8 T1 S1
Advent (noun) Synonym: Dock
[singular] the advent of something/somebody the coming of an important event, person, invention, etc.
· The advent of new technology
Advent [uncountable] (in the Christian religion) the period of approximately four weeks before Christmas
ANCHOR noun Synonym: Mainstay
[countable, uncountable] a heavy metal object that is attached to a rope or chain and dropped over the side of a ship or boat to keep it in one place
· To drop anchor
· The ship lay at anchor two miles off the rocky coast.
· We weighed anchor (= pulled it out of the water).
[countable] a person or thing that gives somebody a feeling of safety
· The anchor of the family
[countable] (especially North American English)
· Anchorman
· Anchorwoman
CALIBRATE verb Synonym: Measure
Calibrate something (specialist) to mark units of measurement on an instrument such as a thermometer so that it can be used for measuring something accurately
· Thermometer is used to measure temperature.
COMMENCE verb Synonym: Start
To begin to happen; to begin something
· The meeting is scheduled to commence at noon.
· I will be on leave during the week commencing 15 February.
Commence with something
· The day commenced with a welcome from the principal.
Commence something
· She commenced her medical career in 1956.
· The company commenced operations in April.
· to commence bankruptcy proceedings against somebody
Commence doing something
· We commence building next week.
Commence to do something
· Operators commenced to build pipelines in 1862.
Conspicuous adjective Synonym: Distinct
Easy to see or notice; likely to attract attention
· Mary's red hair always made her conspicuous at school.
· I felt very conspicuous in my new car.
· The advertisements were all posted in a conspicuous place.
· The event was a conspicuous success (= a very great one).
· Bay windows are a conspicuous feature of his architecture.
COUNTERPART Noun Synonym: Match
A person or thing that has the same position or function as somebody/something else in a different place or situation
· The Foreign Minister held talks with his Chinese counterpart.
· The women's shoe, like its male counterpart, is specifically designed for the serious tennis player.
DESCEND verb Synonym: Plummet
[intransitive, transitive] (formal) to come or go down from a higher to a lower level
§ The plane began to descend.
§ The results, ranked in descending order (= from the highest to the lowest) are as follows…
Descend something
· She descended the stairs slowly.
[intransitive] (formal) (of a hill, etc.) to slope downwards
§ At this point the path descends steeply.
[intransitive] (literary) (of night, darkness, a mood, etc.) to arrive and begin to affect somebody/something
· Night descends quickly in the tropics.
Descend on/upon somebody/something
· Calm descended on the crowd.
Escapement noun Synonym: Equipment
A piece of machinery in a clock or watch that transfers movement from the spring or weight to a wheel or pendulum which is connected to the hands
· The escapement of my watch is acted out.
Fuse noun Synonym: Device
A small wire or device inside a piece of electrical equipment that breaks and stops the current if the flow of electricity is too strong
· To change a fuse
· Check whether a fuse has blown.
A long piece of string or paper which is lit to make a bomb or a firework explode
(North American English also fuze) a device that makes a bomb explode when it hits something or at a particular time
· He set the fuse to three minutes.
· The bombs inside were on a one-hour fuse.
Lunar adjective Synonym: Moony
Connected with the moon
A lunar eclipse/landscape
Revolutionary adjective Synonym: Radical
[usually before noun] connected with political revolution
· A revolutionary leader
· Revolutionary uprisings
Involving a great or complete change
· A revolutionary idea
· A time of rapid and revolutionary change
· Revolutionary advances in medicine
· The effects of technological development are revolutionary.
· At the time this idea was revolutionary
Wane verb Synonym: Decrease
[intransitive] to become gradually weaker or less important
· Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly.
· Their popularity waned during that period.
· Her popularity was waning somewhat.
[intransitive] (of the moon) to appear slightly smaller each day after being round and full
Wax Noun Synonym: Thing
A solid substance that is made from beeswax or from various fats and oils and used for making candles, polish, models, etc. It becomes soft when it is heated.
· Styling wax for the hairfloor wax
· Wax crayonswax polish
A soft sticky yellowish substance that is found in your ears
· Ear wax
A person or object suggesting wax, as in manageability
· I am helpless wax in your hands.