Vocabulary Unit 2

available a vai la ble) Definition (adj) ready for use, at hand The room was available for studying.

cater (ca ter) Definition – (v) to satisfy the needs of, try to make things easy, to supply food and service We will cater the food for the party.

customary (cus to mar y) Definition – (adj) usual, expected, routine It is customary to shake hands in our country.

dissuade (dis suade) Definition – (v) to persuade not to do something The bank president offered an increase in wages, but she could not dissuade her employee from quitting.

entrepreneur (en tre pre neur) Definition – (n) a person who starts up and takes on the risk of a business Can an entrepreneur launch a business with less than a $1,000 dollars?

firebrand (fire brand) Definition – (n) A piece of burning wood; a troublemaker; an extremely energetic or emotional person A rash young firebrand caused a riot in downtown Chicago.

hazard (haz ard) Definition – (n) risk, peril; (v) to expose to danger or harm, to gamble It is considered a hazard to your health when you have to work with dangerous and poisonous gases.

Hinder to delay; to stop or prevent from happening. The all day rain predicted for tomorrow will definitely hinder our plans for a picnic at the lake.

homicide (hom i cide) Definition – (n) the killing of one person by another The graph indicates that homicide rates are increasing.

indifference (in dif fer ence) Definition – (n) a lack of interest or concern The man’s littering showed his indifference towards our environment.

indignant (in dig nant) Definition - (adj) filled with resentment or anger over something unjust, unworthy or mean The man became indignant when he was not allowed in the theater.

indispensable (in di spen sa ble) Definition – (adj) absolutely necessary Water is indispensable.

lubricate (lu bri cate) Definition – (v) to apply oil or grease; to make smooth, slippery, or easier to use The man had to lubricate the parts.

mutual (mu tu al) Definition – (adj) shared, felt, or shown equally by two or more In our neighborhood we have developed a mutual respect for each other.

pelt Definition – (v) to throw a stream of things The guests of the wedding could not resist the urge to pelt the bride and groom with rice as they left the church.

plague Definition – (n) an easily spread disease causing a large number of deaths; a widespread evil (v) to annoy or bother Cicadas did plague many people in the summer of 2007.

poised Definition – (adj) balanced, suspended; calm, controlled; ready for action Waiting for the recital to begin, the ballerina stood poised.

regime (re gime) Definition – (n) a government in power; a form or system of rule or management; a period of rule In 2008 the United States will have a change of regime.

transparent (trans par ent) Definition – (adj) allowing light to pass through; easily seen through Most glass is transparent.

Unscathed (un scathed) Definition- (adj) wholly unharmed, not injured It was a miracle that the teens walked away from the accident unscathed.