Page 257 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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amortize (uh MAWR tyz) vt. 1. to put money aside at intervals to pay off a
debt either prior to or at maturity; 2. to prorate an expense over an interval (for tax
purposes)
• A mortgage is usually amortized over a period of 5 to 30 years, with 30
being the most common term.
• An automobile purchased for business use must be amortized over 5 to 7
years rather than taken as a single deduction all at once.
[-d, -zing]
animosity (an i MAH sit ee) n. hostility; a feeling of strong ill will; dislike
• There is a great deal of animosity between Boston Red Sox fans and New
York Yankee fans.
• Veterans from Germany and America have met each other in the cemeter-
ies of France to show that they have no animosity for each other left over
from World War II.
[Syn. enmity]
annul (uh NUHL) vt. to nullify; void; cancel; put an end to; invalidate under
the law
• Only one amendment to the U.S. Constitution stands out as unique in
that it annuls another.
• Most contracts contain a paragraph listing the conditions under which it
may be annulled.
[annulled, annulling] [Syn. abolish]
anomalous (uh NAM uh lis) adj. 1. deviating from the regular rule; strange;
abnormal; 2. being or seeming irregular; contradictory
• It was the anomalous behavior of the planets Neptune and Uranus that led
to astronomers discovering Pluto in 1930.
• Observations of anomalous behavior of certain objects in the sky have led
to reportings of UFO sightings.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. irregular]
antibody (AN ti BAH dee) n. a special protein produced by certain white blood
cells to form immunity to certain antigens
• Before the Salk vaccine stimulated the production of antibodies against it,
polio was the most dreaded disease in the United States.
• Each antibody produced by white blood cells is specific to a particular
disease.
[antibodies pl.]
antipathy (an TIP ith ee) n. 1. a strong or deeply felt dislike; 2. the object of
that dislike
• It is rumored that dogs have a great antipathy for cats, yet Lois’s two dogs
and three cats get along famously.
• Jan’s new hairdo was the object of Kaj’s antipathy.
[Syn. aversion]