Page 101 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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effect (uh FEKT) n. 1. something resulting from a cause; a result; 2. the ability
to bring about results; 3. an influence or action on something —vt. to bring about;
to produce as a result; to cause; to accomplish
• When someone tickles you, the effect is that you laugh.
• Drinking too much can have the effect of making you light-headed.
• The Kid has the talent and quickness to effect a knockout in three rounds.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. consequence, outcome; Ant. cause]
effective* (uh FEK tiv) adj. 1. creating a result; 2. creating a definite or desired
result; efficient; 3. in effect; operative; active; 4. actual, rather than potential or the-
oretical; 5. equipped and ready for combat
• Winston Churchill was a very effective speaker.
• Certain bug sprays are more effective than others.
• The order to report is effective within 24 hours.
• We will have an effective solution within the week.
• The marines will have an effective force on the ground by the first of next
month.
[-ly adv.]
efficacious* (EF I KAY shis) adj. capable of creating the desired result; actually
creating that result; effective
• Aspirin is an efficacious medication with many uses.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. effective]
efficient (ef FISH int) adj. using a minimum of effort, expense, or waste to
cause a desired result with
• A diesel engine is much more efficient than a steam engine, even though
diesel fuel is not clean burning.
• When your desk is organized in an efficient manner, those things you use
most often are the most accessible.
egregious (e GREE juhs) adj. terrible; filled with undesirable qualities; amazingly
bad; flagrant
• When the American people elected [you fill in the name], they made an
egregious error.
• The dinner served on our flight from St. Louis was absolutely egregious.
[-ly adv.]
elated* (ee LAY tid) adj. very happy; joyful; filled with elation; high spirited
• Terry was elated when he saw that his family had come to watch him play
baseball.
• Ian was elated at the sight of his grandma’s chocolate cream pies.
[-ly adv.]
element (EL i mint) n. 1. the most basic (as-small-as-it-gets) part or principle of
anything, whether concrete or abstract; 2. a component; a constituent; an ingredi-
ent; a factor; a building block
• There are 106 known chemical elements, of which 96 occur in nature.
• Your argument seems to contain an element of truth.
• Elements of the Eighth Army neared Baghdad.