearly at variance with his boss, he can see no basis on which Britain should join the euro.' 'Last but not least, try not to be at variance with anyone.' 1.2 Law count noun A discrepancy between two statements or documents. 1.3 Statistics A quantity equal to the square of the standard deviation. 'A statistical test for significance of the regression coefficient requires its variance.' 'Common statistical methods, including chi square, analysis of variance, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data.' 2 Us LawAn official dispensation from a rule or regulation, typically a building regulation. 'It happens when a newspaper needs something from government officials - a zoning variance, a broadcast license renewal.' 'It needed variances because the building codes were set up for either residential or hotels, not both.'

parameter /pəˈramɪtə/

NOUN 1 technical A numerical or other measurable factor forming one of a set that defines a system or sets the conditions of its operation. Synonyms: tinstructions, stipulations, requirements, conditions, provisions, restrictions, provisos, guidelines, parameters, order 'there are three parameters by which a speaker is able to modify the meaning of the utterance—pitch, volume, and tempo' 'Now we need to optimize the system and improve its operation parameters and design.' 'The first circuit is configured to monitor an electrical operating parameter associated with operation of the CAN bus.' 'An operator can input the parameters that define the geometry of the valve seat profile.' 1.1 Mathematics A quantity whose value is selected for the particular circumstances and in relation to which other variable quantities may be expressed. 'As gene diversity is a continuous variable, the expected value of the parameter was calculated using a sliding window of 0.0125.' 'Choosing different values for the various parameters in the equation he then tried to investigate when situations were stable and when they were unstable.' 'The real effort goes into testing these hypotheses and calculating the true values of parameters such as N.' 1.2 Statistics A numerical characteristic of a population, as distinct from a statistic of a sample. 'Such a 'rate' can be modeled statistically by the probability parameter of a binomial distribution.' 'The spiral pattern is sufficiently regular that it leads to a numerical parameter characteristic for the species, called its divergence.' 'Typically, polymorphism in a sample is needed to perform those tests and estimate population parameters.' 2 A limit or boundary which defines the scope of a particular process or activity. Synonyms: framework, variable, limit, boundary, limiting factor, limitation, restriction, specification, criterion, guideline 'the parameters within which the media work' 'First, I do not accept the framework you outline above as limiting the parameters of our debate.' 'However, I can't get away from the fact that my guiding parameters are somewhat limited by my lack of motoring knowledge.' 'One of the main benefits of a home birth is the amount of control a mother can exercise over the location and parameters of the birthing process.'

norm NOUN /nɔːm/

NOUN 1 the norm Something that is usual, typical, or standard. Synonyms: standard, usual, normal, typical, average, the rule, predictable, unexceptional, par for the course, what one would expect, expected, to be expected, only to be expected 'strikes were the norm' 1.1 usually normsA standard or pattern, especially of social behaviour, that is typical or expected. Synonyms: convention, standard, criterion, measure, gauge, yardstick, benchmark, point of reference, touchstone, barometer, litmus test, basis, scale, rule, formula, pattern, guide, guideline, model, exemplar, type 'the norms of good behaviour in the Civil Service' 'You may not conform to social norms and patterns.' 'Abnormality has also been defined in terms of both statistical and social norms - behaviour that is statistically uncommon is seen as abnormal.' 'You are likely to take steps that do not fit into social norms or patterns.' 1.2A required standard; a level to be complied with or reached. 'the 7 per cent pay norm had been breached again' 'Now more than ever, the level of detail on every garment has become a requirement, and may soon reach the norm.' 'Action will be taken against those who fail to comply with the norm.' 'Many teachers themselves believe that 70 hours a week is the norm, and is required of them.' 2MathematicsThe product of a complex number and its conjugate, equal to the sum of the squares of its real and imaginary components, or the positive square root of this sum. 2.1An analogous quantity used to represent the magnitude of a vector.'The random vector is drawn from a Gaussian distribution whose standard deviation is 20% of the norm of the force vector.'

manuscript /ˈmanjʊskrɪpt/

NOUN 1A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed. Synonyms: document, text, script, paper, typescript 'an illuminated manuscript' 'early Gothic manuscripts' 'An entire manuscript of Urdu written in Roman is a precious treasure of the Lahore Museum.' 'These manuscripts are written by people in the past to tell us what has happened.' 'One of the features of early modern manuscript and even printed language was its variable and unstable nature.' 1.1An author's handwritten or typed text that has not yet been published. 'several manuscripts in his own hand' mass noun 'her autobiography remained in manuscript' 'We are attracting more manuscripts and publishing more articles than ever before.' 'All authors were responsible for revising the manuscript and for final approval of the paper.' 'Informed consent for this purpose requires that the patient should be shown the manuscript to be published.'

correspondence /kɒrɪˈspɒnd(ə)ns/

NOUN 1A close similarity, connection, or equivalence. Synonyms: correlation, similarity, resemblance, comparability, compatibility, agreement, consistency, congruity, conformity, uniformity, harmony, affinity, accordance, accord, concurrence, coincidence 'there is a simple correspondence between the distance of a focused object from the eye and the size of its image on the retina' 'Some close correspondences can be found between the rhetoric of Robinson and that of Cicero and, to an even greater extent, Quintilian.' 'So I wasn't satisfied with just noting a few close correspondences.' 'But don't look for one on one comparisons: Loki is not the same as Mercury but they do share similar correspondences.' 2mass noun Communication by exchanging letters. Synonyms: letter writing, writing, written communication 'the organization engaged in detailed correspondence with local MPs' 'The two associations were in correspondence with one another and exchanged printed minutes.' 'They could suggest only that there would be direct correspondence with the President.' 'These problems have prompted the accounting officer to warn against detailed correspondence with schools in the future.' 2.1Letters sent or received. Synonyms: mail, post, communication, written communication 'his wife dealt with his private correspondence' 'File any correspondence sent to you with the Companies Registration Office.' 'But she recently received correspondence telling her she had a half-sister in Australia.' 'Although I received correspondence from the housing office nothing has been done.' 'Use a postal method that proves that your correspondence was received.'

diagnostic NOUN /dʌɪəɡˈnɒstɪk/

NOUN 1A distinctive symptom or characteristic. 'But anaphora has never been taken seriously as a diagnostic for such a distinction.' 'Always a good diagnostic about what the wingers hate and fear, eh?' 'The insertion of mega-brand convenience stores like these into fragile local business ecologies will be a powerful diagnostic for their health.' 1.1Computing A program or routine that helps a user to identify errors. 'The desktop interface puts the diagnostics on the computer screen's tray bar.' 'Monitoring, diagnostics and software updates all have to go through the service provider.' 2diagnosticsThe practice or techniques of diagnosis. 'advanced medical diagnostics' 'Current applications of virtual reality in preoperative diagnostics include gastroscopy, bronchoscopy, and colonoscopy.' 'The researchers explain that a similar problem exists in the development of better magnetic imaging tools for medical diagnostics.'

syndrome /ˈsɪndrəʊm/

NOUN 1A group of symptoms which consistently occur together, or a condition characterized by a set of associated symptoms. 'a rare syndrome in which the production of white blood cells is damaged' 'A number of rare or uncommon congenital syndromes are associated with decreased platelet production.' 'The immune response produces a syndrome of inflammation at the site of the infection.' 'The investigators used factor analysis to identify a cluster of symptoms and syndromes unique to Gulf War veterans.' 1.1A characteristic combination of opinions, emotions, or behaviour. 'the 'Not In My Back Yard' syndrome' 'I would like to ask other readers if they have experienced road rage trolley syndrome this Christmas?' 'You could as easily call it the Pinter syndrome and it certainly is the BBC syndrome.' 'Ultimately, it is a syndrome of fear that has pushed Hong Kong people to migrate.'

colonial NOUN /kəˈləʊnɪəl/

NOUN 1A native or inhabitant of a colony. Synonyms: settler, colonizer, colonial, frontiersman, frontierswoman, pioneer 'a rebellion by Dutch-speaking colonials' 'We studiously avoided that tone of spoiled and bored querulousness for which colonials were infamous.' 'By their willing participation in this drama, Anzac troops were transformed from crude colonials to Homeric heroes.' 2A house built in colonial style. 'the house was a 1903 colonial' 'Many of those homes in the Lakeview area were solid brick colonials, two-story homes.' 'It is a two-story square colonial with a double hip roof.'

subset /ˈsʌbsɛt/

NOUN 1A part of a larger group of related things. 'computer vendors usually only support a small subset of the disks available' 'Liberal, conservative, New Right - they're all exercises in descriptive creativity with distinct subsets within them.' 'These people do not come from one of his swing-voter subsets.' 'People create their own subsets, or as a marketer will explain, ladders.' 1.1Mathematics A set of which all the elements are contained in another set. 'The problems in this study were part-part-whole problems in which subsets combine to form supersets.' 'Then homogenize: randomly permute rows and columns within the subsets that have equal totals.'

interface NOUN /ˈɪntəfeɪs/

NOUN 1A point where two systems, subjects, organizations, etc. meet and interact. 'the interface between accountancy and the law' 'Significant potential for new intervention strategies lies at the interface between these systems.' 'The key account manager acts as the primary interface between the supplier organization and the customer.' 1.1Physics A surface forming a common boundary between two portions of matter or space, for example between two immiscible liquids. 'the surface tension of a liquid at its air/liquid interface' 'To get this weak force to effectively push a liquid surface, the team produced a liquid interface with low surface tension.' 'The setup is currently upgraded by the simultaneous measurement of the surface tension of the interface.' 2ComputingA device or program enabling a user to communicate with a computer. 'a graphical user interface' 'They use a natural interface which enables users to highlight, scribble notes, bookmark and annotate.' 'Using these interfaces enables numerous Windows programs to view mainframe data directly.' 2.1A device or program for connecting two items of hardware or software so that they can be operated jointly or communicate with each other. Synonyms: contact, dealings, relations, connection, association, communion, socializing, interaction, intercourse, social intercourse, social relations, interface, interchange, correspondence, dialogue, talk, conversation, discussion, speaking, talking, chatting, meeting, getting in touch 'an application program interface' 'The gateway holds the hardware interfaces and software protocol stacks to get all the various technologies talking nicely to one another.' 'Its standardized platform hardware interface allows the software and drivers to work across various platforms.'

sphere NOUN /sfɪə/

NOUN 1A round solid figure, or its surface, with every point on its surface equidistant from its centre. 'He often compared life to the sine wave or the sphere.' 'A plane surface, or the surface of a sphere, is two dimensional, right?' 'Mysterious figures and spheres often show up in tourist pictures.' 1.1A spherical object; a ball or globe. Synonyms: globe, ball, orb, spheroid, globule, round 'the markers on the route included two conspicuous black spheres' 1.2A globe representing the earth. Synonyms: world, globe, planet, sphere, orb 'the room was littered with books, maps, and spheres' 'These will include a 20-metre sphere representing the Earth.' 'A new logo was also designed for the Airport, consisting of a bird in flight, silhouetted against a sphere or the earth's globe.' 1.3literary A celestial body. 'he sometimes took out his telescope to make sure the spheres were still revolving in good order' 'The twin suns of Safi and Soka were discernible as bloated yellow-red spheres just over the horizon.' 'Anyway, the large sphere is the planet, obviously.' 'These heavenly spheres, eternally revolving, produce harmonious sounds only the truly inspired can hear.' 1.4literary The sky perceived as a vault upon or in which celestial bodies are represented as lying. 1.5Each of a series of revolving concentrically arranged spherical shells in which celestial bodies were formerly thought to be set in a fixed relationship. 'The spheres above man contain the heavenly bodies, the angels and finally, God.' 'As a result, humanistic theories sometimes seem more optimistic than realistic, and more appropriate for managing the heavenly spheres than a real assembly plant or fast food franchise.' 'But Copernicus kept the old astronomy by retaining the system of spheres and epicycles.' 2An area of activity, interest, or expertise; a section of society or an aspect of life distinguished and unified by a particular characteristic. Synonyms: domain, realm, province, field, area, region, territory, arena, department 'political reforms to match those in the economic sphere' 'In civil society and the public sphere, myriad groups interact and seek to influence each other.' 'However, this is to exclude the role of civil society and the public sphere from this process.' 'In other areas of the public sphere, most people are in favour of an egalitarian system, even if it's slower.'

diagram NOUN /ˈdʌɪəɡram/

NOUN 1A simplified drawing showing the appearance, structure, or workings of something; a schematic representation. Synonyms: drawing, line drawing, illustration, picture, artist's impression 'a diagram of the living room' 'The text also includes many diagrams of molecular structures and points out the relevance and importance of the chemical structure to the pharmacological action.' 'This diagram shows the complex structure of Saturn's magnetosphere.' 'A diagram of the hillside structure is shown on Page 82.' 1.1Geometry A figure composed of lines that is used to illustrate a definition or statement or to aid in the proof of a proposition.'Along with many line diagrams and equations, the problems and 'mathematical meanderings' strengthen concepts in each chapter.''Stefan handed some chalk to Spencer who began drawing various diagrams on the board.' 1.2British A graphical schedule for operating railway locomotives and rolling stock in order to provide a desired service. 'Another 12 Class 317 electric trains and 14 more Class 319 units will ensure all diagrams can be run.' 'A navigational system pinpoints the train's position in relation to track diagrams.' 'To see a layout diagram of Amtrak's sleepers click here.'

utterance /ˈʌt(ə)r(ə)ns/

NOUN 1A spoken word, statement, or vocal sound. Synonyms: remark, comment, word, expression, statement, observation, declaration, pronouncement 'he whispered, as if to lend his utterances an added confidentiality' 'Her utterances and observations captivate him.' 'Nobody understands a word I say, my every utterance greeted with blank looks.' 'Instead, public utterances are invariably dictated by self-interest, political expediency, and/or ideology.' 1.1mass noun The action of saying or expressing something aloud. Synonyms: voicing, saying, speaking, expression, delivery, sounding, mouthing, breathing, articulation, enunciation, verbalization, vocalization 'the simple utterance of a few platitudes' 1.2Linguistics An uninterrupted chain of spoken or written language. 'Any utterance, in these languages, must terminate in a vowel, and adjacent consonants are disallowed.' 'These kinds of utterances are normal everyday instances of language use for the individuals concerned.' 'Grammarians and purists put far more stock in 'logical' usage than empirical evidence suggests is supported by actual utterances.'

diameter /dʌɪˈamɪtə/

NOUN 1A straight line passing from side to side through the centre of a body or figure, especially a circle or sphere. 'The circle with diameter BC intersects the sides AB and AC at M and N respectively.' 'One day at school we were told that if AB is a diameter of a circle, and C is any point on the circumference, then the angle ACB is a right angle.' 'And this he proved by first showing that the squares on the diameters have the same ratio as the circles.' 1.1A transverse measurement of something; width or thickness. Synonyms: breadth, width, depth, thickness 'The first dorsal fin has four rays, the lips are smooth and are roughly the same thickness as the diameter of the eye.' 'The correct length of a buttonhole is determined by the diameter, thickness and type of button used.' 2A unit of linear measurement of magnifying power. 'Using a micrometer to measure the field diameter of the microscope is recommended.' 'A large aperture eyepiece will increase the filed of view and a large diameter, well coated objective lens will enhance brightness issue.' 'The smaller diameter objective lens is less likely to reflect light.'

complement NOUN /ˈkɒmplɪm(ə)nt/

NOUN 1A thing that contributes extra features to something else in such a way as to improve or emphasize its quality. Synonyms: accompaniment, companion, addition, supplement, accessory, adjunct, trimming, finishing touch, final touch 'local ales provide the perfect complement to fine food' 'These are both very strong extras that make a good complement to the OAV.' 'VoB will be a complement to your existing phone, not its complete replacement.' 2in singular A number or quantity of something, especially that required to make a group complete. Synonyms: amount, total, aggregate, contingent, company 'at the moment we have a full complement of staff' 'This will require a full complement of diplomatic, political and military efforts.' 'The cell is then stretched and split into two halves on the framework of microtubules, each half containing a full complement of chromosomes.' 2.1The number of people required to crew a ship. 'almost half the ship's complement of 322 were wounded' 'Each ship will have a complement of typically 1,200, including 600 air crew.' 'The ship's complement is 210 crew with 13 officers.' 'Eliminating meals will also mean the normal complement of cabin crew can be cut from six to three.' 2.2Geometry The amount in degrees by which a given angle is less than 90°. 2.3Mathematics The members of a set or class that are not members of a given subset.'Likewise, in base 2, the complement of a number is obtained by subtraction from a row of 1's.' 3GrammarOne or more words, phrases, or clauses governed by a verb (or by a nominalization or a predicative adjective) that complete the meaning of the predicate. In generative grammar, all the constituents of a sentence that are governed by a verb form the complement. 'Recall that a verb governs an object, and the head of a phrase governs the complement.' 'For many people, 'feel like' has become a complex verb that takes sentential complements.' 'So it should be perfectly fine to conjoin two noun phrases as complements of expect, and indeed it is.' 3.1(in systemic grammar) an adjective or noun that has the same reference as either the subject (as mad in he is mad) or the object (as mad in he drove her mad or manager in they appointed him manager). 4Physiologymass noun A group of proteins present in blood plasma and tissue fluid which combine with an antigen-antibody complex to bring about the lysis of foreign cells. 'The DAT is usually positive, confirming the presence of IgG antibodies with or without complement on the red cells.' 'CD21 is a molecule on the surface of B cells that attaches to an immune system protein called complement.'

indicator /ˈɪndɪkeɪtə/

NOUN 1A thing that indicates the state or level of something. Synonyms: measure, gauge, barometer, index, mark, sign, signal 'car ownership is frequently used as an indicator of affluence' 'Sperm morphology - its size and shape - is a significant indicator of fertility levels.' 'As many have noted, the state of a country's prisons is a telling indicator of its level of civilization.' 'We chose educational level as an indicator of socioeconomic status.' 1.1An animal or plant species that can be used to infer conditions in a particular habitat. 'the raccoon is a poor choice as an indicator of riparian habitat' 'The minnow is an indicator species that suggests the overall health, or sickness, of the entire river ecosystem.' 'It's a so-called indicator species that lives in the river.' 'Are they an indicator species, a harbinger of global environmental crashes ahead?' 2usually with modifier A gauge or meter of a specified kind. Synonyms: meter, measuring instrument, measuring device, measure, gauge, dial, display, scale, index 'a speed indicator' 'an altitude indicator' 'Warning indicators and gauges told her she'd lost all hydraulics.' 'The boat also managed to use its emergency position indicator radio beacon.' 'By far the main thing I liked was the fan speed indicator and fan speed control.' 2.1British A flashing light or (formerly) other device on a vehicle to show that it is about to change lanes or turn. North American term turn signal as modifier 'an indicator light' North American term turn signal 'The entire light cluster can be a rear light, a brake light or an indicator, and automatically adjusts in intensity and brightness to suit prevailing conditions.' 'Riders must also wear a helmet, and the scooter will need road tax, insurance, number plates, break lights, indicators and an MOT certificate.' 2.2British A board or screen in a railway station, airport, etc. giving current information. as modifier 'the indicator board' 'There was no train anywhere near - nothing even shown on the indicator boards - and yet everyone took it with good grace, and sat patiently.' 'The Chelmsford indicator boards were fixed by this evening, but for the last two days we've had no indicators and no announcements.' 3ChemistryA compound that changes colour at a specific pH value or in the presence of a particular substance, and can be used to monitor acidity, alkalinity, or the progress of a reaction. 'the remaining alkali is titrated against standard acid using phenolphthalein as indicator' 'Various brews can give you color indicators for the presence of double bonds, methyl ketones, aldehydes and the like.' 'Our fish tank kit came with a chemical indicator, bromothymol blue (BromoBlue).'

paradigm /ˈparədʌɪm/

NOUN 1A typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or model. Synonyms: specimen, sample, exemplar, exemplification, instance, case, representative case, typical case, case in point, illustration 'society's paradigm of the 'ideal woman'' 'He says a creative leap is a new pattern, a new paradigm, a new way of organizing information and energy that has nothing to do with the previous pattern.' 'Meaning smashing old patterns so a new paradigm can arise' 'And yet he always takes art as the paradigm of human activity.' 1.1A world view underlying the theories and methodology of a particular scientific subject. 'the discovery of universal gravitation became the paradigm of successful science' 'This clash between scientific ideas and paradigms we label science politics.' 'Deism reflected the scientific paradigm of the times in which the world inexorably and thoroughly followed strict mathematical laws of nature.' 2LinguisticsA set of linguistic items that form mutually exclusive choices in particular syntactic roles. 'English determiners form a paradigm: we can say 'a book' or 'his book' but not 'a his book'' Often contrasted with syntagm 'In linguistics, a paradigm is a set of systematically alternating items. A paradigm is complementary to a syntagm, which is a set of items used in systematic combination.' 3(in the traditional grammar of Latin, Greek, and other inflected languages) a table of all the inflected forms of a particular verb, noun, or adjective, serving as a model for other words of the same conjugation or declension. 'And of course to do that, you do in fact need to learn all those paradigms of verbs and nouns, the amo, amas, amat stuff.' 'Reformers rejected the teaching of modern languages through grammatical paradigms, specimen sentences, and word lists.'

syllable NOUN /ˈsɪləb(ə)l/

NOUN 1A unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word; for example, there are two syllables in water and three in inferno. 'Lexa tried to repeat the name and fumbled over the made-up syllables and vowel sounds thrown in at random.' 'There is no news story that cannot be reduced to a word of three syllables, and whole sentences bore us.' 'For the stammerer there is a feeling of being out of control and an ensuing repetition of sounds, syllables, words or pauses.' 1.1A character or characters representing a syllable. 'The Su Tongpo poetry of the Kusoshi is printed in clear, blockish characters, while the waka verses appear in a mixture of cursive characters and kana syllables.' 'Buddhist temple coins here in Japan are inscribed with kana syllables, not kanji ideograms.' 'The system consisted mainly of symbols representing open syllables, i.e. consonant-vowel pairs.' 1.2usually with negative The least amount of speech or writing; the least mention of something. 'I'd never have breathed a syllable if he'd kept quiet' 'A skilled Dakota farmer (like a Murphy poem) therefore wastes no syllable, no bit of dirt.' 'And afterwards Gordon Brown came out and gave a little speech - in which he said not one syllable about the campaign.'

aggregate NOUN /ˈaɡrɪɡət

NOUN 1A whole formed by combining several separate elements. 'the council was an aggregate of three regional assemblies' 'In fact, you do not find any 'self,' and so you come to know that neither the whole aggregate of form nor any part of it is the self.' 'According to Leibniz, the whole world is an aggregate of monads.' 'Because each record represented a separate loan, aggregates of multiple loans were matched with individual social security numbers.' 1.1The total score of a player or team in a fixture comprising more than one game or round. Synonyms: total, sum total, sum, whole amount, grand total, totality, entirety, summation, gross, result, final figure 'he set the pace with a one-over-par aggregate of 151' mass noun 'the result put the sides level on aggregate' 'Freuberg won 4-0 to advance 4-2 on aggregate to the third round.' 'With five minutes to go the score was 6-4 and the teams were level on aggregate.' 'Barcelona are now totally in charge, with the scores level on aggregate and two away-goals to their credit.' 2A material or structure formed from a mass of fragments or particles loosely compacted together. Synonyms: collection, mass, cluster, lump, clump, pile, heap, bundle, quantity 'the specimen is an aggregate of rock and mineral fragments' 'Polysaccharides help form humus, which enables small clay or silt particles to stick together to form larger aggregates.' 'Marcasite, when viewed in hand specimen, tends to form crudely banded masses or massive aggregates.' 2.1mass noun Pieces of broken or crushed stone or gravel used to make concrete and in building. 'use aggregate for the first layer when filling the trench' 'But recovered concrete can be crushed and used as road gravel or aggregate.' 'Brits also appear to have an long term fascination with types of paving surfaces, so you could find yourself tripping on stone, brick, aggregate, concrete, rock or blocks.'

configuration /kənˌfɪɡəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/

NOUN 1An arrangement of parts or elements in a particular form, figure, or combination. Synonyms: arrangement, layout, geography, design, organization, order, ordering, array, presentation, grouping, sorting, positioning, disposition, marshalling, ranging, alignment 'the unrepeatable configuration of the stars at the moment of your birth' 'the broad configuration of the economy remains capitalist' 'Some like a particular configuration of landscape elements, others don't.' 'They then subjected various configurations to finite element analysis.' 1.1Computing The arrangement or set-up of the hardware and software that make up a computer system. 'the PC comes with a removable hard disk drive as part of the standard configuration' 'Performance will vary depending on your hardware and software configurations.' 'There's no need for special software, hardware or configuration on client devices.' 1.2Chemistry The fixed three-dimensional relationship of the atoms in a molecule, defined by the bonds between them. Compare with conformation 'In this configuration the molecule is slightly more stable.' 'The hexagonal pattern at the center of the image is likely to be associated with the hexagonal packing configuration of lipid molecules.' 2Psychology another term for gestalt 'After a separation or divorce, social configurations change, making feelings of loss and loneliness more intense.' 'Participants were also asked about the percentage of their time engaged in different types of therapy configurations.'

occurrence /əˈkʌr(ə)ns/

NOUN 1An incident or event. Synonyms: event, incident, happening, phenomenon, affair, matter, experience, circumstance, development, contingency, eventuality 'vandalism used to be a rare occurrence' 'A sentinel event is an unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical injury.' 'The isochronous data pipe can be stopped and started on the occurrence of specific events.' 'There is nothing really unique about this incident since similar occurrences happen regularly.' 1.1mass noun The fact or frequency of something happening. Synonyms: existence, instance, appearance, manifestation, materialization, development, springing up 'the occurrence of cancer increases with age' 'Ranking of variables was done by the frequency of occurrence of each descriptor in all 140 models.' 'It's a fairly frequent occurrence that I'm the first into our office.' 'Hansen notes that the frequent occurrence of certain words suggests certain types of 'discourse'.' 1.2mass noun The fact of something existing or being found in a place or under a particular set of conditions. 'the occurrence of natural gas fields' 'I selected the species for analysis based on their frequency of occurrence in Massachusetts.' 'Each taxon name and authority is followed by the frequency of occurrence.' 'For the overstory, frequency of occurrence of a species was expressed as present or absent.'

gradient

NOUN 1An inclined part of a road or railway; a slope. Synonyms: slope, incline, hill, rise, rising ground, bank, ramp, acclivity 'fail-safe brakes for use on steep gradients' 'Road sections which included steep gradients, major drainage structures and thick chip seal surface layers were normally excluded.' 'For traffic driving east, the road descends down a gradient of 0.023 through a wooded area with trees overhanging the road on both sides.' 'The drive up the two lane mountain road with excellent gradients is 13 km.' 1.1The degree of a slope. Synonyms: steepness, angle, slant, slope, inclination, leaning 'the path becomes very rough as the gradient increases' 'Mountain trails typically have gradients of 15, 20, and 25 degrees.' 'Chen said the council's plan is to ban the planting of betel trees on mountainsides with a gradient of more than 30 degrees.' 1.2Mathematics The degree of steepness of a graph at any point. 'Differentiation is a method of working out the gradient of a curve - how quickly one variable changes with respect to another.' 'In a moment we will demonstrate what the gradient of the curve at a point is, by examining a limiting argument.' 2PhysicsAn increase or decrease in the magnitude of a property (e.g. temperature, pressure, or concentration) observed in passing from one point or moment to another. 'Distinct gradients in pressure were observed throughout the contact area.' 'We observed a gradient in the depth of the selective sweep, which becomes progressively deeper as you get nearer to the gene.' 2.1The rate of such a change. 2.2Mathematics The vector formed by the operator ∇ acting on a scalar function at a given point in a scalar field.

membrane /ˈmɛmbreɪn/

NOUN 1Anatomy ZoologyA thin sheet of tissue or layer of cells acting as a boundary, lining, or partition in an organism. Synonyms: layer, laminate, sheet, skin, film, veil, diaphragm, partition, drum, tissue, pellicle, integument, overlay, covering, coat 'the nucleus is a distinct region with a membrane around it' with modifier 'the mucous membrane' 1.1 A thin pliable sheet of material forming a barrier or lining. Synonyms: layer, laminate, sheet, skin, film, veil, diaphragm, partition, drum, tissue, pellicle, integument, overlay, covering, coat 'the concrete should include a membrane to prevent rising damp' 'The cost of labor is virtually the same as for the thinner membrane, but puncture resistance is greatly enhanced.' 'Because of surface tension, the water does not fall out of the tiny hole, although a thin membrane may be added, just to be safe.' 1.2 Biology A microscopic double layer of lipids and proteins forming the boundary of cells or organelles. 'Other organelles have double membranes, consisting of two phospholipid bilayers.' 'The interaction of electric fields with lipid membranes and cells has been extensively studied in the last decades.'

outer NOUN /ˈaʊtə/

NOUN 1British An outer garment or part of one. 'boots with stiff leather outers' 'The moccasin is made of a sheep hide reversed to give the comfort of wool and the false impression of security by the leather outer.' 'My cigarette smoke is miniscule compared to the pollution that clings to our innards and outers from factories and traffic and from the unseen dangers caused by radio waves or electricity.' 2British (in archery and shooting) the division of a target furthest from the bullseye. 2.1A shot that strikes the outer. 3British A container in which packaged objects are placed for transport or display. 'In 1971 he joined the boxmills operation where approximately one-third of all the company's packaging was manufactured - especially Christmas chocolate boxes, decorated outers and printed wrappers.' 'Most cases are made of cardboard outers, with cardboard vertical or papier mâché horizontal dividers.' 4Australian informal The part of a racecourse outside the enclosure. 'He remembered occasions in the outer in the 1960s and '70s when a space would suddenly clear to reveal knots of men belting into each other.' 'He'd watched 100s of games from the outer.' 'They were tight wins and there is little doubt the sea of red and black in the outer helped make the difference.'

comparative NOUN /kəmˈparətɪv/

NOUN 1GrammarA comparative adjective or adverb. 'But the trouble is, comparatives don't always need a 'second part' introduced by 'than'.' 'Most common of all the overloaded comparatives and superlatives are ungainly shades of well-known, which display complete ignorance of the good-better-best, bad-worse-worst gradations.' 'Whether the adjective is a superlative or a comparative it requires more candidates than the two who have tied at the top.' 1.1the comparativeThe middle degree of comparison.

integral NOUN /ˈɪntɪɡr(ə)l/

NOUN 1MathematicsA function of which a given function is the derivative, i.e. which yields that function when differentiated, and which may express the area under the curve of a graph of the function. 'In Appendix B, the formula for calculating the integral of a logistic curve is given.' 'It describes the integral of the area and the angular extents over which a radiation transfer problem is defined.' 'Both the peak values and the integrals under the characteristic fluorescence curves were measured.' 1.1A function satisfying a given differential equation. 'He wrote on algebraic integrals of certain differential equations.' 'His first mathematical research was on analysis, in particular concentrating on integrals and solutions of differential equations.' 'His work on algebra was an extension of Abel's work on algebraic functions and their integrals.'

onset /ˈɒnsɛt/

NOUN 1The beginning of something, especially something unpleasant. Synonyms: start, beginning, arrival, appearance, first appearance, opening, outset, inception 'the onset of winter' as modifier, in combination 'early-onset Alzheimer's disease' 'The onset of winter appears to have been delayed, throwing many plants into confusion.' 'The parents said they then witnessed a regression in their children's behaviour and speech, as well as the onset of an unpleasant bowel disorder.' 'The fish on Maple Lake at the Oaks are starting to shoal up in the deeper water with the onset of winter.' 1.1archaic A military attack. Synonyms: attack, assault, offensive, onslaught, offence, drive, push, thrust, onrush, sortie, sally, swoop, foray, raid, invasion, incursion, campaign

pulse 2 NOUN /pʌls/

NOUN 1The edible seed of a leguminous plant, for example a chickpea, lentil, or bean. 'use pulses such as peas and lentils to eke out meat dishes' 'Used as a dried pulse, mung beans need no soaking, cook relatively quickly, have a good flavour, and are easily digestible: a collection of merits which few other legumes can match.' 'Eggs, beans, pulses and lentils are also part of a healthy diet, but you don't have to eat these every day.' 'Other sources of fibre are wholegrain cereal, wholemeal bread and pasta, brown rice and pulses such as beans and lentils.' 1.1A plant producing pulses. 'They will also help to widen the food security basket through inclusion of local grains like millets, pulses, oilseeds and tubers.' 'Biomass losses from pulses of heavy canopy tree mortality may have consequences for ecosystem resilience.' 'The second is green manuring, which can be done with 20 plants, including cereals, pulses, oilseeds and spices.'

computation /kɒmpjʊˈteɪʃ(ə)n/

NOUN 1mass noun The action of mathematical calculation. Synonyms: arithmetical problem, problem, calculation, reckoning, tally, question 'methods of computation' count noun 'statistical computations' 'The text recognizes the essential role that computation plays in both mathematics and biology.' 'I devote a lot of my time to thinking about the relationship between mathematics and computation.' 2The use of computers, especially as a subject of research or study.

transmission /tranzˈmɪʃ(ə)n/

NOUN 1mass noun The action or process of transmitting something or the state of being transmitted. Synonyms: transference, transferral, passing on, communication, conveyance, imparting, channelling, carrying, relaying, dispatch, mediation 'the transmission of the virus' 'Teaching and learning isn't just a matter of skill acquisition or knowledge transmission.' 'So, the use of tools is an accumulation and transmission of social knowledge.' 'I wondered too if we will ever find a way for a more efficient transmission of knowledge.' 1.1count noun A programme or signal that is broadcast or sent out. Synonyms: broadcasting, relaying, sending out, putting on air, putting on the air, airing, televising, radioing, telecasting, showing, publication, emission broadcast, programme, show, presentation, feature, telecast, videocast, podcast, live stream 'television transmissions' 'This region also includes shortwave radio transmissions and television broadcasts.' 'This had all followed years of test transmissions and experimental broadcasts in the early to mid thirties.' 'From September 1961 all first transmissions of schools programmes would be simultaneously networked.' 2The mechanism by which power is transmitted from an engine to the axle in a motor vehicle. 'a three-speed automatic transmission' 'The transmission has a planetary gear train and a hydrodynamic torque converter.' 'The 14L engine is coupled directly to the rear axle without a transmission or clutch.' 'They are equipped with four-cylinder engines and automatic transmissions.'

vertical NOUN /ˈvəːtɪk(ə)l/

NOUN 1usually the verticalA vertical line or plane. 'the columns incline several degrees away from the vertical' 'The horizontal plane addressed, we now turn to the vertical.' 'Gravi-responding hypocotyls or coleoptiles can likewise show enormous variations in trajectory back to the vertical.' 2An upright structure. 'we remodelled the opening with a simple lintel and unadorned verticals' 'It is broadly composed around two matching verticals that suggest abstract maypoles.' 'And a block down the road is the Jeppe Street Post Office, an impressive building in light grey granite with tall attractive verticals.' 3The distance between the highest and lowest points of a ski area. 'the resort claims a vertical of 2,100 metres' 'Without the verticals of Vail or Park City, they could never develop into anything more than regional, half-year ski destinations.'

variant /ˈvɛːrɪənt/

NOUN A form or version of something that differs in some respect from other forms of the same thing or from a standard. Synonyms: alternative, other, different, divergent, disparate, derived, adapted, modified, revised, altered, mutant, deviant, rogue, aberrant 'clinically distinct variants of malaria' as modifier 'a variant spelling' 'It is disconcerting, however, that two-thirds of the menus here offer variants on pork dishes.' 'If a virus is in the human population then over time the number of variants will steadily increase.' 'Then I turned to the low-fat variants of other products, like cheese, and yoghurt.' 'Players usually play against each other but some variants allow an individual to play against the bank.'

compact 2 NOUN /kəmˈpakt/

NOUN A formal agreement or contract between two or more parties. Synonyms: treaty, pact, accord, agreement, contract, alliance, bargain, deal, settlement, covenant, indenture, concordat, protocol, entente 'they signed a compact with the United States' 'a peace compact' 'All the Liberal Party candidates refused to sign the compact.' 'In fact, a 'one license limit' is a condition of participation among states that are parties to the compact.'

horizontal NOUN /hɒrɪˈzɒnt(ə)l/

NOUN A horizontal line, plane, etc. Synonyms: centre line, vertical, horizontal 'Here, as in his design of a nautical centre at Bandol, the language is Modernist: floating horizontals, oversailing deck and dissolving glass wall.' 'The picture's vectors are mainly limited to short verticals and long horizontals, an interesting take on classical style.'

embed NOUN /ɪmˈbɛd/

NOUN A journalist who is attached to a military unit during a conflict. 'The 'real superstars of this war were those media journalists who were embeds,' Wilkinson went on, boasting, 'General Franks signs my cheque and I make news based on his terms.'' 'Not all the reporters assigned as embeds wanted the slot.' 'Some independent-minded journalists chaffed at embed restrictions, which required embeds to stay with assigned units.'

bound NOUN /baʊnd/

NOUN A leaping movement towards or over something. Synonyms: leap, jump, spring, bounce, hop, vault, hurdle 'I went up the steps in two effortless bounds' 'In a single bound, he leaped over a Texas blocker to force a game-sealing interception earlier this year.' 'The tall building could be leapt in a single bound in lunar gravity.' 'With a bound, he leapt free of the car and nearly knocked the poor boy over.'

algorithm /ˈalɡərɪð(ə)m/

NOUN A process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer. 'a basic algorithm for division' 'This first step is here reduced to a simple algorithm suitable for computer use.' 'Mathematicians can use similar algorithms to generate fractals and other forms.' 'Having established the nature of equilibria, Smale began to think algorithms for their computation.'

defect 1 /ˈdiːfɛkt/

NOUN A shortcoming, imperfection, or lack. Synonyms: fault, flaw, imperfection, deficiency, weakness, weak point, weak spot, inadequacy, shortcoming, limitation, failing, obstruction 'genetic defects' mass noun 'the property is free from defect' 'Many suffer needlessly from eye defects due top lack of knowledge and basic equipment.' 'These toxins can damage immune systems, trigger cancers and cause genetic defects.' 'Thirteen of the vehicles were served with defect notes and only 11 of all the coaches were free from any defects.'

fluid NOUN /ˈfluːɪd/

NOUN A substance that has no fixed shape and yields easily to external pressure; a gas or (especially) a liquid. Synonyms: flowing substance 'body fluids' mass noun 'a bottle of cleaning fluid' 'I was on a drip because obviously I had no fluids in my body, the only liquid was alcohol.' 'The main aim of the treatment is to replace the lost fluids and electrolytes in the body.' 'However, Hepatitis B is easily transmitted by contact with blood and other body fluids.'

molecule /ˈmɒlɪkjuːl/

NOUN Chemistry A group of atoms bonded together, representing the smallest fundamental unit of a chemical compound that can take part in a chemical reaction. Synonyms: particle, molecule, bit, little bit, tiny bit, tiny piece, fragment, fraction, grain, granule, crumb, morsel, mite, mote, speck, spot, dot 'It works by affecting a molecule called nitric oxide, which expands blood vessels.' 'In the water molecule there are three atoms: two of hydrogen and one of oxygen.' 'The reactant ions have enough energy to ionise the molecules of interest but not enough to break them up.'

correlate NOUN /ˈkɒrələt/

NOUN Each of two or more related or complementary things. Synonyms: consequence, result, upshot, outcome, out-turn, effect, repercussion, reverberations, sequel, product, by-product, spin-off, conclusion, end, end result 'strategies to promote health should pay greater attention to financial hardship and other correlates of poverty' 'Instead, the correlates and outcomes of peer rejection were assessed without controlling for aggression.' 'Forty clinical correlates relating to symptoms, signs, and investigations are entered.' 'Familiarity was a correlate of relatedness, as is true in nature.'

graph 2 NOUN /ɡrɑːf/

NOUN Linguistics A visual symbol representing a unit of sound or other feature of speech. Graphs include not only letters of the alphabet but also punctuation marks. 'The initial step is the conversion of the word sequences to a phoneme transcription graph.' 'For example, many children's names contain trigraphs and digraphs and graphs that represent phonemes other than those taught as "the appropriate sound".' 'In the present invention, the lexical graph has phoneme branches.'

explicit NOUN /ɪkˈsplɪsɪt/

NOUN The closing words of a manuscript, early printed book, or chanted liturgical text.

antibody /ˈantɪbɒdi/

NOUN antibodies A blood protein produced in response to and counteracting a specific antigen. Antibodies combine chemically with substances which the body recognizes as alien, such as bacteria, viruses, and foreign substances in the blood. 'You have an immune response to the vaccine as your body develops antibodies to the virus.' 'An antibody is a protein which recognises a foreign molecule, known as an antigen.' 'The levels of immune globulins and of certain antibodies in the blood may indicate a problem in the immune system.'

axis 1 NOUN /ˈaksɪs/

NOUN axes 1An imaginary line about which a body rotates. Synonyms: centre line, vertical, horizontal 'the Earth revolves on its axis once every 24 hours' 'As the Earth rotates once about its axis in 24 hours, the Moon is moving 1 / 30th of the way around in its orbit.' 'We normally count the day - the time it takes Earth to rotate once on its axis - as the smallest unit of calendrical time.' 'I can discover them subsequently like the axis around which a body rotates.' 1.1Geometry An imaginary straight line passing through the centre of a symmetrical solid, about which a plane figure can be conceived as rotating to generate the solid. 'Many eighteenth-century manuals on gauging treated barrels as solids generated by rotating conic sections about their axes.' 'While at Göttingen Segner discovered that every solid body has three axes of symmetry.' 1.2An imaginary line which divides something into equal or roughly equal halves, especially in the direction of its greatest length. ''There's a row of handholds that way,' Eaton said, pointing down the long axis of the ship.' 'The dual oil coolers were situated at 90 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.' 'The pond runs down the central axis, bringing the core of the garden to its shores.' 2MathematicsA fixed reference line for the measurement of coordinates. 'the variable that is thought of as a cause is placed on the horizontal axis, and the variable that is thought of as an effect on the vertical axis' 'They orient along the x, y, and z axes of a Cartesian coordinate system.' 'As the abscissas of points 1 and 18 were used to define a reference axis, only their ordinates were used.' 'The abscissa and ordinate axes show the number of protein interactions for the first and second protein member of each pair.' 3A straight central part in a structure to which other parts are connected. 'A connecting axis between the two across Jalan Pemuda should perhaps be built.' 'But from this vantage point along the axis of the mall, Independence Hall is visually overwhelmed by much larger buildings in the distance.' 'A bridge crane runs along the building's central axis, resembling the steel structure that supports it.' 3.1Botany The central column of an inflorescence or other growth. 'the leaflets are arranged in rows on a slender axis' 'The sympodia are arranged more or less parallel to the stem axis and follow the phyllotactic spirals of the leaves.' 'Each module of a sympodium consists of an axis bearing two bracts and terminating in a flower.' 'In addition, the stems (including the axis of the inflorescence) serve as temporary storage sites.' 3.2Zoology The skull and backbone of a vertebrate animal. 'The body axis of vertebrates is an integrated cylinder of bones, connective tissue, and muscle.' 'In spite of, or perhaps because of, the relative dearth of information on the vertebrate body axis, a groundswell of interest and activity is underway.' 'Thus shear loading mechanisms may play a central role in integrative models of the vertebrate body axis.' 4AnatomyThe second cervical vertebra, below the atlas at the top of the backbone. 'The muscle's origin may not ascend above the axis or descend below the third thoracic vertebra.' 'The axis may be fused with either the atlas or with the third vertebra.' 5An agreement or alliance between two or more countries that forms a centre for an eventual larger grouping of nations. Synonyms: alliance, coalition, bloc, confederation, confederacy, union, league 'the Anglo-American axis' 5.1 the AxisThe alliance of Germany and Italy formed before and during the Second World War, later extended to include Japan and other countries. as modifier 'the Axis Powers' 'In 1940, Franco declined Hitler's request to join the Axis in World War Two.' 'The Allies are led by Britain, the Axis by Germany and the Comintern by the Soviet Union.' 'If Britain controlled the Suez then Germany and the Axis powers could not use it.'

axis 2 NOUN /ˈaksɪs/

NOUN axis A deer that has lyre-shaped antlers and a yellowish-brown coat with white spots, native to India and Sri Lanka. 'The axis is also called chital deer or spotted Indian deer.' Also called chital 'Axis are available free range in Northern Queensland or on various game ranches.'

corpus /ˈkɔːpəs/

NOUN corpora, corpuses 1A collection of written texts, especially the entire works of a particular author or a body of writing on a particular subject. Synonyms: collection, compilation, body, entity, whole, aggregation, mass 'the Darwinian corpus' 'This text is an important contribution to a growing corpus on a volatile subject that has generated studies in several disciplines.' 'Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was not a bolt from the blue: it fitted naturally into, as well as transcending, a corpus of writing on evolution.' 1.1A collection of written or spoken material in machine-readable form, assembled for the purpose of linguistic research. 'The major data source for the linguist is not a corpus of attested utterances but a native speaker's intuitions.' 'A preliminary analysis of various vocabulary items based on the linguistic corpus obtained suggests that expected dialectical variation exists between and within communities.' 2AnatomyThe main body or mass of a structure. 'An estimated 36,100 cases of cancer of the uterine corpus, usually of the endometrium, were expected to be diagnosed in 2000.' 'No lymphovascular invasion was identified, and no uterine corpus or vaginal involvement was evident.' 2.1The central part of the stomach, between the fundus and the antrum. 'Within the stomach, the gastrostomy site should be in the middle to distal third of the corpus.' 'Chronic gastritis as well as activity was more prevalent as well as severe in the antrum as compared to the corpus.'

cortex /ˈkɔːtɛks/

NOUN cortices 1AnatomyThe outer layer of the cerebrum (the cerebral cortex), composed of folded grey matter and playing an important role in consciousness. 'Cats have frontal, temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes of their cerebral cortex, as we do, and these brain regions are composed of gray and white matter.' 'In fact, the cortex, midbrain, medulla and spinal cord are already simultaneously active when a baby moves a limb.' 1.1An outer layer of another organ or body part such as a kidney (the renal cortex), the cerebellum, or a hair. 'The polar bodies lie near the cortex and are not visible in this plane of focus.' 'The prefrontal cortex is also the organ of imagination.' 'The medulla, supplied by vasa recta, receives less blood than the kidney cortex.' 2BotanyAn outer layer of tissue immediately below the epidermis of a stem or root. Synonyms: rind, skin, peel, sheath, covering, outer layer, coating, casing, crust 'It should be pointed out that by day 6 the leaf blade, the petiole and the stem cortex had lost a similar percentage of water.' 'Embedded in the cortex are numerous leaf traces that enter leaf petioles in the outer cortex and root mantle.'

diagnosis /ˌdʌɪəɡˈnəʊsɪs/

NOUN diagnoses mass noun 1 The identification of the nature of an illness or other problem by examination of the symptoms. Synonyms: identification, recognition, discovery, detection, pinpointing, reading, determination opinion, prognosis, judgement, verdict, pronouncement, conclusion, interpretation 'early diagnosis and treatment are essential' count noun 'a diagnosis of Crohn's disease was made' 'The symptoms of heart failure can mimic those of many other conditions, sometimes making accurate diagnosis difficult.' 'Where possible, we confirmed the prenatal diagnosis by checking the results of chromosome analysis performed after delivery.' 2 The distinctive characterization in precise terms of a genus, species, or phenomenon. 'What does that mean in terms of a philosophical diagnosis of a damaged ethical life?'

entity /ˈɛntɪti/

NOUN entities 1A thing with distinct and independent existence. Synonyms: organization, institution, establishment, body, operation 'Church and empire were fused in a single entity' 'Whether you believe in the literal existence of such entities is up to you.' 'Nevertheless, they will continue to act as if commodities are animate entities.' 'In any relation, one of the related entities is singled out as the primary focus of attention.' 'Within the dozen or so entities in this media group, there are sizeable differences too.' 1.1mass noun Existence; being. Synonyms: existence, being 'entity and nonentity'

equilibrium /ˌiːkwɪˈlɪbrɪəm/

NOUN equilibria mass noun 1 A state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced. Synonyms: balance, symmetry, equipoise, parity, equality, evenness 'the task is the maintenance of social equilibrium' 'However, the steady-state equilibrium between bound and free pigment was largely in favor of the free form.' 'The two forces seeking equilibrium are gravity and pressure from the surrounding liquid.' 1.1 A state of physical balance. 'I stumbled over a rock and recovered my equilibrium' 'Earth, unlike the other solar planets, is not in physical equilibrium.' 'Once detached from the gland and ring, respectively, the cell and bubble become spherical to achieve physical equilibrium.' 1.2A calm state of mind. Synonyms: composure, calmness, calm, equanimity, collectedness, sangfroid, coolness 'his intensity could unsettle his equilibrium' 'But it also restores the mental equilibrium we need to recover after the stresses and strains imposed by daily life.' 'Usually, a hypoglycemic patient does not manifest a sense of mental equilibrium and tranquillity.' 1.3Chemistry A state in which a process and its reverse are occurring at equal rates so that no overall change is taking place. 'ice is in equilibrium with water' 'The maximum concentration of ions in the solution is in equilibrium with the precipitated solid.' 1.4 Economics A situation in which supply and demand are matched and prices stable. 'the market is in equilibrium' as modifier 'the equilibrium level of income' 'There has been a huge increase in supply and now the levels of supply and demand are in equilibrium.'

instability /ɪnstəˈbɪlɪti/

NOUN instabilities mass noun 1The state of being unstable; lack of stability. Synonyms: unreliability, uncertainty, unpredictability, unpredictableness, precariousness, unsteadiness, insecurity, vulnerability, perilousness, riskiness unsteadiness, unsoundness, shakiness, ricketiness, wobbliness, frailty, fragility, flimsiness, insubstantiality 'political and economic instability' 'Economic or political instabilities within Pakistan could easily ignite the conflict once more.' 'Some simple arithmetic can give us a broader view of these structural instabilities.' 1.1Tendency to unpredictable behaviour or erratic changes of mood. Synonyms: changeableness, variability, capriciousness, volatility, flightiness, fitfulness, vacillation, oscillation, unpredictability, unpredictableness 'she showed increasing signs of mental instability' 'He is unbalanced, and that mental instability makes him a danger to himself and to others.' 'This may be a reflection of Victorian attitudes towards mental instability.' 'I do not think that it by any means implies mental instability of any kind.' 'Mental instability affects almost everyone at some time in their lives.'

intensity /ɪnˈtɛnsɪti/

NOUN intensities mass noun 1 The quality of being intense. Synonyms: strength, power, powerfulness, potency, vigour, force, forcefulness passion, ardour, fervour, fervency, zeal, vehemence, fire, heat, fever, emotion, eagerness, keenness, enthusiasm, excitement, animation, spirit, vigour, earnestness, strength, energy 'the pain grew in intensity' in singular 'there's an intensity in his eyes that's downright scary' 2 The measurable amount of a property, such as force, brightness, or a magnetic field. Synonyms: strength, power, powerfulness, potency, vigour, force, forcefulness 'hydrothermal processes of low intensity' count noun 'different light intensities' 'Also, intensities increase across all wavelengths as temperature increases.' 'Note that the spectral intensities have been normalized relative to sample weight.'

leaf NOUN /liːf/

NOUN leaves 1A flattened structure of a higher plant, typically green and blade-like, that is attached to a stem directly or via a stalk. Leaves are the main organs of photosynthesis and transpiration. Synonyms: frond 'many of the trees had lost their leaves' 'bay leaves' 'an oak leaf' 1.1Any of a number of plant structures similar to leaves, e.g. bracts, sepals, and petals. 1.2mass noun Foliage regarded collectively. 'To provide a backdrop to this foliage-ruled leafscape, use climbers to link together canopies of leaf.' 'She kept her eyes straight ahead as she flew over the rest of the clearing and then into a dense forest, her bare feet racing and leaping over stone and leaf.' 1.3mass noun The state of having leaves. 'the trees are still in leaf' 'And our interest does not stop when the saplings go into leaf.' 'The bare branches of deciduous trees don't muffle noises like they do when they're in leaf.' 'Lift, divide and spread out winter aconites while still in leaf.' 1.4mass noun The leaves of tobacco or tea. as modifier 'leaf tea' 'This type of smokeless tobacco comes in loose leaf, plugs or twists.' 'In other words, tobacco used to be a herbal medicine but public experimentation led to the smoking of the tobacco leaf.' 'So I got some tobacco leaf, mixed it with water and gave it to the baby.' 2A thing that resembles a leaf in being flat and thin. 'Flat, thin leaves of horn were translucent and used for windowpanes in place of glass.' 2.1A single thickness of paper, especially in a book with each side forming a page. Synonyms: page, sheet, folio, flyleaf 2.2mass noun, with modifier Gold, silver, or other specified metal in the form of very thin foil. 'gold leaf' 'In the early 1970s very thin leaf gold was skillfully implanted on rhodochrosite to make spectacular faked specimens.' 'The stacks were then hammered until the gold had spread sufficiently to make a thin foil or leaf.' 'Twelve pence worth of leaf gold was an expensive amount.' 2.3The hinged part or flap of a door, shutter, or table. 'Place the hinge leaf in the mortise and position the self-centering tool in the countersink recesses of the hinge.' 'Take the old hinge screw or the hinge leaf with you to the store to make sure the new screw is the right size for your hinge.' 2.4An extra section inserted to extend a table.'They are a little like the leaves of a dining table that can be used to make it longer.''Clear the writing items off the desk, take out the leaf in the table, hide the telephone and get rid of the porcelain figurines!' 2.5The inner or outer part of a cavity wall or double-glazed window.'In consequence, the tiling could not be nailed at every course and relied solely on the mortar bedding to the outer leaf of brickwork.''Remove the outer brick leaf to damp proof course level and rebuild the walling, ensuring the wall ties are inserted in the correct positions.'

locus /ˈləʊkəs/

NOUN loci 1technical A particular position or place where something occurs or is situated. Synonyms: emergency, emergency situation, urgent situation, crisis, potential crisis 'it is impossible to specify the exact locus in the brain of these neural events' 'He is too quick to conclude that the Web, as a locus for and medium of art, is a failure.' 'It seems to understand that the locus of failure isn't external and partial.' 'Next, the material is coded into discrete images and each of the images is inserted in the appropriate order into the various loci.' 1.1The effective or perceived location of something abstract. Synonyms: location, place, position, situation, locality, whereabouts, locale, spot, scene, setting 'the real locus of power is the informal council' 'For a peaceful world that promotes international democracy, the locus of power and influence needs shifting.' 'Second, as a social institution the church quickly became a contending locus of power in the Roman Empire.' 'They will be more gravely weakened if pension funds, an enduring locus of labor power, are privatized.' 1.2Genetics The position of a gene or mutation on a chromosome. Synonyms: vicinity, surrounding area, area, neighbourhood, district, region, environs, zone, locale, territory 'Genes at a locus that differ by mutations are known as alleles or haplotypes.' 'The very large pine genomes are highly repetitive, and microsatellite loci also occur as gene families.' 'The data included results of genomic typing at polymorphic loci at or near genes of the autoimmune inflammatory response.' 2MathematicsA curve or other figure formed by all the points satisfying a particular equation of the relation between coordinates, or by a point, line, or surface moving according to mathematically defined conditions. Synonyms: surrounding district, surrounding area, neighbourhood, locality, locale, local area, area, district, region, quarter, sector, territory, domain, place, zone 'a parabola is the locus of a point that moves so as to be equidistant from a fixed point and a straight line' 'The curve can be considered as the locus of a point P defined as follows.' 'The catenary is the locus of the focus of a parabola rolling along a straight line.' 'Where lines were not common to multiple loci, lines are labeled only to species.' 'Then the locus of centers of all circles passing through A and orthogonal to C is a straight line.' 3Law short for locus standi 'If two crimes share the same mens rea, actus reus, and locus, they are, if not identical, comparable.' 'In his Decision Letter dated the 8th November 1999 the Inspector dealt with locus in paragraphs 3-11.' 'Marrlist Limited had locus as a creditor of the company.'

simulation NOUN /sɪmjuːˈleɪʃ(ə)n/

NOUN mass noun 1 Imitation of a situation or process. 'simulation of blood flowing through arteries and veins' 'photographs showing simulation of sex acts' 'The simulation of conductive hearing impairment by occluding the ear with a finger is the basis of this test.' 'With simulation, medical students learn procedures that require repeated practice and perform tasks on virtual tissue.' 1.1 The action of pretending; deception. 'clever simulation that's good enough to trick you' 'This helps to explain why a simulation of the false believer is more demanding than a simulation of a pretend partner.' 'When no simulation is required, it should be equally easy to experience and report beliefs as desires.' 1.2 The production of a computer model of something, especially for the purpose of study. 'the method was tested by computer simulation' count noun 'a visual simulation of a collision' as modifier 'simulation models will allow researchers to test different strategies'

regression /rɪˈɡrɛʃ(ə)n/

NOUN mass noun 1A return to a former or less developed state. Synonyms: decline, downturn, fall, falling, falling away, slipping, drop, deterioration, worsening, degeneration, dereliction, backsliding, regression, retrogression, decay, descent, sinking, slide, ebb, waning, corruption, debasement, tainting, corrosion, impairment 'it is easy to blame unrest on economic regression' 'Since the remote office would retain the previous media, regression to an earlier version should also be fairly straightforward.' 'The 1940s could have represented another stage of regression in this process.' 1.1 A return to an earlier stage of life or a supposed previous life, especially through hypnosis. Synonyms: decline, lapse, deterioration, worsening, degeneration, backsliding, recidivism, reversion, regression, retrogression, downturn, fall, falling, falling away, slipping, drop, descent, sinking, slide 'the details recalled by Carol during the regression' as modifier 'regression therapy' count noun 'a past-life regression' 1.2 A lessening of the severity of a disease or its symptoms. 'there was 46.7 per cent complete regression in the placebo group' 'The remaining 130 patients had spontaneous regression of disease.' 'In addition, later biopsies may show disease progression or regression.' 2 StatisticsA measure of the relation between the mean value of one variable (e.g. output) and corresponding values of other variables (e.g. time and cost). 'The dependent variables for the linear regression models are the percentages of expected corn and soybean production forward priced.' 'Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were the statistical analyses employed in this study.'

radiation /reɪdɪˈeɪʃ(ə)n/

NOUN mass noun 1PhysicsThe emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles, especially high-energy particles which cause ionization. Synonyms: discharge, release, outpouring, outflow, outrush, leak, excretion, secretion, ejection Because it uses sound waves instead of radiation, ultrasound is safer than X-rays.' 'When taken up by obstacles, beta particles produce a more penetrative secondary radiation known as bremsstrahlung.' 'We now know that invisible forces do control some things: gravity, radiation, electricity.' 1.1The energy transmitted by radiation. Synonyms: transference, transferral, passing on, communication, conveyance, imparting, channelling, carrying, relaying, dispatch, mediation 'background radiation' as modifier 'the radiation dose' count noun 'ultraviolet and infrared radiations' 'A radioactive source will emit these radiations at various frequencies, depending on its activity and its decay mode.' 'This foil doesn't do very well in the air, but it protected it from meteorites and from the ultraviolet radiations from the sun.' 2BiologyDivergence out from a central point, in particular evolution from an ancestral animal or plant group into a variety of new forms. 'evolution is a process of radiation not progression' 'This famous site in British Columbia has yielded much fundamental information on the early radiation of the major animal groups.' 'During the Oligocene, the South American rodents began their great evolutionary radiation.' 'The radiation of modern felines began with the divergence of the Panthera lineage.'

amplitude /ˈamplɪtjuːd/

NOUN mass noun 1PhysicsThe maximum extent of a vibration or oscillation, measured from the position of equilibrium. 'the amplitude of alpha rhythms' count noun 'waves with amplitudes greater than or equal to 20 mm' 'A frequency response of the transmission line is computed based on the measured amplitudes.' 'To compare the relative amplitudes of the different spectra, it is necessary to normalize the signal.' 1.1The maximum difference of an alternating electric current or potential from the average value. 'the detection of signals only a few microvolts in amplitude' 'Isochronal tail current amplitudes were normalized to the maximum amplitude obtained from that oocyte and plotted versus test potential.' 'This local depolarization is known as an excitatory synaptic potential, and its amplitude is determined by the number of vesicles released from the presynaptic cell.' 'A problem with evoked potentials is that their amplitude is exceedingly small.' 2AstronomyThe angular distance of a celestial object from the true east or west point of the horizon at rising or setting. 'Finally, we evaluate the reliability of the amplitudes and phases determined in the initial study of the star's amplitude and frequency variability.' 'The star's amplitude is approximately 0.1 magnitude.' 3Breadth, range, or magnitude. Synonyms: magnitude, size, volume, proportions, dimensions 'the amplitude of the crime of manslaughter lies beneath murder' 'There is none of the heft and amplitude of real literature, none of the complexity.' 'I was 'stealing' some movements and gestures but I had a different coordination, different amplitude of movement.' 'The lyrics have a breadth and amplitude of style that mark no common master of the poet's craft.' 4MathematicsThe angle between the real axis of an Argand diagram and a vector representing a complex number. 'A sine function has amplitude, phase, period and shift, and you can play tricks with these.' 'The amplitude of the observed dihedral angle distributions ascertains the flexibility of the secondary structure which never remains flat or adopts a reversed saddle shape.' 'The same experimental database is analyzed here for distributions of amplitudes and widths.'

deviation /diːvɪˈeɪʃ(ə)n/

NOUN mass noun 1The action of departing from an established course or accepted standard. Synonyms: divergence, digression, turning aside, departure, deflection, difference, variation, variance, alteration, veering, straying, fluctuation, aberration, abnormality, irregularity, anomaly, inconsistency, discrepancy, variableness, oddness, freakishness ' deviation from a norm' 'sexual deviation' count noun ' deviations from Standard English' 'As with most careful plans, this one started off with deviations from the standard fly-by.' 'With a few deviations, the open standards of the World Wide Web have been pretty much maintained.' 'In addition, it is the treatment of choice for the most serious sexual deviations, such as sexual sadism.' 2StatisticsThe amount by which a single measurement differs from a fixed value such as the mean. 'a significant deviation from the average value' 'The average numbers and average deviation of five measurements are reported.' 'The sequences were analyzed for randomness in dinucleotide frequencies and no statistically significant deviation was found.' 3The deflection of a ship's compass needle caused by iron in the ship. 'In 1819 Barlow began work on the problem of deviation in ship compasses caused by the presence of iron in the hull.' 'There he began work on compass deviation, a topic he would return to many times.'

detection /dɪˈtɛkʃ(ə)n/

NOUN mass noun 1The action or process of identifying the presence of something concealed. Synonyms: observation, noticing, noting, discernment, perception, spotting, awareness, recognition, distinguishing, identification, diagnosis 'the early detection of fetal abnormalities' 'Other property owners, tenants or landlords have failed to provide any smoke or fire detection systems.' 'Prostate cancer presents major challenges for early detection through screening.' 'It allows more patients to be seen sooner and this rapid assessment can lead to the earlier detection of serious illness.' 1.1The work of a detective in investigating a crime. Synonyms: discovery, uncovering, unearthing, rooting out, exposure, revelation solving, clear-up capture, identification, exposure, unmasking, tracking down, apprehension, arrest 'modern technology is essential to crime detection' 'This year, detections and arrests are up, crime is down and we are forging ahead.' 'Up to the end of June, Gardai made 362 drink driving detections compared with 580 for the entire of 2000.' 'This year, though we have doubled the crime figures, we have had a lot more detections.'

integration /ɪntɪˈɡreɪʃ(ə)n/

NOUN mass noun 1The action or process of integrating. Synonyms: combination, amalgamation, incorporation, unification, consolidation, merger, fusing, blending, meshing, homogenization, homogenizing, coalescing, assimilation, concatenation desegregation, inclusion 'economic and political integration' ' integration of individual countries into trading blocs' 'The process of economic integration can't - and shouldn't - be stopped.' 'At each step along the way, political and economic integration went hand in hand.' 'Political integration is an ongoing, never ending process.' 1.1The intermixing of people who were previously segregated. 'integration is the best hope for both black and white Americans' 'We have some concerns about the school, particularly as regards the absence of a head teacher until August and concrete programmes for integration with a wider peer group.' 'A few years ago, the city mayor expressly acknowledged the level of integration of Turkish business people there into the wider community.' 'But those who support the scheme have also suggested that it could be used to promote integration and reduce religious intolerance.' 2MathematicsThe finding of an integral or integrals. 'integration of an ordinary differential equation' count noun 'mathematical integrations' 'He also worked on asymptotic analysis, fractional integration and singular partial differential equations.' 'These papers, which appeared in 1858, are on numerical analysis, in particular numerical integration.' 3PsychologyThe coordination of processes in the nervous system, including diverse sensory information and motor impulses. 'visuomotor integration' 'Only men were tested as several studies found gender differences in spatial abilities and in sensory integration.' 'These tests require balance, motor planning, and sensory integration.' 'Autistic children often experience difficulties with sensory integration.' 3.1Psychoanalysis The process by which a well-balanced psyche becomes whole as the developing ego organizes the id, and the state which results or which treatment seeks to create by countering the fragmenting effect of defence mechanisms. 'We turn finally to the problematic results for integration as measured by the increment from free recall to cued recall.' 'I've gone through a whole process of integration.'

syntax /ˈsɪntaks/

NOUN mass noun 1The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. 'the syntax of English' 'Try to imagine a world without language; a world where words, grammar and syntax suddenly become meaningless.' 'The other thing that they're learning about is syntax, phrase boundaries and clause boundaries.' 'Of course, this tiny 'language,' consisting of one-word sentences, has no syntax.' 1.1A set of rules for or an analysis of the syntax of a language. 'generative syntax' 1.2The branch of linguistics that deals with syntax. 'It's too bad that (as far as I know) linguists who study syntax, semantics and pragmatics have not been involved in this enterprise to any significant extent.' 'The chapters that follow deal with vocabulary, syntax, onomastics, phonology, English grammar and usage and, finally, literary language.' 'The word is borrowed by analogy from the terminology of linguistic syntax.' 2The structure of statements in a computer language. 'He then gives you the three variants in syntax for the various UNIX systems the book covers.' 'Furthermore, you may need a similar macro using Java syntax for programming Java.' 'The command syntax to do so is very similar to that of the familiar mount command.'

emergence /ɪˈməːdʒ(ə)ns/

NOUN mass noun 1The process of becoming visible after being concealed. Synonyms: disclosure, becoming known, coming to light, exposure, unfolding, publication, publicizing, publishing, broadcasting 'I misjudged the timing of my emergence' 'Seeds were scored daily for radicle emergence through the testa or PE envelope.' 'I do not however see how the late emergence of the evidence matters.' 1.1The escape of an insect or other invertebrate from an egg, cocoon, or pupal case. 'the parasite's eggs hatch synchronously with the emergence of the wasp larvae' 2The process of coming into existence or prominence. Synonyms: appearance, arrival, coming 'the emergence of the environmental movement' 'Appropriate use of antibiotics will delay and in many cases prevent the emergence of resistance.' 'Hand in hand with European expansion went the gradual emergence of industrial capitalism.'

convergence /kənˈvəːdʒ(ə)ns/

NOUN mass noun 1The process or state of converging. Synonyms: junction, fork, branching, intersection, interchange, confluence, convergence, meeting point, crossing, criss-crossing, vertex, apex 'the convergence of lines in the distance' 'The only real downside is that the process of convergence is likely to be messy.' 'For what his data show is a powerful process of convergence, far from complete in extent but unequivocal in direction.' 'This move started the process of gradual convergence of the two earlier independent jobs - air navigation and bombing.' 1.1Biology The tendency of unrelated animals and plants to evolve superficially similar characteristics under similar environmental conditions. 'these bivalves have assumed similar characters by convergence' 'Such a discovery could also provide a compelling explanation for evolutionary convergence.' 'So there is nothing in the mere fact of convergence that calls evolutionary theory into doubt.' 1.2A location where airflows or ocean currents meet, characteristically marked by upwelling (of air) or downwelling (of water). Synonyms: convergence, coming together, confluence, conjunction, union, junction, abutment, concourse, intersection, T-junction, crossing 'The area where this is going on is called the Intertropical convergence zone.' 'The low-density surface water moved shoreward over the upwelled water, forming a convergence zone at the front.' 'Does the Inter-Tropical convergence zone move as it should?'

substitution /sʌbstɪˈtjuːʃn/

NOUN mass noun The action of replacing someone or something with another person or thing. Synonyms: exchange, change, interchange 'the substitution of rail services with buses' count noun 'a tactical substitution' 'Think of what the country could have been spared had that substitution not taken place.' 'The substitution of an allegedly objective, measurable indicator can be appealing.' 'There are concerns about bench-marking and substitution and a whole lot of issues.'

prevalence /ˈprɛv(ə)l(ə)ns/

NOUN mass noun The fact or condition of being prevalent; commonness. Synonyms: commonness, currency, widespread presence, generality, pervasiveness, universality, extensiveness, ubiquity, ubiquitousness 'the prevalence of obesity in adults' 'They also declined in prevalence as the population became more urban than rural.' 'As our population ages, the prevalence of aortic stenosis inevitably rises.' 'Thus, use of current estimates for the prevalence of passive exposure is again conservative.'

methodology /mɛθəˈdɒlədʒi/

NOUN methodologies A system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity. Synonyms: course of action, line of action, plan of action, policy, series of steps, plan, method, system, strategy, stratagem, way, approach, formula, mechanism, methodology, MO, modus operandi, SOP, standard operating procedure, technique, means, measure, process, proceeding, operation, agenda 'a methodology for investigating the concept of focal points' mass noun 'courses in research methodology and practice' 'He would not reveal the research methodology of the new system, which would be unveiled in a few weeks.' 'Studies using different methodologies and outcome measures have given contrasting results.' 'The sociology of music is diverse in its approaches, its methodologies, and its areas of focus.'

morphology /mɔːˈfɒlədʒi/

NOUN morphologies 1mass noun The study of the forms of things. 1.1The branch of biology that deals with the form of living organisms, and with relationships between their structures. 'Analysis of covariance revealed some relationships between subspecies morphology / growth habit and local environmental conditions.' 'Organisms were identified by morphology and biochemical reactions.' 'Gross changes in chromosome morphology occur at each mitosis.' 1.2Linguistics The study of the forms of words, in particular inflected forms. Synonyms: inflection, form, ending 'grammar is organized along two main dimensions: morphology and syntax' 'a generative approach to Italian morphology' 2A particular form, shape, or structure. 'Further, individual follicles produce feathers of different morphologies over the course of their life.' 'Second, most morphologies related to strictly marginal growth are now associated only with ferns.' 'The general geometric morphologies of elements from the two populations are also very similar.'

nucleus /ˈnjuːklɪəs/

NOUN nuclei 1The central and most important part of an object, movement, or group, forming the basis for its activity and growth. Synonyms: core, centre, central part, most important part, heart, nub, hub, middle, midpoint, eye, kernel, focus, focal point, pivot, crux 'the nucleus of a British film-producing industry' 'Christine Maggiore is the outspoken nucleus of a movement to help HIV-positive mothers who question medication.' 'These embryonic communities created an important nucleus for post-war migration, which was fuelled by economic factors.' 1.1Physics The positively charged central core of an atom, consisting of protons and neutrons and containing nearly all its mass. 'Electrons produce a small magnetic field as they spin and orbit the nucleus of an atom.' 'Electrons are found in clouds that surround the nucleus of an atom.' 'Most atomic nuclei consist of clusters of protons and neutrons (which have no electrical charge).' 1.2Biology A dense organelle present in most eukaryotic cells, typically a single rounded structure bounded by a double membrane, containing the genetic material. 'Dense granules surrounding the nucleus are probably cytoplasmic organelles.' 'The cells had round or oval vesicular nuclei with multiple prominent nucleoli.' 'The cells were characterized by large vesicular nuclei with single large nucleoli.' 1.3Anatomy A discrete mass of grey matter in the central nervous system. 'The pontocerebellar fibers connect pontine nuclei with the cerebellar cortex of the opposite side, via the middle cerebellar peduncles.' 'The term extrapyramidal system refers to the basal ganglia and several brain stem nuclei with which they are connected.' 1.4Astronomy The solid part of a comet's head. 'The spacecraft will orbit the comet's nucleus.' 'The spacecraft's point of view now captures the shadowed side of the comet's nucleus.' 'Indeed, the outermost asteroids show similarities with the cometary nuclei observed far from the Sun.'

spectrum /ˈspɛktrəm/

NOUN spectra, spectrums 1 A band of colours, as seen in a rainbow, produced by separation of the components of light by their different degrees of refraction according to wavelength. 'Instead, new research finds that sexual orientations exist along a continuum, like colors in the spectrum of a rainbow.' 'She wore a flowing robe of reflective black cloth with a special surface that made it reflect light in a brilliant spectrum of colors.' 1.1 the spectrumThe entire range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. 'The lens filters out the blue range of the spectrum, thereby making subaquatic colors look normal.' 'Also of note is the way in which Melville shaded the entire film towards the blue end of the spectrum.' 1.2A characteristic series of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by a substance. 'It should be noted that immunoglobulins often can be found throughout the electrophoretic spectrum.' 'The measurement of the wavelengths of light that are absorbed by the substance can be used to produce an absorbance spectrum of the substance.' 1.3The components of a sound or other phenomenon arranged according to such characteristics as frequency, charge, and energy. 'Radio spectrum can also be mapped in other ways, onto territory.' 'This means certain groups of atoms have similar energies, so have similar vibrational spectra.' 'Cross-correlation analysis on EEG spectra and performance time series were carried out for a single participant.' 2Used to classify something in terms of its position on a scale between two extreme points. 'the left or the right of the political spectrum' 'Journalists, across the political spectrum, publicized their position in the newspapers.' 'Other parties occupy various positions on the political spectrum.' 'Not bad for a man whose position on the political spectrum is roughly a million miles left to that of the average Irish voter.' 2.1A wide range. Synonyms: range, gamut, sweep, scope, span 'self-help books are covering a broader and broader spectrum' 'HBV can cause a wide spectrum of symptoms ranging from general malaise to chronic liver disease that can lead to liver cancer.' 'Interests range across a wide spectrum of sports, politics, environment, fine art, drama and community action.' 'Albeit there is a wide spectrum of orthodoxy, ranging from the devout to those who ignore the Gods.'

stimulus /ˈstɪmjʊləs/

NOUN stimuli 1 A thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction in an organ or tissue. 'areas of the brain which respond to auditory stimuli' 'The Tullio phenomenon represents vestibular symptoms and/or eye movements evoked by a sound stimulus.' 'Many other animals have sense organs that can detect stimuli beyond the confines of the human senses.' 'A cascade of events must occur for the neurotransmitter stimulus to lead to cellular response.' 1.1 A thing that arouses activity or energy in someone or something; a spur or incentive. Synonyms: spur, stimulant, encouragement, impetus, boost, prompt, prod, incentive, inducement, inspiration, fillip 'if the tax were abolished, it would act as a stimulus to exports' 'Other forms of export could also act as a stimulus for national economies.' 'And given the strength of the dollar, the US economy will not receive a stimulus from increased exports.' 'It needs fresh conflict, drama, the torrent of social stimuli that rouses it to activity.' 'It was possible that the injection of cash into communities would raise the level of demand for basic commodities and could act as an economic stimulus.' 1.2 in singular An interesting and exciting quality. 'she loved the stimulus of the job' 'It's not, I believe, the stress of their old job that kills them but the sudden withdrawal of mental stimulus.' 'But in a way a big part of the stimulus of the job has been to be faced with repertoire that somebody else has chosen.'

synthesis /ˈsɪnθɪsɪs/

NOUN syntheses mass noun 1The combination of components or elements to form a connected whole. Synonyms: combination, union, amalgam, blend, mixture, compound, fusion, coalescence, composite, concoction, conglomerate, alloy 'the synthesis of intellect and emotion in his work' Often contrasted with analysis count noun 'the ideology represented a synthesis of certain ideas' 'Its purpose is instead to devise by reasoned argument ever more satisfactory syntheses of theory and experiment.' 'In the current treatment, I briefly review how the syntheses of multiple fields have provided insight into several problems in biology.' 1.1Grammar The process of making compound and derivative words. 1.2Linguistics The tendency in a language to use inflected forms rather than word order to express grammatical structure. 2The production of chemical compounds by reaction from simpler materials. 'the synthesis of methanol from carbon monoxide and hydrogen' 'Other compounds function in chemical analysis and in synthesis in a chemistry laboratory of organic compounds.' 'The advent of chemistry and chemical synthesis, however, saw their steady decline.' 3(in Hegelian philosophy) the final stage in the process of dialectical reasoning, in which a new idea resolves the conflict between thesis and antithesis. 'Every synthesis becomes a new thesis, which becomes the target of a new antithesis.' 'It looks like they're on their way to finding a Hegelian synthesis.' 'But, the Thomistic synthesis is indicative of tendencies within the western intellectual tradition.'

differential NOUN /ˌdɪfəˈrɛnʃ(ə)l/

NOUN technical 1A difference between amounts of things. Synonyms: difference, gap, gulf, divergence, disparity, discrepancy, imbalance, inequality, contrast, distinction 'the differential between petrol and diesel prices' 'The primary turnover measurement is the differential between takeaways and giveaways.' 'The differential between male and female earnings increased over the period as well.' 'And profit is a function of the differential between real costs and possible prices.' 1.1British A difference in wages between industries or between categories of employees in the same industry. Synonyms: imbalance, inequity, unevenness, disproportion, inconsistency, variation, variability 'regional differentials in pay' 'And it is also true that wage differentials between the public and private sector pay have increased.' 'And it isn't motivated by just wage differentials.' 'The wage differentials curbed to reasonable limits.' 1.2Mathematics An infinitesimal difference between successive values of a variable. 'He published a series of works on combinatorial mathematics, in particular probability, series and formulas for higher differentials.' 'Here the Fréchet differential plays a decisive role.' 1.3A set of gears allowing a motor vehicle's driven wheels to revolve at different speeds when going around corners. 'A propeller shaft transferred the power from the gearbox to the differential.' 'Unfortunately, this is only available on the 3.7 litre petrol version, which gets an extra differential in the driveline.'

trajectory /trəˈdʒɛkt(ə)ri/

NOUN trajectories 1The path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces. Synonyms: course, route, path, track, line, orbit, flight, flight path, ambit, direction, bearing, orientation, way, tack, approach 'the missile's trajectory was preset' 'the rapid upward trajectory of Rich's career' 'Mortars are ballistic weapons that have projectile trajectories undistorted by rocket engine or guidance system.' 'Suborbital paths are the trajectories of choice for ballistic missiles.' 'Then the viewer sees some object describe a trajectory down from the ridge where the camera is.' 2GeometryA curve or surface cutting a family of curves or surfaces at a constant angle. 'To investigate this possibility, a simple system can be designed to generate drip trajectories where the degree of chaos can be tuned.' 'So now, you have an intersecting curvature, at every point, say, along a trajectory.' 'Thus, large interception errors were only found for ball trajectories ending relatively far from one's midline.'

utility NOUN /juːˈtɪlɪti/

NOUN utilities 1mass noun The state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial. Synonyms: usefulness, use, advantage, benefit, value, help, helpfulness, profitability, convenience, practicality, effectiveness, efficacy, avail, service, serviceableness, advantageousness 'he had a poor opinion of the utility of book learning' 'But that's a small price to pay for ease and utility.' 'We recommend that projects consider the value and utility of these products and implement them where appropriate.' 'On the other hand, numerous illustrations are new and of excellent quality, adding great value and utility to the final product.' 1.1(in game theory or economics) a measure of that which is sought to be maximized in any situation involving a choice. 'We assume that the object of the rational individual person is to maximize utility given the choices and constraints facing the person.' 'They deemed it sufficient that a man be left to his own devices to maximise his economic utility.' 2 (also public utility) An organization supplying the community with electricity, gas, water, or sewerage. 'The trend to contract out the management of the utilities to outside companies commanded attention.' 'In any case, privatized utilities need strong public regulation, which is difficult and expensive to do well.' 2.1utilitiesUS Stocks and bonds in public utilities. 3ComputingA utility program. 'a handy utility for converting one graphics file type to another' 'Customers have access to many freeware programs, including utilities, productivity tools and development tools.' 'An increasingly wide array of plug-ins and utilities have developed around PDF files, a sure sign of maturity and market penetration.' 4Australian, New Zealand A utility vehicle. 'She was tied, gagged and bundled into the back of the utility.' 'The driver of the utility was in shock, with minor injuries, he said.' 'Thieves also stole a toolbox from the back of a utility the same night.' 'A distant cloud of dust signals the approach of a decrepit utility.'

variability /vɛːrɪəˈbɪlɪti/

NOUN variabilities mass noun Lack of consistency or fixed pattern; liability to vary or change. 'a great deal of variability in quality' 'seasonal variability in water levels' count noun 'our results showed substantial variabilities in laboratory practices' 'Try to maintain a similar sampling time in each field to eliminate variability.' 'The variability in milk supply is an ongoing obstacle for their operation.' 'They've seen variability in corn yields of up to 50 bushels per acre across a single irrigated field.'

velocity /vɪˈlɒsɪti/

NOUN velocities 1 The speed of something in a given direction. 'the velocities of the emitted particles' 'He noticed Venus move, he was able to determine its direction and its velocity and very importantly he was able to determine its angular diameter.' 'If an object is moving in one direction without a force acting on it, then it continues to move in that direction with a constant velocity.' 'Anti-matter has mass and when mass moves at a high velocity, there is an overall increase in energy.' 1.1 (in general use) speed. 'the tank shot backwards at an incredible velocity' Synonyms: speed, pace, rate, tempo, momentum, impetus 'Scientists and inventors are unraveling new technology at incredible velocity.' 'But you don't have to be a dot-com executive to see how the Internet accelerates business velocity.' 'Medical advances aside, almost every technological progress has been about velocity, about the simple process of speeding things up.' 1.2 Economics The rate at which money changes hands within an economy. 'Time and money appear as commensurate albeit inverse values because of the effect of the velocity of circulation on the accumulation of capital.' 'The trouble is that all these measures of money cannot be relied on because the velocity of money changes.' 'The velocity of circulation was assumed to be unchanged.'

specification /ˌspɛsɪfɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/

OUN 1An act of identifying something precisely or of stating a precise requirement. Synonyms: statement, stating, naming, identification, definition, defining, describing, description, setting out, setting down, framing, itemizing, designation, designating, detailing, listing, spelling out, enumeration, enumerating, particularizing, cataloguing, citing, instancing 'give a full specification of the job advertised' mass noun 'there was no clear specification of objectives' 'There is no formal requirement for them to agree with the other Community institutions on the specification of price stability.' 'This is not a clear specification of the problem.' 'The contest had some very precise specifications.' 2usually specificationsA detailed description of the design and materials used to make something. Synonyms: tinstructions, stipulations, requirements, conditions, provisions, restrictions, provisos, guidelines, parameters, order 'one of the telescope's mirrors had been manufactured to incorrect specifications' 'This is the detailed specifications of the satellite.' 'He has spent years designing the specifications.' 'Design specifications are difficult to write.' 2.1A standard of workmanship or materials required to be met in a piece of work. Synonyms: standard, point of reference, basis, gauge, criterion, specification, canon, convention, guide, guideline, guiding principle, norm, touchstone, yardstick, test, litmus test, barometer, indicator, measure, model, exemplar, classic example, pattern, paradigm, archetype, prototype, ideal 'everything was built to a higher specification' 'This model didn't meet specifications.' 'Are power specifications required by your electronic systems being met?' 'All Canadian cheques should conform with the new specifications.' 2.2A description of an invention accompanying an application for a patent. 'The inventions disclosed in difference specifications can be different in kind.' 'I was addressed by both parties on the principles of law to be adopted in construing patent specifications.' 'Although the specification describes an invention of a working combination, it is not the invention claimed.'

Phrases the music of the spheres

The natural harmonic tones supposedly produced by the movement of the celestial spheres or the bodies fixed in them. 'A young man in a desolate Hungarian town is devoted to his elderly uncle, a musicologist working on a revisionist theory of the music of the spheres.' 'In the background I can almost hear the tinkling music of the spheres.' 'A cosmic impresario, he took on nothing less than the task of illustrating, arranging, producing and distributing the music of the spheres.'

aggregate VERB /ˈaɡrɪɡət

VERB 1Form or group into a class or cluster. Synonyms: combine, put, group, bunch, aggregate, unite, pool, mix, blend, merge, mass, join, fuse, conglomerate, coalesce, consolidate, collect, throw, consider together with object 'socio-occupational groups aggregate men sharing similar kinds of occupation' no object 'the butterflies aggregate in dense groups' 'It will enable the Government to fudge things much more because the output classes can be aggregated with this legislation.' 'Sensor nodes are aggregated to form clusters based on their power levels and proximity.' 'Yet aggregating the collective wisdom and putting a probability on it is a very valuable function in itself.' 1.1Computing Collect (related items of content) so as to display or link to them. 'tools that aggregate data from all of the security devices are a good first step' 'The RPR network aggregates the packet traffic from around the ring onto one or more highly concentrated links connecting to the network edge.' 'For the best performance, large numbers of drives can be connected and their data aggregated into a larger host interface.'

mediate VERB /ˈmiːdɪeɪt/

VERB 1no object Intervene in a dispute in order to bring about an agreement or reconciliation. Synonyms: arbitrate, conciliate, moderate, umpire, referee, act as peacemaker, reconcile differences, restore harmony, make peace, bring to terms, liaise 'Wilson attempted to mediate between the powers to end the war' 'Again, it was the patron's role to mediate between the artist and the press, ensuring a harmonious relationship on both sides.' 'Their primary role is to mediate between the bosses and the workers.' 'He is now attempting to mediate between the two sides.' 1.1with object Intervene in (a dispute) to bring about an agreement. Synonyms: resolve, settle, arbitrate in, umpire, reconcile, mend, clear up, patch up 'set up a tribunal to arbitrate and mediate disputes' 'With tensions running high, regional and national leaders were brought in to mediate the dispute.' 'This body consisted of an international list of arbitrators who would mediate disputes between states.' 1.2with object Bring about (an agreement or solution) by intervening in a dispute. Synonyms: negotiate, bring about, effect, make happen 'efforts to mediate a peaceful resolution of the conflict' 'He was able to help mediate a solution to the problem of that time.' 'European leaders traveled to Kiev to mediate a political solution between the parties.' 'There were his unsuccessful efforts in 1915 and 1916 to mediate a peace among the Great Powers.' 2technical with object Bring about (a result such as a physiological effect) Synonyms: arbitrate, conciliate, moderate, umpire, referee, act as peacemaker, reconcile differences, restore harmony, make peace, bring to terms, liaise 'the right hemisphere plays an important role in mediating tactile perception of direction' 'Because no such effect has been detected on the protein-free DNA, we suppose that DNA-bound proteins mediate the formation of links.' 'Therefore, it is necessary to investigate factors that may facilitate or mediate these beneficial effects.' 2.1Be a means of conveying. Synonyms: convey, transmit, communicate, put across, put over, impart, pass on, hand on, relate, reveal 'this important ministry of mediating the power of the word' 'She, too, can give praise to the 'God of Israel' whose healing power has been mediated through an Israelite healer.' 'Here we find a greater reliance upon the power of the church and this power is mediated by a very strange and special figure.' 2.2Form a link between. 'structures which mediate gender divisions' 'However, the original focal site does not mediate the link between other sites and the language name.' 'A competing, though less compelling, interpretation is that similarity mediates the link between liking and perceived intelligence.' 'Future work may identify explicit factors mediating the links between somatic and psychological symptoms.'

generalize /ˈdʒɛn(ə)rəlʌɪz/

VERB 1no object Make a general or broad statement by inferring from specific cases. Synonyms: imprecise, inexact, rough, approximate, inexplicit, non-specific, loose, ill-defined, generalized, ambiguous, equivocal, hazy, woolly 'it is not easy to generalize about the poor' 'On the other hand, I'll admit that the few I've seen have actually been quite good, and hard to generalize about.' 'So, that being the case, I don't want to generalize about Americans.' 'If you're going to generalize about doctors, maybe you should be a little bit more wary about your sources.' 2with object Make (something) more widespread or widely applicable. Synonyms: give currency to, spread, propagate, give credence to, universalize, generalize 'attempts to generalize an elite education' 'No differences were found to exist and the results were generalized to the target population.' 'The researchers recognize the need to have a higher response rate to be able to generalize findings to the population.' 'The homogenous nature of the subjects limits the ability to generalize results to other populations.'

pulse 1 VERB /pʌls/

VERB 1no object Throb rhythmically; pulsate. Synonyms: throb, pulsate, vibrate, palpitate, beat, pound, thud, thump, hammer, drum, thrum, oscillate, reverberate 'a knot of muscles at the side of his jaw pulsed' 'The darker egg, however, was pulsing and throbbing, showing signs of life.' 'We're talking about the aching, pulsing, throbbing pain of headaches.' 'His head was killing him, throbbing, pulsing, and giving him a sort of headache he'd never before experienced.' 2with object Modulate (a wave or beam) so that it becomes a series of pulses. 'the current was pulsed' as adjective pulsed 'pulsed outputs' 'Pyroelectric sensors measure only pulsed or modulated laser beams.' 'A light beam is pulsed onto the veins to seal them off and cause them to collapse.' 2.1Apply a pulsed signal to (a device) 'a loudspeaker pulsed by a capacitor discharge' 'Radio frequency generating systems and methods for forming pulse plasma using gradually pulsed time-modulated radio frequency power' 'However, the reference signal needed by the ECM to pulse the injectors is supplied by a separate hall switch.' 2.2Biochemistry short for pulse-label 'Prior to pulse radiolysis, solutions were purged with pure Ar or NzO.' 'However, it has not been determined whether pulsed light excitation is superior to cw light excitation in terms of treatable tissue depth.'

beam VERB /biːm/

VERB 1with object and adverbial of direction Transmit (a radio signal or broadcast) in a specified direction. Synonyms: broadcast, transmit, relay, put out, send out, disseminate 'the satellite beamed back radio signals to scientists on Earth' 'In one experiment, Clementine beamed radio signals into shadowed craters near the Moon's south pole.' 'A global Christian organisation already beams a shortwave signal from transmitters just outside Kununurra.' 'The moment will be beamed by satellite transmission to television and radio stations around the world.' 1.1beam someone up/downwith object (in science fiction) transport someone instantaneously to or from a spaceship. 'mission controller, beam me up!' 'The team from the Starship Enterprise have been beamed down.' 'Anyway, this bunch of geeks at ANU managed to do this thing, dreaming of Star Trek and Scotty beaming them up.' 2no object, with adverbial of direction (of a light or light source) shine brightly. Synonyms: shine, radiate, glare, glitter, gleam, shimmer, glimmer, twinkle, flash, flare, streak 'the sun's rays beamed down' 'The sun shined brightly and the rays of light beamed into the King and Queen's room as the windows were opened.' 'The bright lights were still beaming down as bright as ever.' 'Suddenly, a bright light beamed on the werewolf's face, and it hid its eyes.' 'Suddenly, a bright light beamed from the center of the tree, and a woman appeared before us.' 3no object Smile radiantly. Synonyms: grinning, smiling, laughing bright, cheery, sparkling, flashing, brilliant, dazzling, intense, gleaming, radiant grin, smile, dimple, grin like a Cheshire Cat, twinkle, smirk, laugh 'she beamed with pleasure' 'Organisers of the new Yorkshire Forward quality customer care scheme whose logo is a huge smile, are beaming with pleasure.' 'People gawked and stared, and he stared back with a grin beaming from ear to ear.' 'Tammy Armstrong sits in a café sipping coffee between ash blonde braids, a smile beaming across her face.' 3.1with object Express (an emotion) with a radiant smile. Synonyms: grinning, smiling, laughing 'the instructress beamed her approval' 'The Barbie looked at her, every bit of its plastic smile beaming its approval.' 'I beamed my approval and choked down the lump in my throat.' 'When I approach to thank him for the dance, he clasps my hand and shakes it vigorously, beaming appreciation.'

correlate VERB /ˈkɒrələt/

VERB [NO OBJECT] 1 Have a mutual relationship or connection, in which one thing affects or depends on another. Synonyms: correspond, agree, tally, match up, tie in, be consistent, be in agreement, be compatible, be consonant, be congruous, be in tune, be in harmony, harmonize, coordinate, dovetail 'the study found that success in the educational system correlates highly with class' 'Two such properties appear to correlate with the effects of the ions.' 'Furthermore, he points out morosely, we probably shouldn't try: introspection correlates positively with depression.' 1.1 with object Establish a mutual relationship or connection between. Synonyms: connect, analogize, associate, relate, compare, bring together, set side by side, show a connection between, show a relationship between, show an association between, show a correspondence between, draw an analogy between 'we should correlate general trends in public opinion with trends in the content of television news' 'Concurrent validity would be established by correlating the scores of participants with their scores on each of the other three tests.' 'They then use weather rules, such as the following, to correlate these features and establish prediction patterns.'

discourse VERB /ˈdɪskɔːs/

VERB [NO OBJECT] 1 Speak or write authoritatively about a topic. Synonyms: hold forth, expatiate, pontificate 'she could discourse at great length on the history of Europe' 'But whenever he has spoken about the guru, he has discoursed for not less than one-and-a-half hours.' 'They speak directly to the emotions, and they discourse about the things in life that really matter.' 'Romeo stumbled back and forth across the stage, spending most of the scene discoursing to the audience about Juliet's beauty while hardly looking at her.' 1.1 Engage in conversation. Synonyms: converse, talk, speak, have a discussion, discuss matters, debate, confer, consult, parley, chat 'he spent an hour discoursing with his supporters' 'He was in a pensive mood on this night, even when collectively discoursing with the trio.' 'One senses that he misses being in a classroom discoursing with students.' 'Show me then what I shall accomplish by discoursing with you.' 'After an anxious search of three days they found Him in the Temple, discoursing with the learned doctors of the law.'

leaf VERB /liːf/

VERB [NO OBJECT] 1(of a plant, especially a deciduous one in spring) put out new leaves. Synonyms: put out leaves, bud, burst into leaves 'many plants need a period of dormancy before they leaf and flower' 'Ash trees were leafing up, the hedges were thick.' 'Most trees are leafing out already; some have made significant progress.' 'Each plant emerges from an underground rhizome in the spring before the tree canopy leafs out.' 2 leaf through Turn over (the pages of a book or the papers in a pile), reading them quickly or casually. Synonyms: flick, flip, thumb, skim, browse, glance, look, riffle 'he leafed through the stack of notes' 'He approached it on tip toes, leafing through a pile of papers on the surface.' 'Either study abroad or leaf through the books of some great photographers in the world.' 'How about having a cup of freshly brewed coffee while leafing through pages of an interesting book?'

defect 2 /ˈdiːfɛkt/

VERB [NO OBJECT] Abandon one's country or cause in favour of an opposing one. Synonyms: desert, go over to the enemy, change allegiances, change loyalties, change sides, turn traitor, rebel, renege, abscond, go AWOL, quit, escape 'he defected to the Soviet Union after the war' 'He was one of about ten people who defected in that direction.' 'Ieng Sary eventually defected to the government, helping end the long civil war.' 'Corpus was a soldier who defected to the communist side in the 1970s.'

interface VERB /ˈɪntəfeɪs/

VERB [NO OBJECT]interface with 1Interact with (another system, person, etc.) Synonyms: liaise, be in touch, be in contact, be in communication, make contact, have dealings, interface, commune, meet, meet up 'you will interface with counterparts from sister companies' 'All systems will have to be automated, and operating and control systems will have to be able to interface with medical systems.' 'Sadly an older model couldn't interface with the phone system, leaving her stuck with this.' 'The other units, already notified and instructed by the node, began to interface with the weapons systems and set up a force in the docking bay.' 2ComputingConnect with (another computer or piece of equipment) by an interface. Synonyms: cooperate, work together, collaborate 'the hotel's computer system can interface automatically with the booking system' with object 'a device which can be interfaced with a computer' 'Ideally, it would interface with your computer desktop.' 'The sound and video tracks are run on a DVD player, modified to interface with the computer.'

denote /dɪˈnəʊt/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] 1 Be a sign of; indicate. Synonyms: designate, indicate, be a sign of, be a mark of, signify, signal, symbolize, represent, stand for, mean suggest, point to, be evidence of, smack of, conjure up, bring to mind, indicate, show, reveal, demonstrate, intimate, imply, connote, convey, give away, betray 'this mark denotes purity and quality' 'The dotted line with a question mark denotes the suggestion of Ahlrichs that Acanthocephala and Seisonida are sister groups.' 'This is a beautiful metaphor that denotes visions of purity and unblemished perfection.' 'That's how bad it is - I've had to resort to multiple exclamation marks to denote sarcasm.' 'The shaven head denotes purity and egolessness and is said to mitigate past life karma.' 'Four pieces of missing homework did not, in Josh's opinion, denote a letter home, and all the hassle that entailed.' 1.1 Stand as a name or symbol for. Synonyms: represent, be a symbol of, stand for, be a sign of, exemplify 'the level of output per firm is denoted by X' 'The semantic job of sentences is to say something, which is not to be confused with naming or denoting some thing.' 'The menus have helpful symbols denoting hotness, low fat and vegetarian options.' 'Different stability regions are denoted by different symbols.' 'Sigma is the Greek symbol used to denote deviations from the mean.'

precede /prɪˈsiːd/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] 1Come before (something) in time. Synonyms: come before, go before, go in advance of, lead up to, lead to, pave the way for, prepare the way for, set the scene for, herald, introduce, usher in, antecede, predate, antedate 'a gun battle had preceded the explosions' 'Elections are won and lost not in the four weeks of campaigning but in the long battle of ideas that precedes them.' 'There was no mention in the evidence of any explosion preceding this observation.' 'One witness reported hearing an explosion precede the fire.' 1.1Come before in order or position. Synonyms: come before, go before, go in advance of, lead up to, lead to, pave the way for, prepare the way for, set the scene for, herald, introduce, usher in, antecede, predate, antedate 'take time to read the chapters that precede the recipes' 1.2Go in front or ahead of. Synonyms: go ahead of, go in front of, go before 'he let her precede him through the gate' 'The Frenchman precedes him, but his gaze remains fixed straight ahead as the world record-holder sets off.' 'The front door open and the sound of laughter preceded them into the kitchen.' 1.3precede something withPreface or introduce something with. Synonyms: preface, prefix, introduce, begin, open, launch 'he preceded the book with a collection of poems' 'I have now been to one concert that preceded its actual show with a movie trailer.' 'We preceded these hearty mains with two dishes from the rich variety of starters, which include everything from deep fried Brie to Japanese prawns.' 'At the airport the other day, every announcement was preceded with (at full volume) 'Attention All Personnel.''

complement VERB /ˈkɒmplɪm(ə)nt/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] 1Contribute extra features to (someone or something) in such a way as to improve or emphasize their qualities. Synonyms: accompany, go with, round off, set off, suit, harmonize with, be the perfect companion to, be the perfect addition to, add the finishing touch to, add the final touch to, add to, supplement, augment, enhance, complete 'a classic blazer complements a look that's smart or casual' 'Here, its earthy quality complements a traditional design.' 'Its old fashioned appearance is complemented by modern design extras.' 'Interactive television enables us to add a whole host of features to complement our existing television coverage.' 1.1Add to or make complete. 'the proposals complement the incentives already available' 'They were like twins, one half perfectly complementing the other.' 'He now has speed over the ground to complement his already impressive decision making ability.'

encode /ɪnˈkəʊd/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] 1Convert into a coded form. Synonyms: cryptic, encoded, coded, enciphered, hidden, mysterious, abstruse, recondite, arcane, esoteric, cabbalistic 'using this technique makes it possible to encode and transmit recorded video information' 'Private banks also open accounts under code names and will, when asked, refer to clients by code names or encode account transactions.' 'Did Leonardo Da Vinci encode this secret in his paintings?' 'The information was so militarily sensitive that the weather reports were encoded before being transmitted.' 1.1Computing Convert (information or an instruction) into a particular form. 'the amount of time required to encode a wav file to mp3 format' 'I was recently downloaded and installed a shareware program which encodes audio and video multimedia files.' 'A data cell region encodes the address of the column for one cell that needs to be remapped in each row.' 'A treasure trove of information is encoded inside your object code, and this tool lets you see it.' 1.2Biochemistry (of a gene) be responsible for producing (a substance or behaviour) 'this is the gene that encodes the yeast mating type protein' no object 'such distortions can damage the genes encoding for the proteins that suppress tumor growth' 'Each pathway contains its own enzymes encoded by different genes.' 'PSK precursor proteins are encoded by small gene families.' 'Proteins encoded by sperm genes in both males and hermaphrodites evolve more rapidly than most other types of genes.'

compact 1 VERB /kəmˈpakt/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] 1Exert force on (something) so that it becomes more dense; compress. Synonyms: compress, condense, pack down, press down, tamp, tamp down, cram down, ram down, flatten 'the rubbish was taken to the depot to be compacted' 'The long DNA chain is naturally compacted in a dense form in most biological systems.' 'These act as a giant poultice, drawing toxins out from the skin, compressing and compacting the soft tissue.' 1.1no object Become compressed by the exertion of force. 'the snow hardened and compacted' 'His throat burned for oxygen and he felt his ribs compressing, compacting, and ready to break.' 'This process causes the snow to compact as it slowly diminishes creating a solid crust base and surface.' 1.2archaic Form (something) by pressing its component parts firmly together. 'the foundation of the walls, compacted of Granite and Lime' 'Carried to its extreme, this hypothesis suggests that at one time all the matter of the universe was compacted together.' 'If the anti-universe was compacted together, how can we be on the surface of anything?' 1.3Express in fewer words; condense. 'the ideas are compacted into two sentences' 'Listening to this astonishing 6-track set is like listening to the entire history of music compacted into short sweet segments.' 'Great music for lazy drives and porch sunsets, like a summer evening compacted into handy CD form.'

sphere VERB /sfɪə/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] 1archaic Enclose in or as if in a sphere. 'mourners, sphered by their dark garb' 1.1Form into a rounded or perfect whole.'you, hitherto, have still had goodness sphered within your eyes'

norm VERB /nɔːm/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] Adjust (something) to conform to a norm. 'Recommendations for early identification testing often include the use of commercially available, nationally normed measures of reading and phonological awareness.' 'Second, teachers have experience with many children, so their responses are implicitly normed.' 'Though the test was normed for 7 year old students, these young students seemed to have trouble with the gradations of the scoring system.'

facilitate /fəˈsɪlɪteɪt/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] Make (an action or process) easy or easier. Synonyms: make easier, make easy, ease, make possible, make smooth, make smoother, smooth, smooth the path of, smooth the way for, clear the way for, open the door for 'schools were located in the same campus to facilitate the sharing of resources' 'The consent process is facilitated by face to face interviews with a trained nurse.' 'Labour laws were to be changed to make it easier to fire workers, facilitating the closures.' 'Funding was aimed at facilitating development not limiting it.'

compact 2 VERB /kəmˈpakt/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] Make or enter into (a formal agreement) with another party or parties. 'the Democratic Party compacted an alliance with dissident groups'

graph 1 VERB /ɡrɑːf/

VERB [WITH OBJECT] Plot or trace on a graph. Synonyms: plot, trace, draw up, delineate 'By graphing these responses, the team worked out the exact size of each subject's working memory.' 'However, graphing the data this way also further separates the data in the wrong direction.' 'Median scores were graphed by class for all survey administration times.' 'Incidentally, I graphed the statistics for US passports issued per year.'

cone VERB /kəʊn/

VERB [WITH OBJECT]Britishcone something off Separate off or mark a road with traffic cones. 'part of the road has been coned off' 'Sections of the roundabout's roads will be coned off but it will remain open to traffic.' 'Here, the nearside lane of the westbound dual carriageway of the A64 was coned off, causing horrendous traffic jams.' 'Council workers moved into Gillygate and coned the street off preparing to start work.' 'If you are up a ladder, it is safer to park your vehicle next to you and cone it off, but still the wardens dish out the tickets.'

diagram VERB /ˈdʌɪəɡram/

VERB diagrams, diagramming, diagrammed; US diagraming, diagramed [WITH OBJECT] 1Represent (something) in graphic form. 'the experiment is diagrammed on page fourteen' 'By diagramming actual people in actual relationships, we are introducing both mechanical and conceptual problems.' 'It is an attempt to diagram the allies, enemies, cousins, straw men, party followers, puppets, and courtiers and their relationships.' 1.1British Schedule the operations of (a locomotive or train) according to a diagram.

embed VERB /ɪmˈbɛd/

VERB embeds, embedding, embedded [WITH OBJECT] 1Fix (an object) firmly and deeply in a surrounding mass. Synonyms: implant, plant, set, fix, lodge, root, insert, place 'he had an operation to remove a nail embedded in his chest' 'A round embedded itself in the nose cone, inches from where he was peering through his sights.' 'The bullet missed and embedded itself in a wall.' 1.1Implant (an idea or feeling) so that it becomes ingrained within a particular context. 'the Victorian values embedded in Tennyson's poetry' 'Although she never had had any claim to him, predatory feelings were deeply embedded within her heart.' 'This idea is strongly embedded in the Constitution.' 'The theory is that an idea is embedded in the subconscious, and it is affecting one's conscious behaviour in some way.' 1.2Linguistics Place (a phrase or clause) within another clause or sentence. 'phrases or clauses that are embedded in a sentence for effect' 'A clause may be embedded in a phrase, and vice versa, ad infinitum.' 'This allusion consists of two (fairly common) words embedded in a four-word phrase.' 1.3Incorporate (a video or other item of data) within the body of a web page or other document. 'you can embed the videos into a blog post.' 'No attachments need to be opened to start the virus spreading, only the email itself - the code is embedded in the body of the email.' 'Formal copyrights and informal moral rights for the different parts of the Linux source code are embedded in the source code.' 1.4Design and build (a microprocessor) as an integral part of a system or device. 'to embed the controller, he has to get creative' 'Now, four-fifths of Hydroid's AUV orders are for embedded, integrated GPS systems.' 'Cheap microprocessors are now embedded in everything from gas pumps to oil fryers.' 'A microchip is embedded into the credit or debit card.' 2Attach (a journalist) to a military unit during a conflict. 'the CNN correspondent is now embedded with the US Navy aboard the USS Constellation' 'The U.S. military's decision to embed journalists in combat units prompted me to think about the value of embedding reporters as a journalistic technique.' 'The only exceptions are journalists embedded with US military units, a practice that many fear skews the reporting of the war.'

bound VERB /baʊnd/

VERB no object, with adverbial of direction 1 Walk or run with leaping strides. Synonyms: leap, jump, spring, bounce, hop, vault, hurdle 'Louis came bounding down the stairs' 'shares bounded ahead in early dealing' 'As I sloshed into the house, Bobby came bounding down the stairs.' 'She came bounding down the hallway from the kitchen shouting at him.' 1.1 (of an object) rebound from a surface. 'The ball bounded off the wall and Jeter went into second standing up.' 'I didn't glance up from my plate until a roll bounded off the side of my head.' 'The sun bled stark white light over the court and it bounded off pasty nets that fluttered a little.' 'bullets bounded off the veranda'

par 1 VERB /pɑː/

VERB pars, parring, parred [WITH OBJECT] Golf Play (a hole) in par. 'he calmly parred the 17th' 'We parred the first hole, but on the second hole, I hit my tee shot in a fairway bunker and he just killed his drive right down the middle.' 'I parred the hole and won by two shots over Gil Morgan, who birdied the final hole.' 'Faldo parred every single hole to capture that first major.' 'Herb lost out when he three putted the 18th to take a bogey instead of parring the hole.' 'Both players parred the closing hole, just missing lengthy birdie putts.'

Phrases off beam

informal On the wrong track; mistaken. 'you're off beam on this one' 'Well, the deduction may not be way off beam, but there are also those among youngsters who spend their time meaningfully.' 'He has written at least two articles with which I heartily agree but today's is way off beam.' 'Comments like the system is going to collapse I think are just way off beam.'

like sin

informal Vehemently or forcefully. 'you can lie like sin to a keyboard' 'Picture Amneris, the slighted daughter of the Pharaohs, in Liz Taylor's inch-thick Cleopatra make-up, eyes glowing like sin, singing with a voice to move the heavens.' 'I suppose the moral of the story is that emoticons do nothing to aid the clarity of some originary emotion at the root of a comment because of the simple fact that you can lie like sin to a keyboard.'

live in sin

informal, dated Live together as though married. 'He had to have a metal plate inserted in his skull and afterwards he ran off with a local woman and lived in sin with her.' 'Soon marriage may be non-existent given the freedom we have to live in sin with our partners.' 'A wedding immediately for two who are living in sin!'