(v) To cut off a body part, especially by surgery.
The doctor had to amputate the mountain climber?s frostbitten toes.
(n) A natural talent.
My sister Yolanda has an aptitude for math that has always made me envious.
(n) One who benefits or gains an advantage from something.
Impoverished families will be the beneficiaries of these low-rent apartments.
(n) A welcome gift or blessing.
After a long dry spell, the rain was a boon to the farmers.
(v) To feel or express sorrow or compassion for; to sympathize.
If I?m upset about something, it helps me feel better if someone commiserates with me.
(v) To collect or gather; to acquire or obtain.
The school-committee candidate garnered support by going from door to door throughout the district to meet people.
(adj) Without payment; free of charge.
Admission to the museum is gratis on Mondays.
(adv)
The food packages students put together before Thanksgiving were offered gratis to destitute families in the community.
(v) To make helpless or incapable.
Keiko was incapacitated for six weeks while her leg was in a cast.
incapacity (n)
Because of the incapacity that resulted from her car accident, Melda missed eleven days of work.
(n) The beginning of an action or process.
I continue to extol the math club because it has been a success from the day of its inception.
(adj) Generous, unselfish, or forgiving.
Nelson Mandela was too magnanimous to seek revenge on his persecutors.
magnanimity (n) Quality of being above meanness or spite; generosity of spirit enabling one to bear trouble calmly.
Although he was found to have been jailed unjustly, he displayed great magnanimity on his release.
(n) A very large number.
A myriad of mosquitoes swarmed around us as we traversed the swampy area.
(adj) Very many.
Myriad beautiful tropical fish swam in the warm waters of the gulf.
(adj) 1. Capable of being done; feasible.
Making a community garden in that vacant lot is a practicable plan, but you?ll have to get permission from the city first.
2. Usable.
Motor boats are not practicable in the waters of the Florida Everglades.
(v) To pay or reward.
Were you remunerated for the work you did for the school?s used-book sale, or was it voluntary?
remuneration (n)
Acting as a public defender for clients who cannot afford a lawyer does not offer great financial remuneration.
(v) To ask for in a formal way.
Ms. Vargas came to our apartment to solicit contributions to her husband?s campaign.
solicitation (n)
Although I considered their cause a good one, I could not afford to respond to their repeated solicitations for money.
(adj) Used so much that it is no longer fresh or new.
?Fresh as a daisy? is a trite expression, but I sometimes find myself using it anyway.
