Page 107 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

09_571656 ch05.qxd 11/10/04 12:34 PM Page 98
Essential Vocabulary
98
endure (in DUR or ind YUR) vt. 1. to hold up under (pain, fatigue, etc.);
to stand; bear; undergo; 2. to put up with; tolerate —vi. 1. to continue in existence;
last; survive; 2. to bear pain, fatigue, etc. without flinching; hold out
• It is reputedly well documented that women can endure pain better
than men.
• Jane endured the cat hair on the rug for as long as she could, before she
bought the boa constrictor.
• The United States has endured for more than 200 years.
• He’s holding a 25-pound weight in his left hand; let’s see how long he can
endure.
[-d, enduring, endurance n.] [Syn. bear, continue]
energy (EN oer JEE) n. 1. potential force; inherent power; capacity for vigorous
action; 2. such forces in action; 3. strength or power efficiently exerted; 4. various
resources such as coal, gas, or petroleum from which heat or electrical energy can
be produced; 5. (physics) the capacity to do work
• Myles’s mom hoped that he’d use up all his energy in the playground so
that he’d be ready for a nap.
• Running around and around in circles uses a lot of energy.
• It took a good deal of energy to knock home railroad spikes with a
sledgehammer.
• Electrical energy is most efficiently produced by converting the energy con-
tained in sunlight.
• In physics, work is the amount of energy used multiplied by the distance an
object is moved and is measured in foot-pounds.
[Syn. strength]
enervate* (EN oer VAYT) vt. to sap of strength, life, vigor, etc.; to weaken in
some way, physically or otherwise; to devitalize; to —adj. weakened
• A long commute to work each morning is enough to enervate some people.
• Many were enervated by the sight of the fall of the World Trade Center
before being angered to strike back.
• A home team’s losing streak can be an enervating thing.
[-d, enervating, enervation n.] [Syn. unnerve, weaken]
enhance (in HAENS) vt. 1. to make greater (in cost, value, beauty, etc.); height-
en; augment; 2. to improve the quality or condition of; 3. to electronically improve
the clarity of an image, photo, etc. by means of a computer
• Planting shade trees often enhances the value of a home.
• A trip to the salon enhanced Audrey’s appearance.
• Digital photos can often readily be enhanced by the machines at your
photo processor’s counter.
[-d, enhancing, -ment n.] [Syn. intensify]