4000 vocabulary words part 1

A cappella- Without accompaniment The audience applauded after the beautiful a cappella performance, the singers voice was so lovely she didn't need accompaniment. (instrumental) I love hear the a cappella sounds of the choir echoing through the church.

a la carte- priced separately The four course meal is $27 and the desert is a la carte. we have several meal specials to night of you can order from the a la cart menu.

a priori- reasoning based on general principles. In English we use it to describe ideas, arguments, and assumptions that are based om conjecture, predudice, or abstract reasoning rarher than real-world experiance. Then came the stress of war in Europe, a wretched neutrality at home, fierce outbreaks of human passions, and the fair structure of government by a priori theories based on the goodness of unoppressed humanity came to the ground.

aback- unexpected, suprised I was taken aback by his harsh words. I was taken aback by the kindness of of the towns people following the house fire.

Abacus- counting device before calculators were invented people used an abacus to calculate math problems.

Abandon- desert, forsake I have decided to abandon the idea of winning the lottery, the odds are not in my favor. The man abandoned his family in order to pursue his own ambitions. The house on the corner is abandoned.

abase- degrade The mother-in-law would demean her, as a way to abase the young wife in the son's eyes. Matthew would abase others in an attempt to elevate himself. by losing my temper I have abased myself in the eyes of my coworkers.

abash- humiliate, embarrass I was abashed by the behavior of my children. He tried to abash me with his mean comments.

abate-lessen, subside After hours of rain the storm finally abated. No matter how much I clean the refrigerator I can not abate the smell of fish.

abatement- alleviation Natalie longed for the abatement of the screaming rock music from her brother's band so she could focus on her homework. The college students hoped for the abatement of their homework and tests, but it seemed they were only given more work as the year went on. The abatement of her headache filled Jennifer with a sense of relief.

Abbreviate- to shorten We can abbreviate the word Monday to Mon. After an abbreviated stay at the hotel we were able to return home. we can shorten word using abbreviations

Abdicate- relinquish power or position the politician was forced to abdicate his seat following the scandal. soon the old king will abdicate the throne to the crowned Prince. Of course, it is easier to abdicate your responsibilities than to be a good citizen.

Abdomen- belly, midsection (abdominal) The patient is complaining of pain in her lower abdomen. The man was shot in the abdomen. she has a large tumor growing in her abdominal area.

abduct- take away, kidnap The child was abducted from his parents at the mall. Abduction is any motion of the limbs or other body parts that pulls away from the midline of the body. Improvement in abduction of the shoulder after reconstructive soft-tissue procedures in obstetric brachial plexus palsy.

Aberrant-abnormal John's aberrant behavior is going to get him in a lot of trouble one of these days. When the astronomer looked into the telescope, he was shocked by the sight of a star moving in an aberrant path. If my aunt does not take her medication, she will have aberrant mood swings.

Abet- aid, encourage (usually referring to crime ) Can you believe the community has decided to abet crime by not giving the police the names of suspected gang members? During the press conference, the president vowed severe consequences for any person or group who chose to abet the terrorists. The photo editing software is sure to abet my odds of winning the photo competition.

Abeyance- postponement The project is being held in abeyance until agreement is reached on funding it. It is intended to reactivate this project, which has been in abeyance for some time. Chlorosis is a form of pallor where the chlorophyll remains in abeyance owing to a want of iron, and can be cured by adding ferrous salts.

Abhor- detest I abhor the use of pesticide use of crops when there are less detrimental options available. I abhor violence in any form. The violence she witnessed in her childhood has made her a very abhorrent person by nature.

Abide- submit, endure We must all abide to the laws of the land in order to have a civilized society. I will abide by your wishes, but I think this is a bad idea. I can't abide that man.

Abject- wretched, sad, pathetic He offered an abject apology. She thought he was an abject coward. The poor surroundings caused abject misery. After his wife died, he was an abject man.

Abjure- renounce He abjured his allegiance to his former country. He was arrested, had to spend several months in prison and was forced to abjure his professorship. In order to marry the peasant he loved, the prince made the decision to abjure his title.

Ablate-cut away Using a scalpel, the surgeon was able to ablate the tumor from the patient's body. The ablated particles are collected and incorporated into a carrier gas.

Ablution- cleansing He is first subjected to the process of purification, which consists of an ablution with nirang (cow-urine). Without Law we can make no ablution from our sins; but without Spirit there is no water.

Abode- home welcome to my abode. Soon she is very comfortable in her new abode. Three of the accused gave home addresses local to the crime scene and one said he was of no fixed abode.

Abolish- annul, eliminate He is in favor of abolishing the death penalty. Many people fought to abolish slavery during the Civil War. The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us.