TOEFL wordlist 36

1. courier [ˈkʊriə(r)]

(1). n. A courier is a person who is paid to take letters and parcels direct from one place to another.

(2). n. A courier is a person employed by a travel company to look after people who are on holiday.

(3). v. If you courier something somewhere, you send it there by courier.

A courier can deliver the parcels and letters to our office.

2. polygamy [pəˈlɪɡəmi]

n. Polygamy is the custom in some societies in which someone can be legally married to more than one person at the same time.

In ancient China, polygamy acted for a couple of thousand years.

3. despise [dɪˈspaɪz]

v. If you despise something or someone, you dislike them and have a very low opinion of them.

A tattletale is often despised by his classmates.

4. trumpet [ˈtrʌmpɪt]

(1). n. A trumpet is a musical instrument of the brass family which plays quite high notes.

(2). v. If someone trumpets something that they are proud of or that they think is important, they speak about it publicly in a very forceful way.

(3). v. When an elephant trumpets, it makes a loud sound.

Mothers often like to trumpet their own way to nurture and educate their children.

5. convene [kənˈviːn]

v. If someone convenes a meeting or conference, they arrange for it to take place. You can also say that people convene or that a meeting convenes.

The chairman convened all the members to the meeting room.

6. babble [ˈbæbl]

(1). v. If someone babbles, they talk in a confused or excited way.

(2). n. You can refer to people's voices as a babble of sound when they are excited and confused, preventing you from understanding what they are saying.

I hate people babbling, so please speak out loud and clear.

7. canopy [ˈkænəpi]

(1). n. A canopy is a decorated cover, often made of cloth, which is placed above something such as a bed or a seat.

(2). n. A canopy is a layer of something that spreads out and covers an area, for example the branches and leaves that spread out at the top of trees in a forest.

The trees formed a canopy over the yard.

8. anomalous [əˈnɒmələs]

adj. Something that is anomalous is different from what is useful or expected.

The transfer student was anomalous, because he was the only boarder in the class.

9. dissent [dɪˈsent]

(1). n. Dissent is strong disagreement or dissatisfaction with a decision or opinion, especially one that is supported by most people or by people in authority.

(2). v. If you dissent, you express disagreement with a decision or opinion, especially one that is supported by most people or by people in authority.

Two sides from the debate have their strong dissents to each other's opinions.

10. tender [ˈtendə(r)]

(1). adj. Someone or something that is tender expresses gentle and caring feelings.

(2). n. A tender is a formal offer to supply goods or to do a particular job, and a statement of the price that you or your company will charge. If a contract is put out to tender, formal offers are invited. If a company wins a tender, their offer is accepted.

(3). adj. If you say that someone does something at a tender age, you mean that they do it when they are still young and have not had much experience.

(4). adj. Meat or other food that is tender is easy to cut or chew.

(5). adj. If part of your body is tender, it is sensitive and painful when it is touched.

(6). v. If a company tenders for something, it makes a formal offer to supply goods or do a job for a particular price.

(7). v. If you tender something such as a suggestion, your resignation, or money, you formally offer or present it.

A flock of sheep are roaming on the ground and looking for tender grass.

11. derivative [dɪˈrɪvətɪv]

(1). n. A derivative is something which has been developed or obtained from something else.

(2). adj. If you say that something is derivative, you are criticizing it because it is not new or original but has been developed from something else.

Petroleum is not original, and it's an organic derivative.

12. calamitous [kəˈlæmɪtəs]

adj. If you describe an event or situation as calamitous, you mean it is very unfortunate or serious.

The underground space collapsed in the explosion, with calamitous results.

13. surmise [səˈmaɪz , ˈsɜːmaɪz]

(1). v. If you surmise that something is true, you guess it from the available evidence, although you do not know for certain.

(2). n. If you say that a particular conclusion is surmise, you mean that it is a guess based on the available evidence and you do not know for certain that it is true.

All of these reasons are pure surmise on Joe's part.

14. superimpose [ˌsuːpərɪmˈpəʊz]

(1). v. If one image is superimposed on another, it is put on top of it so that you can see the second image through it.

(2). v. If features or characteristics from one situation are superimposed onto or on another, they are transferred onto or used in the second situation, though they may not fit.

Father superimposed the newspaper on the keys, so mother couldn't find them.

15. recollection [ˌrekəˈlekʃn]

n. If you have a recollection of something, you remember it.

After the accident, the little boy had no recollection at all of his childhood.

16. ageism [ˈeɪdʒɪzəm]

n. Ageism is unacceptable behaviour that occurs as a result of the belief that older people are of less value than younger people.

Ageism has significant effects on the elderly and young people.

17. debut [ˈdeɪbjuː]

n. The debut of a preformer or sports player is their first public performance, appearance, or recording.

He made his debut aibum in 2000.

18. orchid [ˈɔːkɪd]

n. Orchids are plants which brightly coloured, unusually shaped flowers.

The leaves of some orchids are considered ornamental.

19. ardent [ˈɑːdnt]

adj. Ardent is used to describe someone who has extremely strong feelings about something or someone.

Christina was extremely ardent in her admiration for professor.

20. convection [kənˈvekʃn]

n. Convection is the process by which heat travels through air, water, and other gases and liquids.

A heater is using convection when it warms the air in a room.

21. hollow [ˈhɒləʊ]

(1). adj. Something that is hollow has a space inside it, as opposed to being solid all the way through.

(2). adj. A surface that is hollow curves inwards.

(3). n. A hollow is a hole inside a tree.

(4). n. A hollow is an area that is lower than the surrounding surface.

(5). adj. If you describe a statement, situation, or person as hollow, you mean they have no real value, worth, or effectiveness.

(6). adj. If someone gives a hollow laugh, they laugh in a way that shows that they do not really find something amusing.

(7). adj. A hollow sound is dull and echoing.

(8). v. If something is hollowed, its surface is made to curve inwards or downwards.

The man is destroyed by his own hollow values.

22. rinse [rɪns]

(1). v. When you rinse something, you wash it in clean water in order to remove dirt or soap from it.

(2). v. If you rinse your mouth, you wash it vy filling your mouth with water or with a liquid that kills germs, then spitting it out.

(3). n. A hair rinse is a dye whose colour gradually disappears after you have washed your hair a number of times, rather than being permanent.

Rinse the cup out before use.

23. insult [ɪnˈsʌlt , ˈɪnsʌlt]

(1). v. If someone insults you, they say or do something that is rude or offensive.

(2). n. An insult is a rude remark, or something a person says or does which insults you.

(3). phrase. You say to add insult to injury when mentioning an action or fact that makes an unfair or unacceptable situation event worse.

He insulted her by calling her a stupid fool.

24. gourmet [ˈɡʊəmeɪ]

(1). adj. Gourmet food is nice or more unusual or sophisticated than ordinary food, and is often more expensive.

(2). n. A gourmet is someone who enjoys good food, and who knows a lot about food and wine.

Over the last few years, a trend has been developing to introduce blended coffees known as gourmet coffee into the American market.

25. distasteful [dɪsˈteɪstfl]

adj. If something is distasteful to you, you think it is unpleasant, disgusting, or immoral.

The teacher's manners were distasteful to every student in the class.

26. medieval [ˌmediˈiːvl]

adj. Something that is medieval relates to or was made in the period of European history between the end of the Roman Empire in 476 AD and about 1500 AD.

The museum had an exhibit of medieval armor last month.

27. clamor ['klæmə(r)]

(1). v. If people are clamouring for something, they are demanding it in a noisy or angry way.

(2). n. Clamour is used to describe the loud noise of a large group of people talking or shouting together.

The clamor from the backyard drew us out of the house.

28. spew [spjuː]

(1). v. When something spews out a substance or when a substance spews from something, the substance flows out quickly in large quantities.

(2). v. If someone spews or spews up, they vomit.

We assume that volcanoes spewed out the same gasses.

29. subliminal [ˌsʌbˈlɪmɪnl]

adj. Subliminal influences or messages affect your mind without you being aware of it.

The form of subliminal advertising is illegal in some countries in Europe.

30. hemisphere /'hemɪsfɪr/

(1). n. A hemisphere is one half of the earth.

(2). n. A hemisphere is one half of the brain.

Columbus returned to Spain from the western hemisphere.

31. pollen /'pɑːlən/​​​​​​​

(1). n. Pollen is a fine powder produced by flowers. It fertilizes other flowers of the same species so that they produce seeds.

The individual pollen grains are small enough to require magnification to see details.

32. monotonous /mə'nɑːtənəs/​​​​​​​

adj. Something that is monotonous is very boring because it has a regular, repeated pattern which never changes.​​​​​​​

Factory work is less creative and more montonous.

33. rattle /'rætl/​​​​​​​

(1). v. When something rattles or when you rattle it, it makes short sharp knocking sounds because it is being shaken or it keeps hitting against something hard. 

(2). n. A rattle is a baby's toy with loose bits inside which make a noise when the baby shakes it. 

(3). n. A rattle is a wooden instrument that people shake to make a loud knocking noise at football matches or tribal ceremonies. 

(4). n. A rattlesnake's rattle is the hard part at the end of its tail which makes a rattling sound when it is shaken. 

(5). v. If something or someone rattles you, they make you nervous. 

(6). v. You can say that a bus, train or car rattles somewhere when it moves noisily from one place to another. 

Every time a train went past, the windows rattled.

34. artisan /'ɑːrtəzn/​​​​​​​

n. An artisan is someone whose job requires skill with their hands.

Artisans were the dominant producers of goods before the industrial Revolution.

35. elliptical /ɪ'lɪptɪkl/​​​​​​​

(1). adj. Something that is elliptical has the shape of an ellipse.

(2). adj. Elliptical references to something are indirect rather than clear.

The motion of stars in elliptical galaxies is predominantly radial.

36. mint /mɪnt/​​​​​​​

(1). n. Mint is a herb with fresh-tasting leaves.

(2). n. A mint is a sweet with a peppermint flavour. Some people suck mints in order to make their breath smell fresher.

(3). n. The mint is the place where the official coins of a country are made.

(4). v. To mint coins or medals means to make them in a mint.

(5). n. If you say that someone makes a mint, you mean that they make a very large amount of money.

(6). phrase. If you say that something is in mint condition, you mean that it is in perfect condition.

They identified the city where the penny was minted.

整理自《柯林斯词典》、《新东方托福词汇》，侵删歉。