Page 83 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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deceive (di SEEV) vt. to cause (a person) to believe what is not true; delude;
mislead —vi. to use deceit; lie
• Flattery is a time-tested device to deceive one into thinking he or she is
hotter than is actually the case.
• The Flyby Knight Furniture Company tried to deceive people into believing
that their $298 sofa was real leather.
• False advertising is intended to deceive.
[-d, deceiving, deceivable adj., deceivingly adv., -r n.]
decibel (DE si bil) n. 1. (acoustics) a numerical expression of the relative loud-
ness of a sound; 2. (electronics, radio) a numerical expression of relative power lev-
els of electronic signals (In both cases the decibel level [dB] is related to common
logarithms, so small differences in decibels denote large differences in levels.)
• A 115-decibel sound level at a rock concert is enough to cause permanent
hearing damage, while a 130-decibel sound can cause actual physical pain.
• Loss of electromagnetic energy as it passes through transmission lines is
measured in decibels, with a loss of 3 dBs equal to half the strength.
decline (di KLYN) vt., vi. 1. to slope downward or aside; 2. to sink; wane; near
the end; 3. to lessen in force, health, value, etc.; 4. to sink to behavior that is base
or immoral; 5. to refuse to accept
• The graph of violent crimes per capita in New York during the 1990s
declines as it moves from left to right.
• As it approaches the loading platform, the speed of the roller coaster declines.
• The value of the dollar against the Euro declined in 2003.
• In dealing with a monkey, you need not decline to its level.
• Karen declined payment from Barney for having baby-sat.
[-d, declining] [Syn. refuse]
decorous (di KAW ris) adj. characterized by or showing propriety in behavior,
dress, etc.; demonstrating good taste
• Tom behaved in a very decorous manner at the graduation, never raising his
voice or wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
• The ettiquette consultant was hired by Maxine’s mother to supervise the
decorous behavior of all the servers at the wedding reception.
[-ly adv.]
defend (dif END) vt. 1. to protect from attack; keep from harm or danger; 2. to
support, maintain, or justify; 3. (law) to oppose (an action); to plead (one’s case)
• Though the door is unlocked, a German shepherd in the living room is
usually adequate to defend a home from theft.
• I don’t need to defend my conduct in this case.
• The corporation had more than one attorney to defend it against liability
actions.
[-ed, -ing, defense n., adj.]
deferment (di FOER mint) n. a postponement; a putting off to a later time
• In the bad old days of the draft, college students were able to get deferments
until after graduation.
• Deferment of jury duty is often obtainable by mothers of preschool children.
[(to) defer vt.]