Page 346 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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T – U: GRE Words
tiff (TIF) n. 1. a slight fit of ill humor; a huff; 2. a petty argument or fight; spat
• When Vicki found that her new MP-3 player didn’t work, she had a tiff.
• Fred and Ethel had a tiff over where they should go on their vacation.
[Syn. spat]
torpor (TAWR puhr) n. 1. a condition of dormancy; sluggishness; temporary
(either partial or total) loss of sensation or motion; stupor; 2. dullness or apathy
• After 24 hours of sleeplessness, torpor is likely to set in.
• Torpor is characteristic among those who spent hours before their TVs in
the old days watching the political conventions from gavel to gavel.
[Syn. stupor]
tranquil (TRAN kwil) adj. 1. peaceful; serene; calm; free from agitation; 2. quiet
and motionless
• The tranquil countryside has been the backdrop to many a violent novel.
• The ocean may be violent on a stormy day but tranquil on a calm one.
• Try to maintain a tranquil attitude, and you’ll have far less heartburn.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. calm]
transgress (trans GRES) vt. 1. to overstep one’s bounds; 2. to violate the law
—vi. to sin
• Running a stop sign is a transgression of traffic law.
• A sin is a transgression against God.
• Eating pork is a transgression in some religions but perfectly acceptable in
others.
[-ed, -ing, -ion n.] [Syn. sin]
transmutation (TRANS myoo TAY shin) n. 1. a changing of one thing into
another; 2. (medieval) a changing of lead into gold (believed possible then) by
alchemy; 3. (chemistry) a changing of one element into an isotope of itself or
another by nuclear bombardment or by decay, for example, changing U 239 into U 235
or uranium into plutonium
• The transmutation of uranium into plutonium is a by-product of some
nuclear reactors.
• We now know, through modern chemistry, that the transmutation of lead
into gold is impossible.
• A caterpillar’s transmutation into a butterfly is known as “metamorphosis.”
[Syn. transformation]
tritium (TRI tee uhm) n. an isotope of hydrogen with atomic weight 3 and a
12.5-year half-life, used in thermonuclear bombs
• Tritium oxide is often referred to as “heavy water.”
• Molecules of tritium are created by bombarding hydrogen atoms with pro-
tons in a particle accelerator.
tyro (TY roh) n. a beginner at learning to do something
• Those just learning to play the game of golf are referred to as tyros.
• One can be experienced at something and still do it like a tyro.
[Syn. amateur]