6 • Lesson 4 Word List

aloft

(adv) Up in the air, especially in flight.
A strong breeze kept the kites aloft.

A kite flies high in the sky, held by a person.
attain*

(v) 1. To reach; to arrive at.
Redwood trees attain heights of over three hundred feet.

2. To achieve.
DeShawn attained his goal of getting straight A's on his report card.

buffet

(n) 1. A piece of furniture with drawers and shelves for the storage and display of plates, dishes, and bowls.
This splendid antique buffet contains a valuable collection of china.

2. A meal laid out for guests to help themselves.
The abundance of food at the buffet allowed people to go back for second or third helpings.

(v) To pound repeatedly; to batter.
High winds and waves buffeted the ship during the storm.

elude

(v) To escape by being quick or clever.
The mouse eluded the cat by slipping through a crack in the wall.

elusive (adj) 1. Hard to find or capture.
The elusive eagle flew above the pine trees before disappearing again.

2. Hard to explain or make clear.
Albert Einstein's connection between energy and the speed of light is too elusive for most nonscientists to grasp.

flammable

(adj) Able to catch fire easily.
Building materials must be fireproofed so they are not flammable.

hover

(v) To remain in place over an object or location.
Hummingbirds hover by beating their wings sixty times a second.

A hummingbird remains in mid-air near pink flowers, beating its wings rapidly.
inflate

(v) To fill with air or other gas.
Inflate your bike tires to the correct pressure.

A person using a pump to fill a bike tire with air.
jeopardy

(n) Danger.
Mountaineers who climb without partners put their lives in jeopardy.

jeopardize (v) To put in danger of loss or injury.
Bikers jeopardize their safety by riding without a helmet.

moor

(v) To hold in place with ropes or anchors.
After the sailors moored the boat to the dock, they went ashore.

mooring (n) A place to which a boat or aircraft can be moored.
The hurricane tore many boats from their moorings.

plummet

(v) To fall suddenly toward the earth or to a lower level; to plunge.
We tried not to panic as the apartment elevator plummeted to the basement.

Skydivers exiting an airplane and beginning to plummet toward the ground.
pollute

(v) To make impure or dirty.
Teachers help keep your mind from being polluted by incorrect information.

pollution (n) The action of polluting; the state of being polluted.
The careless dumping of poisonous chemicals caused widespread pollution of the soil.

A lake filled with plastic bottles and trash, showing the effect of pollution on the water.
propel

(v) To push or drive forward.
Two engines propelled the speedboat.

stationary

(adj) 1. Not moving.
A stationary bicycle is used for exercise.

2. Not changing.
The price of admission to the ballpark has remained stationary for the past couple of years.

superb

(adj) Of the highest quality; grand; splendid.
The view from the mountaintop was superb.

swivel

(n) A fastening that allows any part joined to it to swing freely.
This chair has a swivel that enables it to turn in a full circle.

(v) To turn freely around a fixed point.
Owls can swivel their heads to look behind them.