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Essential Vocabulary
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primate (PRY mayt) n. 1. any of an order of mammals that has soft hands and
feet, each terminating in five digits (monkeys, lemurs, apes, humans); 2. the
highest-ranking bishop in a province
• Orangutans and gorillas are very different primates from your sister Sally.
•A primate of the church is so called because he is prime among officials of
his region.
principle (PRIN si pil) n. 1. a fundamental truth or natural law; 2. the ultimate
or underlying cause of something; 3. a rule of conduct or scientific law
• It is a principle of Newton’s physical discoveries that what goes up must
come down.
• The principle of jet propulsion might not be obvious from watching a jet
plane, but watch a squid propel itself through the water, and you’ll get it.
• The principles of good manners are not hard to live by and make for a
much more civilized existence.
QUICK REVIEW #68
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.
1. preoccupy a. protection
2. prepossess b. rule
3. prescribe c. mainly
4. preservation d. bishop
5. presumptuous e. preceding
6. pretense f. engross
7. pretentious g. fundamental
8. previous h. prejudice
9. primarily i. false claim
10. primary j. outlaw
11. primate k. ostentatious
12. principle l. arrogant
pristine* (pris TEEN) adj. 1. characteristic of an earlier time or condition;
original; 2. as if unopened; unspoiled; still pure
• The pristine conditions of the Alaskan forests exist only because humans
have interfered with them minimally.
• Pristine mountain streams barely exist in the lower 48 states, primarily due
to urban and industrial sprawl.
[-ly adv.]