Page 342 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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S: GRE Words
static (STA tik) adj. 1. at rest; not moving; stationary; 2. the opposite of dynamic
—n. 1. an electrical discharge; 2. the noise produced by an electrical discharge
• The leadership of most dictatorships tends to be static because the leader
rarely changes.
• Static electricity is so named because it does not travel in currents.
• Lightning is a giant discharge of static electricity between two clouds or
between a cloud and the earth.
• Static is an annoyance of AM radio broadcasts but is absent from FM radio.
[-ally adv.] [Syn. stationary]
stimuli (STIM yoo ly) n. the plural of stimulus; things that incite or cause
reactions; incentives
• Mosquito bites are stimuli for scratching (though you shouldn’t).
• Special receptors in the nose are affected by the stimuli of odors and cause
impulses to be sent to the brain.
• Reactions are triggered by stimuli.
[stimulus sing.] [Syn. incentives]
stint (STINT) n. 1. an assigned task or job; 2. an amount of time spent at a
certain task
• Gregory’s stint was that of a parachute packer.
• Buddy spent an 18-month stint on an army base in Alaska.
stockade (stah KAYD) n. 1. a barricade or fence, made up of vertical stakes driv-
en into the ground, for the purpose of protection; 2. a fort enclosed in similar walls
• Western frontier forts seen in the movies are stockades.
•A stockade is also a structure that used to detain prisoners.
• The stockade fences of today are not actually stockades because only occa-
sional posts are driven into the ground.
stolid (STAHL id) adj. showing little or no emotional reaction; impassive
•A stolid expression is essential to being a successful poker player.
• One who is stolid all the time is very little fun to be around.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. impassive]
subliminal (suhb LIM in il) adj. beneath the level of consciousness, especially
suggestions to the unconscious meant to evoke or teach certain behavior
• Subliminal suggestions repeated over and over again have long been
thought to change someone’s overt behavior.
• One of the most insidious uses of such messages is in subliminal advertis-
ing, where one’s unconscious is deliberately bombarded in an effort to
make that person buy a certain product.
[-ly adv.]