Page 51 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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brain (BRAYN) n. 1. the mass of tissue inside the skull of vertebrates; the organ
that is the destination for the spinal cord, the main center of reasoning and inter-
preter of senses, as well as the director of motor functions; 2. a comparable organ in
an invertebrate; 3. (often pl.) mental capacity; intelligence; 4. (usually pl.) the chief
organizer or planner of a group event; head director —vt. to hit hard on the head
• No computer can yet equal the human brain.
• A flea’s brain is not very complex.
• You don’t need instructions; just use your brains.
• When it comes to planning, Kevin’s the brains of this outfit.
• Roger got brained by the baseball bat.
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brandish (BRAEN dish) vt. to wave about or shake, in a threatening or chal-
lenging way; flourish
• When you brandish that saber, everyone ducks for cover.
• Helen brandished the fireplace poker as if she wanted to strike someone
with it.
[-ed, -ing]
burden (BOER din) n. 1. a load; anything carried; 2. something one has to put
up with; a heavy load; hard work; sorrow or responsibility —vt. to weigh down; to
oppress
• The drywall was a heavy burden for the roof of the car.
• When Jill sat on the jury, she had the burden of deciding the guilt or inno-
cence of the defendant.
• Certain trucks are classified by the burden they can carry.
• I hate to burden you with the job of deciding what to wear.
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burrow (BOER o) n. 1. a hole dug by an animal or a tunnel in the ground; 2.
any hole or passage serving as a shelter, refuge, etc. —vi. 1. to dig (into, under, etc.);
2. search as if by digging —vt. to make burrows in the ground
• Groundhogs live in burrows of their own making.
• Some animals often find shelter in burrows dug by others.
• Burrowing through old files led to finding the real murderer.
• Construction crews burrowed beneath the English Channel to build the
Chunnel, connecting the U.K. and France.
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buttress* (BUH tris) n. a brace, usually of brick or stone, built against a wall to
support or reinforce it; a prop —vt. 1. to support or reinforce with such a structure;
2. to prop up; bolster
• Many Gothic buildings sport buttresses to reinforce them.
• Flash cards can be thought of as buttresses for rote learning of facts.
• Buttress your argument against the tax hike by having the documentation
concerning the results of previous hikes.
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