|
|
| macabre |
adj. connected with death, and thus causing fear; gruesome |
| mace |
n. large heavy club formerly used as a weapon, usu having a head with metal spikes , |
| macerate |
v. (cause sth to) become soft or break up by soaking |
| Machiavellian |
adj. cunning and deceitful in gaining what one wants; showing such cunning
or deceit |
| machinations |
[ machination: ] an intrigue, plot, or scheme |
| maculated |
make dirty or spotty; also used metaphorically ; spot, stain, or pollute |
| madrigal |
n. songfor several voices, usu without instrumental accompaniment,on the themes of love and/or nature 16, |
| maelstrom |
n. great whirlpool |
| magisterial |
adj. having or showing authority |
| magistrate |
n. official who acts as a judge in the lowest courts; Justice of the Peace |
| magnanimity |
n. being magnanimous |
| magnate |
n. wealthy and powerful landowner or industrialist |
| magniloquent |
adj. (of words, speech) pompous-sounding , |
| magnitude |
n. (usu large) size |
| maim |
v. wound or injure so that part of the body cannot be used |
| makeshift |
n, adj used temporarily until sth better is available |
| maladroit |
adj. not clever or skilful; clumsy; bungling |
| malady |
n. disease; illness |
| malaise |
n. general feeling of illness, without clear signs of a particular disease |
| malapropism |
ncomical confusion of a word with another, similar-sounding,word which has a quite different meaning, eg `an ingenuousmachine for peeling potatoes' |
| malapropos |
of an inappropriate or misapplied nature or kind |
| malcontent |
n, adj discontented and rebellious |
| malediction |
n. prayer that sb or sth may be destroyed, hurt, etc; curse ; |
| malefactor |
n. wrongdoer; criminal |
| maleficient |
|
| malevolent |
adj. ~ wishing to do evil or cause harm to others; spiteful |
| malfeasance |
a wrongful act that the actor had no right to do; improper professional conduct |
| malicious |
adj. intended to harm others |
| malign |
v. say unpleasant or untrue things about |
| malignant |
adj. feeling or showing great desire to harm others; malevolent |
| malingerer |
n. person who malingers |
| malleable |
adj. that can be beaten or pressed into different shapes easily |
| malodorous |
adj. smelling unpleasant |
| mammal |
n. any of the class of animals that give birth to live offspring and feed their young on milk from the breast |
| mammoth |
n. large hairy type of elephant, now extinct |
| manacle |
n. one of a pair of chains or metal bands for binding the hands or feet; fetter ; |
| mandate |
n. ~ (to do sth) authority given to a party, trade union, etc by the people who support it |
| mandatory |
adj. required by law; compulsory |
| maneuver |
= manoeuvre |
| mange |
n. skin disease of hairy animals, caused by a parasite |
| mangle |
v. damage greatly, (almost) beyond recognition; mutilate |
| mangy |
adj. suffering from mange |
| maniacal |
adj. violently mad |
| manifest |
adj. ~ (fml ) clear and obvious |
| manifestation |
outward demonstration; indication |
| manifesto |
n. (publication containing a) public declaration by a political party, ruler, etc of principles and policy |
| manifold |
adj. of many types; many and various |
| manipulate |
v. control or handle with skill |
| mannered |
adj. having an unnatural style of speaking, writing, etc; affected |
| mannerism |
n. peculiar habit of behaviour, speech, etc |
| mantle |
n. loose sleeveless cloak |
| manumit |
v. (fml ) (formerly) free (a slave) |
| mar |
v. damage (sth); spoil |
| maraud |
a sudden short attack ; search for plunder |
| margin |
n. blank space round the written or printed matter on a page |
| marginal |
adj. of or in a margin |
| marital |
adj. of ahusband or wife; of marriage |
| maritime |
adj. of the sea, sailing or shipping |
| marked |
adj. clear; noticeable; easily seen |
| maroon |
adj. n brownish red |
| marred |
[ mar: ] vt. to cause harm to; spoil or impair |
| marrow |
n. soft fatty substance that fills the hollow parts of human and animal bones |
| marshal |
n. officer of high rank |
| marsupial |
n, adj of the class of mammals which includes the kangaroo, the female of which has a pouch on its body to hold its young |
| martial |
adj. of or associated with war |
| martinet |
n. person who imposes strict discipline and demands obedience to orders |
| martyr |
n. person who is killed or made to suffer greatly because of his beliefs |
| mash |
n. grain, bran, etc cooked in water until soft, used as food for animals |
| masochist |
n. |
| mason |
n. person who builds in or works with stone |
| masquerade |
n. false show; pretence |
| mass |
n. celebration of Christ's Last Supper, esp in the Roman Catholic Church |
| masticate |
v. chew (food) |
| mat |
n. piece of material, made of straw, rushes, fibre, etc, used to cover part of a floor |
| materialism |
n. 1obsession with material possessions,bodily comforts, etc while neglecting spiritual values |
| maternal |
adj. of or like a mother |
| matriarch |
n. female head of a family or tribe |
| matriculate |
v. be admitted or admit as a student to a university |
| matrimony |
n. state of being married; marriage |
| matrix |
n. mould into which molten metal, liquid, etc is poured to form shapes for eg printer's type, gramophone records, etc |
| maudlin |
adj. foolishly or tearfully sentimental or self-pitying, esp when drunk , |
| maul |
v. ~ sb/sth (about) handle sb/sth roughly or brutally |
| mausoleum |
n. large, finely built tomb |
| mauve |
adj. n pale purple colour |
| maverick |
n. unbranded calf |
| mawkish |
adj. sentimental in a feeble or sickly way |
| maxim |
n. saying that expresses a general truth or rule of conduct, eg `Waste not, want not' , |
| mayhem |
n. violent disorder or confusion; havoc |
| meager |
deficient in quality or quantity |
| mealymouthed |
hesitant to state facts or opinions simply and directly as from e.g. timidity or hypocrisy |
| meander |
v. follow a winding course, flowing slowly |
| meddlesome |
adj. fond of or in the habit of meddling |
| mediate |
v. ~ act as a peacemaker or go-between for two or more people, groups, etc who disagree |
| mediocre |
adj. not very good; second-rate |
| meditation |
n. deep thought, esp about spiritual matters |
| medium |
n. (pl usu media) means by which sth is expressed or communicated |
| medley |
n. piece of music made up of passages from other musical works |
| meek |
adj. humble and obedient; submissive |
| megalomania |
n. form of madness in which a person has an exaggerated view of his own importance, power, etc |
| melancholy |
n. deep sadness which lasts for some time; depression ; |
| melee |
n. confusedstruggle; confused crowd of people |
| mellifluous |
adj. sweet-sounding; (almost) musical |
| memento |
n. thing given, bought, etc and kept as a reminder (of a person, a place or an event) |
| memoir |
n. written record of events, usu based on personal knowledge |
| memorial |
n. ~ monument, plaque, ceremony, etc that reminds people of an event or a person |
| memorialize |
commemorate |
| menace |
n. threatening quality, tone, feeling, etc |
| menagerie |
n. collection of wild animals in captivity, esp in a travelling circus or for exhibition |
| mendacious |
adj. untruthful; lying |
| mendicant |
n, adj (person) getting a living by begging |
| menial |
adj. (of work) suitable to be done by servants; unskilled |
| mentor |
n. experienced and trusted adviser of an inexperienced person |
| mercantile |
adj. of trade and commerce; of merchants ; |
| mercenary |
adj. interested only in making money, etc; done from this motive |
| mercurial |
adj. (of people or their moods, etc) often changing |
| meretricious |
adj. apparently attractive but in fact valueless |
| merger |
n. joining together (esp two commercial companies) |
| merit |
n. quality of deserving praise or reward; worth; excellence |
| mesmerize |
hypnotize |
| metallurgical |
[ metallurgy: ] the scientific study of the extraction, refining, alloying, and fabrication of metals and of their structure and properties |
| metamorphosis |
n. (fml) change of form or nature, eg by natural growth or development |
| metaphor |
n. use of a word or phrase to indicate sth different from (though related in some way to) the literal meaning, as in `I'll make him eat his words' or `She has a heart of stone' I'll make him eat his wordsShe has a heart of stone |
| metaphysical |
adj. of metaphysics |
| mete |
v. mete sth out (to sb) (fml ) give or administer (punishment, rewards, etc) |
| meteoric |
adj. of meteors |
| meter |
n. device that measures the volume of gas, water, etc passing through it, time passing, electrical current, distance, etc |
| methodical |
adj. done in an orderly, logical way |
| meticulous |
adj. ~ giving or showing great precision and care; very attentive to detail |
| metrical |
adj. of or composed in verse, not prose |
| metropolis |
n. chief city of a region or country; capital |
| mettle |
n. quality of endurance or courage, esp in people or horses |
| miasma |
n. (fml ) unhealthy or unpleasant mist, etc |
| microcosm |
n. thing or being regarded as representing the universe, or mankind, on a small scale; miniature representation |
| migrant |
n, adj person or animal who migrates |
| migratory |
adj. having or of the habit of migrating |
| milieu |
n. (usu sing ) social surroundings; environment |
| militant |
adj. using force or strong pressure, or supporting their use, to achieve one's aims |
| militate |
v. ~ against sth (of evidence, facts, etc) have great force or influence to prevent sth |
| militia |
n. force of civilians who are trained as soldiers and reinforce the regular army in the internal defence of the country in an emergency |
| millennium |
n. period of 1000 years |
| millinery |
n. (trimmings for) women's hats |
| mime |
n. (in the theatre, etc) use of only facial expressions and gestures to tell a story |
| mimicry |
n. mimicking |
| minatory |
adj. threatening |
| mincing |
adj. affected |
| mingle |
v. ~ with sth/~ (together) form a mixture with sth; combine |
| miniature |
n. very small detailed painting, usu of a person |
| minion |
n. (derog or joc ) subordinate or assistant, esp one who tries to win favour by obeying a superior slavishly |
| minuscule |
adj. very small; tiny ; |
| minute |
n. one sixtieth part of an hour, equal to 60 seconds , 60 |
| minutiae |
n. very small or unimportant details |
| mirage |
n. optical illusion caused by hot air conditions, esp that of a sheet of water seeming to appear in the desert or on a hot road |
| mire |
n. swampy ground or bog; soft deep mud |
| mirth |
n. merriment orhappiness; laughter |
| misadventure |
n. (piece of) bad luck; misfortune |
| misanthrope |
a person who hates or distrusts mankind |
| misapprehension |
n. under a misappre`hension not understanding correctly |
| miscellaneous |
adj. of various kinds |
| miscellany |
n. ~ varied collection of items |
| mischance |
n. (piece of) bad luck |
| mischief |
n. behaviour that is annoying or does slight damage, but is not malicious (used esp as in the expressions shown) |
| misconduct |
n. (esp law ) improper behaviour, esp of a sexual or professional kind |
| misconstrue |
v. get a wrong idea of or misinterpret (sb's words, acts, etc) |
| miscreant |
n. villain; wrongdoer ; |
| misdemeanor |
a crime less serious than a felony |
| miserly |
adj. like a miser; mean or selfish |
| misgivings |
[ misgiving: ] a feeling of uncertainty, apprehension, or doub |
| mishap |
n. unlucky accident(usu not serious) |
| misnomer |
n. wrong use of a name, word or description |
| misogamy |
hatred of marriage |
| misogynist |
n. person who hates women |
| missile |
n. object or weapon that is thrown or fired at a target |
| missive |
n. letter, esp a long or official one |
| mite |
n. very small or modest contribution or offering |
| mitigate |
v. make (sth) less severe, violent or painful; moderate |
| mnemonic |
adj. of or designed to help the memory |
| mobile |
adj. that can move or be moved easily and quickly from place to place |
| mock |
v. ~ makefun of (sb/sth), esp by mimicking him/it contemptuously; ridicule |
| mode |
n. ~ (fml ) way or manner in which sth is done |
| modicum |
n. ~ small or moderate amount of sth |
| modish |
adj. fashionable |
| modulate |
v. vary the strength, volume or pitch of |
| modulation |
toning down; changing from one key to another |
| mogul |
n. very rich, important or influential person |
| molecule |
n. smallest unit into which a substance can be divided without a change in its chemical nature |
| mollify |
v. lessen the anger of (sb); make calmer; soothe |
| mollycoddle |
v. treat (sb) with too much kindness and protection; pamper |
| molt |
the act or process of sheding hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically; specifically :ECDYSIS |
| molten |
adj. melted or made liquid by heating to a very high temperature |
| momentous |
adj. very important; serious |
| momentum |
n. force that increases the rate of development of a process; impetus |
| monarchy |
n. system of government by a monarch |
| monastic |
adj. of or relating to monks or monasteries |
| monetary |
adj. of money or currency |
| mongrel |
n. dog of mixed breed |
| monochromatic |
having or consisting of one color or hue |
| monochrome |
adj. having or using images in black, white and shades of grey; black and white |
| monogram |
n. two or more letterscombined in one design and marked on handkerchiefs, notepaper, etc , |
| monograph |
n. detailed scholarly study of one subject |
| monolithic |
adj. consisting of one or more monoliths |
| monotheism |
n. belief that there is only one God |
| monotony |
n. state of being monotonous; lack of variety that causes weariness and boredom |
| monumental |
adj. of, related to or serving as a monument |
| moodiness |
n. |
| moratorium |
n. ~ (on sth) temporary stopping of an activity, esp by official agreement |
| morbid |
adj. having or showing an interest in gloomy or unpleasant things, esp disease or death |
| mordant |
adj. very sarcastic; biting |
| mores |
n. customs or conventions considered typical of or essential to a group or communtiy |
| morgue |
n. building in which dead bodies are kept before being buried or cremated; mortuary ; |
| moribund |
adj. at the point of death; about to come to an end |
| morose |
adj. very unhappy, bad-tempered and silent; sullen |
| mortar |
n. mixture of lime or cement, sand and water, used to hold bricks, stones, etc together in building |
| mortician |
n. =undertaker |
| mortify |
v. cause (sb) to be very ashamed or embarrassed |
| mosaic |
n. picture or pattern made by placing together small pieces of glass, stone, etc of different colours |
| mote |
n. small particle, usu of dust; speck ; |
| motif |
n. decorative design or pattern |
| motility |
ability to move spontaneously and independently |
| motley |
adj. of many different types of people or things |
| mottled |
adj. marked with patches of different colours without a regular pattern |
| motto |
n. short sentence or phrase chosen and used as a guide or rule of behaviour or as an expression of the aims or ideals of a family, a country, an institution, etc |
| mountebank |
n. person who tries to cheat others by clever talk; swindler |
| muddle |
v. ~ sth (up) put sth into disorder; mix sth up |
| muggy |
adj. (of weather) oppressively warm and damp |
| mulct |
defraud a person of something; fine |
| multifarious |
adj. of many different kinds; having great variety |
| multiform |
having many forms |
| multilingual |
adj. speaking or using many languages |
| multiplicity |
n. ~ of sth large number or great variety of things |
| mundane |
adj. ordinary and typically unexciting |
| munificent |
adj. extremely generous; (of sth given) large in amount or splendid in quality |
| mural |
n. painting done on a wall |
| murky |
adj. unpleasantly dark; gloomy |
| murmur |
n. low continuous indistinct sound |
| muse |
n. the Muses the nine goddesses, daughters of Zeus or Jupiter, who protected and encouraged poetry, music, dancing, history and other branches of art and literature , |
| musky |
adj. (smelling) like musk |
| muster |
n. assembly or gathering of people or things, esp for review or inspection |
| musty |
adj. smelling or tasting stale, mouldy and damp |
| mutable |
adj. liable to change; likely to change ; |
| mutablility |
|
| mute |
adj. silent; making no sound |
| muted |
(of a sound or colour) softened |
| mutilate |
v. injure, damage or disfigure by breaking, tearing or cutting off a necessary part |
| mutinous |
adj. guilty of mutiny; refusing to obey; rebellious |
| mutter |
v. ~ (to sb) (about sth) speak or say (sth) in a low voice that is hard to hear |
| myopic |
adj. short-sighted |
| myriad |
n. extremely large number |
| mystic |
adj. of hidden meaning or spiritual power, esp in religion |
