ersatz [ ER-zahts, -sahts, er-ZAHTS, -SAHTS ]
[adjective]
MEANING:
an artificial and usually inferior substitute or imitation
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
At the seminar they served us ersatz coffee made of chicory.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
The remaining sites would then be rebuilt in traditional style. Such conservation would not be ersatz antiquarianism but merely use appropriate materials to rescue a neighborhood whose character should be as critical to old Kabul as saving Covent Garden was to London’s West End.
petulant [ PECH-uh’-luh’ nt ]
[adjective]
MEANING:
irritable, peevish, touchy or fretful
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
Petulant behavior in children must be discouraged from early childhood.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Judges have cleared lawyer Aamer Anwar of contempt of court – but criticized his “angry and petulant” conduct.
sepulchre [ SEP-uh’ l-ker ]
[noun,transitive verb]
MEANING:
1. (n.) grave or tomb
2. (n.) a cavity or vault to collect relics esp. in an altar
3. (tr.v.) to bury in a sepulcher
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
The team of archaeologists found gold ornaments in a sepulcher during the excavation.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Two teenagers have been found guilty of the ancient crime of violating a sepulcher.
codify [ KOD-uh-fahy, KOH-duh- ]
[transitive verb]
MEANING:
1. to reduce to a code
2. to systematize, classify or arrange
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
All rules were codified into the rule book to aid people to understand them better.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
The new MPs’ code of conduct will clarify Members’ role in relation to constituents and Parliament, detail what voters can expect from their MP, and codify the potential offences which must be addressed and new tougher sanctions for misbehavior.
bane [ beyn ]
[noun]
MEANING:
1. anything that spoils or ruins
2. anything that caused harm, destruction or death
3. a deadly poison
4. the source of one’s exasperation or a persistent annoyance
USAGE EXAMPLE 1:
Alcoholism was the bane of his family life.
USAGE EXAMPLE 2:
Suspension-jarring, bike-toppling, ankle-turning potholes are the bane of road users and local authorities alike