5 • Lesson 13 Word List

accommodate*

(v) 1. To have or to find room for.
This bus, which accommodates thirty adults, will drive to the historic buildings in the center of the city.

2. To do a favor for.
Tell me what you want, and I will try to accommodate you.

aggressive

(adj) 1. Ready to attack or start fights; acting in a hostile way.
Many animals become aggressive when their young are threatened.

2. Bold and active.
Serena Williams, the American tennis star, plays a talented and aggressive game.

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bask

(v) 1. To relax where it is pleasantly warm.
At lunch break, several students basked in the sunshine flooding the front steps.

2. To enjoy a warm or pleasant feeling.
The twins basked in the praise heaped on them by their parents.

carcass

(n) The dead body of an animal.
We called the city to request that the raccoon carcass on our street be removed.

conceal

(v) To keep something or someone from being seen or known; to hide.
Playing hide-and-seek with my younger cousins, I concealed myself behind the kitchen door.

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flail

(v) To strike out or swing wildly; to thrash about.
matt's arms flailed desperately after he jumped in the pool.

gorge

(n) A narrow passage between steep cliffs.
We crossed the gorge on a swaying rope bridge.

(v) To stuff with food; to eat greedily.
The children gorged themselves on watermelon at the family picnic.

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morsel

(n) A small amount, especially of something good to eat; a tidbit.
For appetizers we served stuffed mushrooms and other tasty morsels.

protrude

(v) To stick out; to project.
Watch out for the stone ledge that protrudes from the wall.

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ripple

(v) To form small waves.
The breeze rippled the surface of the lake.

(n) A movement like a small wave.
Raindrops made ripples in the pond.

slither

(v) To move with a sliding, side-to-side motion of the body.
A snake slithered through the grass.

sluggish

(adj) 1. Lacking energy; not active.
The heat made me sluggish.

2. Slow moving.
In the dry season, the river becomes little more than a sluggish stream.

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snout

(n) The nose or jaws that stick out in front of certain animals' heads.
The snout of a crocodile is full of long, sharp teeth.

taper

(v) 1. To make or become less wide or less thick at one end.
The little dog's tail tapers to a point.

2. To lessen gradually. (Usually used with off.)
When a loud knock was heard at the door, the professor's voice tapered off until she fell silent.

(n) A thin candle.
The only light in the room came from a flickering taper.

visible

(adj) Able to be seen; exposed to view; not hidden.
On a clear day Mount Shasta is visible from fifty miles away.

visibility (n) 1. The condition of being easily seen.
An orange vest increases a cyclist's visibility on the road.

2. The distance within which things can be seen.
Visibility is poor this morning because of the fog.