Page 133 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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heighten (HY tin) vt. 1. to take to a higher position; raise; rise; 2. to make
better, greater, stronger, etc.; increase; intensify
• Alexis hoped that by taking evening classes, she would heighten her value
to the firm.
• Regular periods of exercise can only heighten one’s fitness.
• Having been picked on as a child served to heighten Paul’s awareness of the
sensitivities of others.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. intensify]
heinous (HAY nuhs) adj. terribly evil; wicked; abominable; totally awful
• The treatment of Iraqi Kurds by Saddam Hussein’s government can only be
described as heinous.
• It is heinous of anyone to attempt to deny that the Holocaust of World War II
actually took place.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. outrageous]
heritage (HER i tij) n. 1. any property that has been or will be inherited;
2. the rights, status, or duties attached to having been born of a certain status
or at a specific time or place; birthright
• Aunt Dora’s lamp with the reverse-painted shade is Karen and Bob’s
heritage (along with a load of crackle glass).
• Freedoms of speech, press, and religion are the heritage of every American
citizen.
• It is also every American citizen’s heritage to defend those freedoms.
[Syn. inheritance, birthright]
hierarchy (HY ir AHR kee) n. 1. a group of officials, persons, or things arranged
by rank, class, grade, etc.; a group of church officials so arranged; 2. the highest
officials in such a group
• The heirarchy of commissioned officers in the army is easy to see because
the ranks are arranged from the low rank of lieutenant to the top rank of
general.
• The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church begins with the pastor, travels
up through the bishops, archbishops, and cardinals, and ends with the
pope.
• From municipality to county to state to federal is the hierarchy of
U.S. government.
[hierarchical adj., hierarchically adv.]
hinder (HIN doer) vt. 1. to restrain; hold back; prevent; 2. to impede; make dif-
ficult for —vi. to get in the way of
• Police barriers are used at parades to hinder the public’s physical access to
the marchers.
• Jaamal’s sore ankle hindered his ability to play basketball.
• A lightning storm would definitely hinder any action taking place at the
golf tournament.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. obstruct, impede]