Page 315 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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M – N

magnitude (MAG ni tood) adj. greatness of size, volume, brightness, area, and
so on
• The brightness of stars is measured by order of magnitude, with white stars
being of the highest order.
• Some would argue that the magnitude of one’s IQ is a measure of how
much they know rather than their intelligence.
maladroit (MAL uh DROYT) adj. clumsy; inept; klutzy
•A maladroit person should not be employed as a waiter or waitress.
• It is very unusual to find a maladroit cat, but Karen has had two of them.
[-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. awkward]
mammal (MAM uhl) n. any of a class of warm-blooded vertebrates, most have
hair and all are able to feed their young with milk secreted by the female’s mamma-
ry glands
• All animals with hair are mammals.
• If an animal has feathers or scales, it is not a mammal.
• Whales and dolphins are aquatic mammals.
manipulate (muh NIP yoo layt) vt. 1. to work or operate with the hands; 2. to
artfully manage or influence someone in an unfair way; 3. to falsify something for
one’s own benefit
• One’s fingers are used to manipulate the keys of a computer keyboard.
• Con artists specialize in manipulating people into buying things they don’t
need or for more money than they can afford to spend.
• Manipulating stock prices for one’s personal gain is a federal crime.
[-d, manipulating, manipulation n.] [Syn. handle]
marginal (MAHR jin il) adj. 1. written in the margin of a page; 2. close to the
border or limit, especially a lower limit
• Carol wrote marginal notes in all her textbooks, summarizing the content
of the page.
• Brad earned just enough money for a marginal existence.
• Vinny was diagnosed as a marginal schizophrenic.
[-ly adv.]
meadow (ME doh) n. 1. a piece of grassland, especially one used as a pasture or
for growing grass for hay; 2. a low grassland near a river or lake
• The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.
• The horses are out grazing in the meadow.
• The meadow grasses are being cut and baled for hay for animal feed over
the winter.

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