|
| macadamize |
To cover or pave, as a path or roadway, with small
broken stone. |
| machinery |
n. moving parts (of a machine) |
| machinist |
n. person who operates a machine, esp a sewing-machine |
| macrocosm |
n. the macrocosm the universe |
| madden |
v. make mad(4); irritate; annoy |
| Madonna |
n. the Madonna the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ |
| magician |
n. person who is skilled in magic( |
| magisterial |
adj. having or showing authority |
| magistracy |
n. position of a magistrate |
| magnanimous |
adj. having or showing great generosity |
| magnate |
n. wealthy and powerful landowner or industrialist |
| magnet |
n. piece of iron, often ina horseshoe shape, which
can attract iron, either naturallyor because of an electric
current passed through it, and which points roughly north
and south when freely suspended |
| magnetize |
To make a magnet of, permanently, or temporarily. |
| magnificence |
The exhibition of greatness of action, character, intellect,
wealth, or power. |
| magnificent |
adj. splendid; remarkable; impressive |
| magnitude |
n. (usu large) size |
| maharaja |
n. Indian prince |
| maidenhood |
n. state of being a maiden; virginity ; |
| maintain |
v. ~ sth cause sth to continue; keep sth in existence
at the same level, standard, etc |
| maintenance |
n. maintaining or being maintained |
| maize |
n. tall cereal plant bearing yellow grain on large
ears |
| makeup |
The arrangements or combination of the parts of which
anything is composed. |
| malady |
n. disease; illness |
| malaria |
n. fever produced when germs are introduced into the
blood by a bite from certain mosquitoes |
| malcontent |
n, adj discontented and rebellious |
| malediction |
n. prayer that sb or sth may be destroyed, hurt, etc;
curse ; |
| malefactor |
n. wrongdoer; criminal |
| maleficent |
adj. causing or doing evil |
| malevolence |
n. desire to do evil or cause harm to others; ill-will
; |
| malevolent |
adj. ~ wishing to do evil or cause harm to others;
spiteful |
| malign |
v. say unpleasant or untrue things about |
| malignant |
adj. feeling or showing great desire to harm others;
malevolent |
| malleable |
adj. that can be beaten or pressed into different shapes
easily |
| mallet |
n. hammer with a wooden head, eg for striking the handle
of a chisel . |
| maltreat |
v. treat (a person or an animal) with violence or cruelty;
mistreat ; |
| 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 |
| mane |
n. long hair on the neck of a horse, lion, etc |
| man-eater |
n. lion, tiger, etc that attacks men |
| maneuver |
= manoeuvre |
| mania |
n. mental disorder marked by extreme excitement or
violence |
| maniac |
n. mad person |
| manifesto |
n. (publication containing a) public declaration by
a political party, ruler, etc of principles and policy |
| mannerism |
n. peculiar habit of behaviour, speech, etc |
| manor |
n. unit of land under the feudal system, part of which
was used by the lord of the manor (lord), the rest being
farmed by tenants , |
| mantel |
n. = mantelpiece |
| mantle |
n. loose sleeveless cloak |
| manufacturer |
n. person or firm that manufactures things |
| manumission |
Emancipation. |
| manumit |
v. (fml ) (formerly) free (a slave) |
| marine |
adj. of, near, found in or produced by the sea |
| maritime |
adj. of the sea, sailing or shipping |
| maroon |
adj. n brownish red |
| martial |
adj. of or associated with war |
| martian |
n, adj of the planet Mars |
| martyrdom |
n. martyr'ssuffering or death |
| marvel |
n. wonderful or miraculousthing; thing causing astonishment |
| masonry |
n. that part of a building that is made of stone and
mortar; stonework |
| masquerade |
n. false show; pretence |
| massacre |
n. cruel killing of a large number |
| massive |
adj. large, heavy and solid |
| masterpiece |
n. task done with great skill, esp an artist's greatest
work |
| mastery |
n. (~ complete) knowledge; great skill |
| material |
n. substance or things from which sth else is or can
be made; thing with which sth is done |
| materialize |
To take perceptible or substantial form. |
| maternal |
adj. of or like a mother |
| matinee |
n. afternoon performance at a cinema or theatre |
| matricide |
n. killing one's own mother |
| 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 |
| matter |
n. affair, topic or situation being considered |
| maudlin |
adj. foolishly or tearfully sentimental or self-pitying,
esp when drunk , |
| mausoleum |
n. large, finely built tomb |
| 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' , |
| maze |
n. network of paths or hedges designed as a puzzle
in which one must find one's way |
| mead |
n. alcoholic drink made from fermented honey and water |
| meager |
deficient in quality or quantity |
| meander |
v. follow a winding course, flowing slowly |
| medallion |
n. large medal |
| meddlesome |
adj. fond of or in the habit of meddling |
| medial |
adj. situated in the middle |
| mediate |
v. ~ act as a peacemaker or go-between for two or more
people, groups, etc who disagree |
| medicine |
n. prevention and cure of disease, esp by drugs, diet,
etc, but sometimes including surgery also |
| medieval |
adj. of the Middle Ages, about AD 1100-1400 , 1100-1400 |
| mediocre |
adj. not very good; second-rate |
| meditation |
n. deep thought, esp about spiritual matters |
| medley |
n. piece of music made up of passages from other musical
works |
| meliorate |
To make better or improve, as in quality or social
or physical condition. |
| mellifluous |
adj. sweet-sounding; (almost) musical |
| melodious |
adj. of or producingpleasant music; tuneful |
| melodrama |
n. drama full of sensational events and exaggerated
characters, often with a happy ending |
| memento |
n. thing given, bought, etc and kept as a reminder
(of a person, a place or an event) |
| memorable |
adj. deserving to be remembered; easily remembered |
| 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 |
| mentality |
n. characteristic attitude of mind; way of thinking |
| 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 |
| merciful |
=> mercy |
| merciless |
adj. ~ showing no mercy; pitiless |
| meretricious |
adj. apparently attractive but in fact valueless |
| mesmerize |
hypnotize |
| metal |
n. any of a class of mineral substances such as tin,
iron, gold, copper, etc, which are usu opaque and good
conductors of heat and electricity, or any alloy of these |
| metallurgy |
The art or science of extracting a metal from ores,
as by smelting. |
| 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 |
| metaphysician |
One skilled in metaphysics. |
| mete |
v. mete sth out (to sb) (fml ) give or administer (punishment,
rewards, etc) |
| metempsychosis |
Transition of the soul of a human being at death into
another body, whether human or beast. |
| meticulous |
adj. ~ giving or showing great precision and care;
very attentive to detail |
| metonymy |
A figure of speech that consists in the naming of a
thing by one of its attributes. |
| metric |
adj. of or based on themetre1 |
| metronome |
n. device, usu with an inverted pendulum that can move
back and forward at various speeds, which is used by a
musician to mark time |
| metropolis |
n. chief city of a region or country; capital |
| metropolitan |
adj. of or in a large or capital city |
| mettle |
n. quality of endurance or courage, esp in people or
horses |
| mettlesome |
adj. (usu of horses, etc) high-spirited; courageous
, |
| microcosm |
n. thing or being regarded as representing the universe,
or mankind, on a small scale; miniature representation |
| micrometer |
n. device for measuring very small objects, angles
or distances |
| microphone |
n. instrument that changes sound waves into electrical
current |
| microscope |
n. instrumentwith lenses for making very small objects
appear larger |
| microscopic |
adjs. too small to be seen without the help of a microscope |
| microscopy |
The art of examing objects with the microscope. |
| midsummer |
n. the middle of summer, around |
| midwife |
n. person, esp a woman, trained to assist women in
childbirth |
| mien |
n. person's appearance or bearing, esp as an indication
of mood, etc |
| migrant |
n, adj person or animal who migrates |
| migrate |
v. ~ (to...) move from one place to go to live or work
in another |
| migratory |
adj. having or of the habit of migrating |
| mileage |
n. distance travelled, measured in miles |
| militant |
adj. using force or strong pressure, or supporting
their use, to achieve one's aims |
| militarism |
n. believing in or depending on military strength and
methods, esp as a government policy |
| 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 |
| milky |
adj. of or like milk |
| millet |
n. type of cereal plant growing 3 to 4 feet high and
producing a large crop of small seeds |
| mimic |
v. copy the appearance or manner of (sb/sth) in a mocking
or amusing way |
| miniature |
n. very small detailed painting, usu of a person |
| minimize |
To reduce to the smallest possible amount or degree. |
| minion |
n. (derog or joc ) subordinate or assistant, esp one
who tries to win favour by obeying a superior slavishly |
| ministration |
n. helping or serving, eg at a religious ceremony |
| ministry |
n. (buildings containing a) government department |
| minority |
n. (usu sing ) smaller number or part (esp of people
voting or of votes cast) |
| minute |
n. one sixtieth part of an hour, equal to 60 seconds
, 60 |
| minutia |
a minute or minor detail |
| 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 |
| misadventure |
n. (piece of) bad luck; misfortune |
| misanthropic |
adj. hating or distrusting mankind or human society |
| misanthropy |
n. hatred or distrust of mankind |
| misapprehend |
v. understand (words or a person) wrongly |
| mischievous |
adj. filled with, fond of or engaged in mischief |
| miscount |
v. count wrongly |
| miscreant |
n. villain; wrongdoer ; |
| misdeed |
n. (fml ) wicked act; crime |
| misdemeanor |
a crime less serious than a felony |
| miser |
n. person who loves wealth for its own sake and spends
as little as possible |
| mishap |
n. unlucky accident(usu not serious) |
| misinterpret |
v. interpret wrongly; make a wrong inference from(sth) |
| mislay |
v. (often euph ) put (sth) where it cannot easily be
found; lose (sth), usu for a short time only |
| misnomer |
n. wrong use of a name, word or description |
| misogamy |
hatred of marriage |
| misogyny |
Hatred of women. |
| misplace |
v. put (sth) in the wrong place |
| misrepresent |
to give a false or misleading representation of usually
with an intent to deceive or be unfair |
| misrule |
n. bad government; disorder or confusion |
| missal |
n. book containing the prayers, etc for Mass throughout
the year in the Roman Catholic Church |
| missile |
n. object or weapon that is thrown or fired at a target |
| missive |
n. letter, esp a long or official one |
| mistrust |
v. feel no confidence in |
| misty |
adj. full of or covered with mist |
| misunderstand |
v. interpret (instructions, messages, etc) incorrectly;
form a wrong opinion of (sb/sth) |
| misuse |
v. use in the wrong way or for the wrong purpose |
| mite |
n. very small or modest contribution or offering |
| miter |
The junction of two bodies at an equally divided angle. |
| mitigate |
v. make (sth) less severe, violent or painful; moderate |
| moat |
n. deep wide ditch filled with water, dug round a castle,
etc as a defence |
| mobocracy |
Lawless control of public affairs by the mob or populace. |
| moccasin |
n. flat-soled shoe made from soft leather, as originally
worn by N American Indians |
| mockery |
n. action of mocking sb/sth; scorn or ridicule |
| moderation |
n. quality of being moderate; freedom from excess;
restraint |
| moderator |
n. person who arbitrates in a dispute; mediator ; |
| modernize |
To make characteristic of the present or of recent
times. |
| modification |
n. modifying or being modified |
| modify |
v. change (sth) slightly, esp to make it less extreme
or to improve it |
| modish |
adj. fashionable |
| modulate |
v. vary the strength, volume or pitch of |
| mollify |
v. lessen the anger of (sb); make calmer; soothe |
| molt |
the act or process of sheding hair, feathers, shell,
horns, or an outer layer periodically; specifically :ECDYSIS |
| momentary |
adj. lasting for a very short time |
| 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 |
| monastery |
n. building in which monks live as a community |
| monetary |
adj. of money or currency |
| mongrel |
n. dog of mixed breed |
| monition |
Friendly counsel given by way of warning and implying
caution or reproof. |
| monitory |
Admonition or warning. |
| monocracy |
Government by a single person. |
| monogamy |
n. practice or custom of being married to only one
person at a time |
| monogram |
n. two or more letterscombined in one design and marked
on handkerchiefs, notepaper, etc , |
| monograph |
n. detailed scholarly study of one subject |
| monolith |
n. large single upright block of stone, usu shaped
into a pillar or monument |
| monologue |
n. long speech by one person in a conversation, which
prevents other people from talking; soliloquy ; |
| monomania |
n. state of mind in which a person is obsessed with
one idea or subject |
| monopoly |
n. sole right to supply or trade in some commodity
or service |
| monosyllable |
n. word with only one syllable, eg it, and, no it and
no |
| monotone |
n. way of speaking in which the pitch of the voice
remains level and unchanging |
| monotonous |
adj. not changing and therefore uninteresting; boring
or tedious |
| monotony |
n. state of being monotonous; lack of variety that
causes weariness and boredom |
| monsieur |
n. (French) (title used before the name of a man to
refer to him, or used alone as a formal and polite term
of address) Mr; sir |
| monstrosity |
n. thing that is large and very ugly |
| moonbeam |
n. ray of moonlight |
| morale |
n. state of confidence, enthusiasm, determination,
etc of a person or group at a particular time |
| moralist |
n. person who expresses or teaches moral principles,
esp one who tells people how they should behave |
| morality |
n. principles of good behaviour |
| moralize |
To render virtuous. |
| 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 |
| moribund |
adj. at the point of death; about to come to an end |
| morose |
adj. very unhappy, bad-tempered and silent; sullen |
| morphology |
n. scientific study of the form and structure of animals
and plants |
| motley |
adj. of many different types of people or things |
| 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 |
| mountaineer |
n. person who is skilled at climbing mountains |
| mountainous |
adj. having many mountains |
| mouthful |
n. as much as can easily be put into the mouth at one
time |
| muddle |
v. ~ sth (up) put sth into disorder; mix sth up |
| muffle |
v. ~ sb/sth (in sth) wrap or cover sb/sth for warmth
or protection |
| mulatto |
n. person who has one black parent and one white |
| muleteer |
n. person who leads mules |
| multiform |
having many forms |
| multiplicity |
n. ~ of sth large number or great variety of things |
| mundane |
adj. ordinary and typically unexciting |
| municipal |
adj. of a town or city with its own local government |
| municipality |
n. town, city or district with its own local government;
governing body of such a town, etc ; |
| munificence |
n. great generosity |
| munificent |
adj. extremely generous; (of sth given) large in amount
or splendid in quality |
| muster |
n. assembly or gathering of people or things, esp for
review or inspection |
| mutation |
n. change; alteration |
| mutilate |
v. injure, damage or disfigure by breaking, tearing
or cutting off a necessary part |
| mutiny |
n. rebellion against lawful authority, esp by soldiers
or sailors |
| myriad |
n. extremely large number |
| mystic |
adj. of hidden meaning or spiritual power, esp in religion |
| mystification |
n. mystifying or being mystified |
| myth |
n. story that originated in ancient times, esp one
dealing with ideas or beliefs about the early history
of a race, or giving explanations of natural events, such
as the seasons |
| mythology |
n. study or science of myths |
