Page 316 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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M – N: GRE Words
mediator (MEE dee AY toer) n. a person who serves as an intermediary for 307
bringing about a peaceful solution to a problem between two or more persons,
groups, companies, and so on
• The Taft-Hartley Act calls for strikers to return to work for an 80-day
cooling-down period, while mediators try to broker a settlement between
workers and management.
•A mediator is often used to settle disputes between a company and a dissat-
isfied customer.
• When both sides agree in advance to abide by the mediator’s decision, it is
known as binding arbitration.
membrane (MEM brayn) n. 1. a soft, thin, pliable sheet of animal or vegetable
tissue that protects an organ, and through which dissolved nutrients can pass;
2. any thin sheet meant to separate or filter
• Every living cell is contained within a membrane.
• Modern coffeemakers use a membrane called a filter to hold the coffee
grounds and keep them out of your cup.
mercenary (MOER sin ER ee) adj. 1. working exclusively for money, rather than
for an ideal; 2. seeking payment —n. 1. a soldier working for pay in the army of
another country, or in a paid private military force; 2. a person who will do nearly
anything for money
•A mercenary worker welcomes the opportunity to work at a dangerous job
for high pay.
• High steelworkers are not just mercenary but rather have a knack for work-
ing in high places.
• Hessian troops were mercenaries who fought for the British during the
American Revolutionary War.
mercurial (mer KYUR ee il) adj. 1. of or containing the element mercury;
2. having qualities attributed to the god Mercury—for example, cleverness, shrewd-
ness, eloquence; 3. quick; quick witted; changeable; fleeting
• Fever thermometers used to be mercurial, but now, few are.
• A speedy messenger could be called mercurial in the classical sense of the
word.
• A good businessman should have mercurial qualities.
mettle (MET il) n. quality of temperament and character, especially high quali-
ty; steadfast; reliable; brave
• Dwight Eisenhower exhibited his mettle as a wartime leader in Europe.
• Boeing’s B-29 Superfortress showed its mettle as a long-range bomber dur-
ing the war in the Pacific.
• Aluminum has shown its mettle as the metal of choice for building airplanes.
milieu (mil YU) n. one’s surroundings or environment, especially a cultural or
social setting
• Fran thrived in the party milieu.
• Kenneth was much more comfortable in an intellectual milieu than he was
in a sporting arena.
• A symphony orchestra’s milieu is the concert hall.