TOEFL wordlist 7

1. rhinoceros  [raɪˈnɒsərəs]

n. A rhinoceros is a large Asian or African animal with thick grey skin and a horn, or two horns, on its nose.

Among the most ancient animals, rhinoceroses thrived for millions of years before meetina their most deadly enemy: humans.

2. herald  [ˈherəld]

(1). v. Something that heralds a future event or situation is a sign that it is going to happen or appear.

(2). n. Something that is a herald of a future event or situation is a sign that it is going to happen or appear.

(3). v. If an important event or action is heralded by people, announcements are made about it so that it is publicly known and expected.

(4). n. In former times, a herald was a person who delivered and announced important messages.

America's War of Independance heralded the birth of three modern nations.

3. wax [wæks]

(1). n. Wax is a solid, slightly shiny substance made of fat or oil which is used to make candles and polish. It melts when it is heated.

(2). v. If you wax a surface, you put a thin layer of wax onto it, especially in order to polish it.

(3). v. If you have your legs waxed, you have the hair removed from your legs by having wax put on them and then pulled off quickly.

(4). n. Wax is the stickly yellow substance found in your ears.

(5). v. If you say that someone, for example, waxes lyrical or waxes indignant about a subject, you mean that they talk about it in an enthusiastic way.

(6). phrase. If something waxes and wanes, it first increases and then decreases over a period of time.

My father waxed the wooden furniture.

4. cardinal [ˈkɑ:dɪnl]

(1). n. A cardinal is a high-ranking priest in the Catholic church.

(2). adj. A cardinal rule or quality is the one that is considered to be the most important.

(3). n. A cardinal is a common North American bird. The male has bright red feathers.

Respect for freedom is a cardinal principle of the country's law.

5. aerial  [ˈeəriəl]

(1). adj. You talk about aerial attacks and aerial photographs to indicate that people or things on the ground are attacked or photographed by people in aeroplanes.

(2). adj. You can use aerial to describe things that exist or happen above the ground or in the air.

(3). n. An aerial is a device or a piece of wire that receives television or radio signals and is usually attached to a radio, television, car, or building.

The banyan tree has aerial roots.

6. lipid ['lɪpɪd]

Lipids are organic molecules that are insoluble in water.

7. charisma [kəˈrɪzmə]

n. You say that someone has charisma when they can attract, influence, and inspire people by their personal qualities.

I don't have the charisma to attract so many people.

8. affable [ˈæfəbl]

adj. Someone who is affable is pleasant and friendly.

This conversation is joyous and affable.

9. disconcert  [ˌdɪskənˈsɜ:t]

v. If something disconcerts you, it makes you feel anxious, confused, or embarrassed.

The things I'm about to say may disconcert others but not you.

10. induct [ɪnˈdʌkt]

(1). v. If someone is inducted into a particular job, rank, or position, they are given the job, rank, or position in a formal ceremony.

(2). v. If someone is inducted into the army, they are officially made to join the army.

Many players form an organization, and induct other players to join in.

11. wedge [wedʒ]

(1). v. If you wedge something, you force it to remain in a particular position by holding it there tightly or by fixing something next to it to prevent it from moving.

(2). v. If you wedge something somewhere, you fit it there tightly.

(3). n. A wedge is an object with one pointed edge and one thick edge, which you put under a door to keep it firmly in position.

(4). n. A wedge is a piece of metal with a pointed edge which is used for splitting a  material such as  stone or wood, by being hammered into a crack in the material.

(5). n. A wedge of somethiing such as fruit or cheese is a piece of it that has a thick triangular shape.

(6). phrase. If someone drives a wedge between two people who are close, they cause ill feelings between them in order to weaken their relationship.

(7). phrase. If you say that something is the thin end of the wedge, you mean that it appears to be unimportant at the moment, but that it is the beginning of a bigger, more harmful development.

He hammered the wedge into the crack in the stone.

12. culminate  [ˈkʌlmɪneɪt]

v. If you say that an activity, process, or series of events culminates in or with a particular event, you mean that event happens at the end of it.

The band's summer tour will culminate at a fabulous concert in New York.

13. predation [prɪˈdeɪʃn] 

One of the explanations is defense from predation.

14. triumph  [ˈtraɪʌmf] 

(1). n. A triumph is a great success or achievement, often one that has been gained with a lot of skill or effort.

(2). n. Triumph is a feeling of great satisfaction and pride resulting from a success or victory.

(3). v. If someone or something triumphs, they gain complete success, control, or victory, often after a long or difficult struggle.

The football team's victory was regarded as a major triumph.

15. incredulous  [ɪnˈkredjələs]

adj. If someone is incredulous, they are unable to believe something because it is very surprising or shocking.

People nowadays are incredulous about ghosts.

16. puritanical  [ˌpjʊərɪˈtænɪkl]

adj. If you describe someone as puritanical, you mean that they have very strict moral principles, and often try to make other people behave in a more moral way.

Mary was anything but puritanical in her behavior.

17. savage [ˈsævɪdʒ]

(1). adj. Someone or something that is savage is extremely cruel, violent, and uncontrolled.

(2). n. If you refer to people as savages, you dislike them because you think that they do not have an advanced society and are violent.

(3). v. If someone is savaged by a dog or other animal, the animal attacks them violently.

(4). v. If someone or something that they have done is savaged by another person, that person criticizes them severly.

The blockbuster is mainly about a savage, bitter battle.

18. cider  [ˈsaɪdə(r)] 

n. Cider is a drink made from apples which iin Britain usually contains alcohol. In the United States, cider does not usually contain alcohol, and if it does contain alcohol, it is  usually called hard cider.

I'd like a glass of cider.

19. stingy [ˈstɪndʒi]

adj. If you describe someone as stingy, you are criticizing them for being unwilling to spend money.

To my surprise, even though now Mary is rich, she is still stingy.

20. forestall  [fɔ:ˈstɔ:l] 

v. If you forestall someone, you realize what they are likely to do and prevent them from doing it.

Try to anticipate what your child will do and forestall problems.

21. concave [kɒnˈkeɪv]

adj. A surface that is concave curves inwards in the middle.

A concave lens has two focal points -- one on each side.

22. boast [bəʊst]

(1). v. If someone boasts about something that they have done or that they own, they talk about it very proudly, in a way that other people may find irritating or offensive.

(2). v. If someone or something can boast a particular achievement or possession, they have achieved or possess that thing.

Anne made many boasts about her business.

23. hitherto  [ˌhɪðəˈtu:] 

adv. You use hitherto to indicate that something was true up until the time you are talking about, although it may no longer be the case.

The weather, which had hitherto been sunny and mild, suddenly turned cold.

24. comet [ˈkɒmɪt]

n. A comet is a bright object with a long tail that travels around the sun.

He has been studying a comet for more than 20 years.

25. vault  [vɔ:lt] 

(1). n. A vault is a secure room where money and other valuable things can be kept safely.

(2). n. A vault is a room underneath a church or in a cemetery where people are buried, usually the members of a single family.

(3). n. A vault is an arched roof or ceiling.

(4). v. If you vault something or vault over it, you jump quickly onto or over it, especially by putting a hand on top of it to help you balance while you jump.

Previously the poor quality of the iron had restricted its use in architecture to items such as vaults and walls.

26. mime [maɪm]

(1). n. Mime is the use of movements and gestures in order to express something or tell a story without using speech.

(2). v. If you mime something, you describe or express it using mime rather than speech.

(3). v. If you mime, you pretend to be singing or playing an instrument, although the music is in fact coming from a CD or cassetee.

He mimed and copied all her actions.

27. stratigraphy [strə'tɪgrəfɪ]

Scientists can identify the living age of some species by studying stratigraphy.

28. impetus [ˈɪmpɪtəs]

n. Something that gives a process impetus or an impetus makes it happen or progress more quickly.

The danger of the fire gave an impetus to the use of more durable material.

29. incubate [ˈɪŋkjubeɪt]

(1). v. When birds incubate their eggs, they keep the eggs warm until the baby birds come out.

(2). phrase. When a germ in your body incubates or is incubated, it develops for a period of time before it starts making you feel ill.

(3). v. If you say that plans or ideas incubate, you mean that they develop slowly after a lot of thought or discussion.

The researchers remove eggs from the nests of parrots and incubate them under laboratory conditions.

30. sedimentary [ˌsedɪˈmentri]

adj. Sedimentary rocks are formed from sediment left by water, ice, or wind.

Stratigraphy is the description of strata in sedimentary rock.

31. mason  [ˈmeɪsn]

(1). n. A mason is a person who is skilled at making things o building things with stone. In American English, masons are people who work with stone or bricks.

(2). n. A Mason is the same as a Freemason.

The mason worked hard but earned little.

32. preoccupation [priˌɒkjuˈpeɪʃn]

(1). n. If you have a preoccupation with something or someone, you keep thinking about them because they are important to you.

(2). n. Preoccupation is a state of mind in which you think about something so much that you do not consider other things to be important.

The beggar's main preoccupation at this time is getting some money and food.

整理自《柯林斯词典》、《新东方托福词汇》，侵删歉。