Page 288 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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E – F: GRE Words
equable (EK wib il) adj. not varying very much; even tempered; serene; not 279
readily upset
• Tropical climates are equable rather than seasonal.
• It was strange to see George fly off the handle because he is usually quite
equable.
[equably adv., equability n.] [Syn. steady]
equivalence (ik WIV il ens) n. equality of value, meaning, force, grade, weight,
and so on
• The equivalence of 2.54 centimeters and 1 inch is a well-known relationship.
• A generic drug has the chemical equivalence of its brand-name cousin at a
lower price.
equivocal (ik WIV ik il) adj. 1. capable of being interpreted in more than one
way; purposely vague; obscure; 2. uncertain; doubtful; 3. suspicious; questionable
conduct
• Almost every character in Lewis Carroll’s books is equivocal, except for
Alice.
• The origin of the hamburger is equivocal, but everyone attributes the origin
of the ice-cream cone to the St. Louis World’s Fair.
• The shopkeeper called the police when he considered the behavior of the
person hanging around outside his shop to be equivocal.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. obscure]
equivocate (ik WIV ik AYT) vi. mislead; hedge; deceive; be deliberately vague or
ambiguous
• Part of a defense attorney’s job is to equivocate, so as to leave the jury with
a reasonable doubt.
• When the police are interviewing a suspect and he or she equivocates, they
can be pretty sure they’ve found the right person.
[-d, equivocating] [Syn. lie]
erode (ir OHD) vt. 1. to wear away; eat into; disintegrate; 2. to cause to wear
away; 3. to form by gradually wearing away
• Anything that is continually rubbed against erodes.
• Rain has eroded the rocks of Bryce Canyon, Utah, to make all the beautiful,
statuesque formations.
• The Grand Canyon is the result of rock being eroded over millions of years
by the Colorado River.
[-d, eroding] [Syn. wear (away)]
erudition (ER yoo DISH in) n. learning acquired through scholarship (by read-
ing and study)
• Everything we know about ancient Greek civilization is the result of
archaeology and erudition.
• Erudition in some form continues throughout life for any intellectually
curious person.
[Syn. information]