reprehensible [ rep-ri-HEN-suh’-buh’ l ]
[noun,adjective]
MEANING: blameworthy or deserving rebuke
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The reprehensible act must not go unpunished.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Animal Rights Africa said killing elephants was “undeniably cruel and morally reprehensible” as well as counterproductive.
insurmountable [ in-ser-MOUN-tuh’-buh’l ]
[adjective]
MEANING:
- insuperable or that which cannot be surpassed or overcome
- impossible to pass over or conquer
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
He overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles by determination and hard work.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Mr Brown told the BBC the barriers were “huge” but “not insurmountable”.
tanner [ TAN-er ]
[noun]
MEANING: a person employed to tan hides
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
As a tanner, he did not earn much but at least he was employed.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
After the hair fibers were loosened, the tanners scraped them off with a knife.
poignancy [ POIN-yuh’n-see, POIN-uh’n ]
[noun]
MEANING:
- the state of being very touching or profoundly moving
- an emotional moment or event
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
Many viewers were moved to tears by the poignancy of the soap opera.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
The rest of the book lacks the sweetness and poignancy of these first pages.
augment [ v. awg-MENT; n. AWG-ment ]
[noun,intransitive verb,transitive verb]
MEANING:
- (tr. v.) to enlarge or make greater in size, strength or number
- (tr. v.) to increase
- (tr. v.) to add an augment to in linguistics
- (intr. v.) to become larger
5.(n.) the prefixation or lengthening of the initial vowel which accompanies a past tense, especially of Greek and Sanskrit verbs
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The body builder augmented the size of his muscles by taking steroids.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Energy supplies will be augmented by solar thermal panels as well as photostatic, while all the interior spaces will be air-conditioned using a low-energy, sea-cooled refrigeration system, the designers said.