Page 249 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
240
wield (WEELD) vt. 1. to handle and use (a weapon or tool, with some skill
being implied); 2. to exercise (power, influence, and so on)
• The blacksmith wields his hammer very deftly.
• The amount of power the president of the United States wields has
increased since the drafting of the Constitution.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. handle]
wilderness (WIL doer nis) n. 1. an uninhabited (by humans), uncultivated
region; wild; waste; 2. any open, barren, or empty area, including the ocean;
3. a confused, tangled mass
• Foxes and cougars can thrive only in the wilderness, while deer seem to be
better able to coexist with people.
• The wilderness of the Brazilian rain forest is rapidly disappearing.
• Laura hadn’t combed or cut her hair in two years, so when she went to the
stylist, he was greeted with a tangled wilderness of hair.
[Syn. waste]

QUICK REVIEW #86

Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.

1. viscous a. because
2. vitality b. common
3. vitiate c. waste
4. vocalization d. parry
5. vocation e. handle
6. vociferously f. unpredictable
7. vulgar g. corrupt

8. ward h. profession
9. whereas i. energy
10. whimsical j. articulation
11. wield k. viscid
12. wilderness l. stridently