Page 41 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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associate (uh SOH shee ayt for vt., uh soh SHEE it for n. and adj.) vt. 1. to con-
nect; combine; join together; 2. to bring a person into a relationship (friendship,
partnership, etc.); 3. to connect mentally —n. 1. somebody with whom one is con-
nected, such as a partner, friend, fellow worker, etc.; 2. a member of some group,
firm, society, etc. with less than full status; 3. anything joined to some other thing
—adj. 1. joined with others in some kind of work; 2. of less than full status; 3. con-
nected; accompanying
• Barry and Bob have chosen to associate and form The Killer Bees—a com-
pany that will make buzzers.
• For their advertising needs, The Killer Bees have decided to associate with
Bell Star and Associates.
• I often associate peanut butter with jelly; don’t you?
• The non–chief justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are associate justices.
• Betty and Veronica are associates in a certain comic book.
• Jim earned an associate degree from County College.
• Barry is a sales associate at a major appliance store.
[-d, -ciating]
assume (uh SOOM or uh SYOOM) vt. 1. to put on or take on the appearance, job,
form, etc. of; 2. to grab; usurp; 3. to personally undertake; 4. to take for granted; 5.
to feign; pretend to have
• When Jodi put on the costume, she assumed the appearance of a human-
sized mouse.
• After a coup, Napoleon assumed the power to rule France.
• Marty will assume the task of providing refreshments.
•I assumed that Geri had bought tickets, and I was wrong.
• You may assume the role of the nuclear scientist, even though you failed to
pass arithmetic.
[-d, assuming]
assumption (uh SUHMP shn) n. 1. (religious) the taking up of a person into
heaven; a Roman Catholic holiday celebrating the Virgin Mary’s being taken up; 2.
a taking upon one’s self, taking over, or taking up; an assuming; 3. anything taken
for granted; a supposing
• The Feast of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic holiday.
• The First Bank just completed the assumption of Harry and Peter’s mortgage
loan, so from now on, the monthly checks should be made out to First Bank.
• Napoleon’s assumption of the title of emperor gave the rest of Europe some-
thing to be concerned about.
• The assumption that you were going to get a B or better in chemistry does
not appear to have been well founded.
astute (ast OOT, ast YOOT) adj. being clever or shrewd of mind; cunning;
crafty; wily
• Getting out of the dot.com stocks just before they crashed was an astute
move on Jerry’s part.
• A fox is a very astute animal, often referred to as cunning.
• If Hal were astute, he’d pick up on Lynn’s hint to call her.
[-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. shrewd]